Force India – Giancarlo FIsichella: ‘We could have scored points for sure’

Giancarlo Fisichella put in a superb performance for Force India in Monaco, earning 13th on the grid and eventually finishing ninth. He was tantalisingly close to the points after Sebastien Bourdais successfully held him off in the closing stages. Fisi was one of several drivers in the field to start with a full fuel tank and run an ultra long first stint and a one-stop schedule. It worked well as at the end he had a Williams, a McLaren, a BMW, and both Toyotas behind him. We asked him for his thoughts on the race.

Q: Ninth was a great result for you and the team in Monaco, but eighth would have been even better! How do you feel about the weekend?
‘It was a great result to be 13th in qualifying with both cars in Q2 and especially in the race it was great to be fighting for the points, and be quicker than Toyota and BMW – quite unexpected. It was a good race, and a tough race physically. I pushed quite a lot, I didn’t make any mistakes, and I was taking care about the tyres. We really achieved the maximum. But we could have scored points for sure, because I lost a position just at the start of the race. Otherwise, we were in the points.’

Q: You had a few battles with other cars. How was this?
‘In the opening stages I had a lot of fuel on board, but the car was quite consistent. Usually you’re fighting with the car, but it was this time it was very good, so I could push. Then later on I had a similar pace to Bourdais, who was just ahead of me. It was important to take care of the tyres, but sometimes I was catching him and I was trying to push again make some pressure. He cut the chicane a couple of times, but it was not enough unfortunately and we just missed the point by under two seconds.’

Q: Would a point have meant a lot to you?
‘Of course! It would have been a fantastic result, like winning a race. But anyway, I think ninth was a good result. For sure it was encouraging, but let’s see at the other races.’

Q: Any thoughts on Istanbul?
‘I like Turkey. It would be nice to repeat our performance there. I don’t know if it’s possible, but if we get some other bits on the car, maybe we can do it.’

Q: You had a very short race last year – are you hoping to get a little further this time?
‘I did about 300 metres. So hopefully, yes!’

James Key: ‘We can be pleased with the progress we’ve made’

Force India showed definite signs of progress when the VJM02 ran with a double diffuser in Bahrain, and more new parts will be on the car in Spain this weekend. We asked technical director James Key for his thoughts on recent updates.

Q: What’s your overall feeling about the team’s form in the first four races?
‘Unsurprisingly the pace of development is ferocious across the board at the moment and everyone is doing a lot of work very quickly, but I think we can be pleased with the progress we’ve made over the first four races. We’ve had cars run in points-scoring positions twice during those races, although unfortuantely we haven’t quite brought those races to a conclusion. Clearly we need to finish the job now.’

Q: Where do you need to improve?
‘I think our qualifying performance needs to be improved. Although our qualifying positions didn’t really show it, in Bahrain we were half a tenth off Q2 and a tenth quicker would have put us in P12 or P13. It really is that tight, probably the tightest I’ve ever seen it at the moment, with about 1.5 seconds covering 20 cars. For us as the smallest team it’s a huge challenge – a few years ago the gap would have been a lot bigger. I think we can be pretty pleased, especially as the steps we made in Bahrain worked. We’ve just got to do more of that – keep the updates coming.’

Q: How much of a step did the team make in Bahrain?
‘We had a Barcelona update planned, and effectively we brought as much forward to Bahrain as we could. We had an update for the diffuser, and for the front of the car as well. It’s a full double diffuser and exploits the direction clarified by the FIA in that area of the car. As it was an interim diffuser, we’ll have some new parts for it in Barcelona because we’ve had more time to develop, so that’s the second iteration. There are also some more updates on the front of the car, and then there will be solid development for most races.’

