Tag: Lotus

Pastor Maldonado set to leave Williams

Pastor Maldonado, and his PDVSA sponsors, are set to leave the Williams F1 team at the end of the season.

Maldonado and his backers are in exit talks with the Williams outfit, making way for the incoming Felipe Massa. Massa confirmed last weeks that he was in talks with Williams and after much speculation, it was today revealed by Autosport as well as the BBC that Maldonado will leave the team, taking PDVSA with him.

The exit deal has not yet been concluded but it is believed that this will be completed soon in order to allow Maldonado to secure a contract with another team.

Maldonado has already been in talks regarding a 2014 seat with Lotus, Sauber and Force India and will bring with him a £20 million per season backing of the oil company, PDVSA.

Lotus, who have also been in talks with Nico Hulkenberg, would prefer the German driver to join their team but this rests on an investment deal with Quantum Motorsports. Should the investment deal not go through, it is most likely that Maldonado will then get the Lotus seat.

PDVSA is contractually bound to Williams until the end of the 2015 season but it is understood that an agreement will be reached whereby Williams will be compensated for the change in plans.

Maldonado has openly admitted that he is not enjoying the sport this year and is looking for a more competitive car to race in.

Photo credit: Williams F1 Twitter Team

October 28, 2013
2013 Formula 1 Airtel Indian Grand Prix – Press Conference

1 – Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)

2 – Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)

3 – Romain Grosjean (Lotus)

PODIUM INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by David Coulthard)

Q: Sebastian, tell us your emotions from this victory.
Sebastian Vettel: First of all I would love to say thank you to the crowd. Unbelievable reception today. It’s a shame we are not racing here next year. I’m speechless David, I don’t know. I crossed the line, I was empty. I took ages thinking about something to say. It’s one of these moments you wish to say so many things but you can’t. Phenomenal season. The spirit inside the team is so strong that… I said it on the radio, it gives me so much power that, it’s a pleasure to jump in the car and go out for the guys and just try to give it all I have. The car was phenomenal today. It was phenomenal all season to be honest. I couldn’t ask for more.

Q: I think the crowd here probably enjoyed your little celebration before coming up to the podium. Had you thought about that or was that just purely instinctive reaction?
SV: No, I haven’t really thought about it. Rocky, my engineer called for the usual procedure but I said “yeah, not this time,” and there’s so many people here on the main grandstand that I had to do it. Usually we are not allowed to – but it felt so right at that time. I want to say a big thank you to the team, to all the people that were behind us. For sure it was not an easy season, even if people from the outside get the idea that we had it in our hands for quite a while, the last couple of races. But I think it was a difficult one all in all. Very difficult one for me personally. To receive boos, even though you haven’t done anything wrong, to overcome that and to give the right answer on the track and finally get the acceptance that I think we’re all looking for as racing drivers… it makes me very proud to join people like Prost, Fangio and Michael is unbelievable.

Q: Nico, that was a good day in the office.
Nico Rosberg: Yeah, I’m pleased. The start was a bit difficult, dropping behind Massa. He was definitely a lot slower. I gave it a go on one lap but I couldn’t make it happen and he passed me back on the exit. And then the team did a fantastic strategy. I managed to get by him like that and, yeah, second place, I’m pleased with that. The car was working well today. Important for us to have a normal weekend, so a lot of points and giving Ferrari a run for their money in the Constructors’. That’s the aim for us now.

Q: Just a quick word on your compatriot, your fellow German here.
NR: Yeah, fantastic. He’s done an amazing job this year and deserves to be World Champion. We’re going to give it all over the winter to be a massive challenge next year.

Q: Romain, fantastic drive from 17th place. Did you really believe you could be on the podium today?
RG: Not at all. I would not have bet a penny on me being on the podium today. But the car came back how it was on Friday. The race pace was really there. We did a very brave strategy – as we did yesterday. I think it was not the time to go safe and it paid off. We’re back on the podium it’s quite amazing from where we started. The race was alright. I tried to go through the field. It was tough until the end. I didn’t know when the tyres were going to go off but the team did fantastic and very proud to be here.

Q: We saw some very close racing between yourself and Kimi Räikkönen. Tell us a little bit about that battle – we heard some of the radio transmission.
RG: Yeah, well, Kimi was in a difficult situation. I went for the outside and he didn’t see that point, so I wasn’t… I knew I had to be careful to my engine, I knew Massa had much fresher tyres behind so I didn’t want to lose time. I lost a little bit of time – but never mind. We are here on the podium and scored good points for the team and we still have a very strong car for the upcoming races.

Q: Sebastian, I know you’ve said you’re speechless and can’t find the words to describe the emotions of this moment – but please try one more time. As you stand here away from your racing car, how do you feel?
SV: I miss it! How do I feel? I’m overwhelmed. I don’t know what to say. I think it’s one of the best days of my life so far. When I was small… I always try to think back and think back where you started. Formula One was so far away. To race against these drivers, to race in Formula One was so far away. There have been so many people that I have to thank along the way from go-karting, junior formula categories, up to now, that have been teaching me a lot. I’ve always tried to listen and learn and it’s incredible to race some of the best drivers in the world, that Formula One ever had. I think it’s a very strong field and to come out on top of them… As I said, I think the spirit in the team is fantastic and to go for numbers and statistics that we have done in the last four years is unbelievable. I don’t feel old – I’m getting older but I think I’m not that old yet and to achieve that in such a short amount of time is very difficult to grasp. Maybe in ten years’ time. I’m trying very hard to come to the level I am now and maybe then I’m a little bit better in understanding what we have done so far.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

(for Nico Rosberg and Romain Grosjean)

Q: (Srinivasan Kannan – Mail Today) From where you qualified and where you finished eventually, how happy are you?
RG: Well, I think very, very happy. I honestly thought in seventeenth I had not a very big hope of this. The best strategy, computer thing that we had was P4 but that was taking that we had a very good start and we were just behind the Force India on the first lap so that was P13 or something like that and everything was going as planned. We did not have a very good start. I lost quite a lot of time behind Gutiérrez in the middle of the race which was quite… yeah, defensive, let’s put it that way. And then I didn’t know how the tyres were. So, being third today, I wouldn’t have bet a peanut on it. And it’s just great. I think the karma was good today.

