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Tag: lewis hamilton

  • 2014 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Sunday Press Conference

    2014 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Sunday Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1st Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    2nd Felipe MASSA (Williams)

    3rd Valtteri BOTTAS (Williams)

     

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by Martin Brundle)

    Lewis, you did it. We saw the emotion on your face now when they were playing your national anthem. Can you try to put that into words for us, just how much this means to you? 

    Lewis HAMILTON: I’m a bit lost for words really. I think one thing I want to say is a big, huge thank you to all the fans coming out all this way, all the flags, all the caps, everything, it made such a difference this weekend. Also to my family, thank you guys, thank you so much for coming, I really, really do appreciate it. My mum back home. And my team, who throughout the year did an incredible job and without them I wouldn’t be here today. I can’t really explain how much this means. It means even more than the first one. It feels like it’s the first time. I feel so blessed.

    Wow. Tell us about the race a little bit, what a start you had to the grand prix!

    LH: Yeah! That’s my guy down here, giving me a good start. It was like a rocket! It was probably the best start I ever had. I knew from then on, straightaway, that I was in the lead. Obviously going into the race I had a couple of different options of how to approach the race. If I was behind then we’d see how it goes until the first stop but if I was ahead I knew I had to really, really race. The car was fantastic, we really got it spot on for the race. Obviously qualifying wasn’t perfect but we got it ready for the race and that’s what’s most important.

    And then you heard on the radio: ‘Nico has a problem’. What were your thoughts then?

    LH: You know Nico put on an incredible fight throughout the year. He was a phenomenal competitor. We met each other back in 1997 and we always said it would be amazing to be racing in the same team and he did an amazing job today and very sad obviously to know that his car wasn’t quick enough that we can fight in the end but still he was graceful enough to come up to me just now.

    Do you mind sharing with us what you said to each other after such an intense season? It’s been a bit difficult from time to time between you, especially at Spa, and we saw you having words together.

    LH: He just come into the room just now, very, very professional, and I just said fantastic. He said ‘you drove really well’. And the same to him, all year long he drove incredibly well, especially in qualifying, so hat off to him.

    But there was a little man who kept you very honest through that grand prix, kept you on your toes, you had to keep some pace up towards the end and that was Felipe Massa. Felipe, I don’t know about your but I’m thinking about 2008, when you were on the podium, the last time you won a grand prix, you must have thought I’ve got a chance to win again today, and this man took the championship off you a few seconds after you crossed the line. But what a race for you?

    Felipe MASSA: First of all, thank you everybody. Lewis, well done, congratulations, because you deserve it, you did a fantastic championship, your team, so congratulations really. Yeah, it was an incredible race for us. I didn’t expect to have that pace and I didn’t expect… we were slightly slower than Mercedes but not so much on the same tyres and then I was able to keep the tyres until, not the end, but until a long part of the race and then we were talking to the team. We tried the option, yes, why not, I mean we are here, we have a big gap to the car behind, which was Valtteri, so let’s try. We try. Unfortunately, Lewis was a little bit too far but I wanted so much that victory. We were close and I hope that’s just the beginning for next year.

    Was there any point where you thought ‘I can win this race, I’m going to take this victory’?

    FM: yeah, I think, you know when it was 10 laps to go I was a little bit more than a second quicker per laps I said ‘if these tyres stay like that then I can win the race’ but definitely the tyres were degrading a little bit, especially that I was on the option. In the last four laps I didn’t have enough, a gap any more compared to him to catch like I was catching before. But I think it was a fantastic job for the team. I’m so proud to be on this team, so really, really, thank you guys. You are really in my heart and I’m so proud to be racing for Williams. Really, it’s just the beginning, we can do a lot more than that. Thank you guys.

    Provisionally third in the world championship then, the great Williams team and a lot of thanks will go to this young man for the points that he has scored this year. He’s secured fourth in the world championship as well, ahead of great drivers like Vettel and Alonso. Good to see you up here again Valtteri.

    Valtteri BOTTAS: Thank you, I always like to be here. Obviously the higher the step the better it is, but I think for this season it will do for us like this. It’s been an amazing year with so much improvement as a team and getting so much stronger, and this last race shows how strong we are getting. The curve is to the up. I’m expecting a lot from next year. But now I can say only that I’m really, really thankful that I can be part of this team and that I can drive this good car.

    Congratulations. Final word then from Lewis. Lewis, what happens now in your life – in the next few hours, days, months?

    LH: I really don’t know. I’m just going to take it one day at a time. This is the greatest day of my life, as I said. It’s realty due to all the people around me. 2008 was a special time in my life. The feeling I have now is way, way past that and above and beyond. It’s the greatest feeling ever. I’m grateful to God, I’m grateful for my car finishing and really, to everyone, thank you so much everyone. Thank you.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Hamilton_Abu Dhabi PodiumLewis, many, many congratulations. You’ve had a little time there to collect your thoughts after the whirlwind of the race and the podium. It’s been a long tough season. You did it in style though, with that sensational start and a victory. How important was that to you today and what was the turning point this year?

    LH: It’s very hard to soak all this up. When you’re going through the race, when you’re coming here this weekend, there’s so much pressure from around you, you’re just trying to ignore it, trying to keep your eye on the ball. Coming in today… Niki was right, I didn’t sleep last night. I went to bed at about 1am and woke up at like 5am this morning and I went for a run this morning and a massage and everything and I thought for sure I’m going to be tired when it gets to the race but somehow I felt composed and my family came and surprised me at breakfast, which was really a great thing. I wanted them to be here but I just knew how intense the weekend would be and I didn’t know if I was going to have time to give them any time. I didn’t want to finish the day or the weekend saying ‘I wish did that or I wish I did that’. This has been an incredible year. I just cannot believe how amazing this has all been. Coming to this team last year, the decision to come here, when a lot of people said it was the wrong choice. The steps we took last year and then coming into this year, it was just unbelievable and then again, as I said, the fan support has been phenomenal. I never in a million years thought I’d have that kind of support, so as I said before, this is the greatest moment in my life. It’s very hard to… it feels very surreal. It feels like an out-of-body experience. I feel like I’m back here watching this going on, it’s not really happening. So I’m going to really make sure I gift my thanks and count my blessings.

    Very good. Felipe, a brilliant drive from you. And a similar theme really: a decision to leave Ferrari, to go to Williams, to re-start your career. Give us your emotions about the way it has all turned out?

    FM: Yeah, I think today was an emotional day, to see what we achieve during the whole season, the whole championship. Not just me but also the team. It’s fantastic to be part of it. It’s fantastic to be inside a big evolution inside a team. Definitely we lost so much points this year. It would have been completely the end of the championship if I had the normal season, the normal first half of the season that I expected but I think today it was so nice to see that we are there, we can win the race, we can fight for victory, we can fight hopefully for championships but it shows we are there, shows that we didn’t forget how to win. I think, for me, that’s what counts at the end. Such a difficult time for so long, you know, and we’re still there. When we had the opportunity, we’re there to fight for the victory and I think that’s what makes me proud and makes me happy and makes me even more motivated to carry on and to push hard every day.

    Thank you. Valtteri, the start didn’t really work out for you today but a brilliant recovery from there and obviously Williams a great result in the constructors’ championship, you personally in the drivers’ championship. Just sum up this breakthrough season for you?

