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Ireland
and
Switzerland: Head-to Head
Q: So let’s
start easy. What makes your team so successful?
MARK GALLAGHER:
“Well, I guess it’s understanding all of the millions of things that
have to come together to make it work. But most of all, it’s getting the
people to work together. One of the great points about A1GP is, given
that the technology is the same for everyone, it really is the people
and how they work together which determines the success or failure. We
reached the point where we had a perfectly formed team of people who
knew how to work together.”
MAX WELTI: “It
is consistency and a very good atmosphere in the team, plus a brilliant
driver and engineers. It really is, as boring as it might sound, all
about team work.”
Q: Who was
your greatest rival in 2008/09?
MARK:
“Our greatest rival this season, without question, was A1 Team
Switzerland and Neel Jani. I have never spoken to Neel at any great
length but I regard him as one of the very best drivers in the world. It
is A1GP’s good fortune that he is not in Formula One because he has very
much set the benchmark by which others are measured.”
MAX: “Ireland.
Not only their race driver but their whole team was great and their
strength was their team work as well. They have a brilliant team; they
always have had a brilliant team and they pulled it together this
season.”
Q: Describe
what winning the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport feels like?
MARK:
“Words can’t adequately describe what it feels like. May 3, 2009 was a
strange day for me. Adam’s double pole the day before meant from the
minute we started we were literally leading from the front and it just
went perfectly. It is very unusual for things to work that well. The
feeling from winning, words are difficult to find to describe it but
I’ll try: euphoria, elation, satisfaction, relief. All the hard work for
four years to get to the point where you have achieved all you set out
to is extraordinary."
MAX: “The
fantastic thing about A1GP and being successful is the fact that you are
racing for your county and representing your culture all over the world.
For smaller countries like Switzerland and Ireland or maybe Holland as
well, it is fantastic to represent your country all over the world with
this fantastic sport. Beside, I am in love with the team I have and when
you are successful that’s the icing on the cake, isn’t it?”
Q: Describe
the best decision you’ve ever made in A1GP.
MARK:
“The best decision I made was to focus on getting Adam Carroll to drive
for me. I did try to get him to drive for us in the first two seasons
but he was busy.”
MAX: “I would
say a combination of always speaking to Neel Jani, being able to
convince James Robinson to come and join us and securing all the great
sponsors I have.”
Q: Do you
believe you have the best racing driver in your country currently
driving your car, regardless of who is or is not available thanks to
other series or contracts?MARK:
“In Adam Carroll unquestionably. I think all the other Irish drivers
would agree with that and the only context that I would put that in is
that at his age, with his experience and at his point at his career, he
is the best and the correct man for the job and he has proven that.”
MAX: “At the
moment I believe Neel is not only the best driver Switzerland has but I
am of the opinion that he is one of the best drivers worldwide. We had
Sebastien Buemi [current Formula One driver] for six races in Season Two
but he did not show the ability then that he regularly shows now.
Unfortunately in the last couple of years I haven’t had the chance to
work with him again. I can’t really compare Sebastien and Neel now,
because Sebastien has certainly developed since he was with us in A1GP.
But still, in my opinion Neel is of the very best drivers Switzerland
has ever had.”
Q: Will you
continue with your respective drivers in Season Five?
MARK:
“We have discussed this before and since winning the title at Brands
Hatch. Adam would love to play a part in defending Ireland’s World Cup
of Motorsport title. I think the phrase ‘play a part’ is important
because he knows that after two years we might want to bring other young
drivers on and he would encourage that. It’s come as no surprise to
people to learn Adam would also love to look at other opportunities
beyond A1GP, he would love to do races like the Indy 500 and the Grand
Prix in Monaco. Those other series do hold an appeal for him, but he has
a huge passion for A1GP. He believes this is the best series he has ever
done, and he has promised us that whatever or if ever he went on to do
other things he will still drive for A1 Team Ireland again. He has told
me that no contract or boss would ever stop him coming back, because he
enjoyed it so much and because it is the most significant part of his
career to date.”
