Good morning and welcome to Adelaide, Australia for the Team Representatives’ Thursday press conference ahead of this weekend’s Australian V-Prix – round two of the 2022 Formula Virtual World Championship. Joining us today, from left to right, are; Adrian Arnello of Arnello Milner & Ronson Autosport, Dylan Lopez from Lopez FV Team, William Ingram from Ingram V-Prix, Alex Easton of Royal Phoenix Motorsport, and Ahmed Cheema from Highwind FV Racing. Welcome gentlemen. Scott Parkin – FVTV: We’ll start the press conference with you, Ahmed. Thierry had a fantastic first race for Highwind in Japan, claiming the Star of the Weekend award. Especially impressive considering so many had predicted a double non qualification for you. How impressed were you with his performance and do you expect him to replicate that regularly this season? Ahmed Cheema: Impressed? I was jumping around on the pit wall afterwards so yeah, I guess I'll count that as impressed. It wasn't due to lack of effort from the team but we knew from our form in testing that we were starting on the backfoot, but Thierry clearly can't read memos, might get him new glasses on that note. But yeah, Thierry is a fricking legend. It'll be tough to replicate early on - though he's already obliterated my expectations once so take that with a pinch of salt - but we're hopeful that as the season progresses, the car will improve to the point that he'll be fighting for the top ten. SP – FVTV: Long may those performances continue! Alright, coming to you now Will. You started the season well in Japan with your reward being a seventh place for James Vasquez, although unfortunately Jean retired from a strong position with a gearbox issue. Most importantly, though, the pace of the car looks impressive, how pleased are you with where you are and how Japan went overall? William Ingram: Thank you, yes the car looks quick thankfully. Obviously last season wasn't one of our best but I'm glad we've made a definite step forward. In terms of pace we look to be at the head of the midfield, but we need to make sure we score points while we can as plenty of teams will unlock pace. SP – FVTV: That’s a very good point, I’m sure we’ll see that happening soon. Alex, the result in Japan was a fantastic one for Phoenix; the first time you’ve ever had both cars finish in the points at the opening round of a season. Did you expect to be where you were? Alex Easton: That stat actually goes right back to the junior series days, too! Even in FV2 and FV3 we never scored a double points finish at the opening round, mad! But yeah, it feels amazing. Both Will and Allar did an outstanding job, I thought, on their first outing for us. To answer your question; not at all. At the risk of enraging Ahmed here, I can honestly say that we headed into pre-season testing expecting to be right down towards the back, so to already have six points on the board is absolutely crucial for us in our battle to stay clear of Pre-Qualifying – especially with it now being teams from eleventh down. SP – FVTV: It certainly is looking good for Phoenix so far in terms of that particular objective. Despite the team lacking core pace in Japan, Dylan, Alvarez drove brilliantly on his Lopez debut to finish twelfth, really making those hard tyres work. Were you pleased with his drive or were you expecting more, before the weekend began? Dylan Lopez: Sergio certainly drove the wheels off the car last time out didn’t he? He’s gotten off on the right foot this season and hopefully Max can follow along and we can get into the points. SP – FVTV: Adrian, the opening race in Japan was quite a quiet one for AMR, finishing fourteenth and nineteenth. Is that roughly where you expected to be? Adrian Arnello: Yeah was a tad quiet wasn't it? I think it's too soon to call this and that, but given testing we're roughly around this patch or maybe a few cars ahead. Early days yet for these lads! SP – FVTV: You’re quite right, it’s extremely early days yet! Okay, the Team Representatives will now take questions from the floor. Danny Webber – ABC FV: G’day everyone! My question is for Dylan and Adrian. Guys, you’ve got your home race here in Australia but we’re not in Melbourne, we’re here in Adelaide! What are you guys making of the track and general atmosphere here compared to Melbourne? DL: I’m going to try and remain as non-biased as possible. I am born and raised a Melbournian, Adelaide is okay, and the Australian fans are on another level, but coming here just doesn’t reach anywhere near the heights of competing in the sporting capital of the world. I also fear this circuit could end up becoming a Jerez with walls. Comparing the track to Melbourne, it’s shorter, slower, and narrower. On paper it doesn’t quite add up and until we see the race on Sunday, I’m not really a fan of this circuit as an FV Track. It is however a new circuit to all drivers except perhaps only a handful of drivers in the second and third tiers have competed at in the past, so anything could happen. AA: Mate, no matter where we are, we've got that Aussie vibe going on! Adelaide is pretty chill. It's a very different circuit in some aspects and yet familiar in others. Just gotta watch those walls! Theo Parker – VM Magazine: Ahmed, your new