Test team is crucial for 2008 preparations

The ING Renault F1 Team’s test team is organised like the race squad and it validates innovations and developments. It will play a crucial role in the preparation of the R28 this winter. 30 000, it is the number of kilometres covered by the ING Renault Team’s test team in 2007 in the background without the glamour of GP weekends, without spectators and without the adrenaline of racing.

The figure is down in relation to previous years after an agreement was reached between the teams limiting the number of days open for testing as well as the number of cars. In 2005 and 2006, the team covered over 45,000 kms!

The team establishes a precise test programme in agreement with Viry and Enstone. It takes into account the needs of each of the car’s components, and then determines the priorities on a daily basis. Over seventy people may be sent to important tests. That will be the case in Barcelona next February when the whole race team will have a full dress rehearsal for the interventions that will be necessary for the R28 to optimise its performance in the opening race of the season. “In fact, the programme depends on the number of components to be validated and the timetable. During the season the drivers usually work on the car’s set-up for the coming races, while the test driver concentrates on development,” explains Christian Silk, the man in charge of the test team. The results of the tests are visible on a more or less long-term basis. An aerodynamic package validated during a test can be used a few days later provided the parts can be produced in time. Another major advantage of the modern era is the computer that limits the trial and error aspect thanks to high-performance simulation tools. A development that gets as far as the track has every chance of being adopted.

A good test session represents a distance of around 350 to 400 kms per car per day. It requires the following equipment: a complete car in spare parts, three or four sets of bodywork, two or three gearboxes and around sixty rims for three to four days: a real parallel organisation “Pat Symonds who manages it has every reason to be proud. “The spectators’ attention is focused on what happens in the race, but that all depends on our tests,” he says. “The test team develops the car, and it also uses new working methods that can benefit the factory later on. Its workload is enormous, especially when it is launch time for a new car. Our competitiveness in Melbourne will depend directly on how efficient we are in testing this winter.”

This week, the ING Renault F1 Team will be back out testing on the Jerez circuit to continue its preparation for next season. The R27 will use the common ECU as required by the 2008 technical regulations. “There are also a few components destined for the R28 under the bodywork,” smiles Tim Densham, the team’s chief designer. “They have to cover as many kilometres as possible to ensure their reliability at the start of the championship.” Tomorrow is already here for the ING Renault F1 Team!

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'2008 gearbox as quick as the one used this season - Densham' -> http://www.f1technical.net/news/7716