Q+A Rob White
In the series of interviews around the celebration of Renault's 30th birthday in Formula One, the pinnacle of motorracing, we catch up with Rob White. White is the ING Renault F1 Team’s engine technical director.
"Not a very nice one actually, but I can still clearly remember the death of Graham Hill when I was young…"
What was the first race you went to see?"A motorbike race at Cadwell Park. I must have been about 12 years old."
How did you get into F1?"Quite early on, I knew I wanted to work in engineering. I have always been fascinated by technology and as a child, I wanted to know how every machine worked. I got a degree in mechanical engineering and I was interested in the automotive sector. At university, I was sponsored by Jaguar Cars and I was hoping to work in their engine division, but there were no opportunities. That was when I came across a small ad for Cosworth. After learning the ropes, I joined their Indycar division. I worked there for 10 years before moving to the F1 sector…"
What is your best memory with Renault?"There are lots of them! The most intense was certainly Fernando Alonso’s race at Imola in 2005. We had serious worries about the engine’s reliability, and he managed to hold off Michael Schumacher for more than 20 laps."
How would you sum up Renault F1 in three words?"Pride, Passion, Consistency."
Which driver do you have the best memory of?"I don’t quite know how to answer that question, but I can say that I learned an enormous amount from working with Mario Andretti and AJ Foyt."
What was the best F1 race you ever saw?"I’m not very good at this kind of thing, to be honest. I’d say Brazil 2005 and Imola 2005 again. I also have a fantastic memory of Nigel Mansell’s performance at Silverstone in 1992. I was a young fan in the grandstands, and it was a magic weekend."
What would you have done if you hadn’t worked in F1?"I would have enjoyed solving problems, working in an intensive environment, and doing something connected with engineering. But I never had a back-up plan!"
What would you change in the current F1 regulations?"I don’t think there needs to be a revolution. However, I would like to rebalance the contribution of the engine, chassis and driver to the overall performance. None of them should have a greater or lesser impact than the other."
Which competitor do you take most pleasure in beating?"I like beating them all! I don’t get any satisfaction from second places, even if it’s ahead of Ferrari or McLaren."
How much longer do you expect to stay in F1?"I haven’t fixed a limit, and I hope to stay in the sport for a long time. As I said, I don’t have a back-up plan!"
Source Renault
