2007 European Grand Prix - Preview
2007 EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX NÜRBURGRING 20 - 22 JULY PREVIEW The second half of the 2007 Formula One season continues this weekend with Round 10, the European Grand Prix, to be held at the historic Nürburgring circuit in Germany's Eifel Mountains. With only one Grand Prix taking place in Germany, the Nürburging will host this year's event before the race alternates with Hockenheim from 2008 onwards. With no testing at the venue and a change from the usual May date, the European Grand Prix on the challenging Nürburging circuit presents a unique and tough challenge. SHUHEI NAKAMOTO - Senior Technical Director "We used the test at the Spa Francorchamps circuit last week to evaluate some new aero upgrades which we plan to use from the European Grand Prix onwards. We also put the V8 engine through its paces for the first time at Spa and worked to find a good set-up for the Belgian Grand Prix in September. We struggled for balance at high speeds which meant that our lap times were not good. However on the positive side, we were one of few teams to experience little or no mechanical problems with the engine. Looking ahead to the race at the Nürburgring this weekend, it is a venue that poses a lot of challenges. Good levels of downforce are required as the circuit has a range of low to high speed corners. You also need good stability under braking. We will be as aggressive as possible and aim to score points." RUBENS BARRICHELLO "The Nürburgring is a challenging circuit for the drivers and one that I particularly enjoy. I won the Grand Prix here back in 2002 so I always feel good about returning and racing around here. I like the layout of the circuit and it has some great high-speed corners and interesting undulations. With the recent improvements to our car, we are now capable of knocking on the door of the points-scoring positions so I am hoping to have a good race at the weekend." JENSON BUTTON "Although it is a venue with a great deal of motor racing history, I have to be honest and say that the Nürburgring is not one of my favourite circuits on the Formula One calendar. It is actually quite a tricky circuit, particularly going down to the first corner from the start line, as it has a bumpy approach and you need to keep your wits about you and position yourself well for the best exit. Having said that, the first corner is one of the best opportunities for overtaking as the cars around you quite often just slide straight on. You can also overtake going into the chicane at the end of the lap. The key to getting a quick lap around the Nürburgring is getting your approach to turn one absolutely right because you can ruin your whole lap if you get on the brakes at the wrong moment. From a technical viewpoint, the biggest challenge is to have a car which works well with the changes of camber because there are a lot of corners off-camber so it is vital to get the correct line when you arrive into the corner." NÜRBURGRING No of Laps 60 laps Circuit Length 5.148 km Race Distance 308.863 km The Nürburgring is decidedly tame by comparison to its historic and intimidating 14 mile and 174 corner predecessor. Further changes to the old track came in 2002 when the first turn was reprofiled to cut into the infield and around a new stadium section, slowing the track even more, but yielding another overtaking spot. The circuit remains a fairly high downforce track that is light on both brakes and tyres. To achieve a competitive lap time here requires all the normal chassis attributes: good traction particularly out of the hairpins, good chassis balance and stability under braking, and the best possible compromise between downforce and straight-line speed. The Nürburgring has the full mixture of slow through to high-speed corners, from the revised first turn, hairpin and chicane, to the double medium-speed 'S' bends and the very high speed 'S' after the hairpin. It also features a lot of undulation change, which is unusual for most modern circuits. As the circuit is situated close to the Eifel Mountains, weather can often play a major role in the outcome of races. HONDA IN GERMANY · Honda began operations in Germany in 1961 to become the first Japanese importer in Europe · Germany has grown to become the second biggest market for Honda in Europe · Germany is home to Honda's main European R&D centre located in Offenbach · Automobile sales rose by 10.8% to almost 50,000 units in 2006 · Over 30,000 Honda motorcycles were sold in Germany in 2006 ENDS Media Contacts General Media Enquiries - Nicola Armstrong Communications Manager - Tracy Novak Direct Dial: +44 (0)1280 844096 Direct Dial: +44 (0)1280 844212 Mobile: +44 (0)7793 844549 Mobile: +44 (0)7736 630753 Email: NArmstrong@HondaRacingF1.com Email: TNovak@HondaRacingF1.com http://media.hondaracingf1.com The PDF attached is safe and free from viruses If you no longer wish to receive this information, please reply to this email typing UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject box Please consider the environment before printing this email