Q: After Renault, Force India was the second team to join the double diffuser ‘gang.’ Were you pleased that you were able to react so quickly?
‘The idea of the double diffuser is actually something we looked at as a team some time ago. We pushed very hard for Bahrain, and the guys did an excellent job of getting the upgrades out so early. I think it’s a good illustration of what we can do here. We are small, but we’re very efficient as a result. We always have a very clear time scale on what we need to do, right from the aero process through to production and design and logistics. We got them to the event we targeted, and they worked, so it was a very good process. It gave us a step forward in Bahrain, and Fisi and Adrian were in the middle of the pack for the majority of the race, holding position.’

Q: Everyone will have new packages for Barcelona. How important will that race be in terms of showing where things are going to stand for the next part of the season?
‘As I said we’ve got additional parts, but your own competitiveness depends upon what the competition is doing. It will be interesting to see whether it will spread out a bit or be just as tight as it was in Bahrain. One thing about Barcelona is that it’s a more technical circuit than Bahrain, and it will be interesting to see who copes well with that.’

Q: Are you pleased with the overall reliability of the package?
‘It has been good, and we’ve certainly benefited from having a gearbox that was already proven before we ran our car. The McLaren guys have done an excellent job. The engine has been similarly reliable, so we’re very pleased on that front as well. The rest of the systems in the car seem to be working well so now it’s a case of capitalising on our opportunities as best we can and earning some elusive points!’

Q: Looking ahead a little, does Monaco represent an opportunity to score points?
‘Monaco puts a lot of emphasis on mechanical grip and high downforce, but there’s a lot of driver input there as well. We’ve got two guys who know the circuit very well, so there’s definitely an opportunity there to mix things up.’

Toyota – Bahrain Grand Prix Debrief – Q+A with Jarno Trulli

Were you happy with third place in the race?
To be honest, I was disappointed because qualifying went so well and expectations were high that we could challenge for Toyota’s first victory. I expected more than third place but it wasn’t to be unfortunately, although I did set the fastest lap of the race which shows the potential of the car.

Is that disappointment a sign of the progress the team has made?
Absolutely. To be disappointed with third place makes such a difference compared to the previous few seasons. Last year my third place at Magny-Cours was a really special moment and the season before it was pretty much impossible to get near the podium so you can see that we have made a really big step this year. We have three podiums already from four races and that is the same number we had from the previous three seasons combined.

How did it feel to be back on pole position?
That was a great feeling on Saturday. It was not an easy qualifying session for me because we had a little issue with the brakes but I knew I had car which was quick enough to challenge for pole position so I never gave up. It was great for the team and personally it was a good feeling to be back on pole position.

What happened in the race?
I lost a position to Timo at the start because of a small oil spillage which meant the engine didn’t pull away as well as it should have. Obviously it would have been better to be leading but I had quite a dramatic battle with Lewis (Hamilton); we were wheel to wheel so it was exciting and I kept second place. The car was feeling pretty good and I set the fastest lap of the race on lap 10. But at my first stop we went with the medium tyres and on those I was just defending against cars lighter than me on the super soft tyres. The other guys at the front waited until the final stint to use the medium tyres and in hindsight that was probably the right decision. I had Sebastian (Vettel) right behind me and at the final stop he got past. We went on to the super soft tyres and I was faster than him; I pushed as hard as I could but just couldn’t overtake. It didn’t work out for us but we still did a good race and finished on the podium.

From three podiums in three seasons to three in four races; what has changed?
Everyone in the team has worked so hard on this car and now we are seeing the rewards. In Formula 1 you have to push as hard as you can at all times and we have never given up fighting, so our improvement is really down to hard work from everyone. But you need experience as well and after seven seasons in Formula 1, Toyota is much more experienced so we understand more how to make the car quick and get the best out of it.

Can the team continue to be one of the front-runners when the European season begins?
I believe we have a good chance to be competitive all season but of course we have to keep on working hard, then time will tell. The car is really competitive right now and we are focused on what we are doing so I’m sure we can continue to fight at the front. Naturally, those teams who have historically been successful, but have struggled so far this season, are always capable of improving so we have to continue our development and never give up pushing. I have faith in my team.

