Andrew Racing aiming to “finish as many races in the points as possible.”

Andrew Racing’s 2015 season resembled that of a sparkler – a bright start that eventually faded as the season went on. At the launch of their 2016 car, team boss Andrew Pryor (No relation to FJR’s test driver Benjamin Pryor), sat down with FF1M’s lead commentator James Brickles to discuss the previous season as well as their aims for 2016

Q: Thank you for joining us today Andrew. 2015 started off perfectly for you with Daniel Ricciardo winning his home race. How would you summarise last season?

A: Thank you for having me, 2015 had the ultimate dream start for us. To think we finished last in the constructors in 2014, winning the first race was a massive turnaround especially for Daniel who also had a tough 2014. We did tail off towards the end of the season however. Development wasn’t quite where we wanted it but it was a step in the right direction as we rebuild the team around Danny and Antonio. Overall, we were very happy with our 2015 season and hope we build on this into 2016.

Q: You’ve kept both drivers for 2016 as well as the Climax engine. How is the relationship between the two drivers as well as with Climax?

A: We feel the relationship we have with our drivers is very good. Here at Andrew Racing, we value loyalty to our drivers, and to this end, negotiations were very easy for 2016. Both guys wanted to stay and we wanted to keep them. Danny was performing to target while Antonio was making very few errors and getting all-important laps in the car, which is all we can ask of him. In 2015, we switched over to the Climax engine from Megatron, which was a difficult decision. The numbers from Megatron were very impressive and we were persuaded to stay, but the combination of power and reliability with the Climax was too much to ignore. As you saw with Meister taking several poles, the engine was very good and it often got to the end of races. I have to praise the manufacturer for the effort put into the engine. It’s a great product and we will be working with Climax for the foreseeable future.

Q: Pierre Gasly, who currently races for LiquiTarget, is doing well in the 2015-16 FF2M Asia series. Do you see him making his FF1M debut soon?

A: Pierre has been with the team for a short while now. He is performing well in FF2M currently but is having some bad luck. If I recall, he was taken out at the start in Malaysia, a race where he showed excellent pace. Unfortunately due to circumstances, he will not be with us in the European season, which is a shame. Where things stand, I don’t see a seat for him in our team. I do believe he is skilled enough to race in FF1M and you never know, he could form a part of our team in the future.

Q: And how about Nikita Mazepin, your test driver?

A: Nikita is not a short term choice for the team and he will not be in a FF1M race for a few seasons yet. We like to develop a driver over a number of seasons before putting them in the race car as we did with Antonio. Nikita showed some great potential in the Young Drivers Test and we were very impressed with the feedback he was able to give us. Nikita will hopefully remain in LiquiTarget for a few seasons to develop as a driver with a view of making his FF1M debut in a few years.

Q: Last ones from me, what are your aims for 2016? And who do you see as your biggest rivals?

A: As ever, all teams want to build on last season. We won the season opener last season but feel that was due to a lot of circumstance. Into 2016 therefore, we aim to finish as many races in the points as possible with Danny to get some podiums and hopefully a win in there as well. Antonio we wish to see develop further and become both faster and more consistent. It would be great to see him really challenge Danny to bring out the best in him. It is always tough to judge main rivals. Over the years, we have had close battles with Mitchell, so I would have to say them.