The very brief history of Spyker Cars in Formula 1, the Dutch company specializing in the production of sports cars, culminates in the 2007 season, the second and final one of the team’s short life after acquiring Midland in September 2006. The car used by the Dutch team in 2007 is the Spyker F8-VII, and its name follows a precise logic: F8 refers to the Ferrari 8-cylinder engine fitted to the single-seater, while VII recalls the year of use (7 in Roman numerals). Although he is not a design engineer, Team Principal Colin Kolles exerts a strong influence over the technical department. It is in fact his responsibility to decide which areas should receive the team’s scarce resources. His ability to finalize the agreement for Ferrari engines represents the most important technical move of the year, giving the engineering staff a finally competitive mechanical base. Despite the chronic lack of funding, the Dutch team’s technical staff is considered one of the most efficient in Formula 1 at the time, probably comparable to Minardi’s staff of the 1990s in terms of managing mechanical components that had to last an entire season. Spyker’s workforce is in fact about one third the size of that of the top teams, which means engineers must be versatile. For example, the person who designs a suspension component often also has to deal with the integration of hydraulic systems.
 |
| SPYKER F8-VII, Adrian Sutil Istanbul, Turkish GP 2007 |
The technical staff is virtually unchanged from 2006, with the very young James Kay in the role of Technical Director, who from this season works closely with new recruit Mike Gascoyne (Chief Technical Officer), one of the most famous technical directors on the grid. Gascoyne joined at the end of 2006 after leaving Toyota, with the task of restructuring the entire technical department and imposing top-team working methodologies. A team veteran responsible for industrial design and the structural integrity of the monocoque is John McQuilliam (Chief Designer), while Simon Phillips (Head of Aerodynamics) is tasked with finding aerodynamic downforce in a wind tunnel that is not always on par with the competition. Mike Wroe continues to be responsible for managing the car’s electronics (Head of Electronics), while Mark Smith (Design Director) returns to the Silverstone-based team after several years spent at Renault and Red Bull.
 |
| SPYKER F8-VII, Adrian Sutil Montecarlo, Monaco GP 2007 |
The chassis of the new F8-VII is essentially an evolution of the previous Jordan/Midland chassis, constrained by a far-from-lavish budget. With the adoption of the Ferrari V8, the team has to completely redesign the cooling system (radiators and ducting) and the electrical system (managed by a Magneti Marelli ECU), a huge effort in terms of packaging. The gearbox, a longitudinal 7-speed unit with electro-hydraulically controlled semi-automatic sequential operation, is built in-house by Spyker starting from an X-trac base. Over the course of the season, however, it proves to be the car’s true weak point, with several retirements caused by hydraulic issues and gear-selection problems in the early races. The suspension follows a classic layout for the era, push-rod at both axles, and is designed to manage Bridgestone tyres as effectively as possible. Thanks to the Ferrari engine’s weight savings compared to the Toyota unit used in 2006, Spyker can make optimal use of ballast to fine-tune the front-to-rear balance depending on the circuit.
 |
| SPYKER F8-VII, Adrian Sutil Melbourne, Australian GP 2007 |
The car’s aerodynamics are also a challenge dictated by the limited budget and must contend with the difficult legacy of the uncompetitive Midland M16 from which it is derived. The dominant aerodynamic trend in 2007 is the elimination of the keel for the front suspension mounting, allowing cleaner airflow to reach the flat floor and diffuser. Spyker also adopts this philosophy, but with a less refined execution than the top teams and with a rather high, boxy nose, reflecting a search for stability rather than outright efficiency. As had become customary, the F8-VII features a series of badge boards behind the front wheels, tall vertical chimneys on the sidepods to evacuate hot air from the Maranello V8, aerodynamic appendages to stabilize airflow toward the rear wing, and small fins placed ahead of the rear wheels to divert turbulence generated by tyre rotation. Despite these efforts, Spyker suffers from a lack of correlation between the wind tunnel (the Dutch team uses Fondtech’s facility in Italy and the Brackley tunnel in England) and the track, a typical problem for small teams with limited budgets. As a result, the car tends to lose the rear end in high-speed corners because the rear wing does not receive sufficiently stable airflow due to turbulence created by the central section of the car. From the Italian Grand Prix in September onward, under Gascoyne’s guidance, the “B” version of the F8-VII is introduced, so extensively revised that it can almost be considered a new car.
 |
| SPYKER F8-VII, Adrian Sutil Catalunya-Barcelona, Spanish GP 2007 |
A new front wing with a triple-flap profile is fitted to generate more front downforce and reduce chronic understeer. The sidepods are more deeply sculpted and tapered toward the rear, with a significant improvement in undercut to clean up airflow toward the diffuser. The engine cover is narrower and more streamlined to reduce aerodynamic drag, and the rear diffuser is completely redesigned, delivering a notable increase in downforce. As for the drivers, the season begins with German Adrian Sutil (making his Formula 1 debut after being Midland’s third driver in 2006) and Dutchman Christijan Albers. Despite his young age, Sutil is the real bright spot of 2007, showing strong driving skills despite the car’s poor performance. Albers, on the other hand, is dismissed halfway through the season and replaced by the third driver, German Markus Winkelhock (son of late Manfred). At the European Grand Prix, the German driver, making his absolute debut in a Formula 1 race, starts last but, thanks to a well-judged gamble on extreme wet tyres just as a downpour hits, finds himself leading the race for six laps. This marks the first and only time a Spyker leads a Grand Prix, before the red flag and the return of sunshine restore the expected order. Nevertheless, from the following race onward, Japanese driver Sakon Yamamoto takes Winkelhock’s seat for the remainder of the season. Throughout the year the car is consistently at the back of the grid, but thanks to Adrian Sutil’s eighth place in the chaotic Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji, Spyker manages to score its first and only world championship point. At the end of the season, Dutch magnate Michiel Mol sells the team to Indian entrepreneur Vijay Mallya, and Spyker is thus transformed into Force India, beginning a growth path that will see the team become a solid midfield contender in the years that follow.
Comments
Post a Comment