06-Oct-09: Theissen Concerned About BMW’s Future

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this episode

Today is the 6th October 2009, and this is F1 Minute.

The team formerly known as BMW are now facing a shaky future in the sport, as they were hoping for unanimous agreement from the existing teams for a 14th slot on the grid to be opened up for them. They didn’t get it. Vice-chairman of FOTA, John Howett, said the organisation did discuss the subject during a meeting ahead of Sunday’s race, but they decided it was an individual team decision rather than an association one.

It has also emerged that the Qadbak company who have invested in the team are under investigation by the Football Association for their involvement with Notts County, and one of their top people had assets seized by the court.

Mario Theissen says these things are making life difficult, as they are trying to talk to sponsors and drivers, and an uncertain future doesn’t exactly entice them along. The FIA will have to make their decision soon over the 14th place, and Theissen says they are waiting.

That’s all for now, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

FIA – Japanese GP Conference 2

FRIDAY PRESS CONFERENCE – October 2, 2009

TEAM PRINCIPALS:
Bob BELL (Renault),
Christian HORNER (Red Bull),
John HOWETT (Toyota),
Hiroshi YASUKAWA (Bridgestone)

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: John, I know you have been asked this question many times. Do you expect to be here next year? Is it rather late for your budget.
John HOWETT: No, I just can’t get my head around that. We plan much further ahead than others. If you run a company you get a budget reduction half-way through the year. We are just professionals and we manage it. We have got alternative scenarios and I expect to be back at Suzuka hopefully without the rain next year.

Q: Do we read into the driver situation that both drivers are free to negotiate their own deals elsewhere if they want to?
JH: I think the market is very fluid. I think we have tried to be fair to the drivers to say that we may not have seats for them and therefore I think it is fair and transparent to do that. We remain in contact with both of them, particularly Timo (Glock). But I do feel there will be movements in the driver market, some movements even that people aren’t speculating about at the moment and therefore we want to be free to consider the best option for the team for next year. We think we will have a strong car and we want good results.

Q: Is (Robert) Kubica on that list?
JH: Yes, definitely we would be interested. I guess we are probably fighting with our friends here on the right (Renault). But we have to see what happens. Hopefully we can manage but if not then there are alternatives.

Q: Has Timo, after an excellent second place in Singapore, strengthened his case?
JH: I think you have to say yes, but on the other hand we would have liked to have seen that result more consistently. His race pace is outstanding. It always has been and sometimes in qualifying he has struggled and makes life extremely hard for himself. We still have a great affinity for Timo and we are still talking and he may well be in the car next year but it is too early to confirm our situation.

Q: Is he definitely going to be in the car tomorrow?
JH: Well, I hope so. He had a temperature of 39.1 this morning. It has dropped now and I hope he will be in the car tomorrow.

Q: It is not necessarily definite? He is still unwell?
JH: Yeah, we think based on the information we have tonight he should be in the car tomorrow. I don’t think he missed that much today to be honest, so I think it was best to keep him out of the wet and in good condition for tomorrow.

Q: Bob, new jobs. Tell us about how life has changed for you and how easy it has been to step into Flavio’s (Briatore) shoes?
Bob BELL: Well, first of all, no intention to step into his shoes. Housekeeping a few of his responsibilities over the coming months but I am no Flavio Briatore and I have no intention to be. It is extra work but it is not just extra work for me, it is extra work for a lot of people in the team. Some of the responsibilities are filtered down the chain. We are set up to deal with that and we are all getting on with it. It has been a bit of a baptism of fire, back to back races on top of other things, so not much time to think about it.

Q: Are you likely to remain team principal or is that not a job that you want to do on a permanent basis?
BB: Quite honestly, it is not a job I am considering whether I do long term or not at the minute. I think actually Renault are probably in the same position. We need to get through these next four races in good shape and do some restructuring in the team and sort out some major issues in good time for next year. I think once we have done that we will take stock of the situation and decide what is best for the team in the long term.

Q: How crucial has it been to lose (Fernando) Alonso for next year?
BB: Fernando has been such a huge part of our team for many years. It is sad to see him go but we wish him well. People move on at all levels of the sport and we have to deal with it and we will hopefully put together a good driver line-up for next year that will see us not suffer too badly for his departure.

Q: What do you think he is going to be like at Ferrari?
BB: I don’t honestly know. There is no doubting his driving abilities. I think he will get on alright there. I think they will accommodate him as an individual and I think he will do a fine job. I think it will work well there for him.

Q: Hiroshi, can I have a comment about the tyre philosophy of compounds? Having compounds one and two removed. How has that gone this year?
Hiroshi YASUKAWA: Actually, last year when we were using two specifications, that time between each specification gap everybody said it was too small. This time we have to provide just one specification. Anyhow if we are concerned about teams and ourselves, some teams we know very well and they know us very well. We thought it better to supply two specifications. Then this year we discussed with the FIA, and the FIA also said it is better to provide two different specifications. Then we supplied sometimes too big a gap. I think this is good as if just one team has a big gap and a different team has a small gap, this is a bit unfair. But our philosophy is that we are going to supply fair treatment, so then always even with different characteristics, different specifications, we are going to supply the same tyres for each team.

Q: Is it going to be the same next year and how is it going to work with the fact there is no refuelling, so the cars are going to be much heavier at the start?
HY: We are going to discuss with the FIA. The front tyre is going to be narrower and the wet tyre, the intermediate, is also going to have narrower front tyres.

Q: Coming back to this grand prix. How much homework have you had to do with the resurfacing here, given that people have already lost one practice day?
HY: Yeah, actually very interesting. But of course we cannot do any test. Fortunately we supply our tyres for Formula Nippon and GT cars and our engineer has quite a big experience especially here in Suzuka. We are going to transfer this knowledge to …. (becomes inaudible).

Q: Do you think it is going to be different? Are they quite different characteristics the two types of circuits?
HY: I don’t think so. We can manage.

Q: You have been official tyre supplier for quite some time. This is the second year of your current three-year agreement. How important is Formula One to Bridgestone?
HY: For us it is very, very important. You remember, before, we were not in Formula One. In this case now many people realise our company name. The Formula One impact is very strong. Each grand prix I understand, 188 countries broadcast the race. This impact is very strong and fortunately we have the rights for signage. This is great. Hopefully we can keep going.

Q: Christian, engine situation inevitably. We saw Sebastian (Vettel) doing quite a few laps today. But obviously it is not so tough on the engine. How many races has this current engine got to do?
Christian HORNER: The race engines are in reasonable shape. The race engine we will use this weekend had its first race in Monza. The race engine we used last weekend had its first race in Spa. We will alternate those engines in the remaining races. The test engines we have been a little bit more limited on, as obviously Sebastian is in to all eight of his engines. But with the help of Renault we have exceeded their target kilometres, especially in Singapore, by some margin to ensure that he is getting the mileage. Hopefully, it will continue as we have and the lack of mileage today because of the weather only helps us for Brazil, so hopefully without any issues we should be able to get through to the end of the year without a penalty.

Q: What is the situation about your engines in the future? When are you going to make a decision on that?
CH: Well, inevitably the design team are fairly enthusiastic to know what they are supposed to be designing their gearbox and chassis around. Adrian (Newey) does not have a habit of releasing chassis early. But, inevitably, we are getting to a point where we do need to make a decision, so in the next few weeks we will have to hone in on a final position.

Q: It is a few weeks, not days?
CH: It depends who you speak to. But Ross Brawn did it in December which demonstrates where there is a will there is a way. But it is not ideal, so ideally we would like to come up with a final solution in the near future.

Q: What as team principal are your views of the World Championship at the moment? Has it completely gone as far as Red Bull is concerned? Mathematically it is still possible.
CH: I mean we have got a mountain to climb and the odds are stacked against us being able to win either the Constructors’ or the Drivers’ but we are in both championships. Sebastian is still in contention for the drivers’ and the constructors’ is still doable. We need a fair bit of good fortune to achieve that but to be honest we are not focussed on the championships. We are thinking about the individual races. We will do our best at each of the remaining three races, try and win all three of them, and the championships will take care of themselves. Kimi (Räikkönen) a couple of years ago came from quite a way behind.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Chris Lines – Associated Press) John, regarding your comments about Kubica. How are you able to know how much you can spend on a driver until you get a final okay from Toyota regarding your budget for next season?
JH: It is fairly easy. To me the budget is going to be roughly this size and you can reduce other areas. It is fairly simple. If you buy a cheaper driver, you can deploy that in other areas. I think a very simple equation for us.

Q: (Chris Lines – Associated Press) You have a rough idea then? It is not something that is going to vary wildly from what it is this year?
JH: No, I mean I guess less than this year but still a very significant and substantial budget.

Q: (Will Buxton – Australasian Motor Sport News) Question for Bob and John. It seems at the moment that Robert Kubica is either going to go to Renault or Toyota if the rumours are correct. Between the two of you who do you think has got the best chance of signing him?
BB: I think I will say we have and John will say he has, so I think we will let history determine that one.
JH: I mean we wait and see. I think we have an even chance.

Q: (Ralf Bach – R & B) Two questions for Mr Howett. First I read that you are also in touch with Kimi Räikkönen?
JH: Not with Kimi, but with his management, yes.

Q: (Ralf Bach – R & B) Second question. What is the illness of Timo. Is it Kobayashi fever?
JH: I just won’t answer. It is a stupid question and it doesn’t deserve an answer.

Q: Hiroshi, Saturday and Sunday will be different weather from Friday. What is important about the tyre strategy for Saturday and Sunday?
HY: Always the track conditions are changing. When you are coming to the race track this race track surface is normally very rough, but when cars are running and always put on some rubber the conditions get better. Then Friday, Saturday and Sunday it always improves and each time set-up is going to change and you should find a good set-up for good performance for the tyres.

Q: (Will Buxton – Australasian Motor Sport News) Christian, the GP3 teams were announced last night and you’re going to go into business with Mark (Webber) in a GP3 team. Can you just tell us how that’s going to work out? And also, since you moved over to Red Bull Racing from Arden, the team has never won a championship. Are you going to do anything more with Arden in GP2 and GP3 to ensure an improved level of success?
CH: Arden’s been very successful since I left on a fulltime basis five years ago. They’ve won races every year, they have the capacity to take on more activities, GP3 being an obvious one, supporting grands prix at ten events, unfortunately on a Pirelli tyre – I don’t know what happened there! Mark has been looking at other bits and pieces and he was keen to get involved in something. Arden have the capacity to do it and therefore it made sense. He was keen to put something back into the sport to support young drivers, to set an example, work with them, young Australian drivers in particular. I think it’s a good initiative that he’s got involved in, to be putting something back into the sport, trying to help youngsters come through. There’s a good management structure at Arden, my time is fully focussed on Red Bull Racing but I’ve got no doubt that they’ll do very well.

Q: (Jerome Bourret – L’Equipe) To all of you, may I ask your opinion on Ross Brawn’s success as team principal? Is it a surprise for you and do you think he’s the man who made the former Honda team into a winning one?
CH: I think it’s thoroughly depressing, the success that he’s had this year! It would have been far better if they had never made the first race! But no, in all seriousness, they have obviously done a very good job, they’ve turned up with a good car, they’ve inherited a good engine and their drivers have done a very good job. It’s been a great season for them and we’re going to make it as difficult as possible for them in the remaining three races.
HY: They are doing a fantastic job, it’s great, but racing is very difficult. It requires much know-how and many things happen. I respect their results.
BB: They’ve done an incredible job considering where they were a year ago – all credit to them. I think it’s a great thing for the sport as well, that surprises like that still occur. I think that’s great for everybody.
JH: I think the results speak for themselves, it’s indisputable and full credit to them.

