LotusRacingNotes_GPMonaco2010

PREVIEW: GP monaco 2010

16 km/h:95

GEaR:2GFoRcE:

1.1017 km/h:

190GEaR:4

GFoRcE: 2.43

This street circuit is extremely tight and twisty, rendering overtaking almost impossible. It also has the biggest elevations of any grand prix circuit the cars power up the Beau Rivage up to Casino Square and then wind their way back down through the famous hairpin section.

There is very little grip, so soft tyres and the highest possible downforce setting are the order of the day. Most corners are taken in first or second gear, requiring teams to install low ratios.

The most challenging corners are Turn 1, Sainte Devote, where drivers are greeted with an Armco barrier if they turn in just 1km/h too fast. Its easy to miss the braking point as the entrance to the corner is so bumpy; Massenet, at the crest of the Beau Rivage, is blind on

entry, and often the scene of pile-ups; The hairpin the most famous turn in F1 is also the slowest and requires full lock and gentle throttle application; The tunnel - the only one in F1 - really is a shock to the eyes as drivers plunge in and out of darkness the sound as the engine noise bounces off the walls is incredible; And the chicane at the Swimming Pool really does defy physics as the cars bounce across its kerbs.

This circuit requires 100 percent concentration from all the drivers, as the slightest mistake could ruin their weekend. After qualifying, the drivers eyes appear to be on stalks.

Lotus Racing driver Jarno Trulli won this race with Renault back in 2004.

on TRack: monaco

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Lotus Racings chefs go weak at the knees when they visit the Carrefour fish counter in Monaco. This sea bass comes

straight from the sea, and it tastes sublime.

InGREdIEnTs (sERVEs 4):4 x fresh sea bass fillets,

skin on (or cod fillets) 250 g mangetout

250 g asparagus tips1 bunch coriander

1 red chilli, de-seeded1 - 2 limes, quartered500 g jasmine rice

50 g sesame seeds, toastedFor the Thai paste:1 bunch coriander

3 cloves garlic2 red chillies, de-seeded

2 tsps sesame oil1 lime, juice and zest

1 small piece of fresh ginger, peeled400 mls coconut milk

salt and pepper to seasonYou will also need a baking or roasting

tray and a medium saucepan.Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6

It is always best to make your own Thai paste, and its really easy, too. Place coriander, garlic, chillies (de-seeded), sesame oil, lime juice and zest, ginger and coconut milk in a

food-processor and whizz them into a fine paste. Set to one side.

Wash the rice to eliminate some of the starch and add to a saucepan of boiling water. Bring the water back to the boil

and give the rice a stir. Reduce heat to simmering and replace lid. Cook for

approximately 8 - 10 minutes, then strain

Combine the rice and Thai paste and spread onto a greased baking tray.

Roll-up the sea bass fillets and secure with a cocktail stick. Place on the bed of rice, and scatter the mangetout and

asparagus tips over and around the fish. Cover tightly with aluminium foil and place in the hot oven for 18 minutes.

While the fish is cooking, pick the leaves from the remaining bunch of

coriander, de-seed and finely slice a red chilli and quarter the remaining limes. Place the sesame seeds in a dry frying

pan and toast them until golden, about 3 minutes.

First held in 1929, the Monaco Grand Prix is the most prestigious race on the calendar, and one of the most evocative. The layout has hardly changed. Its like trying to ride a bicycle around your living room. But its the race every driver wants to win.

Sunbathers watch from balconies and yachts as F1 cars race around the harbour; the deafening echo of the engines bouncing off the walls of high-rise apartment blocks. That can play havoc with the headache youre almost certainly suffering with from the night before.

