2011 Japanese Grand Prix Preview

2011 FORMULA1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX

• SUZUKA, 7TH – 9TH OCTOBER 2011 •

• BRUNO: “SUZUKA iS ONE Of ThE ClASSiCS ThAT hAS ChANgEd vERy liTTlE SiNCE ThE START” • • viTAly: “SUZUKA mAy BE A fAmOUS CiRCUiT BUT iT’S AlSO qUiTE A TRiCKy ONE” • • ERiC BOUlliER: “ThiNgS ShOUld gET BETTER fOR US ON qUiCKER TRACKS ANd SUZUKA iS ONE Of ThEm” • • JAmES AlliSON: “i ExpECT ThE R31 TO BE mUCh mORE iN ThE hUNT ThAN iN SiNgApORE” •

Q&a: Bruno senna

Lotus RenauLt GP • Race DRiveR • caR 9

“SUZUKA iS ONE Of ThE ClASSiCS ThAT hAS ChANgEd vERy liTTlE SiNCE ThE START” Three races inTo his LrGP race driver career, Bruno is chomPinG aT The BiT To reTurn To The cockPiT aT one of his favouriTe Tracks – suzuka What was your verdict on the weekend you had in Singapore?

For me personally it was quite a positive weekend. In this latest stage of my learning curve, I managed to cut out any mistakes which is positive. I had a very full programme working with engineers, and the work I’m doing with them is getting better and better. Despite the Marina Bay Circuit not being a track where the R31 is naturally at ease, I was still able to notice an improvement in my relationship with the car, and I feel there is a discernible direction in which we are going. I’m becoming more ingratiated with the team and with the car, which gives me comfort as I look forward to the next race.

having got three races under your belt, do you feel you are now on more of an even keel with the other drivers?

Not yet. Undoubtedly they (the other drivers) still have the upper hand because they have completed more races than me. So far, I’ve driven at three very different circuits in very different conditions, and

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Suzuka will be another of the traditional races where I have limited experience. I’m learning and catching-up with the other drivers on the grid, but they have a considerable amount more experience than I do, and greater knowledge about the tyres too.

nature of Singapore made it the worst circuit for us in terms of performance. That hurt us a little bit, but with the updates we have planned for Suzuka we should be strong there, and hopefully will be able to get both cars in the points again – that’s where we belong.

You’re right, it’s one of my favourites. The blend of high and mid speed corners makes it a very stimulating type of track. It’s one of the classics that has changed very little since the start. I’m really looking forward to driving there, and I’m confident that I can put my name back on the points board for the team.

My main objective is to add more points to my name. If we can still add to the car a little bit here and there, that will help.

We need to stay ahead of the teams behind us, in particular Force India. If we can close the gap to Mercedes GP in fourth, that would be a real boost for the team but primarily we must hold on to fifth position and keep the opposition at bay.

The Japanese grand prix – word has it Suzuka’s one of your favourite circuits…

is it a circuit that should suit the car better than Singapore?

We are entering the closing stages of the season – what do you expect?

Yes, I’m convinced that will be the case. The low-speed

“i’vE dRivEN AT ThREE vERy diffERENT CiRCUiTS iN vERy diffERENT CONdiTiONS”

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Q&a: vitaly Petrov

Lotus RenauLt GP • Race DRiveR • caR 10

“SUZUKA mAy BE A fAmOUS CiRCUiT BUT iT’S AlSO qUiTE A TRiCKy ONE” viTaLy PrePares himseLf for The sPeedy Track of suzuka – a PoLar oPPosiTe of The TiGhT and TwisTinG marina Bay circuiT

What are your feelings after a disappointing night race in Singapore…

Are you excited about going to Suzuka, one of the classic tracks on the calendar?

It was a challenging weekend for us and frustrating not to see our hard work translated into results. We didn’t perform at our usual level. We now need to show what we can do in the final five races.

Suzuka may be a famous circuit but it’s also quite a tricky one.

Everyone knows it well, and all motorsport fans love it. I’ve only been to Suzuka once before, but racing there really is quite special. The track tests drivers in every way possible; it is challenging and very, very fast.

If you count the number of highspeed corners that are taken in fourth gear or above, there are more than any other circuit on the calendar. The first sector is incredible: the ‘s’ curves are like a rollercoaster, flipping the g-forces from side to side through very long corners, and it’s tough to keep the correct line, particularly because if you get one corner wrong, you really suffer in the other corners.

how did you spend your time in between Singapore and Japan – did you go back to England?

Yes, I came back straight after the race. I went through my usual training routines, before returning to England to visit the factory, meet with my engineers and discuss what happened in Singapore. Of course, we have also been preparing for Suzuka and the engineers have given me some data from last year to look at, which should help stand me in good stead.

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how do you expect to perform in Suzuka?

I hope the car will be strong there. It’s important to have confidence in the high-speed corners because if your confidence is down you can lose a lot of lap time. There is a very small margin for error because there are very few run-off areas, so as soon as you make a mistake, you are in the gravel. Often, when you are outside the car you don’t realise that the drivers are making errors, because you see them put a wheel over the kerb and onto the run-off area, before they come straight back on track. But Suzuka doesn’t work like that - if you go off with one wheel, you don’t come back.