Q: (Joris Fioriti – AFP) To all of you: we all want Formula One to gain an audience but when it’s raining drivers don’t run. It’s quite strange, it doesn’t happen in other sports. Are you quite ashamed of what happened today? They paid 200 Euros for their seats and they didn’t see any cars.
JH: Wimbledon gets rained off quite frequently.
CH: I think one of the things it would be nice to address for next year and maybe Hiroshi can help us on this is that we are a bit limited on wet tyres, so we’re saving them up for the rest of the weekend, because there’s a good chance that there’s a bit of rain tomorrow. If Hiroshi’s a bit more generous with his tyres then you might see a bit more of us on the track on a wet Friday.
HY: It’s a big problem. Our budget is also limited, so we have to strike a balance. Anyhow, our responsibility is that we have to supply equal treatment for everybody. And also, our position is very, very tough. Actually, our main business is selling our tyres for cars but if the car business is very bad, in this case we are not selling which means that we cannot make any profit. Nowadays our board members are very tough on me. I have been doing this business a very long time, so I understand the balance required, so at some stage we need to find a good compromise.
JH: I think on a serious note, it’s a very valid point. It’s something that all the teams are acutely aware of, that we have to increase the value which we deliver to the public at races and all stakeholders. So given more time, through FOTA we can try to address some of these issues and ensure that we deliver solid value and good value particularly to the fans and public.
BB: I agree with John. If we can run and put on a show for the spectators and we can do it safely then we should do and quite rightly so. I’m sure Hiroshi would love to see us running as well, but he’s got real budget issues too. Equally, I’m sure a compromise can be found that will deal with this issue in the future but it does need to be dealt with.

Q: (Ken Kawakita – La Vie Creative) John, can we have a little more detailed update about Timo’s condition? Is it possible he has ‘flu A’ which is spreading widely through Japan?
JH: At the moment the doctor doesn’t think that’s the case, so he’s obviously had quite heavy anti-biotic treatment today and he seems to be responding well. At the moment his fever’s dropping and we feel confident he can probably drive tomorrow. I think the doctor has to wait and see. Obviously he’s had some worry about that. Jarno (Trulli) was actually quite sick on Monday, after the race. He wasn’t too good during the race weekend and I think some of the teams’ technicians have got various colds and fevers. I think quite a few people have suffered throughout the teams. Timo’s definitely rough.

Q: (Ken Kawakita – La Vie Creative) So that means there is still a slim chance for Kamui (Kobayashi) to continue driving for the whole weekend?
JH: I think it’s unlikely, to be honest, because I think Timo’s really determined to drive tomorrow but there is a risk if he’s not in good enough condition then there’s a possibility that Kamui will be in the car but I expect Timo to be here tomorrow and driving the car.

Q: (Chris Lines – Associated Press) Bob, in the past couple of weeks you’ve lost Flavio, Pat (Symonds) and now Fernando. You mentioned earlier that there have to be some major decisions at the end of the season. Should we have any worries about the future of Renault in Formula One, as a team and as an engine supplier?
BB: Well, I’m not worried, if you can read anything into that. I think that for me the most important thing is that Renault are still here, despite the crisis we’ve just been through. It’s been an extremely deep and difficult crisis, not just for the team but for the parent organisation and the fact that Renault have stood by us throughout all of this I think speaks volumes for their commitment, both to the team and to Formula One because their commitments to motor sport, even beyond Formula One, are very broad and long-standing, so it’s not a matter that they take lightly, but they have stood by us and I think that answers the question for you.

Q: (James Allen – Financial Times) To all of you: are we likely to see some testing re-introduced next year?
CH: I think it’s something that’s obviously being discussed within FOTA. We’ve got this young driver test at the end of this year and theoretically when the race drivers step out of the car in Abu Dhabi, the next time they will be in a car is at the beginning of February. I think they get approximately seven days each before the first race. That’s all the testing for the year. The most important thing is that the restrictions in budget and reductions in budget that we achieved this year were significant through reducing testing and I think that what we have to look at responsibly is that if we were to introduce any testing, that it doesn’t necessitate teams needing to build up the resource of re-employing test teams. At the moment, we manage to do the mileage that we do with our race team on a rotational basis but it’s something that for sure will be discussed and debated.
JH: I think we’re in exactly the same position as Christian. I think we’d like to do it but there are some challenges. I think it’s being studied very hard and also the issue of trying to bring young drivers is another challenge associated with the reduction of testing and both those two are major issues which we think need to be resolved, but there are challenges, particularly next year.
BB: I think one of the biggest problems is the young driver problem. I think that’s very real. I think that if we can find a way of introducing some testing that doesn’t involve us spending significantly more money, that it can be done at marginal cost with the existing resources, then it’s something we should consider. But it does have to be under those conditions.
HY: We have to be concerned about our budget as well. If we are spending too much money and if we have more testing then we have to prepare extra tyres and also manpower and logistics as well. We have to be concerned about these issues.

Q: To the three team personnel: the current engine regulations are eight engines per driver, and penalties if you use more. Do you think this rule should be tightened or do you think the teams should press for eight? Should the engine builders try for longer life engines?
JH: I think the proposal from the FOTA teams was to supply five engines per driver per race season, to achieve a lower price to support the smaller teams. But the current regulation is eight engines and honestly, because you do get a reduction in performance from the engine over mileage or kilometres, I think most people will probably be forced to go the route of supplying eight. I think it’s a challenge for teams and the engine engineers. We are competing and if that’s the regulation, our job is to deliver the best possible engine within the parameters that we’re allowed to work in. There is a cost for the smaller teams to actually have a very reliable cheap powertrain.
BB: Any initiative that attempts to sensibly take money out of the sport is worthwhile but it has to be introduced and managed correctly. Given enough notice we can do most of these things, we can make engines live that long or even longer. Let’s just do it in sensible time frames.
CH: All I would say is that when I entered into Formula One five years ago the engine bill was your biggest overhead. Now, it’s well down the list, the reduction in cost of engines over the last few years, the commitment that the manufacturers have committed to and in combination with the regulations has really quite dramatically reduced the engine costs for an independent team. I think that’s extremely commendable and it’s made the engines available at an affordable rate with parity to your supply team.

Q: (Will Buxton – Australasian Motorsport News) For Bob, John and Christian: Nelson Piquet, as a racing driver, is saying that he obviously wants to find a way back into Formula One at some point in the future. Now regardless of who made what decision and how it all came about, would any of you give him a seat, given what’s happened, and could you see anybody giving him a seat in the future?
JH: That’s a question for Bob, I guess.
BB: I’m not sure I’ll be giving him a seat and that’s really all I can say.
JH: I think on his performance, to be honest, disregarding the issue, I probably would not give him a drive and I would probably be further influenced in that decision by what took place.
CH: I think John has summed it up. I don’t think we would have any interest at Red Bull Racing.

FIA – Belgian GP Press Conference – Friday

FRIDAY PRESS CONFERENCE – August 28, 2009

TEAM PRINCIPALS:
Christian HORNER (Red Bull),
John HOWETT (Toyota),
Adam PARR (Williams),
Simon ROBERTS (Force India)

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Question to all of you. We see vastly varying performances from your cars from weekend to weekend. Or it seems that way. Are you happy with the consistency of your car and, if not, what is the problem? Where is the inconsistency? Adam, would you start? For example, your two cars were virtually at the bottom of the time sheets today.
Adam PARR: Well, actually this year I think we have been very pleased with our performances. It has been much more consistent than in previous years. Today has been a bit of a set back and we obviously need to do some serious work to put on a more competitive performance tomorrow afternoon. But so far this season has been much more consistent.

Q: Is there any idea what was happening?
AP: Today? Well, I hope someone has got an idea. But we are in the debrief right now, so hopefully we will know a lot more later on.

Q: Simon, what about you?
Simon ROBERTS: Well, I think that this year everything is a lot closer, so as teams move from race to race we are finding it really difficult to guess where we are going to be. That’s happened to us this afternoon. Like Adam we are in the debrief now looking at the data. I think with the tyres we thought that the softs would be the tyre to be on. We could get it to work early on but later on in the session we were not so sure. I think it is good in a way. Everyone changes a bit race to race and even small increments in performance improvement can make quite a big difference and I think that is all you are seeing really.

Q: John, Toyota seem to have been up and down a bit even in these last eight days.
John HOWETT: I think all teams have been varying. I think our biggest problem in the last two or three races appear to have been pretty strong race pace if you look at fuel corrected pace but, actually, a problem with one lap pace. We started very strongly. We seem, relatively, to have dropped back but the biggest issue we feel in the last two or three races has been the one lap pace.

Q: Christian, your consistency seems to be not bad.
CH: No, we have been reasonably consistent. Obviously, Valencia was a blip but I think on a day like today we treat it very much like a test day. It is impossible to predict what everyone else is doing with fuel loads, with revs, with engines, with set up, so we work through our own programme and we are reasonably happy with the day’s work we have done today.

Q: Adam, the form since Silverstone seems to have been really good. You seem to have taken a step up. What is the plan for the future?
AP: I think what’s happened since Silverstone, well, probably since Monaco, is actually we have been finishing the job. I think we have had a reasonably competitive car all season up until today but it took us a few races to really start bringing home the points. But I think it has been consistent since then. We have had fourth and fifth position through pretty much every race, so the main thing is just getting the job finished and we have been doing that much better recently.

Q: Is that going to be enough to hold onto Nico Rosberg?
AP: That’s a very good question. I think you will probably have to ask him whether we are doing a good enough job to hold onto him or not but we are certainly doing the best we can in terms of giving him a good car, good strategy and trying to finish it for him.

Q: What about Kazuki (Nakajima)? He seems to be having a lot of bad luck.
AP: Well, it is just absolutely awful to put a driver out there and then have a reliability issue or a pit stop issue and I think we all feel that we would like to see him doing the whole job himself and us doing our bit. It is difficult to blame a driver when you are not doing the full job yourself, so we need to look at our own performance particularly, for example, in Valencia.

Q: What is the engine situation likely to be for next year?
AP: The engine situation is still a work in progress but I think we are relatively clear on which direction we want to go in but obviously it is not finalised yet.

Q: Simon, can you tell us what your function is at Force India.
SR: I joined the team as part of the collaboration and the contract between Force India and McLaren Mercedes. It gave the team the opportunity to review its management structure which was done before I got there. I am there to run the team for Force India and that is what I do. Fundamentally because I know how all three organisations work I am pretty well placed to do that. That enabled us to take a very late decision and design and build a car around a new engine and a new gearbox and get out to do at least a couple of week’s winter testing which the team did a fantastic job doing. Really since then my focus has just been more on the internal running of the team, improving things every weekend, and helping the guys down the tunnel and the design team to bring upgrades to the track just like any other team.

Q: And the performance curve seems to be improving all the time.
SR: Yes, we are quite pleased. We are a small team and we have to be careful how we spend our money, so we had a strategy which we have been able to deploy. We took up significant upgrades to Silverstone and Valencia. Both those worked and we are still on the back of one of those here. We still have some stuff to come for later on in the season. That’s how we are doing.

