Chinese Grand Prix Preview
Fresh from scoring its first-ever World Championship point
in last weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, the Etihad Aldar Spyker
Formula One Team moves to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix
this weekend. After a strong all-round performance in Japan,
the team will be looking for a further points haul at the
5.451km Shanghai International Circuit on the outskirts of
China's largest city.
Twenty-four year old Adrian Sutil drove a storming race at
a rain-soaked Fuji Speedway, scything up the field from 20th
on the grid to 9th at the flag fall. He was later promoted
to 8th after the end of the race when FIA Stewards noted that
Vitantonio Liuzzi, who had claimed 8th on track 4.5secs ahead
of Adrian, had passed the young German under a yellow flag.
After a difficult start to the season, Adrian and the team
were delighted to pick up their first point at round 15 of
the 17-event series. Sakon Yamamoto also put in a strong performance
in the exceptionally difficult conditions to finish in 12th
position, his best-ever finish in F1 and the highest-classified
Japanese driver in his home race.
The team will be looking to continue this upturn in form
in the Chinese Grand Prix from 5 - 7 October.
Team Q&A
Colin Kolles, team principal and managing director
After 15 tough races for the team, you must be delighted with
the outcome of the Japanese Grand Prix.
After Midland failed to score any points in 2006, it was our
aim this year to secure at least one point with Spyker. At
the start of the championship everyone said it wasn't possible,
but now thanks to the hard work and continued determination
of the team we have finally got it. It's a great reward to
everyone and it will be a good motivating factor going into
the winter and next season.
Adrian Sutil drove a very measured race in difficult
conditions. How impressive was that performance to you?
A lot of people thought after the mid point of the season
that Adrian was quick, but I believe they also thought he
was a little too 'enthusiastic'. We always knew that taking
a rookie driver on will have these risks, but also knew that
he had the potential to be very, very good. In Turkey he kept
calm when he was being put under pressure by the Hondas; in
Belgium he showed he could be patient and attack only when
the time was right. Now in Japan in difficult conditions he
kept it on track and got past a lot of experienced drivers.
I think this shows clearly how far he has come and how much
he has matured.
Sakon too had a good race.
Yes, in only his fifth race for the team and his 12th ever
F1 race, he showed how he could keep it together and bring
the car to the finish to get his best result to date. Since
he has joined the team he has been hard-working and professional
and it's a great result for him, especially in front of his
home crowd.
That first point was also a boost for the team as
it moved you to 9th in the constructors' championship. How
important is that for the team?
Our aim was to finish in the top 10, so to be 9th is beyond
our expectations. Financially it will be very important, but
for the motivation of all the team members it is a real boost.
Of course now we have got it, we will still want more! We've
been quicker than the Hondas in the past two races and they
have two points, so this is now our target.
Mike Gascoyne, chief technical officer
How gratifying was it to see the team finally score its first
point on only its third race with the new B-spec car?
It's very satisfying and it really exceeds our expectations
as a team. We've introduced a new car, we have a 100% finishing
record with it and have raced other teams with a much higher
budget than ours. To score a point is all we could have asked
for and it's a just reward for all the team. Just because
we are at the back of the grid, we don't work any less than
the teams at the top, so I am very pleased we have got this
point and am very proud of everyone involved.
What is your verdict on the weekend as a whole?
Saturday was disappointing, as we didn't show what we were
capable of in the wet. In the race we were much more competitive,
and we were more competitive on Friday in the dry. Really
it was a very good weekend all round. Adrian obviously got
the point, but Sakon also did a very good job, he was quick,
consistent and got everything right.
The B-spec now seems to be a real force. How pleased
are you to see this step in performance?
It is very encouraging. We've now had two cracking races with
the B-spec car, and six finishes out of six with it as well.
So the team is doing a good job. Teams with far more resources
than us have not been as successful or seen such a step forward
with the new mods they have introduced, so this result in
Japan is very good for the team. Now we've got the wind tunnel
up and running, give us six months before next season and
people will have to look out.
Are there any more modifications for China?
The cars in China will be the same specification as the ones
we raced in Japan. We were very competitive on Friday and
in the race so I hope we should continue to do well in this
race.
Do you think the B-spec car will suit the Shanghai
International Circuit?
In China there are two long straights going into long corners,
so the downforce levels will be very important. I think you
will see higher levels of downforce here than in Japan but
I hope you will see the same level of performance from us
as a team.
Again we saw the team out-race two works teams. How
far can you go this season with the current package?
If we have a race with mixed conditions, we have already proved
that we can get the strategy calls right and, if this happens
again, I hope we would be able to score another point and
go up another position in the championship. On Sunday there
is a chance of another tropical storm, which would make it
extremely wet. We'll of course be looking to exploit this.
|
