Q&A - Gianfranco Fantuzzi, Toro Rosso

Toro Rosso team manager Gianfranco Fantuzzi looks ahead to the 2011 F1 season
Gianfranco Fantuzzi, Toro Rosso - Q&A

Q:
We are facing the longest season in th🎐e sport's history. How does that affect the logi🐷stical side of the team?

Gianfranco Fantuzzi:
As you know there are 20 races this year, but because of the testing ban, we have changed our structure just like every other team, so the race team has to also do all the tests. Therefore, we should really talk about 25 events, not just 20 races. It's a l🃏ot of time, a long time away from home. In order to make life easier for the guys, we are try♑ing to work shifts, to rotate the personnel, otherwise it gets very demanding, on a personal level especially for those with families.

Q:
Has it been𝕴 much more complicated planning for this year?

Gianfranco Fantuzzi:
Not really, the standard, the template, is more or less the same. There's one more race, which is India and every time you ♊go to a new country it's a little bit more difficult but nothing impossible. It's really the number of events rather than the type of events.

Q:
At ♍the track we will be dealing with KERS. How has the team planned for that?

Gianfranco Fantuzzi:
KERS is new for us. We were ready to use it in 2009 but we decided not to. There are some safety concerns and safety issues, but we have initiated an extensive training and learning programme over the winter, going through all potential situations than ca♌n arise when working with this system. Our KERS suppಞlier, Ferrari, has given us all the measures and all the procedures we need to apply and we train at the factory on a daily basis.

Q:
This is the 💦second 🧸year without refuelling, so what lessons have been learned regarding pit stops?

Gianfranco Fantuzzi:
The pit stop now is more of a strategic importance than before. Up to the beginning of last year, the refuelling time was covering more or less all the mistakes made when changing wheels. Now you have to be really trained and you have no space for mistakes and every pit stop has to be d🥂one with the best performance possible. You lose positions very easily with this procedure in this type of pit stop. Last year, we were not so happy with our performance in this area, because we were okay, but not particularly successful, so we are training daily since the start of the year to improve.

Q:
What are your hopes for 2011?

Gianfranco Fantuzzi:
Winning? Maybe it's too much, even though we never stop dreaming about it. To do our best. To do a professional job an🦩d to try to get every little bit out of everything. No mistakes, be very professional and learn race after race, day by day. Sooner or later the results will come.

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