Three questions for the Ferrari Turbine Specialist

      Before the start of the Montreal weekend, Ferrari Turbine Department Head Fredrik Westin spoke about the specifics of the upcoming stage and his work…

      Q: What are the requirements of the Montreal circuit for the power plant?Fredrik Westin: The 4,361-meter-long track includes high-speed straights and sharp turns, and acceleration and braking efficiency are important here. Nine of the 14 turns are at an angle of 90 degrees or more, and the final chicane is known for taking riders by surprise who drive too close to the wall at the exit of Turn 14.

      The effect of the power plant's power and the efficiency of the recovery system on lap time is close to the average for the season. Relatively long straight lines allow you to recover enough energy for a hybrid system. It looks like it will be cooler this year, which is good for both cooling the power plant and compressor operation.

      Question: The regulations limit the number of power plant components that can be used per season. How do teams develop a plan for their use?Fredrik Westin: It is important that they last for the whole season with minimal risk of failure during the races. This requires the most even distribution of mileage over the season. We take into account the requirements of each track and respond to the results of post-race inspections.

      The second priority is the availability of spare parts that can be used without penalties, for example, to ensure that the third power plant can participate in another race after the introduction of the fourth.

      Spare parts may be needed for many reasons, not only due to failures, but also due to minor accidents or unusual signals in the telemetry, which may force the team to remove the power plant for inspection. In such situations, you don't want to use a fifth powerplant with a corresponding penalty on the starting grid.

      The third priority is to switch to new power plants on those routes where power is most important. But at the same time, we don't want to use all the power plants too early in the season to leave some in case of problems.

      Q: Tell us about your professional career at Ferrari... Fredrik Westin: I started working at Ferrari in the summer of 2012. I completed my PhD in turbines, and then worked at Saab, KTH, and GM on research and development in the field of turbocharging for road vehicles. When Ferrari needed a specialist to implement turbocharging in 2014, my resume was perfect, and that's how my dream became a reality. Since then, I have been working for the company on turbines for Formula 1.