Sky Sports F1 Exclusive: Pat Symonds Q&A

Formerly a title winner with Benetton and Renault, Pat Symonds tells Sky Sports Online about the very different challenge he faces as Marussia's Technical Director.

Obviously you've have world title-winning success at your former team under both the Benetton and Renault guises. How does being a Technical Director at Marussia differ?
PS: "It's interestingly different. At Renault, it was all about keeping a good operation running smoothly. There were plenty of very good, experienced people there; a lot them had worked there for a long while and knew how to work together. It was also a well-equipped facility. In short, everything you needed to run a Formula 1 team was there." You were there pretty much from day one, weren't you?
PS: "I actually joined the nucleus of the team on January 2nd 1981, so I saw it through Toleman, Benetton and Renault. "I think what we have at Marussia is really like how the teams were, in terms of numbers, in the early 1990s. It's going back to that level where you can't simply think, 'I want to do this, Fred. Can you do it?' Because Fred doesn't exist - Fred's busy doing something else. So you either do it yourself or park it and think of it as part of your long-term plan. "But it's not exactly the same, because we're still expected to do the job the big teams do. Back in the early 90s you could have a team of 200 people and you designed as much of the car scientifically as you could. And what you couldn't, you didn't. Whereas now, you have to do a much more thorough job because you're up against some formidable opposition. Back in the early 90s, cars used to break down a lot. That's not acceptable anymore; we just can't have those sorts of things happening. "So it's not the same as it was but a lot of the spirit's there. And what's really attracted me is the ability to mould it in the way you really want it moulded. Renault were and are a superb team, but with the luxury of time to think you definitely realise there are things you can do better. It was very nice to have a very clean sheet of paper and be able to improve on some of those things. It's gratifying that people have come to work for us who worked at other teams. I think they like the way we work and how we do things as a business." How far can Marussia go? Because they seem to be wearing a financial straitjacket - if that's not too strong a description...
PS: "If anything, I don't think it's a strong enough description - it's really tough in Formula 1 at the moment. The fact is, outside the top four teams everyone has some financial concerns. And even in the top four you've got Mercedes who, while they haven't financial concerns, there must be other concerns there - that they don't go the way of Honda and Toyota. "So everyone's worried. But the difference between the haves and the have nots is just immense - and it's not getting any better. Under the last Concorde Agreement the new teams including Marussia did get some payout from FOM; it wasn't a lot of money but it was a significant part of our budget, because our budget was so small. And when you take away things like that, it really hurts. "I said that I really like the people here. They're racers - (Team Principal) John (Booth) and (President) Graeme (Lowdon) particularly, they're in the Frank Williams mould. They're not going to let this team go. So we will survive and the great thing about us is that we're small, so if things get tough one day we can pull our horns in a little bit. And if we get more money we'll use it wisely, because we're used to not having much money. "I think that's reflected in our development last year. If you compare qualifying times in Malaysia between 2013 and 2012, Lotus and Force India both used softer tyres in 2013 than they did in 2012 but, excepting that, most people had improved by about 0.75 per cent. Marussia were 2.5 per cent quicker. Things like that make you think: 'We're going places.'" But isn't that down to Marussia having KERS this year?
PS: "That's part of it, but it's certainly not enough to explain that. It's down to a few other things on the car as well." So what are the team's targets for this season?
PS: "I always like to set targets that are higher than we might realistically achieve. The obvious target is tenth in the Championship but I don't find that a terribly exciting target, I'd like to target higher than that. I'd love to get into Q2; obviously I'd love to score a point. But more than anything, I want people to look at the team and respect the team - and I think that's started. I'd be happy to take our car and park it in any garage up the pitlane. The quality of our car is good. "I know people in just about every garage and they do look at the car and say, 'That's a nicely designed and well-engineered car'. That gives me a lot of gratification. You get that respect from continually improving; points can't be that far away. Might you score points this year?
PS: "It would be very hard to imagine we'll get points. The engine rule change next year might equalise things a little bit but I don't know. Let's see."