Good morning and welcome to Magny-Cours, France for the Team Representatives’ Thursday press conference ahead of this weekend’s French V-Prix – round five of the 2022 Formula Virtual World Championship. Joining us today, from left to right, are; Harry Westwood of Samsung Galaxy Red Bull Westwood Racing Technology TotalEnergies Peugeot Sport Engineered, Bradley Downton from Downton FV Team, Nick Forrest from North Star Racing, and Ben Farrell from Arrow Mechanics. Welcome to the four of you. Scott Parkin – FVTV: We’ll begin today with you, Bradley. A double podium last time out after that tough start to the race must’ve been very satisfying. You didn’t manage to beat Ruiz, but second and third ensures you’ve got a healthy 37-point gap back to Porsche Mathershaw, who are looking extremely strong. Are you approaching this weekend, their home race, with a view to extend that gap or is it simply damage limitation? Bradley Downton: You never want to approach a weekend aiming to minimise the loss, but I think it would be remiss of us to assume Mathershaw won't go all out here to win their home race - after all they've only managed it once, back in 2016. That's not to say we won't be trying to stop them - we absolutely will, and we have good reason to be optimistic given we've won here the last three seasons, however it definitely won't be an easy task. If we can extend the gap, then it's been a fantastic weekend, but if we can't manage that then minimising the loss is absolutely the next best option. SP – FVTV: It’s set up to be a great battle. Okay, coming to you now Nick, a fantastic result for you last race saw North Star score points for the first time since Belgium last year. After the awful luck in the first few races, it must feel like some sort of redemption, finally, to be off the mark? Nick Forrest: Redemption, if you want to call it that! It's more that that weight has been lifted, after some incredible misfortune in the opening races, as you said, running sixth and ninth in Malaysia on merit before reliability taking out both cars, and seeing teams we should be beating being the ones to score the big results. 14th absolutely isn't where we should be in the table, considering the pace in the car. It's happened before, though, and it never really stings any less, but Brock drove an incredible race, allied to some great work from the North Star pit crew getting him out ahead of James [Vasquez] in the first round of stops, and crucially ahead of that train behind Klien, which really opened our race up. We're on the board now, we're on the way to where we believe we should be in the standings, and we hope that we can convert the pace that we have into more strong results in the upcoming races. SP – FVTV: It certainly was an excellent drive, that closing down of Takahashi was incredible to watch. Okay, Ben, it had been a torrid start to the season for Arrow with three retirements in a row for Nick with the team failing to capitalise on what looks like a very solid car. Finally though, in South Africa, Yakumi got that first point which elevates you into the top ten in the Constructors’ Championship, out of Pre-Qualifying. How does it feel to be currently in the safe zone? Ben Farrell: Of course, our reliability this season has been far from reliable, as such are the growing pains of having a new engine supplier, we've seen this before and we can't exactly we say we've had it any better with our previous suppliers. Yakumi's defence against Brock out in Kyalami helped us secure that first point and vital escape from Pre-Qualifying, or should I say would've been a vital escape from Pre-Qualifying, given the attendance issues of a few teams, which are of vital importance to us from the series' races. SP – FVTV: Harry, bonjour! Well, where to start with this… it’s an extremely exciting time for the Westwood team as we’ve recently had the news that Peugeot will be taking over the Westwood team for next season, nine years since Peugeot last entered a team in Formula Virtual. We’ve seen the beautiful livery which is a tribute back to that lovely PGP-14 car and we know that you’ll be remaining in your role as Team Principal, but can you tell us any more information about changes which will take place at the team in the transition to Peugeot? Harry Westwood: Bonjour! Yes, hugely exciting. I've been thrilled knowing this announcement is coming. So there will be a couple of obvious changes in things like branding - you can expect a whole new colour scheme that we've not come close to before. Also of course the team's nationality will be changing to French - joining the likes of our friends at Porsche Mathershaw. We'll have more support from Peugeot as well - a lot of what they do with us currently is solely based around the powertrain. But moving forward they'll be bringing buckets of experience with them for us to be able to pull from. SP – FVTV: What an incredibly exciting time for the team. Okay, the Team Representatives will now take questions from the press. Kurt West – FOX: We know how big the last race was for you guys at North Star, but what about Brock? He’s finally got FV points after such a tough first year, how much has it meant to him? NF: You're right, he was incredibly happy to secure that ninth place in South Africa, especially after having to endure such a challenging first season in the sport, along with the retirement in Malaysia when he'd been running so strongly all weekend. The ability has always been there with Brock, but I think the difficult times only motivated him more to get that result and spurred him on during the race. Closing down a 20-second gap to Yakumi [Takahashi] up ahead and then passing him on the last lap, you could tell he was giving it everything, and it has been a long time coming, admittedly, but it's certainly been earned and then some, I don't think you can argue with that. Rebecca Parnell – XtremeV: Ben, with the team now level on points with Franklin – but ahead on countback – and just one point behind North Star and FIRST, do you now have your sights firmly set on those teams ahead of you, or are you more concerned primarily with maintaining your position away