It’s one of the most fearsome tracks, but when you get it right it gives you immense satisfaction.

“ThE ‘S’ CURvES ARE liKE A ROllERCOASTER, flippiNg ThE g-fORCES fROm SidE TO SidE ThROUgh vERy lONg CORNERS”

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eric Boullier

team PRinciPaL anD manaGinG DiRectoR

“iN JApAN, WE ShOUld COmE BACK TO WhERE WE WERE iN BElgiUm ANd iTAly. OUR miSSiON Will BE TO fOCUS ON gETTiNg BOTh CARS iNTO q3”

A WORd WiTh ThE BOSS eric Looks forward To suzuka, a circuiT he considers To Be on a Par wiTh monaco, siLversTone, sPa and monza

Singapore must still be a painful memory for you…

Yes, but to be honest we’ve all put this experience behind us. We fully understand why we performed so poorly and the explanation is simple: slow corners in the 60-100km/h range just don’t to it for the R31.

It is written in its DNA. We could have worked for three weeks on the set-up but we would not have found a second in lap time. This is what we know, and our mid-term mission is to make sure that we solve this issue with the R32, which should not be a problem.

What is the shorter-term mission?

Things should get better for us on quicker tracks and Suzuka is one of them. In Japan, we expect to return to the level of performance we saw in Belgium and Italy. Our mission will be to focus on getting both cars into Q3. From then on, the weekend should be pretty straightforward.

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Are you happy with Bruno and vitaly’s level of performance so far?

Yes. Neither of them had a clear race in Singapore but this was not the main issue for us. The car was a much bigger worry.

Bruno is learning fast. He’s always asking the engineers to push him, he wants to increase his knowledge and get better. He also loves the technical aspect of the job. This is the right approach. He’s a very friendly person and everybody in the team likes him. Vitaly has scored 34 points since the beginning of the season. We have all seen how much he has improved since last year and he keeps getting better. As a driver, there is always a little something to be gained here and there. He gets on very well with Bruno.

Both of them were at the factory after Singapore, meeting their engineers, and the way they collaborate in order to make the whole team better is very good to see.

There have been some changes to the race team recently following Steve Nielsen’s departure - how is it structured now?

It’s very simple. Part of what were Steve’s responsibilities will be taken over by Alan Permane, who is now Track Operations Director. In addition, John Wickham is part of our team and further changes will be announced shortly. I expect this transition to be very smooth.

Suzuka is one of the drivers’ favourite tracks - would it mean something special to perform well there?

Suzuka is one of the big names in F1. It is up there with Monaco, Silverstone, Spa and Monza. We’ve seen so many amazing races there. I still remember as a teenager waking up early to watch the battles between Prost and Senna on TV at the end of the ‘80s. The fans in Suzuka are quite incredible, too. Bruno is very popular there, so I am sure he will have quite a lot of autographs to sign!

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James allison

technicaL DiRectoR

“iT iS pOpUlAR WiTh ThE dRivERS WhO REliSh ThE TEST Of NERvE ANd SKill pOSEd By ThE ‘S’ CURvES, TURN 1 ANd 130R”

“ i ExpECT ThE R31 TO BE mUCh mORE iN ThE hUNT ThAN iN SiNgApORE” James eXPecTs The r31 To Be far more aT home in The fasT corners of suzuka Than iT was aT The inTricaTe marina Bay circuiT

What can be learnt from the Singapore grand prix?

It is much harder to say with any precision just what it is about our car that can impact performance at the low speed tracks. Neither is it clear why Singapore was notably worse than either Monaco or Hungary.

We know from our experiments with rear blowing exhausts earlier in the year that they do offer a lot more rear downforce – especially at high rear ride heights. We know that slow speed tracks allow the rear to be held up high in all the corners and we know that rear downforce is a prized asset for coping with the traction demand at these tracks. We also know that the forward exhaust, by contrast, performs more strongly once the rear ride height starts to compress – something that cannot be avoided in medium and high speed corners. It is probably reasonable to conclude that this is the basic mechanism

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behind the way that we shed so much competitiveness at slow speed tracks. Our car is very sensitive and extremely unforgiving of even the slightest geometric misalignment. We were plagued by rear wing and floor issues that all seem to be even more sensitive at very low speeds than they are at the higher speeds where our car is more comfortable.

Will lRgp be rid of these problems with the R32?

Of course. Each of these problems can be engineered out of the R32. However, at this stage of the season it is much harder to address these underlying problems for the R31.

The Japanese gp comes next – do you expect the R31 to be competitive at Suzuka?

I expect us to be much more in the hunt than we were in Singapore. There are just two slow corners at Suzuka, and the R31 is much more at home on flowing, faster tracks. I will

be disappointed if we are not in the top 10 cars in qualifying to give us an opportunity to exorcise the disappointment of Singapore. We ought to be able to get the car back into the points. We need to – Force India is starting to breathe down our neck and we need a few good results to stay ahead.

Suzuka – what challenges does it present?

Suzuka, like Spa, is one of F1’s classic tracks. It is popular with the drivers who relish the test of nerve and skill posed by the ‘s’ curves, Turn 1 and 130R. These last two will be particularly interesting in 2011 to see whether anyone dares make it through them in qualifying with their DRS system activated.

