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From the test team to the race team |
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The
entire Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team was looking forward to seeing the
F2003-GA in action for the first time at a race weekend. One man in
particular, must have had a few butterflies in his stomach when Michael
Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello first left the Circuit de Catalunya
pit lane. Aldo Costa is the head of the Scuderia’s Vehicle Design
Office. ‘This means I am responsible for all areas of the car, with the
exception of aerodynamics, electronics and the engine,’ explained Costa
who has been with Ferrari since 1995, having previously worked with the
Minardi team.
We asked him to assess what today’s car debut means in practical terms.
‘For us the first race is a synthesis of a job that started almost a
year ago,’ he began. ‘All the criteria of the car are already in place.
Everything involved in running it should now be under control.’ Although
the team engineers have worked with F2003-GA during its development,
this is really the first time the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro race team
mechanics have got to grips with it. ‘It is a delicate transition when a
car goes from the test team to the race team,’ admitted Costa. ‘We must
ensure that our procedures are so robust that no information goes
missing between the two groups. But the race mechanics should be operate
well, even in a high pressure environment like this weekend, in a
professional manner.’
F2003-GA is not completely new to the race team, as it is those
mechanics who assembled the cars which are being used this weekend. ‘And
of course, they have practised all the quick changes needed on the car.
Our organisation means they should be able to work as well as with the
old car. In terms of race engineering the car, the engineers working
with Schumacher and Barrichello have by now had plenty of data and
experience on how the car reacts to set-up changes.’ Delaying the
arrival of F2003-GA follows the pattern of the F2002. That car was first
introduced in last year’s Brazilian GP. However, at the time, only one
chassis was available for Michael to use, with Rubens still running the
2001 machine. This time in Spain, both drivers have the latest car and
the team has a full issue of parts to run them throughout the weekend.
Aldo Costa is in Spain, primarily to observe his baby’s first steps in
the world. He only attends a handful of races in a season. But having
such an experienced engineer on hand could be useful if the race weekend
throws up any problems. ‘F1 is no longer like the old days when
mechanics would actually fabricate new components in the truck
workshop,’ said Costa. ‘The more progress we make in terms of
organisation, the less likely we are to need this sort of work. But it
could happen that a designer’s experience is still valid at the track if
a modification is required.’Source - Ferrari Press Release |
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