Tag: preview quotes

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Preview Quotes – McLaren

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

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

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

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

October 31, 2013
Lotus F1 Team Preview Quotes – Abu Dhabi GP

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus
2012 Qualifying – 5th, 2012 Race – 1st
“It’s a great place to go. The circuit is connected to big entertainment centre and you’ve got all the boats moored next to the circuit. There are often a lot of passionate fans watching the race and for me the hotel is walking distance from the track which I like. It’s also good to race at a circuit where you have had a strong result before. I had a good result there last year, but I had a very boring race there the first time I visited in 2009. I’d prefer to have another good result, but you don’t know how strong you’ll be until you get to the circuit. The facilities are second to none. The track layout makes it really challenging for overtaking as there are not too many places to pass. You really have to qualify well to be at the front and get a strong result from there. There are many corners, you need good overall downforce and grip, plus the car has to ride the kerbs very well too. It’s a track where you really hope to get everything nicely together during the whole weekend. When you succeed with that, it’s a good place to race. I have had one very boring race being stuck in the middle group and then one great race fighting for the victory at the top. I know which I prefer. The evening race time means I can get up later! Having a mixture of day and night makes a different challenge from circuits that we see anywhere else. We start with the sun and finish with the lights. It’s different, interesting and spectacular for the fans to watch too.”

Romain Grosjean, Lotus
2012 Qualifying – 10th, 2012 Race – DNF
“Yas Marina is an amazing facility and it looks so impressive. It’s not used as much as some circuits over the course of the year so we know we’re going to get lower grip at the start of the weekend. For me, the layout is not my favourite – there are too many second gear corners for my liking – but not every circuit can be your favourite and the E21 certainly seems to be liking every track at the moment! My history in Abu Dhabi isn’t bad. Last year wasn’t the best weekend for me, as I qualified tenth and did not finish the race. It was however a great race for the team, so we know what is possible. I’ve been on pole position in the GP2 Asia Series and finished second in that race, then won a GT1 racing World Championship round there. My comeback to Formula One was also during an Abu Dhabi Grand Prix practice session in 2011, so I’ve got some good memories of the place. It would be nice to have some more…”

Eric Boullier, Lotus team principal
“Another win in Abu Dhabi would be fantastic and if Kimi could do the same again it would be a superb result. In a year we’ve made good progress. Our understanding of this year’s car and our design development processes are coming on well. We brought out the long wheelbase version of the E21 to prove a new method of assessing and evaluating our design development path, and this has proved to be a success. This is very good news for the future; especially as we look ahead to such significant changes in 2014. We head to this year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with a strong car and we’re in a position where both our drivers are performing very well at the moment, so anything could be possible.”

Alan Permane, Lotus trackside operations director
“Kimi put in a fantastic drive (in Abu Dhabi last year) and was able to capitalise on Lewis Hamilton’s retirement. Similarly to our current E21 chassis, last year’s E20 managed its tyres extremely well and it happened to do so particularly well around the Yas Marina Circuit. With that in mind – added to the fact that Pirelli have been a step more aggressive in terms of tyre allocation this season – there’s no reason to suspect we can’t have a very strong weekend again here. You need a car which is capable of doing two things that aren’t complimentary of each other. You want a setup which is fast down the straights and supple over the kerbs, but also gives responsive change of direction for the chicanes and good grip through the slower second gear corners towards the end of the lap. It’s a fine balance to find between making time down the straights or through the twisty bits. Of course, this compromise must also factor in the tyres as running less downforce can be kinder on the life of the rubber in some circumstances, but at the same time a higher downforce setting will help avoid the fronts sliding on corner entry and the rears spinning up on exit. Having the medium and soft compound once again – as per last time out in India – will be a challenge I’m sure. Making the soft tyre last in the heat of Abu Dhabi will undoubtedly be tough. We need to keep one eye on track temperatures as they will start to drop away as darkness falls, but the drop-off is not particularly significant. We usually see ambient temperatures of around thirty degrees and this doesn’t change dramatically even in the evenings so it won’t be a problem; particularly with the tyre allocation here.”

