Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website Allan McNish: “It’s a luxury to have two fast and aggressive drivers in the team”
agosto 20, 2018 - Audi

Allan McNish: “It’s a luxury to have two fast and aggressive drivers in the team”

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In his first season as Audi team principal in Formula E, #allanmcnish (48) experienced a rollercoaster of emotions and a happy ending with the 2017/2018 teams’ title. In this interview the three-time Le Mans winner talks about his darkest moments, best decisions, his thoughts on the future of Formula E and why it is a luxury to have two aggressive drivers like Daniel Abt and Lucas di Grassi in the team.

 

The first Formula E season with you being the team principal was a thriller until the very last lap. Has your heart rate come down a little bit since then?
I went on holiday with my family straight after the season finale in New York. Ahead of that weekend I didn’t know whether it would be a happy beginning of the holiday or a rather frustrating one. After the results we achieved, luckily it became a kind of celebration holiday. It was important to get away and switch off. Since I came back, New York has already been out of my mind and there is full focus on Riyadh and season five.

Champion of Formula E – how does that sound to you?
Sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it? It is great what we have achieved. But for me it is much more crucial how we had to achieve it: It wasn’t by design – that’s for sure if you look at the start of the season, but it was by a fantastic fight-back from both of our drivers and the entire team. This is something I will for sure never forget.

Twelve points after four races into the season – what were you thinking at that time?
I remember walking out of the paddock in Santiago after another race with zero points. Daniel got hit on the first lap and Lucas had to stop with an inverter problem. It looked as if all of the potential that we had seen in pre-season testing was just slipping away and so was the championship. At that moment, I would have never ever thought that we would keep the championship fight open until the last race, never mind win the title at the last gasp.

What do you think is the biggest challenge being a team principal in Formula E?
Coming into this position in Audi’s first year in Formula E was definitely a learning process. And it started off with the big challenge of keeping everybody in the team focused when we experienced tough times like we did in Marrakesh or Santiago. I’ve been in motorsport for quite a while and I know that sometimes you can try whatever you want and things just go wrong. But there is always a switchover point and we had to make sure that everyone kept their eyes on the goal. The team and the drivers were nothing but exceptional in the second half of the season. They definitely made my life a lot easier then.

Can you name a best decision in your new role?
Well, the best personal decision I made was to take the role because I am really enjoying it. One of the best decisions we made as a team was to confirm and give Daniel the opportunity to prove his performance as an Audi factory driver. He grew up a lot, he showed the speed he had before but he also showed the experience that he had gained. I am pleased that we were able to give him a good technical package and support in terms of engineering. I am sure he will build up on that confidence and make another step next year. The two race wins to his credit are just the beginning and there is much more to come.

And what would you write into the school report of Lucas di Grassi after this season?
Being on the podium seven times in a row once we got rid of the technical problems clearly shows his level of performance, consistency and determination. The year probably started off in the worst way possible for Lucas and our team and ended with more podiums in one season than any other team in the history in Formula E achieved. And I think we all agree that the competition was really tough with a lot of great drivers and excellent teams out there. And once again he stood out as one of the best. Whoever took the big trophies for drivers’ and teams’ titles in New York thoroughly deserved it.

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