F1 Madness

Tag: daniel ricciardo

  • F1 2017 Brazilian Gp Review – Vettel Win Lifts Ferrari

    F1 2017 Brazilian Gp Review – Vettel Win Lifts Ferrari

    As the Brazilian crowd bid an emotional farewell to local hero Felipe Massa, it was Sebastian Vettel who delivered a controlled drive to victory for the first time since July.

    Pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas was pipped off the line by Vettel’s Ferrari and never truly threatened for the lead of the race. Besides snatching pole by less than half a tenth it’s been a difficult few months for Bottas with several off-colour performances littered throughout the second half of his season. Nevertheless, his pace wasn’t far off Vettel’s at all and it was perhaps only the lack of courage into turn one that cost him victory in Brazil.

    The end of seventy-one laps saw the top three covered by roughly five seconds with Kimi Raikkonen taking the final step of the podium. The Ferrari driver, on 40 lap old tyres, valiantly held off a charging Lewis Hamilton who had scythed his way through the field to go from the pitlane to fourth by the end of the race. Hamilton’s uncharacteristic crash in quali may have reduced him to a pitlane start but the silver lining was a Mercedes power unit at full tilt and a newly crowned world champion willing and able to pull off several excellent overtakes. Despite a lap time advantage of more than 1.5 seconds and fresher tyres, he was ultimately not able to take third place off Raikkonen.

    29The last few weeks have been trying for manufacturer Renault and the teams they supply in the pitlane. So much so that a spat broke out between Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul and Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost. While Alain Prost stepped in to pour some cold water on the otherwise spicy discontent from both sides it is obvious that Renault is struggling towards the end of the season. So much in fact that they’ve ordered all teams running the French manufacturer’s power unit to turn down the performance output because of reliability fears.

    It explains then what happened to Red Bull’s early weekend pace, as it was nowhere to be found on Sunday. With the deficit, the best Max Verstappen could finish was fifth ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in sixth who started from the back of the grid due to, you guessed it, engine penalties. Power units continue to be the biggest talking point in F1 with the first meeting on what 2021 regulations could look like having already taken place. More seriously, however, is the fact that in 2018 teams will have a maximum of three engines to complete the season with and going beyond this allocation, which they undoubtedly will, means triggering grid penalties. It’s a ridiculous requirement given that no team will be able to stick to it and it should be redressed as soon as possible.

    17On the track, Felipe Massa delivered a typically plucky performance to hold on to a solid seventh place finish ahead of Fernando Alonso in eighth. Sergio Perez, merely a tenth behind Alonso, had to settle for ninth while Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top ten.

    To say it’s been a difficult few months for Ferrari would likely be one of the biggest understatements of the year. After all, as they headed into the summer breaks after the Hungarian grand prix they had every expectation of winning the championship. But it all went horribly sideways as that Hungarian Gp turned out to be Vettel’s last win. His win Brazil, a controlled drive from the front for all of the 71 laps, will be shot in the arm not only for him but for everyone in Maranello, after all, 2018 isn’t that far off.

    (All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport)

  • Penalty Round Up: 2017 Brazil Grand Prix

    Penalty Round Up: 2017 Brazil Grand Prix

    Another race weekend, and we’ve got more grid penalties. So far none of them feature a McLaren. But it does look like Toro Rosso is getting all the bad luck.

    Lance Stroll gets a gearbox change after he came to a halt on track during Free Practice 3 while the rest of the Renault powered guys get penalties for component changes.

    Daniel Ricciardo

    • 10-place grid drop – 8th Control Electronics(1st 8th element)

    Pierre Gasly

    • 10-place grid drop – 8th MGU-H(1st 8th element)
    • 10-place grid drop – 9th MGU-H(1st 9th element)
    • 5-place grid drop – 7th Turbo Charger.

    Brendon Hartley

    • 10-place grid drop – 8th Control Electronics(1st 8th element)

    Lance Stroll

    • 5-place grid drop – gearbox change

     

  • F12017: Mexican Gp Review – Verstappen Dominates Tense Mexican Gp

    F12017: Mexican Gp Review – Verstappen Dominates Tense Mexican Gp

    Formula 1 is a sport where just about everything is engineered and managed to the most minute of details. However, despite the near obsessive level of attention to detail the volatility of the human factor often still has the biggest impact.

    In Mexico Max Verstappen made his presence felt as he barged his way into the lead of the race from his front row starting position. Though Verstappen, pole sitter Vettel, and Hamilton were three abreast into the first turn it was the Dutchman that barged his way into the lead of the race and not only left Vettel and Hamilton battered and bruised but also at the back of the field. Hamilton was left limping back to the pits with a right-rear puncture while Vettel too was forced into the pitlane for a new front-wing. It certainly wasn’t the afternoon Mercedes or Hamilton had envisioned but as Vettel wasn’t running first or second he was still on course to take the title.

    The radio chatter between Hamilton and the Mercedes pitwall clearly revealed that there were more than a few anxious moments in the cockpit of the number 44 Mercedes. As it where, despite several thrilling overtakes Vettel could ultimately only recover to fourth. It meant that Hamilton’s own ninth place finish was enough to crown him the 2017 driver’s champion in what was one of the most intense championship deciders in quite some time.

    08For Max Verstappen, well ahead in P1, it was a far less stressful afternoon. In fact, such was his pace that the 20-year-old had to be told several times to slow down. Even so, no one had an answer for his pace around the Mexican circuit, which rewarded the aerodynamic efficiency of the Red Bull to a tee. Verstappen’s sterling drive left him nearly twenty seconds clear of the second placed Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen completing the top three. With such a spectacular win, the third of his short career, it’s clear that the future of Formula 1 is good and very quick hands.

    Behind Vettel Esteban Ocon was fifth for Force India with Williams’ rookie Lance Stroll delivering another impressive drive to finish sixth. Local hero Sergio Perez was seventh while Kevin Magnussen, Lewis Hamilton, and Fernando Alonso completed the top ten. It was difficult day for Renault as both Sainz and Hulkenberg were forced into retirement alongside Ericsson, Hartley, and Daniel Ricciardo who suffered a MGU-H failure on the Red Bull.

    44There will be some who say that Hamilton’s 2017 victory in the driver’s championship eventuated only because of Ferrari’s unreliability but it simply isn’t the whole story. While a driver can only be as good as his car the Mercedes hasn’t been the quickest car this year on several occasions. But still Hamilton’s relentless ability to churn out performances, especially in qualifying, is admirable and what has won him another world title.

