Gil de Ferran – “Good old Fernando Alonso is back”

• As a former winner, what are the keys to success at Indy500?

Winning the 500 miles is really difficult, because everything has to go your way on the day. Having a fast car is obviously necessary, but it's not enough. You have to be fast in and out of traffic, but you also have to make pit stops go well, and even if your strategy is good, yellow flags can jeopardize everything. That’s a lot of conditions…

• After the failure of Fernando Alonso last year during qualifying, did the elimination of Bump Day reassure you?

It definitely took some pressure off us, and then it allowed us to focus more on the set-up of the race car, which is the most important thing. Sure, there's a lot of hubris involved in qualifying, but in the end, you can win Indy500 by starting last. I know some who found themselves in terrible positions at the start of the race, but had a fast car and won. So, even if we are not ahead after qualifying, the important thing remains the race.

• What is Fernando’s state of mind?

Frankly, I'll tell you, for him, it's as if last year's elimination happened yesterday. In addition, he had not gone back into a car since last May, and I can assure you that he is always incisive and precise in his observations. Good old Fernando is back.

• His young teammates, Pato O’ Ward and Oliver Askew, have each already scored a podium finish. However, wasn’t it a big risk to take such inexperienced pilots?

Every decision is risky. But looking at Oliver and Pato's times, but also their results during their careers, and their skills, it was obvious that they had great potential. But to be honest, their results have exceeded my expectations, and I am also pleased to see that they are perfectly integrated into the team.

• Between employees of McLaren and Schmidt Peterson, how does the team work during Indy500?

For our part, six people came from England. It’s a very interesting collaboration, but I don’t want to go into details. All I can tell you is that our program is very serious. Our marriage is in fact that of two organizations with a lot of quality, tools, and expertise. But it's a long road. We are only at the beginning.

• Even if you don't want to give details, to what extent the contribution of Craig Hampson (pillar of Sébastien's successes Bourdais with Newman Haas and Dale Coyne Racing, research and development and racing engineer, at McLaren SP) is important in the performance of your cars since the start of the season?

When we found out that Craig was free, it was obvious to us that we had to recruit him, but, again, I prefer not to focus on individual cases. Without mentioning names, I can simply say that we have a number of very qualified engineers, both in the United States and in England.

• However, the Covid-19 pandemic must have slowed down your collaboration somewhat…

It was difficult. Without these circumstances we would have been able to work more face to face, but we had to adapt because we could not travel. Originally, we were supposed to have people from Schmidt Peterson with us in England, and McLaren staff in the United States, but that had become impossible. In the end, we still managed to set up our collaboration in a way that was quite close to what we envisioned. Also, the delayed start of the season benefited us because it gave us more time to learn how to work together.
Schmidt Peterson is a team used to fighting to be “the best of the rest”, but its 2019 season was not good.

• What was your diagnosis of what needed to be improved?

In fact, we talked as a group and it was obvious that we needed to improve on a few circuits, but on the vast majority the performance was there. Regardless, my vision of motorsport is to always want to improve. And this is undoubtedly why we have obtained good results, and we must continue, to aim as high as possible.

• Do you think you can fight for the title next season?

I don't know, because adversity is strong. Look, at Indy500, we realized from the first day that the grid is really dense. A small improvement and you find yourself at the front, and conversely, a small mistake and you are relegated to the back. So, we know how difficult the process will be to become a regular championship contender.

• What would it mean for McLaren to see Fernando Alonso win the Triple Crown?

It would be incredible for him and for Arrow McLaren SP. But I have to say that even if I'm on his radio, I don't have a preference. So I would be really happy if one of our three drivers got a great result. I also believe that we will be competitive with all three cars.