Exclusive interview with Jules Bianchi at Silverstone

Jules, after several years of training as a third driver with Ferrari and Force India, you have been a full-time driver with Marussia since the beginning of the season. How does this change your daily life compared to when you were going back and forth between the F1 paddock and the GP2 paddock?

I’m much busier than I was back then, I have a lot more things to do. As for managing the weekend and getting along with the team, it’s almost the same as it was in the GP2 or World Series by Renault days.

Regarding the preparation ahead of the race, are there any differences?

« There is a lot more interaction. In fact, it’s mainly because there are many more people around the table. Before, I used to talk with just one engineer, whereas now there are many more around me. So it’s up to me to adapt »

Your appointment at Marussia was made relatively late in the off-season. How did that affect your physical and mental preparation and your integration into the team?

« Yes clearly, it wasn’t easy for me because I joined the team very late. I could only do a day and a half of testing with the team before the start of the season. So it was clearly difficult but in the end, I integrated very quickly into the team. After the first race, it went very well. So it wasn’t a very big issue. »

Today, you are in an Anglo-Russian team while you spent the majority of your learning years in French teams (ART GP in F3 and GP2, Tech1 Racing in Formula Renault 3.5). Do you see many differences compared to your way of working with the team?

I had already gotten used to working with other nationalities with Force India. It’s an Anglo-Indian team, well, more English than Indian. So it’s something I was already somewhat accustomed to. But here I feel very good, the atmosphere in the team is very positive. So it’s not something I’ve spent too much time questioning.

After a strong start to the season (11th fastest time during the first race in Australia, 13th in the race in Malaysia…), you seem to have fallen back since Bahrain. What is your assessment of the start of the season? Does it meet your personal expectations at the beginning of the season?

« For now, it’s better than what I was hoping for. I think we worked very well from the start in Australia. Over there, I had a very good race with a very good time. Then, in Malaysia, I had a great qualifying and a very nice race. So clearly, I am satisfied. Afterwards, it’s true, we had more problems but it’s only the beginning. We are where we should be. »

Your team, Marussia, has a strategic partnership with McLaren that provides you access to the McLaren Technical Center and their simulator. How does this help you and the development of the car throughout the season?

It’s something very important to me because in preparing for a race, knowledge of new circuits is very important. To learn new circuits, it’s really something essential. So it’s really a great thing that we can benefit from this partnership to prepare as best as possible for each race.

Even though you are a Marussia driver, you are still part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. How do you manage being linked to this team while also closely interacting with McLaren? Are there differences in the information you can access compared to your teammate, Max Chilton?

« No, it doesn’t change anything. Even if I’m still part of their Academy, I’m no longer working with their F1 team now. I’m no longer involved in their tests, I’m not involved in anything at all. So, I no longer go to their simulator. I am still part of their Academy, I continue to prepare physically with them, I still have excellent relationships with them but it doesn’t block anything in my career and I’m on equal footing with Max. »

We are today at Silverstone, for one of the home races of your team. You will be able to race in front of many employees who don’t necessarily travel to all the races throughout the year. Does this change anything in terms of the attention you receive and the obligations (media, sponsors…) you have to deal with?

No, for me, it’s a normal race. Of course, it’s an important race for the team because there are many sponsors who will be present here. Therefore, we need to achieve a good result, as usual, but there’s no reason to put extra pressure on ourselves.

We saw on social media that you’re getting a new seat for this race. Were you experiencing some discomfort in your car? Is this something you do often during the season?

I had some lower back pain. So we tried to address that, and the only solution was to change the seat. That’s what we did to make me feel more comfortable in the car. It was something I had been feeling since the beginning of the year, but it wasn’t very serious. Like all drivers, we try to adjust to be as efficient as possible.

Are you bringing new improvements for this race?

« No, we arrive with the same package. There are some small modifications, so we’ll see. It’s mainly the track that changes a lot compared to Canada. Over there, there were a lot of long straights and heavy braking. Here we also have long straights but also fast corners. That’s where we see the most differences in the car’s behavior. »

We know you love this circuit, where you fought one of the best battles of your career with Christian Vietoris in GP2 during the 2011 season. What are your goals for this weekend?

« First, the goal is to finish the race. That would already be a good thing for us. We will try to do our best, manage the tires well. Then we’ll see what result we achieve, but we know very well that we’re not in a position to score points. So we’ll try to focus as much as possible to get the most out of the car and myself to achieve a good result. »

Upon arriving at Silverstone, your teammate, Max Chilton, stated that he would be delighted to do a second season with Marussia if the opportunity arose. Is it the same for you, or are you looking to move to another team next season?

« Already it’s not me who will decide. It will be my team, Ferrari, and Nicolas Todt (Editor’s note: his agent). The goal is obviously to stay in F1. If it’s with Marussia, I will be very happy because it’s a very good team. They are the ones who gave me the chance to show what I’m worth in F1. I think it has great development potential. Next year, there’s the new engine coming. We don’t know yet with which engine they will be, but a priori it should be a significant evolution. It’s a very good team, so I would be delighted to stay here. »

Speaking of engines, there’s a lot of talk about Ferrari arriving. Do you have any more information on that?

« No, I know they are talking with all the major manufacturers, but I don’t have any more information than you do on the matter. »

Interview conducted by our correspondent in Silverstone