Tag: red bull racing

Japanese Grand Prix qualifying : Rosberg beats Hamilton to Suzuka pole

Formula One World Championship leader Nico Rosberg snuck in to steal the Japanese Grand Prix pole from Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton by just 0.013s. Rosberg claimed his third consecutive Suzuka pole position with a time of 1:30.647.

Ferrari outperformed their Red Bull championship rivals to claim the third and fourth spots on the grid. Kimi Raikkonen finished ahead of team mate Sebastian Vettel. The German will start from P7 following the 3 place grid penalty he received for causing a collision with Rosberg at Turn 1 of the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Verstappen finished fifth fastest for Red Bull but makes his way up to P4 with thanks to Vettel. Team mate and Malaysian Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo will start the race behind him.

Sergio Perez will start sixth for Force India with Romain Grosjean putting in his best qualifying performance of the season to start 8th. For the first time both Haas F1 cars made it through to the Top 10 with Esteban Gutierrez lining up 10th behind Nico Hulkenberg.

The Williams F1 team sent both of their drivers out for just a single run in Q2 and saw neither Valtteri Bottas nor Felipe Massa make it through to Q3. They will start 11th and 12th respectively.

Daniil Kvyat managed to take P13 ahead of his Toro Rosso team mate Carlos Sainz. Fernando Alonso will line up in 15th following a torrid qualifying session for the McLaren Honda team. Jenson Button could not even make it out of Q1.

Jolyon Palmer pushed his Renault through to Q2 and will start from 16th on the grid. Kevin Magnussen, Marcos Ericsson, Felipe Nasr start ahead of Esteban Ocon and Pascal Wehrlein who will take up the back row of the grid for the Manor Racing team.

Join us on Twitter @F1_Madness for live commentary and some chit chat throughout tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix. It’s a very close race between the Ferrari and Red Bull teams setting the scene for what should be a smashing race at Suzuka.

Japanese Grand Prix qualifying classification

October 8, 2016
Rosberg takes Singapore GP pole ahead of Ricciardo

Nico Rosberg must be feeling a little boost on his bid for the F1 championship title after putting in a sensational lap to secure a crucial pole position for the Singapore GP this weekend.

Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton will not be feeling as boosted though. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo beat him to the second spot on the grid and will be starting from the front row alongside Rosberg. The Red Bulls have been looking very strong this weekend which could really see us set for a spectacular Singapore GP.

Rosberg pulled a stunning 1:42.584 out of the bag on his first Q3 run which saw him ultimately taking the pole position by over half a second ahead of Ricciardo.

Hamilton was simply not able to put together a good enough lap and finished seven tenths further back. He’s going to need a really good race start if he wants to snatch the win from his team mate. His race starts however have not been fantastic lately, so he’ll need to give it a proper go when the lights go out on Sunday.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will start from 4th place and Kimi Raikkonen will start the race from 5th for Ferrari. His team mate, Sebastian Vettel will start from the back of the grid following some mechanical issues. His fight up the order will surely make for some awesome entertainment.

Toro Rosso had a very strong qualifying. Carlos Sainz will start from P6 and the disgruntled Danill Kvyat had his best qualifying since being demoted from Red Bull, finishing 7th fastest today.

The top 10 is rounded out by Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez. Perez however will drop back 8 grid positions for yellow flag infringements.

Valterri Bottas so nearly made it through to the Q3 shootout but missed the mark the 0.003s. Williams team mate Felipe Massa finished just behind him.

McLaren’s Jenson Button had to settle for 13th place after he had to pull over into an escape road with a puncture in the final stages of Q2. Esteban Gutierrez will line up behind him in 14th place for the Haas F1 racing team.

Haas team mate Romain Grosjean ended the session in the barriers after spinning into T14 – his crash caused a ten minute delay on the start of Q3.

Marcus Ericsson got his Sauber through to Q2 but could only manage 16th place after his single run for the session. Kevin Magnussen will line up in 17th place behind him ahead of Felipe Nasr and Jolyon Palmer.

Pascal Wehrelin brought his Manor home 20th ahead of team mate Esteban Ocon.

Sebastian Vettel remains the biggest casualty of the Singapore GP qualifying, suffering a broken anti-roll bar which saw him unable to compete. He may have been sitting on pole in 2015, but this year, the Ferrari driver will start the Singapore GP from the final grid spot.

Join us for live commentary and a bit of F1 chit-chat on Twitter @F1_Madness.

September 17, 2016
Hamilton claims Italian GP pole by nearly half a second

Lewis Hamilton stamped his authority all over the Italian GP weekend by claiming the pole position by nearly half a second over his Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg.

Hamilton was fastest in Q1 and Q2 and fastest in both Q3 runs. Hamilton already had the edge over his team mate with the fastest first Q3 run but blasted his way to pole with a 1:21.135. This is Hamilton’s fifth Italian Grand Prix pole and with it, which equals the record held by Ayrton Senna and Juan Manuel Fangio.

A lock up in Q2 added a small flat spot on his race tyre but Lewis did not seem too concerned about it saying that he could hardly feel it and doubted that it would have much of an effect on his race tomorrow.

What did become very apparent was the absolute advantage that Mercedes has over its rivals this week. Sebastian Vettel finished three tenths down on Rosberg for Ferrari, with Kimi Raikkonen locking out the second row of the grid with his team mate.

Valterri Bottas staked his claim on an impressive fifth place for Williams – finished just 0.001s ahead of Daniel Ricciardo. Red Bull team mate Max Verstappen claimed the eighth grid spot ahead of the Force India duo of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg.

The Haas F1 team were very impressive and made their first appearance in Q3. Esteban Gutierrez took up the 10th place, 0.3s behind the Force Indias.

Felipe Massa who recently announced his retirement from Formula One failed to impress, failing to make it through to Q3. He had to settle for 11th place but gets a free choice of which tyres he’ll start on tomorrow.

Romain Grosjean qualified 12th but a five place grid penalty for a gearbox change after FP3 will push him back to 17th place on the Italian GP grid. Fernando Alonso complained of a loss of power on his final run and finished only 13th fastest. Pascal Wehrlein put in a good show to split the McLarens and Carlos Sainz rounded out the Q2 runners.

Daniil Kvyat was not able to make it through to Q2 and set off the bleeper with a string of expletives after his run, questioning his Toro Rosso team about what had gone wrong. Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson will take up the next two spots ahead of the Renaults who had a very tough qualifying session. Jolyon Palmer qualified 20th with Kevin Magnussen behind him after KMag had to run across the grass at the exit of Ascari on his final lap.

Esteban Ocon’s qualifying session was over before it even started really. He was forced to park his Force India at Turn 1 as he started his flying lap. He will need to ask the stewards for permission to race, since he has no qualifying time but his practices were within the 107% mark so there should be no reason not to allow him to race.

We’re not expecting much strategy-wise for tomorrow’s Italian GP. For most, it’ll be a quick, 1 stop race. It’ll all be about the start tomorrow and both Hamilton and Rosberg are likely to have their mirrors full of Red Ferrari off the the line. Hamilton has every chance of cruising to a victory if he makes a faultless start and given his current form, and the absolutely dominant performance of his Mercedes, it’s hard to think that he will not make it so.

Join us on Twitter @F1_Madness for live commentary and chat throughout the Italian GP.

Here is the final Italian GP Qualifying time sheet.

