INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • Ma Qing to replace Narain for 1st practice

    Marina Bay Street Circuit – 61 laps – 5.073 km

    HRT file photo
    Madrid, 13 Sept 2012: With the European part of the season completed the Formula 1 World Championship heads east for a swing of five Asian races that begins with the Singapore Grand Prix on the weekend of the 21st to the 23rd of September. This event stands out because of its singularity as it is the only nocturnal Grand Prix on the calendar and the European time zone is respected meaning that teams work at night and rest throughout the day.
    After a special weekend in Italy, the objective of HRT Formula 1 Team is to maintain the reliability that led both cars to cross the finish line in Monza and progress with the upgrades which will be introduced to the car in Singapore. After a positive debut at the Italian Grand Prix, Ma Qing Hua will step into the F112 once again for the first free practice session, replacing Narain Karthikeyan and joining Pedro de la Rosa.
    The Marina Bay Street Circuit has hosted the Singapore Grand Prix since 2008. It’s a slow, bumpy and narrow anti-clockwise track and is also a very physically demanding test for the drivers given the high temperatures and humidity. Pirelli has elected its supersoft and soft tyres for this Grand Prix.
    Pedro de la Rosa: “I’ve never raced at Singapore but I know the circuit because of my simulator work as a test driver for McLaren. It’s a spectacular track and probably the toughest circuit on the brakes in the entire Championship besides being a very physically demanding race because of the heat and humidity. We should have a good performance as there are many slow corners and it is quite similar to Monaco. Besides, we’ve got an aero upgrade which should help us to cut down the gap to our rivals. I have to make the most of the practice session to adapt to the circuit but I’m up for the challenge”.
    Narain Karthikeyan: “Singapore has a spectacular atmosphere as the race takes place under artificial lighting. The Marina Bay Street Circuit is bumpy and very complicated. You can’t make any mistakes as it is a street circuit. Besides, it’s also very demanding physically because of the high temperatures and humidity. I arrive here extremely motivated and in good form after a good weekend in Italy and we’ve also brought upgrades which we hope will help us improve our race pace a little bit more”.
    Ma Qing Hua: “”I’m very happy to drive the F112 for a second time in a row and I really appreciate the opportunity HRT is giving me. It will be very exciting to drive a F1 around the streets of Singapore. It’s a very demanding track for all of us, but it will be even more of a challenge for me as this is only the second time I will be driving the car at a race weekend. But I am looking forward to it and the laps that I added to my tally at the last Grand Prix in Monza have given me plenty of confidence. I have prepared myself in the simulator as well as doing some specific exercises to be used to driving at night. This is yet again another step in my career and I look forward to getting more experience at the wheel of a Formula 1 car as well as doing my best to help the team to prepare for the race”.
    Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal: “I don’t personally know the Marina Bay Street Circuit but I’m really looking forward to getting to know it since everyone says it’s one of the most beautiful races in the Championship. But also because in Singapore we’re incorporating the second major upgrade to the car of the season which we hope will help us take another step forward. Ma will step into the car once more for the first free practice session and the objective is for him to continue learning and improving as he did in Monza, where we were very happy with his work and performance. Pedro and Narain come on the back of a good race in Italy and we hope that with the upgrades they can get even closer to our rivals”.

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  • We’re getting stronger, says Indian-born Sauber chief

    Hinwil, 12 Sept 2012: Three podium places and a front-row grid position are the highlights for the Sauber F1 Team after 13 out of 20 races in the FIA Formula One World Championship 2012. Last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix saw the team reach the 100-point mark – that’s already 56 more than their total for the whole of the 2011 season. Here, CEO Monisha Kaltenborn reflects on the points accumulated so far – and the ones that got away.
    Monisha Kaltenborn, the last eight days have been something of a rollercoaster ride. How did you experience the lows of Spa and the highs of Monza?
    Monisha Kaltenborn: “I’d rather not dwell too much on the disappointment of Spa. We had an outstanding qualifying and started from second and fourth on the grid. But we came away without a single point, and that was out of our hands. It was a race best forgotten in a hurry. However, the 20 points we collected at Monza were hard won and thoroughly deserved, and we’re very proud of our result there.”
    Did you really think Sergio Pérez could convert 12th place on the grid into second at the finish?
    Kaltenborn: “We know we can be very strong on race day. In Malaysia, for example, Sergio started way down in 15th place but still managed to finish second – albeit in some extraordinary weather conditions. And in Germany Kamui Kobayashi started from 12th on the grid but managed to finish fourth. However, no one could have expected that things would turn out so well at Monza.”
    The team finished last season on 44 World Championship points. After 13 grands prix in 2012 you already have 100. How would you explain this improvement?
    Kaltenborn: “Our technical people and engineers have succeeded in building a fine car in the Sauber C31-Ferrari. The weak points of last year’s car have been almost completely eradicated, while the ongoing development of the C31 is taking place at a very high level and extremely efficiently. Added to which, stability has returned to the team after a very difficult phase for the company in which we had to deal with the withdrawal of BMW in 2009. Re-establishing this stability has been very important. Another factor that should not be understated is that our two young drivers now both have another year of experience under their belts.”
    Can the privately-run Sauber F1 Team keep pace with the larger teams’ speed of development?
    Kaltenborn: “We are working extremely efficiently. The extensive package of upgrades we introduced for the races at Barcelona and Silverstone were successful. Our progress at the race track has met our expectations and calculations in full, which is a major feather in the cap of our engineers. And there’s still more to come from the C31. We’ll be bringing another series of upgrades to the upcoming races in Asia, at the same time as pushing ahead with the development of next year’s car, of course. So it’s not only a question of the pace of development, but more particularly efficiency. Here, the issue of costs clearly plays a critical role. The greater the resources at your disposal, the more intensively you can develop the car, and that is reflected directly in performance.”
    How would you assess the budget-related developments in Formula One?
    Kaltenborn: “There is an urgent need for action on this issue. For the majority of the teams in Formula One the financial challenges are huge. The Sauber F1 Team is very much in favour of introducing measures to push down costs further still. First and foremost, we hope that the Resource Restriction Agreement will be implemented and monitored effectively from 2013 onwards. It is also important that engine costs from 2014 are kept at a sensible level for the privately-run teams. A constructive move here would be to draw up a roadmap setting out the direction of technical development over a period of several years. That would make planning easier and reduce costs substantially.”
    What are you goals for the remaining seven races of 2012?
    Kaltenborn: “After our strong start to the season, many people were predicting that the wheels would come off for us, so to speak, as the season progressed. The reality, though, is we’re getting stronger all the time, and I’m anticipating that we’ll continue to deliver good performances through the final third of the season. Before the season got under way we said we wanted to significantly improve our position in the World Championship. Taking our seventh place in the constructors’ standings in 2011 as a starting point, that would mean finishing fifth this year. That’s an ambitious target, but you have to set your sights high. And I have every confidence in our team.”
    Monisha Kaltenborn with Bernie Ecclestone. File photo by Sauber F1 team.

