Nick Chester

Last updated

Nick Chester
Born (1969-03-22) 22 March 1969 (age 54)
Ripon, England [1]
Nationality British
Alma materCambridge University
Occupation Engineer
Years active1994–present
Known forFormula One engineer

Nick Chester (born 22 March 1969) [2] is a motorsport engineer.

Contents

Early life

Chester graduated in engineering from Cambridge University [2] in 1991. [3] [4]

Career

Chester joined Simtek Research in vehicle simulation, moving to their Formula One entry in 1994. [3] He moved on to Arrows in 1995, first for vehicle simulation, and then to suspension design. He became performance engineer for Damon Hill and Pedro Diniz, then race engineer for Mika Salo and Pedro de la Rosa. [5]

In 2000, Chester joined Benetton as test engineer to Alexander Wurz, Giancarlo Fisichella, and Mark Webber. He became performance engineer for Fisichella in 2001 and Jarno Trulli from 2002 to 2004, overseeing the Italian's only F1 victory (Monaco 2004). [6]

Chester took on the position of head of Renault's Vehicle Performance Group (VPG) in 2005, [3] contributing towards Renault's double championship wins of 2005 and 2006 (F1 Constructors' Championship and Drivers' Championship for Fernando Alonso). [7] Chester oversaw the development of the tuned mass damper system, which was a major innovation. In 2010 Chester was made head of performance systems. [3]

In 2012, Chester was appointed engineering director of Lotus, playing a major part in the race winning E20 and E21 F1 cars. A year later, he replaced James Allison as the team's Technical Director, therefore being responsible for the design and development of every Formula One car to come out of Enstone from May 2013 until January 2020. [8]

In January 2020 Chester was replaced by Pat Fry at Renault. [9] Chester joined the Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team as technical director in July 2020. [4] [10]

Career timeline

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renault in Formula One</span> Formula One activities of Renault

Renault, a French automobile manufacturer, has been associated with Formula One as both team owner and engine manufacturer for various periods since 1977. In 1977, the company entered Formula One as a constructor, introducing the turbo engine to Formula One with its EF1 engine. In 1983, Renault began supplying engines to other teams. Although the Renault team had won races, it withdrew at the end of 1985. Renault engines continued to be raced until 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benetton Formula</span> Former motor racing team

Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from 1986 to 2001. The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000, the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for the 2000 and 2001 seasons. In 2002, the team became Renault. The Benetton Formula team was chaired by Alessandro Benetton from 1988 to 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giancarlo Fisichella</span> Italian racing driver (born 1973)

Giancarlo Fisichella, also known as Fisico, Giano or Fisi, is an Italian professional racing driver, also captain of the official Nazionale Piloti association football team. He has driven in Formula One for Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India and Ferrari. Since then he has driven for AF Corse in their Ferrari 458 GTE at various sportscar events, becoming twice a Le Mans 24 Hour class winner, and a GT class winner of the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. He was also Ferrari's F1 reserve driver for 2010.

Michael Coughlan is a British motor racing engineer and designer. He was Chief Designer for the McLaren Formula One team from 2002 to 2007, where he was suspended for his part in the spygate scandal between McLaren and Ferrari, before his contract was subsequently terminated. He was then Chief Technical Officer for Williams F1 from June 2011 to July 2013, before abruptly stepping down "with immediate effect," according to the team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Bell (motorsport)</span> British Formula One technical director

Robert Charles Bell is a former Formula One engineer and technical director, best known for his work with the Renault Formula One team.

This article gives an outline of Formula One engines, also called Formula One power units since the hybrid era starting in 2014. Since its inception in 1947, Formula One has used a variety of engine regulations. Formulae limiting engine capacity had been used in Grand Prix racing on a regular basis since after World War I. The engine formulae are divided according to era.

Formula One sponsorship liveries have been used since the 1968 season. Before the arrival of sponsorship liveries in 1968 the nationality of the team determined the colour of a car entered by the team, e.g. cars entered by Italian teams were rosso corsa red, cars entered by French teams were bleu de France blue, and cars entered by British teams were British racing green. Major sponsors such as BP, Shell, and Firestone had pulled out of the sport ahead of this season, prompting the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile to allow unrestricted sponsorship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lotus F1</span> Former Formula 1 team

Lotus F1 Team was a British Formula One racing team. The team competed under the Lotus name from 2012 until 2015, following the renaming of the former Renault team based at Enstone in Oxfordshire. The Lotus F1 Team was majority owned by Genii Capital. Lotus F1 was named after its branding partner Group Lotus. The team achieved a race victory and fourth position in the Formula One Constructors' World Championship in their first season under the Lotus title. Lotus F1 achieved 2 race victories in their time on the grid, both courtesy of Kimi Räikkönen. The team was sold back to Renault on 18 December 2015. The Lotus F1 Team name was officially dropped on 3 February 2016, as Renault announced that the team would compete as Renault Sport Formula One Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Fry</span> British motorsports engineer (born 1964)

Pat Fry is a British motorsports engineer. Primarily working in Formula One, he has previously held positions with the Alpine, McLaren, Ferrari, Manor Racing, and Benetton teams. As of 2023, Fry is the Chief Technical Officer for Williams Grand Prix Engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Allison (motorsport)</span> English motorsport designer and engineer

James Allison is a British motorsport designer and engineer, best known for his accomplishments in Formula 1, where he is the technical director of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lotus E22</span> Formula One racing car