We are long overdue a wet Suzuka race – we have had a wet session every year since 2005 and yet surprisingly, all the races have been dry for over 10 years!

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Japan

tech taLK

RENAUlT SpORT f1 ThE ENgiNE suzuka is one of the top three toughest circuits of the year for the rs27, just behind monza and spa. The engine needs to be strong at both the top end and the lower ranges: the 130r corner is taken at nearly 320kph but the chicane at under 100kph. The rapid changes of direction through the ‘s’ curves also require ultimate driveability and responsiveness.

TURNS 13 + 14

Known as the ‘Spoon Curve’, it can be very easy to have too much understeer here. It is also essential to get on the power early to maximise speed down the straight.

SUZUKA A SET-Up gUidE

TURN 11

1. ENgiNE

Engine performance alone is not a key indicator of car performance around Suzuka, although it plays an important role. Drivers will need to be quick on the throttle heading out of the Spoon curve in order to maximise their run down the back straight and through 130R - the quickest part of the track where engine power will come to the fore. The ‘S’ curves at the start of the lap are another special feature of Suzuka, with quick change of direction crucial to a competitive first sector. It’s not a track where much low speed is required, though there is one small chicane and a hairpin; the rest of the track includes medium to high speed corners, especially between Turns 2 and 7 when the car is on part-throttle.

Heavy braking into Turn 11. Good traction is required at the Hairpin – second gear is needed at this corner. A very gentle approach with the throttle is taken on the way out as it is very easy to break traction.

2. BRAKES

There are only a couple of heavy braking applications: into the hairpin Turn 11 and into the chicane Turns 16 and 17. There is lot of time to cool the brakes, which is similar to other high speed tracks such as Silverstone. Suzuka is a venue where more effort is put into keeping the brakes warm than cool.

TURN 15

130R is taken flat, but it may not be as easy with a heavy car full of fuel.

TURN 16

3. SUSpENSiON

The main overtaking opportunity on the track.

The DRS may offer drivers passing opportunities, but its effectiveness is expected to be low at this track.

A car with a strong change of direction is needed, particularly in Turns 3 to 7 (the part of track called “the Snake”).

TURN 1

2 3 6

4

TURNS 8 + 9

1

7 5 4. gEARBOx

Special attention to gears three and four is required to ensure smooth power application through the first sector.

Gear 1: 147 kph Gear 2: 180 kph Gear 3: 213 kph Gear 4: 247 kph

Gear 5: 283 kph Gear 6: 319 kph Gear 7: 358 kph

6. dRS

DRS effectiveness is expected to be very low.

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5. TyRES

A set-up which gets the best from traction and grip, whilst allowing quick changes of direction from the tyres, is required at Suzuka.

Pirelli are taking their soft and medium tyres, which will present a challenge as Suzuka is traditionally a high-grip track.

Tyre management is one important aspect.

Long runs on both types of tyres in the Friday free practice sessions are essential to characterise the tyres to the track.

Trouble-free track time in free practice will be important to evaluate the multitude of options.

Almost flat and only a bit of a lift. A quick turn leading straight into the slower Turn 2.

These tricky corners comprise the Degner Curve. The first part is short and narrow; it starts very wide but quickly narrows.

A cautious approach is needed because of the dangerous kerb on the inside; it remains, however, important to get close to it. If the car touches the corner or ‘bottoms out’, it is easy to go off track and hit the wall.

TURN 7

Drivers need to be cautious with the throttle as they head up the hill. Fourth gear is adviseable, in order to turn in and to aim for the top of the curbing on the left (about 3/4 of the way up).

Drivers start accelerating here and hit fifth gear as they come close to the curb on the right at the top of the hill. Drivers should be in sixth gear before Turn 8.

TURNS 3 - 6

The car is constantly changing directions. Front grip needs to be maximised to avoid understeer, which would kill the speed.

7. AEROdyNAmiCS

A similar level to Silverstone and Barcelona – just a few steps away from the maximum level.

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Japanese Grand Prix

my home Race

TOTAl mOTivATiON

with Ayao Komatsu

AYAO KOMATSU, VITALY’S RACE ENGINEER FROM JAPAN, ARRIVED IN ENGLAND IN 1994 TO READ AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING AT LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY. TWELVE YEARS LATER HE BEGAN WORKING AT ENSTONE AND REMEMBERS VIVIDLY RETURNING TO HIS HOMELAND FOR HIS FIRST JAPANESE GRAND PRIx. FIVE YEARS ON, HE STILL LOOKS FORWARD TO RETURNING TO THE ANNUAL RACE WHICH, THIS TIME AROUND, COULD BE MORE EMOTIONALLY-CHARGED THAN EVER BEFORE…

PHILIPPE GIRARD, TOTAL’S GROUP SCIENTIFIC DELEGATE, TALKS ABOUT WHAT MOTIVATES TOTAL’S INVOLVEMENT WITH LOTUS RENAULT GP AND MOTOR RACING: DESIGNING THE BEST POSSIBLE PRODUCTS FOR CONSUMERS

What would happen if ordinary consumers used motor racing oil in their engines?

Their engines would run all right. They’d just have to change the oil a lot more often.

And if vitaly petrov’s f1 car used “conventional” oil?

The V8 would run, but because the viscosity would be far from optimal, the engine wouldn’t deliver the power needed.