Local start time: 14h00

Number of laps: 78

Circuit length: 3.340km

Race distance: 260.520km

Lap record: Michael Schumacher

(Ferrari, 2004), 1:14.439

WhaTs cookInG?oFF TRack: monaco

AccommodAtion: monte cArlo BAy HotelThis Las Vegas-style hotel is much more youthful and less stuffy than the competition. The pool here is huge, with a domed indoor section and outdoor lagoon, which has a sandy floor. Jimmyz is on your doorstep, as is the Sporting Club where the winner of the GP is wined and dined by Prince Albert on Sunday night.

restAurAnt: mAison du cAviArJacques Villeneuve is a regular here so much so that he has his own dish, Steak Villeneuve. This cozy, family-run establishment has been serving Monacos bon vivants caviar since 1954, out on its black-and-white chequered terrace. Iranian caviar starts at 180 Euros for 50 grams. However, plats sans caviar are significantly less expensive. One of seven restaurants in the Principality to hold a Michelin star.

BAr: lA rAscAsseAs youre shoving people aside at the bar, fighting for a drink, you might think whats so special about this place? But just remember, youre stood in what is one of the most famous turns in F1. This bar has been an obstacle for Fangio, Senna and Schumacher who, at one point, looked like hed stopped in front for a drink himself.

cluB: AmBer loungeSonia Irvines traveling club makes its first appearance of the year in what is undoubtedly its spiritual home. For the last five years, this space has entertained every one of the paddocks VIPs and popular personnel, as well as pop idols, Hollywood royalty and sports stars from other worlds. Individual tickets are 650 Euros for Friday and Saturday and 800 Euros for Sunday. Its also worth popping along for the Amber Fashion show, where drivers fight for position on the catwalk.

WHile youre tHere: Housed in a grandiose building which towers over the cliffs, Monaco has one of the best and biggest museums of underwater life the Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium. It was the lifes work of Prince Albert I, and for a time Jacques Cousteau the legendary French marine biologist was the museums director. In the basement, visitors can marvel at 4,000 species of fish. While Albert Is fascination was fish, Prince Rainier III was a passionate petrolhead, and owned an enviable garage. Approximately 100 vehicles are on display in the Monaco Top Cars collection, which includes early cars by Renault, Ford and Hispano Suiza, as well some of Ferrari, Mercedes and Rolls Royces most prestigious models.

Julien sAys: I would recommend starting the evening at the SASS Caf, which is usually full of famous faces, or at the Stars n Bars if you want to stick close to the paddock. Its a bit like Hard Rock Caf but with a motorsport theme, and they do a good burger. A place I want to try this week is Black Legend which is new, but I hear its the place to be! For a nice dinner, I recommend La Saliere, a famous Italian in Fontvieille which is very popular with F1 drivers. If youre prepared to push the boat out, the finest restaurant in France probably the world is Alain Ducasses 3*** Louis XV restaurant at the Hotel de Paris. After a meal like that, theres only one place to go: Jimmyz, the worlds most exclusive nightclub.Julien Simon-Chautemps is the teams Race Performance Engineer

sTEamInG sEa Bass WITh ThaI hERBs, on a BEd oF coconuT JasmInE RIcE

01km/h:111GEaR:2GFoRcE:1.52

02km/h:253GEaR:7GFoRcE:0.87

03km/h:158

GEaR:4GFoRcE:3.59

04km/h:126GEaR:3GFoRcE:3.48

05km/h:79

GEaR:1GFoRcE:2

07

08km/h:81

GEaR:2GFoRcE:1.49

10km/h:289

GEaR:7GFoRcE:1.22

11

14km/h:207

GEaR:6GFoRcE:3.62

18km/h:68GEaR:1GFoRcE:1.65

19 km/h:95

GEaR:1GFoRcE:1.73

06km/h:47

GEaR:1GFoRcE:2.42

15

09

12km/h:161GEaR:4GFoRcE:3.31

13km/h:202GEaR:6GFoRcE:3.65

Back TRack: GP sPaIn

The team worked flat-out to get the new car ready in time, and the hard work paid off with a step forward in performance that met expectations.

Jarno Trulli lined up 19th on the grid with Heikki Kovalainen right behind. The other new teams, Virgin Racing and Hispania, filled the remaining rows. Once again, the team was on target.