Q: Presumably the target is World Championship points?
SR: Yes, we talk about it between every event. What do we need to do. What more can we do to make that a reality and all we can do is keep pushing, keep trying to improve our performance, and try and make some luck. We have been close a few times this year. We were close last year but you just have to be there. We have got ourselves into what we think is a solid Q2 team now and we think if we can run near the front of Q2, then we can score points when the opportunity arises.

Q: John, there have been all sorts of stories about the future of the team. Can you give us your point of view on that?
JH: I mean there is a lot of speculation about a lot of teams. I have no reason at all to question that Toyota will be here for the next three years and no information to the contrary. I think there was some story about budget and fundamentally our budgets are always approved in November and I genuinely was explaining that this year it was a bit more difficult to know what is likely to be approved and we have to accept that there is a very tough economy out there.

Q: How important is it for Toyota to supply another team?
JH: I think we did it really because we wanted to contribute to Formula One. I think at that time Ferrari were supplying and nobody else did. I think we are very willing and open to supply. We basically have an agreement with Williams to supply in 2010 but I think Toyota generally is normally a sensible company and if somebody does not wish to continue trading with you, we will consider favourably that decision. But, as such, as I sit here we do have a binding contract to supply Williams with engines in 2010. But we don’t gain a huge amount of material information from it. We are not developing a new engine. Therefore, I am not sure if we gain a material amount from losing supply at this current time.

Q: Jarno Trulli has outqualified Timo Glock eight to three times but they are level pegging in terms of race performances and results. What about Timo as he always seems to improve more places than any other driver this season?
JH: His race performances are always enormously strong. It is really clear that he seems to be happy. He had problems in Valencia where he was hit by (Sébastien) Buemi but when we actually look at the first two or three laps he did in the race, fuel corrected, he had an amazing pace and he continued the stints very strongly. I think really we are working very hard with him to try and improve the qualifying performance and I think if he can get there he has a really strong performance capability.

Q: Is he lacking something in qualifying?
JH: I don’t know. Last week I think he was six-tenths up on his previous lap time and would have been quicker than Jenson but had small problem in turn 13. We have got to understand whether it is the car too much on the edge or driver or set up but I think really we believe he has got it and we are working very hard to get him up the grid, so he has a good starting position.

Q: Christian, some interesting challenges for you. First of all, could you just explain to us what the situation is with Sebastian’s engines, what he’s got left, what he hasn’t got?
CH: The situation on engines is quite clear. Each driver is allowed eight race engines; four of those are consigned to shrapnel, unfortunately. But he’s got two new race engines and two used engines available to him. We will strategically use the two new engines, so we will be running one here, one possibly in Monza and then with the used engines, we will spread those out over the remaining Fridays. So if we’re frugal with the mileage on the Friday and go for quality rather than quantity, then hopefully we can avoid taking a penalty. But if we use any additional engines to those eight, then we will incur a ten-place penalty.

Q: You would never run an engine over a specific mileage that Renault have given you?
CH: Well, Renault obviously have a target mileage and as they gain confidence in those engines perhaps going beyond that mileage then we might extend but they’re working with us on that and obviously trying to support us in the best way they can.

Q: In terms of Sebastian (Vettel) and Mark (Webber) and their championship positions, how do you manage that – or do you not?
CH: Very simply; we support both drivers equally. We have brought the same upgrades to the cars at every event this year and it’s really been down to what they do on the circuit. It would be wrong from a team perspective to be favouring at this point of the championship one driver over the other, so we’ve treated both with an equal hand.

Q: We know Sebastian has got a contract until 2012, what’s the situation with Mark?
CH: Mark – we were delighted to secure his services for a further year, which we announced in Germany, the weekend that he won his first Grand Prix. So we’re really happy with the driver line-up we’ve got for 2010. I think it’s one of the stronger pairings in the field, it’s a great blend of youth and experience and there’s a very strong working spirit between the drivers, that’s professional and very collaborative, so from a team point of view, we’re extremely happy with the pairing that we have.

Q: And probably happy to have that issue settled unlike quite a few others.
CH: Yes, absolutely. Obviously we’re into the driver merry-go-round at the moment and the fact that we’re not part of that is very settling from a team point of view. They know exactly who we’re working with for next year.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Mike Doodson) My question is about aerodynamics because last year you guys sent your engineering wizards to lots of long meetings to resolve the problem of overtaking. I think the FIA had some input into that. The result, though, has been that these cars look as though they’ve been made out of Lego and there has been absolutely no improvement at all in the overtaking. I’m interested in knowing just how important overtaking is to the show as far as you’re concerned, and what is the next step?
CH: I’m not an aerodynamicist, so my answer won’t be particularly qualified but I will give you my observation. Obviously a lot of work was done through the Overtaking Working Group. It’s not rocket science to see that the lap times at several circuits this year are quicker than last year. Unfortunately, the double diffuser has played a part in that, I think, with the wake that the cars are now developing and the drivers do find it very difficult to follow each other closely. But I think the amount of development that has gone into these cars with the aero package that is there is just as critical as it has been in previous years. I think you also have to look at some of the circuit layouts. There are some circuits where you see more overtaking than others. I think you will see more this weekend at a circuit like this than you will at Singapore, for example. Unless you go back to really taking pretty much all the downforce off the car and going back to 600hp almost Formula Fords you’re not going to see a big difference in the overtaking at the current circuits that we race at. Is it important for Formula One? Well, I’ve been watching Formula One since the 1980s and I don’t think there’s ever been a huge amount of overtaking. Obviously the show is important, it’s important that drivers are able to race closely with each other and I think we actually have had some very exciting racing this year but it’s obviously something that can be worked on in the future and hopefully improved.
JH: I honestly don’t think I’ve got much to add to Christian’s point. I’ve been watching Formula One for a long time and there are those great overtaking moves but I’m not sure that in the last twenty years at least that there has been a huge amount. I think certainly FOTA now wants to look at how it can contribute generally to improving Formula One value to all the stakeholders and clearly overtaking is an issue that will need to be discussed and raised, but immediately, now, we have a formula that we’ve moved to, it hasn’t really achieved the objectives but we have had some fairly good races, the performance between the cars looks very, very close. If you look in qualifying this year there have been some circuits where it’s enormously close: nine cars in less than one second or more, so it’s something to be studied for the future but no need for panic.
SR: Yeah, I think I support everything the guys have just said. There is overtaking, certainly for our drivers in the early laps of some of the races, sometimes a little bit too exciting for us watching on the pit wall but I think it’s circuit dependent as well. As Christian said, I think here we’re expecting overtaking, I think probably the same at Monza but on the street circuits it’s very, very difficult.
AP: I think hopefully next year with the lack of refuelling and perhaps the impact that has on the tyres etc. there could be a bit more fun, but I think fundamentally, if you have ten or twelve very competent teams and double that number of very competent drivers and you line them up in order of speed it’s improbable they are going to overtake. And of course the closer they are in performance to each other, the less likely anyone is to pass anyone else. I was slightly surprised when Frank (Williams) said on Monday this week ‘we’ve got to do something about this’ and he said ‘let’s just split the race into two – have a morning race and an afternoon one on a Sunday and if that doesn’t work, let’s have a reverse grid in the second one.’ I think, personally, Valencia was quite exciting if you were in a team in the garage but quite frankly, if we carry on putting on races like that I think we will only have ourselves to blame if nobody carries on watching.

Q: (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Christian, the Brawns are down in 17th and 18th today; does that give you cause for optimism or is there a little bit sandbagging going on from them? Is there more to come, do you think?
CH: It’s a lot of sandbagging if they are sandbagging. As I said earlier, I think that everybody goes about their own business on a Friday. They’ve obviously been looking at different wing sweeps and so on as I think all teams have been up and down the pit lane. You can’t read too much into today, they tend to obviously run quite a bit of fuel and so it will be interesting to see where the performance is tomorrow and on Sunday. We’re quite happy with the preparation that we’ve had today and there are a few other cars in the mix as well this weekend. Lewis (Hamilton), if you look through the session, looks quick again, Heikki (Kovalainen) looks quick, Kimi (Räikkönen) looks quick, so it’s going to be an interesting weekend.

Q: (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) If I could ask Christian about his team’s engine supply and how soon you’re going to make your mind up and where you’re tending towards?
CH: Well, it will definitely be a V8! We’re obviously in a position where, as an independent team, we have a choice of engine. We’ve been very, very happy with the supply that we’ve had from Renault for the last three years. Any decision that will be made, will be made not on the outcome of a single weekend but based on what we believe offers us the best opportunity of performance and relationship for the future. We haven’t made any firm decisions yet but we’re obviously nearing a time when we need to make a commitment for next year.

Q: (MC) Is there a deadline?
CH: Well, Ross (Brawn) only chose his engine in January, so it shows it can be done pretty late. We obviously don’t want to wait that long but I would think that within the next couple of weeks we’ll hone in on a decision.

Toyota – European Grand Prix Preview Q+A – John Howett, President

How do you assess the season so far from the team’s point of view?
We are more than halfway through the season, having scored several strong results, and we have a competitive car at our disposal. Naturally we want better results and we expected to finish on the podium more frequently, but we are relatively pleased with the fundamental pace of our car. It was very satisfying to start the season so successfully and it was clear we were firmly in the top three for the first four races of the year. We have seen some fluctuations in relative performance since then, we just need to continue to add performance to the car and get the most out of the package that we have.

Has there been a highlight for you so far this season?
The all-Toyota front row in Bahrain was a proud moment for everyone in the team and to see two Toyotas leading the field, setting the fastest lap on the way, was really special. Of course, we all wish it had continued like that until the chequered flag but it wasn’t to be. We are in a results business so the highlights for me so far have been our podium finishes, particularly in Australia and Malaysia, because these confirmed our belief that we are serious contenders in 2009. There are plenty of opportunities remaining in 2009 so I firmly believe the highlight of the year is still to come.

Are you happy with the rate of development?
We have been focused and ambitious in our development. Maybe it’s not obvious to outsiders just how much development is going into the TF109 but we are pushing extremely hard to improve every conceivable area, with a particular focus on aerodynamics. Our development schedule at the start of the season was very ambitious and we have pushed on with that. We have made several significant steps forward this season which have certainly brought performance increase.

Is Toyota’s target still to win a race this season?
Our organisation exists to win races so that is always the goal and this year I believe we are closer than ever to doing that. But the surest way of winning our first Grand Prix is to pursue a relentless development programme, driving performance on. This is a team effort and everyone is working flat-out together to fulfil the huge potential of the TF109. We’ll see how the rest of the season goes but we have the passion and dedication to win this year.

How do you assess the performance of Jarno and Timo?
They have delivered a high standard of performance, as we expected, and they have both played their part in delivering a car this year which is genuinely competitive. Timo has been particularly strong in the races while in wet weather he is clearly one of the fastest guys in the field. He is still developing as a driver and he will become even better in the years to come, I am sure of that. We all know that Jarno is incredibly fast over one lap and he continues to show his fighting qualities in the races as well. He remains 100% motivated and he is pushing the team in a very positive way to improve the car.

What about the season in general? How strong is Formula 1?
It has been an exciting season and I think the fans enjoy seeing different teams fighting at the front. However it has probably been overshadowed by ‘politics’. Now the new Concorde Agreement has been signed it is important we look forward and look for ways to improve the sport and add value for its stakeholders, particularly the fans. Formula 1 remains an extraordinarily powerful sporting brand and one which continues to enjoy a very large fan base. We should be enormously proud of Formula 1 but we must never become complacent.

