Boullier: “I’m thinking about next year”

Would the words “satisfied” or “happy” be the most appropriate to describe the team?s performance in Japan?
I would say that I was satisfied. We set foot in Japan with high hopes, barely two weeks after what we can only describe as a miserable weekend in Singapore. We thought Suzuka would be a circuit that the R31 would naturally adapt to. In some ways we were right. We were on the pace all weekend, but unfortunately we didn't reach the peaks as we hoped. I was full of hope after good performances in qualifying. I was even convinced that we would make our way into the top 10 and that we could score twice (with both cars, editor's note). But the affair turned out to be half-baked. On the one hand, Vitaly had a good race, with a two-stop strategy which worked well for him. On the other hand, Bruno had a complicated start and was never really able to recover the lost time. Even the release of the safety car did not help him. It was a bad day for him.

In your mind, the points scored by Vitaly must be important in the fight for fifth place in the constructors' championship?
Absolutely yes. I have to look at the Japan weekend from a practical aspect. We are nearing the end of the season and our goals are getting tighter. We know what is within the realm of possibility for the next seven weeks and our eyes are on fifth place in the championship. The two points scored in Japan bring us closer to this goal, but the team will not show excessive confidence.

Korea is very recent on the scene of F1. How do you view this meeting?
I strongly argue that F1 must expand its boundaries to see itself as a global sport and must perform in new territories. Korea appeared on the calendar only last year and I was delighted to see a good show there. Japan is one of the established powers in motorsport, Korea is not. But this country deserves a chance to build a reputation in F1 too. I can't wait to come back to see how the place and the organization have progressed since last year.

With four races to go before the end of the season, are your thoughts already very much focused on 2012?
Frankly, yes, I now think a lot about next year. Even though the team's priority remains focused on fifth place in the constructors' championship and helping Bruno and Vitaly score as many points as possible in the next four races, I spend more and more time thinking about ways to raise our level. In many ways, 2011 was a year of transition for us, with a lot of change. However, sport always presents us with difficulties and tests our characters in how to resolve them. I like to think that we have handled things well and that brighter days lie ahead. Make no mistake, the number one goal of this team is to bring home a trophy. enstone.

Discover in an exceptional issue of your AUTOhebdo magazine, on newsstands tomorrow, the analysis of the Japanese GP by our special correspondents in Suzuka, as well as everything you need to know about the second consecutive title of Sebastian Vettel.