The Renault F1 Team’s Sporting Manager Steve Nielsen explains what’s been happening at Enstone over the past week.
Steve, when did the cars get back from Australia?
“Last Wednesday afternoon, 5 April. The trucks were waiting for the freight to land at Stansted airport north of London, and brought it straight back to Enstone. While part of the team was unpacking, another group of mechanics prepared one of the three race chassis and sent it to Viry-Châtillon. It arrived on Thursday afternoon, because we wanted our colleagues who work on the engine and don’t go to the races, to be able to get a proper look at the R26 and how their engine is installed in the car. It’s something we have been doing for three seasons now in conjunction with Denis Chevrier, and it’s a real morale boost for the team.”
What was happening at Enstone during this time?
“The cars were completely disassembled and the chassis were sent off to be repainted. They returned on Monday. We then began assembling them for Imola, to be completed this evening (Thursday)… quite late on! At the same time, the motorhome, which hasn’t been used since Spa 2005, was assembled at the factory to make sure everything is working properly: the power supplies, air conditioning etc… It was then carefully packed up, and left for Imola on Tuesday, to arrive this evening.
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Did the mechanics get a few days off…?
“Yes. We split their leave into two parts: some are off on Thursday and Friday, others Monday and Tuesday. That means we can continue working hard at the factory throughout the Easter period.”
And what have the personnel been working on during the week?
“On Tuesday, myself and seven colleagues were in France. Our fuel partner Elf had offered us the opportunity to conduct a special fire training course near Rouen, in case this should occur during our pit-stops. We rehearsed a number of refuelling scenarios, and trained ourselves in how to resolve them. Sometimes in Formula 1, force of habit means we forget how dangerous the activity can be, and this kind of training reminds you that we are working in a unique environment, where the risk of fire is something we need to continuously be aware of, and protecting ourselves against.”
Press release
Renault F1