    ends

  • Ma Qing becomes first Chinese F1 driver

    Monza, 7 Sept 2012: Today has been a very special day for HRT Formula 1 Team, as it wrote a new and important page of its history and of motorsport in general, in Monza where the first day of practice sessions of the Italian Grand Prix took place. History was made on two fronts: Pedro de la Rosa, who in Italy reaches his 100th Formula 1 Grand Prix, and Ma Qing Hua, who becomes the first Chinese driver ever in F1.
    Pedro de la Rosa got his centenary Grand Prix off to a good start and was able to complete multiple aero configuration and tyre tests which, although still have room for improvement, have left good sensations. Ma Qing Hua, who replaced Narain Karthikeyan for FP1 and faced an important challenge today, perfectly accomplished all the targets set by the team and covered 26 error-free laps and improved his performance and confidence lap after lap. Tomorrow, de la Rosa and Karthikeyan will have another 60 minutes at their disposal for testing before taking on the definitive qualifying session.
    Pedro de la Rosa: “Today we enjoyed two clean sessions that enabled us to try out different aero configurations and complete a comparison of tyre compounds and a long stint towards the end in preparation for the race. We faced no problems and were able to complete all the tests as planned. We can still improve the car for tomorrow ahead of qualifying but we’ve set a good base for the race”.
    Narain Karthikeyan: “We focused on testing different car set-ups and the car worked well with all of them. The shame is that we had to stop before the end because of an issue with the exhausts. It was a precautionary measure more than anything else and it will be fixed for tomorrow. But the best thing about the day was that I found a rhythm quickly and that the car performed well”.
    Ma Qing Hua: “It was an extraordinary experience and I’m happy with my performance. From the start I felt comfortable in the car and working with the team, and I accomplished all the targets we set ourselves. We started with quite a long stint on hard tyres and then we made changes to the set-up as I adapted to the F112. It was an important step for me, but also for motorsport in China since it’s a very young sport there but with a great potential”.
    Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal: “I’m happy because Ma has taken another step in his development programme as a Formula 1 driver and he had a satisfactory debut. He did what was asked of him and showed clear progression, with no mistakes, to finish the session under the 107%. Pedro also improved throughout the day and we cut down the distance to pole position, which proves we’re performing well. Narain found his rhythm immediately in FP2 but a problem with the exhausts forced us to stop before the end as a precautionary measure”.
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    Ma Qing Hua becomes the first Chinese driver to enter F1, courtesy HRT Friday practice at Monza on 7 Sept 2012. HRT photo.

  • Casio launches Edifice watch with Red Bull Racing

    Monza, 6 September 2012: Ahead of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, Casio hosted a quiz-based launch for the EQS-A500RB, the latest Limited Edition EDIFICE watch built in partnership with Red Bull Racing.
    Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing’s double F1™ World Champion, Team Principal Christian Horner, and former Formula One drivers Martin Brundle and Johnny Herbert all participated in the ‘Speed and Intelligence’ quiz, designed to test the contestants’ knowledge of their sport. Hosted by comedian Tom Goodliffe, the quiz consisted of a multitude of challenges from an audio test to a cards round. All rounds were against the clock – with an oversized Casio EDIFICE EQS-A500RB used as the official time keeping device.
    The EQS-A500RB, which will be available to buy later this year, boasts a variety of features including Smart Access Technology, solar power and 10 bar water resistance.
    To convey Red Bull Racing’s image, the team’s trademark red and blue colouring has been incorporated into the dials, bezel and hands of the watch, whilst the Red Bull Racing logo is prominently displayed on the watch face.
    Casio has been a proud partner of Red Bull Racing since 2009 and will continue to be its watch sponsor for the rest of this season and next. Red Bull Racing has a youthful, energetic image, but also pursues an intelligent strategy that strives to leverage outstanding technological developments to make its race cars the fastest in the world. This goes hand in hand with EDIFICE’s brand concept of speed and intelligence, hence the theme of the quiz.
    Speaking at the launch, Toshiharu Okimuro, Casio Deputy Senior General Manager said: “Building upon the excellent working relationship that Casio EDIFICE and Red Bull Racing share, the EDIFICE EQS-A500RB emphasizes the traits that the two brands have in common: Speed and Intelligence together with accuracy – all without sacrificing style.”
    Sebastian Vettel commented: “The watch shares the same attributes that Red Bull Racing need for success – precision, speed and of course the highest level of technology in our racing cars. It’s also a great weight and not too heavy on my wrist!”
    Christian Horner added: “The watch strikes a nice balance between design and function – the Red Bull Racing visual identity is incorporated into the watch face, whilst its speed and precision embodies the team’s ethos.”
    ends

    Vettel at the launch of Casio Edifice watch in partnership with Red Bull Racing. Casio EdificeF1 photo

  • F1 bandwagon moves to another classic track at Monza

    Monza, 5 Sept 2012: Italy will host the 13th round of the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship with the teams making the trip across the Alps to the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. Coming only a few days after an incident-packed Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, the season moves directly to another classic track for the final European race of the year.

    Since the redesign of Hockenheim, Monza has stood alon

    Monza track. FIA image.

    e on the F1 calendar as an ultra-high speed circuit. Low-drag aero packages will be on display as teams set up their cars to go faster than they have before this year. But it isn’t all about the figures at the end of the straight. Sebastian Vettel proved that last year; winning from pole at Monza despite being consistently toward the bottom of the speed traps times. Instead he was able to carry more speed through the chicanes and corners onto the straights.

    Monza will see the first driver change of the year with Jérôme d’Ambrosio confirmed by Lotus as their replacement for the suspended Romain Grosjean. The Belgian driver competed for Marussia in the 2011 Italian Grand Prix and qualified 22nd. His race ended abruptly with a gearbox failure in the opening minutes. He has happier memories from Monza in 2010, when he finished the GP2 Series sprint race on the podium.

    Fernando Alonso goes to Monza with his lead in the Drivers’ Championship greatly reduced after a first-lap retirement in Belgium. His advantage over reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel is down to 24 points. Both men are Italian Grand Prix winners with two victories apiece – though with the grandstands certain to be swathed in Ferrari red, there’s no doubt who the crowd will be supporting this weekend.

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  • I want enjoy this win a little while longer: Button

    Spa Francorchamps, 3 Sept 2012: The post race FIA press conference was attended by winner Jenson Button who expressed that he would like to enjoy the moment for “a little while longer” and along with the McLaren driver, Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing) and Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (Lotus) who came second and third respectively were also present.

