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  • Team and Driver Quotes – Brazilian Grand Prix

    Team and Driver Quotes – Brazilian Grand Prix

    Team and Driver Quotes following the final Formula One race of the season – the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix.

    Red Bull
    Sebastian Vettel, 1st
    “I don’t want to compare the record what we have got today; it’s not fair as it was a different time when Ascari was driving. Cars broke down more often then and teams were less consistent, so therefore it’s a different type of record that we have got today. For all of us in the whole team we love coming to work and giving it all we have. There’s a great spirit and it’s sad in a way that the year comes to an end, but that’s how it is. I’m sure everyone’s looking forward to a break to get the batteries charged and to look forward to next year. My start wasn’t so good today, but I was able to get past Rosberg. It was hard to know what was going to happen in today’s race. When we came for the second pit stop, it was a late call and then we had to wait for the tyres. We managed to recover with some laps to go. Today was of course Mark’s last race. We didn’t have the best relationship, but nevertheless we always had respect for each other on a professional level and whatever was going on off-track, didn’t make a difference to us on track and we both pushed each other very hard. I certainly learned a lot from Mark. I learned to become a better driver, due to his impressive skills; that’s why I consider him one of the best drivers on the grid.”

    Mark Webber,2nd
    brazil-webber-helmetless“It was nice to take the helmet off for the final lap. In this sport it’s not always possible to give things a personal touch. We have the helmets on all the time, so they fans don’t always see a Formula One driver in a car without a helmet. It was nice to get it off and see the marshals and the fans; it was just a really nice thing to experience. I heard a lot of noises that I don’t normally hear. The difficult part for me today was actually getting in to the car for the final time. I was overcome with some emotion then to be honest. That moment of the helmet going on and stepping into the car was actually the strongest emotion I’ve had all day. Then crossing the line and seeing all the guys was great. Christian radioed me and said enjoy the last lap, which I did. I did it as slow as I could; it was a very special day. Seb and I have had our challenges over time and it’s easier to have a relationship with Fernando, as he’s in another team, but to finish on the podium with those two guys – well, they have been the best of this generation. I have raced them a lot and to finish with those guys was nice for me because it meant a lot, showing that I can drive well at the end of my career and that I got the timing right. Formula One is a sport which I’ve loved. I could never have dreamt of the career that I’ve had, the tremendous highs, the tough lows – you know they have to happen and you learn from adversity. The biggest and strongest memories you have are from when you are in the car; it’s what we were tuned and trained to do. Driving on the limit is what I was paid to do and what I enjoyed doing. They are the strongest memories you have as an individual at this level.”

    Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal
    “What an incredible way to sign off not only a remarkable season, but also Mark’s career in Formula One. It was a fitting way to finish with a one two finish. Sebastian claims yet another record and has driven like a true champion this year to have won thirteen Grand Prix in one season; it’s a remarkable achievement and will be very difficult to surpass. For Mark, it was fantastic that he finished his Formula One career on the podium with a really gutsy drive. His moves on Rosberg, Hamilton and twice on Alonso showed what a real racer he is and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank him for the invaluable contribution that he’s made to the team, to the four constructors’ championships that we have won together and for all his hard work and efforts throughout the last seven years. As he moves on to a new challenge we wish him the very, very best to him and his family for the future.”

    Thierry Salvi, Renault support for Red Bull
    “A perfect way to close the V8 era: winning the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships and all the races since the summer break! Congratulations to all at Red Bull for the sheer amount of work they have done this year and for helping us secure the place of the Renault RS27 V8 in F1 history. Thank you to Mark who leaves us today: we wish him a lot of success in his future role.”

    Ferrari
    Fernando Alonso, 3rd
    WebberAlono_BrazilPodium2013“A podium is the best way to end this long season and finishing behind two Red Bulls almost tastes like a victory, as well as being the maximum we could have done today. It’s a real shame that the much awaited rain didn’t arrive in the end, because in the wet, we would definitely have been more competitive. I did not get away well at the start and I found myself blocked on the outside and then the inside. However, after catching Hamilton and Rosberg, I began to push and my race was all on the attack. Even if we cannot be fully satisfied with this result, because our aim is always to win, I would view the season in a positive light: we did win and get podiums, as well as finishing second in the drivers’ championship and these are figures we can be proud of, both myself and Felipe. He’s been a fantastic team mate and even if we continue to see one another in the paddock, I will miss the relationship we have had. I wish him all the best for the future.”

    Felipe Massa, 7th
    “My race began perfectly, with a great start and then a strong pace that allowed me to immediately pull of some nice passing moves and I was having a really great race up until the moment I was given a penalty for crossing the white line. I don’t think I deserved a drive-through and I believe it was very unfair. I am very disappointed because today I could have finished fourth or third. I am sure that if I had found myself behind Fernando, he’d have let me pass. However, I don’t want this incident to ruin such a special weekend for me and all my team. In their eyes, I am a world champion and I will never forget them, nor anything about my time with Ferrari. I want to thank everyone who gave me this opportunity and maximum support all the time, including President Montezemolo, Stefano Domenicali and all the mechanics and engineers who work at the track and back home, as well as all the Ferrari fans who, over the years, have rejoiced with me and also suffered with me during the most difficult moments. Thank you!”

    Pat Fry, Ferrari engineering director
    “Today’s was a very uncertain race, for which it was difficult to make predictions because of unknowns relating to the weather and tyre behaviour. In the end, it didn’t rain and the tyres displayed linear degradation, thanks also to the skilful management of both drivers. The car was well suited to the characteristics of this circuit also in the dry and, but for Felipe’s penalty, we could have finished third and fourth. It would have been absolutely deserved because without a doubt today we were the second best team in the field. The team worked impeccably all weekend and I want to congratulate everyone for having tackled such a difficult season with maximum dedication. I am pleased the pit stop guys set the fastest times of the year and that our engineers were able to yet again deliver amazing reliability on the engine front, the systems and all car components, which is a key element when it comes to preparing for next year, for a new season when we want to return to being front runners again.”

    Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari team principal
    “We have ended a difficult season with our heads held high, once again front runners in a Grand Prix that had a bittersweet outcome. Today, we witnessed a very aggressive Ferrari, in a wonderful race for Fernando, while for Felipe it was over when he was handed a penalty, which honestly, I find a bit extreme and forced. Because I don’t think Felipe’s move gave him any advantage. With the points he could have scored the outcome of the constructors’ championship could have been different. However, I was very happy to see the team react and work well here in all conditions. This has to be the impetus to prepare for next season as well as possible and our engineers are aware of the results we want to obtain. The assessment of this season just ended cannot be positive, because after a competitive start, we had a second half that did not live up to our standards, as I have said many times before. Now words count for nothing, but only the work we must do back home: on this topic, I think all the decisions we have taken and the changes we made are taking us in the right direction to tackle next season in the best way possible.”

    McLaren
    Jenson Button, 4th
    “For Checo, myself and the whole Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, today was an incredible day. I’m pleased to have finished fourth: it’s almost the podium position that I came here aiming for. We really needed today’s result. The 2013 season hasn’t been an easy one – it’s been tough for all of us at the circuits, but it’s probably been even tougher for the guys back at the factory, working flat-out to make parts. They’re a really amazing bunch of totally passionate and utterly dedicated people, and they richly deserve the ‘lift’ that today’s result will have given them. I’m also pleased for Checo. He won’t be with us next year, but he drove a great race today. Well done, mate. I also want to say a big ‘thank you’ to Vodafone. Vodafone has been an absolutely incredible title partner, and we’ve also had a lot of fun together – both on and off the track. Some of the videos they made with us have been truly brilliant. I’m sad to see them leave, but I guess nothing lasts for ever. This is a great way to end the year, and now our focus turns squarely to 2014. McLaren is an incredibly strong and powerful organisation – and, believe me, we will fight back.”

    Sergio Perez, 6th
    “What a contrast today was to yesterday, when we were unlucky to lose five grid positions owing to a gearbox-change penalty, but I think we made a very strong recovery this afternoon. I was praying for heavier rain at the end of the race, so that I could have a go at making up some more positions. But unfortunately I had to save fuel in the final laps, which meant I couldn’t really attack Nico [Rosberg] as hard as I’d otherwise have been able to. I’ve learnt so much from everyone at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, the best team I’ve ever raced with, and I wish every single one of them all the best for the future. I wish Jenson and Kevin all the best for the future, too. I think I’ve grown up a lot this year – both as a racing driver and as a man – and I think I’ll be an even stronger competitor in future as a result.”

    Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal
    Jenson Button, McLaren“Undoubtedly, that was our best Grand Prix of the year. It’s frustrating to have to say that after a race in which our drivers finished only fourth and sixth, but it’s also true. Moreover, the manner in which those results were achieved was heartening indeed: both Jenson and Checo had difficulties in qualifying, through no fault of their own, but the way they charged through the field from their lowly grid slots this afternoon was seriously impressive. It also illustrated very creditable race pace, which was good to see. Having said all that, 2013 been a long, hard and disappointing year. Nonetheless, I want to take this opportunity to pay particular tribute to our trackside mechanics and engineers, who are without doubt the best in the pit lane. That’s not only my opinion, by the way; the stats bear it out too.

    As of today, McLaren became the first team in Formula One history to have both its cars classified in every Grand Prix during the season. And, also as of today, McLaren completed 99.17% of the season’s total possible race distance – 7139 miles [11,488km] out of a possible 7198 miles [11,584km] – which is not only better than every other team managed this season but is also a new world record, beating the previous record of 98.30% set by BMW-Sauber in 2008. Those two stats constitute compelling proof of the fact that our trackside mechanics and engineers possess the three D’s in impressive abundance: dedication, determination and discipline. Well done, boys, I’m proud of you. Today, Jenson broke a record, too, becoming the first British F1 driver to start 247 Grand Prix, eclipsing the previous British milestone of 246 set by our old friend David [Coulthard]. And the way Jenson drove today proves that he’s as hungry and as competitive as ever he was. Checo also drove a superb race today, surging from nineteenth on the grid to sixth at the flag, and I’m personally delighted that he was able to end his year at McLaren with such a fantastic performance. As I’ve said many times, he’s a fine driver. He’s also a lovely guy, and the way he’s conducted himself over the past ten days, in particular, in extremely challenging circumstances, has been hugely impressive. He’s a class act.

    Today we also have to bid farewell to our title and total communications partner Vodafone, after seven seasons in which together we won one world championship, here at Interlagos, in 2008, perhaps the most dramatic denouement in Formula One history, and also scored 34 grand prix wins. Vodafone has been a fabulous partner for McLaren, and has contributed not only funding but also technology. Moreover, our partnership delivered all the marketing objectives that Vodafone had set for it, and gave its clients and customers a lot of fun, too. Finally, I want to say something about the future. Formula One is a relentlessly demanding sport, and next season’s new regulations are already presenting all the teams with a daunting array of technical challenges – not only powertrains but aerodynamics, too. For quite some time we’ve been working extremely hard on those technical challenges and our focus will be unstinting and unwavering from now onwards, throughout the winter. In other words, the 2014 season starts this evening.”

    Mercedes
    Nico Rosberg, 5th
    “Today is a great day for the team and to finish in second place in the Constructors’ Championship is a huge step forward for us. My thanks to everyone who made our success possible and congratulations to the team here at the track and back at our factories. It was certainly an interesting race today; I had a perfect start but then I struggled a lot with my rear tyres in the opening stint and lost a few positions. We could have cleared Jenson in the pits but it was better for us to be conservative and focus on our battle with Ferrari. I’m so happy that we have achieved our aim and now everyone can look forward to a break and the new challenge of 2014. It’s a huge project and there’s a lot of work ahead over the winter. I’m very much looking forward to working with the team to put us in the best possible position for next season.”

    Lewis Hamilton, 9th
    brazil-lewishamilton“Firstly, congratulations to the team today for achieving second place in the Constructors’ Championship. That result means so much to everyone and I’m so grateful to have been a part of it this year. From my side, it was a tough race today. I don’t know what happened exactly with Valtteri and will have to have a look at the replay. I thought that I had moved to the left, he outbraked me and then we touched but it happened so quickly and it was obviously judged that I did something wrong. I was having a good race until that point in fourth place and a podium might have been possible as I was closing on Fernando. That’s why I’m so disappointed with my own race but of course I’m delighted for the team. They have done an incredible job this year and really deserve this result. It’s the reward for what I know has been many years of hard work and my thoughts are with everyone here at the track and back at our factories at Brackley and Brixworth. We’ve got so much to look forward to next season so I’ll put today behind me quickly and focus on what should be a great year in 2014.”

    Ross Brawn, Mercedes team principal
    “Well, I’ve certainly got a few more grey hairs after that race! Both cars made fantastic starts but it was soon clear that we hadn’t found the sweet spot with the car balance for Nico and he was struggling for rear-end grip. Lewis was stronger in the opening stint and showed good pace before and after his first stop. Our race obviously turned on the two drive-through penalties for Felipe and Lewis. Our drivers had been reporting that Felipe was consistently crossing the white line at pit entry with all four wheels and when the FIA eventually took action, that obviously helped us. Then we had Lewis’ unfortunate incident with Bottas and we have to take that one on the chin as we should have kept Lewis better informed of just how quickly the Williams was closing, even though he was a lap down. He then drove strongly after the penalty, especially considering his floor was damaged by the flailing tyre. But the key thing today is that the team secured second position in the Constructors’ Championship, even though we made rather hard work of it. That was done on the basis of a very good step forwards and one we made for good reasons. My thanks and congratulations go to everyone at our team for all of their hard work, dedication and commitment. Red Bull have been extremely dominant in 2013, and congratulations to them. But our progress is the first fruits of the technical team we began building two years ago and I am optimistic that the trend of progress will continue in 2014.”

    Toto Wolff, Mercedes team executive director
    “Our target today was to secure second position in the Constructors’ Championship; we achieved that target and that’s what counts. Ferrari, and Fernando in particular, made life extremely hard for us in the first half of the race and that kept us on our toes and gave us some nervous moments. Lewis’ incident with Valtteri was unfortunate; we must be glad that it did not ultimately cost us any positions in the standings and learn our lessons from it. Thank you to everyone at the team, both at the track and at our factories, for their efforts and please keep up the hard work! Congratulations also to Red Bull, who once again showed incredible pace and have set the standard this season. From tomorrow, our attention will be fully focused on 2014 and taking another significant step forward in performance.”

    Sauber
    Nico Hulkenberg, 8th
    “It was a good race. I had a good start and nice battles in the first few laps. Then I was by myself for most of the race. The problem today was too much understeer. Because of that the front tyres were ruined pretty quickly, which cost us time. But finishing eighth is a solid result and it puts me in tenth place in the drivers’ championship, which I have never achieved before. That is a good feeling.”

    Esteban Gutierrez, 12th
    “Overall I feel positive. It’s been a great race and I enjoyed all the fights on track today. I had a good first lap overtaking quite a few cars. We were struggling a bit with the hard tyres in the first stint, but then managed to recover some time with the medium tyres during the second and third stints. So the way we approached everything today was good. It was still quite a challenge to manage the front graining we had and I was doing everything I could to try and compensate for that. All in all I have finished the season with a positive race. It was a season where learning and gaining experience have been the main topics for me, and I feel I did a solid job as a driver to take the next step forward for my performance.”

    Tom McCullough, Sauber, head of track engineering
    “The rain just held off and, as planned, we had a two stop strategy with both cars. With a lot of information that needed to be processed today, our strategy engineer did an excellent job. Finishing P8 and P12 is good, considering where we started from. After a difficult start to the season, we have improved our results in the second half. This was a team effort from everyone at the track as well as everyone back at the factory in Hinwil. They have all been working very hard to improve our competitiveness. A big thank you to everyone involved in that. We start a new era in Formula One, and that is now our immediate focus.”

    Monisha Kaltenborn, Sauber team principal
    “It was a consolidating end to the season, which has been very difficult for the team. However the team has shown its morale in this difficult situation and together we will come back stronger. The foundation for a successful second half of the season was a strong performance from everyone in Hinwil and the race team, which translated into success at the track. The race today was typical of the season: despite a difficult starting point we were able to score four points and, therefore, have a satisfying end to the season.”

    Toro Rosso
    Daniel Ricciardo, 10th
    Daniel Ricciardo“The conditions were very difficult with the occasional drop of rain. From the cockpit, it’s actually quite difficult to judge how much rain there is. You see a few drops on your visor, look at the guy in front of you and if he doesn’t go off, you assume it’s dry. We were not very quick from the start and I was struggling with cold graining on the front right. We did try and rebalance it during the race, but we struggled in terms of pure pace, so I was quite happy to come away with a point. At midnight tonight I become an Infiniti Red Bull Racing driver, but for now I just want to say thank you to everyone at Scuderia Toro Rosso, here at the track, back in Faenza and at our wind tunnel for two fantastic years. Thanks guys!”

    Jean-Eric Vergne, 15th
    “Catastrophic starts for both Toro Rossos today and after that, I had a car that was very difficult to drive. I know it’s the same for everyone as it was the first time we ran here in the dry, but the balance of my car just wouldn’t allow me to push. It improved in the final two stints but it was a real struggle. As for the incident with Maldonado, I came up the inside of him at Turn 1 and he didn’t leave me any room, so we touched and he spun. This season has had more bad times than good ones for me, but we are all determined to work very hard over the winter to start next season with a better car.”

