The ING Renault F1 Team's Sporting Manager, Steve Nielsen, is full of praise for the team's commitment after a 37-day road trip to kick off the season.

Steve, it has been a long, five-week trip for the team – you must be ready to get home?
Steve Nielsen: Well, we have been 37 days away, so plenty of people are looking forward to getting on the plane! It has been a long trip because we tested in Sepang in between the first two races, and most of the team chose to stay out for the duration. After that length of time, and three tough races, everybody is looking forward to heading home.

The team has endured three tough weekends at the track – how is the atmosphere?
SN: Coming off the back of the last two years, our competitive situation is clearly very different. In 2005 and 2006, we won the first three races, but even as we left for Melbourne this year, we knew that it was going to be tough – and that we were racing for the final points positions. From that point onwards, our goal as a race team has to be to achieve the car's maximum, and if we do that, we can be satisfied with the job we do. The goal each weekend has to be to achieve our potential, whether that means winning the race, or finishing sixth. And our commitment to that work does not change one bit.

You have achieved a 100% finishing record from the opening races. How satisfying is that?
SN: I think we can take heart from the fact that we have had a two-car finish in all the races so far. Our reliability is not yet perfect, and a lot of hard work has gone into ensuring both cars made it to the finish each weekend. The team at the track deserve a lot of credit for that, and all their efforts and late nights have paid off.

What is the morale like in the team?
SN: Well, success certainly makes life easier, and when you are battling in the midfield, everything seems a little harder! There is more work this season, as we are running a lot more on Friday than in previous years; and circumstances have also forced us to qualify and race the T-car twice in two weeks. That has put the pressure on the race team, and they have shown their true calibre in rising to every challenge. They are getting the best out of the car we have at the moment. It is not an easy situation that we find ourselves in, but nobody is downhearted. We know that our colleagues back in the factory are working flat out to improve the situation, and we are confident that we can bounce back.

So what's next – a few, well-earned days off?
SN: The boys will have a few days off, then begin the car build for the next race in Spain in several weeks' time. The team in Enstone and Viry are working hard to improve our competitiveness, and we hope to go to the next race with an improved package – that we will then race to the limit, just like we have done in the opening three races