KOREA GP
Hestre
<http://www.formula1.com/wi/597x478/manual/overhead3.jpg> Korea
International Circuit, October 2010
<http://www.formula1.com/wi/597x478/manual/dcd1009oc54.jpg> Final track
paving. Korea International Circuit Final Track Preparations, Yeongam
County, South Jeolla, South Korea, 8 October 2010.
<http://www.formula1.com/wi/597x478/manual/dcd1009oc50.jpg> Tyre Barrier.
Korea International Circuit Final Track Preparations, Yeongam County, South
Jeolla, South Korea, 8 October 2010.
<http://www.formula1.com/wi/597x478/manual/overhead2.jpg> Korea
International Circuit, October 2010
<http://www.formula1.com/wi/597x478/manual/kic2.jpg> FIA race director and
safety delegate Charlie Whiting with race promoter and KARA chairman, Yung
Cho Chung inspect the track, Korea International Circuit, October 2010.
The addition of a brand new circuit to the F1 calendar is always an exciting
prospect and this weekend's inaugural Korean Grand Prix in Yeongam certainly
has all the ingredients for an entertaining race.
It's an anti-clockwise track with a diverse mix of corners, long straights,
and genuine overtaking opportunities. But what are the challenges faced by
the teams when getting to grips with a new venue and how do they prepare for
the unknown? Renault give their take on the matter.
"Our initial preparations began many months ago when the FIA provided all
the teams with a detailed circuit map," explains chief race engineer Alan
Permane. "From this we were able to create a digital representation of the
track and then asked our drivers to add what they believe to be the correct
racing line."
With a virtual lap in place, the team has spent the last month running
virtual simulations to get a head start on the set-up required for Yeongam.
"The simulations allow us to assess the best aero levels, suspension
settings, ride heights and even sensitivity to fuel load," confirms Alan.
"There are lots of unknowns, such as the grip level of the tarmac, surface
bumps, or the camber of the road, but we still have a fairly good idea of
the set-up we will need before we arrive at the track."
So what have the simulations revealed so far? Well, the projected lap time
is 1m 44s and the cars will be on full throttle for 55 percent of the lap
and on the brakes for 20 percent. The average speed will be 195 km/h, with a
top speed of 315 km/h on the 1.15 km straight between turns two and three.
As for the corners, turn eight is probably the quickest of the lap with an
apex speed of 235 km/h, while turn three is the slowest corner, expected to
be taken at just 65 km/h.
This level of preparation means that the engineering approach to Friday
practice won't need to change massively from the norm, although the drivers
may run more laps in FP1 to learn the track. For the engineers, one of the
main priorities will be determining the gear ratios, especially for second,
third and fourth gears. Although the ratios for FP1 have already been
selected, it will make for a busy lunch hour in the garage if changes are
needed for FP2.
In terms of the aero set-up, it won't be far off the settings used at
Suzuka: "The downforce needed will be on the high side and we plan to run
with the same wing package we used in Suzuka," confirms Permane. "There are
a couple of high-speed corners, such as turns seven and eight, which remind
me of turns five and six at Sepang. They involve a quick change of direction
and we expect turn seven will be flat, while turn eight will be almost flat.
It will also be important to maximise the F-duct for the long straights
because there are a couple of good overtaking opportunities into turns one
and three."
Another significant characteristic of the lap is the number of low-speed,
technical corners, such as the sequence from turns four to six or turns 15
and 16 towards the end of the lap. Getting the right balance through these
corners will be critical for a quick lap.
"For these corners you need a nimble car with a good turn-in and good
traction," says Permane. "It's important the car works well in these sorts
of corner because it's where the most significant lap time gains can be
found."
