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  • F1 2015: Mexico GP Review – Rosberg Rises To The Occasion

    F1 2015: Mexico GP Review – Rosberg Rises To The Occasion

    What a difference seven days has made in the life of Nico Rosberg. Seven days ago the Mercedes driver was sulking his way through a podium ceremony in Texas and had become part of the Twitter-dubbed ‘cap-gate’ saga.

    But seven days later all was right again in the world of Nico Rosberg. He’s still come second to his championship winning teammate in the greater scheme of things. But he’s won the Mexican grand prix in a straight-out fight with Lewis Hamilton. There was sense of consistency as Rosberg secured a fourth straight pole position. The expectation, created over the same last four races, would have been that the German would again succumb to the craftier Hamilton.

    In Mexico, he beautifully controlled proceedings and never allowed Lewis Hamilton even a momentary chance at victory. There has been much criticism heaped on Nico Rosberg, some even from this column. His performance on Sunday is perfect example of why Rosberg is criticised. Inherently, most criticism comes from a place of frustration. The frustration with Nico Rosberg is confirmed in his two last performances – decidedly average in Austin and unassailable in Mexico.  The last race proves that Rosberg does have the skill to beat his illustrious teammate.

    Mexican GP, Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri BottasThen again, it could be argued that Rosberg beat a far more relaxed Hamilton. A Lewis Hamilton who is who is fighting with all of his powers to win the world championship is a far different and defiant prospect. However, Mexico proves that Rosberg does have the ability to do so, on occasion. But now he needs to couple that ability with the mental fortitude to take on, and beat, a three-time world champion. The psychological strength needed to be a successful Formula 1 driver is equally as important as the racing prowess. With only two races remaining in the 2015 season Rosberg must find a way to unlock the mental barrier in 2016.

    As the two Mercedes wrapped up a one-two finish it was Williams’ Valtteri Bottas who came through to take the final step on the podium. The Finn collided with countryman Kimi Raikkonen earlier in the race. However, this time the roles were reversed as Raikkonen retired with right-rear suspension damage Bottas was able to continue and see the chequered flag.

    GP MESSICO F1/2015It was a day to forget for Ferrari as Sebastian Vettel too crashed out of the Mexican grand prix. It marks the first time since 2006 that Ferrari has suffered a double retirement. Vettel endured a lacklustre race after suffering a puncture early on in a tussle with Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo.

    It was Vettel’s crash on lap 52 that brought out the safety car. It bunched up the field and allowed Bottas to overtake the Red Bull of Daniil Kvyat for third. While Kvyat was demoted to fourth he led home teammate Daniel Ricciardo in fifth. Felipe Massa was sixth in the other Williams ahead of Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg in seventh. Local hero Sergio Perez opted to play the long game on tyre strategy and finished eighth. Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen finished ninth ahead of Lotus driver Romain Grosjean who wrapped up the final point on offer.

    The sense of occasion as the Mexican grand prix returned to the F1 calendar wasn’t lost on anyone. More than one hundred thousand fanatical supporters packed into the grandstands and vociferously displayed their enthusiasm and love for Formula 1. While the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez didn’t quite deliver the racing spectacle that was hoped for it more than made up for it in atmosphere.

  • Vettel Accepts Responsibility for Crash

    Vettel Accepts Responsibility for Crash

    Ferrari’s Sebastian took the blame for his crash in the race for the Mexican Grand Prix which seen Ferrari’s first double DNF for the season and the first one in 8 years.

    Vettel’s race got off to a bad start when he was slow off the line and lost a place to Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat. On the run to Turn 1 Daniel Ricciardo tried to make a pass down the inside of the German. Vettel seemed to have closed the door on Ricciardo who then clipped Vettel’s right rear wheel puncturing it.

    Once Vettel got going again he had a spin out of Turn 7. Replays suggested that he lost the rear of the car under braking which sent him spinning into the run off area just in front of the barriers.

    He continued despite flat-spotting his tyres and pitted again on lap 35 after being trying numerous times to get by Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado.

