B-spec Spyker to make race debut at Monza 04 Sep 2007
Spyker’s updated F8-VII will make its race debut at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend in Monza. The Dutch team had been forced to delay the B-spec’s planned introduction at August’s Turkish event after the car failed to pass the FIA’s stringent rear impact test.
Spyker drivers Adrian Sutil and Sakon Yamamoto, who both tested the B-spec over two days at Monza last week, will give the car its first race weekend appearance during Friday’s morning practice session at the Italian track.
The revised F8-VII boasts an updated rear suspension, with linear dampers replacing the A-spec’s rotary ones, and a new gearbox. Spyker have also reviewed the car's engine installation with the hope of making its cooling resources lighter and more efficient. The F8-VII's aero package has also undergone a significant transformation.
“Apart from the chassis and nosebox, every other area has been revised,” explained chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne. “The front wing flap, endplate, barge boards, sidepod inlets, radiator outlets, rear wings, floor and diffuser are all new and the bodywork has been modified, so everything apart from the monocoque and nose is new.”
Despite the car’s delayed launch, Gascoyne believes the arrival of the revised machine could mark a new dawn for the squad.
“It's a big update both mechanically and aerodynamically,” he explained. “We could see an increase in our race and qualifying pace and be up there in the mix of the midfield if everything works out. We would like to think the update could see us competing with people around us and when you're in that position anything can happen.”
Spyker’s best performance to date was Sutil’s 13th-place finish at the Spanish Grand Prix in May.