Q: (Shridhar Potdar – Sakal Media) We saw you hold up Vettel on the podium – how does his achievement motivate for you as opponent and a contemporary?
NR: It doesn’t. I look at myself. I congratulate him, they do a fantastic job – but it’s not like it motivates me. I look at my own thing and try to do with my own team the best possible job. Of course trying to beat them because Sebastian has been the guy to beat in the last four years so our target is – well was this year to beat them but that didn’t quite work out – and next year it will be to beat whoever is our fiercest competitor. Very likely they’re going to be up the front again next year but I’m confident that we can be strong too and I really look forward to that.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

(for Sebastian Vettel)

Q: (Srinivasan Kannan – Mail Today) There was something unusual we saw at the end of the race: you got out of the car, almost kneeled, almost kissing in front of the car. What was that?
SV: It’s just an appreciation for the car, for the team. It’s pretty special. We work so hard all year to try and make that car faster, as simple as that. The guys are pushing, you could argue that it’s the fifth season with this generation of cars. Next year it will be a new generation, but you still see issues that we have. Unfortunately Mark had a problem with the alternator, similar to last year. Out of precaution, I wasn’t allowed to use the drinks bottle in the race, we switched the KERS off, we did everything to try and save energy at the end. So the cars are built on the limit, even if you think it’s season number five, with the same – in a way – the same kind of car. The fact that the car lasts, the work that the mechanics put into the car. It’s just an appreciation. I think it’s a team effort at the end of the day. I spoke to the guys yesterday night… surely you could argue that I have an important job when I’m out there driving the car, no doubt, I’m aware of that but I’m not selfish, I’m not taking all the credit myself. I’m very thankful for what these guys are doing. If you look at their pay check at the end of the month, you’d be surprised if you could do the amount of hours that they do. I think it’s better to work at McDonalds than to do what they do! It’s one hundred percent commitment. They love their job, they love the fact that they are working on a Formula One car and get to see technology like that. I think at the end of the day we could… it’s rockets in a way. It’s a shame, in a way, that with modern circuits people don’t get the excitement of the speeds that close any more, but I think for safety reasons there’s no doubt… you don’t want to go back to where we’ve been in the past, so I think the sport has progressed but for sure you lose some of the excitement but I think for racing fans, such as the mechanics, it’s still the same. It was just a gesture of saying thank you.

Q: (Lokendra Pratap Sahi – The Telegraph) Seb, congratulations, would you say this has been amongst your most or probably the most emotional day, as an F1 driver?
SV: In a way, we saw that one coming. Last year was very special. If you look at the race last year, Brazil, it was… if you tried to write a story like that you can’t because you can’t be creative enough. Maybe this year the difference is that it happens in a place like this. What I want to say is that I would actually love to take the time out and travel India, travel around here, because I think this country has the possibility to teach you so much. The majority of people are very poor, if you compare the living standards to Europe. I think it’s within human nature that you always find something to complain about. Being German, maybe it’s in my roots to find something to complain about but you come here, the majority of people have a very difficult life you would say, but they are very happy. Obviously we don’t get to see much because it’s an isolated world, we are here in the paddock so if you get to see a little bit of the surroundings, it’s quite frightening sometimes to see the circumstances people have to live in, but the big lesson is that they are happy. It was a difficult emotion to cross the line and to feel happy all of a sudden because you’re in a rhythm, you know what you’re doing, you have a certain routine. Yes, I was very nervous before the race but I am all the time, I am nervous, usually the last hour of my sleep from Saturday to Sunday is quite poor because I’m looking forward to the race, I’m having all sorts of scenarios in my head. I think it takes time to understand what happened but I think it is also a special place to win at and yeah, when my engineer called for the usual procedure – parc ferme, park the car – I said to myself I don’t care, I go there, the crowd was great in the main grandstand and I’ll have some fun there which I enjoyed a lot.

Q: (Aditya Iyer – The India Express) Sebastian, firstly congratulations. I was just curious to know, when you were growing up, watching Formula One, did you ever root for the underdog, did you ever want the guy finishing behind Schumacher to win, as a fan?
SV: I was never imagining myself to… what were we dreaming about when we were young boys? To be honest with you, when I started karting, I was doing the free practice, I was interested in the result, knowing if I was quick or not, I wanted to know, and after that I went to the sand and played with toy cars. We played hide and seek… it was a very nice time, to be honest. I had a lot of friends at the go-kart track, at the age of seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, when it was really about just growing up and having a hobby, you know? My friends at school went to play football, I joined them, I wasn’t very good. I already didn’t like losing at the time so yeah, it was a very nice time. It’s a lot of work, a lot of hours you put in, but I have to thank my parents in a way because they never put pressure on me. I understood it was very serious, I understand that they… maybe I understand now better than back then, but I understood that they spent a lot of time with me, sacrificed their lives in a way but we had a good time as a family together. Yeah, even if I wouldn’t be here in Formula One now and successful somewhere else, I don’t know, studying and having a normal job, I would still look back and say it was a nice time we spent together as a family and we would still talk about it every second or third dinner, because they are nice memories that we have. So when I was a child, I wasn’t really… of course, it was a dream to race in Formula One but I think it’s wrong to say it was a target. Later on, when I was 15/16, yes, I had a target but now, looking back, it was very difficult to grasp.