    VB: First of all, I’m going to say congrats to Lewis. He really deserves it. Amazing season from him and from his team, so yeah, really, really good job. From our side, yeah, my race today was compromised after the start. I had a lot of clutch slip, which was not really the first time it’s happened to me, so that’s one thing we really need to work on in the winter. But yeah, a little bit compromised the strategy being stuck behind other cars but you know, overall, an amazing end to the season. An amazing… from last season, it’s been just incredible how much we have improved. And as a team being two cars on the podium it really shows how much we also have been improving during the season, which is the main thing, because next year things are going to be really tricky, everybody is going to improve and we are really aiming to be again stronger and fighting for the wins. All I can say now is that I’m really happy to be part of this team now, because we are really on the up and from us and from my side there is definitely more to come for the future, so looking forward.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Nahed Sayouh – Autosport Middle East) Lewis, now you have won the championship with Mercedes, will this boost your chances to renew your contract and stay with the team beyond 2015, or make you look for another new challenge?

    LH: I definitely don’t feel that I’m looking for a new challenge. As I said when I joined this team, I wanted to be a part of something that was building and growing and knew success like the team hadn’t really had before. And so I feel like this is just the beginning. We still have another year to go, so there’s no particular rush but this is my home. I feel very happy here. And obviously the team did a mega job, so I’m forever grateful for them.

    Q: (Martin Samuel – Daily Mail) Lewis, forgive my ignorance on this, a start like that that you got today, a phenomenal start, how much of that is technical and how much of it is human? How much of it is the athlete?

    LH: The car… very little is the athlete. Obviously we have a sequence that we have to go through and we have to perform at the right time, making sure that you prepare the clutch throughout the weekend, prepare your tyres when you get to your spot. I would very closely with the engineer who works with my clutch. He came to my room before the race and asked “how do you want to approach this.” I said: “the same as every time. We don’t need to do any more or any less.” When the start goes, when you do the formation lap, you get a feel for how good the clutch is at that point. You have to guide them or give them feedback whether you need more torque or more slip. Anyways, we hit is spot on. The second part, when you let out the second part and you feed the throttle, that’s when the driver comes it. But it was for sure… it felt like the best start I’ve ever had. Absolutely phenomenal.

    Q: (Rodrigo Franca – VIP Magazine) Question to Lewis and Felipe. I would like you to comment on the best thing in the season for you: the best race or the best dual you have on the track? And the worst part of the season? The moment you guys think was the worst moment of the season, in the battle of the championship for Lewis and for Felipe, in the battle of him with Valtteri in the Williams.

    LH: I think firstly I really want to say a big congratulations to these guys. They’ve been doing an incredible job this year. And to see… growing up watching Williams at the front, to see them back up there I think is fantastic. I’m really happy for Sir Frank and the team and very much looking forward to fighting them in the future. They’ve been driving exceptional well this year and to be back up here with Felipe after our great history of many, many years ago, it’s really good to see him up here still and a fighting force. Highs and lows of the year: Spa was a low, the lowest point. This is the highest. By a long, long, long way. I said coming into this weekend that I wouldn’t change the season, the way it’s gone, for anything really because I’ve learnt a lot. If anything, I felt very, very strong with the way I came out of the good and the bad. Obviously coming to the last race, knowing it’s double points, which… jeez… do you think it was a good idea? Didn’t feel like a good idea when we came into it. I’ll take the points though…

    FM: I thought it was a bad idea in 2008…

    LH: You needed the double points then! But yeah, exceptional race.

    FM: I think, to be honest, I had the best podiums of the season. Being on the podium in Italy after so long, was fantastic to see the people there screaming my name and being so happy that I was there on the podium – but I would say the best was Brazil. To be at home in the podium, to have your people, they are really supporting you, I think it was such incredible energy. But I would say that maybe the best race of the season was here. It was really a strong race I had today and I think that it was maybe the best race of the season. The worst: when I crashed on the last lap in Canada. I thought it was going to hurt. That one. The other, in Germany as well, maybe were the worst races.

    Q: (Sana Bergesh – Tempo Magazine) I’m going to ask the local question. The UAE loves welcoming the Formula One and all these amazing drivers here year after year. I want to know, after the race, where do you go in the UAE. What are your favourite things to do while you are here? How do you unwind after a race like this?

    LH: Firstly, I love coming here every year, the fifth year of coming to this race. Every year it’s without doubt one of the best grands prix if not the best grand prix in terms of the whole atmosphere. A lot of the Brits came over here, they get to enjoy a holiday at the same time because it’s such a beautiful, peaceful place. I went for a run by the water today, the last time I won I went jet-skiing because it’s so nice on the water here. But afterwards… I have no idea what I’m going to do tonight. I’ve got to try to absorb this bit-by-bit. As I said, my family’s here, so definitely going to have a nice dinner with them. And I think I’ll have a drink tonight.

    Q: (Phillip Merrell – AMEinfo.com) Lewis, after winning today, what’s your message to your fans, after winning this championship?

    LH: My message to my fans… I always say we win and we lose together. This weekend I had my guy who does my website put together a collage of different clips of messages from people. And I really didn’t know what to expect when I got it. I got it and there’s something happening in my heart. I can’t really explain it. The love and positive energy that I get from my fans and the support through thick and thin, y’know through the good and the bad, they’ve been there. So big thank you to them. They really helped me get through the bad moments and make it even more special being at the top. Seeing them out there today, all the flags, the caps, it really made me believe that I can do anything. So big thank you to them.

    Q: (Saher Soukar – Saneou Al Hadath) Lewis, you told us yesterday that you felt you were a lot wiser coming into this race, as opposed to 2008. How did the emotions compare – and why is this moment the greatest moment of your life or career?

    LH: Well, 2007 was a very bad experience, obviously losing the championship I fell to a low that I couldn’t control and 2008 came back, fighting in the championship, Felipe won the race, won the championship for a second and then obviously what happened in the last corner, I got it back and for me I’d lost it, won it, lost it and, whilst it was a great experience, my emotions were shot. I don’t know, that year, I was just immature. I didn’t have the knowledge that I have now. Didn’t approach the race the same as I did today. Today I went in… normally you go in butterflies in the stomach, a bit nervous, today I was going into the race thinking ‘I feel extremely calm’, which is really weird. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Obviously it was a really good thing. Last night sitting there thinking, Jeez, tomorrow is the day. We could go into the race, something could happen to the car and that would be the championship done. Naturally just thinking of all the negative things possible, y’know? And working really hard to bring the positives into it. I brought that today. I think really that knowledge and experience got me through the race today. Looking after the car. Battling to the point where I’d got the championship in a good position and then, obviously it helped that Nico’s car was not performing properly so, when he fell out of the points, I knew that I could fight with Felipe and… yeah… that was the most fulfilling experience I have to say.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Valtteri, congratulations for the good result, summarizing this season, do you feel you could have been the best of the rest behind the Mercedes in the drivers’ championship also?Valterri Bottas

    VB: Yeah. I think obviously if we look back over the season there were, especially at the beginning of the season, many races where we maybe didn’t get everything out of the pace what we really had in the races. It’s been just a process, getting better as a team, as there was a long way to come to this point from last season. So I think, yeah, if you look back, yeah, possibly could have been fighting for second place. Now the season is finished, every time we’ve made some mistakes we’ve learned from them and that’s the main thing. We’re just going to make sure we don’t repeat any same mistakes next year. I’m sure we’ll be fighting for a better position. But third in the constructors’, for me fourth in the drivers’, it will do for now. But for the future, it’s not enough.

