Question: What about actual results on track and pure performance?
Mark Gallagher: “If you work in any significant aspect of Formula One whether as a team or a key technical supplier and don’t focus on winning, then there is no point being here. As a supplier of engine and electronics technologies Cosworth plays an important part in contributing to the overall package of the teams we work with, but ultimately the chassis, the vehicle dynamics, the aerodynamics and the myriad of other systems which go to defining a Formula One car are not within our control. We therefore focus on making sure our technology behaves absolutely to the best of its abilities. The results on track in relation to the new teams were very much in line with our, and their, expectations. It was always going to be a three-way battle behind the vastly experienced teams, many of which have enjoyed manufacturer support over the last decade and therefore have extensive technical facilities and resources as well as deeply experienced personnel. Williams gave Cosworth a much better opportunity to show our true performance and together we achieved every possible points finish in 4th – 10th places and scored that pole position in Brazil which, whilst due to conditions, was a memorable milestone.”
Question: Speaking of Williams, how does Cosworth view 2010?
Mark Gallagher: “AT&T Williams is one of the very best teams in Formula One, with enormous capability and experience. We have worked hard to ensure that the Cosworth engine contributed successfully to their overall package and at all times they have demanded from us a constant push to optimise performance. We have no problem with that; it’s a very good thing because when you add our inherent motivation to the determination of a team such as Williams, success will come. The package started the season with the team demanding improvements in every area, but from Valencia onwards the results started to improve with both cars making it through to Q3 on a regular basis and both Rubens (Barrichello) and Nico (Hülkenberg) scoring points. Ultimately the package finished 6th in the Constructors’ World Championship and there were an increasing number of occasions when we could outpace Mercedes in qualifying and mix it with both them and Renault in the races. There is much reason to believe we have now achieved a good platform on which to build.”
 |
| The Cosworth CA2010 2.4-litre, V8 engine (Photo: Cosworth) |
Question: Lotus Racing won the ‘battle of the new teams’; what’s your view of their achievement?
Mark Gallagher: “Tony Fernandes and Mike Gascoyne set out with a number of goals for 2010 and appear to have achieved them all, particularly in terms of being the most successful of the new teams and achieving a degree of credibility which some of their critics did not expect. Considering that they only received their official entry in September 2009, it was an impressive effort and I am pleased to say Cosworth engines and electronics played a key part in helping them make the grid and deliver a consistent performance. Unfortunately a number of issues involving their transmission system set the team on a different course in terms of seeking a new engine-transmission pairing for 2011 – but none of the reasons for their decision to switch to an alternate engine had anything to do with the performance of the CA2010. We wish them all the best for the future.”
Question: How do you feel HRT performed in 2010?
Mark Gallagher: “One of the benefits of supplying engines and electronics to teams is the extent to which you get to know them, and although HRT have come in for a lot of criticism in relation to on-track performance, I think the team pulled together incredibly well and did a very solid job all year. Their reliability was actually very impressive and, when one considers that it was only mid-February when Dr Kolles took over as Team Principal, in many respects their accomplishment in building the cars and competing in all 19 events against a backdrop of easy-to-make criticism, deserves reward. Bruno Senna, Karun Chandhok, Sakon Yamamoto and Christian Klien all did their best, trying not to create traffic problems for the truly competitive cars, and yet adding to the show for race going spectators and the audiences in their home countries. The team deserves to progress.”
Question: Can you comment on Virgin Racing’s year and also the recent deal with Marussia Motors?
Mark Gallagher: “Virgin Racing made enormous strides throughout 2010, coping with some severe reliability problems early on to achieve improved performances and ultimately real credibility as a team. Under John Booth’s direction the team never made any secret of the fact that this was going to be a learning year, and Nick Wirth’s CFD-designed VR01 acquitted itself well against Lotus and gave the team a lot to build on for next season. The investment by Marussia Motors is good news for the team, and also for Cosworth, as we have worked with Marussia for over a year and are currently delivering powertrains to Moscow for production of the very attractive Marussia B1 sportscar. Having two customers come together in one team gives us much to look forward to, and Marussia Virgin Racing will no doubt doubt add new interest to the sport in Russia to add to that already created by Vitaly Petrov and the forthcoming Russian Grand Prix in 2014.”
Question: The first race of the 2011 season is in exactly 100 days time – how are preparations going?
Mark Gallagher: “This is a very busy time of year and work on 2011 started months ago with the development of the KERS drive which is currently being tested. We are working closely with AT&T Williams, Marussia Virgin Racing and HRT to support their pre-season testing, car launches and start-of-season activities, and we expect to be running both the standard CA2010 and KERS version of the engine next season. We are also restructuring some of our internal systems to improve processes wherever possible, so the coming weeks will be typically hectic. We are very much looking forward to 2011.”