Q&A with Eric Boullier

After a satisfying start to the 2011 campaign, Eric Boullier talks about how the team will continue to push even harder.

Eric, as Formula 1 heads to Europe, what conclusions can you draw from the season so far?

“The first three races are always a challenge as we take the car straight out of the box to compete on the other side of the world. We had quite a satisfying campaign with two podiums in three races. Having said that, we encountered some disappointment in China but we put our heads back
down to try and analyse and come back from this. We have shown good competitiveness in this first leg, including in China. So we now are looking forward to the start of the European campaign.”

The start of the European season has traditionally been synonymous with big upgrade packages; how well is the team prepared for Turkey?

“We have a good upgrade package coming for Turkey. I think that historically the teams were preparing to introduce their development packages for Europe, but I think that in the last couple of years the development race is continuous and this competition has already started. Teams have already been bringing new packages in Malaysia and China. Still, the first race in Europe remains significant in terms of improvements that teams will bring and this will be clear again this year.”

You know Istanbul Park very well, how does the circuit inspire you?

“It reminds me of a great fight Vitaly had with Fernando (Alonso) last year, and a very strong race that both Robert and Vitaly had. I know that our car is looking more competitive this year and our drivers know like the circuit, so we hope that it will be a good weekend for us.”

Both Nick and Vitaly showed great performance in the first few races, are they ready for the European season?

“I think that they can do even better. During the last three races, they were still getting to know the car and they showed good pace and results. I’m pretty sure that they now have the near-to-victory taste in their mouths so they need to keep on pushing. I know the team is absolutely 100% behind both of them to help pushing them to deliver.”