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TEAM REPRESENTATIVES –Eric
BOULLIER (Lotus), Monisha KALTENBORN (Sauber), Ross BRAWN (Mercedes),
Stefano DOMENICALI (Ferrari), Christian HORNER (Red Bull Racing), Martin
WHITMARSH (McLaren)
Eric, first of all great news from you yesterday on the Burn sponsorship.
Can you tell us a little more about it? Is it a title sponsorship? How big
is it?
Eric BOULLIER: I’m not going to release any more information; we have a
marketing and communication plan about the endorsement and so you will know
later a little bit more detail about this deal.
Is it big enough to make a big difference to your budget for next year? Does
that mean you can spend more on development? You know what it takes now.
EB: Whatever it is, it’s always welcome. It’s obviously more budget for next
year and the next years, and it’s going to be good to have this brand on the
car, obviously, and all the activations that go on around; also promotion
for the team and Formula One.
Can you be a top contender for next year then?
EB: Ah, I don’t know yet to be honest. There is some stability in the
regulations so it’s going to be up to every team to deliver a good car for
next year. I cannot see any reason why we would lose some ground, I just
hope that yes, we will be better. I know Kimi will be on top form from race
one, so that will be a big change for us as well.
Monisha, today you announced Esteban Gutiérrez as your… number two driver I
guess. How important was it to maintain the Mexican connection?
Monisha KALTENBORN: Well, it’s always good if you have stability but I think
you have to also see clearly that these are two different issues. Just
because Esteban is from Mexico it’s not the same situation as we had with
Sergio because unlike Sergio, Esteban is not a member of the Escudería
Telmex. Of course there’s a natural connection there because Telmex has this
bigger vision of establishing motor sport in Mexico and Latin America, but
it’s a different situation. But it’s important for the team’s stability to
continue with the partners.
Both your drivers are very popular but sadly it seemed that worked against
Kamui, is that the case?
MK: I won’t say it worked against him. To take up a new driver is always a
strategic decision where many factors play a role. Kamui has been with us
for the last three years. He’s a very good driver, he is an excellent team
player and actually a very fine human being so it’s tough to take such a
decision. I think if a driver deserves to be in Formula One he’s definitely
one of them and I hope he can get support from Japanese companies – because
Japan is an important market for Formula One – and stay in the sport.
Ross, obviously we’re losing double DRS next year. Is that going to be a big
change for you for next year’s car?
Ross BRAWN: Not a huge change. Obviously as a facility it’s only of benefit
when the DRS is being used and next year there’s also a move to DRS only
being used in small areas during practice and qualifying, so there’s a
general move away from it anyway. It’s always helpful, it would be foolish
to say it’s not been an advantage, but we’ve got other solutions in place
for next year.
Change in the financial structure in that Mercedes have brought back a
shareholding from Aabar. How much is that changing for you? How much does
that mean things change for you?
RB: No change for the team, quite frankly. I think it’s part of a bigger
disinvestment Aabar are making in the Daimler group and it wasn’t logical
for the Formula One team to stand out separately. So part of an overall
strategy from Aabar. I think it demonstrates the commitment of Daimler to
Formula One. So for our team it makes very little difference, but it gives
us reassurance and confirmation of Daimler’s commitment to Formula One.
For Stefano and Christian, basically similar questions. Stefano, first of
all, preparations so far: has everything gone according to plan? I’m sure
you had a strategy worked out, a plan worked out for this weekend
Stefano DOMENICALI: First of all, last weekend was the birthday of Christian
and this weekend is the birthday of Ross, so happy birthday Ross. We have to
keep the tradition of that. We have done the job we were supposed to do
today. We know that this weekend for us is a challenging weekend. We have to
do the maximum on our side and that will not be enough if we want to win the
Drivers’ Championship. We need to go in the race, as I said, trying to be
perfect on our side and then seeing what’s going to happen. But that’s the
only thing we can do and we will do.
What's the mood like within the team?
SD: The mood is that we have nothing to lose, because we are already behind.
We need to go there with a rational approach, as I said, to try to be there,
if some situation will arise, we need to be prepared to take them. This is
really the spirit that is around the team at the moment.