What type of racing offers the biggest benefits for series-produced engines?

The main benefit motor racing gives series-produced engines is methods and procedures. Because our engineers are focused on “cars” and “applications,” they can develop specific tests that are representative of circuit or regular road conditions. We develop test methods and procedures for motor racing, to study or simulate friction conditions for different engine components and then adapt these methods to series-produced components.

That saves us a lot of time. It’s an important two-way advantage, not just for the engineers’ research and development process, but also for technical solutions related to testing and formulating lubricants and greases.

When designing vehicles, both for the road and racing, computer tools are critical assets - have computers made lab experiments obsolescent in your area too?

More and more, we’re using digital simulations to fast track optimization of a development when we know that the mathematical models are accurate.

For example, computers let us identify the optimum viscosity of oil films faster.

We started doing this sort of study for combustion four years ago, and extended it to lubricants for all types of bearings in

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What were your memories of the Japanese grand prix?

2005. Today, formulators use this tool to optimize lubricant bases. But simulations have to be accompanied by actual physical experiments. It’s the combination of the two that allows us to develop the most appropriate products.

Researchers have already developed highly competitive products for motor racing applications. Now they’re working on unlocking that little extra bit of improvement. is it the same for series-produced components?

For a specific mechanical configuration, as is often the case in racing, there is less and less margin for potential improvements offered by lubricants. For series-produced vehicles, we’re working hand-in-hand with carmakers. When mechanical design and lubricants evolve jointly, there are big benefits, especially in terms of carbon emissions. Without this common approach however, no progress can be made. In series-produced vehicles, lubricants have to meet the specifications of several carmakers. That limits the specific features of the product, because we have to come up with a compromise. But the next ten years could see the emergence of dedicated lubricants developed for specific applications. This would deliver fairly spectacular gains, all due to what’s learned in motor racing.

motor racing requires constant responsiveness - is the world of regular cars less quick to change?

The thing that takes the longest for series-produced products is the validation process for new products. It has to be broad, because we have to deliver reliability for an oil change around every 30,000 kilometers and an engine lifetime of 300,000 kilometers. Simulations are only used in

motor racing. Today, given the changes in specifications for engines designed by leading carmakers, our formulations have a very short lifetime of around two to four years, depending on the product, which itself takes three years to develop. That’s down from at least five years in the past.

Given the time it takes for carmakers to validate products, we have to anticipate needs and fine-tune products over the shortest possible period - just like in motor racing.

As you can see, there’s no hard and fast dividing line between developing products for consumers or for motor racing.

The same people work on both, which delivers a twofold benefit.

Firstly, aside from demanding innovative methods and technical solutions, motor racing teaches our engineers to be highly responsive and continuously engages their intellectual curiosity as they work to understand the results they obtain and find new solutions to improve them.

This shortens development cycles and enhances efficiency.

Secondly, the development philosophy is the same in consumer products and motor racing products. Like their motor racing counterparts, for example, our Total Ecosolutions-branded energy-saving consumer products are formulated to deliver maximum efficiency and the best possible performance in a given function.

In addition to reliability, optimised performance – with a corresponding reduction in greenhouse gas emissions – is and will continue to be another strong shared trait of the solutions developed for Formula One racing and for consumer products.

My first memories of the Japanese Grand Prix were when I watched it as a kid in the late ‘80s. I remember it vividly when Senna was fighting against Prost. In 1989 they shunted at the chicane, and the next year they shunted at Turn 1; both of these events decided the championship, so it really was a very memorable time for the sport. The Japanese GP always took place towards the end of the season – many champions were crowned there. That made it a particularly special race to watch.

There’s no doubt about it, watching those races in the late ‘80s was responsible for me wanting to forge my own career in F1.

When did your journey into formula 1 first begin?

I grew up in Japan until the age of 18, and when I finished High School I knew I wanted to work in Formula 1. England was the obvious place for me to pursue that dream; it’s where the majority of the teams were located, it was known as the home of motorsport and I needed to learn

English anyway. In Japan there was some domestic motorsport, but I wanted to broaden my horizons and think internationally. That was when I thought ‘right, England it is’. In 1995, I went to study Automotive Engineering at Loughborough University, an institution renowned for both sport and engineering. I thought it would be a good place to start.

first step loughborough, then BAR honda, then Enstone…

Exactly. My first job was at BAR Honda in 2003 then I moved to Enstone in 2006 as a tyre engineer on the test team. I transferred across to the race team in 2007 and worked at my first Japanese GP in Fuji. It was very special for me to attend the Japanese GP. My wife, mother and friends came over to see me work there, which was personally a very special moment. When I moved to England in ’94 my family appreciated what I wanted to do. But to be able to go back to Japan and demonstrate to them exactly what I did was special, it really was. They were able to see what I did first hand, rather than hear about it over the phone which was good because they didn’t really understand a huge amount about motorsport until I got involved.

All these years later, I still love going back. My wife will come with me to

Suzuka this year; it’s always good for family to be able to witness the atmosphere there.

do you think this year’s race will be more emotionally-charged than in previous years?

