Lotus F1 Team Deputy Team Principal Federico Gastaldi looks to Formula 1’s return to a highly popular venue with the Mexican Grand Prix.
What are your expectations for the Mexican Grand Prix?
I am expecting a fantastic event! I’ve seen the work that has gone on behind the scenes and I know the passion and enthusiasm there is for Formula 1 in Mexico. It’s a great country and a superb city with warm and welcoming people. We’ve been away from Mexico too long; it’s going to be fantastic to be back.
What’s the team’s history in Mexico?
Once upon a time we were called Benetton and we scored our first Formula 1 victory in Mexico in 1986 with Gerhard Berger. It was Gerhard’s first Grand Prix win, and interestingly he went on to score his and Benetton’s final Grand Prix win eleven years later, although that win was in Germany!
What are your reflections on the United States Grand Prix?
I am still drying my socks! It was an incredible build-up to what turned out to be a fabulous race. I can’t remember ever seeing so much rain as we did on Saturday. It’s a testament to all the professionalism of everyone at COTA and in Austin that everything was able to run as smoothly as it did despite the very challenging conditions. For us as a team it was good to see Pastor score points for the third consecutive race, but it was unfortunate that Romain’s race was effectively ended at the corner thanks to over-exuberance from another driver.
As a former Grand Prix promoter what are your thoughts when you experience extreme weather like we saw in Austin?
Certainly Hurricane Patricia unleashed a lot of water and could blow with some force too. You can’t change the weather but it’s definitely not something you’d want. I think the race itself was fantastic and quite some reward for the loyal fans who attended despite the weather. The conditions certainly gave everyone something new to work around, but we all got there. It was a weekend we’re remember for quite some time.
How tight a turnaround is it for the team heading to Mexico?
Fortunately the distance involved is pretty short and the timezones are very similar so it’s not as difficult as it could be. The second event of a back-to-back race combination does have less time to prepare, but everyone involved is professional and knows their jobs so we’re not expecting any surprises.
Would you like to see further races in the Americas?
There’s a balance between how many races we want to have during the course of a season and all the amazing venues we’d love to visit around the world. On a personal level I’d love to see Formula 1 return to Argentina and I know it would get a fantastic response there.
Can you give some insight into the selection process for Jolyon Palmer as race driver for the team in 2016?
Jolyon’s a talented driver and a very balanced and measured young man, smart and focused both on track and out of the car. He’s done everything we’ve asked of him in his FP1 sessions during the course of 2015 and we’ve seen that he has a strong future ahead of him in Formula 1. Next year will be his rookie season, but we’ve every confidence that he will deliver on track and complete a strong pairing with Pastor.
How many other pieces need to fall into place for the team for 2016?
We’re working hard behind the scenes and we’ll have some good strong and positive announcements to make in due course.