Q: Firstly, a question to the two tyre manufacturers: what do you think of the tyre regulations proposed for next year?
Pierre Dupasquier: I don’t think we have feelings about tyre regulations. We had a feeling on the fact that when the FIA said that they wanted to go to a unique manufacturer we believed that it was probably not the best idea. Firstly, I think Formula One, like NASCAR, like Formula 3000 with one tyre manufacturer, you begin to cut competition in different aspects in the car racing. It begins to be different. It works: good spectacle, good show, good driving, good races, but it’s not the same thing. There is a flavour for Formula One which comes from, we believe, all those competitions at every level. Secondly, we don't like too much to produce 20,000 tyres in the winter time and send them by FedEx to the Grands Prix. It doesn’t make sense. It is just supplying tyres, fine, but it’s not development, it’s not having a headache on Friday night because we don’t know what to choose from and so on so we try to find a proposal that achieved the goals of Max (Mosley, FIA President) because we feel it’s good, it makes sense. But at the same time, it makes competition, so we make the offer that if you ask us, you force us to offer a tyre that lasts longer, the need for the number of tyres will be less and performance will be slower, definitely. So, now it is not up to us to say one set, two sets, three sets, four sets or whatever. The regulation has to be written down by them but the idea has to be written down by them, but the idea was to gain alternatives, opportunities to have competition between tyres and at the same time having a constraint in the product itself even in the competition environment, which makes it slower. The construction of tyres comes mainly from testing, but since nobody wants to touch testing, so there’s not a great hope about it, but that’s what it is.
Hiroshi Yasukawa: We are very appreciative about these regulations. First of all, as we mentioned, because both of our companies can stay in Formula One. This is one of the most important things, I believe. And also three sets is a very new challenge for our companies but if we are concerned cost-wise and laptime-wise, I think we have to accept this situation. Of course we have to produce very long-life tyres which means around 350 kms which is a new challenge. This is also very interesting.
Q: Pierre, I believe you came up with a new idea which you put before the FIA which they turned down. Can you just explain what it was, about possibly changing manufacturers?
PD: It was just a way to express our attitude, our position in racing. We want to do the best we can, to compare what we are doing to our competitors. The teams are not competitors for us, but the other tyre manufacturer is a competition so the true competition is between tyre manufacturers for us. And any opportunity we can have to see where we are, see if we are doing a good job or a bad job, and to understand more, we welcome it. And this could go as far as, for example, having like for brakes, for example: a tyre that could be made available to everybody. NASCAR did it during the war between Goodyear and Hoosier. The guys had all the tyres available, they selected and then Leo Mehl from Goodyear told me it was the most expensive thing in his life because he had to produce tyres for everybody, for each race and if didn’t work then he had to drop the tyres. But it can be done physically. Obviously in Formula One we get the contract together, we get the link between companies and tyre manufacturers which is important. So it may not be realistic but technically we would like it very much.
Q: So that was the idea Pierre Dupasquier put forward; what did you think of that Hiroshi?
HY: I think one of them is a compromise. We have to accept these situations. Then I think this idea is not so bad and we are going to challenge and produce good tyres.
Q: What do you think of the idea of the teams swapping manufacturers?
HY: No, no, no, no… We have to respect what is in our contract.
Q: Sam, first of all what is the Pizzonia situation and what have you thought of his performance recently?
Sam Michael: He's done a very good job actually. At the last race, he qualified very well. The only problem was he had a poor start at the beginning which cost him a lot of places. If he hadn't had that poor start, I’m quite sure he would have been pushing and fighting with Juan Pablo for the whole race, so he didn’t do himself anyway favours not coming off the line. But he has been working hard on that as he did before Hungary as well and he’s improved again since Hungary so we are hoping that if he can get off the line again here, he can have a very strong race. But his race pace has been good. At his very first Grand Prix back at Hockenheim, his qualifying was poor but he improved that at Budapest and every time he runs new tyres now he’s there all the time, so I think it was just the fact that he spent 12 months out of qualifying so far he’s done a fantastic job.
Q: So what’s the situation now with Ralf Schumacher?
SM: Ralf is due for another medical next week before the Monza test and if he passes that medical test then he will test in Monza for three days and if he’s OK during that test then he has to re-sit a medical with Sid Watkins and if the FIA are happy he can race in the Monza Grand Prix. That’s what will happen.
Q: And Antonio Pizzonia’s future with you guys?
SM: He has got a testing contract with us which we will be happy to continue with him. There’s no question mark over that. But obviously he’s expressed his interest to try and get a race seat as well so we'll just have to play that one out over the next three or four months.
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