F1 2018 TESTING SEASON KICKS OFF

MCLAREN’S SECRET WEAPON

Under the skin of F1’s most impressive new car
...but will the
wheels come off
with Renault?

PLUS MERCEDES V FERRARI

RISKY ‘MERC’
SUSPENSION? WHEELBASE
 F1 2018 TESTING SEASON KICKS OFF

HONE/LAT
MCLAREN’S SECRET WEAPON
Under the skin of F1’s most impressive new car
...but will the
wheels come off
with Renault?
MARCH 1 2018
UK £3.99

COVER IMAGES
PLUS MERCEDES V FERRARI
Mauger/LAT,
RISKY
SUSPENSION?
‘MERC’
WHEELBASE
Mercedes, Ferrari

F1 2018 KICKS OFF

16 All the new Formula 1 cars on track
18 Mercedes W09 technical focus
20 Have Merc’s rivals missed their chance?
24 Ferrari SF71H technical focus
26 Italian team’s plan to go one better
30 McLaren MCL33 technical focus
32 No more excuses for McLaren
34 Renault RS18 technical focus
36 F1’s sleeping giant awakens
40 Force India VJM11 technical focus
42 Toro Rosso STR13 technical focus

Can Renault boost

44 Sauber C37 technical focus

PIT+PADDOCK
4

Red Bull and McLaren?

F1 testing could indicate closer fight in ’18
6 Alonso already making waves at Toyota
8 Loeb impressed by Citroen after test
10 Fifth Column: Nigel Roebuck
12 In the paddock: Edd Straw
FORGET ABOUT THE HALO AND SOME OF THE 13 Feedback: your letters
other dubious aesthetics of current Formula 1 cars, what
will really make or break the 2018 season – as any other – RACE CENTRE
is how competitive the fight at the front is. 47 NASCAR Cup
Most would agree that last year was more interesting than
FEATURE
the three turbo-hybrid seasons before it, because Mercedes faced
48 Gordon Shedden’s big gamble
a strong challenge from Ferrari. And, for the first time under the
current regulations, a third team won races during the year thanks CLUB AUTOSPORT
to Red Bull’s impressive form in the final stages of the campaign. 63 Martin is latest star for British GT
We’re all hoping the battle at the sharp end will be even tighter 64 Rare Chevron set for celebration race
this year. Red Bull should be stronger, while McLaren and Renault 66 Mansell and Walker to open new centre
have the potential to join in at some point. Our technical expert 67 Club column: Robert Ladbrook
Gary Anderson is impressed with the MCL33 (see page 30), 68 The gap at the front of Ginetta Junior
despite Fernando Alonso ignominiously losing a wheel in Spain. FINISHING STRAIGHT
The key for all three teams, of course, will be the Renault engine. 70 What’s on this week
The French manufacturer has confirmed that it has started testing 72 From the archive: 1973 Monaco GP
with the intention of focusing on reliability, before turning things up 74 Introducing: Arthur Rougier
later on. That’s why the fact that Red Bull covered more laps than
any other team on the first day of testing at Barcelona on Monday AUTOSPORT SUBSCRIPTION OFFER
was more important than Daniel Ricciardo’s fastest time. 46 Six issues for £1 and a FREE Senna model
Only a fool would make firm predictions this early, but if Renault

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can get itself together in time, then we could have three or four
teams at the front. But that is still a very big if at the moment,
and the Mercedes challenge already looks ominously impressive.

ENGINEERING SUPPLEMENT
The motorsport life
of Richard Lloyd,
new columnists Mark
REMEMBERING
R I C H A R D L L OY D

Williams and Lucas di

T H E R E M A R K A B L E S TO RY O F
A M OTO R S P O R T P I O N E E R

Grassi, and a special

KEVIN TURNER EDITOR

unraced Italian
NEW COLUMNISTS
machine feature in
kevin.turner@autosport.com
MARK WILLIAMS LUCAS DI GRASSI

this month’s issue.

HOW TO WORK THE CASE FOR
WITH YOUR AN AUTOMATED
NGINEER
ENGINEER WARNING SYSTEM

@KRT917

MARCH 1 2018 3
PIT + PADDOCK NEWS DEBATE CONTROVERSY OPINION FEEDBACK
l
l

Vettel nicked
ahead of Bottas
on second day

FORMULA 1

Ferrari v Mercedes: the

FERRARI AND MERCEDES CONTINUED out-lap before the tyre temperature is there, it’s
2017 rivalry during the first two days of pre- doing what the driver wants and both drivers
season testing at Barcelona, with Sebastian were able to be consistent. The Red Bull also
Vettel topping the times as Autosport closed looked good, as did the McLaren.”
for press on Tuesday afternoon. The most dramatic incident in the first day
The Ferrari driver put in a best of 1m19.673s and three quarters came on the opening morning
on Tuesday afternoon using the soft-compound when Fernando Alonso’s right-rear wheel came
Pirellis to knock Valtteri Bottas’s medium-shod loose in the final right-hander. He spun into
Mercedes down to second. But with very low the gravel, with the wheel coming free from the
track temperatures hampering running, the car – an embarrassing start to the McLaren-
l

competitive picture was far from well-formed. Renault era for the team.
Vettel’s time is 1.3s faster than the quickest “This is a very, very small problem but very
time set at the equivalent point in last year’s graphic, very obvious,” said Alonso. “A car in the
first test. Despite the difficult conditions, gravel makes a big thing. There are six teams in
a combination of the smoother, resurfaced the garage with the door closed and the car in
Barcelona circuit and the increased downforce pieces, but no-one sees it – there’s no picture
levels proved that the pace of this year’s cars of that. There are a lot of teams with trouble,
will be a further improvement on 2017. big trouble, and for us with a wheelnut it
The low track temperatures made running will make it the thing of the day.”
challenging, with some cars taking as many as Alonso did return to the track to complete
seven laps to build sufficient tyre temperature. In significant mileage and the first two days
order to get the tyres working well, drivers were otherwise went well for McLaren. Stoffel
l

trying to build temperature while minimising Vandoorne had set the third fastest time as
sliding – something that proved challenging for Autosport closed for press, although his lap
some. This made it difficult to draw too many was set using the hypersoft tyres – the
conclusions about the performance of the cars. newest and softest of Pirelli’s compounds.
“Watching from trackside you draw some Several other drivers had incidents during the
conclusions about how the cars are behaving, first two days. Force India development driver
whether they are responding as the drivers Nikita Mazepin brought out the red flag on
want to, and three cars stood out to me,” said Monday with an off, while both Vettel and
Autosport technical expert Gary Anderson. Sauber’s Charles Leclerc had spins on Tuesday.
“The Ferrari again looks strong. Even on the Kevin Magnussen also had a trip through the

4 MARCH 1 2018
 FORMULA 1

TEE/LAT
Red Bull
given engine
ultimatum
RED BULL WILL HAVE TO MAKE UP ITS MIND
by May over whether it wants to continue
with Renault engines next season.
Red Bull’s current contract with Renault
only covers the 2018 season, and the team is
keeping a close eye on how Honda performs
with sister team Toro Rosso. Red Bull boss
Christian Horner confirmed at the Barcelona
test that the team is keeping its options
open. “There are no preconceptions as
we head into the season,” he said.
But Renault is not willing to wait for
Red Bull to decide, and wants the team
to comply with Appendix 9 of the FIA’s F1
Sporting Regulations. That covers engine
supply in some detail, including the
obligation of manufacturers to supply a
minimum number of teams if required, and
details a May 15 deadline for the following
season’s supply deals to be confirmed, even
if last year’s McLaren-and-Toro Rosso swap
came some months later than that.
“We are not going to hang around
forever,” said Renault chief Cyril Abiteboul.
“I know what Christian is referring to when
he says that he has options. He’s absolutely

battle is still raging

right. Like him I read contracts, and I know
the obligation we have towards the sport.
There will be a deadline for Red Bull Racing
to define what they want for the future. It’s
available, it’s in the sporting regulations.”
While Red Bull has been concerned about
gravel in his Haas. But there were relatively “It is a concern,” said Red Bull team principal Renault’s early-season focus on reliability
few interruptions to running, with the cool Christian Horner. “If the headline [power] figures over power (see main story, left), over at
conditions and Monday late-afternoon rain Mercedes have quoted [are real] then the gap will McLaren Fernando Alonso underlined after
causing more trouble than the incidents did. only broaden. Reliability has been a big priority the first day of testing at Barcelona that he
McLaren’s former engine partner, Honda, for Renault over the winter.” was much happier with his team’s engine
began life with Toro Rosso in encouraging This was the first time that the halo was used situation now he is working with Renault.
fashion. On day one, Brendon Hartley completed by all teams having been integrated into the cars, “Everything is running very smoothly and
93 laps, with Pierre Gasly taking over on in some cases at significant expense. Red Bull’s quite good,” he said. “There are a few things
Tuesday. “It was a really positive day,” said Daniel Ricciardo was among those who conducted that we are trying to change and trying to
Hartley, who finished the day two seconds off a start-light visibility test, reporting no problems. adapt, like every new car, but so far on the
the pace in eighth. “We had no issues at all. “It might sound silly, but I don’t notice it,” engine side especially I’m extremely happy
We stopped early because said Ricciardo, who topped and I think there is huge potential in the

“The Ferrari
of the weather, almost icy the opening day of running. McLaren-Renault team.”
conditions out there. But “Getting in the car and ADAM COOPER
everything felt pretty good
straight out of the box. is strong. It’s getting out obviously you do
[notice it], but on track it
ANDRE/LAT

“Obviously we had a lot of

test items that we didn’t get doing what the seemed fine. I followed a
couple of cars today and it
to complete because of the
weather but I think getting drivers want” seemed all right. We did
the starts, we thought to
through 93 laps was a great see the start lights could
start. It was really, really positive, all things be difficult, but so far it seems fine.”
directed towards Honda. No complaints so far The weather forecast for the rest of the
and we had a perfect day in terms of reliability.” test, which is due to finish today (Thursday),
With Renault focused on engine reliability for suggested snow was possible and that an extra
testing and the opening races across its three day could be added. But with Williams and
teams, Red Bull had the most promising start Ferrari scheduled to run filming days on Friday
with its RB14 and its slim sidepods. With and Saturday respectively, it is understood that
significant downforce gains since last year, any modification to the schedule, if it happened,
the only real concern was that the performance would likely impact the second and final
level of the engine was not as hoped while four-day test, which starts next Tuesday.
Mercedes has made another step forward. EDD STRAW

MARCH 1 2018 5
PIT + PADDOCK/NEWS AND ANALYSIS

WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

Alonso settles
in with Toyota
WILLIAMS

FORMULA 1
While the Spanish star is getting his feet under the
table, the demoted Davidson seeks new challenges
ROWLAND GETS F1

F
ROLE AT WILLIAMS; ernando Alonso is already part of a WhatsApp group

RUSSELL AT MERC
with his new team-mates in Toyota’s World Endurance
Championship squad. Yet the Spaniard isn’t just settling
in quickly at the team with which he will contest the
WILLIAMS HAS GIVEN at Renault, but he 2018-19 WEC superseason; he’s bringing what
Oliver Rowland a ‘young felt Williams offered Sebastien Buemi is calling a “new vision”.
driver’ role for the 2018 the better chance of Buemi, who will share the #8 Toyota TS050 HYBRID
Formula 1 campaign. progression in the short with Alonso and Kazuki Nakajima, reckons the knowledge
Rowland, third in last term. “I had my role the two-time Formula 1 world champion brings to the
year’s Formula 2 points, with Renault and that team can only be of benefit as the Japanese manufacturer bids for a
will drive current F1 was on the table to first Le Mans 24 Hours victory.
machinery for the first continue,” he said. “But “Fernando has so much experience and brings different ideas, a different
time when he takes part with their driver line-up, approach,” says Buemi. “F1 has different hybrid technology, but they have
in the first in-season it’s a bit more stable for more money and more people, so they can go into the detail much more.”
test at Barcelona and the next two or three Alonso reckons understanding the twin-hybrid system of the TS050 has
will complete extensive years. Williams gave me been his biggest challenge since joining Toyota, with which he completed
work in the simulator. a bit more opportunity a second endurance simulation at the Algarve Circuit last week. “The
“I’m really pleased to move away and start four-wheel drive is the biggest difference,” he explains. “You rely on the
to be working with work with a team that systems, the front and rear motors. Here [at Algarve] in the last corner,
Williams,” said Rowland, was higher up in the a blind corner at night, you are flat-out. You need confidence, and this
who at 25 is older than standings last year. kind of thing requires a bit of time.
Williams race drivers “To be part of a Alonso says he’s learning a lot from “sharing the car with other drivers”
Lance Stroll and Sergey British team that has and can’t quite believe the atmosphere within the team. “From the first
Sirotkin. “I will be doing has such heritage is day everyone was very friendly with me,” he says. “The atmosphere is
a lot of work at the great. Hopefully I can so different, so friendly, so open and so nice.”
factory, and I will drive impress and earn myself That explains the WhatsApp group: “We are constantly chatting
at the Barcelona rookie a bigger role with the and taking pictures of the others who are cutting the track.”
test and then possibly team. I want to push The driver whose place Alonso has taken in the Toyota WEC line-up
more throughout the to get a race seat.” remains an integral part of the team. Anthony Davidson now has a
season depending on Meanwhile, Mercedes test-and-reserve role, and that will be his full focus up to Le Mans in June.
how that goes.” confirmed that reigning The 38-year-old Briton would be free to take up a drive in LMP2 or
Rowland, who GP3 champion George either of the GTE classes, but he has no plans to race at Le Mans this year.
was Renault’s F1 Russell and Sauber F1 “I’m a typical bloke in that I can only focus on one thing at a time, which is
development driver refugee Pascal Wehrlein making the Toyota as fast, reliable and user-friendly as possible,” he says.
last year, said talks with will share the team’s “I’m going to be busy with testing right up to the race, so I’m aiming to
Williams began before reserve-driver role. get myself into a racing situation later in the year.”
last season’s Abu Dhabi Wehrlein will not be The Petit Le Mans IMSA SportsCar Championship enduro at Road
Pirelli tyre test. But he on hand for Mercedes Atlanta, a race for which he took pole position on both his appearances
admitted a race seat was at every F1 race this with Peugeot in 2010-11, is on Davidson’s radar.
always a very long shot. season because the “I’ve got my eye on Petit, because that’s a race I’d like to win,” he says.
“At the end of last Norisring and Misano “Maybe if I can get to Petit that will open up new avenues for the big
season I was looking at DTM rounds clash with North American endurance races in 2019.”
different options and the French and Belgian GARY WATKINS
Williams was one of Grands Prix respectively.
them,” he said. “The Russell will be at
race seat was available both those races for his
at one point and we Formula 2 campaign.
were looking at that The Brit had been tipped
option, but it became to land a support role
clear that wasn’t going with Force India after
to happen. There were two FP1 outings with
more-high-profile the Mercedes customer
names in the running team at the end of
than me. I wouldn’t say I 2017, before it named
came that close to being Nicholas Latifi as its
a race driver with them.” reserve and test driver.
TOYOTA

Rowland said there LAWRENCE BARRETTO &

was the potential to stay SCOTT MITCHELL

6 MARCH 1 2018
 HAL RIDGE

Jordan finished
third at Lydden
WRX in 2014

BANKS/ WORLD RX MEDIA

JORDAN:
NEW TRACK
WILL BE A
Startline is on
wide runway,
WRX HIT
before asphalt
right-hander, BRITISH TOURING CAR
then onto the Championship star
dusty stuff Andrew Jordan is Britain’s
only podium finisher
in the World Rallycross
WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
Championship, and the

Silverstone ready for RX litmus test

former British Rallycross
Supercar title winner has
an insight into what
makes a good venue.
IN TWO WEEKS’ TIME, THE NEW RALLYCROSS The Wing is in the background. People will be in no Silverstone is owned by
circuit at Silverstone will host its first competitive event. doubt about where it has taken place.” the British Racing Drivers’
The purpose-built track, which was completed in 2017, WRX coordinator Tim Whittington was vital to the Club, and it looked
has had chance to ‘bed in’ and will host the opening round process in bringing the series to the home of the British around for a member who
of this year’s British Rallycross Championship on March Grand Prix. “One of the key assets of having the Stowe had suitable rallycross
17. That will be the precursor to the World Rallycross Circuit area is that the rest of the venue can remain experience to help with
Championship blue-riband on May 26-27. unaffected,” says Whittington. “On the grand prix tracks the creation of the new
The 972-metre layout has been developed on the infield at Hockenheim and Barcelona we are compromised. While mixed-surface layout.
behind The Wing complex where the Stowe Circuit is. It it’s great to have these F1 tracks, access can be limited Jordan finished third
will be self-contained – one of the prime advantages of its because you are on what is, for the rest of the year, a at Lydden in 2014, and has
location. “The Silverstone F1 circuit is known for being race circuit. Things will be different at Silverstone. since taken part in three
fast and flowing and, although the rallycross track is much “Also, it means that in the future, bosses at Silverstone other rounds of WRX.
shorter, we wanted to include that culture and I think can add the rallycross track to its driving experiences and He had an input into the
we’ve done that,” says Silverstone managing director it can also be used for testing, which is something quite design tweaks of the track
Stuart Pringle, who was one of the prime movers behind rare in the UK. It’s an asset.” once the basic format
the WRX’s switch from Lydden Hill to Silverstone. For layout, Silverstone had to factor in a number of had been created.
Aside from the nature of the circuit, Pringle also wanted different considerations that are specific to the WRX. “I think it has a good
to make sure that the venue could put a clear stamp on “Because rallycross starts with five cars side by side, there mixture of corners, but it’s
the series, hence the jump in the middle of the track. is a minimum track width of 14.5 metres to begin with, one of the shorter tracks,”
“We wanted there to be a signature photographic image, and that stretches for 100 metres,” explains Whittington. says Jordan. “Some of
an iconic picture that photographers could get,” he says. “That means we had to have the startline on the straight the others that we go to
“We wanted a shot with the cars in the air with the behind The Wing paddock. It’s an old runway, and it was in Europe are what you
suspension fully extended, just like you used to see from the only part that could accommodate that necessity.” would call traditional
the 1000 Lakes Rally. We have created the jump so that The WRX also demands that at least 40% of the layout venues through the trees,
must be on a loose surface, but Silverstone has gone even but even then overtaking
Flying in front of the
further, upping that to 60%. is hard. On a new venue
Wing. This is the jump So the venue is ready for its first dry run – the British you can try hard to
round – ahead of the WRX event. And the March incorporate lots of
‘blooding’ of the circuit looks set to be a special occasion. interesting features to
Already Sebastien Loeb has been entered in his works make overtaking easier.
Peugeot 208 and Guerlain Chicherit in his Renault “No-one will know
Megane, with potentially more WRX regulars turning up exactly how it works until
to get in some sneaky pre-season practice. there is the first BRX
“It’s a double-edged sword opening the circuit with a meeting there. That’s the
higher-profile event like a British Rallycross meeting,” test. Given the work that
explains Whittington. “It’s a one-day event and the has gone on behind the
WORLD RX MEDIA

timetable is full-on. But, because it’s a packed programme scenes, it should be a

and a top-level championship, it will be a good test.” real hit with drivers.”
MATT JAMES MATT JAMES

MARCH 1 2018 7
PIT + PADDOCK/NEWS AND ANALYSIS

V8 STOCK CARS

GREEN AND
JARVIS JOIN
BRAZILIAN
V8 FIELD
BRITISH DTM STAR JAMIE
Green and Le Mans 24 Hours
podium finisher Oliver Jarvis
are among the influx of foreign
stars who will compete in next
week’s Brazilian V8 Stock Car
series opener at Interlagos.
Green (below) and Jarvis
WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

Loeb rates Citroen tweaks

will race the sister machines of
the Prati-Donaduzzi team in
the 60-minute mini-enduro on
March 10, in which each series

as he gears up for return

regular is joined by an one-off
guesting racer. While Green
will share with Julio Campos,
Jarvis slips in alongside
ex-Formula 1 racer and
latter-day V8 Stock Car TWO DAYS OF DRIVING IN THE SPANISH HILLS the engine was working well.”
ace Antonio Pizzonia. have convinced Sebastien Loeb that Citroen is on the Loeb admitted that his only concern for Mexico was
“I have to admit that I’m not right track with its C3 WRC. a lack of recent WRC experience. “It’s six years since
familiar with the championship The nine-time world champion was running the C3 in I competed on gravel in the WRC,” he said, “and six
other than knowing several Almeria ahead of his World Rally Championship return years since I was in Mexico. Citroen chose an old
Brazilian ex-F1 drivers race in Mexico next week. Loeb previously drove the car in a driver, so they know it can be complicated!”
in the series,” said Green. single-day test last September – the test that convinced Loeb also said he regretted that Citroen regular Craig
“I’m really happy to have been him the time had arrived to return to rallying. After Breen, whose C3 he will drive in Mexico, has to stand
invited as I think it will be a Mexico, he will compete in Corsica and Spain this season. down. The Irishman finished second in Sweden, but
good experience to have. I’ve Asked about progress with the Citroen, Loeb told now sits Mexico and Corsica out in favour of Loeb.
never been to Brazil before, let Autosport: “The car feels a bit easier to drive since I tested “It must be frustrating for him,” said Loeb. “He did
alone Interlagos! I’ve watched last year – the feeling for me was better. I didn’t make a really good rally in Sweden, but on the other side I don’t
the F1 race on TV for the last 20 any big changes; I was trying to adapt the car to my decide anything: Citroen propose me a few rallies, I’m
years though. I’m really looking driving, so there were some changes in the diffs and sorry that I take his car, but it’s like that.”
forward to a completely new suspension. The car felt quite good, easy to use and DAVID EVANS
world of motorsport.”
Jarvis added: “With such a
strong field of drivers it won’t
be easy, but with Pizzonia
I have a fantastic team-mate
to learn from. It will not only
be my first time driving a
Brazilian Stock Car, but also
my first time in Brazil.”
Several other international
stars have been confirmed,
including ex-F1 racers Felipe JEP/LAT
Massa and Roberto Merhi,
Formula E champion Lucas
di Grassi, BMW DTM driver
BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Augusto Farfus and Dutch aces

Boardman back in BTCC with MG

Nicky Catsburg and Jeroen
Bleekemolen. Felipe Nasr
and Nelson Piquet Jr are
also in the field as they
join the series full time. ONE-TIME BRITISH TOURING Since then, the Preston racer has to the series, but until now the right
JURGEN STIFTSCHRAUBE Car Championship race winner Tom driven in the World Touring Car deal has never come along.
Boardman is the first driver to sign Championship, and his last tin-top “The MG is a proven, race-winning
up to drive one of AmD Tuning’s outing was in the inaugural TCR car and I see no reason why we can’t
DTM

ex-Triple Eight Racing MG6 GT International Series in 2015. be challenging towards the front.”
machines this year. “In recent months, I’d been looking l Aron Taylor-Smith, who drove
The 34-year-old spent two years into the possibility of a programme the MG for Triple Eight last year, is
in the BTCC in 2010 and ’11, and he in TCR, but when the chance came moving into the Blancpain Sprint
won a race in the second campaign along to return to the BTCC in Cup with Team Parker Racing. He
at Knockhill (above, left) with the MG it was one I grabbed with will share a Bentley Continental GT3
his family Special Tuning team both hands,” said Boardman. with Audi convert Josh Caygill.
in a SEAT Leon. “I’ve always wanted to return MATT JAMES

8 MARCH 1 2018
 IN THE HEADLINES

PALMER JOINS RADIO 5 LIVE TEAM

Ex-Renault Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer will be part of
the BBC’s F1 radio coverage this season. Palmer – who
was much praised for his GP2 expert role during the
series’ 2015 races on live TV – will join Jennie Gow and
Jack Nicholls in the BBC 5 Live F1 commentary team,
and feature on the BBC Sport website as an analyst.

CORONEL GETS BOUTSEN GINION HONDA

Evergreen tin-top racer Tom Coronel has secured a seat in
the World Touring Car Cup for 2018. The Dutchman has
joined Boutsen Ginion Racing to drive a Honda Civic Type
R, and lines up alongside Tiago Monteiro. Coronel, who
has competed in the old WTCC since 2005, has raced the
Belgian squad’s Honda machinery in TCR competition.

P48 SHEDDEN’S BIG GAMBLE MICHELISZ’S TEAM TO RUN HYUNDAIS

The M1RA team of new Hyundai WTCR recruit Norbert
Michelisz has switched from Honda to the South Korean
BTCC The new Team Dynamics-built Honda Civic Type R, the FK8 model, began testing ahead of the British manufacturer this season. M1RA won the TCR
Touring Car Championship this week. It broke cover at Parcmotor Castelloli in Spain, where the two-litre International teams’ title last year with Michelisz’s
turbocharged car was completed before it took to the track. Matt Neal and new recruit Dan Cammish protege Attila Tassi (who finished as runner-up in the
shared the driving duties. Several other BTCC teams were also present at the test. Photograph by JEP drivers’ points) and Roberto Colciago. It is unclear which
series M1RA will run in, and it has yet to confirm drivers.

