28th April 2002
spanish
gp. race.
Following a rear
wing failure in the morning warm-up, Minardi took the sensible decision to withdraw from this race. Barrichello’s Ferrari failed to get off
the grid for the installation lap, and he subsequently retired. Michael Schumacher was hot off the
line and ran ahead without challenge
the whole race. Having gained a place from Rubens’ demise, Jarno made up
another place from Heidfeld to run 7th through the first corner. Jenson stayed 5th, his inherited
position post Barrichello, with DC between the two Renaults. On a two stopper, Jarno stopped first, then ran just behind Jenson who began to have car problems. The
team requested Jenson to let Jarno pass, which he eventually did after
two more laps. Jarno had begun to have a
engine problem of his own with the throttle potentiometer, but was able to keep
up the pace for most of the race. Jenson’s problems got worse after the second pitstop, as he lost power and
cars began to go past him and he had to park his Renault three laps from the end.
Jarno began to lose pace for the last 7
laps, and eventually drove into the garage two laps from the end. Meanwhile, Kimi Raikonnen’s rear wing came off after 3 laps, so he
retired. Both Jordans retired early in
the race, Fisichella with
mechanical problems and Sato with a
mistake which caused him to spin off. De la Rosa also made an elementary mistake…….home GP, you see. Ralf Schumacher ran wide and damaged his front wing,
which couldn’t be fixed properly in a pitstop, and eventually retired on the
last lap. M.Schumacher won the
race, followed by Montoya, DC, Heidfeld, Massa and HHF with a welcome point for Arrows.
Chassis R202-01 Jarno Trulli
R202-02 Spare car
R202-03 Jenson Button
A disappointing Spanish Grand Prix for the Renault F1 Team at the
Circuit de Catalunya. The team’s drivers both retired
at the end of an eventful race following a loss of performance. Jenson
Button experienced a hydraulic problem, while Jarno Trulli
lost speed because of difficulties with the engine.
Jarno Trulli, retired, lap 63:
“Overall, I had a good race – the car was working well, and I was
pleased with our pace. The problem was there from the
beginning, but I could handle it until mid-race. After that, it got
worse and worse until there was nothing I could do. It’s a shame,
but things look promising even so.”
Jenson Button, retired, lap 62:
“I’m big time disappointed. The car wasn’t fantastic at the beginning of
the race, with high-speed understeer and oversteer
in the slower corners. We didn’t manage to adjust the car to correct it
during the pitstops, and then I had the hydraulic
problem. The steering got very heavy and it was as if somebody had
switched the electric off towards the end! As for the
Raïkönnen incident, I didn’t see anything – I was too busy trying to
avoid the wing on the track!”
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director, Renault F1 Team:
“A bad day for the team. Although we were competitive at the start of
the race, the problems show that we are still not quite
ready. We now need to work harder to correct them.”
Mike Gascoyne, Technical Director, Renault F1 Team:
“A very disappointing end to a competitive weekend. Both cars
experienced mechanical problems from early on, with an engine
problem on Jarno’s
car and hydraulics on Jenson’s. This meant we lost places, and finally had to retire the cars just
before the end of the race. We should take heart from a competitive weekend,
and will now fix the problems before Austria.”
27th April 2002
spanish
gp. qualifying.
Finally the team have concluded that there
is a problem with Jarno’s race car, and he has taken the T-car for
qualifying with immediate improvement. Jenson qualified 6th and Jarno 9th, after a fraught
session.
Renault F1 said: An excellent
qualifying session for the Renault F1 Team today at the Circuit de Catalunya saw both drivers qualifying in the top ten in spite of a red flag which
interrupted their running. Jenson Button will start from 6 th position on tomorrow’s grid while
team-mate Jarno Trulli
will be ninth, having qualified in the spare car (chassis R202-01) following problems throughout the
weekend with his race car.
