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Alex Yoong Q&A

Alex Yoong is gearing up to make his grand prix return at Monza this weekend following a two race break from the Minardi team. After failing to qualify for the German GP, the third time this year he did not make the cut, he stepped down in an attempt to gain some breathing space and regain lost confidence. Briton Anthony Davidson did a good subbing for the Malaysian, but Yoong was always due to return in Italy and tested for the team at Monza last week. AUTOSPORT grand prix editor Jonathan Noble caught up with him at the test



"I came to Budapest because I wanted to show my support for the team, but it was very hard for me, you know? Anthony did a good job and it was hard seeing someone else driving your car. I stayed away from Spa and went back to Kuala Lumpur and trained hard."



"Good. It feels good. We did some new things on the car which I think will show next week. There are so many things to build up during the year, so these four days are good because we actually get a chance to test them. I am quite hopeful for next week and my best time wasn't too bad. With heavy fuel it was a 1m28.5s. Obviously I have got to work on my qualifying so I get back in the car and pump the fuel out and work on low fuel and new-tyre runs."



"I think it was a few things. It is tough because you are trying to work out how to get the best out of the car and it is not easy to do that with a Formula 1 car. I am trying to correct my mistakes on Friday and Saturday and get through qualifying. I really needed to go testing. In a way I have been very disappointed, thinking 'shit, why can't I do it?'. Every race I should improve a little bit but that is not what has been happening because so much of the focus is on what the track is like, on the new tyres and getting ready for qualifying. I keep thinking 'why don't I try this, why don't I try that'. I think in a way it starts reaching the stage where you are trying too hard and you are thinking too much about what to do. It has got to be second nature, you have got to let the car flow - it has got to be subconscious. And at the moment everything I am doing in the car is all conscious and conscious thought is way too slow. When the car is heavy or I'm on old tyres, I am doing the same times as Mark [Webber, team-mate] but with low fuel and going that little bit quicker, I think I am trying to do too much. This testing should make it better, to do the most I can and the best I can for the last three races."



"I was until after Hockenheim - it should not have been a hard track for me. On Friday I was quick and on Saturday qualifying I was two-tenths quicker than I was on Friday with old tyres and heavy fuel, so I am still not 100 percent sure what happened there and when you are not sure what happened you never know if it might happen again. I needed these two days testing, just to get back in the car and to get comfortable again and it shouldn't be a problem."



"I do feel better after doing this test. Sometimes you have got to go away and come back with a fresh approach. I have gone away for these two rounds and had a good think about it. I am trying to think less about it. Do you know what I mean? I am trying to feel my way into it."



"Definitely. I've definitely got a point to prove."



"I don't know. If I am honest I have still got some stuff to work through. I will wait and see what happens."



"If I don't have a race seat for next year, I would love to be testing, but I want to make sure I get enough testing. I want to do it how Mark did it [with Benetton]. I wouldn't mind doing that. F1 is where I want to be but there is also some interest in America."

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