Caterham F1 Team Replace Kamui Kobayashi With André Lotterer At Belgian Grand Prix

CATERHAM F1 TEAM

2014 BELGIAN GRAND PRIXVIEW

André Lotterer to replace Kamui Kobayashi at the Belgian Grand Prix

André Lotterer will drive for Caterham F1 Team at the Belgian Grand Prix.

The team will benefit from having another experienced driver at the wheel of the car throughout the weekend and the German’s feedback will contribute to improve the performance of the car.

The weather also plays a big role at Spa-Francorchamps and Lotterer is one of the most experienced drivers racing under mixed conditions.

Lotterer will replace Kamui Kobayashi for this round of the championship. The Japanese driver still remains part of the team.

Born in Duisburg in Germany, Lotterer moved to Belgium when he was only two years of age and grew up close to Nivelles, a city that’s only 150km from Spa-Francorchamps.

Three-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner, Lotterer started racing in the early 90s, succeeding in both German and British Formula 3 championships before being named Jaguar Racing’s Formula One test driver in 2002.

A year later he moved to Japan, doing very well in both Formula Nippon and the Japanese Super GT Championship, which he won in 2006 and 2009.

He made his debut in endurance racing in 2009, taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Nurburgring.

His impressive performance that year earned him a drive with the works Audi Sport team in the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans, remaining with the team and winning the prestigious race three times (2011, 2012 and 2014).

In 2011 he won the Formula Nippon championship. Since 2012, the German competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

André Lotterer, Photo credit Caterham F1 Team

Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium – 20 August 2014

2014 Belgian Grand Prix

Venue: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

Race Laps: 44

Circuit Length: 7.004 km

Race Distance: 308.052 km

Team Quotes

André Lotterer:

“I am delighted to be given the opportunity to take part in a Formula One race weekend – I want to thank Caterham F1 Team for this chance. I’m ready for this challenge and I cannot wait to jump in the car and make the most out of the weekend ahead.

I will need to get settled and used to the car quickly, as the team has worked on a number of updates and we will need to have as much time as possible out on track to optimise the car’s performance.

I really enjoy racing at the legendary circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, it’s one of my favourite tracks and it’s very close to where I grew up, so this makes the weekend even more special and one to remember.”

Caterham F1 Team, Photo credit Caterham F1 Team

Marcus Ericsson:

“Spa is one of the races I’ve been most looking forward to since we first announced my F1 drive back in January.

I love the track, it’s been a very good circuit for me, especially in the last couple of years in GP2 when I won in 2012 and was on the podium last year, so it’ll be good to be back, this time in an F1 car.

“We’re aiming to make real progress in Belgium, and that will make the whole weekend even better for the team and for me. We haven’t had new parts on the car for quite a while, so to be coming to a track like Spa with a package that gives us a chance to take a step forward, that’s a good feeling, but we’re taking nothing for granted.

We have a lot of work ahead of us to get the most out of that parts but everyone is prepared for that and if we achieve what we’re setting out to, and have good reliability, it could be a really good weekend for us.”

Belgian GP lowdown with Renault Sport F1 track support leader, Cedrik Staudohar

Main challenges of Spa for the Power Units:
The long periods of wide open throttle, particularly in sector one. The driver will be on the throttle for around 25secs from La Source to Les Combes, the longest straight of the year.

The sweeping bends and changes in altitude also put the fluid systems under huge pressure as the cars follow the rise and fall of the track. Fluids are compressed through the descents but coming over the hill lift and the forces are inverted – it’s a job in itself to monitor the internals and ensure the pumps are supplied with fluids at all times.

Main energy recovery points:
The La Source hairpin and Bus Stop chicane are opportunities for the MGU-K, plus the turns of sector two where the driver will touch the brakes. The MGU-H will both recover energy and recharge the MGU-K on the straights.

Difficulty rating:
The hardest of the year! Every part is under pressure.

What to watch out for:
Weather is always a factor in Spa. The electrical systems will be well insulated to ensure water does not get into the parts, which could cause short circuits.

Formula1 – Team Caterham 2014 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX VIEW

General

Race Laps: 56

Very high ambient temperature and humidity

Grip normally gradually increases through the weekend.

