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QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Dan Knutson -
National Speed Sport News) If I can ask all of you. Jean Todt is the
new President of the FIA. What would you like to see him achieve and
accomplish for Formula One? Jarno, would you like to start?
JT: I mean he
knows better than me what Formula One needs at the moment. Probably
stability and consistency in terms of rules as this will help the
cost cutting. There are plenty of things that will be discussed with
the team principals. They really have to work together in order to
get Formula One back to where it was last year. This year has been
pretty difficult in general. On our side, the drivers’ side, I
think we have always had a good relationship with the FIA people. We
look after safety and it will be important to talk to each other.
KR: I think he is
going to do good work. I think he is a good guy for this work and he
is very straightforward and not too much politics. But I know from
working with him that he is going to be the right guy.
FA: The same. I
think his experience in Formula One will be a huge help to improve
things and he will have a better idea of what Formula One needs. He
is quite a clever guy, so I am sure we are in good hands now.
AS: Yeah, I think
a good President. He has a lot of experience in Formula One and he
knows what’s important. I think the biggest point is maybe the
drivers can also argue a little bit than just being asked about
situations and stuff like that as it did not really happen, I think I
had a feeling, in the last years. That will be the most important
thing for myself that we are in there for discussions as well sometimes.
Q: (Chris Lines -
Associated Press) Question for you all about the late start: starting
in the afternoon, going into the evening. We had a situation in
Australia, first race of the year, with a similar kind of timing.
Towards the end of the race there were complaints from the drivers
about the sun getting in their eyes, complaints about the track
cooling down, so the grip wasn’t as good. Do you have concerns
here for the same reasons?
KR: I don’t
think there will be any problems. Of course, it might look a little
bit different at some point when the sun disappears but the lights,
at least in Singapore, were so good that you hardly see the
difference between day and night. Here, it will be quite hot anyhow,
so it should be OK.
Q: Would ten
degrees make a lot of difference to the track temperature?
FA: I don’t
think so. I think in Australia the temperatures were different. Here,
the track temperature at the start of the race will maybe be 50
degrees, so it will never be cool enough to give you problems warming
up the tyres.
AS: Very similar.
I think it won’t be a real problem. The only place where we were
quite late this year with the sunset was in Australia. It was a
little bit difficult, for sure, in some corners but not a problem for
me, and temperature-wise, well, it’s so hot here anyway, so we
shouldn’t have a problem. For sure you have to readjust the
temperatures but it’s about communicating with the engineers and
just doing the right thing at the right time.
JT: I agree. In
general temperatures shouldn’t be a problem. The only question
mark which we will eventually find out about tomorrow will be the
shadows because of the sunset in this twilight race. We’ve got
the experience of Australia and all the time schedule has been moved,
so already tomorrow we will find out, so we will get an idea.
Q: (Ian Parkes -
The Press Association) Question to Jarno and Adrian: I’m just
wondering if you two guys have settled your differences after your
exchange of words following your first lap accident in Brazil?
JT: I think
we’re going to discuss it probably tomorrow in the drivers’
briefing and in the GPDA briefing. Obviously it was very
disappointing to end the race like that, especially on the first lap.
Obviously I think I had every reason to be extremely furious.
I’ve got all the evidence to show that I was there, I was next
to him, so I think tomorrow we are going to discuss it.
AS: I think
there’s nothing to discuss. It was a quite obvious incident. In
the end it was very disappointing for myself, even more, I think,
because I was the one who was just driving and he lost control of his
car and crashed in my back, so it was not my problem, it was his
problem. I don’t know why he’s freaking out like that, to
be honest.
JT: (Laughing) If
you want, I can show you some pictures. I don’t know if
you’re blind but they clearly show you that my front wing is
next to your front wing, so&ldots;
AS: Yeah, but
you’re trying to overtake me on the outside on the kerbing.
There was not a problem&ldots;
JT: So you
mean&ldots; you didn’t move there&ldots;
AS: No, you were
just not going off the power. The same happened in Barcelona where
you lost control again and crashed again into a Force India car. You
just have to sometimes also&ldots;
JT: I just lost&ldots;
AS: ...expect the
limits of the car. If there’s no way to go, you have to back
off, that’s how racing is, and I don’t know how long you
want to learn it.
JT: In Barcelona I
spun and he hit me because he tapped the kerb, he completely cut the
circuit and he didn’t slow down, so basically&ldots; Anyway, I
think it’s better&ldots;
FA: (to KR) Shall
we go?
AS: No, no. Watch
the race in Barcelona. I didn’t hit you, you hit me. I don’t
know what’s the problem, but maybe your eyes are a problem.
JT: I don’t
have any feeling about him.
AS: I don’t
understand, really, sorry.
Q: (Alan Baldwin -
Reuters) I was actually going to ask a similar question, but maybe
the two of you can agree on what you said after the incident in
Brazil, because obviously Jarno was seen to be gesticulating and
saying quite a few things. Could you just tell us what was said at
the time?
JT: I was furious
because I said ‘didn’t you see me?’ I mean, I was next
to him and he kept pushing me going outside until I was obviously on
the kerbs. I couldn’t believe&ldots;
AS: &ldots;the
kerbs, not a problem to be on the kerb, I think. Where’s the problem?