Jarno Trulli, 10 laps, 1:17.929 9 th position:
“Up until now, we didn’t understand why I wasn’t competitive, so we decided
to take the spare car for qualifying. I took it quite easy
for the first run, because there are so many unknown factors with a new
car. I made a mistake during the second and came straight
back into the pits, even though the lap would have been quicker. I lost
the third run because of the red flag, which meant I really
had to make the last one count. The car was working very well, and I
finally found the pace we had been looking for all
weekend.”
Jenson Button, 8 laps, 1:17.638 6 th position:
“I’m pleased! The car had a good balance and handled really well,
although I had a little oversteer in the high-speed corners.
Seeing as I only managed two timed runs, I’m very happy to have
qualified sixth, in front of one of the McLarens.”
Mike Gascoyne, Technical Director, Renault F1 Team:
“An excellent session for both drivers. Jenson has been very competitive all weekend,
and has reason to be pleased with his
best qualifying of the season. As for Jarno, he did a terrific job in the T-car,
given that he also lost two runs. In these circumstances,
it’s
fantastic to be in the top ten.”
27th April 2002
spanish
gp. saturday practice.
Not a good day at
the office so far for Jarno throughout
both practice sessions. He was 15th in the first session, and 17th
in the second, while Jenson was 8th
and 5th. Top 6 overall: Rubens, NH, MS, DC,
JB, HHF.
26th April 2002
spanish
gp. friday practice.
Bit of a strange
Friday practice with an unusual top 6 overall by the end of the second session,
apart from Michael S. being fastest of
course. Ferrari did a massive 45
and 42 laps overall and Panis managed 46.
In the first session, Jarno was 5th
fastest (1:21.631) and Jenson 11th (1:22.180).
The positions were virtually reversed in the second session with Jenson 3rd (1:20.693) and Jarno 10th (1:21,278). Final top 6: MS (1:20.380), HHF, JB,
Rubens, Panis, Bernoldi.
Jarno Trulli, 10th position:
“A difficult day for me – in particular, I struggled with the balance. I
lost time this morning with an engine problem, and then
concentrated on set-up during the afternoon. The car is still difficult
to drive both at high and low speeds, and I now need to carry on working for
both qualifying and the race.”
Jenson Button, 3rd position:
“Today was OK. The conditions were very difficult during the first
session, because of the wind and the state of the track, but
everybody was in the same situation. The car was difficult to drive –
twitchy at the rear and understeering in the long corners. Even
so, I managed to set a good time during the afternoon, and we now need
to work further on the balance of the car.”
Mike Gascoyne, Technical Director, Renault F1 Team:
“As usual, we worked on race set-up today. The track conditions were
difficult, and the slippery surface meant both drivers
struggled to find a good balance. Having said that, we look very
competitive overall, and now need to improve further before the
race.”
Denis Chevrier, Head of Race Engineering (Engine), Renault F1 Team:
“A problem with a peripheral component on Jarno’s engine delayed our programme this
morning. Because of the time it took
to locate and rectify the problem, he didn’t get back on the circuit
during the rest of the session. However, once the part in
question had been replaced, we
experienced no technical problems whatsoever. Today’s programme allowed us to
concentrate on optimising the engine’s operation, given the small number
of unknown variables here owing to the amount of testing
we
have completed.”
22nd April 2002
spanish
gp. preview.
Renault F1 Team drivers Jarno Trulli and Jenson Button will be looking to maintain their
impressive form with another points-scoring
finish in the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya this weekend. Renault sits in fourth position in the
Manufacturers’ Championships after three successive points-scoring
results.
Jarno Trulli has shown real promise in the
first four races and is hopeful of scoring his first points in Spain. Although
disappointed with his season so far, he is encouraged by the team’s level of
performance and confident of racing well in Barcelona.
Jarno Trulli:
“I have a very good relationship with the team and my engineers – we
just need a little luck for the results to come. The team did
an extremely good job in Imola, and Jenson
drove a great race to finish in the points. It was important for the team to
get both cars to the finish for the first time this year. Obviously it was not
the result I would have wished for personally, but we have a strong package, a
quick car and everything is in place to meet our initial aims.”