Q: (Saptarshi Shukla – Autocar India) Congratulations Sebastian, incidentally, I was at your hotel last evening and I saw you come in at nine at night which was six hours after qualifying finished. Is it normal or are you as diligent at any other weekend? SV: I think I spend a lot of time here at the track, looking at stuff, writing my reports and trying to give feedback but also to be honest, last night I had dinner here at the circuit. Many times people complain about the paddock and the people; to be honest with you, I’m not like that, I enjoy being here and spending time with people that you know. I had an interesting discussion last night with a journalist. I like the paddock, it’s not like a prison to me. People say when you cross the entrance it’s like being in a circus but I think it’s what you make of the circus also. If you come in with a negative mindset then for sure you will have a bad time. This morning, when I looked at the car and also yesterday to be honest, I looked at it and it’s a small piece of kit. It’s not very big. A truck is bigger, any truck you can buy on the road is bigger but imagine the speed this car can travel with you behind the wheel. It’s amazing. I just appreciate that fact, you know. Whether you finish first, second, 15th or last, it doesn’t really matter, but I think it’s something unique, that we get to feel, we get to enjoy. I appreciate that and hopefully this kind of feeling never changes.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) First, being Italian, I apologise for all the boos that you got because I think they’re quite shameful and since they were coming a lot from Ferrari fans, I think it was not very much deserved. Second, Fangio…
SV: Yes, but to be honest with you, I’m not blaming the Ferrari fans. I tried to make the example, unfortunately nowadays the world is ticking so quickly that people are not always listening exactly to what I’m saying or what I’m trying to say. I don’t blame the people that booed, you know. If I go to the football stadium, for example, I cheer for the home team. The first moment you maybe don’t appreciate the outside or the away team to score a goal, the guy who actually scored a goal you don’t appreciate him being an amazing player and you might boo because other people boo. So in that regard, I think I know how to put it but like I said, obviously it doesn’t feel great but if you have a love for.. for example for Ferrari or McLaren… I had actually one guy writing a letter after Singapore. He apologised because he was in the crowd and he was booing and he apologised that he was booing, it was the wrong thing to do. I think if people think about it they understand but in the heat of the moment, you know, there’s nobody really to blame. Somebody starts, some people join in, others don’t. We are fans of the sport and if some people have a passion for Ferrari, which they might have for good reason, they’ve been around for quite a while, they don’t like it if somebody else wins. It’s not necessarily my fault. I think I’m mature enough to understand that.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) My question actually was another one, because it was just four names: Fangio, Schumacher, Prost, Vettel.
SV: It’s very difficult to, to understand. Put it this way, I was watching TV, I was watching Formula One when Fernando started to win races and now I’m racing Fernando, he’s been my toughest opponent for the last couple of years. I think he’s extremely talented, very gifted behind the wheel, for sure. He’s Spanish, he’s very passionate, one way and the other. Now, to race people like him, race people like Lewis who I think has an amazing level of natural talent, to race people like Mark who I rate the same way, like Nico who I think is underestimated. A lot of guys, you know: Kimi, Jenson. To win four titles, I don’t know, it’s just a big number, you know? Four. Titles. Fangio put the number of five titles, everybody appreciated him as the best driver in the world. Michael came along a couple of years later or… couple of years! Quite many years later. Different time, different era of the sport. Don’t get me wrong, I’m just talking as a fan of the sport, you know? Yes, he had a very dominant car but he created that at Ferrari, you know? He was working very hard, arguably harder than everybody else. He had some tough challenges coming in and going out: people like Montoya, David, Kimi, Fernando. It’s incredible that one guy managed to actually score more championships than this guy did. Unfortunately Fangio passed away but when you speak to true legends of the sport, in my opinion, like Stirling Moss, they actually have the guts to say that… fuck, this guy was better than me, he deserved to win and Stirling Moss for sure was not a… he finished twice, I don’t know how many times, three/four times in the championship? To join people like that: Michael, Fangio, Prost is very difficult to put into perspective. I’m way too young to understand what it means. I might be sixty one day, maybe then I will understand but nobody cares any more. I care, it’s difficult to realise something that nobody can take away from you, basically.

Q: (Amanpreet Singh – PTI) Congratulations, Sebastian. Would you say that people have been unfair to you when they say that F1 is becoming boring because of you winning everything but at the same time, there are people like Fernando Alonso who say that you should be respected for being the fastest?
SV: No, I’m not… I don’t know the word, nachtragend (resentful). I’m not… I don’t blame people. They boo because they are Ferrari fans. At the time it hurts, as I said, not to get the reception that you expect but at the same time, I think I’m clever enough to understand why they do it. I’m not blaming them. Maybe if I would be a fan of McLaren, Ferrari, whatever, one of the traditional teams, I wouldn’t like it if the same kind of guys, same team wins again and again. I think the most important thing for me is to get the respect from people that I know and people that I race against. I feel respected amongst the drivers. Sure you have to fight to get that respect when you come in but I’m not blaming the fans. It’s very difficult for the fans, to be honest, to understand what’s going on behind the scenes because they get a little of an idea of who we are but it’s impossible for everyone to introduce yourself and to explain what kind of guy you are. But then again, it’s nice to give a little bit back to people you meet, at the hotel, at the track, outside of the track, maybe when you’re shopping, people that recognise you. Therefore, I think it’s important that you get the respect from people that you really know. Others, I think, will always struggle, there will always be pros and cons, speaking for and against you.

Q: (Rohit Bhaskar – Hindustan Times) When you entered the room, you were on the phone. Who were you talking to? And what was the talk about?
SV: My parents and my brother. I was basically… they said congratulations. I said that I loved them very much, thank you and yeah, it’s very difficult to find the right words. As I said, it’s one of these things I struggle to understand right here, right now. But as I tried to explain in my message in German, there have been a lot of people supporting me on the way and for sure my family played a huge role. I think we just got to spend a very good time together and to have this sort of outcome, nobody expected that. It’s just a nice bonus at the end of the day.

Q: (Bharat Sharma – IndoAsian News Service) Congratulations Sebastian, you just said that you would love to explore India. Considering there’s no race next year, would you like to explore India in the off-season? Would you have the time?
SV: There’s not enough time in the off-season, to be honest. It’s a very busy schedule. If you look at the schedule itself, obviously December will be quite busy and then I get some time for myself at Christmas. And then we start very soon in January. It’s a big big big project waiting for us next year. I think teams like Mercedes, Ferrari spend a lot of time thinking of new ideas. It’s a new car, it’s a new engine so it will be an incredibly big challenge. We already start testing in January. I think this year’s winter will be as short as… or will be shorter than many winters before. And then you have… at the moment there’s 22 races in the calendar, so you don’t get to spend two, three, four, five weeks really for holidays or to have a break. I think, in the end, that India is big, lot of people here and you need more than a week or two to really get the taste of the country. It’s a shame but since there’s quite a good perspective that one day I will retire and I will still be young, I’m looking forward to that.

