What did you know about each other before you became teammate?
Josef: We knew each other quite well from Formula BMW.
Marcus: We were fighting for the championship and we were banging wheel a couple of times, pushing each other off. It’s quite funny that we end up being teammates.

What are his greatest strengths?
Josef: He doesn’t have anything really special, but he is just overall good. I cannot pinpoint just one thing. He is overall good and I think we are quite similar. Nothing really special.
Marcus: Thank you! We are not special. We are average!
(Both laugh)
Marcus: But I agree. We are both good racer. Josef is a good starter and makes very few mistakes. That’s maybe his biggest strength.

Any weaknesses?
Marcus: It’s difficult to say. We will see this year...
Josef: Like he said, there is nothing in particular. You can always improve with every single race. It’s difficult to pinpoint one thing in particular. We will see...

Who gets to the circuit last?
Marcus: Josef because he is too lazy.
(Laughs)
Josef: I was here earlier than you today!
Marcus: No I arrived before you but I went down to the pitlane to go watch F1 free practice.
Josef: Did you?
Marcus: Yes
osef: Oh... Then, you have to know that maybe he gets to the track first, but I’m always on time. I’m never late. On track or at school. I’m studying economics in Prague. It’s a Masters. You never know what can happen with my racing career so... I like economics.

Who is the wildest one on track and off the track?
Marcus: I live in Norwich so...
(Laughs)
Marcus: No, I’m joking. I like it there.
Josef: We behave.
(Both Laugh)
Josef: On track, we are not crazy. We just try not to overdrive...

Who is the most successful with the ladies?
Marcus: We both have girlfriends...

Are you superstitious?
Josef: I’m not.
Marcus: The last thing I do before getting in the car is that I need to go pee, even if I don’t need it. That’s normal. Everyone does... Otherwise, I don’t have anything special.
Josef: I don’t want to be superstitious because just imagine that I have special sunglasses and I forget them. I would panic! I think it is very unnecessary...

Who will have the best road car in 10 years time?
Marcus: Me. Because I like cars. I would have a nice car...
Josef: I hope that I will have the best car in terms of economics, but I will have the nicest car from that logic. It will be cheap, but it will look good or at least the best from the cheapest cars!
(Laughs)

Who will have the most beautiful wife?
Josef: I do! Because I like beautiful women...
Marcus: And I like ugly women?
(Both laugh)
Josef: Where I come from, girls are beautiful...
Marcus: And they are not in Sweden?!

Who has the best fashion-sense?
Marcus: I like clothes.
Josef: Me as well.
Marcus: I would say both of us?
Josef: We like different things. I like shoes... And I like putting gel in my hair. I hate it when I don’t!
Marcus: You could just wear a hat...
Josef: I don’t have nice hats...
Marcus: That’s a problem...
(Both laugh)

Who is the shyest?
Marcus: Probably me. I’m not shy, but compared to Josef, I am shyer. Josef is very open and talks to everyone.

Who is your favourite sportsman or sportswoman?
Josef: Ayrton Senna for his driving style. He was the first one who understood that you have to be fit before a race. Everyone was like smoking and drinking and not really seeing racing as a sport. He was the first one to really define it as a sport.
Marcus: I like Valentino Rossi because I think he is very competitive and he is fantastic. No matter what bike he drives, he wins. I think he is the best. I think riders and crazier than racing drivers because we have something that protects us: the chassis. Not them!

Who tells the most jokes?
Marcus: Probably Josef...
Josef: I like to play jokes on the mechanics.

Josef, if you were going to invite Marcus for dinner, what would you cook? Same question for Marcus...
Josef: I love to cook and bake because...
Marcus: I love to order take away!
(Both laugh)
Josef: Two years ago, I was on a hard diet. I had to learn how to cook. I love Italian cuisine so I would probably cook some pasta or some steak. It’s quite relaxing to cook. Plus, you can cook it as you like it.
Marcus: I would probably cook you Indian take way! I’m not a very good cook. I would cook you Swedish meatballs. It’s quite easy to make.

Who has the most contacts in their phone?
Marcus: You probably have more...
Josef: Why?
Marcus: I don’t know.
Josef: That’s your answer?
Marcus: Yes.
Josef: ok...

