Drivers: Rubens Barrichello (Honda), Pedro de la Rosa (
McLaren Mercedes),
Fernando Alonso (Renault),
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari).
Questions from the floor.
Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo).
To Alonso, can you confirm you are using the mass damper here? If you are, is it a new motivation for you and your team to improve in the championship?
Fernando Alonso:
No, we are not using the mass damper. We are using a different concept of suspension but most of the teams are using it already, so we just will be similar to everybody from this race.
Q: (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News).
Kimi, how do you see the hierarchy between
Ferrari, McLaren and BMW? Is the fight between the two of you or is
BMW also a threat now?
Kimi Raikkonen:
I mean they were second best in the last race, so for sure they are there. I think it all depends from race to race. If you look at the last couple of races they are very similar and we are a little bit ahead of them. I don’t know how it is going to be here. We need to wait and see really but it is going to be close between all the three teams.
Q: (Anne Giuntini – L’Equipe).
Pedro, has your role this season with two quite young drivers become even more major than it was last season with Fernando in the team?
Pedro de la Rosa:
No, it is exactly the same really. The only thing for me that changes, that is more demanding every year for a test driver, is that you have very little kilometres available to you and whenever you are sat behind the wheel driving you have to be fully prepared. There is no room to have a run to feel warm and feel the car again. You have to prepare very well physically outside of the car because you are not that often in the car. That for me is the biggest challenge and maximising every kilometre you have. Every kilometre is a jewel you have and you have to use it. That’s why I think my experience is important. But from a driving point of view, the fact that they are young and Heikki being new to the team, it hasn’t changed much really. Fernando was new to the team last year, so it was a little bit the same.
Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport).
Fernando, were you expecting some bigger improvements from the test?
FA:
No not really. We had what we were expecting and we are quite happy with the car and the improvement we did. But, as I said, maybe we will not be happy anymore tomorrow when we see the others and they are quick as well. I think we did a god job and probably the others teams did a good job as well. It is just a matter of which team took the biggest step and we are optimistic we can improve, but we must improve what we did in the first few races. So let’s start from this race.
