November 08, 2004
The top 3 drivers in the last race of the 2004 Championship provide us with their thoughts on both a race and a Championship.

1st - Steve Elencevski (FinOz - Ferrari (c))

You did all you could Steve, but in the end it was out of your hands as to who would win the Drivers Championship. Surely this must prepare you for a good 2005 season?

"Yes i tried my best, but unfortunately it wasn't enough. I had a great race car here, which was unexpected, as we really struggled for grip in the early stages of free practise, but we managed to turn it around & got it all together just before qualifying & eventually won comfortably in the end.

Nevertheless, it's nice to finish the season with a win & we'll certainly prepare a lot better for the start of the new season. I'm really looking forward to starting '05 alot stronger, we have data to go by & i feel we can challenge for wins from the very start."

I notice that, following your efforts here in Brazil, you are topping the tables for most laps led in 2004 as well as top Race finisher and Qualifier. That must give you some pleasure in a long season?

"It is very encouraging to have those sort of stats in my first season. I wasn't expecting to be challenging for poles & wins to be honest, so to come away at the end of the season with 4 poles, 5 wins & a couple of fastest laps is a great achievement."

Who do you see as your main contenders in F1VWC 2005, both driver and teams? And who has impressed you most throughout 2004?

"Well obviously Mapes-VO & Mikko are the ones to beat & Phoenix F1 have a solid driver line-up for next season as well as Scott, so they'll be the ones to watch out for.

I'd have to say Scott impressed me most in the first few rounds this season, as well as some of the rounds mid-season, but then it all went pear-shaped for him, where he had a string of DNF's & technical problems, otherwise he would have been very hard to beat, but that's racing for you. I also have to congratulate Mikko, he had a very consistent season & deserves the championship."

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

Mikko ? congratulations on your second Drivers Crown. How does it feel to have achieved this in such a competitive season?

"Thank you very much! I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment, that I actually pulled it off in the end. The whole season I've felt a bit of an underdog, there was always very hard pressure and the feeling that if anything goes slightly wrong my chances will be ruined. It was a hard and quite stressful season, and getting this championship is the highlight of my career so far, definitely.

All the implications haven't really sunk in yet, I just feel a bit lightheaded at the moment. I'm proud to have been a part of this season, and want to extend my thanks to everybody involved. And the team of course!"

How did the race go? With Steve driving off into the distance, you must have been hearing every strange noise in the car, praying that it would not break down. But 2nd was a solid result. How did the changing weather affect your race?

"Yeah congratulations to Steve, he did his best and he really was flying in the late part of the season. I settled in pretty quickly to hold on to the 2nd place, I didn't want to push it over the edge for obvious reasons. The car was good to drive, the first stint was tricky but I just concentrated in staying in the drying line. The 2nd stint was maybe the hardest as I started to lap some cars and the line was completely dry but it was still very slippery outside the line, I had a few close moments there. When the track dried up for good I was just cruising along without pushing all the way, Steve got out of sight but there was no real pressure from behind so I just watched the readouts and hoped the car would not let me down. I'm so happy it didn't."

48 races out of a possible 50 in 3 years. Will we see you back for more in 2005? Some rumour mongers have indicated impending retirement?

"During the summer I was feeling quite stressed with all the travelling, committing to the sport 100% for 10 months is not a light task. I haven't signed any deals yet, and now I just want to take short vacation to charge the batteries. And to make up my mind about next year. So I won't give you an answer just yet, but my feelings are quite good at the moment naturally, so maybe it would be nice to get above 50 or 60 in the statistics. So, once the lawyers get their job done I hope to be able to announce a continuation for 2005 with Mapes-VO."

What was the best moment for you this season?

"Well right now I'm feeling pretty damn good of course! But as far as individual races go, I'd have to say winning Monaco was the best thing, after that I started really believing in getting the championship. And Monza was great, there I managed to turn the tide for a moment and score more points than my rivals. Of course I'm a bit disappointed not to have been one second faster in Canada and Monza, that way the winning statistics would've looked a lot nicer with 5 wins as in 2002. But as I said, right now is the grandest moment of my professional career Thank you everybody!"

3rd ? Zlatko Bratonja (Mapes-VO - Honda)

Zlatko, impressive end to your short season, achieving your first podium here in the F1VWC. It must have been a proud moment to see your team-mate collect the 2004 Drivers Crown on the same podium?

"Yes I am delighted with my first podium finish. I had a very good weekend here at Brazil, and with both Mikko and I on the podium I think we have put a good end to a great season for Mapes-VO. I`m a bit sad that the season is over now when I was getting better and better with each kilometer.

I was very proud to stand up there as my teammate received THE Trophy. He was fantastic the whole season and deserved it fully. Steve is a great driver too and just wouldn`t let Mikko take it easily. So, congratulations Mikko!!"

You led for the first lap before Steve got by you. Did you struggle in the early damp stages?

"Not more or less than the others did, except of course Steve. I managed to keep him behind me for that opening lap but I couldn`t hold him no more. It was hard to defend the position as the braking points were changing all the time and Steve was all wired up to get in front. I was just pleased to see Mikko in third already so his championship wasn`t at stake when Steve passed me. Peter (van Oostende) must have been on the verge of a heart-attack when Mikko and I overtook each other a couple of times in that first stint, but there was no real fight there, it was just because of the conditions on track when mistakes are made. Steve did dissappear, but so did we from the rest of the field, so it was an easy ride onwards Championship-wise."

Will this result help you towards gaining a seat at Mapes-VO for 2005?

"Well, as I said after the qualifying, I hope I`ll get the chance for a full season drive in `05, and this result probably won`t worsen my chances. I don`t know what bosses Matt and Peter are thinking, so we`ll see."

You look agitated - what`s up?

"Oh, nothin`, I`m just gonna hurt myself a bit now, alcoholically!"