But things are rarely plain sailing in motor racing, and on Sunday it was Heikki who suffered the bad luck. Firing up on the grid, his gearbox selected two gears at once. Software gremlins were to blame, and the car was pushed back to the pit ga-rage. Laptops were whipped out, plugged in, and poured over But there was nothing the surgical data team could do to save it in time.

It was, however, a procedural issue rather than a reliability problem, and one which is simple to rectify.

Hydraulic reliability has been the bugbear of Jar-nos season so far, but in Spain it all held together and he recorded a strong result.

Jarno made a good start, and kept ahead of the Virgins throughout the race. He finished 17th behind Williams Nico Hulkenberg. Handling began to suffer towards the end due to a damper issue, but Jarno recorded what Mike Gascoyne de-scribed as his first real race finish of the season.

REsuLTs:1 Mark Webber Red BuLL-RenauLT

2 Fernando alonso FeRRaRI

3 Sebastian Vettel Red BuLL-RenauLT

4 Michael Schumacher MeRCedeS

5 Jenson Button MCLaRen-MeRCedeS

6 Felipe Massa FeRRaRI

7 adrian Sutil FoRCe IndIa-MeRCedeS

8 Robert Kubica RenauLT

9 Rubens Barrichello WILLIaMS-CoSWoRTh

10 Jaime alguersuari STR-FeRRaRI

11 Vitaly Petrov RenauLT

12 Kamui Kobayashi BMW SauBeR-FeRRaRi

13 nico Rosberg MeRCedeS

14 Lewis hamilton MCLaRen-MeRCedeS

15 Vitantonio Liuzzi FoRCe IndIa-MeRCedeS

16 nico hulkenberg WILLIaMS-CoSWoRTh

17 JArno trulli lotus-cosWortH

18 Timo Glock VIRGIn CoSWoRTh

19 Lucas di Grassi VIRGIn CoSWoRTh

dnF Sebastien Buemi ToRo RoSSo-FeRRaRI (LaP 42)

dnF Karun Chandhok hRT-CoSWoRTh (LaP 27)

dnF Pedro de la Rosa BMW SauBeR-FeRRaRI (LaP 18)

dnF Bruno Senna hRT-CoSWoRTh (LaP 0)

dns Heikki kovAlAinen lotus-cosWortH

WaTER cooLER:

www.lotusracing.my

sILLY GamEsThe mechanics are in a state of paranoia at the moment, because of a back-slapping cult that began in Spain. In order to amuse themselves theyve been threatening to stick (and in some cases maybe smear) things on each others backs, so whenever they pat each other on the back their colleagues arent sure if theyre being rewarded for a job well done, or if theyre about to be a victim. Long hours on the road and very close friendships can inspire what some might call schoolboy behaviour.

chamPIonshIP sTandInGs: dRIVERsJenson Button 70

Fernando alonso 67

Sebastian Vettel 60

Mark Webber 53

nico Rosberg 50

Lewis hamilton 49

Felipe Massa 49

Robert Kubica 44

Michael Schumacher 22

adrian Sutil 16

Vitantonio Liuzzi 8

Rubens Barrichello 7

Vitaly Petrov 6

Jaime alguersuari 3

nico hulkenberg 1

Heikki kovAlAinen 0

JArno trulli 0

Sebastien Buemi 0

Pedro de La Rosa 0

Kamui Kobayashi - 0

Karun Chandhok 0

Lucas di Grassi 0

Bruno Senna 0

Timo Glock - 0

chamPIonshIP sTandInGs: consTRucToRsMcLaren 119

Ferrari 116

Red Bull Racing 113

Mercedes 72

Renault 50

Force India 24

Williams 8

Scuderia Toro Rosso 3

lotus rAcing 0

BMW Sauber - 0

hRT 0

Virgin Racing - 0

kEEPInG IT sImPLEhaving Monaco back-to-back with Barcelona has caused some major logistical hurdles, and arriving at the track on Wednesday it was clear some team motorhomes wouldnt be finished until the cars went out for free practice. Lotus Racings motorhome is a little more modest than most, which is a very good thing given the circumstances, but because of all the clutter at the top end of the paddock blocking the way, just getting the green and yellow trucks through was a lengthy challenge. The truckies and catering staff did an amazing job to get everything ready for lunch on Wednesday, while other teams with more la de da structures were forced to eat sandwiches in the pit garages.

