Good morning and welcome to Jerez, Spain for the team principal’s Thursday press conference ahead of this weekend’s Spanish V-Prix – round seven of the 2019 Formula Virtual World Championship. Joining us today, from left to right, are; Adam Blocker of FIRST Motorsport, Bradley Downton of Downton FV Team, Arthur Lapierre from Red Bull DS Automobiles Team Mathershaw, and Dylan Lopez of Lopez FV. The empty seat between Adam and Bradley should’ve been Rai Miyamoto but unfortunately, he’s too busy to join us today, so welcome to the four of you. Reporter: We’ll start things off today with the winners in France – Downton. Congratulations on your first one-two of the season last time out Bradley, which leaves you on 184 points after six races. Last year you had 186 points at the same stage and in 2017 you had 188, which puts you comfortably ahead of any of your rivals on average for the last three years. Tell us, do you believe the team slacks off slightly throughout the season after getting such a good start or is it more a case of rivals out-developing you? And how do you plan on stopping that happening this season? Bradley Downton: Crikey, someone has done their homework! That's a rather wonderful stat. Mind you, I think it's a bit unfair to say any team "slacks off", I don't think that is the case at all. I'd definitely say our rivals step up their game, but I don't think we've ever really slipped back. 2017 we remained right at the front throughout and finished 1-3 in Brazil, then last year we finished 1-2 in the final race, so where did we drop off? Our start last year was made to look better by the fact that Mathershaw - who had a fundamentally quicker car - got so unfortunate with results. We'll fight on this season as we do every year, and as long as we're topping the standings at the end of the season, that's what matters. Reporter: We heard last week that Mathershaw are splitting from DS Automobiles after four years; so, Bradley, what does this mean for all involved? How will this affect the Downton powered teams, if at all? And Arthur, you’ll be leaving your position as DS Performance Head of Motorsport, can you shed any light on what has prompted this? And also, what does this mean for the DS Phoenix team, will they be affected? Arthur Lapierre: It’s simply a conflict of interests on my part. I am very excited by the future of Mathershaw Technology, and there are a number of upcoming opportunities that require us to have greater autonomy and flexibility with our resources. With respect to other teams, once our commitment to DS Automobiles concludes at the end of the season, it would be inappropriate to comment on other team’s future plans. BD: I don't think there is really more to add at this time. Further information will be revealed in due course. Reporter: I’m sure we all understand that certain details need to be kept private, but surely the fans of Downton, Lopez and Lucas deserve to know how this will affect those teams? Or, at least, when more information will be made available to the public? BD: And they will, in due course. We can't give timelines, we're finalising everything still at the moment, but hopefully we'll be able to speak publicly about it all soon. Reporter: Well back to you then Arthur; can you elaborate on why you and DS Automobiles are splitting for next year or any more information on your new engine supplier? AL: I think the speculation is a testament to the success we have experienced as a partner of DS Automobiles. It would be inappropriate to discuss any other manufacturers during the race weekend - for the rest of the season, we are DS Automobiles Team Mathershaw, so they have to be our focus at the circuit. Behind the scenes, we have a lot of activity, and it will all be revealed in the fullness of time once our current obligations are complete. Reporter: Remaining very tight-lipped Arthur! Okay, coming to you Adam; you mentioned after the French V-Prix that you’re not happy with Zozulya and Perez, are there any targets they need to achieve to be retained for next season? Adam Blocker: They need to start maximizing results for the car. This means not making mistakes in qualifying or the race and running to the maximum of what the engineers think the car is capable of. In results terms, this will vary from race to race. Will Hoskins stepping in this weekend will also give us a very good idea of what our car is capable of, which we will use to help evaluate Zozulya and Perez. Reporter: Speaking of which, how did the deal with Andromeda for Will come about, and will Will compete in any more V-Prix this year for FIRST? AB: We were interested in seeing what a known top driver could do in our car, and Andromeda were open to it for a race because they will learn some things out of it too, as well as make a little bit of money. As of right now, Jerez will be the only race Hoskins will do for us but depending on how the weekend goes that might not be the case, assuming a deal could be found that would suit both teams. Reporter: Hoskins will certainly be someone to watch out for over the weekend. A question to all of you now; last week, Jamie Franklin [Team Principal, Franklin] dropped the bombshell that the current season will be the final one for his Franklin team. How much do you think the sport will miss them and do you think any team – other than Downton and DS Mathershaw - will be able to consistently fight for podiums, wins and championships as Franklin have done? AL: I was greatly saddened by the announcement of the departure of Franklin, as was Robert. He is a wonderful competitor and just as wonderful a man. I think the sport will miss them greatly, both on a sporting and a human level. Nobody will replace them on track, but I’m sure there will be at least one team to make the step up to the top tier of the sport - it’s up to us to ensure we’re still up there with them. Dylan Lopez: I took one of his world champions off of him so I don't think I'll be off Jamie's list from yesteryear. But in all seriousness, we are losing a true character from the paddock, and it's not going to be the same when that iconic white car becomes just a memory next year. AB: Jamie and Franklin leaving is a big blow