Lewis Hamilton Second, Fernando Alonso Third at F1 Barcelona

The start: For the third time this season, Fernando and LewIs had qualified second and fourth. At the start, Fernando attacked pole sitter Felipe Massa, but slid off the track at the second corner, regaining the circuit in fourth place. Lewis got past Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) and finished the first lap in second position.

The race: On lap nine Kimi Räikkönen slowed down and came into the pits to retire. Fernando now moved up to third position.

Lap 19: Fernando Alonso came in for his first pit stop (9,7sec) in the same lap as Massa. This allowed Lewis Hamilton to take the lead whilst Fernando was now running seventh.

Lap 22: Lewis Hamilton came in for his first pit stop (8.5sec) and resumed the battle in third position.

Lap 27: All drivers had finished their first round of pit stops. Lewis Hamilton was now second, 10sec ahead of Fernando Alonso.

Lap 42: Second stop for Felipe Massa, which allowed Lewis Hamilton to take the lead again. Until lap 47, he stayed in this position and then came in for his second scheduled stop (6,7sec). Fernando Alonso pitted one lap later and accelerated back into the race after an identical 6.7sec stop.

Lap 49: Lewis Hamilton was second, 10 sec behind Felipe Massa and 17 sec behind the third placed Alonso. After 65 laps, Lewis Hamilton took the chequered flag 6.7sec behind Felipe Massa. Fernando Alonso reduced the gap behind his team-mate by 5sec and wound up third 12sec behind the British driver.

Comments

Lewis Hamilton: “Things just keep getting better and I continue living my dream. In the early stages I was struggling to get heat into the tyres and had a bit of oversteer but things improved considerably a few laps into the race but the gap to Felipe was already too big. In the second stint I was a bit unlucky with the traffic but that happens sometimes. Overall I’m happy with the outcome of the race and I want to keep on scoring points. The team has worked really hard since Bahrain and whilst we didn’t win I still think we can take some satisfaction as we are leading both Championships.”

Fernando Alonso: “My chance for victory disappeared after the incident at the first corner. I got off the line OK at the start and was able to get a tow from Felipe and challenge into the first corner as I was already half a car length in front but we touched and I had to go on the gravel to avoid an accident. We were both lucky to finish the race. As a result by the second corner I was fourth. I also sustained a bit of damage to my car which upset the balance for the rest of the race. I lost additional time in the second stint as the tyres were not working as well but I still think the result would have stayed the same even if we had used the softer tyres.”

Ron Dennis, Team Principal: “Coming into the Monaco Grand Prix being first and second in the Drivers’ Championship and leading the Constructors’ battle is a good achievement for the entire team. Our pace was a little weak in the middle sector. Fernando’s race was hampered by having damaged his deflector during his efforts to get past Massa in the first corner. Another solid performance from Lewis. As you would expect we will continue to push hard in our development programme to put the team in the best possible position to win as many of the remaining races as possible.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “It’s great that Lewis and Fernando are at the top of the list in the Drivers’ Championship after the fourth race here in Barcelona. Well done and thank you to all the team members for leading the Constructors’ rankings too. Fernando showed a great and committed manoeuvre in the first corner that unfortunately didn’t pay off. Lewis again did a great job – we will increase our performance further. We are now looking forward to the next race in Monaco in two weeks time.”


Source: DaimlerChrysler

Henkel Boosting Reliability, Speed in Constructing the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-22 Formula One Car

Henkel Helps Drive Innovation in Grand Prix Racing

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes storms ahead in the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship season with a new line-up of drivers and a new car - constructed with the help of a long-standing partner, Henkel. Now in more than 300 different applications covering diverse and time-critical engineering constraints, Henkel products and technologies help drive the continuing evolution and innovation of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-22.

Heading into Fernando Alonso's home turf and holding two of the top spots in a three-way tie for the 2007 Drivers' Championship, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is emerging as one of the teams to beat in 2007. Infused with comprehensive design modifications from more than a year of R&D and wind-tunnel testing, the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-22 is clocking top lap times, delivering consistent peak performance and leading the field in the race for this year's Constructors' Championship. Innovative solutions from Henkel play an invisible yet important part in this.

As an Official Supplier to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Henkel provides increasingly more products and technologies used to construct the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-22, helping the team to implement design modifications quickly and reliably. Throughout a 13-year association with the team, the number of different applications of Henkel products on the car has grown from around 50 to more than 300 today.

As part of a continuous testing program, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes engineers have discovered the optimal "grades" of innovative Henkel brand products for new applications -- such as Loctite(R) 246, an adhesive that is specially sourced from the USA and currently used on the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-22 in twelve distinct applications on a variety of 'exotic' materials used in building the components of the car -- from the brake pads, to the driveshaft, to the rear wing assembly. After thorough testing specified by Vodafone McLaren Mercedes engineers and carried out last year by engineers at Henkel in the UK, Loctite(R) 246 has helped the team solve a long-standing assembly challenge: securing components with an adhesive that is strong enough to withstand extreme conditions yet still allows for easy disassembly and re- use of components. Created by Henkel's U.S.-based R&D team, Loctite(R) 246 exhibits superior resistance to high temperatures despite its medium-grade strength. The advantage is that engineers can replace parts easily using standard hand tools during a race weekend or at test sessions -- without having to scrap the parts after removal and with the assurance that the replacements will hold fast for the duration of the race.

"In Formula One racing, change is a constant and innovation is a necessity," said Martin Whitmarsh, CEO, Formula One, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. "In such a fast-paced and unpredictable sport, it is all the more important to have reliability, flexibility and speed in engineering processes. Henkel provides Vodafone McLaren Mercedes with proven, innovative products and technologies that we can depend on to make modifications quickly and flexibly - whether in the race bays at the McLaren Technology Centre or at the circuit just hours before the car takes to the track."

Speed, agility and reliability are important not only on the track. The perfect mix of aerodynamic performance for the straights and optimal downforce for agile and reliable cornering demands ongoing innovation. As up to 80 percent of a Formula One car's grip is achieved by aerodynamic downforce, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes engineers continuously adapt the car's bodywork to the unique characteristics of each track. This can include re-designing molded parts such as the front and rear wings to reduce drag on circuits with long straights or making modifications to improve downforce and grip for tracks marked by a mix of high and low-speed corners, such as Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya.

The Fast-Track and True Course of Ongoing Innovation

Henkel products and technologies play a key role in the team's continual process of innovation to gain the competitive edge in aerodynamics. In wind- tunnel testing, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes engineers determine optimal aerodynamic settings using 60 percent scale models of the MP4-22, created with the help of the Henkel product line used in creating the racecar. For example, Loctite(R) 420 instant adhesive is used to bond plastic parts to the model's rear wing. This low viscosity adhesive quickly "wicks" between the parts, leaving no excess residue that would affect the airflow during testing, enabling engineers to draw reliable results.

Design modifications resulting from wind-tunnel tests are then quickly executed on the car's bodywork moldings, using Henkel's Syncore(R) brand epoxies, which add stiffness to parts and only minimally increase weight. Henkel's Hysol(R) EA9686 film adhesive is used in the "lay-up" of materials, in which patterns are cut to size to form specific parts. This Henkel product is chosen for its excellent reliability and resistance to the extreme conditions on the racetrack.

The newly modified car then takes to the track for testing before race day. Performance analysis of pre-race test sessions are passed on to the design team at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. If further modifications are necessary, engineers at the center quickly mold parts to the new aerodynamic specifications -- and ship them to the circuit in time for the race. Through such continual modifications, by the end of any given race season, the car's components can have changed by as much as 75 percent compared to those in the car that started the year.

"Like Henkel's ongoing commitment to leading manufacturers in diverse industries around the world, our engagement with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is more than a one-off contribution," said Alois Linder, Executive Vice President, Adhesives Technologies, Henkel. "This team effort enables us to continually prove and refine the reliability and performance of Henkel products in a racing sport driven by continual change. It also helps us feed the insights gained into new product development and to further innovate the way we support companies of all industries with state-of-the art products, technologies and manufacturing processes."