    Franz Tost, Toro Rosso team principal
    “Our race was compromised immediately off the grid as both cars got poor starts. This cost us most of the benefit of yesterday’s very good qualifying result. We therefore had poor initial pace, dropping down the order and it was worse for Jev than for Daniel. We decided to take Daniel out of traffic quite early, ignoring the risk of rain and he then made up some ground. In the middle of the race, everyone was holding off making the final stop because of the threat of a wet track, at which point Daniel’s tyres had done a lot of laps. He managed this situation very well and we made an early stop which got him ahead of a couple more cars, after which he looked after his tyres well enough to take the point for tenth, with both Force Indias’ and a Sauber behind us. After Jev got stuck in traffic following the start, he also complained about car balance and we only got him out of traffic for the final two stints, when his times improved to a similar level to his team mate’s. It’s nice to end the year with a point, even if we had been aiming for rather more than one at the start of the day.”

    Force India
    Paul di Resta, 11th
    “The light rain made for quite a tricky race, but it was also enjoyable with lots of overtaking. Losing six places off the line with too much wheelspin was a key moment and really put us on the backfoot, but the performance of the car in the race was consistent and we achieved the two-stop race. We chose to extend each stint but I struggled for performance on the hard tyre at the end and I wasn’t able to challenge Ricciardo for the final point. However, I think we can go away from here quite satisfied with what we achieved today and with the year as a whole. Although I missed out on a top ten position in the championship, it’s been a successful season, an incredible journey and I want to say a massive thanks to the team for the job they’ve done this year.”

    Adrian Sutil, 13th
    “It was quite a challenging final race and I was really hoping for some points, but it just wasn’t possible today. It was drizzling with rain for most of the race, but I felt quite sure the track was going to stay mostly dry. The main issue for me was the tyre wear because we had to stop three times and that made it hard to race for points. In the final laps I was catching the train of cars ahead of me, but I didn’t get close enough to change my position. It’s been an up and down season, but I will remember the positives and the fact the team is once again in sixth place in the championship, which is a great effort by everybody.”

    Robert Fernley, Force India team deputy team principal
    “Although we missed out on points today, we achieved the objective that we set ourselves coming into the weekend to defend our sixth place in the championship. In the end we did that quite comfortably, which is a real credit to everybody at Sahara Force India. It means we’ve finished in the top six twice in the last three seasons, consolidating our reputation as being the best non-manufacturer team. I thought Paul and Adrian both drove well today, although the ground Paul lost at the start proved quite costly. His race pace was good on the two-stop strategy, but the final point was out of reach. Adrian suffered more with tyre wear and had to stop three times. Looking back on the season as a whole I think we can be proud of our performance. The start of the year was exceptional and we recaptured our form in the final few races. We look forward to the challenge of 2014 and will come back determined to pick up where we left off.”

    Lotus
    Heikki Kovalainen, 14th
    Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus F1 Team“It has been a great opportunity to drive for the Lotus F1 team and I’m upset that I was not able to score any points for them today. I think the car is great, but I was not able to unlock the pace and make the most of it. I made some mistakes – probably through lack of routine – but I was anticipating it would be easier to come back and race competitively. My starts both here and in Austin were really poor, with procedural issues both times meaning I wasn’t able to keep pace with everyone off the line. That was disappointing as it’s such a big part of the race and it’s very difficult to recover positions. I’d like to thank everyone at Lotus F1 team for all their support during these two races.”

    Romain Grosjean, DNF
    “At this point in the season I think everyone needs a holiday, but apparently my engine decided to go on vacation early! Of course, that’s not the way we wanted to end the year but it’s been a fantastic season for the team and I think we can be really proud of what we’ve achieved together. We’ve proven this year that we are a top team, and I’m certainly proud of all the guys in the garage and back at Enstone. Today was obviously disappointing for everyone as they deserved more from this final race after all their hard work, but now it’s time to get a little bit of rest and then focus on making sure we head into 2014 and the new regulations as one of the top teams once again.”

    Eric Boullier, Lotus team principal
    “Clearly this is a disappointing way to end what has been a strong season for the team in often difficult circumstances. Our goal at the start of the year was to improve on last season’s fourth place in the constructors’ championship, and although we may have just fallen short of that target, it has certainly not been through a lack of effort. Fourteen podium finishes and 315 points is a commendable improvement on our 2012 performance, and I am extremely proud of everyone who has worked so hard to keep us right at the front of a very competitive pack until the very last weekend of the season. In Kimi and Romain we have had one of the strongest line-ups on the grid, and I would like to congratulate them both on some fantastic performances throughout the year. From Kimi’s memorable win at the opening race to Romain’s recent run of podium finishes, they have both been superb. It’s going to be a busy winter preparing for the challenges of 2014, but for now we wish everyone a good few days of well-earned rest.”

    Alan Permane, Lotus trackside operations director
    “After the season we’ve had with the E21, it’s hugely frustrating that we were unable to give what has been a fantastic car the send-off it deserved. For Romain in particular – who has barely put a foot wrong over the past couple of months – we feel particularly aggrieved after his early retirement. We’ll be looking into what happened with his engine to see exactly what caused such a significant failure, as generally speaking our reliability has been pretty strong all year. After a poor start it was always going to be difficult for Heikki to climb back into the points, but we’re nonetheless disappointed to come away from this weekend with nothing on the board. We now look ahead to the challenge of 2014 aiming to maintain the momentum of the past two seasons.”

    Ricardo Penteado, Renault Sport F1 team support leader
    “Today was the last race for the V8s and unfortunately Romain’s gave up before the end. We saw a massive drop in oil pressure in the data but we won’t be sure of the exact reason until we get the car back; it could be cause or consequence. In any case it caused the engine to seize and explode in a spectacular way, so we’ll investigate thoroughly to analyse exactly what lead to the failure.”

    Williams
    Pastor Maldonado, 16th
    “We were fighting hard today with the cars around us but the pace wasn’t quite in the car to be able to challenge for the top ten. We lost some time in the pit stops today and ultimately we couldn’t recover the places. It’s been a great three years with this team, I had a nice moment with Frank and the team this morning and they will stay in my heart forever.”

    Valtteri Bottas, DNF
    “Unfortunately we had to end the season without finishing the race today. We seemed to be struggling a bit with the prime tyre but once we put the option tyres on we seemed to be able to catch the cars in front. We had an incident with Hamilton where I tried to keep my line overtaking on the outside and we touched. It’s disappointing to end the season like this but a points-finish may have been too much for us today anyway.”

    Xevi Pujolar, Williams Chief race engineer
    “We planned a two-stop strategy with both cars today starting on option tyres. Valtteri pitted as planned for prime tyres but we extended Pastor’s first stint as there was a chance of rain in the early stages. As the forecast changed we brought Pastor in for another set of options, but in the lower temperatures today both cars were struggling for pace so couldn’t really fight. We continued on plan, whilst continuing to watch the weather, bringing in Pastor to switch onto the prime tyres with Valtteri back on the options for the final stage of the race. Unfortunately, Valtteri’s race ended early as he retired at Turn 4 after losing his left-rear wheel when Hamilton made contact with him. Pastor then had a spin whilst racing Vergne and eventually finished in 16th.”

    Laurent Debout, Renault Sport F1 team support leader
    “Unfortunately we could not end the V8 era and our partnership with Williams in the way we would have liked but we can still hold our heads high. After a difficult start to the year everyone at Williams and Renault worked hard to come back and we showed a lot of form in the second part of the year. We’ve enjoyed our two years together immensely and wish the entire team all the best for 2014. We look forward to a clean fight on track!”

    Marussia
    Jules Bianchi, 17th
    “Well done to everyone in the team on a fantastic season and the well-deserved tenth place in the championship. Thanks for all the hard work and dedication to providing us with the best car possible right until the end. Today, I got a fantastic start once again and the opening lap was strong, but a few laps in I struggled with some graining on the medium tyre and it was really tough to drive round this, which caused me to have to yield the place. I knew it was all about the long game and just sticking with it, knowing that the balance would be much better on the prime hard tyre. I dug in and drove as fast as I could on the next two stints to make as much progress as possible and it is nice that not only have we got tenth today but we finished ahead of Caterham again. This has been a very important and rewarding year for me personally and I can’t wait for us to take that to the next level together in 2014.”

    Max Chilton, 19th
    Max Chilton“It was hard finding our way today having only driven in the wet all weekend. We had just the sighting laps to the grid to make a few changes in order to try to optimise the dry balance as best we could. The middle part of the race was quite nail-biting with the constant threat of rain, but I knew that all I had to do was keep going and be ready for any scenario, especially with the weather. In the last stint I struggled with a vibration on front left tyre, which was really costing me time and that is why we pitted for an unscheduled third stop. I would like to thank the whole team for a brilliant season, with particular credit to my car crew. I am really proud of my record-breaking nineteen finishes in nineteen races and this is the result of a fantastic team effort.”

