We're on the right track - Mol

Last week’s unveiling of the Spyker F8-VII at Silverstone was the latest step in the realisation of Michel Mol’s dream of getting an orange, Dutch-owned car onto the F1 grid in Melbourne. And he certainly won’t forget the sight of Christijan Albers taking the new car out of the pitlane for the first time.

The 37-year-old has hardly had a chance to catch his breath since he began exploring opportunities to enter Grand Prix racing early last year. Both before and after the September announcement he has been working flat out, first to make the initial deal happen, and then to put the pieces in place as the team builds for the future. Seeing the car in action makes it all worthwhile.

"This is an emotional moment for me, and especially for everyone at Spyker," Mol said at last week's launch. "It’s history in the making. It’s amazing to see what we have achieved over the past few months to get this car together."

Mol has been involved in F1 as a sponsor in the past, and he has always kept a close eye on developments in the sport. He realised the current rules package offered the best opportunity in years for a new team to get involved and make progress. Everyone is on the same tyres, and engine development is frozen, so now it’s all down to chassis and driver.

"For a smaller team like we are, this is the time to start in F1. There are a lot of regulation changes that bring the teams closer together, so for a small team it’s a good moment to step into the sport.

And besides that, if you want to be successful, and we do want to become World Champions in the very end, we need the best of everything. So far, with the Ferrari engines, with Mike Gascoyne joining, with Adrian and Christijan joining, we’ve shown that we’re on the right track."

Michiel will be very much hands on. He obviously has a large input into the commercial side of the operation, and he’s also shaping the long-term view of how the team will grow and expand in the coming years.

"Strategically, that will be very much my job, maybe not so much the technical area, but the long-term vision. As I said before, in the end we want to be World Champions, and that will take a long time. If we score points this year, and we can be a serous midfield contender next year, and be on the podium in three years’ time, and win races within five years – that’s what our strategy and vision is."

The Ferrari engine deal was a great coup for Spyker, and Michiel says the team’s association with the glamorous Italian marque will appeal to potential commercial partners.

"Ferrari certainly does help, and that was one of the first deals we did after the acquisition of Midland. I’m very, very proud to have a Ferrari engine here, into the car for the first time. It’s a long-term, four-year deal, and it certainly helps to bring the brand forward.’