Ross Brawn: the Toughest is Behind Us

Ferrari's Technical Director Ross Brawn visited Brands Hatch today, attending the Ferrari Festival weekend. Amidst the largest gathering of Ferrari cars and enthusiasts ever assembled in England, Brawn answered questions - about the 2001 season so far; about the race at Silverstone; about Mika Hakkinen, Ralf Schumacher, designing cars and what it is like to work for such a charged brand as Ferrari.

Q: So far this season, the Ferrari F2001 has proved to be a major success. Is the Championship over from your standpoint?

Ross Brawn: "It's been a tremendous season so far. Michael's finished first or second in every race except for Imola. We've got a very good car this year, and there are no races we should be afraid of. Silverstone was difficult, because we don't test there very often and I think it was going to be our most difficult race of the year, and that's behind us now. We're looking forward to the rest of the season, but with caution.

"There is still quite a question mark hanging over the next six races - that equals 60 points in the Drivers' Championship and until it's done, no-one can afford to relax. Judging on competitiveness, Williams are very strong on the high-speed circuits. We've just finished the Monza tests, and Williams were clearly the quickest there and I'm sure they'll be very strong at Hockenheim next week. Unfortunately Michael had an incident on the first day, but with Rubens I think we were in reasonable shape. Having said that, if Williams score points, that's not such a worry for us, because they're points away from McLaren."

Q: McLaren's win at Silverstone saw Mika Hakkinen back on form, that seemed to have pleased you

Brawn: "Mika has had a dreadful season. Up until the Silverstone race he'd only scored 9 points, and for a World Champion to have so few this far into the season is a travesty. You can see how it affects him. There were a couple of races where he was lacklustre, but then he's showed again at Silverstone what a tremendous driver he is. I think he's the one guy that Michael really respects as an equal in the Formula One field at the moment."

Q: How do you see a head-to-head duel between Michael and Ralf in a race?

Brawn: "I think there is a relationship there which must affect both their judgements in some way. I can't honestly say how it affects their judgements, but when you're challenging your brother for a difficult position in a corner it must enter your thought process. They've always been very very competitive with one another â€" I don't think they're going to do anything stupid, but I'm sure we're going to have many duels ahead us between the two!"

Q: When you work on a new car, does it matter to you if it will turn out beautiful, or do you just worry about how good it will be?

Brawn: "When we design a car, we try to keep a sense of aesthetics in mind. When aerodynamics were understood in the 1970s, the cars really changed, because then you had to design a car purely for aerodynamic purposes around the aerodynamic package. The result was that the cars became very boxy and square because there were so many limitations. But we do try to keep the cars looking as good as possible - we are enthusiasts so we do like a car to look nice, but it is difficult, because function is everything, and form comes after the looks."

Q: What is it like to work for a team with such heritage as Ferrari?

Brawn: "There's a lot of history in Ferrari â€" it suddenly hits you when you go to Maranello. There are little bits and pieces all around you that remind you of what the company has achieved in the distant and not-so-distant past. Just consider that I'm working now with people who have helped write Ferrari's history by winning the last three or four Championships â€" it's something you just can't forget."