Renaults F-duct doubtposted in F106 | 09 | 2010
RENAULT HEADS to Monza at the weekend still undecided on whether it will use its F-duct on the high-speed circuit for the Italian Grand Prix. The uncertainty comes despite the car showing a significant leap in performance at Spa when it was fitted with the F-duct and helped Robert Kubica to a podium finish.
But with Monza's need for low downforce, Renault's technical director James Allison admits his Enstone team is still keeping all it's options open.
"We have had to prepare a bespoke package that we will not use anywhere else simply because Monza is very different from all the other circuits," he said. "Monza has such long straights and so few corners that it requires much smaller wings than any other track.
"To add further complication, the F-duct is a potential alternative option for Monza. Like several other teams, we too are evaluating whether we can make the device work in the particular, low-downforce environment of Monza." But Allison is confident, whichever route the team decides to follow, it can achieve another good result.
"Monza is very different from the mainstream bunch of tracks that make up the calendar," he continued, "but generally speaking the cars that are good at one track tend to be good everywhere, regardless of the downforce levels.
"The performance of the R30 in Spa therefore gives me confidence that we can compete for similarly good results at all the remaining tracks, including Monza. We will be aiming to get both cars well inside the top ten both in qualifying and the race this weekend."
RENAULT HEADS to Monza at the weekend still undecided on whether it will use its F-duct on the high-speed circuit for the Italian Grand Prix. The uncertainty comes despite the car showing a significant leap in performance at Spa when it was fitted with the F-duct and helped Robert Kubica to a podium finish.
But with Monza's need for low downforce, Renault's technical director James Allison admits his Enstone team is still keeping all it's options open.
"We have had to prepare a bespoke package that we will not use anywhere else simply because Monza is very different from all the other circuits," he said. "Monza has such long straights and so few corners that it requires much smaller wings than any other track.
"To add further complication, the F-duct is a potential alternative option for Monza. Like several other teams, we too are evaluating whether we can make the device work in the particular, low-downforce environment of Monza." But Allison is confident, whichever route the team decides to follow, it can achieve another good result.
"Monza is very different from the mainstream bunch of tracks that make up the calendar," he continued, "but generally speaking the cars that are good at one track tend to be good everywhere, regardless of the downforce levels.
"The performance of the R30 in Spa therefore gives me confidence that we can compete for similarly good results at all the remaining tracks, including Monza. We will be aiming to get both cars well inside the top ten both in qualifying and the race this weekend."