In spite of the amount of testing all the teams do at Barcelona
throughout the year, the challenge of a race weekend at the circuit
remains the same.
JT: “We test there all the time but there is
no advantage because everyone knows the circuit well. Some of the drivers may
find
it boring, but I don’t feel that – every time I drive the car, I enjoy
it. During the race weekend, we must make the most of our package and I must perform
to my maximum. The changeable track conditions can sometimes be difficult, but
testing certainly helps with that and overall we are well prepared.”
14th April 2002
san
marino gp. race.
First the good news…….Jarno finished the race!!! Er….that’s about it. After a good start where he
jumped Heidfeld’s Sauber to go round the first bend in 7th place, things started to
go wrong by about lap 5, when the gearbox oil began overheating. Jarno kept good speed at the head of the Renault/Sauber convoy, but team mate Jenson got out just ahead of him after the
first pitstops and after that Jarno’s car wasn’t performing 100%, and he slipped back in time and then
position. Jenson managed
to get ahead of DC
after his second pitstop and finished 5th. Near the end of the race,
Massa overtook Jarno in a slightly dodgy manoevre, to take 8th
place, so Jarno
finished 9th. But finish he did, nursing the car to the finish.
Afterwards Massa
said: “When (the chance) came I decided that it was gonna be all or nothing”,
so Jarno
probably had a lucky escape! As it was, they appeared to touch wheels. The
result was a Ferrari
one-two (don’t need to mention in what order!), the two Williams following, Ralf in third, with a strangely subdued and
slower Montoya in
4th, then Jenson,
followed by DC, Raikkonnen having
retired.
Renault F1’s
report:
Chassis R202-01 Spare car (JT)
R202-02 Race car, Jarno Trulli
R202-03 Race car, Jenson Button
The Renault F1 Team
reinforced their fourth place in the Constructors’ World Championship today
during the San Marino
Grand Prix at Imola. Starting from eighth and ninth on the
grid, the two Renault F1 Team
drivers drove excellent races on a
two-stop strategy. Jenson Button finished in fifth position, just behind the two top teams, and retains
his fourth place in the
drivers’ championship. Jarno Trulli was ninth, having battled high gearbox oil temperatures for a large
part of the race.
Jarno Trulli, 9 th place:
“I made a very good start, but the two cars in front – I think it was Montoya and Raikkonen – held me up, which meant Coulthard
passed me under braking for the first chicane. During the first five
laps, the car was working really well, but I then started to gradually lose
performance, possibly because of the high gearbox temperatures. Once again I’m
disappointed, but I finished the race, which is still a reason to be pleased.”
Jenson Button, 5 th place:
“Fantastic! I’m very, very pleased with today’s result. The car was
extremely consistent, which meant I could really push all the way
through the race. It’s satisfying to finish in front of one of the McLarens on pure pace. Definitely my best
race of the season so
far.”
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director, Renault F1 Team:
“For us, a very good race. I’m pleased for the whole team. Jenson and Jarno both drove very well today. It’s an
improvement to get
both cars to the finish, especially with one of them ahead of McLaren.”
Jean-Jacques His, Managing Director, RenaultF1Team France:
“As an engine builder, the first source of satisfaction is to have two
cars finish on a circuit which is extremely demanding in terms of
performance and fuel consumption. Jenson’s performance showed that the car
was quick right up until the finish, and the lap
times were very competitive compared to the McLaren. Overall, I’m satisfied with a
very good race, which has confirmed our fourth
position
amongst the constructors.”
13th April 2002
san
marino gp. qualifying.
Despite the threat of
rain, the weather stayed dry for a qualifying session where pole changed hands
several times between the Ferrari and Williams drivers. Rubens must have thought he’d cracked it when he put together a
brilliant single lap half a second up on his team mate, MS. But Michael took it away from him in the last seconds of the session. After
the top three teams. the Renault drivers had Heidfeld as their biggest threat and Nick took P7 at the last. Jarno was 8th, Jenson 9th. Top 6: MS, RB, Ralf, JPM, Kimi, DC.