    PODIUM INTERVIEW (conducted by Jacky Ickx)

    Jenson, the last few races were not really easy for you. Today you have done the perfect race. You did the fastest time in practice, you did all the race winning it, you are the only one, I think, this year who has won from the start to the end. It has been wonderful. Just let us know your feeling winning this wonderful Belgian Grand Prix.

    Jenson BUTTON: Good afternoon everyone! Thank you very much. I still can’t get used to this: talking on the podium, it’s quite strange, isn’t it? What can I say? This circuit is such a special circuit to most drivers and, yeah, the way that it flows and the history here so to get a victory here from lights to flag is very special, especially as it’s not been the easiest year for me. So, yeah, a very special weekend. I’d like to thank everyone: the whole team and also all of you guys [the crowd] for being so supportive. And we’re going to enjoy this for a little while longer before we head to Monza and hopefully do the same.

    Well Sebastian, the weekend was probably not the one you would have loved to have; the fact you have missed your train yesterday is quite a handicap but you managed to finish second and you managed to come back in the Championship, reducing the score on Alonso. How do you feel?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Well, thank you Jacky. Obviously it was a crazy race. From where I started the start was not so good, and after the first corner where a lot of cars went off I was pretty crazy and fortunately we came back with a fantastic strategy, I think it was the right decision to stay out – obviously I was keen to come in because when you’re stuck in traffic it’s difficult – but yeah, I think it was the right call and the car was quite good in the race so we were able to pick up quite some pace. Let’s say after our poor start to the weekend, especially for you guys [the crowd] on Friday when it was raining like mad and you were on the grandstands, thanks for the support. Yeah it was good to come back and obviously a fantastic race, I had a lot of fun, racing a lot of people, racing Michael, so yeah, in the end obviously great to come second, great to be here on the podium and looking forward already to coming back here next year. This circuit is unbelievable. Thank You.

    Well Kimi, first of all the crowd is really showing their pleasure to have you back in grand prix  racing. You’re flirting with the victory, now you are quite often on the podium, you did an incredible battle for third place. We had feeling that maybe you had difficulty with your car, maybe sometimes, but the result is that you are finishing third. It’s a pure joy for us and we like to congratulate you for this great position.

    Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: Thanks a lot and I mean it’s nice to be back here. Always lots of fans and good racing. So I think we have seen very nice racing today. Of course not the easiest day for me and for the team but the car was not exactly like we are liking but I was fighting and try to get the best out of it and we managed to get some good points for myself and for the team, so that’s the main thing but for sure not the easiest race, one of the most difficult but that’s how it goes and we try next week better.

    Thanks to all of you, thanks for this great show.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Jenson, we said the other day that Spa hasn’t necessarily been very kind to you – I guess that’s changed now?

    JB: Yeah, a little bit. All weekend, to be fair, the car has felt reasonably good. And this is the first circuit we come to that is lower downforce, we pretty much run full downforce everywhere else we go, so it’s a nice change to try something different. I just love Spa, I think we all do. Through Eau Rouge, I know it’s easy flat, but it’s still an experience, the g that we pull through there. And yeah, to lead from start to finish, it’s a very special victory. But I think you’re going to say that about every victory. But it’s really nice to win on a circuit like this. I remember watching Formula One back in the day here – it was a little bit different then – and there’s so much history. It’s really good to be a part of that.

    How important was it to get that first set of medium tyres to last all the way through to nearly half distance?

    JB: Yeah, well, we weren’t really sure what to do with the strategy: whether it was going to be a one [stop] or a two, and we thought some people might even be doing a three and really we were just playing it by ear. And I think when Nico [Hülkenberg] got into second it did help us a little bit because I could just feel the car and not push it too hard and at that point I still didn’t think we were going to do a one-stop, I still thought it was going to be a two. And then on lap 12 the tyres started working and the car felt very consistent, really good to drive and I could control the degradation of the tyres. It’s always easier when you’re leading a race, to do that. But it was a great feeling to be able to go so much further than pretty much everyone except for Seb.

    Were you a bit worried that the tyres might drop off at the end there?

    JB: No. I had a bit more oversteer in the car, which isn’t ideal, but yeah, the balance was reasonable, and it feels that the first ten laps were not perfect and then the tyres would come to you: you would lose a bit of front grip and you would get a balance – on both sets. So it was good. I knew that Sebastian stopped a couple of laps later than me, so he had a couple of laps’ fresher tyres but he had to pull back 15 seconds, so we were in a pretty good position. But you think about everything: you think about all the things that could go wrong and, y’know, today they didn’t. The team did a fantastic job and we really didn’t put a foot wrong all weekend. So very  happy and very proud of all the guys. And great to get this victory here in Spa.

    Sebastian, you must be happy also, with second place from tenth on the grid.

    SV: Yeah, after the first corner I was probably the only one who was not improving because obviously a lot of cars crashed in front of us but my start was very poor and I lost quite a lot. I had a very poor initial launch and lost positions. Obviously I was starting around the Force Indias, and I think they were not far away from Jenson after the first corners – and I wasn’t – I was behind a Caterham even. So yeah, pretty poor start to the race but after that I think the pace was there. We were able to get through the field but it’s not that easy when everyone has DRS available: it’s like a big chain and you sit on the limiter like everyone else. It’s difficult to benefit from that but I think we made reasonable progress through the field. And then we were able to have a couple of good laps in clean air, which I think was the right way. And obviously allowed us to come back through the strategy and finish second, which I think after the first lap nobody expected. We didn’t expect the tyres to last that well, I think there was some talk before the race, there were some concerns the tyres wouldn’t last that long. As Jenson touched on, probably most people were thinking of two and three stops and one stop seemed out of reach. Same for us but after a couple of laps it was clear that the tyres were lasting pretty well and the pace wasn’t bad – that was the most important thing for us. Saturday morning went quite well, qualifying was shit and today was well again. Yeah, happy with second.

    You were battling through the field. So you were probably asking more of the softer tyres than Jenson was…

    SV: Surely in the first stint but even with that I think the pace was there. We had the fastest times on the first set of tyres even though I had a lot of battling going on with Felipe – well the Caterham first but Felipe and then Bruno, Mark, Michael – so yeah, it was fairly busy but as I said, the pace was there, which was the reason why we were able to gain so much and in the end come second.

    Kimi, two defining moments that we can remember from that race from you, particularly the start, tell us about that.

    KR: I had an OK start, I gained one place on Sauber and I think a very similar start to Jenson and I just saw it in the mirrors that there’s some accidents going to happen so I was pretty lucky to get out of it. I think they just missed me on the rear. But the Williams tried to get me – but he had a jump start, I could see it already, before the lights went that somebody was moving a lot so for me it was no problem.

