Tag: abu dhabi grand prix

Q & A with Nico Rosberg: I never let Lewis get within striking distance

After a mistake on the first lap saw Nico Rosberg lose out to team mate Lewis Hamilton in the United States Grand Prix, Rosberg knew that he needed to win in Brazil, and he did just that. In doing so, he cut his championship rival’s lead down to 17 points and still stands a chance of taking the title at the season ending double-points finale in Abu Dhabi.

Following the Brazilian Grand Prix, Rosberg chatted to reporters about how he kept Hamilton at bay and what his win means moving into the final race of the season.

This exclusive Q&A with Nico Rosberg was published on the official Formula One website:

Q: Nico, it was an enthralling race and not one for the faint-hearted. How much could you feel Lewis (Hamilton) breathing down your neck?
Nico Rosberg: Yes, it was sizzling. But it was not the race alone: I have felt very comfortable the whole weekend and I’ve had a great deal of self-confidence. I was convinced that I had learned from what I didn’t do so well in Austin – the little weakness that I had. And it makes me very happy to see that I have made real steps forward in that short time since the US Grand Prix. So when I reflect on the race, the start was super, and in the first stint I already saw that I was able to control the gap to Lewis. It was important to never let him get close enough to try a real attack. Then he made his mistake – and I used that situation as we were both very much at the limit with the tyres all the time. We really had to watch out to make it with three stops, so when he made his mistake and fell behind by something like six seconds that was also the moment when I could take it a bit easier to make sure that my tyres lasted until the last lap of my stint.

Q: What does victory here mean in terms of your title chances?
Nico Rosberg: Unfortunately it is one race too late to have it in my hands – only by four points. Sad but true! But now I need a little bit of help from somebody else as Lewis must not finish in P2 in Abu Dhabi – the maximum to keep my chances realistic is him finishing no higher than P3. Maybe (that will be) a Williams that you cannot pass on the straight!

Q: What went through your head when you heard over team radio that your team mate – and the leader in the standings – had made a mistake?
Nico Rosberg: I enjoyed it! (laughs) That was the moment when I knew that I could play it a bit easier and not have to push the tyres to the ultimate limit.

Q: After his mistake Lewis was able to close the gap again significantly – in the end it was only 1.4 seconds. How much were you in control?
Nico Rosberg: I felt good today and was pretty sure that I would not make a mistake today – that I had learned from Austin. So I tried to keep my rhythm and had a watchful eye never to let him get to within striking distance. And it worked – contrary to Austin. I draw much hope from today’s race for the shootout in Abu Dhabi.

Q: Mathematically, Lewis only has to finish in the same position that he did today in Abu Dhabi to take the title. But do you think he is chewing on today’s race and that you are probably in a better position than he is?
Nico Rosberg: Believe me, I would definitely prefer to be the hunted than the hunter. But these are the facts and Abu Dhabi will be a thriller – and a blockbuster for the fans. I have to win – at least that is the plan!

Q: How difficult is it to push all the championship permutations to one side and focus on pure racing? Abu Dhabi might be the biggest weekend of your career…
Nico Rosberg: Of course it is difficult. But since Austin I’ve known that I have to win the last two races – today I did that, and the plan is to do the same in Abu Dhabi. After today I feel that it will also work in Abu Dhabi.

Q: What are you going to do in the week between here and Abu Dhabi?
Nico Rosberg: Ha, I need to motivate Felipe Massa to have a very relaxing time and then to have a stunning weekend in Abu Dhabi so he comes in second and I win the race!

November 10, 2014
Doubt over Fernando Alonso’s fitness for Austin GP

There is a possibility that Fernando Alonso will not travel to the US for the Austin Grand Prix this coming weekend.

Alonso needs to undergo another medical check today before being cleared to fly on Tuesday following the high G-force knock he took during the race in Abu Dhabi.

Despite passing medical tests following the race, and Ferrari reporting that he was fit to race in Austin, the 28G impact suffered means he will need to undergo another test today before a final decision can be made.

Highly respected correspondent for Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport, Pino Allievi, said that Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo “is not even remotely” contemplating the prospect of Alonso sitting out the race.

However, following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Alonso had reported some back pain and his manager, Luis Garcia Abad tweeted a rather alarming photo of Alonso strapped to a spinal board, covered in shock foil blankets during the post-race hospital check. Ferrari were not very happy about the picture being tweeted according to Allievi despite Alonso stating at the Thursday press conference that the relationship between himself and Ferrari “was perfect, is perfect, and will be perfect”.

