What insight did you gain from the test drives in Jerez? Where is the Red Bull Racing Team positioned at the moment? What areas does the RB5 still have to improve on?
Testing has gone well, reliability-wise. In terms of performance, it’s very hard to say until we get out on the track in Melbourne – I know everyone’s saying that, but it’s true! So let's wait and see.
The 2009 season is seeing the most major regulation changes for more than a decade: new aerodynamics, slick tires for the first time since 1997. How do these changes influence your driving style?
Slick tyres make a difference and give more grip in medium-to-low corners – other than that, the main difference is the low downforce. It’s not possible to attack fast corners as much as we used to and you have to break a little earlier, so downforce is the biggest change. The drivers are still braking late and when Melbourne comes up, the drivers won’t be very far off the braking points they had on the circuit last year.
Due to the changes in regulation, all teams are starting pretty much from scratch in terms of car development. To what extent will this mean equal chances for the individual teams?
It’s an exciting time and the rule changes might shake up the established order. Red Bull Racing could do very well out of this situation, but we need to wait and see how it goes. The rule alterations will bring some changes, but it’s not yet clear who’ll be surprising whom!
With Sebastian Vettel, you’re getting the youngest Grand Prix winner of all time as a team-mate. What’s your impression of him?
I think he’s a good racer, he’s achieved a lot already and I’m looking forward to working with him. I’ve never had a problem with team-mates – there’s always a healthy rivalry between us, but that’s normal.
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