Q & A with Ross Brawn

Ross Brawn: "I think we should look at the test [from last week], as it is probably more representative of what we will see on Sunday.

"I think it will be quite a competitive day. We don't know what fuel loads people have got today, and I think the tyres that people want to use will be good after the track gets back into good condition. On the long runs we were pretty good, but so were Renault."

Q: Did the resurfacing work affect the tyre choice?

Brawn: "We are not completely sure. We didn't know it had been resurfaced until we arrived [at the test], Bridgestone did the measurements and it was quite a smooth resurfacing.

"We had all the families of tyres to try, and we are not surprised by the tyres that we found today. They seemed logical and nothing unusual, so it is hard for us to judge."

Q: How was it possible that Michelin and Bridgestone knew nothing about the resurfacing?

Brawn: "I guess the circuit owners did it and didn't think to tell anyone. We have been here to look at the circuit to check it out because Michelin and Bridgestone have a roster of measuring the surfaces to see how they are since the previous year, and at that stage nothing had been done.

"Probably the circuit owners do not appreciate the sensitivity of those things and if this had been a track where we not tested before it would have been frustrating to find out [at a GP] the circuit had changed. Normally we do get advance warning if the track is going to change."

Q: It is easy to work at Monza amid the current circumstances?

Brawn: "No. I see no differences from that perspective. Monza is always an exciting race for us, because it is one of our home Grands Prix and it is a race where we have all our local support.

"There is always a lot of support at Monza, so there is always a lot of passion at Monza -particularly for our Italian staff, who have a lot of friends and family here.

"But as we always say, there are the same number of points and the same significance. I think the championship is building up into a very big challenge for Renault and Ferrari, so it brings some extra tension to the races.

"But it is a pressure we are used to. It is a pressure we enjoy, it is nice to have that pressure. Last year we didn't have that pressure, it was a different sort of pressure. I would rather have this kind of pressure than the pressure we had last year."

Q: Is the speculation about the driver announcement a distraction for the team?

Brawn: "No, because we don't talk about it."

Q: Would it have been a distraction if you had announced it?

Brawn: "I think it has been thought through, and I think the way it is going to be done is to minimise distraction. But it is an issue that we are certainly putting to one side until Sunday evening."

Q: After Turkey there is one less race but two more points to catch up. Does it change anything in your approach? Do you risk more now?

Brawn: "I don't know if it affects the subconscious approach. There is no conscious change in how we are doing things.

"It is disappointing to lose some points for Michael [Schumacher], because we had such a competitive package in Turkey. So we were frustrated by the result we had in Turkey but delighted obviously for Felipe [Massa]'s result, but circumstances could have been different.

"And, effectively, you could argue we lost six points in Turkey, because if the safety car hadn't come out, then there is a strong possibility that Michael would have got past Felipe at the first pitstops because of the different strategies.

"And Felipe probably would have held his position against Fernando, so it feels like losing six points not two points."

Q: How big is the temptation to bring in stuff earlier than usual?

Brawn: "I don't think there is much choice now, because we are so close to the end of the season. We have a new aero package for the last three races, which was scheduled and was always in the programme for the last few months, doing it in the wind tunnel, testing the components, and things have a certain schedule to it.

"So we have no technology that says let's introduce that before it is reliable, because the changes we are going to make for the last few races are aero bodywork changes, and they carry a very low risk.

"So for us there may be some things on the engine, but I don't think they are big things, and I don't think they are things we are going to take a risk on."

Q: Will F1 be less of a challenge in the future?

Brawn: "I think F1 is F1 because it does keep a technical challenge. Everyone has different perspectives, but no one knows who has the best solutions for F1.

"There is a need to have a constant process to contain the costs. One side of the argument is that the costs are what people are willing to pay, and the other side is that the costs are too high because they don't bring more value to the racing. Nobody really knows.

"If we made F1 a spec formula in the future it would not attract the support it does now. I think that the technical side of F1 is what differentiates it from a lot of other racing formulas in the world.

"It also draws a lot of driving in, in a way that those drivers who have a good technical appreciation - Michael is very good, and Felipe is gaining skills. It is an important strength they have to have, differentiates between the drivers.

"F1 is about trying to contain the costs but also having technical freedom. Sometimes you see a mediocre driver win the championship because he has the best car, and a good driver may not win because he does not have the best car. That is F1, so I don't want to see it get to be a spec formula, that is against what F1 is all about, and we also have to contain the costs.