    And then the overtaking manoeuvre on Michael down into Eau Rouge…

    KR: Yeah, my car wasn’t very nice to drive the whole race, even yesterday with new tyres in qualifying it was OK but even third or fourth we were quite far away from the guys in front of us – so I wasn’t expecting a very easy ride and it turned out to be very difficult. Not grip, the first few laps with new tyres were always good but then sliding: no front end, no rear end, just struggling with the grip and last we had to run a bit more downforce to get grip and we were really slow in a straight line, so with Michael I passed him once, he got me back and I knew my only chance was try to get the DRS and then to be ahead of him because even if I had the DRS I could not pass him on the straight with the limiter. So, I had to just take a chance to overtake him with the KERS into Eau Rouge And it kind of paid off – but he almost got me still back which shows us that we didn’t really have the speed today – but we had a third place so it’s OK. Not the easiest race but pretty OK.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Sebastian, you overtook most people into the chicane. Why was it easier to overtake there than at the end of the straight, and how do you see the situation with Michael, who all of a sudden turned into the pit lane?

    SV: With Michael there was a bit of confusion, I think. He probably wasn’t that keen to defend his position because he was going into the pits anyway. I thought he would block the inside and then he came on the outside, it was very very close under braking. I nearly ran into the back of his car, and then I tried to get into a better position for the start/finish straight but he kept turning right and went into the pits. I think I was, within three seconds, twice very lucky not to lose my front wing. I think there was a bit of confusion. It doesn’t matter where you get Michael on the circuit, whether you’re fighting for P1 or P15, he will fight like hell which is great to see – he hasn’t lost it. It obviously makes it hard for you, but it’s always a great challenge. It’s very very close with him but always fair. I enjoyed that, but as I said, there was probably a bit of confusion.

    Regarding the chicane, to be honest I think we were quite racy in terms of ratios. At some stage – especially if you had people in front of the car you were trying to overtake – you know there was a kind of stream up the Kemmel straight so it was difficult to use the benefit you probably had because you were close to the car in front. For some reason, it seemed better on the way back, it was better to attack into the chicane. You also have more of a braking zone which I think allows you to be a little bit more flexible and try something which I did for most of the people, round the outside. I think that’s the reason.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Sebastian, you are now on 140 points while Alonso is still on 164, 24 points difference, less than one victory and we still have eight races to go. Can you comment on that situation regarding the championship?

    SV: Better than before. I had a look at the championship before I went on holiday. Right now I don’t really care in terms of scoring and points. Of course I care for the championship and it’s good to hear that it looks better. I don’t know what happened in the first corner but Fernando didn’t finish the race. These things happen. We have to look after ourselves. I’m not bothered in terms of points and gaps at the moment. There are a lot of races ahead and… bloody hell, if you saw the first corner, you can see how quickly things can change. That’s racing. Next week we go to Monza. It’s nice if you qualify on pole, I did that last year so you’re the first one to get into the chicane. If you’re a little bit further back it can be quite tight, so you always have that risk. The races are very long and even if you’re a little bit further back you can still come back  so we will see what happens.

    Q: (Oana Popoiu – F1Zone.net) Kimi, for the first time you failed to win a Belgian race that you have finished. How does that feel and do you think that double DRS would have helped you to gain a better position today?

    KR: Well, we couldn’t use it because Friday was such bad weather, but it’s better third than not to finish, so OK, we didn’t win but we didn’t have the speed today so we didn’t deserve to win either. In the last three races we had the speed in races where you cannot overtake and here we just didn’t have the speed. I will take third place, I’m pretty happy to finish on the podium given how difficult the car was handling and how tricky it was throughout the whole race.

    Q: (Sven Haidinger – Sport Woche) Sebastian, how did it feel to make almost all the overtaking moves into the chicane where you had the crash with Jenson some years ago? Was it good for your morale?

    SV: It was clear that it was Jenson’s fault a couple of years ago! I didn’t crash today, no matter who I passed. It was fun.

    JB: Don’t care, I won anyway.

    SV: I fucked up a couple of years ago when I pushed him out of the race which was not nice, so I learned my lesson. It was very tight but I knew I had to get past. I was somewhere, sitting in 12th, tenth position in the beginning of the race and obviously the target was to have a chat to you at the end of it, so I knew I had a bit on. I tried everything and most of the time it seemed to work so I was quite happy with that and it was good fun.

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Jenson, next week we are in Monza. Do you think we’re going to see McLaren in similarly good shape? You’re coming back, you’re  still a long way behind but this was the win that you absolutely needed, with Fernando scoring no points.

    JB: Yeah, as I said before the race, it’s a massive long shot to win the title but today proves that you can claw back 25 points very very quickly. A great day for me, but still 63 points (behind). Anything is possible. Monza is a circuit like this in a way, so yeah, there’s a good possibility that we will have good pace there.  Whether we will be as competitive as we were here we still have to wait and see. The temperatures will be different – it is a little bit different in terms of downforce level so we will see. This is a great weekend for the team – for me anyway, our side of the garage so yeah, it’s a good 25 points and if we can keep fighting for victories like this there’s so many people in the championship that still have the possibility to win, there’s still a small chance that I can really fight for that championship but going to Monza I don’t think about the championship, I think – as we all will say – we go there to do the best job we can and to bring back home the most points that we can. It’s a tough race for anyone that’s not in a Ferrari but it’s a great atmosphere there and it’s one of the best races on the calendar.

    Q: (Rodrigo Franca – VIP Magazine) Jenson, speaking of that, do you think that this victory shows that McLaren has improved a lot after the five week break, or is it just a different, unique Grand Prix because you had the accident in the first turn and no activity on Friday because of the rain?

    JB: We’ve had a very up and down season. I’m not talking about me personally but as a team. We had such a strong start to the year and then a pretty weak part to the season. Then Hockenheim was a good race with second then with the win for Lewis in Hungary, and also the win in Canada. We’ve had some very very good races and it seems the last three have been very strong for us. It’s great to see, because here is very different to the last two races. We were running a different… well, I’m running a different wing package in the last two races and it’s good to see that they both work.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, the lack of power here, does it worry you just before going to Monza where you need even more power?

    KR: I don’t know if we were lacking any power. That’s what people always say but we don’t know what we have. We just didn’t have the speed today and hopefully with a bit more warm weather and layout of the circuit might make a difference. I don’t expect just to be suddenly in the front, be up there easily but we’ve been up there more or less at every circuit and giving ourselves a good chance and this was one of the most difficult races, for sure. Hopefully it will go back to what it’s been in previous races for Monza. We’ll just have to wait and see.

    Q: (Mike Doodson – Honorary) Sebastian, you used some very diplomatic words about the fight with Michael. The word you used was confusing. After 300 Grands Prix and about 20 of them here, you would have thought that there would be no room for confusion. Would you like to use some of your stronger language about that behaviour?