    Expectedly, questions of whether he can or should be considered one of the greatest drivers of all time will abound. But it’s a difficult question to answer given how the sport and its drivers have transformed in its six decades of existence. There likely isn’t a definitive answer to this question, which will probably always boil down to personal opinion. But what is indisputable is the fact that Lewis Hamilton is easily one of the best drivers of his generation. Hamilton’s championship triumph also means that he stands alone as the only British driver with four titles. Take a bow Lewis Hamilton.

    All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

  • F1 2017: Mexican Gp Quali Report – Vettel Delivers

    F1 2017: Mexican Gp Quali Report – Vettel Delivers

    Sebastian Vettel has delivered a stunning lap to secure pole position for the 2017 Mexican grand prix.

    The Ferrari driver had it all to do in qualifying and he delivered with a quite stunning lap to take pole position for the Mexican grand prix. Alongside on the front row, and less than a tenth adrift, is Max Verstappen who looked in fine form throughout the quali session.

    Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will share the second row in third and fourth with a 5th place or better all that Hamilton needs to secure his fourth driver’s championship title. Kimi Raikkonen and Esteban Ocon will share the third row in fifth and sixth respectively.

    The second Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo was mysteriously off the pace and will start Sunday’s race in seventh overall. Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz, and local hero Sergio Perez will round out the top ten.

    While Brendon Hartley set the 13th quickest time overall he was a no-show in Q2 as yet another unreliability issue put an end to Toro Rosso’s participation. This comes after teammate Pierre Gasly did not even start quali due to a engine change stemming from a failure in free practice three.

    With tyre degradation likely to reduce the Mexican grand prix to a one-stopper it will all hang on the run to turn one for Mercedes as both Ferrari and Red Bull have shown a better long run pace than the Silver Arrows.

  • F1 2017: Japanese Gp Review – Hamilton Wins Big In Japan

    F1 2017: Japanese Gp Review – Hamilton Wins Big In Japan

    Since the month-long summer break Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have touched little that hasn’t turned to gold. This momentum, which has an eerily familiar complexion to it, has garnered Hamilton victory in Japan and a nearly insurmountable in driver’s championship.

    After the events in Singapore and Malaysia Sebastian Vettel needed to win the Japanese grand prix in order to get his bid for the world title back on track. With a front row start alongside Hamilton it seemed it he would have the chance to do so. However, yet another reliability issue, this time a spark plug failure, brought the German’s race to an abrupt and painfully costly end. And while Vettel was left to console his engineers Hamilton, literally, drove home the advantage by extending his championship lead to 59 points with four races to go.

    While last week’s race winner Max Verstappen tried his utmost to challenge the Mercedes it was evident that the Red Bull was lacking the final bit of pace to make a genuine bid for the win. Nevertheless, Verstappen’s performance once again underlines the Dutchmen’s impressive flair and talent and should Renault be able to up the prowess of its power unit it clear to all that Verstappen is ready to fight not only for victories but also for the championship title.

    39As Verstappen’s number 33 Red Bull could only get within two seconds of Hamilton the other Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo, in third, was able to hold off Valtteri Bottas who recovered to fourth after incurring a gearbox penalty. Similarly, Kimi Raikkonen too had to overcome his own gearbox penalty to finish fifth. Force India took a big step towards securing the mid-field battle with a solid haul of points for Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez, in sixth and seventh respectively. Haas too would’ve been happy with their day’s work as Kevin Magnussen, in eight, and Romain Grosjean, in ninth delivered a double points finish for the American team. Despite struggling with tyre degradation Williams Felipe Massa snapped up the final point on offer in tenth.

    Neutral or not, most would lament Ferrari’s run of unreliability and the effect it’s had on the championship. The expectation was that the fight between Hamilton and Vettel would carry all the way through to the final round in Abu Dhabi and in so doing would provide the intense battle that spectators have been craving for some time. While the race for the title is by no means done and dusted it has become increasingly difficult for Vettel and Ferrari to get their hands on the coveted trophy.

    _R3I8542Nevertheless, many a world championship has been won and lost on reliability. Having a fast and competitive car has never, solely, been enough to take the big prize. Reliability is a blatant factor, which has always gone hand-in-hand with the sport.

    And while Ferrari are suffering a horrendous run of unreliability credit must be given to Mercedes. Their near flawless reliability is no fluke. Instead it’s a testament to how Mercedes is not only on top in terms of car performance and driver management but also all the factors and details that goes into successfully winning a world title. It’s a true art to maintain the level of attention to detail on quality control and ensuring that all procedures are perfected in a high pressure environment at Formula 1. For that alone, whether you’re a fan or not, Mercedes must be applauded.

    All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport

  • 2017 Japanese Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    2017 Japanese Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    2 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)

    3 – Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing)

     

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by Takuma Sato)

     

    Lewis, a sensational win, congratulations. How do you feel today? 

    Lewis HAMILTON: Wow, you got some bling! Where’s this from?

    Yeah, look at this. It’s a 500 winner’s ring.

    LH: I love that! I need that ring! Hi, everyone. We’ve had such a great crowd here this weekend. In Japan they always look after us so well here, so very, very grateful for that, and the support has been immense. So, it’s great to have a beautiful day here, it’s probably the first time I’ve really seen the sea from here. The track was fantastic; the team did an incredible job. Max drove an outstanding race and honestly it wasn’t an easy one for us at all.

    You had a sensational lap, breaking the track record yesterday, but it didn’t look like you had an easy afternoon today. At one stage Max was coming on a charge. How did you manage that, were you just calm, were you just controlling the situation?

    LH: Yeah, I mean, today… the Red Bulls just seem to be rapid in race trim. Obviously we’re quick in qualifying trim. But still I was able to just hold him behind. But it definitely got very close a couple of times, particularly at the end with the VSC and then when we restarted the tyres were cold, I had a bit of traffic, so he caught right up, so it was very, very close.

    Well done, congratulations. Max, congratulations, a fantastic charge. Obviously [last weekend] in Malaysia you had a sensational win and look at your fans here in Suzuka, you’re charging almost to a win. How do you feel today?

    Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, it was a great day again. I think Suzuka is great to me. I really love the track, already last year. I think the pace today was really promising. The first stint on the supersoft I was struggling a bit with the left front, but as soon as we switched to the soft tyre it was actually very competitive and I was always with Lewis and especially in the last few laps I think we had great pace. It’s just really hard to pass. The last two or three laps I gave it my all to try to try to close the gap. But we had a really good day again and the car is definitely improving race by race and I’m really happy about that.

    Fantastic Max, congratulations again. Daniel, you look a happy boy. Suzuka fans, says hello them maybe?

