Q&A: Tony Fernandes Speaks With The F1 Times
With the 2011 Formula One World Championship opening in Melbourne in just a few weeks, Team Lotus principal Tony Fernandes took the time to sit down and answer various questions posed by community member TH. In response, the Malaysian entrepreneur expressed his confidence in the Hingham team's new challenger, his hopes and aspirations for the season ahead and his trust in the Team Lotus line-up for the 2011 season.
Q: Williams chairman Adam Parr recently commented that the WilliamsF1 team were unlikely to attend the Bahrain Grand Prix, even if it had it not been cancelled. Did Team Lotus ever consider boycotting the opening round of the season in opposition to the political oppression in the region?
Tony Fernandes: We leave the politics to the race organisers and the powers that be in Formula One. The whole paddock is very experienced in moving around the world at very short notice so the cancellation is something we all take in our stride.
Q: Despite the team not managing to record as many laps as had been planned at Barcelona, were you satisfied with the performance of the car throughout the test?
TF: Testing is all about working out the little niggles in the car, and beginning to understand it better in terms of balance, setup and how to use the tyres. Our 2011 car carries over almost no parts at all from last year so we are effectively starting with an entirely new car. Bearing that in mind we always knew we would encounter problems at the tests, so it was not unexpected and we had already factored in the sort of issues that occurred into our plans. Having said that we’d obviously like to have completed more miles, and the fourth test in Barcelona will give us a chance to do just that. Pace wise I think we’re all happy with what we’ve already seen from the car. We have definitely taken a big step forward and the drivers have said since they first sat in the car that it is a massive improvement – with all that in mind we are happy and there is much more to come so we are also very excited about the season ahead!
Q: The team began testing with some teething issues, but began to show some promising pace towards the end – particularly with Jarno going 6th fastest on the second-last day. Do you feel that Team Lotus have made progress up the grid already, or are you looking towards further developments over the season to make the advances you desire?
TF: The problem with testing is you are never sure what the other teams are doing. We know we have taken a big step forward but we won’t really see how much we have progressed until we reach Q1 in Australia. We know where we want to be and we know we have upgrades planned throughout the season that will help us keep pace with the rest of the grid’s development but we won’t really know just where we are until the real action starts.
Q: Earlier in the week, Jarno voiced his concerns about the new Pirelli tyres and their competitiveness over a number of laps. Is this an issue that lies within the tyres themselves, or can the team work to manage the issues through the development of the T128 throughout the season?
TF: As Pirelli is a new supplier it was inevitable that there would be teething problems. I am sure we will all find out how to maximise the performance of the tyres and, frankly, it would be good for the spectacle if there are more pitstops so I can only see the positives in the situation!
Q: Does the team have any major upgrades scheduled for the final pre-season test of the year, with any more scheduled for the Australian Grand Prix?
TF: We have upgrades planned throughout the year. At this stage I don’t want to give too much away but like most of the teams we will have developments for Australia, then another for the start of the European season and more to come throughout the year.
Q: A year ago you began the season with the intention of being the most competitive of the three “new” teams. This year, the pace has been even more promising in testing. Is the team confident of challenging the likes of Williams, Force India and Sauber in race conditions in the coming races?
TF: I wouldn’t say confident at this stage, but that is the aim. Confidence will come from delivery on track and I am very confident we have everything in place to take the steps forward we want to – we will see what the other teams have been doing when we reach Australia!
Q: Below the predicted top-four teams of Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes, Team Lotus is one of the few to have maintained their driver line-up through 2010 and into 2011. How much of an advantage do you feel this offers Team Lotus, with close opposition potentially being less-settled?
TF: I think that is a very important point. We have experienced drivers who know how to develop a car and race together. We know have a package that they can push from day one so I think we will see even more from them in 2011 than the amazing performances they put in throughout 2010 in often trying circumstances.
Credit: The F1 Times (www.thef1times.com)
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