Q+A Denis Chevrier
In this interview, ING Renault F1 Team member, Denis Chevrier, explains his passion for our favourite sport, Formula One! This season, Renault celebrates it's 30th anniversary in the pinnacle of motorsports.
"I remember the first articles I read in Moto Revue in 1966-67. The first A4 posters that Elf handed out at the end of the 60s also left their mark. I still remember Jackie Stewart flying over a hump: it was on the Nürburgring, I suppose."
What was the first race you attended?"It was the Bol d’Or for motorbikes in 1969. I did not see a grand prix live until Renault sent me to one as an engineer in 1985."
How did you arrive in F1?"After cutting my teeth in the world of bike racing I realised that financially and technically speaking, it was rather limited. There were no ambitious programmes. I was a real enthusiast and Renault was looking for collaborators as a contact to supply engines to a third team in F1 – Tyrrell – had just been signed. I decided to send in my CV spontaneously, met Bernard Dudot and he recruited me."
Your best memory with Renault?"Silverstone 1992 and Nigel Mansell’s qualifying session in the Williams. He took pole more than 2.5s quicker than Ayrton Senna, and he was determined to go out at the end of the session to go even faster! The race too was unforgettable: when you dominate to that extent only a mechanical problem can prevent you from winning. The pressure was enormous."
Of all the drivers you have worked with, who is the favourite?"It’s difficult to say as it’s also a question of generation. When you start you are the same age as the drivers, and then things evolve. The relationship is always different. I’d pick Nigel Mansell who’s only a year younger than me. Then Ayrton Senna who was already half-a-generation younger, and finally, Fernando Alonso, the youngest."
Describe Renault’s F1 philosophy in three words!"Spirit, rigour, passion."
What’s the best F1 race you’ve seen?"In the recent past, Fernando Alonso’s drive in Hungary in the rain last year; it was a bit like Senna’s at Donington in 1993. The 2006 Spanish Grand Prix was another unforgettable race."
What would you have done if you hadn’t worked in F1?"I don’t know! I’d certainly have continued in motorbike racing. But the commercial and production side wouldn’t have been my cup of tea. Technical preparation would have been much more up my street."
What is lacking in F1 today?"Passion! More and more people in the paddock are not there for the sport itself."
What would you change in the current technical regulations?"It’s impossible to say as all the parameters are interwoven and interdependent. There’s a lot of talk about a lack of overtaking in F1, but I think that the technical side would have difficulty in solving this problem. The most closely-fought grands prix are those where the quickest car is behind, quite simply. Either you do something to ensure it happens regularly, or you remove two wheels and turn them in motorcycles!"
Which team do you prefer winning against?"Beating the Ferrari myth and all that it represented in 2006 was a real pleasure!"
How much longer will you stay in F1?"I don’t know. If the next regulations allow innovation and generate a certain excitement technically speaking, I can see myself working for a long time yet. On the other hand, if F1 becomes a dull routine, I won’t hesitate. I’m not one of those people who works in F1 just to be part of the scene."
Source Renault
