Italian GP - Thursday press conference - Pt.1

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q:
Jarno, good person to start with because you've said your home race doesn't mean that much to you...

Jarno Trulli:
Yeah, it's true. It's always been like that. It's nice to be in Italy but I actually don't live in the north of Italy, I actually live, I come from the centre of Italy, so from Abruzzo, so I don't have a special, special feeling. Obviously, it's important, it's nice to be in Monza, also because Monza is special, the atmosphere is special for every driver not only for an Italian one because we've got the Italian supporters, the Ferrari supporters - the tifosi - so that makes this event special. For myself it's nothing different compared to any other race.

Q:
What has changed for you is the power steering. First of all, can you tell us why you didn't have it in Spa but also why has it made so much of a difference?

Jarno Trulli:
For me it makes a lot of difference because I can actually feel the car and get the exact car behaviour, which I didn't have with the old one. I was pretty much a passenger before rather than a driver. With the new one it's normal power steering. It works as it should but unfortunately in Spa we couldn't use it for technical reasons. It's back here and I just hope I can keep it for the rest of the season.

Q:
Are those technical reasons likely to prevent you from using it again?

Jarno Trulli:
We might have to probably jump another race but at the moment I just want to concentrate and focus on this one.

Q:
Kamui, first of all I think you mentioned in your preview that you raced here a lot in Formula Renault Italia when you were racing in that championship?

Kamui Kobayashi:
I had quite a lot of experience in Italy, I think I lived here for two years as well, so I have always good memories of Italy and the greatest feelings here as well.

Q:
You're also expecting quite a difficult race here, why is that?

Kamui Kobayashi:
Well, I mean it's Monza, it's always a low-downforce track but I mean for us, even last year we had no competitiveness here. OK, like we had Monza spec wing but usually we struggle a lot over the kerbs, we struggle a lot usually, more that at other tracks. In Monza it is very important about kerb-riding. We mentioned a little bit of a difficult week but last year we [qualified] like P12, which was not too bad, so hopefully this year we can have a race, because last year before the start I had technical problems with gearbox or whatever and I couldn't start, so we'll see this year.

Q:
So, once we get this race over with do you expect to bounce back a little bit to where you feel you should be?

Kamui Kobayashi:
Well, I mean this week, I'm quite competitive and not so negative because we have, I believe, our package in Monza is not too bad and from last year our experience was OK. We have a few updates, so, we'll see.

Q:
Tonio, first of all, I believe you have a special helmet this weekend; can you tell us about it?

Vitantonio Liuzzi:
Yes, in a way it is a little surprise for our fans for the Italian Grand Prix. For me, it's always a wonderful feeling to be at a home Grand Prix. Before, I started my Formula One career in Imola at another Italian Grand Prix but it is always a great feeling to be here in Monza: it's an historic circuit; it's a great race and that's why for every Italian GP I try to make something different to thank my fans and to remember especially this year that it is the 150th anniversary of Italy, so we did a little new design with my designer, Kaos Design, that always is the inventor of these ideas, and I hope the fans will like it.

Q:
How important do you think it is that the Italian Grand Prix is in Monza rather than... following the stories about it being in Firenze or Rome or Pescara or somewhere?

Vitantonio Liuzzi:
Monza is the only really historical circuit that Italy has left, one of the few at least, and because of the long history I would especially keep this circuit because it is quite different to all the other circuits in F1, this season especially. It makes everything different. And I think every driver likes it because it is the only circuit with such a top speed and low downforce, so at the end of the day it is good to have the grand prix here, even though we have circuits like Imola and others that could be competitive - but I like this circuit because it is different. But at the end of the day that's how it is. I'm sure Mr Ecclestone will keep on going with the Italian Grand Prix as long as possible and hopefully it will be here in Monza.

Q:
And finally, the team seems to be on a much more stable basis, how has that affected it from your point of view?

Vitantonio Liuzzi:
I have to say that the team has made a good step forward in terms of stability - as you said that we improved. At the beginning everybody wasn't sure, there were a lot of talks about the rest of the season, continuity, things like that. The Carabantes did a really great job before but now with the new owners, Thesan Capital, there seems to be a big future for the team, they are planning to make a big step forward from next year on. At the moment, also because of this change of owners, we had a bit of a slowing down in terms of development this season, because all the upgrades we were planning didn't arrive in time and we are maybe one or two months behind the schedule but the big project is for the future, for 2012 and I have to say the new owner Thesan are planning big things for the team. I hope we will move forward as soon as possible but we are planning highly for 2012.

Q:
Mark, even this morning people were still talking about your overtaking manoeuvre with Fernando at Spa. Now you've had a look at it from a different angle, what did you think of it?

