Caterham F1 Era End

maocheng

Saturday in Montreal                                                   

• Added: Sat 9 Jun, 2012

   
                        

Weather
FP3: Dry, sunny, air temp 23°, track temp 29° -32°
Quali: Dry, sunny, air temp 24°, track temp 38° (Q1)

Fastest laps / positions:
FP3: PET 1.16.268, 17th / KOV 1.16.545, 18th
Q1: KOV 1.16.263, 18th / PET 1.16.482, 19th

Total laps:
FP3: PET 24 / KOV 20
Q1: KOV 12 / PET 10

Runplan - FP3
Heikki Kovalainen
1000 - 1002: Installation, 1 lap (primetyres)
1002 - 1015: System checks
1015 - 1026: Run 2, 7 laps (prime tyres)
1026 - 1032: Changes: front torsion bar, front anti-rollbar
1032 - 1040: Run 3, 6 laps (prime tyres)
1040 - 1053: Changes: front wing flap angle, rear brakeblanking, front torsion bar, front anti-roll bar
1053 - 1102: Run 4, 6 laps (option tyres)

Vitaly Petrov
1000 - 1002: Installation, 1 lap (primetyres)
1002 - 1014: System checks
1014 - 1028: Run 2, 9 laps (prime tyres)
1028 - 1035: Changes: n/a
1035 - 1045: Run 3, 7 laps (prime tyres)
1045 - 1052: Changes: front brake blanking
1052 - 1102: Run 4, 7 laps (option tyres)

Runplan - Qualifying
Q1
Heikki Kovalainen
1302 - 1312: Run 1, 7 laps (prime tyres)
1312 - 1314: Refuel. Changes: front wing flap angle
1314 - 1322: Run 2, 5 laps (option tyres)

Vitaly Petrov
1305 - 1312: Run 1, 5 laps (option tyres)
1312 - 1314: Refuel
1314 - 1322: Run 2, 5 laps (option tyres)


Team Quotes

Heikki Kovalainen, car 20, chassis CT01-#3:"I'm pleased with today's performance. My last lap was quite a longway up but I made a small mistake in the final chicane which maybecost me a couple of tenths, but it didn't affect my position and,really, I probably got as much as I could out of the car today.Yesterday's accident could have set us back a bit but the guys dida fantastic job to fix the car so we haven't lost any performanceat all and I was 100% confident I could push today. The trackconditions have changed quite a bit from yesterday so in FP3 we hadto work on dialling out some of the oversteer that comes from thehotter conditions, and tomorrow will be hotter still so Ithink we are in good shape to fight quite a few cars ahead ofus."

Vitaly Petrov, car 21, chassis CT01-#2: "I'mnot all that happy with where we ended up today. In FP3 the carfelt really good and I was pretty confident I could have beaten myteam mate today but the temperatures rose between the end of FP3and the start of Q1 and maybe we could have found something thatwould have helped manage the change in conditions better. Despitethat it's been a positive weekend so far and I know we'll be strongtomorrow so hopefully we can have a strong race and keep buildingon the momentum we're building up this year."

Mark Smith, Technical Director: "Both driversperformed well today and we can be satisfied with where we finishedin Q1. Heikki may have been able to get his car into the late 1.15sbut it is unlikely he would have been able to push Ricciardo intothe drop zone, but we are edging ever closer to Toro Rosso and thefact both cars finished ahead of Vergne is encouraging.

"Tomorrow will be hotter than today and we saw in Bahrain andMonaco that our car is good in the hotter conditions, and we knowwe have the race pace to push into the midfield battles, so the aimnow is to get both cars through what will certainly be an excitingrace, both on track and in the pits, and see where we end up."

jose

正赛几点炮？

maocheng

正赛几点炮？
jose 发表于 10-6-2012 18:12

    早上2点开跑。。

jose

早上2点开跑。。
maocheng 发表于 10-6-2012 07:45 PM

    看完欧洲杯再看..

maocheng

Sunday in Montreal
Added: Sun 10 Jun, 2012

Weather
Race: Dry, sunshine, air temp 27° / track temp 39° (start), 28° / 39° (lap 35), 29° / 39° (lap 70)

Runplan
Heikki Kovalainen
1330 leave for grid, 2 laps
Start on option tyres
Lap 17: pitstop 1, prime tyres
Lap 42: pitstop 2, prime tyres
Finished: 18th

Vitaly Petrov
1332 leave for grid, 2 laps
Start on option tyres
Lap 18: pitstop 1, prime tyres
Lap 43: pitstop 2, prime tyres
Finished: 19th

Team Quotes

Heikki Kovalainen, car 20, chassis CT01-#3: "That was an uneventful afternoon for me. I had a good start, passed Senna early on but then struggled a little with the tyres which maybe held me up a bit. Our pace today was not quite what we thought it would be and we were being lapped a little earlier than we had anticipated, but that was really the only issue for me today - other than that it's been a good weekend."

Vitaly Petrov, car 21, chassis CT01-#2: "For me that was a good race. I battled with my team mate right to the flag and had a couple of good stops that gave me a chance to keep the pace up through the whole race. The tyre deg wasn't too bad, despite the track temperature, and we didn't have any problems with the car, so for where we are right now that's a good afternoon's work. We have some improvements coming in the next few races and the aim is for those to help us get to a point where we can race one or two of the teams ahead - that's another positive sign of progress so we're definitely going in the right direction."

Mark Smith, Technical Director: "Today we saw good strong races from both drivers and solid work in the pitstops without any issues. The final positions were about where we expected on this type of track at this stage of the season so I am happy that we have had another decent Sunday and continue to have problem free Sundays and keep edging ever closer to the midfield."

Riad Asmat, Caterham Group Chief Executive: "This has been a good weekend for the team at a race that everyone looks forward to. On Friday we saw just how well the team in the garage perform under pressure and I was very proud of the work they did to repair Heikki's car and make sure he had track time in FP2. Our qualifying performance saw us close the gap to the midfield again and we keep making small steps forward relative to the opposition which is proof that the efforts being made by the team in the factory are paying off. On Sunday we showed yet again that we are almost within reach of the midfield battle and with the upgrades we have in the pipeline I think we could soon be in a position to maintain the sort of early pace we showed on Sunday for the whole race."

maocheng

European Grand Prix 2012

General
Race laps: 57
Pitlane altitude (m): 0

2011 Weather
Air / track temp (°C): 26 / 43
ATM Press (HPA): 1014
Humidity (%): 55
Wind (kph): NNW 10

2011 Timing
Qualifying
P1: VET (1:36.975 Q3)
P2: WEB (1.37.163 Q3)
P3: HAM (1:37.380 Q3)
CF1T best: P19 KOV (1:41.664 Q1)
CFT1 delta to best Q1: +3.251 (103.2%)

Race
P1: VET (1:41.852) L53
P2: ALO (1:42.308) L49
P3: WEB (1:42.534) L39
CF1T best: P19 KOV (1:45.055) L44
CF1T delta to best race lap: +3.535 (103.9%)

Quick description
Very longitudinal track
Many hard braking & traction events
Typical "stop & go" track
Very smooth track with no bumps
Kerbs are not issue
Very low ride heights are possible, however rear ride height isgoverned by plank wear-rates due to usage of kerbs
High impact loads are possible through the steering column whendrivers use kerbs through the high-speed section (T18 to T24)
Overtaking is difficult without DRS and hard on brake temperature& wear
Overall grip gradually increases during the weekend

Circuit particularity
Bumpiness: very smooth
Overtaking chance: very low
Kerbs: low / medium
Ride height setting particularity: low front RH possible
Engine severity: high
Gearbox severity: very high
Lat / long grip: longitudinal
Aero eff ratio: very High
Safety car history: 2011 - none, 2010 - 1 (9-14), 2009 -none
Track grip evo during w/e: very high
Aero settings: medium / high
Brake wear severity: high
Brake cooling necessity: high


Team Quotes

Heikki Kovalainen, car 20, chassis CT01-#03: "Next upit's the European Grand Prix in Valencia. The track isn't myfavourite one of the season but it's another great city to go toand another venue that makes the most of having F1 in town for thewhole week so the atmosphere is around the whole eventis great.

"The track itself is another temporary circuit, a sort ofsemi-street circuit. The track surface is very smooth and the kerbsaren't really an issue but it is pretty stop / start, so you needto quickly find a good rhythm to manage the series of longstraights that end in tight turns, and pay attention tobrake wear rates and cooling. The brake cooling options wehave for Valencia are similar to Canada but the track in Spainevolves much more over the race weekend than in Montreal so we'llbe looking closely at setup options that mean we can manage tyredegradation levels right through the whole weekend."

Vitaly Petrov, car 21, chassis CT01-#02: "It's alwaysgood to get back to Valencia. It's a city I know well as I livedthere for a couple of years while I was racing in GP2 and Ihave good memories of racing there as I took my first GP2 winin Valencia in 2007. My F1 results so far have not been quitethat good, but it's always a good challenge and one I'm lookingforward to getting back to with Caterham F1 Team.