TECH3 DITCHES YAMAHA AFTER 18 YEARS

Top MotoGP privateer Tech3 is to end its 18-year
GP3 SERIES
association with Yamaha for 2019, but the team has yet

Hubert gets first blood in GP3 to confirm which manufacturer it will align with. Tech3
will field Malaysian Moto2 graduate Hafizh Syahrin this
season alongside Johann Zarco as replacement for
the illness-stricken Jonas Folger.
ANTHOINE HUBERT AND ART GRAND European Formula 3 converts Joey Mawson
Prix topped the times in the first GP3 pre- and David Beckmann, plus Formula V8 3.5 CELIS MAKES MOVE TO INDY LIGHTS
season test of 2018 at Paul Ricard last week. refugee Diego Menchaca, were respectively Ex-Force India F1 reserve Alfonso Celis has switched to
Frenchman Hubert (pictured) set the confirmed at Arden International, Jenzer and Indy Lights for this season. The Mexican, who finished
overall best time during the second morning Campos for the GP3 season just before the third in World Series Formula V8 3.5 last year, has joined
session of the two-day test, in which wet test got under way. The next pre-season Juncos Racing. Celis is making the step as he has adjusted
weather and cold temperatures affected the test takes place at Jerez on March 14-15. his horizons towards a career in the IndyCar Series.
running on both days. Ferrari Formula 1 junior ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Callum Ilott was second quickest, 0.087s EUROTECH GETS ‘WORKS’ ENGINES
adrift of his ART team-mate, and was British Touring Car Championship Honda independent
FERRARO/LAT

quickest on the final afternoon. Leonardo Eurotech Racing has switched to the same Neil Brown
Pulcini ended up third fastest overall for Engineering-built powerplants as the factory Dynamics-
Campos Racing, ahead of Nikita Mazepin run squad for 2018. Eurotech, which will run Jack Goff,
(ART), Tatiana Calderon (Jenzer Motorsport) Brett Smith and Matt Simpson, has made the change
and Jake Hughes in the final ART-run car. after hitherto using the Swindon-tuned TOCA mill.
Pedro Piquet – who is yet to confirm a
GP3 race drive for 2018 – racked up 139 laps HAAS JUNIORS TEAM UP IN F2
for Trident, the most of any driver. He was Haas F1 juniors Santino Ferrucci and Arjun Maini will
10th fastest overall, and two tours clear of team up in Formula 2 this season, both racing with
Hubert in the mileage charts. TOP TEST TIMES Italian team Trident. American Ferrucci (below) stays
Hughes, the fastest driver on the first on at the squad after stepping up from GP3 midway
day, said the test was “in a word – positive. DRIVER TIME through last season. Indian Maini makes his category
We got through a lot and we tested a lot. 1 Anthoine Hubert (ART) 1m48.674s debut after being a race winner in GP3 in 2017.
“Given the cold temperatures we had –
we were only getting like 10 degrees track 2 Callum Ilott (ART) 1m48.761s
temperature – it was very difficult to switch 3 Leonardo Pulcini (Campos) 1m49.051s
the tyres on,” the double GP3 race winner
4 Nikita Mazepin (ART) 1m49.180s
continued. “A lot of drivers and teams were
up and down or struggling to be consistent. It 5 Tatiana Calderon (Jenzer) 1m49.209s
was just the case that if you could switch the 6 Jake Hughes (ART) 1m49.326s
tyres on in a run or a session then you could
be very quick, especially in our case at ART, 7 Alessio Lorandi (Trident) 1m49.434s
and then if you couldn’t you were missing 8 Niko Kari (MP) 1m49.575s
PORTLOCK/LAT

at least half a second. I think it was just the

9 Simo Laaksonen (Campos) 1m49.643s
conditions for that test and I don’t imagine
it will be like that from now on.” 10 Pedro Piquet (Trident) 1m49.687s

MARCH 1 2018 9
FIFTH COLUMN/OPINION

NIGEL ROEBUCK
A saga without end
As many fans voice disquiet over this Formula 1 era, perhaps it’s
time for the rulemakers to properly lay down the law
@autosport

IN 2017 MERCEDES PEOPLE CAME TO DESCRIBE that was my subject for last week’s column, so for now
their car as ‘a diva’, and undoubtedly, by comparison with let’s leave it to one side.
those recently gone before, at some circuits its sweet spot More fundamentally, several whom I met spoke of their
was hard to find. That said, it was a diva other drivers dissatisfaction with this entire era. For one thing, they think
would willingly have embraced, for if it won ‘only’ 12 races the cars too big and heavy, and it’s difficult – given that the
(compared with 19 in 2016), it remained swift and reliable 2018 minimum weight limit is a numbing 733kg – to take
enough to bring Mercedes yet another constructors’ issue: as one put it, “Colin Chapman would be upset about
championship, and Lewis Hamilton a fourth drivers’ title. a transporter that weighed that much!” Indeed so, and
The team’s statistics through the four hybrid seasons ditto such as Gordon Murray.
to date are staggering: 63 wins from 79 races, with 40 of Then there are the engines – if they appreciate the sheer
them going to Lewis. cleverness of a 1.6-litre
Next up are Ferrari and
Red Bull, with eight “The aesthetics of an F1 power unit that produces
a thousand horsepower,

car are important to

apiece, so while we may and uses remarkably
be lost in admiration for little fuel doing it,
what Mercedes have emotionally it leaves
achieved, all but rabid
Hamilton fans have those paying to watch” them cold, and one
aficionado said he
grown weary of what has thought the powers-that-
come to feel like a saga without end. It’s akin to those early be ill-advised in bringing the old Minardi two-seater to
years of the century when one set off to the airport every races, thus offering a reminder of how a V10 sounded.
fortnight in the virtual certainty of seeing yet another “It’s almost,” he lamented, “as if we’re being taunted…”
victory for Michael Schumacher and Ferrari. God forbid, I said, anyone should ever sneak in a Matra.
All in all, this is a thoroughly unsettled time in Formula 1, Next, aerodynamics. As Niki Lauda, railing at the advent
and one with which many fans are struggling, as I was of the halo, has pointed out, the aesthetics of a Formula 1
reminded in conversations last week at Race Retro. What car are important to those paying to watch them, and they
did my own little ‘fan survey’ reveal? Well, for a start it really don’t care for bargeboards and the like – what
goes almost without saying that they hate the halo, but Bernie Ecclestone called, ‘These horrible-looking bits
MAUGER/LAT

SUTTON/LAT

How dare Ferrari …or Merc put

place the gifted embryonic superstar
Leclerc at Sauber… Ocon at Force India

10 MARCH 1 2018
 DUNBAR/LAT
Mercedes leading
has become a
racing certainty

and pieces they stick on all over the place…’ What they chessboard, isn’t it?” Again, although Claire Williams
hate most of all, though, is that these things have such a recently informed us it was now ‘inappropriate’ to talk
deleterious effect on the racing, which in the end of course about ‘pay drivers’, I could only agree.
matters to them more than anything else. On the subject of Liberty Media, the jury seems to be out,
Any other business? Well, predictably they loathe the although the fans – not all of them male – to whom I spoke
engine penalties system, which repeatedly puts their were not impressed by the recent announcement of a ban on
heroes – some of them, anyway – to the back of the grid, grid girls, feeling, apart from anything else, that Liberty
through no fault of their own, and they think absurd the people might better focus on weightier matters, such as
decision to cut the driver’s engine allocation for a season improving the product. “At the grands prix,” someone said,
from four to three. This, of course, is supposedly in “by far the best racing is Formula 2, so there’s something
the interests of reducing costs, but, as one engine man very wrong, isn’t there?” No argument there, either.
recently pointed out, who knows how many millions In the plus column, while Formula 1 fans yet know
have been spent in achieving this extended life? little of Chase Carey and Sean Bratches, there seems
“They go on all the time about the need to cut costs,” to be universal support for, and faith in, the third member
another fan said, “but Mercedes and Ferrari aren’t interested of the triumvirate, Ross Brawn, whose fundamental
in that, so it’ll never happen, will it?” I feared he was right, opinions – quietly but firmly expressed – on how
recalling something Martin Brundle had said while we Formula 1 should be appear unsurprisingly to resonate
were discussing Robert Kubica’s physical problems: with its dyed-in-the-wool supporters. “For example,”
“Anthony Davidson does a lot of work on the Mercedes one said, “I really like the fact that Ross sees DRS as
simulator, and he says, ‘When they start giving me something that shouldn’t be necessary, and needs to
instructions I need three hands, so how would anyone be done away with as soon as possible…”
cope with one and a half?’ I mentioned that to a Mercedes No-one, though, was under any illusions about the
man, and he said, ‘Yep, that’s right – and, what’s more, task before Brawn, his ideas requiring the green light from
our steering wheel is far more automated than most both the teams and the FIA if they are to be realised for
teams, because we’ve got the budget to do it…’” 2021, when major rule changes are due. All agreed, however,
“Something else that really gets me,” my Race Retro that Ross and his colleagues must stick to their guns, and
acquaintance went on, “is the way the big teams ‘place’ say to the teams (including Mercedes and Ferrari), ‘This
their favoured drivers in other teams, and other perhaps is how the world championship is going to be – if you
more deserving lads never get a look in – it’s like a wish to enter, you’ll be very welcome…’

MARCH 1 2018 11
PIT + PADDOCK/OPINION

The halo in the f lesh

Formula 1 teams are split 50/50 on their approach to halo integration
– and the most ‘successful’ result is surprisingly counter-intuitive
By Edd Straw, Digital Content Manager
@eddstrawF1

THE HALO IS HERE, AND WE’VE ALL GOT TO DEAL made an effort to integrate the halo into their liveries
with it. While the shrieking social-media denouncements had actually had a counter-productive effect. Those who
and the vows from ‘fans’ never to watch Formula 1 again have what could be called the ‘bare’ halo (in reality, just
because of it go too far, it’s true that this is probably the the black-clad ones, such as the majority of the dummy
most fundamental prescribed change to the looks of a grand haloes we’ve seen over the past couple of years) actually
prix car in history. The halo is an unsightly, unmissable look better. This is extremely odd. F1 is divided on the
structure that must be bolted onto the car with only the idea. Five teams – Ferrari, Force India, Sauber, Williams
slenderest scope for modification and integration. and Toro Rosso – have painted their haloes to match their
The halo remains an uncomfortable halfway house, slap- liveries. The other five – Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren,
bang in the middle of the spectrum between the extremes of Haas and Renault – have stuck with the black halo.
open and closed cockpit. It achieves its objective of protecting Prior to this test, the former group seemed to have
drivers from the impact of a large object, such as a wheel the right idea, but that has now changed.
(McLaren’s Monday mishap, when the right-rear of Fernando When watching trackside (and presumably this applies
Alonso’s car came loose and then detached at the final corner, to on television as well), the black halo seems to disappear
pitching him into the gravel, is a reminder that the risk is into the background noise. You don’t notice it and the
real), but only partially delivers on protecting against smaller lines and shape of the grand prix car are preserved. It’s
objects. It’s as if F1 decided to go closed-cockpit, but didn’t logical really, because the halo looks so unnatural on an
quite have the balls to go through with it and ended up in an F1 car, why wouldn’t you disown it visually?
apologetic limbo whereby it’s neither one nor the other. But when a Ferrari goes past, you cannot miss the halo.
But setting aside those Painted in that familiar
arguments, what’s the
reality of halo-era F1? “It’s an uncomfortable scarlet, and with a
Cavallino Rampante on

halfway house between

The first sight we had the front, Ferrari has
of the halo was on Kimi made an effort. Parked
Raikkonen’s Ferrari in in the pitlane, it does
pre-season testing at
Barcelona two years ago. open and closed cockpit” look better, but on track
it’s more grating.
Since then, dummy haloes Another problem is
have regularly cropped up during practice and test sessions, that it makes identifying the driver yet more difficult. The
and we’ve heard endless blathering about their impact. But halo eliminates gains made from recent moves to make the
Monday’s opening day of pre-season testing was the real driver more recognisable through permanent numbers
first day of the halo, with 10 cars all circulating with the and stronger on-car identification. Helmet colours are
cockpit-head-protection device not just fitted, but fully a key part of a driver’s ‘brand’ and there is an argument
integrated into the monocoque of the car. for integrating some form of identifier on the halo. Not
Heading down to watch at Turns 1-3 on a very chilly just a ‘one driver gets a halo that’s got a yellow flash on
and increasingly damp afternoon at Barcelona was when the it’, as with the cold and unemotive onboard camera, but
reality hit. Every single car that went past, every single lap, a colour scheme that matches that brand. Trouble is,
was behaloed. This experience produced one response that that would mean embracing the halo as part of the car.
was no surprise, and another that was quite unexpected. The halo is here, and you will get used it to. Most of the
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. time, on half of the cars at least, it will be easy to ignore
As anticipated, it doesn’t take long for the halo just and only be talked about if, or when, a wheel strikes one
to become part of the furniture of a grand prix car. It at 150mph and a driver is saved. Then we’ll be glad of it.
neither induced nausea every time Marcus Ericsson’s Amid all that, F1 needs to find a better long-term solution.
Sauber or Raikkonen’s Ferrari blasted past, nor triggered For now, the lesson from the first pre-season test is
a desire to turn your back on the track and stare wistfully that we need to stop putting the halo front and centre
at the nearby hills because this marked the death of F1. and let it fade into the background while we concentrate
Nothing so melodramatic. on the real story of the fastest, most powerful and most
More surprising was the fact that the teams that had challenging grand prix cars we’ve seen in a long time.

12 MARCH 1 2018
FEEDBACK
LETTERS/PIT + PADDOCK

S BLOXHAM/LAT
Halo is an affront to
what F1 stands for
The topic of the year has already been It seems obvious no-one is happy about
chosen. The halo. I think it’s an affront to it except Jean Todt and the device’s
what F1 stands for, and that the sport has manufacturers. I worry it’ll drive viewers
lost sight of what appeals to the audience. away and the circuits who are already
Safety is the big message in F1 right struggling will find it’s a lot worse.
now. Tracks are safer, the cars are safer Adam Wise
and everything that can be done to make Leigh-on-Sea
everything even more safe is being done.
Sadly, safety is boring. It doesn’t drive Who’s hidden behind the halo?
the heart rate like F1 should. I want to see Halo – can we have a change? The black,
drivers doing things I can’t do. I want to white or red haloes shown on the initial
see them take risks beyond what I would car launches reinforce the fact that
accept. I want them to be heroes. you cannot see the driver’s helmet.
The inconvenient truth is that a lot of Why not make each halo reflect
people watch motorsport for the crashes. the driver’s helmet design? It is in the Would it help if the join Ferrari in a rival series unless
Risk of injury and yes, death, adds to the same area as the helmet, so changing colours and design of they also had parity with whatever
drama. If people know there’s no risk in the colours should not hinder the overall a driver’s helmet were Ferrari expects to get?
echoed on the halo?
the first place, then it detracts from the graphic concept of the car. I know the He also claims that F1 should go
image of the participants. Can F1 afford to halo is skinny and not helmet-shaped, electric. A series already exists, it’s called
become the homeopathy of motorsport? but there must be a way to have a design Formula E. F1 is noise and excitement,
It doesn’t make sense that diluting the that a) lets us know who is in the car and high speed and drama, not cars going
attraction of the sport will make it better. b) satisfies a designer in the aesthetics ‘whoosh’ as they go by. I think it may
As for the halo itself, F1 teams have so of the car. Is it too much to ask? be time for Bernie to butt out!
many talented people, making so many I guess the drivers can now ignore Neil Davey
well-designed parts that often boggle the the rule on the number of changes of Newport, South Wales
mind in their complexity and ingenuity, helmet design a year, as no-one will
yet how can it be that fitting scaffolding know they are doing it! Don’t peg back privateers
to the cockpit is acceptable? Despite what Gordon Pickwell The news from the FIA and the ACO that
the FIA spins, I’m not convinced they By email privateer LMP1s will be penalised if they
seriously considered other options. If beat Toyota is deeply depressing. What is
you’re going overboard on cockpit safety, Bernie sticks his oar in the point if the regulators are effectively
the better option would be full enclosure. I see good old Bernie has been stirring decreeing that the one remaining factory
If you’re worried about looks, it’s again. He says Ferrari will quit F1 if team must be allowed to win? Motorsport
preferable and if you’re worried about they don’t get terms to suit them and thrives on competition, and, unlikely as
safety, then it’s better for that too. start a rival series. Only if it suits them, it may be, if a privateer constructor has
This is a pretty big PR disaster for F1. never mind anyone else! But who would found some trick to go faster than
Toyota, so much the better.
Eliot Wilson
By email

H AV E YO UR S AY, GE T IN TO U C H C OR RE CTI O N
Terry Sanger contested the 1968 Targa Florio

@
in Terry Drury’s Ford GT40, and not the ’69
Autosport editorial
event in a works car, as claimed last week
Autosport Media UK Ltd
1 Eton Street E-mail Twitter Facebook (p63). Sanger also drove the car in the Monza,
Richmond autosport@ twitter.com/ facebook.com/ Nurburgring and Spa 1000Km races in ’68.
TW9 1AG autosport.com autosport autosport

MARCH 1 2018 13
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FORMULA 1
LAUNCHES
SPECIAL
MERCEDES F1 W09

HONE/LAT
F1 2018 NEW
SUTTON

RENAULT RS18

HONE/LAT

HONE/LAT

TORO ROSSO STR13

SUTTON

16 MARCH 1 2018
 HONE/LAT
FERRARI SF71H RED BULL RB14

SUTTON
SUTTON

FORCE INDIA VJM11 WILLIAMS FW41

MAUGER/LAT

CAR SPECIAL All the new cars hit the track this week, so here they are: the class of 2018
MAUGER/LAT

SAUBER C37 McLAREN MCL33

HAAS VF-18

MARCH 1 2018 17
FORMULA 1
LAUNCHES
MERCEDES

Mercedes W09
Last season’s Mercedes might have been something of a ‘diva’ but it waltzed
away with both championships. Will its successor be even stronger?

By Gary Anderson, Technical Expert

2 SIDEPODS

1 DIFFUSER/FLOOR
1
DIFFUSER/FLOOR

L
Other than the engine cover fin size
SUTTON

being reduced to comply with the new

ast year wasn’t easy for Mercedes – had Ferrari regulations, the rear part of the car
not gone into meltdown the outcome might looks very similar to last year’s.
have been different. But the team will have The team has said that it will be
learned a lot more from its struggles with running with more rake this season – or
an occasionally recalcitrant package than at least higher at the rear. Upon first
it would have done if it was completely acquaintance with the car, I didn’t get
dominant. Now it can aim for the rare feat the impression that the rake angle was
of five consecutive championship doubles. very pronounced. In any case, it’s a slight
Mercedes had the car for the faster tracks in change in philosophy and the diffuser
’17, but Ferrari was on top at the slower ones. In the end, more will have had some treatment to allow
tracks suited Mercedes, evidenced by the fact that it scored 15 the team to accommodate this.
pole positions and 12 wins to Ferrari’s five poles and five wins, It’s tough for a team that has had the
so there was no need to start again from a clean sheet. success of Mercedes. When you’re at the
But Mercedes admits it was a little confused at times by the top of the ladder there are very few steps
behaviour of the 2017 car. From what I can see, the team has left to take, so the return from research
optimised what it had last year and will head into the new and development decreases.
season with a better understanding of how to run it.

18 MARCH 1 2018
 5
BARGEBOARDS
The floor section of the bargeboards determining how much downforce the to control the turbulent wake coming off the wake coming off the front wing
looks like it is made up of multiple underfloor can generate. the front tyres. The upper horizontal trailing edge. It is this complicated
‘boomerangs’ with swept up trailing The outer vertical vanes are similar section is to reduce the lift that is created swept-back shape because it requires
edges. The diffuser itself can only do to last year’s – three elements, with the by the airflow being accelerated over a shadow plate at what is called the
so much to accelerate the airflow rearmost one blending into a horizontal the top of the sidepod leading edge. step plane of the underfloor. The leading
passing underneath the car, so the vane running across the top of the The delta-shaped wing section edge of the wing is in line with the
initial preparation of the flow that sidepod leading edge. The vertical coming out from the side of the chassis leading edge of the first part of the
goes under the car is important in section of these components is there and sweeping rearward exists to realign boomerang bargeboard floors.

BARGEBOARDS 5

4 FRONT WING

3 FRONT SUSPENSION

MERCEDES
2 3 4
SIDEPODS FRONT SUSPENSION FRONT WING
I’m not seeing any components in this area that The front suspension retains the high outboard top wishbone The W09’s front wing has short
suggest Mercedes has done anything tricky with mounting position. This allows Mercedes to run a more horizontal mounting pillars and a narrow
the location of the side impact structures. To get a wishbone configuration than if it was mounted inside the rim. This nose assembly, including the
reasonable gap between the trailing edge of the lets Mercedes be a little more sympathetic to the tyres’ requirements cape underneath the nose. This
front tyres and the leading edge of the sidepod, as far as suspension geometry is concerned. doesn’t look very different from
Mercedes has retained the longish wheelbase. Mercedes has also put the steering track rod in line with the bottom the end of last season.
The W08 was very good on the fast tracks last wishbone. To achieve this, the top and bottom outboard wishbone But the wing is a bolt-on
year and there are more of them than slow ones. pivot points are well behind the centre of the wheel. At speed, it could component. If you believe there
The sidepods have a fairly high letterbox-style mean the front tyre picks up the lateral load a little bit slower, allowing isn’t much more to come from
inlet. This is wider than some of the previous cars the rear tyre to induce its slip angle before the front loads up. it, there’s no need to hurry
we have seen, with an undercut below that inlet. By having the two front wishbones more horizontal and with the developments in this area.
The undercut continues right through the track rod integrated at bottom wishbone height, and giving the Starting with a well-
sidepod to the Coke-bottle area, so the main combined unit a longer chord length, Mercedes can manage understood front-downforce-
design philosophy here is to allow the Coke-bottle the wake coming off the front wing that little bit better. producing package enables the
area to pull airflow through that undercut from the How the tyre loads up and how it optimises the tyre contact patch design team to concentrate on
trailing edge of the bargeboards, which in turn pulls at different steering angles (and hence speed) is a combination of what is coming along behind.
airflow through from underneath the front of the the castor and kingpin angle. It’s an interesting development, and This is certainly what Mercedes
chassis and the trailing edge of the front wing. quite unusual on the F1 grid, but will it work? will have done.

MARCH 1 2018 19
FORMULA 1
LAUNCHES
MERCEDES

Why Mercedes’
enemies will rue their
show of mercy
The Silver Arrows had their difficult days last season. Woe betide anyone
fooled into thinking that the same will happen again in 2018

By Ben Anderson, Grand Prix Editor

 ‘‘W
e have a motto in the There was a certain element of ‘the Lewis Hamilton factor’ in
team that the difficult play as Mercedes staved off challenges from Ferrari and Red Bull
days are the ones our in the second half of 2017. Max Verstappen gave Hamilton a run
competitors regret, for his money during the championship run-in, but in truth last
because the painful year’s Merc was still the grid’s standout car – the fastest on the
experiences make you greatest proportion of circuits, even if it caused its team severe
so much stronger. If headaches on certain tyre compounds, on smooth track surfaces,
you keep calm and and through low-speed cornering challenges. Red Bull boss
analyse what happened, Christian Horner has already voiced concern that improvements
and try to improve, it just adds to your strength and knowledge.” to the Mercedes chassis for ’18, plus another round of substantial
This was Toto Wolff, speaking after his Mercedes Formula 1 engine development, could leave the rest of the field trailing.
team clinched its fourth consecutive constructors’ championship “If you look at the sheer statistics, the car was the fastest
crown at last year’s US Grand Prix. It’s a mantra that underpins car, we had some amazing performances – Monza comes to
the way F1’s current top team operates – a forensic approach my mind – and we had tracks where we didn’t perform well
to identifying weaknesses and obliterating them, leading the and we couldn’t understand the behaviour of the car,” Wolff
opposition to rue the day they dared threaten the Silver says. “We hope we keep the good character traits of the diva
Arrows’ lofty status as grand prix racing’s dominant force. – we all like divas! Sometimes she was a bit difficult to
Mercedes flirted closer to disaster in 2017 than at any other understand, and this is the area where we worked the most
time during its recent reign at the top of F1. Early struggles – trying to understand and preserve what we have in terms
under the newly enhanced aerodynamic regulations – rules of speed in the car and find more driveability.”
Wolff feels were designed with the express aim of dethroning There was some talk during the off-season about whether
his team – presented an open goal for rivals to aim at. Ferrari Mercedes might stray into Ferrari/Red Bull territory by
came within a few Sebastian Vettel errors and freak engine adopting a shorter wheelbase and setting the car at a higher
failures of burying that chance, but Mercedes prevailed. rear rideheight, to improve performance at its weakest circuits.
Last year’s Mercedes began the season around 10kg The team conducted suspension experiments during practice
overweight, thanks to the need to beef up aero parts that for last year’s Brazilian GP, apparently with this in mind, but
had disintegrated in testing, while the W08 also developed things have ultimately moved in the opposite direction, with
an unhealthy appetite for chewing through the softer range Ferrari technical director Mattia Binotto confirming at the
of Pirelli’s new wider tyres, particularly the rears. concurrent launch of the Scuderia’s new car that Ferrari
Mercedes hung on in the fight with Ferrari in the early races, has in fact adopted a longer wheelbase for 2018.
while steadily and diligently working to rectify these problems. Mercedes has decided to stick rather than twist on its
The team kicked on after the summer break, ultimately winning own design, retaining the same wheelbase while running
both championships in reasonable comfort. But the journey to only a slightly increased rake compared to 2017. “The long
get there was fraught with difficulty. wheelbase is something we decided very early on was an
“Last year there were many cases where we had to make asset to us, and I’m pretty sure we’re still right on that,”
compromises with the set-up,” says Valtteri Bottas, who turned explains Mercedes technical director James Allison.
the first laps in the new W09 at a damp and cold Silverstone “If you’re pretty sure the wheelbase is an asset, then
on Thursday last week. “It was quite difficult to get it in the carrying it over is an absolute no-brainer.
right working range mechanically, and aerodynamically. “The rake of the car is just a thing you work on all the time.
Hopefully now we have a more complete package that It’s not so much you choose this path or that path – we try
is easier to set up to different conditions.” to make the mechanical grip part of our suspension work
ETHERINGTON/LAT

Tight packaging on new

car looks impressive

MARCH 1 2018 21
FORMULA 1
LAUNCHES
MERCEDES

nicely with the aerodynamic package, and where we have

ETHERINGTON/LAT

the broad peak of our best rear-downforce performance is

a little lower in rideheight than some other cars. The peak
rear downforce moves up a little bit for this year’s car, but
we certainly won’t be in the sort of rake territory that we
saw Red Bulls and co in last year.”
Mercedes has been working on rectifying the weaknesses
of its first stab at these current aerodynamic regulations since
“before Monaco last year”, according to Allison, and there is
already some quiet confidence that Mercedes will be more
competitive on the Monaco, Hungary, Singapore-style twisty
circuits that have been its Achilles’ heel in recent seasons.
“We could go from a race where we breezed off into the
distance and then two weeks later find ourselves on the back
foot and having a hard weekend,” Allison adds. “We had to look
Bottas gives new Mercedes its
very closely at what it was about – what was it about our car,
first run-out at Silverstone; what was it about the sequence of corners, the challenge of
Wolff looks very happy those circuits, that made it fly in one place and be a fight in the
next? That involved a lot of simulation, a lot of calculation, a lot
of improved fidelity of modelling, because our initial models just
gave us no clue. But the goad of losing drives you to understand
– to improve the modelling, to start to see patterns or physical
explanations that match the patterns we saw on the track.
TURBO HYBRID WINS 2014-17 “One of the things that was hard about last year’s car is that it
was confusing for the engineers and the drivers in the early part
of the season, because it seemed to be speaking to us to take a
8 RED BULL DRIVER PTS
certain course of action with it, but if you followed those voices
it was a siren path that definitely dragged you onto the rocks!
l Lewis Hamilton 40 “Actually, we had to ignore a lot of what we thought were
8 FERRARI l Nico Rosberg 20 the standard ways of race engineering a car and go off in pretty
much the opposite direction. Once we got a handle on that,
l Valtteri Bottas 3
our season became easier to execute, but we would like a set
of circumstances that are easier to interpret. Hopefully, we’ve
l Sebastian Vettel 8 understood enough to make the changes to make that a reality.”
Hamilton certainly seems satisfied with how intently
Mercedes has listened to the drivers’ concerns with last year’s
l Daniel Ricciardo 5 car and interpreted them into this year’s, describing how the
team’s particular struggles in high-downforce trim in Malaysia
l Max Verstappen 3
last season informed the design direction of the W09.
The addition of the weight of the halo could potentially
concern a team that struggled with weight for parts of last
MERCEDES 63 season, while the extra aggression of Pirelli’s softer tyre choices
for 2018 – “very fragile” and can only take “one or two laps”,

22 MARCH 1 2018
 ETHERINGTON/LAT

S BLOXHAM/LAT
Diva-ish behaviour of
2017’s W08 caused set-up
headscratching at
specific circuits

trying to understand the best overall integration in the chassis,

the transmission and the aerodynamic surfaces. We’ve also
been working on combustion efficiency and hardware friction
reduction, in partnership with Petronas. Pretty much all the
part numbers are new, but the designs are always an evolution
of what you’ve got previously. It’s still a V6 direct-injected,
100kg [fuel] an hour, 120kW MGU-K, but everything is
tweaked to be happier, high-life and tweaked to have
better efficiency throughout that life.”
When Cowell explains how his team attempted to meet those
targets, it becomes clear how that forensic approach to detail
runs through the core of the Mercedes operation and leads to the
sort of excellence, and thus dominance, we have seen in F1 over
the past four seasons. “What we don’t want to do is make things
bigger – we don’t want bearings that are bigger to survive the
distance; we don’t want to cool everything more to give us that
extra life,” Cowell adds. “It’s achieved by clever detail design,
different materials, different coatings, different manufacturing
ETHERINGTON/LAT

processes, and understanding where you are today.

“This is the fifth year of these technical regulations and we’re
going into that extra-fine detail to find marginal gains. There’s
improved combustion efficiency, there’s improved friction, but
there’s far greater detail of the beast that we’ve been racing
with, and making sure the drawings focus on the tolerance that
Allison, team manager according to Bottas – don’t automatically favour a team that matters, the manufacturing processes hit that consistently – and
Ron Meadows and tends to be stronger on the harder compounds in the V6 era. But we build consistently, test and operate consistently at the circuit.
Wolff confer at last those are details to be discovered and ironed out during winter “Every time we make a big change there’s always opportunity
week’s debut of W09
testing, and Mercedes can still count on its trusty ace in the to do things better, and what we’ve tried to do is accommodate
hole – that all-powerful V6 hybrid engine that has consistently some reasonably large integration changes. But with our
set the standard in F1 since those rules were introduced. simulation being better, what can we do to make the flow in
The W09 features some impressively tight and tidy packaging the exhaust pipes better? How do we make the cooling in the
around the engine, with engine chief Andy Cowell describing cylinder heads better? If we’re making changes, let’s refine
intense work undertaken at his facility in Brixworth to help all the good bits. You look at that and think, ‘It’s only two
the Brackley aerodynamicists deliver what Allison calls a milliseconds’, but you do it in 10 places and it’s 20 milliseconds.”
“non-trivial amount of performance to the car”. It’s this kind of collection of marginal improvements that add
In a season when only three engines are permitted for each up to one mightily impressive championship favourite. Wolff
driver, and the number of some associated ERS components contends that stable engine regulations will continue the sort of
allowed have been halved – provoking howls of protest from performance convergence we saw between Mercedes, Ferrari and
Renault customer teams Red Bull and McLaren about the rules Renault through 2017: “I expect 2018 to be a year where clearly
being anti-competitive – how well Mercedes does in achieving at least three of the current manufacturers – Renault, Ferrari
greater durability without compromising performance could and Mercedes – are going to be on very equal performance” and
prove decisive in the championship battle yet again. he says Mercedes is “taking everybody seriously at this stage”.
“We focused on trying to increase the life of the hardware But if Mercedes has achieved its winter aim of making F1’s
without losing performance,” says Cowell, who calculates the fastest and most reliable car even more reliable, faster, and
engines will each need to complete 40% greater distance than easier to make fast on a greater number of circuits, Wolff’s
last season. “We also wanted to change the packaging of the rivals could well be in for a long and chastening 12 months.
power unit for the benefit of overall car performance. We’ve Mercedes has well and truly laid down the gauntlet again.
been working very closely with our colleagues in Brackley, Time for the rest to respond.

MARCH 1 2018 23
FORMULA 1
LAUNCHES
FERRARI

Ferrari SF71H
Ferrari stepped up its challenge to Mercedes in 2017, but it needs to go further
and also fix the reliability problems that stymied its title chances last season

By Gary Anderson, Technical Expert

2 RADIATORS
1 WHEELBASE

1
WHEELBASE

F
The wheelbase looks a little
longer than 2017. That’s not the 2
or Ferrari to mount a real season-long wrong thing to do, and if I was RADIATORS
challenge to Mercedes for either Ferrari I would have added a bit
championship, it needs to be on top of the more – maybe not quite as much Ferrari has twin radiator inlets. One is
reliability problems that cost it last year. as Mercedes, but it gives some forward facing, which is by comparison
And it needs its drivers, especially Sebastian extra space to better manage the fairly small, and then another one is in
Vettel, not to be quite so hot-headed. airflow between the rear of the the top leading-edge surface of the
Ferrari also needs a car that’s a bit faster, front tyre and the sidepod sidepod. The undercut section of the
especially at the higher-speed tracks. At leading edge. Also, for the fast sidepod blends into the chassis side
the end of last year its average performance corners it makes the car that nicely, separating the airflow into what
over the season was still 0.178% down on Mercedes. That’s little bit more forgiving. is required for cooling and what is
a lot better than the 0.866% deficit of 2016, but to put up a Ferrari looks as if it’s running needed to produce downforce.
sustained attack across this year it needs to be nip and tuck a little more rake (higher rear You can see a similarity between
with Merc every race. Plus, there may just be another team ride-height) on the car. This is the Sauber and the Ferrari in this area.
or two joining the party, so it’s not just about Mercedes. not as much as we have seen Also, the vane on the top surface of the
Both Mercedes and Ferrari have stuck with their 2017 on the Red Bull, which does halo is very similar to both the Sauber
packaging philosophies, with a little bit of overlap. So it will exploit rake to the maximum. and the Toro Rosso.
be very interesting to see who has made the most progress.