for the series; he and his team have been instrumental to the history and growth of Formula Virtual both on and off the track. On the track, his team has been a constant benchmark for teams to compare themselves with and off the track Jamie definitely has sparked many debates over the years which have added to the excitement of FV. Everyone at FIRST will miss competing against Franklin, and I wish Jamie the best with his future endeavours. BD: Undoubtedly. Jamie and Franklin have been instrumental in the continued survival of this series, and by continually turning out a competitive car as they have and being as strong as they were to start with, have set themselves as the permanent benchmark. Other teams have won titles, ourselves and Mathershaw, and races, but it's always Franklin that you aim to beat. Formula Virtual will be a very different place without them and on a personal level I am sad to see them, and Jamie, go. We've had our ups and downs, and he's often outspoken, but despite it all I consider him a dear friend and we get on well away from the paddock. I wish him all the best in his next challenges. As for the second part of your question, as Arthur said our aim first and foremost is to remain one of those teams. As to whether anyone else can win so consistently, FIRST seem to be getting there, and North Star are steadily climbing, but keep an eye on AMR. They've been quiet for a while and I sense something big is coming. Reporter: It’s clear to see how much respect Jamie and the Franklin team have amongst the other team principals, I’m sure there’ll be plenty more talk about their departure later on in the season. Now it’s time for the fan questions, the first one we have is for Arthur; “How do you plan on retaining your title of longest team name?” AL: It’s simply a case of catering to sponsor commitments and representing our brand in the most effective manner. Reporter: We all know you really choose brands to have the longest name! Next one here is for you Adam, “What is the best fast food store in South Carolina?” AB: My personal favourite is Taco Bell; the food is on par with if not better than most fast food places and it is less expensive as well (like $4-6 for a full meal). Cookout, a burger chain that exists in the southern US, is pretty popular for their burgers, wide variety of side options, and milkshakes. You can get a good burger, 2 sides and a milkshake for like $7.50. The other one that I like is Bojangles, a southern chicken chain. Their biscuits are top notch, their sweet tea is great, and their chicken is better than other fast food places. Reporter: Very informative there Adam, thanks! Dylan, this one’s yours... oh dear… “Do you drive upside down when we are in Europe?” DL: Fair dinkum, you should be sent to Woop Woop immediately. Nic Morley and Ryan Petersen already agree with me. We all know it's the other way around. Right gents? Reporter: Unfortunately, there aren’t many from your neck of the woods here so you’re on your own with that one Dylan! Next one’s for Bradley; “How much tension is there behind closed doors as your two drivers battle at the front for the title for a third year in a row?” BD: Honestly, none at all. Nathaniel and Klaas get on very well both at and away from the track. They know they both get equal treatment and understand that. Mind you, there haven't really been any 'moments' between them as yet. Things may change if anything happens, but we'll enjoy the harmony while it lasts. Reporter: That’s all for the fan questions today, thank you for all your submissions. Dylan, your form dropped off considerably after the Chinese V-Prix, is it worrying that some of the teams behind you in the standings have been closing in on you? DL: We've come up to a couple of circuits where in the past we haven't been particularly brilliant, so it's a little bit concerning that we've spent this much time in the sport and found nothing to fix that issue as of yet. It's a tricky time of the year for us as well as we now need to prioritise either to maintain a pace in the midfield that can keep us ahead of teams like Ingram and Meteor, shift our focus entirely on 2020, or a bit of a hybrid scenario where we could continue developing this year's car to a certain extent, but only if we deem it's worth the sacrifice for next year. Reporter: Rafael Palou will be in the car tomorrow for the second time after getting his first outing in Britain, is the plan to give him more practice sessions in the future and how do you assess his development as a driver so far? DL: Bloody oath, we are excited by both he and our other academy Max Meyer. I've been running around like a headless chook keeping an eye on these kids just as much as the FV team, so much so that we're only allowing Rafa one p. We're wrapped they both finished seventh in their rookie Tier two seasons, and they're setting their own benchmarks based off of their fantastic 2018 seasons. We see them both as part of the future generation of the sport. Reporter: Great stuff, now to bring the press conference to a close – what are your hopes and expectations for the weekend, and who do you think are favourites to take the victory on Sunday? AL: We have to hope for some luck if we’re going to win this weekend, but we can expect to be in the mix for sure. DL: Points would be great. No, really. It would! If we could chuck a U-ie on our form then tea would taste better than it has this past month. AB: The goal is a victory, but I would be happy with a podium. Jerez has been a decent track for us in the past, Hutchinson got 3rd for us in 2017 so definitely looking forward to it. BD: As usual, a strong double finish. Jerez is famously tricky to overtake at - and though it was less so last season - qualifying will still be crucial. We need to keep scoring more points than our rivals, that's the aim. I'm going to be bullish and say we're favourites. Four wins in a row and strong pace here in the last few years, we're after making it five. Reporter: Excellent, that’s all for the press conference, thank you to all team principals and media attending today and we’ll see you tomorrow for Friday practice.
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