On the podium you highlighted your support for the victims of the Abruzzo earthquake, how is the campaign going?
It is going very well. As I’m sure many people know, I have set up a website, www.abruzzonelcuore.org, to raise money for the people who have suffered in this dramatic event and already we have raised more than €17,000 so I am really pleased. We have had a lot of support from other drivers who have offered items to auction and I will keep pushing through the season to do what I can to help. The GPDA are officially supporting the project and we’ve had a lot of support from throughout Formula 1.

FIA – Formula One Cost Cap Q&A

Why does Formula One need cost capping?

Formula One faces a period of great uncertainty during this harsh recessionary period.  Funding a team is increasingly seen as a discretionary spend for the majority of team owners and sponsors.  To ensure a healthy grid all are agreed that costs need to be cut.

Two main philosophies have emerged, either i) reduce activity levels through very restrictive technical rules, plus a degree of standardization if required; or ii) restrict the money that  teams are allowed to spend (cost capping).

The FIA believes that unfettered technical competition is part of Formula One’s DNA, and would like to see this flourish, but in an environment of strong, responsible and innovative management, not a spending race.  For these reasons cost capping is preferred.

What is covered by the cost cap?

Everything except:

• Marketing and promotion – we want Formula One teams to look good and to entertain their partners.  We want manufacturers to show off their cars at exhibitions and city centre displays, and we want teams and their sponsors to promote Formula One through inclusion in advertising campaigns.
• Drivers and young driver programmes – Formula One is the pinnacle of motor racing.  Fundamental to this is attracting the world’s best drivers.  Moreover we wish to encourage continued investment in young driver programmes.
• Engine costs – In order to attract manufacturer owned teams to take up the cost capping option, the FIA have decided to exclude engine costs for 2010 (only)

Furthermore, we are allowing manufacturers to honor existing supply arrangements, provided there is no element of subsidy that could have a cartel-like affect on the engine market.

How did the FIA arrive at the £40m figure?

We arrived at the figure by analysing both revenues and costs in Formula One.

We know what the FOM (Formula One Management) revenue is likely to be in the future, and we have some understanding of realistic sponsorship revenues during the recession. Taken together, it’s possible to project total external revenues for all finishing positions in the Championship.  At £40m we believe that 70 per cent of the grid can generate a profit.  This transforms the business case for owning a Formula One team, for both manufacturers and private investors. The desired net result is to have a very healthy commercial environment for present and new owners.

We also had a good look at costs, and believe that £40m in combination with greater technical freedom will allow engineers to create Formula One cars even more interesting and exciting than today’s cars.

Will the £40m cap for 2010 be changed for future years?

As set out in the Regulations, the cap for future years will be decided by the FIA.  In setting future years’ limits, the FIA will have regard to the progress of the project and the feedback from all stakeholders to the sport.

How does the FIA intend to police the cost cap?

Throughout the construction of the Regulations we have worked with expert forensic accountants.

The Regulations allow for the establishment of a Costs Commission to monitor and assist teams in complying with the Regulations. The Costs Commission will appoint auditors, and other financial experts as required, in order to do this.

A key factor is that all cost capped teams are businesses engaged in exactly the same activities and this enables consistent interpretation of the principles of the regulations.  It is difficult to hide engineering activity or to falsify accounts consistently, given the traceability of transactions in today’s world and the access and inspection powers which the Costs Commission will have.  The penalties for defrauding the FIA with regard to any willful transgression of any Regulation or any subversion of an investigation are well established.

Is a Costs Commission really needed?

The emphasis is on teams to demonstrate compliance, and to pro-actively seek clarification and interpretation of the Regulations. As the Cost Cap Regulations are new the FIA has decided to provide an appropriate resource, staffed with a small number of financial and technical experts, to deal with such issues, and to monitor compliance, such that the Regulations are effective.

