INDIA in F1

Category: Formula 1

  • Interroll Group to paratner Sauber F1 Team

    Hinwil, 1 October 2012: Interroll becomes Promotional Partner of the Sauber F1 Team. With their Swiss headquarters and global operations, both companies strive for excellence as leading players in a highly competitive landscape.
    The Interroll Group is one of the world’s leading specialists within the field of internal logistics.The exchange-listed company employs around 1,500 people at 29 enterprises around the globe. Among the company’s 23,000 customers worldwide are plant manufacturers, system integrators and equipment manufacturers. Interroll’s products are in daily use by international companies and brands everyone knows, like Amazon, Bosch, Coca-Cola, DHL, Procter & Gamble, Red Bull, Siemens, Walmart and Yamaha (Motorcycles), according to a Sauber F1 team Press Release.
    “Until recently I had not heard of Interroll, but I now understand that I have been in touch with Interroll products almost every week”, says Monisha Kaltenborn, CEO Sauber Motorsport AG. “When we travel to the races we have to pass check-in desks and security checks equipped with Interroll conveyor products at airports all over the world very frequently. It’s obvious that Interroll is a very professional organisation with a great focus on quality. We clearly share a common culture.”
    “Formula 1, and the Sauber F1 Team in particular, represent the highest level of commitment to professionalism, perfection and quality,” said Paul Zumbühl, CEO of the Interroll worldwide group. „Sauber F1 Team is one of the most traditional and successful private teams in the Formula One arena. Our partnership is a perfect match regarding the ambition and corporate culture we share. At Interroll we call it the Climate of Excellence which strives for top quality, reliability and speed. Speed is of the essence, because the fast will eat the slow, not the big the small.”
    The partnership with Sauber F1 Team offers Interroll a platform to present its offering in an exciting context where logistics is one of the most critical factors. Interroll sees tremendous opportunities in making this connection, using the strong, dynamic parallels between the Sauber F1 Team and Interroll’s global internal logistics business to highlight the company’s cutting-edge profile in the years to come.
    Two time-lapse videos on Youtube show the logistical challenges in Formula One:
    Loading of trucks for European races: http://youtu.be/IwktteJxTcA
    Preparation of race cars for overseas transports: http://youtu.be/wE-L2v_JvK8

  • Sahara Force India looks to bank on good Singapore show

    Suzuka, 1 October 2012: Even as the `Good Times’ appear to end for Kingfisher Airlines back home, Sahara Force India team Principal and liquor baron Vijay Mallya is basking in glory with Paul Di Resta recording his best finish ever to come home in fourth place in Singapore in the last race. Now Sahara Force India looks forward to the Japanese Grand Prix with renewed vigour and hope.
    To watch Paul Di Resta’s video preview of Japan, click on the following link: http://bit.ly/SHzFoC
    Sahara Force India picked up another fourth place in Singapore – it seems the team is edging ever closer to the podium…
    Vijay Mallya: “As I’ve said before that little bit of luck has eluded us. Hopefully it will come to us one day, because we’ve shown the pace of the car. This is the second time we’ve finished fourth in the last three races, so we’re becoming the bridesmaid a bit too often! Paul drove fantastically well and we earned 12 points. It’s not bad to be sitting at this stage of the season with 75 points in total – we’ve come a long way.”
    Is catching Sauber a more realistic target now?
    “I still remember the situation in 2010 when Williams pipped us by one point at the last race, so I guess it’s not over until it’s over! I’m still hoping that we can do it and one strong podium finish could help to wipe out Sauber’s advantage. It all depends how strong our rivals are in the final six races, but we certainly have some momentum.”
    Any thoughts on Suzuka?
    “Historically Suzuka has never been our best track, but hopefully this time the team has something up its sleeve. I think we have been pretty consistent on most tracks this season so we are quietly confident that we can perform well this weekend. I certainly hope we can pull some rabbits out of the hat in Japan and Korea and come away with some more points.”
    Paul Di Resta talks about his best finish in Formula One and hopes to build on the momentum in Japan.
    Paul, you said your result in Singapore was your best day in Formula One – does it give you extra confidence for the rest of the year?
    Paul: When we qualified sixth we knew it was going to be tough to even maintain that in the race, but things worked out very well and I was able to challenge Fernando for a podium in the final stint. I think we learned a lot in Singapore about how to get the most from the car and the aim now is to try and repeat the form we showed towards the end of the race. If we can do that, the momentum will carry on.

    File picture of Nico Hulkenberg, who is expected to go all out after a pointless race in Singapore. Sahara Force India photo.

    You raced at Suzuka for the first time last year – what did you think of the track?

