An extreme circuit on the engine - Chevrier

Only one week after the Canadian Grand Prix, the US Grand Prix is scheduled at 'the Brickyard'. The Indianapolis Speedway is always a tough circuit for an Formula One engine. ING Renault F1 Team's Denis Chevrier explains why...

"Yes, we found it. The engine had not done much mileage, so clearly this failure was unexpected. It was caused by a defective component. We have therefore thoroughly checked every engine here this weekend to ensure that they are not fitted with the same component families, and we are working to understand why a major structural mechanical component failed."

"Yes, it’s not a fundamental problem with the RS27 engine. You cannot say that it was because of the demands of Montreal either. The engine failed after less than 400 km, yet the 2007 Renault engine is capable of completing 1500 km. There was simply one defective component in this unit."

"This is a difficult circuit in one domain: the long period spent at full throttle. It is the longest of its kind in the championship, at over 20 seconds. That is the real challenge at Indy, given that the rest of the circuit is pretty slow compared to the average. But this single long period at full throttle places extreme demands on certain components, most notably the pistons."

"It is true to say that the engine does not reach its maximum temperatures on the straight. The engine is running flat out, but it is being cooled well. Usually, it is after a long full throttle period such as this, when the car is running slower, that it reaches the highest operating temperatures. But equally, we generally see the highest oil and water temperatures at the start of the straight, rather than the end. In summary, the engine is happiest and running at optimum temperature when it is running absolutely flat out. It’s the rest of the circuit, combined with the long straight, that presents the challenge"