Tonyfernandes: Report on golf. I played 9 holes. Scored 50 heikki 44. he went on to shoot 40 next 9. Quite pleased. Par last hole but many triple bogeys.

LoTus RacInG oF ThE WEEk:

comPETITIon TImEShow you allegiance and impress your friends

with a Lotus Racing cap signed by all three drivers. ace, eh? all you need to do is answer

the following question correctly, and then well put your name in the hat.

The closest answer wins the loot. Send your answers to

[email protected] Good luck!

PRoVE YouR suPPoRTnow ThaTs a paint job. You dont need to

own a Lotus to show the love. Whack a yellow stripe down your Land Rover, or simply paint

your bedroom in British Racing Green. Send us a photo that proves youre a massive Lotus

Racing fan, and if you make the grade well publish your hard work right here.

Thanks to Jordan Knight for sending in this pic

a couPLE oF modELsheikki will be giving it the full blue steel on Friday

night when he and girlfriend Catherine hyde will take to the

catwalk for Monacos annual amber Fashion show. amber

Fashion, which is run by eddie Irvines sister Sonia, unites F1 with the world of fashion, and

celebrity designers angela Missoni and elizabeth hurley will be there to show off their collections. But the piece de resistance of the event is the charity auction for the elton John aids Foundation. The

event has raised over 2 million euros in the past four years thanks to this auction, and

were looking forward to the Lotus Racing representatives

strutting their stuff.

So, heikki Kovalainen drove from Barcelona to Monaco. how long

did the journey take?

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Being team manager with a start-up F1 team must be pretty hard work. When did you join the team?January 22nd 2010. That was very late, and a lot of the team had already been set up. It was quite challenging to pick it up and run with it. There was a lot to be done, but hats off to Mike Gascoyne and the team because theyd got the foundations built already. There were holes because there were too few people trying to do too much. But within a couple of weeks of me being there, we were already shaking down the car. I knew the Chief Mechanic and Race Team Coordinator from previous, and I think they were quite relieved when I came onboard.

But they still made you come in for an interviewId actually just joined Ray Mallocks to do the World Touring Car Championship with Chevrolet, and seven days into being there I got a call from Mikes PA, Shelley, saying that he wanted to see me about being Team Manager for Lotus Racing. I couldnt believe it, and needed a little while to collect my thoughts. My head was spinning, but I phoned back and said I wanted to meet Mike, and could we do it in Oxford. So we agreed to have lunch at a pub, and Mike brought his partner Silvi and the three kids and the dogs. I was quite nervous, and asked if I had the job. Mike said it was down to a vote, and asked the kids what they thought. This was a very bizarre job interview. His daughter asked me if I was lactose intolerant, and if I liked Monopoly. It was the interview of all interviews, but I passed.

Where were you before?This is my 14th season of F1. I started at Benetton, which then morphed into Renault. In 2001 I joined BAR, which obviously became Honda and then Brawn.

Being Team Manager is a job which carries immense responsibility. But, for graham Watson, its the gig hes always wanted.

kEEPInG IT aLL on TRack

To FInd ouT moRE aBouT ThE TEam Go To: WWW.LoTusRacInG.mY

www.lotusracing.my

Have you always been in a team management role?No, Mike has given me a great opportunity here. I started life as an automotive Machinist back home in New Zealand, and moved to England in 1989 to work as a Mechanic with the Ford World Rally team. I worked my way up from there. Brawn was scaling down, and so I was made redundant at the end of last year. Honda had a lot of luxury positions. I was Car Specification Coordinator there, and a lot of the qualities required for that role compliment this one, although the remit here is wider.

How did you celebrate winning the championship in Brazil?I cant remember!

