Q&A with Federico Gastaldi (Lotus)

Lotus spurred on by 2014 ’pain’

By Franck Drui

16 November 2014 - 10:45
Q&A with Federico Gastaldi (Lotus)

How do you view completing the season under the lights at Abu Dhabi?

I think it is a great place to sign off. Obviously with the Drivers’ title still up for grabs it will be exciting at the very front to see who can win what has been a great battle. The ambience of the track and the surrounding area is excellent and it is a venue which is now well established on the calendar. The track is interesting with lots of different challenges. With the race going in to the evening, the lights and atmosphere make it a very distinctive event and a good one commercially for the sport with lots of celebrities and partner guests enjoying the weekend.

A long season comes to an end at Yas Marina. How do you look back over the last eight months?

We could write a book on it all! There is no point glossing over the truth. It has been very challenging and tough for everyone in the team. We started several steps behind where we should have been and it’s remained a battle to get back to where we should be. We saw some glimpses of potential like Barcelona, Monaco and Austin but ultimately this team needs much more. Ultimately, what the season has done is galvanise our ambition and determination to succeed in 2015. We have modified several key aspects in the technical package to make sure we are in the best position to return to the sharp end of the grid. We know we have the people and the desire. Therefore, we go in to the winter with real determination to be a force once again.

There was more action off the track in Brazil with regard to the structure of the sport. Is Lotus F1 Team playing a pivotal role in discussions?

I would say that the discussions we had at Interlagos were an extension of what we talked about in Austin. Everyone knows that the situation is not good for the sport and that the fans, TV companies, and commercial partners need a strong and healthy grid of participants for the future. It is of course a complex subject, but ultimately any business, whether it be sporting or not, needs to have stability within its members. Gerard (Lopez) got some very supportive comments from the fans and media for what he said after Austin. I had discussions with many parties at Interlagos and some were positive and constructive. But what we need to see is progressive action.

It is the end of a long, hard season but the factory is still buzzing. What can we look forward to over the winter?

A lot of hard work that is for sure. We will leave no stone unturned going in to 2015. The pain of 2014 will only inspire us to make sure it does not happen again. For the race teams there will of course be some time to refresh, but straight away we will all be back at the factory and pushing the limit for 2015. There will be a lot of work packaging the new Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrain unit as well as the other production, build and then testing and development phases. It will be an exciting time and a genuine fresh page in the history of the team.

This will be the final race with Renault power. How will you remember the partnership with Enstone which stretches back nearly twenty years?

I think that everyone associated with the team will recall the great days of 1995 and then again in 2005 and 2006 when the titles were won with Michael (Schumacher) and Fernando (Alonso). Renault Sport has been valued partners and we shared an intricate and evolving partnership. All good things come to an end, as they say, and for 2015 we go our separate ways. As with any long-term partnership there were good and bad times. We have many friends at Renault Sport for we genuinely thank them for their expertise during a very long association.

Search

Formula 1 news

Pics

Videos