    Daniel RICCIARDO: Yeah, this is my first podium here. My objective this weekend was get a Suzuka podium and I have it and it feels great, so arigato.

    You mentioned that this is your first podium at Suzuka. Obviously this is a track you love and this is your ninth podium of the season. You’re looking strong. At the end you had a charge from the other guys, so how did you manage in the last few laps?

    DR: Yeah, it’s a circuit I’ve always enjoyed and now with this year’s cars it’s a lot of fun. You know, the race, after the start it started to spread out and it wasn’t that exciting from my point of view but then I had Valtteri coming at the end so actually to have a bit of pressure at the end made it more exciting. It was good fun…

    Excellent, fantastic, two Red Bull guys [on the podium]. Lewis…

    LH: Can I try this ring? Can I just see if it’s worth me going and doing [the Indianapolis 500] one day. Can I try it?

    Of course, anything for you. Lewis Hamilton with an Indy 500 winner’s ring!

    LH: It’s pretty good. Congratulations. I was about to run!

    The championship: you now have a massive 59-point lead. Obviously it was a little bit fortunate for you and a bit unfortunate for the red cars but there are four races to go, so what’s the strategy, how do you feel about it?

    LH: Yeah, honestly, I could only have dreamed of having this kind of gap. Ferrari have put on such a great challenge all year long. All I can really say is that I have to put it down to my team. They’ve done a phenomenal job, reliability has really been on point. They are just so meticulous and that’s really why we have the reliability we have and the result we have been having. So a big thank you to the guys. I think a lot of them have already gone back to start packing up. But I owe it to everyone here and back at the factory and again the support that we get, it really does help lift us, so a big thank you to everyone.

    Q: Well Lewis, an emphatic victory in reality. Perhaps you could talk us through it in chronological order. Let’s start with the start, who made the better getaway, yourself or Sebastian – and when did you realise he had a problem?

    LH: The start was OK. It didn’t feel initially the greatest but I think the initial getaway was not spectacular, there was a bit of wheel spin but then from then on, had a good start but I guess everyone around me, or at least Sebastian, had the same kind of thing. So, he slotted in behind me. Then it was pretty much under control from there, and then I saw that Max had done a big lunge into Turn 11, in my mirrors, so I just saw them drop back a step and really from then I was just trying to manage the pace, manage the tyres. It was a long way to go, the hottest the track had been all weekend – so it was really crucial, knowing that particularly the Ferraris and also the Red Bulls are very, very quick in the race, it was important in those moments that I looked after the tyres the best.

    Q: Was a two-stop ever a reality or was it always a one-stop as far as you were concerned?

    LH: A one-stop was the way. There was no way we could make a two-stop work, and knowing the others would be two-stop, just missing a stop makes a big difference – but I think it was definitely on the limit with tyre life and tyre wear. Yeah, these guys seem to have a bigger wing: slower on the straights but much, much quicker, it seems, through the first two sectors, and particularly if he’s right with me, he’s able to follow. When I was with someone I was not able to follow. So, I guess under-winged for the mid sector and fine down the straight. Then it just got a little bit close towards the end. I had a comfortable gap going into the pit-stop and then I think Max did the undercut thing and gained a bit of time. Then my out-lap, I took it easy, just trying to look after the tyres again, so he closed up to 1.5 seconds and then after that I pulled it back out to two and a half or three seconds or something like that, so I was just controlling the pace but towards the end the VSC lost a lot of temperature in the tyres and waking them up was not so easy. Then I got traffic, I was stuck behind Fernando and I think it was Massa, at the time and I was just losing so much time. His car was so big in my mirrors. I was thinking ‘Jeez, this is very, very close’ with a couple of laps to go – but once I got by just managed to keep it together. So yeah, it was not an easy walk in the park today. It was very much one that I had to work very hard for. Great race by Max and enjoying racing with him.

    And a 59 point lead in the World Championship now. Just one hundred on the table. One and a half hands on that championship trophy – how are you feeling about it?

    LH: I think it’s kind of unbelievable really, to think that we are where we are. I was excited actually to have a good race with Sebastian here, as I was in the last race – but he’s obviously been incredibly unfortunate. In the world today, in Formula One it is a lot about reliability, it is about the team’s whole performance, not just speed on the track, and I think the team has shown, through and through for many years now that we have a very, very solid platform. The guys do such a phenomenal job with how they build the car, in terms of reliability. Mercedes are the real leaders in that area and so I really owe it to everyone back at the factory for providing me with a car that I can utilise, and use my abilities in. So, big thank you to everyone back at the factory. There’s still a long way to go. One hundred points is a lot of points. Anything can happen in life. I’ve just got to try and keep my head down and hopefully continue to perform like this – but I feel very, very fortunate and really blessed and enjoying the experience.

    Q: Max, coming on to you. We were getting excited at the end there. Was the win really on? What were you thinking in the car?

    MV: difficult to say. I could see Lewis was managing his tyres and of course, with the traffic it just seems like it was a bit more difficult for him to follow other cars, compared to me. So I closed up – but also when you are really close you start to lose a lot of downforce, so I couldn’t really attack him – but at least I tried. Before that, the start for me was very crucial. From there on I could basically do my own race. Once I got past Seb in the Hairpin I quickly realised that he had an issue, so that was good for me, of course, and yeah, the first stint, I think it was alright. I think Lewis was just a little bit faster and then after the pitstop we had great balance on the soft tyres and yeah, I just managed to keep it around 2.5s-3s. I didn’t want to close-up more because then you destroy the front tyres. In case you maybe needed them at the end. So, yeah, I think the car lately in the race has been really competitive. I think like Lewis said, we have a bit more wing, so we are quite competitive through the corners. Of course, then on the straight we have an even bigger deficit than normal but it seems to work for us in the race so far, so yeah, of course happy to be here on the podium again. It seems like Suzuka is pretty good to me.

    Q: And concerns about that front-left, you mentioned.

    MV: Well, it was all on the limit I guess – but for many people.

    Q: Daniel, your first podium here at Suzuka. You had your mirrors full of Valtteri Bottas at the end there, kept it exciting at least.

