Question: Three men - Hamilton, Raikkonen and Massa - are the leading contenders for the drivers’ title. Who has the edge?
Niki Lauda: Up until now it has been Massa and Hamilton, because Raikkonen’s performance has been going up and down all the time. Kovalainen did a good job in winning the Hungarian Grand Prix, his first race win, but he was very lucky.
Question: How will Ferrari manage their drivers, given that both have a shot at the title? When will they start leaning towards one driver and who will it be?
Niki Lauda: This will be automatically resolved at some point, but for the moment Massa has the edge over Raikkonen from the driver’s point of view.
Question: Earlier in the year BMW Sauber were looking like serious championship contenders, but things seem to have gone backwards in the last couple of races. Was it a case of too much too soon?
Niki Lauda: No. They did a fantastic job coming out of nowhere to where they are now. But when you look at Hungary, you have to clearly say that for the moment Toyota have passed them.
Question: Fernando Alonso: a double world champion, yet his rookie team mate has scored Renault’s only podium. And there’s no sign of a competitive drive for 2009. Did he make the wrong decision?
Niki Lauda: It was obvious that Renault would not be as competitive as McLaren and Ferrari this year. Alonso himself took the decision to go there, so it is up to him - together with the team - to work as hard as possible to make the car competitive. For Piquet it was very important to have such a result, because he was very weak at the beginning of the season. With his first podium finish he should have gained the confidence to hopefully earn some more points throughout the rest of this season.
Question: Who for you is currently the best driver on the grid?
Niki Lauda: Well, this is very difficult to say, as the driver is always connected to his car’s performance. You have to look at the two combined. For me, in Budapest it was certainly Massa, but two races before that it was Hamilton.
Question: And finally, who has been the best rookie?
Niki Lauda: Timo Glock.
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