No major bumps (track was re-surfaced after 2007 race)

Kerbs not a problem

Top speed can be reached in either T1 or T15 depending on wind direction

Medium brake severity

Traction issues and understeer in high speed sections are main balance issues

Circuit Particularity

Bumpiness: low

Overtaking chance: T15
Kerbs: smooth

Ride height setting particularity: none

Engine severity: high

Gearbox severity: medium

Lat/Long grip: lateral

Aero eff ratio: medium

Track grip evo during w/e: medium / high

Aero settings: high

Brake wear severity: medium

Brake cooling necessity: medium

Malaysian GP lowdown with Renault Sport F1 track support leader, Cedrik Staudohar

Main challenges of Sepang for the Power Units: “Like Australia, managing fuel consumption in Sepang will be quite a challenge. Of the six main components of the PU, the ICE will be under the most pressure in Sepang. In the past, the humidity has made Sepang a little bit easier on engines since power comes down as the water content in the air increases. With a turbo engine, however, the air intake is controlled at all times regardless of ambient conditions, so those two long straights will really start to hurt.”

Main energy recovery points: “The two long straights of over 1km each give plenty of opportunity for the MGU-H to be recharged. The heavy braking points of the hairpin (Turn 15), first corner complex and the mid to low speed corners in the third sector should allow the MGU-K to recover energy to feed back into the battery.”

Difficulty rating: “One of the hardest of the year for the Power Unit due to the long straights. The high air temperature is usually a concern as we have to choose the correct cooling level. The high chance of rain could also make the cars difficult to control due to the increased torque and lack of grip so the focus will be on good driveability without too much wheelspin.”

What to watch out for: “The start of the weekend in Melbourne was disappointing as we got to grips with a variety of small, but destructive, problems. After a much more positive qualifying we were hopeful of a finish in the race but a couple of issues, on the chassis and engine side, stopped the cars. Our aim is clearly to have a clean weekend this time out.”

Caterham F1 Team Driver Quotes

Kamui Kobayashi, car #10: “The second race of the year is Malaysia and it’s our team’s first home race of the year, so it’s going to be a good week! I’ve obviously raced there a few times before, and finished in the points in 2011, and this year it would be great if we were able to fight for a point, but we’ll have to make sure we have a better Friday than we did in Australia if we’re going to have a stronger weekend at Sepang.

“The way we bounced back in qualifying in Melbourne showed a little bit of what we can do, but without any real laps in FP1 or FP2 we only had a very small chance to fight. With a proper Friday and Saturday program we can give ourselves the opportunity to show the true pace of the car, and prepare much more for the race. Obviously, I’d like to also make sure I don’t have the same brake problems that caused the accident in turn one in Australia – without that I think we’d have had a strong race and we’ll work as hard as we can to give ourselves the chance to really perform.

“Off track we’re going to be busy, especially on Tuesday night when I’m at a Renault event at Sepang and on Wednesday when we have a very packed schedule meeting sponsors and fans. We’ll be at the Pavilion Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday afternoon from about 2pm meeting our fans so if anyone is in KL that afternoon they should come along. We’re also going to see AirAsia’s head office on Wednesday afternoon and meet their staff, so it’ll be good to see one of Tony’s other teams in action!”

Marcus Ericsson, car #9: “I can’t wait to get back in the car, especially after having a really good race until the oil pressure problem forced us to stop in Australia. It’s been great to read so many nice comments about what we did in the race after such a bad Friday, but now I want to get on with it again and go straight back to work.

“Sepang’s a track I’ve already raced on, so that’s obviously an advantage over Australia. I really like the heat and have trained hard all through the winter to prepare for races like Malaysia, so I’ll be 100% ready physically, but I’m still just loving being in F1 and for race two to be a home race for Caterham and on a track I know and like, that’s just really good for me. It’ll be great to see how much Caterham means to the Malaysian fans, and I’ve been told the autograph session on Sunday will be one of the real highlights of the year, so there’s a lot to be excited about!

