Question: Pat, Monaco was a disappointing weekend for the team. Do you view it as a missed opportunity and what do you think might have been possible?
Pat Symonds: I think so. What might have been possible is hard to say in a race like that because so many factors come into it, but reducing the race to the simplest of facts, we can see that before Fernando’s first problem on lap eight he was 32 seconds ahead of Mark Webber, who went on to finish fourth, and so I think a strong points finish would have been achievable.
Question: Fernando had an eventful weekend in Monaco, but he remains positive and seems to be enjoying his racing again - is that a fair assessment?
Pat Symonds: In the early part of the season he was getting a little bit frustrated, but we made a huge leap forward in performance for Barcelona and I think the car did become more enjoyable to drive. So, yes, I think it is fair to say that he is enjoying his racing, and I think that he has faith that the car will continue to improve.
Question: The Canadian Grand Prix has traditionally been a race of high attrition. Why is it such a tricky place to get a result?
Pat Symonds: It is a race of high attrition and the statistics show that it is a race with a lot of accidents and a high percentage of transmission failures. In terms of the accidents, it’s always difficult for the drivers when they go to a low-downforce track because the car feels like it’s lacking grip and it can be quite difficult for them to reset their sights and adapt to the lower downforce and lower grip levels. And Canada is an unforgiving track with plenty of places where a small mistake can lead to retirement. It’s tough on the transmission because there are a lot of chicanes where you are coming off kerbs and trying to get on the power early. It therefore puts high shockwaves into the transmission and that’s why components such as the gearbox and the driveshaft have been high on the list of failures over the years.
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