Renault wants to have a strong weekend - Fisico
After a three-week summer break, the F1 circus moves to Istanbul for the 14th Grand Prix of the season. Renault F1 Team driver, Giancarlo Fisichella, tells us his feelings and his expectations for theTurkish GP.
"I like it a lot to be honest. It is one of the new generation circuits, and I felt comfortable straight away last year when I started running there. I started from the front row as well, and the car felt pretty good. I am confident we can be competitive in Turkey this year."
Turn 8 is the one that everybody talks about as the most impressive part of the circuit – and a tough corner for the drivers. Is this a physically-demanding track?"Yes, there are some good corners and turn 8 is certainly the hardest on the whole circuit. It’s a very long left-hander that we take at nearly 250 kph. We have between 4 and 4.5G on our bodies for about 7 seconds – which means that your neck is hurting by the end of the race! So you need good physical preparation for this race, maybe even more than the last few races."
How do you work to find a good set-up for this track, when you have very little data from past years?"You have to find the right set-up as quickly as possible. We have the data from last season, and we know what the basic set-up of the car should be. Then, you just need to work efficiently during the sessions and understand how the track and tyres are evolving during the weekend, to make the car as competitive as possible. But the main thing is to start off with a good basic set-up, so you can do the best possible preparation for the race."
Hungary was a difficult outing for you – have you managed to recharge the batteries since then?"Yes, Hungary was really disappointing for me. Normally, wet conditions like those are ones that really suit my driving style but the grip of the car was just not good in the race. After that, it was good to have a break and I have spent lots of time on my boat with my family. Now, I am really motivated for the last races of the championship. Renault wants to have a strong weekend and steal back the initiative in the championship battle. We have the package to do it, I think, so we are looking forward to racing aggressively, and hopefully finishing on the podium."