"I think the Valencia race and the next one at Silverstone couldbe pretty positive for our team. We have a few updates coming ontothe cars at the next two races, and we keep seeing howthe gap to the teams ahead is closing, little by little. Thatis the aim this year - work as hard as we can to get to the pointwhere we're racing a couple of cars ahead and then see where we gofrom there. We were closer than ever to Q2 on merit in qualifyingin Canada, so let's see what the upgrades we're bringing toValencia and Silverstone help us do."

Mark Smith, Technical Director, Caterham F1Team: "The Valencia circuit presents us with a fewtechnical challenges that are similar to a couple of the othertracks we race on. As a temporary street circuit it obviously hasbig grip evolution over the weekend but the track surface is prettyabrasive, so deg levels are reasonably high throughout everysession on track, particularly in FP1 when the surface is verydirty and what we call 'green'. This means we not only need tomanage tyre usage, so we have enough sets of new tyres for raceday, it also means we have to work very closely with Renault SportF1 on maximising traction and giving the drivers setup options thatmean they can attack the traction zones after each braking pointwith confidence.

"With DRS engaged I suspect we will see similar levels ofovertaking to 2011. The difference this year for us is that weexpect to be much closer to the cars ahead than we were last year,giving us a chance perhaps to put one of our cars into Q2 andgiving the drivers a real chance to race on Sunday. We have acouple of quite significant updates coming in Valencia andSilverstone - we will take a look at a number of new aerodynamicelements in Valencia as well as some minor modifications tothe floor, and even though we will not know exactly what they willgive us until we get out on track, we are cautiously optimisticthey will help us keep edging ever closer to themidfield."

Tony Fernandes, Team Principal, Caterham F1 Team:"These are very exciting times for everyone associated withCaterham F1 Team and the wider Caterham Group. At the next two F1races, in Valencia and Silverstone, we will see the fruits of thehard work being done by everyone at the factory with a number ofimportant upgrades on the cars. While we are honest enoughwith ourselves to know that these upgrades alone will not beenough to force our way into the midfield pack, we do know it is astatement of our intent to join the group just ahead that we areupdating the car at the same rate or even more quickly than ourrivals.

"We have the people and resources in place to achieve our goal ofscoring a point this year, and we are edging ever closer to a groupof cars that is now tantalisingly close. The F1 team can takeinspiration from our GP2 team who had a slightly slow start to theseason, but have forced their way into fifth in the teams'championship and have helped to put Giedo van der Garde into thirdin the drivers' standings after he became the first GP2 driverto record a podium in both races in Monaco. They are workingincredibly hard in a similar fight to their F1 colleagues, takingon established teams in a series that reqards experience, precisionand risk-taking, and their recent run of success is just reward forthe efforts the whole team is putting in."

maocheng

European Grand Prix 2012 - FP1 & FP2
                               
                                Caterham F1 Team Partner information
                                CNN's Madrid bureau was opened in 1999
                               
                                Weather
                                FP1: Overcast, dry, windy, air temp 25° - 26°, track temp 29° - 30°
                                FP2: Overcast, dry, air temp 26°, track temp 34°
                               
                                Fastest laps / positions:
                                FP1: KOV 1.42.442, 17th / PET 1.43.209, 20th
                                FP2: PET 1.40.963, 17th / KOV 1.41.197, 19th
                               
                                Total laps:
                                FP1: KOV 26 / PET 19
                                FP2: PET 20 / KOV 38
                               
                                Runplan – FP1
                                Heikki Kovalainen
                                1002 – 1004: Installation, 1 lap (medium tyres)
                                1004 – 1009: System checks  
                                1009 – 1011: Run 2, 1 lap (medium tyres)
                                1011 – 1027: Changes: front wing flap angle, front brake duct blanking
                                1027 – 1045: Run 3, 9 laps (medium tyres)
                                1045 – 1056: Changes: front wing flap angle
                                1056 – 1113: Run 4, 9 laps (medium tyres)
                                1113 - 1120: Changes: rear suspension adjustment
                                1120 - 1132: Run 5, 6 laps (medium tyres)
                               
                                Vitaly Petrov
                                1002 – 1004: Installation, 1 lap (medium tyres)
                                1004 – 1037: System checks  
                                1037 – 1055: Run 2, 8 laps (medium tyres)
                                1055 – 1109: Changes: front wing flap angle
                                1109 – 1121: Run 3, 6 laps (medium tyres)
                                1121 – 1125: Changes: front wing flap angle, rear ride height
                                1125 – 1133: Run 4, 4 laps (medium tyres)
                               
                                Runplan - FP2
                                Heikki Kovalainen
                                1401 – 1417: Run 1, 8 laps (medium tyres)
                                1417 – 1421: Changes: front wing flap angle  
                                1421 – 1440: Run 2, 7 laps (soft tyres)
                                1440 – 1445: Changes: front wing flap angle, rear brake duct blanking
                                1445 – 1507: Run 3, 12 laps (medium tyres)
                                1507 – 1512: Changes: front wing flap angle
                                1512 – 1532: Run 4, 11 laps (soft tyres)
                               
                                Vitaly Petrov
                                1402 – 1413: Run 1, 6 laps (medium tyres)
                                1413 – 1421: Changes: front wing flap angle, front brake duct blanking  
                                1421 – 1435: Run 2, 5 laps (soft tyres)
                                1435 – 1444: Changes: front wing flap angle
                                1444 – 1501: Run 3, 9 laps (soft tyres)
                               
                               
                                Team Quotes
                               
                                Heikki Kovalainen, car 20, chassis CT01-#3: “A pretty good Friday for me, with both sessions going to plan. In FP2 we ran a new version of the front wing and the initial feel it gave was good - it's too early to tell how much it's worth but it's a good sign that what was predicted in the factory seems to have worked on track. There's more to come for the next race but this looks like it could be a good step.”
                                 
                                Vitaly Petrov, car 21, chassis CT01-#2: “That was a positive Friday for us. FP1 started out with the track as green as we knew it would be, but that affects everyone the same so we got on with the programme and concentrated on finding a balance that would work once the grip levels improved. We were also looking at some new KERS maps that worked well, but perhaps would be better suited to a circuit that is less stop/start than Valencia. We’ll look again at that overnight and I’m sure we’ll find the right solution for this track in time for FP3.
                               
                                “In FP2 we got through most of the plan, running on low and heavy fuel and on both tyre compounds and until we had a mechanical issue towards the end of the session the car felt good. We have brought a couple of updates here and it definitely felt better but we will see the full upgrade package at Silverstone. Still, it’s good to see us continuing to develop the car and to keep getting closer to the target this year, so I think qualifying and the race could both be pretty interesting for us.”
                               
                                Thierry Salvi, Renault Sport F1 Support Leader: "Valencia is another of the temporary street circuits and presents a similar challenge to what we faced in Melbourne. The drivers talk about this track being very stop / start as there are a number of long straights that end in first or second gear corners and that means one of our main focus areas is managing fuel consumption. The cars are constantly braking and having to use on / off throttle application which leads to high fuel consumption, up to around 2.7kgs a lap which is considerably more than we saw in Canada, for example.
                               
                                “Today we’ve seen the sort of hot, dry weather we expect in Valencia, and stronger winds than normal, and they also contribute to the high consumption levels we see here. The temperatures are not expected to drop this weekend so having completed 103 laps in total on both cars today I think we have achieved what we set out to in the Friday sessions. This gives us enough data to be able to maximise our fuel usage in qualifying and the race, so this has been another positive Friday for us and the whole team.”
                               
                                Mark Smith, Technical Director: “I am pleased with our performance today. Both drivers completed most of their planned programmes - we had a mechanical issue relating to KERS late on in FP2 on Vitaly's car, but he had run through his low and heavy fuel laps and had completed good mileage on both tyre compounds so we have not lost anything from his slightly shortened FP2.
                               
