Upgraded F2 car makes huge gains in pace
Williams JPH1B beats Formula Renault 3.5 pole time in Portimão
The upgraded Williams JPH1B has enjoyed a hugely impressive
track debut during pre-season testing, with the car proving to be
significantly faster than its 2009 predecessor.
2009 FIA Formula Two Champion Andy Soucek and Official Test
Driver Steven Kane assumed driving duties in separate test cars as
the JPH1B first took to the circuit at Barcelona on 28 January,
before moving to Portimão on 2 February. The upgrade package
yielded similarly impressive gains at both venues, with Soucek's
laptime of a 1:33.280s in Portugal eclipsing the corresponding
2009 pole time for Formula Renault 3.5.
Such significant improvements are the result of an extensive
upgrade package implemented over the winter by both MotorSport
Vision and the Williams F1 team. Among the new features, the
car has benefited from a package of aerodynamic revisions following
an extensive CFD evaluation programme by the Williams
team, increasing maximum downforce by 30% and improving
aerodynamic efficiency by 24%.
Despite low temperatures and grip levels, the revisions
yielded instant and sizeable gains when the two cars first took to
the track in Barcelona last week. Soucek was able to set a personal
best of 1:35.770s - which compares with his best effort of 1:38.163
when F2 visited the circuit in 2009.
The operation then moved to Portimão, Portugal, where the
team continued to make significant advances whilst also gathering
further valuable information about the new upgrades. Having tested
at the circuit in late 2009, Soucek again made substantial
improvements, posting a best effort of 1:33.280s - almost three
tenths faster than the 2009 pole time for Formula Renault 3.5.
Formula Two series director Jonathan Palmer
hailed the significant advances the team had made during pre-season
testing, saying: "Patrick Head and the Williams F1 personnel
working on F2 have done a great job to substantially hike the
performance of the F2 car for 2010. In 2009 to achieve the target
of making our first race on schedule, development time was
inevitably compromised as the design had to be frozen for
manufacture quite early.
"The 2010 F2 package of upgrades is the result of many months'
careful work, particularly aerodynamic modelling with the CFD
programme. The team went to Barcelona via Lurcy-Levis in France to
do straight line testing, which reassuringly verified the CFD
theory.
"It was very encouraging to see such instant pace improvement on
the opening day of our test programme at Barcelona. To be 2.4
seconds faster than our fastest pole position time so soon and in
less than optimal conditions was pretty impressive."
Speaking after Portimão, Giles Butterfield, Group
Head of Operations, was delighted with the progress made:
"We made a massive step forward in Barcelona and Portimão,
and so early in our test programme that is extremely
positive. Our main aim was to evaluate the new aerodynamic
package; we weren't necessarily chasing lap times, but rather an
understanding of the car and how it has improved. We were able
to gather a lot of very valuable information, and it was
excellent to have made such significant gains. To have gone
quicker than the 2009 Formula Renault 3.5 pole time
at Portimão is great and there are still
improvements to come, which is extremely encouraging."
2009 F2 Champion Andy Soucek was similarly
enthusiastic, saying: "We've made some massive improvements to the
F2 car. When you have more power, less weight and better
aerodynamics then the car is always going to be better, but to be
so much quicker straight away was really impressive - even more so
because the temperatures were extremely cold and there is very
little rubber on the surface of the track.
"Barcelona is perhaps the most complete track in Europe to test
on, which is why F1 teams love going there, and it really gave us a
good basis to set up the car and evaluate the new changes. Overall
the car feels similar to drive to last year's but you can really
feel the effect of the aerodynamic improvements and the extra grip
they bring."
To access a full technical guide for the upgraded Williams JPH1B
F2 car click here. For a full gallery of the car in
testing, click here.