    Q: (Nawied Jabarkhyl – Gulf News Broadcasting) Lewis, coming into this weekend, there was a lot of talk about your personal relationship with Nico Rosberg. Now that it’s all over, how are you going to take that forward and the history that you have, what’s your relationship going to be like going forward. What’s your thoughts on it?

    LH: I think it’s been so intense between us all year long. There’s been good moments and bad moments. Without a doubt we’ve had a friendship or a relationship that we built a long, long, long time ago, so that will always be there. He was a very, very fierce competitor this year, he did an exceptional job. He’s going to be quick for a long time. I’ve got to pick up my qualifying pace for next year. It could have been either one of us today. Obviously we both wanted it. But I think with our relationship, we’ll continue to try to lift the team up, we’ll work together as we have done all year long. Perhaps things naturally will ease up a little now. He was graceful enough to come up to me and see me after, which I really appreciated. It was really big of him to be able to do that. It’s very, very tough, I know what it’s like losing a championship so, for sure, we’ll keep working at it.

    Q: (Ali Bukar – Tempo Magazine) What I want to ask Lewis is this: it’s no secret that your relationship with Nico has been terrible this year. Is this a healthy relationship in Formula One? You guys are working as teammates and yet there is a terrible relationship between both of you.

    LH: It’s not a terrible relationship. We’ve been fighting all season as I’ve just explained; there have been good moments and bad moments but we’ve worked together, professionally I think, all year long to push this team, so the team has no problems. I think we deliver to the team to the maximum.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globoesporte.com) Lewis, can you explain to us more about the turning point at Spa-Francorchamps? What happened exactly when suddenly you started winning, winning, winning – probably this is the main reason you are here, celebrating the world title?

    LH: Yeah. Well, Spa was a low moment. It was a very difficult scenario to be in and going back years ago, I wouldn’t have reacted the way I did this year. I would have chosen another way which wouldn’t have been a positive and I guess with age, as I said, and just maturing and having a different perspective on life, I think I handled it a different way, I really thought for the following days and really turned my focus to a different area. I came back to the next races with a slightly different approach and I won’t explain exactly what I did because I need to bring it to the next races next year but I did tweak some of my approach throughout the weekend which helped me get those wins. I’ve still got some improvements to make,  qualifying was good this year but could be better. It would make it much easier if I could get qualifying sorted because the race pace is very much there.

    Inside the team? Nothing really changed, I don’t believe. The team has been amazing. It’s been very hard for them. They’ve wanted both of us to win, having to be very balanced but ultimately they’ve done an exceptional job. It is a great group of people in this team; there’s a lot of love in this team, a lot of passion and it’s been a real privilege to work with these people.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Lewis, when you heard on the radio about the ERS problems of Nico, have you been worried that it could hit you as well, knowing what happened in Montreal when both cars were affected with something like that? And have you been happy when the team told you to turn down the power for a while, knowing that it would give Felipe the opportunity to catch up?

    LH: I was asking the team if I could turn down the power, because I realised, when the gap started to increase between me and Nico, I was thinking OK, I’ve got to back off, got to look after the tyres so… look after the car, started avoiding kerbs, all those kind of things. No, I think… yeah, naturally I was… a couple of moments down the straight I was rubbing the cockpit, I was saying ‘come on baby, we can make it. Stick with me.’ I really did. You won’t see it but I did. Several times. Do you ever do that?

    FM: Yeah, I did.

    LH: You know, rubbing the cockpit. ‘Come on baby, just don’t… we can make it.’ So I did that a few times but no, to be honest, I had complete faith that things were going to go the right way today but of course, you never know. But the car was feeling good and ultimately at the end I was able to push, I wanted to win the race, I wanted to have that battle with Felipe. He obviously came in for those tyres and I thought Jeez, he’s going to catch and get the win, but managed to just keep him behind me.

    Q: (Anthony Rowlinson – F1 Racing) Lewis, congratulations, you’re a multiple British World Champion, joining the likes of Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill. What do you think you can go on to achieve now? You’ve got a fantastic team and car and obviously in great form. Do you think this could be the start of a Lewis Hamilton era?

    LH: I don’t know. This really is something incredibly special, what this team has put together and I think we’ve got great people in their right positions and me and Nico will continue to push the team forward, as will the boss of Mercedes who have been so committed and building the best engine. These guys know just as much as I do, it’s been phenomenal this year. I think it’s really important the steps we take moving forwards to continue improving and I 100 percent believe the team will do that. I’m looking forward to battling with people for sure but I do believe that we’ll be there fighting with people hopefully for some time.

    Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) Lewis, congratulations, just your reaction please: Prince Harry’s called you a legend over the radio, you’re now 10-1 to be knighted at the end of the year as well, the reaction to that please, and also on a serious note, what sort of calming influence has the Missus turning up had, and your Dad and your family. Just wondered how much that helped your mind? We knew you were a little bit edgy at the start of the week and just wondered if that did have an effect?

    LH: At the start of the week, I wasn’t edgy; at the start of the week I was feeling really good coming here. I genuinely felt, when you saw me coming here on Thursday, I really did feel relaxed, practice was generally going well and qualifying was a little bit tougher and the pressure was increasing. I was messaging with my Dad last night and I went out to the beach and I was messaging with him and I said ‘guys I would love you to be here but just know I’m here just working away. I’m not out having dinner or all these different things. I’m trying to make you proud.’ Anyways, he turned up in the morning. He must have been at the airport  while he was doing it. I think I was so focused this morning that it wasn’t… when they came to surprise me, I wasn’t that shocked or anything like that. I took it in my step but naturally, my family are the ones that got me into racing, they’re the ones that sacrificed everything to get me to where I am today. Who you see today is because of them, so a reflection of them, so being here without them didn’t feel right, naturally, because they have every right to be here to enjoy it with me, so I’m just grateful they were there. My Mum is at home, she wanted to come as well. I’ve got a big family but obviously I can’t please everyone but I’m sure she’ll come to many races next year.

    Q: (Bob Constanduros) Lewis, you’ve spoken a little bit about the part that Ross Brawn played in you entering this team. He’s having a bit of a significant birthday today, I don’t know if you know that. What sort of message have you got for him?

    LH: Yeah, I mean to Ross, to Norbert Haug, to Niki, to Dieter, to all the board members, the belief that they’ve had in me, particularly when I got into Formula One… I signed with McLaren and then Ron and Norbert gave the go-ahead for me to get the seat. Coming in to this team, as I said to you, Ross really sold it to me. He came with his laptop, sat and had tea with me which was just surreal to see because I’ve been watching TV for years, seeing the success that he had, thinking ‘oh my God, Ross, he wants me. Before he wanted Michael and now he wants me’ which is a very strange situation to be in and I’m forever grateful. I wish him a huge happy birthday. He invited me, obviously I’m here so can’t go but I will definitely probably speak to him later today but I’m really grateful for him wanting me to be in the team and the other members really being so supportive to being in this team because they wanted to win and it felt that I would be a perfect fit. I think we’ve proved that he was right.

    Felipe Massa_Press ConferenceQ: (Leigh O’Gorman – Walker Watson) To all three of you: even though it was a dusk race, could you give an indication of how your general car balance felt through the changing temperatures, tyre-wear etc?

    FM: Well, I think it’s very easy. We just want to answer. The car balance changed completely through the temperature so during the day, during the evening. Normally during the evening the tyres behaved a lot better so you can use the tyres on more laps so degradation is lower, even if it was not so low but it’s lower so lap times quicker so I think there’s a big difference between driving in the day and driving in the evening.