October 31, 2013
Abu Dhabi Preview Quotes – Caterham F1 Team

Here’s what the Caterham F1 Team had to say ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit

Giedo van der Garde, Caterham
2012 Qualifying – n/a, 2012 Race – n/a
“Straight on to Abu Dhabi and race 17. I have a couple of days off to recharge after India which was obviously a disappointing end to what had been a pretty good weekend until my race ended so early. It’s good that the next race is in Abu Dhabi as it’s a track I know well having raced there in GP2 and run for two days in the F1 rookie test last year with Caterham. For me Abu Dhabi’s a great place to race, for the teams and fans. People used to have a go at the circuit layout but I think it’s pretty cool. The garages are air conditioned, the only ones like that anywhere we race, and that makes life a bit easier for the boys in the garage. That’s important, particularly as we go to Abu Dhabi straight after India, but it’s not just that, it’s everything about the circuit that makes it a great race. The organisers have worked really hard to put on a lot of entertainment for the fans, not just the racing, the facilities are top class and there’s a really good atmosphere around the whole place for the race week. After a tough couple of races the main goal is obviously to get back to the performance levels we were putting in at races like Spa. The Caterham team have the pace on Sundays to fight, we have the determination to keep pushing the teams ahead and maybe we just need a bit of the luck that seems to have deserted us recently. Our time will come, I’m sure of that.”

Charles Pic, Caterham
2012 Qualifying – 20th, 2012 Race – DNF
“India didn’t go to plan at all, but with Abu Dhabi back-to-back with the Indian GP we have the chance to come back right away at a track we all know very well. Our car does seem to perform better when the track conditions are hot and even though we race from the late afternoon into the evening, it’s still hot so we are definitely aiming to get back to the performance levels we’ve targeted for this stage of the season. Before going to Abu Dhabi I’m doing a couple of days filming in Dubai with Renault and what they have planned looks really cool. I’m excited about seeing how it all comes out and even though it’s obviously still work it will be a good way to relax away from the circuit for a few days. After the filming I’ll be going to Abdu Dhabi and straight to work on Thursday. The track itself is a good technical challenge for both drivers and engineers and grip levels evolve a lot as the weekend continues but one thing we have to watch closely is how the tyre behaviour changes as the track temperatures go up and down – they can differ by up to 10°c between FP3 and qualifying so understanding how to get the best out of the tyres in the different conditions is very important. It’s also a track where you can overtake, at the end of the two long straights, so with DRS and KERS it’s a track where you do see fights up and down the grid – and that’s what both the fans and the drivers want!”

October 31, 2013
Abu Dhabi GP Preview Quotes – Marussia F1 Team

Preview Quotes from the Marussia Team ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP.

Jules Bianchi, Marussia
2012 Qualifying – n/a, 2012 Race – n/a
“We enjoyed a very strong race in India last weekend, so we are keen to carry this momentum forward with the advantage of just one week between races. Abu Dhabi is a fantastic venue to race at and I enjoyed the track a lot when I drove in FP1 last year. It’s quite exciting to be able to start a race in full daylight and finish it at night with the track artificially lit – another new and interesting experience for me. Our car performance is quite strong at the moment and we have the new suspension development to work with again here, so I’m really hoping for a race where I am finally able to make the most of those factors.”

Max Chilton, Marussia
2012 Qualifying – n/a, 2012 Race – n/a
“Taking part in FP1 at the Yas Marina Circuit last year was one of the highlights of my career and racing here for the first time is certainly one of the things I have been most looking forward to in my debut season. It’s a great circuit, in a part of the world I love. With GP2 Series running with us here in Abu Dhabi it has been nice to spend some time ahead of the business end of the week training and relaxing with drivers I raced alongside over the past few years. I had a great race last Sunday and it has been nice to reflect on that and think about how we can maintain our current stride with three very important race weekends remaining. Yas Marina Circuit is a tough track technically and physically, but I’m feeling confident and aiming for a repeat performance from India.”

John Booth, Marussia team principal
“The Abu Dhabi GP will be another tough back-to-back for the race team, who have been pretty much straight on the case with unpacking the freight from India and setting up for the weekend ahead. The task is made easier by the fact that Yas Marina Circuit is a magnificent track – aesthetically pleasing, technically interesting and demanding of drivers and engineers. The Drivers’ Championship may have been decided but for us there are still three critical races ahead. We took a great deal of heart from our performance in New Delhi last weekend and we would hope to continue in much the same vein here this weekend. We will conduct a further evaluation of our new suspension developments on Friday morning and see how things go from there. Generally we are feeling positive about our current performance level.”

October 30, 2013
Abu Dhabi GP Preview Quotes – Sauber F1 Team

Here’s what the Sauber F1 team had to say ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi GP.