What did you know about each other before you became teammate?
Alberto: I knew Vladimir did Formula Masters and that he is a nice guy.
Vladimir: Oh thank you.
Alberto: Don’t mention it! And he is interested in training as well. We have that in common...
Vladimir: I didn’t know a lot about Alberto before we became teammates. I just knew that he was quick which is good for me because I don’t have so much experience. I think he had really good results last season. He is a cool guy.
Alberto: You didn’t have to say that you know. (Laughs his trademark laugh)
Vladimir: But it is true!
Alberto: You can add that I play Playstation very well too (Laughs)
Vladimir: Right! You beat me when we play football. Brazilians are good in football!
(Both laugh)
Alberto: Bulgaria played really well in ’94.
Vladimir: But we are a much smaller country. It’s more difficult to find talents in football or in motorsports for that matter. There is no awareness about Motor Racing in Bulgaria.
Alberto: Yeah. It’s the same in Brazil. We know nothing about motor racing in Brazil! (Both laugh)

What are his greatest strengths?
Vladimir: I don’t know... It’s a secret!
Alberto: I don’t have nothing special! (Laughs) He is really focused.

Any weaknesses?
Alberto: I think he is not as well-prepared as the other rookies like Bianchi – these guys have the best people around them and they are prepared well before-hand to step up in a GP2. Vladimir is in the same position as me when I arrived in GP2 three years ago: it was really, really hard. If you are not prepared, you only have six days of tests at the beginning of the season. That’s it! Then you have thirty minutes to prepare before qualifying on a track that you have never raced on before. It’s not easy. Unless you have a support like Bianchi has... He is lucky: since he started in motorsport, he just had to follow the path that people have prepared for you. Now he is super talented, that’s not the point. He just had it a bit easier than others like me or Vladimir. Some guys arrive more prepared.
Vladimir: I don’t know about your weaknesses yet. You are super focused and you have the speed. You are a powerful guy!

Who gets to the circuit last?
Alberto: We come together most of the time because we stay in the same hotel and we share a car. We come together and leave together. Except in Monaco because I live there...

Who is the wildest one on track and off the track?
(Alberto laughs)
Alberto: It depends of the circumstances. I think I can be considered as the wildest one on track. I have to be more calm... Outside the track, I think Vladimir is the craziest. Especially at the wheel of a road car!
Vladimir: That’s supposed to be a secret...
(Both laugh)
Alberto: Once, I was very proud that I had pushed my car up to 260km/h and Vladimir made fun of me because he pushed his car to 320km/h!
Vladimir: 335 actually... But I’m not proud.
Alberto: Right!
(Laughs)

Who is the most successful with the ladies?
Alberto: At the moment I am the one who is the least successful because I broke up with my girlfriend. We had been together for eight year’s...
Vladimir: That’s way too long... You have to change more often!
Alberto: Well, right now, my target is only GP2.
Vladimir: So, ok, I’m the most successful with the ladies. Bulgarian girls are famous: they are beautiful. You cannot really stop at one girl you know...

Are you superstitious?
Vladimir: Not so much... I can have a lucky charm sometime to broke the bad luck. Like Caramel the camel!
Alberto: A little bit. I usually keep the same colour of underwear if qualifying go well.
Vladimir: I hope you change it!
Alberto: Yes. It’s only the colour. I’m not like Felipe Massa who doesn’t change his underwear if he did well in qualifying...
Vladimir: Are you sure you were allowed to divulge this information?!
(Both laugh)

Who will have the best road car in 10 years time?
Alberto: Vladimir.
Vladimir: Why?
Alberto: Because me, I always have to drive my dad, my mom, their luggage, etc… I’m a taxi driver to my family!

Who will have the most beautiful wife?
Vladimir: Me, I hope.
Alberto: Same.

How would you describe your teammate?
Vladimir: He is a good guy.
Alberto: So is he.

Who has the best fashion-sense?
Alberto: No matter, we lose to the Italians. Paolo (Coloni) beats us all!
Vladimir: Absolutely...

Who is the shyest?
Vladimir: I am not shy...
Alberto: Me neither.

Who is your favourite sportsman or sportswoman?
Vladimir: I respect all sportsmen. Everyone is working hard at improving...
Alberto: Bolt. He is the man of the moment.
Vladimir: True.
Alberto: He is amazing.

Who tells the most jokes?
Alberto: Do we really need to answer that question?
(Both laugh)
Vladimir: It helps to keep away the pressure.

Alberto, if you were going to invite Vladimir for dinner, what would you cook? Same question for Vladimir...
Vladimir: I cannot cook. He will be hungry! But if I did cook, I would cook some pasta.
Alberto: Pasta and Bulgarian girls. That will keep me happy!
Vladimir: Our food is a mix between Turkey, Greece... Our food is fantastic.__
Alberto: That’s Churrascaria for us.