Was that the highlight of your career?Yeah One of them, though this job is really the highlight. This is what I want to be doing. Being Team Manager is a fantastic promotion, a big thing for me. In our job it doesnt matter if youre at the front of the grid or the back, what matters is to be professional and keep moving forward. Being Team Manager is really the pinnacle of what I wanted to achieve. The next step is Sporting Director. Whether that will happen or not, I dont know. But Im a pretty proud bloke at the moment, because I think were all doing a good job.

is lotus racing performing as you had hoped on the track?Yes, I think weve exceeded our expectations from race one. To get both cars to the finish in Bahrain was a massive high when you consider BAR came in in 1999 with a budget three times the size of ours and it took them till Spa to record a finish. Were still a long way from where we want to be, but were five races in some teams have been here 20, 30, and in Ferraris case 60 years. But we have experienced people here and that has helped us to finish ahead of our direct competitors. Five races in, Im very happy where we are.

your job is very multifaceted isnt it?It is, and I think most F1 Team Managers are ex-Mechanics. You need to have a good technical understanding of the car to do the job. To understand what the guys need in terms of support. The teams are quite large these days, even though ours is a small team. In terms of size, Lotus Racing is not too dissimilar from where I started at Benetton in 1996.

How many people are on the race team?Forty-five technical, in-line with the FIA headcount cap, and on top of that we have marketing and hospitality so around 65 in total. My job is to make sure everything runs like clockwork. Everything is departmentalized, and my role is coordinating all those different groups. The team needs to run at a high standard at all times, and we need to deal immediately and effectively with any problems that arise. I liaise with the FIA and FOM on the rules and regulations, accreditation etc, as well as sorting things internally. The first couple of days of the race weekend are absolutely manic, I really dont get a minutes peace, but once we get to Saturday, things start to calm down, we find a groove and you can enjoy it.

How big a logistical nightmare is monaco this weekend?It is, as you say, a nightmare but its not, in all honesty,

as bad as we thought. We were hampered on the grounds that the bigger teams were in here first, and we had to wait for them to finish the majority of the setup. On the operational side in the pits its actually been very straight forward.

do you have an assistant?In the field no, but I have an assistant in Hingham who assists with the travel and logistics for both the drivers and the team.

if everything goes right no one notices, but if something goes wrong you get the blame. do you feel under pressure?You dont want to let anybody down. I think were doing very well and there have been no big issues so far. Were all under pressure everyone in the team has a lot of responsibility, and a lot of people depending on them.

What are the key skills needed to be a good team manager?Youve got to be good with people. That means you need to be sensitive you cant charge into situations like a bull in a china shop. You need, in my opinion, to be technically savvy. You need to understand exactly what the mechanics and the engineers need, and how to get the best out of them. You need to be a strong communicator, and know what information people need to hear and when you mustnt overload them. Thats the core of it.

youve got a new motorhome arriving in valencia. Whats that going to look like?Its going to be very contemporary and will fit in well in the paddock. Its a shame we couldnt bring it here to Monaco, but with the team starting so late there was only so much we could achieve. Bringing the brand new race trailers to Barcelona was, I think, a statement of intent. But I think everyone will be quite impressed with the new motorhome - its definitely a step up from the hand-me-down Super Aguri / Jordan motorhome we have now, which is a bit too small to accommodate everyone.

What do you do to relax, given the stresses of your job?Im an absolute rugby freak, and being from New Zealand may have some bearing on that. Unfortunately I dont play anymore because my knees have given in. And aside from that, WRC, which is the whole reason I left NZ in the first place, to go and work for Ford. I catch all the rallies on TV that I can. The thing with this job is when you want to relax you dont go anywhere, you just turn the telly on and chill because before you know it youre back on a plane headed for the next race.