Q: (Santhosh Kumar C – Deccan Chronicle) Since you said that India is a special place to win, would you consider naming your 2014 car with an Indian angle?
SV: Actually, don’t get me wrong, but yesterday there were a couple of guests we had from the team and I signed some autographs and I was asking for their names and I regret that because I looked like an idiot. They were spelling the names and I’m… ‘OK, can you say that again?’ and one guy who had, I don’t know, some Ts in his name and he spelled it and he said D like Tomato. So I put D and I looked like an idiot because he actually meant T. Don’t get me wrong, you look like an idiot when he spells the name and you put something down wrong. For sure, my English isn’t perfect either but I struggled to understand him. I really like the people here, they are very friendly. He didn’t actually take it personally so we just did another card. With the right spelling.

October 27, 2013
F1 2013: Indian GP Review – Super Seb Achieves Greatness

The Indian grand prix has found itself in the privileged position of crowning Sebastian Vettel as the 2013 driver’s world champion.

There are few greater moments in this majestic sport than seeing a driver crowned champion. Whether you are a fan of Sebastian Vettel or not seems irrelevant in the face of this massive achievement. Only Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher and now Sebastian Vettel has won four consecutive world titles. It not only deserves recognition but tremendous respect.

The Budhh International circuit played host to the third Indian GP and tyre strategy dominated the headlines from the first free practice session on Friday. It was evident early on that the yellow walled soft compound tyres were extremely fragile and would, presumably, dictate the rest of the weekend. Unsurprisingly, Saturday’s qualifying session saw a split in tyre strategy with several drivers opting to set their fastest time in Q3 on the medium tyre. Mark Webber emerged as the best of those on the alternate strategy with fourth place and seemed in the pound seats for Sunday’s race. The untouchable Sebastian Vettel went about his business and wrapped up yet another pole position ahead of the Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.

The dicey option tyres were given the short prognosis of lasting a maximum of six to seven laps. Sebastian Vettel made his customary break in the first lap of the race and by the end of it was leading Felipe Massa by 3.5 seconds.

Not wanting to risk anything on the perilous Pirelli rubber Vettel dived into the pits on the second lap and fitted the medium compound tyres for his second stint. The German dropped into masses of traffic and seventeenth place overall. This was the moment that those who started on the more durable tyre were expected to craft a sizeable gap over the number one Red Bull. But Sebastian Vettel is never one to be outdone not by rivals and certainly not by strategy. He scythed his way through the pack and by the end of the twentieth lap he was right on the gearbox of Sergio Perez’s third placed McLaren.

The only man who could mathematically stop Vettel from winning the title was Fernando Alonso. However, the Ferrari driver’s race got off to a disastrous start as collisions with Mark Webber and Jenson Button demanded a front-wing change. The Spaniard never recovered from his early set back and ended the race in eleventh place. Teammate Felipe Massa enjoyed a far better outing and led the Indian GP for a spell before pitting for fresh rubber. The Brazilian ultimately finished a solid fourth place. Sergio Perez provided a boost for McLaren with a fifth place finish after pulling off a great overtake on Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton finished a quiet race in sixth place for Mercedes.

Raikkonen, after having made a late race pitstop, finished seventh whilst struggling with overheating brakes in the beginning of the race and fuel issues towards the closing stages. Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil came home eighth and ninth at Force India’s home race as Daniel Ricciardo secured the final point on offer for Toro Rosso.

The podium finishers looked as if they would include both Red Bull drivers but an alternator failure felled Mark Webber and promoted Nico Rosberg to second overall. The German’s second place finish was his and Mercedes’ first of the season. Rosberg’s other visits to the podium this season have all been victories. Romain Grosjean delivered a stunning drive to recover from 17th place in qualifying. The Frenchman and his ever improving consistency netted him third place over all; but not without some controversy for his Lotus team.

Lotus tried to play the long game with Kimi Raikkonen’s tyre strategy by suggesting a more than 50 lap stint on the medium tyre. Pirelli had advised teams that a thirty-five lap stint was potentially the most tyres would be able to stand and although some drivers pushed a bit further than the 35 lap limit Lotus’ pitwall thought they would the exception to the rule. The appalling strategy called failed, as it did in China, and Raikkonen was left defenseless and losing nearly two and a half seconds per lap. It smacks again of Lotus being a team who are not able to handle complicated strategy calls in the heat of the moment.

Logic suggests that as soon as Raikkonen starting losing chunks of time, around lap 40 to 45 with a nineteen second gap over Massa and Hamilton, the call to pit should have been made. Raikkonen’s tyres were shot by the time Grosjean caught up to the back of the Lotus nevertheless the Finn’s racer’s heart demanded that he fight for his position; and fight for the place against Grosjean he did.

Alan Permane, head of trackside operations for Lotus, revealed the less than cordial feelings the team has for Raikkonen with vulgar radio message: “Kimi, get out of the f&^$ing way.” Raikkonen responded by asking the team not to shout at him. Raikkonen has also responded by driving without being payed for the majority of the season, paying his own traveling costs, and with 183 of Lotus’ 285 constructor’s points. Since Raikkonen put pen to paper to join Ferrari in 2014 Lotus’ attitude toward the Finn has taken a significant turn. Snide comments in the press about Raikkonen being “ungrateful” were a small insight to this shift. However, this radio message painted the picture a lot more clearly. Permane revealed after the race that he was “disappointed” that Raikkonen had chosen to fight for position. Perhaps his disappointment could be better served by aiming it at the strategic calls made by the team.

In the end, the day belonged to the incomparable Sebastian Vettel. Four times a world champion Vettel has earned the respect of the motorsport world with a sublimely flawless racing craft that is second to none. Success in Formula 1 demands the perfect blend of man and machine and Vettel has flawlessly delivered his end of the deal.

Personally, he has handled the jeering of the crowds with great character; professionally he has blown away any suggestion that he is anything less than pure class. Vettel thrilled the Indian crowd with several donuts on the start/finish straight but in truth he has thrilled motorsport fans with a superlative talent that knows no bounds. At only 26 years old Sebastian Vettel has entered into Formula 1 immortality.

October 27, 2013
Video: Team Radio btwn Lotus and Kimi Raikkonen

Lotus team radio to Kimi Raikkonen telling him to “get out of the f*king way!”