    On lap 50, Vettel was caught out again at Turn 7. This time locking up the front wheels and spearing straight into the tech pro barriers. Vettel got out of the car unhurt but he was very angry with himself. There was an exchange between Vettel and his race engineer where Vettel Finally said: It’s not ok. I did a s**t job today.”

    “Today I had a bad start, and obviously after the contact with Daniel I was very angry, but in the end I think no one is to blame,” said Vettel after the race.

    “He clearly could not avoid hitting me being too fast for the line he had chosen, but these things happen.

    “I was hoping for a safety car earlier on, but it didn’t happen.

    “I tried to catch up, but the two mistakes didn’t help. The last one obviously ended my race and I am not proud of it.

     

    Photo credit: Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 

  • 2015 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    2015 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    DRIVERS
    1 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)
    2 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
    3 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Williams)

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS
    (Conducted by Nigel Mansell)

    Viva México! What a race ladies and gentlemen. What a brilliant race we had. Can we get the drivers to come down here; get closer to you. We’ll talk to Nico. Nico, what a flawless drive. My goodness me, you were probably wondering what you had to do when the Safety Car came out. How does it feel?
    Nico ROSBERG: Que tal México! Yeah, amazing; amazing day. Great race, great battle with Lewis, he drove really well. Just really, really happy to get the win and this is really the best podium of the year, what a place to do it.

    Absolutely incredible, may I congratulate you. I couldn’t wish for [a better] winner, all three on the podium, absolutely incredible. And what do you think of the crowd. It’s unbelievable isn’t it Nico?
    NR: Absolutely awesome! Muchas gracias.

    OK, across to Lewis now, ladies and gentlemen. Lewis, you pushed really hard and when the Safety Car came out you had younger tyres, the crew did a brilliant job in the pit stops, you were pushing hard but you couldn’t quite do it today.
    Lewis HAMILTON: No, Nico drove a fantastic race and it’s just been fantastic to be here in Mexico. I’ve never seen a crowd like this; it’s like football game. The fans have been amazing. I’ve never seen anything like this.

    Well, you’re a great champion and I’ll tell you, Nico, you’ve just beaten Lewis absolutely fantastically. Let’s go across to Valtteri here, such a well-deserved podium today, ladies and gentlemen, so well deserved. An exciting race, you had a little flirtation with a Ferrari there, what did you make of that?
    Valtteri BOTTAS: First of all, I have to say a big thanks to the team. We did a mega job today. We were racing like a race-winning team, so I’m really proud of that. Yeah, obviously it was not that easy a race, a bit of contact with Kimi. It didn’t have to end like that. It was a bit of a shame for me, there was nowhere to go, but that’s racing.

    But great for you today, a great podium, congratulations. The last word with our winner Nico Rosberg. Nico, the last word’s with you.
    NR: Muchas gracias por la apoyo!

    Q: Nico, you looked in control throughout that race but were there any nervous moments and how much was tyre management an issue? Did you ask for that second stop for safety because of the wear on the first set you changed?
    NR: At the time I wanted to do just… I didn’t want to come in because I was really comfortable at the time, I had a good gap to Lewis so it sort of reset things a little bit, going on another set of tyres – so I wasn’t too happy with that but I understand that it was the better thing to do – especially in light of the Safety Car that came out because it was important to have fresher tyres at that point in time. I’m happy I was able to control the race. The only moment that was a bit difficult was on the restart with the cold tyres – but it was OK.

    Q: Lewis, can you just talk us through your thoughts on the team strategy regarding that second pitstop – and did you think you could get to the end?
    LH: It doesn’t really matter now but good race, the team did a great job, Nico drove really well today, no mistakes, no gust of wind and… yeah, it was very difficult to follow here but what a crowd we had today, it was just incredible. I gave it my all, it was quite fun actually just to be able to push and not really have to be worrying about points or anything like that. Just go out and just race. That was one of the fun races for me.

