Site logo

Hungary GP: Thursday Press Conference

NEWS STORY
28/07/2011

Heikki, I guess you have got good memories of this circuit. Your win in 2008 from second on the grid?
Heikki Kovalainen: Yeah, of course a great memory for myself. It was the best day of my racing career so far but I think I am 110 per cent ready for the next one of those so waiting for that.

Is this still a very popular race with your compatriots?
HK: Yeah, absolutely. There are a lot of Finnish people coming over here to watch the grand prix. It is very, very easy to get here from Finland I think and I think also, the Finnish people, they love the city. They come here for a holiday as well so always seem to be a lot of Finnish flags around here, which is great.

So this is as close to home as it gets is it?
HK: kind of, kind of. For a home grand prix I suppose there are probably more Finnish flags and Finnish supporters here than any other grand prix, so in that sense yes.

What's your aim at grands prix these days? What are you looking to do, just get closer to say Scuderia Toro Rosso for example.
HK: Yeah, of course, at the grand prix, the aim always has to be a win and a pole but at the moment that is not realistic, so we are targeting at the moment to be ahead of the other new teams and closing the gap to the cars ahead of us. We still have got a lot of work to do. We have got to improve as a team, but we are constantly working on it and that's where the focus is at the moment.

But do you see that can happen? Can you get ahead of Toro Rosso by the end of the year, for example?
HK: By the end of the year, I don't know. We are trying to close the gap every weekend but Formula One is very competitive. The teams ahead of us are bigger and better than we are at the moment so it is not very easy but whether it is by the end of this year or next year, whenever it is, the target is to close the gap. We believe we can do it so that's why we are doing it.

Jaime, similar question. This circuit holds some memories for you too. Your first ever grand prix here a couple of years ago.
Jaime Alguersuari: Yeah it is nice to be back here. I like this place and the track is very nice so hopefully we have a good race and we stay in the points on Sunday.

The results have been pretty good recently. Have you been pleased with them?
JA: Yes, I think we have done the maximum we could have done in the last races. It is difficult to say where we are now, as I think Force India have done a great step forward in terms of performance, so it is a bit difficult to stay in front of them now in the race but we will see how we can attack this weekend in comparison to last weekend and where we will finish.

And you talk all the time about learning. Everyone is always learning, but do you feel you are really making progress?
JA: I think this year it's pretty good. I think it's the biggest example so far as this year everything changed a lot in Formula One. The tyres, and it was a bit difficult at the beginning of the season to get the best out of the car, to work for qualifying and to work for the race. Now everything is coming up. It's a bit late, as I think the other teams have done a really good step forward, especially Force India, so it has been difficult at the moment to stay in front of them. But I think we are getting out the maximum of the car. Last race at the Nurburgring there was nothing else we could do. I think we did a good race, we did the maximum we could have done and (Paul) di Resta finished a fair bit behind me. He was clearly faster than me, so I think we have done really the best. I think there is still potential to come from our side set-up wise, of development during the year, but I think the target is to stay very close to Force India, to the championship, which will be tough and obviously to stay in front of Williams.

Mark, obviously a winner a year ago and just one retirement in nine races here. That's not a bad record is it?
Mark Webber: Yeah, I didn't know about that. That's good. I hope I can continue. Last year's race was good and looking to give it another crack this weekend if I can. The car should be good here. I've been pretty quick myself of late so I'll see what I can do.

Everyone says the Red Bulls are going to be quick here, but where do you see yourselves?
MW: Well, last year is a little bit of a form card. Obviously, the regulations have changed a lot since then, so let's see how that goes. Clearly, McLaren and Ferrari aren't hanging round as well. Qualifying has tightened up a lot in the last few events and so have the races, as we saw. Silverstone would have been a track where you would think we could have been a bit more competitive or more dominant compared to the high standards we have set around some particular venues around the world and this one you might pick as well. So, find out Sunday night.

LATEST NEWS

more news >

RELATED ARTICLES

LATEST IMAGES

galleries >

  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images
  • Pitpass.com latest F1/Formula 1 images

POST A COMMENT

or Register for a Pitpass ID to have your say

Please note that all posts are reactively moderated and must adhere to the site's posting rules and etiquette.

Post your comment

READERS COMMENTS

 

No comments posted as yet, would you like to be the first to have your say?

Share this page

X

Copyright © Pitpass 2002 - 2024. All rights reserved.

about us  |  advertise  |  contact  |  privacy & security  |  rss  |  terms