Q & A with Fabrizio Giovanardi

Q. You're used to defending titles, although you've never defended a BTCC title before. How do you go about it?

Fabrizio Giovanardi: "I re-set my mind in a new season. Having number one on the door does not matter. It's like 2007 didn't happen. You have to keep your mind like that. We have lots of new cars and new things, so you have to be very clear, very comfortable, because if you start thinking too much about the pressure of being number one, then you start thinking "I can lose, I can lose." I am definitely in a position to lose this year."

Q. Is that the attitude you always take?

FG: "Yes. Every race is different. I have had number one many times on the side of my car and sometimes I have lost the number, so I don't really care."

Q. You're car is a bigger target with the number one on the side though. Everybody wants to beat the champion.

FG: "Yes, but that's not my problem. It's a problem for the other drivers. Every day, every time the other drivers want to beat you. But, it works both ways because you have to beat all of them too. Nothing changes in that way."

Q. You have two new teammates in Matt Neal and Tom Onslow-Cole. How do you rate them?

FG: "Tom is new. There is nothing new about Matt - he is almost as old as me."

Q. He's a lot taller than you, so if you beat him on the track, he might try and take it out on you later on. Worried?

FG: "No. I am Italian. We have something called the Mafia."

Q. We rarely see you conforming to the hot-headed Italian stereotype. You seem more measured than that. Why do you think that is?

FG: "I'm not a calm person. But maybe I have been changed because the English attitude is more laid back than the Italian fire. When I was in the Alfa Romeo we fought a lot. It was different. You could really see the fire then."

Q. Is the 2008 Vectra much improved over last year's model?

FG: "Not much. The rules are so tight, you can't make many changes. I think we have done something good. Small changes can make big differences in the end. People who say one tenth is worth nothing are wrong. One tenth can make you a winner, and look, last season the championship was won at the last race, so every tenth, every point, they all count."

Q. So what changes are they?

FG: "Just really at the front end. We have a couple of extra holes to help cool the brakes better. Also a few differences with the bodywork to help find something small. All the teams have done this. Some weight too. It is spread around a bit better. We've improved a little bit everywhere."

Q. Are you worried about SEAT dominating with the extra power of their diesel engine, like they have recently in the WTCC?

FG: "I'm not worried. For sure their engines will be very strong, very powerful, but at the same time, they are heavier and will use the tyres more. So it could be an advantage at some places and a disadvantage elsewhere. The real difference will be with the circuits. The WTCC run at wide, fast circuits. Here we are more twisty and tight, apart from probably Thruxton and Snetterton. Last year they were slower than us there though, so maybe we can show the same speed."

Q. So will it just be a Vauxhall v SEAT championship again?

FG: "No. More cars. I think the Honda and the BMW will be able to win more races. The RAC BMWs and the Dynamics Hondas especially. You could see at the end of last season they were very fast. A fast car can win a race. A fast driver can win a race, but to win a title, you need to have a strong team to be at the front every time."

Q. Who is the main threat then? Jason Plato or Matt?

FG: "What good friends they are. I must keep away from them. They can take each other off and I'll drive by and win all the races. That's the best trick."