    SV: I think the confusion comes from the way that… it’s not anybody’s fault, it’s the way the track is designed with the pit entry… if you decide to pit then you have to go right, so you can’t blame him if that was always his idea. As I said, I probably misunderstood, initially, as in I thought he would cover the inside under braking. I went on the outside and there was hardly any room, so he probably didn’t expect me there or didn’t see me. I don’t know, I need to talk to him. As I touched on there, after turn 18, the first right hander, back to the left, I was probably in a better place to get good acceleration out of the last corner but he wanted to pit so what do you do?

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Regarding this moment, he’s going to speak to the stewards and probably you as well. Do you expect that there might be a punishment for his behaviour?

    SV: You asked whether Michael deserves a penalty? I don’t think so. I think I will talk to him. I don’t think we need penalties all the time. It’s probably easier for us to judge from the inside of the car than for the stewards. As I said, I think the problem, in a way, comes because the pit entry is on the right, the corner goes to the left… It’s nobody’s fault, it’s not Spa or the circuit to blame. As I said, it’s not Michael to blame. I will talk to him and that’s it. I think that’s the way we should handle this kind of situation and vice versa. We got away with it, nothing happened but even if we crashed, it would have meant the end for both our races. I think that’s the approach I would have. When I crashed into Jenson, fortunately he had already left for the airport but I gave him a call and apologised. I think that’s part of the sport. In the end, I think you should treat people the way you expect people to treat you.

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) To all three of you, looking at the start with Grosjean who caused another accident, it’s not the first time that that has happened this year. Are you going to talk to him also or are you expecting the stewards to be harsh on him for the next race?

    JB: I will leave this one for Kimi. I didn’t see it.

    MR: I don’t want to talk about it because I didn’t see the whole thing. Somebody can say it’s this one guy’s fault and another guy may have a different opinion. Until I see the whole thing I have nothing to say. It’s not our work or job to tell somebody what to do and what not to do. That’s why we have stewards. We will see what happens.

    Q: (Sven Haidinger – Sport Woche) Jenson, how do you explain that you were struggling big time in the first half of the season and now suddenly there seems some kind of dominance, or this weekend you’re absolutely on top of your game? What happened?

    JB: Yeah, very good holiday. Maybe we should have five weeks between every race? I’m not looking forward to Monza! Many things. The start of the season was good for me – this could be long! – the start of the season was good for me, I obviously won the first race. In the first three or four races the pace was very good and then I had a period of about four races that weren’t so good but for different reasons. We did try something with the set-up to try and help the tyre temperature issues that we were having in our team. I tried it on my side and it took us a couple of races to realise that data wasn’t correct and we were probably damaging the tyres more than helping them. At certain times I’ve been unlucky, especially at Silverstone which was disappointing because it’s my home Grand Prix. In Valencia, again the pace was good but it didn’t go my way and from then on, I think the pace has been reasonably good. I’m much happier with the car in the last few races. I feel that I can work with it. Before, it was so inconsistent corner to corner, not just lap to lap. Corner to corner the car felt so different. I wouldn’t say it’s just our car, it’s probably everyone’s car, with the way the tyres are working but for me, that was more of a struggle than for Lewis and maybe some others. It’s definitely a weakness of mine, but something I definitely worked on. This weekend proves that I can get the best out of the car when I like the balance.

    Q: (Oana Popoiu – F1Zone.net) Sebastian, did you think you would be on the podium today after starting tenth?

    SV: It’s difficult to know before the race, but I was quite confident we have a strong pace. As I touched on, the car was very good on Friday and Saturday morning and not on Saturday afternoon, but I was reasonably confident and knew that everything is possible here, because you can overtake, probably better than Hungary. I was looking forward to finishing on the podium.

    Ends

  • Grosjean banned for a race

    Spa Francorchamps, 2 Sept 2012; A chaotic start to the Belgian Grand Prix led to a busy evening for the FIA stewards, says a release

    Crash at the start at Spa on Sunday 2 Sept 2012. FIA picture

    .

    As has often been the case down the years, the La Source hairping was the scene of a major first-lap incident that took four leading cars out of the Belgian Grand Prix, damaged at least two more, and caused the race to run behind the Safety Car until the beginning of lap five.

    The incident appeared to start when Romain Grosjean, starting eighth, moved across to the inside of the track and collided with Lewis Hamilton, who starting seventh. The pair stayed tangled and ran into the leaders who were braking for the hairpin. Championship leader Fernando Alonso, who started fifth, took a heavy hit, as did Sergio Pérez, who had started fourth.

    After the race, stewards determined Grosjean had breached Article 16.1(d), Article 18.1 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations and Article 2(e) of Chapter IV Appendix L of the FIA International Sporting Code. He has been issued with one race ban and a fine of €50,000.

    “When your life is all about racing, not being allowed to attend an event is probably one of the worst experiences you can go through. That said, I do respect the verdict of the Stewards,” said Grosjean after the verdict. “I got a good start… and was heading into the first corner when the rear of my car made contact with the front of Lewis [Hamilton]’s. I honestly thought I was ahead of him and there was enough room for both cars; I didn’t deliberately try to squeeze him or anything like that. This first corner situation obviously isn’t what anyone would want to happen and thankfully no-one was hurt in the incident. I wish to apologise to the drivers who were involved and to their fans. I can only say that today is part of a process that will make me a better driver.”
    Along with the four drivers forced into retirement, the melée also caused damage to the cars of Kamui Kobayashi and Pastor Maldonado. Maldonado, however, had made a jump-start for which he will be penalised five places at the next race. The Venezuelan, having pitted and rejoined at the back of the field, was involved in a collision with Timo Glock which put the Williams driver out of the race. Maldonado, determined to be at fault for causing the collision, was given another five-place penalty on top of the one already levied.

    The stewards also fined Caterham €10,000 for an unsafe release on Heikki Kovalainen’s car, but decided to take no further action when examining a Red Bull Racing release of Mark Webber, and an incident involving Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel at the pitlane entrance.

    ends

  • Button reigns supreme

    Spa Francorchamps, 2 Sept 2012: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver who began the season with a fantastic win at the Australian GP shot back into limelight with a great victory in the 12th round of the FIA Formula One World Championship as he won the Shell Belgian Grand Prix at Spa here on Sunday.

    “From Lights to Flag it was a very special moment,” he said as thousands of British fans gave a standing ovation for the champion on the podium. Sebastian Vettel, on a one-stop strategy, came second for Red Bull Racing after starting from 10th position while Iceman Kimi Raikkonen was on podium for a third place starting from third.