24 MARCH 1 2018
 SIDEPODS 4

BARGEBOARDS 3

FRONT WING 5

3 4 5
BARGEBOARDS SIDEPODS FRONT WING
On the new Ferrari the bargeboards are I don’t see the sidepods Looking at the Ferrari’s front-wing assembly, it’s the de rigueur multi-
mounted quite well forward, whereas on as a major step forward. element design that all the cars have. Six or seven elements seems
the Mercedes they are tucked in quite close And like the bargeboards, to have become the norm, and the placing of the slot gaps between
to the sidepod leading edge. These evolve this is where you can each element is down to how an individual team views pitch sensitivity.
from a single-element component into three make significant The add-on vanes on the forward-upper-outer corner are the first
elements at the top edge. This is to allow differences because ones that I can see make reasonable sense. Normally, they are vanes
them to work the inner surface of the of the freedom in this of all different shapes, curves and sizes, but on the Ferrari they are fairly
bargeboard harder in that area. important area of uniform. The vanes are there to set up a turning moment on the airflow
The lower edges are mounted on some the regulations. that would normally hit the front tyre and then just send itself wherever
delta-style horizontal turning vanes going Below the driver’s- it fancied going. This is quite a neat little package of components.
from the teatray part of the floor to the feet area of the chassis The front-wing mounting pillars are three-dimensional, with two
outer corner of the sidepods. there is a three-element vertical slot gaps. They are fairly invisible from the front view, but they
It’s very difficult to say who has pushed vertical turning vane. are there to pull more airflow between the FIA-defined central-wing
the boat out furthest in the bargeboard area, This picks up the airflow section and the bottom of the nose.
Mercedes or Ferrari. But I have to say that underneath the raised This flow then gets pulled through via the S-duct to the top of the
I expected more from the Italian team, section of the chassis and chassis. All this increases the mass flow underneath the chassis,
because I don’t see this as a big step sets up a turning moment and the exit of the S-duct reduces the lift on the upper part of
forward from what it had last year. to sweep it outwards. the nose/chassis intersection.

MARCH 1 2018 25
FORMULA 1
LAUNCHES
FERRARI

Can Ferrari finally defeat

The often-erratic Italian team gave its principal rival a big
scare in 2017. Now it needs to build on that momentum

By Adam Cooper, Special Contributor

L
ast September’s Italian Grand Prix should have meant Vettel had to start from the back, and in Japan a spark- Ferrari’s most recent
been a joyous occasion for Scuderia Ferrari. plug failure caused him to retire. In a matter of a few weekends, car launch emphasised
Not only was the company celebrating its any hopes of a Ferrari title were gone. the theme of teamwork
70th anniversary, enshrined in a special logo For Ferrari and the ever-ravenous tifosi it’s now been 10
on its two Formula 1 cars plus a display of sporadically promising but ultimately disappointing seasons
historic machinery, but for the first time since Kimi Raikkonen beat McLaren drivers Hamilton and
since 2012 a Maranello driver arrived at Fernando Alonso to the 2007 crown at the very last gasp, and
Monza leading the world championship. almost as long since Ferrari last claimed the constructors’ title.
Furthermore, at the previous race the team A barren decade may seem less significant than the drought that
had confirmed (unusually early) that Sebastian Vettel had signed lasted from 1979 to 2000, but it’s been no less painful for all
up for three more years in rosso corsa, bringing vital stability to involved. The success of the ‘dream-team’ era, when Michael
the camp. The stage was set for something special. Schumacher won five titles in a row, is now a distant memory,
Instead it turned into a weekend of frustration. The red cars and all the key players from that time are long gone.
managed just seventh and eighth in a wet qualifying session, Can Ferrari finally turn things around in 2018 and beat
and come the race Vettel had to settle for a distant third. Mercedes – and indeed Red Bull and everyone else – to the
Lewis Hamilton not only won at Monza, he also seized the world championship? The answer has to be yes, but only if the
championship lead as Mercedes put on a crushing display – team gets everything absolutely right (in a way it didn’t last
it was a scene more reminiscent of the silver ubiquity of 2014 year), and is able to capitalise on any mistakes by rivals.
through to ’16 than the ’17 season up to that point. “I think we For the first half of last season Ferrari was technically and
just screwed up,” rued company president Sergio Marchionne. operationally slick. To take the next step it has to avoid the kind
From there Ferrari unravelled very quickly. In Singapore both of blunders that defined the second half, while continuing to
its drivers crashed out on the first lap, in Malaysia turbo issues find the elusive marginal gains that yield improvement.

26 MARCH 1 2018
Mercedes?

SUTTON
It would have been easy for last year’s failure to lead to an
implosion and major changes, especially with the frustrated
Marchionne piling on pressure. But when you’re so close to
FERRARI’S DECADE OF INCONSISTENCY
getting it right, the priorities must be stability and a focus
on the details. That would be the strategy of the man who
masterminded Ferrari’s last period of great success. Since its 2008 constructors’ title followed up double championship success the year
“Mercedes are relentless, and Ferrari are catching up,” before, Ferrari has struggled to string two strong campaigns together
current F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn noted at the end of 2017.
“Mercedes are just a relentless machine. Ferrari put up a great 1st
challenge this season, a fantastic and exciting challenge, and CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION
made the championship for us. Because another year of 1
NUMBER OF WINS
domination for Mercedes would have been very tedious. 2nd
“They can take a lot of encouragement from this year, but
learn from it. Stability is so critical. I think if they can be strong,
maintain the stability, strengthen the organisation around the 3rd 8
edges, but not at the core, then they can move on.”
At last Thursday’s launch of the SF71H the emphasis was
5 5
very much on teamwork, a philosophy that team principal 4th
Maurizio Arrivabene has tried to foster while getting rid of 3 3
2
the blame culture that sometimes stifled creativity. 1 1
0 0
He was quick to pay tribute to his staff. That message 5th
was signposted visually by the employees neatly lined up in 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

MARCH 1 2018 27
FORMULA 1
LAUNCHES
FERRARI

S BLOXHAM/LAT

HONE/LAT

formation behind him, wearing matching team gear, and with compared to what we had last year. Overall I think the entire The new Ferrari
Italian red, white and green also very much in evidence. team did a fantastic job with the packaging, to be very tight. aims to build on the
“When I look at this car I’m thinking about these guys you I think if you look at the body, it’s a very narrow body.” strengths of the 2017
car, but expect one
see,” he said. “They’re all standing, for the respect for the brand, Ferrari did an impressive job of preparing for the major
thing not to change:
for the company that they are working for, and for this car. And package of rules changes in 2017 – arguably a better job than Vettel (right) will be
I’m thinking about them, and the work of their colleagues. Mercedes, given their relative form in the early races. There are ahead of Raikkonen
“They were constructing piece after piece, intellectually or fewer novelties in this season’s package, but they still represent
manually, all this car, with passion, with commitment, with opportunities for Ferrari to gain an advantage over its rivals.
a lot of effort. They were researching, they were developing, Minimising the impact of the halo is one obvious area.
they were caring about every single detail. “The halo is a very visible element, and as well as that it
“And this is something that’s making the work of these is very intrusive on the design,” said Binotto. “Adding it is not as
people in Maranello something special. Something special straightforward as it seems; it has affected the weight of the car,
because this car is made here, is made in our factory, is made in the centre of gravity, the air into the engine scoop, and also the
Italy, and it’s a piece of excellence of our country. And this is the airflow to the rear wing. So we put quite a lot of effort into
emotion that I feel, every time that I’m going to see this car.” making sure everything is working properly.”
It was stirring stuff. Was that patriotic reference a little dig Powerplant reliability will be a key factor as all the engine
at Mercedes, whose car and power unit hail from the UK rather manufacturers deal with the rule that mandates three elements
than Stuttgart? Or just a reminder that, the drivers aside, Ferrari for 21 races. Ferrari faced some reliability issues last year, and
currently has more of an Italian flavour than for many years? how successfully the team has adapted to the even stricter
Technical director Mattia Binotto stressed that while there is requirements of 2018 will have a big impact.
continuity with the SF71H, the team has also worked hard to Performance has been converging over the hybrid era, but can
address the weaknesses of its predecessor. Ferrari maintain that form without risking grid penalties? And
“The new car represents an evolution of last year’s car, which given the new restrictions, can it still find that little bit of extra
was already a good project,” he explained. “We tried to retain the Q3 power that has made a big difference for Mercedes?
strengths. The strengths I would say were first aggressiveness in The other big change is to the tyres, now that Pirelli is
some of the concepts we designed, a car which was performing following a more aggressive route and promising more pitstops.
very well on low-speed circuits. But as well we knew we had to Last year Ferrari often had an edge over Mercedes in terms of
work on new areas of development. getting the most out of the tyres, especially, as Binotto noted,
“We have tried to develop the car to be strong and performing at slower tracks. How that translates into 2018 will remain an
on the high-speed circuits, but as well on reliability. What has open question even after testing.
changed? The main difference is we have a slightly longer “It’s the same for everyone,” said Vettel. “If everybody decides
wheelbase compared with last year. We have sidepods and to do one stop, it’s usually the fastest strategy. If everybody
radiator ducts that are even more aggressive, more innovative, decides to do a two-stop, it’s the fastest strategy. I think we’ve

28 MARCH 1 2018
 Arrivabene
remains at the

TEE/LAT
team’s reins

been working very hard on our pitstops to make sure that

they’re fast and reliable. The more stops you have, obviously
the more important they become.
“How much impact the tyres will have, I think we will only
find out once we go towards Australia, Bahrain, places that tend
to be hot. Winter testing is called winter testing for a reason.
I’m not sure how much information we’ll be able to take from
cold conditions and cold track temperatures.”
It’s not just about the package – the drivers also have to do
everything right. Vettel did an awesome job for most of last
year, but he continued to involve himself in expensive first-lap
incidents. His road-rage moment in Baku didn’t cost him the
title, but the aftermath was a distraction, he lost valuable points,
and at the time that took pressure off Mercedes. He can’t afford
to drop the ball like that again.
Naturally the world assumes that Ferrari sees Vettel as the
title chaser, but Raikkonen remains an important part of
the equation. He makes a huge contribution not just to the
overall development direction of the car, but also to its
configuration on any given race weekend.
He had some strong moments last year, but was largely
overshadowed. That scenario suited Ferrari in that Vettel was
getting the big results but, given how tight the title battle is
likely to be, the team needs its de facto second driver to be
up there taking points off rivals on a regular basis.
There’s a big change for Raikkonen this year as his race
engineer and close pal Dave Greenwood is moving to the World
Endurance Championship with Manor after the Barcelona tests.
Once the season starts he will be replaced by Carlo Santi.
Raikkonen places a lot of emphasis on the engineer relationship,
and while he knows Santi – who was previously the vehicle
engineer for the #7 car – it may take him time to adjust
DUNBAR/LAT

to having a different voice in his earpiece.

Then there’s the matter of his future. Given that Raikkonen
has a one-year deal, it’s widely assumed that Ferrari has Charles
Leclerc on standby for 2019 – assuming it doesn’t opt for, say,
a Daniel Ricciardo – and that this year will be Kimi’s last in F1.
Has Raikkonen already accepted that, and agreed it with the
team? Or will ongoing doubts and endless questioning about
2019 create some instability? If the latter, then it’s an issue
that Arrivabene will have to keep under control.
Inevitably the focus will be on Vettel, who (as you’d expect)
made all the right noises about what he saw of the car at the
launch. Now the team has to prove to him that it really has
found those marginal gains and addressed any weaknesses.
“For sure the amount of effort that has gone in, the attention
to detail in so many areas that I asked about, it’s impressive,”
he said. “The real magic happens underneath from what you
can see, but every little detail matters, every little component
SUTTON

can make a difference. I think this year’s car is a big step from
last year, so let’s see how it feels.”

MARCH 1 2018 29
FORMULA 1
LAUNCHES
McLAREN

McLaren MCL33
There’s no hiding place for the folks in Woking now that they’ve got the use
of Renault engines. And it looks like they could be set for a big step forward

By Gary Anderson, Technical Expert

1 FLOOR

2 BARGEBOARD
1 2
FLOOR BARGEBOARD

M
McLaren has three small slots in the floor in front The bargeboard area
of the rear tyres, helping to seal the underfloor and and floor section
cLaren says that the MCL33 diffuser, but it also has two long slots down each side where the driver’s
is an evolution of the 2017 of the floor. It’s the first team to do this. These will knees would be is
chassis, and it does look very further help seal the underfloor from airflow just being very intricate, with
well detailed in all the critical pulled underneath the car, reducing its performance. lots of open-ended
downforce-producing areas. The diffuser and the detail of the rear of the car is slot gaps, each of
On many occasions last a critical area for overall performance, so I’m pretty which will be setting
season, Fernando Alonso sure McLaren will have as many trick bits in that area up small vortices
stated that the McLaren as it does on the rest of the car. From what I can see, that in turn will help
was the best chassis in it’s done a first-class job. There are lots of bits in all the performance of
the pitlane. Now, he should have the power unit the right places, but only the team knows if it’s got the components further
to prove it in the form of the Renault. best from them or if more development is required. downstream. It looks
Even when the overall package wasn’t up to the I think with Renault power, McLaren is back on as though it has
level of Mercedes, Renault-powered Red Bull has still the right path. The interesting thing will be how lots of elements to
managed to pull off a few wins in the V6 era. So assuming high up the ladder it can start the season and, more optimise the airflow
that the French manufacturer has burned the midnight importantly, where it stands compared to Red Bull to the leading edge
oil on power-unit development over the winter, 2018 and the works Renault team as the season progresses. of the underfloor.
will offer no hiding place for McLaren.

30 MARCH 1 2018
 6
ENGINE
It’s what is under the engine cover both McLaren and Renault will when McLaren ran Honda engines. If less airflow is required for cooling,
that matters more than the shape have done a first-class job. The engine cover will just wrap all the it leaves more to create downforce.
of the engine cover, and in this area The Renault turbo packaging is internal requirements, creating the The inlet is simple, with a fairly
is contained all of McLaren’s hopes not the same as the Honda, so there minimum blockage for the rear wing. small leading-edge radius, which
for the season ahead. is bound to be some difference. The The radiator inlets are fairly simple in means airflow separation will be
Packaging the Renault power unit engine cover has been extended in that they are high up and a letter-box well-defined and won’t alter too
efficiently will have been the major such a way as to cover parts of the rear style. Internal airflow and cooling dramatically with speed when
task, and I’m sure the engineers at suspension that were previously visible efficiency is critical on these cars. the radiator blockage builds up.

ENGINE 6

SIDEPODS 3 4 FRONT SUSPENSION

FRONT WING 5

3 4 5
SIDEPODS FRONT SUSPENSION FRONT WING
The sidepod outer-corner vertical vanes are The front suspension is again conventional, The concept is the now-standard multi-element
similar to last year’s Renault, in that they with upper and lower wishbones and a component, which goes in line with McLaren’s
sweep rearwards. These are there to pick up pushrod-operated inboard-suspension system. stated aim of producing stable aerodynamics.
the front-tyre turbulent wake and reduce its There is no Mercedes-style trickery in this You need these slot gaps to control the
negative effect on the undercut of the sidepods. area, other than that the steering trackrod aerodynamic stall as the front wing gets lower to
This undercut is critical to the performance seems to be mounted inline or inside the lower the ground, but they are even more important in
of the bargeboards, as it’s the area that allows wishbone, which gets it out of the airflow. instigating reattachment when the wing moves away
the low pressure at the rear of the car to from the ground. These changes in aerodynamic
influence what happens at the front. load need to be progressive, otherwise the driver
Opening this area up, with the cooling will be confused about available grip levels.
constraints required within the sidepod and On the inside of the front-wing endplates is a
the cooling inlet, improves the aerodynamic conglomeration of turning vanes. These set up
efficiency of just about everything. a turning moment on the airflow to help it go
On top of the sidepods there are six small around the outside of the front tyre.
vertical-ish turning vanes pulling the airflow down The front-wing pillars are very long and, although
into the swept-down area of the sidepods and the one component, they are split into four elements
Coke-bottle area. Connecting up the low-pressure with three slot gaps. These are there to pull more
area at the rear of the car to the front is vital. airflow under the front of the chassis.

MARCH 1 2018 31
FORMULA 1
LAUNCHES
McLAREN

No more excuses
as McLaren sets its
sights for the top
After the disastrous Honda era, McLaren is looking in better shape with
Renault – but what can the team in orange really expect in 2018?

By Jonathan Noble, Special Contributor

 M
ore than any other team on the grid, The different positioning of the turbo and intercooler on
McLaren knows that in 2018 it has the Renault required a lot of detailed changes to the air intake,
no excuses if it underperforms on gearbox and rear suspension in particular. Whether the Renault
track. For three years it has singled or Honda concept is better or worse for the car is a matter
out Honda’s down-on-power for debate, but chassis tech chief Tim Goss is adamant that
engine as the biggest factor holding swapping over has not meant McLaren needing to sacrifice
the team back; switching to Renault anything performance-wise.
means it will be forced to look at “I don’t believe we have given up anything in terms of the
itself if it does not deliver now. fundamental concepts and designs that we are heading for
Perhaps predictably, rather than focusing on the pressure with this year’s car,” says Goss.
created by this scenario, the team claims to be relishing the It is on the chassis front that McLaren is especially confident.
opportunity to prove how good it is – and get results. Few doubt the good progress the team has made in recent years
As chief technical officer (aero) Peter Prodromou said: “It’s with a new aero concept under Prodromou. But while there were
been difficult for us for the past three years not having someone suggestions last year – not least from within the team itself –
to measure yourself up against. So I think it’s a very positive that the McLaren chassis was among the best in the field, some
thing that we’ve got two first class teams [Red Bull and Renault] observers wondered if that claim was a step too far.
to measure ourselves against. That is a very strong motivating The theory about McLaren’s strength was based on its
factor for everyone in the workforce.” cornering performance, but sceptics suggested that the team
Such has been the hype surrounding McLaren’s switch to was flattered at times by adopting an ultra-high-downforce
Renault engines that it has been hard to gauge where the team’s setting, which boosted its pace through corners and simply
real aspirations lay. Indeed, McLaren’s management spoke over exacerbated its speed deficit on the straight.
the winter of its biggest challenge being to keep expectations Goss defends the approach the team took, and refutes any
firmly in check, and to not get too carried away in thinking that suggestion that the team was ‘showboating’ its chassis at
wins or a championship challenge are imminent prospects. Honda’s expense as McLaren’s relationship with its engine
With a driver line-up as strong as Fernando Alonso and supplier took a turn for the terminal.
Stoffel Vandoorne, plus a chassis that both drivers and team “We do an aero scan and work out where you want to pitch
rated highly, a big budget, and an engine that helped Red Bull yourself, and there is an optimum,” he says. “You can shuffle
win races in 2017, everything is in place for a big step. But talk yourself one way or another on the dip of the optimum and not
coming out of the team is more cautious. “It’s about being trade too much in lap time. But generally every circuit we were
competitive, which we haven’t been the last three years,” says aiming for optimum minimum lap time, and that would
executive director Zak Brown. “Being competitive is racing configure what wing load we would take.”
at the front, qualifying at the front, getting on the podium. McLaren’s senior tech figures do not go along with the view
“But we haven’t set a target that success looks like ‘x’ of these that the chassis was the best, but believe there were inherent
and ‘y’ of those. If one team wins 21 races then you can still be strengths that give some level of confidence about the MCL33.
really competitive not having won. If six teams win races and “We were comfortable with our chassis performance,” says
you are not one of them then that doesn’t look so good. So Prodromou. “We obviously have GPS traces that you can look
I think it depends on what the competition does as well.” at, interpret and make some analysis of where you think you are.
While the move to Renault should yield dividends in terms I think in the main we had pretty good high-speed performance
of power and reliability, it has not been without its challenges. and I think there was work to do in the low speed.”
Chief among these was the late nature of the deal – concluded Much of that progress still relies on what Renault is able
in September, when the MCL33’s design was already quite to do with its powerplant. The French car manufacturer
advanced. Integration of power unit and chassis is a key is confident that it has the potential to take solid steps
driver of moving forward, so the change didn’t augur well for throughout the season, even if the priority from the start
optimisation. Despite the relatively late call, the team thinks of the campaign is putting reliability over performance.
it hasn’t been too compromised by the changes needed to Alonso is certainly bullish. He has talked of the “good times
incorporate the different architecture of the Renault engine, coming”. Few doubt that – the real question is how soon
having focused resources on that during autumn. they arrive and how good they will be.

Alonso lost a
wheel early
during testing
MAUGER/LAT
TEE/LAT

MARCH 1 2018 33
 FORMULA 1
LAUNCHES
RENAULT

Renault RS18
Renault’s latest challenger looks similar to the car that saw out its 2017 season
– is the French manufacturer being coy, or has it underdone its approach?

By Gary Anderson, Technical Expert

1 DIFFUSER

2 FLOOR

1 2
DIFFUSER FLOOR

T
Looking from the rear, there are no turning Surprisingly, Renault doesn’t
vanes in the diffuser area. The diffuser itself is have any louvres on the floor
he detail of what I can see so far on just a maximum-exit-area box. I would expect surface in front of the rear tyre.
the RS18 looks very similar to what that this will all change and that Renault These louvres normally help
Renault had at the end of 2017. either hasn’t got the final spec of underfloor, control tyre squirt, where the
Optimising what was probably the which will include the missing louvres, or that tyre displaces the airflow as
fourth-fastest car of last year is one it’s just being a it rotates onto the ground.
thing, but taking a big step forward smartarse. This By allowing the displaced
to fight the leading teams is another. could just be a airflow from tyre rotation to
Before giving a rounded opinion on bit of an interim car influence the direction of the
what Renault has produced, I would need to display its paint airflow on the upper surface
to see the definitive product and I’m not sure we have yet. scheme and get of the floor, they also help seal
If this is it then there is a lot of room for improvement. initial mileage, and the underfloor and diffuser
There’s nothing like the big changes in concept we’ve seen it could dramatically in this area. So this is pretty
RENAULT

from teams like Williams and Sauber. If Renault is going to change before important to the overall
deliver the kind of results we expect from a manufacturer the second test. performance of the underfloor.
team, then we are going to need to see more.

34 MARCH 1 2018
 SIDEPODS 3

FRONT SUSPENSION 4

FRONT WING 5

3 4 5 SUTTON
SIDEPODS FRONT SUSPENSION FRONT WING
The radiator inlet is letterbox-shaped to allow an increased The front suspension is fairly This has probably the lowest number of elements we’ve seen
undercut in the lower section of the sidepod, with the conventional, with upper and from the 2018 cars so far. But that’s not a bad thing as long as
lower side-impact structure housed in the underfloor lower A-frame wishbones and the sensitivity and the airflow-separation characteristics are
leading edge. The outer vertical tyre-wake controlling a pushrod-operated inboard- under control. Also, as it’s a bolt-on item I’m pretty sure there
vanes are very similar to last year and sweep rearwards suspension system. will be developments in place before testing finishes.
at the top. These components pick up the turbulent The bargeboard area is very The front-wing mounts are fairly long, with a slot gap where
wake from the front tyre and try to realign it to reduce its similar to last year. It’s always they join the nose. They then twist outwards to pull more
negative effect on the sidepod undercut and floor sealing. difficult to see the finer detail airflow through the centre section of the front wing and under
The sidepods themselves are a combination of the of these components and, in the nose is the now common S-duct, with its exit just in front
upper surface sweeping down and the side surfaces reality, that detail is what makes of the ‘t’ of Renault. Again, this duct is to help pull more airflow
sweeping inwards, creating the Coke-bottle shape inside or breaks the performance. through the centre section of the front wing, as maximising the
the rear tyres. Getting as much mass flow through this But the Renault bargeboards mass airflow presented to the leading edge of the bargeboards
Coke-bottle area is crucial to the overall performance have the trailing-edge steps allows them to work more efficiently.
of the diffuser and rear wing. But you need to be careful that generate the vortices There are also two turning vanes under the driver’s feet. This
that when the car is mid-corner and is subject to yaw going around the sidepods is a sort of extension of the front-wing mounting vanes, to help
conditions that the Coke bottle doesn’t stall. and help seal the floor. pull the airflow back out from under the front of the chassis.

MARCH 1 2018 35
FORMULA 1
LAUNCHES
RENAULT

A sleeping
giant awakens
Renault’s ever-expanding workforce is just one element
of how serious its ambitions are for the new season

By Jonathan Noble, Special Contributor

SUTTON/LAT
Strong driver

SUTTON/LAT
line-up key to
team’s targets

I
t’s fair to say that Renault is thinking big. In fact,
Formula 1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul is
quite proud that the French car manufacturer is
now grand prix racing’s fastest-growing team.
Its Enstone staff numbers have jumped from 470
when Renault took over in 2015 to an impressive
750. At its Viry engine base, the increase has been
from 430 to 550. Across both divisions, that’s
almost a 45% rise in just three years.
But it’s not just the numbers that signal Renault is a
team on the move. Its steady climb up the constructors’
championship standings, the addition of sponsors, and
the closing of the gap to the front of the grid are signs
of big momentum being built up.
For Nico Hulkenberg, the ambition for 2018 is clear. “I think
we need to improve the rate [of progress] this year as we’ve
done last year,” he says. “Last year we made very good gains
throughout the season. I think it’s our job to make sure we
do the same thing this year. If we’re able to do that, we have
very good chances to be the first team behind the top three.”
Past indicators guarantee nothing in Formula 1, and Renault
heads into the new campaign well aware that the difficult part
of its journey is still to come. It’s one thing turning around
a team that’s on its last legs and making it a respectable
midfield squad. It’s quite another converting a strong
operation into a crack unit that can take on – and beat –
the might of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.
That is the task Renault has its sights set on achieving
within the next two to three years, and the ingredients look
to be in place for it to at least be able to take steps towards
that target over the 2018 campaign. With progress on a car
that showed itself to be the fourth best at times last year,
the addition of Carlos Sainz to ensure there are two top-
quality drivers able to deliver points each time out, plus
the benefits of that ever-increasing headcount, a better
package should be expected.
Abiteboul is positive about where things are right now,
and says that morale boosters such as grabbing sixth in the
constructors’ championship in Abu Dhabi last year have
also played their part in helping to push things along.
“It was really important to secure what we did in Abu
Dhabi, and the way we did it also, to get the morale lifted
and the energy and to gain confidence in ourselves,” he says.
“We know that there is so much to be done in a small
amount of time, and we need that extra bit of energy.
“The winter has been productive, but it’s not just the
work of the winter. We started really early in designing
the first concept of the 2018 car, and started also fairly
early on the engine, which is very much a carryover of
last year. But everything had to be better and more robust
in terms of reliability, which has been the main focus.”

MARCH 1 2018 37
FORMULA 1
LAUNCHES
RENAULT

S BLOXHAM/LAT
First test is all about Indeed, Renault’s progress in terms of pace cannot be a new gearbox dyno online before the start of the season.
ensuring everything isolated from the struggles it faced in getting its cars to the On April 1, the FIA’s former F1 technical chief Marcin
works, says Abiteboul finish line in 2017. Nothing exposed the team’s growing pains Budkowski begins work at Enstone, having already got an
(below, right), so don’t
more than the reliability dramas that hurt its constructors’ insight into Renault’s working culture at its Viry facility.
pay attention to lap
times. Grabbing sixth
championship challenge. Although it was happy with its His signing was controversial (and his arrival delayed
in constructors’ points eventual sixth-placed finish, it well knows that a spot following complaints from rivals) because of his in-depth
last year in Abu Dhabi higher up the order went begging because it was not knowledge of what systems other teams have developed.
(below, left) was big getting its car to the chequered flag often enough. Abiteboul has been clear that Budkowski’s thoroughness
boost for team spirits Part of the explanation for those troubles lies with and insight will be a tremendous boost in helping to push
young, inexperienced staff needing time to work together forward the team’s technical aspects.
to better understand the exceptional qualities that are “At the moment we are bringing to him a knowledge
expected at all levels of F1. And maybe too in some areas and an understanding of the Renault group, of Viry, of our
the team had pushed too hard for speed over durability. structure and our processes,” Abiteboul explains. “Every
Technical director Bob Bell is candid on how organisation has its own culture and its mindset and I think
Renault has totally reappraised its approach on this he is gaining in understanding of that from Viry. And that
front. “That [reliability] is a huge challenge, even more is all time that he will not have to lose, and be distracted
so than performance development, and it’s the toughest from what he has to do, when he is at Enstone.”
task we face,” he admits. “To improve reliability, we have There seems to be a well-structured plan to Renault’s
to accept nothing less than perfection. Anything that ambitions for its engine in the season ahead. The dark days
ends up on the car needs to be designed and built to the of its early testing crisis in 2014 appear to be firmly in the
highest standard; checked and rechecked as fit for purpose. past, and there is bullish talk coming out of Viry about
“All the issues that blighted us last year need to be how durable its ’18 powerplant will be.
eradicated by a fresh approach. It’s not something, “We have covered 11 times the mileage on the dyno that
however, that you can flick on like a switch – you we had covered at the same point last year, and we are
need well-established processes in place.” aiming to have 70,000km on the dyno by race one,
Infrastructure changes at its factory should help. A new which is huge,” reveals Abiteboul. “It is something that
CFD supercomputer (to work in tandem with its updated we have never done since the introduction of the V6.
windtunnel) is now up and running, and there will also be “Frankly, I think we’ve done the best that we could. Our
S BLOXHAM/LAT
SUTTON/LAT

38 MARCH 1 2018
 Huge mileage was
HONE/LAT

covered on dyno before

new car hit the track

project management, ethos and discipline has been exemplary.

