Exclusive Q & A with Giancarlo Fisichella

Prior to handling the VJM02's first fully-fledged test at Jerez today, Fisichella spoke to autosport.com about his hopes for 2009.

Q: What are your impressions of the new car?

Giancarlo Fisichella: It looks interesting. With all the new rules, anything can happen. There is a new shape to the car that looks interesting and hopefully on the circuit it's quick.

Q: How much has the way the team works changed compared to last year with the McLaren deal and the change in management?

GF: Now we've got the Mercedes engine and gearbox, it looks a very good partnership, the engine's very strong but I can't say any more because I haven't been in the factory every day and I haven't seen how they work. Obviously McLaren has been the best team in the world for many years so we are really happy to work with them.

Q: Will having a partnership like this help to unlock the potential of the team and make it easier to fight for points?

GF: Yes, that's our target. Last year was a difficult season with an old car, we did a lot of development but it wasn't quick enough. This year, with a completely new car, we hope to be competitive and be able to score points quite often. The main target is why not get a podium?

Q: Are you going into the season positively?

GF: Yes, I'm quite excited. I can't say we are going to score points in every race, but last year we were usually in the last row and our pace was about two seconds slower than the leaders. The main target is to close the gap on the leaders and to try and be in the midfield.

Q: Are you confident in the direction the team are going in?

GF: It's encouraging, and it's going to be better than last year. I can't say where we are now, but I'm looking forward to it and I'm confident.

Q: You have been in F1 for a long time. After a few years often in a front-running car with Renault you ended up at the back of the grid last year. Have you still got the enthusiasm?

GF: After many years in Formula One, it's not easy, especially when you have a season like last year. But I still love this sport, I still love driving Formula One cars. Last year was difficult, but this year is much more encouraging. If I have a good season, if I have a chance I will stay in F1 for more.

Q: Are you concerned about the lack of track time?

GF: That's not good. Unfortunately the car is ready to run now and we lost some time compared with other teams. But it's important to have a good base and we know at the beginning of the season it is going to be a little bit difficult.

Q: You are one of the most experienced drivers on the grid and one of the few with experience of racing on slick tyres in F1 - is that a big advantage?

GF: I hope it is an advantage. It's important when you have got a lot of experience to give your feedback straight away to the engineers so they are going in the right direction. I drove in 1996 and 1997 with slick tyres and that could be good as we haven't got so much time. So having that experience could help.