    DR: Yes, exactly. The race was pretty lonely after I lost out on the start. And then yeah, lost touch. Little bit like last week, lost touch of Max and Lewis and then it was just trying to do my pace. It was a bit lonely and then yeah, actually Valtteri coming at the end actually made it a bit more exciting for me. Made me feel pushed until the end basically. Kept it open. For the rest, I think there were parts of the race where our pace was pretty good but I think once the start is done here it’s very difficult to overtake. You need a pretty big speed advantage. Front left, yeah, you could see it was wearing and getting a few blisters but yeah, the race itself, not very exciting but for sure I’m happy to be on the podium here. I said from the start of the weekend I wanted my first Suzuka podium and, yeah, I got it.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) Question for Max. You’re on a charge in the last five laps and you came across the battle with Alonso and Massa. How did that affect you? Alonso cut right in front of you as Lewis went by him and you seemed to drop back a bit. Was that basically the defining moment that stopped your charge?

    MV: Yeah, didn’t help – but for me the last lap was more with Massa, but at the end of the day I think I wouldn’t have passed Lewis anyway because it’s really hard once he’s in free air. It was more like when Lewis was getting held up then I could close up and then maybe you can do something but once he got past, even when I got held up, y’know, it’s done. It’s of course not ideal but it wouldn’t have made a difference.

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action and Speedsport) Max and Daniel, you swapped positions at the start, could you just talk us through how that first little bit went?

    DR: I saw a little bit of a replay now at the back but honestly, I couldn’t see… I mean the cars this year, they’ve got more of a blind spot basically, so after the start – I knew my start wasn’t that good and I was expecting to see Max but I didn’t see him for a while so thought maybe his start was also not good so I thought I would cover the inside but I wanted to leave some room because he could be there and then as we got to the apex, I saw he was there. I don’t think I could really have done anything else. I guess if I came across straightaway, he was there the whole time I imagine. Yeah, I think it was just the jump off the line that wasn’t that great. Then I was on the outside and I didn’t get a good drive off turn two being hung out on the outside and that’s where I think Ocon got the better exit. I think it just all the start with the initial launch, we stuffed it there. So I’ll look into it, see if it was something I could have done better

    MV: I think I had quite a good start and like Daniel said, it’s really difficult to see in the mirrors but luckily we all had enough space afterwards so that was all good.

    Q: (Lennart Bloemhof – Volkskrant) Lewis, you said you enjoyed fighting with Max at the front. It’s the second consecutive race now that that’s happening. Can you tell us a bit more about that; how was it to fight against him?

    LH: Well, we didn’t really have a massive fight as such on the track but we all know how quick Max is, he’s doing a great job, very consistent. Yeah, the last race he was just too quick. I think today he was quicker – maybe just a little bit quicker – but I think I was able to match the times we were doing at the time. Yeah, we’re quicker in qualifying but they are at least within a tenth or so of us in the race. Today was I was kind of like – he won the last race, I’m not letting you have this one. It was really just about not making mistakes. I was driving down the back straight at one point and I’m thinking ‘Jeez, the guy behind me is so much younger than me, I’ve got make sure I kind of man up and show my age and make sure that I stay ahead. Show that I’m actually still very young at heart.’ That was kind of my thought process for you behind. I was kind of like I’m not letting…

    MV: I was thinking ‘this guy’s so old in front of me.’

    LH: Yeah, I’m not letting this little… that was the kind of thought I was having. No, I’m enjoying being in an era with such great young talent coming through. He’ll be here far beyond after I stop. But until then, I will try and not give him too many poles or too many wins.

    Q: (Luigi Perna – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Lewis, you now have a huge advantage over Sebastian Vettel. Will you change your approach in the next races or will you go to win anyway?

    LH: To be honest, there’s not really any need for me to change the approach. The points are still what you go out there to achieve but also you try and look after your car. I just don’t think there’s any need to make any changes. I’m not really particularly taking crazy risks in order to be in the position I’m in. So yeah, I think we’re just going to try and continue to do what we’re doing. Of course, we want to try and look after the car and the engine but I’m already doing that throughout the races so there’s not really much more I can do and I think if sometimes you come off the gas a little bit you actually cause yourself more trouble than you need.

    Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) Lewis, reliability is everything this year. On your cooldown lap you were talking to the engineers, speaking about vibrations. Is there anything possibly wrong with the engine or anything that might run over to Austin that needs changing?

    LH: I don’t think there’s… I don’t honestly think there’s any wrong with the engine. I just felt a couple of things so I just… you just point out things that you might forget to tell them after this next meeting. You make lots of different switch changes and the turbos make strange noises and different vibrations come in, so I’m hoping there’s nothing. I don’t think there is anything, I think it was just low… shortshifting which the engine doesn’t like so much. So I think that was it.

    Q: (Arjan Schouten – AD Sportwereld) Max, again a good result; what about the confidence in the car? Is the bad luck over now do you think?

    MV: Confidence was always there, so now I’m finally having luck so that’s good.

  • 2017 Japanese GP: Thursday Press Conference – Part 1

    2017 Japanese GP: Thursday Press Conference – Part 1

    PART ONE: DRIVERS – Felipe MASSA (Williams), Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing), Lance STROLL (Williams)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Felipe, let’s start by talking about your future. This time last year you knew what you were going to be doing, or not doing, in 2017….

    Felipe MASSA: No, I didn’t know anything last. What I decided didn’t happen.

     

    Well you weren’t going to be racing in Formula One, that was the plan, but there seems to be some uncertainty now. Where are you at ion your head, how much do you want to stay in Formula One and how much do you want to stay at Wiliams?

    FM: To be honest in my head I’m pretty relaxed, so I’m enjoying and trying to do the best I can in the last races this year and I don’t know what’s going to happen next year. But I’m quite relaxed. I’m quite keen to do maybe another season. I think I can do it in a great way. I can give a lot to the team, like I did already and I think maybe I can do another year. But I don’t decide; the team decides. Yeah, I’m pretty relaxed, trying to enjoy the races, trying to do the best I can in the car, trying to the give the best to the team, and that’s the most important thing. I’m talking with the team definitely for next year and we are in discussion. So everything has some directions around, so I have my direction as well to follow, like a professional driver, like I was always in my career in Formula One and I am very happy for that. That’s the way it is and definitely I can do a good effort for the team but we need to find a good solution to carry on in the right way, that everybody is happy. But anyway, I’m quite relaxed and definitely gave a lot to the team, to Formula One as well. If people are happy that I stay, I stay, and I will do everything I can to stay at the top level. But I’m quite relaxed and I’m trying to do my job in the right way in the last races and we’ll see what’s going to happen.

     

    When do you need to know by? Have you given the team a deadline?

    FM: Well, we don’t have a deadline. Definitely I think it would be good for the team and also for myself that we know what’s going to happen before the race in Brazil. We’ll see if this will be possible but I really hope so.

