Tag: daniel ricciardo

2015 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix: Sunday Qualifying Press Conference

DRIVERS

1 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

2 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

3 – Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing)

TV UNILATERAL

Nico, difficult conditions to say the least, not just today but across the whole weekend, but really your first lap in that Q2 session was decisive, you must be quite pleased with the way this has turned out for you today?
Nico ROSBERG: Yeah, for sure, it’s been a really good qualifying, I felt comfortable in the car. It’s difficult out there with the aquaplaning and everything, because when it happens you just really struggle to have control over the car, because it just snaps suddenly, without warning. So that’s been quite challenging out there. I got a good lap together and it was with a used set of tyres, so that was even better, because for Q3 then I had a new set to go, so I was feeling really good.

Timing was everything wasn’t it Lewis really, I guess. Your first lap wasn’t the perfect one for you; you had to build up to the time you eventually set?

Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, it was generally a good qualifying. It was lots of fun out there I think for all of us. It was a bit of an anti-climax at the end, I was looking forward to going out. I think we probably could have gone out and cleaned the track ourselves, if all the cars were out. But anyway, still happy with the one-two for the team and good for the fans to be able to see the cars run. It seems like there is a big crowd there today so I hope the weather backs off a little bit for the race.

Thanks for that. Daniel, Red Bull looks like it’s performing well in these conditions as well, you were fastest in the first session. Did you think the pole might be on?

Daniel RICCIARDO: Q1 was looking good. Yeah, we were quite comfortable. Q2 there was a little bit more water on the track and it seemed like we struggled a little bit more compared to the Mercs and they found a bit more speed. But still, third is not too bad I think, it puts us in a good place for the race. A few faster cars are further back than maybe what they would be in dry conditions, so I think it’s a good opportunity for us today to try and capitalise on it. Don’t know what the weather’s going to do but I think we’re going to have a lot of fun in a few hours ‘time.

Thank you for that. Coming back to you Nico, what do you expect from this afternoon, what’s your latest weather forecast, what kind of race do you think it’s going to be and how badly do you want to win it?

NR: Win, for sure, here badly and race – I’ve got no idea! It was supposed to be drying out from now onwards but it really doesn’t look it out there, so who knows. But I’m feeling good in any condition at the moment and our car is great in any conditions, so full wets, intermediates, dry [tyres], so whatever is fine really.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Nico, in situations like that, how do you build confidence? Do you start out with confidence or do you have to build it from what you’re getting back from the steering and the way the car moves? Just talk us through a little bit about that?

NR: Yeah, you have to adapt all the time. The track is changing. There’s a line coming into the track, into the water because people are going round and that makes it a bit more grippy then. So you have to adapt every lap and go for it and keep on finding the new limits. Then it becomes quite difficult once it starts raining more again, like it did, I don’t remember when, in Q1 at the end or something, it started raining more? Not sure when that was, maybe Q2 even. Then that’s tough, because you are still trying to improve your time and it’s not so clear that the track is actually getting worse.

Lewis, a lot of people were having issues with the top of Turn 10, I think at least half the field, if not three-quarters of the field went off there, had a spin of some sort. What was the issue there, why was that such a tricky part of the circuit, that downhill left-hander?

LH: I’m not really quite sure to be honest.

You had a spin there as well.

LH: But it was just more wet there I guess than everywhere else.

No more to it than that?

LH: No, just aquaplaning I think for everyone.

OK. A thought from you, Daniel, on the balance of risk and reward. That’s what days like today are all really about. We saw one car in the barriers early on and just finding that line between risk and reward must be difficult.

DR: In these conditions, there’s always a fine line but I think you’re better off being on the more side of risk, I mean taking the risks. If you don’t drive in these conditions with confidence I don’t think you get very far. As soon as a little bit of aquaplaning or a bit more rain start to scare you or make you a bit more cautious then everyone’s going to jump in front. So I’d definitely say you need to drive the conditions with some confidence and I’d say a little bit of aggression. Sure, it can bite you but it’s a risk you need to take and it can really make or break [you] in these conditions. And obviously for us as a team and me as a driver… you know I’m not fighting for a championship at the moment and these are conditions that do suit us… this year how our car has been, it’s an opportunity for us in the rain, so to put it all on the line makes sense.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Roy Bragg – San Antonio Express) How does rain change… impact you in a positive way or maybe impact the other cars? Does it level the playing field for slower cars or cars that haven’t been among the fastest?

DR: I think for us it helps us as a team. It helps us because I think the chassis works well. We have a good level of downforce and obviously the more rain, the less grip there is so I think the more downforce helps. So, probably the good cars might stand out a bit more in wet conditions. But on the contrary, the driver… as I was talking about risk and reward, I think the driver, if he’s willing to take the risks, if it pays off he can make a bigger difference. In the dry there’s one line you follow and one technique – more or less – but in the wet you can improvise and do a few things differently. That’s where it makes it more fun.

Q: (Adam Tate – tributeracing.com) Question for Lewis, we know in the past you’ve shown that it doesn’t matter if you’re on pole or not, so right now are you just concentrating on the long game later?

LH: Well, I mean, qualifying was cut short so I guess we really didn’t get to battle it out into the last few laps but yeah, qualifying is just the beginning. The race is obviously a long, long battle. It’s going to be hard out there today with those conditions varying throughout the race. I think today it’s still wise to be sensible out there. No need to take any particular risks. As I said, there’s four races. It’s not do-or-die this weekend.

Q: (Seff Harding – Xiro Xane Radio) Question for Daniel. With the strength of the Red Bull chassis in the rain are you hoping for it to be a likely mixed weather kind of race? You hoping for more wet, or more dry?

DR: I think mixed conditions would be good. I think a full dry race we’re likely to be less competitive. I obviously don’t want it to be too much rain that we don’t run and we’re behind the Safety Car for ten laps but yeah, a genuine wet race would be cool. I think it would make it a bit more exciting as well. There’s always a few more variables that get thrown in, so wouldn’t mind if it eased off a bit – but if we stay on wets then that’s going to be good fun.

Q: (Christopher Joseph – Chicane) Question for Lewis. Watching yesterday and today, from a technique point of view there seemed to be a lot of controlled sliding and lot of delicate steering that kept things very, very straight. Is there a definitive technique that you’re applying – and will you apply that today?

LH: I think, as Daniel was saying, it’s incredibly tricky out there and the conditions are always varying from corner to corner and lap by lap. So, you are, basically, on your tip-toes the whole time and of course you have to apply all these techniques that we’ve learnt through our early days of driving, in terms of finding the grip, in terms of being sharp and reacting to aquaplaning moments, which you just never expect. I mean you have to expect it’s going to come but you don’t know when it’s going to happen. It’s to the point of literally you’re throwing the car into these corners and you have to catch it, and then catch the grip, and try and keep going without lifting.

[off-mic question]

LH: It is. It is about being very, very sensitive but as smooth as you can be in those conditions.

Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-Magazin) Question for Lewis and for Nico. Nico, you decided to run the old wet tyres in the second qualifying session. Lewis, I think you decided to run new ones. Was that probably an advantage for you Nico at the end? And do you know if you have to start the race with the ten laps old tyres?

NR: For me it was still a compromise from the spin I had yesterday because I flat-spotted – a small flat-spot – so that compromised my qualifying a little bit and that meant I had to run used in Quali 2. It wasn’t choice. The new tyre is the better one – and that’s what I having for Quali 3 again. I think there was more to be had from me in Quali 3.

Lewis?

LH: I had fresh tyres so I was using them when I could.