    John Booth, Marussia team principal
    “Although we have held on to tenth place in the championship all season, we still had to cross the line at the season finale in order to get the job done. The Brazilian Grand Prix is renowned for being one of the most chaotic races on the calendar and so we needed to have our wits about us throughout the full 71 lap race, especially as there was the constant threat of rain. Although we encountered a few light showers, the way the race eventually panned out meant that no one was going to challenge our position today. This has certainly been a character-building season. At the beginning we had a clear advantage over Caterham, then we lost some ground during the middle part of the year. Over the final long-haul phase we have pushed extremely hard, caught up and enjoyed some proper racing with them, with our performance in Austin last weekend underlining our continued progress and providing the perfect prelude to the finale here. With zero dry running before going to the grid, today was a tough ask of our two young drivers, who have never driven at this circuit before and had to go out there and be on it from lap 1. They were improving at every stage of the race and towards the end, in very damp conditions, Jules was running exceptionally well on the prime tyre and pulling away from Van der Garde. Credit to the whole team – both trackside and back at base in Banbury – for an incredibly hard-fought 2013 campaign. Well done to both Jules and Max, who have performed admirably in a tough rookie season, having more than risen to the challenge. Congratulations must also go to Max for his fantastic record of 19 finishes in 19 races, which is a testament to his skill and the team’s fantastic reliability record. Finally, today’s result is about the whole package, and so credit to our powertrain partners, Cosworth and Xtrac, with whom we have worked for four rewarding seasons, as well as our team partners and suppliers who have shared the journey with us.”

    Caterham
    Giedo van der Garde, 18th
    Giedo-van-der-Garde-Caterham-Testing-2013-10_2907096My start was really good, I passed my team mate and was fighting with Bianchi through turn one, but had to lift slightly to avoid one of the Force Indias which let Jules through. The car felt good at that point so only a couple of laps later I was past him and immediately put clear air between me and him, pushing on to Kovalainen ahead in the Lotus. We went until lap 24 on the first set, at one point running as high as 14th, but the main aim was to put a gap between us and the Marussias, and when I re-joined on another set of mediums we had the gap up to about seven seconds. My second set of tyres weren’t performing as well as the first and about halfway through the planned second stint I was given the command to change positions with my team mate. That set of mediums had started to go off but with the possibility of more rain coming we had to stay out. We were still pulling away from Bianchi which meant we were covering his plan, but it was a struggle to keep up the pace we needed on those tyres as they were pretty much gone by lap 42. The second stop was on lap 47 when we went onto the primes. I came out ahead of Bianchi again but had to serve a drive through a few laps later which put me about 15 seconds behind him. I was pushing really hard and closed the gap a lot, down to seven seconds by lap 65 but that was as close as I could get. It’s obviously not how I wanted the season to end, but I think, overall, I’ve learnt a lot. There have been quite a few highs and a few lows but this is a great team, a good group of people who work so hard and are determined to succeed, just like me.”

    Charles Pic, DNF
    “My start wasn’t great but by the end of lap five I was past Bianchi and closing the gap to my team mate. We put in a long first stint on the mediums with one eye on the rain that could have come, and boxed on lap 25 for another set of options, coming out clear of Bianchi which was obviously the first target. My pace in the second stint was good – the car felt great and Giedo and I switched positions just after the halfway mark as I was on a different strategy and pace to him at that point. My lap times on that second set were good – running in the 1.18s which was close most of the midfield, but at that point it was all about hanging on to see if the rain would come. The tyres held up really well and I was in seventeenth when the rain was just starting to fall a little more heavily, but then, on lap 58, there was a suspension problem on the car and that was the end of the race for me. It’s obviously a real shame that my race ended like that as the plan was working well and if the rain had fallen harder we’d have been in a really strong position, but sometimes it’s like that.”

    Cyril Abiteboul, Caterham team principal
    “It’s obviously disappointing to finish the season like this and to end in eleventh place in the championship. We started with last year’s car which was slower than our rivals for the first three races and it was in the second race in Malaysia that we lost the tenth place that we then ended up chasing all year. It’s particularly frustrating because our development strategy paid dividends in terms of outright pace from Bahrain onwards, but we had to balance our 2013 campaign against the need to focus on 2014 and that was always going to be a challenge. Despite the position we ended up in I want to thank the drivers and the whole team for the work they put in this year. We have experienced people in every department and a lot of young talent throughout the team, on track and at Leafield, and everyone in the team needs to be thanked for their hard work throughout 2013. Our shareholders and our partners have continued to support us unequivocally and the investments they continue to make, in infrastructure, resources and, most importantly, people, put us in a good position for the future. Now we’ll regroup, recharge and come back fighting in 2014 in an all new Formula 1.”

    Pirelli
    Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director
    “The fact that there was no dry running prior to the start of the Grand Prix meant that formulating the right tyre strategy was a matter of educated guesswork for all the teams. And with no rubber having been laid down on the track previously, it was extremely hard to calculate the wear and degradation levels. The weather forecast remained uncertain throughout the race to complicate matters even further, with different teams interpreting the information in various ways. However, they had to bear in mind their obligation to run both compounds if conditions stayed dry – which turned out to be the case. This race has marked the end of an era and now the cars, along with the tyres, change completely for next year. Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull for a record-breaking season, and best of luck for the future to Mark Webber, who ends his distinguished Formula One career here in Brazil.”

  • Mark Webber’s Message to You

    Mark Webber’s Message to You

    Mark Webber will be leaving Formula One and heading for Porsche Cup racing next season. Here’s Mark’ special message to his fans.

     

  • Q&A with F1 technical genius Adrian Newey

    Q&A with F1 technical genius Adrian Newey

    Few people would argue with the statement that Adrian Newey is the greatest technical mind of the current Formula One generation. Newey’s CV is unparalleled and in this interview he turns his thoughts to the 2014 Formula One season discussing the impact of next season’s technical changes and challenges, his approach to design and his massively successful career.

    Q: You are the most successful Formula One designer of recent years. Lately cars have mainly been evolutions of the previous year’s design, but 2014 brings with it massive changes. How do you go about that? Do you really start with a clean sheet of paper as legend suggests?
    Adrian Newey:     The first thing that you do is to read the regulations – very, very carefully. You try to read what they actually say, rather than what they intend to say, as this is not always the same thing. After that I’m actually breaking it down into bite-size chunks. Then you try to understand from the regulations the aerodynamic and mechanical packaging that appears to be the best solutions for those different areas. You go away and research them and at some point try to bring it all back together again. For me that is the important bit: the end product should be a whole and not pieces thrown together into one cluster.

    Q: How many people are involved in this process?
    Adrian Newey:     We have over 100 engineers. In terms of the early key layout it is a smaller group. For the RB10 we started by dividing the task into the front and the back end (of the car) aerodynamically, and the middle in terms of packaging the engine and the cooling. Cooling will be a huge challenge next year.

    Q: Is the blank sheet of paper and a 7B pencil still reality?
    Adrian Newey:     To some extent it is still habit. I graduated in 1980 – obviously long before CAD systems – so I have always used a drawing board and never took the time to learn a CAD system. (laughs) For me what you’re used to is almost like a language – and you stick to the one that you know best. I love the drawing board because most of the work I do is of half scale, so I can have the complete car in front of me, whereas the CAD system limits you to the size of the screen. Having said that, for an organization like us it would be much too intense to have too many people like me working on a drawing board, because everything has to go on to the computer to go through CFD and later be manufactured.

    Q: Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said of you that you are completely crazy and absolutely fearless. Is that what it takes to design the most successful F1 cars of recent years – and to take on this 2014 challenge, where you can arguably only lose?
    Adrian Newey:     I am not sure. I guess it’s less about being crazy and more about having confidence that what you are doing is going into a good direction. Equally you have to be passionate about it and believe that what you’re doing is correct. You might call it the artistic side of it – but then you have to be able to stand back and try to be objective: is that a good direction, or isn’t it? If the answer is ‘no, it is not’ then you have to be prepared to say that the last hour, the last day, the last week is in the bin.

    Q: The design process at other teams is probably not that different to what you’ve just described, so what makes the difference? Do you have an inner voice that tells you the good from the bad?
    Adrian Newey:     No, no inner voice. I call it the 24-hour rule: does it still look a good idea after 24 hours? That decides whether it gets a tick or a cross. Actually, you develop a sensibility for that procedure. The brain is an amazing thing: you might be doing something completely different – maybe making a cup of tea – and suddenly you know right from wrong!

