NELSINHO PIQUET Interview 1/31/08

(from autosport)


(interesting comments about Lewis Hamilton)


Q. Do you think there could be a repeat of the McLaren situation this yer?


Nelsinho Piquet: I don't know for sure, but I think one of the problems was their team boss not being able to control the drivers. I think Flavio is perfect at knowing how to put the drivers in their own place and knowing how to talk to us and tell us how to focus on the right things. So I don't think we will have a problem. I think Flavio won't allow it.

Q. Are you comfortable being a number two driver?

NP: There's no number two or number one. Both cars are exactly the same. It's a sport where investments are 100 hundred million, 200 hundred million dollars and they wouldn't make a car that's worse than the other. I think for sure in the beginning I'll be learning much more than anything else.

I think once I get in the rhythm, once I show that I'm able to set his pace then it's going to be a different story but at the moment all I have to do is learn and learn and once I'm able to show equal pace I think that will be a different story.

Q. Has it been positive to have that last name during you career?

NP: I think it's only positive. My whole career I had to always push myself a little bit more, show that I wasn't there because of my father's name or anything like that. So that was good. There was more motivation for me to win more races, to win championships and to do my job. I think now in Formula One is a different story. The name doesn't make any difference now.

Q. What are your personals goals for the season?

NP: To do as much as I can with the team, with Fernando. Try to do my best, try to stay as close as I can in the championship. Obviously we are entering the championship to win like any other team, but we have to be realistic.

If we had several podiums, great. If we have wins it's going to be perfect, excellent. I don't know if we can fight for the championship and that's going to be for the future to see. It's too early to say how good we are.

Q. What do you expect from the first race?

NP: I think it's going to be a tough race. I've never driven there. So it's my first race, in a track I don't know. Renault don't have any simulators to learn the track, so I think I'll just take it easy. I think I've done several races in GP2 and F3 where I haven't known the track. I think it's something normal. So I'll just take it easy.

Q. Do you see there is pressure or are you laid back at being up against Fernando?

NP: As I said at the beginning, the biggest thing was a management problem. I think we won't have this case here. Obviously any driver enters the race to win. I'm going to enter it to do the best as possible. If one day I have the chance to win a race in front of Fernando, it's going to happen.

In the beginning, I don't know. We never know what's going to happen. I didn't have much testing last year, my real testing is going to be in February. So I'm going to try and do my best and learn, which is the most important and progress throughout the whole year.

Q. After testing the R28, are you hoping your style is similar to Fernando's?

NP: It's too early. We didn't drive on the same day. It was more like shakedowns. I think in February we are going to have real idea of how everything is working, how I'm compared to him, how the car suits us better, set-up wise. The real testing's going to start tomorrow.

Q. Fernando knows the team very well, do you feel added pressure because of that?

NP: It's my first year in Formula One. I don't have to prove anything. I have to learn as much as I can and even if he likes it or not, I'm going to learn from him. I'm going to look at his data and learn how he works. I'm going to be listening what are his comments.

I'm just need to do my job, which is do the same as him or a little bit better. It's still a bit early to answer all this because we don't know what's going to happen in the first race, but my main goal is to bring the car to its limits.

Q. Have you learned any lessons from Heikki Kovalainen's errors at the start of last season?

NP: It was his first year as well. He didn't know the circuits in the beginning, he was pushing really hard. I think you have to just take it easy, take it calm, because it's just the beginning. I think Heikki maybe rushed it a little bit. Maybe he had pressure because it was Fisi next to him, it wasn't Fernando.

So that's what I'm going to do, take it easy. I have a double world champion next to me. He's the only current driver who is a double world champion in Formula One and probably one of the best drivers on the grid, so if I follow him in the race that will be good.

Q. How would you rate Lewis Hamilton's first year?

NP: I think he's an excellent driver. I think he had a perfect year, scored the same number of points as Fernando. I think the team didn't do a good job because they could have won the championship and they didn't But he did a perfect job.

Q. What are your first impressions of the new car?

NP: It's difficult to say. It was my first day testing after the whole break. So I was getting into the rhythm and it seemed okay. Obviously we need to develop the car more for the first race.

Q. Do you think you have a point to prove after Lewis Hamilton's performances?

NP: I think the press puts a lot of pressure that they don't need to put, as if I had to prove something. But I think I just need to do my job. I think it's much worse for me if I going into a fight because, first of all, I'm in a team where Fernando won two championships.

I'm in a team where Flavio loves Fernando, they've been together for a long time. So I think it would be a stupid thing to do if I went into a fight. So I think the best thing I can do is learn as much as I can and the day I have a chance to win a race I'll win a race.