Zoom Eau Rouge easily flat out with V8-power

Toyota Chassis Manager Pascal Vasselon always feels at home at the Belgian Grand Prix. Ahead of the 13th round of the championship he talks of the demands of the seven kilometre circuit and of course the unpredictable weather conditions...

Would it be fair to describe you as a big Spa Francorchamps fan?
"I live close to the circuit, it's really my home Grand Prix and yes, I love the place."

So do you commute from Spa to Cologne every day?
"Yes, but it's not too bad, 100kms each way and not so demanding for my Toyota! I can put it in cruise control and it's actually quite relaxing. I leave at 6.20am and get back after 9.30pm - a Formula One working day! So traffic is not a problem at that time."

So why does a Frenchman live in Belgium?
"First of all it is good for my family because it is a French-speaking area. Also the people seem to have a different approach to life. It is very easy to integrate whereas in the small village I used to live in near Clermont Ferrand in France it took me three years to know my neighbours. In Belgium we had a social life and a lot of friends after a couple of months. The people are very relaxed, it's a nice way of life and the area has a lot of different cultures - move 20kms to the east and you are in a German-speaking area, move 20kms to the north and you are in a Dutch-speaking area, then around Liege you have a nice French-speaking area."

And you think the circuit itself is a bit special?
"Absolutely, and I'm not alone there. It's just one of those places where you feel the enthusiasm in the drivers and to be there is just fantastic. To see Formula 1 cars through Eau Rouge is fabulous - it is so quick. The only slight problem now is that Eau Rouge is flat-out and while it is still impressive you know that the cars are not at the very limit anymore. Drivers, engineers, everyone in the team loves going to Spa - even when it rains. But when the sun shines it is fantastic."

Is Eau Rouge flat-out in any conditions - qualifying and race?
"With the V8s it's easily flat except in the rain. If I remember correctly, with the V10s it was flat-out in qualifying but with the V8s it's always flat-out whatever the fuel load or tyre degradation is. The thing that is still outstanding about Eau Rouge is the loading and the forces generated through the corner. They are close to the limit thanks to the downforce at high speed, the tyre grip and the compression that you have. We all design suspension to be able to face extreme conditions and Eau Rouge at Spa is an extreme corner. When we are designing suspension parts, Eau Rouge is a reference point for extremely high loading. But it's not just the suspension; the tyres are also under a lot of stress."