02/05/2005
NEWS STORY
Pat, the team won the last race in Imola, yet the R25 was not the fastest car in the field. What are your expectations for Barcelona?
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: I expect us to be fighting for the win. There is no doubt that Ferrari were the class of the field in Imola but paradoxically, the size of their performance advantage was too great to be purely down to an improvement from the car. I think they had a combination of car and tyres that was better suited to that track, in those conditions, on that day. But that only means their package was better at that circuit; it does not automatically follow they will have the same advantage in Spain. Our car has been extremely competitive at each test in Barcelona, and we have to go to the race confident of fighting for victory.
Looking at Schumacher's pace, some might say the team got a ‘lucky' win – how do you answer that?
PS: We certainly got a slice of luck because had Michael's race effectively started earlier than it did, which was when he finally got clear of traffic around lap 20, then we would have seen a different result. But that set of circumstances is no different to those faced by Fernando in Australia, when he also came through the field. So yes, there was some luck involved, but that should not obscure the fact that we had a car that was competitive enough to lead the race, and a driver skilful enough to hold Michael off at the end.
On the downside, Giancarlo's car failed to finish once again in Imola – that must be a worry for the team?
PS: In 2005, we have had eight starts and recorded three retirements, all of them down to reliability issues, whether directly or indirectly. That is hurting us in the championship, and we are under no illusions that we have to get both cars finishing the races as soon as possible. As for Giancarlo, the situation has undoubtedly been frustrating for him, but he is doing a great job for the team. He won his first race in Australia and although he has been hampered by reliability problems since then, we have seen both his pure pace and his combative racing instincts on the occasions that the car has allowed him to show them. We know he can bounce back strongly in the coming races.
Barcelona is renowned as a very difficult circuit for tyres, but the track was resurfaced over the winter. What has changed?
PS: First and foremost, it still remains a very hard circuit for the tyres, although it is perhaps less aggressive than it used to be. At the start of the winter, we saw much lower tyre wear than previously, but in recent months it appears that the circuit has been getting more of its old characteristics back, and it could continue to do so as the race weekend progresses. Michelin worked extremely effectively over the winter to respond to the challenge of the new rules, and the victories in the first four races speak for themselves. There is no doubt that we are now in the midst of a very tough battle, but it is a challenge we relish.
Finally, how do you see the competition shaping up in Spain?
PS: Ferrari will be a big threat, of course, although we need to wait and see how much of their Imola performance translates to the conditions in Barcelona; McLaren will be very competitive, Toyota should be fast there and maybe even Williams too. The track's demands for good aerodynamic efficiency certainly suits our car, but I think that overall, the fight at the front is much more open than we have seen in recent years.