“But when we are on track, we will need to sign off a
number of things, and this is particularly the plan for the
DEALING WITH THE McLAREN-RED BULL POLITICS
first test – to make sure that there is no disconnect between
track and dyno. So don’t look at the lap time in test one,
because everything will be massively tuned down for ONE OF THE MOST EAGERLY ANTICIPATED be easier for the future. And for sure we
obvious reasons. But test two we want to run in a rivalries in 2018 will be between McLaren are going to see where we are compared
more representative mode.” and Red Bull. The two teams have often to Red Bull and McLaren, but we must
Renault appears willing to sacrifice a bit of performance locked horns – be it over results, sponsors, only take that as an experience.”
at the start of the season to ensure that its first engine of senior staff, or headlines – and that intensity Prost isn’t worried by having Renault
the year is 100% reliable. Performance steps are being will be notched up another level now they go up against a team as big as McLaren
planned for engines two and three. are powered by the same Renault engine. with an identical engine. He knows that
Abiteboul adds: “Our target is more or less to start It’s possible things could get extremely his squad isn’t yet in a position where it
in Melbourne [the first race] with the same performance level political between the two as they bid to can dream of the victories that both its
as we finished in Abu Dhabi [at the end of 2017], which is come out on top of the Renault-powered customers are targeting.
actually quite a decent performance baseline. battle this year, and that may lead to some “I am sure a lot of people are going to
“Then we want to make it much more reliable. And big headaches for Renault management see where we are compared to McLaren.
make it in a way that we can extract the power in a consistent if they get caught in the crossfire. But we don’t have the same structure yet.
and sustainable manner – and not have to turn down the But for Alain Prost, an ambassador We are still working on the construction,
engine because of reliability or temperature concerns. That and advisor for Renault’s F1 project, and it is going to be different,” he explains.
is the baseline. Clearly power unit number two will be a step the situation is not one that he’s “On the other side they have more pressure
and number three will be another step.” particularly concerned about. than us. They keep saying that they have
‘Steps’ is very much the key word for Renault. There “What we need to achieve is to the best chassis in F1, and it’s also good to
won’t be any kind of dramatic leap forward like McLaren understand our progression – where we see where they are with the same engine.
is expecting to make for 2018, and the fact that things look are compared to the others, comparing to “They have the pressure without us;
close behind the top three teams makes it impossible what we had last year, for example,” he says. we will have the pressure more and more,
to set a firm ambition for the year. “If we make a progression, that means we month after month, and year after year.
“We are going to have a field that is very competitive understood where we were going and it will But for today, let’s wait and see.”
and that is great news for Formula 1,” says Abiteboul.
“Obviously I want to be as far forward in the field as
COATES/LAT

possible. We all know that the last steps are the most
painful and the most difficult, but I do believe that we
have some reasonable chances.
“First and foremost, it is the first time that we will
have two cars and two drivers who can bring the car
hopefully in the points at every single race. That is
the target. And frankly I don’t know what McLaren,
Williams, Force India, Sauber, Haas or Toro Rosso
will do. We don’t know. There are lots of unknowns.
“I don’t want to make any predictions. I know what Will Red Bull-
we have done. I know what is coming for race one and McLaren rivalry
what is coming for the first half of the season and we boil over?
will have to take it from there.”

MARCH 1 2018 39
FORMULA 1
LAUNCHES
FORCE INDIA

Force India VJM11

Force India has evolved its car from the end of 2017, but
will that be enough to keep it ahead of resurgent rivals?

By Gary Anderson, Technical Expert

5 HALO

1 FRONT WING

1
FRONT WING

F
The philosophy of the front-wing assembly is slightly different from that
of other teams. The part in front of the tyre is very much what you could
orce India’s latest ‘Pink Panther’ is an evolution of 2017’s call a tyre ramp. All the flaps continue through there, but as it comes
package. For the past two years it has done a great job to towards the centre of the car it changes height fairly abruptly.
finish fourth in the constructors’ championship. But with Other teams make this transition from one section to another more
McLaren, Renault and Williams likely to improve, it could progressively, so this is something different. You could call this a tyre
be even tougher for it to maintain that level of success in pod rather than an airflow-realignment device. The front-flap package
’18. This team has shown it has a decent understanding is not necessarily as big as that of other teams, and therefore it
of its car and how it works the tyres, which – combined doesn’t have such a big section wing.
with a strong driver line-up and sensible strategies – has If you look at the main plane, it’s quite a long chord on the outboard
allowed it to get a lot of good results. If that knowledge end, so for me it’s a little bit of a strange package of componentry on
of the car has carried over, I’m sure it’ll get the best out of the package. the front wing and isn’t following the trend many others have taken.
It’s also taken an interesting approach to testing, saying the focus will be It’s the same with the nose and the distinctive nostrils – a different
on making sure the aerodynamics work as intended and ensuring the impact philosophy. Only time on the stopwatch will tell if it’s right, but I’d
of the halo is understood. This makes sense while the track surface settles have preferred a shorter-chord main plane because that makes it
down, because doing mechanical set-up or vehicle-dynamics work could easier to control the pitch sensitivity. The front wing almost looks
prove misleading. Force India uses its head, and this is another example like a 90%-scale version of the others, and if that were the case it
– avoiding getting too excited and focusing on what it needs to do. All the would be producing less downforce.
detail is there on this car; the only question is whether it all works together.

40 MARCH 1 2018
 SIDEPODS 3

DIFFUSER 4

BARGEBOARDS 2

2 4 5

SUTTON
3
BARGEBOARDS SIDEPODS DIFFUSER HALO
The bargeboard area is quite The sidepods are very much The diffuser is as wide as you can get it. It has On the halo, as the sides
sophisticated and it’s got all focused on the undercut the turning vanes on the outboard end, to try come round towards the
the vortex-generation devices, developing into the Coke-bottle to get it to work with the low-pressure area back, there’s a bit of a
vertical and horizontal fins area. That area is allowing the behind the rear tyres. This aspect is critical step where others have
you expect. The floor area in back of the car to influence the and works in conjunction with the rear brake tried to sweep it down
front of the main floor looks front and scavenge the airflow ducts, which cool the brakes but also have a into the headrest. The
good too, but it’s about how out from under the chassis. multitude of turning vanes. The combination integration of the two
all of this works together Everything looks to be there. of parts is all there – all they have to do is work. trailing-edge parts of the
rather than the individual halo is the one element
bits, because the airflow that doesn’t look like it’s
coming off one part affects designed for these cars.
the others dramatically. The car is a certain
Setting up the airflow that shape, the halo’s a
comes through under the front certain shape, and they
of the chassis is all about trying don’t meet up well. The
to get the highest-velocity front blends in nicely,
SUTTON/LAT

airflow possible introduced to but the back part is not

the sidepod leading edge. very sophisticated.

MARCH 1 2018 41
FORMULA 1
LAUNCHES
TORO ROSSO

Toro Rosso STR1

The Italian team has had to get used to changing engine supplier in recent
seasons, and this year is no exception as it adapts to McLaren cast-off Honda

By Gary Anderson, Technical Expert

1 ENGINE COVER

2 DIFFUSER

1 2
ENGINE COVER DIFFUSER

W
The engine cover is mainly about minimising the The diffuser is a
cross-sectional area, and as part of a neat and tidy decent package, which
e’ve heard many times from package that’s been done well. You have to entice connects well to the rear
McLaren about how big a job the airflow to go in the direction that you think is tyres – that’s always
it is to integrate a different best. When you see those big aero rakes on the car, vitally important. With
engine package into the that’s measuring the airflow and direction and these cars, everyone
chassis. Well, Toro Rosso velocity away from the car body surface. That’s always looks to the
is a much smaller team and what influences the airflow on the bodywork and front, but you don’t
has had the same task in the you need to understand it to ensure it’s working push air around a car,
reverse direction by switching the way that you want it to. you pull it from behind.
from Renault to Honda. Toro Rosso is pretty happy with the Honda So, with the airflow
Toro Rosso has been unfortunate enough to have made engine. There’s a different set of pressures in this you have to start at the
such changes a lot recently, having used Renault engines in relationship compared to McLaren-Honda, so back of the car and work
2015, year-old Ferrari units in ’16, Renault again the year hopefully that’s helped. Most importantly, this your way forwards, as
after and now Honda for ’18! For a team with its modest doesn’t look like a car that’s been compromised that’s what’s pulling the
manpower and budget, there will be much else besides to package the engine – there are no bulky areas airflow back through the
that it cannot get on and do. or bulges that jump out at you as a problem. Coke bottle, undercut
But this is a tidy-looking car nonetheless. The STR13 STR has done a good job. Hopefully, the working sidepods, bargeboards
has joined the club of the current regulations by taking relationship with Honda stays positive and they can and even across the
some of the best ideas from both Mercedes and Ferrari, make real progress from this promising starting point. front-wing surfaces.
which naturally lead the way for everyone else.

42 MARCH 1 2018
13
3 HALO FRONT SUSPENSION & BARGEBOARDS 4

FRONT WING 5

S BLOXHAM/LAT
3 4 5
HALO FRONT SUSPENSION & BARGEBOARDS FRONT WING
The integration of the Toro Rosso has carried over the high-wishbone front suspension from 2017. The Toro Rosso front wing and nose
halo is good. It’s one of The general philosophy of the car is a development of the package it had assembly is the normal multi-element
the teams that has put last year, but adapted to trends set by Ferrari and Mercedes. device. There are some different ways of
a vane on the top with a In the bargeboard area, Toro Rosso has all the bits and pieces in the right doing things, and it’s always interesting
gap to try to tidy up the places. But that’s only a visual impression and it’s about getting them all to look at the inboard end of the flaps.
airflow behind it going to work together properly. That’s what makes a good F1 car, and it takes For some teams the flaps curve down,
to the airbox intake. A hundreds of hours of windtunnel and CFD work to know that. and there are some quite subtle changes,
round tube is not very with some having them straighter. When
good for airflow and you have a flap that’s fairly straight, you set
SUTTON/LAT

the teams are trying up a vortex at the end of it called the Y250
to clean things up. vortex, which pre-2017 was quite important;
I’m sure we’ll see but with the new regulations, it’s not so
some developments critical because there’s more room for the
there across the field, bargeboards to do their work behind.
although the rules don’t Toro Rosso swoops that part of the wing
allow you to do too down quite dramatically, cancelling out that
much. For example, you effect and separating the FIA-mandated
can’t put a long trailing neutral central section of the wing from
edge on it to make it the outboard part. Some teams have
into a wing section. done this, some haven’t.

MARCH 1 2018 43
FORMULA 1
LAUNCHES
SAUBER

Sauber C37
There’s only one way you can move from the back of the grid. And Sauber’s
new challenger hints that the team could make a big step forward in 2018

By Gary Anderson, Technical Expert

1 DIFFUSER

2 COKE BOTTLE
1 2
DIFFUSER COKE BOTTLE

S
The diffuser has some nice detail across The Coke-bottle area sweeps
its trailing edge. The twin turning vanes inside the rear tyre, allowing
auber has put itself on a completely help the diffuser think it is higher by the mass airflow that’s being
different level for the 2018 season. Its acting like a gurney flap. But I’m a little displaced by the rear tyre to
close association with Ferrari, combined surprised that the outer sides of the pass over the diffuser’s upper
with bringing the Alfa Romeo name back diffuser don’t connect very well to the surface. Getting the airflow to
to Formula 1, can only be a positive. low-pressure area behind the rear tyre. come through on the inside
The stronger association with Ferrari This area may change during testing, of the tyre improves the
means Sauber will have an up-to-date and I will be looking out for this at diffuser and rear-upper-wing
engine in terms of performance and Barcelona at the end of the month. performance, and it also reduces
technology. I’m sure Ferrari is not putting the overall drag of the car.
the Alfa name on the cars without being able influence its The detail and the small slots
technical direction. And driver-wise, Sauber can pick from on the floor’s top surface are also
the best of Ferrari’s young-driver programme, from which very important in improving the
the Prancing Horse needed to start promoting drivers. underfloor’s performance. The
For 2018, Sauber looks to have taken the next step. While I’m objective of all these is to reduce
sure there’s room for development, it has a good baseline. From the mass airflow that’s pulled
what we’ve seen so far, Sauber and Williams have both changed into the low-pressure area under
their car-concept philosophy. But the big question is, will they the car. The more this can be
get the best out of their new packages before the season starts? done, the better the performance
Let’s hope so, as we want much closer racing throughout the of the underfloor and diffuser.
field to bring that randomness in results we all crave.

44 MARCH 1 2018
 5
BARGEBOARDS
The bargeboards are a one-element They control and manage the turbulent Otherwise, mid-corner that turbulent It’s a very neat adaptation of the shorter
component varying in height, with a wake coming off the trailing edge of the wake will interfere with the vortices sidepods with the crash structure at mid
sawtooth-style top edge to generate a front tyre. But as the front wheels are coming off the bargeboards, reducing – or as low as possible – level, leading
small vortex at each of the slots. These turned, this turbulent wake changes its their influence. This would mean that them to require a twin cooling inlet.
vortices travel around the side of the car, intensity dramatically. This area needs the underfloor would lose performance The inlets are as high as possible, with
acting as a skirt to seal the underfloor. to be optimised to work from the front mid-corner, which is not a good situation. a well-sculptured sidepod undercut
The outer-corner sidepod vertical wheels pointing straight ahead to when Sauber has been influenced by last section connecting to the Coke-bottle
elements are very three-dimensional. they are steered to around nine degrees. year’s Ferrari’s sidepod leading edge. area inside the rear tyre.

BARGEBOARDS 5
3 HALO

4 FRONT WING

3 4
HALO FRONT WING
There’s nice detail on the halo, The front wing is a six-element
with the small slotted-gap trim component with a very short-chord
over the top of it. A round tube first element. It’s this area of the front
like the halo is one of the worst wing that gets closest to the ground.
things for creating turbulence, Having a short-chord initial element
so anything that can be done means you have less of a loss of
will help the airflow to the downforce when the inevitable
airbox-intake area. airflow-separation problems kick in.
Again, lots of detail has gone The nose and the front detail have
into this area, with the rollbar been influenced by what Force India ran
structure separating the main in 2017. The nostrils, as they were called,
inlets and the cooling inlet more are ducts that feed airflow through to section, the better the function of the that Mercedes and Toro Rosso
of a horseshoe shape slightly the inlet of the S-duct, and if one S-duct bargeboards and, in turn, the underfloor. pioneered in 2017. This allows it to
rearward of the rollbar leading is good then two must be better! Also, having the S-duct exit where have a higher and more-horizontal
edge. Consistency of airflow into It looks like there are two exits on it’s positioned reduces the negative lower wishbone, which, while still
these inlets maintains more the top surface of the nose, one just in lift that would normally be created maintaining a half-sensible front-
constant base pressure on the front of the Pirelli sticker and one just as the air accelerates over the top suspension geometry, allows better
turbo, which slightly reduces the behind it. The more airflow you can pull of the nose and front of the chassis. control over the wake coming at
effort required from the exhaust through between the low nose section, I’m also pleased to see that Sauber the trailing edge of the front wing,
gases to create the boost needed. front-wing mounting pillars and the has gone for the higher outboard and helps to realign it to improve
This is small, but important. mandatory FIA central front-wing mounting for the top wishbone underfloor performance.

MARCH 1 2018 45
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RACE CENTRE
THACKER NKP/LAT

Harvick hammers all in Ford 1-2-3

NASCAR CUP with his crew’s new-for-2018 spec Harvick weathered making late progress up the order.
ATLANTA (USA) wheelguns – an issue that twice afflicted rain delays, errant Top Toyota runner Hamlin and Logano
FEBRUARY 25 reigning champion Martin Truex Jr’s race wheelguns and a ended up fourth and sixth, sandwiching
ROUND 2/36 – meant he had to make an additional late-race strategy Truex, who had come up from the tail
divergence to take
stop, dropping him to 19th in the order. of the field following multiple failures to
his first win since
DESPITE THE BEST EFFORTS OF THE That proved to be a temporary blip as Texas last November clear NASCAR’s new technical-inspection
weather and problematic wheelguns, within 36 laps Harvick had risen back process ahead of qualifying on Friday.
Kevin Harvick was a dominant winner through the field and retaken the lead. Busch brothers Kyle and Kurt
in the first ‘real’ race of the Cup season. The threat of returning rain further took seventh and eighth ahead of
After the outlier that always is the put his victory hopes in danger late on Kyle Larson in the best of the Camaros.
Daytona 500, the Atlanta race was as, hoping to benefit from a weather Chase Elliott rounded out the top 10,
billed as being the first chance for intervention cutting the race short, with fellow high-profile rising stars
the pack to shake out a genuine Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney and Darrell Wallace Jr
competitive order for the year ahead. Penske driver Joey Logano opted to make 12th and 32nd. Wallace was classified
The results were encouraging for Ford, one pitstop fewer than most of their six laps down after being blinded by
as Fusions swept the top three positions, rivals. That approach brought them up smoke and running into the back of
and disappointing for Chevrolet, with to third and fourth behind Harvick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr – who finished
just two Camaro ZL1s making the top 10 stage-two winner Brad Keselowski. 16th – in the closing laps.
after taking the win at Daytona. The With 28 laps to go, Trevor Bayne’s “This is a racetrack that takes a
results also went against another of the engine blew and the caution flags flew, lot of experience, and there’s a lot of
pre-season’s biggest talking points: the but Harvick stayed in control after things that you have to know about
rise of the championship’s younger the restart and won ahead of Penske your car and know about the racetrack
drivers against the established stars. star Keselowski by 2.690 seconds. Spec wheelguns to get the car around,” said Harvick,
Harvick has been something of an Harvick’s team-mate Clint Bowyer are a part of a bid before adding that he expects the
Atlanta specialist in recent years and the completed the Ford 1-2-3 after to lower costs younger drivers to be more competitive
1.54-mile track, with its abrasive surface at Las Vegas next time out.
that’s not been fully repaved in the past
two decades, was the scene of his first RESULTS
series victory back in 2001. He led 292 1 Kevin Harvick (Ford Fusion) 325 laps in 3h29m54s;
of the 325 laps of the 2017 race before a 2 Brad Keselowski (Ford) +2.690s; 3 Clint Bowyer (Ford);
pitlane speeding penalty cost him dearly, 4 Denny Hamlin (Toyota Camry); 5 Martin Truex Jr
and the Stewart-Haas Racing driver again (Toyota); 6 Joey Logano (Ford); 7 Kyle Busch (Toyota);
had the car to beat this time around. 8 Kurt Busch (Ford); 9 Kyle Larson (Chevrolet Camaro
After winning Saturday’s Xfinity race, he ZL1); 10 Chase Elliott (Chevy). Points 1 Harvick 75/
comfortably took the stage-one honours 1 win; 2 Austin Dillon 70/1; 3 Logano 89; 4 Ryan Blaney
KINRADE NKP/LAT

in Sunday’s main event, which was 83; 5 Hamlin 77; 6 Bowyer 74; 7 Truex 69; 8 Kurt Busch 68;
rain-delayed by two and a half hours. 9 Paul Menard 66; 10 Aric Almirola 66; 11 Kyle Busch 61;
But Harvick’s run to victory was 12 Keselowski 58; 13 Larson 54; 14 Darrell Wallace Jr 52;
imperilled ahead of stage two as problems 15 Michael McDowell 52; 16 Ryan Newman 49.

MARCH 1 2018 47
 WTCR/GORDON SHEDDEN

Shedden’s
ALL-TIME BTCC RACE WINNERS SHEDDEN’S BTCC RECORD

POS DRIVER WINS ACHIEVEMENT STATS

1 Jason Plato 96 Wins 48

big
2 Matt Neal 61 Podiums 124
3 Andy Rouse 60 Poles 11
4 Gordon Shedden 48 Fastest laps 50
5 Colin Turkington 45 Points 3161

gamble
=6 Alain Menu 36 Laps raced 6067
=6 Yvan Muller 36 Races led 67
=6 James Thompson 36 Laps led 725

Why the triple British Touring

Car champion is stepping onto
the world stage in 2018

By Matt James
BTCC Correspondent

G
@MattJMNews

ordon Shedden is used to getting onto

a plane to go and enjoy his motorsport.
So, in that respect, his 2018 schedule
will not be much different. But in most
other regards, it will be a big change
for the Scotsman.
He has joined WRT to tackle the
inaugural FIA World Touring Car Cup
(WTCR). His campaign will get started
at Marrakech on April 8, the same day that the British Touring
Car Championship begins its season at Brands Hatch.
The BTCC has been Shedden’s home since 2006, and he has
conquered it three times. He lifted the title in ’12, ’15 and ’16,
but his campaign this year is a completely new departure.
Avenues opened up for Shedden after a one-off appearance
in Dubai last season in the final round of the TCR International
Series. He was drafted in to the WRT line-up to replace
Rob Huff, who was occupied in the World Touring Car
Championship round in Macau, and Shedden was immediately
on the pace in the Belgian squad’s Volkswagen Golf.
It was Huff himself who recommended his replacement, and
it has changed the career horizons for Shedden. He took pole
position and finished second and seventh in the two races,

‘Flash’ won third BTCC

title in 2016, and (right)
took pole on TCR debut
PHOTO 4
JEP/LAT

48 MARCH 1 2018
WTCR/GORDON SHEDDEN

while helping team-mate Jean-Karl Vernay to the title.

JEP/LAT
“It was pretty incredible really,” says Shedden. “After what
happened in Dubai, I had loads of phone calls from different
teams all interested in what I was going to do in 2018. I had
won three titles in the British Touring Car Championship
in the past and there was not a single call from anyone.
It goes to show you something…” Shedden answered all those
phone calls, but there was one from Audi that grabbed his
attention. The offer was to drive the new RS3 LMS in the
reworked WTCR. While works teams aren’t allowed under
the TCR rules, factory-blessed drivers are. “The other offers
didn’t quite tick all the boxes, but the WRT Audi deal did,”
explains the 39-year old. “When Audi call, you answer.”
Given Audi’s and WRT’s involvement (and success) in GT3,
such a move could also open up yet more possibilities in future.
But there was a problem. Shedden has been a full-time driver
with the Honda factory team in the BTCC since the Japanese team-mate so I had to be upfront about it. After many years in
manufacturer recommitted to the series in 2010. It had brought “He knew what the deal was and even said to me that if Honda Civics (above,
him all his domestic success, and he was a fundamental part of he had been offered something similar in his position and in 2010), Shedden will
drive an Audi RS3 LMS
that programme – which was fully expected to continue in ‘18. at my age, he would have taken it too. He said that he and
(top) this season
The Honda BTCC attack is run by Team Dynamics, and Team Dynamics would support me in whatever I decided
Shedden had formed a strong friendship bond with team-mate to do. That was pretty special of them.
and team co-owner Matt Neal, himself a three-time BTCC “It was a team I was very involved with. It went way beyond
champion. There was an awkward conversation to have… just being a driver: I felt I was part of the team, ingrained in
“This was all kicking off around the time of the Autosport it. That made the decision even harder, but I simply couldn’t
International show in the middle of January,” says Shedden. ignore the chance I had been given.”
“And I wouldn’t say that it was the case that I wanted to leave While Shedden, who is also the commercial director of
the BTCC. This opportunity just presented itself and I laid Knockhill circuit in Fife, now has a busy new challenge on
all the cards on the table to Matt. He is a friend as well as a his hands, he will miss the demands of the BTCC and

50 MARCH 1 2018
 FLASH’S FIVE BEST
BTCC MOMENTS
OULTON PARK MAY 14 2006
“It has to be the first victory at Oulton Park.
This was the start of my British Touring Car
Championship career and I really needed to prove
myself in the team. It was my big chance, and

J BLOXHAM/LAT
the win came early in the season – at the third
meeting. It helped me establish myself in
the team and it was a special day.”

EBREY
SNETTERTON AUGUST 7 2011
“It was the final race of the day and I had a loose front-left wing after contact early on.
They were black-flagging me, and we had a bit of back-and-forth over the pits-to-car
radio. The team told me I had to get rid of it somehow. I aimed for a stack of tyres on
the exit of Williams and clipped it perfectly. The bodywork came off, the black flag
was withdrawn and I finished seventh.”

ROCKINGHAM SEPTEMBER 23 2012

EBREY

“This was the save of my career! The race was

drenched and I was going into Turn 1 and the car
AUDI AG

snapped. I was sideways for about 150 metres,

heading for the wall. I floored it, and even had
time to go down the gears to keep the revs up
and the front wheels spinning. I still went on
knows that his performances will be used as a marker of to win the race, and that was one of the
how good the championship and its drivers are. cornerstones of my title that season.”
Other drivers have gone on to international series from the
BTCC, but it has been hard for them to make a permanent
impression. UK graduate Huff achieved it by claiming the BRANDS HATCH OCTOBER 11 2015
WTCC title in 2012, but racers such as Colin Turkington, now “After finishing 19th in the penultimate race of
a two-time BTCC title winner, have failed to make the switch the season, I had it all to do in the finale from
permanently. Many people see the BTCC as a career cul-de-sac, the 10th row. I just got my head down and
but Shedden can break down those perceptions with a strong pushed as hard as I could. In that race, I was
performance in the WTCR this season. either going to win the title or end up upside-
“I don’t know why that has been the case,” says Shedden. “I down on the tyre barrier. In the end, I made
EBREY

think the BTCC can be underestimated by people looking in on it it to fourth and took my second title.”
and they think it’s ‘only’ a national championship. But they don’t
realise just how seriously competitive it is. I would say it has to
be up there as the most competitive tin-top series in the world.
Maybe it’s just the perception that people have got wrong.”
Shedden did his work to change those perceptions at the
end of last year, but a season-long deal is a whole different
prospect. Firstly, there will be a new team – and team-mate
in the form of Vernay – to get to know. Then there will be
the nine circuits, seven of which will be new to him.
Shedden thinks the alliance that he has already built with
team-mate Vernay will help him hit the ground running.
EBREY

“Obviously, Jean-Karl has been at the team for a few years and
he knows how it operates and he knows the engineers,” says
Shedden. “But we have talked a lot over the winter and we get BRANDS HATCH OCTOBER 2 2016
on very well. He is a cracking driver but also a really nice guy as “Given that I was 50 points down at the midpoint of the season, this was the conclusion
well. Most of the team are French-speaking, based in Belgium, of a great season. And to pass my title rival Sam Tordoff on track in the last race was the
but in Dubai last year they were speaking English a lot of the best way to win the championship. I certainly never make things easy for myself!”

MARCH 1 2018 51
WTCR/GORDON SHEDDEN

time. If there was the odd phrase during the team meetings
that was said in French, Jean-Karl would always translate it for
me and that made life much easier. I think we are going to have
a strong partnership and hopefully we can push each other on.”
The wraps were taken off the new RS3 LMS racer last week,
and it’s car that’s likely to stand out in the TCR crowd. It has
certainly whetted Shedden’s appetite for the year ahead,
although he will get limited running before the season kicks off
in Marrakech. “I’m very impressed with it,” he says. “I went to
Germany to see it in the flesh two weeks ago, and the level of
engineering that has gone into it is superb. I also think that it’s
great that it’s a saloon shape. Most of the others out there are
hatchbacks so the car will stand out. It has a nice silhouette.
“Not having so many test days shouldn’t be a problem,”
he adds. “The car has already been homologated, so it’s not
like coming to a circuit with a brand-new car like you
would do in the British Touring Car Championship.”
And the tracks and the new competition? Shedden will
be used to the three-races-per-weekend format of the
WTCR – but, as he says, “it will be a relief not to have to
haul 75kg of success ballast around with me, like I have

PHOTO 4
done in the UK” – but places like the Nurburgring
Nordschleife will be new experiences.
“I’ve raced at Zandvoort and Macau before, but a race track
is just a series of left and right-hand bends, right?” he half- learn. That makes it more of a level playing field for me. It Shedden leads James
jokes. “The tracks are something I will enjoy. I’m not worried would have been different if I was going into the TC1-spec cars. Nash and title-winning
team-mate Vernay in
by anyone who will be on the grid either. They are all good I’m sure Tom Chilton, who finished third in the WTCC in 2017,
Dubai last November
drivers who have raced against each other a lot, and I’m the can attest to just how tough the BTCC is these days.”
new kid on the block. They know how each other works on The new chapter in Shedden’s career will mark an interesting
track and they are familiar with their driving styles, but they development for him personally. For so long the benchmark of
don’t know how I work, so that will work in my favour, I hope. the BTCC for speed, he will now be testing himself against
“Also, most of them are coming from TC1 cars [as used in the some of the best tin-top drivers on the planet. The world
old WTCC] to TCR cars, so there’s a new formula for them to is, almost literally, at his feet.

