Good morning and welcome to Sakhir, Bahrain for the team principal’s Thursday press conference ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain V-Prix – round twelve of the 2019 Formula Virtual World Championship. Joining us today, from left to right, are; Lucas Wilson of Lucas V-Prix, Cory Evans of Koenigsegg Team Holmqvist, Adam Blocker from FIRST Motorsport, Hector Seibel of Andromeda Automobilismo Brasileiro, and Rai Miyamoto from Ocelot Japan Racing. Welcome to the five of you. Reporter: We’re going to start the press conference today with you Cory, as this weekend is a very special one for Felix Beyer – his one hundredth V-Prix! Will the team or Felix be celebrating in any way? And whilst he’s been very impressive during his stint at Holmqvist, it’s been announced he’ll be dropped for Powers next season. How likely is it looking that he’ll manage to find a drive? Cory Evans: We’ll do him a cake and have a bit of a party, but nothing huge. As for his future, more information will be revealed at a later time. Reporter: Cake is always good. You've now had a car in the top seven in qualifying for the last four races, does your car excel over a single lap more so than in the races? CE: It appears too. We need to start copying our quali pace in the race though. Reporter: Thanks Cory, we’ll come over to you now Adam. You had your first double retirement of the season in Germany, what was your view on the incidents? Were you expecting a steward inquiry into the Zozulya-Hoskins one in particular? Adam Blocker: Both of the incidents were silly, and both of them were the fault of our drivers. I was a bit surprised the stewards didn’t have a look at the one you mention, but I’m fine with that. Reporter: Actually, can we extend that question to you Hector? As Adam says, he and some others were expecting a steward inquiry into the Zozulya-Hoskins incident, did you not feel it was Zozulya’s fault? Hector Seibel: Well incidents are bound to happen on this sport, it was a tough situation for both teams and I’m sure Hoskins would have avoided it all if he could. Reporter: That’s a very fair way of seeing it. Back to you then Adam; Ford have been supplying three teams for the first time this year, I understand it’s probably not your place to say but as the ‘lead team’ in the partnership; do you think that will be the case next year and will it still be you, AMR and North Star? AB: I don’t foresee many changes happening because Ford will be strong for years to come, but obviously it is always up to each team to decide for themselves. Reporter: Excellent, a strong Ford engine partnership can only be a good thing for FV. Quickly back to you Hector; de la Fuente has done a solid job as a rookie this year, should we expect to see him racing again for you next year? HS: Yes, De La Fuente is indeed one of our drivers lined up for next season although we're still deciding who's our second as there's plenty of options and hungry drivers awaiting opportunities on other leagues that have surprised me. We'd looking at our academy and South America in general as a little hint for our fans. Reporter: That’s very interesting, I’m sure that will be something for fans to puzzle over until more information is revealed. Okay I think we’ll move onto the fan questions now; we’ll stay with you Hector. “Are the rumours posted by FV Spy true about the team struggling?” HS: Well, I was arrested yes. But nothing is still proved and I’ll be going to several meetings during the next few weeks to see what comes of this. The government thinks I was using undocumented income to flood the team with money but I’ll already have my attorney on it, can't have my name linked to corruption can I? Reporter: I must admit, I think we were all a little surprised to see you here in Bahrain this weekend! I hope it all goes well for you Hector. Right, next one is for Cory; “Before the season you said you wanted fifth or better this year, is it your aim then to catch North Star?” CE: Absolutely. The last few races we’ve been far quicker on outright pace, we just need to start scoring the points. Reporter: Fantastic, here’s hoping we get a great battle for that fifth spot… although I’m sure Nick and his team would prefer not! Next one is for you Rai, I’m not really sure what this means but… “Bronco or Eruption?” Rai Miyamoto: Ah good question. Well personally I’m a bigger fan of Spinners from Hipno-disc to Carbide and Tombstone. In terms of flippers I personally prefer Hydra and Apollo. But I do think the British style flipper is much better. That being said I’ll go with Eruption, there fight with Carbide was fantastic. I’d like them to bring the series back. Reporter: Right, err, good! Moving on, Adam; “2017 FIRST car or 2019 FIRST car?” AB: I think our car this year is a stronger car, but we executed a lot better in 2017, hence the podiums. There also was less of a gap to the top teams and more crazy races so that all helped. But if you look at average speed and constructors’ championship performance, 2019 has been stronger for us. Reporter: Very fair assessment there. Alright, the