Pedro de la Rosa interview

-by Mark Gledhill - Motorsport.com
in London, England, on 10 July 2001.

M.com: Pedro, what do you hope to achieve this weekend, realistically?

Pedro de la Rosa: Realistically if we finish in the top ten then that would be good. If any of the top six cars, Ferrari, McLaren or Williams have any problems then we can score points, but it is very difficult to beat any of the three top teams, and we are aiming at finishing the first outside these top teams. But if they don't have any problems then it will be virtually impossible to get any points.

M.com: Last season with Arrows you were driving really well and then you suddenly lost your drive, and now you have been promoted to the Jaguar race team. How long will it take you to achieve the level you were at last season, challenging for the top three?

Pedro de la Rosa: I don't know. From a driver point of view I'm getting quicker and quicker with the car for sure and I'm knowing better the car, which is important. That's one side, and on the other side the car is getting quicker and quicker every time, but it will take time because I think the three top teams, McLaren, Ferrari and Williams are at least one second in front of the next team so it will be very difficult to catch them. Our main objective here is to close the gap to the front runner so we start from a better level next year.

M.com: What do you think of the younger drvers who have joined Formula One this season, like Kimi Raikkonen for example?

Pedro de la Rosa: I think they are doing a great job. Kimi Raikkonen, Alonso, they are two very young drivers who have done a very good job straight away, which is quite unusual because I think that experence is very important in Formula One. So it proves that if the talent is there then it doesn't really matter the age.

M.com: What is your best race in your Formula One career so far?

Pedro de la Rosa: I think my best race was in Hockenheim last year where qualified fifth which, in the Arrows, was a very good achievement. And then in the race I was running fourth, and at the end I went down to sixth. It started raining, and it was a very interesting race for me, and I think generally it was my best race.