October 26, 2015
2015 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference

DRIVERS: Marcus ERICSSON (Sauber), Alexander ROSSI (Manor), Valtteri BOTTAS (Williams), Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing), Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (Ferrari), LEWIS HAMILTON (Mercedes)

PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Lewis, three times a US Grand Prix winner, twice at the Circuit of the Americas. You, Nico [Rosberg] and Sebastian [Vettel] have finished one, two, three, in that order, on four occasions this season. If it happens again on Sunday, you are the world champion. What are your thoughts?
Lewis HAMILTON: Well, first of all, just happy to be here, excited; I always enjoy myself out here in the States. The track is fantastic; the race has been great here since 2012. Just excited for another weekend. I missed driving the car for the last two weeks.

Q: You spend a lot of time in this country, as we can see from your regular social media output? Why do you like the US so much?
LH: Well, I like travelling everywhere in the world, so it’s not just the US, but I have a lot of friends out here. There’s a lot to do. America has a lot to offer, in such a big space. I do a lot of my music out here, so this is kind of the central hub for music, so that’s probably why I spend more time here than usual.

Q: Thank you for that. Moving on to Daniel: a podium here last year, of course, at the Circuit of the Americas, but pointless in three of the last five races, although your best result of the season came during that run, the second place in Singapore. This recent run now means you’re behind your team-mate Daniil Kvyat in the championship. How important to you is it to finish ahead of him at the end of this season?
Daniel RICCIARDO: I don’t know to be honest. Because we’re not really fighting for the title it’s sort of irrelevant. I think I have missed out a fair few bags of points at various occasions this year. But, yeah, I’m not too worried. Obviously you want to finish in front, I’m not going to lie, but when you’re seventh or eighth in the championship it’s sort of irrelevant. Yeah, the little Russian’s jumped in front of me, but we’ll see. I’m confident I’ll end up with more points, but as I said, I’m not too fussed about it.

Q: So, we’re reaching the end of October now, how confident are you about being on the grid next season and what assurances have Red Bull given you about how this whole thing is unfolding?
DR: Not much has changed to be honest. Yeah, we’re still not really confirmed with anything yet. From my side I’m still confident I’ll be racing. Confident we’ll be there, hopefully competitive. I think that’s more the concern. I have confidence we’ll be on the grid it’s just the concern is can we be competitive? I want to make sure we can be. This year, obviously we have got a couple of podiums, which is nice, but certainly not enough to keep us extremely happy. So, yeah, we want to be competitive again and I think that’s just as important as being on the grid.

Q: Alexander, coming to you, the only American driver in the field and the first American to race in the US Grand Prix in eight years. How proud do you feel about being in the series today and what’s the reaction been like here in the States in the build-up to the race?
Alexander ROSSI: I think, first of all, that the reaction has been very positive, which is what we wanted to see, Of course there is pride that goes along with it, but that started in Singapore and Japan as well. Obviously to be here at home means a big deal, but at the same time we have a job to do and very clear objectives to meet. I’m looking forward to it; there are a lot of friends and family that will be coming this weekend. But I think once you get in the car and on track you appreciate the fact that there is a bigger picture.

Q: Obviously you jumped into the car quite late in the season. Two race outings so far and you beat your team-mate on both occasions. What goals have you set for yourself for the remaining events this season and how confident are you of securing a full-time ride for 2016?
AR: With the current situation with the performance difference in the cars I think it’s very clear that the objective just needs to be continuing what we’ve done in the first two, as you said. Both of those weekends there was quite a disrupted Friday for the whole team, so I think if we have a strong Friday the Sunday result can be even more positive. In terms of next year, I’m obviously quite keen to be in a full-time seat next year, which is apparent. The position that I’m in with the team at the moment is good and we’re looking to put that all together for next year.

Q: Kimi, coming to you, you said in Sochi that the collision with Valtteri Bottas was a racing incident, you’ve watched it again by now I’m sure, so how do you feel about it now and how have you left it with Valtteri?
Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: Well it hasn’t changed. Obviously there were some discussions and penalties given to me, but I would still do it tomorrow again, that doesn’t change the story. Unfortunately, we came together in the end and we both lost a bit, but that’s life, that’s racing. I don’t feel bad about it and if somebody feels that, it’s up to them. It’s OK for me. Like I said, I would still do the same thing next time and maybe it goes better.

Q: There was another good battle with your team-mate Sebastian Vettel in Sochi. Is the objective for 2016 to beat him or finish in front of him on a more regular basis?
KR: Well, obviously this year hasn’t exactly been what we hoped but it’s been much better than the previous year and I’m sure we are doing the right things but we don’t get the results sometimes. That’s fine, we are going in the right direction all the time and I’m sure when we get things running smoother and all the time better so we can definitely fight with him every week. Like I always said: I wouldn’t be here if I wouldn’t feel like that.

Q: Valtteri, coming to you, obviously in that incident in Sochi you lost what would have been only your second podium finish of the year. After some considered thought what’s your attitude to it now?
Valtteri BOTTAS: For me it’s the same really. It was a good weekend until the last lap, so of course disappointing to lose the points but my opinion hasn’t changed. I wouldn’t do anything different and it’s now history, so I’m 100 per cent ready to move on.

Q: The result means there are only two points now between you and your team-mate Felipe Massa, so similar question to the one I asked Daniel I guess, how essential is it for you to finish ahead of him in the final standings?
VB: Of course it is, yes. As a driver you always want to beat your team-mate but as Daniel said, when it’s not for either the top three or winning the title it’s not that important. The main thing is to get the maximum points for the team with the two drivers. But personally I would prefer to keep in front and that’s one of the goals for the rest of the year.

Q: Marcus, you didn’t race here last year as Caterham didn’t make the trip, but you were here, so what are you most looking forward to about racing on this Circuit of the Americas track?
Marcus ERICSSON: Yeah, I’m really looking forward to driving the track, I think it looks really cool; some nice corners, the first sector especially. Like you said, it was the first race I missed out last year, so I’m really looking forward to driving the track.

Q: You were out on the first lap in Russia, ending a 12-race finishing streak. You’ve been knocked out in Q1 in the last three races in a row but you have outqualified your team-mate five time in the last seven, so how would you sum up the state of play Sauber as we get to this closing part of the season?
ME: I think I’ve had a really good run from the middle of the season really. Then the last three weekends we’ve had some messy weekends with difficult Fridays and difficult Saturdays, so I’m not entirely happy with the last three events. I think we could have done better things there. Like you said, Russia was a tough one, going our on the first lap, especially because I think our car was competitive around there. So not very happy with the last three but looking forward to turning it around here in Austin.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Peter Windsor – Clarksport). Question to Valtteri. I’m sorry I know it’s history but it’s still interesting at least for us. After the race Kimi said that he was surprised the move didn’t work because he had done that earlier in the race to you, at the exactly the same place, in exactly the same way and you had let him through and I wondered if that was the case from your point of view? And Kimi please add to this if necessary. In other words, earlier in the race did he do that pass exactly as he trued to do it later in the race?
VB: Yeah, I guess it’s still interesting for you guys, but for us not so much. From my point of view the first one was quite a different one, it was much more clear that he could do it. And of course for me, as a driver, not going to leave the door open two times. So, for me, it was a different kind of situation, as we saw from the result.

Kimi, any response?
KR: No. It was for him anyway.

I’m just giving you the right of reply.
KR: Why would I need to reply? It doesn’t change what we say anymore.

