Planet-F1

Q&A with Fabrice Lom

Thursday 21st August 2008

Fabrice Lom, who is responsible for the technical co-ordination of Renault's V8s at Red Bull, discusses the team's preparations for the European Grand Prix on the streets of Valencia.

Q: How do you look back on Red Bull Racing's Hungarian weekend?
FL: "It was difficult. We knew that the track would not be one of our favourites, but we also suffered from a lack of performance compared to our competition. For the third consecutive race we did not score any points, which is hurting us. After the French Grand Prix, we were fourth in the constructors' championship, but today we are sixth. We are well aware that the gaps are very close and the pecking order can therefore change very quickly."

Q: The next race is in Valencia - a new track for everyone. How are you preparing for this Grand Prix?
FL: "We received the plans of the circuit a few weeks ago and we have completed our simulation programme. These determine the theoretical demands on the engine and allow us to work out the mapping and ideal gear box settings beforehand. We will confirm these during the first free practice session on Friday morning."

Q: What is the first verdict of the computer simulations?
FL: "With some slow corners, Valencia puts emphasis on getting good power from low revs. It also seems that the circuit will not be too demanding on the engines. That's good news for the teams that, like us, will use the same V8 which has already raced in Hungary."

Q: No worries in terms of reliability, then?
FL: "You can never be totally relaxed because zero reliability doesn't exist. For instance, Budapest was supposed to be an "easy" track for the engines, but we saw that some people had problems their V8s. In F1, the less demanding circuits still remain a great technical challenge."

Source - Red Bull