    The race put paid to the hopes of Lewis Hamilton of McLaren and championship leader Fernando Alonso of Ferrari as a nasty accident in the first lap saw four cars after Romain Grosjean appeared to hit the McLaren of Hamilton. Sauber had a bad day with both their cars suffering damage.

    It was a great race for Sahara Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg who came fourth ahead of Schumacher and overtook his teammate Paul Di Resta on points table as Paul took the last point today. At one point Hulkenberg looked good for a podiium with a pretty pace but was a bit late in his second Pit stop. He however managed to keep a menacing Mark Webber at bay for much of the race.

    Narain Karthikeyan, who was in the 14th place at one point, had to retire late in the race while teammate Pedro de la Rosa managed to finish.

    Schumacher, who was in contention for a third, till the Mercedes team changed the strategy to two stop finished 7th.

     

    ends

    Jenson Button sprays champagne after pole to flag win at Spa on 2 Sept 2012. McLaren photo.

  • Button takes pole; Sauber 2nd & 5th

    Spa Francorchamps, 1 Sept 2012: Jenson Button dominated the final two segments of qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix to claim his first pole position since the Monaco GP of 2009.

    Jenson Button takes pole at Spa on 1 Sept 2012. McLaren photo

    Kamui Kobayashi took a surprise second place, ahead of Williams’ Pastor Maldonado, though the Venezuelan’s pleasure at being third fastest on the day was later tempered by a three-place grid penalty, imposed for blocking Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg.

    After the limited running on Friday due to incessant rain, there was scant time available in this morning final practice session to dial in a good set-up for both qualifying and tomorrow’s race but it was Button who seemed to make the best of the 60 minutes on offer and the McLaren driver gave an indicator of his pace with the quickest time in FP3.

    Button has been there before this season, however, and seen how that can all go south in the afternoon. In Valencia, Button dominated FP3 but a few hours later slumped to P9 in qualifying and eighth in the race. In Britain it was worse. After finishing second in FP3, he plummeted to 18th on the grid and finished tenth.

    There was no slip up today, however. Solid in Q1, Button then topped the order in the second segment and in Q3 powered to his first pole for McLaren in his 50th race for the team.

    “It’s been quite a long time since I got my last pole position – that was back in 2009, Monaco I think,” he smiled afterwards. “It was pretty emotional (today). Sunday’s have been good for the past few years, but Saturdays have not gone perfectly. So, a great qualifying session and it’s so important to come back after the break, such a long break, with a good result on Saturday. I know the race is tomorrow but this is close to winning a race for me because it’s been so long.”

    Kobayashi, meanwhile, powered through to his best ever starting position. It’s also the first time a Japanese driver has booked a front-row berth in F1. And afterwards Kobayashi admitted he had not expected the result.

    “I didn’t expect second in qualifying,” he said. “We’re basically quite strong in the race, but not strong in quali on other tracks. I think we now have a really great opportunity for tomorrow. This is a really good start for the rest of the season. We’re happy to be here, confident and we showed that in quali. It’s really great and thanks to the guys.”

    Maldonado, was pleased with his run to third saying that he had pushed to the maximum. The steward’s though took a dim view of just how that push had been delivered and his block on Hulkenberg means that the Venezuelan will now start sixth.

    That penalty shifts fourth-fastest Kimi Raikkonen to the front of row two where he’ll line up ahead of Sergio Pérez, in the second Sauber. Fernando Alonso, sixth in Q3, will thus start fifth.

    Mark Webber too will move down the grid following an overnight gearbox change before FP3. He finished seventh in Q3 but will start 12th tomorrow.

    “I’m disappointed; I would like to have been further up on the grid, no doubt about it,” Webber said. “It was not quick enough today to fight for the front row and that obviously knocks the penalty around even more. I would have liked to have been a bit further up to take the sting out of the penalty but we’re further back so I’ll have to see what we can do.

    “I was pretty happy with my lap: maximum P5 if I’d got a little bit more out of it. I had some good sections of the lap and some other sections where I’d have like to have done a bit better.”

    “But Fernando’s not on the front row. However, the gap to Jenson is not very exciting! Jenson’s not really known for pulling big qualifying laps out but today he did and fair play to him. We couldn’t respond to those sort of times so that is probably a bit more concerning. But we’ve seen it before, the race is often a bit different.”

    Webber’s misfortune is good news for his team-mate though. Webber’s struggle to eke pace from the RB8 was matched by Sebastian Vettel though the champion failed to even make it out of Q2, the first time that has happened since the Chinese GP in April. However, Webber’s penalty means Vettel will move up to 10th on the grid.

    “Today we missed a little bit to Q3. If we’d had another shot then maybe it’s a different story but all in all not good enough,” said Vettel. “The car felt pretty good this morning, even though the laps didn’t come together. But the performances seemed to be there. This afternoon? I think the car was fine; there was nothing obviously wrong with it, but it just appeared that we weren’t quick enough – the speed just wasn’t there.

    “I was pretty happy with my lap to be honest, it was just not quick enough,” he added. “If you miss the last qualifying by such a small amount it’s disappointing, but that’s racing. There’s no points today. The race is tomorrow. I hope to do much better in the race. I think there it’s a different story. We’ve seen in the last races our car is pretty good in the race, so we’ll see.”

    ends

  • Jenson Button says a `Big thank you’ to his engineers

    Spa Francorchamps, 1 Sept 2012: McLaren’s Jenson Button achieved his first pole in three years with his superb performance in the qualification and expressed confidence about the race at the FIA Press Conference for the top three drivers here on Saturday.

    While Jenson Button, Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) and pastor Maldonado (Williams) attended the Press Conference after being the top three qualifiers, Maldonado lost grid position for blocking Sahara Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and is penalised by the stewards.

    TV UNILATERAL

    Jenson, your 50th race for your team and what a way to mark it, with your first pole position for them?

    Jenson BUTTON: It’s been quite a long time since I got my last pole position – that was back in 2009, Monaco I think. It was pretty emotional. Sunday’s have been good for the past few years, but Saturdays have not gone perfectly you could say. So, a great qualifying session and it’s so important to come back after the break, such a long break, with a good result on Saturday. I know the race is tomorrow but this is close to winning a race for me because it’s been so long.

    Kamui, your first front row in Formula One and also the first front row for a Japanese driver in Formula One, so yoku dekimashita to you.

    Kamui KOBAYASHI: Really? Thank you. It’s quite far from yesterday’s practice where we struggled quite a bit and we really had no idea what we were going to do. But this morning in that hour we changed the settings and we improved better, definitely. Quali? Of course we don’t know what is really a fact, how much there is an improvement of track condition. But we have good confidence at Spa and after the summer holiday everybody wants to have a really good potential in the car. In these three months there are going to be like nine races, it’s quite busy but very important for us so I’m very happy to have a great result here.