Q: (Peter Windsor – Clarksport) I guess the follow up question to Kimi is: did you not see that Valtteri was going to close the door on that second occasion?
KR: I saw it in the end but obviously once you’ve decided to go there… I tried to brake and turn in as much as I can but there’s no way to avoid it. That’ why… what can you do? Once you go there you do it or not. Once I saw that he’s coming… I don’t know. Maybe he didn’t expect or didn’t see me. Tried to slow down and turn in but y’know, in the end if there’s no space there’s no space. We’re going to collide. It’s an unfortunate thing but it’s a part of racing. You get penalised sometimes, sometimes not. We are here to race, it’s pointless to cry afterwards. I’m sure that people like it more like that than just following each other, so… it’s part of the thing.

Q: (Joesph D Love – Tennessee Tribune) This is a generic question, how do you create more enthusiasm in urban black America for Formula One? I know we’re up against football and basketball – how do you make Formula One as exciting for the urban kid in America?

LH: Don’t look at me, ask these first. I’d love to see what these others think!

DR: Just try and be as ‘lads–y’ as possible. Just make it exciting. I mean, we try. I think the sport’s, most of the time, pretty exciting. As performers – let’s say – we try and do what we can to make it cool. In all honest I think Austin, this circuit, is one of the best on the calendar for excitement. I’ve said it before, there’s so many places to overtake, I think the layout is perfect with big, wide apexes, so you can have a lot of fun on this track. I these terms, I think that creates the excitement: overtaking, fights. If it’s just a single train race it’s obviously less exciting so… I think this track creates a lot of that. I think as drivers most of us try to be y’know, like… cool people, funny people. We try to bring fans into the sport. Yeah… I don’t know. I don’t know if I’ve answered your question.

Alexander, do you want to have a go at it?
AR: Sure, I mean, from an American perspective, I think the biggest thing, leading onto what Daniel was saying, the excitement level needs to be there but beyond that I think the accessibility. Obviously motorsports is something that is quite difficult to get into – and that’s the same for any young kid trying to do it. I think the biggest thing is a direction where to go. I think that’s the thing that’s missing the most. Beyond that, kind of just… there’s always things that can be done in terms of making it expand to a different part of the States. I think it’s very much… Formula One is three locations and in America we’re trying to grow it as much as we can. I think once that happens it’ll appeal to a much broader mass.

Final thought Lewis?
LH: Yeah, just sitting here trying to think. I agree very much with what they mentioned. It’s difficult for people to get attached here in America. Obviously they’re crazy about NFL and NBA and there sports that you can just go and guy the equipment; buy a ball or a racquet and go play down the road or in the street, whereas karting, you can’t. I was very lucky, my Dad bought me a go kart and we drove it around a car park, like a DIY Homestore car park for a while – but there’s not that much accessibility, as he was saying, for kids who say “hey, I want to go go-karting.” You have to plan it weeks in advance almost, or save up. So, I don’t really know. Maybe Formula One can start to engage more with the NFL or with the other sports. The brands that you have here in the States, and start to engage with them. I never, every see… I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an NBA player come – I’ve had a friend come once. Otherwise it’s never really been anyone from those sports, different kind of sports come and try to see what Formula One’s about to maybe bring some attention to it, maybe. As you can see, I’m doing as much as I can – but I’m only one person. Yesterday I was go-karting with some kids, there were two black kids with us. One passed me, the first time I’d ever been on track with a black kid and, coming past it was like seeing myself come by – it was kinda funny. It was good. It’s open to everyone.

Q: (Seff Harding – Zero Zone News) This question’s for everyone. There’s been a lot of talk about rule changes, or taking a more of an old school approach to the sport. I wanted to know how you guys felt about that – because I guess there’s a little fear that maybe the cars are getting too technical, you guys might end up being like David Hasselhoff in Knight Rider, talking the car and the car’s driving itself. Just wanted to know how you guys feel about taking a more old school approach to the cars, taking a little more tech out of it.
KR: I think it’s the right direction. F1 should be easily the fastest racing cars in the world and it doesn’t look right some races where we go and GP2s are a few seconds off almost. They should be definitely faster, more like they were in the mid-2000s. I think that’s the way they plan to go and I think it’s more fun for us, it looks much more greater to the spectators. But also, they have to make it also… nicer for all the people. Everybody is complaining it’s boring, it’s this and that. If something doesn’t change nobody will care how the car looks or how fast they are. Something has to change, that’s for sure, for F1 to get back more interesting for everybody – but I think it’s a good way to go, make the cars faster and more exciting looking.

Valtteri, your thoughts on this.
VB: I think the main thing, like every driver for sure, it’s likely the cars are going to be quicker, so that’s a good thing. Maybe more tricky to drive, hopefully. The main thing, the cars are fast and more spectacular for everyone. I’m not sure it’s really an old school thing because the sport will keep developing. It’s a good direction.

Marcus?
ME: First of all, I think the cars today are still a lot of fun to drive for us drivers but like Valtteri says, of course faster cars are always going to be nice for us drivers – but I think there’s a fine line there. To not make it too much like ten, 15 years ago when there was not so much overtaking. I think the racing today is great, with a lot of fights and overtaking. I think we should not cross that line and make the races just follow each other and no overtaking. But yeah, of course, faster cars is going to be more fun for us and more fun to watch.

DR: I think sometimes having such a big difference between cars is not so fun for a spectator as well. You see, I think it was a Williams pass a McLaren in Sochi and it was like it was standing still. That… for a spectator seeing that. That driver’s not better and he’s passed him… holding your foot flat down the straight – there’s no real skill required so when it looks that easy then it’s a little bit… I think it takes something away from the sport, one way or another. So, you always want a bit more equality. I mean, sure, you always want the top teams and you always want to look up to racing for a top team, so you always… there’s got to be some sort of division but a smaller division would be nice. More competition I think, more drivers fighting for wins. I think then, when you win a race also, the reward is much bigger. Somehow to get that back, I think, would be good.

LH: I think it does need to change. I’ve not really looked at the changes they’re proposing, to be honest, but it needs to be… for example, with the DRS, it doesn’t feel organic, like natural racing. Whatever changes they make, I want to see closer racing. Wheel to wheel racing. It needs to be like go-karting was. If, y’know, go-karting, wheel to wheel and those guys following the train overtaking. We need to make Formula One a bit more like that. Somehow. I don’t know how they’re going to do it. It needs to be a lot different to what it was in the last 20 years.

AR: I’m going into my third race so I don’t really have much of a comment, other than the fact I’m not really racing anyone at the moment other than one other car. Obviously I have to agree with what everyone said but for my own personal views, nothing different.

Q: (Greg Creamer – COTA Big Screen Production) Kind of following up this discussion, there’s been a lot of talk about the power units in that and the fact that they are a little bit disparate right now in terms of performance. But what about a re-vamp of the aerodynamic approach, because what you guys were talking about – Lewis in particular – about the go-karting and running close and that, you don’t seem to be able to do that right now because you get close enough, you wash the front end out, there’s no stick? How about re-vamping the aero on the car to get more done, maybe with a tunnel, less sensitivity in the nose so you can follow somebody through say, the last turn at Monza and be able to run right up and not lose the nose as opposed to all the focus on all the power units? That seems like that would improve the racing.
LH: It does seem that way but I don’t think that’s possible. You’ve got turbulence behind the plane, it’s the same thing, you get turbulence behind the car. All these vortices that are bouncing off the car, whichever rule they change to keep downforce, it’s always going to be like that. They need to do something like where when you’re getting close to another car and the car in front has to… the cars always have to have the same amount of downforce, no matter how close you get, so I don’t know how they’ll achieve that but that would be kind of neat.

