Malcolm Wilson, Team Director and M-Sport MD, Ford on Castrol and Ford partnership

Ford World Rally Team director Malcolm Wilson and Ford of Europe motorsport chief Gerard Quinn unveiled the livery for the eye-catching Fiesta RS WRC at the Autosport International Racing Car Show in Birmingham, motorsport's traditional start-of-season showcase event.

The team will continue to be sponsored by Castrol EDGE. Branding for Castrol's global range of best-in-class motor oils will feature prominently in the Fiesta RS WRC's new livery for the upcoming season, as it did in 2011.

In a Q&A session with Malcolm Wilson, Team Director and M-Sport Managing Director, Ford, Wilson highlights upon the importance of the partnership between Castrol and Ford. Excerpts:

Q1 (Question 1): What's the history of Castrol and Ford's WRC collaboration?

Malcolm Wilson (MW): Castrol and Ford have worked together for many decades but started to collaborate in partnership in 2003 as a way of developing, testing and optimizing the combination of car and engine oil technologies. WRC involvement started as an extension of the BP-Ford cooperation and resulted in excellent wins in 2006 and 2007, and closely fought second places in 2008, 2009 and 2011 in which the championship went down to the final round of the season with Mikko Hirvonen still competing for the title.

Q2: From a technical point of view, how important is the partnership between Castrol and Ford?

MW: The partnership is a demonstration of what close collaboration can achieve in product development. By using our strengths in innovation and technology, pushing the boundaries of performance and sharing expertise, we can drive future automotive and lubricants technology.

For example, Castrol has developed a range of bespoke Castrol EDGE lubricants technologies specifically for the Ford Fiesta RS WRC to provide maximum performance and protection in one of the world's most demanding motorsport environments. This includes performance engine and transmission oils, brake fluids, coolants and various other fluids applications.

Q3: With Jari-Matti Latvala now team leader and Petter Solberg coming in, how confident are you about the new driver combination for 2012?

MW: Last year was a strong year for the team after finishing runners up in both the drivers' and manufacturers' championships. Obviously Mikko Hirvonen did a great job for Ford over the past six years but in Jari-Matti we have one of the up and coming stars of WRC and we believe he can flourish as lead driver in 2012. Already seen by many as one of the fastest drivers on the circuit, he showed last year that he can perform at a consistently high level on any surface. Mikko's replacement, former world champion Petter Solberg, brings a wealth of experience to a well-balanced line up that is more than capable of pushing hard for the championship this season.

Q4: What are your expectations and hopes for 2012; what will a successful season be for you?

MW: The performance of the Fiesta RS WRC was very good on all surfaces last season so I'm genuinely excited by what we can achieve in 2012. Obviously we want to be challenging for titles and with the team and driver combination we have I am confident we can do just that. Having the technical expertise of partners Castrol EDGE also ensures that we are in a strong position going into the start of the season.