Is the team still developing the TF109 or have you already switched development to 2010?
We still have targets to reach this season so we have not even considered switching all development to the 2010 car. Significant work is going on in parallel on the 2010 car, as was always planned, but we are still working hard to extract more performance from the TF109. We have an extremely competitive baseline this year so the challenge is to keep up development and unlock all the potential of our package. We have a duty to ourselves, our partners and fans to push on at full throttle with our development programme but, more importantly, we know the leading cars are not out of reach so we must fight for every bit of extra performance.

Thinking about next year and beyond, can Toyota make another step forward? What are your expectations?
It is part of Toyota’s challenging spirit and its DNA to constantly strive for further improvement and this is an ongoing process, so of course we expect to make another step forward. It is too early to talk about specific goals, that’s clear, but our team exists to win so that is our natural target. However, we still have plenty we want to achieve in 2009, which remains our clear focus.

FOTA Press Conference – Transcript

Luca di Montezemolo: All of us have been really surprised by the enthusiasm that we have received from spectators, fans, in the FOTA side, the team side, the web side and in the press side from the public.

I don’t want to say anything because I have already spoken in Paris, but I like that all FOTA members starting from John Howett, vice-chairman, can say something to you and be ready to answer all your questions. As I said yesterday, I want to thank in a very deep way all the FOTA members, because they have been able to work together and today after less than one year, FOTA is an important association that has done a lot of work for the sport, for F1 – starting from important cost reductions.

John Howett: I think from my side on behalf of all our members, I express our appreciation to our chairman who has taken a very active and positive role in the organisation and performance of FOTA, and I think has ensured the unity among the members. This has ultimately resulted in a victory for Formula 1. There should be no victor from either side, and now I think we have the possibility of a very stable, sustainable platform that will enable us to continue F1 with the best drivers, the best cars and the best circuits in the world. That is from my side all I would like to say.

Flavio Briatore: Absolutely I share the feelings of our chairman and John. What we achieved yesterday was very positive for the FIA, it was very positive for F1, it is very positive for us. We have been working together with FOTA in the last year, and a lot has happened.

What we want is a Formula 1, and we achieved what we want – an F1 with the best drivers, with the best teams and we want to work to have a better show, entertaining better the people. We want to make sure the fans are with us, and make sure the fans are enjoying the fight between drivers. In the last six or seven months there was a lot of talk about politics and costs, and I don’t believe this is the subject the fans like. The fans like a show, they like a race, and we need to talk about sport again. We are happy to achieve this situation, we are happy to work for that.

After many years with the presidency of Max Mosley, we want to say good luck for the retirement. Sometimes we are in different positions, and sometimes we have different opinion, but the common sense yesterday was winning – and thank you to Luca too to negotiate. At this point we are looking for the future, and we are very close as well for an agreement on the commercial side, there are a few issues, but I hope in a few days we have an agreement for F1. I want to thank you for supporting us, I think is very different for the F1 and media supporting us.

Martin Whitmarsh: Okay just to add to what has already been said, I think in the years I’ve been involved in Formula 1 I haven’t witnessed before the co-operation between the teams. There have been occasions in the history of Formula 1 when perhaps we haven’t spent enough time on the governance of our sport. We haven’t spent enough time co-operating to improve and build our sport and I see in the last few months, fantastic efforts through challenging times by all of the teams represented here and I think that is a very positive way in which we can go forward within our sport.

We have concentrated, as Flavio said, on too many negative issues in the last few months. I think there is a clear commitment from all of the teams here to work now on the show and the entertainment, on making sure we reflect the wishes of the fans who support us now – I think we can make the sport better. And I hope that we yesterday reached a historic point for Formula 1, enabling perhaps to look outwards rather than continually looking in at the inner workings of our sport. It is an exciting moment for our sport and one that can only build it to be bigger and better.

Mario Theissen: Not much to add. I really thank Luca and John for the big effort they have put in. I think it has been a very, very strong year for all the teams, for the co-operation. It was really exceptional to be part of this process and yesterday in my view we have reached a breakthrough situation in the way that we have now a clear view of the future of the sport. It is a fantastic day for the sport, for the fans and definitely for us as teams as well. We have a clear view for the format of the series for the future and I think this is a very strong foundation now to come to an agreement and a conclusion on the commercial side as well. Which we will follow in the coming months.

Christian Horner: I would just like to re-endorse what has been achieved especially under the chairmanship of Luca di Montezemolo whose represented FOTA so positively. I sit here with a duty of care not just to the fans but to our employees as well and I think that with what has taken place over the last 24 hours with the solutions that have been reached I think it is very, very positive for Formula 1. As Martin says we can now focus on the fans, on creating a better show, on creating an even better sport and I think that F1 this year the championship on-track has been a strong championship. Hopefully now focus can be turned back to the circuit and the important factor of going racing. It was great day for Formula 1.

Stefano Domenicali: For sure it is important that F1 will stay as a real F1, that was one of our priorities for the future. For sure we as a FOTA we will welcome the new teams that are coming to F1, but of course it is important to make sure that the value of this formula is to make sure that these companies are able top F1 not only for one year but also for the future. And this will give another input to this championship. We need to make sure the new ones, who are very welcome, are really part of this business, not because we need to have new in terms of numbers, but new in terms of fresh blood into the championship. This is a very important point that we need to make sure of for the benefit of what we have achieved in these last days.

Nick Fry: Brawn GP, for a small private team stability is absolutely critical and from Ross and myself we are really pleased that the achievements of yesterday really do pave the way for a very bright future for Formula 1. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our competitors. It’s very clear that without the support of Luca and Ferrari, without the support of Mercedes, without the support of McLaren we probably wouldn’t be here today. It’s difficult to exaggerate the unity that you see in front of you. We’ve all stuck together, Brawn GP has been supported very strongly by all of our competitors and I’m very proud of that and we’re proud to be here among this group so we’re looking forward very much to a good future for Formula 1.

Franz Tost: When FOTA was established there were a lot of issues on the table from the commercial side, from the governance and from the regulation side. Thanks to the chairman Luca di Montezemolo to the vice chairman John Howett and also Flavio Briatore we could sort out all of these issues from the commercial side as well as from the governance and that we also have stabilised regulations for the championship is quite important especially for a team like Toro Rosso. But from this, FOTA pushed very hard to come down with the costs which also helps a lot a team like Toro Rosso from the engines, from the gearbox and also from the aerodynamic side. I think that now we can concentrate on racing and we can concentrate to increase the show and come up with a good one.

Luca di Montezemolo: If there are some questions, we are pleased to answer them. Let me just summarise, because what is coming out from all of the colleagues around this table the very good team spirit inside FOTA. It’s a big collaboration, everybody has worked a lot over the last two weeks, particularly John and Flavio have done a fantastic job and I’m happy that all of the other members recognise this. So thank you very very much. I would like also to call your attention to the coherence of FOTA. We said since the beginning that we were looking for some priority points and I want to thank the FIA World Motor Sport Council for the very positive meeting yesterday and the very constructive attitude towards the interests of F1. We will keep the 2009 rules the same for everybody – this is extremely important. We will have stability in F1 at least until the end of 2012. It means no cost, because with stability you have no cost. We also have governance like in the previous years in which the rules come from clear procedure with the F1 Commission. And we will continue as teams, as car manufacturers, to work for important cost reductions as we have already done with success regarding engines and gearboxes. Flavio will also be working with the commercial rights holder to improve the show and the interest in the sport. I’m confident we can find a solution with CVC in the next days – CVC is the company that owns the rights of F1. So our role is in two years, by the end of 2011, to achieve a cost basically like in the 1990s. It means that finally for small or big teams, it’s important to think of the balance between cost and the revenues at the end of 2011. We are united in the interests of the sport and I think that yesterday was a very positive and constructive agreement. Again, as my colleagues have said before, mainly for the spectators because the spectators were pissed off with the continued changing of the rules, it was difficult to understand. I have to say that after a month of confrontations we are also pleased to thank the president of the FIA for his decision to leave the FIA in October, to thank him for the work that he has done – particularly for safety because this was and still is a big priority in Formula 1 and the sport. Formula 1 has done a huge, huge improvement in safety.

We want to thank the FIA and the World Council for the unanimous agreement yesterday to approve and accept FOTA’s proposals. Again, we hope to find an agreement in the next day with John Howett dealing together with Flavio Briatore.

Q. The objective of bringing F1 closer to the public and the fans has been talked about. How do you aim to achieve this within the existing framework with the FIA and the commercial rights holder?

Martin Whitmarsh: I think as you are aware, FOTA undertook a very interesting survey of fans trying to understand what they wanted. The initial work led us to some conclusions that were put before the FIA. Unfortunately, none of those suggestions and ideas, which we felt were positive, were accepted. We now have to continue that work. We have to be structured in the way that we speak to the audience, asking them what they expect from the sport, the format of the sport, how they understand it, how it’s presented, how we provide information. We have to continue the work. There is no singular point; I think it is listening to what the audience wants and making sure that we respond to it to improve the show, the spectacle and the information that’s provided.

Q. How will the new teams fit in with FOTA, and will Williams and Force India be allowed back in. These three new teams signed up under the old rules

John Howett: First of all I think we need to have some dialogue with these teams to establish whether they wish to join FOTA or not. FOTA is open, we believe dialogue is constructive and positive. Obviously before doing that there is the issue of reaching an understanding with them on their position, based on the new regulatory framework. It’s too soon to say, but our door is open and I guess in the next two to three weeks, as the total situation is stabilised, we will enter into discussion with them should they wish to meet.

Q. Are the positions between FOTA and Mr Mosley now clear? Do you have an idea who can succeed Mr Mosley as president of the FIA?

John Howett: I believe yesterday the confirmation was given to the World Motorsport Council on what was agreed, and they endorsed entirely that. So from our side there should be no ambiguity at all. Secondly, the federation is an independent body with its own constitution, and it will be their business who they elect as the future successor to their president. From the teams point of view, we would like to see somebody who actually is independent, if you like, perhaps independent from any of us currently or historically. The federation covers much more than just motorsport, it is in fact involved in worldwide touring and I think also from the position of manufacturers they would wish to have somebody that was also able to represent appropriately the requirements of worldwide motorists, as well as purely focusing on sport.

Luca di Montezemolo: Just one personal point because yesterday I was not only representing Ferrari, but also all the Formula 1 teams at my first meeting of the World Council. I saw a very positive atmosphere, very constructive from all the members of the World Council. We have achieved a clear agreement, an agreement that is important to re-establish good, personal relations, and this is important looking ahead. This is something I want to emphasise.

The other thing is I was there also representing the car manufacturers. The meeting we had in Brussels with ACEA, under the chairmanship of Carlos Ghosn, the chairman of Renault, and with the chairman and CEO of all the car manufacturers – BMW, Ferrari, FIAT, Renault, Mercedes and Toyota – has been extremely useful because for the first time the top management of these companies have been directly involved in Formula 1. This is important for the future.

I want to say, one of the important agreements we achieved was an important commitment from manufacturers and big teams to race and continue to be in Formula One, at least until the end of 2012.

So in the past, if somebody was worried, maybe after Honda left or somebody else, not now. The car manufacturers and the big teams will remain in Formula 1, and this is the reason why yesterday’s agreement is important for us to work together for a better future for F1. F1 needs fresh air, needs ideas, needs improvement, working together to achieve this goal.