Yes, the earthquake that took place this year was a real tragedy and very sad for Japan and its people. I have heard that Bernie has invited some people to the race from the Tohoku region, which will be a nice touch if it’s true. Hopefully an event like that will lift people’s spirits after what has been a difficult year. There had been talk of various sports events being cancelled but the Japanese people want something to look forward to and celebrate, so I hope the 2011 Japanese Grand Prix will do that.

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Japanese Grand Prix

9

Bruno Senna

Q: 18 P: 12 Q: 6 P: 3 Laps: 57 Laps: 56

Q: 16 P: 12 Q: 9 P: 7 Laps: 56 Laps: 58

Q: NT P: 8 Laps: 65

Q: 16 P: 8 Laps: 77

Q: 9 R: A Laps: 55

Q: 9 P: 10 Laps: 56

10

Vitaly Petrov

Q: 6 P: 3 Laps: 58

Q: 8 R: A Laps: 52

Q: 10 P: 9 Laps: 56

Q: 7 P: 8 Laps: 58

Q: 6 P: 11 Laps: 65

Q: 11 R: A Laps: 67

Q: 10 P: 5 Laps: 70

Q: 11 P: 15 Q: 14 P: 12 Q: 9 P: 10 Laps: 56 Laps: 52 Laps: 59

1

Sebastian Vettel

Q: 1 P: 1 Laps: 58

Q: 1 P: 1 Laps: 56

Q: 1 P: 2 Laps: 56

Q: 1 P: 1 Laps: 58

Q: 2 P: 1 Laps: 66

Q: 1 P: 1 Laps: 78

Q: 1 P: 2 Laps: 70

Q:1 P:1 f’lap Laps: 57

Q: 2 P: 2 Laps: 52

2

Mark Webber

Q: 3 P: 5 Laps: 58

Q: 3 P: 4 f’lap Laps: 56

Q: 18 P: 3 f’lap Laps: 56

Q: 2 P: 2 f’lap Laps: 58

Q: 1 P: 4 Laps: 66

Q: 3 P: 4 f’lap Laps: 78

Q: 4 P: 3 Laps: 70

Q: 2 P: 3 Laps: 57

3

Jenson Button

Q: 4 P: 6 Laps: 58

Q: 4 P: 2 Laps: 56

Q: 2 P: 4 Laps: 56

Q: 6 P: 6 Laps: 58

Q: 5 P: 3 Laps: 66

Q: 2 P: 3 Laps: 78

Q: 7 P: 1 f’lap Laps: 70

4

Lewis Hamilton

Q: 2 P: 2 Laps: 58

Q: 2 P: 8 Laps: 56

Q: 3 P: 1 Laps: 56

Q: 4 P: 4 Laps: 58

Q: 3 P: 2 f’lap Laps: 66

Q: 9 P: 6 Laps: 78

5

Felipe Massa

Q: 8 P: 7 f’lap Laps: 49

Q: 7 P: 5 Laps: 56

Q: 6 P: 6 Laps: 56

Q: 10 P: 11 Q: 8 Laps: 58 R: DNF Laps: 58

6

Fernando Alonso

Q: 5 P: 4 Laps: 58

Q: 5 : 6 Laps: 56

Q: 5 P: 7 Laps: 56

Q: 5 P: 3 Laps: 58

7

Michael Schumacher

Q: 11 R: D Laps: 19

Q: 11 P: 9 Laps: 56

Q: 14 P: 8 Laps: 56

8

Nico Rosberg

Q: 7 R: D Laps: 22

Q: 9 P: 12 Laps: 55

Q: 4 P: 5 Laps: 56

11

Rubens Barrichello

Q: 17 R: Tr Laps: 48

12

Pastor Maldonado

14

Q: 18 P: 17 Laps: 59

Q:3 P: 4 Laps: 60

Q: 1 P: 2 Laps: 70

Q: 1 P: 1 Laps: 44

Q: 1 P: 1 Laps: 53

Q: 1 P: 1 Laps: 61

Q: 1 P: 3 Laps: 52

Q: 1 P: 3 Laps: 60

Q: 6 P: 5 Laps: 70

Q: 3 P: 2 f’lap Laps: 44

Q: 5 R: A Laps: 4

Q: 2 P: 3 Laps: 61

Q: 6 P: 6 Laps: 57

Q: 5 R: Wh Laps: 39

Q: 7 R: H Laps: 35

Q: 3 R: 1 Laps: 70

Q: 13 P: 3 Laps: 44

Q: 3 P: 2 Laps: 53

Q: 3 P: 2 f’lap Laps: 61

Q: 5 R: A Laps: 7

Q: 3 P: 4 Laps: 57

Q: 10 P: 4 Laps: 52

Q:2 P: 1 f’lap Laps: 60

Q: 2 P: 4 Laps: 70

Q: 2 R: A Laps: 12

Q: 2 P: 4 f’lap Laps: 53

Q: 4 P: 5 Laps: 61

Q: 6 R: A Laps: 32