September 3, 2016
F1 2016: Opinion – About Max Verstappen…

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen Belgian grand prix where left it tatters after a first corner incident which also involved the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel.

However it’s another incident between the two that demands some attention. As Verstappen and Raikkonen set about recovering they once again came across each other on the circuit. As the two exited Eau Rouge Raikkonen lined up Verstappen’s Red Bull for a pass on the Kemmel straight only for the teenager’s ‘defensive move’ to force the Ferrari driver to brake in order to avoid a collision.

“I’m up for a fair battle and close racing but when I have to back off after Eau Rouge on the straight [and] I have to brake not to hit him, because he turns after when I move first time, that I think it’s not correct,” said Raikkonen after the race. “And unfortunately there will be a big accident because of that.”

From the incident it appears as if Verstappen is first watching his mirrors and then changing his line. Because the following car is in the leading car’s slipstream he will always pull out as late as possible to attempt an overtake. Since Verstappen moves after this point it gives Raikkonen minimal time to brake or react to avoid hitting him. There wouldn’t be justification for labeling Verstappen’s driving as dangerous if he picks a side, blocks it and then moves back onto the racing line. However, it is the fact that Verstappen’s move is reactionary rather than anticipatory which is what makes the Red Bull driver’s move potentially dangerous.

There will be those who will offer the argument that there was no collision therefore it cannot be considered dangerous. However, the argument cannot be that this type of so-called defensive driving is acceptable as long as it avoids a collision. Furthermore, Kimi Raikkonen has vast experience with indisputable spatial awareness, and is a man with absolutely no bullshit. So when a driver like that levels criticism at another driver you can bet that it’s justified.

In an interview with Dutch television Verstappen was quoted as saying that the two Ferrari’s messed up his race in turn one. “I’m not just going to let them pass. I’d sooner run them off the track,” he said.

Max Verstappen is young and a talent with, possibly, an exceptional Formula 1 career ahead of him. But he must respect his fellow drivers and the boundaries of racing and sportsmanship. If he is going to continue in this vein and keep pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable it is going to end in something that is unacceptable.

August 29, 2016
F1 2016: Red Bull Partners with IBM Spectrum Computing

Red Bull Racing has announced a renewed partnership with IBM Spectrum Computing.

The agreement has extended the partnership to 2020 and will be marked with IBM Spectrum Computing branding on the cars and in the garage. Red Bull uses IBM solutions in order to manage data and was used in the design of their 2016 car, the RB12.

In addition, IBM Spectrum software is used at the team’s headquarters “to automate mission-critical development processes running on the factory’s High Performance Computing (HPC) cluster.”

Matt Cadieux, Chief Information Officer, Red Bull Racing, said: “We’re delighted to have the continued support of IBM, who have already helped us see significant gains in productivity in the way we use our HPC resource. Their scheduling and storage tools have become a key element in managing our work flow and maximise our data handling.”

July 8, 2016
2016 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference

DRIVERS:

Esteban GUTIÉRREZ (Haas)

Felipe NASR (Sauber)

Kevin MAGNUSSEN (Renault)

Daniil KVYAT (Toro Rosso)

Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing)

Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (Ferrari)
PRESS CONFERENCE

Daniil, can we start with you. Good qualifying last time out in Baku but results are proving hard to come by at the moment. Are you now fully settled back in with the team and what are your goals for the rest of the season?
Daniil KVYAT: Yeah, I think step by step it was coming better and better. We had a few competitive, in terms of pace, weekends and Baku was certainly one of them, starting from the third row. That was already a good achievement, even though of course the points are given on Sunday, that’s why we didn’t manage to finish let’s say. But I think there are plenty of races left, things are coming better and better and I’m feeling more settled in the team. They are giving me lots of support because obviously coming in like this wasn’t very simple but now things are more clear and I’m just enjoying racing. I’m enjoying myself and to be honest I’m having a really good time.

This is another power circuit obviously. Are we starting to see the effects of your one-year old power unit versus all the current units?
DK: Yeah, we do. To be honest, already Baku was one of those tracks where it wasn’t meant to be easy for us but nevertheless we found good compromises and managed to make a good Saturday. I think here is going to be another very difficult weekend for us. Obviously it is a power-limited track and most of the time on the straight it’s not the biggest friend of us. Still, you know, we have to keep fighting and play the best game with the cars we have in hand, so we will just do our best and then we will see where we are.

Thank you for that. Felipe, coming to you, you won the GP2 feature race here back in 2014 and you made the most of the package in Baku, getting into Q2 and then racing up to P12. How satisfied were you with that result, which I think was your best of the season so far?
Felipe NASR: Oh, it was pretty good, you know. I think it was one of the very first trouble-free weekends I had and I was able extract the maximum from the car, from the strategy. We actually had pretty good pace in the race, able to fight the McLarens and I was pretty close to the top 10. I mean, not enough but it was a decent weekend, you know. If we can have something similar here and if we c a n have a bit of fortune on our side then maybe we can score our points of the season.

It’s your second year in Formula One. Looking at the rest of the field and prospects for your team, where do you go from here, do you think, looking forward?
FN: Where do I go from here? [Laughs]. Well, we still have 13 races to go, there’s so much to go on yet, so many things to roll and happen. I’m still fully committed to the team I’m pretty sure. The situation seems to have got better from what I hear – getting all the employees and the salaries paid it juts gives a boost to everyone back at the factory, at the track. I’m sure we can soon start updating the car. All we want is the results on the track, which I think we can have pretty soon. So we just got to keep on doing what we can for now.

Thanks for that. Esteban, Haas has fallen from fifth in the Constructors’ recently to eighth, but you personally have been on a bit of an upward curve, you out-qualified your team-mate in Monaco and Canada. What’s been making the difference for you?
Esteban GUTIÉRREZ: Well, I’ve been pretty unfortunate in the first part of the season. It hasn’t been easy to have a lot of technical issues. It wasn’t very straightforward. Therefore, I believe it wouldn’t be fair to rate my season based on the points, because I’ve been in a lot of positions to score the points in many races and not been able to finish the race because of different reasons that were not in my control, so now it’s been improving a bit. It hasn’t been easy in the last three grands prix because of my health, but now I feel much better so now I’m looking forward to the next four grands prix, which are pretty close together.

The F1 paddock is now starting to think and talk about next year, new contracts and such. Have you started that process yet with Haas?
EG: Yeah. I know pretty much where I’m going, so…

OK, sounds good. Kevin, coming to you, there have been some notes of optimism coming through from the team’s pre-race preview materials. What is it about your car that’s really not worked recently and that gives them some optimism about this race track?
Kevin MAGNUSSEN: I think we have tried some very different things to learn about the car, to get a better understanding of the car we have and basically we are going back now to something we know and that gives a little bit of optimism. I don’t think it’s going to a lot better than previous races but hopefully we will be able to know what we have and to get a better weekend.