Who pays for the Costs Commission, auditors and other experts, and doesn’t this just add costs, rather than removing them?

The cost capped teams will each pay an equal contribution to cover these costs.  The costs involved will represent a tiny fraction of the costs saved in Formula One.

What is the penalty if a team exceeds the cost cap?

This depends on the case.  The International Sporting Code covers transgressions in the same manner as for the technical or sporting regulations.  There are no ‘fixed penalties’. The Cost Commission will judge the degree of misdemeanor and advise the FIA , who will determine any penalty.

What measures are there to prevent teams spending money this year on a car that will compete under cost cap in 2010?

The teams must demonstrate that they have adhered to the spirit of the regulations and spend no more than 50% of the value of the 2010 cap on the development of the 2010 car (in 2009). Furthermore, there are limits on the value of stock of car parts which can be carried into 2010.

How will you stop manufacturer backed teams from running hidden F1-related projects in their parent companies?

The question is actually asking ‘how will we stop manufacturer teams from cheating’.  The principles of determining a fair market value for all activities which are undertaken for the benefit of a team (whether a manufacturer or not) are clearly set out in the Regulations.

No team would wish to be exposed as cheating, so we expect a healthy amount of self-policing.  However, the rules are clear on this point, such activities must be declared and appropriately valued.  Bear in mind the access that the costs commission and auditors have and their ability to compare reported costs across all cost capped teams.

Will teams be allowed to buy parts from other teams/manufacturers?

Yes, according to the FIA regulations, but one should bear in mind that contractual arrangements with the Commercial Rights Holder will place restrictions on such activities.  Inter-team transactions are covered by the regulations.

How many teams do you expect to take up the budget option?

All those who wish to transform the commercial basis of participation for their owners and investors.  The FIA believes that cost capping will prove attractive, and it hopes that over time all teams will join. So far, interest has been extraordinarily high from both existing teams and potential new entrants.

If a team decides not to become cost capped now, can it do so at a later date?

Yes, a team will be able to opt to become cost capped in advance of each year of its participation in the Championship.

Are you worried that F1 will effectively become a two-tier championship?

There is one set of Technical Regulations and as always there are choices for all teams as to how they decide to attack the Championships.

Q&A With Williams F1’s Technical Director, Sam Michael

Q: Has FW31 lived up to your pre-season expectations?
SM: It’s been quite quick in the opening few races, but we haven’t delivered in terms of points and that’s been very frustrating. Our rivals are catching up quickly and it will be difficult to maintain a development edge over them during the year, but that’s our job and we’ll keep pushing.

Q: What problems have kept the team out of the points?
SM: We’ve made a few mistakes. In Australia we had a problem with a wheel nut, which cost Nico about 10 seconds, in Malaysia we didn’t switch to intermediate tyres at the right time and in China we made the wrong strategic call with Nico when we brought him in during the first Safety Car period.

Q: Did ‘diffusergate’ tarnish the opening races for you?
SM: We had to go and defend our case at the International Court of Appeal, and there was some work connected to that, but in terms of how we went about our job it didn’t affect us at all. Technically, I had no doubt as to which way the decision would go, but you can never be 100 percent sure when things go to court. As it was, the FIA deemed our diffuser legal.

Q: How exciting do you find the development race this year?
SM: It’s great, but the rules are quite restrictive this year and the development is contained to specific areas of the car. As a result, the field is very close together: in Bahrain there were just 1.3s separating first and 20th positions.

Q: How much of a factor will KERS play in the coming races?
SM: As the rate of development slows, KERS will take on a greater significance. We’re working flat-out to get it onto the FW31 as soon as possible, but I can’t say when that will be at this stage. As soon as it’s ready, it’ll be on the car.