Q: 3 P: 6 Laps: 70

Q: 5 P: 5 Laps: 57

Q: 4 P: 5 Laps: 52

Q: 5 P: 5 Laps: 60

Q: 4 P: 6 f’lap Laps: 70

Q: 4 P: 8 Laps: 44

Q: 6 P: 6 Laps: 53

Q: 6 P: 9 Laps: 60

Q: 4 P: 5 Laps: 65

Q: 4 P: 2 Laps: 78

Q: 2 R: A Laps: 36

Q: 4 P: 2 Laps: 57

Q: 3 P: 1 f’lap Laps: 52

Q: 4 P: 2 Laps: 60

Q: 5 P: 3 Laps: 70

Q: 8 P: 4 Laps: 44

Q: 4 P: 3 Laps: 53

Q: 5 P: 4 Laps: 61

Q: 8 P: 12 Laps: 58

Q: 10 P: 6 Laps: 65

Q: 5 R: F Laps: 32

Q: 8 P: 4 Laps: 70

Q: 8 P: 17 Laps: 56

Q: 13 P: 9 Laps: 52

Q: 10 P: 8 Laps: 59

Q: 9 R: G Laps: 26

Q: 24 P: 5 Laps: 44

Q: 8 P: 5 Laps: 53

Q: 8 R: A Laps: 28

Q: 3 P: 5 Laps: 58

Q: 7 P: 7 Laps: 65

Q: 7 P: 11 Laps: 76

Q: 6 P: 11 Laps: 70

Q: 7 P: 7 Laps: 57

Q: 9 P:6 Laps: 52

Q: 6 P: 7 Laps: 59

Q: 7 P: 9 Laps: 69

Q: 5 P: 6 Laps: 44

Q: 9 R: A Laps: 0

Q: 7 P: 7 Laps: 60

Q: 15 R: H Laps: 22

Q: 15 P: 13 Q: 11 P: 15 Q: 19 P: 17 Q: 12 P: 9 Laps: 56 Laps: 57 Laps: 64 Laps: 76

Q: 16 P: 9 Laps: 70

Q: 13 P: 12 Q: 15 P: 13 Q: 14 Laps: 56 Laps: 51 R: OL Laps: 16

Q: 15 R: Tr Laps: 9

Q: 18 R: E Laps: 8

Q: 17 P: 18 Q: 14 P: 17 Q: 9 P: 15 Laps: 55 Laps: 57 Laps: 65

Q: 8 R: A Laps: 73

Q: 12 R: Sp Laps: 61

Q: 15 P: 18 Q: 7 P: 14 Laps: 56 Laps: 51

Adrian Sutil

Q: 16 P: 9 Laps: 57

Q: 17 P: 11 Q: 11 P: 15 Q: 12 P: 13 Q: 17 P: 13 Q: 15 P: 7 Laps: 55 Laps: 55 laps: 57 Laps: 65 Laps: 77

Q: 14 R: A Laps: 49

Q: 10 P: 9 Laps: 56

15

Paul di Resta

Q: 14 P: 10 Q: 14 P: 10 Q: 8 P: 11 Laps: 57 Laps: 56 Laps: 56

16

Sergio Pérez

Q: 13 P: DQ Q: 16 R: A Laps: 23

Q: 12 P: 17 Q: 15 P: 14 Q: 12 P: 9 Laps: 55 Laps: 57 Laps: 65

17

Kamui Kobayashi

Q: 9 P: DQ Q: 10 P: 7 Laps: 56

Q: 13 P: 10 Q: 24 P: 10 Q: 14 P: 10 Q: 13 P: 5 Laps: 56 Laps: 58 Laps: 65 Laps: 78

18

Sébastien Buemi

Q: 10 P: 8 Laps: 57

17

Jaime Alguersuari

Q: 12 P: 11 Q: 13 P: 14 Q: 7 Laps: 57 Laps: 55 R: Wh Laps: 9

20

Jarno Trulli

(Karun Chandhok)

Q: 20 P: 13 Q: 20 Laps: 56 R: C Laps: 31

21

Heikki Kovalainen

Q: 19 R: WL Laps: 19

Q: 19 P: 15 Q: 19 P: 16 Q: 18 P: 19 Q: 15 Laps: 55 Laps: 55 Laps: 56 R: A Laps: 48

Q: 18 P: 14 Q: 20 Laps: 76 R: Dr Laps: 28

22

Daniel Ricciardo

DNQ

Q: 24 R: H Laps: 14

Q: 24 P: 23 Q: 22 P: 21 Q: 21 Laps: 54 Laps: 55 R: G Laps: 28

DNQ P: 17 Q: 23 P: 17 Q: 24 P:24 Q: 24 P: 19 Q: 22 P: 19 Q: 22 P: 18 Q: 23 Laps: 74 Laps: 69 Laps: 54 Laps: 49 Laps: 57 Laps: 66 R: M Laps: 13

23

Vitantonio Liuzzi

DNQ

Q: 23 R: RW Laps: 46

Q: 23 P: 22 Q: 22 P: 22 Q: 22 P: 21 DNQ P: 16 Q: 21 P: 13 Q: 22 P: 23 Q: 23 P: 18 Q: 23 Laps: 54 Laps: 53 Laps: 61 Laps: 75 Laps: 69 Laps: 54 Laps: 50 R: E Laps: 37

24

Timo Glock

Q: 21 P: NC Q: 21 P: 16 Q: 22 P: 21 Q: 21 Laps: 54 Laps: 54 Laps: 54 P: DNS

25

Jérôme d’Ambrosio

Q: 22 P: 14 Q: 22 Laps: 54 R: A Laps: 42

(Pedro de la Rosa)