    VB: Yeah, I agree with Felipe, it’s quite a big difference because we started in what was still slightly sunlight and then it gets really dark, the temperature really drops so every tyre set you put on is going to behave slightly differently. Luckily, we have quite a few tools on the steering wheel which we can really help the balance of the car, so that helps.

    LH: I think they’ve answered it pretty well. It was  the same for me.

    Q: (Haoran Zhou – F1 Express) Lewis, you have just been nominated for Sports Personality of the Year; do you think you have a chance of winning that?

    LH: I’m more hoping that I get to go and see the Queen again

  • Rosberg beats Hamilton to title-deciding pole in Abu Dhabi

    Rosberg beats Hamilton to title-deciding pole in Abu Dhabi

     

    Nico Rosberg beat championship rival Lewis Hamilton to the pole position in the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying session.

    The German will start the final race of the 2014 season from the pole position after setting a time of of 1:40.480 to edge out Hamilton, who may have had it if not for a mistake, by almost four-tenths of a second.

    Rosberg takes pole as Hamilton runs wideIt was Rosberg who held the early advantage after the first runs in the final part of qualifying, as Lewis ran wide at the penultimate corner and locked up into the final turn. Hamilton has been complaining about his brakes but Niki Lauda brushed these complaints off in true Lauda fashion saying, “These are the same brakes we’ve used all season. Lewis was complaining today but the practice is over now.”

    Both drivers improved on their final runs but Hamilton could not find enough time to reach Rosberg and had to watch as Rosberg claimed his 11th pole position of the season.

    Williams driver Valterri Bottas, who briefly threatened Hamilton’s second place spot, claimed the third spot on the grid ahead of team mate Felipe Massa who locked out the second row of the grid.

    Danke SebDaniel Ricciardo beat Sebastian Vettel to fifth place in final race as Red Bull team-mates giving the Red Bull team a third row lock out.

    Daniil Kvyat was an impressive seventh for Toro Rosso.

    McLaren driver Jenson Button only managed eighth place and lamented his disappointment.

    The Brit was called back in after heading out on his fast lap due to the fact that he did not have enough fuel on board. “Are you serious?” is all he could mustre over the team radio. Eric Boullier later told Ted Kravitz that there was a fuel pump problem which had caused the issue.

    The Ferraris locked out the fourth row of the grid with Kimi Raikkonen 9th and Fernando Alonso, who had to abandon his final lap after running wide at Turn 11, finished 10th.

    Kevin Magnussen showed good pace during Q1 but could not manage a quick enough lap in Q2 and failed to make it into the top 10. He will start in 11th place with Jean-Eric Vergne lining up behind him.

    Force India duo Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg took 13th and 14th respectively and Adrian Sutil will start behind them in 15th place in what will be his final race for the Sauber F1 Team.

    Romain Grosjean very narrowly missed out on making it through to Q2 and set the 16th fastest time. He still has a 20 place grid penalty to serve though so will drop to the back of the grid. As he will only be able to serve 4 places, he’ll have to take a drive through penalty in the early stages of the grand prix.

    Esteban Gutierrez was 17th quickest for Sauber, ahead of Pastor Maldonado.

    Caterham have the back row of the grid all to themselves with Kamui Kobayashi and Will Stevens rounding out the grid. Rookie Stevens managed to finish half a second behind his team mate.

    We are all set for an absolutely EPIC season finale tomorrow at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Who will take the title of 2014 F1 World Champion? Join us at 2:30pm (GMT +2) tomorrow on Twitter @F1_Madness for live commentary and chat as well as pre and post race analysis. Prepare yourselves for one heck of a Duel in the Desert!

  • It’s advantage Rosberg ahead of Abu Dhabi Qualifying

    It’s advantage Rosberg ahead of Abu Dhabi Qualifying

    Nico Rosberg held the advantage over Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton in the final practice session for the 2014 season at the Yas Marina circuit. Rosberg set the fastest time ahead of the qualifying session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with a 1:41.424 – 0.369s faster than his team mate.

    Hamilton looked set to take the top spot after setting the fastest two sectors during his final lap but lost too much ground in the final sector.

    Williams’ Felipe Massa took the third spot on the time sheets, a full 1.005s down on Rosberg, showing once again the superiority of the Mercedes duo and their lightning fast cars.

    We should not, however, forget that the setting sun and subsequent falling track temperatures during qualifying at the Yas Marina circuit will mean that a fast FP3 lap may not translate into the same during qualifying. For this very reason, qualifying simulations were left until pretty late in the practice session to get track conditions as close to qualifying as possible. Mercedes should still nevertheless lock out the front row of the grid in qualifying, with Williams hot on their heels.

    Fernando Alonso Abu Dhabi FP3Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso set his time on soft tyres during the early stages of the session, then set a time on the supersofts and never took part in the rest of the session. He ended in fourth place as he and Ferrari attempt to save mileage on his engine.

    Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel finished his last practice session for the Red Bull team in fifth place, ahead of Jenson Button and Daniel Ricciardo.

    Valtteri Bottas Bottas made a mistake in the final corner on his super-soft run which saw him only managing eigth place but he will most certainly be targeting the second row, come qualifying.

    Daniil Kvyat and Kimi Raikkonen completed the top 10.

    McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen posted the 11th best time of the session, ahead of Jean-Eric Vergne, Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg.

    Esteban Gutierrez beat the two Lotus drivers Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean to 15th place with Adrian Sutil just behind.

    Caterham remained at the bottom of the timesheets on their return to F1 this weekend with Caterham’s rookie Will Stevens getting to within a second of team mate Kamui Kobayashi’s time for the first time.

    FP3 time sheets

     

  • F1 2014: Abu Dhabi Free Practice 2 Report – Hamilton Heads Rosberg

    F1 2014: Abu Dhabi Free Practice 2 Report – Hamilton Heads Rosberg

    Lewis Hamilton continued his domination of the timing sheets as he headed the second free practice session in Abu Dhabi.

    As dusk gave way to darkness the Mercedes teammates of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg once again stamped their season-long authority on the timing sheets. In both the qualifying simulation and long run pace the Silver Arrows had little in the way of competition. In the second of the one-and-a-half sessions of the day McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen emerged as the “closest” competitor in third.

    The future Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel slotted his Red Bull into fourth ahead of Williams’ Valterri Bottas. The long-run pace of the Williams didn’t suggest that they will be a nuisance to Mercedes in the race; the closest in lap-time to the mighty Mercedes turned out to be the ever-consistent Daniel Ricciardo. The Red Bull driver earlier clocked the sixth fastest time.

    Kimi Raikkonen slotted his Ferrari into seventh place but remained decidedly off the pace in the long-run phase of the session. Teammate Fernando Alonso could only complete two laps as his Ferrari ground to a halt with a suspected electronic issue.

    It was announced that Lotus’ Romain Grosjean will incur a whopping twenty place grid penalty after the Frenchman had to fit a sixth power unit of the season. Should Grosjean not be able to serve the full penalty on the grid he will be given time penalties during Sunday’s race. Insult to injury.

    abu2

     

     

  • Hamilton tops FP1

    Hamilton tops FP1

    Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in the first free practice session ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi grand prix.

    Hamilton’s fastest lap was roughly two tenths faster than that of his championship rival Nico Rosberg. The best of the rest was Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso who is running a special crash helmet design this weekend which is the Spaniard’s final outing with the Italian team.