     

    Turning to matters on track now, you hold the pole position record here at Suzuka, for your Q3 time in 2006. Tell us a little about what’s the secret of stitching together a good lap here and indeed is there any advice you can give a rookie, like your team-mate Lance Stroll?

    FM: Yeah, I remember it was 2006, it was around 29.5 lap time. That was pretty amazing. A long time ago, many things change from that time to now. If you see also that the car we race now is one hundred and something kilos heavier than how it was the car in 2006. But maybe this year it can change. Maybe this year we can see some records around this track and I’m sure it will be great to driver the car we have this year on this track, which is definitely one of the best tracks in Formula One. I’m sure Sector 1 will be quite fun, but also quite difficult for all of us in terms of our neck and in the race and also to do one lap in qualifying will be pretty interesting, to see that feeling. Lance knows already the track, but definitely it is a different car so I think it will be nice for him to drive the car this year.

     

    Thank you. There is clearly a good dynamic between yourself and Felipe, and there’s a lot of speculation around who is going to be your team-mate next year. Do you have a preference?

    LS: We’ve had a really good relationship this year and we’ve done a good job to help the team score as many points as possible, between the both of us. But, at the end of the day, it comes down to the team, who are the drivers. I’ve just got to focus on what I’m doing, but definitely we have a good relationship this year.

     

    Is there one particular thing that you have learned from Felipe this year?

    FM: Many!

    LS: That’s it.

    FM: We should say, no?

    LS: No. It’s between the two of us. All in all, he brings a lot of experience to the team and I’ve been able to use him as a benchmark throughout my rookie season. He’s really helped to develop the car in many ways, with these regulations, and as well I think I’ve been able to pick up a few details along the way that I could apply into my work at the track, so all in all there have definitely been a lot of things I’ve picked up throughout the year.

     

    And you’ve now scored points in six of the last nine races. You’re looking very assured in the car. How much more confident are you now compared to Melbourne at the start of the year?

    LS: I’m a different driver to where I was in Melbourne at the beginning of the year. It’s just experience that you soak up through the year and every race there is always something that I think I could do better. I just feel that I’m getting better every single race and that’s just experience and time in the car.

     

    Thank you Lance. Daniel, can we start by talking about what you’ve been up to since the Malaysian Grand Prix last weekend, have you been having fun in the Land of the Rising Sun?

    Daniel RICCIARDO: It can be a dark place… the sun doesn’t always rise (laughs). It can get emotional in Tokyo. But no, it’s been OK. A more positive experience in the last few days, was actually with this man here [Felipe Massa]. We went to the famous sushi… I’m going to get it wrong now, Sukiyabashi Jiro, and it kind of became more on the map to let’s say the western world after there was a documentary ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’ and I was told about it a couple years ago and I was like ‘oh, we’ll just call and get a reservation for tomorrow night’, but you’ve got to book like a year in advance, so two years later we finally made it. It was a good experience. Yeah but… well, anyway…

    FM: It was good to see his face, when some fish that he is not really keen to have…

    DR: I only started eating seafood a few years ago, like properly, like raw fish. I like some of it, but some is still new to me, but you don’t want to disrespect.

    FM: There was no salmon.

    DR: There was some different stuff, but anyway, it was a good experience for sure. And you’re in and out in 30 minutes, so it’s bang, bang, bang, but it was good. I did some Kendo as well, a Japanese martial art. That was quite cool and I enjoyed that. So two good experiences this week.

     

    You’ve been having a good time! Thanks for that. Well, let’s just cast our minds to the race last Sunday. Can you describe your emotions on Sunday night, because on the one hand you had scored your eighth podium of the year, but was there a sense of what if? What if, for example, you had got past Bottas sooner, what might have been possible?

    DR: I guess there was a small what if. If I had got Bottas or he hadn’t got me on the start I guess then my chances of having a battle with Lewis would have been higher. But I still didn’t look back on the race like ‘aw, it was a missed opportunity’. After the race I thought the start, I was like ‘if only I went to the outside I could have braked later and held my position’, but I think if I had pulled out early of Max’s slipstream to the outside, I think Bottas would have probably just gone through the middle of us. So in hindsight it would have been difficult probably to do anything better on the start. I was still happy, another podium. Although I won there last year it’s actually never really been a track I’ve… I wouldn’t say enjoyed, but had much success on, so to finish on the podium there in the last year I was going to take that, so it’s OK.

     

    Well, the car has been competitive on three very different tracks now, Monza, Singapore, Malaysia. Would you agree with Helmut Marko that it’s now the best chassis in Formula One?

    DR: We have to be close. If it’s not then we’re certainly close, and a lot closer than we were in the first handful of races this year. Like Monza, you surprise yourself on Sunday but then in Singapore, Seb puts a few tenths on us in quali. So you’re like ‘we do and we don’t, we do and we don’t’. Obviously, in Malaysia we were quick. If Ferrari has started at the front they would have been tough to beat. But we’re certainly close. If we’re not the best, we’re certainly close and I think this circuit is another chance for us to show that and I’m looking forward to it very much.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

     

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Daniel, Dr Marko has been quoted this week as saying that you are already on the market. Could you elaborate on that, are you aware of that, have you discussed anything with them and what does your future look like within the Red Bull family?

    DR: I mean the only thing I’m aware of is that my contract with them is at an end next year. I guess he’s referencing that. He’s not referencing next year, I guess.

     

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) You hope!

    DR: Ha, ha! I’m 100%, well 99.999% sure I’ve got a seat with Red Bull Racing next year. But I guess he’s talking about beyond that, but nothing’s been said between us beyond next, so I guess he’s more stating facts than… I don’t think he has a plan yet beyond ’18. But yeah, I should be racing next year! He wasn’t too disappointed after Malaysia; I think he was OK, so I think I’m still OK.

     

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Daniel, in the beginning of the season you were not that close to Valtteri’s pace but in the last four races you have overtaken him twice and beaten him three times. Are you surprised at this change?

    DR: I think it’s been… we’ve been getting stronger. So, we have been able to compete more regularly now with Mercedes and yeah, since the summer break he hasn’t had as many – I guess – good performances compared to Lewis at least. I think it’s a combination maybe: he hasn’t performed at his best the last few races and we have got better, so it’s given us a chance to steal some points from him. Obviously my chance of winning the title is very, very, very little but there’s still a small chance at least to get top three again. Valtteri still has a good gap but if I can keep closing on this, then I’ll be pretty satisfied.

     

    Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Daniel, Red Bull are really good at developing through a season and getting better and better, as you’ve just said. From your perspective isn’t it about time they stopped developing through the season and started developing in the winter and gave you a car to win a championship from the outset. If that doesn’t happen next year, is that make or break for you with the team?

