- Caterham
Stevens: Racing more important than finances
Will Stevens admits money was a factor in him landing a drive with Caterham for Abu Dhabi but says his only focus is showcasing his potential during his F1 debut.
Caterham confirmed Stevens as Kamui Kobayashi's team-mate for its return to the grid at Yas Marina. Stevens' only F1 experience was at the Silverstone test after the British Grand Prix for Caterham and he knows he has limited time to make an impression alongside Kobayashi.
"Obviously, you can walk down the whole paddock and a lot of drivers are bringing money," Stevens said. "How much money is for my management to find out and deal with. All that stuff is out of my control. The backers I have behind me are a small group of people who are at this race and want to be in Formula One next year. I'm in a pretty good position and I just need to go out there and do a good job.
"In any team you drive for in Formula One, your main competitor is your team-mate. If you look at the qualifying results from the last couple of meetings it's pretty much in team order. So as a driver we always have to do the best job we possibly can and that is beating your team-mate. Obviously in Kamui I've got an experienced and quick person and that's exactly what I want because obviously it's a hard situation to come in to but I'm learning from someone who has got a lot of experience and we'll see over the weekend how we get on."
At Caterham's last race in Sochi, Kobayashi caused a stir when he claimed the team retired him just to save mileage - which the team denied. Stevens is not concerned by the team being restrained in Abu Dhabi.
"I wasn't with these guys at the last few race meetings, so I can't speak for what's happened, but I know what we have here and I'm sure that everything is fine and I feel comfortable going out and pushing to the limit. Everyone here wants the car to be safe and to finish the race, that's the No. 1 priority - not just here but in every single team. I'm absolutely certain there are no issues at all with the car or anything around it. As a team we know what we've got to do to come here and obviously it's a good opportunity for me, but it's also a good opportunity for the team to show that they are back and they want to continue in F1."
Stevens signed with Caterham for Abu Dhabi last week but only found out about his drive on Thursday as he waited for the FIA to ratify his super licence.
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