    Q: Valtteri it was a very eventful race for you. Hard-earned third place. Can you talk us through it and also tell us your thoughts on that moment with Kimi?
    VB: Yeah, overall really good race, plenty happening but it ended up well. First of all I have to say a big thanks to the team. I think as a team we did a great job today, especially with the strategy. The guys were really on it, so really pleased with that. Obviously from the start, the first corners were quite tricky but managed to gain some places as well as further places during the race. The latest one with the Safety Car restart with Daniel. There was the contact with Kimi. We had a contact in Russia but this was just unlucky that we got together again. I was trying to overtake him in Turn Four-Five and there was just no room when I was inside into Turn Five and then we collided – which is a shame because it didn’t have to end up like that but for me, I had no space to go. So, yeah…

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Honorary) Valtteri, as you say, two clashes with Kimi in the last few races. Is it time for you and him to sit down and have a bit of a chat?
    VB: I don’t know if there’s anything to really speak about. For me, we were racing hard, obviously, and normally, what I’m used to in those kind of situations, there is enough for two cars when you go into a chicane like that but this time there wasn’t. And of course I’m not going to back off, I’m fighting for the positions. I was calculating the risk, I think there was a decent possibility to get through. But, hey, it ended up like this. I don’t know if there’s anything really to speak about. Unlucky that it was us two that collided again.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globo Esporte)  Lewis, were you on the limit during the race or the fact that you won the world championship in the last race, maybe you didn’t give that extra power that you normally use during the race?
    LH: Not at all. I was pushing the whole way it’s just that you can’t follow. Soon as I’d get four, five, a few car lengths behind, just to lose the aero, and he had perfect aero so it was impossible to get close enough but I had good pace – but as soon as you get closer and closer and closer you lose all your downforce, so…

    Q: (Ricardo Roura – Reforma Cancha) For all three drivers, your opinion of the Mexican podium this afternoon.
    NR: The Mexican podium? It’s the best podium of the year, I think, to be in a stadium like that and the atmosphere and the energy was just unbelievable, so I’m really thankful to all the Mexican people and to all the people that have been here today, for the massive support also. Really special.

    Q: (Christopher Joseph – Chicane) All three of you have mentioned the stadium and mentioned the crowd; is there a real feeling of energy as you enter that section of the track, and does it give you a lift?
    NR: During driving it’s really difficult because I’m just so focussed on what I’m doing, I don’t look around, so it’s more after the race and after qualifying when I’m aware of that and take it all in because it’s just unbelievable.
    VB: Yeah, I agree. When you drive here, you don’t really look around but after the race you have the time and I was lucky enough to be on the podium, because it was incredible really, just got goosebumps and everything, it was pretty special and I think the best drivers’ parade I’ve ever had as well and really a lot of support from the fans.
    LH: It’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen; in the whole entire time I’ve been in Formula One, I’ve never seen anything like it, this crowd.

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action and Speedsport Magazines) Valtteri, on that last restart, you were on the medium tyre whereas Daniel was on the softs. How difficult was that and how did you set that up, for the pass?
    VB: Well, I think it was a really good call from the team; they knew that I would come back after the pit stop in the same position than before the safety car. And why we opted for the medium was that it is a lower working range tyre, it works better with lower temperatures so it seemed to work. I saw Daniel sliding in the last corner and I managed to get really close and then got through.

    Q: (Eduardo Polaco – AutoBild Mexico)  Did you feel the track different from practice because some of you said that it was very low grip at the beginning, so was there a difference?
    VB: Yeah, I think it was improving on every lap during the race, actually, so the lap times were getting quicker and quicker so every session, every lap of the weekend so maybe next year we actually have some more grip which would be nice.
    LH: I think they should make special tyres for this race. We need more grip.
    NR: Well it’s normal, you know, a new track, it takes a bit of time because the asphalt is just so smooth so it’s the normal story like we’ve seen with most of the new tracks lately. It’s just one of the challenges that we’ve had this weekend but it’s all good, you know, and it’s been a great track, they’ve done a great job with it, so I think the whole race has been an amazing success for F1.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Before the race, almost all engineers from all teams were quite concerned about the brakes and engine temperatures. How difficult was it to make the brakes survive and keep the engine temperatures at a good level?
    LH: It was fairly easy, it was fairly easy. There was not really much degradation on tyres, if any, and the brakes, yeah, you just have to do a little bit of lifting and coasting but it’s no different to anywhere else.
    NR: No, the team did a great job so we were fine. There’s been other races that were more critical; today was no problem.
    VB: Yeah, not a big problem. I think if we would have been following other cars for a long time then maybe but all good.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globo Esporte) Nico, your start was decisive for your winning. In the last few races you didn’t start well; can you describe your procedure of starting?
    NR: Well, it’s just like everything else. I’ve been working on it to try and get everything perfect and today it worked out to be first and that was important, maybe the most important part of the race, so I’m very happy about that.

