Aston Martin chief engineer Tom McCullough spoke about the team’s work at the night-time Las Vegas Grand Prix and shared his thoughts on Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll’s chances of earning points this weekend.
Question: The second practice, qualifying and race in Las Vegas starts at 10:00 PM local time. Does the team change its approach to work in any way, given the different schedule?
Tom McCullough: The schedule is difficult, but we are used to it. The key to everything is good preparation. For example, by maintaining a sleep schedule, staying hydrated, and eating the right foods at the right times. As soon as the first session of the weekend starts, you’ll get into your circadian rhythm. The team’s work is so closely linked to the time of the sessions that the rest of the schedule is built around it.
I won’t say it’s too hard for us because we all work very hard. We simply don’t have time to think about being tired. Every minute we participate in a session, or hold meetings, analyze data, write reports. The race weekend flies by very quickly.
Q: What did the team learn about the Las Vegas circuit after last year’s race?
Tom McCullough: The track is most similar to the track in Baku. There are many slow corners and only a few fast ones. The very high aerodynamic efficiency of the machine is important here. Lap times are largely dependent on straight line speed, so the car has to be fast. This can be achieved by reducing downforce, but this makes slow cornering more difficult.
The driver must have confidence in the brakes and the car when braking, turning and accelerating from speeds above 300 km/h. This requires downforce.
Another problem last year was the new asphalt, which provided very low grip. Granulating the tires only made the problem worse. This year the asphalt should provide more grip. Hopefully it’s closer to what we normally deal with and easier to work with.
Question: What result does the team expect in Las Vegas?
Tom McCullough: I think the performance of the AMR24 will suit this track a little better than the one we’ve raced on recently.
The battle in the middle of the peloton is very exciting, so we have to do everything we can to fight for the points. We understand the circuit well and know what we need to do to be competitive here. The walls are close, so there is a good chance that a safety car will enter the track. We must be ready to take advantage of any advantage that may arise over the course of the weekend.
Q: The Nevada desert stage in late fall means the weekend will have some of the coldest temperatures of the season. What difficulties will this lead to?
Tom McCullough: Last year the track temperature was +18C – the lowest temperature during the entire season. This made it more difficult to warm up and run the tires. This year we expect similar conditions.
However, we know how to avoid this problem. Low temperatures have their advantages. For example, we can close some vents in the car, increasing downforce.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
