2011 FORMULA 1 TURKISH GRAND PRIX

• ISTANBUL, 6th – 8th MAY 2011 • • NICK: “THE CAR HAS ALREADY PROVEN COMPETITIVE ON DIFFERENT TRACK LAYOUTS” •

• VITALY: “WE’LL BE DOUBLING OUR EFFORTS TO CATCH THE TEAMS IN FRONT” • • ERIC BOULLIER: “WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN” •

• JAMES ALLISON: “WE CAN CONTINUE TO COMPETE AT A HIGH LEVEL” •

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Three races in, nick explains how he’s been seTTling inTo The Team since his arrival

THE CAR HAS ALREADY PROVED TO BE COMPETITIVE ON DIFFERENT TRACKS”

“

Q&a: nick heidfeldLotus RenauLt GP • Race DRiveR • caR 9

Nick, three races in, can you summarise your feelings on how things have been going so far this season?It’s been a bit up and down. On the positive side, the car is very innovative and it is quick. It is also responding well to set-up changes, it has got a good straightline speed and has already proved to be competitive on different track layouts. We’ve already achieved two podiums from three races, which is a real plus. But on the other side, we haven’t yet fulfilled our potential and I hope both we, as a team, and I can improve on that. The first three races gave us a good picture of our strengths and weaknesses, and with the break we’ve just had we’ve been able to analyse where we can improve further.Do you feel you are coping well with the new additions to F1 this season, namely the Drag Reduction System (DRS) and the return of KERS?Well, like with everything, the more you use it the easier it gets but we’re still working on getting the perfect switch positions which we should have ready for Turkey. I think it’s all working

fine and going to plan, even though I’m not a fan of the rear wing because I don’t particularly like things which artificially aim to improve racing. The biggest difference is the tyres. With the rear wing active and the car in front having similar tyres, overtaking might still be difficult which is exactly what was planned with DRS, however if you have fresher tyres it might be much easier to overtake. I think we’ve seen far more overtaking than in the past.How are you settling into the team?Everything has gone so fast since February, which means that it’s been a very quick learning process. I joined the team for most of the winter tests and then went straight to the first race. It’s an ongoing challenge to have everything working perfectly at once but

having said this, I’m impressed by the quality of the relationship we’ve built up over just a few weeks. People at Lotus Renault GP really want the driver to feel comfortable in the car and they give you a lot of confidence. They’ve really listened, as have I, and this has helped us develop constructively as a team. Above all, I’m really enjoying this open, two-way approach that we have.Looking ahead to Turkey, you’ll no doubt be looking to come back strongly?Definitely, yes. I think we’ve shown over the first three races that we have a good car and Istanbul could be very interesting because it is the first European race and a lot of teams will bring updates, including us. Hopefully we’ll be able to give a good performance again.

“ I’M IMPRESSED BY THE qUALITY OF THE RELATIONSHIP WE’VE BUILT UP OVER JUST A FEW WEEKS”

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Q&a: vitaly petrovLotus RenauLt GP • Race DRiveR • caR 10

WE’LL BE DOUBLING OUR EFFORTS TO CATCH THE TEAMS IN FRONT”russia’s firsT f1 podium man describes The Team’s progress and looks forward To The sTarT of The european races

“

Vitaly, the Turkish GP marks the start of the European season in the Formula 1 calendar - how would you summarise the first part of the season?We have made real progress this year with the design of the car and the innovations so it looks very strong. We have had some good races and took two podiums. We’ve also had some bad luck but we’ve still remained strong. Things are looking good for us I think. I’m pleased with my performance so far and with the results we’ve obtained but we need to stay focused and continue to work at the same rate. What are your memories of Istanbul Park?I have very good memories from Istanbul Park and I like racing there. I had some big successes

in GP2 there (winning in 2009). My first race there as a Formula 1 driver last year was also memorable, as it was the first time I entered Q3 in qualifying and then I had a good race with great battles with both the Ferrari’s – unfortunately I didn’t score any points in the end due to a puncture but my race was still very good. What particular characteristics does Istanbul Part circuit offer?I like the layout of the circuit; it has a lot of slow and fast corners, a good mix of everything but at the same time quite a technical circuit, we all know about the famous Turn 8 in Istanbul. Another aspect is that it is quite a wide track which makes it quite safe. Also, the track allows overtaking manoeuvres so that should help make a great race.

You are currently 7th in the Drivers’ Championship, what are your ambitions for the Turkish GP? I will of course do the best we possibly can to get the best result. We’re expecting upgrades for Turkey which is good news, and of course the other teams will react too and work hard to beat us. We’ll be doubling our efforts in order to catch the teams in front. You never know what can happen during a race weekend but both my team and I will fight hard.