  • 2015 Mexican GP results

    2015 Mexican GP results

    Full results of the 2015 Formula One Mexican GP.

    Nico Rosberg managed to keep a cool head and at the same time keep Lewis Hamilton from his goal of winning the first Mexican GP on the new circuit. Despite Hamilton coming very close in the end, it was just not close enough to snatch the win away from the German.

    Below are the Mexican GP results. Keep you eyes peeled for our race review.

     

    Pos Driver Team Laps Gap
    1 Rosberg Mercedes 71 1h 42:35.038
    2 Hamilton Mercedes 71 + 0:01.954
    3 Bottas Williams 71 + 0:14.592
    4 Kvyat Red Bull 71 + 0:16.572
    5 Ricciardo Red Bull 71 + 0:19.682
    6 Massa Williams 71 + 0:21.493
    7 Hulkenberg Force India 71 + 0:25.860
    8 Perez Force India 71 + 0:34.343
    9 Verstappen Toro Rosso 71 + 0:35.229
    10 Grosjean Lotus 71 + 0:37.934
    11 Maldonado Lotus 71 + 0:38.538
    12 Ericsson Sauber 71 + 0:40.180
    13 Sainz Toro Rosso 71 + 0:48.772
    14 Button McLaren 71 + 0:49.214
    15 Rossi Marussia 69 + 2 Laps
    16 Stevens Marussia 69 + 2 Laps
    Nasr Sauber 57 Brakes
    Vettel Ferrari 50 Accident
    Raikkonen Ferrari 21 Accident Damage
    Alonso McLaren 1 MGU-H

     Mexican GP

  • 2015 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix: Official Starting Grid

    2015 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix: Official Starting Grid

    The official starting grid for the 2015 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix

    Pos. Driver Team Penalty
    1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes
    2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
    3 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari
    4 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull
    5 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull
    6 Valtteri Bottas Williams
    7 Felipe Massa Williams
    8 Max Verstappen Toro Rosso
    9 Segio Perez Force India
    10 Nico Hulkenberg Force India
    11 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso
    12 Romain Grosjean Lotus
    13 Pastor Maldonado Lotus
    14 Marcus Ericsson Sauber
    15 Felipe Nasr Sauber
    16 Alexander Rossi Manor
    17 Will Stevens Manor
    18 Fernando Alonso* McLaren 15 place grid penalty
    19 Kimi Raikkonen* Ferrari 35 place grid penalty
    20 Jenson Button* McLaren 70 place grid penalty
  • 30-Place Grid Penalty for Raikkonen Ahead of Mexican Grand Prix Race

    30-Place Grid Penalty for Raikkonen Ahead of Mexican Grand Prix Race

    After engine troubles in FP3 which resulted in a gearbox change ahead of Qualifying, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen will drop a further 30-places down the grid for the race on Sunday.

    Raikkonen who was to be dropped 5 places after qualifying will incur a further 30-place drop after the team decided to change his engine, turbo, MGU-H, energy store, and control electronics. This will be Raikkonen’s 6th engine and 5th of every other component.

    He’ll take a 10-place drop for the new engine and a 5-place drop for each 5th component (turbo, MGU-H, energy store, control electronics).

    After all the penalties have been applied Raikkonen will start in 19th place ahead of McLaren’s Jenson Button in 20th position.