Looking at it from the outside it would make sense to stop developing this car and focus 100% on 2017, but what are you, as a driver, asking for and what’s on the horizon?
KM: As a driver what you care about at the end of the day is winning and we are so far off that that in my mind I would be fine to switch focus completely, because we are clearly not going to win with this car. The sooner we can start winning the happier I am and that’s what I want to focus on, so shifting focus as quick as possible I think is the best thing. But I am not team principal and there is a reason for that. Maybe more qualified people take these decisions but I trust whatever the team is doing.
Thanks for that. Kimi, coming to you, 99th race start for Ferrari this weekend, puts you fourth on the all-time list for the Ferrari team. There has been quite a lot of discussion externally, ie within the media and among other teams as well, about Ferrari’s strategy decision-making in the last few grands prix. I know you have been on the wrong side of it a couple of times. Have you reviewed it internally and will you be approaching it any differently as a team?
Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: No I think we did the best that we could. Obviously people outside the team can talk as much as they want. We cannot control them and it’s not our business. We work as a team, one group as Ferrari and obviously we always look at what we done over the weekends afterwards and we try to learn on everything, good and bad things. I think it hasn’t been easy weekends for us lately but I think we managed to turn them around quite well as a team. There are some decisions that have to be made over the races and we had no issues with them. We tried to make the best out of it as a team. Obviously certain situations have changed a few things in the last race, but it’s a normal thing.

We’re now coming into that traditional part of the season where the Formula One paddock speculates about your seat at Ferrari for the following year. Do you have any clarity on whether you will carry on next year?
KR: I don’t know. I know that I have a contract for this year and I don’t know what will happen next year. A lot of talk. A lot of talk every year I would say since I’ve been in F1. It’s nothing new. Same story really – people can say what they want and discuss but they have very, very little understanding of what’s happening and then this I’m not signing the contract. Well, if I was making the decisions then it would be very easy to tell what will happen, but I don’t. We’ll see. We’ll try to do our best and for sure the team knows my side of the story. That’s enough from me. The rest I have no interest to talk about it in here or anywhere else, apart from with the team.

Thank you for that. Daniel, your 27th birthday tomorrow I believe, entering your prime I guess. Just a pair of seventh places in the last two grands prix though, whereas you had a chance to win the two before that. Is it all about the engine or have you personally lost a little bit of momentum?
Daniel RICCIARDO: I haven’t lost anything. We had Canada, yeah, I think we could have done better than seventh. The second set of tyres flat-spotted and would have tried to maybe do a one-stop race if that wasn’t the case and that could have been a different story. Baku – I think it is a power circuit but also we knew we had gone a bit wrong after three laps in the race. We struggled a lot with tyres. We probably just haven’t executed the perfect weekend I’d say since… probably not for a while, but I think performance-wise there’s still more in there. We’re better than seventh, that’s probably what I’m getting at. This circuit will test us this weekend. Historically, the last couple of years it hasn’t been a strong one for us, but we’ll see. We’ll try to do what we can, hopefully better than seventh.

There’s been quite a bit said recently about your contractual position over the next couple of seasons – discussions about Ferrari, but also discussions about options been taken up for the next couple of years. Can you confirm today that you are staying with Red Bull until at least the end of 2018?
DR: Yeah. Yeah.

A little more detail, a little more flesh on the bones.
DR: Every word I say… one word turns into 10, and then 30 and 50. So, I’ll just leave it at that.

But obviously a big part of that is it is your own decision to do that rather than take any other options or look at other options?
DR: Absolutely. It goes both sides for sure. It’s a bit like what Kevin touched on. We want to win. This year is going to be tough for a world title but obviously where we are this year is where we are. You can’t do anything about that now. But looking ahead to next year and spending time with the team and seeing what’s ahead I think it’s the best place to be to try to challenge Mercedes, so that’s where it stems from.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q (Peter Farkas – Auto Motor) Question to all of you. Obviously at the last race a couple of drivers, including Kimi, had some problems with the radio restrictions. We are now into the ninth race of the season and the new radio rules. What are your stances on this one? Lewis Hamilton said it’s impossible to memorise all the settings that you have on the steering wheel. Do you agree with that, or is it manageable? Is it fine like that?
KR: I think it’s fine. Obviously always some certain situations you might have some issues that you want to talk but rules are rules and they’re the same for everybody. It wasn’t really any big issue. I kind of knew what it is but tried to get some confirmed things from it – but it didn’t change anything. It wasn’t anything that we had to know 100 per cent or we would have had some issues. I think it’s fine, y’know? It is what it is.

Daniel, did you have any sympathy for Lewis?
DR: um… not really. Obviously not directed at Lewis, I think anyone in that position… on race day you care about yourself, so certainly you don’t feel any sympathy for anyone else in those two hours on a Sunday. Yeah, I think Kimi touched on it: it is what it is; it’s the rules and, sure we can’t… I think everything we can do is in front of us, so some things, if there’s a failure during the race, the team’s allowed to tell us a certain procedure perhaps to fix the failure – for example an electronic thing or whatever it is – but in terms of engine modes and things like that, sure there’s a lot to do but we do know – or we should know at least where it all is. So, I think yeah, we’ve just had to adapt to it but it’s been OK.

How about you Daniil? Are you good at this stuff? Are you quite techie? Do you enjoy it?
DK: Yeah. It hasn’t been an issue for me. You might say the new generation… I haven’t played Playstation or anything like that, but it hasn’t been an issue for me so far. You have to prepare yourself for many scenarios. I try to predict these things and see what might happen. Of course it’s impossible to see everything – but it hasn’t’ been an issue for me.

Felipe?
FN: I think similar to the other guys. You either try to know the most you can on what you have to do in the race. There’s some things we can cover and some other things it depends on the team communication. Some of them, they’re not allowed to say – but I haven’t faced anything yet to be in such a situation. It is what it is.

Esteban?
EG: I have absolutely no problem. I like the idea because it will motivate engineers to get rid of a lot of buttons on the steering wheel. We just need two pedals and one steering wheel to drive.
Q: (Livio Oricchio – globoesporte.com) To all drivers. We saw here the organizers amplify the run-off areas, increase the safety. And we come from one circuit where, most of the bends, you approach at 300kph, you didn’t have run-off areas. Which options you prefer? High risk or less risk?
KM: I think it’s a difficult one because when you have do something to improve safety you do it. It has to be done. You can’t not do something for safety because it’s more exciting or whatever. If there is something that you can do to improve safety, you have to do it. But there’s no reason to deny that the more risky circuits are more fun. At least for myself I think so and I’m sure most of the drivers will say the same – but we can’t make the tracks more dangerous on purpose to make it more fun. But yeah, I guess that is a factor: for most drivers, it’s more fun when the track is more risky.

DK: We’re coming from Baku and I got a lot of adrenaline, I was really on the edge all the time. I was always thinking ‘ this corner, if I make a mistake, it’s going to punish you’. I’m a bit old-fashioned on this question – but of course you cannot just put a concrete wall everywhere to make it exciting. You have to find a good compromise between paying the price for your mistake and not hurting yourself, obviously, because Formula One has been investing so much in safety and it is incredible what has been achieved. Let’s say here also, Turn Five, Turn Six, there are gravel escape roads so you pay a higher price if you go off, let’s say. I think this kind of track, they have a bit more value. In my view, personally.

Esteban?
EG: I have the same opinion as Kevin and Daniil.

Felipe?
FN: I would say so. I think Baku was something… you would pay the price for it if you did a mistake or something but we’ve been working so much on safety that we don’t need to give up all of it to just say we should risk more on tracks that is, more… if you want to call it dangerous. Like the other guys said as well. It’s also true to say that some tracks, you lock-up, you go off and you come back on the race… I feel for me it’s sometimes so easy to give up time there and you are back on the race. If it was like before you wouldn’t have been able… if you have a gravel trap or something, you would have lost a lot more time to come back. Drivers that do less mistakes, somehow they get benefited.

