Q: Paolo, what have your feelings been about the development of the V8 so far in comparison to the V10?
Paolo Martinelli: Well, of course the V8 has been a completely new engine development, a new type of engine so it was quite tough and we have to work hard, for sure, during the season, being this is one of the first racing seasons with a V8, so we are gaining experience. I think each of us is working hard, trying to develop as fast as possible, as usual in Formula One, with a brand new engine.
Q: Is the development pace a lot faster than it has been in the past?
Paolo Martinelli: You can say that we have a different learning curve than we had with ten years' experience with a V10. Most of the job, or the majority of the very important or predominant factors were well known. Here, sometimes we find some new items, some new areas where you can find performance and then you have to push hard for development.
Q: You didn't really have a great heritage in V8s, did you?
Paolo Martinelli: Well, we used the V8 in the very far past, about 50 years ago, so basically we didn't get much experience from that in the Formula One world.
Q: So have you been happy with the way it's gone so far?
Paolo Martinelli: Well, in terms of development, everything is going properly. Of course, we had a reliability issue which we paid for in a severe way. In Malaysia we had a component failure. We hope to have fixed it. We have something different here in Imola and from that point, we hope to continue with our necessary search for reliability.
Q: (To all) You were all at the Maranello meeting that was held where the 2008 regulations were discussed. Can we have your reactions and thoughts on those regulations working up to the homologation?
Paolo Martinelli: It was an important meeting in Maranello, but it is not the only meeting we are going to have. The aim is quite clear, and the aim is to limit economic resources to put on the engine's continuous development. We are not fixing the engines for five years -- we are saying that each year we can make a step forward in development. We have frozen something, which is the starting page and the details have to be examined together for next month before we get to what the rules will be finally. We want to have an area in which we can continue development. This is an important part of supporting Formula One. We just want to establish what the constraints will be each year. It would be very difficult if each year you had to start with one piece of paper and you had to make a completely new engine. We need to have a freedom there to keep high technology in Formula One and continue.
Q: But it's something you are in favour of?
Paolo Martinelli: Of course, yes. I am in favour of anything that supports the sport.
|