Even if Alonso does travel to Austin on Tuesday, he would still need to pass the FIA’s own medical checks on Thursday before finally being cleared to race.

Allievi has also said that if Alonso should fail his medical check today, Ferrari would most likely draft in Jules Bianchi, who races with Marussia but is part of the Ferrari young driver programme. Marussia are bound by contract to release Bianchi, should the call come from Ferrari. Their second choice reportedly, is Pedro de la Rosa.

Word however from Spain and Maranello are that Alonso should be cleared fit to race.

We will keep you posted as news becomes available.

Photo credit: Photo tweeted by Alonso’s manager, Luis Garcia Abad on Twitter.

November 11, 2013
Raikkonen excluded from qualifying – will start at the back of the grid

Kimi Raikkonen has been excluded from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying following a floor deflection test failure. He will now start the race from the back of the grid.

The stewards summoned the Lotus team earlier after considering telemetry data and video footage, so that the team could argue their case following the floor deflection test which was performed on his Lotus E21 as well as Hulkenberg’s Sauber.

The left hand side of the floor of Raikkonen’s Lotus was found to deflect more than the permitted 5mm vertically when the testing load was applied to it.

Lotus investigated and found that the issue was caused by the broken floor which had broken due to kerb damage but the stewards have not accepted their explanation.

The statement issued by the FIA said: “The stewards heard the explanation of the team that the relevant part broke upon contact with a kerb.

“However, the stewards did not accept that the incident referred to constituted an accident, or excused failing the relevant test.”

So it would seem that since the stewards have previously accepted the same explanation for Grosjean in Hungary, they are not willing to let it go a second time. Perhaps Lotus should have taken steps to ensure that the same thing did not happen again.

Raikkonen will now start from the back of the grid.

November 2, 2013
Raikkonen’s car fails floor test after qualifying

Kimi Raikkonen could lose his fifth place position on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix grid after his car failed the floor deflection test during a technical inspection following the qualifying session.

According to a statement from the stewards, “car number seven [Raikkonen] did not comply with Article 3.17.5 of the 2013 FIA Formula One Technical Regulations as the front floor deflected more than 5mm vertically when the load was applied vertically to it at the point which lies 100mm of car centre line on the [left-hand side].”

Lotus team members have been summoned to the stewards to argue their case. If there was a broken part, or the floor had been damaged during qualifying, he could escape penalty.

Raikkonen’s team mate, Romain Grosjean, escaped a penalty at the Hungarian Grand Prix after his car failed the same test. At the time, the stewards ruled that his floor had been damaged and so no penalty was given.

Stewards today said that Raikkonen and Hulkenberg’s cars had been tested, but the Sauber had complied and the Iceman’s car failed the test.

If penalised, it is likely that Raikkonen will be excluded from qualifying and will start from the back of the grid.

Follow @F1_Madness on Twitter for the latest news and updates on the situation as well as all other F1 news and live commentary on race weekends.

November 2, 2013
Vettel On Top in FP2 in Abu Dhabi

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel topped the time sheets at the end of the second free practice session at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

The young German set the pace this evening in Abu Dhabi with a 1:41.335 with his team mate Mark Webber P2 with a 1:41.490, 0.155s slower than Vettel. What was also encouraging for Red Bull was the very good long run pace they had on the primes and on the soft option tyre.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished the session in P3 with a 1:41.690, 0.355s off the pace of Vettel. Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen finished P4 with a 1:41.728 and Nico Rosberg ended his session in P5 with a 1:41.758. Raikkonen was very strong on his long run pace this session, his team mate Romain Grosjean who finished FP1 in P1 finished FP2 in P12.

McLaren’s Sergio Perez received some very encouraging news towards the end of the session from his race engineer Andy Latham telling him that they were very similar on pace to Mercedes and they were quicker than Ferrari. Checo ended the session in P6. Jenson Button trailed a very different setup by running a very shallow rear wing. The proof of which reflected in the speed traps where he was quickest.

Ferrari seemed to be struggling for pace in the session. Fernando Alonso ended the session in P8 and his team mate Felipe Massa finished in P10. They’re long run pace seemed to be there about, but nothing close to Lotus or Mercedes. It looks like its going to be a difficult weekend for them.

