16/05/2014
NEWS STORY
After the first points of the season in the Spanish Grand Prix and a positive test afterwards, Deputy Team Principal Federico Gastaldi is buoyed-up heading to Monaco.
What does Monaco mean to you and the team?
Federico Gastaldi: For me and for everyone in the team it means a very busy week. Monaco is so unique and distinct; you really have to be there to understand it. Even then, after over 20 years in this business I'm not sure I truly understand Monaco! The track is such a challenge for the drivers and the engineers, and the barriers are so close to punish even the slightest mistake. The schedule over the week is different, with no F1 track sessions on the Friday, so it is unique in that respect. The amount of events and sponsor activities is quite something but we relish it because we like to over deliver for our partners and make them feel part of this special event.
Saxo Bank is on the sidepods in Monaco. How is that partnership developing?
FG: Their name looks good there! We are delighted to take our relationship with Saxo Bank to the next level. Both Lotus F1 Team and Saxo Bank share a similar outlook and ethos. We enjoy taking on the more established players, so the backdrop of the Monaco Grand Prix is an excellent place for their brand to be seen in front of an exceptional worldwide audience. It is no secret that as a team we have had a tough start to our season, but this additional support from Saxo Bank is a strong endorsement of all the progress we are making.
How satisfying was it to get the first points on board for the team in Spain?
FG: It was satisfying, but nevertheless it was a little frustrating too, as we knew that there was the potential for more. For everyone it the team, whether at the track or at Enstone, it was a reward for all the effort put in after such a difficult start to the year.
The post-race test looked pretty promising too?
FG: Yes, it was promising as we had reliable running and were able to set good times over the course of many laps. It was good for Charles Pic to get some time in the car and he performed very well. It was a highly beneficial day for Pastor too as he completed over 100 laps with the E22 performing as it should. We won't get carried away as it was just two days testing and we know we have lots of work still to do, but it was extremely motivating for everyone to see our car performing reliably and rapidly.
Has the team re-calibrated any targets for 2014 now points are on the board?
FG: No. We are the last team in the paddock that will ever get carried away. Barcelona is over now and we only look forward. Our only targets are to continue the upward curve in performance and reliability and to ensure we are in the best position possible to score points. We want to get back to where we were in 2012 and 2013, which is challenging consistently at the front of the field. We are very pleased that we held 5th place on merit for many laps at Barcelona. That is where we should have been at the end of the race but it wasn't to be. What it does is feeds us with more desire and motivation to get back amongst the top teams.
Were you impressed with the job Charles Pic did in testing last week?
FG: Yes I was. Charles put in very good and accomplished performance indeed. We expected that, because he has two seasons of racing in F1 under his belt and he enjoys working through programs with the engineering team. Charles is very determined and focused meaning that if he was ever called upon he would be 'plug in and play'. He is a great and committed member of Lotus F1 Team.
If you had one final chip at the Monaco Casino where would you place us for a race finish next weekend?
FG: I'm not a betting man and I have been to enough Monaco Grands Prix to know that anything can happen there... and it usually does. Of course the cars should be really spectacular there with the added torque this year and it will be easy for the drivers to make mistakes. This could bite us or it could help us because overtaking is so difficult. We are cautiously optimistic to add to our points tally next weekend but I have to decline a bet on this occasion though!
Technical Director Nick Chester explains how the performance of the E22 has been transformed in just five rounds...
It must have been a relief to score the first points of the year in Spain?
Nick Chester: It was really good to get some points on the board. We always said we'd be back competing close to the front by Barcelona, but it's easier said than done! Romain would have been even quicker in the race without an issue with a sensor on the power unit.
A lot of people have been impressed by the step forward the E22 has made, where exactly have we improved?
NC: The two main areas of improvement are the power unit and aerodynamics. Renault Sport F1 have done a lot of work on mapping, so the power unit is starting to perform a lot better. Then on the chassis side there have been the aerodynamic improvements, which have brought more downforce and made the car more driveable. We've also improved through general set-up as well.
What are the remaining weaknesses?
NC: We are still missing some straight-line speed, but we're improving in that area too.
Tell us about the Barcelona test?
NC: On the first day we had Charles Pic in the car for his first opportunity to drive the E22. We had to wait a bit for the track to dry out but we completed a lot of good running, trying some new aerodynamic parts, measuring aerodynamic performance and getting Charles happy in the car. His 70 laps provided us with good mileage and understanding of new performance parts. Charles did a great job, he really got to grips with the car pretty quickly and his feedback was good.
Pastor finished with the fastest lap time, what was his schedule?
NC: Pastor had a really good day. Fully dry, 102 laps, which provided us with plenty of opportunity to evaluate more new parts. Some were for reliability proving, so we put a lot of miles on those, as well as aerodynamic tests including parts that will go to Monaco. Pastor also did some set-up work to make him more comfortable in the car and made a step in that area as well. Overall it was a really good test for us. There were no reliability issues that stopped the car running at all.
How much were you able to do for Monaco with the two tracks being so different?
NC: You can prepare in the sense of finding a general performance improvement, such as more downforce. But in terms of a really detailed set-up, we know we'll have to change that for Monaco.
What developments are in the pipeline for the E22?
NC: There's quite a lot for Monaco, including the usual 'one-off' aerodynamic package for maximum downforce, which will not be used at other circuits because it is quite 'draggy'. There will also be a small modification to the cooling system and there are other aerodynamic developments aimed at making the car more stable.
Do you think Monaco will suit the E22?
NC: Yes I think it will. Monaco is a bit of a strange place - a one off - so it's always dangerous to assume your car will be good there. But I think it will suit the E22 and we should go fairly well. We'll also be bringing some specific parts aimed at giving us more downforce at what is the highest downforce track of the year. Other new parts will help tune the car for the bumpy and low speed track characteristics. The parts we've tested so far look good and we'll also have a new fuel from Total which should further improve power and driveability.
There's still a lot of talk about the noise of the current cars, what can be done to change the sound?
NC: There's acoustic work going on with the FIA at the moment, looking at the shape of the megaphone exhaust because depending on how you shape it you can affect different frequencies. So you can bias it towards the frequencies that you want to pick up. Clearly there is still more work to do. Trying to change the sound using anything other than a new tailpipe would be a major challenge.
How much more performance is still to come from the new generation F1 cars this year?
NC: There is quite a lot to come. Everyone is developing their cars pretty heavily at the moment and the power unit manufacturers are obviously on a much steeper curve than they were with the old V8s, so they are finding performance at a good rate. F1 cars are going to get significantly quicker during this year.