Following last week's four day Monza test, the Williams F1 team’s official website caught up with their Senior Test Engineer, Pete Harrison and asked him for a de-brief of the session….

So, Peter, the team has just completed a four day test at Monza ahead of this weekend's race. What did the test program consist of?

The main test item was a new, Monza-specific aero package, including low drag front and rear wings. Much of the test was devoted to optimising aero balance, ride heights, gear ratios and other general set-up tuning for the upcoming race. Prime and Option tyre choices were also evaluated by the race drivers ahead of the race weekend. In addition to the above routine Monza race preparation, we are also now starting to evaluate items relating to our 2008 car.

Was it a successful few days?

In terms of completing our test programme, the main objectives were all completed successfully. As usual, we identified some minor issues that we resolved and now we're looking forward to the race.

The weather must have had an impact on proceedings?

Yes it did. We lost some valuable dry track time on both days three and four, but the extra day helped us to catch up with our original three day dry programme and it gave Nico the chance to check the car's balance on wet tyres, which is always useful ahead of a race.

With the test now complete, how are the FW29s looking for the race?

We achieved a good car balance on the final day, posting decent lap times in both qualifying and race trim. From what we learnt at the test, there is also more potential to come so we should go into the race weekend targeting more points.

Brakes and tyres are key variables at Monza, can we be confident with our brake durability and the Bridgestone Potenzas?

There are no concerns with tyre durability for the race, with wear figures on both tyre choices allowing any race strategy to be chosen. There were no problems with blistering or chunking, just light front graining on the Option tyre, which is typical. There are also no concerns with brake temperatures or wear. Our brake material and cooling package has been developed to a level where brake durability is no longer a limiting factor on heavy duty braking circuits like Monza.

The team's closest competition were also testing in Monza. Were you able to ascertain their comparative progress?

Lap times were all very close as usual, with only a tenth or two separating us on the longer runs, which are usually the best indicator of performance at tests.  We'll have to wait until the weekend to get a definitive answer.

How easy is it to achieve consistency with three different drivers undertaking a day's work each?

Swapping drivers is always difficult, as each new driver needs a little time to acclimatise to the car and track conditions each morning.  But as this was primarily a race preparation test, it was important to give both race drivers some track time.  This was also Kazuki's first time at Monza and with this in mind he did an excellent job on the first day.

What does a typical day at a test involve for you?

I arrive at the track at 7:30am, have a quick breakfast with the other engineers and then prepare for the pre-brief meeting at 8:00am. This is the last chance to discuss and finalise the daily run plan with the engineers and driver. It also gives us a chance to react to any unexpected changes in weather. Following this meeting, I check with the Chief Mechanic and Team Manager that everything is under control in the garage and have a quick check around the car myself. The track opens at 9:00am and closes at 6:00pm, with a lunch break from 12:30 – 2:00pm.  During running, I monitor our progress through the run plan and keep the factory informed of our results and any major issues. Often our priorities change due to weather, problems with the car or from reaction to the results of the tests themselves.  

After running, I issue an evening job list for the car and hold a de-brief meeting with the engineers and driver. That's followed by dinner at 7:00pm and then further meetings with Toyota and Bridgestone to review their day and discuss the following day's test items. All the routine meetings are over by around 9:30pm, at which point I can check on progress with re-preparing the car and check with the gearbox and hydraulics technicians to make sure no problems were found during the stripdown. I then discuss the following day's test programme with the engineers and write up the de-brief notes to make sure the factory are fully informed of our progress. Once the car is fully prepared and set-up for the next day's running, we can get some sleep before it all starts again the next morning. I think I missed out on the glamorous part of the job!

Where are the test team heading next and do you already have a schedule of jobs in place for that test?

Our next test is back in Jerez in two week's time, Spain is practically our second home! This will be a major test as our 2008 programme starts to gather momentum. We will also be testing our final round of 2007 upgrades ahead of the remaining three races at that point. The car is prepared at the factory in the week preceding the test, so we're already flat out with the preparation.