Q: What are going to be the precise technical and sporting regulations for next year, for example will the medal system be in place or not?

Flavio Briatore: The 2010 regulations will be what we are racing with now in 2009, we go back to the 2009 regulations and the Formula 1 Commission of 1998.

FIA – Turkey Press Conference – Friday

FRIDAY PRESS CONFERENCE – June 5, 2009

TEAM PRINCIPALS:
Flavio BRIATORE (Renault),
Stefano DOMENICALI (Ferrari),
John HOWETT (Toyota)

Q: To start with could you talk about your own team’s performance so far this year; whether and when you expect it to improve. How do you feel about it so far.
Flavio BRIATORE: We are not happy at all. We were expecting a different championship and we were expecting a much better performance from our car. From the beginning when we arrived in Australia we felt that we had a big difference between us and the Brawn. I think everybody felt that. I think you guys knew what was going on (becomes inaudible). Our team I believe approached the 2009 car from a completely different approach but we expect to improve race by race if it is possible. But now the question is if we see what happens. For me the championship is finished already. Brawn is very, very difficult to beat for anybody. Maybe Red Bull have a god possibility to finish second and I think everybody else is fighting for the third and fourth place. This is the honest situation, for sure. We never give up and we try to improve the car but everybody is improving the same and this is the situation where we are.

Q: When we had the first diffuser for the Renault in China we thought that was going to be the answer. But it doesn’t seem to have made a difference.
FB: I don’t think it is only the diffuser. It is with the concept of the car. Everybody now has the diffuser. I believe as well Brawn at this moment have another one or two tenths in the pocket. We try very hard but this is the situation. The team is improving the car and we have a chance now we are in June and July we want to really push with this car and see what happens. But the situation is really, really difficult for us.

Q: Stefano, same thing with you really. It looked better in Monaco but Monaco tends to be a little bit of a wild card really.
Stefano DOMENICALI: Well, I think that, first of all, of course, the start to the season was not really the start that we wanted or what we expected. We knew we had to pay the price as we fought to the end last year with our competitor McLaren. But then what you have to do is try to consider the reality and react and this is what we are doing with all the people at home. I think that the car has improved and our target is to make sure we do the maximum during the weekend in order to go back to our normal standard. This is the approach that we will have day by day. We did a step already in Spain and we had quite a good performance in Monte Carlo and we hope to have a good race here in Turkey and we will not give up until the moment when we really feel we cannot do it anymore. That is our approach.

Q: What about the indications so far here as you have a big reputation to defend. Felipe (Massa) won the last three years from pole and Kimi (Räikkönen) won the year before that, admittedly not in a Ferrari.
SD: I think today it was pretty difficult to understand exactly what the picture is as the track was pretty strange. The track condition was very changeable. We saw that both the hard (tyre) and also the soft didn’t perform as we expected in getting better and better. For sure the hard improved lap by lap but with no real grip on our car. But also with the soft we didn’t improve exactly the time as we were thinking. But overall we need to consider the gaps today and we need to understand what the fuel load of all the cars is. It would be wrong to take any judgement before understanding the picture. I think that tomorrow morning with the track in a better condition we should have a better idea of what will be the race on Sunday.

Q: John, for Toyota was Monaco just a one-off? Did you understand what happened there?
John HOWETT: Well, we had four strong races. Barcelona, some question mark although relatively we didn’t seem quite so competitive, particularly in sector three. Monaco was more or less unacceptable and we have to see where we are this weekend. We expect to have a return to a competitive position.

Q: What is the indication so far?
JH: Well, I think like Stefano says it is pretty difficult today. The track has been fairly green. The tyres have been difficult probably because of the track condition and we need to understand tomorrow. But relatively we have looked definitely stronger than Monaco.

Q: A question on a slightly different subject. There have been rumours that the Japanese Grand Prix won’t go back to Fuji. What is the official line from Toyota?
JH: Genuinely it is not Toyota Motorsport’s position. I am not involved at all with Fuji Speedway. It is another company within the Toyota group. I have heard that they are reconsidering but I genuinely can’t answer and I don’t know the exact position.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Mark Hughes – Autosport) Stefano, Max Mosley is saying that Ferrari is contractually obliged to race in next year’s Formula One World Championship because of the Concorde Agreement. What is your take on that?
SD: Well, our position is very clear and we have already said that. That is the position of Max of course. We had an agreement with the FIA but we felt that the obligations inside that agreement were breached, so the agreement is not valid anymore. We have put in our entry together with other competitors with the condition that we think is important to respect for the future of Formula One. If I may take the opportunity to say that I think it is important at this moment to be constructive. There is no-one who wants to have any fight with anyone because this is not, at least on our side, the position that we want to take. It is a moment where we genuinely need to find a solution. We have been here in Formula One for 60 years. We behave with a lot of responsibility to make sure that the values of Formula One will remain and this is the reason why we feel that it is important to look at this condition. This is the approach that we have taken together with FOTA. Do not underestimate that this year with FOTA we have already achieved a lot of cost saving measures without anyone that was requesting us as we know what the environment around is. But stability, governance, rules and the way to change them, these are crucial points to the future of Formula One. We want to work together to try to find a way out of this moment which is really not good for Formula One.

Q: (Jonathan Legard – BBC) This is a question for all of you. Can any of you shed light on these conditions which you were encouraged to attach to your entry beyond 2010 by FIA President Max Mosley and then apparently he is now quoted as saying you cannot possibly apply conditions like this. You just have got to come in or that’s it. How do you read the situation?
JH: Regarding the situation I don’t know. We will just have to wait and see what the response is. If you look in the International Sporting Code, I think it is Article 75, there is a mention of conditional entry although it does mention that it needs to be specified in the supplementary rules which maybe it isn’t. We did attend a meeting where we were invited by the President to submit conditional entries. I think the conditions are the conditions that the FOTA members have jointly developed and feel are the right conditions to submit our entries in and are positive for the future of the sport. The reaction? I think we just have to wait and see.
SD: I think on my side I think I can add only one thing. The starting point is I think what the FIA wanted to achieve in terms of goals and I think they were very clear. And I think that the answer from all the teams that are entering the championship and want to attend for the future in Formula One are basically targeting exactly the goals the President of the FIA gave to us. This is very important to tell. We know that cost saving is very important for all of us but with all respect we should know how to run our business and we are here to make sure that in any case we are profitable and we develop the brand and we use Formula One for marketing tools. That is part of the business. We know that and we have a proposal to make sure that we control for the future a significant reduction in costs. So target one is done. Secondly we want to have stability on the governance of the rules and basically make sure that the process by which you can change the regulation is the one that was used in the history of Formula One in the right way. The third point is by doing that, by being altogether, we are confirming all the teams to be here and stable up until 2012. I think basically that was another point of worry for the FIA not to have a constructor present in Formula One. I think that all these points are basically responding to the right points of Max when he was worried about the future of Formula One. This is honestly what I can add to what John has said.
FB: I think it is very clear. Everybody in the last two weeks says there is a war. There is no war. We don’t want any war. There was a comment saying we need a war. I think we have the responsibility for the employees that we have. I think we have the responsibility with the fans and with the supporters of Formula One. We don’t want war with anybody. What we want is governance. We want a system that was always in Formula One. We want a Formula One Commission. We want a Concorde Agreement. We want stability. We want to cut costs and make Formula One more efficient. It is not nice when somebody says that next year Renault will not be in Formula One anymore, Toyota is not in Formula One anymore and BMW is not in Formula One anymore. We do not trust these people and in the meantime we are trusting Mike Gascoyne with all respect to Mike Gascoyne and Mr Campos with all respect to Mr Campos. Yet this bunch of shell companies is putting in the entrance. I think it is very destructive when somebody tells me that Renault next year is not in Formula One anymore in a moment we are negotiating with sponsors, with supporters. It is destructive for Toyota and everybody as well. We want only a healthy Formula One. We have the responsibility with the fans. We never talked about the million, million people watching us. People do not understand anymore what is going on. We want only to just stay in the business, have a normal governance and work with everybody, with Mr Mosley. We do not want a war with Mr Mosley. Nobody wants a war with anybody. We don’t want a war with Mr Ecclestone. We don’t want a war with anybody. We want to have a better Formula One, better show, better entertainment. This is what we want. For sure we want to be Formula One more efficient and this is nice if we are working together to achieve the target. What we want to achieve is maybe much less of what is proposed by the federation but is a different way to achieve it. There is no war. There is no winner, no loser. If there is a war everybody will lose but we just accept all the bombardments we have day by day. We are not at war with anybody. We just want to respect our employees, our brand and it is not nice when somebody tells us that next year Renault is no longer in Formula One. This is really destructive if somebody believes the constructor is not in Formula One anymore. We have been in Formula One the last 20 years if you are talking about Renault and Ferrari 60. What kind of guarantee can this company give you that apply for entry to the championship. There is nothing wrong with a new company if it is properly done. We are talking about that, it looks like Brabham is just arriving and the family is fighting already. It is only a shell company. This is very destructive for Formula One, for the value of our brand and for the show, for the people. We want this Formula One, simple as that.

Q: (Dieter Rencken – The Citizen) This is primarily a FOTA question: there seems to be a perception that FOTA is being extremely selfish and possibly even sinister in trying to keep out the newcomers, those who have registered an interest in coming in. Does FOTA actually welcome these incoming teams?
JH: Yes. I think there’s a lot of misinformation which carries on from Flavio’s point. I think that all the major companies, and I would say beyond manufacturers and FOTA members who have contributed in six decades – us, almost one decade – to Formula One and I think we have been working very unselfishly in the last four or five years to reduce the cost of entry. I’ve never heard any resistance from any FOTA member to welcoming new teams. I think, generally, all we’re asking for is a stable platform derived, really, from a Concorde Agreement and once we have a stable governance and a stable platform I think we can significantly improve the sport for the benefit of all the stakeholders and that’s purely and simply the intention of FOTA. And if I could go beyond that, I think that we are, as many of the major players in FOTA, an integral part of global motor sport. We’re involved in young driver programmes, quite a number of us provide Formula Three engines. You see major sponsorship, for instance, from Red Bull. We are active from grass roots to motor sport at the top level, everywhere. I think the value of motor sport is very important to us, so to point out that we are being selfish or sinister is, I think, genuinely wrong. Most of the big companies involved in FOTA I think are serious about motor sport and adding value at all levels across all areas of motor sport. Renault, I think, are very strong in that, Ferrari are synonymous with motor sport. I don’t think we have to say anymore.
SD: If I may add just one thing to what I said at the beginning: do not forget that this year, without the help of the members of FOTA it was maybe not possible for some of the teams that are contesting the championship this year to run. So we did something for the benefit of all the people that are racing now, to make sure that they can stay alive. So I think it is wrong to say that FOTA is selfish. FOTA is in the status to say that it is an entity that is here to make sure that it’s working properly, with the FIA, with FOM, for the benefit of motor sport, and this is the way that we are approaching this, all the members, all together, in that respect.
FB: I think the same as John and Stefano. We shouldn’t forget an example like Brawn; without Mercedes, sure they would have no engine for this season. That’s quite clear. A lot of the team members of FOTA have their engines for five million for the future and it never happened. Five million is a representative amount, six or seven percent of the budget. We’re talking about the gearbox. FOTA wants the new teams, no problem, but everybody has to respect the same rules, the same situation. We want Formula One with one rule, we want Formula One with different engines – we want Ferrari engines, we want Renault engines etc., etc. I don’t think we’re asking something completely mad. What we want is stability, stability of governance, that’s what we want. I don’t think it’s something which is selfish or cynical. I think FOTA has made incredible steps to help everybody. We are very happy if some new teams want to enjoy Formula One under the same conditions, with the same rules.