(Narain Karthikeyan)

Q: 12 P: 13 Q: 9 P: 14 Laps: 55 Laps: 56

Q: 16 P: 9 Laps: 58

Q: 10 DNS

Q: 12 P: 13 Q: 11 P: 7 Laps: 59 Laps: 69

Q: 15 P: 7 Laps: 44

Q: 13 P: 7 Laps: 70

Q: 17 P: 9 Laps: 59

Q: 18 P: 8 Laps: 70

Q: 18 P: 8 Laps: 56

Q: 10 P: 6 Laps: 61

Q: 11 P: 10 Laps: 60

Q: 13 P: 11 Q: 12 P: 12 Q: 17 Laps: 69 Laps: 44 R: G Laps: 21

Q: 17 P: 14 Laps: 59

Q: 24 P: 15 Q: 23 P: 8 Laps: 59 Laps: 69

Q: 11 R: A Laps: 11

Q: 16 P: 10 Q: 14 P: 12 Laps: 52 Laps: 60

Q: 18 P: 7 Laps: 52

Q: 16 R: A Laps: 56

Q: 20 P: 20 Q: 19 Laps: 56 R: OL Laps: 17

Q: 18 P: 14 Q: 19 P: 14 Q:20 Laps: 43 Laps: 51 R: G Laps: 47

Q: 18 P: 16 Q: 18 Laps: 58 R: WL Laps: 55

Q: 16 P: 15 Q: 20 P: 13 Q: 19 P: 16 Laps: 43 Laps: 51 Laps: 59

Q: 23 P: NC Q: 23 P: 19 Laps: 39 Laps: 57

Q: 21 P: 20 Q: 22 P: 19 Q: 24 Laps: 65 Laps: 43 R: A Laps: 0

Q: 24 P: 20 Laps: 57

Q: 22 P: 15 Q: 21 P: 21 Q: 20 P: 16 Q: 19 P:17 Q: 20 P: 17 Q: 19 P: 18 Q: 21 P: 15 Q: 21 Laps: 69 Laps: 55 Laps: 50 Laps: 57 Laps: 66 Laps: 43 Laps: 51 R: A Laps: 9

Q: 21 P: 20 Q: 23 P: 20 Q: 23 P: 20 Q: 22 P: 15 Q: 24 P: 14 Q: 23 P: 22 Q: 22 P: 17 Q:21 P:18 Q: 24 P: 19 Q: 20 P: 17 Q: 22 Laps: 54 Laps: 56 Laps: 62 Laps: 75 Laps: 69 Laps: 55 Laps: 50 Laps: 57 Laps: 65 Laps: 43 R: G Laps: 1

Q: 22 P: 18 Laps: 59

KEY: A accident C clutch D damage DNF did not finish DNQ did not qualify DNS did not start DQ disqualified F fire G gearbox H hyraulics M Mechanical NT no time OL oil leak RW rear wing S suspension Sp spin T transmission WL water leak Wh Wheel

14 • JA pA N E S E g p p R E v i E W • lO T US R ENAU lT g p

27.11.11

Brazil

13.11.11

Abu Dhabi

30.10.11

India

16.10.11

Korea

09.10.11

Q: 9 P: 8 Laps: 60

Q: 15 R: G Laps: 32

Q: 18 P: 10 Q: 16 P:12 Q: 16 P: 10 Q: 6 Laps: 52 Laps: 59 Laps: 69 R: A Laps: 0

Q: 19 P: 19 Q: 17 Laps: 55 R: G Laps: 2

Q: 12 R: M Laps: 9

Q: 17 P: 11 Q: 11 P: 8 Laps: 44 Laps: 52

Q: 15 P: 11 Q: 10 P: 15 Q: 9 Laps: 59 Laps: 68 R: M Laps: 27

Q: 20 P: 19 Q: 19 P:18 Q: 18 P: 18 Q: 19 P: 13 Q: 19 P: 16 Q: 20 P: 20 Q: 21 Laps: 55 Laps: 57 Laps: 64 Laps: 76 Laps: 69 Laps: 55 R: OL Laps: 10

Q: 20 P: 19 Q: 21 Laps: 63 R: S Laps: 30

Q: 8 P: 14 Laps: 68

Q: 17 P: 12 Q: 16 P: 11 Q: 12 P: 7 Laps: 70 Laps: 56 Laps: 52

Q: 11 P: 14 Q: 17 P: 10 Q: 15 P: 10 Q: 17 P: 13 Q: 19 Laps: 65 Laps: 77 Laps: 70 Laps: 56 R: A Laps: 25

Q: 17 P: 16 Q: 13 P: 16 Q: 20 Laps: 57 Laps: 64 R: A Laps: 66

Q: 15 P: 13 Q: 14 P: 16 Q: 13 P: 12 Q: 12 P: 13 Laps: 68 Laps: 43 Laps: 52 Laps: 60

Q: 13 P: 14 Q: 17 P: 16 Q: 21 P: 10 Q: 14 P: 11 Q: 13 P: 11 Laps: 59 Laps: 68 Laps: 44 Laps: 52 Laps: 60