                                "It is also good to see that the first set of upgrades we have brought here appear to be matching the targets we set for them. We will have more new parts for Silverstone, but it looks like we have made more progress here today so the aim is to maintain this momentum and see if we can keep closing the gap in qualifying tomorrow, and particularly in the race on Sunday.”

maocheng

European Grand Prix 2012 - FP3 & Qualifying
                               
                                Caterham F1 Team Partner Information
                                GE introduced the world’s first electric toaster in 1905
                               
                                Weather
                                FP3: Dry, sunny, air temp 26°, track temp 34° - 38°
                                Quali: Dry, sunny, air temp 26°, track temp 45°
                               
                                Fastest laps / positions:
                                FP3: KOV 1.40.681, 18th / PET 1.41.931, 20th
                                Q1: KOV 1.40.087, 17th / PET 1.40.457, 20th
                                Q2: KOV 1.40.295, 16th
                               
                                Total laps:
                                FP3: KOV 15 / PET 15
                                Q1: KOV 8 / PET 8
                                Q2: KOV 3
                               
                                Runplan - FP3
                                Heikki Kovalainen
                                1100 – 1102: Installation, 1 lap (medium tyres)
                                1102 – 1119: System checks
                                1119 – 1136: Run 2, 9 laps (medium tyres)
                                1136 – 1152: Changes: front wing flap angle, front ride height
                                1152 – 1201: Run 3, 5 laps (soft tyres)
                               
                                Vitaly Petrov
                                1100 – 1102: Installation, 1 lap (medium tyres)
                                1102 – 1116: System checks.  
                                1116 – 1133: Run 2, 9 laps (medium tyres)
                                1133 – 1151: Changes: front brake duct blanking
                                1151 – 1159: Run 3, 4 laps (soft tyres)
                               
                                Runplan - Q1
                                Heikki Kovalainen
                                1405 – 1415: Run 1, 5 laps (medium tyres)
                                1415 – 1417: Refuel. Changes: front wing flap angle
                                1417 – 1423: Run 2, 3 laps (soft tyres)
                               
                                Vitaly Petrov
                                1405 – 1415: Run 1, 5 laps (medium tyres)
                                1415 – 1417: Refuel. Changes: front wing flap angle
                                1417 – 1423: Run 2, 3 laps (soft tyres)
                               
                                Runplan - Q2
                                Heikki Kovalainen
                                1437 – 1444: Run 1, 3 laps (soft tyres)
                               
                               
                                Team Quotes
                               
                                Heikki Kovalainen, car 20, chassis CT01-#3: “Today's performance was the result of a great effort by the whole team. This morning we weren't sure if we could do it or not but both runs in Q1 were really good. As the temperatures went up and the track kept evolving my car just felt better and better and I really got the most out of it on that final lap on the softs. In Q2 we opted to wait until the end of the session and see if we could improve on the Q1 time and while that wasn't quite possible we achieved the target of beating both Toro Rosso cars and that obviously is a great feeling. I think tomorrow could now be really interesting for us - it looks like we have the chance to race them and that's a significant step forward for our team. We've been getting closer to them in the last couple of races, but this track, the conditions here and the upgrades we've brought give us the chance to make good on our goal of joining the midfield, so now we need to translate today's result into more good news tomorrow and keep moving forwards.”
                                 
                                Vitaly Petrov, car 21, chassis CT01-#2: “This has been a good day for the team with the upgrades we've brought here helping us take another step forwards. For me I had a good first run on the medium tyres and then was going well on the softs but made a small mistake which cost me a couple of tenths and around this track you only need to lose a small amount of time to drop a few places back. Now it's time to focus on the race and anything could happen here. I think the key to a good race will be managing tyre degradation and so far this weekend we've been reasonably pleased with how our car's been performing here on the long runs. We obviously won't know until tomorrow how our nearest competitors will be able to look after their tyres, so we'll just make sure we put in as good a performance as we can, get the car home and see where we end up.”
                               
                                Mark Smith, Technical Director: “I am delighted with today's performance, as is everyone in the team. We were reasonably optimistic that the updates we have brought here and will have in Silverstone would give us a chance to take another small step forwards and the proof of that is seeing Heikki put his car into Q2. Now we turn our attention to tomorrow's race and the goal is the same as it has been all season - make sure we bring both cars home, take the fight to the cars just ahead of us and be there to take advantage of whatever opportunities arrive in the race.”
                               
                                Riad Asmat, Caterham Group Chief Executive Officer: "Another very good day for our team as we continue to develop in exactly the right direction. Heikki's Q2 appearance shows that we are clearly gaining pace as he was able to mix it with both Toro Rosso cars on the same tyres, with the same track conditions and similar fuel loads. This is down to the continuing hard work everyone in the team keeps putting in to help us achieve our goals, and when we can give Heikki and Vitaly the sort of performance that gives them a chance to really exploit their talents they repay everyone in our team with the sort of laptimes we have seen today."

maocheng

European Grand Prix - Sunday 24th June 2012
                               
                                Caterham F1 Team Partner Information
                                Dell has more than 100,000 team members worldwide
                               
                                Weather
                                Race: Dry, sunny, air temp 27° / track temp 45° (start), 27° / 45° (lap 28), 27° / 44° (lap 57)
                               
                                Runplan
                                Heikki Kovalainen
                                1331 leave for grid, 2 laps
                                Start on soft tyres
                                Lap 13: pitstop 1, soft tyres
                                Lap 27: pitstop 2, new nose, medium tyres
                                Finished: 14th
                               
                                Vitaly Petrov
                                1331 leave for grid, 2 laps
                                Start on soft tyres
                                Lap 14: pitstop 1, soft tyres
                                Lap 25: pitstop 2, soft tyres
                                Lap 28: pitstop 3, medium tyres
                                Lap 47: pitstop 4, new nose, medium tyres
                                Finished: 13th
                               
                                Team Quotes
                               
                                Heikki Kovalainen, car 20, chassis CT01-#3: “My start wasn't the best I've had this year but I was keeping pace with Webber and Ricciardo for the first few laps. Unfortunately we had a KERS issue early on and that obviously hit my pace for the whole race. We had opted for a two stop strategy so for the first stint I was looking after the tyres until we boxed. The stop went well and my pace was good but then Vergne made what looks like a rookie mistake, hit me and I had to come in for a new nose. From that point I was just trying to get to the end of the race and with about five or six laps left the tyres were gone. Despite that 13th and 14th is another decent result for the team. We've had a very good weekend here and now we can look forward to making more gains at the next race so we leave on a positive note.”
                                 
                                Vitaly Petrov, car 21, chassis CT01-#2: “I'm really pleased with how today's race went. I made a pretty good start and was just behind Heikki after the first corner - I was pretty careful into T1 as I didn't want to make any mistakes and from that point it was really about managing the tyres and following the instructions from my engineer. I want to thank the boys for the fantastic job they did in the pitstops, particularly when I had to box for a new nose late on in the race.
                               
                                "Even though we were running tenth at one point I'm not sure a point was quite within reach today, but it's really encouraging to see how we've progressed here and we know we have more to come in Silverstone so we have something good to fight for and that's great for the whole team.”
                                 
                                Mark Smith, Technical Director: “Our final positions today are just reward for a very good performance right across the whole team today. Without the contact with Vergne and Ricciardo we may have been able to finish a couple of places higher, but we have to be pleased with how we reacted to the incidents on track, and the fact that we have clearly made some gains here. We have more upgrades to come for Silverstone and if we keep up this level of momentum we have a very exciting second half of the season ahead of us."
                                 
                                Riad Asmat, Caterham Group Chief Executive: “What a race! That's what makes this the greatest sport on the planet, right throughout the grid. I am very proud of the job the whole team did today. The pitstops were excellent, the strategy calls were spot on and both drivers pushed as hard as they could. The two incidents obviously cost us time on both cars, but it is very good to see that we are so close to the pack ahead - enough to give Heikki and Vitaly a chance to fight and another 13th and 14th place helps us consolidate our place in the Championship, so this has been a good weekend.”

maocheng

Caterham F1 Team - British Grand Prix View



General

Race Laps: 52
Pitlane altitude (m): 102
2011 air / track temp (C): 25 / 34
2011 ATM pressure (HPA): 998
2011 humidity (%): 45
2011 wind (kph): NNE 20
  
Timing
2011 Qualifying
P1: WEB (1:30.399 Q3)
P2: VET (1:30.431 Q3)
P3: ALO (1:30.516 Q3)
CF1T best: P17 KOV (1:34.821 Q2)
CFT1 delta to best Q1: +3.181 (103.3%)
  
2011 Race
P1: ALO (1:34.980) L41
P2: VET (1:35.565) L38
P3: WEB (1:35.666) L49
CF1T best: DNF TRU (1:55.491) L9
CF1T delta to best race lap: +20.511 (121.6%)
  
Quick description
High fuel effect and one the most "lateral grip" tracks
Generally low grip
Very easy on brakes
Overtaking is difficult
Wind has a big effect on top speed which can be reached either in T9, T11 or T15
Starting grid on old low grip tarmac up to P18
S3 and pitlane entry remain wet longer than the rest of the track
Track re-paved partly in 2011
  
Circuit Particularity
Bumpiness: medium / high
Overtaking chance: low
Kerbs: smooth
Ride height setting particularity: limited by bumpiness
Engine severity: low
Gearbox severity: low
Lat/Long grip: Lateral
Aero eff ratio: medium / high
Safety car history: 2011- none, 2010- 1(28-30), 2009 none
Track grip evo during w/e: medium / high
Aero settings: high
Brake wear severity: very low
Brake cooling necessity: low
  
Heikki Kovalainen, car 20, chassis CT01-#03: "Silverstone is a great track to race at, both because it's one of our two home races and because it's a proper driver's track. Even with the changes that have been made over the years it is still what F1 is all about - high speed corners that really push the performance of the car. The new section is probably the least exciting bit of the track from inside the cockpit but the classic corners from Copse and Maggots to Beckets is right up there with some of the best corners on the calendar.



"Honestly, I can't wait to get back in the car and see what we can do at this year's British Grand Prix. At the last race in Valencia we clearly made improvements, enough to help me put the car into Q2 on merit and we have more upgrades coming for Silverstone. For this race it's important that we carry our qualifying speed and good reliability through into Sunday as issues like the KERS problem I had in Valencia impact all the hard work the team is doing at the factory and in the wind tunnel to get us where we want to be. If we can do that I think we can have another very good weekend and I'm really looking forward to giving our home fans something to cheer for."



