Good evening guys, and a warm welcome to the French V-Prix here at Paul Ricard! Today, from left to right we'll be hearing from Kaz Armos of Meteor, and Nick Forrest from North Star on the back row. Making up the front row we have Downton's own Bradley Downton, Rai Myamoto and the France enthusiast himself, Robert Mathershaw! Reporter: Well, shall we just dive right in? Let's start with Bradley, who secured his first one-two finish of the season. Last time out in Silverstone, Downton secured a fantastic 1-2 win for the second consecutive season, looking head and shoulders above the rest in the later stages of the race. Given your dominance in France last year, do you think your drivers will be able to achieve another 1-2?
Bradley Downton: At Silverstone, everything just seemed to fall together perfectly - and we're under no illusions that the 1-2 would have been by no means possible had it not been for Allar's unfortunate retirement. I think it's clear we don't have a performance advantage as we did last season, so the near-guarantee of a very good result is no longer there, but we are still in a strong position. DS Mathershaw will be very hungry for a home win however, and I believe both the Honda and Alfa Romeo engines will be strong too - putting Franklin and Ocelot even further into contention. I'd like to think we can take a 1-2, but there is a lot of stiff competition. Reporter: Well it certainly did seem that way, and while we're on the subject of Kangur's retirement, I'm going to quickly jump to Rob; Kangur has been enduring some harsh luck this season, being taken out by Ruiz in Malaysia and retiring from the last V-Prix while looking incredibly competitive; how does this affect his motivation and mentality moving forward? Does he crack under the increased pressure, or thrive on it? Robert Mathershaw: Allar is a very talented driver, and to see his season hampered by such poor luck is difficult to take at times. I think we all know my opinions about Ruiz taking him out, and ultimately retirement from the last round compounded that misery. He’s a young lad still, but he’s very hungry and ready to bounce back for sure - his mentality is flawless off track, and I think we’ve seen a slightly more reserved side of his race craft so far this season. I think the key for him is to not change his style based on the bad luck he’s had, and I’m sure he’ll come good very soon. Reporter: That's good to hear, I'm sure I speak for everybody when I say I'm very much looking forward to seeing more of his exciting form! Sticking with you, obviously you've got your home race coming up, I'd imagine you and your sponsors would be incredibly eager to see a strong result from both drivers. How much does it help being on home turf with so many fans rallying behind you? Rob-M: It means the absolute world to be racing at home. I was at the Le Mans 24 Hours last weekend, and the passion the French fans have for motorsport is incredible - for us to be a part of that is an honour. The sponsor base of the team is very much a French affair as well, so even our hospitality is buzzing when you have so many likeminded people in one place. We owe it to our fans to give this one everything we’ve got. Reporter: Some great enthusiasm from you there Rob, I can't wait to see what DS Mathershaw are capable of this weekend! Moving slightly further down the grid now to Meteor, whose drivers are also participating in their home V-Prix; Kaz! Meteor secured their first double finish of the season last race, and Vocquelin finally finished a race. However, the team is still way off the pace, and doesn’t look to be improving. Do you feel it was a mistake to promote two rookie drivers at once into full time race seats? Or is this due to circumstances outside of their control? Kaz Armos: We took a gamble and have always said this. Sebastien and Jules demonstrated a wealth of potential in junior series. The car is currently very underdeveloped, and fans will only ever get a glimpse of their true potential, or if we as a team have made a mistake, when they are in a competitive car. Reporter: Well then I hope we may be treated to a glimpse this weekend! And while I'm here I've gotta bring up a hot topic; given Meteor’s announcement of their split from Virgin engines, many expected a technical partnership to arise with Westwood and Renault, but after their shocking departure from the series, are you more hesitant to sign on with the French supplier? KA: Currently we are in talks with several engine suppliers, we are not in a position to say who. However, we hope to make an announcement soon and will only form a partnership should we think it will benefit the team. Reporter: Very mysterious... Thankyou! Let's move back to Bradley. Now despite having clearly developed the best car last season, Downton have been on seriously impressive form this year as well, appearing to be neck and neck with Mathershaw. Will we see Downton become only the second team in Formula Virtual history to secure consecutive championships? BD: That is most certainly our aim! Very rarely have we seen teams consistently perform year on year - in fact only Franklin and DS Mathershaw have managed it - but it is very much the intention, that now we are at the top, to remain there. Reporter: Well it does make a change to see the Downtons