Eric Boullier Interview – ‘A Word With The Boss'

After mixed fortunes in Barcelona, Eric looks ahead to Monaco – a race that traditionally fares Enstone teams well.

It was a race of contrasting fortunes in Spain, what are your emotions following such a mixed result?

EB: On the one hand it was frustrating. Vitaly qualified sixth on the grid, could have been even quicker on his qualifying lap on Saturday and then during the race he dropped some places today, so we had greater expectations with his car. On the other hand, we are pleased for Nick who started the race at the back of the grid and came all the way up to 8^th before crossing the line, so that was positive. On top of that, he was fast chasing both Mercedes so it could have been even better.

The season is looking more settled now, and a pattern appears to be emerging with race results – what does the team need to do to keep up with the improved Mercedes team?

EB: We're not very far away at all. Our car seems to be fast, we just still need to find some consistency in our way of creating successful strategies and, of course, pit stops. If we do that, we will be there. If we do not miss any laps (in qualifying), we will get a good grid position for the race, and during the race itself it looks like our car can compete for top six. Once we are all in line together, we will be there.

As we look to Monaco this week, what are your thoughts going into this unique race?

EB: Historically Enstone cars have been good in Monaco, and I think our car will be good there this time too. The tyre strategies will be very complicated, but it could also work well for us so we will see how we get on. The track itself is so different to anything else you will see in the sport's calendar – it is twisting and turning with very few chances to pass other cars. Not only that, but the track evolves over the weekend (because of the fact it is a public road normally – so we can expect to see cars improve their performance after Thursday. As a team, we can hardly wait for the weekend.

As a Team Principal, what is the experience like at the Monaco GP where you feel that much closer to the action?

EB: The Monaco weekend is like stopping breathing! We have a very busy weekend, with less sleep and lots of work to ensure we get the best we possibly can out of it. I'm confident we will do well here.

How significant is the Monaco race to the sport of F1?

EB: Monaco is one of the key races we have in the calendar, for historical reasons, for glamour reasons and even for sporting reasons because it's a very specific track. It's a very unique race on the calendar, which makes Formula 1 magic.

With DRS authorised for the race, do you think it can be used safely and at what stage of the lap can we expect to see it?

EB: The concern about DRS usage in Monaco is focussed on its potential use in the tunnel. This will not be a factor in the race, as the DRS sector will be on the main straight only. However, in Free Practice and Qualifying, DRS use is unrestricted. The teams will therefore attempt to use the wing as much as possible around the lap. There will be some places where it will be possible to use without difficulty, and other places where the drivers will not feel confident. In this respect it is identical to every other track this so far this season - the driver has to judge where he can safely activate the DRS. All attention is focussed on the tunnel, as there will be a good lap time benefit for using the DRS here if the car can manage it. Some feel that the incentive to benefit will force drivers to take unnecessary risks. My own view is that the drivers will build up their confidence gradually during free practise and by the time qualifying arrives they will know in how much of the tunnel they can safely use the DRS wing. Often in the past the tunnel has been very tricky to take flat out at the start of the race weekend when the track is poor. This has not caused the drivers to crash, they have simply built up their pace gradually until they were confident that it could be taken flat – I think the same approach will emerge with the DRS