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Round 18 of the FIA Formula One™ World
Championship sees the pack head to Brazil for
the only South American leg of the season and
one of the sport’s classic venues; Sao Paulo.
The punishing end-of-season calendar sees the
Brazil race back to back with the season-ending
event in Abu Dhabi, but before heading to the
Middle-East Lotus Racing is looking to take
another step closer to securing its place as the
best of the 2010 new teams at the technical
Brazilian circuit.
Heikki Kovalainen “We had another good result in
Korea and we’ll be looking to carry that form
through to Brazil and Abu Dhabi. The Sao Paulo
circuit is a good challenge. There’s quite a few
overtaking points, and a few different lines
into some of the corners so you’ll see people
attacking each other throughout the whole lap,
and particularly at turn one. At the start of
the race that corner is pretty critical and
there’s always a few guys taking different lines
through there. Some go high, some low, but the
main thing to think about is that when there are
five cars going through there together you’ve
just got to do whatever you can to make sure you
fit through the gaps and come out unscathed.
“It’s a pretty hardcore end to the season and
I’ll make sure I’m properly prepared by resting
a bit and then I’ll do enough training to adjust
to the time changes, flight times and the races
themselves. To be honest, it’s easier for me
than it is for many other people in the team.
The last couple of races require a massive push
from everyone to setup the garages, go racing
and then pack up everything and relocate to Abu
Dhabi. By the end of the season we will have all
earned some time off, but we have to make sure
we stay focused on securing tenth place, and for
the next couple of races that’s what it’s all
about.”
Jarno Trulli “I’m heading to the USA for a few
days to try and acclimatise to the time change,
relax and do a bit of training in preparation
for the last two races. Brazil is a good circuit
to drive on, it’s one of my favourite tracks.
I’ve always enjoyed myself there and the
atmosphere is great, but it’s not a place where
I’ve had a great deal of luck in the races, so
hopefully that will change this year. The start
is crucial, but if you can get through that
without any problems, the rest of the lap is
pretty rewarding. There’s none of the long
straight / first gear hairpins that you have on
quite a few of the modern tracks, so you can get
into a good rhythm and really lean on the car
into the corners. My best result there was
fourth in 2000, and while I know repeating that
is obviously unlikely, our goal will be to get
both cars across the finish line and go to Abu
Dhabi still as the best of the new teams.”
Mike Gascoyne “Korea was another good result for
us and now we are looking to take that
performance through to Brazil. We have two races
left this year, and while it will be a pretty
tough two weeks for the whole team, it is the
same for everyone in the pitlane and we have the
experience and the determination to make sure we
are in the right position to capitalise on
whatever opportunities arise on track. It has
been very satisfying this season to see that we
have taken full advantage of all the races where
there have been a high number of incidents, like
Japan and Korea, and that is down to good people
working effectively on the pitwall, in the
garages and in the cars, and we will make sure
we do not let that slip in Brazil or Abu Dhabi.”
Tony Fernandes “I left Korea on an absolute
high. It was an amazing race and it was crucial
that we took advantage of the high attrition
rate to finish as high as we did. Jarno had put
in a very strong performance on Friday and
Saturday, particularly in qualifying where he
put in a great lap to beat Timo, but his run of
bad luck struck again in the race and he did not
have the chance to show what he could do. Heikki
had an eventful race, and performed brilliantly
to take 13th place, and performances like that,
and from the whole team all weekend, have helped
us consolidate our position as best of the new
teams throughout the season.
“Unfortunately I will not be in Brazil, but I
will be watching every second of the race
weekend from home. With Abu Dhabi straight
afterwards, and a long journey between the two,
it will be a hard couple of weeks for everyone
in the team, but they are all determined to keep
up their concentration levels and workrate to
make sure we finish the season on a high.
Throughout the year I have seen what a talented,
dedicated team we have in Lotus Racing, and that
gives me the confidence to know we are in the
best possible position to achieve our goals in
2010, and give us the platform to take a step up
next year and in seasons beyond.”
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