MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
- An Interview with Daniel Audetto, Managing Director
Q. The 2007 season is underway and the team appears
to have made significant progress during the winter period,
what was the team’s reaction to its performance in Melbourne?
Daniel Audetto: We were positively surprised! Our good, hard
work completed during the winter testing, our better knowledge
of the Bridgestone Potenza tyres and the addition of Anthony
Davidson to the team has paid off. It goes without saying
that Takuma showed a strong performance during the Australian
race weekend too.
Q. How much pressure is there to repeat the performance
attained in Australian Qualifying? Will you be disappointed
if you only make it as far as Q2?
DA: We know that a couple of the top teams had a few problems
during the Qualifying sessions in Australia, so we believe
that our grid positions were not an indication of our true
performance. However, we are very happy that we made it for
the first time into Q2 with both drivers and then into Q3
with Takuma, but to be in the top 15 in Malaysia after Qualifying
would be great.
Q. This week saw the first ever test of the SA07,
how did it go?
DA: Anthony is still suffering a little from his accident
with Sutil in Australia, but all-in-all we have completed
a normal routine job: tyre comparisons, aero evaluation and
assessing different set-ups. More importantly, the drivers
and team out in Sepang have been able to get used to the hot,
humid weather ahead of the race weekend.
Q. What are your expectations for SAF1 Team’s
performance in Malaysia next week?
DA: We’ll do our best, as ever. Now that all of the
cars on the grid are so reliable it makes scoring points more
and more difficult, but we shall try!
Q. Which teams do you believe will challenge for
the Championship this year?
DA: I think that they will be more or less the same as those
who challenged in 2006. It will be Ferrari, McLaren and Renault,
but I also think that we shall be surprised by BMW and Honda.
Q. Are you under less pressure than those teams at
the sharp end, those vying for the Championship?
DA: The pressure is the same, whether it is to win the Championship
or finish within the Top 10. To finish the season in the Top
10 would make a big difference to us. According to the Concorde
Agreement you have to finish in the Top 10 to receive Championship
income therefore as the 11th team we are under a lot of pressure.
SUPER AGURI F1 is a small team that has to work to a tight
budget and with capped technical resources, however we have
entered this season much better prepared than we were in 2006
and finishing within the Top 10 would make a huge difference
to us - in monetary terms and also in prestige.
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