Australia Preview Quotes: Renault

Jarno Trulli

Q. Jarno, your first race with the Mild Seven Renault F1 team came twelve months ago in Melbourne. On the eve of the first round of the 2003 season, what are the key differences for you compared to last year?

JT:

A lot has changed since last year: I understand more about the car, I am totally integrated into the team, and most importantly I know my engineers a lot better, and how to work with them. I feel very confident for this season: understanding everything about the car gives me more confidence to push it to the limit, and find the last tenths of a second. Everything is looking much, much better than at the start of 2002.

Q. Since you last raced at Suzuka in October, major changes have been introduced to the sport. What do you think is going to be the biggest challenge during the Melbourne weekend?

JT:

Everything! It has been all change over the winter, and it is all still unknown territory for us: Friday morning testing, the new-style qualifying. Also, the weather at the last test in Barcelona (17-20 February) means I still haven't had a chance to evaluate the new aero package properly, because we ran on the short (National) circuit at Silverstone last week, so I will only feel the difference from that on Friday in Melbourne as well!

Q. What impact do you think that Friday morning testing will have on your race weekend?

JT:

For me, it is just a question of preparation: the extra running will mean we can prepare ourselves much better than the other teams. We have worked hard over the winter, and we know what needs to be done to make the most of the changes. I think it should be a good advantage for us.

Q:What are the biggest challenges of the Melbourne circuit?

JT:

The circuit itself is nothing special. From my point of view, the biggest challenge will be to get to the flag since I didn't finish last year. But whatever happens, I will have fun over the weekend: it may be a long journey, but I like Australia as a country, and always enjoy the race in Melbourne.

Fernando Alonso

Q. Fernando, Melbourne will be your first race for almost eighteen months. What are you looking forward to most?

FA:

Basically, it is going to be that feeling of being part of a race weekend in F1, and having a job to do. When you sit on the grid, and the lights are red, you get this special feeling, waiting for the clutch to bite: there is nothing else like it. Of course, if I can finish as well, then we have a good chance of scoring points: there are always lots of retirements in Melbourne, so if you can get through the race, then 90% of the time you can pick up something. They would be my first points in Formula One: that's obviously one of my priorities.

Q. You have only raced in Melbourne once before. How useful will the extra two hours on Friday morning be for you?

FA:

For me, it will definitely be a good advantage over the other new drivers: although I have raced there once before, and done a lot of laps because I finished the race, Melbourne is the kind of circuit where you always need more laps. It is impossible to test there during the year, so even if you have been racing there for seven years, it's always a track you forget during the season and need to re-learn. It will be fantastic for me to have those two extra hours, especially for qualifying on Friday afternoon.

Allan McNish, test driver

Q. Allan, what are your main objectives for this weekend in Melbourne?

AM:

Personally, I have two inter-linked objectives. If I do a good job, and that helps Renault get a good result, then that obviously reflects well on me, but linked with that is the detail of what I have to do on Friday to help the team. We need to get a baseline for the set-up, an idea of the tyre choice, and basically understand how to run the R23 at this circuit. From what we have learned so far, my set-ups at Barcelona and Valencia were pretty close to what Jarno and Fernando have run in the car. That should mean my work should be very representative for my teammates.

Q. Melbourne is a temporary street circuit. Do you think the constantly- changing track conditions will hamper the effectiveness of the Friday morning session?

AM:

Not really. I think the dirty track could affect us in the first half hour, but you have to remember that the circuit is rubbering-in throughout the weekend, and changing all the time. All the teams have to follow how the track evolves, so nothing different will be happening for us: all it means is that we will be getting used to it early, and getting extra running time. Where the other drivers may only manage fourteen or fifteen laps during the hour on Friday morning, we should do 45 or 50 each. That's a big advantage.

Q. How tough is it going to be to have to get out of the car at 10:30 on Friday morning and watch from the sidelines?

AM:

I'm a racing driver, so obviously, I would prefer not to be stepping out of the car! But although nothing can replace racing, that doesn't mean my involvement stops there: I will be present at all the debriefs, and that will mean that we have the experience of an extra set of driving hands. I have raced in Melbourne before, and that could help. If I can't be racing, this is the next best thing!

So, overall, you're looking forward to the start of the new season?

AM:

Everybody in Melbourne is always very friendly, and up for a party. The Aussies always put on a good show! It will be interesting to finally find out who's quick and who's not: I think it's going to be an excellent start to the new season.

Mike Gascoyne, technical director

Q. Mike, how pleased are you with the progress the Mild Seven Renault F1 team has made over the winter?

MG:

I am satisfied with the progress we have made on the chassis side, but we had hoped for more from the engine. We had the mechanical aspects of the car running as early as November, and have managed to put a lot of miles on that package. That was already a good step, and the new bodywork, which is an optimisation of the car's aerodynamics from the front wing backwards, represents another very significant update. Now that we have our aerodynamic programme running at full speed, though, we can expect more updates soon, coming through even faster.

Q. What benefit do you think the Friday morning session will bring the team at Melbourne?

MG:

Obviously, we've signed up for the Friday morning session because we believe the increased running will bring us a significant advantage on race weekends. This will be particularly true in the opening races, and as the season develops, we will have to ensure we maximise the value of this extra time. It should be a particular asset for Friday qualifying, because a good position, running late in the order on Saturday and observing the other teams, will give us a better idea of what our competitors are doing in terms of race strategy.

Q. And finally, what are your targets for the team in Melbourne?

MG:

We finished last year's championship in fourth position, and now need to look to get closer to the teams in front. Even if there are a lot of unknowns, we have to look to the teams above us and not worry about those behind. Our testing times indicate that we are competitive, but we will have to wait and see what happens in Australia.

Pat Symonds, executive director of engineering

Q. Pat, what do you think will be the main challenges over the Melbourne weekend?

PS:

The main challenge for us will be coping with the new format of the Grand Prix event, but also exploiting it as best we can. The challenge falls into two categories: firstly, we must be sure not to do anything wrong. After years of doing things one way, it would be easy not to be completely on top of the new methods. Secondly, we need to make sure to maximise our competitive advantage under the new rules.

Q. And where do you expect to find this competitive advantage?

PS:

The main part of the new rules to exploit is in the area of race strategy, because this now includes our qualifying strategy as well. The choices we made in previous years are irrelevant for the new season: strategy is now much more variable, and I think we will particularly see this in the early races as people get to grips with the new format. Our team also has the added help of the extra session on Friday. While the slippery track surface in Melbourne means we cannot assume that the entire two hours will be fully productive, we nevertheless believe this extra track time will help us considerably.

Q. So overall, how do you expect the team to perform in Australia?

PS:

The start of the season is always interesting because although you get a feel for where you are over the winter, people do play games in testing. However, our car has produced some good times on tricky circuits during the off-season. Although we feel the aero step on the car is enormous, we are still suffering from engine problems in terms of both power and reliability. These factors must temper our enthusiasm for Melbourne.