October 27, 2013
Vettel scores his hat-trick pole in India

Sebastian Vettel took one step closer to his 4th World Championship title by claiming a commanding pole position for tomorrow’s Indian Grand Prix.

Vettel put in an incredible lap – the fastest ever recorded at the Buddh International Circuit – with a time of 1.24.119, a crazy 7 tenths faster than the rest of the field. Nico Rosberg will share the front row of the grid with Vettel tomorrow after qualifying second with a time of 1.24.871 followed by team mate Lewis Hamilton.

Mercedes did mention that Lewis may have been held up by Vettel but it would seem the incident was minor and there will be no further action.

Mark Webber brought his Red Bull home in 4th place with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa behind him. Massa outqualified his team mate Fernando Alonso once again but Alonso opted for the medium tyre strategy which will see him starting the race on the longer lasting medium tyres tomorrow.

Romain Grosjean made a shock exit out of qualifying after Q1 after only completing a time on the medium tyres, when everyone else except for Vettel had completed their laps on the softer compound.

Both McLarens made it through to Q3 today and have also opted for the medium tyre strategy.

One has to believe that unless something goes wrong with Hungry Heidi, Sebastian Vettel will be crowned World Champion tomorrow. The German only needs to finish 5th in order to clinch the title and the clear dominance he’s shown over the weekend so far shows his clear intention to wrap things up.

Join us on Twitter @F1_Madness for live commentary and interaction with other F1 fans, during the race tomorrow.

Here is the timesheet following today’s qualifying in India:

October 26, 2013
Vettel leads Red Bull 1-2 in second practice

Second practice in India held the same result as the first practice session in India today as Sebastian Vettel again topped the time sheets.

Despite another KERS issue early on in the session, Vettel clocked a time of 1.25.722 with team mate Mark Webber trailing almost three tenths behind him in second place.

Lotus driver Romain Grosjean came closest to the Red Bull drivers but his time was almost half a second off the mark set by Vettel. His team mate Kimi Raikkonen managed only eighth after running wide in turn ten during his fastest flier on the soft tyres.

Pastor Maldonado missed the final 20 minutes of running after a wheel nut came loose. The front right wheel nut on his Williams came off at turn 5 and forced him to stop just before the pit lane entrance. Williams received a large fine for his wheel coming off in Japan and there are fears that the same hefty fine will be imposed again but the wheel remained on his Williams this time around which may just save them from penalty.

There was plenty of wear on the front left tyres with many drivers complaining about the degradation. The soft tyres seem to start going off after about 6 or 7 laps and it seems unlikely that they’ll last longer than 12-15 laps.

For now, Vettel looks dominant in his Red Bull – without or without KERS trouble. It seems the champ is dead set on making it four in a row this weekend.

Here is the full timesheet for second practice:

October 25, 2013
Indian GP Buddh International Circuit Preview Quotes – Lotus

Preview quotes from the Lotus F1 Team ahead of this weekend’s Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus

“The Buddh International Circuit is quite an interesting track; one of the better ones from the modern circuits. It’s quite similar to Korea; long straights, not terribly challenging corners and hard braking. It’s not as technical as Korea which was another new track for me last year, but it’s good. It’s always nice to go to a new place like India. It’s certainly a good track to go fast with a strong car in front of all the others! Hopefully we finally get it right in qualifying as the last five qualifying sessions have not been that great for me. If we don’t, it’s going to be a difficult Sunday afternoon, although of course we’ll keep pushing. If we do get it right, then we can really go for it!”

Romain Grosjean, Lotus

“I like the Buddh International Circuit. I first visited the track as third driver for the team during the inaugural race weekend in 2011 and was really impressed by the facility, then of course I drove it for the first time last year. The layout includes a nice mix of corners with a bit of gradient change which is always a good thing. There are some decent straights with wide corners at the end of them to help with overtaking, although it’s still not the easiest place in the world to pass somebody. Then there’s the linked Turn 10 / 11 combination, which is a bit like Turn 8 in Turkey in that it seems to go on forever. It’s quite a fun track to drive. Our car is really performing well at the moment so I think we could be strong again. It’s fair to say we struggled there a little last year with finding grip and getting the right setup for the cars, so hopefully we can perform better this time. The tyre allocation was quite hard for the track in 2012, but this year it’s softer which should help us and make for better racing.”

Alan Permane, Lotus trackside operations director
“The Buddh International Circuit is a good track with a mixture of challenges, but nothing particularly tricky. There’s a steep uphill section into Turn 3 followed by a sizeable straight, a long banked right-hand corner and some quick changes of direction through Turns 5-9 and 13-14. It’s a circuit where we expect the E21 to work well. Although we saw in Suzuka that we can compete on the harder tyres, our car generally favours the softer compounds making this a race where we’re very much looking forward to continuing our run of strong recent performances. DRS overtakes are tricky at Buddh. There was a double DRS zone last year, but even though there’s a long straight it’s not the easiest place to overtake. That said, we’ve seen some reasonably good attacking moves in the last few races and the softer allocation should help with passing opportunities too when differing degradation levels from different cars are factored in.

“The change from hard and soft compound tyres last year to medium and soft this year should make for quite a different race at the Buddh International Circuit, where we saw one-stop strategies driven by the hard tyre allocation. Last year the performance gap between the tyres meant that everyone qualified on the soft and raced on the hard after a single stop. This year, the soft and medium compound open up the strategic permutations. With this season’s tyres also being a step softer than last year’s soft tyre, we have softer tyres to both qualify and race with. It could be a far more interesting race with strategy split between two and three stops.”

Photo Credit: Lotus F1 Team

October 24, 2013
Indian GP Preview: History Beckons In India

The Formula 1 paddock heads to one the most unique countries on the planet as India hosts its third F1 race.

From the culture to the people to the food India stands out as one of the most distinctive venues on the F1 calendar. The possibility of hosting an Indian GP has been in the works from as early as 1997 and after years of negotiating New Delhi was announced in 2007 as a future Formula 1 race host. The first Indian GP was received with much fanfare and praise as it made its debut in 2010.