How about you Kimi? Precision’s always been a big part of your game.
KR: Well, comparing last race and this, they’re completely different because one is a street circuit so it will never have the run-off areas than in a normal circuit. In the end the FIA has the group that works on measurements of how much run-off area you need in each place and, y’know, it’s safe everywhere. They would never make the circuit where there is not enough run-off area in how they calculate the chances. It may look different but the end result, it can’t be an awful lot different. Obviously it will because it’s a street circuit and there’s no space like we have here at a normal circuit. I think it looks a lot of different but in the end it’s a different place. Every circuit is different. Some are a bit older circuits, obviously then there are different run-off areas. New ones usually are tarmac but what it good, what is not… you always try to stay on the circuit because that’s the fastest way around.

How about you Daniel, how do you feel about paying a high price for mistakes on those sorts of tracks and this sort of track?
DR: Yeah, I think we’ve all got a similar view. It’s a hard one. You obviously want to balance the safety always but Baku, I can obviously speak because I had a… it wasn’t a big accident but it was at least an accident and, yeah, I thought it, in a way, had a good balance because it destroyed my car, so if that was the race it was clear I was out – but the impact didn’t feel like anything. So I thought all the… you paid a price but looking at the track you were going to pay it in a safe way. Sure the walls, sometimes don’t tickle, but wherever there was the high speed there was generally a SAFER barrier or something. So, I think that’s the main one. As Felipe touched on, if you do make a mistake, at least pay a bit of a price for it. Whether it puts you completely out of the race or not, at least lose time – because sometimes it is too easy to just run wide, come back on and lose a second as opposed to losing ten or whatever. Yeah, tough one. I’ve always liked street circuits. It does give you the biggest rush, and I think now they’ve got a good balance. All the street circuits we go to are pretty good. Sure, you crash but I think you can crash safely.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, there are 100 points to gain in July. How many of those hundred would you need to still be in the fight for the championship in the second part of the season?
KR: Obviously we try to get as many as we can. I don’t think one month will decide the whole story. It’s still a long way to go and the end of season a lot of things can happen. The point is always, when we come racing is to do the best and try to score as many points as we can. No need to make any plans. We go to every race like normal and hopefully get out the good result.

Q: (Dan Knutson – Speed Sport magazine) Daniel, your team-mate Max Verstappen has also been confirmed through 2018. How do you see that relationship evolving or is it too early to tell?
DR: It’s hard to predict what’s going to happen in the long run. I can obviously speak for the first few races and it’s been good. Max came in and set a bit of a tone in Barcelona. That was obviously a pretty crazy weekend and I think since then it’s been good. Obviously Monaco didn’t work as well for him and he openly admitted it and took it on the chin. In a way we’ve thrived off the new challenge, the new rivalry, so hopefully it can keep pushing the team in the right direction. Hopefully there is some rivalry. A rivalry would probably mean we’re fighting for victories more often. Sure you can still have a healthy one. I think if you’re mature about it and if you can basically just admit if one guys better on the day and be open about it, then you’ll have good respect for each other. It’s probably when you start making excuses out of nothing, is when it doesn’t work out so well. Keep going hard and, so far, so good.

Q: (Peter Vamosi – Vas Nepe) Bernie had the idea, fifteen or maybe 20 years ago, that there should be a race at the Olympic Games, every four years – a non-championship race? Basically, what do you think about this idea and of course, Felipe, will you be at the Olympic Games in Rio this year?
FN: You want me to go to Rio? You want me to race? We have our break so if I’m in town, I probably will be, so a flight to Rio is not far away, give a bit of support to my Brazilian athletes wouldn’t be a bad idea. Yeah, but you said, to have a race every four years then I don’t know. I don’t know. I think we have got enough races going on already.
EG: Yeah, it would not be a bad idea actually, why not?
KM: Yeah, I wouldn’t mind another race.
DK: We would maybe build a same car, probably, for the Olympic sport and all 22 drivers, same car, same tyres everything the same. Maybe it could be interesting, like a world final, if you like.
DR: I was about to say, I like medals so yeah.
KR: What can I say? There’s always ideas, let’s see what happens in the future but it’s hard to see that it’s going to happen so…
DR: No points, but a lot of prize-money, I guess. Yeah?
Q: A quick question: apart from Felipe, is anybody here planning to go to any of the Olympic Games, just as a spectator or is anyone hanging out there? No? No.

Q: (Barna Zsoldis – Nemzeti Sport) Danny, as your 27th birthday is approaching, how do you look back at your career so far and are you where you expected to be, 10 or 15 years ago?
DR: Getting deep, getting deep. Let me bring out my notebook and see what notes I made when I was ten. I don’t know. I didn’t really look back on it, so far, to be honest. I think it all happened so quickly that you just sort of get into a bit of a… you sort of roll with it and just keep going but sure, as a kid, I dreamed to be racing Formula One, it’s one of those things, you know. In 2011 I got my chance and it was like a dream come true but then you do a few races and then it’s like, OK, now I want to be with a better team and I want points and then I want podiums, I want wins. Fortunately I’ve been able to get some wins now which is a big box ticked for me but now it’s like, OK, I want the next best thing which is the World Championship. In a way, you’re never satisfied but I think obviously that’s good because I’m obviously still very young and hungry so I think that fuels my hunger but sure, I’m happy and I’m obviously very grateful to be in this position. I think of all us appreciate the… it’s 22 of us that are here. It is awesome but you can’t help but want more, you know? I think Seb at my age, already his 24… not 24, his four titles so I go look at Seb and I go aaahhh. Obviously I would love to achieve more at this age but fortunately I’ve got some time on my side, I think.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) To Esteban and to Felipe: Mr Ecclestone said that at the end of the new Concorde Agreement, he will fight to share the money in Formula One in a more equal way. You from Sauber, you from Haas, what’s your point of view about it?
EG: Well, luckily I’m a racing driver, I don’t have to think about… Yeah, exactly. Well, it’s not happening now, not necessarily going to affect me. There are many propositions which are probably going around, many ideas but I’m sure they are going to chose the most convenient for Formula One. We have to think in all other sports and try to bring the sport higher and higher and if that is the right way then for sure everybody will be happy with that.
FN: Well, I think it would for sure balance out things better for teams that are dependent on other resources. For example, Sauber is a private team, it just gives you a better chance to start the year developing the car, developing things. Sometimes you’re just so spread apart that we cannot even get close to other teams, just on how much we can do with Sauber, financially or resources. It wouldn’t be a bad idea. For sure, it’s something to consider but it has to balance out for everyone as well, not only thinking about us so let’s see.

Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto Motor) Coming back to the danger topic; obviously many fans and even some drivers say that danger is part of the attraction but if we look at the race in Baku, it was actually quite dull and every one of you seemed to be quite cautious, maybe because of what happened in the GP2 race, and we always moan about these big run-off areas and the tracks being not dangerous enough, or some people do anyway. But can you argue that actually a risky track doesn’t produce really good racing? If you look at Monaco or Baku, because you are obviously being more cautious and these tracks that are more safe and have these big run-offs actually are able to produce better racing, because you take more risks?
DK: Well, it’s a good point because we saw in GP2 that it was quite a big mess, there was a lot going on so obviously everyone knew that on this track a lot might happen but actually didn’t happen, but these kind of races just happen and it was just a one-off. I think the track, when you look it, could provide a lot of entertainment and I think in the future that will happen, a lot of races on the track which I think will enter history because I think this kind of track, in my opinion, will provide some great racing. I think everyone was good because in the end we are professional drivers, no one hit the wall during the race. There was no safety car to reshuffle the strategies so everyone more or less knew what they were doing. The faster cars just went ahead, the slower cars just settled there in the middle so there was no big action going on, I think. I still think that this kind of track should be… of course not every track should be a street circuit. It didn’t affect me at least.
Q: How about you, Kevin. As you came through the field, were you holding anything in reserve or were you giving it everything?
KM: No, I think we were giving it everything but for sure, after watching the GP2 race I thought this is going to be a good one to finish because I thought there would be quite a few crashes and safety cars and stuff. For sure, I took a little bit more care not to crash but not a huge amount. I think it was just coincidence that no one did.
KR: That’s probably why it’s GP2 and F1 is a different story. We’ve seen many other weekends when we watch their race…
EG: I thought Baku was pretty exciting.
DR: I was going to go more towards the open circuits, like the modern ones and that. I think some have done it well and some not as well. Yeah, that’s the thing. If you have a modern circuit then sure there’s some risk which is taken away because of the safer run-offs but if they shape the circuit well, then it can produce good racing. For me, Austin is a great example. Austin’s a pretty safe track, there is a lot of run-off but I think the way they’ve tried to design it… like turn one, it’s such a wide apex. You can take so many different lines into that corner, that creates great passing and you’ve got other corners on that track which are a bit unique. I think a lot of the time with our sport, a lot of it is one line. There’s an ideal racing line. I follow… also this guy next to me… we follow motocross a lot and there’s so many different lines in motocross and I think there’s some room in F1 to create something like that. Obviously not extreme but you’ve got some… you know the ideal line is perhaps… like in motocross you go the long way round because the corner’s like a bowl, it’s banked, you carry momentum but then if you’re close you sort of do a block pass. I don’t know, so maybe there’s some room for these modern circuits to be more exciting. So they’d be safe, sure, but the racing could be more exciting. I think there’s still some things which circuit designers can implement and maybe we can learn from other motorsports.
KR: Obviously you always want to see more overtaking but it’s not easy, there has been a lot of different rules and stuff been done in F1 to create overtaking but has it really changed a lot? Over the years, not really in my view but you know you’re going to blame the circuits that they built, they will not spend I don’t know how many millions of dollars or euros, money, to make a new circuit like in US and expect them to make it without run-off areas. In MotoGP, they have to have run-off areas for when they fall down. They’re being used for a lot more than just F1, they are not building circuits just for us so they have to make everybody happy.

Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Kimi, I would like to know how difficult it is for Ferrari to get the right temperature in the tyres and what do you expect in this race?
KR: For sure, it’s not been easiest job in the last few years but it varies a lot depending on how the circuit is, conditions, weather, all those things, what tyres we will have over the weekend and I think in the last few races it’s been quite difficult but we managed to find something and turn it around for qualifying, for the race. It depends how the weather will be here, obviously. It’s a bit unknown. There’s a new surface on the circuit so how will that affect things we will have to see but I think it should be OK.

Q: (Peter Vamosi – Vas Nepe) There are some rumours that the old Osterreichring will be restored, the big layout for endurance racing. As Formula One drivers, what do you think? Would it be better to use that one or is it OK right now?
Q: Double thumbs up from Dan Ricciardo, you’re obviously aware of the history, Dan.
DR: A little bit.
Q: Seen the old vids on YouTube?
DR: Ah, no, but I’m aware of it. For a few reasons. I think it would be cool to have a bit more distance on the track. I think next year, as well, if the cars are going to be as quick as they say they are then the lap times are going to be close to a minute which is a very short lap and I think it would create a bit more to the circuit. I think that there is the space so yeah, I’ve heard a few people talk about it and I think it could be pretty interesting for us.
DK: I tried to open a video last night but wifi was slow so I had to give up. But I agree with Daniel…
DR: He was too busy looking at other things!
DK: No, sorry Dan!
DR: Don’t be sorry!
DK: So I agree with Dan, yeah, on track.

June 30, 2016
F1 2016: Sainz At Toro Rosso for 2017

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has announced that Carlos Sainz Jr. will remain at Toro Rosso for 2017.

It believed that Red Bull has enforced its option to retain the young Spaniard for next season. “We took up his option earlier this week, so he is committed to Red Bull for an extra 12 months,” said Horner.

“As with all the drivers they are contracted to Red Bull Racing, and then we have the ability to place them where we want.Of course, he is currently at Toro Rosso which is where he will be next year.We had until the end of the year to take up the option, and we chose to do it early to put his mind at rest.”

The 21-year-old driver is currently in his second year at the Toro Rosso team and has scored 36 points to date. His best finish to date is 6th with a best qualifying position of 5th place.

June 29, 2016
Verstappen labels Bottas’ qualifying behaviour ‘dangerous’

Max Verstappen was more than a little frustrated with Valtteri Bottas following the first ever qualifying session at the Baku International Circuit on Saturday.

Red Flags ruined Verstappen’s best qualifying effort for the session and subsequent efforts were also ruined while he fought with Bottas for track position.

Here’s what young Verstappen had to say to reporters …

Q: Max, what was that thing going on between you and Valtteri Bottas in qualifying?

Max Verstappen: I think it was just not clever from him. I was preparing for my timed lap and I understand that he wanted a tow – but there was not one point for him being able to overtake me – and brake – under normal conditions. The result was he ruined my lap and destroyed his lap as well. If that happens once, okay, forget about it – but if you do the same thing again in Q3, that’s not smart.

Q: Did you see him after qualifying and have a word with him?

MV: No! Because I don’t need to be the person to go to him – he should come to me!

Q: Do you expect him to get a penalty?

MV: I don’t know about a penalty – but it was dangerous what he was doing. It was dangerous and unnecessary – and not clever!

Q: For you it had pretty grave consequences. Your lap was destroyed and any hope for a good grid position gone…

MV: Yes. That was the consequence!

Q: And the incident before, where you went wide in Turn 1?

MV: Yes, same story…

Q: You went wide because of him?

MV: Because he was locking up and I was afraid that he would hit my side so I thought that it is better to go wide. But I’d lost my set (of tyres) – I had to come in and had only one run in Q2. So that was all not really pleasant!

Q: That all sounds as if the two of you will never be best buddies…

MV: Ha, in Formula One you can never be best buddies – no matter what. The moment we speak I am over it and hopefully he learns from it.

Q: You said you have not spoken with him but aren’t you interested what was going through his head?

MV: My guess is nothing was going through his head that very moment!

Q: Without all these incidents what would have been your chances?

MV: If I check all the data before the red flag I could have challenged for P2. So it is a massive frustration, as we know that the speed is there. I know there are chances for overtaking in the race, but I prefer to start from row one than P9 – that is for sure.

Q: The first GP2 race in Baku was pretty chaotic with a first corner incident taking out four cars. There was also a lot of slipstreaming. Do you expect that to happen also tomorrow?

MV: I think so. But let’s hope we don’t lose four cars on the first lap. And never forget GP2 cars all have similar engines – and that will be the biggest difference to the F1 race.

Q: The Bottas incident aside, how would you sum up your driving on this track? Are you satisfied?

MV: Yes, actually very happy. I built it up very differently to what I did in Monaco – and it worked super well. I was improving with every session. And finally I arrived in Q3 and would have had a good lap. I am satisfied with myself, the car and the team – we all did a great job to improve the car compared to yesterday, so it is really annoying not to have the result that we would have deserved.

