Aston Martin’s Chief Technical Officer, Enrico Cardile reveals the staff’s method to one of the crucial demanding weekends of the season and why you may have to attend till subsequent 12 months to see him at a Grand Prix.
F1’s unique night time race, the Singapore Grand Prix, has shone vivid as one of many sport’s most eye-catching occasions in nearly twenty years on the calendar.
A race weekend that gives intense racing, requires most focus, and punishes even the smallest of errors, it is a sensorial onslaught heightened additional by stifling warmth and humidity beneath the dazzling synthetic lights that line the spectacular Marina Bay Road Circuit.
Earlier than we tackle this thorough examination of human and machine, Chief Technical Officer Enrico Cardile reveals what he’ll be watching out for this weekend and divulges how the staff will sort out the distinctive concoction of challenges that racing in Singapore offers.
Enrico, you’ve got not too long ago joined Aston Martin Aramco as Chief Technical Officer. What might be your concentrate on race weekends for the remainder of this season?Enrico Cardile: “For the rest of this 12 months I’ll be based mostly at AMR Expertise Campus every race weekend, and there are a number of the reason why that is the case.
“I am new to the staff so, naturally, I am studying and observing at this stage, seeing what we do effectively and seeing the place we are able to optimise additional.
“I believe that course of begins at base, and so I am seeing how we’re functioning in Mission Management at race weekends as we attempt to get each little bit of efficiency out of the automobile.
“Forward of the brand new technical rules being launched in 2026, planning and preparation is essential; that is what my full focus is on. I am utilizing this season as a approach of stress testing all of the unbelievable instruments we’ve in place on the AMR Expertise Campus, and seeing how we are able to make them even higher and extract all of the potential from them.
“It is also a possibility for me to get to know everybody who is predicated on the Expertise Campus, so the remainder of this 12 months actually is a studying alternative for me.
“Then, subsequent 12 months, I will be going trackside extra.”
How do you assume we’ll fare in Singapore?EC: “Clearly, you may by no means be completely sure how every race weekend will go as a result of there are such a lot of variables at play, however it’s that true high-downforce circuits are likely to swimsuit the AMR25 extra and Singapore is one in every of these.
“In Baku, we noticed how a low-downforce circuit can present challenges for us however at Monza, one other low-downforce circuit, we had higher tempo than we maybe anticipated, so it simply reveals nothing is assured.
“We expect Singapore might be a circuit that fits our automobile pretty effectively, however we’ll solely begin to see our true tempo at Marina Bay as soon as the automobile hits the monitor in Free Observe.”
Why is the AMR25 higher suited to high-downforce circuits?EC: “The circuit the place we have been challenged most this 12 months is Spa-Francorchamps, which isn’t solely a low-downforce monitor much like Baku and Monza, however it additionally presents fairly distinctive nook challenges similar to by way of Eau Rouge and Raidillon, which pressure us to maintain a minimal journey top to keep away from bottoming out.
“This facet disturbs the efficiency of our automobile. It’s a widespread behaviour for this technology of vehicles and it may fluctuate from automobile to automobile.”
Singapore is among the most taxing race weekends for the drivers and the vehicles due to the warmth and humidity. How does the staff take care of this?EC: “By way of the automobile, you are treading a advantageous line between maintaining it cool and aerodynamic effectivity.
“To handle automobile temperatures, we are able to open up the louvres on the engine cowl and sidepods to permit extra scorching air to flee, and use greater brake ducts because the brakes are used loads within the many braking zones across the lap.
“However each can hamper aerodynamic effectivity, inflicting extra drag and hurting straight-line velocity, in order that’s a steadiness you’ll want to strike.
“As for the drivers, taking over lots of fluid earlier than the race is essential to forestall dehydration as a result of that may have an effect on focus, which may result in errors – and Singapore punishes even minor ones severely due to the shut proximity of the partitions.
“Lance and Fernando might be attempting to maintain themselves as cool as attainable, in order that they’ll put on the FIA-approved cooling vests to control their inside temperature.
“It is a actually bodily and mentally demanding weekend for the drivers. It is also actually intense for everybody else within the staff, each trackside and again at base within the AMR Expertise Campus. However it’s, doubtless, one of the crucial thrilling of Grands Prix of the 12 months and a unbelievable spectacle underneath the lights.”