     

    Photo Credit: Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1

  • Button’s F1 Mexican GP grid penalty now 70 places

    Button’s F1 Mexican GP grid penalty now 70 places

    Jenson Button’s grid penalty is now a record breaking 70 places after further changes to his Honda engine after the Mexican GP qualifying.

    The McLaren-Honda driver had already taken two 25 place grid penalty hits for fitting two new engines, turbochargers, MGU-H and MGU-K units this weekend before qualifying, but will now take an additional twenty place grid penalty for yet another turbocharger as well as new control electronics and yet another further MGU-H unit.

    Jenson Button grid penalty now 70 placesButton did not take part in the Mexican GP qualifying due to a signal system failure that led to a misfire during final practice, forcing Honda to revert back to the power unit used in FP1.

    The extra penalty does not really make a difference since Button will have started at the back of the grid anyway and no in-race penalties applied anymore following a mid-season rule change.

    Button will start twentieth and last on the grid alongside team mate Fernando Alonso at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

  • ‘Michael Schumacher still fighting’, reveals Jean Todt

    ‘Michael Schumacher still fighting’, reveals Jean Todt

    FIA president and close friend of the Schumacher family, Jean Todt, has revealed that Michael Schumacher is “still fighting” the injuries he sustained in a skiing accident nearly 2 years.

    The seven-times world champion suffered severe and life changing head trauma in the accident which happened in the French Alps in December 2013. After initially being placed in a medically-induced coma and spending several months in hospital, Schumacher is continuing his rehabilitation at home in Switzerland.

    The FIA president, who is a close friend of Schumacher after spending years with the German as Ferrari team principal during Schumacher’s era of domination says he is still fighting his injuries.

    Michael Schumacher and Jean Todt“Michael is a close friend, his family is very close to me, I am very close to them as well,” Todt said. “I see Michael very often, and Michael is still fighting. We must keep him fighting for the family.”

    Schumacher’s official condition has never been revealed by the family, who are keen to maintain privacy. It has previously been reported that a staff of 15 are providing Schumacher with around-the-clock medical care. Sabine Khem, Schumacher’s manager, has fiercly defended his privacy since the accident, was quoted as saying that Schumacher was “making progress but his supporters should keep the seriousness of his injuries in mind”.

    Todt added that Schumacher’s achievements have been magnified of recent since Lewis Hamilton wrapped up his third world championship title saying that, “It was interesting last week after Lewis was world champion for the third time. You saw the figures [seven titles]. I was very proud of what Michael did, and you tend to forget what Michael did.”

    Our thoughts remain with Schumi and his family and friends.

    #KeepFightingMichael

  • 2015 Mexico GP Qualifying: Rosberg beats Hamilton to Mexican pole

    2015 Mexico GP Qualifying: Rosberg beats Hamilton to Mexican pole

    Nico Rosberg bounced back from his US grand prix disappointment today by secured his fourth straight pole position after topping the timesheets of the qualifying session ahead the Mexican Grand Prix.

    Rosberg set an initial time of 1:20.120 and then lowered his benchmark to a 1:19.480 with nobody able to improve on the final Q3 lap.

    In the end, Rosberg’s time was 0.188s faster than his Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton with the two securing yet another front-low lock-out for the team.

    Mexico GP Qualifying - Nico RosbergRosberg seems to have left Austin and the lost championship title behind, and revealed his pleasure at securing the Mexican Grand Prix pole position. “I’m quite pleased with the first half of the weekend,” said Rosberg. “I have to thank my engineers because we nailed the set-up and I felt great in the car.”

    Hamilton was very relaxed about losing out on the pole position, clearly not allowing too much space for Rosberg to get too comfortable psychologically. Hamilton says he thinks that the long run down to Turn 1 makes second on the grid better than pole position for tomorrow’s Mexican Grand Prix. “It’s actually the best spot to start, second or third, because there’s a long way down to Turn 1 like Russia – I think it’s longer than Russia,” Hamilton said. “I’m happy with my spot. The races have always proved to be quite good ones for me so I’m excited for tomorrow.”