Q: (Tony DiZinno – NBC Sports) Alexander, having had FP1 a couple of years ago, how much nicer is it to have past F1 machinery track experience as opposed to the last two events you’ve done?
AR: I’ll let you know tomorrow. Obviously it gives you a baseline but at the same time the cars in ’13 were clearly very different to what they are now. I don’t know how much is applicable to be honest. I think it’s more of a bonus, the fact that I’ve actually driven the track, more than anything else.

Q: (Dan Knutson – Honorary) Daniel, Renault has a new engine in the works. What has Renault told you and what has the team told you about this engine?
DR: Yeah, it’s available if we want to use it. Obviously that would mean a penalty, though, so we’ve got to understand if it’s worth it. Last I heard, it’s not massive so from my understanding it’s probably not worth taking it but yeah, I think we’re down such a chunk that I don’t think we’re going to gain enough in this short time to make it up so if we start from the back, I don’t think we’re going to make (up) the ground we need. Right now, I would say we’re probably less likely to take it. That’s about it. Hopefully today they tell me something different and we’ve found a bigger chunk of horsepower from it but I think realistically there’s not a whole lot.

Q: (Peter Windsor – Clarksport Ltd) Just following up on what you were saying there, it looked as if in sector three in Russia your car was actually not bad at all in terms of putting its power down and racing Ferrari- and Mercedes-engined cars and on that basis, I wonder where you feel you’re at around here now, on this circuit, bearing in mind the sector three here as well? How quick is the car now?
DR: The car’s good and I was surprised to hold Valtteri and Kimi off for as long as I did. Once they caught me I thought I wouldn’t have sat in front as long. That was definitely some nice little surprises, I guess, in Russia. I think it has progressed for sure, the power as well but I think the car has really come alive and yeah, the grip we have through all those tight, twisty bits is really good. I think this circuit will suit us more so yeah, I’m hoping we can be more competitive here. It just seems that (in) qualifying we don’t really have that one lap pace but then (in) the races we seem to be a lot more competitive so if we can somehow start towards the front then I think we can stay there. We’ll see how we go but I’m definitely excited to race here if we’re not floating down the river.

Q: (Diego Mejia – Canal F1 Latin America) To all of you; Pirelli is set to stay for quite a few years. What would the drivers like to see from the tyres looking at the next few seasons?
VB: Maybe more grip, that’s always nice, more grip. I think there have been some tracks that – for example Russia – even the supersoft has been a bit too hard so yeah, I’m sure that they are learning from all these things but I think this is adjusting to the different tracks because every tarmac is so different tracks because every tarmac is different, every track is so different, so to make the races exciting, a good quick tyre for the track, I’m sure they are pushing for that so we will see what they can do.
KR: I think we’ve had a lot of discussions about Pirelli and obviously they have been blamed for many things but it’s not easy for them to produce tyres that… first of all I don’t think they are ever going to be able to produce tyres that everyone is happy with. Somebody is always complaining and then we are not allowed to do testing so how can they improve the tyres? We always say, OK, we should go this or that way but they don’t have the time on the circuit to do anything so that doesn’t help them. I don’t really see the point of discussing here what we would like. For sure they will talk to us. I think everybody has to work together with the teams to decide that OK, we can do testing, also helping Pirelli in that way. When teams cannot decide themselves together who does the test or whose car is being used then Pirelli cannot do any laps. It’s very difficult to improve tyres and do what the teams are asking of them. I think it’s up to the teams to provide them also the possibilities to get the tyres running in a proper test and try things. I’m sure they will find a way to do that and I’m sure we will get what everybody’s more or less happy with.
LH: I don’t know. As Kimi said, it’s pointless everyone saying what we would like if we can’t do any testing. I don’t really particularly… more performance is what we always want and I think they’ve got to make a big step if that’s going to be the case.

October 22, 2015
F1 2015: Texas GP Preview – F1 Heads Down South

The old saying goes that everything is bigger and better in Texas and it’s hard to argue with it. The Circuit of the Americas, introduced in 2012, is already a favourite on the F1 calendar and in 2015 has the potential to crown a champion.

The Circuit of the Americas, designed by Herman Tilke, gets a resounding stamp of approval from all the drivers on the grid and is easily the best of the newer tracks on the F1 calendar. “The track has some special parts, especially the first sector and the uphill turn one. You can take a few different lines through the corner and you can brake really late for it, which makes it a good place to overtake,” says Force India driver Sergio Perez.

In fact the entire first sector is a combination of elegant flowing high-speed corners of which turns three through eight are reminiscent of Silverstone’s Maggots-Becketts complex. A long back strait and relatively slow final section of corners make up the rest on the 5.5 km circuit.

However it seems, at best, doubtful that we’ll get to see F1 cars at full-tilt around this circuit as the weather predicts for rain on Friday and Saturday. The forecast on race day could see a break in the clouds. Should there be an opportunity for dry running Pirelli have made the medium (white-walled) and soft (yellow-walled) compound available this weekend.

There will be considerable attention on all cars running the Renault power unit this weekend. The French manufacturer is bringing its biggest, and highly anticipated, upgrade, to the race weekend amid intense speculation about its future in the sport.

Several weeks ago Renault signed a letter of intent to purchase the Lotus F1 team but hasn’t made a move on the financially beleaguered team since then, at least not publicly. Not only that, but an improved performance from the power unit may also serve as the perfect platform for Red Bull make its way back to running Renault power in 2016.

As it stands, Red Bull has no engine to put in the back of their 2016 car. At this stage the 2016 Red is likely deep into its development cycle which will make pulling out of the sport very costly. Yes, the divorce between Red Bull and Renault resulted in both parties airing dirty laundry and some rather testy statements about incompetence were thrown about. But a categorical no from Mercedes and a more than reluctant Ferrari has put the Austrian team in quite a mess. Besides, there won’t be any hard feelings between Red Bull and Renault after all just look at the splendidly semi-restored relationship between Fernando Alonso and Ron Dennis.

There is also another matter that will take centre stage in Texas as Lewis Hamilton bids to become a three time Formula 1 world champion. The challenge from teammate Nico Rosberg has been severely diminished due to a couple of reliability issues for the German. As if Rosberg’s retirements haven’t been nasty enough the cruel irony is that he will probably help Lewis Hamilton claim his third driver’s title this weekend.

Mercedes shouldn’t be troubled in Texas which will leave its two drivers to battle it out. If Rosberg finishes second to his teammate and keeps Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel at bay Hamilton will be crowned champion.

Now we know that stranger things have happened in Formula 1. Just think about Hamilton’s first championship triumph in most dramatic fashion at the 2008 Brazilian grand prix. By no means should any possibility ever be ruled out in Formula 1.

Championship Permutations

Hamilton is champion if…

Hamilton 1^st Vettel 3^rd or lower

Hamilton 2^nd Vettel 6^th or lower Rosberg 3^rd or lower

Hamilton 3^rd Vettel 7^th or lower Rosberg 4^th or lower

Hamilton 4^th Vettel 9^th or lower Rosberg 5^th or lower

Hamilton 5^th Vettel 10^th or lower Rosberg 6^th or lower

October 22, 2015
F1 2015: Russian GP Review – Russia Redeemed

It isn’t often in Formula 1 that you get what you ask for. Ahead of the second ever Russian grand prix the request was for a race with a bit more zest and the Sochi Autodrom delivered.

Where it concerned the winner of the race it wasn’t high on the entertainment stakes. Lewis Hamilton ambled to career victory number 42 in his Mercedes without so much as a whiff of a challenge.

It appeared at the start of the race as if the double world champ would have some work to do as Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg maintained his pole position off the starting line. But it wasn’t to be for Rosberg as he was forced into retirement with a broken throttle pedal. It the lead up to the race the call for Rosberg to step up and take the fight to Hamilton and he responded with an authoritative qualifying performance.

