Downton F1 team principal Bradley Downton has urged his team to keep pushing as they strive to return to the form they had earlier in the season. The team achieved strong points finishes in the opening two races and a podium in Bahrain, but their form has slipped since, with both cars qualifying outside of the top ten for the first time this season in Canada. In another refreshingly frank interview with the sometimes too-honest team boss, Downton revealed he was desperately urging the team to work harder to return to the front battle with Liverpool and Franklin.
'I'm not happy with where we are at the moment, no,' he started. 'I know that sounds ridiculous and obnoxious, and a little harsh on the guys and girls given how far we've come from where we were last season, but no-one's happy unless they're winning everything, and anyone who says different is a lying s***.' 'From where we were last season, I'm elated to be here, but the fact remains that we're not the best, so we still need to improve. In the opening races where we were right at the front scoring strong double points, and then in Bahrain where we were fighting the Franklin's and Liverpool's and we got the podium, that's where I want my team to be every race. Not just one or two in a season, but every single race. Right at the front, fighting for the big points and podiums.' 'I'll hold my hands up and admit we made a bad call regarding Marcus' strategy at Silverstone that contributed to the poor race, but in Canada, to see the boys twelfth and thirteenth on the grid after all of their hard work and after being so much higher earlier in the season, it was devastating. It could have been a one-off yes, but I don't understand how a team can go from fighting for the podium in one race, to the tail-end of the points in the next few. We must return to our earlier form.' 'Obviously Franklin and Liverpool are miles ahead of anyone else, but we want to be best of the rest, picking up the scraps when they fluff up and fighting with them on occasions, and that's what I'm pushing the team towards.' Looking forward to the upcoming United States Grand Prix, Downton said, 'practice was good, but we need to maintain it. I'd like to see both boys solidly inside the top ten in Qualifying and I'd like to see them maintain it during the race. The other teams are starting to close up and we desperately need the big points to hold onto third.'
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