Q: (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Stefano, you mentioned earlier about being constructive but how destructive is it when the president of the FIA this week turns round and mentions that if you guys want your own rules, you can go and run your own championship? And if, come next Friday, the FIA rejects the block bid from FOTA, will Ferrari be prepared to lead the other nine teams into that new championship?
SD: First of all, I can reply what I can say. We want to be as constructive as we can. Of course, for me in this civilisation of discussing, confronting themselves, it’s the nature of this world, it’s something that we need to accept and it’s not normal that when you want to find a solution, you cannot find a solution. For me that’s imperative. And I think that everything that we’re asking for, if I may say, is absolutely linear and consistent with the history of Formula One: nothing new, so it’s very, very logical. Regarding the second question, if our entries are rejected, what is going to happen? I think that within FOTA we need to sit down and discuss the situation but we really want to find a solution.

Q: (Joris Fioriti – AFP) Everyone has pretty much the impression that FOTA and the FIA are pretty much bluffing, so which one is bluffing the most? And the second question is do you think that the FIA has put itself in a very bad position because there are six to eight new teams which want to enter the 2010 championship and ten wish to remain?
JH: We can’t really answer, that’s a position the Federation has to explain to you. I think whether or not they’ve done the right thing or the wrong thing is something we can’t really clarify. I would confirm that we’re not bluffing and I don’t mean that as a threat. I just think that we just have a sincere, simple, straightforward position which we believe is correct for stabilising the future of Formula One. From our side, it isn’t power politics or war, as Flavio said.

Q: (Juha Päätalo – Financial Times Deutschland) If nobody wants a war can you then explain why it’s so difficult to find a solution for this crisis?
FB: Honestly, we don’t know. For us it’s a surprise why it’s so difficult. On my side, we don’t understand why it’s so difficult. We want to be in Formula One. We want to be there in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015. Again, we are always talking about 2012, I don’t know why. We are talking about the future; why not 2013, 2014. I don’t think there’s any difference. From day one, FOTA was never aggressive with anybody. We just want to participate in the championship, we want to cut costs, we want to have clear rules, we want to have a governance, we want to go through, like it was in your time, we need a Formula One Commission, we need to make all the decision-setting together for the good of the sport, for the good of Formula One. All the time we are forgetting the fans, the tifosi, the people. We’re always forgetting these people. There is a lot of confusion now. I don’t understand what the problem is. I think some people really don’t understand why there is a problem. It’s very destructive. We’re not bluffing because when you have the responsibility of three or four hundred people, it’s not bluffing. These are people who go home and the next day we need to make sure that we have the money to pay their salaries. You’re not bluffing when you are putting on the line so many employees between everybody. We have to be concerned about that. We have people who have mortgages, we have people who have to send children to school. We are not bluffing. As I say, we don’t want any war, we want stability in order to have a long term Formula One engagement. This is what we want. We don’t want anything special, we just want stability, just stability.

Q: Max Mosley said in Monte Carlo that he will insist anyway on this £40m budget cap. Could it be realistic in 2011, 2012 for you or at any time?
SD: As I have said, the objective to cut costs is pretty clear but we don’t think the way and the numbers have to be published. This is a business and we have to manage it and this is the reason why, with all respect, we are not publishing the income or the revenues of other activities connected to Formula One because that’s normal. In business, it’s part of the game and we want to save money in the way that we feel appropriate to run a business, to run a company. We may arrive at certain numbers but in a different way managed by the teams, and this is the way, as I’ve said before, to basically achieve the target of the concern of Max, that Formula One is too expensive.
FB: We have ten teams in Formula One, as usual. During the last seven or eight years we have had ten teams. We don’t understand what’s happened this year because at one point – after Honda decided to not be part of it – it looked like everybody would follow the Honda route. There was this really panicking situation about (needing) more teams in Formula One. We didn’t get that point because none of the ten teams still in Formula One want to stop. Honda is not Honda, it’s Brawn. It’s not that urgent to find GP3 – no, whatever – Formula Three teams to enjoy Formula One. I don’t think it’s so urgent because everybody has guaranteed to participate in the championship. We’re still here. Next year, if everything is normal, I think everybody will still be there. We didn’t understand all this panicking, why we need to change everything. It’s very difficult for us to understand because we have confirmed that we want to stay in Formula One, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and we need governance. This is what I think is quite clear. We don’t understand why we need this panicking that there are no more teams in Formula One next year.

Q: (Sarah Holt – BBC) Have you had any official response from Max Mosley since submitting your conditional entries last Friday? And the second question is, are you worried that all the remaining eight FOTA teams may not stand together on June 12? Williams has already been suspended, are you worried you might splinter?
JH: Before coming into the room, I hadn’t received answer on behalf of Toyota and I don’t think the others have, so unless something’s come whilst we’ve been sitting here, at the moment there is no answer from the Federation. I think at the moment, that whilst there are differences, what I think is really impressive about FOTA at the moment is that most of the teams really have a common wish and common bond to achieve the same objectives, so frankly I’m very optimistic that FOTA will remain intact.

Q: (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport) John, are you going to suspend Force India? This is the most recent rumour that we’ve heard because they’ve done something different. And for Stefano, what will Ferrari’s position be if Ferrari are accepted and for instance, Renault and Toyota are not accepted by Max Mosley?
SD: I can answer the second question and I’ll leave John the first one. As we said, we are moving jointly in this position, so our position is clear to answer the first question on our situation formally speaking. Secondly, the conditions are the same for everyone, so hopefully we will all be in.
JH: On the Force India question, what I would say is that it’s likely they may be suspended. I haven’t really had the opportunity to speak to Vijay (Mallya) directly. I think in accordance with FOTA he submitted a conditional entry and apparently due to commercial issues, totally unrelated to any other team or support, they felt obliged – because of other binding legal activity due to funding or other issues – they needed to submit an official entry. He will be here tomorrow and I will speak to him and I have to say that I think it is the intention of FOTA to suspend them, based on a face-to-face discussion with Vijay but he has confirmed to me, through Bob Fearnley, that he is totally supportive and committed to FOTA.

Q: (Dieter Rencken – The Citizen) The FIA set an entry deadline of May 29. You people submitted your entries before then, so no problem. However, subsequently, you people issued a deadline of June 11 in terms of signing the commercial agreement. If that deadline is not met, where do you go from there?
JH: In my case, from Toyota’s position, we’re quite relaxed. I think that what we’re asking is reasonable. We believe that common sense will prevail and I think that should the entries be rejected, as Stefano mentioned, we need to sit down and discuss the next steps. We do have a number of scenarios and scenario planning and the worst case scenario would be to have to establish our own series, but I think FOTA has a list of scenarios based on the reaction and how the response of the Federation moves forward.

03-Jun-09: Howett Believes in a United F1 Future

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this episode

It’s the 3rd June 2009 and this is F1 Minute.

Toyota president John Howett has been speaking about FOTA’s conditions for the 2010 season, and is convinced that the teams and the FIA will be much closer, even united, if the FIA agree to what they want. Howett says: “The constructive and open atmosphere within the organisation gives me great hope for the future health of Formula 1. We have consistently said we want to continue to participate in Formula 1, and if our conditional entry is accepted we will commit to the sport until at least the end of the 2012 season. If and when that happens, the unfounded rumours surrounding our future should stop.”

Yet another new entry for the 2010 season has revealed themselves. Epsilon Euskadi were rumoured to be submitting a team for next year, but it wasn’t confirmed until today. If the budget caps go ahead, they have funding for the next four years.

That’s all for now, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.

Toyota – Turkish Grand Prix Preview Q+A – John Howett, President

What are the team’s chances for the Turkish Grand Prix?
I believe we have a very good chance in Turkey. We are third in the Constructors’ Championship and, with the exception of Monaco, we have been competitive everywhere this season. Both our drivers are performing really well at the moment and we know our car is fundamentally strong on normal circuit layouts so we are optimistic.

Why was the Monaco performance so disappointing?
In Barcelona we saw that in sector three – the slowest part of the track – our car was not performing as well as expected and this was magnified in Monaco, where the whole track is low speed. Basically our car is not particularly strong on slow-speed sections and we have to improve this.

What have you done since Monaco to address the problem?
The team back in Cologne has worked extremely hard to understand what happened in Monaco. We have analysed the Monaco situation based on the actual weekend data, specific wind tunnel tests and even a straight-line aero test. A solution is now being developed from these results.

Has Toyota slipped off the pace since Barcelona?
In terms of results, clearly we have not achieved what we expected in the last two races but I firmly believe our car is inherently very competitive and we will have the results to show that in the coming races. Our car was reasonably strong in Barcelona, particularly in the medium-high speed sections of the lap. Unfortunately we had poor starts and this compromised the race, with Jarno involved in an accident and Timo stuck in traffic. We had a very good chance of finishing in the top six, which would have been a decent result. Monaco was obviously not acceptable but it is a unique lay-out and I have no doubt we will be competitive again in Turkey. We have new parts coming for all of the next races so I believe you will see Toyota fighting at the front again very, very soon.

What about the political situation in Formula 1?
Toyota has, like the other FOTA teams, submitted a conditional entry to the 2010 World Championship and we are hopeful these conditions will be met. Firstly we need a new Concorde Agreement to be signed by all parties before 12 June this year to ensure proper governance; secondly the 2010 regulations must be based on those we have this year with modifications which FOTA has proposed.

How committed is Toyota to Formula 1?
We have consistently said we want to continue to participate in Formula 1 and if our conditional entry is accepted we will commit to the sport until at least the end of the 2012 season. If and when that happens, the unfounded rumours surrounding our future should stop.

Has FOTA agreed to a budget cap in 2010?
No, there is no budget cap contained within the FOTA proposals for 2010 regulations. FOTA has proposed a sensible method of controlling expenditure which can be managed in a very simple, practical manner whilst avoiding external and potentially costly auditing mechanisms. We have put forward a comprehensive document of proposals for the 2010 regulations which we believe will allow Formula 1 to prosper.

What about new teams? Does FOTA support new teams entering Formula 1?
We are happy to see new teams but we made it clear from the start that everybody has to compete under the same rules. Cost reduction was one of FOTA’s founding principles and we have reduced the costs of leasing engines and transmissions by over 50%, with further significant savings contained within our proposed 2010 regulations. These include limits on aerodynamic development, restrictions on the use of exotic materials and prohibition of some costly technical activities, such as wheel rim heating, which don’t add to the spectacle of Formula 1. We have proposed many effective measures to reduce the cost of entry to, and participation in, Formula 1.

How difficult have the negotiations been?
As everyone involved in Formula 1 knows, it has been a long and, at times, challenging process which is not yet concluded. If the conditions attached to our entry are accepted, I believe Formula 1 will be the winner. It has been extremely gratifying to see the unprecedented level of unity within FOTA. Naturally we are all competing on the track but we all recognised and acted upon the need for cooperation to ensure a viable future for Formula 1 as we know it. The constructive and open atmosphere within the organisation gives me great hope for the future health of Formula 1.

