Fuente: © Renault F1 Team (English)
http://www.renaultf1.com/

FORMULA 1 - RENAULT: Transcript Chat Canadian GP

/noticias.info/ As promised, here is the transcript of the post-Canadian Grand Prix chat from Tuesday 10th June. Don’t forget that you can find the transcripts directly on the following page : http://my.ing-renaultf1.com/en/chat.
The next chat will take place on Tuesday 24th June to review the French Grand Prix.

Welcome to the new chat session.

RF1 Paddock Pass: Hello and welcome to our traditional post-Grand Prix chat.

Everyone says hello…

RF1 Paddock Pass: As always, I am going to type as fast as I can to try and answer as many of your questions as possible…

Titialonso: A big well done to Alonso and Renault who could have scored a podium or maybe more…

RF1 Paddock Pass: Yes, it’s true that in terms of performance, we were in contention in Canada, which to be honest was a nice surprise…but a race that ended with double retirement is never very good!

Yop: Nelson retired because of the brakes?

RF1 Paddock Pass: Yes, their wear was abnormal…

Lelue: Hello, this may be a silly question, but I would like to know what role the metallic strips play when the cars stop in the pits for refuelling? I hope that I am clear with my question and well done on Sunday – you have made good progress.

RF1 Paddock Pass: That is very simple… the strips aim to make contact with the car and discharge the static electricity when the car pits…They earth the car and prevent a spark jumping which could lead to an incident when the car is refuelling.

Adam20692: I’ve heard that there could be a big update for Silverstone - is this true? And if so what sort of upgrades can we expect to see? Also, how realistic is it to hope for a podium for Alonso or Nelson at Silverstone, which is the first GP that I’m going to? :)

RF1 Paddock Pass: Actually, we are testing three days this week in Barcelona and we will normally have a big step in time for Magny Cours... Mainly on the aero side.

Galex: Were the repairs to the track after qualifying good enough for the race?

RF1 Paddock Pass: Apparently, yes…but difficult to say for sure because we did not get past mid-distance…

Muriel: The next developments – are they as important as the ones we saw for Barcelona?

RF1 Paddock Pass: It’s a step forward…now it remains to be seen for sure how much we can gain because it wont simply depend on us, but on the development programmes of all the other teams.

Cirebox: Alonso was much faster than Heidfeld…would he have been able to follow Kubica in your opinion (if he had passed Heidfeld)?

RF1 Paddock Pass: He was faster, yes…but he had to pass him, he had to try. The car was delicate, the brakes were suffering…so it was a difficult car to drive, but if he had stayed behind Heidfeld he would have only finished in the tail-end of the points because he was losing too much time.

jijicarter: In my opinion, Nelson did a good job, even though he retired from the race. Will he attend the rest of the races this year as there are so many rumours that Nelson will be replaced?

RF1 Paddock Pass: Lots of people are talking, but Nelson did a good race in Canada and it's a shame he had to retire. The whole team is behind him, we know how difficult it is to be a rookie in F1, especially when you don't have one of the most competitive cars in the field.

Cirebox: I know that you are going to continue developing the R28 until the end, but can you just confirm it?

RF1 Paddock Pass: For the moment yes, we have a very aggressive development programme…after that we must manage its development with the R29 project.

Clocloh22: What did you think of the incident with Hamilton when he crashed in the pits?

RF1 Paddock Pass: A major error, which cost him dear because he lost the lead in the championship! I almost fell off my chair…because they know from the past that the opening and closing of the pits is a sensitive issue.

Cirebox: I have a difficult question as I have noticed several bad choices this season with the strategy, while in the past this was one of the team’s strengths. Why?

RF1 Paddock Pass: Because it’s always more difficult when you are missing some performance…

Galex: Do you follow the European Championships (football) in Enstone and which team do you support? I hope France, but you never know…

RF1 Paddock Pass: Yes, we are following it at Viry and in Enstone…and they also watched the Italian match yesterday at the airport…but there is a bit of banter as England are not playing, and I don’t think the English will be supporting France…But it’s not serious, at least they won the Champions League…

ProstForver: Do you think that the driver in front of Fernando was unsporting? Or did he do what was necessary to protect his place?

RF1 Paddock Pass: No, there have been two incidents in two races but these are things that happen. It’s part of racing.

Galex: Did Alonso also have some problems with the brakes because it seemed that his brakes were giving out more carbon dust under braking than Heidfeld.

RF1 Paddock Pass: Everybody had trouble with the brakes – that’s for sure. Some more than others, although I cannot tell you about Heidfeld’s – I work for Renault you see!

Seb28: RF1PP, could the contact between Nelson and Trulli have caused damage that led to the brake problem that caused Nelson’s retirement?

RF1 Paddock Pass: Difficult to say, but, in all honesty, I don’t think so…The problem is under investigation at the moment and we will know more soon.