Q: 11 P: 11 Q: 8 P: 6 Laps: 52 Laps: 59

Q: 14 P: 16 Q: 8 Laps: 56 R: OL Laps: 23

Japan

25.09.11

Singapore

11.09.11

Q: 7 R: A Laps: 0

Q: 12 P: 14 Q: 6 P: 15 Laps: 56 Laps: 51

Q: 7 P: 13 Laps: 44

Italy

28.08.11

Q: 12 P: 12 Q: 10 P: 9 Laps: 69 Laps: 44

Q: 16 P: 12 Q: 14 P: 12 Q: 11 Laps: 65 Laps: 76 R: A Laps: 67

Q: 14 R: F Laps: 23

Belgium

Q:15 P:15 Laps: 59

Q: 13 R: Wh Laps: 44

Q: 11 R: A Laps: 9

31.07.11

Q: 10 P: 9 Laps: 52

(Nick Heidfeld)

Q: 16 P: 8 Laps: 52

Hungary

24.07.11

Germany

10.07.11

Great Britain

26.06.11

Europe

12.06.11

Canada

29.05.11

Monaco

22.05.11

Spain

08.05.11

Turkey

17.04.11

China

10.04.11

Malaysia

27.03.11

Australia

the season so FaR

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Sebastian Vettel Jenson Button Fernando Alonso Mark Webber Lewis Hamilton Felipe Massa Nico Rosberg Michael Schumacher VITALY PETROV

309 185 184 182 168 84 62 52 34

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Nick Heidfeld Adrian Sutil Kamui Kobayashi Paul di Resta Jaime Alguersuari Sebastien Buemi Sergio Perez Rubens Barrichello BRUNO SENNA Pastor Maldonado

34 28 27 20 16 13 9 4 2 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Red Bull Racing Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Mercedes GP LOTUS RENAULT GP Force India Sauber F1 Team Scuderia Torro Rosso AT&T Williams Team Lotus HRT F1 Marussia Virgin Racing

491 353 268 114 70 48 36 29 5 0 0 0

POINTS SYSTEM 1ST = 25 2ND = 18 3RD = 15 4TH = 12 5TH = 10 6TH = 8 7TH = 6 8TH = 4 9TH = 2 10TH = 1

JApAN iN NUmBERS This is the highest g-force the drivers experience in the lap at T15 for 2 seconds

on our website, to start with:

3.5 26 53 69 310

The number of Grands Prix

Number of laps

The percentage of the lap spent at full throttle In km/h, this is the top speed approaching T1 and T16

where can you foLLow us? www.lotusrenaultgp.com

13.5 52 64 305 1200

The percentage of the lap spent braking

Number of gear changes per lap

In km/h, this is the lowest apex speed at T11 In km/h, this is the highest apex speed at T15 In metres, the longest distance on full throttle between T14 and T16

(english, french, Portuguese, German, Polish and russian versions) On Twitter: twitter.com/officialLrGP On Facebook: facebook.com/LotusrenaultGP On YouTube: youtube.com/LrGPTv Vitaly on Twitter: twitter.com/vitalypetrov10 Bruno on Twitter: twitter.com/Bsenna Romain on Twitter: twitter.com/rgrosjean

who’s who aT LrGP ?

• Gerard Lopez Chairman • eric Boullier Team Principal and Managing Director • Patrick Louis Chief Operating Officer • James allison Technical Director • naoki Tokunaga Deputy Technical Director • martin Tolliday Chief Designer • dirk de Beer Head of Aerodynamics • John wickham Team Manager • alan Permane Trackside Operations Director • Gavin hudson Chief Mechanic • stephen curnow Chief Commercial Officer • stephane samson Head of Team Marketing and Communications • federico Gastaldi Business Development Director • frederic Garcia Head of Event Marketing The longest distance, in metres, on full TRACKSIDE HOSPITAlITY throttle along • The girls inthe our hospitality who will look after start/finish straight our guests are simona, adriana and daniela • Catering: massimilian, riccardo and simoneto lO T US RENAU lT g p • JApA NE SE g p pRE vi E W • 15

Gallery

scan this Qr code to view more images.

16 • JA pA N E S E g p p R E v i E W • lO T US R ENAU lT g p

lO T US RENAU lT g p • JApA NE SE g p pRE vi E W • 17

and finally…

media contacts

cirebox

team Principal and managing Director

lOTUS RENAUlT gp pRESS OffiCE Address

Lotus Renault GP Whiteways Technical Centre Enstone Oxfordshire Ox7 4EE UK

Telephone

+44 (0) 1608 678 000

Facsimile

+44 (0) 1608 678 609

Email

pressoffice@lotusrenaultgp.com

mEdiA CONTACTS Stephane Samson, Head of Communications +44 (0) 7827 307 185 stephane.samson@lotusrenaultgp.com Ben Nichols, Senior Press Officer +44 (0) 7748 920 072 ben.nichols@lotusrenaultgp.com Andy Stobart, Press Officer +44 (0) 7703 366 151 andy.stobart@lotusrenaultgp.com Justine Hoffmann, Press Officer (ENSTONE-BASED) +33 (0) 6 89 66 30 18 justine.hoffmann@lotusrenaultgp.com

18 • JApA N E S E g p p R E v i E W • lO T US R ENAU lT g p

Website

lotusrenaultgp.com

Facebook

facebook.com/LotusRenaultGP

Twitter

twitter.com/OfficialLRGP