The full time sheet for the session is included below:

November 1, 2013
Grosjean fastest in first Friday practice at Abu Dhabi

Romain Grosjean topped the time sheets after the first practice session this morning with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton taking up the second spot. Four time world champion, Sebastian Vettel finished the practice session in 3rd place.

The track was super hot with temperatures over 45C and saw Hamilton and Vettel trading quickest times for most of the session. But it was Grosjean who beat the heat to put in the top practice time of 1.44.241 with less than two minutes of the session remaining.

Vettel’s time in third place was just over a quarter of a second slower than Grosjean’s time.

Jenson Button, who finished the session in 8th place once again had difficulty with traction, at one stage complaining to his team, “WOW! We really have no grip at all!”.

Rather surprisingly, both Ferrari drivers finished outside of the top 10 with Fernando Alonso in 12th and Felipe Massa down in 17th place.

Here is the full time sheet for the first free practice session at Abu Dhabi.

Photo by Lotus F1 Twitter Team

November 1, 2013
Abu Dhabi Preview Quotes – Force India

Force India preview quotes ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Paul di Resta, Force India
2012 Qualifying – 13th, 2012 Race – 9th
“We will certainly go to Abu Dhabi to try and repeat the performance (from India). The direction we’ve taken with the car recently is more of a back-to-basics approach, which has helped. It’s given me more confidence and I can be more committed with the car. That’s really important for a driver and it will help us for both qualifying and the race.

“I enjoy driving in Abu Dhabi because it’s a twilight race and one of the more spectacular events of the year – a bit like Singapore. As a track you don’t have to rely too much on aero performance because it’s mostly low-speed and that should suit our car quite well.”

Adrian Sutil, Force India
2012 Qualifying – n/a, 2012 Race – n/a
“Yas Marina is one of the most perfect tracks on the calendar because there’s not a stone out of place! It almost feels like a futuristic venue and with the harbour location it’s like a second Monaco. The track layout is not my favourite because it’s mostly low-speed, but as an event it’s certainly a highlight of the year.”

October 31, 2013
Abu Dhabi GP Preview Quotes – Red Bull Racing

After sewing up both the Driver and Constructors’ Championships for the fourth consecutive year, here’s what the Red Bull Racing team had to say ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP this weekend.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
2012 Qualifying – DSQ, 2012 Race – 3rd
“The race in Abu Dhabi is one of the highlights of the racing calendar. Starting at dusk and finishing in the dark makes it pretty impressive. I have special memories of the Abu Dhabi GP after winning the first race here in 2009 and then repeating the victory in 2010 to win my first world championship, that was an event I will never forget.

“The circuit is impressive: 5.5 kilometres, 55 laps counter clockwise with large run-off areas and a pit lane that leads through a tunnel to the other side of the straight. A few key points of the track for me are; Turn 1 because it is very difficult to see and is very fast. The last corners, (Turns 20 and 21) must be regarded as one, because you have to exit perfectly from the first to catch the last corner correctly. The trick here is to get on the throttle as early as possible in order to build up enough speed for the subsequent straight.”

Mark Webber, Red Bull
2012 Qualifying – 2nd, 2012 Race – DNF
“Racing in the twilight and finishing at night with a spectacular backdrop; the Abu Dhabi GP is a unique event in that sense. The track temperature is dropping during the race which is an interesting point for us, performance-wise, with the tyres. Also we’ll have a different visor tear-off for the first part of the race, for the first 10 or 15 laps we’ll have a dark tear-off because of the low sun in the last sector, and then when the sun has gone behind the grandstand we can get rid of that tear off and run a clear one for the rest of the race.”

October 31, 2013
Abu Dhabi GP Preview Quotes – Mercedes

Preview Quotes from the Mercedes Team ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
2012 Qualifying – 8th, 2012 Race – DNF
“The Abu Dhabi weekend is a real favourite of mine and it’s a great event for the fans, our partners and the team. It’s also very unique as a twilight race and working on a different timetable makes a nice change from the usual race weekend. On the track, we will be looking to continue the pace and performance of the car that we saw in India and hopefully the result. It was a really positive weekend for me and I’m pleased that the team now has renewed momentum in our fight for second place.”

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2012 Qualifying – 1st, 2012 Race – DNF
“The race in Abu Dhabi is always a fun weekend and one which I really enjoy. The circuit and the whole Yas Marina complex are so impressive and racing from the sunshine into the twilight is quite special. With three races left of the season, we are still pushing and there is a lot that our team can achieve in that period. It’s all about consistency now and making sure that both Nico and I score good points so that we can keep the other teams behind us. We’re up for the challenge!”