final fan question for today is to Lucas; “It was great to hear the new Lucas official theme a few days ago. Are there any more plans in the near future that will increase the team’s reputation for flair and originality?” Lucas Wilson: First of all I would love to give a huge shout-out to my friend Theodore Shapiro who composed that and the London Symphony Orchestra it was so great to collaborate with them. As for other things in the pipeline... Maybe. I think our main priority is getting the car right if I'm honest. But never say never. If we can come up with something then I'm sure we'll do it. Reporter: Great, thanks Lucas. Some brilliant fan questions there, thank you to the fans for your questions. Rai; last race was the first since 2014 that Ocelot didn't take part in a race, but you've qualified for every other race with at least one car, did you expect that when you arrived in Germany? RM: No this wasn’t what we were expecting and this has been a season to forgot. We just want it over and done with already, from our own point of view of course. Reporter: That’s an interesting stance. We've asked you before about this but, as we're closer to the end of the year, will Alfa Romeo be supplying a third team next year? RM: As we mentioned our doors are open you just gotta step through but I have no developments on this front. Reporter: Thanks Rai. Lucas, you've had Carson back for three races this year, and we hear this will be his last before he returns to Cheema. How has it been working with him again and have you been impressed by his performances? LW: Working with Carson has been an absolute pleasure. As I'm sure you'll know Carson was one of the first people we hired. His winner’s trophy is in our offices in Kent. It has been really special to have him back. I think he has done a very good job. This car wasn't designed for him like the first two cars were. So I think he has done a remarkable job. Reporter: It’s certainly been a nice throwback to see Carson in a purple car! Hutchinson was given a wakeup call after Japan but since then it's Thunder who hasn't qualified, is it safe to say Arden will be in purple again next year? LW: I think it is very likely. Hutchinson has really performed well since then. Reporter: It’s clearly been a tough return season for the team but he seems to have made his mark to lead the team, going forwards. Looking ahead to this weekend now, a question to all five of you; Bahrain is Formula Virtual’s only night race at present, how does it affect your schedules? And do you prefer Bahrain to be held at night rather than during the day? RM: I like the night races and personally it’s fantastic to be the first team ever to win a night race here in Bahrain! In terms of schedules I prefer nights. AB: Bahrain being a night race doesn’t really impact our schedule in any meaningful way, we are always having to adapt to different time zones anyway. Honestly, I’d prefer a day race in Bahrain to challenge the engine reliability of our competitors. It would probably give us a shot at a better result. The high temperatures would also make tire strategy interesting. LW: No impact on schedule on our end. The guys in the team are amazing. They can just pull mega shifts out doing work no matter what time of day it is at. I like Bahrain during the night. I think it adds something special to the FV calendar. I'd like to see more races like this. HS: Yeah I rather see Bahrain at night! It is such a romantic and lovely place with all the lighting arrangement for race day! CE: Yeah, as others said the schedule is not affected. I like the night race, it is unique. Reporter: It sounds like, generally, the night race is a popular one. Okay final question, as usual, to all of you. What are your hopes and expectations for the weekend, and who is your favourite for both titles going into the final third of the season? RM: Qualify at least. I’m back Franklin. It be a nice final season for Jamie! AB: A podium is the goal, but realistically we will take a double points finish. I still have to go with Powers and Downton, the gap is too big. LW: I agree with Rai. It has to be Jamie. He is probably spending as much on dev as I do on after-race drinks. And anyone who knows me knows that's a lot! HS: You know that it's Ruiz, on an ideal world he would be racing for us before he retires, hopefully we get there someday. Franklin has been impressing everyone through the season and getting faster each weekend so I’d be surprised if the Brazilian doesn't leave Franklin with the constructors and drivers championship. CE: We want a strong double points finish. For the titles, Downton have the gap but Franklin seem to have luck and momentum right now. I think the drivers is already sealed for Ruiz. Reporter: It definitely seems like the momentum has swung Franklin’s way now in the hunt for both titles but we’re surely in for a fantastic final six races of 2019. That’s all from the press conference today, thank you to everyone for joining us and we’ll see you tomorrow for Friday practice!
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