Q&A: David Richards.

Newly-appointed British American Racing boss David Richards was introduced to the team and media alike at last week's official pre-season launch. Here he talks about his plans for BAR, the departure of predecessor Craig Pollock, his World Rally commitments and a lot more....

Q:
David, was there any talk of Craig [Pollock] attending the launch if it was such an amicable decision for him to step down? Did he jump or was he pushed?

David Richards:
I haven't had any communication with Craig in the last few months, apart from a meeting at Magny-Cours in the summer. All the discussions with Craig happened without my involvement whatsoever. So, really, I wasn't a party to that, and I literally first stepped foot in this place yesterday. I can't comment on that.

Q:
So you have got to hit the ground running then?

DR:
Yeah, but that is the same in most things and isn't any different to anything else I have done.

Q:
It's an awkward way to start off though, isn't it?

DR:
It is, but there is never an easy way to start things. You know, circumstances happen - and they've happened as they have done. You have to pick up the pieces and make the best of it. You forget one issue as well here - Jacques [Villeneuve] has commented that Craig is coming back as his manager, and the last time Craig was Jacques' manager he won the world championship.

Q:
When did you start having talks to join BAR?

DR:
Well, these things don't happen overnight, quite clearly. You don't wake up one morning and someone rings and says would you like to run a Formula One team. We [Prodrive] have been very closely connected to BAT, because of our involvement on the rally side, and we have been in discussions with them about further involvement in the future. I ended up socialising with a number of people there, and was approached sometime ago but, to be honest with you, I declined and said: "sorry, this wasn't for me, thank-you very much".

Then over the last few weeks, ten days, we have discussed a revised proposal - not about me, but Prodrive, and, in those circumstances, I thought very differently and was convinced. Also the knowledge that Honda had committed also swayed me.

Q:
Will there be a clash of interest between your Subaru and Honda commitments?

DR:
No, you have got to remember we have run sportscar championship programmes for a number of years and run projects with other car manufacturers in a range of things. So they [Honda and Subaru] understand the situation very clearly. There is no conflict either-way. Things are very neutral on that front

Q:
What happens with your World Rally commitments? You've made significant progress and now you seem to be moving on?

DR:
You know that is the very same question I was asked 18 months ago, when I stepped back from Subaru to set up the WRC TV stuff and they [Subaru] went on to win a world title this year. I don't have any concerns about that. I think we have the right management teams in place and it is very well established. I have spent the last two years setting it up, and I'm not deserting it. I will be at Monte Carlo in January, and I think we are on the right track. It is looking good.

Q:
Do you know what to do to make BAR into a winning team?

DR:
I think that would be greatly presumptuous for me to walk in here the first day and say I have all the answers. Sure, I know what is required to make a winning team, but different categories of motorsport have their own particular requirements. However, it seems to me - from what Jacques told me and from what I've seen around the place - that, technically, it is a good group of people. Over the next few days, I will be spending time chatting to people, looking at things - I've got some presentations from various parts of the team - and I guess that most of January will be spent looking at things in more detail.

Q:
How much control do you have?

DR:
I didn't come into this with out a clear mandate of control, but my background is not on a drawing board as an engineer, and so I will have to rely on the best people to do that side of the job.

Q:
Given the last 48 hours, how can you ensure the BAR dream doesn't disintegrate and that the team goes forward? How important are the drivers?

DR:
Jacques and Olivier are clearly two of the most key parts and components in the team and, to be successful, we need happy drivers who feel that they have the support of the team and the right tools to do the job. And so I regard that as very, very important.

Q:
Can you win Jacques around?

DR:
Jacques is a professional. Jacques wants to win, I want to win, Olivier wants to win and, in that field, we have one shared ambition.

Q:
David, will you be buying shares in the team?

DR:
That is a part of on-going negotiations with BAT for the long term. They are quite complex, as they involve Prodrive and, as you might understand, it's quite a complex issue. But, needless to say, these issues will be resolved in the next 90 days.

Q:
Why have you come back into F1?

DR:
Well, let's put this in perspective. This is not a 'me' issue. It's not that I woke up one day and said I wanted to do it this. If you look at where Prodrive is today, and the issues facing that business, [you will see that] it has grown to such a size - 1000 people working there in various aspects whether it's motorsport or the technology side - and the next step on motorsport side is that we clearly need an involvement in F1.

However, you can only do it in the right circumstances. We've seen F1 teams bring down some very talented people and some very large organisations, and we were only going to get involved if the right circumstances arose. I saw them in this proposal.

Q:
Was this [a return to F1] the case before the BAR offer?
DR:
We [Prodrive] discussed a return to F1 regularly. It was part of our strategic plan, and I'm sure I've shared with many of you that Prodrive would be back there one day. We visited it on a regular basis, and I have to tell you I have turned down three proposals in the last couple of years. So this wasn't the first opportunity.

Q:
Do you learn anything from your period at Benetton?

DR:
There's an awful lot that I learnt from that, and in the subsequent years. And let's hope I can put it into practice!

Q:
How long is your agreement with BAT/BAR? - one year? two years?

DR:
Well, actually it's longer than that. It's an evolving agreement intended to see out their [BAT's] involvement in the team.

Q:
What will happen after that? Will Prodrive take over BAT's role in the team?

DR:
Well, clearly, Prodrive doesn't need to advertise on a F1 team. I think we will be looking for another partner in six years time when the tobacco ban comes into operation.

Q:
What are your expectations for 2002?

DR:
We have a solid team of people and, from that, we have to move forward quickly. We have the right finance, the right partners, the right drivers - we might still have a few hiccups as we go into this season until everything gels but, certainly by the end of the year, the excuses have got to stop.