Who has the most contacts in their phone?
Alberto: I have around 200.
Vladimir: I have around 250
Alberto: It’s because you have more girls in your phone than me!

What did you know about each other before you became teammate?
Ho-Pin: Too much unfortunately! I’ve known him for quite a while
Jerome: First time we met was end of 2003.
Ho-Pin: True, in Formula 3000. We were both a bit younger. Now we are not much wiser, just a bit older.
(Laughs). We have been training together also for a while.
Jerome: Our paths have crossed a few times before this season...

What are his greatest strengths?
Jerome: Well... uh...
Ho-Pin: Jerome is very good at juggling
Jerome: Ho-Pin is very good in IT. If you have a problem with your computer, your GPS or anything like that, you can call Ho-Pin!
Ho-Pin: Asian blood I guess.
(Laughs)
Jerome: Ho-Pin is an honest guy. He is a very good teammate.

Any weaknesses?
Ho-Pin: He gets distracted by the girls!
(Laughs)
Jerome: Look who is talking?! More seriously, I don’t really know what your weaknesses are. Ask me again in Monza!
Ho-Pin: I know one of your weaknesses: ice cream! And when you feel bad about hqving one, you say “Or maybe I should get a sorbet. It’s healthier than ice cream no?”
(Both laugh)

Who gets to the circuit last?
Jerome: We always more or less get to the track at the same time. I think I was later than you today, but yesterday, it was you.
Ho-Pin: Depends on which hotel we stay.

Who is the wildest one on track and off the track?
Jerome: On the circuit...?
Ho-Pin: Maybe you.
Jerome: Sometimes... I don’t know. Off track... We cannot spill all our secrets.
Ho-Pin: No, but we can talk about the time when you decided to prove that you could eat spicy food. We were with Andi Zuber in Austria two years ago. We went to a Chinese restaurant and everybody was bragging that they could eat spicy food and Jerome at the end wanted to give the final shot to everybody.
Jerome: I did. And I sort of regretted it: I was sweating like crazy. It was horrible. But I did beat them all!

Who is the most successful with the ladies?
Jerome: Ho-Pin definitely.
Ho-Pin: Why?
Jerome: You know how to chat up a girl. He is naturally really, really nice. He is that guy who will sit at a table full of strangers and just start chatting and then get up for a drink and offer one to everybody. The girls appreciate that sometimes when the boys are nice to them!
Ho-Pin: You have a lot of stories as well
Jerome: Yes, but shut up!
(Both laugh)
Ho-Pin: It’s hard to judge who is the most successful
Jerome: We should go out one night and see who gets the most girls
Ho-Pin: We don’t really appeal to the same people
Jerome: Which is actually good. They will either like me or you!
Ho-Pin: Will this competition happen in China or Europe?
(Both laugh)
Jerome: No Matter, you are three years older than me, so you are more experienced. There, you win!
Ho-Pin: But you have more practice!
(Both laugh)

Are you superstitious?
Jerome: What is the point of walking under the ladder if you can walk around it?
Ho-Pin: I always get in the car from the same side. But that’s for comfort, not superstition.
Jerome: Me too. Always from the left side
Ho-Pin: Me, from the right
Jerome: Oh, big mistake!
Ho-Pin: Anyway, it is important to say that I change my underwear everyday, and new socks everyday...
Jerome: Normally it’s not legal to wear normal underwear when you race apart from Nomex. That’s all I’m going to say...
Ho-Pin: You race commando?!
Jerome: I’m wearing only legal Nomex things. I’m not saying that I’m racing commando!
Ho-Pin: Too late!

Who will have the best road car in 10 years time?
Ho-Pin: So far, I’ve never had one.
Jerome: I think we will both have the best of what Renault will make in ten years
Ho-Pin: What he said!
(Both Laugh)

Who will have the most beautiful wife?
Jerome: It depends
Ho-Pin: It depends if you win a lot of money
Jerome: What?!
Ho-Pin: You said I was the most successful with the ladies, so you need money to be more appealing than me!

How would you describe your teammate?
Jerome: Don’t you say “rabbit” because that was Kamui’s answer last year!
Ho-Pin: Why?
Jerome: I don’t know! It’s Kamui!
(Both laugh)
Ho-Pin: Well it means “lucky” in Chinese mythology
Jerome: Really?
Ho-Pin: No, of course not!