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber
2012 Qualifying – 11th, 2012 Race – DNF
“The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is a stunning event, especially during twilight when you get some really nice footage and pictures. The paddock is really nice and probably has the best atmosphere of the year with very modern facilities. The track is pretty tricky and technical, especially the last sector which has a lot of twisty, 90-degree corners. It’s easy to get it wrong and overdo it in qualifying. It’s not one of my most favourite circuits. I think it’s too much stop-and-go and it’s missing a flow. We will have plenty of work to do so we can understand the tyres.”

Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber
2012 Qualifying – n/a, 2012 Race – n/a
“The Yas Marina Circuit is a great place to have a Formula One race. I really enjoyed racing there in GP2 and also testing for Formula One in previous years. The track is pretty straightforward and I have quite a bit of mileage there. Sector one has two high-speed corners that are fun. Sectors two and three have a few tight corners, which require a lot of traction. After the Indian GP we will approach the weekend in a positive way and look forward to getting the maximum out of it. In terms of racing, to me it doesn’t make a difference if we race during the day or at night, but the atmosphere in Abu Dhabi is always good, and I look forward to the weekend.”

Tom McCullough, Sauber head of track engineering
“The Yas Marina Circuit has three very different sectors. The first one is short with a medium and two higher speed corners, the middle sector is dominated by long straights and tight low speed corners, while the final sector is a relentless sequence of mainly low to medium speed corners. The nature of the track is typically hard on the brakes and rear tyres. As in Delhi, Pirelli will provide the medium and soft tyre compounds. The main aim during free practice on Friday will be to understand how these tyres work at a very different circuit. We aim to continue our strong run of getting into Q3 to give ourselves the best chance of scoring points on Sunday.”

October 30, 2013
F1 Tyres for the Abu Dhabi GP – Preview Quotes – Pirelli

Here’s what Pirelli’s Paul Hembery has to say about the F1 tyres for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Pirelli
Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director

“The way that the track temperature falls in Abu Dhabi obviously has an effect on both tyre wear and degradation, meaning that teams are able to do longer runs even on the softer compound tyres later in the race. There are some important implications for strategy here, which means that it’s often possible to try something different in Abu Dhabi than you would in other places, which might well pay off at the end of the race. As a company, Abu Dhabi is a circuit that we know very well because it’s where we did some F1 tyre testing before we started in Formula One. It’s also where the Formula One teams got to sample our tyres for the first time, back at the end of 2010. When it comes to the actual venue, Yas Marina is one of the most modern and spectacular circuits of the year with a number of different technical challenges that test most aspects of a tyre’s overall performance. Tyre wear and degradation isn’t especially high here: last year, when we also nominated the medium and soft tyres, most drivers just stopped once. As the compounds are generally softer this year we’d expect two stops this time, although it’s quite possible that some teams might try just one. We will have to wait for the Friday running until we have a clearer picture of the time difference between the two compounds but overall we’d anticipate race pace among the frontrunners to be reasonably closely balanced, and it’s always under these circumstances that having the right strategy can really make a significant difference. Although there’s quite a high degree of track evolution, and conditions in free practice aren’t always representative of the race, the work done during the Friday and Saturday sessions will be instrumental in shaping each team’s understanding of which strategies are both possible and advantageous on Sunday.”

October 30, 2013
India Preview Quotes – Caterham F1 Team

Preview Quotes from the Caterham F1 Team ahead of the race in India this weekend.

Giedo van der Garde, Caterham
“Korea and Japan were two quite tough weeks with races that didn’t go to plan for me so I want to get back to the performance levels that have been building up since Hungary at the next two races in India and Abu Dhabi. Japan obviously ended a whole lot earlier than planned and we’ve looked at all the data from the first lap off I had after the contact with Jules – when I hit the barrier the impact registered around 20g which is by quite a long way one of the biggest accidents I’ve had in my career. It just shows how far F1 safety has come that I was out of the car and back in the team’s hospitality unit within about 20 minutes and when I looked at the shots after the race I realised that it was, honestly, quite a lot of a bigger shunt than it had felt like in the car.

“So, on to India and another track I tried for the first time last year in FP1. It’s a proper drivers track, one that has elevation changes and a few really challenging corners and there’s a couple of overtaking opportunities, especially turn four at the end of the long straight. It’s going to be hot and hotter track conditions have suited us all year so the aim is to maintain the gap to our nearest competitors throughout the weekend and get back to fighting cars ahead on Sunday afternoon, putting ourselves in a position to take advantage of anything that happens up ahead.”