Tchesse 23: In Monaco the wheelbase had to be reduced to have a competitive car, was it changed for Canada?

RF1 Paddock Pass: The wheelbase cannot change from one race to another…the car is always the same dimensions…

Frenetik: Could we have the information for the test this week? Drivers, programme, etc…?

RF1 Paddock Pass: Yes, three days of testing starting from Thursday…Nelson will be the only race driver present. The aim: to validate the next steps planned for Magny Cours and other elements designed to improve our level of performance.

Clocloh22: Do you think that the team will have a good race in France?

RF1 Paddock Pass: We are going to try, that’s for sure. It’s very important for Renault and everyone in the team wants a strong weekend. And the same in Silverstone, too, because most of the team are English. Meanwhile, as I’m talking to you…it’s 1-0 to Spain…I’m sure that Fernando is happy.

Maranyada: Are there new developments planned for the French GP?

RF1 Paddock Pass: Yes, mainly on the aero side... We will be testing those developments in Barcelona this week.

Virginie74: How did Fernando react to his second retirement?

RF1 Paddock Pass: I cannot say that he was happy…
But, as always, he wants to remain optimistic…and is looking forward.

Muriel: The team is French, so do you think that the crowds in Magny Cours will be behind the team, as in Barcelona?

RF1 Paddock Pass: There are always many partners of Renault in Magny cours, and the same for Elf, so absolutely, we hope that they will be behind us.

Alonso56: And what about Nelson, he must be disappointed. How has he reacted?

RF1 Paddock Pass: He retired following a technical problem…but he had a great race, some lovely passing so he takes some positives.

Mialo : Apparently Lucas will go back to GP2 Series to replace Ben: what happened? What will Ben do next?

RF1 Paddock Pass: Yes Lucas will be racing in the last 7 GP2 races with Campos. It’s the chance for him to drive a bit more, although he will still remain our third driver, of course...
I don't know yet what will happen to Ben, I’m sorry...

Scenic: Is Lucas going back to GP2 so that he does not lose touch with competitive racing – a problem that handicapped Heikki and Nelson, the last two rookies for RF1?

RF1 Paddock Pass: Not really…I believe it’s more an opportunity that has presented itself…

Pappat: Do you have any complaints following the behaviour of Heidfeld? We saw that Kubica passed him without a problem?

RF1 Paddock Pass: No, that is part of racing. Besides I think that all the teams make these sorts of decisions.

Yop: we have heard talk of an ultimatum for Piquet to get some results, up until the British Grand Prix. Can you confirm this?

RF1 Paddock Pass: No, I cannot confirm it…The journalists are trying to build the pressure. The team has never said that and so these are simply rumours, nothing more…

theDogOfTheBlueOrangeLion : Was Nelson's spin during the race related to his brake problems?

RF1 Paddock Pass : Yes... we had several alerts regarding his brakes and let him know he had to be careful, but the car became very difficult to drive which caused his spin...

Virginie74: Do you think that what the journalists are saying will impact on Nelson’s morale?

RF1 Paddock Pass: It’s difficult to avoid it when every two weeks the press ask these types of question. But he is not showing any signs of it affecting him…

Yop: In any case, wish Nelson good luck from us ;)

RF1 Paddock Pass: Will do!

Seb28: RF1PP, are you going to Le Mans this weekend?

RF1 Paddock Pass: Yes…and no…I am going just to see this race which for me is exceptional. But don’t worry, I will give you all the information direct from Barcelona…I have my sources!

Virginie74: Good luck to you, especially Nelson and good luck for testing this week and for Magny Cours!!!

Seb28: thanks Rf1PP

ProstForever: There have been job losses announced in Viry. Can you confirm this?

RF1 Paddock Pass: Yes, the press have said that. For the moment we confirm that we wish to keep an effective workforce at Viry to work on preparing for after the engine freeze. It is therefore necessary to remain active and we will need especially good people for this. And that is what we have in Viry.

Seb28: Is Fernando going to do a Roadshow demonstration this weekend?

RF1 Paddock Pass: He has various activities planned for the Roadshow, as you will see.

Yop: Is there a roadshow, where? The one in Marseille has been cancelled…

RF1 Paddock Pass: That one has unfortunately finally had to be cancelled…

Mirage: Why isn’t Fernando testing this week?

RF1Paddock Pass: We have only one car and we wish to give Nelson maximum running. Also, Fernando is taking part in several other promotional activities this week in Madrid and then at the Technocentre, so he was not available.

Yop: In any case we all believe in you for a good French GP. Points would be nice RF1PP…

RF1 Paddock Pass: That’s very kind…you know that means a lot to us!

On the blog from Thursday we will have all the news from Barcelona. We are also going to launch a quiz, where we are relying on you to take part. And then, the French podcast from Thursday.

Everybody says goodbye…
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