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2008: The traction control ban, Chapter 3.
By Renault F1 November 24 2007
The ING Renault F1 Team’s third driver, Nelson Piquet Jr, reckons that the abolition of traction control is good news. The 2008 cars will put a real emphasis on driving skills. Nelson, what was your reaction when you drove a car fitted with traction control for the first time?

I was surprised how easy it was with this driver aid. The car was less twitchy and it was possible to tackle the kerbs without hesitating. I stayed on line and I could really nail the accelerator. The ECU took over and dosed the power according to the grip. It was very good for the times, but didn’t really require a very special talent.

And when you got into a car in 2008 set-up?

I thought it would be very difficult and I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I come from the GP2 category in which the car’s got fairly heavy downforce and slick tyres without driver aids. It keeps you very busy behind the wheel, I can tell you! In a certain sense mastering an F1 car without traction control is easier than taming a GP2. It’s also true that the change to the V8 engine eased the transition for the F1 drivers. A V10 without traction control would have been a lot more brutal and more difficult to drive.

Have you had to adjust your driving style?
For sure you don’t drive a 2008 car like a 2007 one! You have to be much more careful where you place it, which was much easier before. You have to really control the way it slides and pay attention to your right foot. It’s much more fun for the drivers. Of course, lap times won’t be quite as quick for a while, but I’m sure that that they’ll gradually come back to those of last season. You’ll just have to get used to the new set-up and find your marks.

Will you have to change some of the set-up parameters as well?

Of course! You will have to adapt the car to this new way of driving. It’ll be necessary to have softer rear suspension to maximise traction. Tyre wear will also have to be watched very carefully when you follow another car and you try to overtake. One thing that has to be said is that a good car with traction control will still be a good car without it!

2008: The traction control ban, Chapter 2

2008: The traction control ban, Chapter 1

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