The man replacing a triple champ

DAN CAMMISH HAS SOME BIG it handed over to WSR. Formula Ford champion, has
shoes to fill. Team Dynamics Cammish, 28, has decided to opted to join the tin-top beat. He
co-owner Matt Neal has picked switch his focus from sportscar will be racing a front-wheel-drive
the double Porsche Carrera Cup racing and join Team Dynamics. car for the first time in his career,
GB champion to race alongside “It’s a dream opportunity,” but thinks he will be up to speed
him in the new Honda Civic Type explains the Leeds man. “Team by the time the season kicks off
Rs in this year’s British Touring Dynamics is one of the very top at Brands Hatch on April 8.
Car Championship. teams in the BTCC and this is a “Also, I’m with one of the
From the moment Gordon works drive: these options don’t more experienced teams out
Shedden decided to part ways come around every day. The there, so there will be data to
with the team, Neal said that he GT dream is OK, but the driver pick over, and I have Matt Neal
wanted a driver who would be market is flooded with guys who alongside me too,” points out
ready to win from the outset as have come out of GP2 or GP3 Cammish. “What he doesn’t
Honda chases the Manufacturer/ – they bring budget too. There know about the BTCC isn’t
Constructors titles, which it lost are so many guys out there and worth knowing.
to Team BMW last year, and aims getting a break is tough.” “Look at what [2017
to regain the Teams title, which So Cammish, a former British champion] Ash Sutton did too:
he was used to racing rear-wheel
drive, jumped into front-wheel
drive with Renault Clios and
then the MG BTCC car and was a
winner, and then went back to
rear-wheel drive last year and
took the title in the Subaru
Levorg. It can be done.
“Sure, there will be pressure,
but when isn’t there in racing?
That is the sort of situation I
enjoy, and I have everything
Cammish won 32 there in front of me to make
JEP/LAT

JEP/LAT

races in Carrera Cup GB the right kind of impression

on the series.”

52 MARCH 1 2018
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TJP 21
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12 PAG
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USA 80B
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91 NS
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CC 18
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59
 MARKETPLACE
ARRIVE & DRIVE DRIVES AVAILABLE

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CLUBS

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60
 MARKETPLACE
DRIVES AVAILABLE MEMORABILIA

DRIVES AVAILABLE FOR THE

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61
 MOTORSPORT JOBS

RED BULL RACING ARE RECRUITING

Want to advertise a motorsport job? We have a number of vacancies at Red Bull Racing.
If you are recruiting in motorsport and
R0000386 – TRAVELLING DRIVETRAIN &
wish to advertise with Autosport in SUBASSEMBLY TECHNICIAN
print and online please contact We are looking to recruit an energetic, diligent, hard-working and
James.robinson@motorsport.com passionate Technician to work in our Drivetrain – Subassembly department
at race or test events and in the Factory. Working within the Assembly
or call Group, reporting to the DTSA Team Leader, you will be responsible for
0203 405 8105 building mechanical assemblies from the wide array this department
encompasses. The successful candidate will need to have some knowledge
and experience of F1™. Subassembly and gearbox experience would be
an advantage.

For all current vacancies advertised R0000388 – MODEL MAKER

please visit our website (WIND TUNNEL ROTATING NIGHT SHIFT)
MOTORSPORT JOBS

www.autosport.com We have an exciting opportunity for a Model Maker to join our

Aerodynamics department. You will join our highly skilled team, working
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R0000389 – JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

We are looking for a very talented Graphic Designer to join our creative
The Safety Department of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA)
team in the Milton Keynes office. The individual should be highly
in Geneva is seeking to fill the position of: committed, motivated and capable of using their own initiative.
Safety Engineer
R0000391 – AERODYNAMICS DEVELOPMENT
The successful candidate will develop and implement safety regulations TEAM LEADER
for application in all FIA Championships.
We have an exciting opportunity for a talented, experienced
He/she will also liaise with equipment manufacturers, laboratories and car
manufacturers in order to develop and implement new safety enhancements, Aerodynamicist to lead one of our development teams. Reporting to the
work closely with the FIA Technical Department and the FIA research bodies Principal Aerodynamicist, you will be leading a team that is responsible for
in order to best introduce these changes, and take part in meetings of the
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concept design, tunnel test and other forms of research of all aerodynamic
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This position require candidates with a strong mechanical engineering
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We are seeking a highly motivated, flexible and innovative individual, with To find out more about these vacancies and to apply please visit
disciplined time management and planning.
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The candidates will need to be team players, with excellent communication
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The position is based in Geneva (Switzerland); fluency in English is

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Please send CVs and Cover Letters via our website:

https://careers.fia.com

62
CLUB AUTOSPORT
NATIONAL RACING l HISTORICS l HILLCLIMB l TRACK TESTS l FEATURES

Jetstream Martin is
team is new new to most
to British GT UK tracks

DREW GIBSON PHOTOGRAPHY / NICK DUNGAN

BRITISH GT

Maxime Martin to British GT with Aston

EX-DTM RACER MAXIME MARTIN and there are no clashes between the “It’s a big year for me because British
will make it five Aston Martin factory WEC and British GT. GT will be a huge step up for me and
World Endurance Championship drivers “I definitely like the English circuits for the team, but we feel ready for it,”
in British GT this year, after signing because they are proper old-style tracks,” said Davidson. “The Aston is an
up to partner reigning GT Cup said Martin, who is relishing competing ex-Motorbase Performance car. We
champion Graham Davidson. in the UK. “It will be funny to see we’ll opted for that because the Vantage is
Martin and Davidson will share a [the Aston works drivers] all be in an older model and the parts are easier
single Vantage GT3 entered by the same different cars and competing against to source and cheaper, but it’s still
Jetstream Motorsport team that ran each other. I think it will be good for really competitive in British GT.
Davidson’s McLaren MP4-12C GT3 to the series to have so many Aston “Having a driver of Maxime’s calibre
the GT Cup crown. The team built its Martins, especially in the British will undoubtedly help to extract the
business running Nobles and has also championship. I’m looking forward maximum from the package. I think
fielded cars in the Time Attack series. to being the fifth AMR driver and I’ll learn a huge amount from him and
Belgian Martin, 31, had been a fixture trying to beat the British guys.” I couldn’t ask for a better mentor for
of BMW’s factory DTM team in recent Martin has raced the GT3 Vantage my first British GT season.”
years before switching allegiance to before, in an International GT Open Of Davidson, Martin added: “I don’t
become an AMR driver for the WEC race at Barcelona in 2012. He will also know him personally, but I’m looking
this term. He follows fellow Aston compete in the model in the Blancpain forward to racing with him. He did
Martin works drivers Jonny Adam, Sprint Cup this year with R-Motorsport. a really good job in the championship
Darren Turner, Marco Sorensen and Davidson, 32, began racing in 2013 in he raced in last year.”
Nicki Thiim into British GT. Since the Scotland, and has since been a regular Martin will be unable to test the car at
WEC has switched to a multi-year in club competition at the wheel of his the series’ media day at Donington next
superseason, drivers have become converted Noble race car before moving month owing to existing commitments.
available for national championships, on to his title-winning McLaren. Ross Gunn will substitute for that event.

MARCH 1 2018 63
CLUB AUTOSPORT/NEWS

MAWP+SPORT
Westie Mitchell will
race Chevron B8 with
sons Ben and Sam

HISTORICS

Rare Chevron set for celebration race

A RARE CHEVRON B8 IS SET TO COMPETE Kwinkelenberg put the car into storage in 1973 Ben and Sam Mitchell both raced Merlyn
in the 50th-anniversary celebration race for the and sold it to Leo Kemmer 30 years later. Mk20s in the HSCC’s Historic Formula Ford
model at the Oulton Park Gold Cup, driven by “I’m restoring the Chevron sympathetically, Championship last season. Sam finished fourth
Westie Mitchell and his sons Sam and Ben. trying to retain as many period details at in the points with a race win at Brands Hatch.
The car, which is the only left-hand-drive possible,” said Mitchell. “It’s a long way from race Ben only completed one weekend, also at
example of a B8 and has an exclusively ready, but when the Historic Sports Car Club Brands, in which he finished third and seventh.
continental race heritage, was among the stars invited the car to be on its stand, Race Retro Both drivers are looking for backing to return to
of last weekend’s annual Race Retro show at became my first target. Now we are aiming for Historic Formula Ford this season. “The HSCC
Stoneleigh Park near Kenilworth. the B8 50th Anniversary race at the Oulton Park Formula Ford is a lot of fun and probably one
Now with just its fourth owner in 50 years, Gold Cup in August, but I’ve committed to the of the most competitive club motorsport
CH/DBE/39 was built on the first chassis frame Formula Junior Baltic Tour [Latvia, Lituania and championships you can do,” said Sam.
fabricated by Arch Motors in 1968. German Sweden] with my De Tomaso, so time is short.”
BMW touring car graduate Nikolaus Killenberg Sam Mitchell added: “Dad wants us to share l The 1990 British Touring Car Championship-
contested three Nurburgring 1000Km events and the car with him that weekend. We’re looking winning Ford Sierra Rs500 that was auctioned at
one Monza 1000Km before Dutchman Kees forward to that and hopefully he has it singing Race Retro fetched £182,250. The ex-Robb Gravett
Kwinkelenberg bought it. on all cylinders by then.” car was bought by a major collector.

MINI CHALLENGE

Tanner to make comeback in JCW Mini

FORMER SCOTTISH MINI COOPER multi-car attack, having already finished eighth in last year’s
Cup frontrunner Joe Tanner signed Ford Fiesta Junior Ginetta Junior standings. He joins
will return to racing this year, champion Jack Davidson. 2015 Mini Challenge champion
competing in the Mini Challenge “It’s a big year for me as I don’t Charlie Butler-Henderson and
with the Jamsport squad. think there’s a better series in the Rob Smith in the Mini UK team.
Tanner (left) was runner-up in UK outside of touring cars than “There’s lots to learn, but it’s
the Scottish Cooper class in 2013, the Mini JCWs,” said Tanner. “I’ve a great car – every time I get out
’14 and ’15, but has not raced never driven one, but I know it’ll of it I have a huge grin on my
regularly since then, due to be a huge step up in power and face,” said Collard.
stepping back to build his grip over the Scottish cars.” “I’m going from rear-wheel
helmet-painting business. He will be joined in the series drive to front-wheel drive,
The 34-year old, who was by Jordan Collard, who is aiming and from road tyres to slicks.
Scottish Formula Ford champion to win the Rookie Cup. There’s so much to get my head
in 2005, will now handle a JCW for Collard, son of BMW works around, and the level of the
Jamsport. The team is planning a British Touring Car racer Rob, championship is very high.”

64 MARCH 1 2018
 Day had first run in
Audi at Donington IN BRIEF
Park recently

JEP/LAT
BRITCAR

Ex-Austin Audi for Britcar Sprint

FORMER GINETTA JUNIOR RACER ALEX “I still have one of the A4s in my
Day will contest the Britcar Sprint series workshop,” said Austin. “But Alex will be in
this season in an ex-British Touring Car the other. We’ve done quite a bit of work to CALDWELL JOINS PREMA FOR F4 BIDS
Championship Audi. the car too – it’s different from when it British Formula 4 racer Olli Caldwell has joined Prema
Day, 18, has previously raced in Ginetta rolled out of the BTCC paddock. Powerteam for his first full season of single-seater
Junior, finishing 14th in 2015, but only took “We have been able to beef up some of racing in the German and Italian championships.
part in a single round in ’16. He will race in the GPRM-supplied parts that the car had Caldwell (above) raced in Europe as well as British
Britcar alongside his father Robert. to run with in British Touring Cars. F4 after turning 15 last June. Prema fielded Juri Vips
Day was coached in Ginettas by BTCC “Stepping into a BTCC car is a big leap and Marcus Armstrong to the German and Italian
racer Rob Austin, whose team ran a pair of for Alex, but I went to his first test in the titles respectively in 2017.
Audi A4s in the BTCC until 2015. A4 recently and he did really well.”
LIVINGSTON TO HISTORIC FF1600
Seventeen-year-old Pierre Livingston is joining the
Historic FF1600 fray this season in a SpeedSport
SCOTTISH MOTOR RACING CLUB
Classic Team Merlyn Mk20. “He’s going to be quick,”

Four SMRC series to visit Anglesey said SpeedSport boss Mike O’Brien following a 70-lap
first test on Silverstone’s Stowe Circuit last Sunday.
Livingston plans selected outings after his A-Level
FOUR OF THE SCOTTISH 26/27. In the past, series have looking forward to it,” said exams, then a full championship tilt in 2019.
Motor Racing Club’s series will had away rounds individually club competitions director
visit Anglesey this May as part rather than all together. Steve Burns. “We canvassed O’BRIEN COULD JOIN FORMULA JUNIOR
of the club’s largest away The Scottish Legends will the drivers, and the Legends Michael O’Brien, runner-up in Historic Formula Ford
event in recent seasons. join up with the National drivers wanted to go anyway last year, could contest selected Formula Junior events
The Scottish Legends, Mini series, as it did successfully because they enjoyed the in a Lotus 22 this season alongside his McLaren British
Cooper Cup, BMW and Fiesta/ last year. The Minis will have event last year. We did a driver GT programme. His family’s Speedsport Promotions
Hot Hatch championships will two standalone races, while survey for the Minis to see team has acquired the car raced in 1963 by Finn
all visit the Welsh circuit as the BMWs and Fiesta/Hot where they wanted to go away Leo Mattila, and subsequently in 1000cc F3.
part of a British Automobile Hatches will share a grid. and the majority preferred
Racing Club meeting on May “Everyone seems to be Anglesey so that fitted in well.” CRYSTAL PALACE SPRINT CANCELLED
The Sevenoaks and District Motor Club has announced
Scottish Legends
that the Crystal Palace Sprint will not take place this
will again team up year. In a statement, the club said: “We have tried to
with national field get all the elements together after Live Entertainments
pulled out [as promoter] just before Christmas.
Unfortunately, we were unable to secure all the
necessary provisions an event like this demands within
a practicable timescale and an acceptable budget.”
BOURNE

GREAT BRITISH SPORTS CARS DESIGN

Great British Sports Cars – which grew out of defunct
kit car manufacturer Robin Hood Engineering in 2006
– showed a race version (below) of its popular GBS
FIESTAS
Zero model at Race Retro. The chassis, with integral

Glover to return after hefty crash rollcage, is designed to take a range of Ford engines
and features billet aluminium uprights.

FIESTA CHAMPIONSHIP PODIUM FINISHER “I think I’ve done enough racing for it not
Tim Glover will return to the series this to affect me,” Glover said of the accident. “It
year after his 2017 season ended early was good to have a few months out and
with a big crash at Cadwell Park. regroup, but the lure of getting back into it
Glover will campaign a Class C Fiesta ST is too much. I had a look at a few different
prepared by Daniels Motorsport. He had series but I don’t think there’s a better
switched to a Class D Zetec S last year, front-wheel-drive, club-level tin-tops
twice finishing second in class at the Brands championship than the Fiestas.
MAWP+SPORT

Hatch opener. But the car was written off “I want to push myself against the very
in qualifying next time out at Cadwell after best club drivers. I felt that the ST class
barrel-rolling in a 100mph accident. is the best to do that in.”

MARCH 1 2018 65
CLUB AUTOSPORT/NEWS

PRESCOTT HILLCLIMB

1
HILLCLIMB
RECORD
HOLDERS TO
PRESCOTT
EIGHTY YEARS OF THE
Prescott hillclimb course
will be celebrated with a
special event on Saturday
July 14, featuring a reunion
of “more than 20” former
hill record holders.
Around 150 cars will
participate in the event,
which takes in a round
of the Aldon Pre-’72
Championship. It will also
2 3 4 feature a class for Bugattis.
The hill was first used for
hillclimbing on May 15,
1938, and has been
operated since by the
Bugatti Owners’ Club.
Stuart Webster, general
manager at Prescott, said:
“It will be an event to
POMEROY TROPHY The Lotus Elan of Simon Smith (1) won the Vintage Sports-Car Club’s annual Pomeroy Trophy at Silverstone last celebrate the 80-year
weekend. Other winners in a typically eclectic field (3) were the Frazer Nash Super Sports of Simon Blakeney-Edwards (2), who won history of Prescott involving
the Densham Trophy, and Andrew Howe-Davies’ SCAT racer (4) of 1911, which was victorious in the Pomeroy Edwardian Trophy. Cars as many hill record holders
compete in a time trial, and are tested on braking, acceleration and the ability to carry VSCC suitcases. Photographs by Jeff Bloxham as possible. We’ve got more
than 20 planning to come.”
When an extended
version of the hill was
opened in 1960, growing
THRUXTON 50TH ANNIVERSARY
from the original 880

Walker, Mansell to Thruxton

yards to 1128 yards, David
Boshier-Jones was the first
record holder and he is
planning to attend. Also
NIGEL MANSELL AND MURRAY WALKER WILL Mansell said: “I remember Thruxton very fondly from expected are hillclimb
open the new Thruxton hospitality centre as part my early racing days, as a very fast, demanding circuit grandees including David
of the venue’s 50th anniversary meeting. where I enjoyed several exciting and successful races.” Franklin, Martin Bolsover,
The £2million new Thruxton Centre is the latest The June meeting will feature a demonstration Martyn Griffiths, David
milestone in the circuit’s modernisation programme from the 1983 Williams FW08C Formula 1 car, while Grace and Alister Douglas-
and will be opened by Walker and Mansell on June 3. Mansell’s ’92 title-winning FW14B will be on display. Osborn. Multiple British
“I’ve been commentating at Thruxton since the The meeting will also include a number of races run hillclimb champion Scott
early 1950s, notably at motorcycle races, the great under the auspices of the Historic Sports Car Club, Moran will also be there.
Formula 2 events and the thrilling British Touring including the Historic Formula Ford Championship, Some significant cars
Car Championship,” said Walker. “I love its friendly a 40-minute Guards trophy race and a Formula Libre will be on display, and all
atmosphere and am honoured to join my mate Nigel race for up to two-litre single-seaters. Super Touring the record holders will
for the opening of this superb new building.” cars of the 1990s will also compete. climb into cars for a parade.

CTCRC BLUE OVAL SALOON SERIES

Breck will race

Breck swaps Civic for five-litre Capri monstrous

Ford Capri

TIN TOP RACER ALAN BRECK from Herne Bay was at racing boots for trainers
will compete in a Ford Capri Lydden Hill earlier this month with a wider sole so that he
powered by a five-litre to try the car for the first time. could heel-and-toe properly.
Mustang engine in 2018, Breck, 47, said: “It’s Breck’s first meeting in
having switched from a absolutely awesome to the Capri will be Silverstone’s
Honda Civic. drive – a real monster. It’s CTCRC’s event on March 24-25.
He plans to contest the certainly a step up from the l The regulations have

Classic Touring Car Racing Civic Type R I raced last year.” been released for the 50th
Club’s Blue Oval Saloon Series At the start of the day Breck anniversary celebration of the
as well as some Classic Sports was crunching the gears when Ford Escort at Brands Hatch
DUNLOP

Car Club events. changing down, but he solved on September 23. They are
The structural engineer the problem by swapping his available at hscc.org.uk.

66 MARCH 1 2018
 OPINION/CLUB AUTOSPORT

Boom or bust?
The influx of star names into British GT promises a great spectacle,
but the effect on the series’ long-term health may not be so positive
By Robert Ladbrook, Special Contributor
@LaddersMN

WELL, IT CERTAINLY IS SHAPING UP TO BE A to try to attract more teams and drivers, presenting the
‘super season’ after all, and I’m not just referring to the image that in order to be competitive an amateur driver
World Endurance Championship. is now essentially forced to splash out for a proven
This year’s British GT Championship looks like it will factory-backed team-mate isn’t ideal.
be an absolute cracker. I’ve covered the series for a decade I’ve seen it already this year. We’ve had teams signing
and I can safely say I’ve never seen an entry list harbouring promising Bronze-Silver-graded Pro-Am partnerships,
the quality and strength in depth that’s evident this year. only for the Silver driver to be changed once the entry list
Five Aston Martin factory drivers will do double duty became ever-more populated by factory-associated Gold
this year in both British GT and the WEC. The reason for and Platinum-graded names.
this is twofold. Firstly, the WEC’s decision to switch to That’s not a good thing for either the future of the
its 13-month superseason calendar – to incorporate two championship or the future of GT3. In the short term,
editions of the Le Mans 24 Hours into a single world British GT is set to boast one of the best fields it has
championship – means there are only five rounds in ever had, but with the downside that we could be on
2018. That leaves a lot of top-quality drivers hanging the verge of a dangerous arms race that could potentially
around, and what better place to put them than one do more damage than good.
of the longest-established national GT championships? Regardless of the GT3 division, GT4 is again booming.
British GT’s Pro-Am format is also perfect for factory And I’ve long had the opinion that even if GT3 did go
drivers needing extra mileage. It allows AMR to place under, GT4 is now a ready-made headline replacement.
its stars alongside a funded amateur driver. And this has Back when the class started 10 years ago, it was no
the benefit of boosting comparison to the
the championship profile
while also allowing the “When one class becomes fire-breathing, dramatic
GT3s that drew in the

unsustainable, the lower

drivers in question to crowds. But look how
stay sharp at a fraction things have changed.
of the cost to the factory A quick glance
that running, say, a Pro
team in the Blancpain
one steps up to fill the gap” down this year’s
entry shows McLaren,
categories would. Aston Martin, Mercedes,
Add to that the fact that the venerable Vantage GT3 is due Jaguar, BMW, Nissan, and of course the venerable Ginettas.
to be replaced at the end of this year by a new turbocharged GT racing is cyclical. When one class becomes financially
model. The Vantage has won more races and more titles in unsustainable, the lower one steps up to fill the void.
Britain than anywhere else, and AMR factory team Prodrive Remember when GT1 faltered and GT2 became the answer?
already attends each round with parts and technical support Then when GT2 went pop, GT3 was ready and waiting.
for its customers. Hence the very compelling reason AMR It’s the same situation now, and GT4 has come a long way
had to choose British GT and attempt to go all out to give from the eclectic little collection of KTMs and Ginettas it used
the Vantage one final hurrah. to be. It now has prestigious brands, and many models that are
Surely it’s win-win for all concerned? Hopefully it is, but true scaled-down GT3 cars anyway. And there are some really
these are still dangerous times for GT3 racing in Britain, and great up-and-coming drivers involved as more and more rising
let’s hope this is not one last hurrah for the class as a whole. stars switch their attentions from single-seaters and towards
Last year the grid slumped to 10 cars at Donington Park GT4, where opportunities are readily available.
and, even though the quality this season is extremely high, From a fan perspective, you’re still watching a McLaren,
numbers are still likely to be down in the mid-teens. regardless of how big its rear wing is. Plus, if the racing is
While this host of star names – and it’s not just confined close and competitive, would you even notice the lack of those
to Aston Martins: we also have McLaren factory ace Rob Bell extra fins or the couple of extra horses that go with a GT3?
and Mercedes man Yelmer Buurman among many great series It’s going to be a big year for British GT, one that will
regulars – is fantastic for interest in the series, it can also be potentially alter its landscape forever. But, whatever
incredibly intimidating for any potential newcomers. At a time the future, let’s just enjoy what will undoubtedly be
when British GT3 needs to be shouting about its accessibility a superb spectacle this season.

MARCH 1 2018 67
 Is Ginetta Junior
facing an unlucky year?
With two of its most successful teams absent, the category faces a gap
at the top of its pecking order – and it’s not clear who will fill it

By Stephen Lickorish, Special Contributor

T
@sdlickorish

hirteen – it’s the Winter Series at the end of last term, The Ginetta Junior grid series while JHR’s conduct was
considered to be but now Ginetta has restricted teams to will look very different investigated, following earlier accusations
an unlucky number running no more than six. without entries from of engine tampering that were thrown
JHR Developments
for some. It’s also “We’ve brought that in to prevent out by the National Court. Probably
and HHC Motorsport
the total, at the any one team gaining an unfair advantage more significant is the absence of HHC
time of writing, by having too many cars,” explains Ginetta Motorsport – the standard bearer in
of confirmed motorsport manager Ash Gallagher. the series for the past five years.
Ginetta Junior “Six was chosen because, in our HHC has decided to prioritise its
entries for this experience, teams have been able to commitments further up the racing ladder
year. Since the first round is still a month comfortably run six cars.” as it expands into Europe. With the two
away, that’s a decent if not stellar number The reason for Elite’s current position top teams out – and Douglas Motorsport
for the series to boast at this stage. In fact, of pre-eminence is simple. The series is considering withdrawing too – it’s
it’s the highest of the five British Touring currently undergoing major changes in no wonder that Elite boss Eddie Ives
Car Championship support series. its team line-up, and two of the most describes 2018 as the start of a new era.
But looking beyond that headline successful squads in the category’s history But Gallagher remains unconcerned.
figure, 13 could have less advantageous won’t be participating this year. “It’s always been the way with the top
auguries for Ginetta Junior. Of those 13, It’s certainly no surprise that JHR teams,” he says. “When I started running
six – virtually half – are competing with Developments is not on the grid, it, Hillspeed were at the front of the
the same team: Elite Motorsport. following the scandal the team was championship along with TJ Motorsport
Elite has fielded even more than that in embroiled in last year. Ginetta banned and Tollbar and there was no HHC or JHR.
the past. It ran an incredible eight cars in the team from competing in any of its Then those guys retired or moved on, and

68 MARCH 1 2018
 SERIES INSIGHT/CLUB AUTOSPORT

GINETTA JUNIOR ENTRY LIST

DRIVER TEAM

Adam Smalley Elite Motorsport

Greg Johnson Elite Motorsport
Fin Green Elite Motorsport
Jonny Wilkinson Elite Motorsport*
Louis Foster Elite Motorsport*
James Hedley Elite Motorsport*
Luke Browning Richardson Racing
James Taylor Richardson Racing*
Emily Linscott Richardson Racing*
Ruben Del Sarte TCR
Patrick Kibble TCR*
Jamie Osborne WDE Motorsport*
Tom Emson privateer*

* Rookie drivers

now they [HHC] are moving on to other opportunity for us. I think it’s exciting.
things too. It’s just a cycle really – but You’ve got the guys from Westbourne
I can see without those teams on the looking at it too and that gives confidence
grid it will look very different.” for us that they’re interested.
Elite is now the only race-winning “We want to do it the right way and
squad from 2017 to have confirmed it not have hundreds of drivers to start with.
is competing again this year, so no wonder We’d like another driver, because two
the team is attracting significant numbers. always helps, and then build from there.”
But while Ives was encouraged by the But it’s not just on the team roster that
handling of the JHR situation last term, the series is experiencing a big change.
he is saddened by HHC’s departure. The driver line-up will be quite different
“We had the JHR stuff last year and too. Of the 13 signed up so far, only five
I think it’s good for the championship contested the full season in 2017. And
what happened there,” he says. “It’s between them, they achieved just one
frustrating that HHC are leaving – when podium, scored by last year’s Winter
I joined Ginetta Junior they were always Series champion Adam Smalley. While
the benchmark you were comparing he enters the season as the undoubted
yourself with. So it’s a bit of a shame.” Gallagher adds: “Drivers see it like Elite Motorsport, now favourite, it’s not immediately clear
In HHC’s place, a number of teams they have got to go with the established one of the top teams in who his main rivals will be.
are returning or joining the series, team. But new teams means drivers the series, is running No driver has ever claimed the title in
six cars this year
including Total Control Racing and WDE coming in from different areas and their first season of the category but, if a
Motorsport, squads that have achieved teams that have different contacts. I driver is likely to challenge for the crown
success in the Renault UK Clio Cup. don’t think this year will be any less in their sophomore campaign, you would
Ives still believes the championship exciting in terms of the racing.” still expect them to have already achieved
is in good shape. “It’s good to see it’s WDE is exactly the sort of team that the odd podium. So it’s reasonable to
attracting new teams – but I don’t think Ginetta Junior needs to fill the void. And conclude that there is a gap at the front
it [which teams are competing] really team boss Wayne Eason certainly believes in terms of drivers, not just teams.
affects the drivers as they will want to there is a gap at the top of the series. It’s unfortunate that all of these factors
come through the series anyway,” he “I think it’s similar to Clios – I don’t have combined at the same time. It seems
says. “We were in the right place at think we’ve got a good enough batch of Ginetta Junior will need some good
the right time – we’ve done it for teams in the paddock,” he says. “Which is fortune soon – perhaps if the drivers
a few years and have done well.” why I see it [Ginetta Junior] as a good can make their own luck?