    Q: You have created so many successful cars that gave now legendary drivers the chance to win: drivers like Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Mika Hakkinen and now Sebastian Vettel. Did you take their strengths and weaknesses into account?
    Adrian Newey:     When I was a young designer Robin Herd came up with a March that was designed around Ronnie Peterson’s reactions. I honestly cannot say that I have ever consciously done that: to design a car on the belief of a driver’s reactions.

    Q: So it was never a Mansell, Prost or now Vettel car, but rather a Newey car…
    Adrian Newey:     Well, what does happen is that when we have continuity in drivers like we’ve had for the last few years with Sebastian and Mark (Webber) then you listen to their feedback and the car evolves at least in parts as a result of their feedback. That does happen.

    Q: When you look back at all those names – Senna, Prost, Mansell etc – where would you rank Seb? What would be your personal ranking?
    Adrian Newey:     It would be unfair to go into rankings – to put one above the other – but what I would say is that Seb, without question, is one of the true greats. Of the great drivers I have been lucky enough to work with, what they all tended to have in common is intelligence. They all have the ability to drive the car and have the spare mental capacity to understand what they are doing when they drive the car, and to have great recall when they get out of the car – they can play back in their own minds what they’ve just experienced and combine that with a great work ethic in the evening in terms of talking to the engineers.

    Q: You have been in motorsport for 30 odd years. What have those years taught you?
    Adrian Newey:     Formula One is hard work! (laughs) I like to think that I haven’t changed too much in those years – that Formula One hasn’t changed my personality, if you like. When I look back to my university days, most of my fellow students wanted to design aircraft, whereas I always wanted to be a race car designer. They then subsequently worked on projects where you could see the results in 10 or 15 years’ time – where feedback on whether it was good, bad or indifferent was ‘light years’ away. That wasn’t for me. The exciting thing about Formula One is you get a high level of feedback. It’s painful when you’re going badly, but at least you know. And then there’s trying to stay on top of the changes. When I graduated I went straight to Fittipaldi – a small F1 team at that time – and I was hired as a junior aerodynamicist, which when I started turned out to be chief aerodynamicist, as I was the only one! Even when I moved to Leyton House, as a team we were a total of 55 people, with six engineers in total, with me doing the aerodynamics, designing the car and manufacturing it with this tiny little team. You cannot comprehend this nowadays. Now you have Red Bull Racing with 600 plus employees, with a hundred plus engineers – so things have gone up tenfold or more. So trying to stay on top of the technology changes and the managerial changes has been an exciting task. Coming back to what all these years have taught me: standing still is deadly.

    Q: Are you satisfied with yourself? Do you sit back in those rare quiet moments and think ‘not bad at all’?
    Adrian Newey:     No, I never sit back reflecting on such things. I am trying to play to my interests, yes, and hopefully my interests are also my strength. I try not to attend too many meetings. I try to spend at least 50 percent of my time behind the drawing board and the rest with my colleagues at the factory going over their findings. At the races, of course, I spend time with the drivers and that gives me the chance to be involved in many different things which I find very stimulating.

    Q: Does your job have an expiry date? Do you ever say to yourself ‘three more years and then I call it quits’ for example? Or contemplate telling Christian Horner or Helmut Marko one day, ‘Hi guys, I’m not coming into the office today – or ever again in fact…’?
    Adrian Newey:     That wouldn’t be my style. I have been involved with Red Bull Racing from the start, so I feel a great deal of loyalty to the staff. I would never stop without giving anybody a good period of notice. But the honest truth is that as long as I keep enjoying it, I will keep going. Probably the closest I came to stopping in Formula One was around 2002. There seemed to be so much politics – Ferrari and the FIA – that it was quite a difficult time.

    Q: Have you ever gone terribly wrong with a car? Something that you’ve regretted ever since…
    Adrian Newey:     Wrong yes, regret no. The cars that didn’t go nearly as well as I would have hoped: the 1989 Leyton House car, the successor of the 1988 car that changed the direction of Formula One a bit as well. We’d designed the car more or less purely on an aerodynamic base and then tried to package the mechanical parts. At that time – the turbo era – most people were doing it the other way round. They first designed a mechanical car and then looked at the aerodynamic side, so we were completely different in our ‘preferences’. But back to the story: coming out with a good 1988 car, we’d grown overambitious in 1989. The 1989 car was simply too complicated for the size of the team – and our experience. That was something to learn from. The other car – a similar situation – showed that I didn’t learn the lesson completely. It was the McLaren MP4-19A – the 2004 car. Ferrari was ‘cleaning up’ at that time and we felt that we needed to make a big step – or at least push to make a big step. And again, we made a mistake by pushing too hard. We were pushing so hard that we didn’t make our homework good enough.

    Q: Do you get offers from other teams – even though everybody knows that you are so close to Red Bull Racing?
    Adrian Newey:     Yes, I do. The usual stuff. If I didn’t, I would be worried! (laughs)

    Q: Coming on to 2014. Everybody says that from what they’ve seen so far, the 2014 cars look ugly…
    Adrian Newey:     Well, it’s the regulations that define the car. And, of course, ideally the car is fast and has a stylish design. But everybody in the paddock will give a fast car preference over an attractive car – that’s the way it is. Yes, for me it would be good if a bit more consideration was given to aesthetics in the drafting of the regulations. But fast is paramount over beauty.

    Q: Coming to the regulations, years ago they had the characteristics of Swiss cheese: many holes and much room for interpretation. How much interpretation is possible today?
    Adrian Newey:     It’s less and less. The F-duct was a very clever example of getting around regulations; the exhaust duct was a good way of getting around them; little bits and pieces where we’ve found small loopholes in the regulations. But it is increasingly getting smaller. To have been an engineer in the seventies – the early seventies – would have been fascinating for me. You had almost no regulations, but on the other hand you also had very little research capabilities. You came up with a car, ran it, and if you were lucky it was a good idea and it ran well. If not, then you ran the previous year’s car and hoped for next year.

    Q: Keyword 2014: Could it be that suddenly somebody is two seconds faster than the rest?
    Adrian Newey:     Let’s start with the regulations. You can divide them into two parts: the powertrain and the aerodynamic changes. The aerodynamic changes are big, but they are smaller than the changes we had in 2009. So yes, there is the chance that one team comes up with a car that is better than their rivals’, but on top of that you have the engine changes and what is absolutely unclear is whether one engine manufacturer will be able to come up with a significant advantage. But the car that will brush aside all others will be a car having the combination of good engine and good chassis – if one side is letting you down you will have a problem. But who will come up with the ideal combination? That’s the big guessing game for all of us and will add spice to the 2014 season.

    Q: Can Adrian Newey really switch off?
    Adrian Newey:     Believe it or not, I can. Then I go the Caribbean for a few days and make my mind stop racing. Yes, that I do. But Formula One is a very consuming taskmaster – and one of the tricks is to keep it in balance, as it would be very easy to end up doing nothing but work.

    Q: What would happen to the team should you decide that a few days off is not enough – that you need much more time to recharge the batteries?
    Adrian Newey:     They would carry on.

    Q: But how?
    Adrian Newey:     I am only one person – hopefully an important person – but things carry on, they always do. (laughs) But since I’ve been at Red Bull I’ve never tried it – only back in the times when I switched teams.

    Q: Finally, you are known as a design genius – and your track record confirms that – but how well suited are you to daily life? Can you cook for example?
    Adrian Newey:     I can do a Sunday roast and I can cook spaghetti, but that’s about as far as it goes. (laughs) I think I am a normal guy, although my family might completely disagree.

     

    Photo credit: Photo taken by Morio [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

     

  • Video: Mark Webber says Goodbye to his RB9

    Video: Mark Webber says Goodbye to his RB9

    Mark Webber saying good bye to his Red Bull RB9 car and bids a fond farewell to the V8 engine

  • 2013 Formula 1 Petrobras Brazilian Grand Prix Sunday Press Conference

    2013 Formula 1 Petrobras Brazilian Grand Prix Sunday Press Conference

    Podium and Press Conference transcripts for the 2013 Formula 1 Petrobras Brazilian Grand Prix

     

    Drivers:

    1 – Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)

    2 – Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)

    3 – Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by Glenda Kozlowski, TV Globo)

    Q: Sebastian Vettel, you just broke two records.,.
    Sebastian Vettel:     No, please start with him. Start with Mark.

    Q: OK! Mark Webber, that’s your last race in Formula One, today is a very emotional day for you. You have over 200 races in your career.
    Mark Webber:     Yeah, it was a very good finish to my career, a good fight with all the guys I’ve enjoyed fighting with for most of my career: Seb, Fernando, Lewis, Nico, all the guys who have been in the window for the last five or six years. I want to thank the team, I enjoyed the last few laps. It was a very nice way to finish. I want to thank everyone in Australia. I wouldn’t be here where I am without the support in the early days. It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable career. A great journey, one of which I’m proud of, and there’s been so many people who have played a special role in my career. They know who they all are – thank you very much if you are watching and…yeah… enjoy watching Formula One next year with these guys, but off to Porsche and looking forward to it.

