1m31.447s. The quickest lap of the 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix, set by Pedro de la Rosa, stays the official lap file on the Sakhir circuit – one thing the Spaniard will boast about at any time when the chance arises. And it does not take him even a second to call the McLaren MP4-20 his favorite automobile of all time.
The McLaren of the 2005 season was a formidable weapon within the arms of Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen, successful 10 of the 18 races it contested in F1 that 12 months. But each titles went to Fernando Alonso and Renault.
“It is positively the quickest automobile I’ve ever pushed,” says de la Rosa as we sit down with the previous McLaren take a look at and race driver within the Aston Martin hospitality suite nearly 20 years later. “It was the final V10 automobile, with the Michelin tyres. It was only a tremendous quick automobile. Nice engine within the Mercedes, however most of all superb aerodynamics. It was a particularly secure automobile and it was extremely good with the tyres.”
Nonetheless, the Bahrain race, the place he completed fifth, was de la Rosa’s first and final for McLaren that 12 months. On the San Marino Grand Prix, it was Alex Wurz who was on the wheel of Montoya’s MP4-20.
“Alex was the nominated reserve driver,” explains de la Rosa, beforehand a veteran of Arrows and Jaguar, “however he could not actually match into the automobile. They needed to make some modifications to the hearth extinguisher and I feel his elbow clearance wasn’t ok, so he could not actually steer and really feel snug contained in the automobile. So I acquired the prospect in Bahrain.
“It was an unimaginable feeling. It was the primary time I drove a aggressive automobile in F1. The issue was that for the subsequent race in Imola, they’d already made modifications for Alex. However the staff at all times stated that we might give a possibility to me, then to Alex after which, if Juan Pablo couldn’t get well for Barcelona, it will be my flip once more.”
De la Rosa’s call-up to exchange Montoya in Bahrain was surprising, however a cherished reminiscence
Picture by: Sutton Photos
But, de la Rosa was not destined to start out his dwelling race. Montoya returned to motion on the Spanish Grand Prix, deciding after Friday’s periods that he was match sufficient to race. De la Rosa was on standby, prepared to leap into the cockpit at any second, as he additionally drove the third automobile within the first apply session – however the name by no means got here.
“In the event you keep in mind, we might use a 3rd automobile on Friday – and I used to be quickest in apply,” he remembers. “After which I used to be simply hoping that Montoya would determine that he wasn’t able to race. However he determined to proceed. And that was actually robust. However anyway… it was his automobile. And we had a improbable season. I used to be fortunate sufficient to check the automobile each week.”
It was arguably the very best automobile that 12 months, designed by the likes of Adrian Newey, Paddy Lowe, Pat Fry, Peter Prodromou…
“We had pit stops, however solely to refuel. The tyres needed to final the entire race and we had been doing the quickest laps in direction of the tip – it was superb how constant these tyres had been”
Pedro de la Rosa
“Heavyweights!” exclaims de la Rosa. “You realize, they had been actually… they’re nonetheless nice designers. And it was simply such an ideal automobile! Every little thing was very properly built-in. I might say it was the quickest automobile on the grid, sooner than the Renault. However we had been crushed by Fernando, primarily due to his consistency and likewise the dearth of reliability on our aspect. Reliability was the one weak spot of that automobile, actually.”
It was in all probability two races, at Imola and Hockenheim, that value Raikkonen the title that 12 months. He retired from the San Marino Grand Prix after simply 9 laps with a driveshaft downside.
Had the Finn been in a position to end the race he had began from pole place, Alonso’s now legendary defensive drive in opposition to Michael Schumacher would more than likely have became a battle for second, as Raikkonen was by far the quickest that weekend. Then historical past repeated itself on the German Grand Prix: once more ranging from pole place, Raikkonen led till lap 35 when he retired with a hydraulic failure.
“There have been many races that we must always have received, however we by no means did,” shrugs de la Rosa, who was referred to as up by McLaren once more in 2006 following Montoya’s defection to NASCAR, taking his solely podium end on the Hungaroring in 2006. “Additionally on the Nurburgring, the place he was main till the final lap after which the suspension broke. However there he had a giant flat spot, so it was simply unlucky.”