MARCH 1 2018 69
W H AT ’ S O N
FINISHING STRAIGHT

When F1
designed
diversity
THE 1970S WAS A BEAUTIFUL
decade for Formula 1, during which,
seemingly paradoxically, homogeneity
spawned diversity. The ubiquity of
the Ford/Cosworth DFV engine and
Hewland gearbox – off-the-shelf
hardware that was relatively cheap and
second to none in performance – led to by-decade trawl through the highways The start of the ’72 round, with nine expected by the end of
a proliferation of teams. Some of them and byways of F1, but you can bet it will South African Grand the year, like it was a spooky presaging
Prix shows off the
used second-hand cars bought from be by far the most colourful, eclectic… of Team Hard’s modus operandi in
grid’s differing design
works teams, but the majority turned and downright eccentric. philosophies (above), modern-day tin-top racing.
constructor – because they could. Unlike the single-year ‘biographies’ of while the image below In fact, no more than five BRMs ever
Those were the days when an F1 by Mark Hughes, in which the trends shows one BRM team appeared, and such was the shambles of
Autosport preview to a grand prix of the time are re-examined with the but two chassis on the team – save Jean-Pierre Beltoise’s
track at the ’72 Italian
provided previously undiscovered benefit of the knowledge we have today, Grand Prix as Ganley
astonishing Monaco win – that a two-
nuggets as to whom the field would Higham’s method is to delve into the (22) and Beltoise car effort probably would have been
comprise on the coming weekend. nooks and crannies mostly of period do battle. more advisable.
Readers would genuinely not know reportage – in Autosport, Motorsport The treat here is seeing colour photos
until newsagents opened on Thursdays (Motoring) News, Autocourse and Motor of all the driver/car combinations – in
whether ‘McLarens [sic] will run a third Sport, while using the phenomenal LAT
car for Giacomelli’, or if Nelson Piquet archive. The result is a series of gems
was slated to do an F1 race on Sunday hitherto lost in the mists of time.
before dashing back to Mallory Park or Take Jacky Ickx’s reasons for
somewhere on a Bank Holiday Monday switching his personal sponsorship for
to race his Ralt RT1 in Formula 3. 1972 from Kent to Marlboro “not for the
That’s why Formula 1 Car by Car 1970- money, but because I think it is a better
79, produced by Evro Publishing and cigarette”. Or, to continue the Marlboro
written by former Autosport publisher theme, BRM’s assertion for the same
Peter Higham, is so appealing. It’s the year that it would enter a minimum of
second instalment in Higham’s decade- six cars for each world championship

70 MARCH 1 2018
READ HOT ON THE WEB THIS WEEK
AUTOSPORT
ON THE SOME RULES IN F1 NEVER CHANGE
MOVE Search for Best Of: Unofficial Rules Of F1
We’ve now seen all of 2018’s new cars on track, and
DOWNLOAD IT had to employ the Richter scale to measure the levels
NOW FROM of halo-rage, so as an alternative upcoming-season
appetite-whetter Formula 1’s official channel offers
autosport.com
this round-up of grand prix racing’s unofficial rules.

NEXT WEEK
F1 TESTING REPORT
All the stories from the
first pre-season test

DUNBAR/LAT
I N T E R N AT I O N A L
MOTORSPORT
FORMULA E Australia
Rd 4/10 March 3-4
Mexico City, Mexico TV Live Motorsport.tv,
March 3 Saturday, Sunday 0430
TV Live 5Spike,
Saturday 2130. NASCAR CUP
Eurosport 2, Saturday 2145 Rd 3/36
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
AUSTRALIAN SUPERCARS March 4
Rd 1/16 TV Live Premier Sports,
Adelaide, South Australia, Sunday 2000

the case of BRM in 1972, that means RAM Brabham privateer team of 1976. FORMULA E MEXICO
Beltoise, Howden Ganley and Peter Every driver/car model that started a
Gethin in both P160 and P180 models, world championship race is pictured. If
Bill Brack and Brian Redman in P180, we’re going to nitpick in any way about
Alex Soler-Roig and Jackie Oliver in this £50 tome, it’s that non-qualifying
P160, and Reine Wisell and Helmut combinations don’t make the cut. It
Marko (yes, that one) in P160 and P153. would be great, for example, to see Loris
That’s 14 driver/car combinations Kessel’s Apollon of 1977 – a rebodied
for one team in a single season of F1 old Williams from the days before
(and that’s not counting the non- Williams cars were any good – or the
championship races). Chequered Flag Brabham, twice non-
Each team is given a technical qualified by Ian Ashley at the end of ’74.
and driver line-up summary, plus But it’s a worthy effort and deserving
sponsorship where relevant, but to of investigation. Even if you’re too
this writer it’s not the Lotuses, Ferraris, young to have been around during that
Tyrrells etc of this flared-trousered era, remember the cliche frequently
retro world that are this book’s main propounded by old fogies that “you
appeal. Instead, it’s the obscure, such could’ve painted all the cars white and
as the Connew, the concurrent Tecno still distinguish which was which”.
projects, the Trojan and the Kauhsen – Then look at this weird, wonderful and
not to mention the beautiful Kojima – sometimes outlandish collection of
STALEY/LAT

or the stories of everyone to have tried weaponry and realise that’s true.
to qualify for a GP in the ill-starred MARCUS SIMMONS

MARCH 1 2018 71
FROM THE
ARCHIV E
Niki Lauda qualified
his BRM P160E an
impressive sixth for
the 1973 Monaco
Grand Prix, and ran
as high as third before
gearbox trouble forced
him out on lap 25. This
race also marked the
grand prix debut, for
Hesketh Racing, of
Lauda’s future title
rival James Hunt
(March-Cosworth 731).

latimages.com
@latimages
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74 MARCH 1 2018
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 REMEMBERING
R I C H A R D L L OY D
T H E R E M A R K A B L E S TO RY O F
A M OTO R S P O R T P I O N E E R

NEW COLUM NISTS

MARK WILLIAMS LUCAS DI GRASSI

HOW TO WORK THE CASE FOR
WITH YOUR AN AUTOMATED
ENGINEER
NGINEER WARNING SYSTEM
 C O N T E N TS

ABBOTT/LAT
Lloyd was the key
figure behind Bentley’s
winning return to Le Mans

0 4 N EWS
Industry update The latest developments
in the world of motorsport engineering

0 6 EXPE RT VI EW
How to work with your engineer Resident
columnist Mark Williams shares his top tips

1 0 DR IVI N G CHAN G E
Automated warning systems Formula E
champion Lucas di Grassi presents the case

KARLA GOWLETT
1 2 R I C HAR D LLOYD
Remembering a pioneer We pay tribute
to one of motorsport’s big movers

AUTOSPORT ENGINEERING 2 0 LO LA
Something in the wind Why a windtunnel
REMEMBERING A could hold the key to the marque’s comeback

M OTO R S P O RT P I O N E E R 2 2 MAH I N D RA
Formula E success story How the Indian
squad is beating FE’s big boys on merit
t would no doubt amuse true sportscar fan at heart, if Lloyd were
S I G MA G P
I
Richard Lloyd greatly to still around today, you could picture him 2 8

discover that a tribute to taking a keen interest in the manufacturer Unraced revolutionary The little-known
him would be running in revolution sweeping Formula E at present. tale of Pininfarina’s pioneering F1 car
Autosport’s Engineering Porsche and Mercedes are the latest names
supplement. You see, Lloyd confirmed to join Renault, Audi, BMW and 3 2 B I O M ETR I CS
– who was killed in a plane crash in March Jaguar, yet, as Scott Mitchell explains on page Signalling the future The F1 innovation that
2008 – was not an engineer and never professed 22, the team that’s doing the best job is plucky few people are talking about could save lives
to be one, having come into motorsport from a Indian squad Mahindra. From the eighth best
background in music production and PR. team in season one, it has developed at an 3 4 B E AN E N G I N E E R
So why the engineering connection? impressive rate to become one of the leading Christian Dick Speedworks BTCC boss
It’s simple. Lloyd was a pioneer, in the contenders this term, with Felix Rosenqvist explains how you can make it as an engineer
true sense of the word, who compensated currently sitting second in the points.
for the performance disadvantage his One who won’t be enjoying the team’s rise
privateer Porsche 956 faced against is Audi’s Lucas di Grassi, who has endured
the works cars in the World Sportscar a tough start to his title defence. But he’s
Championship by getting creative not been sitting around feeling sorry for
on aero and even commissioning a himself. In the first of a regular series of
honeycomb monocoque to accept the columns, Driving Change, he outlines his
EBREY/LAT

existing engine-and-gearbox package. vision for an automated cockpit-warning

The spirit of ingenuity he fostered system. I’m sure it will provoke debate!
allowed those around him to thrive
and enjoy their racing – Jonathan
SUB-EDITORS Peter Hodges, Marcus Simmons
Palmer goes as far as comparing
the team atmosphere to 1970s CONTRIBUTORS Mark Williams, Lucas di Grassi,
Kevin Turner, Scott Mitchell, Tom Errington,
playboys Hesketh – and the
Phillip Horton, Matt James
queue of famous faces that JAMES NEWBOLD
responded to pay tribute ENGINEERING ART EDITOR Lynsey Elliott

is telling of the huge EDITOR SENIOR DESIGNER Michael Cavalli

void he left behind. james.newbold@autosport.com ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Don Rupal

Although he was a @james_newbold email don.rupal@motorsport.com

autosport.com AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING 0 3

 JEP/LAT
P O R S C H E AN D AU D I I N EV C O L L A B O R A T I O N
Working closely on Premium Platform Electric road-car project
reduces development costs for former LMP1 rivals

Volkswagen Group sister brands Audi and Porsche this year, will invest more than €6 billion in first all-electric production models. Audi’s e-tron and
are working closely to advance the rate of electric electromobility by 2022, focusing on both Porsche’s Mission E concepts will be commercially
vehicles entering the market in a newly created plug-in hybrids and purely electric models. available in the next 18 months.
joint architecture, with the first vehicles produced “If we had to cope with the challenges ahead on It is unclear how the collaboration will impact upon
under the collaboration expected by 2021. our own, the costs would be around 30% higher,” the motorsport activities of the German premium
Called Premium Platform Electric (PPE), the project says Porsche CEO Oliver Blume. “In order for brands ahead of Porsche’s entry to Formula E from
currently has around 550 employees from Audi and electromobility to succeed, more and more the 2020-21 season. Porsche and Audi are the two
300 from Porsche working two days per week alongside factors have to be in sync. These especially most successful manufacturers in the history of the
their existing commitments, with more set to be added include attractive products with long ranges, Le Mans 24 Hours, with Porsche securing a record-
to their number. Audi is taking the lead on two of the short charging times, and high customer value. breaking 19th win last year before withdrawing from
planned three models, with Porsche overseeing the third. If we can offer this, the market will accelerate.” the World Endurance Championship to join former
Porsche, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary Both manufacturers are currently working on their LMP1 sparring partner Audi in FE.

SILVERSTONE TECHNOLOGY to applications in different sectors and would be among

CLUSTER HOSTS CONFERENCE those to benefit from any resulting partnerships.
The Silverstone Technology Cluster (STC) hosted its Nearly 40 companies operating within motorsport
first annual conference in January, with Heathrow are now part of the Cluster, based at Silverstone Park.
Airport and chemical giant DowDuPont among CEO Pim van Baarsen said: “Just 12 months after
the visitors invited to learn about the Cluster’s the STC was launched, our very first annual conference
engineering capabilities. has proven that the Cluster is really working in terms of
STC members with strong motorsport links being able to promote the capabilities of the companies.
including RML, Delta Motorsport, KW Special “We have been delighted with the presentations and
Projects and TotalSim attended the conference the feedback. It is clear that some very exciting new
to showcase how their skills could be applied relationships will be formed as a result.”

0 4 AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING autosport.com

 N E WS

IN BRIEF

COSWO RTH WE I G H I N G U P Bruce Wood, Cosworth’s managing director of B RAB HAM’S N EW C HAPTE R
I N DYCAR E N G I N E PR OJ ECT powertrains, told Autosport that talks with IndyCar One of motorsport’s most famous names
Renowned engine specialist Cosworth is interested had taken place, but said the company would need is set to return in 2018, after the new
in becoming a power-unit supplier in IndyCar and is support from an OEM to fund the project. Brabham Automotive project was
currently in talks with the series. “We have a fantastic motor-racing heritage and announced in February. Ex-grand prix driver
IndyCar is actively trying to add a third manufacturer Cosworth is keen to go top-flight racing again with David Brabham will lead the project, which
alongside Honda and Chevrolet, with the two existing the right OEM partner,” he said. “We’re constantly will be officially launched in May. The news
companies supporting the series’ push. in talks with people in IndyCar. You can do it very comes after the crowd-funded ‘Project
Cosworth has not supplied an engine in top-line US economically, compared to other categories.” Brabham’ failed to gain an entry for the
open-wheel racing since the demise of Champ Car in IndyCar president of competitions and operations World Endurance Championship in 2016.
2008 (above), although its electronics arm recently Jay Frye has stated that a third manufacturer would
signed a four-year deal to supply steering wheels have to make its plans clear by the summer of 2018 R I CAR D O I N U N I T I E- U P
for the revised Dallara IR12. to join as early as ’20. Engineering consultancy Ricardo will
collaborate with the Centre for Automotive
& Power System Engineering (CAPSE) at the
University of South Wales on battery systems
TR I PLE E I G HT PARTN E R S research and development . CAPSE director
WITH WI RTH R ES EAR C H Jonathan Williams said: “Ricardo will bring
Triple Eight Race Engineering and Wirth Research valuable industrial experience of the
are working together to develop the next- development of electric-vehicle systems,
generation Holden Commodore that will race in and we look forward to working with them.”
the Australian Supercar championship next year.
The involvement of Nick Wirth’s consultancy AS I 2019 DATE C O N F I R M E D
on the Holden, which will feature a new V6 Autosport International will return to the
twin-turbocharged engine and aerodynamic NEC in Birmingham next year on January
M IA B U S I N ESS EXC E LLE N C E modifications, marks the first time computational 10-13. The show welcomed 95,000
AWAR D FO R PR O D R IVE fluid dynamics has been used in Supercars. motorsport fans through its doors in
Prodrive scooped the top prize at the annual Motorsport It also marks Wirth’s first exploits in touring car 2018, an increase of 12% over last year.
Industry Association (MIA) Business Excellence Awards racing, having previously developed the Acura
in January, as the company won Business of the Year. ARX-01 LMP2 car and Honda’s IndyCar aerokit. G I N ETTA SCHOOL SU PPORT
The Banbury-based operation, which employs more Triple Eight managing director Roland Dane British sportscar manufacturer Ginetta will
than 500 people, ran the Aston Martin Racing team to said: “Our relationship with Wirth Research has support a team of five students (below) from
victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2017 and took the proved to be an invaluable aspect of the next-gen St Peter’s School in York in the upcoming F1
300th race or rally win of its operational history in the Commodore development and has brought us in Schools competition. The students will
World Endurance Championship at Austin in Texas. industry-leading levels of expertise. Geographical design and build a vehicle to race against
Prodrive chief operating officer Tim Colchester (above, factors, such as the time difference between other schools from around the world.
right) said: “2017 was a very successful year for us, not Brisbane and the UK, haven’t been an issue at Ginetta boss Lawrence Tomlinson said:
only in terms of how we performed on the track, but how all and Wirth Research’s support has gone “Getting young people excited about
we performed commercially too. Receiving this accolade above and beyond expectations.” engineering and all the career options it offers
from your peers in the British motorsport industry is as them through platforms like F1 in Schools is
important as winning on the race track or rally stage.” vital for the industry’s future prosperity.”
Among the other category winners were specialist
component manufacturer Titan, which received the
MIA Small Business of the Year Award, World Rally
champion M-Sport (Team of the Year), McLaren Applied
Technologies (Technology & Innovation Award), the
RML Group (New Markets Award), Goodridge (Export
Achievement Award) and the National College for
Motorsport (Service to the Industry Award).

autosport.com AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING 0 5

 E X P E R T V I E W
M A R K W I L L I A M S

H O W TO W O R K W I T H
YO U R E N G I N E E R

The ex-McLaren Formula 1 engineer explains what drivers

should and should not do to help improve their car

o now you have a race will predict this quite accurately. It won’t go

S
engineer. Great, they can quicker unless you find more power or more
sort out your car and make aerodynamic efficiency or reduce its weight.
it perfect! In principle that Before you arrive at the circuit, the
is correct, but not without simulation will tell you the optimum level
a lot of help from the of downforce to run for the anticipated level
driver. So what should you do? of grip. The race-engineering challenge is to
Basic race engineering isn’t difficult: fit achieve the car’s true level of pace and not
the right tyres at the right pressures at the make the car slower than this.
right time, make sure it doesn’t run out of You start by assuming low circuit grip.
fuel or finish the race underweight. The first session of an event or the first run
The more difficult bit is trying to achieve of a test is generally of limited value, as the
a desirable balance. The difference between grip is so low that finding a good balance is
getting the basics right and doing a first-class difficult and quite often it can send you in RULE 1
job is huge. The harder you both work at it, the wrong direction. M AK E YO U R F E E D BACK C O N CI S E
the more successful you will be. Use this session to check everything is I’ve been lucky to work with more drivers than
Remember, race engineers do not make working properly and get your tyre pressures I have time to list. All my early race engineering
cars faster. The pace of the car was set the right. Towards the end of the session, as experience was with foreign drivers with limited
moment it left the factory. A race car will the track cleans up, you’ll be able to start English, so communication wasn’t easy.
achieve a lap time based on its mass, power tuning the set-up in terms of trying to Doing Formula 3000 with Lola Motorsports in
and downforce. In fact, a good simulation achieve that utopian balance. 1986, our driver Pascal Fabre didn’t speak much
English and we didn’t have driver-crew radios.
In qualifying at Silverstone, I stood in front of
the car converting survirage (oversteer) and
ETHERINGTON/LAT

sousvirage (understeer) – which sound alike when

shouted through a driver’s visor – into charades,
then pointing to the front wing, the sky and the
pitlane. He pointed up, so he got two holes of
front wing, went out and put it on pole.
I would often dream of engineering a fellow
English speaker, where no stone would be left
unturned. That was until I worked with a few
and realised what a major advantage that lack
of communication had been! It forces the driver
to be concise and prioritise their requirements.
The encyclopaedia of car handling isn’t going
to cut it in the middle of practice or qualifying
because I don’t have the bandwidth or time
to process all that metre-by-metre balance
information. Save it for the post-session debrief,
when I will have plenty of time to study it.
During the session, keep it simple. At the end of
each run, quickly figure out where you are losing

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 E X P E R T V I E W

COATES/LAT
the most time and From left: Lewis If race engineering was as simple as I wrote where the ball won’t bounce until it’s hot and
try to prioritise what Hamilton and at the beginning of this piece, life would be you can’t hit it properly until it bounces.
you want fixed; keep chief race engineer logical and easy. Unfortunately, it rarely is. Lack of tyre temperature means you can’t
Andrew Shovlin
it to a couple of things. The job is often about engineering around lean on the car and that means you can’t
celebrate at Spa;
If you are satisfied the car’s shortfalls and deficiencies. generate tyre temperature. That’s why the key
giving precise
with the handling feedback and If all the information you had was genuine, aspect of race engineering is getting a good
in certain corners, prioritising the main this would allow logical progress to be made, balance, and following the track evolution
mention that too as issues can avoid but often poor information makes it more and weather (wind direction) to maintain it.
it helps the engineer delays; patience confusing. Probably the most common piece of I prefer to start my cold pressures on the
to figure out a plan. with tyres is key misinformation is that aeromap you were given, high side to try to guarantee that I’m always
extrapolated from too few data points and having bleeding the pressure down rather than adding.
RULE 2 little resemblance to the actual aero-balance shift It also means the car has some support on its
AVOI D TH E T R A P S with ride-height, pitch and yaw. One of the main first run. If you do have to add air, my rule of
Probably the most common trap you will challenges of the job is engineering around these thumb is add half what you need to achieve
encounter is the ‘understeer trap’. You come issues, applying various sticking plasters that are your target. Try to adjust your cold pressures
in and complain about understeer, so the often counterintuitive. Then there are mechanical so you expect to perform a uniform bleed on
mechanical balance is moved rearwards shortfalls that are usually related to component all four tyres – it makes mistakes less likely.
and maybe some front wing is added. You go stiffness, or rather the lack of it. This can be
out and come back complaining that it’s worse. anything from chassis stiffness to toe stiffness.
Fundamentally, this car is unstable on
corner entry. You are having to wait until RULE 3
the rear feels secure before turning in. When B EWA R E O F TH E T YR E S
you finally do, it’s so late you’ve missed the Tyres are your only contact with the ground,
apex and are probably way over the top of so be patient and don’t attempt any set-up
the front tyre. Hence your main comment changes until the pressures have stabilised
being one of too much understeer, no to target. Tyre pressures have a huge impact
mention that you are terrified to turn into on the balance and feel of your car. Getting
S BLOXHAM/LAT

the corner! Always remember to focus on the temperature right is the next important
the primary balance issue, not the secondary thing, but you have less direct control over
one caused by the primary one. this. It’s like playing squash on a cold court

autosport.com AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING 0 7

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 E X P E R T V I E W

RULE 4 a whole new car that Above: Williams extension to a test day? Start on time; how hard
M AK E S M A LL C H A N G E S may still be terrible. engineered can it be? The same applies to meetings. People
Don’t expect every change to be a miracle cure If it’s that bad, Coulthard don’t like to be kept waiting – it’s disruptive.
for your balance issues. Sometimes engineers check that the set-up at McLaren;
below:
just have to get another data point to work from. has been correctly RULE 6
punctuality
Your relationship should be good enough for implemented. You’d D O N’ T G ET CA R R I E D AWAY BY DATA
is a virtue at
your engineer to be frank about this. After all, be surprised how team meetings When I started, the only pieces of data were
there are quite often multiple solutions. This often set-up mistakes tie-wraps on the damper shafts (no kerbing
is why F1 teams run their driver-in-the-loop happen, even in F1. And on this lap please!) and the tell-tale on the rev
simulator between sessions to feed back to the if the change you’ve just counter. The driver would tell you the revs
engineering team their recommended solutions. made doesn’t deliver, go back. Don’t carry he was pulling to help set ratios and see where
Simulation can be a huge help, but remember forward a non-performance-enhancing change. the set-up gains had been found – that was it.
it’s not perfect. At the end of the day, your In the late 1980s, I remember testing Pi
engineer is responsible for engineering a RULE 5 Research’s prototype datalogger with founder
physical car, not an imperfect model. B E P U NCTUAL Tony Purnell at Pembrey. Suddenly the world of
It seems obvious, but the closer the car is to When your engineer says the pitlane opens at race engineering had changed forever. Now, each
a good balance, the smaller the set-up changes 0900, they really mean the car will leave the outing of the car generates megabytes of data to
need to be. If the engineer makes sweeping garage for its installation lap then. So you need to digest. But in spite of the huge amount of data
package changes the driver has to relearn the be in the car by 0855 all ready to go, not finishing that is downloaded from the car at the end of
car. That’s one for the test day or simulator, a coffee at the back of the garage. The team has each run, the most often-used chart is the driver
not pre-race practices. In my opinion, the worked very hard to prepare that car and you overlay. That’s the driver’s tool – stick with that
car would have to be undriveable before you owe it to them to be ready to do your bit. Don’t and leave your engineer to do the deep-dive stuff
consider this, so avoid being talked into it at keep them waiting – track time is precious, when you’ve gone for dinner. Drivers drive and
all costs because knowing the limitations of especially if the installation lap identifies an geeks do data. Keep it that way.
the car you have can be better than learning issue. And how many times have you sought an
RULE 7
LO OK AF T E R YO U R E N G I N E E R
COATES/LAT

I’ve always thought that race engineers are a

bit like doctors – bedside manner is key to
making you feel there is hope and it’ll be fine
come qualifying. This requires trust. The best
driver/engineer relationships are when they
are good mates and can talk about the car
anywhere and any time, openly and honestly.
There will always be tough times when you
can’t seem to get the car working, but this is
when you learn the most. Just stay calm and
be logical, keep everyone in the loop and dig
your way out. A fellow designer/race engineer
once told me: “The only thing you learn when
you are winning is how to smile.” ■

autosport.com AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING 0 9

 D R I V I N G C H A N G E
L U CA S D I G R A S S I

T H E CAS E F O R
A N AU TO M AT E D
WA R N I N G SYS T E M

COATES/LAT
Lucas di Grassi is best known hese days it’s so cheap and marshal or race director sees at a given moment

T
easy to get the position of – and a person can’t have full concentration
for his on-track exploits, but the
the car and what it is doing for hours in a row.
reigning Formula E champion on track, in every category My point is that we should be using this data,
and ex-Formula 1 driver has a from karting to Formula 1, the connectivity within the cars, the telemetry
that an automated driver system, to send and receive information on
keen engineering mind as well. warning system would be very easy to what the cars are doing. With GPS, you can
In this first instalment of his new implement. It’s almost like using big data – know the speed of the car and its position. With
making a race car an ‘Internet of Things’ device the accelerometer, you can know how quickly
Autosport Engineering column, he to make races safer by building big sets of data it decelerates. You can even compare previous
outlines his idea to bring racing’s and an algorithm to analyse them – to work data; take that lap by a driver and correlate it
out what is normal on any given lap of a with what the same driver did earlier. Then,
primitive driver-warning systems race track and what isn’t. if it’s slower for some reason, you know
into the 21st century, and help buy This kind of system would be especially something is happening – that the car has
useful in races that are not at a professional a problem – and you can inform the driver
back time that could be crucial level like F1 or Formula E, where the tracks behind straight away that a car is slowing down.
in avoiding serious accidents are designed by the FIA and the marshals If a car touches a wall and generates a
are instructed more professionally. In other spike of g-force, the algorithm can send that
categories, you have a much more complex information to the cars behind to say, ‘Look,
situation because normally the marshals are that car has crashed’. That way, as soon as
volunteers and the race director is semi- you’re approaching the corner you know it’s
professional. You rely on these people to inform a caution – you could have a light in the cockpit
the driver about what’s happening. This has a or on the steering-wheel that works the same
cost, plus a downside in the form of delay; and as when marshals bring out the yellow flags or
as a driver, you are operating within what the double-waved yellows when there’s an incident.
The only difference is the system can react
without the interference of humans.
In doing so, you don’t have the time delay
and it isn’t expensive to operate – in club racing
it could be a solution to reduce cost and improve
safety. Of course, I’m not talking about a system
that brakes the car automatically or stops the
car completely by itself – it should still be up
to the driver to decide what they have to do.
It’s just to inform the driver automatically
about what’s happening on track.
The pile-up in the GT race at Macau last
year was unavoidable because it happened too
quickly, and there wasn’t time for anyone close
to the initial contact to react. You can’t even
see the marshals’ flags on that corner – it’s a
super-narrow part of the circuit where you are
AUDI

focused on the car in front, so it takes too long

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 D R I V I N G C H A N G E

L U CAS D I G R AS S I
C V H I G H L I G H TS
Age 33
2017-18 Formula E with Audi Sport Abt
2016-17 Formula E champion with
Abt Audi Sport (2 wins,
7 podiums, 3 poles)
2016 2nd in World Endurance
Championship with Audi
(2 wins, 6 podiums, 3 poles)
2015-16 2nd in FE with Abt Audi Sport
(3 wins, 7 podiums)
2015 4th in WEC with Audi (1 podium)
2014-15 3rd in FE with Abt Audi Sport
(1 win, 6 podiums)
2014 4th in WEC with Audi (4 podiums)
2013 Selected Audi LMP1 entries:
3rd in Le Mans 24 Hours
2nd in Sebring 12 Hours
2012 Third on Audi LMP1 debut
2010 Formula 1 with Virgin Racing
to realise if there is a Left: Di Grassi’s 2006-09 GP2 (5 wins, 21 podiums, 1 pole)
problem on the road return to Macau 2005 Macau Grand Prix winner with
ahead. But for the guys last year was all Manor, 3rd in Euro F3 (1 win,
behind, an automatic too brief thanks to 6 podiums, 2 poles)
a multi-car shunt;
system would have
above: automated
given more time and
in-car systems
might have helped could complement
two or three not marshals in the
crash at the back. event of an incident
That’s an example of a
crash that couldn’t be
avoided but could have been made less serious.
Another crash that has become, sadly, iconic
is what happened with Billy Monger, when a car
stopped on the racing line in front of him in a
position where he was unsighted. He couldn’t
avoid it and crashed into him. That’s the sort
of situation where a slow car on track would
have immediately triggered a white light in the
cockpit of the cars behind. That doesn’t mean
he would have avoided the car, but at least he
would have been informed that there was a car
ahead that was travelling at a reduced speed.
And it might do that with another driver in the
future. It doesn’t guarantee anything, but it’s
an extra tool to get back precious seconds that
could make a huge difference. It doesn’t have
to be a light, it could be a series of beeps –
something that offers a different sound
into the driver’s ear, any sensory input.
It is exactly the same as the existing system
with marshals waving flags, but instead of
being subjected to human interpretation –
‘that car has spun, that car has crashed, I’m
going to put a flag out’ – it’s just analysing data
from the car and as soon as there is something
irregular, the system sends a notification to
the driver. Maybe in the future it could be
completely automated.
In the meantime we should still have a
race director, and of course we should still
have marshals. But we can complement that
AUDI

with technology. ■

autosport.com AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING 1 1

 R E M E M B E R I N G
R I C H A R D L L OY D
1 0 Y E A R S O N

Paying tribute to a motorsport pioneer and deal-maker,

who made a big contribution prior to his premature death in 2008
BY JA M E S N E W B O L D

t’s the dawn of a new age for era was just starting to build momentum and then repeated the trick with Porsche’s longer-

I
international sportscar racing. Porsche’s 956 was the car to have. One of the wheelbase 962. Three wins in eight seasons may
One manufacturer stands head first customer examples was bought by Richard not sound like much, but it was the inventive
and shoulders above the rest Lloyd’s giant-killing GTI Engineering operation, manner in which Lloyd’s crew went about its
in the top class, and decides to which turned the accepted model of what it racing that won him many admirers.
capitalise on its hegemony by meant to be a customer team on its head. His death in a plane crash in March 2008 –
setting up a customer programme. All goes to When the chips are down, successful people which also claimed ex-British Touring Car racer
plan at first, until one of the customers turns can adapt to the hand they are dealt, and Lloyd David Leslie, data engineer Chris Allarton and
up with extensive modifications and begins was a man who never knew when he was beaten. two pilots – robbed the motorsport community
upstaging the works team at its own game… Rarely on a level playing field with the works of a shining light, an entrepreneurial figure who
No, you haven’t missed a new chapter in the Rothmans cars, he sought to make up the had orchestrated Bentley’s return to Le Mans
history of the World Endurance Championship. difference with innovative bodywork revisions and achieved success in touring cars both as an
Instead, rewind 35 years to 1983, when the world and subsequently took the step of building owner and a driver during a career spanning 40
sportscar championship’s celebrated Group C a new monocoque, rebadged as a 956 GTI, years. Survived by wife Philippa and daughters

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 R I C H A R D L L OY D

“Richard was very

exciting to be with;
things were always
moving forward”
Clockwise from left:
Lloyd was a handy
racer; his affiliation
with the Golf GTI
spawned titles in
British Saloons;
guitarist John Oates
was among his many
music-industry friends

Sophie, Amy and Chloe, Richard Lloyd’s is a retirement in 1980 to race one of his Audi 80s very exciting to be with, things were always
story that is unlikely to be repeated. in the British Saloon Car Championship. But moving forward and he was somebody who
“It’s probably not an exaggeration to say that he was also a prolific talent-spotter who offered you just wanted to do your best for because
was just about the last time where somebody Formula 1 refugees Jan Lammers and Mauro Baldi you knew he was so committed – he was
could buy a complete car from the factory, a platform to earn factory seats with Jaguar and always pushing the boundaries.”
develop it and beat the factory,” says friend Mercedes respectively, gave sportscar debuts to
and automotive stylist Peter Stevens, a fixture Jonathan Palmer and Damon Hill, and plucked HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
on the pitwall throughout Lloyd’s Group C days. Guy Smith from obscurity to become a Le Mans A handy racer himself, Lloyd was prolific in the
“It’s something that you can’t imagine today, winner with Bentley in 2003. BSCC in the 1970s and drove a Chevrolet Camaro
whether it’s because of regulations or impetus. He was a man who made things happen and Z28 to seven outright victories in ’74-75 before
But it wasn’t because we had loads of money, was, as Palmer puts it, a man of “vision, dreams, notching up a hat-trick of class titles between
because absolutely Richard didn’t. Everything enthusiasm and ambition”, all while maintaining ’77-79 in a near-standard Volkswagen Golf GTI,
was very carefully thought out, he wasn’t the utmost integrity and manners. taking second overall in ’78. At this time, the
cavalier with the expectation of money for the “Richard was a very keen spotter of young Golf was barely established in the UK, but
following year in the way that some teams were. talent, no doubt because it could put a quick Lloyd’s exploits did much to change that.
There were no fancy hotels and all that stuff.” driver in his car but probably because it was “He called around with a Golf GTI road car
Formerly a music producer for Decca Records cheap as well!” Palmer says. that he’d just bought and he said, ‘Do you think
and with a background in PR, Lloyd’s eye was “He often struggled financially, but was this might make a racing car?’” remembers
never far from the publicity value, never more always really ambitious – he had dreams Stevens. “We went out for a tear around along
so than when he persuaded Stirling Moss out of and he made them happen. Richard was the North Circular and thought it could be

autosport.com AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING 1 3

“ It was like somebody
buying an LMP1 Audi
in today’s world!”