Q: You ran very little downforce…

MV: …yes, we’ve been slower than our competitors on the straights! You’ve probably seen that our rear wing is pretty tiny. We probably lose a bit of downforce through the low speed corners – but I think we’ve found a good compromise. But there is no magic stick that gives you more horsepower suddenly on the straights! (laughs)

Q: You been running now for two days on this new track: what is the hairiest part for you?

MV: I think it is sector two – corners eight to twelve. It is difficult and tricky to get to the limit. If you lock up going into the corner it is game over. In Q1 and Q2 you are trying to build up – to get it right in Q3.

Q: When you just said that you’ve learned from Monaco – what does that exactly mean?

MV: Well, it is basically about understanding the car more. We have a great car so there is no need to go on the limit straight away as you have margins to improve. So in Q1 you don’t need to be at one hundred or ninety-nine per cent – you will also make it into Q2 with ninety-two per cent. And then step it up for Q3.

Q: Isn’t it also a different psychological approach to a race having a car that is eligible for front rows?

MV: Yes, it is of course – and you probably need some weekends to grow into that!

Q: After the red flag and only a bit over two minutes left of qualifying all the cars lined up at the pit lane exit. Your teammate Daniel (Ricciardo) was at the front: wouldn’t it also have helped you being more at the front of that queue?

MV: Maybe. We can speak in the team about it. But in the end that is not the main reason why my qualifying was not as it should have been.

Photo Credits:

Max Verstappen – Red Bull Racing

Verstappen vs Bottas – FIA screengrab

June 18, 2016
F1 2016: Red Bull Extend Ricciardo Contract

Australian racing driver Daniel Ricciardo is believed to have agreed to an extension to his contract with Red Bull Racing.

Ricciardo and the Red Bull team have been making news the last few weeks for all the wrong reasons. In Spain Ricciardo believed the team opted for the wrong strategy and cost him a shot at the victory. Two weeks later in Monaco the Aussie was left stranded in his pit box as the team scrambled to bring his tyres from the back of the garage. This time it cost Ricciardo a near certain victory.

However, all of the issues have seemingly been put aside with the announcement of Ricciardo’s contract extension. It is believed that the driver has signed a deal that will provisionally keep him with the team until the end of the 2018 season.

Daniel Ricciardo is currently fourth in the race for the drivers world championship title.

June 16, 2016
FIA post-race press conference – Spanish Grand Prix

Full transcript of the post-race press conference following the Spanish Grand Prix.

Drivers: 1 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2 – Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), 3 – Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari).

PODIUM INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by Placido Domingo)

Q: Max Verstappen, of course you are aware that you are the youngest winner ever in Formula One. How does it feel?

Max Verstappen: It feels amazing. I can’t believe it. It was a great race. I have to say thank you to the team to give me such a great car to win straight away in the first race – amazing feeling!

Q: Your father must be so proud of you?

MV: I think so. From a very young age my Dad helped me a lot and to achieve this – amazing.

Q: This is amazing. Just to change from the Toro Rosso to the Red Bull in this week and to win and oh my God, just having behind you someone who is known to be really persistent, like Mr Raikkonen? [Kimi] How do you feel having just a young pilot, like you were at the beginning of your career?

Kimi Raikkonen: No, obviously I’m happy for Max but disappointed for myself, but that’s racing. We have our best today after quite a difficult day yesterday and then a pretty poor start. We tried and tried. I was fast but once I got close I could not follow close enough through the last corners and losing downforce behind. I tried and tried but it wasn’t enough today. I think after yesterday we would have been happy to take second and third but obviously we got so close today that it’s even more disappointing, but that’s part of racing and at least we scored good points for the team.

Q: It was unbelievable to have four drivers fighting for it until the very last turn. Sebastian, you are well deserved the third place. Just one question: of course you have been champion four times with the Red Bull and today having the Red Bulls recovering and also the Ferrari, in a way it’s growing. It’s wonderful. It’s a pity we have the Mercedes gone in the first round but it shows how much excitement the cars being equal could happen with the great drivers.

Sebastian Vettel: I think first of all, many congratulations to Max, it’s a great achievement and in the end it’s his day. For sure, for us we would have loved to be a little bit closer and in front but we tried everything. We tried with strategy but it didn’t quite work today. Nevertheless, I think it’s a great effort from the team after a not so good day yesterday to come back and recover. But as I said, it’s Max’s day and as a sportsman I think we have to respect that, so well done again to him and to the team.

SPANISH GRAND PRIX PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Max, the reception said it all and Sebastian just said it: it’s very much your day. Just sum up your emotions, as an 18-year-old, winning your first ever Formula One grand prix?

MV: It’s amazing. I mean, this race felt like an endurance race to me, especially the last 10 laps. I couldn’t believe that I was leading the race. And yeah, today just everything went well. I could hold on to the tyres and I think we did the best strategy possible and yeah, unbelievable, I can’t believe it.

Q: Max, youngest ever winner of course of a Formula One grand prix race. So many questions. Obviously the strategy came towards you after Sebastian pulled your team-mate into a different kind of tactic. Nevertheless, you had to remain very calm under sustained pressure from Kimi Raikkonen on your right there. What’s the most surprising aspect of this win for you, or is it not a surprise to you?

MV: It is a very big surprise. Of course I didn’t expect that. On the first stint on the soft I could keep up quite well after the two Mercedes crashed. But at one point, if you are so close behind the first you start to destroy your tyres so yeah I lost a bit of ground there and we decided to pit and again there, when we went onto the medium tyre, the car felt great. From there on I was just managing my speed, my tyres; I was just managing everything. At the end I think we did the best strategy possible. Especially in the last stint I got quite a bit of pressure from Kimi behind, but on this track it’s quite difficult to overtake so for me it was a case of not making mistakes, no front locking, so that’s what I tried to do and it worked. This feeling to be first… I was targeting a podium but then to win straight away, it’s an amazing feeling.

Q: Coming to you Kimi, second today and second in the championship. Swings and roundabouts for you: the start cost you but then the strategy came towards you. Youngest driver in the field against the oldest, what were you thinking in the final laps?

KR: yeah, I had a poor start. When I released the clutch I got wheelspin and it’s impossible to recover from the first part of wheelpsin when that happens. Luckily, I managed to go around the people in Turn Three and I didn’t lose too badly. It could have been an awful lot more worse. I think speed-wise it was pretty OK. I was able to catch the three guys in front of me. But in the end when I got to Max, I got close but I could not follow close enough or get a good enough exit in the last corner because I was close and obviously I gave quite a hard time to my tyres to following him for so many laps. It’s disappointing not to win but after yesterday and after a bad start I take what we got today and especially for Ferrari as we quite a good points today with two cars. It’s going forward, not what we want, but I’m happy for him [Max]. We all know he is a good driver and he’s in a good team now. When it comes to youngest and oldest, it happens to be like that. I raced against his father. That actually sounds even more scary. In F1! That’s how it goes.

Q: Fantastic, thank you very much. Sebastian, you were behind the two Red Bulls, you needed to do something different, so you threw the dice on the strategy with three stops. But it turned out for both of you not to be the fastest way today and then you had a real ding-dong with him in the closing stages of the grand prix?

