| It is only a week since the last round of the FIA F2 Championship which was held at the Red Bull Ring in Austria but already the Racing Engineering team have moved on to the Silverstone circuit in England for round six of the Championship. The last two rounds have been very disappointing, in terms of results, for the Spanish team with no points scored for either of their drivers, Louis Delétraz and Gustav Malja. Despite this the team is certain that they can get back to the front of the field where they are used to running.
Below Sebastien Viger, Racing Engineering’s Technical Director, discusses how the team are preparing for this weekend and the work that is being done to ensure they are fully competitive.
The Racing Engineering team was able to show great pace during the races at the Austrian Red Bull Ring, but was not able to translate them into much needed points. Do you regard this, nevertheless, as a positive base to build on for the upcoming events?
It’s hard to take any positive from a zero points weekend for a team used to being higher up in the championship standings. There is no doubt that the cars were competitive but driver mistakes and incidents on track stopped us from scoring. We finally saw Louis coming back to known territory and he improved sensibly so we will definitely be building on this for the upcoming events. As for Gustav, this slump of form was not expected so there is some work to do on this side.
There is little time to analyse the last event, as all eyes are already on Silverstone. How does a F2 team prepare for the challenges of back-to-back races?
As we are limited in terms of operative staff, preparation for the event is started way earlier in the season, as far back as the winter, where you can define a base for the car, which you tune between the events with the conclusions from the previous races. Our simulation department back at the workshop is also a great help as we can rely on the insights gained and information produced by them as well, which is crucial during times of busy schedules.
Silverstone, the home of British motor racing, is one of the classics on the F2 race calendar. What makes the British layout so special and would you say the track favours Racing Engineering’s cars?
As one of the iconic circuits, it is always special to come to a layout with soul like Silverstone, Spa, Monza or Monaco… The British circuit with changing weather conditions, high speed bends and low speed sections is normally a track that suits us quite well as our car is behaving well in these changing conditions. But we have seen from the beginning of the season that other teams are showing impressive form, so it will be about getting back to where we belong.
Racing Engineering cars have taken pole positions, race wins and podium finishes at Silverstone during the previous seasons. Given the speed the cars showed during recent races, what do you expect from the British round?
For sure, we know we can be quick on this track and we have decent data to compare and to prepare the event. Now, we need to translate this pace into points and a good qualifying, as there is no point in being quick at the back of the field. Too many mistakes were committed on track during the recent events, which put us in a difficult situation. The level is so high at this level of racing that a small mistake can relegate you at the back of the field, so this will be the main area to focus on for the upcoming events. |
