The Race F1 Podcast
Edd's British Grand Prix road trip to two F1 factories
Thu Jul 06 2023Description
The episode covers various topics including the Enstone F1 factory and Alpine 1-10 S car, settling into the team and car development, the team's focus and future goals, Williams F1 team and museum, progress on the track and challenges, and the Williams museum and upcoming race at Silverstone.
Insights
Enstone F1 Factory
The Enstone F1 factory in rural Oxfordshire is one of seven active F1 factories in the UK. The Alpine 1-10 S car, with input from the F1 team, is being presented at Enstone. All carbon parts of the Enstone Edition car were crafted by their F1 team members.
Car Development
The driver is still settling into the new team and working on developing the car to suit their driving style. New front wing and parts are expected to help close the gap with other teams. The technical director confirms that the ROCAR components are made as Formula One components and could be used on the race car if needed.
Team's Focus and Future Goals
The team's focus is on Formula 1 and the components being developed have minimal impact on resources. The target of finishing fourth in the championship may be difficult to achieve, but being the fourth fastest team would still be considered a success. The Enstone facility is still evolving and it will take a few more years to reach the level of a championship-winning team. Alpine has made significant investments in the facility and is looking towards the rules reset in 2026 for a leap forward. The team aims to break out of the midfield pack and compete with McLaren.
Williams F1 Team and Museum
Williams has a conference center and museum showcasing the history of Formula One and Williams F1 team. The museum showcases Williams' successful Formula One cars from the late '70s onwards, including British Grand Prix winners.
Progress on the Track and Challenges
Logan Sargent showed potential during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend. Williams is facing challenges with capital expenditure as they aim to strengthen their infrastructure and systems. James Vales has been lobbying for a change in the CapEx rule to allow Williams to invest more in their facilities. The team is making progress on the track, with a smaller performance gap compared to previous years. Williams is focused on changing the culture of the team and pushing for improvements.
Williams Museum and Upcoming Race
The Williams Museum showcases various historic cars, including the FW15C and FW16. Other projects Williams has been involved in include the BMW LMP1 car and the Metro 6R4. Williams has made a significant effort to present their history in an engaging way. Heading to Silverstone for a big weekend for the team with staff able to attend as guests. Under Dalton Capacil's ownership, there is hope for Williams, but progress will take time. Red Bull are the favorites for the British Grand Prix, but anything can happen in Formula One. Mercedes has upgrades planned, Alfa Tari and Alpha-A-Moe have floor upgrades, and Haas and Williams also have improvements. The Pirelli Tires have been slightly tweaked for this race weekend.
Chapters
- Enstone F1 Factory and Alpine 1-10 S Car
- Settling into the Team and Car Development
- Team's Focus and Future Goals
- Williams F1 Team and Museum
- Progress on the Track and Challenges
- Williams Museum and Upcoming Race
Enstone F1 Factory and Alpine 1-10 S Car
00:02 - 07:44
- The Enstone F1 factory in rural Oxfordshire is one of seven active F1 factories in the UK.
- The Alpine 1-10 S car, with input from the F1 team, is being presented at Enstone.
- All carbon parts of the Enstone Edition car were crafted by their F1 team members.
Settling into the Team and Car Development
07:18 - 14:03
- The driver is still settling into the new team and working on developing the car to suit their driving style.
- They are currently focused on set up and understanding the package, but there is still room for improvement.
- New front wing and parts are expected to help close the gap with other teams.
- The technical director confirms that the ROCAR components are made as Formula One components and could be used on the race car if needed.
Team's Focus and Future Goals
13:40 - 20:34
- The team's focus is on Formula 1 and the components being developed have minimal impact on resources.
- The target of finishing fourth in the championship may be difficult to achieve, but being the fourth fastest team would still be considered a success.
- The Enstone facility is still evolving and it will take a few more years to reach the level of a championship-winning team.
- New simulation tools, including a driving loop simulator, are being ordered and will contribute to the team's progress.
- Alpine has made significant investments in the facility and is looking towards the rules reset in 2026 for a leap forward.
- The team aims to break out of the midfield pack and compete with McLaren.
Williams F1 Team and Museum
20:10 - 27:26
- Williams has a conference center and museum showcasing the history of Formula One and Williams F1 team.
- James Vales, Frederick Ressow, and Sven Smeets from Williams F1 team had a media presentation hosted by Nicky Shields.
- The museum showcases Williams' successful Formula One cars from the late '70s onwards, including British Grand Prix winners.
Progress on the Track and Challenges
27:02 - 33:28
- Logan Sargent showed potential during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
- Williams is facing challenges with capital expenditure as they aim to strengthen their infrastructure and systems.
- James Vales has been lobbying for a change in the CapEx rule to allow Williams to invest more in their facilities.
- The team is making progress on the track, with a smaller performance gap compared to previous years.
- Williams is focused on changing the culture of the team and pushing for improvements.
Williams Museum and Upcoming Race
32:59 - 39:06
- The Williams Museum showcases various historic cars, including the FW15C and FW16.
- Other projects Williams has been involved in include the BMW LMP1 car and the Metro 6R4.
- Williams has made a significant effort to present their history in an engaging way.
- Heading to Silverstone for a big weekend for the team with staff able to attend as guests.
- Under Dalton Capacil's ownership, there is hope for Williams, but progress will take time.
- Red Bull are the favorites for the British Grand Prix, but anything can happen in Formula One.
- Mercedes has upgrades planned, Alfa Tari and Alpha-A-Moe have floor upgrades, and Haas and Williams also have improvements.
- The Pirelli Tires have been slightly tweaked for this race weekend.