Hand it to Buemi, the kid’s an honest interview

In the ongoing effort here at F1B to make sure you see interviews with drivers, even if those interviews almost universally don’t add much to our collective knowledge, we have another exception that proves the rule: Sebastien Beumi.

The official Formula 1 site has an “exclusive” up with him, and I think along with not getting enough testing in an F1 car due to the ban on such practice, Buemi might also have slipped through Red Bull’s PR curriculum without attending class.

The winners? Us.

Q: Sebastian, you are now past your time as a rookie and people’s expectations are bound to go up…
Sebastian Buemi: I feel much better than last year, even if this year there’s a lot less testing. I feel much more prepared, although that doesn’t mean that I will do a better job. It’s just that I feel better, that I’ve learned my way around and feel familiar with the race weekend procedure and – most importantly – with all the tracks. Because of all that it should go better, but we have to wait and see!

Q: What do you still need to work on?
SB: Well, the cockpit hasn’t changed a lot; we have just made sure that the vision is good and naturally you have to work on the seat. During the first couple of days there are always changes to be made because building and using a car are as different as two pairs of shoes.

Q: The car’s longer now, does it feel any different?
SB: There’s no doubt that you feel it when you’re driving. The tyres are not responding in the way I was used to, but it is too early to say if it is good or not.

“I feel much more prepared, although that doesn’t mean that I will do a better job.” That has to be the leader for “honest statement of the 2010 season” thus far.

Also, it may just be me, but his other two answers come across in a way that make sense, or maybe I really mean I can relate to his answers. Visibility? Understood. How cars are different? Got it.

That answer right there adds a nice layer to my sense, at least, of F1 driving.

Q: What conclusions have you drawn about the car, now that you have the first test under your belt?
SB: We are not the exception to all the other teams – after one test it is impossible to say where we are. But what I can say is that it was positive for us, we have gained a lot of data, and now we will sit down, analyze them and then try to implement our findings ahead of Jerez. But my guess is that the earliest pecking order will only be able to be established at the last test in Barcelona and we’ll probably have to wait until Bahrain. So much depends on the fuel loads everybody is on. You can be quicker by three seconds and it might not mean a thing. And to be honest, the first test is never about lap times. We have a strict programme, so it’s not about showing-off what we can do.

Q: Have you already gone out with a full tank?
SB: You mean full, full? No.

I’ll say it: Buemi 100% contradicts something I said on podcast #144. I’d think the teams all would want to put down a few laps on fumes to excite their fans as much as possible. [Imagine getting a lap that slots Toro Rosso right behind Ferrari, for instance? That would be huge, right, even if mostly meaningless?]

Well, Buemi says,”Uh uh.” I’m not sure I 100% believe him, but I appreciate that he addresses that head on.

And I love the “full, full?” quote. Very funny.

Q: This year Toro Rosso has to build the car all by itself now. As a driver, have you felt any difference?
SB: I would say it’s a good motivation for the whole team. Now we can do what we want, in a way that we want it and when we want it. We don’t need to wait. On the other hand, it’s a bit difficult because Adrian (Newey) is no longer working for us. And there are less people working in the wind tunnel and CFD, which probably makes the development a bit slower. But we are motivated and have a good basis to build on.

Q: When did the team start to build the new car, and how much have you been involved?
SB: We started to look at the monocoque and the chassis in July/August last year, gave feedback about what works for us and it started from there. It’s not a completely new car – it looks quite like last year’s one – but there will be an update for the first race. At the moment I can say that it’s not too bad. I am quite happy how things are going.

Unfortunately for TR fans, I think these comments set the team up for a difficult year. I wonder, though, if Newey was able to give them a couple of pointers?

Q: During the pre-season tests, how much will you focus on the transition from a full to an empty tank?
SB: As we will start with a full tank it is important to know how the car behaves in that respect. Qualifying is good for us now as you’ll all be on similarly low fuel. Young drivers in the past suffered a bit with the transition from Q2 to Q3 in regards to the fuel load.

Q: You have been in the simulator whilst ‘running’ in a car with a full fuel tank. How often have you done that already?
SB: We did a little bit, but I didn’t get to do so much running in it, and in the end nothing compares to the reality of the track.

Q: The ban on refuelling means much longer stints on tyres. How do you feel about that?
SB: I don’t think that this is so good for us. Our team was quite well organized on the strategy side, as we saw during the last two races of last season where I gained positions in the pits. This was an area where you could do a good job without having a lot of money.

Interesting bit about the switch from Q2 to Q3 fuel loads, in the past, and Buemi flat out says the change in the fueling rule hurts the team.

Honest from start to finish.

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