Jarno Trulli, 8 th position:
“A trouble-free session for me from a technical point of view, but I had
traffic on each of my quick laps. During the last run, I was
three or four tenths up when Panis spun in front of me. It would have
been better to get in front of the other Sauber, even one of
the McLarens, but I’m confident that we’ve got a good car for tomorrow.”
Jenson Button, 9 th position:
“I’m pretty happy with how the session went. It was a bit tricky today
with the weather, but we worked well, even if we’re still a
fair way from the leaders. I made a mistake at Rivazza on my last run,
which cost me a couple of tenths. It’s a shame, but it’s looking good for the
race.”
Mike Gascoyne, Technical Director, Renault F1 Team:
“An exciting qualifying session. Jarno and Jenson improved their times as the track got
faster, and without Panis’ spin, they could
have gone even faster. Overall, a reasonable qualifying session, which will
mean that we can race for points tomorrow.”
Denis Chevrier, Head of Race Engineering (Engine), Renault F1 Team:
“Two days’ work in one! This morning, the team had to choose our dry
tyre compound as well as collecting information for qualifying
and the race. We didn’t have any problems whatsoever during qualifying
with the engine, which is a reason to be pleased given
the difference in weather conditions from the first races of the season.
Once again, we have confirmed our position as
challengers
just behind the three top teams.”
13th April 2002
san
marino gp. saturday practice.
No rain for Saturday
practice, but the first session started on a drying track, so times began to
improve dramatically as the session went on. Jarno only did 6 laps and Jenson 10, finishing 17th (1:35.987) and 16th (1:34.202) respectively. Top 6: JPM (1:29.718), Ralf, DC, MS, HHF, JV. The second session
saw more running as the drivers prepared for qualifying. Jenson wound up 8th (1:24.785) fastest and Jarno 12th (1:25.520). Top 6: MS (1:23.046), DC, RB, NH, RS, JPM.
12th April 2002
san
marino gp. friday practice.
A very wet first day
at Imola, drivers spinning all over the place,
trying out different tyres. Even Michael Schumacher spun and managed to stall the car towards the end of the second
session.
The Renault F1 Team made a generally positive start to the San Marino Grand Prix during the first day of practice at Imola. During the morning, Jarno Trulli set the seventh fastest time of the day (6th in the first
session) on a wet circuit. A mistake at the final chicane during the second
session caused him to spin, lightly damaging his car. Jenson Button had a difficult morning, but nevertheless succeeded in conducting important
tyre comparisons in changing conditions. He finished the day in fourteenth
position. Top 6: MS (1:36.898),
Rubens, Fisichella, DC, Kimi, HHF.
Jarno Trulli, 7th position, 1:39.204:
“Overall, I’m happy that we did a good
job today. I was pleased with the balance and the performance of the car this
morning, which meant we could complete good race preparation work. The track
was a little strange this afternoon, but the car was still handling well until
I made a mistake on one of my timed laps and spun, losing the front wing. Even
so, it’s been a positive day, and I’m confident that we can be competitive if
it rains for the race.”
Jenson Button, 14 th position, 1:40.601:
“This morning was a little difficult, and
I didn’t really get to grips with the car. Having said that, both sessions
allowed us to get some good comparisons between the different wet and
intermediate tyres. We also worked to improve the car’s balance during the
afternoon, and we’re definitely making progress.”
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of
Engineering, Renault F1 Team:
“In difficult conditions, the track
didn’t change quite as we had expected it to. However, we still learned a lot
about the tyres, and which wet compound we will be using. Jenson still hasn’t got the balance he’s looking for on his
car, while Jarno unfortunately lost time with his spin
this afternoon.”
Denis Chevrier, Head of Race Engineering
(Engine), Renault F1Team:
“An abnormal session from the engine
side. In these conditions, the real priority is to find the best tyres for the
changing characteristics of the circuit, and this means that other areas,
including the engine, are slightly less important than usual. However, the
conditions favour an intermediary usage of the engine, in the sense that
parameters such as driveability become more important than outright
performance, and both drivers were pleased with two problem-free sessions.”
