03/02/2012
NEWS STORY
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Firstly, did you enjoy a relaxing winter and have a chance to recharge your batteries?
Paul di Resta: I stopped working just before Christmas and that was it until January 13th, so I had a chance to spend some quality time with family and friends, and switch off for a little bit. I pushed on with my training and I was in a good routine and really enjoying it. It was nice and quiet in Monaco and the weather was fantastic, so it encouraged me to get outside and get active.
You got a feel for the VJM05 when you had your seat fitting. What are your impressions?
PdR: It's looking quite good and the seat fit went very smoothly. The small issues I had last year were obviously considered in the design, which is what happens in your second year as part of a team - that's one of the things that becomes a bit easier. I wouldn't say the cockpit was tight last year, but I just couldn't get low enough in the car, where I wanted to be.
What is the team's target with the new car?
PdR: The target is just to go forward really, from where we left off at the end of last year. We've got to start a bit stronger than we did last year - that will be key. We've also developed a lot of the things that we tried last year and now believe that it's the way forward. I'm not going to say what it is, but you'll see it as soon as the car hits the track!
Last year the team ensured that the car was competitive at all types of tracks, rather than just places like Spa and Monza. Will we see that again this year?
PdR: We actually struggled a bit in terms of straight-line speed compared to others. So there was definitely a change. If you look at Hungary, it was one of our best results: a very strong performance across the whole weekend. So it's good to keep going down that route. You need downforce, but you need efficiency, and it's a question of how finely you balance that.
How much stronger do you feel personally heading into the season, compared with this time last year?
PdR: A lot stronger. I've been training as hard as I ever have, really pushing on for the last few weeks. As I said, I'm getting myself into that routine and just pushing the body to another level. For some reason my life is just a lot more stable - it just lets you concentrate on the bits you need to as and when they come in. The other benefit is that I now have a year under my belt. Whether it's making decisions on travel arrangements or just analysing your time, you can really see what you didn't like last year and what affected you, and just put it right.
The Pirelli tyres were new for everyone last year. Did you feel comfortable with them?
PdR: It's difficult to say because it was my first year, but it was not easy, because they were changing a lot and there was a big difference between them. At the same time everyone gets to run with the same tyres and it's about making them work. It was all about doing it at the right point in the weekend, especially during qualifying.
You have a new team mate in Nico - are you looking forward to working with him?
PdR: Obviously Nico was already part of the team last year. I've known him for a long time and I'm sure we will work well together. At the same time you do have that bit of competitive nature, and you bounce off each other and push the team to take that little bit of an extra step.
It's an unusual situation, because you've both done one season of racing, and one year of Friday FP1s - albeit not in the same order!
PdR: We're on equal territory. He's probably done a bit more mileage than me in an F1 car, and he knows all the tracks, so there's not really any disadvantage for him. And he knows the team.
You often shared a car with Nico on Fridays last year. Did you learn from that whether you have similar styles, and perhaps would like the new car to develop in the same direction?
PdR: The testing priorities were always different, and even between FP1 and FP2 the car would change - they would generally try new things with Nico when he was in the car just to get a bit of an idea, even if it was about future races. So I don't really know - I think that will develop over the winter.
The competition in the middle of the pack is very strong. Do you agree that it's not going to be easy to repeat last year's form?
PdR: True, we've got a job in hand to maintain sixth. At the end of last year we punched way higher than I think we should have, and credit to the team for their ambition. I think everybody is still on a high from that and hopefully that will push us to another level again. But it's going to take a lot of dedication to achieve that. We have to start off where we finished last year and keep pushing in that direction.
Looking at the overall package can you see any reason why you can't do that?
PdR: There's definitely no reason why we can't. We've had good stability and we have the same technical staff, and the same partners: Mercedes-Benz for engine and KERS, and McLaren for gearbox and hydraulics. So everything is very stable and has carried on over. It almost feels like there's not been an end of the season and a beginning of the new one. Everybody's in the same state of mind.
Did you have a chance to relax this winter and how have you been preparing for this season?
