Masamitsu Motohashi, Chief Engineer (CE) in charge of Scuderia AlphaTauri of Honda F1, talked about the back side of preparations for the previous race F1 Qatar GP.
The schedule of Losail International Circuit has been changed due to the influence of Corona, and it will be held in late September. This year is a busy season, but due to the calendar change in the middle of the season, preparations were made in a limited time.
After the announcement of the race in Qatar, the F1 team has been preparing for the overcrowded schedule of four races in six weeks.
“Preparation for Qatar started two weeks before the event, but there was no historical data and we had to look at the data from both teams to find the optimal setup,” says Masamitsu Motohashi.
“From there, we’ll adjust the PU to match the car’s setup, but we’ll go through the same process on other circuits.”
The Losail International Circuit, completed in 2004, has 16 corners and a layout that connects medium and high speed corners with low speed corners. In addition, it also has a straight that exceeds 1km. We will prepare the PU based on this information, but the difficult thing is that it is not clear what kind of approach the driver will take on a circuit that has not been held in the past.
“It doesn’t do a lot more work than an experienced circuit, but it’s more likely that something unexpected will happen, so you need to be prepared to do more than usual.”
“Also, especially on these first circuits, the behavior may differ between the simulation and the actual driving, so we will prepare more types of setup than usual. For example, in the simulation, I thought that I could get through at full throttle. However, I will be able to deal with cases such as when it does not actually happen. “
The total length of 5.380km is the average length in the calendar, but when setting the energy deployment and regeneration in braking, the course layout is more important than the actual length, so The content of the simulation became important.
In addition, I had a lot of work while driving. The simulation was not exactly the same as the actual driving, and it had to deal with changes in the pit entrance and changes in cornering due to the characteristics of the road surface.
Amuro Alhamad, Managing Director of the Qatar Motors & Motorcycles Federation and head of the Qatar Grand Prix, said of the preparations for the circuit:
“The biggest change is to ensure safety. You have to comply with F1 standards. For example, if it’s a big one, it’s made of TechPro (FIA certified resin with excellent impact dispersion) to the barrier on the side of the course. There is an introduction of a connected barrier), but if it is unique to F1, there are also installations of sausage curbs (wide large curbs) and double curbs (large steps curbs installed outside the red and white curbs). “
“The entrance to the pit has been changed to accommodate F1 and to be safer. It was adapted to MotoGP, but we changed the location so that there are no obstacles when the driver enters the pit. rice field”
Amuro Alhamad’s comments show that the circuit was designed with the MotoGP in mind, despite various changes. That is where HRC (Honda Racing), which is responsible for Honda’s motorcycle motor sports activities, collaborates. He has a wealth of racing experience in Losail at the MotoGP and Superbike World Championships.
“Basically, the setting is based on the team simulation, but if you have any questions or concerns, please contact HRC and refer to their opinions and data. Although the category is different, I experienced the circuit. It’s very big that there are people in the company, “says Masamitsu Motohashi.
The first day of the Qatar Grand Prix was a hectic day for the whole team, but with the help of Red Bull Racing, Scuderia AlphaTauri and HRC, we were able to successfully adapt to the new circuit.
Category: Category: F1 / Honda F1 / Alpha Tauri / F1 Qatar GP
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