Carry on like this - White
The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team’s Chassis Technical Director, Rob White, was pleased with the result at the 'Sepang International Circuit' in Malaysia, but he knows there’s a long road ahead in 2006…
Interview with Rob White
Rob, the RS26 engine has scored 28 points out of a possible 36 at the start of the new V8 era. Are you pleased?
"Absolutely! Viry has been working very hard for the last 18 months to design, assemble and develop the best possible engine. To win the first race of the 2006 season was a great source of satisfaction, and to follow that up with a one-two is a dream result. We will make sure we celebrate tonight but tomorrow, it’s back to work. We have made a good start to the season, but there’s a long road ahead. We need to carry on like this and constantly tell ourselves that reliability can never be taken for granted."
Fernando’s engine will have to do Melbourne-Imola, while Fisi’s will do Malaysia-Melbourne. Which will be harder?
"Honestly, there is a not a major difference between the two cycles. There will be other pairings that are much tougher."
Why were there so many engine failures and changes this weekend, in your opinion?
"It is hard to say because I am sure each engine manufacturer is having problems specific to their engine. Making an engine last in the race comes down to a fundamental factor: where the engine builder placed the balance between performance and reliability. There is a very small margin for error, and it’s easy to get it wrong. Perhaps some have gone for an approach that was too aggressive. One of our main strengths at Viry is knowing how to take the right decisions quickly, and we have demonstrated that today."
Are there developments planned for Australia?
"Giancarlo will use the same engine as he did this weekend, so he won’t enjoy any changes. Fernando will have a brand new engine, of the same type that he has been using. However, the time between now and Australia will be used to further improve our performance/reliability equation."
