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TEAM
REPRESENTATIVES – Cyril ABITEBOUL (Renault Sport) Toto WOLFF (Mercedes),
Eric BOULLIER (McLaren), Maurizio ARRIVABENE (Ferrari), Christian HORNER
(Red Bull Racing), Gene HAAS (Haas F1)
Cyril, let’s begin with you – welcome back as a Renault works team. Great
history, 35 wins, two world championships and 100 podiums. How tough will it
be to repeat those records against today’s competition?
Cyril ABITEBOUL: I think it will be very tough and I know that there were a
lot of comments regarding the time that it took us to make our decision last
year. It’s not so much the appetite to be in Formula One but to be in a
capacity to be successful in Formula One, that was the question mark. So we
come in that competition with lots of humility. As you mentioned we have
been there fro quite a long period of time, almost 40 years but we equally
we know that the level has raised considerably. So we know it’s going to
take time; it’s a long journey, a long-term plan but we think we have all
the ingredients – financial, technical, the support of a large group – to
make that a successful one. We’re going to take it step by step but it’s
absolutely possible.
What’s the plan for the engine this year? You’ve not used so many tokens so
far. Do you expect to be close to Ferrari and Mercedes by the end of the
season?
CA: Well, actually, I think that this is a demonstration that we have used
little tokens but I hope in connection to the fact that we have made a
substantial step in terms of performance will be actual evidence that there
is no connection between token use and performance. You can use a lot of
tokens and bring absolutely nothing in terms of lap time, which actually is
maybe something we did last year. I think the whole debate of tokens should
go away and we should focus on performance. There is a plan to use more
tokens during the course of the season, that’s the plan and we have made
lots of comments about that. Hopefully it will happen, both for the benefit
of the Renault works team and also Red Bull.
Maurizio, coming to you – Sebastian told us here yesterday in the press
conference he feels Ferrari has enough to challenge Mercedes this year. Tell
us about the effort that has gone on behind the scenes to raise the level?
Maurizio ARRIVABENE: We are doing our job. We are working very hard during
the winter and we know where we are, but where you really are depends on
what the other competitors are going to be. During this weekend we will
know.
We’ve got some new rules this year, qualifying rules, team radio rules, tyre
rules etc coming into force, what differences do expect these to make,
especially in the qualifying we’ll see tomorrow.
MA: I don’t want to be against any changes, Ferrari don’t want to be against
the change, I simply think that maybe giving a bit more time to the team to
work on ideas was better. But I can’t say so with a certainty. The only
certainty is that more probably tomorrow at the beginning of the qualifying
we are going to see a line like on Saturday at the cashier of the
supermarket – everybody wants to go out. Then we will see. It’s not fair to
criticize before that has happened.
Eric, your thoughts on that, the new regulations?
Eric BOULLIER: Well, we’ll see this weekend. There is some upside and
downside. The qualifying format we had before, I think we all agree, was a
successful format. We were used to it. I think it is true that there will be
more traffic at the beginning of each qualifying segment and there should be
more unpredictability for the final result, but we will see.
It was a tough year for McLaren last year to say the least. What’s the
winter been like at Woking and what do you expect for 2016?
EB: Well, I think every year we keep working harder and harder. It was a
very, very busy winter for us. We’ll see. Obviously there is a lot of
progress. We have been able to work through this Friday this weekend, which
is good for both Honda and McLaren. We will see where we are. Obviously we
don’t want to overpromise everything. We will go step by step and there is
still some more to come.
Coming to you Gene, a very warm welcome to Formula One. Your start-up has
been a few years in the development. How does the reality match up to the
expectation?
Gene HAAS: Well, I’m nervous. I think there are a lot of things going on
here that I’m new to and the team is new too. So, putting all of the pieces
of the puzzle together along with all the personnel and having it all come
together for the first time has been a learning experience. That’s really
what we’re here for is to learn how Formula One really operates from the
ground floor. Your can watch this racing your whole life but there’s nothing
like being a participant to really understand it and I have a lot of respect
for the teams that are here and the level of technical competence you have
to have to even start one of these races. I’m pretty much in awe. It’s a
challenge and I hope it’s a lot of fun.