Alas, now and then the unpredictability of F1 rears its head and inserts a searing reminder of how cruel the sport can be. If Rosberg’s admittedly fragile championship dream was hanging by a thread before it has now been completely obliterated. The German driver trails Hamilton by 73 points with a maximum of 100 still available.

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel was never within striking distance of Hamilton but showed a solid enough turn of pace for a comfortable second place. The four-time champion pulled off two crucial moves on Raikkonen and Perez for his second place finish.

The race had two safety car deployments the first of which came on lap one for a collision between the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg and the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson. The safety car was deployed a second time as Romain Grosjean crashed his Lotus heavily into the barrier on the outside of turn three.

While Grosjean’s race was over it prompted a roll of the strategy dice for Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Force India’s Sergio Perez. The two drivers would attempt a run to the flag, some 40 laps away, on one set of the yellow-walled soft compound tyre. For Ricciardo it came to naught as he had to retire his Red Bull with a suspected suspension issue.

However, Perez was clinging onto third for dear life. But as Williams’ Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, with fresher tyres, closed him down at a rate of knots it appeared that the Mexican would be consigned to the very least a fifth place finish. Unexpectedly, Raikkonen’s attempt to overtake countryman Bottas proved a bit too feisty and the two collided into turn 4. The clash put Bottas out of the race and left Raikkonen with a damaged car. Ever the opportunist, Perez swept past to take a deserved third place finish.

Willliams’ Felipe Massa recovered from fifteenth on the grid to finish fourth; Raikkonen crossed the line in fifth but was later slapped with a 30 second penalty for the Bottas collision which drops him down to eighth. Local hero Daniil Kvyat finished fifth in his Red Bull ahead of Sauber’s Felipe Nasr, Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado, McLaren’s Jenson Button and Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen, in tenth. The sister McLaren of Fernando Alonso would’ve finished in tenth but the Spaniard was given a five second penalty for not respecting track limits.

Subsequently, Raikkonen’s thirty second penalty has resulted in Mercedes being crowned the 2015 constructors champions. In F1 you’re only as good as your last race and while the 2014 Russian grand prix was a straight up bore fest it’s 2015 edition delivered a race sizzling enough so that we can declare Russia redeemed.

(Podium image courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport).

October 11, 2015
FIA post-race press conference – Singapore GP

DRIVERS: 1 – Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari); 2 – Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull); 3 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari).

PODIUM INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by Eddie Jordan)

Q: Sebastian, was this you best ever race, or one of?

Sebastian Vettel: It must be one of; I think it was pretty intense. Obviously we had a bit of a breather with the safety car. Still, lots of pressure from behind. I think Daniel had a very good race, looking after his tyres very well, which made it a bit tactical towards the end with the stints. Second stint I was dictating the pace. Obviously around here it’s not so easy to overtake, so I was using that. And from then, at some point, chipping away, trying to control the gap. Fortunately that worked. It’s obviously a great day; we had a really great weekend, thanks to the team.

Q: So, we want to know also, because on Friday a little bird told me you were quietly confident, you thought you had a lot left over, and then you did that magic qualifying lap yesterday; you kind of showboated a bit didn’t you, you just wanted to rub it in, to see how good you were?

Sebastian Vettel: Not really. Friday was not perfect I would say but we improved the car overnight, which was very important and then we picked up so much pace. The car was fantastic yesterday with one lap. Amazing the feeling I got; so much adrenalin in qualifying. And the same today. I was able to look after my tyres, control the pace, so all in all a perfect weekend so very, very happy.

Q: I’m coming back to you, don’t you worry. Daniel Ricciardo, ladies and gentleman. Looks like you’re a bit of a local boy here? There are a lot of Aussie flags here. You have a lot of support. Come on let’s hear you. Come on you can tell me, I know he’s your old team-mate but he did back you up didn’t he? He did try to stumble you. He wanted you to let go, so that Kimi could pass you?

Daniel Ricciardo: I think Seb experimented a bit today. The start of the race he just went, but realised towards the end of the stint I was coming. I think if wasn’t for the safety car it would have got pretty close in terms of the pit stop – maybe an undercut was possible. But, yeah, then the second stint seemed like he had learned for the first, backed us up and then just went after that. I think both safety cars came out at a pretty crucial time. Nonetheless, his pace was good and it was quite representative of qualifying, you know. We seemed to be the two quickest cars today.

Q: You talk about being the quickest car: were you surprised, because you targeted this race didn’t you? You always thought that Red Bull would be strong here.

Daniel Ricciardo: Yeah, it’s really good to back it up. We came in here pretty confident. I’m always careful not to be overconfident but yeah I think the pace we showed all weekend was strong. The race pace was good; I think we matched Seb, so we’ve got to be pretty happy with this weekend. It’s nice again to capitalise; Budapest we had a chance and we’ve done it again here.

Q: Kimi, hot race. Last time you were on the podium it was in Bahrain and this is the first time this year we’ve seen the two Ferrari drivers on the podium. Is this the sign of the future?

Kimi Raikkonen: Obviously we hope that. I must say Friday was fine for me and yesterday we struggled for whatever reason and I didn’t expect much better today. I was a bit surprised to finish third yesterday with how difficult the car felt and today was a struggle again but obviously we had enough speed to be in third place but I had no chance to do anything about the first two. I could follow them at the beginning but once my tyres dropped off that just went. It wasn’t that nice to have that kind of difficulties but you know we still finished third and when you have a bad few days and you finish third it’s pretty good and for the team nice and hopefully we can repeat them.

Q: I just ask you one tiny question: how many starts did you do on the simulator after Monza?

Kimi Raikkonen: Two.

Q: That’s not what I heard. He’s lying to us. Seb, you must love this place, don’t you? Four-time winner here. What is it about Singapore?

Sebastian Vettel: The party on Sunday night I guess.

Q: Are you going to party tonight?

Sebastian Vettel: I think we will have some drinks, yes, definitely. My drinks bottle failed half-way through the race, so I’m quite thirsty. We need to make sure we….

Q: What’s the plan now? Six races left. Can Ferrari really take it to Mercedes?

Sebastian Vettel: If we have more weekend like this, yes. But all we have to do is look after ourselves, maximum attack and then what they do is not in our hands. We still have a small chance, maybe we can make the impossible possible; we’ll definitely go for it.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Sebastian, obviously you controlled the race throughout, from your first Ferrari pole position. First stint you attacked from the outset; beginning of the second stint you did the opposite and were pacing yourself. How did you perceive the threat from Hamilton and Rosberg at that point of race? You then speeded up and how much did losing the lead, on the one hand, to the two safety cars balance out against the fact that in both cases you were able to stop under the safety car? How did that help you?

Sebastian Vettel: First it was fairly simple: you drive a bit into the unknown, so I was trying to put a gap. I was surprised by the opening laps to put five seconds straight away. Then eased off; probably was pushing a bit hard at the beginning, which allowed Daniel to just be that two, three, four tenths quicker at the end. Obviously I had a bit of margin left but the safety car answered all the questions about the first stop. And the same for the second stop. I think it was pretty straightforward when to stop, because you obviously take the advantage of losing less time through the pit lane. I did pretty much the opposite on the second stint. I knew that it’s impossible for Daniel, for anyone, to go 40-odd laps on the prime tyre, it will just fall apart at the end, so I think some 35 or 36 laps to go, I knew we were approaching the pit stop window plus. I knew that one of the Mercedes was on the prime tyre, which obviously allows them to be on the option for the final stint, so I said, ‘OK a couple of laps to go’. When the pit stop window more of less opened for the final stint, allowing to finish on the prime, to go for it, open a gap, put some three or four seconds between me and Daniel, so that we can react in case he dives into the pits and he doesn’t get the undercut. So it worked pretty well. I was controlling the pace in the second stint for a while and then, as I said, went for it. In the last stint I knew that with the prime they were a bit more resilient – obviously the safety car answered all the questions, as I said, and I could maintain the gap. I wanted to put, fairly quickly, two or three seconds between us, to make sure that Daniel doesn’t get too excited, to try and attack in the end. And it worked. I new that the prime tyre would favour us probably a bit – and it did. At the end we faced some traffic but he never really got close, so I could control the end fairly well.

