JG:
You never know. I think overall we had a slightly better package last year than Audi did, and even on the occasions when we had more weight in the car I was still able to qualify on pole position. We had a strong package and hopefully this year we can have a similar situation.
Q:
Who do you see as providing your chief opposition this year?
JG:
That’s a good question. I think all my team-mates are rivals – they have got the same car as me. Mika, Bruno (Spengler) and Bernd (Schneider) are obviously the main ones because they have a similar opportunity as me, but then at Audi you can never rule out (Mattias) Ekstrom and Kristensen in particular, so there will be a lot of competition for sure.
Q:
It must have given you a lot of confidence last year to emerge as the fastest qualifier overall at the end of the season, especially with, as you say, drivers of the calibre of Hakkinen, Schneider and Kristensen in the field?
JG:
Yeah. It does give you a bit of a lift to know your ultimate pace is as good as or better than anybody else’s, and especially against someone like Mika who has won the
Formula One World Championship twice. It was quite surprising to be quicker than him – it’s a bit of a strange situation for a young driver to be in, but at the same time a nice situation.
Q:
So what would you say are your ultimate hopes and aims for the year ahead? What do you think you can achieve out on the track?
JG:
To improve on Sundays and make some better starts, and I think the end result of that will be race wins. That’s obviously the ultimate aim, but I just want to keep improving every year and enjoying the challenge, and hopefully if I do all that it will get me some wins along the way.
Q:
And if that is the case you could maybe even have a shot at the title too..?
JG:
Yeah, I think that’s definitely possible. Bruno Spengler finished second in the championship last year and I wasn’t too far behind him. That shows what’s possible and I know I’m capable of doing the same as him.
