Formula One news
McLaren boss relies on methodical approach
17 August 2008McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh is relying on a 'methodical and iterative' approach to learning the new venue next weekend of Valencia, Spain.
"In terms of car set-up, we need to remember that, like Monaco, the track will be both green and dusty on the opening day of practice," Whitmarsh said. "That sometimes tempts you into playing with set-up more than you would like, so you need to resist that temptation and let the track come to the car. Our simulations suggest we'll employ a downforce level similar to that of Hockenheim, but the individual demands of the track may push that window up or down. Finally, anybody who's studied any onboard footage of the circuit will be mindful of the proximity of the concrete barriers in certain areas - clearly, we'll be packing plenty of spares, but hoping we won't need to use them!"
"The most important thing is to be thorough, methodical and iterative," he added. "Although we arrive at a new racetrack having undertaken a huge amount of research and armed with an enormous amount of data, the reality is that it's really only the starting point for our engineering team. We begin Friday practice the way we would at any other circuit, but in this instance, we need to pay particular attention both to driver feedback and the data generated from the car. The important thing is not to react too hastily - it's vital that you don't end up going down the wrong path, because you only have a limited amount of time to tune the set-up before qualifying."
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