    Q: Sebastian, so, you just made [equalled] two records, the most consecutive wins – nine – and the highest number of wins in a single season: 13. So, what do you feel?
    Sebastian Vettel:     Well, I’m actually quite sad that this season comes to an end. I think the last couple of races, really since the summer break, to win every race is unbelievable. The car has been phenomenal. Just kept getting better. I think today was a very interesting race. I had a poor start but then I was able to come back straight away in the first lap, build a gap which was nice to control then. But in the pitstop, obviously, I was waiting for my tyres again. I think it was a bit of a confusion going on because we had both cars coming in at the same time. Fortunately I got all the tyres in time ready to go. Mark was behind and then, yeah, the last laps, very difficult with the rain because you could see the fog is coming, [then] it’s leaving, so it was very difficult to judge but yeah, for sure, extremely proud. Big, big thank you to the team, big thanks to Renault. I think there’s a couple of guys that stand out. First of all Mark, obviously it’s his last race, we’ve been team-mates for a very, very long time. After all we didn’t have the best relationship but I think we always had tremendous respect for each other. And together I think we’ve been very, very successful for the team. And then there’s one other guy, he’s working on my car. His name is Tom Batch and unfortunately he’s leaving so farewell Tom, all the best for the future, and who knows, maybe we’ll meet each other again in the future.

    WebberAlono_BrazilPodium2013Q: Fernando, since Singapore this was your first podium. Now the season is over and today was a tough race because like he said, the rain came and gone, came and gone. A light rain all the time. So how was it there?
    Fernando Alonso:     Well it was a difficult race for everyone, unfortunately the rain didn’t come: I think we were more competitive in wet conditions but again, it seems as if it’s going to rain in any moment but it didn’t, so it was a shame for us but at least we’re in the podium, so ending the season on a high and hopefully for next year we start with a completely new direction and a positive trend. I’m looking forward.

    Q: I know you’re missing Felipe Massa. Today was his last race with Ferrari.
    FA:     It was a shame, sad that he had this drive-through because I think the podium was very close for Felipe today. When I saw him fourth I said this would be a very good celebration for him. Sad for this race but happy for the last four years: he has been an amazing team-mate – inside the circuit with very competitive skills and also like a person. We build a friendly relationship in the last four years, a lot of time together. We’ll see him in the paddock next year with different colours but always he will remain a very good man.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Sebastian, lots of things really to talk to you about but just tell us about the race – give us some idea. Bit of a Vettel_PressConferencevoyage into the unknown for all three of you in terms of tyres as well but also the start, the pitstop…
    SV:     Yeah, obviously we didn’t have any dry running, which was quite exciting when we started: bit of an adventure to find braking points, etcetera. Start was obviously quite bad for me. I had lots of wheel-slip and didn’t get the initial launch off the line as good as I was hoping for. Nico passed me straight away, Fernando was closing in. I was lucky that as soon as I got on the KERS I could recover a little bit and then it’s not a long way to Turn One – which helped today. So, lost the position, saved some KERS for the end of the lap. Was hoping to get him back up the hill which worked well, so I managed to get back in the lead straight away and was basically benefitting I think from Nico probably a little bit slower than the cars behind – Fernando and Mark – so I could open a gap and control that for more or less the rest of the race – until we came in for the second stop, which was a last minute call. I think we were afraid of a safety car at that stage. I came in, hoping everybody was ready. I think I had three wheels on the car but I was waiting for the front right. For some reason, last year and this year, it seemed to be the front right that… yeah, they let me wait for a little bit. I saw that obviously Mark was queuing behind me and I wanted to go and there was a bit of chaos in the pitlane but it was obviously fine to get the right tyres in the end, get out again and I still had a bit of a gap. We obviously lost to Fernando at that stage, both of us, but was still able to have a little bit of a gap and control that until the end which was very helpful to get through traffic and with the rain coming in and going – you could really see it from the car. The fog was coming and the rain clouds. You didn’t know how strong the rain was and, yeah, in the end it was fine all the time to stay on dries but a little harder rain and it could have been a different story so, yeah, lucky to get away with that.

    Webber_PressConferenceQ: Mark, a great end to your Formula One career. I hope you’re happy with it as well. How did it go?
    MW:     Yeah, I was happy with today. Tricky grand prix for all of us as you say, straight into dry conditions for a Sunday afternoon race. Maybe it’s what Bernie should do! He should just have Sunday afternoons mate, just turn up for Sundays and just race from there because it was a pretty good start to the grand prix, I think, all of us getting into the groove with no dry running: challenging for the teams and the drivers. So we all got there in the end. Both Seb and I had tough starts, I was happy to lose only to Lewis actually. I had a good little scrap in the first lap: Fernando and Lewis were having a good battle and then we settled into it. It looked like the Mercedes were struggling to hold the tempo of Fernando, myself and Seb, so we had to clear the Mercs as best we could. And then it was coming up to Fernando, so, managed to pass Fernando as well. There was some really nice moves and some good racing and I think for the team to get a one-two today with obviously not their cleanest day in the pitlane – which we can let them off every now and again, because they’ve had a superb season in the pitlane – so we gave the red guys a sniff but we managed to respond each time. Very proud to have raced with these guys at the end. I mean I raced pretty much all four or five of them at some stage in the race today – apart from Seb, obviously who was a little bit down the road – but the pace… it was a good battle for all of us. It’s been a real pleasure for me to finish today’s race like this. Yeah, and also to finish on the podium with arguable the two best guys of the generation we’re in at the moment. I hold them in very high esteem. I’m happy with the finish and I’m happy to go and do something different now. It was a special day for myself, all the people that helped me get here. Australia. And the team, of course, had a nice car to finish. Renault as well, a 1-2 for them, last time with the V8s. Lots of things which are special, so thank you very much.

    Q: Fernando, obviously a good result for you. As Glenda said on the podium, first time on the podium since the Singapore Grand Prix. Nice to go out with a podium?
    FA:     Yeah, definitely. I think to finish the season on a high is always better. We missed this podium finish from many races and today we had a chance. Obviously maybe with rain conditions, a wet race, maybe we had a little more performance than on the dry but at the end to finish behind the two Red Bulls today is the maximum we could achieve and I’m happy for that. The last race for Mark as you touched on now. We will miss him, that’s for sure. A great driver and a great person. Last race also for Felipe in Ferrari, which we wanted to help in whatever way to try to celebrate a podium finish with Felipe or something but he get a drive-through unfortunately. But, y’know, mixed emotions today but happy to finish 2013 which has been an amazing year in terms of fighting and the number of points we achieve, I think. We didn’t win the championship, which is the goal every year and for next year we reset again, start from zero and new motivations.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Mark, what will you miss most and what won’t you miss most?
    MW:     What will I miss most about Formula One? I think there are some special circuits which we race on: obviously Suzuka, Spa, Monte Carlo, Silverstone, even here to a degree. There are some really nice circuits which, when you have the car in the window, particularly in qualifying, there’s not much that can please a driver more than having the car on the edge and having yourself on the edge in the ultimate machine and that is something which I will miss. But you also have to respect that you want to make sure that you’re getting the best out of yourself in that scenario. If you think you’re a little bit off, then it’s not as rewarding as it once was. I will miss those scenarios. I will miss, I think, also the perfection that goes on in this game, especially with a team like Red Bull, the amount of work that goes in, the details. It’s quite inspiring to watch the relentless approach with the work, that’s something which I’ve learned a lot and I will take it to future challenges around the corner. What I won’t miss: looking to pull the travel back down a little bit, spending a bit more time with my people that helped me to get to where I am. I’m not young but I’m not old, I’m in the window, it’s a good time for me to get that balance, a little bit less intensity in the private life and also in the professional life. It doesn’t mean that I’m not going to be pushing hard with Porsche, obviously. I will be pushing very hard with those guys but in this game, you need to be on it all the time and I’m finding that more and more difficult. It’s a chance for me to finish strongly, which I’ve done. That’s some of the things I’ll miss. I think I answered that right.

    Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Mark, what is your schedule now, are you going to take some holiday, just like retire or are you working for Porsche as soon as possible?
    MW:     No, I’m going to have a few weeks out, for sure, doing nothing. I love putting the fire on at home, chopping some wood, putting the fire on and maybe a bit of red wine and chill out with some chocolate. Also my Tasmania Challenge is on which I can’t get to this year, it’s just too busy to get to my charity event, so I hope that goes well for everyone taking part. It starts on Wednesday but I just can’t get to Tasmania from here, it’s just been a relentless year and quite difficult so I’m looking forward to just having a bit of a break. For sure there is some Porsche stuff in the background. Obviously there is a chance I can do some stuff with them before the year is out, which Red Bull have been very good with and then it will be a steady loading into January as it will be for all of us.

