Q & A with Sebastien Bourdais

Sebastien Bourdais: Yeah, it's the second time in not such a long time actually. So it didn't take long to get back into it. It was good, although obviously it was quite different from Jerez. Because of the track the set-up was quite slow and there are not many fast corners, so physically it was not hard. We had a different approach and we managed to do quite a few laps.

The weather was much better than Scott's (test on Tuesday) and reliability-wise it was quite hard for him. I had come from the States, so it was a good thing that the car did not break down for me. The engineers seemed to be pretty happy and I was pretty quick after Speed.

I was happy with that. I carried on with the programme and we went through quite a bit, although it is obviously tough as the car is so new. There are new evolutions all the time, so you are implementing new things on the day even when you don't know the car.

For me I did not follow these things in the beginning. It was tough. I could only feel what the car was doing but I could not say what we should try. I had no idea what was going to affect the balance, so it was interesting from that point of view. I just hope I was giving them what they were expecting from me.

Q. Did it seem like a different car, or did it feel just like a continuation of the Jerez test?

SB: It was quite different. The V8 characteristics are different, and there is not much torque in the lower end and quite a bit more power at the top end. There are obviously two different philosophies there.

But in the end it was very good. Obviously I think the aero was a step forward because of the design of the V8 being a smaller engine. The aero is better, but when you do not compare the car on the same track it is tough. This Paul Ricard configuration is so different from Jerez. I think it was very productive for me, and it was part of continuation of the evaluation of trying to find out about me. I am just doing my best and hope it is going to be good enough.

Q. Was the car easier to handle this time around?

SB: I think it was easier to get back into it because there had not been such a long time out of it this time. Obviously the biggest difference is the car. The grooved tyres are behaving very differently from the slicks and I guess I am happy to switch back, but I do not think it is going to happen next year. We will see.

With the Champ Car and the (Peugeot) 908 I have been driving a lot lately, but the F1 car is different. It is also very interesting, as you need to adapt and change your driving style dramatically from car to the other. This is something I enjoy and like to do.

Q. Are you more mentally or physically prepared than you were at the last test?

SB: I think I was ready mentally. It is very much about how you fit in the car, and clearly it has not been a long time this time. I jumped in the car and it did not feel strange, whereas the first morning last time was so different. By the end of the morning I was okay then, whereas this time by the end of the second run I was okay. The adaptation was much shorter.

Q. Are you happy with what you did here?

SB: Yes, I think we did quite a bit. We did tyre comparisons on short and long runs, and the long runs seem to be very good. We still seem to be struggling to extract the speed out of the car on short runs, which we are trying to understand. I think it comes from the way that you use the tyres, and I think there is a lot to understand on how you prepare for what you want to do. I did my best to try and bring in new ideas. It is never a bad idea to give second opinions, I guess.

Q. Was this test arranged very quickly?

SB: As soon as the China (Champ Car race) became vague and then did not happen, I called the team (Toro Rosso) to get at least one day before the final evaluation at Spa. As Spa is a much tougher race track and for the real evaluation you want to be fitted well in the car, at least driving one day, so you can get some feeling for it.

So as soon as the China race was not certain I said that maybe there would be an opportunity to run, which we thought would be at Paul Ricard. We confirmed it about two or three weeks ago and then we started to organise thing. The news wasn't released, but we knew about it for three weeks I think.

Q. So the final decision on next year will be made at the Spa test?

SB: To evaluate a driver he has to be comfortable in the car. It is difficult to get everything done in one day, so one and a half days is a pretty good opportunity to get a feeling and get back in the F1 car.

Q. Is it not difficult to keep your focus on Champ Car?

SB: Like I said I jumped from one car to the other. It is something I like, and it is what I have been doing for a long time now. So, no problems.

Q. Can you compare the two cars?

SB: F1 is F1; you cannot compare it to anything - except that it has got four wheels and an engine. That is about the only similarity. It is really on a different planet. On the one side the grooved tyres make the car very, very different from the other cars. Also, because of the power and weight ratio, it is dramatically different to anything. It is much, much quicker.

It would be nicer to drive without grooved tyres, but it is not the way right now. One day they will revert because everybody knows they have been talking about it for a long time. I truly believe that more mechanical grip and less downforce is a better package than the way they have been pursuing for some time now. But we will see when it happens.

Q. How comfortable are you in the cockpit?

SB: The toughest thing is to get the best out of it on one lap. When you put new tyres on I still managed to improve, so I think it was okay. I could not say that with this car I have got everything out of it in two days of testing. I don't think it is realistic to expect that, especially when you don't put on many new tyres. Here was okay, as I had five sets, but last time I had six sets in three days. It made it much harder.

Q. When will we see you next?

SB: I think it has been announced that there is going to be a test in Spa. That will be the final evaluation, and the final test before they decide what they want to do with me. There is no mystery.

It does not only depend on what I want to do, it depends on what they want to do and what package they have. I am not worried too much. I am looking forward to it, especially as it is in Spa - which is a great track. You have a much nicer time driving on a fast track with the downforce you have.