Ralph Firman Q&A

"It looked good, and, and I just hoped that I could get the opportunity to show people what I was doing in the race, obviously. I think it was the right strategy for myself and the team. I was a little unlucky to run out of fuel at the end, but I had a good race."



"I almost came to a stop trying to avoid it. There were cars everywhere - Schumacher, one of the Jaguars, Verstappen, and I passed Montoya with no rear wing. I'm not quite sure what happened!"



"Yes, it was good. I was a little bit concerned obviously that I'd run over so much debris that I might get a puncture, but there was no problem with that in the end."



"The first stint we were really consistent and quick, but in the second we had a little bit too much understeer. We backed the engine off so much we couldn't get back down to the times again. Another thing I learned was how much the car changes through as the weight goes down, how the tyres change over so many laps, and how the circuit improves during the race. It was incredible at the end of the race, how much grip there was. It was a real experience, especially at a circuit like this where people don't race very often, to see how much it all changes through a race. Brazil will be the same I'm sure."



"I'll know a lot more, but I've still got a huge amount to learn. It just takes time in the car to get a really good set up and find a bit more speed in qualifying."



"Yes, it's always an advantage to know roughly where you're going! It was raining on Friday morning, so I couldn't really get the full advantage of the two-hour session. So it does help to know a circuit. It will be more of a benefit when we get to places like Silverstone where hopefully I will have driven an F1 car on the circuit before we go to the Grand Prix."



"We'll have to see at the end of the year how we think it's going to work out, but it's hard to say at the moment. For myself to have those extra two hours in the morning is good, but it's also difficult to try and develop the car and test the car at a race weekend. You're trying to do two things at once."



"I think we've made a step since last year, but perhaps other people have made a bigger step. We seem to be a lot closer to the race pace than we are in qualifying. We need to try to find a bit more speed. It's a great atmosphere inside the team and we're all here trying to do the best job."