from Pre-Qualifying? BF: I can't really comment on Franklin's behalf, given our staff haven't heard from them in the factory either, which is a concerning reality for us of course.... but I'd say we've had better pace than North Star in a fair few races this season, those tracks where overtaking is harder and qualifying is more important have been nice to us... Hans-Jurgen Zoller – Auto Motor und Sport: In addition to the big news of Westwood becoming the Peugeot works team for the next season, the team also now has a Deputy Team Principal in the form of Phillip Dohm. Can you tell us how it came to be for Phillip to become part of Westwood and what he brings to the team? HW: Well Phillip joining the team was a bit of a long process. In all honesty he was seen around the paddock a lot and he was very proactive in asking about openings, where he could get involved - I liked that kind of straightforward approach and after some preliminary talks it was clear our attitudes and philosophies were aligned. After that the rest was just admin! He brings aboard experience in other disciplines in the virtual world that we hope to benefit from, whilst we can also provide him with a pathway to his own success in Formula Virtual with our own knowledge of this series. Theo Parker – VM Magazine: Following the last race, Bradley, you mentioned that it was a sticking clutch mechanism which cost Klaas dearly at the start. Has the team looked into this? Can you ensure it won’t happen again? BD: We have looked into it, and it's one of those stupid stories. It was a faulty part that costs literally about 15 pence, but there you go - it happens unfortunately. We have fully stripped and rebuilt the clutch mechanisms on both cars and replaced these parts, so are hopeful we won't have any further issues. Matt Stevenson– WTFV: We arrive here in France with a slightly depleted feel to the paddock; Franklin have been excluded from the weekend for missing another strategy deadline and Highwind will also not compete after missing the deadline with Team Principal Ahmed Cheema reportedly suffering with a bad bout of Xylanditis. With Scuderia Meteor being in the state they’re currently in, the latest problem being their loss in the court case with Lopez, it seems as though we may have just 24 cars on the grid for the first time since Brazil 2018. From each of your own teams’ point of view, does it make life easier for you in your individual battles to be without some of the competition, or do you sympathise with each of their situations? HW: I think it's got to be a balance of both really - the grid will be visibly emptier and will feel quieter with less cars, but based on our pace I doubt there will be much to gain on our end. Sure, I can sympathise with Highwind and Ahmed and obviously whatever is happening at Franklin I do hope for all the best for them and that they make it through whatever this is - but this is a competition and we all turn up to play by the same rules, whatever form that takes. NF: It's certainly going to be a different race without Franklin involved, I think that's arguably the biggest loss, no offense to the other teams. Highwind have been one of the stories of the season, too, with Xylander performing miracles in that car, and it is always a shame to see a team in the straits that Meteor seem to be in. I can only hope that things turn out well for them, whatever the outcome of their respective situations, and while it obviously does make things a little easier with fewer cars on the grid to be fighting against, that's really not what Formula Virtual is about, in my experience. I think we've seen in other series, the more cars on the grid the better, and I do wish them well with everything that they're going through respectively, and I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing them back with us in the future. BD: None of Meteor, Highwind or Franklin are our fight this season, so them not being here makes very little difference to us to be frank. It will mean there are less cars being much slower at the back of the field however which should mean less traffic and a clearer race for us towards the front, but we'll see how that plays out in theory. It's difficult to have sympathy with any team other than Highwind. From what I understand, significant illness within the team resulted in the missed deadline, and it happens. It's the first time this season and it's a huge shame for them - especially given how well Thierry has been driving. For Meteor, they've not really shown the pace to deserve to be in a race so far. I think the 102% rule that has been introduced is a good move, because I feel at this point they're far enough off the pace of even the next slowest team that it would just be dangerous. With Franklin, it feels like it's been a while coming. They appear to have been operating on a skeleton crew for a few races, with all of the big names in the team going missing. It's a shame to see such a historic team reduced to this, but I feel most sorry for the drivers. They look so lost and dejected - I just hope they're given an opportunity elsewhere if this maintains. BF: That depleted feeling extends to us really, despite our points last race our future in the engine-department leaves us a little exposed on all fronts, with talks going on behind the scenes of course, but with nothing set in stone we can only really hope that Franklin themselves aren't excluded from the sport, as it would place all responsibility on us for all of their staff and future in the sport as a Honda-Badged team. SP – FVTV: Great answers there and some very good points raised, we’ll now move onto the Fan Questions before we finish up. The first one here is for you, Harry. “It was revealed Peugeot is buying out your team so what does this mean for your future in the team and are Peugeot happy with your current drivers?” HW: So I'm very fortunate that Peugeot are as keen to work with me as I am with them - so I'm not going anywhere yet! I will in fact still hold a minor share in the team as I didn't want to sell the whole thing, and as mentioned I'll still be the Team Principal under the new guise. So my future looks