    Several test and reserve drivers got their opportunities to run some laps around the Yas Marina circuit and it was also a very warm welcome back to the embattled Caterham team. Regular driver Kamui Kobayashi and debutant Will Stephens are taking up the reigns for the team this weekend.

    Sebastian Vettel led teammate Daniel Ricciardo as the two Red Bull drivers ended the session with the fourth and fifth fastest times respectively. There were quite a few gremlins in the system for several teams as both Williams, McLaren’s Jenson Button and Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne were felled by a variety of issues.

    Top Ten Standings at the end of Free Practice 1:

    1 Hamilton 1m43.476s
    2 Rosberg 1m43.609s
    3 Alonso 1m45.184s
    4 Vettel 1m45.334s
    5 Ricciardo 1m45.361s
    6 Vergne 1m45.718s
    7 Kvyat 1m45.835s
    8 Bottas 1m45.913s
    9 Perez 1m45.983s
    10 Hulkenberg 1m46.030s

     

  • Video: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Thursday F1 Drivers Press Conference

    Video: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Thursday F1 Drivers Press Conference

    The Thursday F1 Drivers Press Conference ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is just way too interesting not to watch.

    With Mercedes team mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg duking it out for the 2014 World Drivers’ Championship title, things got a little interesting in there, to say the least. With McLaren delaying their 2015 driver announcement until December, Jenson Button was questioned about his future, and of course with confirmation of Fernando Alonso leaving Ferrari, and Sebastian Vettel joining Kimi Raikkonen at the Scuderia in Alonso’s place, there was plenty of talk about their decisions, their season so far, the catalysts to the change and their futures at their new teams.

    Nico Hulkenberg was also present at the Drivers Press Conference but with all the news swirling around his fellow F1 drivers, there was very little point in the Sauber driver being there.

    You can read the full transcript of the Thursday F1 Drivers Press Conference here.

  • 2014 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference

    2014 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference

    DRIVERS:

    Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    Nico HULKENBERG (Force India)

    Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

    Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)

    Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari)

    Jenson BUTTON (McLaren)

     

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Lewis, you’re guaranteed the title on Sunday if you finish in the top two, something that you have done for the last six races. It’s your fourth final day title showdown, how are you feeling before this duel in the desert?

    Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, I think it generally feels quite cool to be here, obviously the weather is great, the track’s fantastic, it’s a beautiful place, so, yeah, excited for the weekend.

    Nico, it’s your first final day title showdown, how much confidence are you carrying into this weekend from the way you performed last time out in Brazil?

    Nico ROSBERG: Yeah, of course it’s great coming into this weekend, the way Brazil went for sure, that I was able to progress after Austin, that gives me a lot of confidence going into this weekend, definitely.

    Lewis, back to you, you’ve had two poles and a win here. You also retired twice while leading. Does the fact that the showdown is happening at a track where you have a strong record make any difference?

    LH: I’m sure there are positives with it. It’s a great circuit, it’s generally suited the car that I had when I was back in McLaren years ago and it’s definitely a track that has suited my driving style in the past, but every year is different. I hope to take that positivity into this weekend.

    Back to you Nico. You qualified ahead of Lewis here last year and you have done so overall in this 2014 season, how much satisfaction do you derive from that?

    NR: At the moment I’m not really thinking about that. At the moment I’m focused on trying to win this race. But of course, yes, knowing that helps and gives me a good opportunity this weekend knowing that my qualifying form has been really good, so that should be another plus going into this race here.

    Fernando, coming to you, it’s been announced today that you’re leaving Ferrari after five seasons. Tell us why and your thoughts on those five years with the team?

    GP ABU DHABI F1/2014Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, obviously, you know, it’s a new chapter in my career. I felt it was the time to find new projects, new motivation. It was not an easy decision to make. I was in talks, even last year to be honest, and we wait for this year, for the new car, the new turbo era etc. This year I felt around summertime, September, it was time to move and I take the decision. Only time will tell if it’s a good one or a bad one. But what is for sure is that it has been an amazing experience. So, so happy, so proud to have had those five years with an amazing team, amazing brand like Ferrari. I grew up as a driver, as a person, only good feelings and good words. Obviously we missed the championship, came three times second, but I am extremely proud of those second places and the work we did in those years. Now it is time to close one door, to open a new one and we’ll see how it goes.

    In terms of opening that new door, McLaren says it will announce its drivers on December 1st. How much bearing does the test next week with Honda and McLaren have on what you do next?

    FA: Zero.

    OK. Moving on to Sebastian then. In many ways the destinies of you, Fernando and Jenson have all been interlinked over the last few weeks and months. You’ve signed to replace him [Alonso] on the three-year deal. How are you feeling about that and why is this the right move for you now?

    Sebastian VETTEL: I think it felt like the right time. I think it’s not an easy decision to make. Obviously I’ve been with Red Bull for more or less my entire life, since I was 12 years old I’ve been supported by them and obviously I have a very, very strong link to all the people in Austria. Later on obviously I had the opportunity to race for both of their Formula One teams, which we couldn’t see coming once we were starting and part of the Red Bull Junior Team but in terms of timing obviously it worked out brilliantly and the success we’ve had in Formula One, especially with Red Bull Racing over the last four years I think has been an incredible journey. But I think at some stage you feel that you want to take on a new challenge and do something different. I think I don’t have to mention the history of Ferrari in the sport and it’s probably the greatest team to driver for. I’m very excited and very motivated to try to do my best, to put my heart in it and yeah, obviously be successful, that’s target.

    You’re a three-time winner of this race here in Abu Dhabi and the outgoing world champion – next year you’ll hand your number one plate to either Lewis or Nico. What’s your commentary on the title battle that those two have fought throughout this year?

    SV: Well, I think Mercedes made it very boring this year, so I think it’s good to see that they were battling very closely, they had great races, battling for the lead, which is obviously the most interesting position in the race for the people to watch. Remembering races like Bahrain, I think they put on a great show for the fans and took it to the last race, so I think both of them deserve to win after such a great season but I’m sure if you ask either one of them, they will give you plenty of reasons why each one is deserving more than the other.

    Thank you. Coming to you Jenson. Your destiny has been linked to the two gentlemen to your right and their moves. What’s your feeling now on the way things are panning out?

    Jenson BUTTON: Nothing has changed for me, for the last two months. So I’ve got nothing else to add, apart from that I go into this weekend looking forward to it. I’ve learned to live in the moment a lot more this year and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’ve got my family here this weekend, so looking forward to the weekend and hopefully we can have a good result.

    It’s worth noting that you’ve had the third longest career in Formula One history, how do you look back on it at this point?

    JB: At this point? It’s everything I set out to achieve. I think when you’re a kid your dream is to get to Formula One, your next dream is to win a race and then win the world championship. I’ve achieved all three of those. Is that enough for a driver? Every driver is different. But I love racing and that’s why, as I said, living in the moment is key right now, not thinking about the future too much and hopefully we can have some good fights this weekend.

    OK, thank you for that. Coming to you Nico. You scored points in the first 10 grands prix this year but only four times in the last eight races. What’s been going on there?

    Nico HULKENBERG: The second half wasn’t as flawless and as smooth as the first half I’m afraid and on top of that also we seemed to be a lot more competitive initially in the year. We’ve slipped back a bit in terms of development and, you know, Formula One is a fast-living business and if you don’t put the upgrades on the car you get overtaken and I think that’s what happened to us.