And the weather forecast doesn’t look very good. Does that work for you or
against you?
SD: I’ll tell you later. Before, it’s always difficult. It can be good in
terms of mixing the cars but it depends on how intense the rain is, when it
will come. It is another thing on the table that has to be used in the best
way we can.
Christian, similar for you: preparations so far, how have they gone.
Christian HORNER: It’s been a pretty normal Friday really. Track temperature
has been very high today, so I’m sure that’s been a challenge to some degree
to each of the teams, but it’s been a sensible Friday. We’ve worked through
our programme with both cars and plenty of information to look at tonight.
How relevant that will be, as Stefano has alluded to, with the rest of the
weekend, we’ll only see when we get up in the morning and particularly on
Sunday morning. It’s been very much a normal Friday for us.
And the mood within the team?
CH: Fantastic. I mean, obviously, just having sealed a third consecutive
Constructors’ World Championship the mood in the team has never been as
high. It’s extremely focused; we’re approaching this race just as we have
the other 19 and you know for us it’s a question of trying to extract the
most out of ourselves, out of the cars, out of the drivers this weekend and
we’ll see where we are at the end of it. But certainly our approach to this
race isn’t any different to any of the previous 19.
And is the rain, is it a variable you could do without?
CH: At the end of the day it’s the same for everybody so whoever wins this
championship is going to have to have mastered different conditions,
different circuits, different challenges and we could well get another
factor on Sunday. We take absolutely nothing for granted despite the fact
we’re coming here with a 13-point advantage. We know from our own experience
how quickly that can change. We saw that in 2010 in Abu Dhabi when I think
we were actually more than 13 points behind going into the race. So our
focus is very much, as I say, going into this race to try and get the most
out of it we can and when the chequered flag falls we’ll know where we are.
Martin, a great race last weekend for Lewis Hamilton. A great win for Jenson
Button at the start of the season. You had the fastest car at the start and
the end, but is it a source of frustration that you’re not involved in the
title battle.
Martin WHITMARSH: Of course. I think we’ve had six great wins this year and
we haven’t done a good enough job for the rest of the season one way and
another and that’s a little bit frustrating, but at the moment we're in a
position where with one race to go we're going to focus. These guys have got
some pressures on their shoulders and we’re going to try and win the race.
In one sense it makes it simple for us this weekend.
How much does that affect your preparations for next year, knowing what
you’ve had from this?
MW: I think there’s no secrets: to be consistently winning you’ve got to
have a quick car, you’ve got to have reliability. We’ve often had a quickish
car this season, we’ve had a number of errors, a number of issues, which are
disappointing, but we know we’ve got to work on that and we’ll aim to come
out next year with a quick car and hopefully be reliable and be there at the
last race.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Dan Knuston – Honorary) For Stefano and Christian: the championship has
come down to your two drivers. Please evaluate the strengths and qualities
of your driver over the season and how do you evaluate your opponent?
CH: I’ll start with my driver. I think that Sebastian has driven incredibly
well this year. It’s all too easy to say he’s had the fastest car because on
numerous occasions this year he hasn’t. McLaren have had a very strong car
throughout this year but Sebastian has never given up, he’s kept fighting.
He came back from the summer break almost 40 points behind the championship
lead. He focused hard, he worked hard at it and he maximised his chances. I
think he’s driven superbly well this year. He is up against a formidable
opponent, who is very much at the top of his game and I think you’re
witnessing two great talents and hopefully it will be an exciting race on
Sunday, but I can’t speak highly enough of certainly the job Sebastian has
done this year against some formidable opponents.
SD: For my side, Fernando, in my view, up to now, did one of the best
seasons of his career. We knew that at the beginning of the season our car
was not really the quickest. Well, I would say it was on the second half of
the grid rather than the other side. He was able to extract from that the
maximum out of it. He was able to get great victories in a moment where the
car has improved, he drove really well in wet conditions when he was in that
situation. He was always at the maximum. Always he was working with the team
knowing that it was a very delicate situation for all of us in that moment.