not trundling around anymore! (laughter through the room) Moving to Rai then, this year you've very publicly expressed disappointment in Ryota Yoshida's performances, even hinting that his drive may be under threat if he doesn't improve. Did his strong finish last time out reinvigorate your faith in him, or is the jury still out? Rai Myamoto: We were impressed with Yoshida when he was 5th, however he ended up losing it around one of the final corners and thus dropped to 7th. We cannot allow this to happen. It hasn't been good enough, so I'm afraid yes the seat is under threat. That being said the race in Britain was dreadful for us and I am very unhappy about seeing Ingram close the gap. All in all, not good enough. Reporter: Interesting to hear... Speaking of disappointment, despite having some incredible early season pace, yet seem to have found it difficult to maintain development at the levels of the frontrunners, falling back to the lower points. Do you think this reflects on the car itself, or could the financial setup of Formula Virtual be partially to blame? Rai-M: We really don't know what's going on. Mathematically we believe it can't be due to being out-developed. Maybe we have just been unlucky or it's been the tracks. But I could see the finance being an issue perhaps. But honestly I don't know where we are going wrong. It just makes you angry with how many missed opportunities we've had. Reporter: Yeah, that's always a pain when you're fighting for any position let alone big points! Nick, don't worry I didn't forget you! It's no question that Garcia was incredibly impressive on his Formula Virtual debut in Britain, but has his performance warranted reconsidering your racing lineup going forward? Or will we see a return to the status quo in France? Nick Forrest: That's a bit trickier to gauge than it might seem at first glance, I think. Judson started right at the back in France, after the penalty from Malaysia, but you're right, Gabriele did everything we wanted from him: kept his nose clean, brought it home safe, and had a few decent fights with the Lopez and Phoenix boys while he was out there. He is racing here in France as well, signs are that Johan should be back to 100% in time for the next round in Spain, but Gabriele's target for this year has always been the VWRS championship, and hopefully he can take what he's learned from these two races and put that to good use there for the time being. Reporter: Well we're all very happy Johan is making a fast recovery, and while we look forward to seeing what Gabriele can deliver in the future, I personally look forward to seeing the Dane return to the grid. After an impressive year in 2017, North Star have unsurprisingly struggled out of the blocks this season. Can you bounce back and catch up to the likes of Ingram, or will the team be prioritising next season? NF: Well I don't know about 'unsurprisingly'! The numbers we had told us we were roughly where we'd been at the start of last season, at least, compared to the rest of the field. I think it's just a case of other teams making a bigger step forward with the new regs. You mentioned Ingram, I think they're definitely a bit out of our reach, but we absolutely want to be moving ahead of the likes of Lopez come season's end, and FIRST as well, after they fluked another big result. We proved back in China, though, we've absolutely got the pace to do that, and that's what we have to be targeting for now. Reporter: Ooh, maybe we'll get to see some more of that fiery rivalry shared between North Star and FIRST! Now, we're gonna keep the new feature going from last weekend, we've got some great fan questions for everyone this week! Let's see... This first question is for Robert! Simon was knocked into a spin by van Snelheid last race. Do you think it was the Downton's fault or was it a racing incident? Rob-M: Ultimately these things can happen in racing. It’s frustrating when they do, but I can’t blame anyone for that incident - while I wasn’t there to see it live, my team say it was a racing incident, and having watched it back I must agree. Reporter: Brilliant, thanks! Next one looks like it's directed toward you Kaz, Vocquelin finished his first race in Britain. How does that help his motivation, especially after the criticism he received? KA: Sebastien knows the deal. We are prepared to excuse low finishes but not retirements. We want consistency. Hopefully this will be the start. Reporter: Plenty of work to do then from Seb! Ok here comes another question; Bradley, it's your turn! Powers had a excellent race in Britain last year, but lost this year, arguably due to strategy. Was he disappointed with this or has he moved on? BD: I think losing a home win hurts more than any other, so of course he was disappointed. But he's a racing driver, he's disappointed with any race result where he doesn't win. But we have analysed it as a team - what went well and what didn't - and we have moved on, as has Nathaniel. You can't afford to dwell on the past in this series or you'll be left behind. Reporter: Sounds like a classic champion's approach. This one was sent in for Nick Forrest, let's see what it says. Rumors say you are trying to sign Beckenbauer. Are these true, and do you think this move will just make a small difference or make an impact like