By The Offsider / nickheidfeld.de
November 5 2009

Nick is looking back at a season with its ups and downs in which the aims that the team had wanted to achieve could not been reached. Finishing fifth in Abu Dhabi came as a consolation at the end of a season that started with such high hopes. We had gone on record as saying that we considered ourselves to be contenders for the constructors' championship. After making such excellent progress in previous years, we had every reason to believe that we were in with a good chance. During the winter tests, our car made a good impression and I was feeling confident.

But the problem we had then was that no new parts became available until we were four races into the season. During this crucial phase, the other teams were packing more and more downforce into their design and we were falling further behind. It's always difficult to catch up once the season is underway, so the progress that we eventually made is all the more remarkable. But in the end, it was all too late to get us back up amongst the front-runners.

We were one of the last teams to adopt the double diffuser; that was hugely to our disadvantage. KERS was also a big headache. Whenever I used it in the earlier races, it proved to be more of a negative than a positive. That's why we eventually abandoned it. Even so, I think that the original decision to go down the KERS route was correct; unfortunately, we didn't manage to develop this new technology well enough. The fact that Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes make regular use of it (and Renault too from time to time) shows that it has potential. The benefit that you can derive from KERS by storing energy and then using it to give a boost at just the right moment is clear to see. However, it's not as easy to achieve both maximum storage and recovery as it might seem. Mercedes have also found that to their cost during the season. But there is more to the KERS issue than whether it works properly. When you take the whole design package into account, the cooling requirements influence the aerodynamics, and that has knock-on effect in terms of downforce. We also had problems with our brake system. While the batteries were charging, the braking became unstable and the car felt twitchy and unpredictable. In addition, KERS impacts on the centre of gravity, which means getting the weight distribution right is not easy. So you have just one clear plus point to set against several drawbacks.

Clearly, everyone wants to see more overtaking in Formula One, and for this reason, completely different cars were developed for 2009. Initially, everyone said how ugly they looked, but at least the radically changed aerodynamics fulfilled their purpose, because it meant that you could tail the car in front much closer. But then along came the double diffuser and we were back with the issue of 'dirty air'. So first of all, a lot of money was spent on developing the new aero design with reduced downforce, and then even more had to be invested in incorporating a double diffuser once it had been declared legitimate. At the end of the day, we were back where we started from.

Nick's season retrospective 2009 - part one

Discussion started by BMWF1Talk (IP Logged), 05/11/2009 23:06

BMWF1Talk
05/11/2009 23:06

What do you think? You can have your say by posting below.
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009:11:05:23:09:00 by barteks.

Reply Quote Report

Raid Phoenix
10/11/2009 18:04

Hummm, this quote:

We also had problems with our brake system. While the batteries were charging, the braking became unstable and the car felt twitchy and unpredictable.

AND

Initially, everyone said how ugly they looked, but at least the radically changed aerodynamics fulfilled their purpose, because it meant that you could tail the car in front much closer. But then along came the double diffuser and we were back with the issue of 'dirty air'. So first of all, a lot of money was spent on developing the new aero design with reduced downforce, and then even more had to be invested in incorporating a double diffuser once it had been declared legitimate. At the end of the day, we were back where we started from.

Racing against the machine!

Reply Quote Report

Forum List Message List Search Log In

Your Name:
Subject:

We record all IP addresses on the Sportnetwork message boards which may be required by the authorities in case of defamatory or abusive comment. We seek to monitor the Message Boards at regular intervals. We do not associate Sportnetwork with any of the comments and do not take responsibility for any statements or opinions expressed on the Message Boards. If you have any cause for concern over any material posted here please let us know as soon as possible by e-mailing abuse@sportnetwork.net