What's it like
embarking on your fifth year as a Ferrari test driver?
"Over the past five
years, things have evolved constantly. In my first couple
of years with Ferrari, I only drove between 2000 and 3000 kilometres
a year, which meant I played a less important role in the development
of the race car. It fell to me to try the less important aspects, with
the key tests being undertaken by the race drivers. However, last year,
I did over 20,000 kilometres and worked on just about every aspect of
the car, from aerodynamics to the mechanical side. I am involved totally
in the development of the car, while the race drivers test less and
less. Now, I am in my fifth year and there is too much work for me to
do on my own. Last year, with three of us, there was too much work,
which is why we now have a fourth driver."
Do you miss the the
excitement of racing?
"I don't miss it that much anymore.
I did 50 grands prix in F1, but I never drove for a competitive team
that could give me the chance to win or score points. So, the competition
side of F1 is not something I miss. However, I do miss the excitement
of racing to win. When I was competing in F3000, I was fighting for
victory. If you are in F1, but not driving for Ferrari, McLaren or Williams,
you have virtually no chance of winning, unless there are unusual circumstances.
So, all in all, I am very happy with what I am doing at Ferrari. Maybe
I wouldn't like the job quite so much if I was with another team. So,
I am happy here.
"To be honest, I
am no longer interested in racing in other formulae, I would not want to race in America for example. My work with Ferrari
keeps me so busy, I wouldn't have time for anything else. It would be
especially difficult to think about going to the States to tackle another
series in a serious and continuous manner. Last year I did over a hundred
days testing, which is a really huge workload."
What's your opinion about your new test driver colleague, Burti?
"I had thought
that, with his arrival, I would have a bit less work. But the truth
is, the workload has actually increased, so I am doing the same as last
year. We will test more, because we are the number one Bridgestone team
and the task of developing the tyres will be mainly down to me. Tyre
testing involves doing a very high number of kilometres and I think
I will be doing a lot of it. I have already started at the Barcelona
test. I think Luciano will be tasked with other aspects of the programme.
"As for my role
as third driver at Ferrari, as Michael has already said,
in our team, there is not a number one, two, three or four driver. The
best fight for the world championship and so the best out of the third
and fourth would race if it became necessary.
"Last year the idea
went round that I would deputise for Michael in the last few grands
prix. Understandably, Michael was very upset by international events
and I was ready to take his place. However, in the end, he took what
I reckon was the right decision and so I was not needed."
What are the organisational issues involved in running two test drivers at the same time?
"I don't think this has much to do with the arrival of
another test driver. In the past, we have divided
up the test team when necessary, increasing it or decreasing it in numbers,
as the need arose. Last year, we ran simultaneously on three tracks
with three cars and Ferrari has the structure in place to deal with
this situation. We are bound to run simultaneous tests again and so
the team might need to expand."
Can you predict the pecking order amongst the top teams?
"The top teams were running last year's cars in Barcelona. I would say
that the performance differential between the teams looked pretty much
the same as last year. But I think that, once again, our main rivals
will be McLaren and Williams, but to know just how strong everyone is,
we will have to wait until the last few tests before the first grand
prix. I believe our engineers have done a very good job and I am very
confident about our new car. It will be very strong and we will have
to see how strong is the opposition."
What do you think about the introduction of bi-directional telemetry?
"I haven't
tried it yet. My programme started with tyre development and you cannot
actually feel it when you are driving. It is just an aid which comes
from outside the car. It's a system that can be activated from the pits
or by the driver in the cockpit. But it won't change the actual way
you drive the car."
Madonna di Campiglio,
17.01.02