    Pastor, your holiday included a return trip back to Venezuela. The rest might have done you a bit of good as well, with another top three qualifying. Not the most straightforward qualifying for you but in the end it all came good.

    Pastor MALDONADO: Yeah, I think we’ve been quite consistent in qualifying all season, especially since Barcelona and now it seems to be a bit more strong, the car. We’ve been working so hard, even in the break, trying to analyse and understand all the problems we had in the past, to sort it out for the second part of the season and that means we are quite competitive. Especially this morning we were struggling a little it with the set-up but we understand and we knew where to work on the car. I’m very happy because the team reacted. The spirit is high in the team. We are working so compact now. I’m looking forward to the second part of the season. The races were up and down in the first part and looking forward to the second part to recover what we lost at the beginning of the season.

    Jenson, you mentioned an emotional day for you but there were three laps that were more than good enough for pole. What was the secret? Why was today such a good Saturday, when others have been such a struggle?

    JB: If I knew, it would make everything great! We just got the balance right this morning. The car’s been working really well all day. It’s limited running we’ve all had but every run we’ve done the balance has been reasonably good and we just tickled it, especially through qualifying. Yeah, the balance is to my liking. I obviously have a style where it’s quite difficult to find a car that works for me in qualifying but when it does we can get pole position. So, big thank you to the whole team, especially Dave and Tom, my two engineers, who on Saturdays, some of the time, have found it pretty tough. But today is a good day and it makes it a lot easier for us tomorrow being in this position but it’s still going to be hard day I think.

    Kamui, we saw the Saubers very impressive in the final practice session, the only dry session before qualifying. Was this a result you expected today or did it still come as a massive shock?

    KK: Of course we expect like really high for this weekend because Spa is one of our favourite circuits. I think our car should be good here as well. Of course I didn’t expect second in qualifying. We’re basically quite strong in the race, but not strong in quali with other tracks. I think we have a really great opportunity for tomorrow as well. I think this is a really good start for the rest of the season. We need to be really strong in quali. Definitely, I think in this summer break, the guys had a lot of work and they did a really great job. We had really a lot of chats with them and we’re happy to be here and confident and we showed that in quali. It’s really great and thanks to the guys.

    Pastor, Williams third on the grid. Did you expect that coming to Spa or is this just the team making good fortune out of others’ misfortune in the qualifying session?

    PM: We were optimistic for this race. Maybe this morning I was a little bit more worried because the car doesn’t look quite good. But during the qualifying I was adapting myself to the car and adapting myself to the different conditions and the track was changing and improving at the same time. After Q1 I saw the potential we had, a bit less in Q2, we were nearly out, P10. I was a bit worried about that because the lap wasn’t that good. In Q3 I pushed very much, at the maximum. I got a clean lap. We are not that fast, like Jenson, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow. In the past we’ve had very good pace in the races so looking forward.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Jenson, it hasn’t been a particularly kind circuit to you – does this make up for it?

    JB: Over the years in qualifying it hasn’t been particularly that kind to me but twelve years ago for my first race here I qualified third on the grid, back in 2000, so I have some good memories from qualifying here. And this definitely adds to that. It’s a very special circuit for all of us and to get a pole position here does mean a lot, especially because it’s been quite a long time for me.

    I think this was touched on [in the TV unilateral] have you basically found the secret to qualifying, your qualifying, or have you just hit the sweet spot?

    JB: I really don’t know. Maybe a five-week break between every race is what I need – getting old now so maybe that’s the case! But no, all day the car’s been reasonably good. We’ve been tweaking it all through P3 and in qualifying even. On both tyres the car’s felt good. It’s difficult to get a lap together this year with these tyres I think. And even a pole lap, it still doesn’t feel like the perfect lap. After the qualifying the adrenaline is running high and you look back on it and think it’s a great lap – but when you analyse it, it’s very, very difficult to do a perfect lap with these cars, and that’s something I’ve struggled with, with the way that I drive.

    How much satisfaction has it given you that you’ve beaten everybody else?

    JB: Yeah, definitely. Today we didn’t put a foot wrong all through qualifying. And I say ‘we’ meaning the team and myself. The engineers have really been on it today. It’s difficult when it’s just one hour of practice – and basically you get about twenty minutes on the circuit in a one-hour practice session – and yeah, they’ve really been on it. So, congratulations to them. Obviously this isn’t a win – the points are tomorrow – but this is very important to us.

    Kamui, Sauber and yourself seem to have been on top of it all weekend so far, is that the case?

    KK: Well from yesterday it was totally different conditions. But today, even in the morning we had quite good confidence with the car. I think Spa is one of our favourite tracks with our car, so we had quite [a lot of] confidence coming here but we didn’t expect to be in second. Front row is a really good finish in the quali and we usually struggle in the quali and in the race I think we are not really worried. But this is where we want to improve and in Spa of course this is a favourite circuit but we didn’t expect second. And I’m very happy of course. I think the team had a really great time during this holiday and they do really quite well and that’s why we are here. But I think very important for tomorrow to score much more points for us.

    And this is your best qualifying position by two places as well…

    KK: Well, my best quali I think but I’m always focussing on Sunday and not on quali – so this is a good point but I want to focus on tomorrow. Second in quali we still cannot get any points, so just y’know, we see tomorrow, and if we can be on the podium that’s really something we need to do.

    Someone yesterday mentioned what a good overtaker you are – but you’ve only got one person to overtake…

    KK: Well yes, of course – but always in the top three or top five it’s always more difficult to battle. If we’re P15 or something it’s easy to do something. So, I think definitely tomorrow is a different story and of course we need to fight and we need to watch tyre management. But tyres are a little bit strange because we have different tyres from previous event, so we need a little bit to take care and we need to finish the race.

    Pastor, how important was this third place after the results recently.

    PM: It was important especially because we are here in Spa, which is a special track, I think, for all the drivers. We are expecting this race for all the year and yes, it’s something special to be in the top three here in Spa.

    And you and the engineers seem to have found the right setup straight away.

    PM: Yeah, I think this morning we were struggling a little bit with the setup, especially with the option tyres, and then we were analysing and trying to push very hard to see what was the problem – and we solved the problem. The qualifying looked quite consistent and strong. The only problem was Q2. We were at the limit,  P10, but yeah, the lap wasn’t that clean. But in Q3 I push, I see where I’m mistaking in Q2, where to improve the car, and we did pretty good I think. That means that the team is working so good, especially after the break, so we stay competitive. The spirit is so high at the moment, so looking forward for tomorrow and even for the rest of the season.

    We did see on the screen that you and Nico Hülkenberg have an incident being investigated by the stewards. Is that a concern as far as you’re concerned.

    PM: To be honest I don’t remember that.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Adrian Huber – EFE) Pastor, would you be happy repeating this position tomorrow and being on the podium or are you aiming for a win?