last year should you sign him? NF: There has been a bit of a scrap over Karl, as you can imagine, being a driver of his caliber. Obviously, he was incredible in the latter half of last season for us, scoring our first victory in Canada, and yes, I definitely think he'd be able to move us further up the pecking order again if we were able to finalize something. There's still a little bit of a gap between ourselves and Karl in terms of the finances involved, but for now, everything seems to be moving well, and we'd be very happy to go racing with him again in the future. Reporter: It would certainly be lovely to see a reunion there! Ok, which leaves one for you, Rai! Since from next year, engine patnerships will help teams, are you willing to share your Alfa Romeo engines with other teams, like Meteor? Rai-M: Yes Of Course, The entire family is open to this collaboration. We really hope that someone would be willing to join our alliance, Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa etc, are all available. Honestly drop us a message and you, have yourself a deal which we will gladly sign. Reporter: Well whatever happens, I'm sure seeing Ocelot in a technical partnership would be interesting! Now there's a fan question for everybody here! With there being strong rumours of a few changes to the calendar, what tracks would you like to see be added or removed? Starting with you, Bradley. BD: I'm glad Estoril is gone, I wasn't a fan of that one. In all honesty, I'm happy with how the calendar is, but I understand Nic's desire to change it up. If we're to introduce different races, I want something unique. A race in Macau would be fantastic but I understand the difficulties. I think we need something we can call our "blue-ribband" event however. Personally, I am hugely in favour of a race on the full Nordschleife circuit or perhaps the Circuit de la Sarthe in France; a totally different challenge of a long circuit and few laps, a variation from the norm. NF: There's always some noise about Singapore being added to the calendar around the end of one season, but I think the likes of Imola or the Nurburgring would be fantastic to go racing on. In terms of circuits being dropped, I think only Portugal springs to mind as what might be considered a 'dull' race, but in the end it's up to Nic [Morley], and I'm sure he'll make the best decisions for the sport in the end. KA: Any tracks that provide good overtaking opportunities should be kept. Whether Formula Virtual explores new markets, I think that’s a decision for the CEO and governing board to make. Rai-M: I'm quite happy with the calendar as it is, but the addition of Imola or Singapore would be fantastic to see. I'm also glad to see Estoril gone as well, same as Bradley. Rob-M: I’d like to see the sport cement it’s popularity in new regions a bit. A race at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in Argentina would be fantastic, while I wouldn’t be opposed to a return from Kyalami. Having said that, I’d also like to ensure the survival of the traditional European races - maybe we should have 3 races in France just to be safe? (Laughs) I’d also like to see a unique event on the calendar that sets us apart - perhaps a race on a longer circuit like the Nurburgring GP or the Circuit des 24 Heures at Le Mans! Reporter: That sounds fair to me! (laughing) Now then, I won't keep you guys much longer, final question. You guys know the drill! Let's hear your expectations for the French V-Prix, where you think you'll end up and if we could see any surprises! BD: I'd like to hope we can keep our run of podiums going, but of course we want to be right there fighting for the win. I think DS Mathershaw will be the team to beat however, and I think Allar is on a run and may well steal this one and that will be the surprise; Allar nicking a win in his team mates backyard! NF: Expectations, I think we're pretty well set in the low-ish midfield for now, fighting with Lopez and Phoenix. There's an outside chance of points in the offing, as there normally is, but realistically we'd need to see a few retirements up front first. After the madness in Malaysia, though, we definitely need to start converting that chance more regularly, and if Gabriele can be the one to do that, bring the car home in the points, I think that'd definitely be a surprise! KA: Hopefully two finishes. We aren’t expecting points, but it would be nice for Jules and Sebastien to finishes their home race without any unnecessary complications. Rai-M: Honestly we have to do better, I just hope if we get a chance here that we take it. It's unbelievable how frustrating it is to have fallen behind Ingram and the main 3 when we were seriously up there. It can't be to do with performance especially with how close i think we are to them in terms of development and with the cap on now, so i honestly don't know. It has to get better, as this just isn't good enough. I dunno really what to expect. Rob-M: Pole, win, big party, everyone’s invited. Reporter: Sounds like an awesome plan! Great stuff from all of you. That's the end of the press conference, thankyou so much to all the team principals here, and to all the fans who sent in questions! We'll see you all tomorrow for free practice! Comments are closed.
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