driver Thierry Xylander impressed many by making the race in Japan. How hard do you plan to keep hold of him while rival teams try to sign him up? AC: Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..... yeah. Just that. And no comment. Er and no comment. Hugues Antoinette – Canal+: Salut Will. Jean was so strong in the first race and looked to be in the fight for good points, do you know what happened to the gearbox and is it something of concern, or just a one-off issue? WI: Bonjour Hugues, nice to see you again. Jean was a lot happier in Japan than he was at any time last season and that was reflected in his pace. It was a huge shame when he retired, but we believe the issue was a one off and hopefully it won't afflict us again! Rebecca Parnell – XtremeV: You have arrived here in Australia with your new Deputy Team Principal, Sven Schubert. What prompted his appointment and what will he bring to the team? AE: Ah Sven, yeah. Sven is absolutely fantastic. As I’m sure you know, we were left without a Deputy Team Principal when Christian left to focus on OSM more, so we started taking applications. The absolute clear standout candidate was Sven, his application was honestly mind-blowingly good. So, he’s come in and integrated with the team perfectly, he just ‘gets’ what we’re about here at Phoenix and fits in with us all. As for what he brings to the team, well, as I say he gets what we’re about and he’s a great guy to have around the place, with a great sense of humour. However, I find he brings a level of professionalism and organisational skills that really set him apart with anyone I’ve worked with closely before. I’m absolutely positive that his presence instantly makes Phoenix a more professional and well-oiled team. Klaus Ammermuller – RTV: My question is to everyone. Here we are, in Adelaide, at a street circuit for the first time ever in Formula Virtual. How excited are you about the challenges that lie ahead? Are you worried about the tyre performance, overtaking, and if your drivers make mistakes? WI: Being at a street circuit is very interesting for FV. Hopefully it all works out! For all those other questions we shall just have to wait and see. Overtaking is the big question and I hope we will see some, but if there are fewer that's not necessarily a bad thing, just means it will take a little more talent to get moves done. AC: Should be a fun blast, obviously you're always worried about a new track, need to learn everything and all that stuff but you always love a new track. From our side, a street circuit throws up a different challenge, a different kind of surface, low grip and potentially a bit rougher than a normal circuit, so practice will be important to dial in the set up and get data on the tyres. We have visited tracks with little overtaking though so that's not a huge issue, and these are the best drivers in the world, I trust our guys to keep it out of the barriers. One advantage we have is Dan has been racing on streets in VWRS so he's got some recent experience there. AA: Walls and tyres are always a concern when you're pushing like mad on a track like this! I think it's gonna be a great show. If the lads make an error here or there I think it's forgivable given how new this is. DL: I hinted to it before, but Adelaide isn’t my favourite place in Australia. On paper I’m not sure if it’s the best place to replace Albert Park, but I hope I’m proven wrong and we get good racing and battles for position. I think errors and mistakes could be king at this small track, because with the exception of the final corners which are based in a little parkland, there are concrete walls left, right and centre waiting to wreak havoc at a moment’s notice. These cars are not designed to rub against these walls the same way you’d see Supercars on this track, so finding the limit without hitting the wall will be crucial, especially on Saturday. AE: I have to say I feel very privileged to be sat here as a Team Principal as Formula Virtual makes history by coming to a street circuit for the very first time. It’s one of those occasions that we’ll be able to look back on in ten, twenty, thirty years and say, “I was part of it.” It should be a great occasion. I know just as much, or little, about how the tyres will perform here as you do, so I can’t give you anything on that until we’ve seen Practice tomorrow. Overtaking, though, I’m with Will on that. In my opinion, less overtakes isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If drivers have to work harder to get past, I think they’re earning their money more! As for my guys, I’m confident in their abilities and experience. Both our guys have been round the block a fair bit and have had extremely successful careers so far, but then again those barriers have a habit of claiming top drivers! SP – FVTV: That’s excellent, thank you guys. We’ll now move onto the Fan Questions. The first one here is for Adrian; “You guys spent so many years trundling round at the back, wasting a large portion of the career of talents such as Schnyder. Everybody expected you to soar to the front, but you've struggled in the midfield. What was the point of all that time at the back?” AA: I think it's the wrong attitude to have about it