22/08/2007
NEWS STORY
It's been a busy few weeks for the team.
Colin Kolles, team principal and managing director: It's not been so much of a break for our team; work has continued on the new B-spec car, both in the factory, wind tunnel and also on the track. Under the current testing regulations we could only complete a 50km shakedown with the new car, but we were able to gain a lot of information that should help us in our ongoing development cycle. We also completed a demonstration run in Bavaria City Racing in Rotterdam and an aerodynamic test with Fairuz Fauzy. All in all, not too much time to take a holiday!
Christijan Albers drove the Spyker F8-VII in Rotterdam. Is this an indication of an ongoing relationship with the team?
CK: Christijan is a very popular driver in Holland and the demonstration would not have been the same without him. He was a complete professional in the event and everyone, the team, Christijan himself and the fans all benefited from his appearance, but this should not be taken as a sign of any change in the situation. For 2007 we are now committed to our driver line-up of Adrian Sutil and Sakon Yamamoto.
Do you think the combination of Adrian Sutil and Sakon Yamamoto is working well?
CK: Yes, I was very pleased with the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. As we have seen, Adrian is pushing very hard and is now blending that speed with a greater maturity. To out-race a works team needed a lot of concentration and focus and he didn't put a wheel wrong. Sakon also did a very good job in difficult circumstances; he came into the team at short notice, got on with it and got closer and closer to Adrian over the weekend. Ultimately he made a mistake in the race, but as his confidence and experience in the team grows I am sure these mistakes will be eliminated.
Have you made any decisions about 2008 driver line-up yet?
CK: For us it is too early to finalise the 2008 line-up. At present we are focused on finishing the 2007 season with Adrian and Sakon and working hard to ensure the B-spec is successfully introduced.
There were some strong rumours in the press regarding Roldan Rodriguez being signed for the team for 2008.
CK: Yes, I read them too. Roldan is someone we are watching since Adrian Campos introduced him to us some time ago and now, after his podium in the GP2 race in Hungary, we are looking at the possibility of testing him fairly soon. But we have no concrete plans for 2008 and it is too early for us to make any decision about next year.
Will the team be in a stronger position in 2008?
CK: I believe so. We said at the start of the year that 2007 would be a foundation year for the team, both financially and technically. I think after the changes in ownership we needed to set a firm grounding so the team could move forward and this is what I believe we are doing now. We have a 50% wind tunnel and a further wind tunnel in Italy working for us, which brings the team in line with the top teams, and we have the B-spec car that is a very important part of our development cycle.
Has the news that Spyker Cars N.V. is conducting a strategic review of its own affected the team?
CK: The ongoing financial and strategic review of Spyker Cars N.V. is not a new development. The company started the review in May 2007 to consider how best to re-structure to safeguard its future. One option available is to (partially) sell the team, but this should not be taken as a sign that the team will close, fold or change hands completely. The review has not affected the team's day to day running in any way, we're still working on competing in the championship and the team still has the necessary means to complete this season and beyond.
Will the team change hands?
CK:Spyker Cars N.V is investigating the option of selling some or all of its shares in the team, but this is just one option available to the company. For the F1 team back in Silverstone, they have seen out many storms and stayed alive; if this is the option that Spyker Cars N.V. follows I do not think this will be any different. We'll still be here in 2008.