Who has the best fashion-sense?
Ho-Pin: Taste is different. You have the most expensive clothes!
Jerome: Look at the shoes I’m wearing right now and look at yours. Yours are much nicer.
Ho-Pin: Somebody gave them to me
Jerome: It’s the same! I came here today with a tee-shirt and you came with a shirt

Who is the shyest?
Jerome: It depends with who. In a racing environment...
Ho-Pin: Jerome is very chatty, but in some occasions, not so much
Jerome: I’m not shy.
Ho-Pin: No. But sometimes, you need some push.

Who is your favourite sportsman or sportswoman?
Jerome: Lance Armstrong and Usain Bolt
Ho-Pin: Any sports athlete really. Everybody excels in what they are doing and deserves our respect as long as they give their 100%. But I will say Yao Ming, the basketball player.

Who tells the most jokes?
Ho-Pin: Jerome
Jerome: No! Yes, ok... Ho-Pin is more of a story-teller. I cannot do that. I never get the ending right you know! Short jokes I can handle, long jokes, I get lost...
Ho-Pin: Because you get distracted easily...

Jerome, if you were going to invite Ho-Pin for dinner, what would you cook? Same question for Ho-Pin...
Jerome: Not rice although he loves it. I want him to discover something new. I will make some good French fries cooked in a special Belgium way and I will cook a Fricadelle and after that, in the next qualifying, he will lose a second!
Ho-Pin: I will make you a very spicy meal! More seriously, I’m not a good cook.
Jerome: Me neither, I’ll have my mom cook for me! Actually, I saw her once have take out and serve it as if she had cooked it herself. She is going to kill me for saying that!
Ho-Pin: ah... Then, I will take you to my parents’ restaurant. Chinese food is good. It’s not all about strange things that we put in our food.

Who has the most contacts in their phone?
Jerome: Let’s check!
Ho-Pin: I think it is you. I’ve just cleaned my SIM card.
Jerome: Let’s check our BBM – I’ve got 87
Ho-Pin: I have 25
Jerome: I win!

Sam, Jules has told us that you are the “mommy” in your relationship?
Sam laughs
Jules: Sometimes we switch...
Sam: I hope we are not here to talk about that! It’s off the record! Off the record!

It's too late, you have to say “off the record” before... But alright, first question: what did you know about each other before you became teammate?
Jules: We were in the same championship the past two years. I know him, but not as a teammate because he was in another team. We were not really friends. I’m a bit shy so it is hard for me to be friends with other drivers. Now it is different because we are in the same team. It’s a lot better.
Sam: Jules and I competed against each other in 2008 and 2009 in F3 Euroseries. Like he said, we didn’t speak much then. Obviously through the Asia Series and testing with ART we got to know each other and I think we have fund a good and stable relationship. We are friends off the track and when on the track, we push each other really hard.

How did you view Jules in 08 and 09?
Sam: Hard to beat. Especially in 09. We weren’t close friends, but he was the one to beat. We come back here and oh, Bianchi is on pole! Again! Oh my God! But it’s great to be teammates now.

And Jules, how did you view Sam?
Jules: I knew he was a very good driver. I didn’t really know his team. In Macao, he was very strong when we were together in the same team. I knew he would be fast in the GP2 Series.

What are his greatest strengths?
Sam: I think his pace is pretty damn good. I feel like I’m still learning and improving quite a lot and it’s helped by the fact that I’m teamed with Jules. We bounce each other pretty well.
Jules: Sam is very strong. Sometimes I’m slower and looking at his data helps me work with my engineer. It’s really good because we are quite close in terms of performance and we can improve a lot together.

Any weaknesses?
Sam: Um... Ok, Jules, you go first!
Jules: No, no, please, go on.
Sam: Um... You know what? I don’t think Jules has one at the moment: he is confident, he is driving really well. Everybody around him is relaxed and good and friendly. I don’t see a weakness at the moment. We’ll see your start this afternoon mate!
Jules laughs...
Jules: Same for me!
Sam laughs

Who gets to the circuit last?
Jules: Me... I like to sleep!
Sam: I always get up really early. I’m usually down at breakfast before the team! I can’t help it. I like to get up. It’s just something that I do. I go to bed at 10-10:30pm.
Jules: Me too. But I don’t get up early!