Charles Pic, Caterham
“Next we’re heading to India and then Abu Dhabi straight after for the next back-to-back flyaways this season. It’s a very tough schedule on everyone but, as we showed on Sunday in Japan, we keep fighting and the whole team is focused on grabbing any opportunity that comes our way.

“I raced for the first time in India last year and, like most of the drivers have said, it’s a great track, one of the best of the modern era. I had a strong race there in 2012, particularly at the start where I made up five places, so the aim is obviously to do the same again in 2013 and keep pushing the teams ahead where we can. The track itself is a good mix of a few quick bits, especially into Turn five and through 10 and 11 for example, and a bit more stop / start like Turns one, two and three, but the main thing is to find a good rhythm around the whole lap to get the most out of the car, like Spa for example. As the track evolves so much over the weekend you don’t really find the quickest pace until quali and then the race itself as the track is so dusty on Friday, and then again on Saturday morning. They did make some improvements last year to help manage that, including washing the track each evening, so hopefully it will be better again this year.

“With such a short amount of time in India I won’t have a chance to explore but that’s something I’d like to do one day. We go to so many cool places but the race weekends are always busy and there’s no time to properly look around, but from what I saw last year, India’s an amazing place and one I’d like to come back to one day to really find out what it’s all about.”

October 24, 2013
Sauber Indian GP Preview Quotes

Here’s what the boys at Sauber had to say in their preview quotes ahead of this weekend’s upcoming Indian Grand Prix.

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber

“Last year I had a good result in India as I finished eighth, so it was great to get some points. It is quite a nice track and one of the modern ones with some tricky sectors, especially sector two as there are a lot of corners that are combined. It is not one of my favourite circuits, but it is still nice to be driving there. When I was racing for an Indian team I had to arrive quite early, do a big PR tour and do a bit of promotion for Formula One. India is a very exotic country. As regards the food, I am not that used to it and certainly don’t like spicy food, so that makes it quite tricky, and I always have to ask for a very, very mild dish. Paneer tikka is actually my favourite local dish there which is delicious.”

Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber
“I know the Buddh International Circuit from driving in free practice for Checo (Perez) last year, and I completed 29 laps. It is another track that I like, because it has really long straights, very good braking and fast chicanes, which make the driving experience very special. There is quite a lot of margin for error with the run-off areas, but in order to put a good lap in you need to be precise. You have slow and medium speed corners that are quite technical, like turns five, six and seven. This is quite challenging for the tyres. The goal will be to continue the rhythm we found and translate that into results.”

Tom McCullough, Sauber head of track engineering
“The Buddh International Circuit has similar characteristics to the track in South Korea. The first sector is dominated by long straights and low speed corners, the second sector is made up of medium to high speed corners, and there is a short, low speed final sector. There is some significant elevation change during the lap, which also contributes to it being a challenging and rewarding circuit for the drivers. Pirelli will provide the soft and medium compounds. The medium as the prime tyre is one step softer than last year. We are fighting in a very tight area of the grid where maximising what you have is the name of the game. As in the previous four races, our aim is to get into Q3 and continue to score valuable championship points.”

October 24, 2013
Indian GP Preview Quotes – Red Bull Racing

Here are the preview quotes from the Red Bull boys ahead of this weekend’s Indian GP.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Preview Quotes

“It is not an easy track, because of a few complicated rhythm-breakers that are in there. The most difficult part is the uphill entry to Turn 3, because seeing the apex is practically impossible. So to drive a perfect lap around the Buddh circuit, you need a good driving instinct. So far everything has always gone perfectly for us in India. There is also a very nice trophy at the end of the race – so it would be great to hold one again this year! It’s a circuit that I like, in a country that is very, very impressive every time we go there.”

Mark Webber, Red Bull Preview Quotes

“India’s an extremely unique country for lots of different reasons; culturally there’s lots going on and you’ve got some pretty spectacular cities, busy cities. I’ve tried some of the local food and it’s really tasty, and obviously spicy, but I don’t mind that! The track is good. I think they’ve done a good job with the circuit, it’s a place where you can really put a Formula One car on the limit and it’s quick. It’s a very demanding track for the car and driver. It’s probably very similar to the old Turkey circuit, but the middle sector is very similar to Silverstone – it’s very, very fast, but has some undulations as well. The undulations are quite good and quite cute; they’ve put them in some challenging areas for us.”

October 24, 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