JT: Ok, no
problem, it’s OK. As long as we know the rules.
AS: I know the rules.
JT: Fantastic.
Q: (Andrea
Cremonesi - La Gazzetta dello Sport) Fernando, you were behind these
two guys. Could you give us your point of view and Kimi, we heard
something about you taking a sabbatical next year in 2010. Is that
true, it’s an option or not?
KR: I can if I
want. I can do whatever I want, but like I said before, I haven’t
made my decision what I want to do yet.
FA: Yes, I saw
everything, more or less. Second or third row, because I had two cars
in front of me but as Jarno said, I think tomorrow in the
drivers’ briefing we will discuss&ldots; deep.
Q: (Joris Fioriti
- AFP) Do you think, the four of you, that Jenson Button is a good
champion for the sport, or just that he had the best car this year?
FA: I think
he’s a good champion for Formula One and he deserved it. He did
a very good job this season. It’s true that in the second half
he maybe didn’t score the points that people expected but it was
very difficult to keep the same average points as in the first half,
when he won all the races. For that reason, you have the feeling that
he stepped back a little bit but I think he did a very good job. If
you look at the overall view of the championship from race one to the
final race, he was the best of us, so he deserved it. It’s good
for him, good for Brawn and good for the sport, I think.
AS: Yes, I think
he deserved it, definitely. I think it was quite hard in the last
races because he was maybe struggling a little bit with the car and
the car just wasn’t the fastest anymore, so they were harder
races for him, but I think he always made the best of his
possibilities and scored points, a few points, sometimes more points
but it was definitely enough for the championship, so my
congratulations to him. He did a good job this year, yeah.
JT: I think
he’s a very well deserved champion because it’s turned out
a good season. Obviously he’s had some ups and downs but he
managed to handle the situation; when he had the best car he proved
he was a race winner and when he had to defend he just drove well,
always keeping his head cool. I think in the end, he deserved it.
KR: Yeah, he had
the most points, also at the end of the season but whoever gets the
most points deserves it, so he’s definitely the right man for that.
Q: (Flavio Vanetti
- Corriere dello Sport) Kimi, what would like to tell Fernando as
he’s joining Ferrari to replace you?
KR: I don’t
think I need to tell him anything; for sure he will find out.
He’s been in Formula One a long time and he’s not going to
have any issues there. I think he’s probably been there before
and met the people already, so there’s not much to say.
Q: (Gautam Sharma
- F1 Racing, Middle East) Question for Fernando: do you know anything
about the car you will be driving next year and do you have any
expectations for the season or are you just taking it as it comes?
FA: I don’t
know anything so far, about the 2010 car but hopefully it’s
quick enough to fight for the title which is the main goal not only
for myself but for the team as well. After one season that was not
good for me and maybe not good enough for Ferrari either, I think
next year hopefully we have the possibility to fight and then you can
win, you lose, it depends on many details but at least there is the
possibility to be winning some races and afterwards you will see race
by race. You never have any specific programme before the
championship. You take it as it comes, later.
Q: (Jonathan
Legard - BBC Sport) Question for Kimi: you talk about your options. I
just wondered how important it would be if you decided to stay in
Formula One, if you found another team, that you could do some
rallying as well, like you did with Ferrari or whether that’s
something of a stumbling block, wanting to do another form of motor
sport as well as doing Formula One?
KR: It’s
definitely going to be Formula One, it’s going to be in the
contract that I’m allowed to do it (rallying). It’s not
going to hurt you. Any kind of driving is always going to give you
some experience, so I don’t see what’s the issue. It’s
been working well this year, so as long as it doesn’t disturb
what you’re doing in Formula One or whatever you do, I don’t
see that there’s any problem.
Q: (Joris Fioriti
- AFP) Both championships have been settled. Will this race be the
last opportunity to show yourselves, the ones that don’t have a
team for next year?
JT: I think we
race for the team as well. We don’t only race for us. We always
want to do our best and obviously this is the last race and we want
to finish on a high, not just for us or the team. Basically we’re
in the same boat.
KR: You always try
to do your best - at least, I try and it’s the same story in the
last race: we try to get back third place in the championship for the
team. I think it’s a bit late if you only try to do your best in
the last race to try to prove yourself to some other team, then you
shouldn’t be there. It’s the same story as any race this
year: we try to do the maximum.
AS: For me it
makes no difference. I’m always trying to get the best out of
the car and do my best. It’s the last race but there’s no
difference for me.
Q: (Jonathan
Legard - BBC Sport) Fernando, after you won the title in 2005, there
were still two races to go. How did you approach those? Just thinking
of Jenson Button’s approach; he’s done it now, is there a
sense of release, any different approach to the race?
FA: I think he
will be more relaxed because you did the job already, and they also
won the constructors’ championship, so there is nothing really
to fight for, so you approach the race relaxed and you enjoy the
weekend, while in the last two or three races you maybe had some
stress when you arrived at a race. For me, 2005 was different because
we were fighting for the constructors’ championship until the
last race, so there was still a little bit of stress in the weekend,
but for him it will be quite a fun weekend.
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