From left: Palmer and

Lammers won Brands
1000Km in 1984 with
unusual front wing;
Lloyd enjoys a well-
earned refreshment
after finishing second
at Le Mans in ’85

fun, so the two of us went to see a VW garage back, so we did a very simple manoeuvre Lammers achieved notoriety when he clashed
near Northampton and said, ‘Could we keep it of moving the gearbox, which meant the with pre-race favourite Jacky Ickx at Le Mans,
here and could you loan us some mechanics?’ driveshafts were level and we could run the but the team showed its true potential when
For the first few races, it had a rollcage and a car much lower. The fellows at Porsche said, Palmer took pole for the European Championship
seat in it and that was all.” ‘It won’t last a lap’, and then they wanted to round at Mugello, only for an engine vibration to
From those humble beginnings, Lloyd decided have a look underneath to see why they did! cost the car he shared with Derek Bell and rally
to set up on his own and opened a workshop “We had an interesting relationship with star Henri Toivonen a shot at victory.
selling GTI tuning parts, which gradually Jurgen Barth [head of Porsche’s motorsport GTI Engineering took a big step forward in
morphed into a race team. His success on track division] from that time, which went right becoming a regular frontrunner for 1984 and
resulted in a deal to run two Audi 80 GLEs for through the 956 and 962 as well.” ran second early on at Monza before suspension
1980, where he was joined in a second car by One of Lloyd’s early customers back at problems struck. Lammers and Palmer went
Moss. The year was largely a disappointment the tuning shop was then-British Formula 3 even better at Silverstone, leading the Rothmans
– Stevens recalls that the car was “a bit Championship leader Palmer. The pair got Porsches comfortably before a broken oil line
mysterious” to Moss, whose obsession with talking about racing together and won their class dropped them to fifth. But that poor luck
tyre pressures made little difference on a basic in the 1981 Tourist Trophy, marking the start of changed at Brands Hatch. As the event didn’t
front-wheel-drive car – and Lloyd moved on a lengthy relationship throughout the Group C count for Manufacturers points, the works cars
to the world sportscar championship for ’81 era that Palmer regards as the most impactful were sent ahead to the next round at Mosport,
to run a Porsche 924 GTR. of his driving career, both in terms of success but it’s doubtful they would have had an answer
“We did a lot of work on it, some of which and enjoyment. “It was a small-family-team for the Canon-liveried car anyway.
really bugged Porsche,” says Stevens. “It had atmosphere,” says Palmer. “We all used to meet The key was an ungainly wing bolted onto the
these funny triple-jointed driveshafts at the in the evenings at Richard’s house in Barnes nose section to improve downforce, tallied with
at Lonsdale Road, where his wife Philippa minor alterations to the rear diffuser – all
would feed us drinks and sandwiches as completely legal under the Group C regulations
we brainstormed through the night. – that meant Lammers and Palmer could achieve
“I still remember at the end of 1982 when strong lap times while running less turbo boost
Richard announced that he’d bought a 956 – and therefore using less fuel. Credit for the device,
we couldn’t believe it. It was like somebody originally a rear wing from an F3 car, is debated,
buying an LMP1 Audi in today’s world.” but there could be no debating the outcome.
Palmer took pole position, within a tenth of
M A K I N G WAV E S I N G R O U P C the time that had put him 23rd on the grid for
The team didn’t have to wait long for silverware, that year’s British Grand Prix, and converted
although a raft of updates for the works it into a stunning victory despite losing fifth
Rothmans Porsches after their shock defeat gear in the final hour. At the next round at Spa,
by Joest Racing at Monza – including more- most of the privateer cars were sporting their
powerful engines and improved front suspension own variations of the wing.
– meant third was often the best GTI could hope “It was an amazing time when, through our
for. Lammers and Thierry Boutsen did just that ideas and energy and being prepared to be
on the team’s second outing at Silverstone, entrepreneurial, we had a car that was half a
Palmer was a
regular in Lloyd’s
matched next time out at the farewell race for second quicker than anything else,” Palmer says.
cars during the ’80s the old Nurburgring with reigning F1 champion “It was a small team of ambitious, motivated,
Keke Rosberg joining Lammers and Palmer. hugely enthusiastic people that worked hard,

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 R I C H A R D L L OY D

partied hard and enjoyed ourselves. It was almost found the bulkhead was bending.” We redesigned the thing to our own spec.”
like a Hesketh story in a way, passionately After some persuasion from Palmer, Lloyd The 956 GTI special, complete with heavily
following a dream of trying to be successful took the plunge and commissioned Nigel Stroud revised front suspension, rounded out the year
and doing a pretty good job against the to design a new honeycomb monocoque that was with second at Imola and third at Sandown.
Goliaths of the factory teams.” both lighter and more structurally rigid than “Certainly it was stiffer and in many ways
the standard car. “Jonathan wrote a list of all the it handled stiffer; it wasn’t always a clear-cut
T H E P O R S C H E T H AT things that were wrong with the 956 [below] and advantage, but it was stronger,” says Palmer.
WAS N ’ T A P O R S C H E when you read it, you think, ‘What a horrible Lammers remained at the team, now known
GTI Engineering was now a proven winner, but car!’” says Stroud, who went on to design the as Richard Lloyd Racing, for the early part of 1985
Lloyd recognised the team would have to make 1991 Le Mans-winning Mazda 787B. but left to sign for Jaguar on the eve of Le Mans.
changes if it was to sustain its success. “Richard was a racer too, he wanted to go James Weaver was called up at late notice
“Porsche never put the 956 in a rolling-road faster and have more success, but it took him alongside Palmer and Lloyd – who was making
windtunnel, which is one of the reasons why a bit of time to commit. Every time Richard a rare appearance at the wheel of his own car –
the car suffered from that terrible porpoising,” saw anything that involved money, he cringed and they finished second, four laps ahead of the
says Stevens. “There were things that we knew because he could see it racking up and best of the works Porsches. With veteran team
weren’t good with the regular car, like the fact becoming an expensive exercise. manager Keith Greene calling the shots from the
that the front bulkhead was a single skin of “I think he was a bit peeved at paying all the pitwall, the 956 GTI enjoyed a tight battle with
aluminium. Jan discovered at Monza that it prices for spares from Porsche when you could the winning Joest Porsche until midnight, when
didn’t matter how hard you hit the brake pedal, cast and machine a lot of it yourself for that sort minor brake problems cost the team three laps.
you couldn’t lock the wheels, so we got him to of money – why go and buy a pair of uprights The winning margin? Three laps…
stamp on the pedal back at the workshop and that you know you don’t like the geometry of? “If it hadn’t been for that, I think we

From left: Palmer

identifies areas of
improvement for
the 956; oil-line
failure denied
likely win at
Silverstone in ’84

autosport.com AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING 1 5

would have had a very good chance to win,” says when my brother came to visit me and said, 962 for 1987, but it was no longer enough to beat
Palmer. “Finishing second there was certainly ‘Have you heard about Bellof? He’s just been the works Porsches as the TWR Jaguars and
one of my career highlights, particularly killed’. I didn’t feel as sorry for myself then.” Sauber-Mercedes – both winners in ’86 – began
knowing it really could have been a win – to flex their muscles. Dave Price joined as team
you can’t absolutely say that of course, P R I VAT E E R S FA L L O N manager, but for RLR it would only get harder.
but we had no other problems.” HARD TIMES “It was always a massive struggle finding
Thereafter Lloyd turned his attentions to GTI Engineering missed Brands Hatch and money,” says team co-owner Hugh Padgham, a
organising the team and finding sponsorship, regrouped for 1986 with sponsorship from Liqui music producer who was introduced to Lloyd
but Stevens insists he was a better driver Moly and two new drivers: Baldi and Bob Wollek. by Hall & Oates guitarist John Oates. “I just felt
than he is credited for. The Lancia refugees gave Lloyd a second WSC that we were going backwards. We were running
“He had a very refined touch in any race car – victory at Brands, while Baldi and Klaus on about a million quid a year then, and if
in the wet he was as good as anybody,” he says. Niedzwiedz recovered from an opening-lap spin somebody crashed the car that really dented our
“With the 924 we did Daytona and it absolutely to finish second at a soaking wet Nurburgring. budget. It was really living from hand to mouth.”
fell down with rain so much that at one point With Brun taking the Teams title, ’86 was a good Palmer had kept in touch with Lloyd during
they stopped the race, and Richard got the year for the privateers, but times were changing. his recovery from injury, and a switch from the
car up to sixth overall. With the 956 rendered obsolete by new safety Zakspeed F1 team – which had refused to let him
“In the elbows-out aggressive stuff, someone regulations, Stroud designed a GTI special of the drive sportscars again – to Tyrrell for 1987
like Mauro Baldi would muscle it around quicker
than Richard would care to do, but Richard
believed that you had to finish and that way The tide had turned against
you might do better than if you went off. privateers by ’90, but Reuter
“He realised that there were people who were (right) took third in Canada
faster than him and if you did well, you would
get the money for next year, but the stepping
back was fine actually. Some people will tell you
that Canon asked him to, but that’s not the case.”
From that highest of highs came one of the
team’s lowest moments at Spa, a weekend forever
remembered for Stefan Bellof’s fatal accident in a
standard Brun Motorsport 956. During practice,
Palmer had a right-front tyre deflate at Pouhon
and the resultant impact was significant enough
for the gear lever to hit him in the eye and leave
him trapped in the cockpit with a broken leg.
But without the GTI’s honeycomb, the outcome
would likely have been even more severe.
“It probably saved my life,” admits Palmer.
“It was certainly the biggest shunt I’ve ever
had. I got an air ambulance back the next day
to London and I spent a month recovering in
hospital. I was feeling very sorry for myself

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 R I C H A R D L L OY D

“Power-wise we were
mainly down to the
other privateers, but it
was a good challenge”

Left: Baldi and

Wollek took Lloyd’s
second Group C
win, also at Brands,
in ’86; right: Biela
leads the pack at
Oulton Park on his
way to ’96 BTCC title

opened the door for a return to the RLR fold. fondly recalls Lloyd’s “special British sense of enjoying a Super Touring boom – for the
He won the Norisring double-header alongside humour” and describes 1990 as a year of ’96 season with a new Audi Sport UK team
Baldi (who also finished second at Brands with “efficiency in all areas” as the team continued running factory-blessed A4 quattros.
Johnny Dumfries), but it would prove to be to extract aerodynamic performance gains on a Lloyd hired former Footwork F1 team manager
Lloyd’s last Group C victory. limited budget. “I think Richard was the first one John Wickham after Wickham’s toe-in-the-water
A single fourth place in each of 1988 and ’89 to cover the rear wheels,” says Reuter. “At this exercise with Nissan’s failed four-wheel-drive
– by which time Baldi and Price had left to join time you had only a limited amount of fuel for Primera project, while 1991 DTM champion Frank
Mercedes – was a sign of the times, and by ’90 the races, qualifying was free, so we tried always Biela was appointed to lead the driving strength.
the 962 GTI was becoming long in the tooth. to get the best possible race trim and to fine- Armed with four-wheel drive, the combination
But Lloyd’s team continued to punch above its tune the package with this amount of fuel. proved unstoppable and, despite being saddled
weight, with future ITC champion Manuel “From the engine side, the important ones with draconian weight penalties, Biela won eight
Reuter scoring the only podium for a Porsche from Porsche’s point of view were Joest, Kremer times on his way to the drivers’ title, while Audi
all season while driving solo at Montreal. and Brun also – the German ones – so power- romped to the manufacturers’ crown, with Lloyd
The 1989 Le Mans winner with Mercedes, wise we were mainly down to the other privateer proudly watching behind the scenes.
Reuter was introduced to Lloyd by Rosberg after teams, but it was a good challenge and we “In those days Richard Lloyd was a big name
it was decided the then-28-year-old was too old finished third in Montreal. This was the – he had done a lot of things and I knew this guy
for the Silver Arrows’ famed junior team. Reuter maximum that we could reach.” had been successful in motorsport,” says Biela.
Lloyd’s brave fight to keep the ship afloat “He was this typical British gentleman; it was
was finally ended when WSC promoter Bernie very nice to work with him.”
Ecclestone canned the established turbo formula Biela was runner-up in 1997 but, when 4WD
MURENBEELD/LAT

in favour of a new 3.5-litre normally aspirated was banned the following year, Audi promptly
rules package for 1991, but his efforts hadn’t refocused its efforts on sportscars for ’99.
been lost on rival teams. After much contemplation, Audi head of
“Years later when I was talking to guys from motorsport Wolfgang Ullrich commissioned
Joest, they were mystified at how we managed Lloyd’s squad to run a closed-cockpit coupe,
to beat them or be right behind them when we designed and built at RTN in Norfolk by Peter
didn’t have the same kit as them,” says Stevens. Elleray and Tony Southgate, in addition to the
“They were always funded by the factory with open-top roadster developed at Ingolstadt and
the next step beyond us. Luckily we didn’t know entered by Audi Sport Team Joest.
that, or we might not have tried so hard!” But compared to its open-top cousin – the
R8R, which had finished third on its debut at
BTCC R ESU RG E NCE AN D Sebring – Elleray’s R8C received the green light
A R ETU R N TO LE MANS too late, and a lack of testing prior to Le Mans
GTI Engineering also bit the dust when rising to rectify a fundamental handling instability,
insurance costs made the Golf GTI much less coupled with an unreliable gearbox, meant it
desirable and the bottom fell out of the market, was on a hiding to nothing.
so Lloyd set up an automotive-trim business and Wickham remembers the R8C as “a good-
raced in the Porsche 924 championship, winning looking car, but not particularly fast – I wouldn’t
the title in 1993. But, true to form, he wasn’t say a bit of a dog, but it wasn’t particularly good!”
away for long, and returned to his roots in the The #10 entry shared by Weaver, Andy Wallace
British Touring Car Championship – now and Perry McCarthy only just made the grid

autosport.com AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING 1 7

 DOLE/LAT

after Wallace lost a door in pre-qualifying – Nurburgring – Lloyd continued to work with “It was quite a big risk for Richard – he took
without a spare, it had to be retrieved by a Elleray on a GTP prototype concept that could a chance on me and if it wasn’t for him giving
marshal and taped up – but neither car made an take the fight to the Audi R8 (derived from the me that break, I certainly wouldn’t have had
impression on race day, with repeated gearbox R8R), which had swept aside allcomers in 2000. the career that I’ve had,” says Smith. “He easily
failures forcing both to retire by sunrise. The When Bentley confirmed its long-awaited could have said, ‘We want an experienced driver,
coupe was swiftly canned, but Lloyd refused return to Le Mans for 2001, it was with Lloyd we’re not going to take a rookie’, but he had
to throw in the towel. at the helm and Wickham overseeing the the foresight to take a gamble and luckily
day-to-day, as he had in the BTCC. Impressed that gamble paid off.”
POLITICS OVE RSHADOW with the unheralded Smith, Wickham put his Wickham regarded Lloyd as an “excellent
BENTLEY TRIUMPH name forward to Lloyd, who promptly slotted networker”, which proved especially useful in
While Wickham headed to the States to run the Yorkshireman into the lead EXP Speed 8 the search for an engine. Fortunately, help was
a Johansson-Matthews Racing Reynard in the alongside 1990 winner Martin Brundle and at hand from Bentley’s main competitor.
American Le Mans Series for Stefan Johansson ’98 victor Stephane Ortelli. Lloyd had similarly “I said to him, ‘I heard you have a Le Mans car’;
and young Brit Guy Smith – using Lloyd’s newly ‘mentored’ Renault Clio and Ford Fiesta he said, ‘Yes but I have no engine,’” remembers
renamed Apex Motorsport crew during the champion John Bintcliffe into the Audi Sport UK Audi chief of engine design and development
two European ventures at Silverstone and the BTCC team in 1996 alongside Biela. Ulrich Baretzky. “I said, ‘Maybe I can help you’,

Finding an engine for the EXP

Speed 8, pictured at Snetterton
test, initially proved a struggle
ROSE/LAT
 R I C H A R D L L OY D

“Richard brought
everybody on board;
he was the glue that
pulled it all together”

From left: Wickham

worked closely with
Lloyd on the Audi
and Bentley projects;
the R8C was a flop in
’99; Lloyd’s Jaguar
project was gaining
EBREY/LAT

momentum at the
time of his death

and Richard grinned and said, ‘We have to be push hard with Paefgen, but Richard pushed honest, straightforward man” who honoured
very careful politically’. I said, ‘Yes Richard, maybe a little too hard to persuade them, commitments to his staff and investors.
we have to find a clever way to sort it out – and that didn’t go down too well. “He always tried to keep a reasonable balance
it will be you who will sort the politics out!’” “At the end of 2002 going into ’03, it was between his possibilities and his dreams so it
Using his links with Audi chairman of the agreed that it would be a completely new car didn’t crash the project – that was a speciality
board Franz-Josef Paefgen, Lloyd secured a deal and the whole operation took a step up with of his,” says Baretzky. “He was very modest, and
to replace the Cosworth test units with the assistance from Audi, with Joest crewing one always being in a cheap hotel to save the money
3.6-litre V8 turbo engine from the R8, and car. Richard was very wary of this whole new to buy parts – that’s how racing should be.”
was rewarded with a third-place finish for relationship, and I had a call from Audi early “He cared about motorsport and he understood
the second car of Andy Wallace, Butch in the year asking me to take over the team. it – the commercial side, the technology side,
Leitzinger and Eric van de Poele. Richard would take a step back, although we the drivers; he had a broad understanding and
“Particularly the first two years when Richard were still using the same people, his people. he was a good communicator,” adds Palmer.
was involved in the programme, it was primarily “He didn’t want to make too many waves, “He got on with people – I think he would have
British guys working on it,” says Smith. “Richard so we carried on through 2003 on that basis been a very good president of the BRDC.”
brought everybody on board; he was the glue and he was at Le Mans, but Audi asked that High praise indeed, but the legacy of Lloyd
that pulled it all together. he didn’t even wear team uniform. It was extends beyond the manner in which he treated
“Bentley hadn’t been racing for 70 years, the a strange relationship.” his colleagues and employees. He was a big-
whole programme was completely brand new With Bentley’s marketing aims achieved, picture man, yet had an eye for detail that was
and he had to make it work. We were doing a the project was not renewed for 2004 and Lloyd second to none, which showed not only in his
lot of testing but we were only doing one race once again returned to the drawing board. high-profile successes, but also in his privateer
a year, so we had one race to nail it. Under the Plans to run another manufacturer project at Group C days. “At a time when other drivers
circumstances we did fantastically well – the Le Mans did not come to fruition, but things couldn’t be bothered, he got the drivers to
first two years it wasn’t a winning car, but it still looked to have turned a corner with the Jaguar write all the things that they thought might be
proved to be competitive and that was basically XKR-S project that he was developing for the improved or things that worked really well, after
down to Richard. He wasn’t someone to shout FIA GT3 Championship when he set off on the practice, qualifying and after the race,” says
and boost his own ego – he just got about his fateful trip to Nogaro. Without its patron, Apex Stevens. “Jonathan Palmer was very good at
business and did a great job.” Motorsport existed in a state of flux, before that and so was James Weaver. It was good
Bentley downsized to a single-car entry it was officially folded in ’14. because it became the practice of documenting
for 2002, finishing fourth, ahead of an all-out everything and learning from it.”
assault in ’03 with a new Speed 8 complete LEGACY OF A PION E E R Lloyd made painstaking notes in A4 notebooks
with bespoke four-litre engine, but internal Lloyd’s popularity was widespread across he carried around with him, and was frequently
politicking within the VW Group meant that motorsport and, 10 years on, his loss is still seen wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with the
what should have been Lloyd’s finest hour keenly felt by those who knew him well. words ‘Pursuit of Perfection’. His fastidiousness
was overshadowed. With the R8s now in “There is hardly a day that I don’t think could at times be frustrating, but was all part
the hands of privateers, Joest took over the about him,” says Padgham, who remained close of what made him such a formidable force.
victorious #7 car driven by Smith, Tom to Lloyd after GTI Engineering folded. “He “Richard used to love a remark of Bruce
Kristensen and Rinaldo Capello, while was terribly well liked and respected. He was McLaren’s that ‘racing cars should always be
Lloyd was ushered out of the picture. such a lovely person and a gentle soul – if being worked on’, because the way you make
“He was pitching to set up an Audi facility anything he was possibly too nice for the progress is constantly having new ideas,” adds
designing and running cars in the UK, which shark’s pool that motor racing is.” Stevens. “If it’s sitting around the garage
was basically seen as competition to Ullrich,” Engine guru Baretzky, who worked closely with and the guy is just polishing it, then you’re
says Wickham. “He had decided that he would Lloyd on the BTCC effort, remembers him as “an not trying hard enough.” ■

autosport.com AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING 1 9

 L O L A
N OT J U ST A N A M E
F R O M T H E PAST
It may not have produced a new car for several years,
but the famous British firm is still involved in
motorsport and is looking to do even more

BY K E V I N T U R N E R

ola is one of Britain’s edge projects as TSR2, Concorde and the

L
most famous racing-car Eurofighter. Lola bought it and transferred it
constructors and has scored to the current Huntingdon site in pieces before
countless successes in a commencing a multi-million-pound conversion
variety of categories around into an automotive tunnel.
the world, but it is also seen New control systems and the rolling road
by some as being of the past. That’s perhaps were among the changes to make it suitable
unsurprising as in 2012, Lola Group Holdings for motorsport and automotive applications,
Limited placed two of its subsidiaries into putting Lola’s facility on a par with the best
administration: Lola Composites Limited available to F1 teams in terms of its capability.
was sold and now continues to trade as The tunnel was part of Martin Birrane’s
Forward Composites Limited; while Lola Cars initial investment to revive Lola when he
International Limited didn’t find a buyer bought founder Eric Broadley’s ailing
and ceased trading. But that wasn’t the concern in 1997. “When I took Lola over
end of Lola’s motorsport involvement. it was on life support and I had to do
The commercially available Technology something major,” recalls Birrane. “The
Centre – owned and operated by Wind Tunnel windtunnel, seven-post rig and Technology
Developments Limited – continued, and Centre was part of that investment. I put
remains one of the most advanced facilities in a huge amount of effort and investment
the world. Multimatic Motorsports recently in and it all came together really well.”
used it for its 2018 Daytona Prototype Chris Saunders, formerly of Williams,
International Mazda RT24-P project, and Red Bull and McLaren, led the design work
there have been many other manufacturers on the 50% tunnel and is still involved today.
through the facility in the past five years. Birrane’s investment continued over the years
Key to the site is the windtunnel, originally and extra elements have been added.
built as an aerospace facility by BAE Systems, The Lola Technology Centre serviced Lola
with which BAE was involved in such cutting- Cars and other clients during the 2000s.