Nico Hulkenberg: After Brazil I took some time out and just chilled a little bit and did some training. I went on a little holiday to New York after Christmas and since the beginning of January I've been pretty much flat out. It's not like I've been sitting at home, there's been plenty to do and think about!
What are your initial thoughts on the VJM05?
NH: I think the car doesn't look too different to last year, expect maybe at the front of the nose, where there is a bit of a change. Apart from that, there isn't much obvious, although the exhaust position is different. Aero-wise, it's in the details again. I saw the car in the wind tunnel and it looked good, but you never know where you are until you are out there and you compete against the others, so let's wait and see.
All the teams have lost downforce with the exhaust rules. Are you confident that the team has been able to claw enough back?
NH: Everyone is positive. Losing the blown floor was a setback, but at the same time the aero guys and engineers are moving on and trying to develop other areas to try and gain what you lose. Nowadays you need a strong aero package, a good aerodynamic car, but also mechanically you cannot afford to have poor suspension. It all goes together as a package and you have to have harmony in the car.
How would you describe the team's philosophy with the new car?
NH: I think very clearly the philosophy is to build a competitive and very quick car! With 20 races this year you need a car which is very good on every circuit, not just high-speed tracks like Monza, or tight street circuits like Monaco. I think if you want to compete against the others, and it's pretty tough in the midfield, you need to be competitive everywhere. We're just trying to develop and make the car stronger in every aspect.
How hungry are you to get started after not racing last year?
NH: Very! Preparations have been full-on with simulator sessions, the seat fitting, and my training regime has gone up a little bit in volume and intensity. So I'm getting myself back into shape again. It's exciting times and I'm looking forward to it.
Will it take you a couple of weekends to get back into the rhythm of qualifying and racing?
NH: It's difficult to know. Obviously I went through that process in 2010, and I still have memories of it. However, it's not a situation like the beginning of 2010 when I was a complete rookie and completely new to everything. I've gone through it before and I know what to expect and what is coming up. It's not a bad situation, but not having been on the grid for a year means it might take some time and some adjustments before I'm fully up there and back in my race rhythm.
You learned about the Pirellis in your Friday testing last year, but you don't know about how they develop over the weekend into qualifying and the race. Is that the major thing you have to learn?
NH: Track evolution from P3 to qualifying, what you've got to do with your set-up to re-adjust it, how the soft tyres behave in the race - I only know about that from the Bridgestone days, and I didn't really run a soft Pirelli compound last year in free practice. So there's a lot to learn and there are only a few tests before Melbourne. We've got a lot on our schedule, but it's a good challenge!
Apart from learning more about the tyres, what are your goals in testing?
NH: I just have to get back in the groove, get some mileage, get the F1 feeling back, and just prepare. The important thing is to do a qualifying and race simulation as well, at the latest by the last Barcelona test. It's what you would do usually, but maybe this time it's a bit more for myself to prepare.
What are your thoughts on Paul? Obviously he's going to be your main rival this year.
NH: I know Paul very well from last year, and I saw what he could do. I think he did a very good and a competitive rookie season. Having a winter and then coming back for your second year, you've got to be stronger, it's natural. You can have a good think about things. I think we both have a very competitive nature, and we both had some great success before F1. It's going to be competitive, and at the same time what I could see from last year is that we work well together. It's a healthy rivalry between us, we can push ourselves to the limit, and the team can be pushed to the limit as well, which is good.
Do you have similar driving styles and set-up preferences?
NH: It's difficult sometimes to make out the difference and you always think about your own set-up rather than your teammate's. So I don't know yet whether we have a similar driving style.
The team did a great job to finish sixth last year. How tough is it going to be to repeat that, given the strength of the middle of the field?
NH: I think that's the case every year, and if you look at how competitive it was in the midfield last year, there's nothing new there. Obviously Williams wants to come back and push forward again - they want to make our life more difficult! We want to establish ourselves and maybe even gain one more place to be fifth in the constructors', so it's going to be interesting with Lotus as well.
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