Whitley: You have to be confident in everything you undertake.

      This year, the official website of the championship publishes a series of interviews with the leaders of Formula 1 teams, in which they answer approximately the same questions, only partially related to racing. Now it's the turn of Jonathan Wheatley, who will lead the Sauber team starting this season, which will turn into Audi F1 next year.…

      Question: Can you describe yourself in three words?Jonathan Wheatley: Optimistic, passionate and positive!

      Question: What made you fall in love with Formula 1?Jonathan Whitley: To begin with, I've always loved motorsport, but I remember going to the British Grand Prix as a kid, which was held at Brands Hatch that year, and my father knew the chief mechanic of Ferrari. I don't remember how old I was, but he picked me up, sat me in the cockpit of one of the cars and started the engine... I think from that very moment I knew that I would definitely work in Formula 1.

      Question: When and where did you get behind the wheel of any vehicle?Jonathan Whitley: I think it was at the cart track in Hoddesdon (one of the northern suburbs of London), I think I was already 9 years old, and I still remember accelerating out of the pit lane!

      Question: Since when did you apply for a driver's license?Jonathan Wheatley: I think I was overconfident the first time.… I passed it the second time.

      Question: When was the last time you laughed until you cried?Jonathan Whitley: In the UK, along with a whole bunch of friends and colleagues from motorsport, I attend an Indian cuisine club, and when we meet, we always have fun, so we laugh to tears all the time!

      Q: Who is your best friend in the paddock?Jonathan Whitley: Alan Permaine is in the paddock. But I'm also friends with Steve Nielsen and many other people I've worked with for many years. And if we talk about the drivers, it's Jean Alesi.

      Question: Of course, you know Alan and Steve from your work in the Renault team.…Jonathan Whitley: Yes, you can say that we grew up together, learned the wisdom of motorsport professions together, and the team's path to winning the World Championship was very difficult.

      Question: Which three people from the world of Formula 1 who have ever lived, or our contemporaries, would you invite to a gala dinner?Jonathan Whitley: It's an easy question for me to answer: James Hunt, Niki Lauda and Ayrton Senna.

      Q: Where and when did you spend your best vacation?Jonathan Wheatley: I think last summer, when we stayed at my friend's house in the south of France. At various times, our children and their friends joined us, and it seemed to me that it was just wonderful when the whole family could gather in the middle of the season.

      Q: It's a good opportunity to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of Formula 1... Jonathan Wheatley: Yes. But I would not like to take such a trip again – I had to spend 16 hours driving! But it was a nice vacation.

      Question: And if you had to choose one rider and one team leader to go with them to a desert island, who would it be?Jonathan Whitley: It would be Flavio Briatore and Jean Alesi, because when they're together, like this one was in his time at Benetton.… To be honest, I was laughing almost every day back then!

      Question: How did your friendship with Jean begin?Jonathan Whitley: I don't know. We became friends right away. He's a wonderful person, and I'm just sorry that when he was with our team, he didn't manage to win a single race. At Benetton, I was one of his mechanics, responsible for the front of the car, and our friendship continues to this day.

      Q: Who is your favorite team leader in the history of Formula 1?Jonathan Whitley: I would say that Flavio was an amazing boss, but I still admire Ron Dennis. In my opinion, what he has achieved and what the McLaren team has become under him is simply incredible.

      Question: How many languages do you speak? And are there any languages that you would like to learn?Jonathan Whitley: I recently heard someone say about me that I speak 12 languages, if all of them are English! (laughs) I like living in Switzerland, it's a beautiful country, and I would like to immerse myself more deeply in its culture, so in the next few years I want to try to learn German – let's see what I can do.

      I came to Switzerland with our dog Lola in an old car, what is called a "retromobile", and my wife I arrived a couple of days later, and we met in the town of Zug, where we now live. I can't say that my journey was that easy, but it was an unforgettable experience.

      I must say, I was most impressed by the beauty of Switzerland. I thought I'd get used to everything quickly, but to be honest, I've loved this country since day one. And now every morning I go jogging along the shore of the lake and admire the mountains!

      Q: What is your favorite movie or TV series?Jonathan Whitley: You know, my preferences change all the time because I watch a lot of things, but I think I'll call it Pulp Fiction – a wonderful movie! But I also like the Yellowstone series.

      Q: Which song would you choose for karaoke?Jonathan Whitley: If you want to see that I'm completely out of my depth, ask me to sing something! I think I used to try to perform something from Tom Jones's repertoire in similar cases, because everyone immediately picks up on it, and my voice sinks into the general chorus. (laughs)

      Question: Do you think that if all the team leaders go to the start of the race, who will win?Jonathan Whitley: Definitely, it will be me! (laughs)

      Q: Are you that confident?Jonathan Whitley: In our business, you have to be confident in everything you do, don't you agree?

      Q: But there are a lot of experienced drivers among the team leaders, aren't there?Jonathan Whitley: Of course, I'm joking, because many of them have spent a lot of time behind the wheel, and I've spent most of my life on the other side of the pit wall! Although I've always aspired to win on race tracks, I ended up on the pit wall.

      Q: What was the best advice you've ever been given?Jonathan Wheatley: To be honest, the best advice was to treat others the way I want them to treat me. I'd like to think that's why I have so many friends in and outside the paddock because I'm following this advice.

      Question: Is there any profession that you are interested in and that you would like to change your job to for one day?Jonathan Wheatley: I think if I could choose, and if I were as talented as Ayrton Senna, then I would like to become a Formula 1 driver!

      Q: What is your most proud achievement in Formula 1?Jonathan Wheatley: I think it was the Red Bull Racing pit stop that got our team into the Guinness Book of World Records for the first time. When we managed to assemble such a team, and I felt this common energy, I will always remember it. We won a lot of races and championships, but I really believe in the strength of the team, and this was one of its manifestations.

      Question: On TV we see that a pit stop takes a couple of seconds, but how much work does it take to achieve this?Jonathan Whitley: Together with the driver, 22 people participate in the pit stop. Everyone has their own thoughts, their own problems at home, everyone is worried about something, they are not sure about something. But when you manage to get all these people together, and they perform one of the most unusual tasks in a couple of seconds, in my opinion, this is one of the main wonders that exist in our sport.

      Question: What would you like to do in five years?Jonathan Whitley: I would like to continue working in the Audi factory team. I am very glad that I am involved in this project, and I really like it!..