    DR: It’s certainly our plan. It has been obviously… I still don’t know why the last few years we’ve had slow starts and then found a way to come back. So I guess the idea is again what we learn, because there’s not many changes next year, what we learn hopefully from this year hopefully we take to next year and we start stronger. So yeah, that’s obviously the plan, that’s everyone’s wish and yeah, I guess we go from there. Look, if next year’s not a very competitive season at all then, of course, that will then, y’know, be addressed. At least… I feel I’ve said it every time this year but where we are now this year, you’d think next year we should be competitive. Hopefully as competitive as y’know, I would like to see. So, yeah. Mercedes has been winning for too long. We’ll try to change that.

     

    Q: (Abhishek Takle – Mid-Day) To Felipe. It’s been reported that Williams are going to be evaluating Robert Kubica and Paul di Resta for next year. Knowing that, how does that factor into your plans for the future?

    FM: I think it doesn’t change anything for me. So… it doesn’t change anything for me. Williams know 100 per cent what I can give to the team and, even if you do a test with a car that is four years before, completely different. You cannot evaluate too much, as well. So, doesn’t change anything for me, to be honest.

     

    Felipe, will you attend that test?

    FM: No! I don’t know. I don’t know even if it’s true, that test, or not. I don’t know. To be honest… I don’t know.

     

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Lance, on the topic that Felipe’s just mentioned about a four-year-old car, you’ve done a lot of testing with a four-year-old car and you’re obviously driving the current car. What comparison is there between the two? Do you believe that one could really evaluate a driver that way?

    LS: Well, the cars we drive today are really quick. Back then, in ’14, the cars were, I believe, the first year with the new regulations, so there has been a lot of development, obviously the rules have changed this year, so lot more down downforce, different tyres and all that. So, they are very different, yeah, we’ll see what the team thinks about it. It’s not up to me to decide whether it’s a good evaluation or not.

  • 2017 Japanese GP Preview: Red Bull Resurgence

    2017 Japanese GP Preview: Red Bull Resurgence

    As quickly as the pack up in Malaysia had started, teams were in Suzuka, Japan preparing for the 16th Round of the Formula One World Championship.

    The Suzuka Circuit has been a regular feature on the Formula 1 calendar and traditionally has hosted the final Grand Prix of the season which saw many drivers crowned world champions.

    The current F1 layout of Suzuka is 5.807km long with 18 turns. Some famous corners such as 130R, sector one with the esses, Spoon and of course Degner 1 and 2 make this a real drivers track and it is a well known favourite of drivers.

    “It’s just a great circuit. It’s extremely fast, and you have the section in sector one with all the esses – that feels amazing going through there in a Formula One car,” says Haas’ Kevin Magnussen.

    The drivers probably cannot wait to get these 2017 cars around the track. With all the downforce this years cars produce we can expect times to be very quick. There’s a possibility that Degner 1 could be taken flat out.

    Pirelli goes one step softer

    Pirelli are bringing going one step softer this year and for the first time will not bring the hard compound tyre to Suzuka this year. Instead they are bringing the white marked medium compound, yellow marked soft compound and the red marked super soft compound.

    Suzuka is one of the hardest tracks on the tyres in terms of longitudinal loading on the tyres. The long fast corners like Spoon and 130R and in the Esses put large amounts of energy through the tyres. High downforce configurations are usually run by teams around Suzuka.

    Pirelli expects high tyre wear and high degradation, and with the fast cornering graining can also be a factor.

    Although the tyres this year are more durable we could see a two-stop race this weekend.

    Red Bull Resurgence

    Red Bull have been looking increasingly competitive since coming back from the summer break despite being down on power. A Red Bull car has been a regular feature on the podium since the summer break the team from Milton Keynes are the team in form at the moment.

    Red Bull head into Suzuka on the back of a dominant Max Verstappen victory in Malaysia less than a week ago on a track which Mercedes were, on paper, supposed to dominate. It could be argued that Ferrari had the faster car over the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend but engine problems for both Ferrari’s cost them and they were not able to capitalise on Mercedes’ lack of pace.

    The Suzuka circuit characteristics will suit Mercedes, but Red Bull will fancy their chances this weekend. They clearly have a very good package and with two drivers hungry for wins and nothing to lose, we can expect them to get in the mix between Mercedes and Ferrari.

    Over in Maranello Sergio Marchionne has reportedly made some changes to the team structure following the engine problems that plagued Sebastian Vettel after FP3 and Kimi Raikkonen just before the race for the Malaysia Grand Prix. There were also concerns that Vettel may have to take a gearbox penalty following his collision after the race on the cool down lap with Williams’ Lance Stroll but Ferrari have come out and said that everything seems to be fine with the gearbox and that they will conduct tests during Friday Practice in Suzuka as a final check.

    Mercedes will want to put their Malaysia weekend behind them and will no doubt be in a fighting mood come Friday in Suzuka. It’s a track where the W08 will feel right at home. Hamilton will see this as another chance to extend his championship lead over Vettel and put some breathing room between himself and German and who knows may already have one hand on the Championship trophy come Sunday.

     

    Photo credit: Red Bull Racing Formula One Team

  • F1 2017: Malaysian Gp Review – Magnificent Max Wins In Malaysia

    F1 2017: Malaysian Gp Review – Magnificent Max Wins In Malaysia

    There is a word in the English language that is often overused without the context of its full meaning but as I arrived at the Sepang International Circuit for my first live Formula 1 experience I was finally able to comprehend what the word surreal truly means. And yes, I’m still pinching myself.

    As the crowds streamed en masse to the final hosting of the Malaysian grand prix expectations were high among the colourful fans of Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, and many others as various nationalities converged to relish in and share their passion for Formula 1 racing.

    While the excitement of race day reduced the sweltering heat and humidity, which consistently hovers in the high 80s, to a mere footnote it was Ferrari who looked the real deal in practice and qualifying with Raikkonen on the front row. But while Hamilton racked up yet another pole position, albeit by half of a tenth, Sebastian Vettel ran into reliability issues, which relegated him to 20th on the grid.

    Still, Ferrari looked to have, in the form of Raikkonen, more than enough pace in the pocket to stroll to the chequered flag. It wasn’t to be though as, much to the crowd’s despair, the Finn did not even make the start of the race thanks to a similar electrical issue that afflicted his teammate Vettel in Saturday’s qualifying.

    image1It seemingly left the door open for Hamilton to inflict maximum damage on his rival but the Mercedes team and championship leader suffered a humiliating defeat to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who turned a stunning pace which relegated Hamilton to second and without any possible chance of victory. The young Dutchman was a definite crowd favourite who elicited cheers from the packed turn one grandstand every time he passed it.