Vitaly Petrov, car 21, chassis CT01-#02: "The British Grand Prix is one of the best races of the calendar for several reasons. It's a fantastic place to race at because of the exciting atmosphere and the special love the British fans have for motorsport. As the UK is home to a lot of the teams, including Caterham F1 Team, the whole place is always full of fans, whether it's raining or the sun is burning everybody! They are some of the most knowledgeable, passionate fans in the world and they give the whole place a special atmosphere all weekend.



"As we'll be bringing more new parts to the British Grand Prix I think it's another race where we'll be able to take a step forwards. I'm sure everyone else will be bringing upgrades so we need to make sure that we don't just make gains, but we improve more than our nearest rivals. That's a big challenge but after seeing the gap to Toro Rosso shrink in Valencia we have a clear target just ahead and that gave the whole team a real boost. Hopefully we'll be able to make similar levels of progress at Silverstone - if we do I think the British Grand Prix could be very interesting. The team made great progress in Valencia and I really hope that we will continue in the same manner at the next race."



Mark Smith, Technical Director: "We left Valencia after a very positive weekend for the whole team. One of the most pleasing aspects for me was seeing that the numbers we had predicted for the upgrades we brought there matched what we did on track, and that gives us a lot of confidence that future upgrade packages should continue the trend we are seeing of the gap to the teams ahead shrinking.



"For Silverstone we will be bringing a number of new parts, including new rear bodywork, a revised exhaust layout and a number of smaller updates in other bodywork areas around the car. I do not want to make any predictions at this point on what they could be worth, but if we repeat the step forward we made in Valencia we should have another positive weekend."



Tony Fernandes, Team Principal, Caterham F1 Team: "The European Grand Prix was a very significant race for our team as it was the first time we took on and beat an established midfield team in a straight fight on merit in qualifying. Yes, Heikki's benefited from the issues Mark Webber had on Saturday, but we are now quick enough to take advantage of that sort of opportunity and knock one of the established teams back into the positions we have been filling since we started in the sport just over two and a half years ago.



"Our performance on Sunday was also extremely positive, with all areas of the team performing at 100% to help us record our best positions of the season, despite both cars being forced to change nosecones after contact with the Toro Rossos. We said at the start of the season that our goals for this year are to score our first point and to join the midfield and I think it is fair to say that we are achingly close to being able to achieve those targets.



"Silverstone will give us another chance to show that we can make good on those objectives and the upgrades we are bringing will give both Heikki and Vitaly the chance to repeat our qualifying performance in Valencia, and, more importantly, to be able to fight for their track positions from the moment the lights go out on Sunday, right to the end of the race. To see our cars racing a team who were 1.6 seconds ahead of us in qualifying for the first race this year is obviously a very good feeling, for me and my fellow shareholders, our partners and sponsors, our fans and the whole team."

maocheng

Van der Garde confirmed for                                                    Rotterdam event                                                   

• Added: Tue 3 Jul, 2012

   
                        

Caterham F1 Team has confirmed that Reserve Driver Giedo van derGarde will be taking part in the City Racing Rotterdam event on26th August in Holland.

Both the Caterham F1 Team race drivers have taken part in previousCity Racing events, with Heikki Kovalainen driving a Renault F1 carin 2008 and Vitaly Petrov, also in a Renault F1 car, in 2010 in theNetherlands' largest Formula 1 event.

Giedo is delighted to be taking part in such a big event in frontof his home crowd: "For years I have been following City RacingRotterdam and I'm delighted that the organisation has invitedCaterham F1 Team and me to take part. I will make sure that thehuge crowd will not be short of excitement! Last weekend I tookpart in the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England and I am lookingforward to showing all the fans the Caterham F1 Team car and wewill make sure we put on a spectacular show."

Rotterdam Racing is delighted Caterham F1 Team and Giedo will beat the event on 26th August. City Racing co-organiser HermanVaanholt said: "We are happy to add Giedo and his team to ourline-up. He is joining a list of Dutch drivers who have taken partin our previous events including Albers, Doornbos, Tung andVerstappen. We are proud that yet again a Dutch driver will bedriving a Formula 1 car at a City Racing event and with Caterham F1Team and Mercedes AMG Petronas team also taking part, with NicoRosberg driving, we are showing that even in challenging times forthe event business, City Racing keeps our standards at the highestpossible level."

Preparations for the eighth edition are in full swing and everyoneassociated with the event is working hard to put on a spectacularprogram. Besides van der Garde and the Caterham F1 Team car, anumber of other names have already been confirmed includingMercedes AMG Petronas with Nico Rosberg. In addition to the Formula1 cars, stunt driver Terry Grant will be taking part and will againput on a spectacular show for the fans.

More names will be added to the line-up in the next few weeks.For all fans who want to make sure they do not miss a thing, VIPand grandstand tickets are now on sale at www.cityracing.nl

maocheng

Petrov confirmed for F1 demo                                                    in Russia                                                   

• Added: Wed 4 Jul, 2012

   
                        

Vitaly Petrov will drive a Formula 1 car in Russia when he takespart in Caterham F1 Team's demonstation at this month's WorldSeries by Renault event at Volokolamsk, near Moscow.

The new Russian circuit is hosting a World Series meeting for thefirst time on July 14/15 and Petrov will attend to take part in theF1 demonstration laps for his home fans. There will also be acompetition for spectators to join Petrov in a Renault Megane RSfor hot laps of the track.

Vitaly Petrov: "I get a lot of positive emotionsevery time I visit Russia, and much more so at events where thereare fans. I think this is really important as not many of them canvisit a grand prix and television pictures do not provide thecomplete atmosphere of Formula 1.

"I hope to give a lot of positive emotions to spectators during theupcoming demo runs in the Moscow region and I invite all motorsportfans to visit the World Series by Renault meeting - there will be alot of fun!"

maocheng

Caterham F1 Team - British Grand Prix FP1 & FP2
                               
                                Caterham F1 Team Partner information
                                Great Britain is home to CNN’s UK headquarters which were opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2001
                               
                                Weather
                                FP1: Wet, raining, air temp 17°, track temp 16°
                                FP2: Wet, intermittent rain, air temp 15°, track temp 16°
                               
                                Fastest laps / positions
                                FP1: PET 1.59.614 12th / KOV 1.59.787, 14th
                                FP2: KOV 1.58.580, 7th / PET 2.01.348, 18th
                               
                                Total laps
                                FP1: PET 9 / KOV 10
                                FP2: KOV 10 / PET 12
                               
                                Runplan – FP1
                                Heikki Kovalainen
                                All runs on wet tyres
                                1000 – 1003: Installation, 1 lap
                                1003 – 1016: System checks.  
                                1016 – 1019: Installation 2, 1 lap
                                1019 – 1023: Changes: n/a
                                1023 – 1035: Run 3, 5 laps
                                1035 – 1445: Changes: rear bodywork, rear brake duct blanking
                                1045 – 1052: Run 4, 3 laps
                               
                                Vitaly Petrov
                                All runs on wet tyres
                                1000 – 1003: Installation, 1 lap
                                1003 – 1013: System checks
                                1013 – 1016: Installation 2, 1 lap
                                1016 – 1023: Changes: n/a
                                1023 – 1040: Run 3, 7 laps
                               
                                Runplan - FP2
                                Heikki Kovalainen
                                All runs on wet tyres
                                1451 – 1459: Run 1, 3 laps
                                1459 – 1516: Changes: front / rear brake duct blanking  
                                1516 – 1532: Run 2, 7 laps
                               
                                Vitaly Petrov
                                All runs on wet tyres
                                1454 – 1500: Run 1, 4 laps
                                1500 – 1515: Changes: front / rear brake duct blanking  
                                1515 – 1533: Run 2, 8 laps
                                 
                                Team Quotes
                               
                                Heikki Kovalainen, car 20, chassis CT01-#3: “I think that’s the wettest day we’ve had in F1 for quite a while and that cut short the amount of running we could do today. It was pretty treacherous out there in both sessions, more so in the afternoon when I was getting wheelspin at the end of the straight and when it’s like that it’s not worth risking the car, particularly when we have quite a lot of new parts on it that we need to take a look at as much as we can this weekend.
                                 
                                “As it was so wet I can’t really say how much of an improvement we’ve made here, but this morning the car felt pretty well balanced as soon as I started to push a bit, so if it’s raining like this on Sunday at least we know we have a decent setup to race with.”
                                 
                                Vitaly Petrov, car 21, chassis CT01-#2: “This morning Heikki and I were running comparisons between the new exhaust layout and rear bodywork so my first taste of the new parts was in FP2 when it was even slippier out on track. Even with conditions like that we still got through a few laps and the car felt good – pretty stable, good traction and a good base for us to work from tomorrow. It would be good for everyone if it is more dry tomorrow but even if it's not we’ll just have to get on with it. I like the rain so for me it’s not a problem.”
                               