    There’s a lot of focus on the midfield teams at the moment. From a driver’s point of view, what’s your take on the situation with Force India, Sauber and Lotus?

    NH: In terms of what?

    Sustainability, the future, the outlook?

    NH: Well, obviously we’re here, we’re fighting for points and obviously the target is to beat McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship, which is very ambitious, they are quite far ahead now. We’ll give our best, as every weekend, and give our all and see if we can do it. Otherwise, everything is OK.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Frederic Ferret – l’Equipe) A question to Fernando and Sebastian. You are used to having last grand prix pressure to deal with the title. Can you explain how do you feel at that point and how you dealt with it during the race?

    FA: I think every situation is different. I’ve been a couple of times, five times in that situation. All five were different. It depends on whether you are in front, behind, with who you are battling, with which mood you arrive to the race. It depends on the circuit; it depends on anything. I remember Brazil, for example 2012, it was raining on Sunday morning, there are different factors around the race itself that it can change your approach or can change your feelings. I think it’s a very unique thing on those moments and it will be an interesting weekend for Nico, Lewis, wishing them the best of luck because they deserve it after a super championship and, you know, only one can win but let’s see a good race on Sunday.

    SV: Well, it’s what you’re working for all year, to arrive at the last race and still have the opportunity to become world champion. I think that’s ultimately what drives all of us. So, yeah, I think the most important thing is to enjoy.

    Q: (Ralf Bach – Sport Bild) The first question is: did you make any practice to handle the pressure you have. Everybody expects you will win the title, so you’re the guy who has to lose anything. Second, is it your turn to take it easy and just be second on Sunday or will you demonstrate to the whole world that you will win the title with a victory here?

    LH: To the second question, I come into the race weekend to try to win, as I do every race weekend, so nothing changes there. And in terms of the pressure, I don’t particularly feel any. I think I’ve had plenty of experience through my racing career – 15 od years I would say, actually it might be 20 years of racing – to be prepared for today. There’s no special recipe for it.

    Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere dello Sport) To Fernando: having the possibility to change something in your relationship, in your history with Ferrari, what would you do?

    FA: I don’t know really. I enjoyed the experience, as I said before, and I feel very privileged of what we achieved and lived in those years. The group of people I worked with, it was amazing. I learned so many things in those five years. I’m not the same driver as in 2009, when I arrived. I think I’m more prepared now. I’m better in all the aspects of the driving skills. I think it was a very, very important step in my career. You need to feel the moment when it’s time to move. As I said, I felt it was time for me to find new things. I expressed my wish to the team in September. They understand; they were very helpful on that because obviously I had two more years contract. But they understand my position, they listen and I think it’s the best for both parts and now hopefully we can battle for better positions and wins in the future.

    Q: (Jerome Pugmire – AP) Question for Nico Rosberg. Nico, Lewis says he’s not feeling under any particular pressure coming into the race. What is your Rosberg_Hamilton_Abu Dhabi 2014_Thursdaymindset? Are you feeling under any pressure?

    NR: Well, it’s an intense weekend, for sure, yes. I wouldn’t use the word pressure but it’s going to be intense. It’s going to be a great battle. I look forward to it, that’s what I’ve been working towards for a while now, for this sort of chance, this last race here. And, yeah, Lewis is a great competitor and opponent and it would be hopefully a great end to the season. And, of course, I’m here to try and win the race and then I need a bit of help from Lewis that he doesn’t finish second. That’s it. So I’m hoping Lewis can come up with something.

    Q: (Thomas Maher – FormulaSpy.com) Question for Sebastian. Sebastian, assuming the decision to leave Red Bull was a difficult one to make, could the team have made any guarantees or promises to you that would have changed your mind and convinced you to stay for 2015?

    SV: Look, I have a very, very good relationship, not just with the team but with the whole Red Bull family. Despite the contractual situation here and there, positions in the championship etc, I think the relationship is far too good and once… I don’t know, we have a saying in German that I cannot really translate into English but… obviously my wish was to leave and I think it’s not a good thing, good advice, to stop people when they want to leave and force them to stay, or make them stay or try to convince them – because ultimately they wanted to leave. So, yeah, as I said, obviously it has been a very difficult decision for me to make because it was not a decision against a team, against Red Bull but a decision for my new future. So, for sure, those things, big decisions are not easy but ultimately you need to listen to yourself, listen to your heart and go with that.

    Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Fernando, what was the catalyst for your decision to leave Ferrari? What was that moment that you realized? What was the reason behind it that lead up to quite a momentous decision?

    FA: It was not a special moment of the year that I opened the eyes. As I said, last year I had some doubts about 2014. I knew that it was a big change of regulations, so I thought it was the best thing to check how the 2014 new turbo era was going for Ferrari and then, yeah, I had a very close relationship with president Montezemolo, we talk every week and we, more or less, agree that, if this year we were not competitive again, maybe I could think on other options. And yes, when I arrived summer break, I said maybe it’s time to sit with the president and see if for them it’s OK, I would like to go. I need to thank so much Ferrari because they could say no but they understand it was the best for the two parts. This is, again, a true sign of respect and love for this team – and they show me also respect on that. As I said, I stop as a Ferrari driver but from Monday I am a Ferrari supporter.

    Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC Sport) Jenson, are you prepared to wait for McLaren to make their decision? Do you want to stay in Formula One before anything else or will there come a point where you want to take the decision out of their hands?

    JB: It’s been an interesting few months. When you’re in Formula One for so many years – 15 years – you have blinkers on in terms of anything else apart from Formula One. This is the best sport in the world, this is your life, this is everything. But when you are put in an uncomfortable situation obviously your eyes are opened to other possibilities. And there are a lot of challenges out there, whether it’s in motorsport or other sport or something else altogether. I’m open to many things in life and, for me, I love what I do for a living. I love racing in Formula One and the time I’ve spent with McLaren has been great. The last two years have been a bit tricky in terms of results but in terms of the personnel, they’re mega. We had a barbecue last night and there’s such a good atmosphere in this team. It is like a big family. So, I’ve loved working with them. Will I wait for the decision? That’s something I can’t comment on right now.

    Q: (Luis Fernando Ramos – Racing Magazine) A question to Nico Rosberg. If you win, you need somebody to be second ahead of Lewis to be World Champion. In six races no car could get close to the Mercedes. Are you confident that in Abu Dhabi it might be different? There might be a team that can challenge Mercedes – or you know you need an abnormal race in order to have this result?

    NR: Of course a lot of things can happen but it can happen as easy as a Williams, for example, having a great start and slotting in between us two. This track is one of the most difficult to overtake. We were looking at that this morning. The speed difference you need to overtake the guy in front is really very big at this track and so that will be one opportunity for example. But there’s many scenarios, so, as I say, I’m optimistic.

    Q: (Daniel Johnson – Daily Telegraph) Nico, you mentioned that, really, unless a Williams gets involved perhaps, you need Lewis to make a mistake. Is there anything you can do to try and help that happen?

    NR: Yeah, of course. I need to do what I can to try and put the pressure on. In Brazil Lewis made a mistake so there is a chance. I need to do what I can to keep going like that.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboSport.com) Fernando, when you talk to the Ferrari bosses in September, that it would be better for the team for you to leave the company, did you have already another option in your hand? And, if you had, did you believe that you should trust in it because you are leaving the team, Ferrari, probably because the perspective of results won’t be in a short time. And this new option you had in your hand. Did you believe in it?

