Five Minutes at Magny-Cours with Rodolfo Gonzalez

Today, Rodolfo Gonzalez will take the wheel of the Force India VJM05 for the third and final day of the Young Driver Tests at Magny-Cours. On the eve of his first experience driving the Indian single-seater, the young Venezuelan prospect met our correspondent to discuss these tests, share his opinion on today’s Formula One, and reflect on the beginnings of his compatriot, Pastor Maldonado.

Rodolfo, you will be driving for Force India on Thursday, but you have already spent the entire day Wednesday with the team. What did you do, specifically?

« Fundamentally, I was simply here to get to know the guys, see how they work, and participate in the briefings. It was also interesting to hear Jules [Bianchi]’s comments about the car, as well as the radio conversations. It was simply about acclimating myself to the team before driving. I was in the simulator a week or two ago, just to get a little used to the car. I don’t know the track, so that’s another thing we’ll have to learn. »

Indeed, you are part of the Caterham GP2 team, so it was rather expected to see you on the Malaysian team since you have already driven with them several times?

« The first time I drove a Formula One car, it was indeed with Lotus – it was still Lotus at the time –, then, last year, I did another day, and this year I participated in the tests at Mugello as well as some straight-line aerodynamic tests for them. Today, I have this opportunity [with Force India] and I’m quite happy about it. I have some experience in Formula One but, obviously, this team is very different from Caterham and there are still plenty of new things to learn. »

You are Venezuelan, just like Pastor Maldonado who won a Grand Prix this season. What do you think about your compatriot’s debut in Formula One?

« Pastor is, I believe, a good friend of mine, a really nice guy. I think he’s a very fast driver who does incredible things, as you can see in qualifying. He has achieved incredible laps every time. I think he might need a bit more experience, just to learn to be a little more consistent in races. But Formula One is very difficult, and you have only a brief moment, a quarter of a second, to make a decision. It’s extremely easy to make a simple mistake, and you really need to have good experience when you come into Formula One. But it’s also normal that, when you come into Formula One, in the first two or three years, you make mistakes. It happens to everyone: Lewis Hamilton, Grosjean, as we saw at Spa, etc. It’s difficult, but to have won his 24th Grand Prix is incredible! It’s quite an achievement for Pastor. »

Precisely, regarding the incidents involving Maldonado, and also, as you mentioned, Lewis Hamilton and Romain Grosjean, some think that there is less respect among drivers today and that, particularly in GP2, bad behavior is not adequately penalized. What do you think about this?

I think there are a lot of penalties in GP2 but maybe there should be more consistency, because some drivers get penalized while others don’t. I think in GP2, the races are quite aggressive and there are also many drivers in GP3 or Formula 3 who are used to racing aggressively. I think everyone pushes very hard to make an impression because, fundamentally, you have limited time. You only get half an hour of practice and half an hour of qualifying, so you always have to be on the limit. Even if you don’t qualify well, because you don’t really feel comfortable in the car due to the setup or the track, you believe you’re better than your grid position and you will try to overtake everyone. In GP2, you give 110% because the goal is to achieve the best possible result. But it’s the same when you reach Formula One: I think older drivers are more methodical today, but when you arrive, you have a GP2 mentality, you attack at 100%. How do you transform a driver who, like Pastor Maldonado, Romain Grosjean, or Lewis Hamilton, has won in GP2—an aggressive and equally passionate driver—into a more relaxed one in just one race? It’s impossible! It’s like asking a stallion to be calm. It’s very difficult.

And what do you think of the current Formula One?

I think today’s F1 has become much more strategic: you win a race based on your qualification but also your tire strategy. I believe that with the exception of circuits like Monza, Spa, maybe Monaco or Singapore, which are tracks where anything can happen, aside from these exceptions, it comes down to your qualification and strategy. I think all the penalties that have been imposed make drivers “timid” when it comes to attacking and ensuring exciting races. Teams spend a lot of money to create DRS and all these things that are supposed to make motorsport more interesting, but I think it would be better to let drivers be more aggressive and allow them to fight a bit more. I fully understand that they’re concerned about safety, but motorsport has always been dangerous and any driver who isn’t aware of that shouldn’t get behind the wheel of a race car. You need to know what you’re getting into; otherwise, as Pastor [Maldonado] says, you might as well drive the safety car. (Laughs)

Interview conducted by our correspondent in Magny-Cours.