Home F1 Podcast: Green on Force India, Jordan/Schumacher, Aston Martin & more

Podcast: Green on Force India, Jordan/Schumacher, Aston Martin & more

29/05/2020

The new F1 Beyond The Grid podcast has Racing Point’s Andrew Green who talks about his career, times with Jordan, Force India, Vijay Mallya and more.

Green opened about life in lockdown and detailed of what has been going on F1-wise behind the scenes, talking about the new regulations and how they have been agreed upon.
Moving away from current events, the Racing Point technical head – not to be confused with Patrick Head – talked about how his job has changed over the last 30 years of his involvement in F1.
He stressed the differences in team sizes, while also addressing how much greater the performance gains have become now compared to in the days of old.
On top of this, he spoke on how a technical head’s trust in his experts is more important now than ever, and how the simulators have changed the game completely.
On a more personal note, Green discussed the differences in his satisfaction levels between working in a big team with endless and a small one, where each discovery is truly earned, as it was with Force India in 2016 and 2017 – his next topic of discussion.
After telling the details of those two F1 seasons, Green addressed 2018, when the team dealt with a rocky financial situation, and even going into administration.
Green told of how they had to spare the cost of cutting the grass at the factory, or printing, all to keep racing, as they walked a fine line; he also detailed how the team couldn’t afford financially for the driver to crash, which he feels held them back.
Having spoken on one highlight of that year – Sergio Petez’s podium at Azerbaijan – the Brit assessed his driver’s talent, saying he is wholly underrated, and joking that he has a ‘built-in traction control’.
Speaking further on the staff of the team, Green also discussed the controversial figure Vijay Mallya, for whom he has immense respect. Ironically, he added that the Indian’s ability to not sugarcoat things saved the team, by allowing them to prepare.
He then spoke on his successor, Lawrence Stroll, and how the deal with him, as well as the Aston Martin link, came to be. The discussion led to a chat about how he and the whole of management are striving to remain the most efficient team on the grid, and how they’ll try to maintain their efficiency, even as they merge with the manufacturer, grow in size, and begin to fight at the top.
Elaborating on the growth to come, he also touched upon the new factory, how this will be designed, and how it will change their work.
Green also drew comparisons between Racing Point and Jordan, with the two even operating from the same base. On the topic, he also spoke on the Jordan 191, which had a unintentionally revolutionary diffuser that had the tendency to flex, creating further downforce.
Adding on the season in which that car raced, Green spoke on that year’s Canadian GP, where they enjoyed serious success, as well as having Eddie Jordan as a boss.
Of course, he also discussed having Michael Schumacher in the car for the Belgian GP, and being there when Schumi first tested F1 machinery at Silverstone’s Stowe circuit that year.
He opined on how Schumacher had the uncanny ability to reel off the characteristics of the car after just a few short laps, and how his pace was incredible from the get-go.
As for his debut in Belgium, the race obviously didn’t go Jordan’s way, with Schumacher DNF-ing due to lack of experience starting an F1 car, however, Green revealed that the car wouldn’t have finished regardless due to oil-related issues.
After the Schumacher conversation, he spoke on other similarly-talented drivers including the likes of Nico Hulkenberg and Rubens Barrichello.
Finally, Green weighed whether the new regulations are beneficial for his outfit, or not.