So on top of his ability on the track he was able to keep the team together
in a difficult moment. So I agree, who will win will deserve it. And of
course, on his side the only remark we have to say is that he was not able
to do all the races because he was unfortunately kicked out two times. Not
his fault, but of course in this situation where the championship is so
tight they’re very heavy points. But as I said, don’t look back, look ahead.
I’m sure Fernando will do the maximum of his capability to make sure… to do
the best with the car that he has with a team that is working hard under a
lot of pressure. I’m happy for that, because the team was able to do
sometimes incredible work. As I said the spirit together I think was the
most important thing… was the most significant thing, sorry, that I would
like to remark on that respect.
What about Sebastian?
SD: I’m exactly of the same opinion as Christian, I speak about my driver.
Q: (Gary Meenaghan - The National) Stefano, we're coming to the last race of
the year again, and again, Ferrari are capable of winning the last race of
the championship. Can you just compare how you are feeling, compared to how
you felt in 2008 and 2010?
SD: Well, also 2007 we were near. Different feelings, of course. In 2007, I
think that if you remember well, Martin, we were in a situation where
honestly we had the same approach as at this race: try to do the best job
that we can, we could, but knowing that the opponent was very strong and the
race evolved in a situation where we were able, as a team, to work extremely
well. Then in 2008 we were able to win the Constructors’ title, to have
Felipe as World Champion of Drivers for 20 seconds, but after Hamilton won
the race, in a championship where I would say we lost, if I remember well,
mainly because the car was not reliable enough, because we had some races
where unfortunately we had severe DNF that caused us to lose that
championship. And I believe that season, Felipe did an incredible job and we
were very disappointed for him, because I think we deserved it, but at the
end of the day Lewis did (win).
Then 2010 was the most frustrating because we knew that we had a couple of
situations to handle and it was our fault that we were not able to do it,
for a mistake that we made; we didn't help Fernando. I think that season we
didn't have the best car. I believe that we were able to always be there
winning a lot of races but because of unfortunate situations that Red Bull
had and we lost that championship. This is, I would say, the heaviest of my
thoughts on the past. On Sunday, I think that, as I said, we are in a
different spirit. We cannot look back; we need to see whatever will be the
outcome we need to accept it. So therefore I would say our mindset is closer
to what we had in 2007 at the moment.
Q: (Lucas Santochi Da Silva – ESPN Magazine) Christian, when do you think
was the turning point of the main factors for Red Bull to develop from a
medium team to a team that may now win its third title in a row?
CH: It's a good question. Red Bull came into Formula One at the beginning of
2005. Dietrich Mateschitz had a vision. He'd been a sponsor, he'd been a
shareholder and for the first time, after acquiring the Jaguar team became a
team owner and his vision was very much to compete at the front in Formula
One. Certainly the perception, perhaps, in the early days was that Red Bull
turned up, played their music loud and were perceived as a party team,
perhaps just happy to be in Formula One but underlying that was a
determination to work our way to the front and slowly and steadily we
gathered the right people into the team during the course of 2006 and at the
beginning of 2007. We started to build, we started to work as a unit, to
work as a team and then by the time the new regulations came along, a clean
sheet of paper in 2009, it allowed all of the departments to demonstrate
their abilities to work together as one group. In 2009, we started winning.
We challenged for the championship; we fell short that year, but then we
have kept that momentum. We went on to win both titles in 2010, both titles
again 2011 and again a third Constructors’ championship this year. And that
is purely down to the hard work, the dedication, the application of every
single member of the team. We've got some great leadership in the team:
Adrian Newey does a stunning job of leading the technical team but it
requires all of the departments to do their bit. I'm extremely proud to say
that they've absolutely done that and the testimony to that is the 34 races
that we've won, the 80 podiums that we've had in only eight seasons. It's
all down to the people and of course to talented drivers: Sebastian and Mark
Webber have been a very successful pairing and what Sebastian has achieved
in only 100 races again is quite remarkable.
Q: (Michael Neudecker - Sud Deutsche Zeitung) Question for Mr Whitmarsh and
Mr Domenicali: 2013 might be a very special year because you have to be
prepared for the rule changes coming up for 2014, but at the same time you
want to be successful. Maybe you can give us a general view on what you
expect for 2013?