The Budhh International Circuit is similar to Korea’s Yeongam circuit despite not being as technical in nature. The steep uphill climb and the blind apex into turn three is the highlight of the first sector which is otherwise dominated by power hungry straights. The second sector progresses with a mixture of medium to high speed corners which is capped with a short, slow speed final sector. The elevation changes may not be evident on television but provide a challenge to drivers with off camber and blind entries to some of the turns.

A significant weekend in the history of Formula 1 lies in prospect as Sebastian Vettel bids to become a four time consecutive world champion. Irrespective of what rival Fernando Alonso can do in his Ferrari this weekend Vettel will only need fifth place to clinch the 2013 title. However, ten points seems like a decidedly unspectacular way for the German to win his fourth title and at the very least he will want to occupy one of the steps on the podium if not the winner’s step. Only Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher have previously achieved four consecutive titles.

Lotus’ E21 has shown improved pace since the introduction of the longer wheelbase car. However, if Kimi Raikkonen has any designs on troubling the front of the race this weekend he must deliver an improved performance in qualifying. “Hopefully we finally get it right in qualifying as the last five qualifying sessions have not been that great for me. If we don’t, it’s going to be a difficult Sunday afternoon, although of course we’ll keep pushing. If we do get it right, then we can really go for it,” said Raikkonen.

Race after race has seen Fernando Alonso and Ferrari lose the opportunity of fighting for the title. What is more, the lackluster Ferrari pace has slowly but surely led to Alonso’s unflustered nature becoming a tad more edgy of late. A few statements here and there by the Spaniard have revealed his slightly despondent attitude regarding his position in the standings. The Scuderia’s sole aim is to beat Mercedes and Lotus to second place in the constructor’s title and they will have to summon something special if they are to re-ignite Alonso’s once unyielding determination.

Regardless of who the winner at the end of the Indian GP is, the day will undoubtedly belong to Sebastian Vettel. It doesn’t seem that long ago that a bright-eyed, eager nineteen year old German meandered into the pitlane, completely unknown and on the cusp of completely re-writing Formula 1 history.

October 23, 2013
Maldonado to leave Williams?

It has emerged that Pastor Maldonado, who is frustrated with the performance of his Williams team, might leave the team at the end of the 2013 season.

If Maldonado leaves he would take with him a massive chunk of sponsorship money from Venezuelan oil giant, PDVSA, which is reportedly valued at 35 million Euros a year. According to sources, PDVSA, who are under contract for two more years at Williams, are in talks with Williams deputy team boss, Claire Williams to discuss and exit deal to buy its way out of the contract.

According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, Maldonado is keen to make a move to Lotus next year. If PDVSA get out of their Williams contract, he could bring with him a very large cash injection that is so desperately needed at the Enstone based team.

Of course, all of this is just rumour and speculation at this point. Although the F1 silly season does tend to spring a few surprises at times.

October 18, 2013
2013 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix: Sunday Press Conference

Drivers:

1 – Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)

2 – Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)

3 – Romain Grosjean (Lotus)

PODIUM INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by Eddie Jordan)

Q: [Sebastian] Nine times a winner already this season – but the championship is still alive. Tell me all about it.
Sebastian Vettel: Konnichi-wa, first of all. Yeah, first of all, I would like to say thank you to all the fans. Every time we come here, the appreciation, the respect we get as drivers is incredible. Obviously, I’m blown away with today’s race. I had a very, very poor start. I think it was right between Romain and, I think, Lewis and I clipped a little bit the front wing. I think Lewis had a puncture after that. I couldn’t go anywhere. After that we were patient, looked after the tyres and had incredible pace towards the end. So we managed to get past Romain, beat Mark on another strategy so, all in all, fantastic. I’m so overwhelmed every time we come here. Thank you very much again for the support.

Q: Who made the final decision on what tyres you were going to run? We got the impression you made the decision right at the very last moment.
SV: Well, to be honest, it happened… I think the decision was already made in the first stint because we stayed out longer, so we obviously took into account that we lapped slower than the others who were on fresh tyres, in order to push them later in the race. We had a similar race in 2011, where I think I came in always as the first and I was under enormous pressure towards the end of the race and got passed by two cars. So this time we did it the other way around: had enough pace in the car to look after the tyres, control the race. Yeah, it was not easy to make the two-stop work, especially in the middle stint – but I think the first stint was crucial to make the decision to stay out and then decide for a two-stop, which turned out to be… [interrupted]

Q: Mark, your last grand prix in a Formula One car at Suzuka, one of the great all-time tracks. Tell us about it.
Mark Webber: Yeah, it’s an amazing circuit. The race today was pretty good, I’d say. Obviously I would have liked one more step on the podium but there were different strategies going on. Seb went longer in the first stint and then it unloaded his race a bit better than mine at the end. So, in general, pretty happy with second but, yeah, hey, you always want a bit more but we got the best out of what I could today. Both of us had very poor starts, which put us on the back foot a little bit and then after that it was just really trying to pace the car again on the tyres and making sure they survived to do the sort of strategy we wanted to. In the end we went to three-stop, which put us a little bit on the back foot but still we got back to where we were.

Q: Romain, we were writing you off last year, we didn’t think you’d have a seat, and here you are, on the podium. How does that feel?
Romain Grosjean: Well, much better than last year for sure. What a start! Terrific. From the past not the best memories here but today was just a very, very good race. The car was fantastic on option tyres to start the race with and we did manage to pull away. Then the Red Bulls catch us a little bit I think, but generally with the work we did, we are the only ones able to follow those guys. We almost catch the Bull I said to my engineer today – it’s a home race for my engineer and I think he’s very happy. Always very good to come here, always very proud of the fans and being on the podium at such a difficult track – it’s good.