You’ve done it before, of course. You built a NASCAR team from scratch, won
races, won championships. Formula One is obviously a different ball game
from NASCAR but what would success in Formula One on a global scale mean to
you?
GH: I think you have to look at it in terms of years. I have the feeling
that if you over-anticipate what you can do in the sport it will humble you
very quickly. I think the first year or two just to be able to come to the
races, be competitive, not make any major mistakes would be a tremendous
achievement. I know a few of our drivers are hoping to score some points and
that would certainly be an accomplishment.
Christian, coming to you – a new season, several new partnerships for the
team. It feels, maybe from the outside, a little bit like a team in
transition. What’s the plan for the next stage?
Christian HORNER: I think that it’s exactly that. I think we are in
transition and I think we are hopefully getting on an upward curve now.
We’ve had a positive winter, a busy winter. All the teams work hard. You
know if you come into Formula One everybody works hard and arguably the
smaller teams work the hardest as they have the least resource. But it’s
about working smartly and I think this winter the team has worked not only
hard but creatively and cleverly. We have a good basis of a car to develop
throughout the year and with the different partnerships we have introduced,
some exciting partnerships, welcoming Tag Heuer to the team not only as a
sponsor but as branding on our power unit and also the announcement
yesterday with Aston Martin, it’s very exciting for Red Bull Advanced
Technologies.
Coming back to the discussion about the rules, specifically on the team
radio I’m interested. What are your thoughts on those restrictions and the
repositioning of the driver as very much the man in control, the
decision-maker?
CH: Well I guess like modern technology these days and how people
communicate, we’re working by text – maybe to SMS the driver would be an
easier way, because we're not allowed to say much these days. I think it’s
going to be a voyage of discovery and I hope we haven’t gone too far on the
radio stuff, because that’s taking away an element of dialogue between the
engineer and the driver and some of that from behind the scenes can be quite
entertaining, some it X-rated, but quite enthralling for the fans. We’ve got
quite a few changes to take on board this year, let’s see how it goes.
Coming to you Toto, obviously the last couple of years some records that
pushed the boundaries a bit beyond where they have been before. But nothing
lasts forever, as I’m sure Christian will tell you. How nervous do you feel
and do you think you have enough this year to hold everyone at bay?
Toto WOLFF: Before I answer the question, first of all I’d like to welcome
the group and if you listen to what he says, that is certainly the right
approach to enter Formula One. He’s been successful in NASCAR and obviously
with his own company and I have no doubt that you will be successful in what
you do here. You have to stay on your toes, that’s clear. You can be caught
out quickly, either by regulations or just by not taking the right decisions
and we’ve seen that over the last couple of years. There is a constant
skepticism whether we have done a good enough job over the winter and we’re
going to know more tomorrow.
Mercedes has some young drivers coming through the system – Pascal Wehrlein
racing here with Manor, Esteban Ocon coming through and seconded to Renault
as a reserve. Will we see more of this sort of development of drivers coming
through from Mercedes in the next couple of years?
TW: I think it’s a good development. In the past it was only Red Bull
holding up young drivers and transitioning them into Formula One on merit
and now with Renault coming in and having Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen
being back in a car, Pascal Wehrlein in a Manor and an additional team which
has financial resource, I think it’s good news and hopefully we will see
more good young people come into Formula One based on merit. For us
certainly it’s about finding the right places. It doesn’t make a lot of
sense to start an inflationary system and just enter many young kids if you
don't have a place in Formula One. With Esteban and Renault I think we found
a good solution for our mutual benefit. Equally with Pascal, a completely
different challenge for him this year than last and we’ll see how that pans
out.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Martin Moravec - DPA) Maurizio, last year you said that if Ferrari would
win four races then you would go into the hills of Maranello barefoot. What
would you do this year if Ferrari becomes World Champion?