Q: Do you think it’s healthy for Formula One to have new teams winning races this year?
SM: Yes, I do. The racing’s been really good and the victories of Brawn and Red Bull have brought new characters and new faces to the fore. Formula One is about a team working well technically and a driver driving well; it’s free competition and the people that do the best job are the ones that deserve to succeed.

Q: Are you pleased with the performances of Nico and Kazuki so far this year?
SM: They are doing the best job that they can. I think every driver raises his game from year to year, especially when they’re in their early 20s like Nico and Kazuki. They are getting better and better, and a lot of that is simply down to experience.

Force India – Adrian: Very proud of this race

Adrian Sutil put in another brilliant wet weather performance for Force India in China, running as high as sixth – ahead of Lewis Hamilton – before aquaplaning caught him out and pitched him into the tyre wall with less than six laps to go.

Adrian had started with a light fuel load, but the team changed strategy in the early laps behind the safety car by bringing him in and giving him more fuel. Once the race finally got going he pitted again on lap 19 and filled up to run to the flag in what was in effect a one-stop strategy. Running a very heavy car and keeping his extreme wet tyres alive for such a long stint was a huge challenge. We asked him for his thoughts on the race.

Q: You had a fantastic race in the wet in Monaco last year, and another one here, but sadly both ended in retirement. What are your feelings about today?
‘Our performance was really very good and we should all be very proud of this race. It was a risk to go on one-stop, because I stopped very early. I was very light at the beginning and then under the safety car we went into the pits and just filled it up. We knew it would have been tight on the tyres, but the grip in the corners was enough to stay in a good position, but with the aquaplaning on the straights it was sometimes hard to keep it on the circuit. You never knew what was going to happen because the car went to the left or the right. With six laps to go I hit another patch of water and ended up in the wall. It was very disappointing.’

Q: That set of tyres had to do a lot of laps. How did they look when you stopped?
‘They were still OK, but the profile goes down and down. We’re talking about a few millimetres, but it is still enough to cause a lot of problems with the water. I got a lot of understeer, and the traction went down of course, but after 30 laps that’s how it is.’

Q: Was it fun taking on the McLarens in an equal fight?
‘Yes it was good! I made a good pass on Kovalainen when he went out of the pits, so I could take his position. Then I was behind Lewis, and in the end he was behind me. It was nice to just race the guys in the front there. We had really good pace, so that was promising.’

Q: In Monaco you had the reigning World Champion behind you when you retired, and you did this time as well!
‘That’s true. Maybe it’s a little bit of bad luck then! It’s just a little co-incidence, but it’s nice to race the World Champions of course, when we don’t have the fastest car in the field right now.’

Q: Since Monaco there have been several wet races and potential opportunities, but luck hasn’t been on your side. Was it good to finally have another chance to show what you can do?
‘This was very nice, I’m pleased that it happened like this. We could have done a safe run, changed tyres, and maybe we would have been in the back. But that’s not the way we want it to go, we had to take a risk because we know that we’re good in the wet. Of course we were unlucky and it wasn’t possible to bring it home, but sometimes it’s just bad luck if you hit a patch of water. We couldn’t do anything about it.’

Q: You filled up quite early. How close was it going to be on fuel?
‘We were on the limit, but it was definitely enough, we just checked it. I tried to save a lot of fuel during the race. I knew it was going to be a long way to the end. In the last 10 laps I was attacking again, because we didn’t need to save the fuel anymore.’

Q: We’re unlikely to have a wet race in Bahrain next week. Any thoughts on going there?
‘I think there we’ll have seriously dry conditions! We’ll get a few updates on the car which will help us get a better performance in qualifying. But again it’s going to be difficult. We’re at the back of the field right now, and we have to take our chances, like we did here, and try to move on. Development is going on, and we’re getting new upgrades for the next few races, hopefully it’s enough to progress.’