Mark Webber:
Ah, it looked closer on TV than it did in the car, to be honest. Yeah, as I said at the time, I had some momentum and I didn't know... I mean most people were comfortable on the out lap through Eau Rouge but I didn't know how comfortable Fernando would be so I probably would have had to wait and see how it went but I thought 'well, I have a chance, I'm up to speed, let's see how it goes'. So yeah, it worked out OK. Fernando fought hard and fair and as we've had many sensational battles in the past together and that's what it's about. Extremely rewarding. That day it went my way; there's been many days it hasn't gone my way and Fernando's had it, so it was good that it turned out OK.

Q:
What about this circuit? The team was quite nervous before the start in Belgium, what about this circuit?

Mark Webber:
Spa's given us a little bit of confidence. We were a bit more competitive in the first sector and the last sector in Spa where traditionally we haven't been. The track here, yes it's quick but it does have some different demands to Spa in terms of the way the profile of the corners are and obviously there's some kerbing as well. So we have some confidence after Spa but we're not coming here thinking we're going to be in amazing shape. We're going to be competitive. Ferrari and McLaren will be quick again so Spa just gave us a bit of confidence to come to this venue and maybe do a bit better than we probably would have been able to if it was the other way around - if Monza was first we might be more nervous.

Q:
Does it surprise you when you actually overcome circuits where you're not meant to be doing well? We've had one or two this year and yet you always seen to have done extremely well as a team.

Mark Webber:
Yeah, but we got beaten on the tracks where we should have won. Fernando dominated Silverstone, so it's been a bit different this year, that's the way it's been. Let's hope it's the same here again and we're quick and competitive but then can pick our performance up on the tracks where we should be better.

Q:
Fernando, obviously a previous winner here, you've been talking about your memories of a year ago, particularly about what it's like to be a Ferrari winner at Monza.

Fernando Alonso:
It's very special obviously, as Jarno said before, I think racing at Monza is special with any team because Monza is a very unique track - the highest speed we will reach in the Championship again this year and it remains a very special track for us. Not only for the layout, for the proper speeds that we reach here and the atmosphere and the fans and the place the circuit is in. It's a good place and obviously winning for Ferrari last year was an amazing feeling. We call them tifosi for all the passion people in Italy feel for Ferrari and it was great and obviously the aim, the target for this weekend, is again to do well, to enjoy the race and make the grandstand also enjoy the show.

Q:
Stefano said that the team will do everything they possibly can to win and while I'm sure they do that every weekend, what does it mean from your point of view?

Fernando Alonso:
I think there is a special atmosphere, a special motivation this weekend for all of us, starting from the mechanics and the engineers, they have their families in the grandstands, they have people they know in the paddock and it is a race.... We all do 100 per cent every weekend we go, but here in Monza there is this extra care in everything we do and we want everything perfect, from tomorrow's practice to Sunday. So I'm sure that all of us will make an extra effort to do everything perfect this weekend.

Q:
How important are the track temperatures? We've heard a lot about track temperatures, and I'll ask Felipe the same question, but obviously you must happy that it's meant to be warmer here?

Fernando Alonso:
Yeah, it should be OK. It should be better for us. For different reasons it seems that our car struggles a little bit with cold track temperatures and we had quite a difficult summer with four or five consecutive races that it was damp, it was raining, it was very cold and we took a little bit of time after the pit stops and in qualifying especially to get the performance out of the car, so it's good to know that here it will be a little bit warmer, but we don't know exactly the performance change. As Mark said before, I don't think there will be anyone in a dominant position this weekend. It will be a very close battle as it has been in the last couple of race, with McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari. Mercedes, I guess, will be also very quick here with all the long straights, so it's going to be an interesting weekend and we have to do everything perfectly if we want to be at the front. If not you can be seventh or eighth very quickly.

Q:
Felipe, where do you see the hierarchy? How do you see it?

Felipe Massa:
As Fernando said, it's a different circuit, so here, you know, it's important to have a good direction: a good top speed, but also a good car over the kerbs. I hope we can put everything together, even the temperature in the middle can help us to be a little bit stronger and fight as we did last year.

Q:
And how much does all that support mean from the tifosi? What does that mean to the drivers?

Felipe Massa:
It does a lot, for sure. Being at the home grand prix is always special. We have an extra power from the people. I won two races in Brazil and the power from the people helps. It gives a lot of support, a lot of confidence as well. And here it's the same. By being here and looking at everyone in red pushing us to the front is very, very special and I hope we have another good weekend like it was last year.

Q:
Stefano has mentioned that you've had a problem with the tyre temperatures for maybe a decade he even said. I don't know if you agree. You've been there quite a long time.

Felipe Massa:
I agree. For sure, we're struggling on the core temperature. This year we had many races... even in Hungary it was 15 degrees and even wet. So we're working very hard on that. But anyway, let's think about this weekend and I hope the temperature helps us and it is on the direction we wants as well.