Nicola Giorgi is confident that the team can build on their success last season in the Mina Seyahi Grand Prix in Dubai, where they took their first podium, finishing third.  “We carried out a lot of development with the new boat during 2008, but knew from the beginning we could have some reliability issues.  It’s not just a matter of having a competitive boat, it’s the entire package that has to work perfectly to obtain good results,” said Nicola.  “We tried three different engine solutions during the year, and at the end of the season we saw the result of a really competitive and reliable boat.

“Now we finally have found the right solutions to be competitive in the Championship, and the podium we gained in Dubai it is just the start and we can only improve.”

One change in 2009 will see a new driver alongside Nicola, who revealed that he has received several approaches to race alongside him, but said that the team would not be taking any decisions until after they have tested in Doha in either February or early March.