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INDYCAR MEDIA CONFERENCEJuly 25, 2017Juan Pablo MontoyaOriol ServiaQ. (Question about the look of the new car.) JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Personally, I think they did a really good job with the cars. I think getting rid of the rear pods is probably a huge plus for all the drivers. You know, I think none of us were huge fans of them, to be honest. I think going back to a single for both teams makes it really exciting. I think it's going to bring racing a lot closer again. I think for the engine manufacturers, it's definitely a plus because now, you know, it's not all 'my aero kit'. When you talk about Chevrolet or Honda, it's all about power, who is making the power. I think that's definitely a huge plus. ORIOL SERVIA: Like he said (laughter). But also, you know, you never know when you come out with a new car what the reaction's going to be. Just posting the pictures yesterday on social media, I got more likes honestly than any other picture of the year, even when I posted a picture with Juan Pablo (laughter). It's just good to see that the fans are happy, honestly. I think it looks hot. So cannot wait to taste it out there. Yesterday on the simulator, actually I don't know what you thought, but the car felt very similar. If anything, a little faster in race configuration. Felt really good. So I hope it's the same today. Q. How about the safety additions, like the anti-intrusion side panels and all that? How well do you think that you have done? How comfortable are you now? ORIOL SERVIA: I think it's great because when you're not changing the top, it's hard to -- you know, that's the core of the car. But they've been able to be very creative and improve the looks. JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: You look at what Bourdais went through. To have no intrusion on an impact like that, I mean, look at him. He's probably going to be back in the car in a month or two already. So it's unbelievable. The car's come a long way. I think, you know, Indy keeps getting better, the series keeps getting better. I think all the noise this is making, as well, I think it's great for the series. The car look amazing. So it's great. Q. What do you want to accomplish today? JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Well, you know, we got a plan that IndyCar wants to make sure we go through. We're going to start really slow, you know, making sure that the car matches what it's supposed to do. But it's normal every time you have a new car. The speed will get progressively faster. Hopefully at the end of the day we'll be doing some long runs. Q. Does this remind you back to early CART days, F1 days, where each year you came into a new car? JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Yeah, it was kind of normal when you were doing that. You know, you always looking forward to the new car. Actually sometimes first time you got to see the car was when it was launched. It's like we're probably more exciting than, you know, all the media there because we get to play with a new toy. It's fun. Q. How much will the style of racing potentially change here at the Speedway? We've seen a lot of drafting, the aero kits. What is it going to be like with a sleeker, lower car? ORIOL SERVIA: I don't think it will change much. Honestly, I don't think they were trying to change it much. We had the last three, four years some amazing 500 races. If anything, I've been told from all the simulation and stuff that with the engine cover being lower, the car is more efficient, the floor is a little more efficient, so you should be able to follow cars a little closer to each other. Obviously that's always better in racing. If anything, it should be a little better, as well. JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: The flat bottom, it's going to be much better to follow people around the track. I mean, there's a lot of plus about the kit. It should be very exciting. Q. And to be able to get experienced guys? ORIOL SERVIA: If you're talking about our gray hair, we both have some (laughter). In this case, it helped us having some gray hair, so... At least myself, I'm happy that they chose us. Very honored. Hopefully we can help a little bit having a better product than we would have been without us. Q. For you? JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: No, it's exciting to get the first run on the cars. Hopefully, if things work out, have a shot at being here and race it. We'll see. Q. Oriol, is this something you relish with your engineering background, to be able to help IndyCar develop this new car? ORIOL SERVIA: Yeah, I was just saying, you know, I build everything, it's all my design (laughter). Really, you know, yes, I studied engineering. But at this level, we've been doing it for 20 years. Doesn't matter the car as I do. If you made it this far, it's because you've been able to communicate with your engineers. I think probably any of the, you know, veterans could be as good as a job communicating. But, yeah, I'm always interested in technology and the cars and the path that IndyCar should go. I'm happy to be part of it. Q. You joke about that you built the car. It appears there was a lot of driver input that was taken into consideration in putting this design together from you guys. ORIOL SERVIA: IndyCar has been listening to the drivers a little more the last five years, I would say, which is nice. Because at the end of the day we're the ones not only that, you know, we put our lives at risk, but we've been doing it for 20 years, driving all different cars, depending of whoever is ruling decides what we drive. They really don't get an understanding like we do of what works and what doesn't. So they've been listening a little bit more to us than in the past. I hope it shows. I think it will, so... JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: It's exciting, you know. I think it's exciting. I think all the drivers are very excited about the new car, the new looks. I think it's going to bring racing even closer together than before, so... And I think for the fans, it's going to be huge. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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