    FA: Well, the thing is a little longer than I explained. We tried to see what was the best possibility. In fact it was… renewing the contract possibility also in the first couple of months of the year, to extend the contract until 2019, so it was a little bit of things going on during the year. Then, when you are inside, when you see things, when you see how the teams are moving, which direction are moving things for the future, maybe you agree, maybe you don’t agree. Probably I didn’t agree so much and in September I said maybe it was the best thing to say bye-bye if it was possible. If I had something in September? No. I had that decision, I have to be happy, I have to be motivated, I need to love what I’m doing and in September I felt it was not the case. And in September I felt that it was not the case – and then after that, I started to look at some possibilities. I trust what I will have. Yes.

    Q: (Haoran Zhou – F1 Express) Jenson, would a good race result for you change anything in terms of the future, because you’ve had a good string of results recently?

    JB: Personally, I would hope not. I would hope that a result this weekend would not change my fate for the future. I feel that I bring a lot more to a team than just one race but hope that my career would speak a lot louder than one individual race.

    Q: (Haoran Zhou – F1 Express) Fernando, you spent the whole of the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix behind Vitaly Petrov. If one of the championship contenders needs to overtake, do you have any suggestions for them?

    FA: Not really. I didn’t succeed, so try not to repeat what we did in that race, that will be the best solution for them. These days, there are many tools that we can play with, with electric motor, DRS, things that probably could help in a situation like that. But the best thing is not to stop behind anyone.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Sebastian, how do you see the co-operation with Kimi? Will it be easier for you than with anybody else?

    SV: Yes. I think he would probably reply the same if you asked him. That’s what he told me, just before! I think, yes. Why? Because Kimi is probably the least complicated driver on the grid so in terms of performance on the track, when we talk about the skills Kimi has, I don’t think there is a single person in the paddock who doubts his skills, including myself, but from a personal point of view, on a personal level, very straightforward. I don’t expect any complications because I think we have a good relationship but more so, I think we have great respect for each other which I think is always very healthy to deal with in these sorts of situations coming up.

    Q: (Walter Koster – Saabrucker Zeitung) Quite another question: gentlemen, a short view back to the past. Thirty years ago, Niki Lauda told us ‘take a monkey, place him into the cockpit and he is able to drive the car.’ Thirty years later, Sebastian told us ‘I had to start my car like a computer, it’s very complicated.’ And Nico Rosberg said that during the race – I don’t remember what race –  he pressed the wrong button on the wheel. Question for you both: is Formula One driving today too complicated with twenty and more buttons on the wheel, are you too much under effort, under pressure? What are your wishes for the future concerning the technical programme during the race? Less buttons, more? Or less and more communication with your engineers?

    SV: Can you repeat the question?! Yeah, I remember the question. I think it depends all on how the monkey grows up these days. I think it’s a different generation of monkeys that Niki was talking about probably compared to monkeys we have today. Obviously there’s a lot of buttons on the steering wheel, probably too many but I think for us, we grow up like that, it’s a different generation. I think if you put a modern phone in Niki’s hands, I’m not sure he would know what to do – sorry Niki. I think it’s what you get used to. For sure, when I started, for example, in Formula One, there were a lot of procedures I had to learn, a lot of buttons I needed to know how to control etc. But it’s part of cars nowadays. If you jump into a normal road car, there’s also plenty of buttons but in the end the most important bit is the steering wheel, turning the car left and right and the accelerator at the bottom. I think the basics haven’t changed and that’s the important thing, that the sport remains as it has been many many years ago despite how many buttons you have on the steering wheel.

    NR: I’ll make this a bit shorter. I think we need to just make sure that the sport stays simple for the fans, that’s the most important thing. The direction, it’s all great, technology fantastic, hybrid power, buttons, everything, that’s all great but we need to make sure that for the fans it stays simple enough. That’s something for the medium term future, that we need to keep an eye on. That’s it.

    Q: (Daniel Johnson – The Telegraph) Lewis, there’s been points this year, I think it’s fair to say, when you haven’t felt that the fight between you and Nico has been a totally clean fight. Are you totally confident that it will be this weekend?

    LH: Yeah. I don’t really know what else to say. That how it’s been. You have to go into the race weekends believing that’s going to be the case, yeah.

    Q: (Daniel Johnson – The Telegraph) Is there anything that you can do to make sure it will be?

    LH: Don’t think so.

    Q: (Jon McEvoy – Daily Mail) Lewis, will you speak together before the race to ensure that there’s no argy-bargy out there?

    LH: No.

    Q: (Jon McEvoy – Daily Mail) You don’t need to or you have an understanding already….

    LH: We don’t need to. It’s already been discussed at the beginning of the season and several times through the season and particularly after Spa, so there’s no reason to revisit it. We’re not children, we should know what is wrong and what is right.

    Q: Nico, do you have anything to add?

    NR: No, just that yes, Lewis can do something to keep it clean which is drive cleanly himself. So it’s not like he can’t do anything.

    Q: (Abhishek Takle – Midday) Question to both Lewis and Nico: it was 14 years ago that you fought for the championship in go-karting. How does the dynamic change when you’re fighting for a Formula One World Championship? How has it changed for the two of you, because obviously the stakes are a lot higher?

    NR: Yeah, it’s quite amazing to think now that 15 years later we’re actually in that position which we used to dream about, to be in the best F1 team, fighting for the championship, fighting for race wins. It’s really amazing. Of course now it’s more intense, there’s more surrounding it, that’s the best way to put it.

    LH: I generally feel it’s quite similar to back in the karting days. At that age, it was as intense as I had experienced, I wanted to win back then and nothing’s changed.

    Q: (Haoran Zhou – F1 Express) Lewis, do have any family with you this weekend, because generally you perform better, you smile a lot more when you have family around? That’s just a personal observation but I just want to know does the whole family come to Abu Dhabi for this important weekend?

    LH: I have a couple of friends and I think one or two cousins in the grandstands and I’ve got a close friend that’s with me in the paddock but otherwise no other family here.

    Q: (Christobal Rosaleny – Car and Driver) Fernando, I’ve seen that you are wearing a new helmet at this Grand Prix; could you tell us its meaning?

    FA: Yeah, I wear a helmet with a picture of a pit stop this year on one side, the Italian flag in the middle and the signatures of everybody in the team on the other side. I just told them this morning that it’s the last time that I will jump in a Ferrari, so I want to bring all of them with me because they were a part of this fantastic experience and I want to do my last race with them on the track. To be honest, it’s a been a little bit of tricks because at Sochi, I took all the signatures from everybody but when I arrived here, we were missing 20 or 25 so now the helmet is not as perfect as it should be, because now we have all the 25 signatures everywhere but I’m happy and proud of them and happy to wear them on my helmet.

    Q: (Jerome Pugmire – Associated Press) Sebastian, how emotional do you think your first race for Ferrari will be, considering how much of an idol Michael was for you?

    SV: Yeah, I think it will be special for sure. Obviously, it’s a childhood dream. When I was growing up myself but also for a lot of kids at the go-kart track in Germany, Michael was our hero. And at that time he was obviously still with Benetton but when we grew up, obviously he was still part of us. He moved to Ferrari, took on a massive challenge back then in ’96 and got very close the years before but made it happen in 2000. Since then, I think every link that you have or when you think back it’s always Michael in the red cars so I think it will be a very special journey and I’m very much looking forward to it. Not only the first race, to be honest with you, but even the first time in winter testing that I will step into the car, I think will be very special and will be something that remains with you probably for the rest of your life so I’m very much looking forward to it, I don’t know yet how it feels but I’m very keen to find out.

    Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Fernando, if you have the possibility to chose your teammate for next year, would you chose Jenson?

    FA: Hmm.

    JB: Take your time!

    FA: I don’t know where I will be so… We will see.

  • 2014 Formula 1 Ethiad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Weather Report

    The 19th and final round of the Formula 1 World Championship and we at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

    Two drivers competing for the title and both of them from the same team. Lewis Hamilton the current championship leader is 17 points ahead of his team mate and title contender Nico Rosberg. Either driver could win the title, although it may be a bit of a tough ask for Rosberg. But this is Formula 1 and we know that anything can happen and with double points being awarded at this race, things can become interesting.

    Pirelli are bringing the red super soft and the yellow soft compound tyres to the race this weekend. This is a step down from last year where they had the yellow soft and white medium. Pirelli know the 5.55km long Yas Marina Circuit very well. The post season test will take place at the circuit after the race and it has been the host of many F1 tests. Pirelli have also done private testing at the circuit prior to their entry in F1 in 2011.

    Pirelli feel that the super soft and the soft compound tyres will provide the balance for the drivers for the slow 90 degree corners where maximum mechanical grip is needed and for the medium speed corners. With this being a day-into-night race, they feel that the drop in track temperature will be managed more effectively with their choice of tyre.

    The weather for the weekend can be described as glorious. There is no rain forecast for the entire race weekend and it will remain warm and dry throughout with temperatures in the high 20s during the day. Lower temperatures are forecast for the evening but nothing below 20 degrees centigrade.

    Below is a snap shot of the weather for the weekend and a live radar image of Abu Dhabi with an hourly forecast.

    Abu Dhabi Weather 2014

     

     


  • Broadcast Times for the 2014 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

    Broadcast Times for the 2014 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

    The final round of the Formula 1 World Championship brings us to the spectacular Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

    The title battle has come down to the final race and it is between the two Mercedes drivers, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton leads his team mate in the drivers standings by 17 points. A win for Hamilon in Abu Dhabi will secure the title for him.

    But as the famous Murray Walker once said, “Anything can happen in Formula 1, and it usually does.” These words will no doubt be in the minds of both the drivers when they line up on the grid for Sunday’s race. There’s still a chance for Rosberg to take the title. He will need to win the race with Hamilton finishing no higher than 3rd.

    Further down the field, with Red Bull consolidating their second place in the constructors championship and with Williams in a potential 3rd place finish, Ferrari will be hoping to keep McLaren at bay to hold on to 4th while McLaren on the other hand, who have been looking better in terms of pace as each race goes by, will be hoping they can finish ahead of Ferrari in the constructors championship.

    It will no doubt be exciting to watch the two Mercedes drivers have a go at each other during the race. With a few more overtaking opportunities than the previous race in Brazil, it will make defending a position that much more tougher. Let the duel in the desert commence.

    The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the second day-into-night race on the calendar after the Bahrain Grand Prix. Below are the broadcast times for the 2014 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix(All times are GMT+2)

    Free Practice 1: Friday 11:00

    Free Practice 2: Friday 15:00

    Free Practice 3: Sat 12:00

    Qualifying: Sat 15:00

    Race: Sunday 15:00

  • F1 2014: Season Finale Preview – Abu Dhabi: All or Nothing

    F1 2014: Season Finale Preview – Abu Dhabi: All or Nothing

    At the very heart of its multi-billion rand, globe-trotting and glamorous veneer lays the ultimate goal – to be the Formula 1 world champion. Since 1950 every driver, team and engineer has embarked on the quest to be a part of the Formula 1 legend. In this iconic sport nothing is more important and nothing is pursued with a greater determination than to be the best.

    What are the chances that as the first ever Formula 1 world champion Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina held aloft his title clinching trophy that he dreamt of how this sport would grow to enthrall and fascinate the world, turn into a religion for many, and race in countries and venues as far-off as deserts of Abu Dhabi. So it is that we come to the conclusion of the 2014 season in the twilight of the Yas Marina circuit. A season that has seen ground-breaking technology and will be remembered for a fierce battle between teammates.

    Two short years ago Lewis Hamilton went through, arguably, the most difficult period of his Formula 1 career. The 2012 season at McLaren was marred by too many unfortunate performances, an on-track clash with his teammate, and the separation from those who held his best interests at heart. The move to Mercedes coincided with the metamorphosis of Lewis Hamilton. A more mature and re-focused Hamilton dedicated himself to the Mercedes cause and he appeared to be re-invigorated by the ability to stretch his wings and sever the near lifelong tie to McLaren.

    Lewis Hamilton Press ConferenceIn 2014, his father re-emerged in the pit garage; he moved away from manager Simon Fuller. Now he had people in his corner concerned with only his well-being and not that of the brand Lewis Hamilton. This shift has had a monumental effect both on and off the track. Where in the past Hamilton was extremely self-deprecating he now took the difficulties in stride and learnt from them. Gone was the Lewis Hamilton that succumbed, slightly, to the pressure of Formula 1. In his place is a driver and man whose maturity has allowed him to reach an ominous level of focus and determination. A level easily high enough to make him a double world champion at the end of the 2014 Abu Dhabi grand prix.

    Up until this season Nico Rosberg’s F1 career has been solid, blotted with a few shining moments, but nothing quite spectacular. Truth be told he hasn’t been outlandishly brilliant this season either. What he has been is quick and devastatingly consistent. Ever the opportunist Rosberg has proven to be a formidable opponent to Hamilton. It isn’t something that many would’ve predicted given Hamilton’s near god-like reputation in some circles. Taking the title is a tad more difficult for the German than it is his teammate. He needs a few things to go his way and not Hamilton’s this weekend. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t but you can bet your bottom dollar that if the opportunity beckons Nico Rosberg will seize it consummate ease.

    There are potential stumbling blocks in both these driver’s path. Lest we forget the Mercedes has had its fair share of issues throughout the season. Unreliability is surely one of the cruellest mistresses of the sport and we pray to the F1 Gods that no such travesty has the chance to destroy what should be rousing end to the season.

    Then there is the two Williams shaped anomalies. At the very least both the Williams’ will feature heavily in qualifying and from there should be Nico Rosberg_Brazil 2014able to be quite a nuisance in the race too. The Yas Marina circuit’s long straights are tailor-made to the Williams’ super-slippery-mega-fast-in-a-straight-line aerodynamics. McLaren‘s racing director Eric Boullier believes that their “downward spiral has ended” and though they shouldn’t be troubling the Mercedes they are embroiled in a fight with Ferrari for fourth place in the constructor’s standings.

    The never-say-die mentality of this team has allowed for a steady improvement over the last few races. This improvement will culminate with a “new aerodynamic concept” package, to run this weekend, from the design table of new chief engineer Peter Prodromou.

    This has been a mega season. Yes, it’s been bossed by one team but look at it from a different perspective. It’s been dominated by near inconceivable technological advances and we can honestly say that at the end of it all whoever walks away as the champion will do so on the back of some of the finest driving for some time and in the midst of an intricately wicked psychological war that fans have relished. This is what it all comes down to, what this majestic, passion-fuelled sport is all about – the quest to be the best, to be number one, to be the world champion.