Q & A with Mario Theissen

Q. Last week's Autosport said that Robert Kubica could come through the chaos in Canada to win. Did you have a feeling before the weekend that this would be a good chance?

Mario Theissen: The engineers were very confident: more than me! I didn't really know what made them so confident, but they were right.

Q. Was the pace in qualifying better than you had hoped?

MT: The pace in qualifying was hard to judge because the circuit was unusual - some drivers got it right and some ones didn't. Robert certainly did a good job, although he also had a mistake in the second sector. So it is hard to judge.

The race pace was good with both drivers. Nick had second fastest lap, which makes me very happy for him. He demonstrated today that he still is one of the top drivers, and also his second stint - to go 43 laps with soft tyres and a full tank - that was very special.

Q. What was your reaction when you saw Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen collide?

MT: First I didn't understand what went on because we didn't see the light from the pit wall. But then, the conclusion is that it must have been red. And then we saw Robert moving on. Obviously the concern was that he was hit by someone as well.

Q. And after that you were pretty well covered with the different strategies...

MT: Yes we were in the perfect situation of having the leading car of the not-yet stoppers, and the leading car of the cars that had stopped. And so we did not expect a 1-2 at that time but we saw we had a very good chance that one of the two would win the race.

Q. Were there any nerves when Robert was behind Nick Heidfeld on a lighter fuel load and keen to get past?

MT: Not really, not really. Nick knew had to do 43 laps with the soft tyres and he had a full tank. So less top speed than Robert and he had to brake way earlier, so it was clear that he could not hold him. And we have a rule: no contact between BMWs.

Q. And what about those laps where Robert was then stuck behind slower cars?

MT: We were a bit concerned obviously that he would lose too much time. But he kept calm and it worked in his direction. The moment he had a free road he really was strong.

Q. Did you pit him as soon as he had a big enough margin, or did he stop when needed to?

MT: He could have gone one lap longer.

Q. What's the feeling when we go to tracks like Magny-Cours and Silverstone that are more demanding on a car's aerodynamic performance? Do you feel you are still behind McLaren and Ferrari?

MT: Here it was not so bad. We are probably on the high downforce side, but even top speed was okay. Let's see how it is in Magny-Cours, maybe here were special circumstances as we saw Ferrari did not race the front wheel covers.

Q. Robert has said that he wants '100 per cent' support from you - which is obviously a reference to putting everything behind him and perhaps at the expense of Nick. What is the policy from here on in now that you are in a tight championship battle?

MT: For the coming races I think we won't switch our strategy. Both drivers get equal treatment in terms of car, in terms of the team. Then we look at what they can do in qualifying and then on that basis we decide on the race strategy.

Q. Is there no dilemma in thinking you need to make a decision soon?

MT: Let's talk about it if and when the situation arises. It would be speculation. But even then you have to deal with it on a race-by-race basis. If one driver fails in qualifying then there is no point in keeping the other one behind.

Q. After Canada last year you confirmed the drivers' contracts for the following year. Is there any likelihood of a swift decision in terms of retaining the two?

MT: No. I don't expect it.

Q. Will you continue developing this year's car in light of the major overhaul planned for next year?

MT: We will take a parallel approach - developing this year's car and the F1.09 for next year, especially on the aero side. In a way we have to split resources but that is what all the teams have to do.

Q. You are not going to rethink your original plan?

MT: We push as hard as we did before. We look at it on a race-by-race. We want to achieve a good result in Magny-Cours and it will carry on like this.

Q. What effect will this win have on Robert?

MT: No effect. Robert definitely knows that. It was clear for him that he would win a race. Now it has happened, so it carries on.

Q. You've got to this situation with consistent seconds and thirds. Do you continue that focus on bringing it home rather than gunning for wins?

MT: I would say you have to look at three areas. One is the raw performance of the car, and obviously we are pushing like hell now because we think we don't have the quickest car yet. Then it is about reliability. That is where we are top and a big step over last year. We haven't lost one lap other than through an accident. And number three is race strategy and pit stops and all that stuff, which have been very strong as well. I hope we can continue like this.

Q. But there must be a belief you can win the championship through consistency, as opposed to having purely the fastest car?

MT: Yes. It shows how complex F1 is. You have to be strong in all areas.

Q. It also complicates things for Ferrari and McLaren. They came into the year thinking they were only fighting each other...

MT: They can still do that!

Q. You are there tripping them up though?

MT: I wouldn't be bothered if they still focused on each other.

Q. Was Montreal your first time on the F1 podium?

MT: Yes. It felt very emotional. I thought about all the time, all the way along, we had come.

Q. You seem to be very good at achieving the goals you have set. What do you think is different here compared to other teams?

MT: It is a team approach. We have a very well integrated team - very efficient, very skilled people and they work for each other and not against each other. In the end, it is all about people.