Exclusive on Singapore GP with Norbert Haug
Norbert Haug
Kotenok is another F1Wolf reader who went to see some live racing action last week. Kotenok went to the DTM days on the Barcelona track and during his walk around the paddock stumbled upon Norbert Haug, the main Mercedes guy in McLaren operation. He did not hesitate and decided to ask Mr. Haug some questions for this website (although he forgot to tell him the name of this site 
). The interview was conducted in German, so what you read here is translation:
Q: Good afternoon Mr. Haug, I would like to wish you success! I would like to ask a small question for an F1 website, would you like to answer?
Haug tells ‘yes’ closing up the distance.
Q: Soon there will be the Grand Prix in Singapore, what is your opinion on the race?
A: What do you mean?
Q: Well, as a night race, for McLaren Mercedes, I would like to know how do you see the team’s expectations in there?
A: Well, yes we will race there with the F1 team, and then we will see about that there.
Not exactly revealing answer but well, that was a very difficult question in the first place .
I would probably be laughing my butt off reading this if not for my own experience giving a radio interview few months back. You feel you have all the answers all the questions up your sleeve but when it comes to producing the goods - ooops … not that easy.
Besides doing the brief interview Kotenok also took quite a lot of pictures. Here is the slideshow with all the DTM and F3 action. Alternatively you can see them all on Kotenok’s page on the F1Wolf Club. There are also some very nice paddock photos.
Find more photos like this on F1Wolf Club
tags: Tags: Barcelona, DTM, F1Wolf Club, McLaren, Mercedes, Norbert Haug, photos, Singapore
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September 22nd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Here’s my journalist spirit again!!
Day after I met the TV host from Telecinco, Gonzalo Serrano (a large man who’s bald head shines as a billiard ball). I found interesting what he was doing there, he’s actually just commenting F1 races and car TV magazines. We had a short talk, but reveling that he also didn’t know much about the ideas of the team Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes.
Well, that man was waiting Pedro de la Rosa for an interview (I also was doing that, but with rather less success HAHA!! I couldn’t get an autograph signed on 2005/2006 review book with his podium picture).
We had a light talk, about what are his expectations about McLaren’s cars in Singapore:
Q: Hi Gonzalo, may I ask you what are you doing here today?
A: Hi boy, well just waiting Pedro (de la Rosa), - he was behind the doors of the Mercedes hospitality for VIP’s - we’re planning an interview with him.
Q: I also wait him, just wanted this book to get autographed by him and couldn’t manage on the signature session just before. What are you going to ask him anyway? About Singapore?
A. Yes, that’s for the TV magazine about competitions and races previews.
I told him: “Well, I also asked something about the next F1 race yesterday for an F1 website, but not successfully really. I found Norbert Haug yesterday walking through the Paddock, we had a fast talk in German. And I decided to ask him about Singapore, how are his expectations about the GP.”
GS: Really? What did you talk about? - Well you know the story, it’s on this post
- Interesting, so he didn’t say nothing again.
“Not really, just a fast talk and I wished him success in the DTM race of Sunday.”
GS: I know that the team tested the Singapore track with the simulator in daylight and night, changing settings and weather conditions, until turning it upside-down almost. They do not have clear ideas about their possibilities there. What I suspect is that they will have advantage with the kind of tyres use, McLaren really prefers lower track temperatures and that will be the case during nighttime.
Q: Has been everything already been prepared for the race and the TV broadcasting?
A: Yes, almost everything is sent already. The Telecinco team will departure soon, and I’m expecting an interesting F1 race during the night. While we’re having the dinner, while you will have breakfast.
“Well the first night race is to comfort the European TV schedules and spectators, I think there will be so much lighting at the street circuit like in a clear afternoon.”
GS: I think so, that’s a caprice from such a person as Bernie Ecclestone. But just an incident needs to happen there, and a bigger scandal than last year will grow.
“Hopefully the race will be great, I got a known friend which will be there, and he’s the owner of the blog F1Wolf.com. By the way, did you see the marketing video of McLaren where Martin Whitmarsh talks? It is pretty funny, he plays an interview while the mechanics work and do some noise, then the cameraman suddenly shots them and show the tuned car with large headlights.”
GS: I didn’t see it, but I’ll ask somebody to download it for me, I’m interested about what they invented HAHA!!
“This video is uploaded in this website, try to find it there. I just find it really funny for being a production of McLaren-Mercedes.”
GS: Well boy, I got to go. It was a nice talk, try to wait Pedro here for your autograph. Good luck!
“Yes, I’ll try. Anyway I think I’ll move to the grandstands already. See you later!”
Kotenoks last blog post..Ferrari_Alex
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:52 pm
this interview was much longer than the first one
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:56 am
Not really interviews
HAHA!!
Anyway, I didn’t catch Pedro de la Rosa to get the book signed and have another short talk. But he was just a half meter far away from me, anyway, he’s a man as you and me, and nobody unusual at all, just a big pitty because I value a lot his work and like him
Kotenoks last blog post..Ferrari_Alex