8th April 2002
san
marino gp. preview.
The Renault F1 Team
drivers Jarno Trulli
and Jenson Button
will be pushing to turn good performances in the first three Grands Prix
of the 2002 season into more points-scoring finishes at the San Marino Grand Prix this weekend.
Last year’s Imola
race saw Italian Trulli achieve
success with a fifth-place finish, and he is hoping to join British team-mate Button on the championship table with a top-six
finish this time.
Jarno Trulli:
“Last year was the first time I scored points in this race so I hope to
repeat it. I am pleased with the direction we are going in all
areas. In Brazil, I practically completed a full race distance, and
drove strongly and consistently throughout. That was an important step for me,
and a good boost for my confidence. Jenson has finished both the last two races, and that shows the quality of the
car. I know I have plenty of time to score points this season but I would like
to start now! I hope to finish the race, and score my first points for Renault.”
For Jarno,
the Imola race
represents one of two Grands Prix in his native Italy, but he will not be
approaching this ‘home’ event any differently because he believes it is
essential to prepare for each race in the same way in order to achieve success.
“It does mean more to me on a personal level, but I won’t change
anything in how I prepare for the race. It is important
because it is the first race in Europe, but each round offers the same
number of points. You can’t afford to approach any of them any differently.”
Button, who currently lies fourth in the World
Championship with six points, is confident he can increase that tally as he
feels the
combination of driver, car and team are improving every race and the
cooler temperatures at Imola will suit him.
Jenson Button:
“The R202 is
a great car, and I get more confident with it every time I drive. We have been
able to find a good set-up at each
circuit and hopefully that will continue here. I am pretty much
expecting to finish in the points, and that shows how competitive the
team is this season. Of course, the cooler temperatures in Imola will help me – I’m English! But it is a
little easier on the car as well and we have to make fewer compromises in areas
like cooling. As for the tyres, we will have to see how it works out. Michelin won here last year so I am
confident they can perform strongly. It is a tough circuit because you have to
ride the kerbs and that is not
a natural thing for a driver to do. You have to crash over kerbs to be
quick there, and for me that’s definitely not instinctive. The track is quite
narrow, and slippery, with some tricky corners: Piratella, the quick downhill left-hander,
and the Variante Alta
really stand out.”
Technical preview.
Pat Symonds:
“The 202 is a good all-round car and we now have experience with
it on a number of different types of circuit. It has performed well on all of
them, but if there is one area in which we are particularly strong, it is
traction, which comes from a combination of the chassis, engine design and
traction control. Imola features a lot of acceleration from low
speed, so we can be hopeful of points.”
Technical Director Mike Gascoyne and his team at the Renault F1 Team’s Enstone headquarters have been hard at work on the continuous
development programme, and this has once again yielded new parts to further
improve the car for the weekend at San Marino. The car will feature new front
wing endplates, and Gascoyne is confident that the reliability and
pace shown by the R202 so far this season will continue at Imola.
Mike Gascoyne: “Overall the car’s reliability is good and we have
been running in the points regularly. Given our level of performance, it is
slightly disappointing not to have had more points finishes, but I strongly
hope we can do so with both cars at Imola.The drivers are
doing exceptionally well. Jarno has been
settling into the team without any problems, and both he and Jenson have qualified and raced strongly. I think they are
evenly matched and because of that they are both pushing the team forward in a
very productive way. Michelin have made considerable
progress during the start of the season and over the last few races. Although I
expect it will be slightly more even than the past few races, they will still
be very strong.”
At Viry-Châtillon, the engine team is also pushing forward in their development
cycle. Denis Chevrier, Head of Race Engineering (Engine):
“Imola demands an
engine which is strong across the board – in terms of power, fuel consumption
and driveability. With the RS22, we decided to introduce
small steps race by race. This first
European race will therefore form part of our incremental programme of
development with this engine, both in terms of performance and reliability.”