“ WE’RE ExPECTING UPGRADES FOR TURKEY WHICH IS GOOD, AND OF COURSE THE OTHER TEAMS WILL REACT TOO AND WORK HARD TO BEAT US”

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A WORD WITHTHE BOSS

eric boullierteam PRinciPaL anD manaGinG DiRectoR

afTer a saTisfying sTarT To The 2011 campaign, eric Talks abouT how The Team will conTinue To push even harder

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Eric, as Formula 1 heads to Europe, what conclusions can you draw from the season so far?The first three races are always a challenge as we take the car straight out of the box to compete on the other side of the world. We had quite a satisfying campaign with two podiums in three races. Having said that, we encountered some disappointment in China but we put our heads back down to try and analyse the situation and come back from this. We’ve shown good competitiveness in this first leg, including in China. So we’re now looking forward to the start of the European campaign. The start of the European season has traditionally been synonymous with big upgrade packages, how well is the team prepared for Turkey?We have a good upgrade package coming for Turkey. I think that historically the teams

were preparing to introduce their development packages for Europe, but I think that in the last couple of years the development race has been continuous and this competition has already begun. Teams started bringing new packages in Malaysia and China. Still, the first race in Europe remains significant in terms of improvements that teams will bring and this will be clear again this year.You know Istanbul Park very well, how does the circuit inspire you?It reminds me of a great fight Vitaly had with Fernando (Alonso) last year, and a very strong race that both Robert

and Vitaly had. I know that our car is looking more competitive this year and our drivers like the circuit, so we hope that it will be a good weekend for us. Both Nick and Vitaly showed great performance in the first few races, are they ready for the European season?I think that they can do even better. During the last three races, they were still getting to know the car and they showed good pace and results. I’m pretty sure that they now have the near-to-victory taste in their mouths so they need to keep on pushing. I know the team is absolutely 100% behind both of them, pushing them to deliver.

“ THE FIRST THREE RACES ARE ALWAYS A CHALLENGE AS WE TAKE THE CAR STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOx TO COMPETE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD”

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WE CAN CONTINUE TO COMPETE AT A HIGH LEVEL”

“

The r31 is sufficienTly fasT To be Top 10 in Qualifying, which always gives you a chance come sunday

James allisontecH taLK

James, two podiums from the first three races for the R31. Overall, are you happy with the start to the season?Overall I’m pleased. However I tend just to remember the last race and that wasn’t a very good one for us, so we’re looking to put that right in Istanbul.Looking back to China, what were the biggest challenges LRGP faced in what proved to be a frustrating weekend?Much of what went wrong for us came from failing to qualify in the position that the car merited. Not getting the car through into Q3 meant that we had to fight an uphill battle in the race. Furthermore, we didn’t make quite such a good start as we had done during

the previous two races and all of this combined with the result that we had to struggle through the race just to finish in the minor places.Three races in, have you been able to draw any conclusions of the car’s performance so far? What do you consider are its main strengths and weaknesses?It’s sufficiently fast to be healthily-placed in the top ten in qualifying, which gives you half a chance come Sunday. The car is also quite kind on its tyres and so it tends to run more strongly in races than it does in qualifying. I don’t want to tempt providence, but it has also been reasonably reliable so far.Can we expect any significant upgrades to the car for Turkey?

Yes, like all the teams we’ll be bringing some parts. There will be a different front wing, some modifications around the nose, updates to the air intake area of the car and some tweaks to the floor.Typically, how far in advance do you begin planning for such an upgrade package as the one we’ll see in Turkey?It depends on the component. Some simple upgrades are found in the tunnel in the days running up to the race, but most of the parts would have been conceived around 6-8 weeks ago, would have run in the tunnel around 4 weeks ago and then been designed and made for the car in time for the Turkish GP.How do you think the car will fare at the Istanbul Park Circuit?It’s a fairly regular type of track, not especially dissimilar to Malaysia and China I would hope that we can continue compete at a high level.

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“ THE CAR IS ALSO qUITE KIND ON ITS TYRES AND SO IT TENDS TO RUN MORE STRONGLY IN RACES THAN IT DOES IN qUALIFYING”

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TURN 8One of the most renowned corners on the calendar, this puts a lot of load and degradation on the front right tyre. Suspension needs to be quite stiff to maintain stability and high speed, and downforce needs to be strong here too

TURN 7The gradient of the track assists with the car’s braking. In turn 7, the car can brake later because the uphill slant into this corner helps the vehicle slow down

TURN 5 + 6 Traction and rear grip is key at certain parts of the circuit, especially after the double apex corners of 5 and 6, with the long exit

TURN 10Need good exit and traction, coming downhill to obtain good speed on this back straight. KERS and DRS will be adopted here. The car needs to be efficient with low drag in order to capitalise on the straight

TURN 1Breaking into turn 1 is difficult given the downhill gradient, causing a little instability with the car

TURN 3Istanbul Park Circuit is an undulating track, where the car needs to show its nerves as it comes out of the turns