Q: Sebastian, you’re ever so close to pulling it off with your fourth consecutive championship. What are your thoughts going into the next race?
SV: First of all, I would like to enjoy today. I think it was a fantastic race. I love this track. As I said, the people are great and make it a very, very special place for us. I’d love to enjoy that first, obviously it does no harm when you win, for the championship. I’ve won now four times here in Suzuka, which is incredible. I’m really looking forward to next year, to be honest. Regarding the championship, as I said, I think obviously we have a very, very good gap but we still keep pushing. I think we’ve proven in the last couple of years that we never give up. I think we’ve won one or two championships because of that. Obviously this year it looks very good at this stage – but it’s not over before it’s over.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Sebastian, you really did seem to enjoy this victory hugely. Is it because of the various problems that happened along the way? The start, for example, the first corner, one or two lock-ups, an interesting tactic…
SV: Yeah, certainly – but I think mostly it’s because of the circuit and the fans to be honest. It’s one of the highlights in the year. I love this track and I’ve been very, very fortunate to have a great car in the past and against this year, being able to finish on the podium and win four times now. Incredible. When we leave the hotel in the morning I think it’s the same for all of us. It makes it so special. The people are crazy about Formula One. They really, yeah, admire us, which is very nice. They love what we do and appreciate the fact we go around. You have the people on the grandstand yesterday, I ran the circuit and there were I think 5,000 people on the grandstand just watching. They are amazed by Formula One and I think that makes it so special and taste so sweet. As you touched on, obviously with the race today, a horrible start but then a fantastic comeback.

Q: That long middle stint – a 23-lap middle stint – and there were one or two lock-ups. Were you affected by that or were the tyres in good condition all the way?
SV: Well, you know, you struggle more in the end obviously. I tried to control the gaps. Obviously we started already to go longer than Romain and Mark in the first stint, so we took into account that we lap a second a lap slower for two or three laps compared to them in order to get the range in the next stint and then tried to extend that to really put them under pressure towards the end. That was, let’s say, the game plan. Obviously after the first pit stop I think very soon in the second stint, Mark decided to go for the three-stop, which wasn’t far off. Before the race I think we targeted more towards two stops but the tyres weren’t holding up as well as probably we thought. As I said, I really tried to manage the gaps in the beginning of the stint and then close the gap, which worked brilliantly, especially with Romain. The end of the second stint I was just on his tail when he pitted, able to stay out another couple of laps and then I had more or less fresh tyres when I was able to pass him, so, yeah, great strategy. It obviously worked. We made it… we didn’t lose the patience early on. Tried obviously to make the stints as long as possible to help us at the end of the race.

Q: Mark, I guess you were hoping you were going to be able to challenge Sebastian during the closing stages. That’s what the engineers suggested to both of you in fact – but you just couldn’t get past Romain.
MW: Ah, no. I don’t think the battle was going to be with Sebastian at the end to be honest. I think that it was pretty much done when we didn’t do enough damage on the three-stop against Seb’s pace on the two. I think we tried to race Romain at the start and then in the end we switched to the three. So I was the meat in the sandwich, trying to beat Romain on a two and then all of a sudden we decided to do a three. I was a little bit surprised. I asked was it the right thing to do because I felt we could get to the lap we were looking to get to. Of course Seb was two or three laps longer, four laps maybe but in terms of the target lap that we looked to get for the two-stop I thought was achievable but in the end Seb did a good race, the strategy worked out perfect and yeah, the three was… not absolutely ridiculous but it’s a bit more high risk we know, and you have to clear people obviously, so yeah, piggy in the middle, trying to do both. In the end, we got back to where we were in terms of position but Seb jumped both of us. But a great result for the team, a sensational result for me in my last time here in Japan in Formula One. The fans are incredible. I enjoyed the grand prix today, it was nice to have fresh tyres a bit more, which is always enjoyable around Suzuka. So that was today’s race.

Q: I mentioned drama-filled for Sebastian, one or two things happened to him, what about yourself?
MW: Apart from the shocking start for both Seb and I, that was really it. After that we could plan our race accordingly. It wasn’t what we expected to be honest, both of us didn’t do anything off the front row. So that put us on the back foot already and Romain was quite strong on the option but I don’t think he was that strong on the prime. Anyway, as I say, I did everything I could today. It’s not too bad a result obviously. It’s nice to be back on the podium after the last few races where I think we could have certainly have been there but we weren’t. All in all, I leave here happy and off to Oz tomorrow for a bit more surfing.

Q: Well done. Romain, tell us about that start because it was a lightning one.
RG: Yeah, it was probably one of the best; I just spoke with Seb [about it]. When I dropped the clutch I said ‘whoah, whoah, that’s a good one, come on, come on go for it’. Amazing. Then when you’re leading it makes the thing easier on the first stint. We were very quick on the option. The car was using less the tyres and I could open the gap. Unfortunately, it was less good on prime than option today for some reason, rather than yesterday when it was the opposite, so the pace dropped a little bit and Seb was really too quick for us. I think it would have been nice with Mark until the end of the race but we caught some slower cars, lapped cars, and they really blocked me a lot. I lost the position against Mark. I don’t know if I could have held him until the end but, yeah, it cost me, I think, quite a lot. Never mind, we were the only car to be able to follow them. We did not even think about racing them before the race and the strategy says that our target was Lewis, so, so far it was a pretty good race and for sure being ahead in the first corner helps quite a lot but we did a very good job to come back from a disaster Friday to have a very good Saturday and Sunday.

Q: You were right in the middle of a backmarker battle right at the end there – there was a lot of traffic around. A little bit of sadness having been out in front and finishing third?
RG: I thought it was the day that the first victory was coming. Honestly on option, I did struggle a little bit but then I could pull away to Mark and I said “our car is beautiful today, it’s gonna be good,” and then Mark pitted earlier than what we thought, we fitted the prime – hard tyres – and the degradation was not the same anymore and it was making it harder to drive. I think I lost second with the Caterham in the middle stint when Mark catch me just before he pitted and then on the last few laps there were a lot of cars in front of us. I know it’s not easy for anyone to let us by but on such a nice big track it costs you a lot . As my tyres were really on the edge every small aero… wing perturbation will cost me a lot and at the exit of the chicane a little bit of wheelspin and Mark could go for it. So, a bit of a shame to lose the second position but never mind, I think the positives that I gain outweigh… were challenging them and that counts for us.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Mark, you spoke about the second stop but the first one was already pretty early for a two stop strategy. Was it just to do an undercut on Romain, or do you feel that you were in the role of a rabbit to challenge Romain to follow you and then obviously it paid out for Seb?
MW: Yeah, we were obviously looking to get in the lead, to put some pressure on Romain. I don’t think the option was easy to handle for any of us. I wanted to put some pressure on Romain towards the end of that stint. We were more or less in the window for a two stop. As soon as I pitted after the prime, the guys said ‘yeah, we’re on a two stop, it’s no problem. Look after the tyres and we’ll stay on two.’ And then I was on two and then we switched to three so I think they just saw that it was just a quicker way for me to do three stops. That’s what they thought, that was the reason they did it. That’s the reason for that.

Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action and National Speedsport News) Mark, in those laps, you were trying to get Grosjean but you couldn’t quite get him down the straights; what was happening through the chicane and down the pit straight?
MW: Well, at the end of the race, the DRS is not as effective because you’re on the limiter, basically. We managed to get off the chicane a bit better on the… when you arrive on someone you want to get the job done pretty quickly. First sector is obviously not that easy because… Romain is a bit low on tyres but they also had more downforce than us. I was quite low on wing. When I arrived on him, I was obviously hoping to get it done a little bit earlier but it was also knowing that his tyres were going to be quite tired, getting towards the end of the race as well. The backmarkers didn’t work out for Romain, it’s a bit of a nightmare when you catch so many guys; they all want the DRS, they all want to fight and in the end, it was beneficial for me to pounce when Romain got not the best run with the backmarkers, which was no fault of his own.

Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Romain, what do you think you still miss to get a victory: another car, another team, another strategy? And the same for you, Sebastian, about Romain.
RG: From my side, I think, today, was a little bit of pace on the hard tyre. We covered Mark on the first stop. It was two laps shorter than what we thought and then again, the second stop was just a little bit earlier than we thought because of the tyres’ age and so on. And I think we missed Friday, so we had to do a long run in FP3 to know how the tyres were going because from Friday we had no information from our long runs, we really struggled with the car, so we lost that information that we are normally pretty good on. Today the hard tyres didn’t behave as we expected and before the race, honestly, we said we’ll start on option but then what’s going on in the second stint, we didn’t know if we had to fit option or prime and it was just an unknown. I think the Red Bull today was… we said in the strategy meeting that we never thought that we could beat them. So we are where we expected to be. Just sometimes, it’s a little bit of everything. Today was not the luck missing, it was not the start, the driving, it was just a little bit of pace from the car.
SV: Well, I think after the start and the first stint, I thought that it would be a great race for Romain. Obviously we tried to make our stint longer and so on, to come back in the end but they looked very strong. I think they struggled a little bit more on the prime probably but then again as he just said, they didn’t expect to race where they ended up racing. I think he drove a fantastic race today. I don’t think it’s a matter of… he can beat me, he beat me last year at the Race of Champions. I put the car in the wall. I think it’s not a matter of that. The race is long. Today obviously favoured us over the distance which is a little bit unusual compared to the Lotus because I knew that being in third, losing out in the first stint, usually the distance is more, you know, let’s say the strength of the Lotuses. I think Romain did a great job, great performance all weekend I think, great qualifying yesterday again, outqualified Kimi. We know that Kimi is a strong driver. Last year I think Romain made some mistakes but the most important thing is that we learn from these mistakes as drivers so I think he learned a lot of things and gradually he’s improving, so big respect for that.

Q: (Anne Giuntini – L’Equipe) Mark, last year you had an incident with Romain here. Did you change your mind about him during this year, especially in this race, but also the whole season?
MW: No, I think it’s very clear that Romain has a very different mental approach to the job at the moment this year. He’s driven some quite strong races, putting together the whole weekend which is a sign of a driver starting to get a bit more relaxed and confident. A lot less mistakes, not just in races but in practice so it’s not… You know, we’re not here to blow smoke up his arse but in the end he’s doing a very good job this year and it’s a big step for him because last year, in Formula One, also the first year against Fernando in Formula One wasn’t easy for him and to come back… yeah, he’s doing a good job. It starts and stops with him. Hope he doesn’t improve too much more before the end of the year! And we can keep going.

Q: (Kate Walker – GP Week) Sebastian, you haven’t won your fourth consecutive title yet but it’s almost certain to happen this season, barring something very odd. Now you’re also a man who collects an awful lot of race wins, record after record. What means more to you: going down in history with the likes of Fangio and Schumacher as one of three men to have collected four consecutive titles, or to stand on the top of every podium on the calendar?
SV: I think I prefer the second thing you said. You know, I love racing. When I was small, I was dreaming about Formula One and honestly never thought that one day I would be able to test one of these cars. First time I tested the car, it was… Mark drove in the morning, I drove in the afternoon. I shit myself the first couple of laps and I thought, alright, that’s for real men, not for me. Then I got used to it and obviously wanted to do more. A couple of years later, obviously I had the chance to get a drive, Red Bull gave me the chance at Toro Rosso to get some races. It’s incredible what’s happened over the last couple of years but nothing has changed in the way that I still love racing, I love the challenge, I’m still nervous when I wake up on Sunday, still excited when I walk on the grid and tense, looking forward to the race. Enjoying – not the numbers – but enjoying the fact that I’m racing and a great crowd today, a fantastic day. As I said, I think it would be a shame if you were too tense and if you tried to force things too much. I think you have to allow yourself to enjoy it because this is not normal, it doesn’t happen to everyone. I think I’m very fortunate that I’m one of these 22/24 guys in Formula One. As I said, we leave the hotel, great respect from the fans, they’re cheering, they’re shouting our names and it’s just great. That’s what I’m looking forward to most, obviously try to do it again. I love trophies so I don’t mind collecting a few either!

Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Sebastian, after overtaking Grosjean, did you ask the team what position Alonso was in in the race?
SV: No.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Did the team inform you?
SV: After the race. Obviously I knew that in the last stint, once we got past Romain, I knew that Mark was the biggest threat from behind. He was on fresher tyres and pretty quick. Obviously he got stuck with Romain a little bit which helped us. But I didn’t really… I didn’t ask and I didn’t want to know because there are still things that can happen at the end, even if you have a little bit of a gap and so on. We’ve seen today a lot of lock-ups; I was wide once in turn two, at the beginning of the race. Mark just said he knew where I was in one of the stints in the race because there was smoke here, smoke there. I was struggling a little bit with locking up the tyres. I was busy enough, also carrying the car to the chequered flag.

October 13, 2013