    Imagine the roar then when Verstappen snatched the lead from Hamilton and proceeded to easily pull away from the Mercedes. With consummate ease, Verstappen produced a fabulous race to secure only his second victory in F1.

    Hamilton, a distant and disconsolate second, trailed home more than ten seconds adrift. Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo held onto third ahead of Vettel who charged through the field to finish fourth. Valtteri Bottas’ lackluster form continued with an unspectacular fifth place some twenty-six seconds adrift of Vettel’s Ferrari.

    While Sergio Perez finished a solid sixth, one of the definite stars of the day was McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne who finished an impressive seventh overall. The Williams driver pairing of Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa finished eighth and ninth respectively while Esteban Ocon took the final point on offer for tenth in the Force India.

    image3Despite not winning amid the more than one hundred thousand vociferous and passionate fans packed into the Sepang circuit Lewis Hamilton extends his championship to thirty-four points ahead of this weekend’s Japanese grand prix. The Suzuka circuit is one too that, on paper, should suit the Mercedes better than the Ferrari but as the situation stands the Italian team must throw all caution to the wind if they, and Sebastian Vettel, want to salvage anything from the 2017 season.

  • 2017 Malaysia Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    2017 Malaysia Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)

    2 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

     3 – Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing)

     

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by Mark Webber)

    Max, what a special day, buddy. Second victory; yesterday you turned 20. The previous win was not a gift, but this was… you had to work so hard for it, but what were the main points and how did you get the job done today.

    Max VERSTAPPEN: I think in the beginning, straight away the car felt good and I saw Lewis struggling a bit with traction and he was clipping a bit more than me, so I used my battery as much as I could and of course he has more to lose than me in the championship so I went for it in Turn 1 and from there I could my own race. The car was unbelievable. I had pace. If I needed to speed up I sped up. Yeah, it’s amazing. It’s a very tough race but of course incredible to win.

    I saw the neck a little bit. How does it feel at the end there – a little bit tight?

    MV: Of course. You get a bit tired. I thought maybe let’s rest a bit, maybe I need it in the end of the race.

    Incredible victory. Lewis, no one has stood on this podium more than you. Six times up on this podium, you have such a great affinity with Malaysia. It’s the last time we’re going to race here, a 34-point lead now in the championship. This was a very important second place, right?

    LH: Yeah, absolutely. A big congratulations to Max and a happy birthday. He did a fantastic job today. And a big thank you to all the crowd here. This is the biggest crowd we’ve ever had here in Malaysia. We needed that. It’s been such a great for us for so many years, we appreciate you guys having us and all the support you give us. So, thank you so much. The race was a tough one. Obviously they just had the upper hand on us today. But we love driving this track. It is the most difficult circuit; you are the most depleted afterwards and that’s a great thing.

    Well done buddy. Obviously, Sebastian did get back into fourth place but championship-wise, where’s your head at now and how do you go to bed tonight?

    LH: I feel good, but I think we have some work to do with the car. Obviously we didn’t have the pace today, this weekend, so there’s still work to do, there are still races ahead and there are some we can for sure win but we just have to keep pushing.

    Well done. Over to Danny Ric – well done buddy. Fantastic podium. It was a pretty hot afternoon for you; pretty boring in a ways, but that’s sometimes how those races go. But when Sebastian arrived you fought him off really well. So run us through the race and tactically how you had to deal with Sebastian at the end of it?

    Daniel RICCIARDO: Yeah, at the start it looked like Mercedes were struggling, so I was behind Bottas for a few laps. Obviously tried to get him as soon as possible, but he defended well. Seb came so quick at the end. I thought I was going to have a handful, but he only really had one strong attack and then we were able to pull away. I guess pretty lonely, but it was hot, it was physical, so nice to get a podium. Congrats to Max. Second win, he drove well all weekend, so good race for the team. Thanks to all the Aussies, appreciate it.

    Beautiful double podium for Red Bull, good to see you guys back on form. Max, your dad is down here and when the national anthem was going I think your father’s bottom lip was on the edge, I could see a bit of emotion from Jos the Boss. Run us through your emotions, what this means to get these victories at this level is just phenomenal…

    MV: You know, especially after the season I’ve had, I think this victory came at a very good time, so I was very happy when I crossed the line and together with my dad I got this far and of course I got the great help from Red Bull.

    Q: Max, you said yesterday, right here, that you would love to win a grand prix on merit. You fought-off Bottas at the start, you overtook Lewis, and you won by 12 seconds. Is that what you would call ‘on merit’.

    MV: Yeah, I think the whole race went well. Once I got past Lewis I could basically just focus on my pace and look after the tyres and when I needed to speed up I had the pace to do it. So, that was, of course, very pleasing. I think the first time I’ve had that in my career so far and I’ve won. So, to do something like that was, of course, great. The car had a great balance in the second sector and, yeah, I just had to stay very focussed, of course, because with the backmarkers you could easily lose a lot of lap time so you had to be focussed on that. Almost got taken out in Turn One when I passed two backmarkers but from there onwards, yeah, I could control everything, so of course very happy with that.

    And the detail on the overtake on Lewis.

    MV: I had a good run out of the last corner and then yeah, I opted to go for the inside. Of course I know that Lewis has more to lose because he’s fighting for the championship, so maybe I look a bit of extra risk because of it – but it was my only chance, I think, because that was one of the laps I could see he was clipping a bit more than I was, so I used the battery I had. Of course, very happy I got past.

    Q: Lewis, second place and extending championship lead. The risk/reward profile from your side when Max came through. What was going through your head?

    LH: yeah, I didn’t really know how close Max was and, yeah, I was having some problems with de-rates at the beginning of the race so, yeah, just struggling with battery power. I went to defend but didn’t really want to risk it, so I left enough room, didn’t completely close the door and be too aggressive. At the end of the day Max had more pace than me and it would have been a struggle anyway, even if he hadn’t got past at that point. Perhaps it would have happened somewhere else. It was going to be a real struggle but I did everything I could after that just to maintain position and, yeah, good to still get second.

    Q: It was a little bit reminiscent of Bahrain, the Mercedes seemed to struggle particularly on the supersoft tyre. Would that be accurate?

