Q&A: Oliver Jarvis.

Tuesday, 9th January 2007

Having signed a deal to contest the All-Japan F3 Series with reigning champions TOM’s in 2007, Oliver Jarvis is confident that his decision can keep him on the road to Formula One.

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Of course, there’s a lot of pressure to deliver but, to be honest, that’s all self-inflicted. TOM’s have shown belief that I can go out there and do the job. It’s my second season of competing in F3, so there is a degree of expectation but, throughout my career, the most pressure on me has come directly from myself to keep proving my ability. I like to think that under pressure I perform at my best.

Q:
Given the likes of Eddie Irvine, Pedro de la Rosa, Ralf Schumacher, Ralph Firman and, now, German racer Adrian Sutil have all successfully gone from competing in Japan to racing in Formula One, how do you see your own long-term career path working out having made the commitment to race there?

OJ:
Like I said earlier, many people have made the switch from Japan into Formula One and Sutil’s graduation to Spyker shows that it’s still a relevant option despite the various categories on offer in Europe. Formula One is still my ultimate goal, but I love to race cars so, if I can make a living as a professional driver, then I’d consider myself to be very fortunate.

I think racing in Japan opens up a few more doors for me without losing sight of my long-term aspirations. I still have my test with the McLaren F1 team to look forward to, having won that as part of the BRDC McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award. It’s more than likely that the test will take place at some point this year, so I’ll be sure to make the most of it when the time comes.

Q:
When do your preparations start for the 2007 All-Japan F3 Series and how will this impact your A1 Team Great Britain duties in A1GP?

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OJ:
With the competition as fierce as ever in Japan, coupled with a new team to get to know, I made the decision to go to Japan as soon as I could to get my pre-season preparations underway. Unfortunately, this now means that I’ll be unable to represent A1 Team Great Britain in New Zealand as there’s a date clash, the team having indicated that I’d have got the drive at Taupo due to it being a new circuit and my rookie status allowing an extra hour of track time.