Ross Brawn, Mercedes team principal
“The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is undoubtedly one of the highlights on the Formula One calendar and a weekend that everyone at the team always enjoys. The uniqueness of the twilight racing and the wonderful facilities at the Yas Marina Circuit make for quite a spectacular show, both for the crowds at the track and for those watching on television. The circuit layout is challenging with the brakes under particular strain and overtaking can be tricky despite the long straights. This is a demanding period with four of the seven season-ending flyaway races now completed and I am pleased with how the motivation and commitment levels at our team are remaining so high. India was a strong weekend for us with some valuable points scored and we will aim to have another positive weekend in Abu Dhabi to consolidate our position.”

Toto Wolff, Mercedes team executive director
“We delivered a good team result in India, with podium number eight this year and our biggest points total since the Belgian Grand Prix. Our target now is to build on that momentum in Abu Dhabi. We know what to expect at Yas Marina: a circuit where good traction is important, as well as strong straightline speed, and conditions in which it’s important to look after the rear tyres, especially through the first stint when the track temperatures are still high. All of us in the team know that the battle for second place in the Constructors’ Championship will go down to the final race. We are ready for the fight.”

October 31, 2013
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Preview Quotes – McLaren

Here’s what the McLaren boys had to say ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Jenson Button, McLaren
2012 Qualifying – 6th, 2012 Race – 4th
“I think the whole team ought to feel encouraged by our pace in India last weekend. Although the race didn’t come together for me, our overall speed and consistency were the strongest they’ve been all season, and, as always, the race team delivered on all fronts to ensure that, strategically and logistically, we lost nothing to our rivals. We’ll certainly be taking that momentum into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend. While it’s a very different type of track – the final sector is much more stop-start and reliant on a strong mechanical balance – I’ve always enjoyed racing around the Yas Marina circuit and I think we can once again score points to consolidate our position in the constructors’ world championship. Now that the drivers’ world championship has been conclusively settled, I think the Formula 1 community will enjoy these last three races. While we’ll be competing with one another as fiercely as ever, we’ll also be treating our last three outings as opportunities to develop and understand the package we’ll take into the 2014 season. For me, that’s exciting: I’ll be looking forward to providing my input to ensure we end the year in as strong a position as possible, so as to be as well prepared for the new challenges of 2014 as we can be.”

Sergio Perez, McLaren
2012 Qualifying – 12th, 2012 Race – 15th
“I think that the Indian Grand Prix was my strongest performance of the season so far, and a good example of what I feel I’m capable of when I have a solid car beneath me, and the opportunity to push and press my opponents. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole weekend. You won’t be surprised to hear that I’ll be aiming to carry that momentum over into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Yas Marina circuit is one of the most impressive and sophisticated racetracks in the world – the first two sectors, which are a series of high-speed sweeps and hard stops, are great fun to drive, while the final sector is a little trickier, because although it’s much slower it requires great precision. Getting the set-up right around here is always a compromise, also. After several races of poor luck, it was great to reverse that trend in India. Now, of course, I’ll be looking for another strong finish to carry me into my ‘home’ race in Austin, Texas, next month. I would love to be able to give my ‘home’ fans something extra to cheer about!”

Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal
“With three races remaining, and with the drivers’ world championship now settled, it’s only natural that Formula One’s collective focus should start turning towards 2014. However, there are three fantastic grands prix remaining this year, and, buoyed by a respectable result in India last weekend, we’ll be looking to ensure that we continue to maximise our performance at each of those last three rounds. In Jenson and Checo, we have two excellent team-spirited drivers who have motivated the entire workforce with their never-say-die attitude to this difficult season. Despite their contrasting fortunes in India last week, both guys showed the attitude and determination to fight hard from the race’s start to its finish. They have been an inspiration, often in adverse circumstances, and, in turn, the whole team is working hard to provide them with the machinery with which they can keep pushing until the very last lap of the very last race. I think everyone in Formula One enjoys the fantastic facilities on Yas Island, and the thrill and spectacle of a dusk race make this weekend a truly special event on the calendar. I hope we can once again deliver a good race – not only for the benefit of everyone at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, but also for the benefit of Formula One as a whole, and most especially the fans.”

October 31, 2013