Corners you possibly can’t see, kerbs that you must kiss, and compromises you will need to make on the Circuit of the Americas. Aston Martin Aramco Group Ambassador Pedro de la Rosa shares an unparalleled perception into the engineering, technical, and bodily challenges posed by COTA.
Probably the most technologically superior sport on Earth heads to Texas for america Grand Prix. The Lone Star State is synonymous with scientific progress and is house to NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Area Centre, a cornerstone in humanity’s unrelenting quest to push the bounds of chance.
However this week, Texas swaps astrodynamics for aerodynamics as cutting-edge racing machines developed by a number of the planet’s brightest minds land at COTA to be pushed by a number of the world’s most interesting drivers.
As we sit up for america Grand Prix, Pedro de la Rosa – a person who has spent hundreds of miles within the cockpit of an F1 automobile – shares his perception into mastering the engineering, technical, and bodily calls for of COTA.
What are the important thing challenges the engineers face when setting the automobile up for COTA?Pedro de la Rosa: “COTA is a circuit of compromise. It is a very full racetrack with a mixture of low- and high-speed sections, so that you’re attempting to strike a stability with the automobile setup that meets these totally different challenges.
“It is advisable to run the automobile with as large an working window of journey top as attainable. It should be excessive sufficient to function effectively at low-speed however low sufficient to offer downforce within the high-speed elements of the monitor.
“That’s troublesome as a result of this present period of automobiles have a really slim window of operation, particularly when it comes to journey top, so it is a large problem for the engineers and the drivers to work collectively to get the automobile optimised for as many corners as attainable. You’ll all the time should sacrifice some areas at COTA.”
The place on the circuit is the journey top trade-off significantly pertinent and why?PdlR: “It’s important to attempt to straight-line the esses in Sector One as a lot as attainable to unlock lap-time and to try this that you must journey the kerbs. The difficulty is, you need your journey top low sufficient to have good aero grip to take the corners at high-speed however not so low that you simply’re hitting the kerbs too arduous.
“If the automobile hits the kerbs arduous and jumps, you lose downforce and the rear finish of the automobile. It’s important to assault the kerbs, so there’s a compromise to be discovered.
“It can be powerful bodily for the drivers as a result of the decrease you go, the extra bouncing and bumps you’re feeling within the cockpit.”
The esses part in Sector One can be one of the crucial thrilling areas of the lap to see an F1 automobile at full pace. What’s that prefer to drive?PdlR: “That part is the favorite a part of the circuit for lots of the drivers as a result of it is very high-speed and that you must be very, very exact.
“You are feeling numerous g-force by means of there. You go from lateral 5 g on one aspect of your physique to five g on the opposite nearly instantly; it is implausible.
“Bodily it’s arduous on the neck, however that is not an enormous deal as a result of COTA has lengthy straights on which you’ll get better.”
Which different areas of the lap are significantly thrilling from a driver’s viewpoint?PdlR: “Flip One is like the beginning of a rollercoaster journey as you climb the hill; you actually really feel the elevation within the automobile, however it means you possibly can brake very late as a result of gravity is pushing again towards you.
“It is a blind nook, and you do not see the apex till late, however it’s an excellent overtaking alternative as a result of the monitor is large on entry and there are many totally different traces you possibly can take. You may as well overtake on exit in the event you get higher traction than your competitor.
“Elsewhere, I’ve all the time discovered essentially the most troublesome nook in COTA to be Flip 19. You arrive there in a short time and the entry can be blind however at a a lot larger pace than Flip One. In the event you go in too early and also you clip the within kerb, it is simple to spin, and in the event you go in too late, you’ll understeer and find yourself probably exceeding monitor limits.
“It’s a nook that’s extraordinarily troublesome to get proper as a result of you need to be very exact at excessive pace, however you can not see the apex.”
Lastly, how powerful is the circuit on tyres and the way do the drivers cope with that?PdlR: “Like a lot else at COTA, managing tyres is a balancing act. They’re punished significantly arduous within the first half of the lap, so you need to take care of them as greatest you possibly can so that they final for the second half, particularly in Qualifying.
“You can’t go away something on the desk within the first sector however it’s essential to assault it in a means the place you aren’t sliding an excessive amount of, as a result of in the event you slide you generate an excessive amount of warmth within the tyres and it turns into very troublesome to chill them down.
“Within the second half of the lap it’s extra necessary to maintain the rear tyres alive as a result of there are numerous traction phases, such because the exits of Turns 12, 13, and 14, and you may lose much more time within the sluggish sections of the lap quite than the quick ones.
“You should be very cautious when making use of the throttle, as a result of in the event you gentle up the rear tyres on exit you may pay an enormous penalty.
“Racing at COTA is all about hanging a fragile setup stability so you possibly can push arduous.”