MA: I’ll let you know when it’s happened.
Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Last month the Commercial Rights Holder
was quoted as saying “this sort of thing is what is commonly known as a
cartel and cartels are illegal. We are running something that is illegal. On
top of all that it is anti-competitive.” Given the EU laws etcetera and also
the complaint that’s also recently been filed, is Formula One really being
run as a cartel? How do you feel about this comment? Any comeback on that?
TW: Hi Dieter! It’s nice to start all over again. First of all, when you’re
looking at today’s press conference, there’s a lot of positivity around
what’s happening. Red Bull has bought Aston Martin back into the sport, a
mega-brand. Renault is back as an official works team, Haas has entered the
sport, an American team. But having said that, I don’t think there is any
cartel around here, nor is the sport run as a cartel. Bernie is always good
for controversy and throwing one in. If that were to run like a cartel we
wouldn’t be sitting here. Some of us are part of multi-national global
companies and we’re taking compliance very seriously. So… it just causes
headlines but nothing else.
Maurizio?
MA: I think this talk of a cartel is simply ridiculous. Simply ridiculous.
Everybody, they are doing their job, they try to do their best. We are
talking here about brands who have a long story. They are not going to throw
out of the window their story, their reputation for this comment that they
don’t deserve even one word. I have to say, it’s strange because in this
world you have to be careful sometimes because, if you are talking a bit
more with somebody, if I’m going to go to the dinner with Toto or Cyril, I
do a cartel? It’s simply a dinner! We have to learn something from rugby,
that when you are in the field, you play very hard, you punch, whatever you
have to do. And then afterwards, they go to the dinner and no-one is talking
about having a cartel or creating some mismatch during the match. It’s
simply ridiculous.
Cyril?
CA: No, I would not agree with that definition of cartel for the simply
reason that we are all in a competitive environment, so at the end of the
day Ferrari wants to win against Mercedes and hopefully one day Renault will
want to win, I don’t know, against Ferrari. So, for that simple reason, any
sort of unity will not last. So I will not agree with you. I will not concur
with that. Plus, you have to accept that only a limited number of
manufacturers have the financial capacity to subsidise the cost of the
technology in accordance with the current regulation that we have all
accepted. So no, I would not concur with that view.
Christian, you’re on the outside of the manufacturer equation, what’s your
perspective?
CH: Look, I think you can understand that Bernie’s frustrated and his
comments are borne out of frustration of being unable to influence change.
You’ve got a dynamic in Formula One at the moment where the manufacturers
collectively have a lot of strength. That primarily is through the technical
regulations and the current situation regarding the power unit. I think
Bernie’s frustration as a promoter is that he can’t influence that at this
point in time. His comments obviously I think have come off the back of
that. Our situation is different to that of a manufacturer team. As an
independent team we rely on the manufacturers for the supply of an engine
and, of course, there’s been great debate as to what price that engine
should be, what format it should be and, of course, you have a divergence of
performance as well. So, there’s some key issues that do need to be
addressed. Hopefully consensus and agreement can be found on that in the
near future.
Eric, do you have a view on that?
EB: I think it’s been debated.
Gene?
GH: Well, I think the complexity of the engine- turbo-electrical package was
maybe underestimated by everybody, including Bernie and the teams of how
hard it would be to build. It would seem to me that maybe in hindsight that
maybe if there had been a price that had been set initially that said ‘this
is what is has to be built for and what you have to sell to the teams for’
maybe the manufacturers would have had to make a compromise, saying “well,
we can’t build the current package for that money, we’ll have to
compromise.” I think it’s something that just wasn’t anticipated and
unfortunately… I can certainly tell you what I know about the Ferraris is
that the money they put into their [power unit] is probably well worth what
they charge us for those packages but unfortunately that kind of technology
doesn’t really make it back to the fan base, which is the people that we
rely on. So, going forwards, those sort of things, cost, has certainly to be
part of the equation before they make any kind of rulings.
