Sam Michael, Technical DirectorAfter the issues we faced in Malaysia, we’re heading to China with a clear target of improving ourperformance. There are several key areas which we obviously need to concentrate on. Firstly, weneed to ensure that both drivers make it into the top ten again in qualifying in order to give them thebest possible chance of scoring some needed points in the race. We also need to work on our starts.We have resolved the problem that Rubens had on the grid, and we will be carrying out a series ofstarts practices during the Friday sessions. In terms of car developments, we have been working hardon producing some aero improvements for the front and rear wings for Shanghai.
Rubens BarrichelloShanghai is a really interesting circuit. It has a good combination of corners and that really longstraight at the end of the lap which is perfect for overtaking. To hook up a quick lap, the car requiresmore aero strength, rather than mechanical, but an exact blend of the two which is always quitedifficult to achieve. Together with the fact that the lap is also quite long with lots of different variables,setting up the car perfectly is hard work. I won the first race at Shanghai which is very special for me. Iwill always remember that win as it makes me think I can always do it again.
Nico HülkenbergLike Malaysia, I’ve previously raced in China; two seasons ago in A1 GP. It’s good to go to a GrandPrix with experience of the track. You can do as much training in the simulator as you want, but itdoesn’t beat real, on track experience. The circuit isn’t one of my favourites, it’s very impersonal, but itdoes have a very long back straight which will be a good place for overtaking. Keep an eye out forthat during the race as there should be some good action round that part of the lap. I am flying out toChina on Monday, there’s no need to go out to this race early to acclimatise, but I do want to checkout some of the sights as the city is quite cool. I’ll definitely be taking a trip to the Bund and theOriental Pearl tower in nearby Pudong Park.
