Quotes by John Surtees

“A1 Great Britain has to look at the longer term.”

“Our driver policy was partly dictated by who was available because of other contracts,”

“left with nothing and needing to begin a new career.”

“I get appalled when I see good drivers being left on the sidelines because they havent come up with the half million to a million to put themselves in a competitive car.”

“Bernies big enough to appreciate that its not in confrontation with Formula One on any level, ... F1 has a special niche. It expresses the engineering abilities and hi-tech developments of the worlds car manufacturers. Our formula is not involved in research and development. In A1 Grand Prix, the competitors have equal equipment - the same car, engine, tyres. How well we do depends on driver skill and set-up. It is a detailed, intuitive expertise.”

“Obviously the first sentiment is disappointment that we didnt get the car home and more disappointment that at the time that it stopped the car was in the lead. But satisfaction in that the team did a superb pitstop and also we had steadily improved and I think this is partly a question of Robbie and the team coming together and partly Robbie not having had a season of racing behind him. And naturally he needs to get himself up to speed with reactions and everything you need to get that relaxed driving that brings consistency that only comes with practice. Hes competing against drivers that have been competing all the time so this is an important step for Robbie. He upped his performance generally. The team came together so were looking forward to the next race.”

“Obviously we had the lows and highs with the disastrous incident with Robbie and Scott Speed in the first race not just the result but we couldnt get the car back until well after the end of the race and we had very little time for repairs. Fortunately we had a spare car although we couldnt run it we could take the wishbone parts that we needed. But then in the Feature race Robbie avoided trouble in those first laps. Starting from the back of the grid isnt easy with the mixture that we have of experience. He found his way through and the strategy worked. The team did another superb pit stop and it was as good as we could hope. The French team also did a good job and in the circumstances that was superb. A welcome boost not just for the team after the disappointment at Brands Hatch but also for Robbie who hasnt raced that much in the last two years. This is all bringing him back to where hell be fully on song.”

“Hes got an opportunity with one of the very best teams. If he cant do it with Ferrari, well, he cant do it.”

“I advised him not to wait until hes over the hill. I also told him dont do it because theres a big bag of gold, do it because your heart is in it.”

“Hes going to have a tough job given that Robbie has driven so well for us throughout the season but Darrens experience and speed in a wide range of cars together with his motivation augers well for China.”