Q&A with Nick Chester (Lotus) on 2014

As we prepare to draw the curtain on the V8 Formula 1 era, Lotus Technical Director Nick Chester gives us the lowdown on the radical regulation changes for 2014, and assesses the challenges which lay therein…

What are the main changes in terms of the regulations for next season?

There are just so many it’s hard to know where to begin! Obviously, the engine is the big one; moving from the incumbent V8 unit which we’ve known and worked with for so long to a 1.6 litre, direct injection, V6 turbo unit. This power plant is a very different size and layout to what we currently run with equally distinct cooling requirements; significantly altering the architecture at the back of the car.

Cooling requirements seem to be a hot topic, so to speak?

You need to cool the air that goes into the engine once it’s been through the turbo which is quite a sizeable requirement. The energy recovery systems are significantly more powerful than the 2013 system requiring a lot more cooling for both the batteries and motors. Cooling may well be a differentiating factor between teams next year in terms of how efficient the system can be made which then has a direct impact on aerodynamic performance. The previous change from V10 to V8 engines was obviously significant in terms of cooling requirements but certainly not on the same scale as the changes for 2014. Far from creating a new iteration of an existing package, the requirements are so distinct with the new power train that the challenge is to create an entirely new system and related aero package; revolution rather than evolution, if you will.

What about the energy recovery systems?

In simple terms, we currently use a single motor known as the MGU-K which harvests energy under braking and feeds it back to the engine during acceleration. From next year we will see the addition of a second motor linked directly to the turbo, which is capable of both recovering energy from and sending energy back to the turbo as an anti-lag device.

What effect will the usage of this energy have in terms of the races?

Energy and fuel usage will be largely dictated by strategy. Grid slot will certainly affect how the fuel is used throughout the race, so if you qualify out of position you will almost certainly want to conserve fuel in the opening stages to ensure it can be used to greater effect later on in the race when the track ahead is clearer. The amount of variables in terms of strategy will be far greater than seen previously without doubt.

Are there any notable changes in terms of the structural requirements from the cars?

The chassis design has transformed quite significantly for next year; easily the biggest year-on-year change I’ve seen in my thirteen years at Enstone. There will now be two impact structures on each side of the car instead of the four as per recent years. Although we no longer have to conduct the impact test, there are now more aggressive push and squeeze tests to be carried out on these structures which will be quite a challenge to pass. Obviously, we’ve put a lot of effort into making our chassis as strong as possible with these tests – and ultimately safety of course – in mind.

What can we expect in terms of appearance from the cars?

Starting at the front, we will see the tip of the nose sitting a fair amount lower than currently with the maximum permitted width of the front wing also reduced by 150mm; an area of significant focus in terms of aerodynamic optimisation. In the centre of the chassis, sidepod design will be affected by the aforementioned cooling requirements; significantly altering their shape. Moving to the rear, we will no longer see lower rear wings such that the top rear wing will be supported by a pylon. There will also be a single, central exit tail pipe as opposed to the twin side exit exhausts on the current cars.

Overall, how smooth has the development process been for the E22?

It’s been a long process as you would expect; over two years since we first began working on the 2014 project. The initial stages are more scheming than development; assessing options in terms of your core philosophies before ideas start funnelling down towards a reasonably settled outline of the final design. That process has been working well, but with a new era such as this it’s very difficult to accurately say where we stand no matter how closely we appear to be running to schedule. There’s still an awful lot of work to be done before the car rolls out of the garage for the first time in anger.

We’ve spoken previously about the value of the long wheelbase E21 in terms of investigating development processes for next year; how important has that been?

Although there will be some extra in-season tests returning next year, having the opportunity to assess concepts with the E21 has been of tremendous value. Simulators are fantastic tools and are becoming increasingly so as time goes on, proving a concept without investing time into designing parts or track running is invaluable.

With such a significant amount of work required for 2014, how has the team managed to ensure that the E21 remains competitive right into the closing stages of the current season?

Although not to the same extent seen earlier in the season for obvious reasons, we’ve managed to bring upgrades to the E21 right up to the American Grand Prix. These have ranged from the long wheelbase configuration to aerodynamic and mechanical improvements, which is testament to the effort of everyone at Enstone across a range of departments.