Q & A with Lucas di Grassi

With the fight for 10th place on the constructors' championship wide open, di Grassi sees a big chance for Virgin in Singapore - even though he will have a frustrating time in first practice with his car getting handed over to reserve driver Jerome d'Ambrosio.

AUTOSPORT caught up with di Grassi at the World Finals of the 'F1 in Schools' event in Singapore to talk about the competition, his weekend, the fight to be best of the new teams and his own future.

Q. This is the first time you've been to a 'Formula 1 in Schools' final event. What have you made of it?

Lucas di Grassi: When I came I had no real expectations of what it would be like. Then, when I came here, I found out they have come up with a very bright competition between them - because it is essentially like F1. You do what you can do with the current rules, to try and be as fast as you can. It is the same for these kids - although there is the difference of a couple of millions dollars involved!

Q. And you had a go with the cars some of the students created?

LdG: Yes, I had a go. For me it was just a question of reactions - and I beat the quickest two guys! And all the while, [Kamui] Kobayashi was jumping the start! So that was quite funny! I was impressed not by the racing itself but by how the guys designed the cars.

Q. Do you agree it could be useful for the future of the sport as well, if it gets some clever kids wanting to get involved in the sport?

LdG: Yes. More than that, it is about the spirit of competition. So it doesn't matter how good your car is - you still have to beat the other guy. It is the same as F1. It doesn't matter how good one car is - if another one is better it doesn't make yours look so good. So this competition is all about getting that right spirit and hopefully coming to F1 one day.

Q. This is the first time you have been racing here in Singapore. What does it feel like?

LdG: It is my third time here in total - I was two years before here as reserve driver for Renault. This time is my first time as an official driver, so it is a slightly different approach.

For me, it is an amazing track, a very difficult and a very technical track. It is a mixture of Monaco and Valencia, and at night - and with weather conditions that are not very predictable. So for sure it is one of the weekends for us where we can achieve one of our best results.

Q. It is likely that 10th place in the world championship will be decided by one of the new teams getting to the finish in a chaotic race that takes out a lot of the frontrunners. Could that be here?

LdG: If one of the new teams gets a 12th, then they will move up into the 10th place. So it is a very important weekend for us.

Q. You are missing first practice here so Jerome d'Ambrosio can take part. Is that a bit annoying for you?

LdG: Of course it is not ideal, but the team has made that decision and I fully respect it. On other tracks I would not mind missing FP1 if I knew the track, but of course at Singapore I will lose track time so will lose the ability to learn the track - and there is even a situation where it could rain for FP2. And it such an important weekend for us. But, at the same time, I am confident with the upgrades, and with the correct approach, I can take the best out of this weekend.

Q. How much of a step forward do you feel the new bits will give you?

LdG: I was just discussing with the engineers today how much we have for here, and how big are the upgrades. We hope it is enough so we can fight with Lotus, and then I think the full approach is to stay ahead of the new teams - and if extraordinary conditions happen then I hope we can get the best place possible.

Q. And reliability will be the key factor in getting that finish, won't it?

LdG: Yes. Here is maybe the longest race of the year, because it is a 300km race and the average speed is very low - and it is very hot as well. So, I think reliability is an issue here. Race incidents and accidents are another point - and the weather can change as well. So it is one of the races where we have maybe the highest chance to finish in the top 12.

Q. A lot of drivers are looking towards next year now - and sorting out their contracts. What is your situation?

LdG: I am very confident for my future in F1. It will always depend on the driver market at this moment - but I am very happy with the Virgin Racing team. We have done a lot of work, more than people realise, for this year - and it would be normal to have a continuation with them. But of course I am talking to some other teams and seeing what other opportunities there are.