Q: Very well done. Daniel, your best result of the season so far. After the first stint your engineer said that your pace and degradation were both very good, so was there any optimism at any point that you might get the win today or did both stops coming under the safety car put paid to chance of doing something with strategy that might have helped you?

Daniel Ricciardo: I think that sort of dictated the race really. I’m not saying there were any guarantees but I think in the first stint we were coming on quite strong. It was obvious Seb pushed pretty hard at the beginning to break let’s say the DRS and all of that, but then as the laps were ticking down we were starting to come alive, I was able lean on the tyres a bit more and I could see it was working in my hands. So when I saw the safety car come out I was a bit frustrated, but I knew there was one more stop in the race, so I knew there was one more chance to do the same thing, replicate the same, let’s say, procedure. Seb learned a little bit from the first stint – started off a little bit easier in the second stint, then broke away. Then I think again as the laps ticked down I was probably able to make the tyres last a bit better on the option and close in, but then safety car again. So, thanks to the guy on the track, appreciate it. I was tempted to swerve, clip him! That was that and then with the prime, as Seb said, that was pretty much it. It’s hard to overtake here but we tried to do what we could. We just got the fastest lap at the end, so we proved our pace all weekend. I’m proud of that. Good to get another podium. Really happy for the team. As I said yesterday they’ve done a really good job, particularly the last couple of races I think the chassis has really come alive, so thank you to them for that. So, yeah, congrats to Seb, it was a good race.

Q: Kimi, your 79th career podium. On the radio you were getting messages about the tyres being out of range and bringing them back into range. Is that what prevented you from doing more today?

Kimi Raikkonen: No, not really. I think for whatever reason yesterday morning already in the practice we had difficult handling with the car and then through qualifying it was not exactly what we wanted and was a bit surprised to still be third. Obviously it was good, with all the difficulties I felt. It kept happening in the race. Obviously when you have new tyres the car’s more or less OK and then Sebastian was not pushing on the second set and the last set, the stints, it was quite easy but once we started to push I started to struggle straight way with the same issues with the rear end. It obviously was a bit tricky race but in the end with the difficulties we’ve had in the last few days we still finished third. It’s OK. It’s not ideal but I’ll take it and, for the team, it’s a great result. Hopefully we can improve on this and all the areas and try to keep it going for longer and longer and build on this one again. I think we’ve done an amazing job as a team and we keep doing the same things, I’m sure we’re going as a team the right direction and we get where we want to be in the end, for the future. So I think it was OK. Not ideal but I’ll take it.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Daniel Johnson – Daily Telegraph) Seb, just talk us through, from your perspective, what it was like when the man came on the track. What did you see? I guess that kind of thing is pretty worrying from your seat.

Sebastian Vettel: I don’t know. I had to look again because I wasn’t sure whether I had a problem with my eyesight or I saw somebody crossing the track. I went on the radio and said “some guy’s running across the track!” I think I saw him taking a picture. I don’t know. I hope it was a good one at least. I hope it was in focus! Yeah, pretty crazy, we approach that corner at around 280-290klicks so, I don’t know, I wouldn’t cross the track if I was him. It was crazy, obviously, and we had a Safety Car straight away. Maybe in the next year we need to block the Singapore grandstands a bit better. Fortunately nothing happened to us and nothing happened to him – as far as I know. The other guys didn’t see him, so I was the first one to come around.

[off-mic follow up]

Sebastian Vettel: Not necessarily. I think he did a pretty good job. He was a quick runner, crossing from the right to the left but yeah, pretty odd. Obviously that’s not what you expect when you come around, looking into the next corner.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) I have been waiting for a while to ask this question: to Sebastian and Kimi, does it feel any different to be first time as team-mates in the podium compared to previous times?

Sebastian Vettel: Honest answer: no. I’ve always liked Kimi because from the very first day I joined Formula One he was one of the guys who showed me most respect. There were other guys who lost a little bit the ground under their feet but Kimi was definitely not one of them. At that time I was nobody in F1 and he was a great champion already. It was great to see that he pays that much respect. And since that day he hasn’t changed. I think people love him for the fact that there’s no bullshit – as he often quotes – he’s here for the racing bit and that’s ultimately why we’re all here: we love racing. So, I don’t know, I think we get along well. Obviously I had a better day, compared to him today – but if it’s the other way around I think it’s only fair to be as fair as him today.

And Kimi, does it feel any different to you to be team-mates for the first time on the podium?

Kimi Raikkonen: Maybe a little bit. Obviously you try to beat your team-mates. Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win but I think in the end you are happy the team did well. So, I’d rather be with him in the same team and he wins and I’m in a third place than he’s in another team other than Ferrari. So obviously it’s a win-win situation. I didn’t have the best few days but I mean, fair enough, he was faster and I can take the third place and we try next weekend again and I’m sure we will have other good battles in the future and I think, as a team, we work well. And that’s the most important thing. If there would ever come a day when we have issues, then we can talk about it and sort it out. Not a big deal about it but we’re working well. I’m happy for him and for the team first of all that we can have a good result. Obviously we want always better but it’s going in the right direction for all of us.

Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Daniel, despite a good race you had today, at the moment your team doesn’t have an engine for next year and it doesn’t look like there’s a solution tomorrow on the table. Are you worried? And then, obviously to Seb, what would you say if Red Bull would drive similar engines, the same engines as you next year?

Daniel Ricciardo: I think it’s… now I’m not worried. I think we’ve still got time. It’s not December yet, so if we’re in this position in December then, maybe I’m a bit worried. Maybe I’m facing a year of getting paid to do nothing.

Sebastian Vettel: You renewed your contract?

Daniel Ricciardo: Yeah! I don’t know how that would feel but for sure I want to be here, want to be racing. Obviously I’m at a bit of a peak of my career, I’m learning all the time but enjoying it and want to keep racing definitely and keep racing at the front. So, firstly it’s great to be back on the podium and fighting where I want to be fighting. For next year, in time it will get solved. Obviously the sooner the better for everyone to start working and preparing the car for next year. Obviously it depends on what engine you have: you design the car around that, the set of geometry of the engine – but yeah, we’ll see how we go in the next few weeks, hopefully we’ll get an answer.

And your part of that question Seb?

Sebastian Vettel: Well, it’s not in my hands. Obviously I think Daniel answered that question fairly well. I think as a racing driver you want to race and not worry about these kind of things. I cannot really provide him with an engine, I’m not making the decisions. It’s other people to ask… and probably the champagne hits more than I thought so it’s maybe better for me to shut up at this point!

Daniel Ricciardo: Do you want some water?

Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action and SpeedSport Magazines) Daniel, looking at the shorter term, as you say, the chassis has really come alive. On which of the upcoming tracks do you think you will be able to really exploit that and get a good result?

