Pat Symonds believes Michael Schumacher’s poor record in Shanghai could play to Renault’s advantage at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix. The team’s Director of Engineering also feels Fernando Alonso will cope better with the pressure than the Ferrari star, who, having announced his retirement, knows this is his last chance to win one more drivers’ title…

    帕特-西蒙兹相信迈克尔-舒马赫在上海的糟糕战绩将会在本周末的中国大奖赛上对雷诺车队有利。雷诺车队的这位工程总监还感觉到费尔南多-阿隆索比已宣布要退休的法拉利车手能更好地处理好压力，也知道这是法拉利车手再赢一次车手冠军的最后机会了……

    Q: Pat, the question on everybody's lips ahead of this race is whether Shanghai will be a ‘Renault track' or a ‘Ferrari track'. What is your opinion?

    Pat Symonds: As always, performance has to be looked at in relative terms. Shanghai is a good circuit for Renault, and we had a fabulous race there in 2005 when we dominated the Grand Prix and won the constructors' championship. But what may be more significant is that Michael Schumacher had two poor races there in 2004 and 2005. That trend could continue this year.

    问：帕特，在这场比赛即将来临之前，每个人嘴边的问题都是上海站是一条雷诺的赛道还是法拉利的赛道。你怎么看？

    帕特-西蒙兹：和以往一样，比赛表现必须用相对来衡量。上海对雷诺来说是一条不错的赛道，我们2005年曾在这里有过一场出色的比赛，那个时候我们统治了整场大奖赛，并且拿到了车队的总冠军。而更重要的是迈克尔-舒马赫分别在2004年和2005年在这里有过两场糟糕的比赛。而那种趋势在今年还可能会继续。

    Q: Renault are now second in the constructors' championsh ip to Ferrari. Would you say the team is on the back foot?

    PS: I don't think so. The team has had a tough month: we threw away a win in Hungary, and events transpired against us in Monza. But had Fernando (Alonso) started from his correct grid position in Italy, we know he would have been fighting for the race win. Some people seem to think Renault is a spent force in this championship. That is far from the case.

    问：雷诺现在位于法拉利之后排在车队积分榜上第二位。可以说车队是在后退吗？

    帕特-西蒙兹：我不这样认为。车队度过了艰难的一个月：我们在匈牙利丢掉了胜利，而比赛在蒙扎也进行得不顺。但如果费尔南多-阿隆索在意大利是以正常的发车位置开始比赛，我们知道自己是可以为大奖赛胜利而战的。一些人似乎认为雷诺在这场比赛中已经是精疲力竭了，但实际上情况却并非如此。

    Q: But surely the momentum is with Ferrari at the moment?

    PS: In some senses, I think it is true. We learned last year that momentum and psychological advantage are important, when we struck a decisive blow with our run of wins at the start of the championship. But the other thing I remember is the team's response to losing the lead of the constructors' championship in Brazil. Losing the lead merely redoubled our resolve to get it back, and we did so in style. That was probably the most satisfying aspect of last season, and the attitude now is ‘OK, let's do it again'. This team has the virtue of being very honest with itself. We know where we stand in terms of performance, and we are feeling confident.

    问：但能肯定的是法拉利此刻的势头很强劲，不是吗？

    帕特-西蒙兹：某种程度上，我想是这样。去年当我们在大奖赛初期的一连串胜利受到了决定性的打击之后，我们了解到势头和心理优势是重要的。而我还记得的其它事情就是车队在巴西失去车队积分榜优势时的反应。失去的领先仅仅意味着我们必须要加倍反击的决心。我们成功地做到了。那可能是上个赛季最让人满意的一方面，我现在的看法就是‘好的，让我们再做一次’。车队有着对自己非常坦率的优点。我们知道自己的表现所处的位置，我们感觉到了自信。

    Q: The team experienced a turbulent weekend in Monza. What impact will it have on this weekend's race?

    PS: It is a completely closed chapter. I think you have to be fatalistic when evaluating these things. The fact is that Fernando's engine failed, and cost us the points. Had he been leading or in P22, that failure would have happened at the same point of the race. Our focus has been on fixing that problem, and getting on with the job. The events of the weekend were unfortunate, but made no difference to the final result. So we have to draw a line under it, and start again.

