Q & A with Yamaha's Davide Brivio

Q. Davide, in 2008 you will be working solely with Valentino Rossi's side of the garage. Can you tell us how your job will differ in comparison to the previous few years?

Davide Brivio - Fiat Yamaha team boss: This situation comes from the decision to change tyre brand and the consequence is that I am now concentrated solely on following just one rider, Valentino, and a smaller group of staff. My job will be similar to before, but in a smaller area.

Because the number of management staff across the team as a whole has increased however, we will need to share as much as possible in the way of non-technical opinions and decisions between us, in order to maintain one common Team line and strategy. But the target will remain exactly the same, which is to fight for first place at every race.

Q. Following the difficulties of last year, what is the feeling in the team and how is the level of motivation?

DB: The motivation is very high and we all know that 2008 is an important year. Valentino will use a different tyre and this new challenge will give extra interest to our season inside and outside the team. The difficulties of last season have helped us to become stronger and these setbacks are a part of the sport. In 2008 we are restarting with a new challenge, new tyres and new young, strong competitors to fight with. It will be very interesting!

Q. You have had your first test with Bridgestone. How is the relationship between Yamaha and Bridgestone's engineers developing and what's the team's general feedback on the new tyres?

DB: It's all new; there's a lot to be discovered and so it's very exciting! The first test was very good and we got a very good impression from Bridgestone's engineers. The whole team is excited by this new challenge and we are looking forward to testing in different circuits to see how our bike will react.

Q. Do you think it will take time for Valentino to adjust to the new tyres, or do you think he will be ready to challenge from the very first race?

DB: We have to be ready by the first race! The Team, the Engineers and Valentino have a huge amount of experience between them and we have the time to make ourselves ready. Luckily Qatar and Jerez, where we will have the 1st and 2nd races, will be circuits where we will have tested before the race. I hope it will help.

Q. Who do you see as your principal rivals this year? Do you feel that the new package you have gives you the tools to recapture the title after two years despite the challenges of your rivals?

DB: As the holder of the world championship crown, Stoner will be our first rival. But there are many other riders, all highly motivated and with reasons to be strongly committed to win, such as Pedrosa and Hayden, Capirossi and Melandri on their new bikes and others that could surprise us. It's a very good group of riders and we will be trying to beat them all in our quest to win back the title!