                                Thierry Salvi, Renault Sport F1 Support Leader: "Silverstone is a power circuit, one where the drivers should spend up to 64% of the lap on full throttle in qualifying. Obviously the weather conditions today meant that the challenges for us on the engine side change, and we have to work very closely with the team’s engineers to decide what gear ratios will give us maximum performance in what could be a dry qualifying session, but a wet race.
                                 
                                “Today we have also been working with the team on optimising engine performance with the updates that have been brought to this race. The main area of focus for us is the revised exhausts, a version of which were first tried at the test in Mugello but which have been revised and refined since that test and require a series of new engine maps that help the driver optimise all the performance characteristics of the engine around this circuit. The immediate feedback we have had from both drivers is positive so, despite the weather today, this has been another good day for us and the whole team."
                               
                                Mark Smith, Technical Director: “It is obviously a shame for the fans and the teams alike that we had such limited running today, but the conditions were so bad in both sessions that the risk of accidents was too high for us to run any more than we did today. Despite that we were able to complete a number of useful tests this morning, running comparisons between the new upgrades we have brought here with the package we raced in Valencia. That gives us a relatively decent amount of data to go through to understand what sort of gains we have made, but the initial numbers are encouraging.”

maocheng

Saturday in Silverstone                                                   

• Added: Sat 7 Jul, 2012

   
                        

Caterham F1 Team - British Grand Prix FP3 &Qualifying

Caterham F1 Team Partner information
AirAsia flew 16 million passengers in 2011

Weather
FP3: Overcast, dry, air temp 16° - 18°, track temp17° - 24°
Quali: Wet, air temp 15°, track temp 18°

Fastest laps / positions:
FP3: KOV 1.34.298, 19th / PET 1.34.781, 20th
Q1: PET 1.49.027, 19th / KOV 1.49.477, 20th

Total laps:
FP3: KOV 18 / PET 20
Q1: PET 10 / KOV 10

Runplan - FP3
Heikki Kovalainen
1000 - 1002: Installation, 1 lap (hardtyres)
1002 - 1004: System checks
1004 - 1014: Run 2, 6 laps (hard tyres)
1014 - 1018: Changes: front wing flap angle, front / rearride height
1018 - 1038: Run 3, 5 laps (soft tyres)
1038 - 1043: Changes: front wing flap angle, front / rear rideheight
1043 - 1055: Run 4, 6 laps (soft tyres)

Vitaly Petrov
1000 - 1002: Installation, 1 lap (hardtyres)
1002 - 1004: System checks
1004 - 1015: Run 2, 6 laps (hard tyres)
1015 - 1026: Changes: front wing flap angle, front anti-rollbar, rear brake duct blanking
1026 - 1040: Run 3, 7 laps (soft tyres)
1040 - 1044: Changes: front wing flap angle
1044 - 1055: Run 4, 6 laps (soft tyres)


Runplan - Q1
Heikki Kovalainen
1300 - 1314: Run 1, 7 laps (intermediate tyres)
1314 - 1318: Refuel
1318 - 1322: Run 2, 3 laps (intermediate tyres)

Vitaly Petrov
1300 - 1314: Run 1, 7 laps (intermediate tyres)
1314 - 1317: Refuel. Changes: front wing flap angle
1317 - 1321: Run 2, 3 laps (intermediate tyres)


Team Quotes

Heikki Kovalainen, car 20, chassis CT01-#3:"Qualifying today was all about trying to get the lap in at theright time. There was a point when the track was drying out and wewere thinking about going to dry tyres but then the rain startedfalling more heavily and I couldn't quite put my best lap together.I was in a group of cars at the beginning of the session and thatcost me a bit of time but other than that there weren't really anyproblems, I just don't think there was any more on offer today withthe conditions."

Vitaly Petrov, car 21, chassis CT01-#2: "I'malmost happy with today's performance! It's a little disappointingthat we couldn't show the full potential of the car but it is goodthat we know the updates are working. That's obviously importantfor me, but also for all the guys here on track and back at thefactory because we know that we are progressing. It looks like it'sgoing to rain here again tomorrow and again that means we won't beable to really show what we've achieved with the new package andwith the summer break coming up in a couple of races time I hope wehave a couple of dry races in Germany and Hungary where we canreally show how far we've come.

"With the rain I think tomorrow's going to be a really excitingrace for the fans. For us it'll be about making sure we don't makemistakes, using the strategy well and keeping the car on the road.If we can do that anything can happen."

Mark Smith, Technical Director: "Qualifying sessionslike that are always a lottery and I think we were unlucky not tobe able to take advantage of the weather conditions. Despite that,both drivers performed well and made sure they did not make anymistakes which could have cost us tomorrow. I think it is also ashame we have not had the chance to really show what the upgradeshave brought to the car. The weather in qualifying affectedeveryone's performance and when you see a Mclaren going out in Q1you see just how unpredictable the rain can make the finalpositions. In FP3 we were also running the cars in their new guise for the first time on dry tyres and we spent most ofthat session working on baseline setups to optimise performance onboth the prime and the option tyres. Once we have found a balancethe drivers are happy with we know there is more to come from thenew package so that is very encouraging, and with the direction wehave take on setup for tomorrow I think we are in a good positionto put in another strong performance on race day."

Tony Fernandes, Team Principal: "Even though we havenot yet been able to show how much of a step forward we have takenthis weekend with the car's performance I think it is clear howmuch progress we have already made this season and we once we havehad the chance to put all the new parts through the test processeswe need to on track to unlock their full potential I think ourdevelopment will be even more clear.

"In the practice sessions last year we were around four secondsoff the outright pace and this year we were two seconds away, witha car that we know has more pace in it so I am delighted to seewhere we are approaching the mid-point of the season and even morepleased to see how positive the whole team is about our continuedgrowth."

maocheng

Caterham F1 Team - British Grand Prix 2012
                               
                                Caterham F1 Team Partner Information
                                GE has received two Nobel prizes, in 1932 and 1973
                               
                                Weather
                                Race: Dry, sunshine, min / max air temp 19° / 21°, min / max track temp 28° / 33°
                               
                                Runplan
                                Heikki Kovalainen
                                1231 leave for grid, 2 laps
                                Start on option tyres
                                Lap 12 pitstop 1, prime tyres
                                Lap 29 pitstop 2, prime tyres
                                Finished: 17th
                               
                                Vitaly Petrov
                                1232 leave for grid, 1 lap
                                Retired with engine failure on lap to the grid
                               
                                Team Quotes
                               
                                Heikki Kovalainen, car 20, chassis CT01-#3: “That was a pretty uneventful race for me. I drove as hard as I could with the car we had today and was pretty much on my own for the whole race. I had a little incident on the first lap but I was able to recover from that quickly and from that point it was just about making sure I didn’t make any mistakes so we could take advantage of what happened in front. It’s a shame for Vitaly that his race ended so early but I think at the next race we’ll be stronger. We’ll have had more time to work on the updates we brought here and hopefully we’ll be able to keep bringing down the gap to the cars ahead.”
                                 
                                Vitaly Petrov, car 21, chassis CT01-#2: “I am obviously disappointed to have had my race end before I had even reached the grid. The car suffered engine failure on my first lap out of the pitlane and I had to pull it to the side just before the entrance to the pitlane. The crew pushed it back to the garage but it was immediately clear that the problem was terminal and that was the end of the race. These things sometimes happen in racing so there is no point looking back at it – Renault Sport F1 will look at the problem and we know they will work hard to make sure we do not see a repeat of it again.
                               
                                “Despite the issue today this has been a positive weekend. The car has worked well in each session and I’ve been really pleased with how the engineers and mechanics have helped us keep making steps forward with the setup. Even though we had very limited running with the updates it was immediately clear that we have put more downforce on the car and with more time on track we will be able to work on fine-tuning the setups that will let us get the most out of the car at the next race.”
                                 
                                Mark Smith, Technical Director: “Vitaly unfortunately suffered an engine failure on his first lap out of the pits on his way to the grid and that was it for his race. On Heikki’s side of the garage, once he had passed the slower cars around him he was basically on his own for most of the race. He drove well and did not make any mistakes and that was all we could ask of him today. Now we will go back to the factory and work on all the data we have taken from today and the whole weekend. On Friday we are running the aero test we had to postpone earlier this week because of the weather and that will help us make sure we can optimise the whole package we brought to Silverstone. We know we have progressed but we just were not able to show it today so we will focus on doing so at the last two races before the summer break in Germany and Hungary.”
                                 
                                Tony Fernandes, Team Principal, Caterham F1 Team: “A weekend of real highs and lows, for me and the whole team. Sunday started with an incredible experience when I took part in the Olympic torch relay in Huntingdon. Our team Premium Partner GE invited me to carry the torch and I was delighted to accept such a generous offer. I was also very proud to see two of the key men at QPR join us as guests on track – defender Clint Hill who was our player of the year last season, and CEO Philip Beard. Seeing them chatting so comfortably with everyone in the F1 team shows how close-knit our motorsport and football families are and that is a very special feeling.
                               
                                “On track the race clearly did not start as we had planned with Vitaly suffering an engine failure before he even reached the grid. It was good to see how well he and the team dealt with that disappointment, especially considering how important it is for us to put the new upgrades through as much track time as we can to really get the most out of them. Heikki drove his usual strong race, pushing from the first lap until the last and the boys in the pitcrew and on the pitwall worked flat out to give him a chance to fight. Once we have been able to get the most out of the updates I know we will take a significant step forwards and that is very encouraging, for me, the team and partners like GE who all share our dream of one day fighting for the top step of the podium.”
                                 
                                Ends
                               
                                To download Caterham F1 Team hi-res images, rights free for editorial use, go to www.flickr.com/photos/caterhamf1. All images must be credited "Caterham F1 Team" and are made available strictly for editorial use and any commercial, marketing or advertising use will be at the discretion of Caterham F1 Team.
                               
                                The latest issue of Caterham Notes is now live via www.caterhamf1.com/magazine - read Pirelli's Paul Hembery and our Technical Director Mark Smith's thoughts on the 2012 Pirelli tyres, find out more about what makes Vitaly Petrov tick and read our full tech previews of the British Grand Prix and the upcoming German and Hungarian races.

maocheng

German Grand Prix View                                                   

• Added: Mon 16 Jul, 2012

   
                        

German Grand Prix View

2010 Weather
Air/Track temp ( C): 22/39
Pitlane altitude (m): 102
ATM Press (HPA): 1008
Hum (%): 45
Wind (kph): W 19

2010 Timing
Qualifying
P1: VET (1.13.791 Q3)
P2: ALO (1.13.793 Q3)
P3: MAS (1.14.290 Q3)
CF1T best: TRU (1.17.583 Q1)
CFT1 delta to best Q1: +3.792  (4.88%)

Race
P1: ALO (1.15.880 L66)
P2: MAS (1.16.097 L66)
P3: VET (1.15.824 L67)
CF1T best: KOV P20 (1.20.664 L51)
CF1T delta to best race lap: +4.84 (6%)

Quick description
Race Laps: 67
Combination of high speed corners (>240 kph T1 and T12), longfull throttle distance (1100mts) and slow corners where goodtraction is very important (T2, T6, T8 and T13 in slightbanking)
Generally longitudinal track
Some bumps in T2, T6 and T17
Plank wear could be an issue in T5 (long corner)
Overtaking is possible in T6 with good top speed
Aero settings are usually medium, to favour top speed and enableovertaking
Medium braking levels
Highest starting fuel load of the season

Circuit Particularity
Bumpiness: medium / high
Overtaking chance: T6
Kerbs: low
Ride height setting particularity: None
Engine severity: medium
Gearbox severity: medium
Lat / Long grip: longitudinal
Aero eff ratio: medium
Safety car history: 2011 - n/a, 2010 - none, 2009 - one
Track grip evo during w/e: medium / high
Aero settings: medium / high
Brake wear severity: medium
Brake cooling necessity: medium

Team Quotes

Heikki Kovalainen, car 20, chassisCT01-#03: "Next up it's Hockenheim which will be myhundredth Grand Prix weekend. That's a good milestone to reach andI'm pleased I'll be able to celebrate it with a really good team ofpeople, and a lot of friends in the paddock.

"On track we're back to a track that is more of a low speed circuitcompared to Silverstone, but one that still has quite a lot of thelap on full throttle. It used to have one of the longest flat outsections of all F1 tracks but since that was taken out of the lapyou need a car that has a balance between good traction for the lowspeed corners and good top speed to take advantage of theovertaking opportunities into turn six.

"One of the main objectives for us will be to have as much tracktime as we can to keep working on the upgrades we brought toSilverstone. We definitely didn't get as much out of them as we hadhoped, mainly due to the lack of dry running we had, so hopefullywe'll be able to have a dry Friday so we can work through the setupoptions and unlock more of the speed we know is there."

"Whatever happens with the weather the race weekend will definitelybe good. The German fans are about as passionate as anywhere we goin the world and there's always a great atmosphere around the wholeplace. I remember when I was at Mclaren, going past the Mercedesstand and seeing all the fans holding up boards with my name on -that's pretty cool and even though this year it'll be otherdrivers' names they're holding up I'm always given a really warmwelcome."

Vitaly Petrov, car 21, chassis CT01-#02: "Nowwe're going to Hockenheim which is a good track. It's quitetechnical and it's a good challenge to find the right set-up. Thatwill be extra important for us as we need track time to get theupdates we brought to Silverstone right. The basic improvements arethere but we need to work on the aero balance and then I thinkeveryone will see what they've given us.

"One of the really good things about Germany is the atmosphere,which is particularly positive in Hockenheim. The track is alwaysfull of fans and the fans are a lot like the British guys. Theyknow a lot about the sport and the promoters put on a good range ofevents for the fans so they have a really good weekend, whetherwe're on track or not.

"The whole circuit is good and if you pick the right spot you cansee a lot of the lap, but one of the best places around the trackis the stadium section. One day maybe I could put on a mask and goand see what it's really like in the middle of the fans there! Itwould be good to go and hang out there but I think that if I didn'twear a disguise I'd never come back!"

Mark Smith, Technical Director: "The back to backweekends in Germany and Hungary mark the last races before thesummer break and both should give us a chance to get back to theperformance levels we have targeted for this stage of theseason.

"We start at Hockenheim where we last raced in 2010. The team hasobviously progressed significantly since then and now we canrealistically look at fighting with a few of the cars ahead. InSilverstone we did not maximise the new aero package we brought butthe specific demands of Hockenheim definitely give us a chance todo so. Obviously we will have also had more time to analyse thedata we generated over the weekend so I am reasonably confident wewill be able to get back to where we want to be.

"Technically, Hockenheim is all about mediums. Brake wear and brakecooling are medium, downforce levels are between medium and highand this is a track where the stresses on the engine and thegearbox are in the mid-range. This means the drivers can beaggressive throughout the whole lap and that puts the onus on theengineers to find setups that allow them to push as much aspossible, in the high speed sections and into the twisty bits inthe stadium. If we can do that successfully, and fine tune therevised exhausts and bodywork, I think we can have a goodweekend."

Tony Fernandes, Team Principal: "Both the Germanand Hungarian races give us a chance to get back on track,literally and metaphorically. The team will take a very welldeserved break after the race in Budapest, but before that we needto have two strong weekends where we can exploit the hard work putin all year by the team in the design office and the wind tunnel.In Silverstone we were not able to show how far we have progressed,for a number of reasons, but I am more sure than ever that we aregoing in the right direction, and that very soon our efforts willpay off.

"This is an extraordinary season and it is possible that inprevious years the gains we have made would have been more obvious.We are still a small team, but we have already made very goodprogress this year and with a little luck and even more hard work Iknow we will make that step into the midfield and join the battlesthat are going on ahead of us. We have the people to help us dothat, and after Hungary we will be moving the F1 team to our newhome in Leafield and that will mark the next chapter in ourextraordinary story.

"However, now we are focusing on the races that take us past themid-point of the season and I am excited about seeing what we canachieve at both Grands Prix. Hopefully Heikki's car won't sufferthe same contact that cost him so much downforce in the BritishGrand Prix, and I know  that Renault Sport F1 are working ashard as they can to ensure we do not suffer a repeat of the enginefailure that ended Vitaly's race before it started in Silverstone.With more time on track to push the upgrade package as far as wecan, and a little luck, both races could send us into the summerbreak on a very positive note."

maocheng

Caterham Group Opens The Doors To Leafield

Leafield, Oxfordshire - Monday 16th July

Caterham Group has today confirmed that work has started on Monday July 16th at the Leafield Technical Centre in Oxfordshire, the new global base for the motorsport, automotive and technology business that comprises Caterham F1 Team, Caterham Racing (GP2), Caterham Cars, Caterham Composites and CTI (Caterham Technology and Innovation). A complete renovation and refurbishment of Caterham Group’s new home, in the middle of what is known as ‘Motorsport Valley’, has now started and the first arm of the business to move into Leafield will be Caterham F1 Team which will return to Oxfordshire after the Hungarian Grand Prix in late July.

It is less than three years since the first building blocks of what has now become Caterham Group were put in place by Tony Fernandes and his fellow shareholders when they were granted entry to the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship in September 2009. With work now starting at Leafield Tony Fernandes is excited to see how far his dream has come in under 36 months: “It is hard to believe that it is less than three years since we first walked into the empty factory in Hingham where we started the F1 team back in 2009. At that point we had four full-time employees, a couple of notepads and a rather daunting joblist that many people said was utterly unachievable. While the F1 team was building up fast, we also had a plan to lay the foundations for an automotive and technology focused group of businesses that would allow us to compete with some of the most famous motorsport and car brands on and off track, through innovation, passion and value. We wanted to support the road and racing operations with a range of associated companies that would specialise in the high-tech materials that are so prevalent in F1, allowing us to tap into a creative and technical pool of talent that are usually focused on winning on track or improving handling on the road, applying their expertise, ideas and knowledge to any industry that could benefit from world-class thinking.