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WooF!Thoughts of the day from Hinghams resident old english

Sheepdogs, max and sam. If they were FiA stewards, penalties would take the form of chewed rugs and compulsory walkies.

max wonders whether a spanish fan slash professional sniper was responsible for lewis Hamiltons crash two laps from

the end. unfortunate for lewis, but the crowds went mental for Fernando Alonso as their homeboy took second. sam, meanwhile, reckons red Bull is going to disappear into the

distance when they finally introduce their wing-stalling system in turkey. The new floor they introduced in spain has clearly given

them a further performance gain. and speaking of floors, that stain the dogs left still hasnt come out.

www.lotusracing.my

ToP FIVE:LuckY EscaPEs: JaRno TRuLLI

ThE chEFs unIFoRm

It was the 2003 Monaco Grand Prix, where Dave The Duke Freeman was working for Honda. He was approached by a Monogasque policeman, who proffered his peaked gendarmes hat to Dave.

He offered to trade me his hat for a Honda cap, which struck me a deal too good to refuse. This was a very smart hat.

Dave had a root round and handed the copper a team cap, and not only did he receive the policemans hat, he was given a Police shirt as well.

Williams won the Monaco Grand Prix that afternoon for the first time in 17 years. With all the Willys boys celebrating in front of their motorhome, Dave thought it would be a perfect chance to road test his new gear.

I put on the hat and shirt and went round there, shouting Oi, move your motorhome!,

Were in Monaco time to roll out the good bottles. We asked F1s top vigneron to name his five favourite wines. But, in the interests of non-bias, they cannot come from his vineyard.

www.lotusracing.my

The team did a fantastic job to get our upgrade ready for Spain, and we were encouraged by the results. our performance is around a second faster than where we were in China. our next new toy will arrive in Turkey a new rear wing. Given that Monaco is back-to-back with Spain theres been no opportunity to introduce new aero parts here, but on the streets of the Principality our focus will be on low-speed mechanical grip. Like all teams, well be running maximum wing here. The average speed here is slower than anywhere else, but due to the tight and twisty nature of the track, the sight of an F1 car weaving its way around Monaco is just breathtaking. Were all looking forward to this weekend.

GEEk coRnER: dIETER GassSaSSicaia1

From the Tenuta San Guido winery in Tuscany, this Bordeaux-style wine is one of Italys finest.

chateau Mouton RothSchild2one of the worlds greatest clarets.

Mont coquette3a nice pinot noir from a Swiss vineyard near Lugano.

chateau MaRgaux5You can tell I like Bordeaux, and this estate is one of the oldest.

edoaRdo Valentini Montepulciano dabRuzzo

4

a very accomplished red wine, from the same region as my vineyard, Podere Castorani

Lotus Racing chef dave Freeman has to keep an eye out for the law in Monaco, because he was once arrested here for impersonating a policeman.

GET kITTEd ouTYou dont need to be quite so

daring to get yourself official

team wear, because the new

merchandise is available now at

shop.lotusracing.my

you know, for a laugh Then I felt this huge hand on my shoulder. It was another Monogasque copper, a really big fella, and he said Right, Im arresting you for impersonating an officer. The tears of laughter from the Williams lot were filling the harbour.

The policeman grabbed him hard by the wrist and frog marched him to the station.

I got frisked at the nick, and the sergeant wanted to know where my gun was. Youve obviously got all the regalia, he said. I tried to calm the situation. Look its just a bit of a laugh, were in the paddock, its not like were in public but they werent taking it easy, I tell you.

While they waited for their commanding officer to arrive, the policemen threw poor Dave into a cell. I was sat there on the bed, staring at a bucket for a toilet, thinking dinners on and no one knows where I am.

The currys ruined and no ones going to get fed.

I was in there for half an hour, but it felt a lot longer. Then I was taken to see the CO. I wouldnt tell him which copper gave me the uniform because there was no point dragging both of us down. I just told him I couldnt remember what he looked like. The CO asked if I had any more team kit to give away. Id like a coat, he said, a Honda coat Ok I said, and tried to give him back the policemans outfit. No, no you can keep it he said. Well I wasnt keen bloody thing was more hassle than it was worth.

As soon as I was released, that was it mate, I was gone. He never got his coat, I tell you.

The next day, on the flight home from Nice, the Williams crew lined up and serenaded Dave with the full Special treatment, singing Free Davey Freeman.

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