Those from Maranello must obtain a positive result at Las Vegas Grand Prix If they want to continue fighting for the constructor title of the 1. Throughout Italy, thousands of people work tirelessly for this, and one of them is Erik Van der Veena 37-year-old Dutch engineer from Reparto Corse who works on the simulator with sessions for the pilots.
In addition to explaining in detail what are the pitfalls of a street circuit as special as “Sin City”, the technician from Breda made us understand what happens in the simulator once both drivers have completed free practice . It's an activity that teams generally consider top secret, and the Dutchman opened a window into the work of test drivers who remain in the dark.
Erik Van der Veen explained: “Las Vegas is one of those circuits that looks easy if you just look at the track, but in reality it's very complicated, there are only five sequences of turns, but they are all low speed, with In addition, they are blind Large braking zones must be approached perfectly, even at speeds above 340 km/h, which requires high downforce to give the driver confidence. necessary to slow down, negotiate the corners and accelerate again off the road, tackle long straights immediately, where little resistance and downforce are required.
Long straight lines They favor a drop in temperature, both in terms of brakes and tires, and this is something they pay attention to: “The large braking zones at the end of the straight, however, present new pitfalls, because the driver must manage the drop in temperature of the brakes and tires. Added to this is the fact of being on an urban circuit. , where the margin of error is always reduced to a minimum.
“Finally, Las Vegas is in the desert and takes place at night, when temperatures can drop as low as 10°C, which makes it difficult for the tires to reach a temperature in qualifying, and that's also difficult in racing,” he continued. “As already mentioned, the tires cool down on the straights, creating a difficult environment for the teams and drivers.”
“Last year we had very little data to use in the simulator, which was the only tool available to help the drivers and the team prepare for this new layout. If we compare what we knew last year “With what we know now, the situation is completely different,” said the Dutchman. “If the track model we used last year was based on drawings, and this one, we have a complete representation of the track and the asphalt. So, having all the data from 2023, we can have a much more accurate forecast than we expected to happen this season.”
“That means the engineers and pilots, and I mean Carlos [Sainz] like Charles [Leclerc]and the drivers who support us in the simulator, were able to better prepare for the weekend, both to familiarize themselves with the track and to configure the car,” continued Erik Van der Veen.
When asked if the headlines Prancing horse they got on the simulatorsaid: “As usual, Charles and Carlos have been in the simulator, working on their driving style and settings to try to be ready for Las Vegas, as well as potentially different conditions than we expect This is precisely in cases where the simulator is a very powerful tool and preparation sessions are valuable in allowing drivers to optimize their driving style for a specific location.
However, If you think people can understand the importance that the simulation brings to the team on the track during the day on Fridaysaid: “The drivers' program in the simulator on the day of free practice involves preparation work which mainly focuses on optimizing individual turns, as there are very few corner sequences in which the drivers can make the difference.”
“It is crucial that the drivers on the track have a car that allows them to go to the limit without going too far, because the corners are tight and blind. So in the simulator we work above all on balance and the driving style in the corners, sometimes going over the limit and hitting the walls,” he commented. “Luckily in the simulator the damage is not real, there is only a kickback so the driver knows he has hit something. Normally in the sessions where we support the team on the track we use the laps completed in training and exactly reproduce the conditions, settings and driving style.
As for the goal they seek to improve performanceexplained: “This way we can identify the strengths and weaknesses of the car, try to improve the performance and provide this information to the team on track, who can then work on the settings accordingly. We also use these sessions to figure out what to do. expect “weather conditions to change over the weekend.”
“For example, temperatures, wind direction and intensity can vary from day to day, or even within a single session. By replicating these weather conditions in the simulator, we can tell pilots what to expect, allowing them to get the most out of their experience. the car before even hitting the track,” he said.
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