About McLaren

McLaren Racing, the company behind the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, was formed in September 1980 as a result of a merger between Team McLaren and Project Four, a British company owned by Ron Dennis, now Chairman and CEO of the McLaren Group. McLaren has won eleven Formula One Drivers' Championships and eight Formula One Constructors' Championships including the 1998 and 1999 Drivers' World Championship. McLaren has competed in Formula One since 1966 and has proven to be one of the most successful Formula One teams of all time with 149 Grand Prix wins. To date, McLaren has raced in 617 Grand Prix races.

For more information, go to http://www.mclaren.com/

Henkel - A Driving Force in the Racing World

Around the world, Henkel has an extensive commitment to motorsports. In 2004, the Henkel logo appeared for the first time on the rear-wing of the Team McLaren Mercedes race cars, thereby continuing the technical association with the team, which began in 1995 through the Loctite(R) brand. As Official Supplier, Henkel provides a wide variety of innovative solutions to the team. More than 300 different applications of Henkel products have been incorporated into the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-22 for its challenge in the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship. For the 16-day, 8,000-kilometer 2007 Dakar Raid through grueling desert terrain, Henkel provided each racing team with an essential mechanical emergency kit containing a wide range of adhesives, sealants, maintenance products, cleaners and bonding tapes.

Henkel, a Fortune Global 500 company, operates in three business areas: Home Care; Personal care; and Adhesives Technologies, which serves the transportation, electronics, aerospace, metal, durable goods, consumer goods, maintenance and repair and packaging industries, and offers a broad range of products for the craftsman and consumer. With brands and technologies, Henkel makes people's lives easier, better, and more beautiful. More than 50,000 employees work for Henkel worldwide. People in 125 countries around the world trust in brands and technologies from Henkel -- "A Brand like a Friend."


Internet: http://www.henkelna.com/



Source: Henkel

ING Explains F1's Inner Secrets #4: Formula One Isn't All That Complicated

The Team With the Fastest Car Usually Wins

True to a point... but what are the key elements when it comes to creating a car that gives one team an edge over its adversaries? There is no single magic ingredient -- were that the case, every team would buy it. Rather, it's a question of creating an effective team unit, where egos are kept in check and everybody, from those on the factory floor to those behind the wheel, collaborates effectively in pursuit of a common goal.

Unlike some of his peers, Renault F1 Team managing director Flavio Briatore did not cut his teeth on motorsport's nursery slopes -- while others were fiddling with gear ratios he was developing acute business skills in the retail trade and admits he can't necessarily tell the difference between an oil filter and a coffee filter. He does, however, understand how to assemble a winning team.

In the mid-1990s he was at the helm as Benetton evolved from a Formula One front-runner into a world title winner. And he has been the driving force since Renault bought out the Benetton team in 2001, prior to making a full- time F1 return the following season. Under Briatore, Renault began winning races in 2003 and captured back-to-back double world titles in 2005 and 2006.

"If you come in from the outside, you see things other people don't," he says. "A Formula One team is like any other company. You need the right structure and the right product. That product is the car and the engine, but I don't think the product makes any difference if you are managing the company well. Success is about people and I think we are a human team. We do a job but we are not pretentious.

"There is not one person that makes the company do well, or do badly. A team has a heart and when those people understand their objective, and they are in the right structure, then they work well. A driver is the last act in the play, because he interprets and delivers everybody else's work on the track."

The effectiveness of Briatore's methods can be gauged from the fact that, in an industry where money supposedly buys success, Renault is thought to lie only fifth in the spending stakes.

"Efficiency is the key," says Briatore. "We know you have to prioritise and make the right decisions. If you have an unlimited budget, it can be like going into a restaurant where the menu is fantastic. So you have a bit of that, of bit of this, and end up with nothing. The way we work is like going shopping. You know what you want for dinner, so you buy the ingredients and get the result you want. You have made decisions and your effort is efficient.

"We are a good investment for sponsors: we spend less, which means we ask for less money than our competitors -- but we are winning. In any business, that relationship makes sense."

This F1 insight is provided by ING, the leading global provider of banking, insurance and asset management services.

ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, insurance and asset management to over 60 million private, corporate and institutional clients in 50 countries. With a diverse workforce of over 120,000 people, ING comprises a broad spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly serve their clients under the ING brand.


Source: ING