Key factor will be behaviour of rear tyres - Permane
The Chief Engineer of the ING Renault F1 Team, Alan Permane, reflects on the team's weekend so far in Bahrain. Fernando Alonso will start the Bahraini Grand Prix from 7th position while team mate Nelson Piquet Jr. will start form 15th.
"I think overall it has gone largely as we expected. We brought some new parts to this race, including a revised front wing and some improvements to the front suspension. Fernando said that the car was difficult to drive during the first few sessions, but I think the track conditions and the wind were largely to blame for that. Our 7th place on the grid shows that we have taken a big step forward since the start of the season, but that we still have a lot of work to do."
Both cars are using the KERS system in Bahrain. Where is it most useful?"On the exits of the slow corners. The drivers press the button two or three times during the lap. The system is more useful here than it would have been in Shanghai. We hope to make the most of it at the start, but also during the race."
What about the performance of the tyres?"The softer compound was the best for qualifying and I think that it will also be preferred for the race, although the harder tyre gives reasonable performance. The problems that we had in China have not occurred in Bahrain, even though the two compounds are the same: super-soft and medium."
Have you been able to improve the set-up of the car to make the most of the new diffuser?"The diffuser brings more grip, but it does not change the total behaviour of the car and so it doesn't require any specific changes."
Finally, what will be the key factor in tomorrow's race?"The behaviour of the rear tyres. With lots of slow corners and acceleration zones, they will have a severe test and the team that manages them best will have an advantage."
Source Renault