25-May-09: Williams Submit Entry for 2010

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this episode

It’s the 25th May 2009, and this is F1 Minute.

Williams have lodged their entry to the 2010 championship, despite the fact that FOTA have said they are united against the regulations. Adam Parr of Williams said they have joined in the teams association as they write to the FIA, but they have to adhere to the FOM contract they signed to appear in Formula 1 until 2010 –they have already been paid for doing so. Apparently FOTA are expected to meet again this week to decide what to do about their own entries – the deadline for submissions is this Friday.

Meanwhile, Toyota president John Howett has dismissed claims that the team will use the row to exit the sport regardless of whether the issues are sorted out or not. He said he’s urging the team not to panic in respect of their poor performance this weekend, and that it is their wish to find a compromise and enter the championship next year. The rest of it, as he says, is spin.

That’s all for now, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.

FIA – Malaysian GP Press Conference – Friday

FRIDAY PRESS CONFERENCE – April 3, 2009
TEAM PRINCIPALS:
Ross Brawn (Brawn GP),
John Howett (Toyota),
Adam Parr (Williams),
Martin Whitmarsh (McLaren Mercedes)

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: A question to you all. Could you give us an update on how you feel your teams have done so far looking at Australia and today. Adam?
Adam PARR: Well, if you got points for practice we would be doing very well but obviously we need to do better than we did in Australia, that’s for sure.

Q: How has it gone today?
AP: It has gone okay but it does not really count for anything, does it?

Q: Ross, your feelings so far?
Ross BRAWN: Well, obviously Australia was, as has been said many times, a fairytale. Thinking about what the team has gone through for the past few months then to have the result we had in Melbourne was unconceivable and unbelievable. I have been through many things in Formula One. I have been lucky enough to have some very special experiences and that certainly ranks as one of the best, if not the best of my career. It was achieved with a lot of things from within the company but there are a lot of people outside the company who helped us survive. Martin was one of them and Ron did his elder statesman part and did a very good job and I must say FOTA rallied around. We would not have survived without the help of those people. Whilst it was a wonderful it shows that even though we are going through a little bit of a difficult period with protests and things at the moment there is another side of our business which is very united and very together in trying to solve and improve Formula One.

Q: Martin?
Martin WHITMARSH: I think we are already on record as saying that our car is not quick enough and I think that was evident last weekend and it is evident again this weekend. I think after the two massive championship seasons, frankly, fighting through to the end of the year we put a lot of resource into that. It was a decision we felt was right in Brazil but as we stand today we know we have got a lot of catching up to do. On a positive note I think in week 11, Barcelona test, I think we were very slow by comparison to every car. I think the team has made a spirited fight-back to try and drag itself into the pack but the truth is we have got a lot of work to do and we have got a lot of development necessary to get ourselves into a position we would expect to be in.

Q: John?
John HOWETT: I think it is too early to say really. We had a fairly challenging weekend in Australia. In qualifying if you look at fuel corrected pace, definitely Timo (Glock) had a very strong lap and in race pace when we were running in relatively free air the car was competitive. We need to wait at least another couple of races, different type of circuits, to really judge the relative performance of all the teams.

Q: John and Martin, you both had certain events during last weekend. Any further comment on what was happening last weekend and what continues to happen now?
JH: I don’t think so. I mean we have issued press statements on it, so we will have to wait and see in terms of the diffuser what happens on April 14. I think as a team we are very confident that we have interpreted the rules correctly and we have had verification that our interpretation would appear to be correct and we just need to wait to see.

MW: Well, okay obviously I have got to comment on what for our team is a very sad day today. We have suspended a long standing Sporting Director, Dave Ryan. I think many people in this room will know Dave and will know of Dave. He has been with the team for 35 years. I have personally known him for 20 years and I think anyone who knows him, knows that he is a very straight forward, dedicated, hard working individual. However, it has become clear from discussions with Dave last night and through into this morning that during the stewards’ meeting he was not entirely full and truthful in answers that he gave the stewards and consequently we had no alternative today other than to suspend him. As you can imagine I think it is a very sad day for the team. We have got to deal with this weekend and we have got to look in a bit more detail at all of the events that surrounded that. From my perspective obviously it is a point of deep, deep regret. It is not how I wanted this year in particular to start and it is something for which the team and myself are not only deeply embarrassed but deeply regretful. I think for Dave is has been a shattering day for him.

Q: Another question for both of you in the front row. Relating to KERS, how do you feel KERS went and how you have used it so far?
MW: I think at the moment it is still early days and frankly we had some difficulties with KERS today and Lewis’s runs in the afternoon were without KERS. It was an incredibly challenging range of technologies to package KERS on a Formula One car. I think Mercedes Benz have done a fantastic job and it was a really successful use of it in Australia. Here it has been a bit challenging but again it is early days. I am confident that we will find our way through those difficulties. It’s a technology that is important to Formula One and there has been just a huge effort to make it work. I can appreciate that some teams have decided wisely not to bowl in there with KERS. I think Mercedes Benz and ourselves rolled our shirt-sleeves up and got stuck into it. It has been a massively expensive and challenging programme. But we are going to stick at it. When it is working there is some advantage and we will, I am sure, have benefit of it as the season progresses.

Q: Will you persevere with it this weekend?
MW: Yes, we will. I think we had one glitch which caused us for safety and practical reasons to turn it off. I think we had a small cooling pump failure which meant we couldn’t run with it on Lewis’s car. We will obviously look into that and see whether it is anything particular to these conditions or whether it’s the fact it is a very new technology and we are working hard to develop it and solve those problems.

Q: John, when will we see KERS on the Toyota?
JH: We are still monitoring the situation. We are still continuing development in Cologne. I think we have always said that when we start to see the advantage in terms of lap time or a competitive advantage we will try to install KERS on the car. Here you have fairly long straights and a reasonably long run into the first corner, so we need to evaluate what advantage KERS will give in those situations.

Q: Adam, can you say when your slightly different system of KERS will be used?
AP: Very similar to John. We are just working on it flat out and we are also waiting to see whether it will generate faster lap time. But I think one thing was quite clear in Melbourne which is that regardless of lap time there may be tactical advantages in having it on the car, so we are more determined than ever to have it on as soon as we can.

Q: Both of you in the back row are independent teams. You have both tasted a certain amount of success in various ways. How important is that from a  commercial point of view? Ross, obviously, has got the Virgin sticker on the car and that’s about it. How important is success for you from a commercial point of view? Adam, perhaps you could start?
AP: It is why we are here. We were very fortunate in the last few months of last year that I think 10 of our partners renewed their sponsorship with us and I think including four upgrades for this year, so they showed a lot of faith in the team at a time that, as you will appreciate, was extremely difficult to make a decision like that. We are very grateful to them and the only way we can reward them on the track is by performing, so it is absolutely crucial to us to perform.

Q: Ross, has the phone been ringing with people wanting to give you money since last weekend?
RB: It is not quite that simple but there has been a lot of interest and of course given the result we had last weekend it was perfect to develop the commercial side. If we had been at the back of the grid it would have certainly been a lot more difficult. But it is a tough market out there at the moment and we all know what the economic situation is.  But things are developing reasonably well but the key objective for us is to find partners that we can have for the next two, three or more years, not just someone to come along and have a quick splash and disappear. We will take our time to develop the right partners. With Virgin it is starting small but with a lot of potential for the future, so I think we have made as good a start as we could have dreamed of with the results we have and the car we have got. With regards to KERS it is not high on the agenda for us at the moment. We had to make some compromises to change the engine in the car, so the car has got to be heavier now than originally intended and that makes it quite difficult to install KERS. We will have to work hard to get some weight out of the car before we can get to a position where KERS is a possibility. Like the rest of the group we will be monitoring the situation. This, I think, is one of the best tracks for KERS according to our simulations when we did it and I think you may see that KERS-equipped cars will be more to the fore here than they perhaps would be on other circuits.

Q: Someone suggested last weekend that is costs more money to have KERS. Is that right?
RB: It certainly costs money.

Q: Is it part of the deal? Is it extra?
RB: No, our engine agreement with McLaren Mercedes is purely an engine supply agreement. We have had some tentative discussions about KERS but it is a little bit early for us to engage properly on that.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Talking about what happened to Mr Ryan. Does it mean that he was lying then to the stewards?
MW: It means he was not truthful and full in his answer which is what I said (becomes inaudible).

Q: (Ed Gorman – The Times) Martin, to follow that up. The impression we are getting from the statement is that Dave Ryan did this on his own. Are you telling us that there was no-one else involved in McLaren, senior to him, in this process?
MW: Correct, there was no-one else senior. I think anyone who knows Dave will know that he did not set out with any deliberate intention to mislead the stewards. He went to that stewards meeting with Lewis, I am sure, with the intention of being very clear and straightforward but I think during the course of that meeting, as we explored it more with him, over the last 24 hours it became clear that he was not as full and comprehensive as he could have been.

Q: (Ed Gorman – The Times) Could you explain also what Lewis’s precise role was because the stewards made it very clear to us that both Dave Ryan and Lewis specifically said that the team had not told them to allow (Jarno) Trulli to go past. So what did Lewis do? Did he follow Ryan?
MW: I think Dave was the senior member of the team there and Dave has to take responsibility for leading that process. I think Lewis is going to talk to the media later and I am sure he will give a full account from his perspective. But this is something that was still unfolding until literally minutes before the first practice session. I had to take an incredibly difficult decision. I have personally known Dave for 20 years. If you go around this paddock and ask any team in any organisation of their experiences of Dave in terms of his dedication and commitment, so he is shattered by what has happened today. We need to take stock of that situation but there were two people in with the stewards but Dave is part of the management, he is the Sporting Director of this team, and as such he had the responsibility to ensure that the stewards received a full and entirely truthful account of what happened.

Q: (Ed Gorman – The Times) There have been some very harsh things said about the team, particularly in the British press, including a suggestion that McLaren is contaminated by a culture of cheating. Is that the case?
MW: No.

Q: (Ed Gorman – The Times) What is the case?
MW: The case is that Dave made a very serious error of judgement in going into that stewards meeting and he is paying the consequences of that. It is something that he deeply regrets, Lewis and I and the team regret, and it is something that we have got to put right.

Q: (Juha Päätalo – Financial Times Germany) You say that Dave was not entirely truthful in front of the stewards but what about Lewis, was he truthful in front of the stewards?
MW: No, I think that Lewis was not entirely truthful but we have spoken to Dave, he was the senior member of the team and they went into a situation together and I think they were trying to deal with the situation but they got it wrong. Dave, as the senior member of the team was responsible for what happened and therefore I took that decision this morning.

Q: (Jonathan Legard – BBC) Martin, what is the procedure or the process in terms of deciding what was going to be said? You were on the pit wall and so was Ron Dennis as much as Dave and anyone else. When this process was unfolding and you knew he had to go to the stewards what was done? What happens?
MW: In truth the situation was that during this incident we were asking the stewards, well, we were asking race control, for a decision because we realised that Trulli had been let past. We did not think that was right because in fact the original overtake of Trulli was entirely legitimate as Trulli was not on the circuit. We believed that when all of the facts were presented to the stewards that they would recognise and they would restore the positions, so we asked for the race control and the stewards to look into it and Dave and Lewis went to the stewards to give their account.

Q: (Jonathan Legard – BBC) But did they talk to you about what should be said?
MW: No. They did not because it was not necessary. We knew what had happened and there was a belief that a true and honest account of that would get the result, that the positions would have been reversed.

