For every shot of the red car or bottle of Champagne you saw on the television this season, there was a team of people working hard to make the Championship victories possible. Shell has been part of this team, delivering cutting edge products so that whenever Felipe or Kimi took to the track in the quest for the title, they had the best fuel and lubricants flowing through their cars.
So what was the season like behind the scenes? How does it feel to be part of a Championship winning team? Here Lisa Lilley (Shell Technology Manager for Ferrari) and Gilles Simon (Scuderia Ferrari Engine Director) share some thoughts on the season just gone.
Lisa Lilley: Looking back on the last 17 races there were many fantastic moments which I feel extremely privileged to be part of.
Gilles Simon: Kimi’s win at his debut race for the team was a fantastic way to start the season. Even though there were another 16 races to go at that point, this was great motivation for us all after many many months of busy development work for the F2007.
Lisa Lilley: Standing under the podium cheering on Kimi or Felipe was always so satisfying!
Gilles Simon: Halfway through the season Kimi was 26 points behind the title leader and a title win seemed pretty difficult to achieve…
Lisa Lilley: And we had our disappointing races like Monza - but every member of the team turned the situation around, fighting back for every point...
Gilles Simon: Then we finally took the title in Brazil – that was truly extraordinary for all of us!
Lisa Lilley: 2007 is my third season working with the Scuderia so this is the first Championship win I’ve experienced. People regularly ask me what it was like to be in Brazil and to be honest, when we were standing under the podium it was very hard to believe it was happening!
Gilles Simon: I came to Ferrari over a decade ago so I’m extremely fortunate to have witnessed more wins than most. But the circumstances of this year and the nail biting races have made this a very special season for me.
Lisa Lilley: After the podium we all headed straight back to the garage but I could hardly get inside because of the crowd; Kimi, all the mechanics and the team were hugging, laughing, shouting at each other.
Gilles Simon: There were a lot of really emotional people in the garage and a few tears were shed – because we had not been favourites to win.
Lisa Lilley: You want to put your feet up or celebrate after such a high but there is still a job to do – writing the reports, the de-brief meetings, packing up the track lab and garage.
Gilles Simon: That’s something that does not come across on the television.
Lisa Lilley: You have to put your celebrations on hold for just a few hours and treat it as if it were any other Sunday at a race.
Gilles Simon: When you’ve just won a Championship that takes extra motivation. But it is worth it. I’m very proud of the work the team, Kimi, Felipe and partners like Shell have done to meet this challenge – here’s to a successful 2008!
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