    LH: Yes. To be honest I struggled on both sets, a little bit less on the soft. But yeah, the car’s… the car’s good obviously in some places and in some others the issues that we have with the car are magnified, so we do have some big problems with it. It wasn’t… we struggled with pace, as you can see but still, it was good enough to get second. There’s still work to do to try and fix it but I think it’s a fundamental issue with this year’s car, so we’ve just got to try and work on improving it for next year.

    Q: Daniel, thrills at either end of the race for you. Obviously, the pass on Bottas early on and then the defence from Vettel at the end. Extremely robust defence, it must be said, into Turn One. Give us the detail on that, and obviously you had the time to think about him coming through, you were kept informed of his progress, so did you have a plan, or was it pure instinct.

    DR: The plan was to keep him behind. My engineer kept telling me he was catching me, and I like, ‘right… thanks… I know’, so I didn’t get to a point where I told him to…  yeah, I wasn’t giving much feedback on the radio so I think he got the picture but yeah, I defended a bit and I saw Seb was still coming, so I closed the door a bit later towards the apex, I don’t know how it looked from the outside. I don’t know if he was unhappy about it, or whatever, but it didn’t seem over-aggressive from my side. It didn’t feel like I did a really late move or anything, so from there I expected him to attack to the end but I was going to do all I could to keep him behind but I expected him to keep coming, keep coming and I guess maybe he killed the tyres trying to chase me and then getting close to me. And then, yeah, with Bottas, off the start I chose to go to the inside, obviously in the end he had a better run on the outside, so that was not the best line, I guess, from me. I had a couple of goes at him, he defended pretty well initially and then finally got around him – but by then Max and Lewis had obviously taken off. I think towards the end of that first stint, the end of the supersoft, I was keeping pretty good times on them, finally bringing some laptime back – but then they all pitted before and pulled away again, and on the soft I wouldn’t say I was as strong as probably the end of that first stint. It was, for the most part, a lonely race but yeah, obviously congrats to Max. He was strong all weekend. I think it’s our first double podium of the year so it’s a good result.

    Q: Finally, when the rules came out to make these cars a lot faster in 2017, this would have been the race that you’d have thought about and thought how tough it was going to be. Just a quick snapshot from each of you. How do you feel now? How hard was it?

    DR: Better that we’ve had some fluids. Yeah, it’s quick. Already last year it was probably the most physical race. This and Singapore. Singapore, we got given an easier time this year with the wet conditions. It made the race less physical because of the pace. So yeah, this I’d say was the toughest race and, yeah, you feel it. I think having a battle, having Seb catch me and keeping me on my toes, actually made it a bit easier.

    And Max, how do you feel?

    MV: Yeah, of course it was a very tough race but the whole week already I was not feeling too well, so that also doesn’t help in the toughest race of the season but luckily I managed to hold on so that was all good.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriera della Sera) Lewis, you gained six more points on Sebastian; how do you rate the importance (of that)?

    LH: Of gaining six more points? How do I rate it? Any points are important, so I don’t really know how to answer that. It’s a step towards trying to win this World Championship so every point counts.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Max, was that a clear sign that the Red Bull can now be strong on any type of circuit which still follows in the calendar?

    MV: I hope so. I didn’t expect to win here and be faster than the Mercedes but I think the whole weekend we looked pretty decent. Of course in qualifying, I think it’s a bit more tricky for us to be in front of them but we know that in the race normally our car is a bit stronger and we can look after our tyres quite well, so hopefully that’s a benefit maybe for some upcoming races but we have to wait and see. Every single weekend you have to set up the car well. You can say, yeah, here we were really quick so now we should be quick on every track but you are never 100 percent sure.

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action and Speedsport) Lewis, you gained six points but Seb came from last to fourth; what concerns you about the Ferrari pace in the remaining races?

    LH: What concerns me? Yeah, when we went into the race we knew that they had something like eight tenths on us so it was no surprise. Going on towards the next races, I have no idea how it will work out but the others have generally picked up a bit more pace I would say than us. And as I said, circuits like this there are corners that really magnify the issues we have with the car, so that’s something which we struggled with here. Whether or not that will be the same at the next races we go to we will see.

    Q: (Heikku Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Max, congratulations. Did it make it any easier for you when Kimi was taken away before the start?

    MV: It’s always easier, yeah, it’s one competitor less. If you look at the performance of Sebastian, for sure they would have been really strong. It’s of course a bit of a gift in that way, that it’s one less competitor but we never know how quick he was in the race.

    Q : (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) Lewis, you must be very happy because Friday you had a difficult car, just one hour on Saturday to test a new set-up. You were surprised by that as you said, and now in the race also, in spite of a difficult car, you finished second and your rival is in the back. If you can comment on that please?

    LH: Yeah, definitely, a much better weekend that we had anticipated after our Friday. Still, as I said, we’ve got a lot of work to do with this car so considering the issues we did have with the car, I think this is a good result. I think Valtteri obviously seemed to struggle a lot more and I was able to just pull a little bit more out of it, I guess, but these next races are going to be crucial in terms of finding out whether we can iron out some of the creases that we have with the car but yeah, who would have thought that the Ferraris would have had a problem? All we can do is try and capitalise as much on those. Naturally, I wanted to win the race and so Max did a fantastic job today, but obviously winning the race is still the goal so even if I get second it’s not that satisfying.

    Q : (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) And Max, you said that you enjoyed the car in the sector two here which is very similar to what we will find in Suzuka, no?

    MV: Yeah, but like I said before, it’s easy to say, yes now we will be good on every track. We just have to wait and see when we go to Suzuka. I think it’s a bit too early to say that we will be really competitive there. We were not too bad last year but we still have to find a good set-up.

    Q: (Arjan Schouten – AD Sportwereld) Max, could you compare this one to your first victory in Spain?

    MV: No, because there we definitely normally didn’t have the pace to win. Today we had and I had to really fight to overtake, and then look after the tyres so it was for me a bit different and it actually feels better.

    Q: (Jerome Pugmire – Associated Press) Max, you got a podium in China and then I think twelve races until this one and then seven DNFs. How much of a relief is it that luck has finally turned your way, not that it was a lucky win but that luck has finally turned in your favour a bit?

    MV: Yeah, of course it’s been a dramatic season so far so of course I’m very happy then to win this race and hopefully from now onwards it will be OK. I’m not saying we’re going to win every race but at least score some good points. Up until now, it was really a season to forget.

    Q: (Lennart Bloemhof – De Volkskrant) Max, yesterday you said becoming World Champion in karting was the best victory you ever experienced in your career…

    MV: It still is.

    Q: (Lennart Bloemhof – De Volkskrant) It still is? This one doesn’t feel better?

    MV: No. Because it doesn’t feel like that.