The two drivers scored points in Istanbul, but after the race, you said the team needed to work harder. What is your feeling after Turkey?
It’s good to have two cars fighting at the same level and scoring points together. But obviously, when you’ve had two podiums with each of the drivers, you hope for better than finishing 7th and 8th. That’s why our expectations were perhaps set a little higher.
Nick [Heidfeld] and Vitaly [Petrov] fought seriously for a place in Turkey. What do you think about it?
My opinion is very clear. They have the same car, so if they fight each other during the race it means we have a good pair of drivers. It must happen in fair play and it’s always tricky when they have to compete against each other because they are drivers and no one wants to give up their place. Now, we have clarified the situation, but it’s good to see them battling.
The teams are familiar with the Circuit de Catalunya, particularly thanks to the extensive running done during winter testing. Will it suit the R31?
Since the winter tests, we have made modifications to the car, so our performance will be better. The situation is also different: it’s a race weekend and our approach is not the same as in testing. We hope to make another leap forward to re-enter the top six.
We have witnessed some great F1 races, with action, overtakes, different pit stop strategies, recently. This is certainly positive for the sport and for the audience…
As long as the sport remains understandable for the public, it’s good. Everyone was asking for more spectacle with more overtaking on the track. For years, I’ve heard people complain about the lack of overtaking, so we’re not going to complain about the situation today! We need to balance things so that the competition remains understandable. I believe we are on the right track now.
Barcelona is not known for its overtaking opportunities. Will we see any this time?
With DRS, I think anything is possible now. Mainly due to tire degradation, aggressive strategies are required that allow for overtaking on the track and in the pits and, of course, finishing the race well.
According to a press release
