Ally Wahlberg asked:
After the North American double header – the 2007 Canadian and US Grand Prix races, the Honda Racing F1 team now arrived in Europe and completed the three-day testing for the Honda RA107 at Jerez circuit in southern Spain. The test was conducted in preparation for the upcoming 2007 French Grand Prix that will take place in Circuit de Nevers in Magny Cours.
The team is now fully prepared and ready for the 8th round of 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship season.
Check out what the Honda team driver’s and staff has to say about the forthcoming race in Magny Cours.
Jenson Button (No. 7):
“The Circuit de Nevers is quite a tricky circuit to get your lap absolutely right however it is a lot of fun to drive and very fast. The start is particularly important, regardless of what side of the grid you are on, and you have to position yourself well for the first two corners to get a good run down the straight to the Adelaide hairpin. This is really the only place on the circuit where you can have a real chance of overtaking.”
“The key to a really quick lap around here is getting the front end of the car working well, particularly for turns one and two. You can lose a lot of time at turn two if you have too much understeer in the car. You also need to have good car stability to make the most of the high speed chicanes.”
Rubens Barrichello (No. 8):
“I really enjoy racing at Magny Cours and it is a really flowing circuits which the drivers generally enjoy. The track has a mixture of high and slow speed turns, and although the track surface is smooth, it can be hard on the rear tyres. The high speed changes of direction between turns four and five, and also turns seven and eight, are particularly challenging. The weather conditions are usually very hot so the team will be well prepared for high track temperatures having spent three days testing in Jerez this week.”
Shuhei Nakamoto (Senior Technical Director):
“We made some good progress at the three-day test in Jerez this week where the excellent weather allowed us to fully complete our planned programme. We were therefore able to sign off various new mechanical parts and an aerodynamic upgrade for the RA107 as well as further improvements to the stability under braking. We expect a small improvement in performance in both qualifying and the race next weekend at Magny Cours.”
Before heading to France, the team went to West Sussex, England to participate at the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed. British driver Jenson Button drove his Honda RA107 equipped with Honda fuel pump in the coveted hill climb.