Approaching the first corner I will be travelling at around 300km/h in
top gear and, depending on the wind, this will generally be the fastest part of
the circuit.
It is very heavy braking into the first chicane and the initial left
hand part of it is taken in second gear at just over 120km/h. The right-hand
part of the chicane opens out and although I cannot go to full throttle, I do
accelerate through it, changing into third gear and taking the second apex at
around 170km/h.
Straight out of the chicane there is a long left hand curve which is not
quite taken flat, so I have to balance the car on the throttle here, apexing in
fourth gear at around 235km/h. I reach 285km/h in top gear before braking for
the Villeneuve chicane.
The first part of this I take in fourth gear at around 205km/h and then,
unusually for a chicane, brake again in the middle and drop down to third gear
and 150km/h for the right-hander.
A very short sprint then leads into the hairpin at Tosa, which is very tight and taken in second
gear at just over 90km/h. I need good traction out of this corner as I
accelerate up the hill, reaching about 275km/h in fifth gear before entering Piratella, which is a fast swooping corner
taken in fourth gear at nearly 180km/h.
From here I plunge down the hill reaching 275km/h in fifth before
entering Acque Minerale,
which is essentially a two-part corner. The first part is taken at around 220km
in fourth before braking once again, dropping down to second for the tighter
part of it, taken at around 115km/h.
Again, I have to accelerate uphill towards the Variante Alta, reaching around
275km/h in fifth before once again dropping down to second gear before taking
the chicane at about 150km/h for the right hand part and 125km/h for the left
hand part.
From here I drop down the hill towards Rivazza at just over 290km/h in top gear,
braking very hard on the downhill section and dropping into second gear to take
the first left-hander at just over 100km/h and the second one at 120km/h, still
in second gear.
Leading up to the final chicane I will reach nearly 280km/h in fifth
gear before again braking extremely hard for the final second gear chicane
which is taken at between 95 and 100 km/h. A good exit from the chicane is on
order to cross the line at maximum speed.
4th April 2002
valencia
test.
Just a half day for Jarno today as he completed his programme in
Valencia, with Fernando Alonso taking over
in the afternoon. 7 other teams were present (Jaguar,
Williams, Jordan, Sauber, Toyota, BAR, McLaren). Kimi Raikonnen set the fastest time. Jarno and Fernando were 9th and 10th fastest.
Jarno Trulli R202-04 25 laps 100 km
Fernando Alonso R202-04 31 laps 124 km
The final day of Valencia testing for the
RenaultF1 Team saw two of the team’s drivers take the
wheel of chassis R202-04. Jarno Trulli completed his testing during the morning,
working primarily on car set-up. A scheduled engine change followed, before Fernando Alonso took to the track in the afternoon,
completing more than thirty laps of the Spanish circuit.
Mike Gascoyne, Technical Director of the Renault F1 Team, considered the day to have been “productive”, adding “Jarno completed his programme this morning,
and was pleased with what he achieved. Fernando concentrated on testing some new
developments. The most significant of these was a modified engine spec, with
which he completed reliability testing without any problems.”
3rd April 2002
valencia
test.
Following Fernando Alonso’s day testing in the rain in Valencia yesterday (when he
aquaplaned off the track, it was so wet), the Renault F1 Team today completed their second day of
testing in sunny conditions, which allowed Jarno Trulli to complete a significant amount of
running, although a breezy afternoon disrupted the planned tyre programme.
Mike Gascoyne, Technical Director of the Renault F1 Team, commented:
“An extremely useful day’s running after
yesterday’s difficulties. This morning, we conducted a number of reliability
tests with new and modified components. We ran a tyre test for Michelin in the afternoon, but this was made
difficult by the windy conditions. Overall, although the times may not suggest
it at first glance, we had a very productive
day.”
The Renault F1 Team will complete testing at Valencia tomorrow, Thursday, 5 April. Jarno Trulli will continue
driving chassis R202-04