Q & A with Gil de Ferran

Q. After all the work that has gone into creating the team, what is it like to see it all come to fruition?

Gil de Ferran: Considering this started as a conversation about a potential race team only a few of months ago, it is quite emotional to witness what has happened and see it evolve, develop and become reality.

I was in the workshop last week and we had all our mechanics engineers and technicians there - we had more than 20 people working incredibly hard inside a facility which didn't exist a couple of months ago.

The car was finished, the new truck had arrived and it suddenly it really hit me - wow, this is for real. All our guys on the team have been working extremely long hours and pulled out a superhuman effort for the Sebring test.

Q. How did you decide on Simon Pagenaud as your co-driver?

GDF: Simon has a very good reputation in the industry - that was the first thing that attracted me to him. That goes beyond just his on-track results which of course have been very impressive. It is about the overall package - how he works with the team, his work ethic, fitness, how he relates with sponsors, etc.

My old friends at Walker Racing spoke very highly of him - he won his Atlantic championship with them in 2006 and was very impressive in Champ Car last year. Once I met Simon I found him to be a very impressive young man. He is very sure of what he wants and I think he has the type of personality that will work well with me and the rest of the team - this is very important.

Simon is also a very young guy and has already had some great results - hopefully however, he is yet to reach his full potential. As a team we can develop together. For de Ferran Motorsports, it is also important to have some young talent on board. I am looking forward to getting back behind the wheel but I won't be driving forever. Simon has a very long career ahead of him.

Q. How difficult has it been to create an entirely new race team from scratch? Have you been pleased with the personnel you have been able to recruit?

GDF: We have been very fortunate that our program seems to have generated quite a bit of interest within the industry. I am delighted with the team of people we have been able to assemble. We have a very experienced group of guys who come from a variety of backgrounds. We have a lot to learn but I feel we have a very good group together.

Q. You were known as "The Professor" during your open wheel days, now you have moved to sportscar racing, what are some of the key differences you have researched?

GDF: I can also only speak about sportscar racing at the moment as an outsider, because we haven't started a race yet - but my impression is that it is becoming long sprint events, rather than races where you have to nurse the car. The technology in the car, the Michelin tyres and the engine means that there is no increase of the chance of failure by driving throughout the race at qualifying speed.

In many ways, they are becoming like very long open wheel races. The key difference I have observed is the traffic which you have to deal with because of the four different classes on track at the same time. Unquestionably, this is a area in which that Simon and I are short on experience."

Q. How have you balanced your time between setting up your team, and getting back in race shape to get behind the wheel?

GDF: As we are getting closer to hitting the track, my time split has been shifting. Obviously, getting the team set up has taken a huge amount of my time, but now I am starting to concentrate on becoming a racing driver again. I have been working very hard on my fitness - both physical and mental fitness to prepare myself to get back behind the wheel."