Q & A with Bruno Senna

AUTOSPORT heard from the Brazilian ahead of his first outing in grand prix machinery in the last six months.

Q. Are you excited about tomorrow?

Bruno Senna: "Very much so, yes. Ideally it will be dry, but at the end of the day it's good to come back to the car, remind myself what I'm here for and its good to have the opportunity - I'm really happy to drive a little bit."

Q. When did you get the message you would driving?

BS: "It was last week. We have been talking about it of course since the start, but finally we got it sorted last week which I was really happy with."

Q. Was it something that was definitely happening this year?

BS: "It's hard to say, we are not the decision makers here. From my perspective it was the intention to have a Friday or more, but of course being in a big team it is always much more difficult for the official drivers to give up Fridays for the test drivers. I'm happy that they're giving me the opportunity to drive in P1.

"I hope I can do it more, but I believe it all depends very much on how I do for the team tomorrow: if I can do a good job and not get in the way of the development the team is normally doing, then the chances are better."

Q. What is the goal for tomorrow?

BS: "For me of course its to get back in the car - the last time I drove it was in February, I haven't driven anything with KERS or DRS since so I need to get back into this. It's also to do a good job for the team, to continue their work and development, and make as smooth a transition as possible. I hope to have some fun as well.

"It's going to be a lot of work. The brain power required to use (DRS and KERS) as well as driving the car on the limit is a lot when you're not used to it, but I should be able to do it. Jumping into the car in the middle of the season like this is always very complicated: everybody is up to speed, everybody is used to all the systems and they know the direction they need to take to set the car up. It's a big jump and I hope I can do as good a job as possible."

Q. How much pressure is there?

BS: "Of course there is pressure because I want to do well, but there is no point trying to operate a miracle here. I'm supposed to drive a car I haven't driven for six months, so I need to show I can improve fast - that's the main thing.

"The frame of mind that I have is just to get back into it; there is no point trying to be a hero. I need to be realistic: six months and half a season is a lot of time. I know exactly how it feels to be in a car for half a season, and how much easier that makes it to deliver."

Q. Will your success be measured by the feedback you give to the team?

BS: "I think that's a very big part of it, in the same way as it was when I tested at Jerez in the beginning of the year. They were very happy with the result of that test, not only because the lap times were good but also because I was able to work well with the team. I think that's the most important thing for me tomorrow."

Q. Is there any chance for you to race this year?

BS: "I'm not the decision maker here. All I want to do is get in the car; of course I want to do that as often as possible, but at the end of the day I'm the reserve driver here and my function is to be the guy who jumps in the car when the regular drivers can't. Whether that changes or not doesn't depend on me. I will always try and improve my chances, but my main plan is to get back in a seat next year.

"We've been pushing for it since the start. We always wanted to be in the car on Fridays because it keeps me current, and I think the team feels that's important as well because it's been six months. Especially after seeing Karun jumping into Lotus and having a difficult time last weekend, they maybe think it's a good idea to get me going a little bit."

Q. Will you have any more chances with the team this season?

BS: "At the moment this is a one-off, but I hope I can make it more."

Q. Will the test help put you in the shop window for 2012?

BS: "The intention is to be prepared for next year. It depends on the work that I do here and also on potential backing and support from sponsors, so these things together can create an opportunity. Hopefully by the end of the year I will know."

Q. Who do you think are your main competitors for a drive next year?

BS: "I think everyone is a competitor at the end of the day. I think all the drivers that are on the market now are looking for opportunities, it's always like this. Right now I'm inside the team and its more direct competition, but I'm looking at next year especially and we will have to see."