29/06/2012
NEWS STORY
In addition to looking ahead to Silverstone, Lotus team boss Eric Boullier and technical director James Allison reflect on the European Grand Prix.
The European Grand Prix was a race of highs and lows; not least for Eric Boullier, who saw his drivers come agonisingly close to another double podium finish. Here, the Lotus F1 Team Principal discusses his emotions on that eventful afternoon in Valencia, the meaning of coming home to Silverstone and the team spirit back at Enstone.
Eric, What's your assessment of the last race?
Eric Boullier: Let me give you the "glass half full" version: it's was a good result for the team and for Kimi. Second brought a lot of points, and we also didn't lose ground on the teams ahead of us in the championship standings. Now, let me give you the "glass half empty" version : it was a disappointing day for Romain, as he was in such a good position for at least a podium finish. We also could have put both cars on the podium and moved closer to McLaren in the championship. This is racing though, and we will work closely with our partners to ensure we don't see a failure like this again in the future. In the end, both drivers and the team worked very well and we have shown that if we achieve a good qualifying position we can fight for the win.
Are you happy with the pace shown by the E20?
EB: Yes, even if we constantly have to improve if we want to stay in the game. We often don't look as good as our opponents on a Friday, and this is because we are working on race pace and not just looking for one lap performance. We're doing our homework and don't take much notice of what our opponents are doing. In Valencia, the whole weekend went well. We qualified better, which set us up better for the race, and our race pace was strong. We just need to carry on in this manner for the rest of the season.
Silverstone is something of a homecoming - how does this affect the team?
EB: It's good for everyone to be so close to the factory and certainly our travel expenses are lower for this event! We will have a lot of visitors from Enstone and it is fantastic to have the support of everyone who is working so hard over the year. We will have to see about the weather in Silverstone, but regardless of whether it's hot or cold we need to do well. It's a different layout and we're back to a permanent race track after the last three street courses so we'll have to see how we do.
What's the atmosphere like in the factory at the moment?
EB: One year ago, I felt like everyone was motivated like never before; that every single member of the staff was ready to go the extra mile to see us do well on the track. Well... 2011 doesn't even compare to 2012, as I think we have made another step. I have to say that, apart from the performance, all the recent investments made by the team are improving our efficiency in all areas. The latest addition, which is our new engineer's office at the track, is very impressive and has had a very positive impact on the way we work. Recent results have boosted everybody's hopes and commitment in Enstone. The team is united, the expectations are high. The spirit from the late 2009 season is far, far away.
The team is very popular amongst the fans and have a very unique image in the paddock. What makes Lotus F1 Team so special?
EB: It is a mixture of several things. First of all, historically our team has been used to maximising its resources. Although we have a very reasonable budget this year, we know how to use it efficiently. We don't waste money and are not seen as burning bank notes on first class flights or gold plated business cards. Also, we're keeping our feet on the ground. Humility has to be our n°1 quality. It means that we're close to our fans, we're responsive, and we never forget how lucky we are. We're racing because we want to win, but we also want to bring something special to our supporters and our partners. Corporate speeches and political games are not for us. We've got nothing to do with the corporate monsters we're fighting against on the track. This is probably why Romain's and Kimi's personalities are expressing themselves so freely at the wheel.
As the season fast approaches its halfway point, so Lotus F1 Team are maintaining their early year promise, having already scored comfortably more points than attained in the entire 2011 season. Technical Director James Allison discusses the current state of affairs.
Why does the E20 seem to go so well when it's hot?
James Allison: Tyres have a certain window in which they work; get them too cold and they don't grip, get them too hot and they don't grip. There's a reasonably wide band in the middle where they work well. It seems like the E20 generates a little less heat in the tyres than some of our opponents' cars, meaning we can live with on a hotter track when some of our competitors are starting to move out of the tyre window. The downside of this comes when we have a cold track or after a safety car. Fortunately, most of the races are contested in summer conditions where you are trying to keep temperatures down rather than having to worry about generating heat, so we've probably got it the better way around - even if it can be a bit frustrating at times.
Silverstone isn't necessarily one of the hottest locales we visit. Could this be an issue?
JA: The track itself will put plenty of energy through the tyres thanks to its layout of high speed corners and the abrasion of its surface. While we would be delighted if the UK managed one of its occasional heat waves, there's certainly potential for the surface temperature to be cooler than Valencia. Low track temperatures would only cause us grief in qualifying, and if we can manage that ourselves rather than needing the track to heat up our tyres then it will be okay.
Are there many new parts for Silverstone?
JA: The updates we used in Valencia went reasonably well. We had three or four bits that certainly improved matters and a couple of parts we're still looking to improve. For Silverstone there are some additional tweaks on the car which only those with the very keenest eyes would notice, but we're hoping they are a step in the right direction.
How should Silverstone suit the E20?
JA: It's the first track for a while with challenging high speed corners. Things went reasonably well for us in Mugello, Barcelona, Sepang and Melbourne, so we're quite hopeful that the E20 will prosper.
We arrive at Silverstone after a European Grand Prix of mixed emotions…
JA: I guess it is a nice problem to have to come away from a race feeling somewhat deflated after having achieved a second place. However, we could have done better. Up until Romain's car retired, we were in the glorious position of being the only team to have both cars able to gain a big points haul, which would have been fantastic in Constructors' Championship terms. It was a shame not to capitalise on that. However, both our cars were running strongly, so it's another track where the E20 has been pretty reasonable and we can be happy about that.
What went wrong with Romain's car?
JA: Put simply, the alternator failed. This meant the electrical supply to the engine and ancillary systems ceased and so the car stopped moving. One of the really good things about working with Renault Sport is that they feel the pain of something like this just as keenly as we do. At Enstone we are doing all that we can to assist with the resolution of this problem, but we know that Viry will leave no stone unturned in bringing a good solution to the next race.