Question: Gerhard, what is the state of affairs concerning customer car discussions - and your ‘disagreement’ with Force India on the matter?
Gerhard Berger: Well, the situation has definitely changed since Super Aguri dropped out of the championship, as now all ten remaining teams are eligible for the TV money allocation. Leaving aside that I still believe one hundred percent that we are fulfilling the wording of the regulations, now the lawyers are working on a compromise that everybody can live with. I think it cannot really be in the interest of all involved to spend a lot of money on lawyers and court procedures - we should focus instead on the sport.
Question: If Toro Rosso wants to have a future - and attract investors - presumably it must transform itself into a constructor team. This sounds like a costly undertaking. When should this process start if it needs to be finished by 2010?
Gerhard Berger: It is a constructor team! Minardi (which Red Bull bought and transformed into Toro Rosso) always was a constructor team. True, we are using Red Bull Technology, which means that we have engineers there thinking for us. In the future, you might say that there should be a spatial separation and that those engineers should be in our factory - that would probably include 30 to 40 people. But there has never been a rule that you could not outsource a wind tunnel or the production of parts. And that goes way back. What I think people want to tighten up is the wording defining what a constructor is. There we probably need some modification, but for Toro Rosso it is no big issue - especially with two years in which to do it.
Question: How do you see the team’s responsibilities towards its drivers? They obviously signed a contract under different conditions…
Gerhard Berger: That is something a driver always faces. Because in the same breath you could argue that Lewis Hamilton signed with McLaren without knowing that they would sell 30 percent to the Bahrainis. You never know the outcome of such a situation, except that probably the team is benefiting from such a move. Looking at us, I can say that we did a good job so far, so it would be sad if all that fell apart. For the drivers, I think that they have got what they expected to get and in the second half of the season it should be even better.
Question: And how do you see your personal future in Formula One racing. There have been whispers connecting you to the FIA Presidency…
Gerhard Berger: I heard that too. I have to say it is nice to hear that some people think you should put on those shoes, but it’s nothing that I would like to do. I was always interested in the sport, in the cars, the drivers, the teams, the fighting on the circuit. And doesn’t the old saying warn against trying on shoes that are too big for you?
Question: And what about the recent rumours that a possible candidate to take over Dietrich Mateschitz’s shares in Toro Rosso has emerged?
Gerhard Berger: We are in talks with a number of interested parties. Ask me when the ink on the contract is dry who came out on top.
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