In an eventful race, de la Rosa superior from eighth on the grid to complete fifth
Picture by: Sutton Photos
McLaren by no means actually acquired on high of reliability, however by the tip of the championship, the MP4-20 was undoubtedly the quickest automobile on the grid, with Raikkonen and Montoya successful seven of the final 9 races of the 12 months. Not least because of de la Rosa and Wurz.
“We additionally developed the automobile along with Michelin,” remembers the Spaniard, “as a result of in these days we had one set of tyres for the entire race. We had pit stops, however solely to refuel. The tyres needed to final the entire race and we had been doing the quickest laps in direction of the tip – it was superb how constant these tyres had been.”
That actual lap file in Bahrain got here on lap 43 of a 57-lap race.
“There was no tyre administration in these days,” de la Rosa laughs. “The one factor the engineers would let you know was ‘do not flat spot the tyres’ – and that was it! In any other case, you can push each lap to the restrict. And it was a improbable feeling.
“We additionally managed to develop the tyres round our automobile, which was one thing distinctive. These days, you are given a tyre and it’s important to take care of it, you simply select between compounds. However again then you can select your development too – and that is the place we had been a bit higher than Renault as a result of Renault had a really rearward weight distribution.
“It was like a little bit of a dragster, that automobile. So mainly all the burden was on the rear axle. And due to this fact they wanted a really weak entrance as a result of the entrance was very nervous.”
The efficiency swing clearly got here in the midst of the season, not least as a result of the FIA famously issued a technical bulletin outlawing mass dampers.
“The mass damper labored notably properly on the Renault due to its weight distribution,” explains de la Rosa. “On the opposite vehicles, it was a really small benefit and that is why some groups pushed so onerous to have it banned as a result of they knew it was a bonus that Renault had over all of us. It was not that their mass damper was higher, it was that the mass damper solely labored on their automobile. However then, due to the burden distribution, we had a Michelin tyre designed round our automobile.
Growing tyres to go well with the chassis made take a look at position a satisfying one for de la Rosa, even when he solely raced the MP4-20 as soon as
Picture by: Michael Cooper / Motorsport Photos
“We wanted a really robust entrance and Michelin got here up with a development that gave extra steering functionality – and we ran that entrance tyre. Renault couldn’t run it as a result of they’d this rearward weight distribution and the entrance was already too robust. So I feel that gave us a little bit of a bonus in direction of the tip of the season.”
Alonso nonetheless ran away with the title because of an incredible run of podiums within the closing third of the season, however de la Rosa has each purpose to be pleased with his work, along with Wurz, to make the automobile sooner.
“It was bodily very robust,” he remembers the testing routine. “Simply the acceleration and the g-forces by the corners, it was very demanding. They usually had been at all times very intense periods as a result of we had been mainly at all times working new units of tyres. Each time you probably did a run it was a brand new set – so there have been no sluggish laps, simply push, push, push. So after a few days like that, you had been bodily completely exhausted.
“After being exhausted within the morning it was like ‘oh, the afternoon is simple, it is the V8 take a look at’ – as a result of that distinction of 200 horsepower made such a large distinction bodily!”
Pedro de la Rosa
“I keep in mind on the finish of the season we additionally had the V8 assessments. Earlier than it was launched, as a staff we had been testing the MP4-20 with the V10 engine, however we had an engine map that simulated the V8. So we might do a morning take a look at with the V10, 930bhp – after which we might change the map to at least one that simply reproduced an influence curve just like the V8, which meant you had 200bhp much less or one thing like that.
“And I keep in mind after being exhausted within the morning it was like ‘oh, the afternoon is simple, it is the V8 take a look at’ – as a result of that distinction of 200 horsepower made such a large distinction bodily! With the V10 you can not get well from nook to nook, however with the V8 you had that further half a tenth or a tenth, and it simply let your pulse go down.
“So I keep in mind considering, ‘Oh, thank God, we’re on the V8 now’. It was very, very demanding. But it surely was a improbable expertise. You discovered a lot concerning the automobile… Yeah, it was a really fascinating period for take a look at drivers!”
A podium arrived for de la Rosa the next 12 months with V8 propulsion, however fifth on his sole outing within the V10-powered MP4-20 was no much less particular
Picture by: Sutton Photos