    Though he did briefly hold provisional pole in Q3 before Rosberg’s second lap on the soft tyre, Hamilton admitted that rosberg did a better job on the day but was quick to add that his set-up is more geared for the race.

    Sebastian Vettel finished the qualifying session third fastest in his Ferrari, beating Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo.

    Mexico GP Qualifying - Felipe MassaThe Williams F1 team took up sixth and seventh positions with Valtteri Bottas finishing ahead of team mate Felipe Massa. Massa clocked the highest top speed of the 2015 F1 season during qualifying, reaching a peak of 364.3km/h during Q1.

    The altitude of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez – over 2,200 metres high – means that drag and downforce is reduced due to only 78 per cent of the oxygen being available compared to sea level.

    Top speeds are also aided by the medium-speed entry onto the pit straight, which is 1.2km in length and DRS-assisted.

    Williams team mate Valtteri Bottas ranked up second on the list at 360.8km/h.

    Max Verstappen hailed his qualifying session in Mexico as one of the top performances of his rookie Formula 1 year after grabbing eighth place on the grid. “It was one of the best to be honest,” Verstappen said. “I mean it’s not our favourite track and in the end, especially if you miss FP2 which is quite crucial to set up your car, we were struggling in FP3 to find the right balance. I think we managed to turn it around very quickly for qualifying and it was a bit of a thriller in Q2 with the last lap, I’m very happy I could put that one in.

    “It was very tense. I saw I was three tenths down and so I was like ‘don’t f**k this one up”. Then I managed to do it, so I was quite happy with that one.”

    Force India only sent Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg out for the final moments of the Q3 qualifying session and the duo finished as the slowest of the runners in the session.

    Carlos Sainz Jr. set the 11th quickest time for Toro Rosso and Lotus claimed 12th and 13th with Romain Grosjean beating team mate Pastor Maldonado.

    Marcus Ericsson made it through to Q2 and set the 14th best qualifying time for Sauber while Kimi Raikkonen had a miserable day finishing in 15th place.

    Having stopped on track during final practice, Raikkönen only returned to action in qualifying but spun at Turn 1, citing a brake problem with his car. Raikkonen will start ahead of only the McLaren drivers.

    Fernando Alonso was 16th quickest but will drop to 19th due to an engine penalty, with Felipe Nasr finshing 17th for Sauber. Alexander Rossi again managed to out-qualify Manor Marussia team mate Will Stevens.

    Jenson Button was not able to participate in qualifying due to a power unit problem that forced him out of the final practice session.

    Button was set to start last even if he had participated in the session after having to take a 50 place grid penalty.

  • 2015 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    2015 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    DRIVERS
    1st Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes) 
    2nd Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
    3rd Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

    TV UNILATERAL
    Nico, first of all congratulations, your fourth pole in a row. Qualifying is proving very strong for you at the moment, what was the key today?
    Nico ROSBERG: I don’t really have a precise explanation. I just felt good all weekend. I’ve been quick in all different sessions and found a good balance in qualifying. So thanks to my engineers in the team I was able to push and got a really good lap in.

    Thank you. Lewis, if I can come to you. You looked good in Q2, you were on top in Q2, but that 50th pole is proving tricky. Were there any mistakes in Q3 on your final lap?
    Lewis HAMILTON: Not really, no. This weekend Nico has been quick and I’ve just been chipping away at it. There were a couple of moments where the car felt pretty spectacular but otherwise generally there are some areas where, for sure, I could improve both in my driving and also with the set-up. But we have quite a bit of a different set-up this weekend, so perhaps the avenue I went might not be the perfect one for qualifying but it’ll be good for the race.

    Thank you. Sebastian, you tried everything, [but] Mercedes [were] too quick today. Was the drop in temperature in that final session a factor at all for you?
    Sebastian VETTEL: I don’t think so. In the end we were hoping for it to be a bit closer but in the end it wasn’t. I think already already in Q2, in Q1 to be fair, with the hard tyre they looked very, very quick, so it was difficult. I tried everything. I was very happy with the first attempt in Q3. On the second one I probably pushing too hard and I didn’t go any faster. Yeah, I don’t think it is fair to blame it on the conditions or the track. In the end they were just a sniff too quick. But who knows what happens tomorrow. Seems to be a fun circuit. Finally it starts to rubber in a bit. Yesterday it was very slippery. It’s good fun and it’s nice to see so many people coming, so I think it should be exciting for all of us tomorrow.