SV: Yeah, it was an interesting race. Obviously we tried everything. We tried to get ahead. In the end I think we were surprised at how superior the two-stop was, but yeah, from their point of view, they tried to cover as much as they can. They tried to cover with the lead car, which made sense, but I think you could see for both of us, Daniel and myself, that the three-stop wasn’t really superior. Then I had an interesting race trying to hold him off. They were quite competitive on the medium tyres. Bit quicker than us in the last sector, so bit difficult to hold him off. Once it was very hairy, it was quite close into Turn One, if I didn’t open up we just crash. In that instant for sure I was on fire and complaining, because if I don’t play according to his move there is a crash. Then again it is racing and I can see that he is trying the one chance he had. I had a bad exit and he has to go for it. In the end I have raced him many times and it’s always good fun. It was very entertaining for me trying to hold onto it, trying to hold onto the podium, so I’m very happy I made it. Obviously it took the tension away when he had the puncture in the last two laps, I don’t what happened there. But all in all, high hopes after Turn Four for all of us to have a go and win the race. We tried everything. We split the cars. Obviously on my side it was in hindsight probably the worst strategy, but you know, all this talk doesn’t matter now. Max won the race. I can just pass my congratulations. It’s very special to win your first race and it’s his day. He deserves it. He did a great race. I saw those two fighting a little bit in front of us two fighting, so well done.

Q: Final thought, did you have a good view of the accident between the two Mercedes and your thoughts?

SV: Not really, I was just losing track position to him [Max] in Turn Three. I think I probably took the wrong line. I think I was behind Daniel. I got a lot of understeer, lost a lot of downforce following him so close and Max did a good job, going on the outside, clean bit track, go the clean air and just used it to pass me so well done to him. As a consequence I lost also position in Turn Four to Carlos, but I couldn’t see what really happened. I just saw two silver or grey cars crashing into each other.

Q: Did you see it [Max]?

MV: I just saw one car going onto the grass and as soon as you go onto the grass and you spin, then you can’t do anything. I think it was Lewis unfortunately, he spun and hit Nico but I don’t know why he got into the grass.

QUESTIONS FROM THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX PRESS FLOOR

Q: (Christopher Joseph – Chicane) Question for Sebastian. I spoke earlier with Jackie Stewart about the need for mind management and controlling your emotions when racing. Just wondered how you approached that in today’s race and in general at different phases of the race – whether you’re challenging, holding someone off, chasing etcetera, etcetera.

SV: I think as the race panned out, start, I had a very good start, very good traction straight away. I was basically P4 into the first corner then, as I said, just lost out to Max and then Carlos. But at the point was trying to attack and make progress. We all benefitted from the two cars crashing ahead. Then I tried to… yeah, I know we’re quicker than the Red Bulls, I tried to pace myself catching up, once I got past Carlos, so the mindset was, y’know, you have 60-odd laps, whether you win or whether you gain or lose a second here or there doesn’t matter now. It’s 66-laps that matter from now onwards. But I think, as I said, strategy obviously, with hindsight we decided the wrong way but we had to try, going into the lead, trying to put the leader at that time under pressure, which was Daniel and, yeah, in terms of mindset obviously there’s various stages where you attack and where you have to, sort of, control. Once I was starting the last stint on the medium tyres I felt after a couple of laps that I wasn’t really that much quicker than the two cars ahead so I could figure out myself that the degradation wasn’t huge of the medium tyres. Overall I think for us we struggled a bit more compared to the Red Bull on this compound. So I sort of focussed on what was going on behind. I knew that Daniel would come at some point because he’s got a fresher set of tyres. I was able to hold him off, which was the most important, which… yeah, was all I could do at that stage: trying to defend the podium. The gap to the cars ahead was a bit too bit to attack and close it because there were practically at the same speed.

Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Seb, you had just mentioned the last stint, did you have a problem because initially you caught up quite quickly on the first two but then quite early the lap times were the same?

SV: In all honestly, first lap I felt really good and then I think we just struggled on the medium compound. I think the whole afternoon that was the slower tyre for us. I think I said it on the radio, so it was probably broadcast, I don’t know but I think in all fairness we were quicker than the Red Bulls on the softs, around half a second and then on the mediums probably the same pace. Not enough to really create something, as you could see in the second stint already. I was closing – but I wasn’t really able to really put Max under pressure. Yeah. So, obviously it was difficult at that point. Then we tried to go a different route with the three-stop. On the soft again I was able to close after no so successful pitstop, close the gap to Daniel fairly quickly I would say, with around about half a second per lap but overall there was the difference on the medium tyre which today for us didn’t quite work, and that’s what we spent most of the race on, so… yeah, something for us to understand and to learn.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, is this the closest to winning in your last 59 races without victory? How does it feel to be second in the Championship after three years?

KR: I think first of all it’s always disappointing when you don’t win. But when you get close, this close, and still don’t win, it’s more hard to accept. The others did a better job, we had quite a difficult weekend. Like I said earlier, after yesterday if it had been offered, second and third, we’d happily take it – but whatever happened in the first lap with Mercedes and all the rest, getting there, having the speed but not being able to really challenge or try to pass, it was not ideal but I’ll take the points and we go for the next race and try again. At least as a team, as Ferrari, we got some points back on Mercedes and as drivers we got some points back. So we have to be happy, even though we always want more and we want to put the Ferrari where it belongs on the top step.

Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Max, congratulations, brilliant win for you. In the closing stages of the grand prix, grip was at a premium, as you said, and massive pressure from Kimi. Can you give us some idea of how you split your time in terms of driving the car and looking in the mirrors – or perhaps not looking in the mirrors?

MV: As soon as we pitted I knew we were going to the end. So the first few laps, I didn’t really push. I knew the Ferrari was a bit faster than us today but I just let him catch up and then you’re just controlling the gap. Of course sometimes he got DRS so using a bit to stay ahead. It worked well until eight laps from the end. We were also catching some traffic and then it was all about managing the last sector really; not to slide too much and get a good exit out of the chicane. Yeah, you’re looking a bit in the mirrors but yeah… always.

Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Sera) When you started as a test driver it was said you were too young for Formula One. Is this an answer to those comments?

MV: To be honest, I’m not here for that. I’m enjoying it. I’m trying to do my best and today that was first. That was just a great feeling.

Q: (Mike Doodson – Auto Action) Seb, both you and Kimi had a particularly good opportunity to study the performance of the Red Bulls today. I wonder whether you can tell me, and perhaps Mr Marchionne, exactly where Ferrari needs to improve to be in front of the Red Bulls.

SV: Should you become president in the next week I will tell you for sure but I don’t know your chances to be honest. I am sure we will tell him. At the end of the day there is no big secrets to hide. I think I’ve said it already. I think we were quicker today, we know that we’re quicker, but we didn’t win today. Overall they did a better job. Congrats to Red Bull, congrats to Max in particular. They did everything right. I think I’ve said it, on the medium tyre we didn’t feel as – at least on my side – didn’t feel as happy, even if I had an advantage… I don’t know how much earlier these guys stopped but I had a fresher set of tyres and then Daniel again had a fresher set of tyres but you could see even with a fresher set it wasn’t straightforward to overtake and just use the pace. Plus, I think, as I said, for us on the medium tyre we struggled a bit more. I had a bit more oversteer, challenge to keep the rear calm, challenge to get on power, use the exits and as where Red Bull were stronger today, the last sector, the nature of the last sector, in that regard favoured them, which allowed Daniel to be quite close all the time and, I guess, vice versa which allowed Max to always open up a bit which made it harder for Kimi.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – globoesporte.com) To Max. You did your second pitstop on lap 34. You have 32 laps ahead. Did you have an indication it could be possible go until the end and mainly to keep the pace in the final part of the race because some drivers would be on fresh tyres at that stage?