    PM: I think we need to go for the best we can do. For sure it’s going to be important to be on the podium, it’s going to be important to score some points tomorrow but if we can go for more, we will do so.

    Q: (Simon Cass – Daily Mail) Jenson, presumably it’s going to be quite difficult for you to be the sporting role for Lewis tomorrow, given your positions on the grid. How irritating has that talk been for you and just how easy has it been for you to focus on the rest of the season, just in terms of forgetting all the talk about where you are in the championship and making sure you’re in a position to win races?

    JB: Obviously not that difficult. It’s halfway point and maybe we haven’t had enough to talk about over the five week break so you get asked unusual questions and very unusual for this point in the season. It’s part of Formula One and I’ve experienced it before. The important thing is that within the team we’ve got a very good relationship and we’re working together to build the best car we possibly can and on the weekends trying to extract everything from it. Today is a very good day for us, and I’m sure Lewis is disappointed to be where he is but for me, a great day and hopefully this makes our life a little bit easier tomorrow but still, as I said, we really don’t know what’s going to happen in the race here. We missed Friday because of the weather and it’s going to be difficult to know what the consistency is of everyone here. A little bit unknown, but we’ll run through everything tonight, every scenario I’m sure and make sure we’re ready for tomorrow.

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) How crucial is it for you to win this race tomorrow, trying to come back and catch up some of the guys who are ahead of you?

    JB: It’s very important. A lot of people have asked me if I can still fight for the championship. It is a long shot; I’m 80 points behind Fernando. I need to be on the podium and finishing in front of Fernando at every race for the rest of the season, which is not easy, given his consistency but this is a good start. Yeah, a win is very important tomorrow, to fight for the championship.

    Q: (Leonid Novozhilov – F1 Live) Jenson, how do you motivate yourself today before qualification?

    JB: Same as always. You know, I’m doing the best job in the world. I get to drive Formula One cars every other weekend. It’s something that we all dream about as kids, I think. It’s easy to motivate yourself, especially when you’re working with a team like McLaren, a team with such history and a team that really is behind its drivers and supporting them all the way. And also when you have your friends and family that come here to support you it makes a big difference. It was pretty easy to motivate myself and also it was such a long break for us to get back in the car is a really really good feeling. Nothing leaves you; you don’t forget how to drive but there’s a little bit more of a buzz there when you jump back in. We were unable to really use that yesterday because of the weather but today it was great to actually push a Formula One car to the limits. I enjoyed today very much.

    Q: (Oana Popoiu – F1Zone.net) Pastor, you were talking about ups and downs this season. What is the reason for your bad races? Do you think it was pushing or not pushing too hard?

    PM: I think we still need to push hard. Yes, I’ve been involved in many accidents and a lot of bad luck at the beginning of the season, but the most important thing is to be competitive, to be consistent from now to the end. I think we have everything to do that and concentrate on this second part of the season. The team is pushing hard as well so everything looks quite good for us so I’m looking forward to the end of the season.

    Q: (Pierre van Vliet – F1i.com) Kamui and Pastor: do you think that the fact that you are not title contenders compared to your direct rivals tomorrow… can you take advantage of that, maybe taking more risks than others?

    KK: I’m not going to take any risks, of course. Races are something different. Starting second I think is not a risk, it’s quite important, it will be important to manage the race. I definitely have to say it’s not a risk race, we need to manage it well tomorrow.

    PM: I think it’s difficult for me to predict the races but starting from a very good position off the grid, for sure the points will be important for the team, it will be important for me as well, so I will always try to do my best against top teams and even Sauber and whichever team is fighting with us. But for sure, again I repeat it will be very important to be in the points tomorrow.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Jenson, you already mentioned there was restricted practice time. What do you think is the biggest question mark for tomorrow: the tyre degradation, the choice of tyres later on in the race or whether the choice of set-up with less or more downforce is the right one?

    JB: All of that. We’re not sure whether we’ve got the right downforce for tomorrow. Our straightline speeds seem pretty good which is important for the race, especially when you’ve got a lot of fuel on board but then the negative is,you spend a lot of time in the middle sector. Possibly you can damage the tyres more with less downforce but maybe that’s not the case. Maybe with more downforce you generate more heat so I don’t know, we have to wait and see. It’s all very unknown at the moment. I think the important thing is that I thought we expected the guys with higher downforce to maybe be quicker compared to us in qualifying. It’s a nice feeling being on pole by three tenths and these guys are obviously still pretty quick in a straight line compared to others but it’s nice to have that advantage.

    Q: (Vladimir Rogovets – Znamya Ynosty)  Jenson, for the last three years, your friend Sebastian Vettel was very often in the press conference on this day. Today he is missing. Do you like this situation and what would you like to say to comfort him today?

    JB: Nothing! I’m not the person to be comforting Sebastian Vettel. I think he’s eleventh on the grid, is that correct? I’ve started worse than that and finished on the podium so it doesn’t mean his weekend is over, it does mean that it’s a lot more difficult than maybe it was for him last year, starting on pole. He’ll still be quick. There are many places to overtake here. I think we’ll still see Sebastian fighting for some very good points.

    Q: (Kate Walker – Girl Racer) Jenson, earlier on in Q1, we heard you complaining about understeer and then seconds later, top of the time sheets, you were really fast on it and stayed that way. What happens? Is this the tyres coming in or psychologically you just think sod it and you get on with it and do the business?

    JB: I wish it was that easy. Especially with these temperatures and limited running it’s been difficult to get the tyres in the working range. This morning it was the other way around, they were working very well and then later on in the run they weren’t working so well. In Q1 it was the other way around: lap one, I just had no front grip at all as you probably heard me say, and then it was better on lap three. It’s really difficult to understand how hard to push on an out lap and also if you’re doing a three lap run, on the second lap how hard to push, whether you should put more heat into the tyres, the bulk or the surface. It’s not just drive round as fast as you can any more. It was good to get the balance today and get it right.

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Kamui, you are one of the drivers that people love the most because you are always attacking everything. Lately there are a lot of rumours – even from the fans – that would like to have you in Ferrari next year. Is it something you are thinking of, considering?

    KK: It’s the first time I hear that. Nobody has told me, so I’m really surprised to hear that. At the moment, after the holiday, our results compared to our speed of the car, I’m not very happy with how many points we’ve scored, so I am focusing on the last nine races to score more and still, of course, nobody’s discussed about next year so it’s not a bit too late and of course there’s a good option to stay with Sauber as well, but we never know what’s a surprise. Definitely my target is focusing on my races for the last nine races.

    Jenson Button on Saturday 1Sept2012 after taking Pole at Spa for the Belgian GP. McLaren photo

    Ends