    Thank you. Nico, returning to you, how do you turn this into a win tomorrow and how badly do you want it to turn into a win tomorrow?
    NR: It’s a good start, for sure, starting from pole. It’s going to be a long run down to turn one, so it’s going to be an exciting battle. Then I’m sure we have a good race car. It will be interesting tyre-wise. There was some stuff going on on Friday, which is going to be not so easy to handle in the race but we’re prepared well, so looking forward to it.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Nico, congratulations, you’ve looked comfortable all weekend, it this ‘Angry Nico’ fighting back?
    NR: No, definitely not. There’s no difference, it’s attack like always. It’s three more races to go, great to be here in Mexico, great track, I really enjoy driving here, so business as usual.

    Q: Lewis, P2 hasn’t proved too much of a problem for you in recent times, there’s a very long run down to Turn One as well. Is that your target for the race tomorrow?
    LH: Actually coming into the weekend it’s one of the best spots to start, second or third because it’s a long, long way down to Turn One. Just as in Russia. I don’t know if it’s longer than Russia but I’m quite happy with my spot. As you’ve said, the races have always been proved to be quite good ones for me so I’m excited for tomorrow and, yeah…

    Q: Sebastian, it’s looked close this weekend. Did you think pole was on?
    SV: Well, now we’ve just finished qualifying… no! If we talk about another tenth I think it’s always normal for us to say “yeah, one-tenth here or there, could have squeezed a bit more,” but I was reasonably happy with my lap and I think we were missing four-tenths in the end so the gap was probably too big. We have to be fair and say congratulations to Nico who drove a very good qualifying and put in a very strong lap.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Luigi Perna – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Question for Seb. In your opinion, it will be possible tomorrow to match Mercedes considering your race pace especially with medium tyres?
    SV: Well, I can’t predict what’s going to happen but usually we’re always a bit stronger, compared to them, in the race. As Nico touched on with the tyres, could be crucial tomorrow, the circuit is very slippery and I expect it to be slippery again. There might be some rain overnight so might be a bit of a reset for the track. To answer your question, we will have to wait and see tomorrow – but I hope so.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) What happened at the end of qualifying, because everybody seemed to be slower than before?
    NR: I was a tenth off my (best) lap, I think, so it was a good lap, just not as good as the previous one.
    SV: Sounds like a good excuse! I did the same, I was a tenth off, it was a good lap, just not as good as before.
    LH: Yeah, I just wasn’t quicker on that lap.

    Q: (Christopher Joseph – Chicane) To all of you, we touched on altitude on Thursday. I just wondered if you’re feeling any physical effects after qualifying and in general, out and about in Mexico City?
    LH: No issues, it’s tough out there as usual and it will be interesting for the race tomorrow for sure with the altitude. It does make a difference. And otherwise, so far I’ve had the best time here, I had the best tacos last night and I’m going to go back and have them again tonight and tomorrow night and probably the next night as well. I’m enjoying my stay.
    NR: The only time I felt it was running round the track where for sure I had a higher heart rate on Thursday but in the car, not really, it’s been fine.
    SV: I think it’s fine, we have a very very long straight to rest so that helps. Other than that, I think it’s great for us, it’s exciting, a lot of people. I think the size of the grandstands here seem to be at least double to other places and still full so it makes it very special for us.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globo Esporte) Lewis and Nico, there’s no way not to ask you (this question) considering what we saw in the last few races; will there be any conversation between you both considering the start tomorrow?
    NR: It’s no different, you know, it’s always going to be a battle and what’s in the past is in the past and now we move forward, it doesn’t change.
    LH: The same as he’s just said.
    SV: Can you make sure you take both of you out so I can go through? Yes? No? I tried.