Toyota – Chinese Grand Prix Debrief – Q+A with Timo Glock

How do you judge your start to the season?
It has been a good start to the season for me and the team. From a personal point of view it was really positive to be on the podium in just the second race but it also gave the team consecutive podiums after Jarno’s third place in Australia. China was a little disappointing overall but it has been great to start the season with a competitive car which is capable of fighting for podiums. I am happy with my performances; I’ve scored a lot of points already despite some difficult circumstances and I have to thank the team for that as well because they have worked really hard.

Have you adapted easily to the slick tyres this year?
I definitely have a much better feeling with the slick tyres. Last year one of the main points I had to work on was understanding the grooved tyres because they behave very differently to slicks and I didn’t have so much experience of them. For me it has been no problem to move back; I have driven nearly my whole career on slicks so it makes life easier this season. Of course, with the different compounds for each race, it is still a big challenge to get the best out of the tyres but I feel at home on slicks.

Are you happy with seventh place in China?
Before the weekend I would have said no because I was hoping for better. However, considering the problems on Saturday and the fact we started from the pit lane, in the end we have to be happy with two points. I have scored points in all three Grands Prix so far this year which is positive.

What were the conditions like early in the race?
It was really tricky in the first laps. I was at the back of the pack because of the gearbox-change penalty and from there it was almost impossible to see anything as a result of the spray. It was like driving blind; very difficult to see where you were going or just to keep the car on the track. I had a moment with Nick (Heidfeld) when I misjudged my braking point and unfortunately hit the back of his car, damaging my front wing.

Did the damage cause a problem?
It’s better not to have damage, that’s for sure, and the car didn’t feel perfect so we made my pit stop a little earlier than planned. We changed the front wing and I have to say the team did a great job to do it extremely quickly. The front wings are much bigger this year and that makes it harder for the guys to change it, but I know they have practiced a lot over the winter and they were super quick. When I had the new front wing the car immediately felt much better and I could push on to score points.

Was it easier to drive in those conditions out of traffic?
Visibility was a lot better when there wasn’t another car in front of you because the spray makes things so difficult. I had a clear run for five or six laps; I was on the pace and looking pretty quick but then I caught Kimi (Raikkonen). I was held up for a while because I couldn’t see where the standing water was so I just had to back off for a bit. In the end I got past but it wasn’t easy. The main problem is the visibility; you just can’t see exactly where to go when you are following another car.

What are your expectations for the Bahrain Grand Prix?
I am optimistic for this race. We tested in Bahrain in the winter so hopefully we can keep going in the right direction at this race and score a lot more points. Generally we need to continue pushing hard to constantly improve. We know the other teams are trying to get better so we need to be concentrated and work as hard as possible. We have to develop at least as fast as the others.

Toyota – Bahrain Grand Prix Preview Q+A – Dr Riccardo Ceccarelli, Team Doctor

What work do you do with the team?
I am like a family doctor travelling with the team so I deal with every problem that comes up. I have a small pharmacy with me and I treat team members so they can recover as soon as possible and work at their best. If the condition is more serious I decide whether it is necessary to visit the medical centre or even a hospital, where I stay with them to make sure they receive the proper care. I also work with team members to make sure they are generally looking after themselves as well as possible; for example I prepare a special mineral drink and distribute this in the garage during the race to make sure they are hydrated properly. The aim is to make sure every team member is as fit as possible to do their job – a driver can’t stay in the hotel on a Sunday afternoon to recover and neither can anyone else in the team.

You work closely with the drivers, so how fit does an F1 driver need to be?
There is no other sport in the world which compares to the demands Formula 1 puts on the heart. The heat rate of a top driver can average over 180bpm for a race distance of 90 minutes or more. This is huge and no other sport keeps a heart rate so high for such a long time. On top of that there is a lot of muscle work for the whole body – heavy work for neck muscles to cope with the g-forces, high loads on legs and arms and good lumbar strength to stabilise the body. A normal person could do two or three laps in a Formula 1 car under those stresses before physically they couldn’t continue.

