SAMPLE INTERVIEW

- Hi, I’m Pete Tong. Today, we have a great interview with one of the most famous Formula One drivers, McLaren’s Pedro de la Rosa Victor Borba Ferreira who is very used to being in the public eye. But there are some areas of his life which have remained hidden, until now. First of all, Pedro de la Rosa Victor Borba Ferreira, can I call you Pedro as your name is quiet long?

+ I don’t mind, it is up to you, Pete.

- OK thanks Pedro. Let’s begin your private life. Tell us a little about yourself.

+ Well, to be honest I am a calm, likeable and persistent guy. I have no special characteristics. I’m just a normal one. I really enjoy meeting and working with a lot of different people. I pay attention to all the details, and like to be sure that everything is right.

- You are brief but to the point Pedro. How about your celebrity status? Does it make your life harder to control? I heard that 15 years of F1 changed you very much. Is it true?

+ I don’t think that’s true. For the most part, things are the same. I continue to like the things that I liked 15 years ago. The difference now is that I don’t have so much free time anymore. Besides, I don’t see myself as a celebrity. And, I feel that my life is under control. You do get people watching you all the time so you have to be careful about what you say or what you do.

- You are right. Everybody needs to be careful about their behaviors. And, what’s been your most valuable ‘life’ lesson?

+ I think ‘never giving up’ was probably the most valuable life lesson. There are always times when you want to give up. It could have been in a race, it could have been during a season, and it could have been in my racing career, but I kept pushing. And look where I am now!

- Indeed, what about the best advice you have been given?

+ Always keep your feet on the ground. Always remember where you are from. Always remain humble. That’s from my dad.

- What motivates you? Your dad?

+ Yes, generally my dad. But, before the race begins, I always get the good luck kiss from my wife.

- I always wondered what kind of car a F1 driver use except for the work?

+ Personally, I like 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS. I love classic cars. Out of race, I like driving slowly with great enjoys.

- We have a lot in common especially about cars. And now, let’s move on to your F1 career. You became a world champion for four times, you won 63 races, you made pole position for 47 times and you became the only pilot who shows the success of being on the podium in all races in one season. But, have you got any other goals that you want to make real in the future?

+ Yes, I did all of them. Sometimes, I even don’t remember my other records. Until now, everything worked like a charm, but I still have a lot of high expectations from myself. I hope that my name will go down in F1 history in golden letters.

- I hope so Pedro! But before going down in F1 history in golden letters, what are your targets for 2012? When will you know if the RB8 is a winner or just another car?

+ I think we need to see our new car on track first and get feedback from the first tests. Until we run the car, we only have numbers and simulation data to work with.

- You've got a point. Recently, The FIA has clarified that you can change line only once when defending your position. This will not bother the guys further back on the grid, but those near the front will have to think twice at the start. So, what do you think about it?

+ Well, it will be hard and fair, I guess. But everything is getting safer. You move once and that’s it. You had better be in the best position by then.

- Safety comes first, just as you said. When you look at your immediate competitors from last season, there seem to be difficulties everywhere. Ferrari seems to be underperforming, Mercedes have only just launched so it's too soon to judge and Lotus had to pull out of the Barcelona test. Does that just leave Red Bull?

+ Well, we know that Mercedes needs to win races this year, Ferrari would like to win races this year, Red Bull want to win and we want to win. So let’s go to Melbourne to find out.

- We are waiting impatiently. I will definitely be there. Last month, you had a very big accident in Italy. Can you tell us what happened before the accident and what you remember about it?

+ Well, I can't remember a lot, of course. What I remember is what you see. We were racing with Alonso. The corner was going to the left. I thought he would go left and I went to the right-hand side, but apparently he thought vice versa and he went a bit wider. I was not expecting it, then we touched and I had no more control. After getting outside of the track, I hit the wall. When I stopped, I realized I was not in bad shape. That was very important for me. I felt a bit of ankle pain and that was all. I remember being in intensive care in the hospital, a lot of people around me. I was a bit confused what had happened, so I asked my team Doctor Mr. Hamilton ‘what are we doing here?’ and he explained what happened. And,  I was aware of everything after that.

- You had a close call Pedro. You are a Lucky guy. We hope to see you at the top once again. Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule.