August 09, 2004
Philip Williams, Mikko Jakonen and Steve Elencevski were interviewed by stand-in reporter Andy Graydon following the German GP.

In a race where few finished, the Drivers & Constructors Championships would be affected as the long Hockenheim straights helped those with higher BHP. But what did the top three think of their races?

Winner - Philp Williams (Woods Racing - Toyota)

Q ? Great win again Philip. A late replacement for the retired Goodley, you must be pleased with the way this race weekend went?

A ? Thanks. I am very happy and the the whole weekend was perfect. Preparations for qualifying were very rushed but during the race I was able to settle into a good rhythm and show the full potential of the car. I also want to congratulate my team mate, Phil, who drove an excellent race for a points finish.

Q ? You?ve now given Woods Racing its second victory, and (with the help of Phil Perkins 8th place) helped propel the team to new heights in the Constructors Championship. Do you believe that the usual driver line-up will be able to capitalise on this for the remainder of the season?

A ? I think the last two races, especially the double points finish here, have given a great boost to the team in terms of confidence and our championship position. I hope it will ease the pressure for the remainder of the season. Things are looking good.

Q ? In the early stages of the race you were challenged in particular by Steve Elencevski, but then pulled away at an astounding pace. What would you say were the strong points of the Woods Racing ? Toyota package?

A ? One of the strongest points is the chassis which is well balanced and kind on the tyres. This enabled me to push throughout the stints and maintain a good pace. I really felt the car come to me as the race went on. I enjoyed the last stint and picked up the pace to see what was possible.

But, as you said, in the first few laps Steve was very quick and, if I hadn't been able to draft past on lap 3, I thought I would have to settle for second and wait for the first round of stops. I don't think many expected us to pit so far into the race and, after a slick first stop, things settled down and were quite comfortable until the flag.

Q ? Which of the coming circuits do you feel will favour the Woods Racing ? Toyota package?

A - I expect the car will be strong in Hungary and, perhaps to a lesser extent, at Magny Cours and Suzuka. Spa and Monza will be tough.

2nd - Mikko Jakonen (Mapes-VO - Honda)

Q ? Second place despite difficulties with your pedal set-up in the race. But more importantly you have finally managed to beat Scott Whiteman on track for the first time this season! How does this feel at the moment?

A ? It feels good, I'm very happy that I managed to get back on track after the lowly performance we showed at Silverstone, and back to podium finishes. I had some technical problems but when the lights went out everything was good, this track suits our package and especially the Honda powerplant very well, and after getting past Steve after couple of laps and seeing Scott staying well behind I was able to capitalize on that fact. It was very important for the whole team to get back to using all our potential, and beating Scott was really satisfying, not to mention crucially important for my championship hopes.

Q ? Your Championship lead over Whiteman has now increased to 14 points. But EIRE are catching Mapes-VO on the performance side due to your teams non-appearance at recent Testing events. What is the idea behind this, as ? for example ? both your bhp & reliability could be even better?

A ? Well we feel that our car is as good as it gets right now, we're already focusing on the 2005 model at the factory. The car is good enough as it is, and introducing new parts could get us into some new problems. I'm confident that we can win the championships with this car, although the other teams have improved maybe even more than we expected, and they have closed the gap. But I think we've made the right decisions during this year.

Q ? Six races to go, and a Drivers Championship in your grasp. Which of these upcoming tracks are you looking forward to and which do you think you will struggle at?

A ? Yeah, now I can even finish one step behind Scott in the remaining races, although that is not my goal. About the next events.. I think we should be strong at Hungaroring, Monza, Japan and Brazil. at least. We might have some problems getting everything together for Spa and Bahrain.. we'll see.. I'm basing this on experiences from last year, and earlier races this year have proved that things have changed a lot in a year.So, we'll see, I'm definitely hoping for one more victory this year, today I wasn't able to touch Philip but maybe next race I could take it.

Q ? Your were nearly caught in the mayhem at the first chicane on the first lap. Did you know what was happening behind you?

A ? I just hope Mihailovic is ok, that 1st lap crash was terrible, even looking from the mirrors. Matt was pretty shaken up as well.

3rd - Steve Elencevski (FinOz - Ferrari (c))

Q ? Steve, yet another excellent showing in an event that you thought you would struggle at. With team-mate Koski also scoring points, FinOz are now virtually level with EIRE in the Constructors, and you are really starting to make inroads into Whiteman?s points tally. Can you move up ?another gear? and challenge for the title in the remaining 6 races?

A ? A great result for the team yes, we are now challenging for 2nd place & also 20 points clear of Phoenix which is very encouraging. I'm not sure if i can actually challenge for the title in the remaining 5 races as we'd probably need a few wins & Mikko would have to run into a few problems, but i'll give it my best shot.

Q ? You were the only driver (apart from Williams) who led this race. You could live with Philip in those early stages, but he then took total control of the event. Was there a particular reason why you couldn?t stay with his pace?

A ? Well it was obvious that i was running a bit lighter than Phillip & that's how i managed to get off the line quicker & lead for the first few laps. We really struggled in the 2nd stint, as i decided to run very long, i think 19 laps, so we made the wrong decision there & we just had to settle for 3rd, which im happy with.

Q ? With Lennart Schreiber due to make his debut for Simsoa in the near future, and Philip Williams having made such an impact for Woods Racing, do you see these quality drivers helping you out in your quest for the title?

A ? I wouldn't say helping me, it could be more against me if these guys finish ahead, cause they will be taking away maximum points. Apart from that, i'm comfortably in 3rd position in the driver's championship & i would be delighted to finish there at the end of the season.