Button and Hamilton Must beat Webber in Korea - McLaren

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button must beat Mark Webber in Korea on Sunday to have any chance of winning the title, says McLaren engineer Phil Prew.

Red Bull driver Webber has a 14-point lead over team-mate Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso with only three races left.

Hamilton is 28 points adrift with Button 31 points behind Webber.

And Prew told BBC Sport: "We need to be in front of Webber. Both our drivers need to attack."

Every team is entering into the unknown to some extent this weekend in Yeongam on a brand new track being used for a grand prix race for the first time.

Speaking from Korea during a McLaren phone conference, principal race engineer Prew said there are parts of the track which should favour all the leading teams.

"I actually walked the circuit this morning with the other engineers and I was fairly impressed with what I saw," he added. "The track itself, the kerbs and the run-off all looked pretty good.

"To be honest, it's a very good combination of quite a few different sorts of circuit. It has some long straights with big stops, which is not dissimilar to Canada, which I think will favour our car.

"Sector two is a bit more like Turkey, where we performed quite well. And then the last sector, which would typically be a very high-downforce sector, a bit more like Hungary perhaps."

Button finished fourth at the last race in Suzuka, while Hamilton finished fifth, having failed to finish three of the previous four grands prix. Prew says everyone is keen to put the recent setbacks behind them.

"We've under-delivered points in the last couple of races, which is a frustration to the drivers and the team.

"But they know that the car has the pace and the potential to be competing, and finishing higher up that we've achieved recently.

"They both want to win races and they both want to win the championship and to do that they have to be winning."

Both McLaren cars will be running modified front and rear wings in Korea as well as other mechanical updates they hope will get them closer to the Red Bulls.

With the world championship winning drivers from the last two seasons in their cars [Button in 2009, Hamilton in 2008] Prew says the whole team can draw on their experience, as well as the failure to win the title in 2007.

"Personally I was in the position in 2007 when we gave away an awful lot of points in two races, effectively 42 points with Lewis to lose the championship in 2007 [equivalent to the 2010 points system].

"So defending a lead [as Red Bull have to this season] can give you added pressure, it possibly leads you to change your approach slightly.

"But for McLaren at the moment it's a very clear objective - we've got to be winning races, we've got to have strong performances from both drivers and then we'll see how it pans out over the next three races."

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Williams F1: Major Car Developments 2010

Above: Williams FW32 Birds eye view, Wireframe

Specifications

Chassis construction: Monocoque construction fabricated from carbon epoxy and honeycomb composite structure, surpassing FIA impact and strength requirements
Front suspension: Carbon fibre double wishbone arrangement, with composite toelink and pushrod activated springs and anti-roll bar
Rear suspension: Double wishbone and pushrod activated springs and anti-roll bar
Transmission: Williams F1 seven-speed seamless sequential semi-automatic shift plus reverse gear.
Gear selection: electro-hydraulically actuated
Clutch: Carbon multi-plate
Dampers: Williams F1
Wheels: RAYS forged magnesium
Tyres: Bridgestone Potenza, F 325mm wide, R 375mm wide
Brake system: 6 piston callipers all round, carbon discs and pads
Steering: Williams F1 power assisted rack and pinion
Fuel system: Kevlar-reinforced rubber bladder
Electronic systems: FIA standard electronic control unit
Cooling system: Aluminium oil, water, and gearbox radiators
Cockpit: Driver six-point safety harness with 75mm shoulder straps & HANS system,
removable anatomically formed carbon fibre seat covered in Alcantara
Dimensions & weight: Overall width: 1800mm
Engine

Designation: Cosworth 2.4L V8, 90° V angle engine
Valve train: pneumatic
Fuel management and ignition systems: Cosworth
Engine materials: include block and pistons in aluminium, crankshaft in steel billet, connecting rods in titanium




(13/06/2010)
Williams introduced two new front wings for Montreal. Both feature two vertical turning vanes and are designed to boost the airflow from underneath the raised front section of the chassis (labeled 1). Each front wing has a different forward upper wing (labeled 2). On one example there was a small splitter (labeled 3) on the outside of the endplate. The team has also brought two different rear wings.



(10/07/2010)
Previously only Nico Hulkenberg has used Williams' low-blowing exhaust (red arrow), but at Silverstone team mate Rubens Barrichello was also running the upgrade. It's quite similar to Ferrari's system, and is therefore less complicated than the ones used by Red Bull and McLaren. The FW32 also features new bodywork and engine cover for the British race.



The car already showed much improved pace in Spain, but at Silverstone both drivers could confirm their performances thanks to a new blown diffuser.

The change will obviously benefit the FW32 a lot as it previously featured high exhausts that appeared to disturb upper sidepod airflow quite a lot. The new sidepod slopes down much steeper, resembling much the design of the Red Bull. With this change, exhaust gases are now pushed onto the diffuser, allowing it to work more efficiently while drag will certainly have reduced above the sidepod.





(26/09/2010)
Williams arrived in Singapore with a completely new front-wing assembly, which is quite similar to Renault's solution. Compared to the older version (top drawing), the new front wing (bottom drawing) features several differences. There is a more pronounced upward sweep of the outer lower wing, just inboard of the endplate. While the former small vertical fence at the outer edge of the endplate has gone (1, upper), the upper flap section now features an extension with a small endplate outside the main endplate (1, lower). It is all designed to help the tyre act like a diffuser, sucking air from the front wing to improve its efficiency. There are also two new flaps in the central section (2) and the main plane twists upwards (3).





As a final update on their FW32 in Japan, Williams have introduced new brake ducts for both the front and rear brakes. The new ducts feature a shield to prevent airflow into the duct to be disturbed by the rotating front wheel. This design feature is far from new and teams like Renault or McLaren have been running it since the beginning of the season.

It is however likely that Williams have now changed the front brake ducts to better work with the new front wing they introduced in Singapore. While the endplate on that wing has become simpler, the stacked element hangs over the endplate for additional downforce. On the inside, an extra small stabiliser element was added as well, while the black flaps closest to the front wing supports are now similar to Renault's solution.


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Automotive History: Louis Renault

Image: Louis Renault's first workshop


Louis Renault was a French Industrialist who was born in Paris on February 15th, 1877. Renault was foremost an engineer and mechanic and built his first car at the age of 21, and formed the company Renault Freres (Renault Brothers) in 1899 with his two elder brothers, Marcel and Fernand. We know the company today purely as Renault. They have a range of hugely successful cars, as well as a number of racing teams, including a Formula one team which currently showcases the talents of former world champion, Spaniard, Fernando Alonso.

Louis was interested in cars and engines from an early age, and was one of the first pioneers of the automotive industry. In 1898, after building his first vehicle, he staged a bet: to climb a tough slope with his invention. He succeeded and received 13 orders for his car; this ultimated lead to the company being formed one year later. Unfortunately, Louis' brother Marcel was killed in a race in 1903 and his brother was suffering health problems and passed away in 1909. Louis Renault was given control of the company in 1908, prior to the death of his second brother.

He was in control of the company until 1942 and was in charge when the company released many inventions which are common place today. These include: hydrolic shock absorbers, drum brakes, compressed gas ignition, the turbo-charger and the taximeter. The company underwent rapid expansion during this period and became famous nationally and internationally.

During World War One, Louis Renault received the legion of Honour for his successfull military designs, including the first ever tank with a fully rotating turret, the Renault FT-17. The layout with the engine at the back and the driver at the front and turret on top is one which is used pretty much universally with every tank designed since.

As World War Two beaconed, Renault was again an important supplier to the French army, and following the Nazi occupation, Renault refused to help out German forces by building them tanks. Instead, the Nazis put people from Daimler-Benz in charge of Renault ,but its contribution was very small, one third of what it produced when it was suppling the French.

In 1944, France was Liberated and Louis Renault was arrested under suspicion of collaborating with Nazi forces; he died one month later. Not a fitting end to a man who brought forth many changes in technology and engineering and pushed the Industry forward as he did.

A matter of months later Renault was nationalised and stabilised after a number of remarkable courtcases on very thin evidence. Nevertheless, Renault lives on to this day as the key car manufacturer within the French borders, taking 40 billion Euros in 2007 alone, and a large range of successful cars on the market including the popular Clio, Megane and Scenic Rangers.

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