    问：车队在蒙扎经历了一个骚乱的周末。那会对本周的比赛产生什么样的影响？

    帕特-西蒙兹：那完全是一场不可理解的比赛。我想当你对这些事情进行评估时必须宿命一点。情况是费尔南多的引擎坏了，让我们失去了积分。如果他是领先或者是第22位，失败还是会在比赛的同一个时间发生。我们把注意力集中在解决问题和继续做我们的工作上。周末的事情是不幸的，但不会对最后的结果造成什么不同。所以我们必须对这件事加以强调，然后重新开始。

    Q: That engine failure was the team's first in 2006. What has been done to ensure it doesn't recur?

    PS: We have identified the weakness that caused the failure, and taken preventive measures. The engines we will run in China represent a performance gain over the units from Monza, both in terms of power and driveability.

    问：这是车队在2006年首次遇到的引擎故障。为了确保类似的情况不再发生，车队做了些什么？

    帕特-西蒙兹：我们确定了引起故障的缺点，采取了预防的措施。我们在中国站使用的引擎代表着从蒙扎的组件上所取得的性能表现，无论是从动力还是从驾驶性能上来说。

    Q: It has often been said that 2006 has been a ‘tyre championship'. Michelin seemed to have made big gains in Monza. Has this been reflected in testing since then?

    PS: They have continued to move forward, yes. We are very happy with our preparations for the final three races, and we have made progress on both the compounds and constructions. We found some very interesting improvements in Jerez and at Silverstone last week, and Michelin are pushing hard.

    问：过去经常有人说，2006赛季是一场轮胎比赛。米其林在蒙扎似乎做出了巨大的进步。自那时开始，在测试中也反映出了这一点吗？

    帕特-西蒙兹：是的，他们继续在前进着。我们很满意自己为最后三场比赛所做出的准备。我们在化合物和结构上都取得了进步，在上周的赫雷斯和银石都发现了一些非常有趣的改进。米其林正努力地工作着。

    Q: With both championships so delicately poised, how much is the team under pressure?

    PS: There is plenty of pressure, and there's no point denying it. We do not have any margin for error in these three races, but that also makes our job a lot simpler. The only option is to race aggressively. Second places are no good at this stage of the season. And the same is true for Ferrari.

    问：由于两个世界冠军都处于微妙的平衡之中，车队身处于多大的压力之下？

    帕特－西蒙兹：压力有许多，没有否认的必要。在后面的三站比赛中，我们不可以再犯任何的错误了，但这也让我们的工作简单了很多。唯一的选择就是更有攻击性地去比赛。在赛季的这个阶段，排第二位不是件好事。对法拉利来说情况也是一样。

    Q: You have worked with both championship contenders. Can you separate Fernando and Michael on any level?

    PS: It goes without saying that they are both fabulous drivers and formidable competitors, but I truly do believe that Fernando handles pressure better than Michael. Throughout his career, there have been many instances of Michael not performing to his potential when he has been under pressure. And I think the pressure for him is greater than ever in these last three races. Previously, he always had the safety net of trying again next year, if he didn't win. There is no ‘next year' for him now!

    问：你和两位竞夺世界冠军的车手都在一起工作过。你能在某个水平上对费尔南多和迈克尔加以区分吗？

    帕特-西蒙兹：不用说，他们两位都是出色的车手以及令人畏惧的竞争对手，但我真的相信费尔南多在处理压力上比迈克尔更好一些。在他们的职业生涯中，有很多迈克尔身处压力之下没有发挥自己潜能的例子。并且我认为对他而言最后的三场比赛将会给他带来前所未有的压力。先前，如果他没有赢，他总是有着明年再次尝试。

    Q: Both championships are in the balance with three races remaining; in many ways, it's a dream scenario for fans of the sport. How would you describe the mood in the team at the moment?

    PS: I think it is determined, optimistic and excited. We have a very clear target that we are working towards, but we will be out there to enjoy these final races, and to go for it. It has been a classic Formula One season, and it is going down to the wire with a classic battle. It is great to be part of that.

    问：在赛季还剩下三场比赛的时候，车队在两个积分榜上都处于势均力敌的情况。在很大程度上来讲，这是很多车迷对这项运动所梦想的情景。此刻你怎样描述自己在车队的心情？

    帕特-西蒙兹：我认为是坚定、乐观和兴奋 。我们有着清楚地目标，并且正朝着它奋进。但我们也会去享受最后的几场比赛。这是一个经典的F1赛季，会是一场经典的战斗。能身在其中的感觉很棒。（声明：F1官方网站版权所有，未经许可不得翻译、刊载，搜狐F1频道为唯一中文网络合法登载单位。 王波编译）

(责任编辑：ocelot)