[Born Racer]

Autosport Top Story- 31st May 2007

Q&A- Ron Dennis

What was your reasoning behind running such a strategical race?

Our strategy was based on the probability of a safety car period and other cars that could threaten us as a result of the safety car being deployed. I don't like to slow drivers down, because I am an absolute racer.

Why is Monaco such a special case?

It's a place where one driver pushing another driver can induce a mistake. Then everybody would have said, "What an idiot the team principal from McLaren is for allowing his cars to compete, where one of them's in the barrier". That's not the right way to go.

Does Lewis have an equal shot at the world title?

Of course he does. I've been criticised in the past for not favouring a driver and frittering a way a world championship. We will never favour one driver, no matter who it is; we never have and we never will.

Where do you draw the line between team orders and team strategy?

Strategy is what you bring to bear to win a Grand Prix. Team orders manipulate a Grand Prix. And we have not manipulated Grands Prix- unless there were some exceptional circumstances that occurred.

Q&A- Lewis Hamilton

It looks like your team-mate is continually fuelled shorter to gain the best shot at pole in Q3. Does that frustrate you?

At the end of the day, I am a rookie and I finished second in only my first Monaco GP, so I can't complain. And to see I am of a similar pace to Fernando is a positive for me. But it is something I have to live with. I've got the number two on my car. I am the number two driver.

Why did the team decide to pit you earlier than planned?

We were both on two-stop strategies, and if the safety car had come out it could have had a big effect on us and we wouldn't have ended up with the points we finally scored. It was important to get us both in because anything could have happened. It was the safe route.

Is it difficult to come to terms with being the number two driver?

Well, there wouldn't necessarily any team orders. The team didn't say I had to stay behind Fernando. It would have been easy for me to maybe push a bit harder and touch the barrier or push Fernando into a mistake. Coming into this year, I expected to be the number two driver. I am just a rookie.