Q & A with Eric Boullier

Now the team is ready to push harder in order continue its raise to the top of the field.

AUTOSPORT talked to team boss Eric Boullier about the Melbourne performance and what's next.

Q. A podium finish in just your second race in change at Renault. Is that a surprise that success has come so quickly?

Eric Boullier: Not a surprise. We know our car has the pace to be at least just behind the big top four, so obviously any mess up front we can take the opportunity to score points. Obviously I am very, very happy with the team at Enstone and Viry-Chatillon because they did an awesome job during the winter, and it is good to have some points and podiums. The target is done, but it helps morale to be even better.

Q. How important is this result - because when you came into this team you admitted that everyone's chins were down?

EB: Of course it was difficult because they are racer people. When you don't have results you are just flat. On top of all of this we had the stories, and the change of control of the company - so as we have been saying for three months, I wanted this team to be head down, working and to do what we know is the best - racing. So to be on the podium is great for them.

Q. Renault's best success in the past was when it was a lean, mean machine. Are we seeing a repeat of that now?

EB: This is exactly what I want. To have a proper team, with a team spirit and everybody has to be in the right place in the company - and just to push. If everybody is doing his job, then success will be here.

Q. How important has the push that Robert has made been to the team's success?

EB: It is definitely a key asset of the company. In Australia he did a very solid job - no mistakes, he just drove superbly, and resisted to some pressure and even broke some because at the end, Massa had to back off a bit. It was good.

Q. The tyre strategies were very interesting in Australia because people were thinking different things. There was Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber going for the two stops for dry, while you stuck with the one. How close and how tight it was to work our which route to take?

EB: I think we took a risk. We didn't know what would be the effect of the tyre degradation. When Hamilton went back into the pits we watched very carefully what was going on, but with the gap we had behind us we knew it would not be possible to catch up. And at the end, we knew that, although we saw a lot of overtaking, it would still not be easy in race conditions. The team made the right decision and I am very happy for them.

Q. Do you feel in pure pace that you are nibbling on the back end of that top four?

EB: Obviously we knew already that our car has good race pace, and is a consistent one, but it was a question mark about tyre degradation. Now we know so we can push on with a little bit more.

Q. Are there more development parts coming for Malaysia?

EB: Yes. We will keep the same development speed.

Q. Do you feel you are still on a steep improvement path then?

EB: Yes.

Q. After Bahrain a lot of people were saying that F1 was finished because of boring races. After Australia it's the total opposite. What do you feel?

EB: I think we went from one extreme to another one. Australia was a great show, but obviously the rain was helping a bit. I think we need time to judge - if the format is good, and maybe we have to work on some adjustments in the future but it depends on what strategy or what people want. I think globally, the cars are good, the teams will be performing more and more, and we can expect some great battles and mistakes. We need to leave it a little bit of time to see what is going on with this format.