“We have had a couple of well documented issues along the way, but we are now in the middle of 2012, 34 months since work started on our first F1 car and I think we have reached the most important point in our development so far. Caterham Group is now the embodiment of all the ideas and dreams we had in 2009 and now, with Leafield open for business, we have put in place the next vital stage for the continuing development of all the Caterham Group businesses.

“The F1 and GP2 teams will be first in place in Leafield, and Caterham Cars will be moving its HQ to Leafield in due course. Caterham Composites will remain in Norfolk and CTI will retain its offices in Germany whilst expanding production into the Hingham site to join Caterham Composites at the base we have owned since ’09. These are important moves, not only for the incredible staff we have in place in each of our businesses, but also for the message it sends to our partners, suppliers, local communities and our competition. We are now a multi-faceted group of world-leading companies existing in harmony within a clear group structure that provides enormous room for growth. Under the Leafield HQ we have another major site fully operational in Hingham and through the nature of our work and the people we employ, we have a truly global outlook.

“To any observer of what we have achieved in such a short space of time this is incredible. From a starting point of zero we now have more than 500 staff working on a range of extremely exciting projects. Our F1 team is about to make the final step to join the established teams ahead, our GP2 team has already won in Monaco and we will soon start sharing the plans we have in place for Caterham Cars, fuelled by CTI who are leading the design and production concepts we have for our roadcar operation. Caterham Composites will be making a couple of announcements in the next few months that will propel them to the forefront of their cutting-edge industry and, alongside the roadcar work, CTI is already branching into a number of new industries that will see their expertise showcased in some very surprising environments.

“Work has now started at Leafield. The first task is to refurbish the whole site and prepare it for a long and successful future. While that work is taking place the F1 team’s race trucks have left Hingham with our 2012 race cars for the last time. The next time they are back in the UK they will go straight to Leafield and that is excellent news for everybody associated with Caterham Group. More than 200 of the F1 team staff are making the move to Oxfordshire over the next few weeks and when we have finished the refurbishment, in late October 2012, we will have a facility that will put us on a par with the teams we are trying to catch in F1. Importantly, it will also give us the base we need to allow Caterham Group to achieve the impossible for many years to come. This is why I am so excited about what we have ahead of us, and this is why I am now dreaming of bigger, better and more ambitious plans than ever before.”

Riad Asmat, Caterham Group CEO: “I share Tony’s excitement about the future for Caterham Group and am also delighted that Leafield is now up and running. We have worked incredibly hard over the last three years to build a range of businesses that complement each other, have transferrable technology and skills-bases and allow us to attract the best people for each role. Physically, Leafield is the next logical step in the growth of Caterham Group, its location alone allows us to access the pool of talent that is already in place throughout the UK’s motorsport valley, but it also plays an important role psychologically. An investment of the level the shareholders have made in Leafield is a sure sign of how long-term their plans for the Group are, and how serious they are about achieving success across all our businesses. We could have taken the easy route – stayed in Hingham, worked with related partners on projects that would have still been cutting edge, but to be able to do everything we want under one banner and with the sort of HQ we now have in Leafield as the jewel in the crown – that takes huge commitment and an unshakable determination to be successful.

“We have a lot of hard work ahead of us but the challenge is what makes what we do so rewarding. In F1 we are closer than ever to achieving what we are still told is impossible and joining the fight with teams that, collectively, have been in the sport for centuries. On the road we are in the final stages of confirming our first roadcar ventures since we took over Caterham Cars and Composites and CTI are recruiting daily to help them meet the growing demands of their existing and new clients, inside the group and across a variety of industry sectors. Now, with Leafield open, we can invite the world’s most prestigious brands from any industry sector to share our vision at our new home.”

Mark Smith, Technical Director Caterham F1 Team: “In common with most of the current employees of the F1 team I have moved back nearer to our new base in Leafield and I am very excited about the future this gives us, not just for the F1 team but Caterham Group as a whole. The Leafield site is perfect for our needs in F1, GP2 and all our interests in motorsport now and in the future, and it also gives us the platform to expand into any industry that sees that we can provide new ideas and world-class performance.

“One of the immediate benefits of the move is in attracting people to come and work with us. Since I joined the team in 2011 I have been aware that there have been people we wanted to bring to Norfolk who were reluctant to move their families out of ‘motorsport valley’ where all the UK based F1 teams, and their associated supply chains and partners, are based. There has never been an issue with people not sharing our vision, being as excited about our future as everyone who works with Tony and Riad are, but it was undeniable that geography may have prevented us from expanding at quite the rate we want to. Now Leafield is open we have no barriers. We are in the heart of the motorsport industry, not only in the UK but worldwide, and we have an aggressive employment plan in place that will help us keep moving up the grid. With so much investment made in giving us this platform to work from now it is down to the people who work in Caterham Group and everybody we work with to help us keep achieving our goals and we could not ask for better motivation than that.”

maocheng

Friday at Hockenheim                                                   

• Added: Fri 20 Jul, 2012
  

   
                        

German Grand Prix FP1 & FP2

Caterham F1 Team Partner information
CNN's annual German Journalist Awards celebrates young journalismand has attracted thousands of high-quality entries from acrossGermany, Austria and Switzerland.

Weather
FP1: Overcast, intermittent light rain, air temp 17°- 18°, track temp 19° - 23°
FP2i: Wet, air temp 17°, track temp 20° - 17°

Fastest laps / positions:
FP1: PET 1.19.674, 18th / KOV 1.19.963, 19th
FP2: KOV 1.30.331, 17th  / PET 1.32.241, 21st

Total laps:
FP1: PET 24 / KOV 24
FP2: KOV 27 / PET 22

Runplan - FP1
Heikki Kovalainen
1000 - 1002: Installation, 1 lap (primetyres)
1002 - 1007: System checks  
1007 - 1022: Run 2, 8 laps (prime tyres)
1022 - 1035: Changes: rear brake duct
1035 - 1038: Run 3, 1 lap (prime tyres)
1038 - 1041: Changes: n/a
1041 - 1044: Run 4, 1 lap (prime tyres)
1044 - 1052: Changes: front wing flap angle
1053 - 1059: Run 5, 4 laps (prime tyres)
1059 - 1118: Changes: front wing flap angle, rear brakeblanking
1118 - 1132: Run 6, 9 laps (prime tyres)

Vitaly Petrov
1000 - 1002: Installation, 1 lap (primetyres)
1002 - 1015: System checks
1015 - 1027: Run 2, 7 laps (prime tyres)
1027 - 1050: Changes: n/a
1050 - 1101: Run 3, 7 laps (prime tyres)
1101 - 1110: Changes: front wing flap angle
1110 - 1132: Run 4, 9 laps (prime tyres)


Runplan - FP2
Heikki Kovalainen
1423 - 1441: Run 1, 10 laps (wet tyres)
1441 - 1444: Changes: n/a
1444 - 1503: Run 2, 12 laps (intermediate tyres)
1503 - 1517: Changes: front wing flap angle
1517 - 1526: Run 3, 5 laps (wet tyres)

Vitaly Petrov
1424 - 1439: Run 1, 8 laps (wet tyres)
1439 - 1442: Changes: front wing flap angle  
1442 - 1458: Run 2, 9 laps (intermediate tyres)
1458 - 1508: Changes: front wing flap angle
1508 - 1519: Run 3, 4 laps (wet tyres)
1519 - 1523: Changes: front wing flap angle
1523 - 1526: Run 4, 1 lap (wet tyres)


Team Quotes

Heikki Kovalainen, car 20, chassis CT01-#3: "Wecompleted a decent mileage today but I think we still have quite abit of work to do, mainly on finding grip. The conditions in FP1were good to start off with and we managed to get through most ofthe aero programme we'd set, including a couple of very slow singlelap runs on dry tyres when it was getting pretty wet! In FP2 westarted on the full wets for the first run, then went onto theinters but we still couldn't quite find a really good balance.We'll look at that tonight and make sure we can push on tomorrow inFP3 and qualifying."

Vitaly Petrov, car 21, chassis CT01-#2: "I'mpretty pleased with how today's gone. In conditions like we had inboth sessions one of the main things is to make sure you don't makeany mistakes, and we had a big programme for both FP1 and FP2 andit was important to make sure we go through them with noproblems.

"Inside the car we tried a few setup changes to help dial out theundersteer, and on the dry tyres in the morning session we weredefinitely going in the right direction as the session ended. Inthe afternoon we tried a few things on both the wets and the intersand, again, made progress, but we have a lot more to come."

Thierry Salvi, Renault Sport F1 Support Leader: "Thisis our first visit to Hockenheim with Caterham but we obviouslyhave a great deal of experience at this track from the last racehere in 2010. Hockenheim has a couple of interesting challenges forus, specifically looking at how we can give the drivers maximum topspeed down the long straight, which is one of the longest of theseason, and make sure their fuel consumption is managedeffectively. This track is heavy on fuel consumption so the carswill start this race with one of the highest fuel loads of theseason and we have to take that into account in conjunction withthe team, particularly when looking at tyre degradation.

"In addition, we have been continuing to work today on fine tuningthe engine maps with the revised exhaust layout the team firstbrought to Silverstone. For Hockenheim we need to make sure thedrivers have good torque response, especially in the stadiumsection, and that has been a focus area for us today. We have had agood day on that front - the mileage we completed gives us a veryreasonable amount of data to work through so this has been apositive day."

