JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #95 - Special JEC Europe - March 2015 - 13

automotive

" Composites are going to be more
important again with the batteries..."

interview

Alain Prost
Four-time world champion -
F1 ambassador
Renault

At the last JEC Asia trade show on 17-19 November in Singapore,
we spoke with Alain Prost, four-time world champion and current
Renault ambassador. He is still very involved in competition, especially Formula-Electric racing. We questioned him about the role
of composite materials in this field and about technology transfer
towards series vehicles.

organizations like the international automotive federation FIA.

JEC Composites Magazine: Are your current
activities still in connection with the automotive and sports sectors?

JCM: Can any parallels be drawn between the
F1 and Formula-E and the role of materials in
auto-building?

Alain Prost : Yes, 90% of my activities

A.P. : For the moment, you can't say that

are connected to automotive and technology. Actually, I am the "ambassador" for
Renault, with a dual role. This means that
I monitor the group's development in new
markets like Russia, South America, and
especially Asia... so I represent Renault, and
that works out very well. I'm very pleased
about that, because the feeling that it isn't
just about myself, it's also about the group's
Formula 1 experience and its image, makes it
easier to talk about Renault and the group's
products.
I am also a consultant in automotive racing
and sports, including the F1, of course.
That can involve the introduction of a new
engine, or relations with the racing teams.
Along with Renault, I've created a
Formula-E team (E for electric). Renault is
both sponsor and technical partner. As an
auto builder, they are very interested in such
a partnership, since they've been heavily
involved in electric vehicles for a number of
years.
Apart from that, I also consult for television,
and have a bit of consulting activity with

the role of materials is more important,
because Formula-E cars are specific, resembling an F1 car without being one. An F-E
car is a single-seater, containing about the
same proportion of carbon as an F1, with
the difference that on an F1 you've reached
the pinnacle of technology - the carbon
work on an F1 is incredibly more complex.
We're no longer talking about a plain carbon
shell that is stiff and robust, it is everything
around it that counts, for example the
suspension work, which allows generating
the desired stiffness as a function of the load.
And here, we are in an area where visually,
you can't tell the difference, but in reality
technology is being pushed to the limit
non-stop.

aspect, so that it can be of use for future
series vehicles. There's nothing better for
innovation than competition, and we're
concentrating on electric.
We're also looking at the battery pack,
which is still bulky and heavy, and forward
to years 2, 3 and 4 - because the regulations
are going to loosen up, but not without
some thought. We're still in Year 1, and for
the championship launch, the cars are all
identical. In Year 2, we'll focus on behaviour
and on engines and some specific technologies, and in Year 3, on the batteries. Actually,
in terms of what is being accomplished, we
are already in Year 3 and working on all these
issues.
In competition, composite materials are a
must because they contribute to stiffness,

JCM: What are the current priorities for the
development of Formula-E?

A.P. : For the moment in F-E, the idea is to

avoid spending money on aerodynamics or
other issues like in F1. We try to manage the
budgets and put the money into developing
engines and batteries,
everything that has to do with the electrical

No95 March 2015 /

jec composites magazine 13

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #95 - Special JEC Europe - March 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #95 - Special JEC Europe - March 2015