really. We're watching these teams rise and fall over the years, some have a brilliant run one season then s***house the next. We all aim for the top but you've gotta remember we're in a league with more than a dozen other super talented teams and drivers; it’s inevitable some get it wrong and others propel upward. Finn is happy where he is and he knows the work that goes on to make what we do a reality. Yeah we've had a few bad runs but ask any personnel here at AMR who saw us make the early jump upward in Japan and they'll tell you it's wonderful to see us midfield and not struggling as much. It's all relative in the end! SP – FVTV: I agree with you there Adrian, I think it’s easy to forget just how much work goes into running a Formula Virtual team, especially some of the teams with limited funds. Alright, the next one is for Dylan; “Your team decided to remove Allar Kangur and Elroy Wagner. Is your team worse off now and do you regret your current driver situation?” DL: Well, one driver retired and the other driver’s loan period at our team came to an end. Is that what you call “deciding to remove” two great drivers? And to answer the second part of the question, I have absolutely no problem with our current driver line-up. SP – FVTV: Will, the next one’s for you; “It's well known that you have a record of finishing fifth in every even numbered season, and this year you've come out the gates in fine form. For this year are you looking to solidify that same position, or is fourth or maybe even third on the cards?” WI: I have to say we don't try to do that! But yes it is a statistical quirk that we seem to like doing that. It's too early to think of the constructors now though. It looks as though Phoenix are our immediate rivals but I'm sure other teams will join us in that fight. SP – FVTV: Speaking of Phoenix, the next one’s for you Alex; “How does it feel to see your former drivers, Alvarez and Xylander, doing well at their new teams?” AE: You know, I should sit here and say that I hope they don’t get too close to us and beat us on track, as we’re rivals now, but I can’t even pretend that’s the case. Seeing Sergio and Thierry driving such wonderful races for Lopez and Highwind felt, well, strange. I almost felt like a mother blackbird seeing her chicks fly the nest, so incredibly proud but also sad to feel the reality of them not being Phoenix drivers anymore. But we always knew that they’d both have great careers in Formula Virtual and we stand by our philosophy of never getting in the way of any of our drivers’ career opportunities. I hope they both continue to go from strength to strength once they settle in at their new teams. SP – FVTV: Excellent. Okay, final Fan Question is for you Ahmed; “Last time out was your 50th race in the sport. I'm sure we can guess some of them, but can you tell us about a few of your favourite moments so far?” AC: Oh boy so where should I start? I could go on forever but I'll keep it brief - Germany 2019 was epic with Diego getting 12th, Turkey that year with Nikolai was just... ah, the good old days. Still remember that last lap in Japan 2020, Niko swiping 13th from Westwood. And obviously again Japan this year, some initiation for Thierry. Jeez, 50 races... been a bumpy ride but we've come a long way. SP – FVTV: I think Thierry’s performance last race will always be remembered as one of the great drives for a backmarker team in FV. Alright, we’ll finish off with a final question from me, to you all. Various drivers have already been signed up to new contracts following the Japanese V-Prix, but only Ingram out of the five teams here have been active in the driver market. My final question to the rest of you; do you already have your 2023 plans in place, or do you believe it’s far too soon to make such big decisions? DL: Short answer, sort of, yes? We still have some negotiations to take place, but job security in the long run would be hugely desired. AA: No news is good news? We're keeping an eye on it all but no early moves just yet! AC: We have a broad idea but you always wait for the season to develop before you take the final decision and update the next season's page on the wiki. For us, we've got a couple of options with Dan's long contract, Alexander in the wings - speaking of which, he'll be in for practice in Malaysia - and Ruotsey potentially stepping up soon, so we'll keep an eye on them over the first half and see how it pans out before the plans are in place. AE: I’d echo what Ahmed said, we don’t make any absolutely final decisions so early in the season because literally anything could happen between now and December. It seems like we’re forever in pre-contract talks with various options from inside and outside our stable of drivers, but realistically it’s usually around the summer break when negotiations get more serious. SP – FVTV: Just going back to what you mentioned, Ahmed, it’ll be fantastic to finally see Alexander in an FV car, I’m sure everyone will keep a close eye on that session. Anyway, thank you all very much for attending today, thank you to the fans and to the media for joining us. Make sure you tune in tomorrow for Friday Practice ahead of the Australian V-Prix!
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