ESPNF1 Staff
September 19, 2011
Lotus will have a new floor and diffuser on its car in Singapore © Sutton Images
Lotus will run a new floor and diffuser on its car at the Singapore Grand Prix, which chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne is confident will boost performance.
"We will be running with a maximum downforce package with a new floor and diffuser and bigger front brake ducts to cope with the brake cooling demands," Gascoyne said. "The numbers from the wind-tunnel look pretty promising for the update to the floor so we will see what we have found when we get out on track."
Gascoyne said Singapore offers a difficult challenge for the teams as the track runs on public roads in the centre of the city and does not offer much grip in first practice.
"The track surface is very green when we first run on Friday, but it has high evolution throughout the weekend and by Sunday the grip levels have improved dramatically," he said. "Pirelli are bringing the soft and super soft compounds to Singapore and it will be interesting to see how teams deal with the degradation rates of both, especially in qualifying and in the race itself."
Heikki Kovalainen's 2010 Singapore Grand Prix ended in flames on the pit straight with three laps remaining. He said the objective this year is to finish in the hope that other cars retire.
"Last year was obviously a pretty spectacular end to the race, maybe a little too hot even for me and not quite how I'd like it to have finished," he said. "This year we go with a similar goal to last year - have a solid weekend, make sure we're there at the end of the race to take advantage of whatever happens around us and do our best to push the guys ahead."
Credit: ESPN F1 (en.espnf1.com)
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