So far, you've won the Champ Car title on three occasions and your resume includes almost 30 victories. How has Champ Car benefited you?
Champ Car was a huge step in my career. I learned immensely and that's where my professional career really kicked off. It was a major turning point. And to enjoy as much success as I did is fantastic! I learned how to become a true racing pro, to win races and to have fun.
When you decided to race in Champ Car, how much did you know about this series?
I knew about Champ Car ever since Nigel Mansell began racing in it. The events started to be broadcasted in Europe on a regular basis so I had a good knowledge of this series.
What are the main differences between your Panoz from Champ Car and the Toro Rosso from F1?
These are two completely different types of car. In F1, there's a lot to deal with: electronic aids, assisted steering and treaded tires that are difficult to gauge because they wear out somewhat oddly. There's no other machine that comes close to offering the same feeling. It's barely more powerful than a Champ Car but the reduced weight significantly alters driving dynamics. At the end of the day, they're the two fastest race cars in the world.
How do you assess the level of competition in Champ Car?
I think that the competitiveness of drivers and teams greatly evolved over the last few years. A bunch of European drivers came in, which sparked a new and interesting battle. Take the qualifying sessions at Tremblant for instance : on a fairly technical and demanding track, there were six drivers jammed in a timeframe of 1.5 tenth of a second. I think it speaks for itself.
Was the transition to the Panoz chassis a bad decision? Should Champ Car have kept the Lola a little longer in order to reduce costs?
Oh no, not a chance. It was a wise decision because driver safety would have been jeopardized with Lola for another year. That car had not been designed to last very long. Some of the chassis dated back to 2000 and some of the lower-budget teams were starting to use high-mileage parts. That's why there was a lot of ruptured spoilers, bottomed-out suspensions and broken hubs over the past two seasons. It was time to use fresh components. The result is improved competition and more teams fighting for the lead.
Champ Car was a huge step in my career. I learned immensely and that's where my professional career really kicked off. It was a major turning point. And to enjoy as much success as I did is fantastic! I learned how to become a true racing pro, to win races and to have fun.
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When you decided to race in Champ Car, how much did you know about this series?
I knew about Champ Car ever since Nigel Mansell began racing in it. The events started to be broadcasted in Europe on a regular basis so I had a good knowledge of this series.
What are the main differences between your Panoz from Champ Car and the Toro Rosso from F1?
These are two completely different types of car. In F1, there's a lot to deal with: electronic aids, assisted steering and treaded tires that are difficult to gauge because they wear out somewhat oddly. There's no other machine that comes close to offering the same feeling. It's barely more powerful than a Champ Car but the reduced weight significantly alters driving dynamics. At the end of the day, they're the two fastest race cars in the world.
How do you assess the level of competition in Champ Car?
I think that the competitiveness of drivers and teams greatly evolved over the last few years. A bunch of European drivers came in, which sparked a new and interesting battle. Take the qualifying sessions at Tremblant for instance : on a fairly technical and demanding track, there were six drivers jammed in a timeframe of 1.5 tenth of a second. I think it speaks for itself.
Was the transition to the Panoz chassis a bad decision? Should Champ Car have kept the Lola a little longer in order to reduce costs?
Oh no, not a chance. It was a wise decision because driver safety would have been jeopardized with Lola for another year. That car had not been designed to last very long. Some of the chassis dated back to 2000 and some of the lower-budget teams were starting to use high-mileage parts. That's why there was a lot of ruptured spoilers, bottomed-out suspensions and broken hubs over the past two seasons. It was time to use fresh components. The result is improved competition and more teams fighting for the lead.