MV: To be honest I knew it was going to be very hard but from there on you know you have to set your mind and try to control the tyres, especially the first ten laps. Of course you are not pushing hard on them, you are just controlling it and I have to tell you, the last ten laps, you are driving on ice. It’s like driving on ice. Sliding a lot but it’s all about managing the last sector and get a good exit. I think that’s how a lot of races are won here in Barcelona.

Q: (Giorgio Terruzzi – Corriere della Sera) Max, who helped you more, yourself, your father, Dr Marko? I’m asking in which way they helped you.

MV: I think from when I was four until 16, I think it was mainly my Dad.

SV: What happened in the first four years?

MV: I was just living.

SV: Your mother…

MV: Yeah, my Mum did a lot of work there, yeah. In the end she brought me into the world so… she did a very good job. Yeah, from there, from 16 onwards I think it was a bit of a combination: my Dad, Dr Marko of course. They gave me the opportunity to get into Formula One so it’s great. From there on, you get prepared, physically prepared, you get a great chance at Toro Rosso and then they moved me up to Red Bull, so I think it’s a bit of a combination.

Q: (Barna Zsoldos – Nemzeti Sports) Max, now at your first Formula One Grand Prix victory, Sebastian and Kimi are sharing the podium with you, but can you remember what you were doing and where were you when they won their first F1 Grands Prix?

MV: (To Sebastian) When was yours? 2008? Monza. Probably I was go-karting, yeah, somewhere, having fun. Yours?

KR: 2003.

MV: I was six years old so I can’t remember. I don’t know

SV: Got picked up from the kindergarten.

MV: Yeah, probably.

Q: (Frank Woestenburg – De Telegraaf) Max, can you tell us a little bit about your emotions during the last lap and just after the race, what kind of things were you thinking?

MV: To be honest, I think on the last lap I got a bit of cramp. I was getting very excited. I couldn’t believe it. I was looking up to the big boards, I saw my name, first, with ten laps to go. OK, I was already first before but then I started to watch the board. I was just thinking to myself, don’t look at it any more and focus on the tyres and bring it home and that’s what we did. A great feeling. I absolutely didn’t expect this.

Q: (Rodrigo Franca – VIP Magazine) Max, congratulations, you’re so young that probably you’re racing with your heroes on the grid, so I would like you to tell us about that, who are your racing heroes and you can also mention from the history that you watch on old videos or history or something like that?

MV: To be honest, I don’t really have racing heroes. You have respect for each other and I think also you have respect for what other people have achieved in their careers. Winning a race is one thing but to win a championship is another thing. We have a lot of respect for each other.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Sebastian…

SV: Are you sure it’s not for Kimi? I just said to Max earlier that there’s a 99.9 percent chance that the question will always go to Kimi, so I feel quite honoured actually. Thank you.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) You have said many times that you don’t care that much about getting those records. Does it feel any different now when you seem to lose them?

SV: Not really. I think records are there to be broken so I was very excited when I achieved that (being the youngest winner) but in the end I think it’s the day that matters and today I tried to win, I didn’t try to… having the mindset when I saw Max was in the lead to hold him off. I was hoping at some point to see a caravan trailing his car and the yellow number plates, but unfortunately we weren’t on the autobahn so… I thought that this would slow him down but he didn’t stop and pick up a caravan after the pit stop. I guess he was quite smart to say ‘no guys, no caravan yet’.

MV: Does the Ferrari have a hook on the back?

SV: No, you have. I think you have a thing sticking out. No, I think again, records are there to be broken. I was so excited when I won my first race that I didn’t care if I was twenty or 25 or whatever age, and I think the answer to the question earlier, that Max had to answer about his age, I don’t think it matters. If you’re quick enough you belong here and then as soon as you are you belong here and as long as you are you belong here so I don’t think it matters whether you’re 18 or… I think Michael kept racing until he was 43? I met Stirling Moss a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately he only raced until his thirties but I think he was there to race until his fifties. Obviously cars these days are a bit easier to drive than when I started but still I think there’s nothing that speaks against… I don’t know how old Kimi is actually but 35 year old to keep fit and to drive these cars if you’re still quick enough, you’re still young enough, so that’s the bottom line.

Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Max, congratulations, I would like to know if you have already talked with your father, what did he tell you in this case and your hopes or your opinion for the next Grand Prix in Monte Carlo?

MV: No, I haven’t seen my Dad yet but I think he’s happy. For the next race, to be honest, I don’t know. I’m still learning the car. Before I got into the car, I didn’t even have a hole for my drink tube. I still had to make it. We’ll see. I think our car will be good on a street circuit so I’m definitely looking forward to that and it will be a great feeling to start there in FP1 that’s for sure.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globoesporte.com) Sebastian and Kimi, when you did your pit stops did you expect that maybe Max could make another pit stop or did you think he was going to the end of the grand prix, to the chequered flag?

SV: I think I wasn’t worried about Max at that point, I was trying to attack the leader of the race which was Daniel, so I think at that point I was obviously going onto the soft tyre. I committed to a three stop, Max then obviously – or Red Bull – had the opportunity to split their cars, they tried to cover with Daniel and obviously do the opposite with Max. As it panned out, obviously that was the quickest strategy but again, that was the race, everybody had the same chances when the lights went off so in the end Max and his team did the best job, crossing the line first. That’s how simple the rules are. With hindsight you’re always smart, you could have done this, could have done that but I think on our side we tried everything. On my side we tried everything, I guess on Kimi’s side so yeah, not much more to say.

KR: It was for both of us. I knew that he was going to the end so basically it was the same for me. Not much to really say.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globoesporte.com) Max, do you think the performance of Red Bull is also related to this track or the engine is not so so important or the chassis, and we can see Red Bull in the next rounds of the championship as strong as here?

MV: For me, I think this track in general with this car suits us a bit better but still you want more and more power and soon I think we will get some more power, so that’s very positive, but I think a street circuit will be even better for us, but let’s wait and see. We have to wait until we have driven there.

Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) This is a question for Sebastian on the three stop strategy. Did you go back onto the mediums at the end because the soft was not what you thought it would be, or was that the strategy that you actually wanted to run, and could you even have run another second set of softs? Would that have been an option?

SV: I don’t know if we actually had another one, probably we had but honestly at that point, when we went for the undercut to get ahead of Daniel which we did, it was thirty-odd laps to go and I tried to squeeze even another extra lap by staying out and thirty laps on the medium I think was tight. Thirty-odd laps on the softs I guess was impossible to be honest, so even if we had another one, which I’m not sure we had, we would not have made it so yeah, how do you outweigh to jump into the pits early to get ahead, to get track position and then to probably go on the set that is the least preferred but also was a new set versus a scrubbed one, so I think it was fairly clear what we…

Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) But did the softs go off sooner than you thought?

SV: No, they were holding on longer than I thought, to be honest, so I was much happier on the softs. I think you saw in the first stint that once I cleared Carlos I was quicker. I caught up and on the third stint we had a bit of a messy stop, we lost a bit and Daniel was six seconds down the road and within a couple of laps we closed up and as soon as we were close enough, obviously then it was who dares jump into the pits first, knowing that you will only stretch your final stint but at that point we had already committed to a three stop.

May 15, 2016