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action Australia and National Speedsport News) Mark, tell us about taking your helmet off on that last ever lap and savouring it? Your eyes seem to be tearing a bit; maybe that was just the wind in your eyes.
    MW:     Yeah, it was the wind, Dan, I was tearing at that time. Look, it’s not easy to get the HANS device system away from the helmet so I spent half a lap trying to get the left hand side off, so I finally got it there but the cars are bloody noisy with no helmet on, I know that much, so it was really noisy, all the vibrations and you can hear lots of things that you don’t want to be hearing with the helmet on, that’s for sure. It was good to get it off, obviously the marshals, the fans, to see… in this sport, it’s not always easy to show the person that’s behind the wheel. We can in lots of other sports but in Formula One we’ve always got the helmet on so it was nice to drive back with the helmet off. Only time you’re seen with the helmet off is on the podium if we have a good day which we did both, so nice to get it off. In the last sector, I got it a little bit jammed, so I think the marshals were a little bit worried that I couldn’t turn left but in the end, no it was fine, it was a nice moment to come back, a little bit of a different touch to bring the car back.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Sebastian first, when did you tell your team that you wanted to come in? Was it because of a potential safety car, and to Mark, do you think it would have been better for you if the team had left you out for one more lap and then go in, because you obviously had to wait for Seb?
    SV:     I didn’t decide to pit. Obviously with the weather it was critical, we were trying to go as long as possible because we didn’t know… when it starts to rain and you pit one lap before, you lose a lot of time because you have to come in again to fit inters (intermediate tyres). So basically, I was told, exit of turn 12, box if I can. I had enough time to get ready. Arguably the team was on the limit and obviously they were preparing a stop for both cars so they had to get both set of tyres out, mine and Mark’s, and I think it was just a little bit of a rush, because I think the team was afraid of a safety car. Obviously I didn’t know what was going on around the track; the team is obviously able to monitor much better… to see the whole track, whereas I’m very good at judging what’s going on where I am right now but not five, six corners down the road. I think that was the reason why I got called in but unfortunately it got a bit messy.

    MW: I got the pit call quite early in the lap, they were worried about a safety car as well. I think Maldonado had been off or something had happened. When I braked for the pit lane line, I looked on the big screen and I could see that Seb was in the box, saw on the TV that he was pitting and I thought ‘I hope it’s a replay’ but it wasn’t. When I got over the top, he was in the bloody box so I thought ‘shit, we’ve got a bit on here now’. In that case, mainly we were losing time, that’s the biggest thing but then just the rear jack guy remembering to get out of the way. Obviously I’m going to stop but I have to wait for him to move out of the way so I thought it was obviously a complete surprise, uncharacteristic of the team to do something quite tricky and risky, when there wasn’t a huge amount to risk but it turns out obviously that there was an issue at the start of Seb’s stop which snowballed into me and then we had the little Spanish lion on the back of me again, so it was a good recovery but the team… I’m sure they want to do that part again. In the end, we recovered well and cool heads…

    Q: (Cristobal Rosaleny – Car and Driver) Seb and Fernando, Mark is going to take off some weeks for relaxing but you have to race next year and Formula One is changing a lot next year. What are you going to do until Christmas?
    SV:     Nothing. Obviously there are some things you have to attend to in December which is also nice, but mostly try to relax. Obviously Mark is retiring from Formula One but he’s not retiring from racing so, as he said, he will obviously get ready, probably has a little bit less pressure because the season maybe starts in a different way but I think for us it’s the same thing as the previous years. Obviously a lot of changes for next year but in terms of rhythm it is probably largely the same. Potentially you start a week or two earlier in January, to prepare the tests a little bit more. Equally, you can’t prepare so much because you need to wait for the first day on track, to know and see where we are.

    FA: Obviously until Christmas time we are quite busy at Ferrari with some events with the sponsors and there are many activities in Maranello around Christmas time with the people working there at Ferrari, with their families etc and we will use those days while we are already in Italy to spend some time on the simulator and to do some work, looking at next year’s regulations. Christmas time will probably be the first time that we completely stop, so until the 21st of December, I think, we are on, still.

    Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Sera) To Fernando and Sebastian: Seb, what do you feel having reached Alberto Ascari’s record with nine victories in a row, a driver who comes from the distant past of Formula One, and to Fernando, do you feel more optimistic for 2014 after this result?
    SV:     Well, I think it is very very difficult for me to realise probably now and in the next couple of weeks what we have achieved again, and in particular this year at the end of the season. I think in terms of a certain record with Alberto Ascari you can’t really compare it, it’s at a completely different time. If you consider the fact that in the fifties the races were much longer and there were a lot of things that were breaking down, much more than nowadays where it’s very professional, reliability is exceptionally good for everybody. I think his record still stands out a lot. So at the end of the day, as I see it now, it’s just a number but hopefully one day, when I’ve got less hair and chubby then it’s probably something nice to look back to.

    FA: Nothing changed, to be honest. I’m still optimistic for next year because I trust my team, I trust Ferrari preparation and philosophy for the 2014 car. We will be a contender, always, even this year when we haven’t been competitive and we only won two Grands Prix, we were off the podium for the last six or seven Grands Prix etc, we finished second in the World Championship, so with whatever the car that Ferrari do, normally, better or worse, you are a contender. That’s my optimistic point for next year, not because today we are on the podium or not on the podium.

  • F1 Brazilian GP Review: Brazil Brilliance for Red Bull

    F1 Brazilian GP Review: Brazil Brilliance for Red Bull

    The myth that the number thirteen has any negative connotation to it is of little consequence to Sebastian Vettel. A fourth world title and thirteen grand prix wins in 2013 has made sure of that.

    It is difficult to fathom the true impact and understanding of Red Bull Racing and Vettel’s domination this season. Therefore, statistics are the only possible way of putting this incredible run of results into some sort of perspective. Out of a possible maximum of 475 points Vettel scored 397, taken nine pole positions and equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of thirteen grand prix wins in a season. However, Vettel took this record a step further and became the only driver in the history of Formula 1 to win nine consecutive races in the same season.

    brazil-podiumTo get to his ninth victory in a row Vettel was given the merest of challenges at the start of the Brazilian GP as Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg charged into the lead of the race. However, within two laps Vettel dispatched of the Silver Arrow, retook the lead of the race and set off on building a gap. Behind the German the battle for the podium positions saw Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber duking it out. Webber was able to overtake first Hamilton then good friend Alonso to run second by lap 13.

    The race settled quite quickly as Rosberg faded with an oversteering Mercedes and Vettel merrily built his lead to more than ten seconds over teammate Webber.

    Felipe Massa, in his final race for Ferrari, was running in fourth position roughly six seconds off a podium position. However, as the Ferrari driver held off Lewis Hamilton he was given a drive-through penalty for cutting the pit-entry line. No driver was impeded nor put in danger by something that Massa did but the stewards took a hard line. On an emotional day such as this for the Brazilian the stewards could have issued a warning. Other hardliners may say that rules are rules but you can’t help feeling that it was rather heartless from the stewards to slap Massa with a penalty.

    brazil-bottas-hamiltonConfusion reigned on lap 47 as a collision between Hamilton and Williams’ Valterri Bottas had Red Bull unprepared for the arrival of Sebastian Vettel in the pitlane. Vettel lost nearly ten seconds in the box and Christian Horner admitted after the race that they feared a safety-car deployment for the Hamilton/Bottas incident. Despite the delay in the pits Vettel maintained the lead but Webber lost second place to Alonso.

    Lewis Hamilton was given a drive-through penalty for ‘causing a collision’ with Bottas. As Hamilton took up position for the corner he drifted slightly towards Bottas leaving the Finn with nowhere to go. Bottas was forced into retirement as Hamilton had to pit with a destroyed right-rear tyre. Gentle rain fell throughout the 71 laps of the race but it never reached the level needed to switch to the intermediate tyres.

    brazil-finaldriversphotoAs the top three in the form of Vettel, Webber and Alonso settled, it was Jenson Button who delivered one of his best drives of the season. A 14th place starting position would have done little to buoy the mood of McLaren after experiencing one of their most difficult seasons ever. Nevertheless, Button drove brilliantly to finish fourth, McLaren’s best position of the season. “For Checo, myself and the whole Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, today was an incredible day. I’m pleased to have finished fourth: it’s almost the podium position that I came here aiming for. We really needed today’s result. The 2013 season hasn’t been an easy one – it’s been tough for all of us at the circuits, but it’s probably been even tougher for the guys back at the factory, working flat-out to make parts. They’re a really amazing bunch of totally passionate and utterly dedicated people, and they richly deserve the ‘lift’ that today’s result will have given them,” said Jenson Button.