2 0 AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING autosport.com

 L O L A’ S W I N DT U N N E L

“We’ve not had

ALECK/LAT
anything out of
the tunnel that’s
not worked on
the race track”

It played a key part in From left: Lola is would be too expensive to build a facility this
the development of its ready for another big way now, as different construction methods
own B98/10 sports- sportscar project; with thinner-gauge materials tend to be used.
prototype, which was Birrane saved Lola On that basis, the Lola windtunnel has certain
and is now ready
the first in a line of advantages over more-recent installations.
to sell; Lola has
successful Le Mans As well as its excellent correlation – “We’ve
expanded into other
machines, culminating areas – this is a scale not had anything out of the tunnel that’s not
in the Lola-Aston model of a thruster worked on the track,” reckons Saunders – the
Martin B09/60 that for the Hybrid Air windtunnel is capable of excellent repeatability.
won the Le Mans Vehicle; Current In general, that’s because of the quality of the
Series title in 2009. facility helped measurement systems, but another plus is that
Other successes Lola dominate so many factors are tightly controlled during
included Lola’s Champ in Champ Car the run. It also has a turntable, so models can be
Car programme, which put at various yaw angles to simulate cornering
ultimately took back and crosswinds, another attribute not all F1
control of the category from Reynard. Many windtunnels can offer.
others, such as Bentley’s Le Mans project, MG’s There’s also a seven-post vehicle-dynamic
ZS British Touring Car, A1GP, F3 and Formula test rig, so chassis and suspension settings
Nippon were also developed in the facility. can be worked on. The Technology Centre
Lola also got as far as initial designs and a is not just about aerodynamics.
windtunnel model for then- FIA president Max Perhaps unsurprisingly, companies outside
Mosley’s low-cost F1 concept at the end of the of motorsport have seen the benefits and used
last decade. Saunders adds that “half the F1 the LTC, including Scania Trucks, Airbus
grid have been here over the years and, when and manufacturers of military drones.
the facility opened in 1999, Toyota commenced But Birrane believes the facility should do
its F1 development contracting for 50% of the even more, so it is now for sale and, if the right
tunnel time for its first two and a half years”. buyer comes along, he believes that could lead
By 2012, Lola Cars was in trouble again, but to a return of the Lola name to race tracks.
the LTC remained a strong asset. “We couldn’t “We want to increase its profile, as people
support the car-making anymore, we’d been don’t know we’re still operating,” says
through a tsunami of economic issues,” says Birrane, who still owns the Lola brand and
Birrane. “People couldn’t afford to go racing the intellectual property. “We would like to
and were going to spec cars. It was a feature create more awareness in people’s minds.”
of the economic problems and Lola was “The tunnel served Lola well, and we
costing my other businesses. believe there is an opportunity for a Formula 1
“I’ve visited other windtunnels, and we or sportscar team to buy the facility and
have one of the best-constructed in the use it successfully. We would like to get a
industry. I set out to build the best one manufacturer to take it on as it’s ready and
for Lola, and that’s why we get such good fully prepared for some exciting projects.
tunnel-to-track correlation.” “The Lola brand name could be available if
Part of this is due to the original civil someone wanted to buy the Technology Centre
engineering and sizeable foundations, which along with the name. It is important to me that
have a huge steel frame and concrete piled 10 the Lola legacy lives on in motorsport, and I
metres into the ground. Saunders believes it want to ensure it continues in the right hands.” ■

autosport.com AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING 2 1

 T H E S E C R E TS
B E H I N D M A H I N D R A’ S R I S E

From midfield anonymity in season one, the Indian squad has risen
to become the top powertrain manufacturer in Formula E
BY S C OT T M I TC H E L L

s Formula E welcomes big and in the World Endurance Championship. Vergne in the points, and Vergne’s Techeetah

A
name after big name into So, which manufacturer is stealing a march? squad leads the teams’ fight, Mahindra is the
the electric single-seater- Which manufacturer is perfectly toeing that best of those in charge of its own components.
racing fold, it continues fine line between a potent electric racing car “I think it’s very refreshing because
to build towards one of and an efficient one? Which manufacturer motorsport has a lot of deep roots, traditions,
motorsport’s greatest-ever is, right now, the benchmark for that special and especially those manufacturers that you
fights. Jaguar, Renault (soon to be Nissan) blend of quality tech and top-level race team? were talking about and some others,” says
and Audi are already in, as is Citroen sister It’s Mahindra. Who? Yes, Mahindra. The Rosenqvist. “You know they’ve always been
brand DS. BMW is coming properly next enormous Indian manufacturer that is not doing things one way, it’s the same people
season, Porsche and Mercedes the year after. really known to Europeans beyond a Moto3 involved – it’s like, it’s all been made so
Arguing over who has the early edge is a motorcycle racing team. many times. With Mahindra we’re sort of
fascinating exercise because everybody can make The beautiful thing about FE is that nobody breaking new ground every race we go to.”
a case for being the favourite. Renault e.dams has has the answer just yet, so no manufacturer Mahindra has come a long way from
been the frontrunner since FE’s powertrain war has picked up the ball and run away with it. an inaugural season that could politely be
began in 2015-16 and has serious electric-vehicle It’s a complex-technology formula married to described as ‘imperfect’. Despite being run
knowledge from its Renault and Nissan road-car racing’s most fundamental principles, then by Carlin, as slick a racing operation as you’ll
ranges. Jaguar is pouring resources at FE and thrown onto bumpy, mostly unraced street likely find outside F1, Mahindra finished eighth
using a Williams Advanced Engineering tie-up. circuits. That makes it easy for either big in the teams’ championship and racked up
Audi has been unreliable this season with its manufacturers, teams or drivers to get caught more non-scores than any team except the
first attempt at an all-electric package, but out, or for an unfancied operation to nip ahead woeful Trulli operation. Ahead of season two
its pace is second to none and LMP1-hybrid because it’s done a better job across the board. it split with Carlin, took on more engineering
successes in the recent past show it knows how Right now, Mahindra is the best of the responsibility and brought in Adrian Campos’s
to master complex tech. Mercedes’ Formula 1 powertrain manufacturers. And that’s not just team to run its M2ELECTROs. Team principal
record speaks for itself, ditto Porsche after opinion: though its star driver Felix Rosenqvist Dilbagh Gill describes it as “structuring
dethroning Audi at the Le Mans 24 Hours trails Renault customer-team driver Jean-Eric ourselves towards being a small start-up

“It was clear that we

FERRARO/LAT

were going to make

mistakes that were
then corrected”
Clockwise from
left: Senna had a
tough time in season
one; current team-
mates Heidfeld and
Rosenqvist have a
good relationship;
Rosenqvist leads
from pole in Montreal;
the Super Swede
celebrates in Berlin

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 M A H I N D R A’ S R I S E
S BLOXHAM/LAT/FORMULA E

LUNDIN/LAT/FORMULA E

technology company, rather than a race team”.

FERRARO/LAT/FORMULA E

“It was clear that we were going to make

mistakes that were then corrected,” he says.
“The key to that is to bring in people who
have had good experiences. We’ve been
successful in helping the service providers to
work together; we are all working in the same
direction and that makes a big difference.”
A key weapon in that “service-provider”
arsenal has been a small company based in
Oxfordshire: Rockfort Engineering. Rockfort
is led by electrical and electronic engineering
graduate Angus Lyon, who was recruited by
Mahindra to be its head of powertrain. Lyon is
a veteran of Formula 1 and LMP1 competition,
a man fuelled by the prospect of a technological
challenge, so FE fits him and his company –
which specialises in systems and software
design – like a glove.
“Mahindra is a very forward-looking company
and provides good backing and support to
our efforts,” says Lyon, who worked at BAR
and Lotus before founding Rockfort in 2013.
“They’re extremely enthusiastic about and
recognise the merits of keeping the team
a tight-knit, well-oiled machine with
very good people in it.”
Lyon’s off-track responsibilities include
being in charge of the overall architecture
of the powertrain, “through from wiring to
all software systems as well as quite a lot of
simulation work, to being part of the team
researching and identifying the technologies
and layouts for the coming seasons”. That put
him right at the centre of Mahindra’s move
into becoming a powertrain manufacturer
for 2015-16 and beyond.
Mainly prompted by a short lead time,
Mahindra’s first attempt at a powertrain was
basic – an adapted four-speed version of both
the spec FE car’s Hewland gearbox and the
McLaren motor. But it worked. Mahindra rose
to fifth in the teams’ championship with Nick
Heidfeld and Bruno Senna driving, and scored
points in all but one race (when the injured
Heidfeld was replaced by rookie Oliver Rowland).
To take the next step, Mahindra needs to
think bigger. “I don’t have any past motorsport

autosport.com AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING 2 3

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 M A H I N D R A’ S R I S E

MAUGER/LAT/FORMULA E
MAUGER/LAT/FORMULA E

STALEY/LAT/FORMULA E
experience in terms of management,” says Gill. motors to Magneti Marelli and Hewland tools and process – which Rockfort is a key
“I’ve been a manager for a lot of other people, gearbox to an Xtrac unit, and what could be part of – were working well.
so I try to go back to my experience in my other termed the first proper Mahindra powertrain Still, the story was unfinished. With its first
industries and how to best manage the resources was thus introduced in 2016-17. Lyon called poles and race win in the bag, Mahindra turned
and build a team of strong performers. Everybody it a “very different set-up” and boy, was it its attention to the big prize: Gill declared the
in this company has to be smarter than me.” justified. Mahindra finished third in the teams’ title was its “big, fat, hairy, audacious goal”
What better person to tick that box than Lyon, championship with a first-ever win, in Berlin, for the 2017-18 season. Unsurprisingly given
someone who has worked with turbocharged V6 scored by new signing Rosenqvist. Mahindra the team’s upwards trajectory, it’s in the mix
hybrids in F1 with Manor and helped develop finished just 53 points behind the title-winning to achieve that: Rosenqvist inherited a victory
an all-electric Le Mans Prototype for Drayson Renault team, while Rosenqvist – who scored in race two in Hong Kong, then won again in
Racing Technology? Small adaptations of the joint-highest number of poles (three), Marrakech. That win in Morocco was probably
fundamentally spec components wouldn’t do alongside Abt Audi driver and eventual Mahindra’s crowning glory: a proper victory
for Mahindra’s second powertrain, so Lyon’s champion Lucas di Grassi – stole third in earned with supreme race management, and a
job – aided by Rockfort’s expertise – was to the drivers’ championship at the final race. testament to the work put in behind the scenes.
help Mahindra move away from simply bolting One of the key strengths was the team’s After that, a recovery from 14th to fourth in
together a series of off-the-shelf parts, without improvement over the course of the season, Santiago leaves Rosenqvist five points from the
making the mistake of taking on in-house pointing to two things. First, it had genuinely summit after four of 12 races; Mahindra lies
manufacturing and development. learned from its season-one error of letting two points from the top of the teams’ tree.
That led to Mahindra moving from McLaren development slip. Second, its simulation “I’ve been spending a lot of time in the

“They recognise the

merits of keeping the
team a tight-knit,
well-oiled machine”

Clockwise from top left:

Gill has led the team’s
upward trajectory;
Campos took over the
S BLOXHAM/LAT/FORMULA E

operational running in
season two; Rosenqvist
battled through to win in
Morocco; Lyon (centre)
has been instrumental in
powertrain development

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ABTA No.Y6300
 M A H I N D R A’ S R I S E
S BLOXHAM/LAT/FORMULA E

M A H I N D R A’ S
N OT- S O - S E C R E T W E A P O N

N I C K H E I D F E L D
A NOT-VERY-FUNNY AND NOT-WIDELY-KNOWN powertrain design, experiment with software workshop and you see the hours they put
joke in the Formula E paddock, concocted by and also, crucially, work on the car set-up – in, which is impressive,” says Rosenqvist.
this writer, goes something like this: if Nick particularly the rear suspension, over which “There was this fear that Audi would be
Heidfeld (above) goes as many races in FE teams have freedom. Any time lost is crucial blowing everyone away, everyone was talking
without winning as he had to in Formula 1, because FE’s inner-city ethos means testing at them up a lot before the season and naturally
then the electric series will have a brilliant life.  race tracks isn’t possible and the powertrains are you become a bit wary. You obviously push
That observation is rooted in Heidfeld’s homologated long before the start of the season. your own guys to be like, ‘Let’s put in the
spectacular Nico Prost-inflicted final-corner What you end pre-season testing with is second gear because people are pushing now.’”
crash in the very first FE race, which sent pretty much what you have for the entire Despite the considerable success already,
Heidfeld spiralling into the catch-fencing and campaign, give or take software adjustments. perhaps that final Rosenqvist point is what’s
cost him victory (though fortunately nothing This is reinforced by the one-day format most impressive about Mahindra. It would be
more). Since then the serious-but-affable employed for most events, which means a very easy for a successful underdog to get carried
German has put the record straight to some compact schedule and little time between away by present successes, and take an eye
degree, climbing onto the podium eight times sessions: you need to pick a direction quickly off the immensely challenging future that will
– but never higher than the bottom step.  and go for it, then deal with the consequences.  quickly become the present – dropping the
Heidfeld’s inaugural FE campaign was with This means that a steady, experienced ball like it did in the first season.
Venturi, but he joined Mahindra for season driver like Heidfeld keeps Mahindra focused Rockfort will continue to be an important part
two. It’s no coincidence that Mahindra’s rise on what matters. His feedback is reliable and of that: its expertise in batteries and electronic
has run parallel to Heidfeld’s time with the sharp, and he is extremely motivated. Perhaps control systems has already been well utilised,
team. He has been credited by Mahindra boss steady is unfair – Heidfeld is a real driving force, but its understanding in areas such as brake-
Dilbagh Gill and team-mate Felix Rosenqvist joking in his second season in the team that he by-wire has remained untapped. This could
for the team’s progress this season, with his was already annoying people by always asking be another string to Mahindra’s bow soon,
experience and feedback crucial in the Indian- for more. Such is the way of a driver who spent for brake-by-wire is set to be introduced
owned operation’s steady development. so long in the confines of F1… into FE for the first time next season.
“He brings so much knowledge,” Gill says, “It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to work with To say Mahindra is simply an underdog
and that’s a key part of the equation. Heidfeld, a Nick, it couldn’t be better,” says Rosenqvist, the defiantly succeeding in the face of racing’s
veteran of 183 grands prix, is a potent weapon for more-high-profile star of Mahindra’s rise. “He has biggest names would do it a disservice. It’s
an FE team to have. The cost-saving measures the incredible experience, develops the car a lot and more than that. Mahindra is a proper race team
championship employs mean 15 pre-season test knows the limit between pushing people all the that’s beating established manufacturers time
days. In this time, the team must validate time and not being happy with what you have.” and time again. And it’s doing so on merit. ■

autosport.com AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING 2 7

 P I N I N FA R I N A’ S
U N R AC E D R E VO L U T I O N A RY
An unloved F1 project caught the eye during a recent visit to the Italian design specialist.
Although it never raced, the Sigma was a glimpse into a better, safer future
BY TO M E R R I N G TO N

osting futuristic hypercars comprehensive, a quick glance around to the the slipstreaming spectacular at Monza a year

H
born of collaborations with side of its exposed V12 tells an observer its later or the highs and lows of his Tyrrell days.
Alfa Romeo and Ferrari, as name, ‘Sigma’, but little else. As it transpires, It’s his crash at Spa in ’66.
well as iconic cars of the several of the advances the Sigma brought were Caught out by a pool of water at 170mph, his
Italian heavyweights from well ahead of their time, to the point that some BRM hit a telegraph pole and landed upside down
the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s to safety innovations did not appear in F1 until the in a ditch with a ruptured fuel tank. Amazingly,
celebrate its 80th anniversary, Pininfarina’s 1970s. Odd, considering it came in the context Stewart was unharmed, having been a spark
museum highlights all the best work of a of F1’s long-running battle with, or more away from being stuck in a car on fire in a period
design powerhouse. Oddly, right at the back, accurately against, safety in the ’60s. of F1 that was incompetent in its attempts to
it’s also home to a bizarre Formula 1 car. Ask That period resonates with an extract from prevent such calamities. It was a turning point
around, and few can tell you much about it. Jackie Stewart’s autobiography, and it’s not for the Scot, who afterwards campaigned
While the biographies of its road cars are the famous Nurburgring victory of 1968, vociferously to improve safety measures.

Pininfarina used the unraced Sigma

F1 project as the inspiration for
its new hydrogen-powered H2
 P I N I N FA R I N A S I G M A

From left: Sigma

combined futuristic
design with safety
features that were
ahead of their time

One year later at the Monaco Grand Prix, heavyweight. Instead, it was renowned design if Ferrari had lent back over and pinched the
Lorenzo Bandini was not so lucky after his house Pininfarina that took on F1’s safety issues. manual too. Now it had to build a car that would
Ferrari crashed at the chicane and burst into So Ferrari came to Pininfarina’s Turin base in redefine safety standards going into the 1970s.
flames. Bandini died in hospital three days 1968, allegedly at the behest of il Commendatore How much the FIA and rival teams knew
later as a result of the burns he suffered Enzo, who had had enough of F1’s lack of safety. of this is disputed by various people involved
while trapped underneath the car. And it came in pieces, in the form of the 312 F1 in the project, but what is clear is that Swiss
It was another needless fatality, and there car. Pininfarina was given its 400bhp V12, the magazine Revue Automobile was central to
would be one for every eight races in the 1960s. bare chassis, a five-speed gearbox, a pedal and the project and involved throughout.
While Stewart continued his campaign, an four wheels. Pininfarina was essentially given Paolo Martin, who became known for
unlikely source in Italy decided to do something a Tamiya model kit and told to build an F1 car. designing the Ferrari Modulo concept car, was
about it. It probably wasn’t Ferrari, but it Considering that Pininfarina did not have a tasked with the design and build of the Sigma.
certainly utilised a relationship with the F1 single employee with F1 experience, it was as It was his first and only ‘racing’ experience.
“I had never seen an F1 race before,” says
Martin. “I invented everything. For me, it was
a real test to perform at their best in which
personal and company pride was at stake.”
Martin disputes any claims of help with
the project outside of Teo Page, tasked with
putting together Martin’s designs, but the
project was overseen by Sergio Pininfarina,
Revue Automobile’s Robert Braunschweig and
journalist/racing driver Paul Frere, as well as Dr
Ernst Fiala from Berlin’s Polytechnic University.
“This team started working on the Ferrari
base in 1968 and they made a safety concept
car, the Sigma,” explains Sergio’s son, Paolo.
“It comes from the ‘S’, the Greek S, for safety.”
The origin of the car’s name is one of the
simpler facts to determine in a story that’s
never fully been told outside of Martin’s own
book – which is only one, contested, viewpoint.
But what is clear is that Pininfarina’s innovation,
at that period, was well in advance of its time.
“[With] the features of the Sigma Grand Prix,
I counted five important things,” says
Pininfarina. “Actually, I’m not sure if all
these things were really put 100% in F1.”
Some of its ideas, consigned to history, were
clever. The Sigma’s bright green-and-white
livery was fluorescent to help rivals see it in low
visibility, an idea not picked up by F1. And there
was a rear light to help identify cars in the fog.
But the key advance, particularly in the
context of the 1960s, was the system to
contain the spread of fire. Graviner, an English
engineering company that specialised in such
systems for aviation and nautical applications,
developed a process using sprinklers that
reacted to crashes and included warning
lights for the driver if a fire started.
Combined with bodywork that allowed for
greater absorption and dissipation of energy
in a crash, it was a remarkable upgrade on the

autosport.com AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING 2 9

 P I N I N FA R I N A S I G M A

flimsy contemporary F1 cars that prioritised the goal of stopping an Above, left: to [being able to] run,” adds Pininfarina.
performance over safety. The Sigma even F1 car from rolling over Bandini’s fatal “The project is solid and the powertrain and
included a ‘survival space’, an early attempt and trapping its occupant. crash at Monaco the electronics are not so complicated, so even
at the now standard survival cell. Nineteen years before road was catalyst to a good mechanic who knows F1 of the 1970s,
for change.
“What was most important was the side- cars were mandated to use I think it could run. It is possible.
Above, right:
impact absorption with energy dissipation and seatbelts in Italy, the Sigma “The car is more of a space object on four
Pininfarina built
fuel tanks [that were] self-extinguishing; this had a seven-point safety a survival cell wheels; that’s more linked to the Ferrari team,
was the most important item because it is why harness to minimise into donated it’s got the engine, the chassis and so on.”
Bandini died,” explains Pininfarina. “The tanks injuries in a crash. 312 chassis Martin says: “The Sigma has never been
were separated by the body, they were not near Martin believes that driven. Ferrari was not interested in the project.”
the frame, but separated in space to absorb the several features were Instead, it has lived in the museum as a
shock. This was an improvement, I don’t think adopted in motorsport as a consequence in the byproduct of another age, as Pininfarina moved
the real F1 cars adopted 100% this patent, but 1970s: “The idea of the safety with the helmet its attention to assisting Ferrari’s F1 programme
they were modified following that direction. [the Sigma’s harness included better protection in the 1970s. The company is proud of its small
“Niki Lauda’s accident was on August 1 1976, for a driver’s head], the external tanks and the role in Lauda’s titles, after Pininfarina and
seven years later [from the Sigma’s birth], again fire-fighting system were used.” Ferrari personnel worked together in the
in a fire. The fuel tanks [of the ’70s] were not Those “five important things” that Pininfarina
so safe, but safer than the ’60s.” mentioned were not the only part of the Sigma’s
The Sigma’s focus was certainly fixed on
ensuring that crashes did not escalate, but it also
legacy. The design boss says the car was
discussed by drivers in period (Pininfarina
“It’s more of a space
included a rear wing that married Pininfarina’s spoke to Emerson Fittipaldi when the pair met
obsession with “lines” and aerodynamics with last year to discuss a hypercar collaboration object on four wheels”
bearing the two-time F1 world champion’s name).
“It [the Sigma] was a strong effort by a group
The Sigma was massively of competent people, and it very much got the company’s windtunnel in Turin.
overweight and fell outside attention of the drivers,” says Pininfarina. As far as Pininfarina himself is concerned,
contemporary regulations “There was a safety campaign led by Jackie the car has a legacy in the modern era: the
Stewart, there was a safety committee with the company’s new hydrogen-powered racing car,
drivers. I know this as I met Emerson Fittipaldi the H2, which it hopes will inspire the next
in person, he told me the [Sigma] is fantastic chapter of motorsport.
and that they remember the project. “We took some inspiration with the H2,
“They had considered it very much because which is a completely different story,” he says.
there was a lot of sentiment and sensibility “We took inspiration for racing of the future,
about the safety issue, and so they made the that is new and very advanced.
committee about safety, because F1 in the “We made it in white, with the same colour
1960s and early ’70s was really unsafe.” as the Sigma to celebrate at the Geneva Show
The Sigma being talked about in drivers’ and celebrate the collaboration with our Swiss
meetings was about as close as Pininfarina friends at Revue Automobile in the 1960s.
would get to an F1 track, outside of the “I think the [Sigma] will become more popular
company’s name being emblazoned on the in the future. It’s a very intelligent car and a
skirts of Niki Lauda’s Ferrari between 1975 positive for the future. The world changes all
and ’77, as it was not even remotely close the time, but it is important to remember that
to contemporary F1 regulations. Pininfarina has always been attracted by the
“It was absolutely not legal, being out of all the work of racing. The Sigma Grand Prix is a
regulations of the time,” confirms Martin. “It’s maestro in the story of racing.”
one of the few things all of the Sigma’s key players Shame, then, that so few will see it tucked
agree on, along with one lingering regret…” away among a collection of road cars, and
“I regret a little bit that the car is very close even fewer know its story. ■

autosport.com AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING 3 1

 TEE/LAT

ETHERINGTON/LAT
B I O M E T R I C G L OV E S
S I G NALLI N G TH E F UTU R E

The halo has been one of the major talking points of the
off-season, but there’s another new safety innovation
on the scene that has gone under the radar
BY P H I L L I P H O R TO N

ormula 1’s relentless safety

F
drive has prioritised head
protection in recent years,
with the controversial
halo capturing most of
the attention for its visual
impact. Yet tucked away in a driver’s hands is
a device that could prove just as important, as
biometric gloves are rolled out in F1 for 2018.
Inside each driver’s gloves this year
will be a 3mm-thick sensor and 23g device
measuring vital signs that is capable of
sending information over a 500-metre radius.
The gloves are the brainchild of Formula 1’s
deputy medical delegate Dr Ian Roberts and
medical car driver Alan van der Merwe,
co-founders of Signal Biometrics.
Van der Merwe has been piloting the
medical car at grands prix for almost a
decade, taking up the position after a racing
career that culminated in the 2003 British F3
title and a test role at BAR-Honda. With the
FIA striving to improve access to the correct
medical information, van der Merwe and
Roberts took it upon themselves to pioneer
the product that will feature in 2018.
“We’ve seen for the past five or six years a
demand from the FIA to do some kind of driver
monitoring from a safety and rescue point of
view,” explains van der Merwe. “And in those five
or six years we saw a lot of proposals from all
sorts of companies, big and small, a lot of them
nice ideas, exotic things like tattooed sensors,
but we’re actually going to be some of the
primary end users of whatever is implemented.”
Deciding some of the concepts put forward
were “either too complex or too expensive”,
van der Merwe and Roberts decided to move
ahead with one of their own, which has passed
the FIA’s fire safety tests and was trialled
successfully at last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
With support from the FIA and the Global
Institute, data measuring for safety purposes
has been enhanced in recent years, as seen by
the introduction of in-ear accelerometers that
record head movement in high-speed impacts.
However, Signal Biometrics ultimately opted
for the hand, pointing to superior reliability

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 S I G N A L B I O M E T R I C S
DUNBAR/LAT

TEE/LAT
From left: Lewis
Hamilton is retrieved
by the medical car after
an off at Hockenheim
in 2014; van der Merwe
and Roberts created
the biometric glove
concept; innovation
will aid medical crews
in cases such as Sainz’s
’15 crash in Russia

and more accurate feedback. the oxygen in the blood – which while not a them to make performance-based assessments.
“The ear is a tempting site to do everything; game changer in data recording, will at least The glove will also trickle down into other
for performance monitoring we think it’s a good have a positive influence when responding to FIA-sanctioned series in the future, with van
site,” says van der Merwe. “[In accidents] 99% those fortunately-rare serious accidents in F1. der Merwe stressing that “bang for your buck”
of the time the driver is absolutely fine, but less Van der Merwe cites Carlos Sainz Jr’s 2015 was an important factor in the development
than once a season Ian and I find somebody that Russian Grand Prix practice crash as the primary process, since teams are covering the cost of the
is in real need of medical care, so we wanted to case study. Sainz impacted the wall head-on at device. That development process is ongoing,
make something that works not 99% of the 153km/h, with the first layer of barriers coming with the ever-evolving motorsport environment
time, but for that one rare case where the to a rest on top of him. In the immediate demanding continuous gains and understanding.
driver has had a large impact.” aftermath, his precise condition was unknown. “Things will get smaller, that’s just the
In such instances, van der Merwe explains, “It’s another piece of information that’ll allow nature of technology,” says van der Merwe
“the helmet and the headrest and other safety you to make decisions based on data, rather than on the current research. “We already have
systems have done their job, but our [in-ear] just instinct or experience,” says van der Merwe. a version that will be available later and is
sensor has either been destroyed or knocked “When we got there, we had to make a decision already smaller. Weight is a big thing, and
out of their ear. That’s how we chose the either to work very quickly but with a high risk currently the device comes in at 23g, which
hand – we wanted to make something – number one to Carlos and number two to the for a monitor that is essentially a clinical
that was going to be easily located. rescue workers, as there’s a few hundred kilos of monitor is extremely light, but for F1 teams
“In the event of an accident, we believe plastic TecPro barriers balanced on the car – or if you could make it 0g, that’s the target!”
that this is the best site to start with because if you’re confident the driver is absolutely fine The past 20 years have resulted in
– and this is purely anecdotal evidence as we under there, you’ll take your time and work monumental strides in safety advancements
don’t record these kinds of things, although methodically rather than just pulling the car in F1, to the point where the FIA is searching
we’ll probably start – we know the gloves are out and risk injuring a perfectly fine driver.” for “tiny incremental improvements”, as van
always where they should be when we get to The real-time data gathered from Signal’s der Merwe puts it. But in having another sensor
a driver. We can’t say the same for earpieces biometric gloves will initially remain exclusive to that can make decisions data-driven rather
and other things on other parts of the body.” the FIA, although teams can download the data than instinct-based, the push for safety has
The glove will measure pulse oximetry – upon the driver’s return to the garage, enabling taken another step in the right direction. ■

B I O M E T R I C F O R E R U N N E R S : AV L R AC I N G

WHILE SIGNAL’S BIOMETRIC to the driver’s upper body thus improving speed of
BARTKOWIAK/LAT

gloves will feature in Formula 1 by three electrodes and treatment and prognosis.
this year, driver monitoring for allows the pulse, heart-rate AVL RACING’s device also
both medical and performance variability, functionality of means that any abnormalities in
assessment has been around for the nervous system and racing situations are picked up –
several years in different forms. driver’s pulse-breathing such as a spike in heart rate –
Austrian company AVL RACING quotient to be observed. enabling specific incidents to be
has manufactured its patented Much like the Signal analysed, giving drivers a larger
real-time driver condition- Biometrics glove, data can scope for self-improvement.
monitoring system since 2013, be accessed in the event of Among the drivers to use
enabling physical and mental an accident, allowing a quicker the system is Formula 3 racer
wellbeing to be tracked. and more accurate evaluation Ferdinand Habsburg (left), who
The 70g device is attached of the driver’s condition and is an ambassador for AVL RACING.

autosport.com AU TOSPOR T E NGINEERING 3 3

 H O W TO
B E A N AC E
E N G I N E E R

Speedworks Motorsport boss

Christian Dick shares his tips
BY M AT T JA M E S

inning the British Touring Car

W
Championship’s Independents
Trophy with Tom Ingram
in 2017 marked the latest
staging post in Speedworks
Motorsport’s upward
trajectory. Since joining the BTCC in 2011, team
boss Christian Dick has overseen the growth of
the operation, which has engineering at its heart.
Experienced engineer Geoff Kingston guided
Ingram to his four overall wins last season.
And while Kingston has now left the team, Dick
has promoted from within. Thirty-year-old

EBREY/LAT
Spencer Aldridge will step up as Speedworks
and Ingram go for overall honours with
their Toyota Avensis in 2018.
Dick says that any aspiring engineer
should take a leaf from Aldridge’s book would be gearbox engineers, damper engineers, or fourth gear, the data engineer will go through
if they want to succeed. suspension engineers and all sorts – that doesn’t the traces and tell the driver exactly what is best.
“Spencer has been with me since he was at happen these days, so engineers need to have a If you asked a race engineer to do that, they
school,” he says. “He has had a long-standing broad knowledge across everything,” he says. simply wouldn’t have the time to do all the tasks
commitment to the sport, and he is interested While there is limited scope for myriad they need to, so there is a split role there.”
in every aspect of it. From working in the engineers within a series like the British Touring Dick says that one of the vital skills for
fabrications shop, checking the nuts and bolts or Car Championship, with its limited budgets, any engineer – data or otherwise – is the
even stripping down the dampers and rebuilding there are two differing roles that are vital ability to communicate and relate to the
them, he knows how to do everything. He has a for a crew to be successful. driver. The strength of this relationship
ground-up knowledge of the car and worked with “In the modern BTCC, the top guys will all can make or break a season.
Geoff last season. He is ready for the step up.” have a race engineer and a data engineer too,” “The length of the relationship can help that
As Dick explains, passion is a valuable quality, says Dick. “The data engineer will monitor all process,” says Dick, a successful driver in his
and Aldridge’s interest in all aspects of the car of the channels coming from the car, will be own right. “I am lucky in that I was a driver and
and its operation has helped him to reach looking for any anomalies and also interprets I have engineered too, so I can sit in on meetings
the position he now holds. what the driver wants. For example, if a driver is and have an input. The longer you are together,
“Back in the days of Super Touring, there trying to decide between taking a corner in third the more these things can become intuitive.” ■

Independents champion Ingram

hopes to launch a challenge TO P T I P S
for the overall crown
F O R E N G I N E E R S

■ Start at the bottom ■ Work with other

and work your way members of the team
through aspects to build up a clear
of running the car picture of how the
to learn as much car is working
as possible ■ Try to build a
■ Learn to long-term relationship
communicate to get the best results
what you know ■ Stay as motivated
in a clear and
EBREY/LAT

and as hungry as
simple way the driver

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