Daniel Ricciardo: I think this was our best chance, so we got close. I think we can still be proud of what we did this weekend. As I said on the podium, I think it’s good that we – in a way – capitalise or make the most of our opportunities. This year, I believe we have had two: Budapest and here and we’ve got podiums in those races. A bit like last year, when we had the chance to win we did. I still think we’re maximising everything we’ve got at the moment. Moving forward, Suzuka is normally a good track for us. I don’t think we can expect as strong a performance as here but we can still look at the top five and maybe better. Then after that, I’m not sure. Mexico is new for everyone, so we will see how that goes but I was there already and they’ve got a pretty long straight, so I’m not sure how that will play in our hands. Yeah, looking forward to the last part of the season. Austin’s pretty good so yes, see how we get on.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, after Bahrain it took eight races for you to get a podium. Does it feel any better now after that kind of long wait?

Kimi Raikkonen: No, not really. I have mixed feelings, you know. I am happy to be in third place after how difficult it’s felt in the last two days with some issues that we had. But it’s disappointing in that on Friday we knew that we were faring pretty well and then to get third place is fine but it’s not what we are here for. It’s a bit mixed feelings but I think I take the third place. We’ve had some other chances to be on the podium quite a few times but either I made a mistake or something else happened. It’s been a bit of an up and down year but hopefully we keep building, we learn a lot and obviously we are still some way to go to be exactly where we want to be. It’s getting there and to be happy as a team in what we’re doing I think the team should get a big big thanks from everyone, from us, for what a great job they are doing for us. Obviously the things that we are doing are definitely going in the right direction. For the future it is the good way. We just have to have some patience to build on this.

Q: (Luigi Perna – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Seb, this is your third win in your first season with Ferrari as Michael had in 1996 and one more than Senna. Does it mean something special for you?

Sebastian Vettel: One more than? Was Senna ever with Ferrari? No. Ah, overall you mean. I think I could consider myself the luckiest racing driver in the world if there were as many race wins to come as there was with Michael. I don’t think you can really draw that comparison. In all fairness, I think the car he had in 1996 was a lot worse than what we have this year which shows again what a great racing driver he was. I don’t know. I think looking back it has been incredible. You know the way I was growing up, I just enjoyed racing and then to find myself nowadays having a teammate that I looked up to when I was young, racing him and seeing what he does, racing on a similar level to him and racing other guys that are really great like Daniel, like Lewis, like Nico. I can consider myself very very lucky that I got in a position always to have a great team around me, the last couple of years, and keep going that way. As Kimi described in his answer before, I think looking at our current situation with Ferrari, things are definitely improving. I think the spirit is very high in the team. I haven’t been with the team in the last couple of years but as far as I have learned, it’s a lot better so I think the direction is the right one and obviously we are very happy with today’s result, very happy with the car this year in general but not yet where we want to be. We know that there’s still a lot of work to do so expectations are already fairly high but I think they are always, especially in Italy, when you talk about Ferrari. So we have to keep our feet on the ground because there’s still a lot of homework to do.

Q: (Don Kennedy – Hawke’s Bay Today) Just adding to that, Sebastian, 42 wins, you’re third now in the all-time list behind Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher. Do you think you will stay around long enough to obviously surpass Prost’s record but what about Schumacher’s record? Is that in your sights or do you not think about it?

Sebastian Vettel: Well, I think, to be honest, Prost’s is in sight somehow. I’m 28 so I’m not the youngest any more especially if the kids start racing at 17 now. But Michael’s is just ridiculous: number of wins, number of poles, number of fastest laps. I think all the statistics you can go for you compare yourself to him or anyone to him, so I think that’s far away. So if you have 23 corners in Singapore, I consider myself being in turn one and Michael in turn 23. I’m not really looking at that. As I said, I’m having a great time. I think I can consider myself very lucky and blessed the way things have turned out. I’ve always had a more or less competitive car, competitive team, so if it keeps going that way then I can consider myself very lucky.

Q: (Don Kennedy – Hawke’s Bay Today) Damon Hill was 35 when he won the championship so you’ve got plenty of time.

Sebastian Vettel: Yeah, and Michael still kept racing some years ago when he was 43. I think Kimi is now 33, 34, 35, 36! OK. I think it’s impossible to predict the future. I think we are now on a good track with the team, Kimi and myself, so I think we’ve got some years ahead of us which we can enjoy. In a way you can forget the statistics, I think the most important thing is the sheer fun in life and get paid for it, that’s a great thing.

Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) To all of you: do you think that the fact that there is no Mercedes driver on the podium this weekend is only Singapore track-related or is it the fact that Ferrari and Red Bull are progressing?

Daniel Ricciardo: I think for us it’s very much track-related. With all that being said, we expected to be strong here. I think we’re all surprised that Mercedes – or at least one of them – isn’t up here or not even… OK, I think Rosberg was fourth but we never really saw them all race in the mirrors or in qualifying so definitely an off weekend for them. I expect them to be back in Suzuka but for whatever reason, if it is that we’ve made so much progress – Ferrari and us – then obviously hopefully you will see us up here a few more times this year.

Kimi Raikkonen: It’s hard to say obviously. I feel as a team Ferrari did the same thing that we do going into every race weekend. I don’t feel that we really made something magic, it’s not like that we did something really different to other race weekends. We are there. I think we were more surprised at the last race in Monza to be that close to the Mercedes and maybe that shows us that we made a step there and maybe we just kept doing the same things here. But it’s very hard to say what they did. I think everybody’s surprised where they’ve been all weekend and who knows what happens in the next race. We can see from the last race to this race has been completely different. I think it’s better to wait and see what happens in Suzuka.

Sebastian Vettel: Big surprise, so same as Daniel and Kimi. I guess they should be back in Suzuka. If they’re not, in all honesty we don’t mind.

Photo Credits:

Singapore GP podium images, FOM / F1.com

September 20, 2015
F1 2015: Singapore GP Review – Scintillating Seb Wins In Singapore

There is something about the streets of Singapore and Sebastian Vettel that form an irresistible combination.

As the fireworks lit up the night sky of Singapore it was Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel that ignited the city streets with an electrifying victory. The four time world champion hit the ground running as he obliterated the field in Saturday’s qualifying to take pole position. There wasn’t much looking back after that as he commanded all of the sixty-one laps to the chequered flag.

A textbook getaway off the line and a blistering pace built the gap to second placed Daniel Ricciardo to five seconds within a handful of laps. The sister Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen kept the Aussie Red Bull driver within sight but was never able to make a move for the position. Raikkonen confirmed after the race that his tyres gave up quite early on his stints. The Finn expressed a bit of surprise at ending up in third given his tyre struggles.

For Seb Vettel there were no such worries as he expertly controlled his pace to secure career victory number 43. After such a dominating period with Red Bull, which yielded four world titles, some thought the move to Ferrari was odd. Yet, it turns out that it was arguably the best thing that could’ve happened to him and the Ferrari team. Many an observation has been made of Vettel’s work ethic and dedication behind the scenes and it is clear that the team are as infatuated with the German as he is with them.

In fourth place is where Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg finished the race after a dismal weekend for the team. The championship leading team were on the back foot from the outset on Friday as they appeared significantly off the pace. Many, including Daniel Ricciardo, expected the Silver Arrows to turn it on for qualifying but that never materialized. Instead, Hamilton and Rosberg were summarily spanked and relegated to the third row of the grid.

As if to add insult to a serious lack of pace unreliability hit Lewis Hamilton as the Brit suffered his first retirement of the season. No one from Mercedes were willing to point out why they were suddenly lacking in pace but they almost certainly have a good idea of how their advantage abruptly evaporated.