    Sergio Perez finished sixth behind Nico Rosberg ensuring that McLaren become the only team in Formula 1 history to have both cars classified in every race this season. “As of today, McLaren became the first team in Formula One history to have both its cars classified in every Grand Prix during the season. And, also as of today, McLaren completed 99.17% of the season’s total possible race distance – 7139 miles [11,488km] out of a possible 7198 miles [11,584km] – which is not only better than every other team managed this season but is also a new world record, beating the previous record of 98.30% set by BMW-Sauber in 2008. Those two stats constitute compelling proof of the fact that our trackside mechanics and engineers possess the three D’s in impressive abundance: dedication, determination and discipline,” beamed McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh.

    brazil-felipe-massaFelipe Massa eventually finished eighth ahead of Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg while Lewis Hamilton recovered to ninth. Daniel Ricciardo finished in tenth place in his final race for the Toro Rosso team before heading to Red Bull for the 2014 season. The day didn’t have a fairytale ending many would’ve hoped it would have for Felipe Massa but the Brazilian was able to see the big picture after the race.  “I want to thank everyone who gave me this opportunity and maximum support all the time, including President Montezemolo, Stefano Domenicali and all the mechanics and engineers who work at the track and back home, as well as all the Ferrari fans who, over the years, have rejoiced with me and also suffered with me during the most difficult moments,” said Felipe Massa after the race.

    Second or even third place in the constructor’s title wasn’t intended for Lotus as Romain Grosjean was forced into retirement on the first lap with an engine oil leak and Heikki Kovalainen could only muster 14th place. Despite a difficult afternoon Mercedes pipped Ferrari to second in the constructor’s championship by six points.

    brazil-webber-thankyouThis race in Brazil will be remembered for some time to come. The farewell of the V8 engine, Felipe Massa’s last race as a Ferrari driver and the last time Mark Webber stood on a Formula 1 podium.

    The 2013 season has been one of a peerless German and his Austrian team’s absolute domination. Never before has this level of supremacy been seen in the sport. Although it may not have been everyone’s cup of tea as a sheer piece of inspired engineering the RB9 commands tremendous respect and appreciation.

    Take a bow Red Bull Racing.

  • Vettel claims Brazilian GP pole at wet Interlagos Qualifying

    Vettel claims Brazilian GP pole at wet Interlagos Qualifying

    Sebastian Vettel claimed pole position at Interlagos after rain delayed the start of Q3 during qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

    Rain fell on and off during most of the session but a heavier, sustained downpour of rain forced a delay of around 40minutes before Q3 could commence. But once the final part of the session got underway, Vettel was once again in a class of his own.

    Nico Rosberg will join Vettel on the front row of the grid tomorrow, followed by Fernando Alonso who claimed the third grid spot for Ferrari.

    Qualifying for the Brazilian GP got underway on a fairly damp track with drizzles of rain around and nobody wasted any time heading out for the session. All 22 drivers headed out very quickly to get their initial laps in.

    brazil-lewishamiltonLewis Hamilton was first to get a timed lap in and the earliest drivers out joined him in being in the best position to get through to Q2. Drivers who started further back however, found themselves struggling a little with traffic and worsening conditions. As conditions worsened, drivers headed back into the pits – all bar those who were in danger of being eliminated. The only driver who managed to escape elimination on his final effort though, was Jean-Eric Vergne who had voiced his dissatisfaction with his team sending him out a little too late in the session.

    Pastor Maldonado was eliminated from his final qualifying for the Williams team at the end of Q1 along with Esteban Gutierrez, and the Marussia and Caterham drivers.

    Q2 held much of the same for the drivers and they again headed out immediately as the session got underway but the rain seemed to hold off pretty well for most of the session.

    Sergio Perez banged into the barrier at the end of Q2 of the Brazilian GPBoth Toro Rosso drivers claimed spots in Q3 but it was the McLaren drivers who took yet another blow to their already lacklustre season.

    Jenson Button failed to make it through to the third part of qualifying and his team mate Sergio Perez touched the white line in Turn 4 and could not recover through Turn 5 to keep his car on track, banging it into the barrier.

    He climbed out of his car unhurt – but clearly disappointed in his final qualifying performance for the team.

    While Perez’s car was being recovered, the rain intensified and the start of Q3 was delayed several times for a total delay of around 45 minutes. The final three postponements were due to the standing water on the track.

    brazil-inters-changeAfter only one run on the full wet tyres, drivers opted to head back into the pits and go back to the intermediate tyres, raising questions as to whether it was indeed necessary for such a lengthy delay.

    Romain Grosjean did not even complete his first flying lap before heading back in for intermediate tyres.

    Ferrari held their drivers back between their runs to give them the best possible running positions and it worked fantastically for Fernando Alonso who managed to qualify in third position. Alonso however felt he could have done better to manage second and apologised to his team at the end of the session.

    When all was said and done though nobody had an answer for the relentless Sebastian Vettel who was a full second faster than his rivals with his first run, and finished 6 tenths of a second ahead of Rosberg at the end of the session.

    Here are the full timesheets for the qualifying session today and your starting grid for tomorrow’s Brazilian Grand Prix. Remember to join us on Twitter @F1_Madness for live updates and interaction with other Formula One fans.

    brazil-qualifying

     

  • F1 2013: Free Practice 3 Report – Brazilian GP

    F1 2013: Free Practice 3 Report – Brazilian GP

    Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber topped the timing sheets at the end of the third free practice session ahead of the 2013 Brazilian grand prix.

    The rain soaked session took quite a while to spark into life and it was Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez that topped the timing sheets in the initial part of the third free practice session.

    Condition around Interlagos were incredibly tricky given the circuit’s poor drainage system which led to a big amount of standing water on the circuit. Nevertheless, few drivers ventured out in the wet condition for the sole reason of saving the green side-walled Intermediate tyres for the all important qualifying session.

    Eventually conditions improved enough for the intermediate tyres to be tried out and Mark Webber was the first of the drivers to do so. Webber seemed to get the best of condition and set the overall fastest time of the session. Sebastian Vettel ended in session in 17th place while Mercedes and Ferrari ended their program of running ten minutes before the chequered flag signalled the end of practice. Jenson Button did not set a representative time.

    Full times below.

     

  • Rosberg Top in Wet Second Practice in Brazil

    Rosberg Top in Wet Second Practice in Brazil

    Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg set the fastest time of the second practice session for the Brazilian Grand Prix

    With steady rain falling at the circuit, Rosberg managed to set the fastest time of the session just before the end with a time of 1:27.306. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel set the second fastest time of the session with  1:27.531, 0.255s slower than Rosberg. Mark Webber in the second Red Bull finished the session in P3 just 0.061s slower than Vettel with a 1:28.129. Lotus substitute driver, Heikki Kovalainen did rather well to get his Lotus up into P4 with a 1:28.129. Lewis Hamilton finished the session in P5 with a 1: 28.147. He could have finished the session higher up, but he was held up a few times and there were plenty wheel-spin moments for him. “I’m struggling just to keep it on the track” he said after the session. All the drivers set their times on the intermediate tyres towards the end of the session.

    There were quite a few aquaplaning moments, and plenty of wheel spin out of the corners which made things very tough for all. Nico Hulkenberg, on the full wet tyres was trying quite hard to get up the time sheets. “We’ve just hit a wall in terms of performance, grip. There’s nothing more I can do” he said to his race engineer over the radio. He managed to set a time of 1:28.560 in P8.

    With tricky conditions and with limited wet weather tyres teams were very reluctant to do a lot of running. If the weather doesn’t improve there could be very little running in P3.

    Below is the full time sheet for Free Practice 2 for the 2013 Formula 1 Petrobras Brazilian Grand Prix

    Brazil2013_FP2

  • Mercedes Duo Top of the Time Sheets in First Free Practice in Brazil

    Mercedes Duo Top of the Time Sheets in First Free Practice in Brazil

    The Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton finished on top of the time sheets for the first free practice session for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

    Nico Rosberg finished in P1 with a time of 1:24.781. His team mate Lewis Hamilton finished in P2 with a 1:25.230, 0.449s off the pace of his team mate. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel finished P3 with a time of 1:25.387 and McLaren’s Jenson Button in P4 with a time of 1:25.593. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso ended the session in P5.

    With the track damp and slippery it made it nearly impossible for teams to test the new Pirelli tyre compounds for next season but that did not stop Vettel venturing out on track for two laps with them in order to obtain some data about them.

    Young Daniil Kvyat was particularly impressive in the wet, finishing the session in P8 with the Toro Rosso in only his second outing for the Faenza based team.

    Below is the full timing sheet for Practice 1 for the 2013 Formula 1 Petrobras Brazilian Grand Prix

    Brazil2013_FP1