Given the often-variable weather we can encounter in both Asia and South America, are you encouraged by the wet-weather performance of the MP4-23?

"Very much so. Last year, we felt the performance differential to our chief rivals was decidedly more marked - there were some circuits where we were clearly ahead, and others where we lacked race-winning pace. Given that this year has shown both Ferrari and ourselves to be remarkably evenly-matched, the performance of MP4-23 in unusual weather conditions could prove decisive. Looking ahead, while Singapore is something of an unknown quantity, I think we've all experienced wet races in Japan, China and Brazil so we feel well prepared. And allied to Lewis' fearsome abilities in the rain, we have every reason to feel confident that we'll be ready to capitalise on any untoward conditions."

What will be the defining characteristic of this four-race battle for the World Championship?

"As I said, the cars are extremely closely-matched, so I think it will be hard for either team to establish a decisive advantage in the four final races. More importantly, I think this World Championship will boil down to whichever team and driver makes the fewest mistakes from now on. It's about preparing the cars with immaculate reliability, running them responsibly and not taking any unnecessary risks. We're lucky that both our drivers can still play their engine 'joker' card ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, which is reassuring, but it's all about finding strength in every single area and not exposing any weaknesses. It will be a tough battle but we are gearing up for the fight."

What are the team's plans for this week's Jerez test?

"At present, we are planning to run Gary (Paffet) and Pedro (de la Rosa) at Jerez this week. It's the last group test of the season so it's very important that all three days are productive as the developments we try could have an influence on the World Championship. In that respect, we will be working through some detail aerodynamic changes, most notably around the front end, and carrying out some suspension and set-up work. We are also planning our first on-track evaluation of our 2009 KERS system components."

With head of race operations Steve Hallam announcing his departure to NASCAR at the end of the season, are there any other changes on the horizon within the engineering department?

"Steve had been with us since 1990 and remains a hugely respected member of our team. I understand his desire to spread his wings, and I wish him well, but he will nonetheless be hugely missed. Elsewhere, Monza was the first race for our new Head of Vehicle Design, Andrew Bailey. He has considerable engineering and technical expertise, grounded in marine technology, and I'm sure he will help strengthen the design department during a critical period of development within the sport."

D.B. © CAPSIS International