What about the mental aspect of driving?
The demand on the muscles is important but the load on the brain is amazing. Formula 1 is a sport where the brain has to be working hard for the whole race. In tennis you have a break every few seconds, in boxing you break every three minutes, in shooting you break all the time. This means a Formula 1 driver’s brain is working in a different way. When you compare a Formula 1 driver’s brain to an average person, the way it works is completely different.

Does a driver react differently in qualifying compared to the race?
Yes. When a driver is racing he is driving differently to a qualifying lap, which puts more intense physical strain on him. In qualifying a driver is right on the limit, always very close to a mistake and his heart can be beating 50bpm faster than a normal racing lap. This shows the body is doing a massive amount of work, which is possible to sustain for a few minutes but not a whole race.

How does excessive heat affect team members and drivers?
It is a simple fact that when you have a fever you feel weak because your body is not working properly; like a car when the engine is overheating, the performance goes down. When you are working or driving in hot conditions, like in Bahrain, and you can’t cool down, the temperature in your body goes up like you have a fever, so you have the same reaction. As soon as the body temperature goes up, you brain, muscle and reactions suffer. Sweating is the body’s cooling system so you also lose fluids through sweat. So in extreme heat you feel weaker due to the temperature and also the loss of fluids.

What effect does the loss of fluids have?
When you lose 2% of your body weight as fluid you start to lose an important part of your capacity for psychological and physical performance – if you are 60kgs that is just over 1kg of sweat. Sometimes the drivers can lose up to 3kg in a race and if you lose 4% of your bodyweight you lose around 40% of your psycho-physical capacity. So it is normal in hot conditions that a driver would lose a bit of performance if nothing is done to combat the effect of heat.

So what can be done to reduce this?
The small things, if you put them all together, can be quite effective. First of all drink a lot and always have a bottle of fluid available; mainly this is water but also you can add some minerals. The second thing is to be very careful with nutrition. It is best to eat simple food which is easy to digest; fruit and vegetables are the best things to eat. Finally, for a driver, you try to get him as cool as possible before the race, which means putting ice in his helmet, his shoes in the fridge, that kind of thing, so when he first steps into the car he is not already overheating.

If a driver is not completely fit, how would that affect his performance?
The affect on the driver is really subtle and difficult to see. Before I worked with Toyota, I saw a driver who was starting the race after having a very bad infection for four days. He lost a lot of fluids and he arrived on Sunday feeling really bad, but he had to start. He told me after the race that he felt he could collapse at any point but he finished in the top six because he had a good car. When a driver who is normally super fit is sick, he is likely to be four tenths – maximum half a second – slower than usual in the race.

Renault – China: Interview with Fernando Alonso

The double world champion reflects on the first couple of races and looks ahead to the rest of the season.

Fernando, how are you feeling as you get ready for the third race of the season?
Quite positive. We’re having a really interesting championship even though we have had a disappointing start to the season with our car. After the final winter test, we thought we would be able to fight at the front but unfortunately the R29 was not as well balanced in Australia or Malaysia. We have therefore started a development programme in order to catch up with our rivals and the legality of the double diffusers certainly opens up an interesting new technical angle. Personally I am still really motivated. I believe that this can be a strong season for Renault and I’m optimistic for the championship. Even though we have not started our 2009 campaign well, the hope remains and we are determined to fight for the title.

Before Australia, the team was very positive. Then it all changed? Why?
It’s difficult to understand for us as well. We completed our final winter test very happy with the work we had done. The car was very quick in Jerez and Barcelona, then, for some reason, we were unable to repeat this level of performance in Australia. Perhaps some of our competitors brought some new parts to the first race and took a leap forward. However, there is still time for us to improve.

How has the start of the season been for you on a personal level? Are you enjoying driving even though you are not fighting for wins?
Of course I’m enjoying the driving! At Renault we have a great racing spirit and we all want to win. We want to be on the top step of the podium and our start to the year has not met our expectations. It’s a strange year: we are not winning, but our usual rivals, such as Ferrari and McLaren, are in the same position as us.

So, all is not lost…
I really believe that the championship will be very long. If we were a football team then it’s as if we have only played the first couple of matches of a long league season. I still believe that we can fight for the title and my motivation is therefore high. If for some reason this goal turns out to be impossible to obtain, then my motivation will fall a little bit. But for the moment I’m up for the fight. Each time I get in the car I give my maximum.

Does Brawn GP remain the reference point?
It will be very difficult to catch up with BrawnGP. But just remember what happened last year: McLaren and Ferrari were dominant at the start of the season. Then in the final 6 or 7 races of the championship, I scored more points than anybody. Having a fast car is one thing, scoring points is another and we need to make sure that we maximise our points at every race. If BrawnGP scores 10 points, then we have to score 5. We have to limit the damage in the first half of the championship so that we can fight later on.

Will the introduction of a double diffuser put you back on track?
It’s not just a case of sticking the diffuser on the car. You have to redesign the whole package from the front wing backwards because the car needs to use the air differently. You also have to change the front suspension, the side pods, the engine cover…all that is going to take time and money, but we are a strong team. We are Renault and we will get there and show what we are capable of.

Force India – Adrian Sutil: ‘The car has potential’

The Malaysian GP was a frustrating race for Adrian Sutil, who was hoping that rain would give him the sort of boost that he had in Monaco last year. After starting on a light fuel load he made his first stop on lap 15, just before the skies darkened. With rain threatening he came in again just three laps later and gambled on wets, as did Kimi Raikkonen on the very same lap. The gamble didn’t pay off, but after the red flag he was ready with new wet tyres and a full tank for the run to the finish. However, the race was not restarted and thus he was unable to take advantage of his strategy. We asked Adrian for his thoughts on the weekend

Q: Why did you take the tyre gamble?
‘I pitted and I did one or two laps on slicks, but then I had a small problem with the car so I couldn’t really drive the car in the dry. We pitted again and changed onto the wet tyres and with slower speeds through the corners, it was alright, I could drive the car.’

Q: Did you realise straight away that the change was too early?
‘Yes, I think I was one of the first! I did five or six laps on wets in the dry but it was dark, it was starting to spot with rain and we had nothing to lose. Just before the race was stopped I put on new wet tyres because my first set was really worn out as we had changed too early, as we took a gamble. When the race stopped we had pitted and changed again and refuelled. In fact we would have been in quite a good position as some of the other teams still had to stop.’

Q: Any regrets on taking that gamble?
‘For sure we lost a lap or one and a half laps but we had to try, as we were at the end of the field. Sometimes it works out, sometimes not. I’m not really disappointed about that, I’m more disappointed that the race was suspended, and there was no other chance. We have to look at whether it’s really a good idea to run races so late! We were running out of time, and that’s a shame really.’

Q: So do you see it as a missed opportunity?
‘Yes, definitely. I was hoping to restart the race because we were filled up. We were the only car which went into the pits at that point and right at this time they stopped the race and we had to wait at the end of the pitlane. It was not a problem, as I was 15th with a good chance to gain a lot of places but it was just getting too dark.’

Q: Have had a chance to fight with anyone running KERS?
‘In Melbourne I had Nick Heidfeld in front of me, but like I said, our car is very fast on the straight, and I couldn’t really see a benefit of KERS. I was actually slipstreaming him sometimes and trying to overtake, so it is possible without KERS. Right now they seem to have a little bit of a problem with the balance all the time when they run KERS, so it’s very, very equal.’

Q: Any thoughts on the next race in China?
‘It’s quite a nice circuit, with good corners. Let’s see how the temperature is. It could be quite cold there now. In previous years we’ve had the race at the end of the season in hot conditions, so this could be the main difference. But I’m looking forward to it.’

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