Q & A with Giancarlo Fisichella

During a break in testing Fisichella spoke to the press about his impressions so far, and autosport.com was there to hear his thoughts.

Q. What are your expectations for 2009?

Giancarlo Fisichella: If we build a competitive car anything could happen. We've got a good engine, a good gearbox and if the car is quick I think we can be there.

Q. Do you have any targets?

GF: For sure it's got to be better than last year, but I don't know how much better it can be. Let's say our main target is to score some points consistently.

Q. Is your lack of testing going to be a major disadvantage at first?

GF: It was important to run a lot with other people, but it wasn't possible because the car was not ready. We need to do a lot of laps, a lot of kilometres, as much as we can, this week and next week in Barcelona.

Q. Do you miss the Ferrari engines, and what are the differences between the Ferrari and McLaren engines?

GF: After just two runs it's too early to say. The engines seem very equal. They are very strong, on driveability both are very good. I think the difference compared to last year is that we're using the gearbox from McLaren, which is much more consistent and much quicker.

Q. Has the relationship with McLaren and Mercedes changed the team?

GF: The team is always Force India. Last year we had some engineers from Ferrari for the engine, and this year we have some engineers from Mercedes. But they are both fantastic teams, Ferrari and McLaren. But we are Force India.

Q. Do KERS and the moveable front wing make things more interesting for the drivers?

GF: We have a lot of work to do but it's part of the job. We're not going to use the KERS till Barcelona so I just need to concentrate on driving the car as quick as possible.

Q. What are your impressions from the tests you've seen so far?

GF: For me the difference between most of the teams is going to be closer and it's going to be a much more interesting championship. We hope to catch up the big gap compared to other people, to be much closer, and obviously the target is to score points this year.

Q. What are your realistic targets for this season?

GF: Realistically it's too early to say. I just need to run. The car is new and the last time I drove was four months ago. But considering the two runs this morning, I was quite impressed and it's quite promising.

Q. Does the team feel different this year?

GF: Not a lot. We have a couple of people who are gone, like (Colin) Kolles and Mike Gascoyne, and there are two new people in charge. There is a very good collaboration with them. All the team is pushing very well. Even though we signed a contract with McLaren quite late, they've been able to build the car on target. They've pushed very, very hard in the factory and that's very important.

Q. Which other cars have impressed you during the winter?

GF: It's difficult to say. In Bahrain I think the Toyota was quite quick, as quick as Ferrari and BMW. In the last test here I don't know about Renault because most of the days it was very slow, then just on the last day it was very quick. I don't know how. The Red Bull looks good, but I don't know how quick it is. Today it was very quick for just one lap, maybe it was on low fuel. But obviously they did a lot of laps compared to us.

Q. So are you for or against KERS?

GF: I never drove with it, and I am against it because the teams are spending a lot of time and especially money to develop it. It's still not safe. Most of the teams I think are going to run with it from the European races, so not for three or four races.

Q. Have you been losing weight ready for KERS?

GF: Not so far, because I don't use KERS (yet).

Q. Do you have any safety concerns? We saw the pictures of Sebastian Vettel having to jump from the car so he didn't touch the ground and the car at the same time. Is that a concern for the drivers?

GF: That's very unfair. It's strange to see a driver jumping from the seat to the ground like a monkey. The safety issue is not perfect. We had some problems with the BMW mechanics (last year). As I told you, I am against (KERS) because it's not safe and they are spending a lot of money.

Q. You're in an independent team at a time when factory teams are either withdrawing or having to cut budgets. Is that an opportunity for your team?

GF: It's absolutely a good thing for us that the costs are being reduced in Formula One. With the limitations on testing, limitations on the windtunnel, that's good for us. That's much better. Obviously the fact that a big factory like Honda is retiring is a really bad thing, so we need to be careful to save the face of Formula One. That's why they are cutting a lot of costs. So it could be good for us.

Q. What was the most incredible waste of money you saw happening during your time with the factory teams?

GF: Maybe this year with the KERS.