Alan Permane: « An encouraging result for the whole team »

The Chief Engineer of the Renault F1 Team reflects on the Malaysian Grand Prix, in which the team secured a fine fourth place with Robert Kubica.

Alan, Robert’s second place in Melbourne might have been the result of particular race circumstances. But his performance in Sepang owed nothing to chance. Is this encouraging for the team?

« It’s encouraging, indeed, even if the weekend didn’t proceed in a completely normal way. The weather conditions were really particular in qualifying, and we managed to handle them perfectly. Robert and Vitaly did an exceptional job behind the wheel, while the team made the right decisions at the right time, especially concerning tire choice. Some of our rivals, on the other hand, made mistakes. In the race, Robert had an excellent start, gained two positions, and from there… the Grand Prix proceeded normally. Our pace was comparable to that of Nico Rosberg, so he couldn’t catch up. »

At one point, Robert suddenly lost ground to Rosberg. What was the reason?

We asked him to ease off a bit and keep an eye on the temperatures as the water pressure was starting to drop. It was a bit tense on the pit wall for a while, but the pressure eventually stabilized and everything was back to normal for the last 20 laps.

After three races, Robert is only 9 points behind the championship leader. Has he impressed the team since his debut with Renault F1?

« It’s simple: he didn’t make a single mistake. Unfortunately, he got hit at the start of Bahrain in the first lap, but then he fought back to 11th place. In Melbourne, he had a perfect race despite a lot of pressure, just like in Malaysia. Robert is very consistent, very fast, and he works extremely hard. We were impressed by the time he spends with his engineers. He is, in fact, a complete driver. »

Let’s move on to Vitaly: he seems to have definitively earned his stripes as an F1 driver during his battle against Lewis Hamilton…

« Absolutely. We realize that one of his greatest strengths is his ability to gain positions at the start and during the first lap. He was very good, once again, on Sunday. I think Vitaly was a bit surprised by Lewis’s overtaking maneuver at the first corner. As a result, he fought to regain his position, and this phase of the race was very enjoyable to watch. It was really unfortunate that he experienced a technical issue related to the gearbox. »

After three races, how do you view the strengths and weaknesses of the R30?

« On the side of the car’s strengths, I would particularly highlight its ability to save its tires. Last year, we struggled to preserve the tires, especially at the rear, but the R30 is better balanced, it wears its tires less, and it’s a bonus since the cars are heavy, with refueling being banned this year. In terms of minor weaknesses, it is obvious that we still lack aerodynamic downforce. We have brought developments to each race since the start of the season, that said, and others are planned. »

Have the innovations in Sepang delivered the expected gains?

« We have a very well-calibrated wind tunnel after a winter overhaul. The correlation between simulation figures and track verdicts is excellent, which encourages us to trust the results of our wind tunnel. Our aerodynamics department is more efficient than ever, and it’s making great strides at the moment. Our downforce levels are improving race by race, and a new step forward will be made in Shanghai. We are moving in the right direction. »

The Shanghai circuit is a modern track with a long straight and a wide array of corners. What will be your ambitions there?

« They will be more or less identical to those of this weekend. That said, the conditions there will surely be very different because the temperatures will be much lower: it’s 13° or 14° there at the moment. However, we will use exactly the same types of tires as in Malaysia. The challenge will be to get the hard tire to work, especially since the long straight demands good top speed: so there is no question of adding downforce to heat up the tires. In Melbourne, we felt that the car was more competitive in warm weather than in cooler conditions, so we are going to work hard to avoid encountering similar problems in China. »

According to a statement from the Renault F1 Team