Who is the wildest one on track and off the track?
Sam: Jules, you answer that...
Jules: Maybe it’s me on the track.
Sam: We could ask Sergio what he thought of Turn 7 Lap 1 during free practice...!
Jules: Maybe... But off the track, it’s you.
Sam: Me? Crazy? No... Come on... I like to have a bit of fun with the team, poke and annoy Jules a little bit, but it’s just silly little things. Nothing too wild. Not like I cut his suit in half or anything! But I’m a joker and it helps take the edge off and not nervously wait before the next session thinking that we have to go quicker and quicker. I love my job and I intent to enjoy it as much as possible. Do you get nervous Jules?
Jules: Sometimes, yeah. Today, a bit...
Sam: On the pedals at the start right?!
(Jules laughs... nervously)

Who is the most successful with the ladies?
Sam: I’ve been in a relationship for two and a half years so...
Jules: I’m single now... But I don’t know. I am free. But I don’t need you to help me with the blog
Sam: We could do an add on the blog with your phone number if you’d like
Jules: Thanks, I’m good!

Are you superstitious?
Jules: yes.
Sam: Yes.
Jules: Yesterday, I put on new gloves for the free practice and for qualy, I put the old ones because free practice was not so good. And I changed the visor also for the one I used in the pre-season tests.
Sam: Last year, when I had good results, I remembered certain things that I put on in the morning like lucky underwear or lucky jeans and I had to wear them for the next round. They had to be in the suitcase. I had to wear them on the Saturday or on the Sunday. And when they didn’t work, I would be like “I’m never wearing them again”. I always get in from the right hand side of the car. If I get in from the left, it’s over. I’ve never tried! I put on my right sock before my left sock. It’s really silly things like that. I stroke my car before I go out. I pat her. She is called Mary. So I tell Mary to look after me and be good to me...

Who will have the best road car in 10 years time?
Sam: It’s so far away... He will have something like a Ferrari. I’ll have a really wide Lamborghini!
Jules: Yeah, I’ll have a Ferrari.

Who will have the most beautiful wife?
Jules: Me.
Sam: Why? Why? And I’m not being your wife.
Jules: Of course you’ll be my wife! I am the man in the relationship.
Sam: That’s not what you said last night!
(Both laugh)

How would you describe your teammate?
Sam: Speedy Gonzalez
Sam whispers in Jules’s ear “I can be the Road-runner”
Jules: The little Bird
Sam: Oh yeah “Le petit oiseau”. On my tyres they write “piou-piou”. I’ve asked them to change it to “L.P.O.” If I were to sum-up Jules in a couple of words it would be fast and focused to be honest. That’s what he is. That’s kind of a dull answer, I know...
Jules: And you look like Beckham.
Sam: Cheers dude! I can handle that!

Who has the best fashion-sense?
Sam: We always see each other wearing team clothes. The only time we’ve seen each other in normal clothes was in Macao on the night-out. But I can’t even remember what I was wearing.
Jules: Me neither...

Who is the shyest?
Sam: Do we need to answer that one?
Jules: Well, it’s not you for sure...

Who is your favourite sportsman or sportswoman?
Jules: Zidane. He was so great...
Sam: Massive iconic figures that inspire me – you have Lance Armstrong, what he came through and what he achieved. Mohammad Ali, he was the best. You got Michael Schumacher, such a machine. Hopefully he will come back and do it again. Messi in football, I don’t know how he does some of the things he does. If I re-enacted it in the garden, I would probably trip over. They are my idols. And Tiger Woods and Usain Bolt! I’ve seen Tiger Woods in training in America. I was with James Jakes and we saw him in the gym. The guy has a massive upper-body. He is absolutely massive.

Who tells the most jokes?
Sam raises his hand
Sam: Here we go.

Jules, if you were going to invite Sam for dinner, what would you cook? Same question for Sam...
Sam: Again, a very gay question!
Jules: Pasta. It’s very easy. Pasta with oil.
Sam: That sounds exciting mate! That really turns me on... What about Bolognese sauce?
Jules: No.
Sam: I would add a Bolognese sauce with that with some fettuccini.
Jules: I can’t do that.
Sam: I’d make my own Bolognese sauce with some garlic, add a bit of bacon in there, some carrots. Throw it all in with some fresh fettuccini in the pan and then serve it up.
Jules: So you are the wife, really!
Sam: You can only cook toast and pasta...

Who has the most contacts in their phone?
Sam: I got a new phone recently and I haven’t had the time to add all of my contacts yet. Otherwise it would be a close match.
Jules: I have over 100.
Sam: I don’t know that many people...!