With Fernando Alonso, Timo Glock & Heikki KovalainenAhead of the first free practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend,
Fernando Alonso, Timo Glock and Heikki Kovalainen take part in the first part of the Thursday FIA press conference at the Hungaroring.
Q:
Timo, any after effects from your accident in Hockenheim?
Timo GLOCK: No, not really. Maybe too many interviews and stuff like this. But at the end I am okay. I did the test in Jerez without any problems, 80 laps or 78 laps without any problems.
Q: In some ways was it a relief to know that it was a mechanical failure rather than any problem you had?
TG: You know you have to see it from two sides. Until I came into the medical centre I was sure that maybe I made a mistake and came a bit too wide out of the kerb and with a heavy fuelled car I felt some bottoming, so I thought it might be my mistake. But then they told me that the rear suspension collapsed and that was the reason for the crash. When I saw it the first time it looked more spectacular than it felt in the car. For sure it was a bit painful on the back in the first impact but when you see so much stuff flying around, it looks more spectacular than it was right at the end.
Q: Have you been examined here this morning by the doctors?
TG: Yeah, it was quite a quick check. They knew that I did the test without any problems. They got all the pictures from MRT and stuff like this. There has been another check and everything was alright.
Q: And there has been no problem since the test?
TH: No, no. Everything easy.
Q: Fernando, you have won here before and been on pole here. Is it a good circuit for Renault?
Fernando ALONSO: We will see. It has been a good circuit for Renault in the past. But there have been this year some good circuits for us in the past and this year it is not anymore like that, so we will see how is this weekend. Obviously we arrive with some confidence and some optimistic feeling. In Jerez we found some good solutions it seems, so it depends of course how the others improve as well. But we should be a little bit better again here.
Q: What is the feeling within the team after the second place in Hockenheim?
FA: I think more or less the same. Obviously the target and the goal for the rest of the season is very clear to try to be fourth in the Constructors’ Championship. Now we are sixth but only two points from Toyota and one from Red Bull, so the last race with eight points was a big, big step for us in terms of confidence and motivation to keep pushing. It didn’t change too much in the team but now we are closer to our goal.
Q: Is development still continuing within the team or has that slowed looking forward to next year?
FA: No, there is still some developing in this car and some improvements in every race. It’s true also that in Jerez in some of the test we were also looking at next year’s car. We were testing with slick tyres, so it was a good opportunity to test maybe new solutions for next year’s car but this year’s car is still the main priority at the moment.
Q: And talking of next year. Everyone says you are the key to the driver market next year. What is your contractual situation at Renault?
FA: I have a contract with Renault for the long term. But of course at the end of every season you need to look at what the possibilities are. It is not the time now in the middle of August to think but for sure in September and October I will have a think and we will decide.
Q: Heikki, some people are saying your role in McLaren is a support role for Lewis Hamilton. How do you see your role?
Heikki KOVALAINEN: Well, I think first of all I don’t think Lewis needs any help. I think he has shown himself that he can do the job and that he doesn’t need anyone there. The second point is that I am trying to do the maximum for myself and I am not helping any other drivers, that’s for sure. And I have no instructions from the team. In the past it has been very clear that at McLaren they have had the policy of equal drivers and both have the same opportunities. I have the same car, the same opportunity and I am just working towards improving the pace and the results. The last few races have been a little bit disappointing but the only way to move on is to keep working hard and eventually the results will come. Interestingly, following this conversation it always arises that I am helping and I am in the support role but I don’t see it like that.
Q: What about testing at Jerez for this grand prix. How did that go?
HK: I think it went really well. Gary (Paffett) did the first day and Pedro (de la Rosa) the next two days and I did the final day. Overall I think we improved the package again. It is a very big push from everybody in the team to improve the car all the time. I think we are making good progress and for myself the last day we made some set-up changes and some modifications to try to improve my situation, especially improving the pace in the races. I feel that we have made a step forward and we will see how it goes this weekend but in general the qualifying has been strong but in the races I have suffered more, so we are trying to focus on that. I think we are making good progress and we will see this weekend if we have made a significant step or not.
Q: This was a good race for you last year.
HK: Yeah, I finished eighth, so it was good. You can only be satisfied when you win the race. I think I started last year from 12th position and finished eighth, so it was a good race. I had no big fights, no big incidents. It was a fairly straightforward race. I think I touched Fernando earlier on in the race and it made a little hole on the nose box, so I had a nice ventilation in the car. That’s what I remember from last year.
Q: A lot of Finns come here. Does it feel like a home race?
HK: At least last year I remember the atmosphere here being particularly good. There were many Finnish flags and I know there were a lot of Finnish fans around, so I think this could be the closest one to be considered my home grand prix with more supporters from Finland. Obviously unless we have a grand prix in Finland, it is not quite a home race.
Q: (Juha Päätalo – Financial Times Germany) What are your thoughts about McLaren clarifying your contract for next year?
HK: I think as far as I am concerned I have never been worried about my contractual situation. Since the beginning of my McLaren career it has been the target to extend this relationship for many, many years. I think it is just to clarify the situation for everybody of where we are at the moment. First of all I can say I am very, very happy with this team. I have had no second thoughts since I joined this team. I think there is a great potential in this team and I want to be part of it. I want to become a successful driver in this team and hopefully we can announce at some point in the future that I can stay here for many, many years. I would be happy to finish my career at this team to be honest.
Q: (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) To all the guys, you have tested with slicks and you have tested with 2009 aerodynamics. What can we expect the cars to be like next year?
HK: First of all I can say I haven’t tested slicks. I haven’t tested the package. Pedro has done, so I have no feelings myself.
FA: I tested only once with slicks in Barcelona but it was with 2008 downforce, so I don’t know. In Jerez I think they were testing and the timed laps are quicker with 2009 configuration compared to 2008.
TG: For me I didn’t test the slick tyres in Jerez. I think Jarno (Trulli) did the whole programme. I just tested it for one time in Barcelona and we have to wait and see. It was a different tyre figuration and it is difficult to say but at the end it will be interesting and I am happy that we go back to slick tyres.
Q: (Michael Trawniczek – Rally & More) Fernando, you were fighting for the top places in past years and with this car it is not possible. Now you are looking a little sad. Can you describe the feeling for a pilot who has to go through this phase of a career? Is this the hardest phase of your career?
FA: No, the feeling is, as I said, sometimes a little bit of frustration when you see you do a perfect race and you finish sixth or seventh and there is nothing more than you can do. You do a perfect lap in qualifying, maybe you are fifth. This is not what I have been used to the last few three or four years when I have been on pole positions and on the podium. But it is part of the job and the sport is like that. You go up and down. It is not that the same guy is winning the Tour de France or the World Cup or whatever. Every year it’s a new challenge and some new difficulties. Now we are in a moment that is difficult. We need to recover a little bit of confidence and build a winning team again. We are in that phase but I am not worried. Obviously I am just 27 years old and still have many years to come. Even
Michael Schumacher, the guy with more titles, spent four years at Ferrari not winning, so I need to be patient and I need to work harder than ever now to win again as soon as possible.