TURN 13 From this exit, entry into the pit lane can be taken at a higher speed than for the final corner

TURN 4Camber is regular on the circuit, often resulting in some inside front locking on the car

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TURKISH GRAND PRIXTHE REST OF THE NEWS

Longest distance in metres on full throttle is 1.2km between T10 and T12

Four different drivers have won the Turkish Grand Prix

Gear changes in a lap of Shanghai

In km/h this is the highest apex speed at Turn 12

The top speed in km/h down the back straight

1.24

4585

310

This is the highest g-force the drivers experience in the lap at Turn 8 for 6.5 seconds

ww

w.jo

shp

yke.

com

The percentage of the lap spent braking

That’s the percentage of the lap spent at full throttle

in km/h this is the highest apex speed at Turn 11

3.51665.6300

TURKEYIN NUMBERS

WhaT’S NEW foR ISTaNBUl? The R31 will have an epic journey to Turkey after it left the factory on Thursday evening. Lotus Renault GP uses five trucks to drive the cars down to Italy where they will take a boat to cross the Mediterranean, arriving in Istanbul Port on Tuesday morning. For the motorhome, there will be more than 5,000 pieces for seven people to construct over three days. Bon voyage!

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WHERE CAN YOU FOLLOW US?On our website, to start with:

www.lotusrenaultgp.com (English, French, German, Russian and Polish versions)

On Twitter: twitter.com/OfficialLRGPOn Facebook: Lotus-Renault-GP-The-OfficialVitaly on Twitter: twitter.com/vitalypetrov10Nick on Twitter: twitter.com/NickHeidfeldBruno on Twitter: twitter.com/BSennaRomain on Twitter: twitter.com/Rgrosjean

WHO’S WHO AT LRGP ?•Gerard Lopez Chairman•Eric Boullier Team Principal and

Managing Director•Patrick Louis Chief Operating Officer•James Allison Technical Director•Naoki Tokunaga Deputy Technical Director•Tim Densham Chief Designer•Dirk de Beer Head of Aerodynamics•Steve Nielsen Sporting Director•Alan Permane Chief Race Engineer•Gavin Hudson Chief Mechanic•Jean-Marc Bories Chief Marketing Officer•Stephen Curnow Chief Commercial Officer•Stephane Samson Head of Communications

TRACKSIDE HOSPITAlITy•The girls in our hospitality who will look after

our guests are Simona, Adriana and Daniela

ROBERT LEAvES HOSPITALAs all of you will know, Robert Kubica was released from the Pietra Ligure Hospital in Italy on Saturday 22nd April. We are delighted for him and look forward to being able to bring you more news from the man himself very soon.

OFF-TRACK MOMENTNick’s lookalike: We thought Australian singer Josh Pyke looked a bit like our very own Nick! However, we’re pretty sure the one behind the wheel makes more of a noise!

Nick AND ViTALY’S GUIDE TO ISTANBUL DESCRIBE ISTaNBUl IN ThREE WoRDSNick: Unique, Asia, Europe.Vitaly: Traffic, weather, Bosphorus.

WhaT Do YoU ThINK of ThE TRaCK?Nick: It’s a nice track, Turn 8 is a bit special as it is a unique corner with multiple apexes.Vitaly: It presents a good mix of everything with fast and slow corners and it’s quite a technical track.

BEST MEMoRY of ISTaNBUl?Nick: I’ve had some good races in Istanbul with BMW, and I’ve had some good starts here too.Vitaly: My 2008 and 2009 races in Istanbul in GP2 and also the 2010 Turkish GP; it was the first time I entered in Q3 and then I had a great race with lots of battles.

WIll YoU BE STaYING aT ThE EURoPEaN oR aT ThE aSIaN SIDE of ISTaNBUl?Nick: The Asian side for me.Vitaly: On the Asian side.

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gallery

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more images available online: www.lotusrenaultgp.com

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and finally…cirebox

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LOTUS RENAULT GP PRESS OFFICE

media contactsteam Principal and managing Director

Address Lotus Renault GP Whiteways Technical Centre Enstone Oxfordshire OX7 4EE

UK

Telephone +44 (0) 1608 678 000

Facsimile +44 (0) 1608 678 609

Email pressoffice@lotusrenaultgp.com

MEDIA CONTACTS Stephane Samson, Head of Communications

+44 (0) 7827 307 185

stephane.samson@lotusrenaultgp.com

Clarisse Hoffmann, Senior Press Officer

+44 (0) 7747 468 273

clarisse.hoffmann@lotusrenaultgp.com

Ben Nichols, Press Officer

+44 (0) 7748 920 072

ben.nichols@lotusrenaultgp.com

Website lotusrenaultgp.com

Facebook facebook.com/pages/Lotus-Renault-GP-The-Official

Twitter twitter.com/OfficialLRGP

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