Q: (Peter Habicht – The Auto Channel) I have to two-part question, Gene, the
first is to you and the next is to the team principals. So Gene, all credit
to you, Gunther and the team and bringing America back to the sport after
nearly 30 years. While there’s been little time for nostalgia, now that
you’re here has there been anything more you’d like to share about your
experience so far this weekend with American fans back home. And, to the
rest of the team principals, do you have any words of advice for Gene?
GH: Well, I tell you all of a sudden I’m sitting here in awe that I’m
sitting among all these team principals from Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault
and Honda and Red Bull, that’s pretty awesome for someone who… you look at
these things in magazines. To be sitting among this group of elite is
humbling, I can say that. It’s been a long journey, I’m not sure how I
really got here but here I am. I think, if you probably ask everybody here,
how you wind up here is somewhat unique. Things in life, I guess you have to
grab them. This is just part of the process of being able to compete at this
level. It’s just awe inspiring. I know there’s some hard times ahead but I’m
looking forward to it. Looking forward to the challenge.
As for words of advice from the other team principals, maybe start with
Christian.
CH: I think it’s fantastic to have Haas join Formula One as an independent
team, as a really credible independent team. Formual One’s a big challenge,
it’s great to have an American, and a true American presence in Formula One.
Words of advice… get a good lawyer!
Eric?
EB: Very similar. I think it’s very exciting for Formula One to have, as
Christian said, a true American team and an American character like Gene
joining us who had a deep understanding of racing, who has also useful
experience in America with NASCAR, which he could share and I would be very
happy to hear sometime. I don’t have any advice to give. He knows about
racing enough and he is serious about what he had built already and I think
it is going to be a nice surprise and maybe a difficult but a nice journey
in Formula One.
Cyril, you’re in a Renault shirt now but you were a team principal of a
start-up. Any advice for Gene?
CA: I was expecting that one. No. I think it’s interesting. I understand
that you’re following and it’s interesting to see a new model, in
particularly a collaboration with Ferrari because I think that there is a
whole field of collaboration between teams which is not explored at this
point in time by most teams, so I think I’ll be really curious and, to be
honest, a bit frightened to see what it gives on Saturday. In terms of
pieces of advice, I’ve heard a lot of people come in with big plans, willing
to do things completely differently. So, don’t try to do things too
differently because the good old recipes, they also work.
Toto?
TW: I think Gene doesn’t need any advice. He has done it very successfully
in NASCAR and much more successful than all of us with his own company. If
there is advice in Formula One it’s to manage expectations – because
pressure is going to increase the better the results are and, the way you’ve
been doing it, keeping both feet on the ground and staying humble, I think
is the right approach.
And Maurizio, presumably you speak all the time?
MA: I think that what I have to say, we are talking most of the time about
teams that left or want to leave Formula One and not enough about people
like Gene. He’s a serious person, financially reliable, committed and with a
lot of experience. I don’t have to give him any advice – but I have to
congratulate people like Gene Haas, that they want to invest in Formula One
and they want to take this sport seriously and not as a kind of speculation.
In terms of a lawyer, he got a good lawyer – but he’s using his lawyer
properly.
Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Serra) Maurizio, yesterday we read some
quotes from president Marchionne. Is he putting too much pressure on the
team or is he right to say that Ferrari is ready to win all the time?
MA: If your editor is asking you to sell more copies, it is putting pressure
on you. It’s normal that the president, when you do something, is not asking
you, the following year, to do less than what you have done. The role of the
president is to push his people to do better, better and better. If he’s
going to create pressure this is normal, this is part of our job, this is
part of any kind of job. He’s doing his role. He was giving to us what we
were asking for and he’s pushing us to strive for the best.
Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Christian, you expressed some misgivings
about the radio communication rules, which I’m sure some of us agree with. I
personally agree with you but is there not a disconnect here, because we
tend to think that nothing happens unless you guys have agreed to make it
happen? Or am I wrong there? Can we not blame you for having it in the first
place?
CH: Not me personally, hopefully not. Look, I think out of well intention,
sometimes we don’t think through the consequences. The intention of
restricting the radio is that the drivers need to drive the car and I don’t
think anybody enjoys hearing a driver being told how to operate his car. I
think the problem that we have is that the complexity of these cars is so
great now and the assistance that is required from the pit wall and behind
the scenes is very different to Formula One of even three, four years ago.
And it’s finding that line: is it right to help a driver find a bit of clear
space in traffic or to pit now and so on? I think it’s going to be a bit of
a voyage of discovery with this rule and I think applying it to the
operation of the car is one thing; applying it to other sporting measures...
we need to find that right balance and I’m not sure we’re going to achieve
that immediately in one weekend.
Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Just to come back on that point, if you’re
going to take away the radio, surely the logical thing is to replace that
with other radio, because the fans do love to hear the radio, it’s part of
the show now? And hearing the technology on the radio was actually a good
thing, I think.
CH: Absolutely, I think there’s entertainment through the radio and I think
that what’s fascinating is to hear these guys communicating at the speeds
that they’re achieving and in the heat of the battle – that radio content
can produce good entertainment behind the scenes for the fans and it’s
finding that balance. The bit that you should really hear is the intercom
because there’s a far more interesting discussion going on on the pit wall
on the intercom than there is on the radio and we, for sure, would love to
hear the Mercedes intercom.
Q: (Leon Alepidis – F1Fan.gr) Question to Mr Boullier: we presume that this
season McLaren will be fighting with the midfield teams instead of at the
front for the title, no title sponsor yet and two expensive drivers. Would
you say that for now or with hindsight for the past that there has been a
mistake, plans for investment for the development of the car instead of
putting all this money into the drivers without having an actual good car to
drive from the start of the project?
EB: Well, definitely we at McLaren had a difficult year last year and we are
not where we want to be and definitely we have the ambition to be. If you
want to be the winning team you need to have all the best elements and if
you have the best drivers before the best chassis or the best engine it’s a
risk but it’s also a challenge than for the chassis and the engine to be the
best. I think that as far as we are concerned, in terms of money, we have
signed three new sponsors this year: Chandon, Richard Mille, Volvo Trucks.
We have renewed another three sponsors. We are part of the McLaren Group
which is profitable this year so I don’t think we have any issues on this
part of the business. After that, it is just to be the best combination to
catch Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull and others.
Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Cyril, amongst all the announcements and
personnel movements and promotions, one name wasn’t mentioned at all and
that’s Rob White. Is he still with the company, what is he doing, is he
involved?
CA: Yes, he’s involved, he’s part of the company. There will be more
announcements regarding the exact management structure in Enstone and in
Viry but in particular in Viry after the appointment of Remy Taffin as our
new technical director, so there will be more coming, so I will invite you
to the staff meeting that we will do in that respect.
Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action and Speedsport Magazines) Christian, in this
room yesterday, Dan Ricciardo was asked about these rumours of Ferrari and
among the things he said was that he’s completely focused on Red Bull and
this season and then “not exactly out of contract either.” I realise these
things are confidential but can you enlighten us a bit?
CH: Yeah, he’s under contract, so I think he was pretty accurate with his
comment. Red Bull invests in these guys at a young age, they develop them,
they give them the opportunity through the Junior team and Toro Rosso.
Sebastian Vettel was a prime example of that, Daniel Ricciardo is doing an
excellent job, Dany Kvyat and the two exciting talents we obviously have in
Toro Rosso. The contractual situation we have with Daniel Ricciardo is
extremely clear. How long? That’s confidential. |