“We obviously need a stronger weekend on track overall, and I know they guys back at the factory and at Renault have been working flat out to help us do so. Our race pace in Australia was pretty good, but with a full Friday and not having to use FP3 to catch up, I think we can start to unlock the real performance of this year’s car. If we can do that, and with the work being put in by everyone, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t, I think Malaysia could be a strong weekend for our team.”

Caterham F1 Team Malaysian Grand Prix Event – Wednesday 26th March, 1330 – 1415 (media session), 1415 – 1500 (fan autograph session)

Caterham F1 Team drivers Kamui Kobayashi, Marcus Ericsson and Alexander Rossi will be appearing at Pavilion Shopping Centre, level three, Bukit Bintang entrance on Wednesday 26th March.

An open media session will take place with all three drivers from 1330 to 1415 and all media are welcome at that event.

From 1415 to 1500 all three drivers will be signing autographs and doing fan selfies so come along and meet our drivers!

T03 BAHRAIN – DAY TWO Marcus Ericsson completes 55 laps

T03 BAHRAIN – DAY TWO Bahrain – 28th February 2014

Driver: Marcus Ericsson, car #9

Chassis: CT05-#02

Total laps: 55

Photos courtey Caterham F1 team

Marcus Ericsson: “My first day of the final test in the car and it obviously didn’t end as we wanted it to but we did achieve quite a lot of the plan we’d set for the day. We’d had a stop/start morning but the afternoon session was going well until a technical problem just after I exited the pits after the first stint of a race simulation started a fire which forced me to stop the car on track. We’d started after lunch with a few runs evaluating setup options and then went onto the full race simulation which was going to plan until just after the first pitstop when the problem started and I had to pull over. However, we had been able to run through a lot of the procedures we’d planned for today, including race starts and launches so I’m pleased we’ve ticked them off.

Photos courtesy Caterham F1 Team

“The fire itself was out pretty quickly and the boys now have a lot of work ahead of them to find out what happened and get it all fixed for tomorrow. I’d like to have had some more laps today, but we still have another day left and with every lap I’m learning, so I’m still as positive as I was when we arrived here and just want to get back in the car and back to work.”

Cedrik Staudohar, Track Support Leader, Renault Sport F1: “We made some more progress today but the day obviously did not end as anyone in the team would have wanted. From our side, we continue to understand more about the issues we have to deal with to unlock the full performance of the Power Unit, but reliability is also key and we will continue to focus on that for the last two days of the final test, and back at Viry where everybody is focused on finding solutions to give the team the best chance of success when the season starts in Australia.”

Formula1 Updates from JEREZ, Spain. Caterham F1 – DAY THREE REPORT

Photo courtesy Caterham F1 Team

CaterhamF1 driver Robin Frijns today completed ten laps at the Jerez race track in Spain, he talks about a few problems he encountered on the tracks and below we’ve got quotes from Robin Frijns and Cedrik Staudohar, Track Support Leader, Renault Sport F1

Jerez, Spain – 30th January 2014

Driver: Robin Frijns

Chassis: CT05-#01

Total laps: 10

Robin Frijns: “Even though we had limited running today it’s still good to be back in an F1 car, especially with a team where I already feel like part of the family. Since we made the announcement last week everyone’s been really good with me, integrating me into the whole setup at the factory and here in Spain much more than I’ve been with my previous teams, so it’s a good feeling.

“We started this morning on time and ran through a few installation laps so we could keep working through all the systems we need to get right before we can start to push on performance. The car was behaving pretty strangely, mainly down to the way the power’s being delivered, and it was pretty stop / start as we kept having to make adjustments for each run. After lunch we had a power unit problem that meant the guys had to take the floor off and replace a couple of parts, and that’s a big job with how complicated everything is – in the end the clock beat us and we couldn’t get back out before the end of the session, and while that’s obviously not ideal, it’s what testing’s for.”

Cedrik Staudohar, Track Support Leader, Renault Sport F1: “Another tough day but one where we continue to learn important information about the 2014 Power Unit and what we need to do to improve reliability and allow the team to start working on performance. Robing Frijns was sent out in the car early and we started working through a number of programs but just after lunch we found a problem with the Power Unit that required us to change a part which, unfortunately, ended our running early. We have identified the source of the issue and will work overnight to ensure it does not occur again, giving the team the chance to add to the lap count tomorrow.”