Q: Tiago, 14th on the grid here last year and you finished 15th, but what are your memories and thoughts about this circuit?
Tiago Monteiro: We had quite a good race actually until we had some gearbox issues and we lost a lot of time. But time wise it was one of our best races last year, the balance was pretty good and taking into account that our car is a lot better than last year - we are really looking forward to this one. It’s the kind of track that suits this car and my driving style as well, so I am looking forward to it. My memories of last year are also of my huge toothache problem and it was treated by my team owner which was quite interesting. But fortunately everything is fine this weekend and I am looking forward to it.
Q: Last weekend was a busy one for you in Holland, tell us about that?
TM: Yes it was a gre at event in Rotterdam, we did a demo in the streets and there was a huge amount of fans there and it was a big event organised by a Dutch company with drivers like Nico Rosberg and Verstappen. It was a big, big party and was really a lot of fun with burnouts and donuts. It was raining a bit, but people were still there and it was well organised and it’s good for F1 in general to have things like this, they should happen a lot more often because the fans get to see F1 really close and they see things they would normally never see at a normal race track.
Q: You nearly got a point in the last race at Hungary, what are your aims for the rest of the season?
TM: It’s still the same, we’re still looking for points, it’s not going to be easy but we are fighting for it. We obviously were close because of the circumstance of the weather which helped a lot. But we still have five races to get points.
Q: Kimi, obviously you have great memories of this circuit from last year, the pole position to victory, your thoughts about the track?
Kimi Raikkonen: Yeah, I like the circuit a lot, of course it’s a different story this year because the car is not at its best, but it is getting better but it will be hard to achieve those results. The las t race was pretty good in qualifying but it went a bit wrong in the race, so we’ll see what we can do.
KR: It’s not the easiest one, it’s quite tricky at Turn Eight. There are a lot of bumps and it’s not very easy. I think it’s the most difficult corner on this circuit, there is some corners that you cannot see the apex when you go in. But it’s a nice circuit.
Q: David, last year 12th on the grid and you raced to seventh in the race itself, your thoughts on this track?
David Coulthard: Well I think as the others said, it’s a great track and one of the better new circuits that we have because of the challenge of the corners. Turn Eight caused a lot of problems last year because of the bumps and the fact that it’s such a high-speed corner. The result from last year is kind of irrelevant because it’s a different formula from what we had last season with tyre changes now. We just try and do the best, we can and try and score points.
Q: And in the last race in Hungary, 13th to fifth, even though everyone seemed to bump into your car. Was it a case of hanging on in there and winning some points?
DC: There was a little bit more to it than that! Yes, in those changeable conditions lots of things can happen and inevitably people can tell stories of how they could have won the race. But you take the results at the chequered flag and that was obviously Jenson’s day and for us as a team it was good points as well.
Q: And since the last race your new team-mate has been announced as Mark Webber for next year. Your thoughts on that?
DC: I think it’s great for the team to have two experienced drivers and obviously I feel sorry for Christian because he has been unfortunate this year. I think he has good speed and he’s still very young. People have to remember than when you start at 19 or 20 and you’re put in that spotlight with that pressure, you are still a young man, probably still living at home with your parents. We all can remember the transition we go through when we start to stand on our own two feet. My opinion is that he’s been rushed through too quickly and therefore he hasn’t had the chance to show his talent. Therefore his period with Red Bull Racing has come to an end too quickly an d that makes it difficult for him to find a drive elsewhere in Formula One and that is Formula One’s loss because he drives well and his feedback is good. But coming back to Mark, obviously I’m at a more consistent level of results in Formula One. He’s come into it older with a bit more experience under his belt and he’s been able to make more e of the opportunities that he’s had and our goal will be to achieve the best results we can for the team.
Q: Coming to this race do you feel that the pressure is off you? Are you a different driver in some ways?
JB: No, not a different driver but there is definitely less pressure. There has always been that itch I can’t scratch and I think more in the media’s eyes than mine, after the amount of races I’ve competed in and not won in Formula One. Now that isn’t a concern I have anymore and I’ve enjoyed the win and we need to move on now, to work with the car and get a car that is quick enough to challenge for wins in the dry as well. We haven’t arrived here with a car that is as quick as any others and we still have a lot of work to do to challenge the McLarens, the Renaults and the Ferraris. Hopefully we’ll be a bit closer here.
Q: Thirteenth to fifth here last year and seven drivers have followed up their debut win with a second win, including two British world champions Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill, so what are your feelings about this race?
JB: As I said I don’t think our car is as quick as the top three teams at the moment, but we’re getting closer and that is our aim. I love this circuit, it’s a circuit I went well at last year. Qualifying was a bit of a pain as I grounded out round Turn Eight and went off the circuit, but the pace of the car was very good and we could have had a better result if we’d started further up the grid. So I’m looking forward to it, but we’ll have to see what our pace is like compared to the top teams.
Q: Question to you all, what did you do during the holidays?
JB: I went to Shanghai for two days and then to Japan which was lot of fun. I then flew back to Paris as I couldn’t go back to Heathrow. I got the train back to London which was nice! And then I went to Ibiza for 12 days with friends and a couple of family members.
JB: I was relaxing, there is more to Ibiza, it’s a beautiful island. It was really nice to relax with my friends and let it sink in and to get some sun and just do nothing for a few days.