DM:
Well there’s one or two little set-up things that I know I’m always wanting from the car that I’ll be looking for Oliver to try and work towards for me. That said I’m sure they’ll be the same things he’d be looking for in his time with the car anyway. We’ve just got to make sure we get the basics of the car right and don’t work too far away from a set-up that I like in the car so I don’t have to start again when I get in! Hopefully that won’t be the case and I’m sure he’ll do a good job to everyone’s advantage.
Q:
With an accomplished background testing in
F1 and racing in both Champ Car and the Indy Racing League, how does the playing field in A1GP compare to your previous racing experiences?
DM:
It’s a much larger field put it that way!!! The front half of the grid is pretty much the same, there are always new guys and more experienced drivers doing similar jobs. When I came onto the scene I’d like to think that I was straight on the pace and challenging the experienced guys. You’ll always get the young drivers coming up through the ranks and pushing people like myself and Jos Verstappen (A1 Team Holland). As it is in any championship the sharp end of the grid is extremely competitive! Obviously some of the more inexperienced guys and rookies you find further down the field but they can always pull some surprises and should never be discounted.
Q:
What’s the single biggest challenge of an A1GP weekend for a driver, is it getting to grips with the aggregate qualifying system or trying to steer clear of trouble in the Sprint race to get a clear run for the Feature?
DM:
I guess the biggest thing is that it’s such a busy weekend. In other series you usually get more testing than qualifying and racing but in A1GP it seems like the other way round! I’m sure most of us are just used to one qualifying session and one race but an A1GP weekend hosts four qualifying sessions to set the grid and two races on the Sunday. It’s more of a mental challenge to keep yourself psyched up and ready for everything that’s going to be thrown at you when it counts.
Q:
Eight different nations won races in the inaugural season of A1GP, how quickly do you think A1 Team GBR can pick up a win this season and do you see any one team being as dominant as A1 Team France was last year?
DM:
Well I’d love for A1 Team GBR to be as dominant as the French last season. Now that the series is in its second season I think it’ll be a lot harder for one team to be so strong. France got off to a great start last year and managed to keep it going for most of the season before tailing off a little towards the end when some other nations caught up. Needless to say I’m hoping A1 Team GBR picks up its first win starting next weekend in Zandvoort and challenges for the World Championship from there.