It is uncanny how this ultra dominant team seem to not be as good when they aren’t making the running. A warning of overheated brakes came early on from the pitwall to Rosberg and then a mysterious technical failure for Hamilton. There will be much to ponder on in the next couple of days for Mercedes but don’t expect them not to roar back to life in Japan. They will.

The safety car probability around the Marina Bay Circuit remains 100% as it was deployed on two occasions in the race. First it was to collect the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg after he smashed into the side of Williams driver Felipe Massa. The incident, into turn one, was investigated by stewards and Hulkenberg was, rightfully, slapped with a three place grid drop at the next race.

The second safety car period came about as result of a man strolling on the circuit seemingly without a care in the world. It’s always a spine chilling sight to see anyone on the track in the middle of a grand prix. Thankfully, the man didn’t cause any problems before jumping over the wall and off the circuit.

Valtteri Bottas made the best of a difficult weekend for Williams with fifth place ahead of Daniil Kvyat. The Russian started in fourth place but an issue in the pits dropped him down the order. Force India’s Sergio Perez came home in an anonymous seventh ahead of the feisty Max Verstappen in eighth. The second Toro Rosso, driver by Carlos Sainz, finished in ninth but much to the chagrin of the team who had ordered Verstappen to swop position with teammate Sainz. The 17-year-old flat out refused the team order and maintained his position.

As the youngest ever F1 driver Verstappen as already proven that he has enormous potential and that he can stand up for himself. Team orders is always a divisive point on which people often disagree but Verstappen would’ve won some fans with this move. “When we put on our helmets we are rivals,” said Verstappen after the race.

Brazilian driver Felipe Nasr completed a solid drive for Sauber to snatch the final point on offer in tenth. Along with the retirements of Hamilton and Hulkenberg was Felipe Massa with a suspected gearbox issue. The two McLaren’s also had to end their respective races prematurely.

A notable mention goes to American driver Alexander Rossi who made his F1 debut this weekend for the Manor Marussia team. Rossi has agreed terms to drive five of the last seven races of the season and performed impressively to finish ahead of Will Stevens who has been with the team since the start of the season.

Not many would’ve thought that with six races to go in the 2015 season that a Ferrari driver could be in with a shout of taking the title. Yes, Singapore and its characteristics complimented the Ferrari but the engine upgrade introduced for Monza has made a telling impact. Yes, Vettel sits forty-nine points adrift of Hamilton and yes Mercedes won’t suddenly disappear from the top of the timing sheets each weekend. But this was a stunning reminder that Ferrari will ready and able to pounce on the smallest of slips.

September 20, 2015
F1 2015 Singapore GP Qualifying Report – Vettel Storms To Pole

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel stormed to a dominant pole position for Sunday’s Singapore grand prix.

The one hour qualifying session started with the expectation of a tight fight for the front row of the grid. Yet, based on pure form and history Mercedes just couldnt be discounted. However, neither Lewis Hamilton nor teammate Nico Rosberg even factored in the final ten minutes of the electrifying session.

Instead it was Sebastian Vettel who obliterated the field with a majestic pole position lap. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo will start alongside his former teammate on the front row of the grid while Kimi Raikkonen will share the second row of the grid with the other Red Bull Daniil Kvyat.

The first of the Mercedes, in the form of Lewis Hamilton, was down in fifth place a staggering 1.4 seconds off Vettel’s pole time. In sixth position Nico Rosberg kept close company with his teammate but set a laptime 1.5 seconds off the ultimate pace.

Valtteri Bottas will start seventh for Williams while Max Verstappen, Felipe Massa and Lotus’ Romain Grosjean round out the top ten. Both Force India driver were unlucky to be caught out by the yellow flag that came out for Carlos Sainz who tapped the wall in Q2 and left some debris on track.

Fernando Alonso’s day at the office wasnt too shabby with twelfth place whilst teammate Jenson Button wasnt unhappy with fifteenth place on the grid.

Final qualifying standings:

September 19, 2015
F1 2015: Singapore Third Free Practice Report – Vettel Dominates

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel dominated the timing sheets at the end of the third free practice session ahead of Sunday’s Singapore grand prix.

The hour long session came to its conclusion with Sebastian Vettel and teammate Kimi Raikkonen in the first two position for the Ferrari team. As if to underline their pace from Friday’s practice sessions both Red Bull drivers in the form of Dannil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo set the third and fourth quickest times respectively.

The first of the Mercdes was Lewis Hamilton in fifth position ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg. However, it is expected that Mercedes will literally and figuratively ‘turn up the wick’ when it comes time for the all important qualifying session. McLaren’s Fernando Alonso set the seventh fastest time overall whilst teammate Jenson Button was thirteenth fastest. Williams didnt inspire a great deal of confidence with their pace as Valtteri Bottas managed only the eleventh fastest time overall and Felipe Massa was down in fourteenth place.

Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez were expected to show a good turn of pace in their B-spec Force India but may be saving their best for quali. The two drivers ended the session twelfth and sixteenth respectively.

Final free practice three standings:

September 19, 2015
F1 2015: Singapore Free Practice Two Report – Kvyat Quickest

Red Bull Racing’s Daniil Kvyat lapped the Marina Bay circuit quickest of all to top the timing sheet at the end of the second free practice session in Singapore.

The Russian driver delivered a stunning lap of 1:46:142 to snag the top spot ahead of Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari who trailed by 0.039 in second place. Daniel Ricciardo confirmed Red Bull’s one lap place with the third quickest time and couldve gone even quicker were it not for a bit of traffic on his quick lap.

Lewis Hamilton was fourth quickest ahead of the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel. In sixth place it was Checo Perez with a 1:46:659 and only then Nico Rosberg, in eight, on a 1:46:781. It could just have been a scrappy run for the German but his long run pace wasnt encouraging either.

While teammate Hamilton lapped in the 1:51s on his supersoft tyres Rosberg struggled to maintain a consistent pace. Red Bull, in the form of both Kvyat and Ricciardo, turned an impressive pace on both compounds of tyres whilst Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen put their hat in the ring too. It is isnt quite to the business end of the weekend and Mercedes may yet still blow the field away; but as it stands, dare we say it, it appears as if the Silver Arrows may have a fight on their hands.

Earlier in the session Manor F1 driver Will Stevens acquainted himself with the barrier of turn eight and momentarily brought out the red flag. It’s already proving to be quite an expensive weekend for Manor as both their drivers have tangled with the unforgiving barriers of the Singapore street circuit.

Final free practice 2 standings:

September 18, 2015
F1 2015: Singapore Free Practice 1 Report – Rosberg Heads The Field

Nico Rosberg has topped the timing sheets in the first free practice session for Sunday’s Singapore grand prix.

The Mercedes driver topped the 1 and a half hour session throughout with teammate Lewis Hamilton a scant three tenths off his ultimate pace. Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo showed strongly in third ahead of both Ferrari’s of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.

The feared murky conditions appeared to have no impact on running as dusk quickly gave way darkness as the floodlights took over. Several drivers showed their prowess as they handled some impressive power slides into turn one. Apart from a couple of brushes with a few barriers the drivers were keeping their noses clean. That was until the newest F1 rookie Alexander Rossi crashed underneath the grandstand, destroying the right-hand side of his Manor F1 car. The American driver has been catapulted into a race seat and will compete in five of the last seven race weekends.

McLaren’s Fernando Alonso showed an improved turn of pace to end the session 11th fastest. Williams, who usually play it close to the vest in the early part of the weekend, were 6th fastest with Valtteri Bottas while Felipe Massa seem to run the standard program as set the 17th quickest time overall.

Final Free Practice 1 standings:

September 18, 2015