"I like the technical challenge of F1. The profile that most of them have is at the track, but this is only a small percentage of most of our jobs and responsibilities.

"I like the challenge of F1, I had the frustration last year of not having...we did not have a strong enough package, and being part of a team that has brought that package back up to a competitive position - it is very rewarding and I enjoy that, so I don't want that turned away."

Q: Will Ferrari be the same team without Schumacher?

Brawn: "It won't be the same team. It will be a different team, but it doesn't mean it will be a worse team. It will just be a different team.

"Any driver of the calibre of Michael brings something to a team that he is involved in, and Ferrari will be different. But when that day comes, Ferrari will go forward."

Q: Will it be a difficult change when he retires?

Brawn: "Everybody will miss Michael, whoever they are. When he does retire, it will be a big event for everyone, and I think someone of his ability, some of his experience, and someone of his involvement will be very badly missed. But F1 goes on, Ferrari goes on..."

Q: Fernando Alonso and Michael are on different engine cycles now. How big a factor will that be, especially in Brazil?

Brawn: "It could be a factor. I don't know if it will be a big factor, because we have 18 races this year and I guess we are out of sync because we had problems earlier in the year, and so on.

"But it could be a factor, because of course the reality is that in Brazil we will have an engine that only has to do one race.

"We won't have any special engines, but obviously any engine that has to do two races has got a higher risk than an engine that has to do one race."

Q: Could it be a factor here, at Monza, that Schumacher is on an old engine and Alonso has a fresh engine?

Brawn: "Exactly. Michael has had an engine that has done Turkey and Monza, which are two of the hardest races. Fernando has an engine that does Monza and China, which is not so hard. You can argue it both ways.

"I don't think it is a big issue. I think if we get past Monza, then you could say that it is helping us."

Q: The China/Japan engine will be the homologated 2007 engine. How much of a risk will you take with that?

Brawn: "I don't think there will be very much difference for us. We do have some engine developments coming along, but I don't think they will be a big change for us. We have championships at stake, we have both drivers involved in the championship."

Q: But you could lose out long term to rivals?

Brawn: "It could be a factor, but there is not much we can do about it. We are focused on trying to win this year's championship, and we don't want to take any risk that could jeopardise this year's championship.

"We have to put the situation in perspective, but the difference between the very good engines and the good engine is maybe a few horsepower. I don't think there are big discrepancies in the performance of the engine, and ours is as good as anyone's, so I am not concerned about it."

Q: With Michael in Turkey, did you think in the back of your mind that the engine had to do Monza too?

Brawn: "You are sharing it between the two races, but Michael knew when he had an opportunity, he had to use the revs to take that opportunity so if we got past in Turkey.

"As we say in English, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, so you don't know what is going to happen in Monza. You do manage the engine between two races, for sure - you are a brave man if you use all your over-revs and extra capacity in one race, because you won't have any left in the next one.

"We are all managing revs in different areas - if you look at the straight-line speeds today, they are pretty slow, and you will see on Sunday and in qualifying they are much higher, because we will turn the revs up.

"The third car drivers today don't have that consideration, so that is why sometimes you see quite a disparity on Friday."

Q: What about the wheel fairings?

Brawn: "Last year the regulation changed, because we had a lot of discussion about what constituted a brake duct, because lots of devices were appearing in those areas which were not clear whether they were brake ducts or aero devices.

"So the regulations were changed for 2006 where brake duct as a definition doesn't exist anymore. The regulations now state air ducts around the front and rear wheels, so they are air ducts around the rear wheels.

"It was because of the change of regulations that we were able to use those sort of devices, and it is sometimes difficult for people to follow, so when people talk about movable aerodynamic devices they are one or two years off.

"So they are permissible because the rules changed over the last winter."

Q: In Turkey, someone said that Michael was carrying eight more laps of fuel than Felipe in qualifying. Is that true?

Brawn: "Well, probably if you did your sum and look at all the pitstops, you can work it out yourself, because I am not going to tell you."

Q: Which side of Michael will you keep after he retires from F1?

Ferrari's press officer, Luca Colajanni, interjects: "Is he going to retire, for sure? We are talking about it as though everything has been done. Maybe you can ask the question at another race."