Some questions being asked to James Allison from Formu1aUno -
https://formu1a.uno/allison-rifare-il-t ... della-w15/
What would you say were the main areas of focus with W15?
"A lot of focus has been on improving the unpredictable rear axle of the previous car. We worked on that to try to create a car that is easier for the drivers. At the beginning of a corner, when you are strong on the brakes and in the corner, the rear end has to be solid. And then as you approach the apex, the car has to feel progressively more agile and eager to turn. We tried to do this in the new car. We also worked hard to create a car with less drag and more cornering performance. Some improvements were also made to areas where we had room for improvement, including the DRS effect and pit stop performance. We were always very good at making a pit stop in a repeatable time, which is the key thing for a pit stop. However, we were always three or four tenths slower than the best teams. So we hope we have moved in the right direction."
How was the development of this car different from previous years?
"A new chassis and a new gearbox were standard for each year, pre budget-cap. The latter usually forces you to choose, but there are teams like us who opted to change both. There is no doubt that having a new outer gearbox casing and at the same time having a new chassis are two big projects that take a portion of our financial means. This means that in other parts of the car we have not pushed very hard in development. "
Are you satisfied with the progress and results so far?
"I feel we have kept all the things we said we would do. Some aspects are unlimited, so you can never be fully satisfied. However, we won't know until we really get the car up and running. But I think we can say that we have the feeling that we have worked well. Formula One is a relative game. Whether we have worked well enough to be competitive, only time will tell. We don't know what everyone else has done."
How much work went into the areas of the car that are not visible to the naked eye?
"Most of a Formula One car is not visible. That's always been the case, but it's even more so with the current generation of cars, where much of the performance comes from the way the floor interacts with the asphalt. All you see above is ugly, inefficient air conditioners trying to help the floor do its good work. Whether a car is effective or not depends on how well, at least aerodynamically, the floor can behave."
Do you already have an idea of what the next few months of development might look like?
"Most of the lap time you can find during the season comes from aerodynamics, but exactly what we find and in what area we don't know yet. The aerodynamics department, at this stage of the year, plans to spend quite a bit of effort on the front wings, the rear wings, the floor, the brakes, the bodywork, all of which may be coming to Europe. Many of these parts that we test will never be produced, but that's just the nature of experimentation. But if we commit to a wide enough range of experiments, then enough of them will yield positive results and there should be so a decent package to put on the car when we get back to Europe."
From a personal perspective, how much do you enjoy this time of year?
"It's kind of like waiting for Christmas. It's exciting. You want it to come and you want the days to fly by. You also know that opening those presents on Christmas Day might not bring you all the good fortune you want. It is not a relaxing time of year, but it is very exciting. I wouldn't have it any other way, and missing a couple of seasons in the role of Technical Director, I begin to remember the usual feelings of anticipation and trepidation."