bright! As for drivers, it's common knowledge we released poor Puccio from his contract for 2023, so we aren't afraid to make tough calls. I have faith in the guys to show me they've got what it takes. SP – FVTV: Of course, it’ll be intriguing to see how that develops. The next question here is for Bradley. “Do you feel threatened that Peugeot are joining Formula Virtual and what does this mean for the future of Klaas van Snelheid?” BD: I'll confess to being slightly confused by this question. Firstly, we don't feel threatened in the slightest. We revel in the competition, so hopefully Peugeot can return similar to the form they had back in 2014, rather than the form Westwood are showing this season - which I know they're not pleased with as a team. In terms of Klaas, I don't see how this links in the slightest. But regardless, he is contracted until 2025 so that's that. SP – FVTV: The arrival of Peugeot next season is sure to ruffle some feathers, but clearly Klaas is extremely settled at Downton! Okay, the next one here is for you, Ben. “Do you regret moving from Jaguar to Honda engines?” “You can say all the nice things you like about Honda, the facts are that the Jaguar power unit has won a V-Prix this year, while the factory Honda team are struggling to stay out of Q1” BF: We don't regret anything moving forward, any decision we make as a team is the right decision, the day one of us comes back and turns on ourselves and our own decisions is the day we've failed as a team, whatever happens, like everything that has happened from our first points in the series, to the many heart-breaking moments we've had. We'd do it all again in a heartbeat with the memories we've made, I don't want to comment on a win widely regarded as a one-off either, Franklin won their fair share last year. SP – FVTV: You do have to have a lot of self-belief as a Formula Virtual team, it’s clear to see that you back yourself. Final Fan Question now for you, Nick. “Your famous driver Johan Halvosen did not make the race two times. Do you see this as his downfall and are you thinking of replacements?” NF: I wouldn't say downfall, no, but he's acknowledged the difficulties he's had getting the car into a setup window he's happy with this season. As we've mentioned in the past, we took the NS-07 in a completely different design direction to the previous year's car, and we've seen in the past in Formula Virtual certain drivers might struggle a little in certain cars. The first DNQ in Japan, though, that was a real blow for both him and the team, expecting to be through relatively comfortably, and then two consecutive retirements from good positions in the subsequent two races, I'd love to meet the driver whose confidence that sort of run wouldn't knock. We know the skill Johan has, and we know the kind of results he can secure, I think it's just a case of having a clean weekend for him. SP – FVTV: I’m sure that’s the case, with Johan just needing a clean weekend. Okay, final question now from Neil. Neil Allenby – FVTV: Coming here, for the fifth round of the season, are you all roughly where you expected to be as we enter the European season? Did you expect to be higher up, or lower, and are your drivers all performing to the capacity expected of them so far? HW: Oof, well honestly no, not at all - we definitely expected to be just outside the points on pace. The car has struggled at recent races, although I think this is partially due to the fact that we've been at a few circuits that don't quite play to our strengths. Our drivers are performing well on the whole, so I can't ask too much more from them currently. But we will keep on plugging away, we normally get better as the year goes on and that's exactly what we're aiming for this season! NF: Well with the new car, we didn't really know, given how radical the shift in design philosophy was from last year, but it certainly couldn't have been much worse! We were expecting to take a few races or so to learn about the car, both the drivers and the team, and work out how to get the best out of it. Reliability obviously hasn't been the best, as we've said in the past, but even we didn't expect to be finding as much pace in the car as we have this early on. Back in Malaysia, for example we were on the tail of the Ingrams and the Phoenixes, and we were there on merit, after looking like points would be a struggle in pre-season testing. In the standings, I think we're roughly where we expected to be at the start of the season right now, but we know that we can aim higher with the car underneath us, Brock is driving superbly right now, and I've every faith that Johan can recover the form he's known for, and really drive us forward as we head into the European rounds. BD: This won't go down particularly well and will be likened to that famous silver team in 'that other sport', but honestly we didn't expect to have a start to the season like this. We fully expected Mathershaw to blow us out of the water. While I remain convinced they'd be clear if they hadn't had the bad fortune and obviously what happened in Malaysia, it's great to see we're closer than we expected to be - we're in the fight for sure. In regards to drivers, Klaas is leading the Championship having finished on the podium in every race, and Matteo has won a V-Prix in his maiden season and is right in the fight - I think by anyone's standards, they're doing alright! BF: Definitely higher up, we entered this season with an aggressive driver and development strategy, and you'll be excited to know that we've decided to mix it up this weekend a little, and put our toes in the ocean of what was a very good strategy for us last year. Yakumi and Nick have been excellent in providing feedback on the new powertrain, and on track we can't fault them, just have to ask questions for the future, with one driver on the brink of having a team he raced for disappear from the sport. SP – FVTV: Fantastic, thank you to you all for attending and for your brilliant answers today. That’s all for the Press Conference today, make sure you join us for Friday Practice ahead of the French V-Prix!
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