Reporter Neil Allenby catches up with Franklin-Honda team principal Jamie Franklin to talk about the season, the final two races, junior series and team numbers. Neil Allenby:
First thing's first, Jamie, a big congratulations on the victory in Suzuka. It was a tough race, but your team managed to keep their cool through the drama and come out on top. How does this effect your mentality and the mentality of the team for the final rounds? Jamie Franklin: Thanks very much! I was absolutely thrilled with the performance of our drivers. Obviously on performance, we were lacking, but in the end we came out on top, which after the last few races, is such a relief. Going forward...it is nice to know that we're still capable of winning, but knowing that our position is under threat means that we can't rest for a second. There are still areas to improve on, and we'll need to bring our A-game in order to secure both titles. NA: Another strong driver performance came in the shape of Enrique Ruiz, whom has been driving for Ingram GP for the past two races, scoring points in each race. You must be very happy with how he has performed so far. JF: Oh, absolutely! We weren't able to give him any time in this car due to the risks of losing out to Team 23, and we didn't just want to throw him in the car next year with all eyes on him, and no experience, bar that which he has gained in the simulator of course. So...we made a deal with Will, and I couldn't be happier with how he is doing. Diego is no slouch, but to have been nigh on a second quicker in two qualifying sessions, and then going on to score Ingram's best result of the season is fantastic. He has not only shown his maturity and speed, but I hear that his professionalism has also been very good, so I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do in next season's car. NA: Speaking of next season, how do you think your team will fare, especially given the toll you may have taken by fighting until the end for the Championship? JF: It's anyone's guess, really. We can be quietly confident that we're doing a good job, as we did this season. But as I said in the beginning, this season was all about us learning. Learning about what we're capable of, learning how to run the team efficiently and then building towards a stable, consistent future. I feel like we've done that so far and it will put us in good stead. I know I have two great drivers lined up, with a fantastic engine, so there's no reason why we can't be towards the fore front of the field once more. NA: And what of team numbers? There's speculation that this could be implemented, and if so, have you got any numbers in mind that you would use? JF: Personally, I hope that we can continue to use the 1-2 for as long as possible! Clearly that depends on results, but if not then perhaps 11 and 12. NA: The junior series has been growing in size and popularity recently. So given that you have two young drivers waiting in the wings, will we see the Franklin-Honda partnership entering any time soon? JF: I've given it a lot of thought, but we can't steal focus away from this project. We need to ensure that this is a successful venture, and I don't want to use good resources on something else, when they could be spent here. I know it's not what some people want to hear, especially the youngsters we have, but given our particular talent for picking drivers, then I'm sure we can arrange something with another team, as we did with Enrique.
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