Q: (Jonathan Legard – BBC) So what got lost in translation? Lewis gave this interview or interviews saying ‘I was asked’ and then said ‘no’ in the stewards’ inquiry. Why, why did that happen?
MW: Well, I think Lewis got out of the car and gave a truthful account of what happened. I believe that whilst they were at the stewards, Dave, who had been party to what had happened in Spa, was highly sensitive and I think in the heat of the moment, his judgment was to not give a true account, and I think Lewis was then led by that.

Q: (Jon McEvoy – The Daily Mail) Martin, I was just wondering what we should believe is the next step, given that Dave Ryan has been suspended as opposed to sacked or resigned. What does that mean, how will that develop?
MW: What it leaves now is that this is something that happened literally minutes before the first practice session. Dave has been sent home and we need to, during the course of this weekend, understand exactly what happened and make the decisions about Dave’s future.

Q: (Jon McEvoy – The Daily Mail) And finally, from me, I was wondering if you, given all the fall-out from this, have given any consideration to whether you would resign from your role?
MW: I think there’s a lot of things going through my mind today and it’s happening during an event in which we’re trying to do the best job we can. I think, as a team, at the moment, we’ve lost someone who is very much a significant anchor in this organisation and we’ve got to make sure that we pull together to do the best job that we can this weekend. I think we’ve got to reflect on everything that’s happened over the course of the Australian weekend, after this race has finished.

Q: (Jon McEvoy – The Daily Mail) So you don’t rule that in or out?
MW: I don’t rule anything in or out. I think at the moment, what we are keen and earnest to do today is make sure that we put our hands up and say it was a serious error of judgement during that process and that we make sure that we come clean on that fact.

Q: (Ingo Rörsch – Sport Bild) Mr Whitmarsh, have you had the chance to see the precise words which were spoken between the stewards and your two team members?
MW: No, I haven’t. Ordinarily they aren’t minuted and I believe one of the stewards didn’t bring his notebook from Australia but we have no access to that. All we can do is ask the driver and the team manager what was said in that meeting.

Q: (Ingo Rörsch – Sport Bild) But shouldn’t that be recorded for the future?
MW: Well, again, I think at the moment it’s not for me to make that judgement. I think what the stewards should rely upon is that when the teams are called before them, they will give a totally true and open account of what happened.

Q: (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) John, relations between FOTA and FOA are a bit strained and tense; do you see that getting better or worse?
JH: Between FOTA and FOA? Well, I think at the moment we have progressed significantly. There was, as you know, some tension over historic payments. They haven’t, I think, in the teams’ opinion, all been settled but a significant  proportion have been settled and whilst we’ve been in Australia I believe our lawyers together with FOA’s lawyers have made significant progress, so I think in terms of the actual agreement, we all believe, we are extremely close to actually reaching a final conclusion.

Q: (Anne Giuntini – L’Equipe) To all of those who are using KERS: how much of an advantage can it be at the start? Is it quantifiable? Is it possible to know?
MW: Yes, it’s quantifiable. There are a number of factors but clearly if you can discharge going down to the first corner, then you do get a quantifiable advantage that varies from circuit to circuit depending on whether you’re grip limited and the length to that corner. It also, frankly, relies upon you being able to deploy that much additional energy. If you are frankly languishing further back on the grid as we were at the last Grand Prix, then it’s very rare that you can go to the first corner braking point at full power, even with or without KERS, so its benefit is greater, clearly, if you’ve got a clear run at the first corner.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Ross, how do you see the situation here compared to Australia one week ago?
RB: It’s still a little bit too early to say. We’re struggling a little bit with the balance of the car today, it’s not quite as nice as Australia. Despite what the perceptions are of the car it has actually very good low speed grip, it’s very good on traction. It’s not a track that perhaps rewards those elements quite as much and neither driver was particularly happy with the balance of the car today, so we’ve got to do a good job tonight to improve that, but I think we’ll be near the front and fighting at the front. Whenever anyone said a car or a team were going to be dominant, don’t believe it because this business is too competitive for anyone to be dominant. We’re going to have to fight very, very hard to get points this weekend and hopefully get podiums.

Q: This is for Ross Brawn, can you explain for us the development plan for your car this year? Do you have enough resources to develop the car while other teams develop their cars, of course?
RB: Yes, we’ve been through a pretty traumatic winter and unfortunately that still continued this week because we had a lot of restructuring of the team to do. We’re not a team with a budget that Honda had, so this week there has been some unfortunate restructuring. We hope we’re going into next week with our new team and we can then look forward and the restructuring has been very focused on performance. It would be no good having a team with fantastic production facilities and no ideas, so the team has been structured very strongly around maintaining a good development programme, so we’ve tried not to impact the technical areas too much and yes, the development is on-going. We’re planning an upgrade for Barcelona or just after Barcelona. We obviously have this appeal hearing next week or the week after next and we need to see what comes out of that because that may change direction. I’m reasonably confident but you can’t be one hundred percent confident. So yeah, we’ve got to move forward. I think these new rules, by definition, being a new set of rules, the rate of progress will be very rapid as Martin touched on. At one stage in winter testing they were quite a long way behind and now they’re getting into the pack and making rapid progress, so it is an era of very rapid progress and we’ve got to progress as well as our competitors if we want to have a hope of winning another race this year.

Q: (Benny Casadei – Il Giornale) Ross, which is the most important thing you learned at Ferrari that you are applying leading your new team?
RB: Non mollare mai – you never give up and there were times over the winter when it was easy to think this was actually not worth it. It was very, very difficult at times. The great thing, I must say, is that the team stuck together. I’ve said before, I had some black days over the winter. Luckily they didn’t coincide with Nick’s black days or some of the other management team’s black days. As I said at the beginning, the support from McLaren and Mercedes was exceptional. They didn’t know whether we were going to make it or not but they just gave us 110 percent all the time. There was no doubt from their side that they were going to give us everything we wanted. So if I took something from Ferrari and from Luca (di Montezemolo) and Jean Todt and Michael (Schumacher), it was just never give up.

Q: (Chris Lines – Associated Press) I want to ask all four guys what they think of the speed and method of Formula One’s decision-making with penalties with the Hamilton-Trulli situation, with the diffuser situation. Is there any way these can be sped up? Fans attend the race or they watch on TV thinking they’ve seen one result; they get home and it’s completely changed. Is there anything you can think of to improve that process?
JH: I suppose fundamentally FIA is the Federation, it’s their championship and it’s their right to determine how they manage it. It could be something that FOTA, if the members so desired, could try to discuss openly with the Federation, but I think one has to respect the fact that as in football, the stewards are there and appointed and have the right to decide, and I think it’s something that could be expressed as a future opportunity to improve but I don’t believe it’s something that we have the right to really interfere with directly.
AP: Yeah, I think one has to distinguish between the sporting regulations and the technical regulations. I think the sporting regulations, you have to try and sort it out as quickly as possible and the only reason to come back at any distance from the race is if there’s new evidence that is very significant. On the technical side, I think it’s extremely difficult because obviously over the winter or before that, we’re developing cars, we’re seeking clarifications from the FIA as to how to interpret rules or confirming that we’ve correctly understood them and it’s not necessarily until we come up to the new season that people get a sense of what other people are doing. And then the process demands that you protest after an event or during an event or after scrutineering. If you look at the process we’re going through now, we were protested on the Thursday which was the first opportunity that anybody had to do it. It was well signalled by the teams that they would do that, very transparently, and we’ve now got a hearing which is exactly 16 days after that process. You need eight days for the submissions from the appellants and eight days to respond, and I think anything less than that would be very difficult. It may look like a very long drawn-out process but I think it’s dictated by the nature of the sport.
RB: I think it is always a bit unfortunate when fans go away and there’s still debate going on about decisions and I wish it were possible to walk away from a race that was black and white but it’s a very complicated sport, particularly when you start to move into the technical side. I think the process that we’re going through is fair and proper. I’ve been on the wrong side of protests and appeals, I’ve been on the right side of protests and appeals and it is a very, very complicated sport, and particularly with new regulations coming in, three teams took an interpretation which they’re very comfortable with and several other teams aren’t happy with that interpretation. It has to be resolved, so I think the process is as good as it can be. On the sporting side, even if you make a final decision and it’s the wrong decision that’s probably worse than it being a good decision that takes a little bit longer.
MW: I’m afraid, no particular ideas, but I think inevitably that we have to try and get everyone to work together, the teams and the Federation, to ensure that we find ways to shorten that process because clearly we recognise that it’s not the best thing for the sport but I think the teams are as much a part of that as the Federation. We’ve perhaps got to be more transparent, more clear in our dealings with the sporting body, so I think we shouldn’t be looking to any one party, we’re all part of this sport and we’ve got to look at how we can contribute to improving it.

Q: (Jon McEvoy – The Daily Mail) Where do Lewis and his manager stand with the team at the moment, how are relations between them and you and whether their reaction to what’s gone on was the factor in Dave Ryan going and whether it’s still a factor in how you’re evaluating your next step as well?
MW: No, it’s not a factor. Lewis is not only a very committed member of the team, he’s a long-standing friend of many of us in the team who have known him since he was a lad. Anthony is similarly well-regarded. They are solid supporters of the team, consider themselves to be part of it. They weren’t involved in the sad decision with Dave Ryan, they learned after the event, Lewis didn’t know until after P1 this morning. So they had no bearing on it, they weren’t involved in it. We have to manage the business, they know and understand that and I would say the relationship – at the moment, it’s a very difficult time for the team. We’ve got to make sure that we come out of it understanding and learning and hopefully with even stronger relationships than we started with.

Q: (Dieter Rencken – The Citizen) Ross, I wonder whether you could clarify some points please. After your restructure, will the team be a small big team or a big small team? Secondly, for what reason was the team accepted as a new team and not a continuation of the Honda team? And then finally, with regard to the commercial Concorde Agreement, where the team stands in that regard at this point?
RB: Well, I hope it’s both. I hope it’s a big small team and a small big team. In terms of the structuring, we looked very carefully at where we felt performance came from, reliability. We will be pretty lean in terms of the number of spares we carry. I think we’ve got 55 people here whereas last year we would have had 90 at a race. So it’s a different era for us but one which is quite exciting and quite challenging. There will be times when we will be very frustrated, because we can’t do something that we would have liked to do and that was a luxury and a nice thing, and I don’t mean travelling at the sharp end of the plane, I mean the engineering things that we were able to do with the number of people and the budgets that we had before. With regard to the entry, the FIA determined that we were a new entry. I understand the reasons why they made that decision and we respect that. On the commercial side, it’s not something I feel I want to comment on but something I would say that FOTA has been very supportive of, and FOM in finding a solution, to give the team the best chance of a way forward in the future.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) There’s one thing that I don’t understand very much, Mr Whitmarsh. Does it mean that you only learned this morning from Mr Ryan that he was not entirely truthful, because yesterday when you talked to us, it was something completely different, and it was after you read what the stewards sent out as a press release that you saw there was some inconsistency from what you said and what you knew?
MW: I think in these situations people strive to convince themselves that they have been entirely true and honest in all of their answers and of course you can technically answer something and convince yourself that it is truth. Dave was clear that he had not lied and we believed that. As we dealt with the unfolding situation of yesterday, the more that we discussed it, the more that we believed that the answers that were given were not full and honest in the way that we would expect them to be.

Next Page »