The Lotus E22 is a Formula One racing car designed by Lotus to compete in the 2014 Formula One season. The chassis was designed by Nick Chester, Chris Cooney, Martin Tolliday and Nicolas Hennel with Renault supplying the team's powertrain. It was driven by Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado, who replaced Kimi Räikkönen after Räikkönen left the team to rejoin Ferrari. The E22 was designed to use Renault's new 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged engine, the Energy F1-2014. This was the last car of the Enstone-based team which used Renault engines until Renault RS16, before a new one-year deal with fellow Daimler brand Mercedes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lotus E23 Hybrid</span> Formula One racing car

The Lotus E23 Hybrid is a Formula One racing car which Lotus used to compete in the 2015 Formula One season. The chassis was designed by Nick Chester, Chris Cooney, Martin Tolliday and Nicolas Hennel with Mercedes supplying the team's powertrain. It was driven by Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado. This was the team's only car to use Mercedes engines, after a 20-year partnership with Renault. The E23 Hybrid was also the first Enstone-based car to be powered by an engine other than Renault's since the Ford-powered Benetton B194 in 1994, as well as first full British team to utilize Petronas fuel and lubricants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renault R.S.16</span> Formula One racing automobile developed by Renault for 2016 F1 season

The Renault R.S.16 was a Formula One racing car designed by the Renault Sport Formula One Team to compete in the 2016 Formula One season, and marked Renault's return to the sport as a constructor after a five-year absence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renault R.S.19</span> Formula One racing car

The Renault R.S.19 is a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by the Renault F1 Team to compete during the 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship. The chassis was designed by Nick Chester, Chris Cooney, Martin Tolliday, Simon Virrill and Pete Machin with Marcin Budkowski overseeing the design and production of the car as executive technical director and Rémi Taffin leading the powertrain design. The car was driven by Nico Hülkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo. The car made its competitive debut at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renault R.S.20</span> Renault F1 Teams 2020 Formula One racing car

The Renault R.S.20 is a Formula One car designed by the Renault F1 Team to compete in the 2020 Formula One World Championship.

Jarrod Murphy is a British Formula One aerodynamicist. He is currently the aerodynamics director at the Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport Formula One team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpine F1 Team</span> French-owned Formula One racing team

Alpine F1 Team, or currently BWT Alpine F1 Team for sponsorship reasons, is the name under which the Enstone-based Formula One team has been competing since the start of the 2021 Formula One World Championship. Formerly named Renault F1 Team and owned by the French automotive company Groupe Renault as well as Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance, the team was rebranded for 2021 to promote Renault's sports car brand, Alpine, and continues to serve as Renault's works team. The chassis and managerial side of the team is based in Enstone, Oxfordshire, England, and the Renault-branded engine side of the team is based in Viry-Châtillon, a suburb of Paris, France. The team competes with a French licence.

Alan Permane is a British Formula One engineer. He is the former sporting director at the Alpine Formula One team.

"Team Enstone" is the colloquial name for a British organisation which has operated various Formula One constructors during its history; its name comes from the village of Enstone in Oxfordshire, where it has been based since late-1991, having previously operated out of Witney. The team's factory is called the Whiteways Technical Centre, and is one of several Formula One team bases located in relatively close proximity to the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire. As of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, forty-five drivers have competed for the five different constructors in the lineage in 756 Grands Prix, winning fifty of them. The outfit has been noted for its frequent changes of identity. Benetton Formula won the 1995 Formula One World Constructors' Championship and the Renault F1 Team won the 2005 and 2006 Formula One World Constructors' Championship while being operated by the organisation. Although the organisation has changed names and operated different constructors in Formula One, it has legally remained the same company since the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renault RS engine</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The RS series is a family of naturally-aspirated Grand Prix racing engines, designed, developed and manufactured jointly by Mecachrome and Renault Sport for use in Formula One, and used by Arrows, BAR, Williams, Ligier, Lotus, Caterham, Benetton, Renault, and Red Bull, from 1989 until 2013. The engines came in both the original V10, and later V8 configurations, and engine displacement ranged from 2.4 L (150 cu in) to 3.5 L (210 cu in) over the years. Power figures varied; from 650 hp (480 kW) @ 12,500 rpm, to later over 900 hp (670 kW) @ 19,000 rpm. The 2.4-litre RS26 V8 engine, used in 2006, is one of the highest revving Formula One engines in history, at 20,500 rpm. Between 1998 and 2000, the RS9 engines were badged as Mecachrome, Supertec, and Playlife.

References

  1. ↑ "SPEEDWEEK Steckbrief Nicholas Chester". www.speedweek.com (in German). Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  2. 1 2 Brown, Allen. "Nick Chester". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Nick Chester to leave Renault F1 after 19 years". theparcferme.com. 7 December 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  4. 1 2 Übler, Jochen (22 July 2020). "Nick Chester welcome to the Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E team - automobilsport.com". www.automobilsport.com. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  5. ↑ "Nick Chester Appointed Lotus F1 Team Technical Director". racecar.com. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Chester to leave Renault". pitpass. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  7. ↑ Castillo, Nicolas (24 July 2020). "Nick Chester nuevo Director Técnico de Mercedes FE". www.formulanitro.com (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 "Lotus appoints Nick Chester as James Allison's replacement". Autosport. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "Renault's Chassis Technical Director Nick Chester to leave the team". formula1.com. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  10. 1 2 Smith, Luke (22 July 2020). "Ex-Renault F1's Chester joins Mercedes Formula E team". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Renault Sport Formula One Team Chassis Technical Director Nick Chester". Nissan Official Global Newsroom. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  12. 1 2 3 Ferret, Olivier (3 February 2016). "Renault F1 launch: Q&A with Nick Chester". Nextgen-Auto.com. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.