The countdown continues to the final races of the 2013 GP2 Series and it is now just eight days to go until practice gets under way at the Yas Marina circuit. Racing Engineering’s Fabio Leimer will arrive in Abu Dhabi as the leader in the Drivers’ Championship although, with a his closest pursuer just seven points behind him, it will be a tense weekend for all of the Spanish team.
Below Alfonso de Orléans-Borbón, president of Racing Engineering looks forward to how the team will deal with the Abu Dhabi weekend:
After winning the GP2 title with Giorgio Pantano in 2008, coming to Abu Dhabi with Fabio in the lead must be very satisfying for the team. What does this mean to Racing Engineering?
It adds more pressure, for sure, because as we're in the lead everyone wants to catch up with us. We have to be extra careful about all the work that we are doing leading up to the race, to make sure that we have everything on our side to be able to help Fabio win the championship. But in the end a championship is not won or lost during one weekend. It's the result of the work done throughout the entire season and I have to say that our boys have worked hard to achieve the results so far. For Fabio and the entire team it would simply be perfect to snatch the title and, in this fashion, finish off a season full of dedication and hard work. |
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Racing Engineering has been very consistent during the whole season and the title is now within reach. What are your thoughts regarding the last GP2 weekend of the season?
Stress!!?? (laughter) We'll be taking it just like any other race during the season but most probably we'll have just a little more added to it. Not stress but everyone paying even more attention than usual so as not to make any mistakes and make sure we give Fabio everything that's necessary so he can go out on the track and go for the win. But otherwise, we'll just treat it as any other race weekend.
Racing Engineering is surely doing as much as possible to clinch this year's GP2 title. The battle for the championship will be on straight away from qualifying and the title could even be decided in race 1. How does the team cope with this huge excitement and pressure?
Yes, mathematically yes, it can be but then again, I always say it is the last chequered flag of the last race of the season that will finally tell you where you really stand. Generally, we know that qualifying will probably be the most important day of the weekend, simply because it dictates how the rest of the weekend will progress. So I think we're going to be working really hard on trying to get pole position. Once we've got pole we'll take it, literally, one day at a time. Then we'll work for Saturday’s race, after Saturday we'll work for Sunday’s race, etc.
About the pressure, it is not much different than any other weekend. Everyone in this team is so talented and passionate that in reality, even though we're aiming for the championship, as we did in 2008 with Giorgio Pantano, we don't treat it any differently and we don't act any differently, so I think the only thing will be that on Sunday night - if we do win the championship - there will be a couple more beers than usual. But apart from that, I think the way they cope is just get it on with their work and take it one day at a time. |
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