12/03/2002

Ove Andersson Q&A

How significant was Panasonic Toyota Racing's sixth place in Australia?
It was an incredibly good result for us but we must remember that it was achieved in very abnormal circumstances. That was not a normal race in Melbourne! But finishing sixth had a great effect on everyone in the team; it was great for morale.

How do you see the performance of the TF102?
With both qualifying and the race disrupted in Melbourne we don't really know - and we still may not know after Malaysia. But we know it is a reasonable car.

What is the biggest thing that Panasonic Toyota Racing has learnt since the opening race of the season?
We have proved that we can manage under pressure and we have proved that the team works. To me that's an achievement. What happened to Arrows in Melbourne (both their cars stalled on the grid) could easily have happened to us. But it didn't.

What do you hope the team achieves in the next few races?
First I want both of our cars to finish the races. If we do that then I will be happy. And if we do that in or around 10th place then I will be very happy.

Sum up Mika and Allan's performances since testing restarted in January.
I am pleased with them because they have done the work that I expected of them. I feel very sorry for Allan that he didn't get further in his debut race in Melbourne but that's racing.

Is there a number one and number two driver in the team?
No. They alternate with the spare car from race to race and the driver who qualifies ahead gets it for Sunday.