MAX: ”Yes, that
is the intention of both sides. I’m saying that carefully, however. It
looks pretty good, but there will be a couple of key decisions taken by
potential new partners ,if they are positive then yes, but if they are
negative it will be a bit harder. I’m also a bit careful because should
there be space for him in Formula One and one of the best teams gave him
an opportunity to drive then I think there would be a chance that I
would lose him. However, he has told me that he would rather race up
front in A1GP and contend for championships on a level playing field
than race at the back of the grid in Formula One”
Q: Name one
unsung hero in your team who doesn’t get much credit for the job they
do.
MARK:
“Niall Quinn, our rookie driver. He doesn’t get any coverage or
publicity, he’s not famous in Ireland, he hasn’t been on any chat shows,
he hasn’t been photographed, he doesn’t sign many autographs. He doesn’t
gets any credit for the fact that he has to climb into the car on Friday
morning and more often than not only to determine a problem with the
car. He is a terrific driver, a great person, a brilliant team player
and a real credit to himself for how he has conducted himself these past
two years. If Adam was to no longer drive for us we would certainly want
to give Niall the opportunity, because my word he has certainly put his
time in as an apprentice.”
MAX: “I am proud
of the guys who do a fantastic unseen job – my mechanics.
Firstly, their improvement from last season compared to all the seasons
before was unbelievable, and they have never had a mechanical failure.
They have had to deal with a couple of accidents where they had to work
all night, and don’t forget they got the car twelve hours before the
first practice started in Zandvoort. They worked all night without any
sleep. And you never see them. You see them doing a pit stop but that is
always anonymous. They wear their helmets but would you recognise them
as soon as they have their helmets off? Never.”
Q: What rule
change would you like to see implemented in A1GP?
MARK:
“I would honestly say that the way the rules have been developed it has
reached a point of real excellence. The only thing I feel I would like
to change is the Powerboost in Qualifying. All the drivers should be
allowed to use the Powerboost twice in Qualifying over the four segments
whenever they fancy it.”
MAX: ”What I
would like to see is more possibility to see rookies or potential
rookies get time in the car. It’s not about more testing but it is about
giving more options to test potential rookies. Maybe a rookie race or a
rookie championship would be good, some way of evaluating an evolution
of rookies’ performance throughout the season.”
Q: A1GP
Mexico City, 2008. Who deserved to win? [We chose the words of that
question carefully. It’s worth remembering that both Ireland and
Switzerland fought over a controversial victory, that was ultimately
decided when Switzerland was given a penalty for an unsafe pit exit]
MARK:
“Ireland unquestionably. Switzerland lost the plot completely that day.
Neel should have stopped in the pit lane and let us go. So, having said
he is the benchmark, everyone has an off day and he certainly had an off
day that day.”
MAX: ” I don’t
know if we should have won or not but the fact we got so badly punished
destroyed a good race. Who in the end would have won, I don’t know. We
had the potential to win but Adam drove a great race as well. It would
have gone to the lastcentimetresof the race and this was destroyed by a
much too hard punishment, in our opinion. Both would have deserved it,
and I was happy for Ireland. They were chasing a win for ages and there
it was.”
Q: Who will
be your greatest rival in Season Five?
MARK:
“Canada, if they return. Sadly they were not part of last season but
they were part of the previous season and we helped engineer their car
then. In my opinion Robert Wickens is the most exciting driver other
than Adam that I have ever seen in A1GP and if Robert can be tempted
back to A1GP with a Canadian team, he would be formidable opposition.”
MAX: “I think
its going to be Ireland again and maybe the Netherlands. I am sure the
Netherlands are very close to being very successful. The next contender
is Portugal, let’s not forget them. The achievement of Portugal last
year with a minimum budget was impressive as well. This is a hard
question because I think with A1GP there are people who have a lot of
potential. Think about New Zealand, and think about India, the USA and
France. If something is lacking it is only a tiny bit to go when they
get one or two ingredients together.”
To read the full
interview please visit
www.A1GP.com |
