Q:
Do you anticipate DHL staying with you for next year?
TG:
Yeah, I think so. It looks pretty good. A couple of rumours went around San Jose that everybody said DHL would be out of the team with
Timo Glock. Now they make an ALMS team with Porsche and everybody said I am going to Penske and drive there - which is not, definitely not, true. DHL maybe will be a part of the sponsor next year, maybe not. We'll see. The decision will be in the next couple of weeks.
Q:
Charles, at what point during the season did you secure enough financial backing where you knew that you could compete for the rest of the year and run for the championship. What happened in terms of losing your pole at Long Beach, at that stage did you figure the championship was lost?
CZ:
Well, actually, I think with the backing question, I think, during half the season, we were quite sure that we would make it to the end of the season, but still it was a small struggle every race to still get the money physically at the team. So, for that part, it didn't bother me too much because I was concentrated on the racing. Before coming here, I didn't really have the expectations to go for the championship, seeing that I was only coming in one-and-a-half weeks before the race and everybody was doing a full testing season before that. I didn't really have the expectation to do so well as I did. Basically, when I went to the back of the grid, I thought this is not good, but I have to make the best it and finished on the podium and things started to roll for me.
Q:
If you are not able to secure a Champ Car deal for next year, do you find the changes in the rules package and financial incentives justification enough to come back and defend your championship?
CZ:
I do really think that the new series is going to be a really, really great series to drive in - the $2 million purse is just great, the best I have ever seen in a series. But, basically, I have become champion this year so, for me, there's really nothing to win there. I would really prefer to go to Champ Car, so we'll see what happens.
