Data Driven Issue 02
OUR POST-RACE DATA ANALYSIS TIMES HAVE BEEN REDUCED THANKS TO THE NEW SOFTWARE
AVANADE HAVE SUPPLIED FOR US. IT MEANS WE’VE MANAGED TO MOVE CAR SETUP AND
PERFORMANCE FORWARD AT A QUICKER RATE.
NOTES FROM THE PITWALL
LOTUS F1 TEAM’S TRACKSIDE OPERATIONS DIRECTOR, ALAN PERMANE, TAKES
US THROUGH THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF THE 2013 CAMPAIGN.
SEASON HIGHLIGHT:
There were two, for me. Firstly, of course, that win in
Australia. Secondly, the rise of Romain in the second
half of the year, from quick but unpredictable rookie to
consistent podium finisher.
KIMI’S BEST RACE:
Undoubtedly Melbourne. It was a textbook drive and a
very easy and unchallenged win.
ROMAIN’S BEST RACE:
It was a close run between Suzuka and Korea, in which
he finished both third. Without the late safety car in
Korea, Romain and Sebastian Vettel would have been
over 30 seconds clear of the rest of the field, and second
place was deserved. I think Suzuka edges it because
he actually led the race and his was the only car to
challenge the Red Bulls.
BEST PITSTOP:
Romain’s first stop in Suzuka: 2.23 seconds.
MOST CHALLENGING TRACK, ENGINEERING-WISE:
This is not an easy one to answer. Unless you are on
08
pole by a mile there are always improvements in setup
to be found at every track – they all have their own
unique characteristics and all are a challenge.
MOST CHALLENGING TRACK TO WORK AT:
Monaco. With the new pit complex things are a lot
easier than they used to be, but it’s still tight on space
for everyone in all areas of the team.
MOST CHALLENGING RACE, STRATEGY-WISE:
It gets tricky when you have problems on Friday with
one or both cars and go into the race without full
knowledge of how the tires will behave. Abu Dhabi was
a good example of that.
MOST UNEXPECTED RESULT:
Romain raced from 17th on the grid to the podium in
India. We predicted he could get as high as fifth, but to
get third was a very pleasant surprise.
MOST SURPRISING INNOVATION:
The Avanade-developed ‘race alarms’. These enable
quick decisions to be made in real time and information
to be fed back to the drivers at speed when needed.