SD: I think that 2013, as you quite rightly said, in terms of regulations,
will be a stability, so I'm expecting to see the situation that we are
facing now in terms of performance of the team. What I believe will happen
during the season, depending on how the season will go, is that some teams
will start to dedicate more and more resources to the 2014 project because
it's a project that will be totally, totally different and at least on our
side, we already have, at the moment, a small group of people that is
working on this project, and of course, on our side, we also have the duty -
being a constructor - to work on the new powertrain. For us it's a massive
job next year. This is maybe the most difficult in that respect because
there are so many new things that we have to do at the same moment where we
need to make sure that we are fighting for another season and championship.
So for me, the 2014 season could be a year where we can see once again a
split between the group of the cars in terms of pure performance. If you
remember, at the beginning of this year, we had so many cars that were very
very close. I'm expecting a different scenario for 2014 because all these
changes which will come into place very very soon.
MW: Well, not much to add to that. I think, as Stefano alluded, I think it
will be quite interesting. It will probably be two or three of the teams sat
before you today who are underperforming at the halfway stage of next year's
championship and the decision that they might take to then give up on the
'13 championship and apply all of their resources to '14 makes it quite an
intriguing process. It's a difficult one. If you're competitive as we all
aim to be next year, you'll want to win the races, you'll want to win the
championship next year but knowing that in doing so and in applying the
resources to do so, you're actually robbing 2014. I think it's an
interesting second half of the year and as Stefano said, undoubtedly a very
interesting start of 2014.
Q: (Alberto Antonini - Autosprint) As you may be aware, Honda has shown some
interest in the new engine technology coming up in 2014. I would like to
know whether a possible comeback by them fits the frame of the new
regulations. If so, how much will you welcome Honda back in Formula One?
MW: As we just said, 2014 we've got, as far as I know, only three
manufacturers committed to the sport. I imagine there will be a greater
level of technical diversity than we currently have in powertrains just as
there will be in the aerodynamic solutions that run with it. Normally, when
you have a new regulation that encourages a certain amount of creativity,
and then over a period of years you get a convergence onto very similar
technology and very similar approach.
RB: I think this is the sort of challenge they relish, they quite like. I
know from my time with them they like to have fresh technical challenges.
They very much look upon Formula One as a research and development exercise
and I think the new regulations appeal to them. But there's no concrete
signs they're doing anything at the moment. I gather, as a company, they're
improving after some difficult years and I think there are lots of engineers
there who would love to get involved. Whether there will be a strategic
decision high up to do it, there's no signs of that yet. But we would
welcome Honda in as well. I think the more manufacturers, the more engines
we have in Formula One the better.
Q: (Vanessa Ruiz - ESPN Radio) Christian, how do you see the possibility of
maybe having another drink company joining Formula One as a title sponsor?
Would it be bad for Red Bull? Is it a difficult or easy business model to
follow? What are your thoughts?
CH: I don't think it will be bad. I don't think it would be bad for Formula
One. I think that Red Bull welcomes competition and that's the way it is in
the market place. Red Bull's positioning is quite unique, not only what it's
achieved as an energy drink but in terms of what it's done and the way it
carries itself in Formula One. There would certainly be no concerns from our
side. I think it would be welcomed within Formula One. I have no idea what
their business model is. The Red Bull one works OK.
Q: (Kate Walker - Girl Racer) Ross, happy birthday; for next year, obviously
you have Lewis Hamilton signed up to drive with you. Now Lewis is something
of a free spirit and the Daimler brand is not associated with free
spiritedness. I was wondering if you have any plans to try and curtail
Lewis's free spirit, or if you're just going to let him be Lewis?
RB: I think that's going to be taken on a race-by-race, day-by-day,
week-by-week basis. I think it's impossible to predict those sort of things.
I know Lewis. Obviously I've had a lot of conversations with him. He's an
intelligent guy, he understands Formula One, he understand the exposure
Formula One gets. He understands the positioning of Daimler and an
understanding of all those things, I think, will avoid any issues in the
future. But I think Formula One needs characters. I think Formula One needs
individuals, so we're not going to suppress is too much. I don't anticipate
any major issues. |
