We never lost faith - Bell
The Renault F1 Team’s Chassis Technical Director, Bob Bell, lifts the veil on the development process for the R26 during the 2006 Formula One season, and how Enstone battled through the 2006 championship.
"We had the opportunity to watch the race on the big screen at Enstone, and many people took up the offer. But for me, it was important to be with my family, so I watched it from home. It was an historic moment…"
How do you assess the overall level of competitiveness throughout the field this season?"I think the level was similar to what we saw in 2005. There were two teams in front, and the rest of the grid fighting behind them. I think overall reliability was better this year, and the level of performance took another step forward. But that’s no surprise. In aerodynamics, for example, an annual gain of 10 to 15% in not usual in a calendar year. What’s more, there was a very intense battle between the two tyre manufacturers."
Although this was the second year of stability in the aero regulations, did the R26 make progress in this area?"Of course. In fact, this year was the first time we formally operated the wind tunnel on a 24/7 basis."
What gain did you make between the first and last races of the season?"I think we gained around 10% in aerodynamic efficiency."
So if it was taken to Bahrain right now, including all the development that has been conducted through the year…"It would be at least a second a lap faster."
The introduction of the V8 engine brought with it a significant reduction in power output. Did this lead you to revise your aerodynamic concepts during the winter?"When you define your overall aerodynamic concept, you need to meet certain criteria. The most important thing is to define your acceptable ratio of downforce to drag. When the basics of this equation are altered, like in 2006 with the power reduction, you need to adapt your answers. For example, it was important to maintain good top speeds this year in spite of the V8 engines. So we paid particular attention to the efficiency of the car, rather than simply chasing downforce at all costs."
Looking at the R26, the first thing people saw was that it was a good-looking car…"It was magnificent. Naturally, the regulations dictate almost all the proportions of a modern Formula 1 car. But the R26 was very elegant."
What were its strengths?"It was always a very consistent car. It was easy to set up, and was competitive on every type of circuit. It gave the drivers a lot of confidence. It had excellent basic performance. And it’s now the world champion!"
Is it true that Fernando Alonso used the same chassis all season?"Yes. Not for cost-saving reasons, but simply because the chassis was intact after every race and there was no reason to change it."
Which was the tougher battle? Last year against McLaren, or this season with Ferrari?"Without a doubt, this year! In 2005, we were using the same tyres as our rivals, which meant it was much easier to assess the relative performance of the cars. What’s more, they had some reliability problems, they employed some curious strategies at times and Montoya was making several mistakes. This year, we knew Ferrari would not make those mistakes. They are masters in the art of winning championships, and they confirmed it this year. We did not have a single moment’s respite."
Ferrari suffered reliability problems, which is rare for them. Is that because you managed to push them so hard?"Ferrari certainly had problems, and were in the right position to make the most of them. Did we contribute to those problems? I don’t know. Perhaps. What is certain is that when you set your rivals challenges, you need to be capable of making the most of the opportunity if they slip up."
Coming back to a difficult period of the season, and the ‘tuned mass damper’ episode. What was the reaction when they were banned before Hockenheim?"The banning of the TMD was a huge frustration because the system had been declared legal for nearly a year. And the R26 had been optimised around it. But the FIA’s interpretation of the regulations differed from our own, and we had no choice. We took the TMD off the car, and suffered a considerable loss in performance: an average of 0.3s per lap, and even more than that in Turkey."
What did you do to the car to try and compensate?"Firstly, this all happened during the summer testing ban, which made it very difficult to re-optimise the car when we were not allowed to run it! However, by working on the set-up, weight distribution and polar moments of the car, we managed it."
What was the atmosphere within the team during the summer, in this hardest point of the championship?"First of all, I think that when the TMDs were banned, it made everybody much more determined. We wanted to prove that we could win without them. There is really strong morale in the team and we went through some turbulent times, but we didn’t give up. We accepted the results, and kept on working. The attitude of our colleagues in Viry was identical. That’s one of the things that makes me proud about 2006: in spite of all the difficulties we had, we never lost faith."
Did Fernando Alonso amaze you at certain points, drawing performances from the car beyond its capabilities?"Not in that sense. A racing car obeys the laws of physics, and the best driver in the world can only reach the limit of the performance that is already in the car. But that’s taking nothing away from Fernando: he was exceptional this year. He combined speed and tactical awareness to devastating effect, and was cautious when required. He fully deserves his title."
In 2005, you fought for the title until the final race while developing the 2006 car. The scenario was the same this year. Is it a handicap?"I think we have divided our resources effectively between the development of the R26 and the birth of the R27. That project is completely on target. But the fact that we did the same thing last year doesn’t make it any easier now. Successfully managing these two programmes in parallel is an extremely demanding exercise."
Source Renaultf1
