Dan Wheldon Q&A

"The main thing for me is to go out and do exactly what I've done in the past two years in America. Those two seasons have brought me momentum such that I can move on the following year. If I can do that and move on at the end of this year, then that would be great. That means going for the championship and with the team I've got behind him, everything should be right to do a good job, which I think we will."



"At this stage of my career I've driven for a host of championship-winning teams, so I wouldn't say it's extra pressure. It's nice to know you're going into a team that's capable of doing that kind of a job."



"Not really a leap as such, but it's actually a very different car. The Atlantic has less power but lots and lots of downforce. The Lights car has quite a lot more power, all through the rev range, but not as much downforce. With a Lights car your minimum speeds aren't quite as high, but it really picks up as soon as you're on the power."



"In December I had two days of testing on the road course at Firebird in Phoenix, then we went to the Phoenix oval for another day. The day after that I went on and tested the Champ Car with the team, which rounded off a nice Christmas for me. It's well known that Indy Lights are very heavy and it takes some time to learn how to drive them, but fortunately I was fast straight away."



"I expected it to feel much faster. I know the new Toyota engine is a dramatic improvement over the Mercedes they used to have, but the way the power kicked in was very smooth, which wasn't what I expected at all. I'd heard the power was going to be very harsh, which wasn't the case. It was great - I felt quite comfortable. I didn't think 'wow, that was stunningly quick', it was a really good sensible run."



"Yes, definitely. It makes you more determined to get there. It's a fantastic car to drive. It's got a seven-speed sequential 'box with so much power which is really useable. It makes it a great car to drive."



"That's exactly what I'll try to do. I've got to make sure I do just what I've done in the past few years and do a good enough job for the team to move me up to the next level. I think there's a good chance of that happening, but we've just gotta focus on winning the Lights championship rather than getting up to Champ Car."



"PacWest in particular seems to work a lot closer with their Lights drivers with their Champ Car team than most. To be honest, there aren't many teams who have both a Lights and Champ Car team, so in that respect I'm very fortunate. That has enabled me to have a run in the Champ Car already, so already they have an idea of what I'm like to see if they can use me again in the future. All the resources are separate, but the machines in the shop and everything from that point of view is available to both teams."



"It's warmer! Actually, Indianapolis is not too much warmer, I have to say. I think that the relative championships in Europe and the US are very similar. There's always half a dozen drivers who are very strong in each series. I think there is more opportunity to progress in America if, like me, you haven't got a huge budget. I've been able to put myself into situations so I can move on. That's the element which attracted me, but the element which really excites me at the moment is the ovals. With the construction of Rockingham in Britain, that's going to make for some really good racing in the UK."



"It's a shame I'm not in Champ Cars this year to race there in its inaugural event, but maybe next year. Then, I'll be better prepared with a season of Lights under my belt."