Mark Smith, Technical Director: "FP1 was a goodsession for us on both cars. We wanted as much dry running as wecould today to continue the aero work we were doing on Wednesday inFrance at the straightline test and we had dry running for most ofthe session. Both Heikki and Vitaly completed 24 laps each and wewere able to run through the whole program we had set out for thatsession. FP2 started with rain that was heavy enough to keep mostof the field in the garages but once it had eased off a little wesent the cars out on the full wets to start the FP2 program.

"We have a couple of minor modifications to the package weintroduced in Silverstone and tonight we will be focusing on whatthey have added, what we can take from the data from both sessionsand what can be applied for the rest of the weekend. Fundamentallywe are heading in the right direction, giving the drivers the aerobalance they need to be able to push and the downforce that isrequired to compete with the cars ahead. We still have a lot ofwork to do but I am reasonably optimistic that both the races inGermany and Hungary will see us return to the levels ofcompetitiveness we have targeted for races 10 and 11."

maocheng

German Grand Prix FP3 & Qualifying
                               
                                Caterham F1 Team Information
                                A 2012 F1 car is made up of approximately 80,000 components
                               
                                Weather
                                FP3: Dry, overcast, air temp 18° - 19°, track temp 26° - 30°
                                Q1: Dry, overcast, air temp 17°, track temp 25° - 24°
                               
                                Fastest laps / positions:
                                FP3: KOV 1.18.366, 18th / PET 1.18.818, 19th
                                Q1: KOV 1.17.620, 19th / PET 1.18.531, 20th
                               
                                Total laps:
                                FP3: KOV 21 / PET 23
                                Q1: KOV 8 / PET 9
                               
                                Runplan - FP3
                                Heikki Kovalainen
                                1100 – 1102: Installation, 1 lap (prime tyres)
                                1102 – 1111: System checks
                                1111 – 1123: Run 2, 8 laps (option tyres)
                                1123 – 1131: Changes: front brake blanking
                                1131 – 1142: Run 3, 7 laps (prime tyres)
                                1142 – 1145: Changes: front wing flap angle
                                1145 – 1154: Run 4, 5 laps (option tyres)
                               
                                Vitaly Petrov
                                1100 – 1102: Installation, 1 lap (prime tyres)
                                1102 – 1114: System checks. Changes: rear ride height
                                1114 – 1126: Run 2, 8 laps (option tyres)
                                1126 – 1132: Changes: rear brake blanking
                                1132 – 1142: Run 3, 7 laps (prime tyres)
                                1142 – 1145: Changes: front wing flap angle
                                1145 – 1157: Run 4, 7 laps (option tyres)
                               
                                Runplan - Q1
                                Heikki Kovalainen
                                1401 – 1406: Run 1, 4 laps (option tyres)
                                1406 – 1415: Refuel
                                1415 – 1421: Run 2, 4 laps (option tyres)
                               
                                Vitaly Petrov
                                1401 – 1408: Run 1, 5 laps (option tyres)
                                1408 – 1415: Refuel
                                1415 – 1421: Run 2, 4 laps (option tyres)
                               
                               
                                Team Quotes
                               
                                Heikki Kovalainen, car 20, chassis CT01-#3: “For where we are right now that was pretty much the perfect lap. I didn’t make any mistakes, nailed every apex and had a clean lap, so I’m pleased with what I got out of the car today. Closing the gap to the cars ahead is obviously our target and I think we are still finding out how to unlock the real potential of the upgrade package we first ran in Silverstone. Taking the package as a whole there are a lot of elements we need to get right to really use its potential and I think we still need more dry running to really understand what it will really give us. We’ll keep working on achieving that and perhaps we’ll see more of its value tomorrow as it’s due to be sunny, and in Hungary where the hotter conditions will definitely suit us better than the cold, wet weather we’ve had in Germany and at the last race in Silverstone.”
                                 
                                Vitaly Petrov, car 21, chassis CT01-#2: “That was a bit of a difficult session after the rain at the end of FP3 changed the track conditions. We were having some issues warming up the front tyres and that, combined with traffic, meant I couldn’t really push as much as I had been in the morning session. Despite that, all weekend we’ve been progressing, doing a good job to push us in the right direction, and tomorrow I think we can do well. We have decent race pace and I think we’ll have a good result as we’ve been showing all season.”
                               
                                Mark Smith, Technical Director: “I am reasonably satisfied with the performance today. I think it is clear that we have more to come from the cars and, in the circumstances today, Heikki got as much out of it as he could. Vitaly had a couple of issues with traffic that cost him some time in Q1 but the over-riding goal is to make sure that both drivers have setups they can use to extract every ounce of performance from the work being done back at the factory and in the wind tunnel.”
                                 
                                Riad Asmat, Caterham Group CEO: “Today’s results are not where we want to be. We have been clear since before Silverstone that we need maximum time in the dry to understand how much the extensive upgrade package can give us and the weather this weekend has not helped that. However, we have the race tomorrow where we can definitely put in a good performance in both cars, and then Hungary which will suit us much more than Germany or Silverstone. We will keep fighting, keep working and not stay still – that would be the easy option but we are determined to join the midfield this season and that is keeping everybody motivated through every single lap.”

maocheng

Sunday at Hockenheim                                                   

• Added: Sun 22 Jul, 2012
  

   
                        

Caterham F1 Team Partner Information
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Weather
Race: Dry, sunshine, air temp 21° / track temp 34°(start), 21° / 29° (lap 34), 22° / 30° (lap x)

Runplan
Vitaly Petrov
1330 leave for grid, 2 laps
Start on soft tyres
Lap 14: pitstop 1, medium tyres
Lap 32: pitstop 2, medium tyres
Lap 50: pitstop 3, medium tyres
Finished: 16th
Fastest lap: 1.19.997 (lap 62)

Heikki Kovalainen
1331 leave for grid, 2 laps
Start on soft tyres
Lap 13: pitstop 1, medium tyres
Lap 31: pitstop 2, medium tyres
Lap 44: pitstop 3, medium tyres
Lap 53: pitstop 4, soft tyres, new nose
Finished: 19th
Fastest lap: 1.20.596 (lap 61)


Team Quotes

Vitaly Petrov, car 21, chassis CT01-#2: "I ampleased with my performance today. It was a pretty quiet race forme and the car felt good right from the first lap, so I think I gotas much out of it as I could today. The last stint was particularlygood - I knew Senna was on the softer tyres behind me and I had tomake sure I stayed ahead, so I just focused on getting it to theflag without making any mistakes and I'm pleased for the team withwhere we ended up. It's encouraging that the car did feel bettertoday. Our pace in the early laps was good, as it has been allseason, and hopefully we can carry that through to Hungary - wecertainly have a lot more data to work through now from having bothcars finish today so that should help us more next weekend."

Heikki Kovalainen, car 20, chassis CT01-#3:"The early part of the race was good for me. The car felt betterthan it has for most of the weekend and I was able to push, butthen it felt like we had a problem after the second stop and fromthat point the front tyres were graining much more than they shouldhave been. We stopped pretty late for a nose change to see if thatcould sort the problem out and it did as after that the car feltback to normal, but from then I was just focusing on getting thecar to the end of the race. It's pretty clear that the hotter thetemperatures are the better we perform, so hopefully we'll be ableto show more speed in Hungary. It's a circuit I like and obviouslyI had my first win there so let's see what happens nextweekend."

Mark Smith, Technical Director: "We started both carson the soft compound tyre and Heikki and Vitaly had good pace inthe first stint. They were running with the pack ahead and managingthe degradation levels well. In the first stops we put them bothonto the medium compounds and again both cars looked strong,certainly quicker than we have been for much of the weekend. Justafter halfway through the race Heikki started reporting understeerand much higher wear rates on the front tyres than we hadanticipated so we brought him in earlier than planned. However, itwas clear he had a problem with the car as we then had to being himin again on lap 53 for a nosecone change, in an attempt to sort theissue out, but that did not work and he hung on to finish19th. Vitaly finished 16th after a verygood performance, particularly towards the end of the race as hecame under pressure from Senna who was on the soft compound tyreswhile Vitaly was on the mediums. He stayed calm, did not make anymistakes and his final position is a decent result for the work heput in today."

Riad Asmat, Caterham Group Chief Executive: "We werelooking good for about half the race, just about keeping pace withthe cars ahead and both drivers managing their tyres well. Fromaround the second stops the pace started to drop off and we werenot able to maintain the speed we had for the first couple ofstints. It is fair to say this has not been our strongest weekend.Both drivers gave as much as they could today but we just did notgive them enough performance to really fight. We have work to dobefore the next race in Hungary to return to the level ofperformance we know we should be aiming for and that will need abig effort from the whole team to allow us to head into the Augustbreak on a positive note. What is encouraging is I know howdetermined everybody is to do that and we will not stop fightinguntil we have achieved what we set out to, so let's see where weare in a week's time and then take stock of what we can do to keepprogressing in the second half of the season."