    It’s a track that’s all about aero so it’s a real test of your car. I also found it very technical with corners like the ‘S’ curves where you need a good change of direction. Finding the sweet spot isn’t easy because half the track is made up of straights so you need efficiency as well as downforce for the high-speed corners. Tyre degradation is also high so a neutral car is what you need during the race.
    Do you enjoy visiting Japan?
    The thing that surprised me last year was the commitment and enthusiasm of the fans. Even on Thursday the grandstands were busy. So that makes it a special race and the fact that it’s a track with a lot of history. I also enjoy Japanese food, although the challenge is making sure you order the right thing!
    Nico on Japan
    Nico Hulkenberg looks forward to one of his favourite races of the season.
    Nico, tell us about your memories of racing in Japan…
    My race in 2010 with Williams was not especially memorable because I was taken out before the first corner. That was a real shame because it’s a track I really enjoy and with corners like the ‘S’ curves it’s a great experience in a Formula One car.
     
    What are the main challenges of the lap?
    Suzuka is definitely one of my favourite circuits: it’s really challenging and technical, and you need a good car balance to hook up a good lap. Because it’s so technical it’s important to find a good rhythm because if you mess up one corner you can lose the flow of the whole lap.
    How are you feeling as we enter the final six races of the season?
    I’m feeling positive and we have generated some good momentum within the team recently so I want to keep that going. The goal is to keep getting consistent results in the points.
    ends

  • 2013 F1 calendar announced

    Paris, 28 Sept 2012: A meeting of the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) took place today, 28 September, in Paris and the following decisions were taken.

    FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

    The FIA President confirmed that positive and constructive discussions continue with regard to the new Concorde Agreement and it is anticipated a contract will be signed by the end of October.

    Following a fax vote by the Technical Working Group, the 2013 Sporting and Technical Regulations were approved by the WMSC.

    The 2013 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar is confirmed as follows:

    17/03 AUS Grand Prix of Australia
    24/03 MYS Grand Prix of Malaysia
    14/04 CHN Grand Prix of China
    21/04 BHR Grand Prix of Bahrain
    12/05 ESP Grand Prix of Spain (Barcelona)
    26/05 MCO Grand Prix of Monaco
    09/06 CAN Grand Prix of Canada
    16/06 USA Grand Prix of Jersey (New York) *
    30/06 GBR Grand Prix of Great Britain
    14/07 DEU Grand Prix of Germany
    28/07 HUN Grand Prix of Hungary
    25/08 BEL Grand Prix of Belgium
    08/09 ITA Grand Prix of Italy
    22/09 SGP Grand Prix of Singapore
    06/10 KOR Grand Prix of Korea
    13/10 JPN Grand Prix of Japan
    27/10 IND Grand Prix of India
    03/11 ARE Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi
    17/11 USA Grand Prix of USA (Austin)
    24/11 BRA Grand Prix of Brazil

    * TBC

    FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

    The WMSC approved for the FIA to proceed with an agreement with The Sportsman Media Group and Red Bull Media House to become the new global Promoter of the FIA World Rally Championship from 2013. The Promoter will be responsible for investing and developing the WRC with a view to increasing its profile, reputation and commercial value. In particular, the Promoter, working in close collaboration with the FIA, will be focused on introducing live television and an innovative digital media strategy in the next years.

    As part of a cost-reduction process and to attract greater entries, WRC Teams competing in the 2013 FIA World Rally Championship will now only have to contest one non-European event. WRC Teams must however still nominate and take part in a minimum of seven events.

    The structure of the support Championships has been revised to reflect the interests and demands of the competitors. From 2013, the current Championship for S2000 cars will be replaced by the WRC-2 Championship including cars with four-wheel drive (R5, R4 and S2000). A specific cup for cars in the Group N category will also form part of the FIA WRC-2 Championship, and titles for teams, drivers and co-drivers will be awarded to those who have scored the most points in six of the seven events in which they have taken part.

    The current Production Car World Rally Championship will be replaced by the FIA WRC-3 Championship, including Group R cars with two-wheel drive (R3, R2 and R1). Titles for teams, drivers and co-drivers will be awarded to those who have scored the most points in five of the six events in which they have taken part.

    The current FIA WRC Academy will be re-named the FIA Junior WRC Championship.

    For safety reasons and therefore with immediate effect, each crew that is entered with a WRC car is permitted to use a route note car on asphalt events.

    To limit costs and encourage participation, from 2013 the use of the latest evolution of parts homologated by manufacturers will not be mandatory for WRC cars entered by drivers not scoring points in the Manufacturers’ Championship. This also applies to all cars in the S2000 category with a 1.6L turbo engine.

    The 2013 FIA World Rally Championship calendar is confirmed as follows:

    20/01 MCO Rallye Monte Carlo
    10/02 SWE Rally Sweden
    10/03 MEX Rally Mexico
    14/04 PRT Rallye de Portugal
    05/05 ARG Rally Argentina
    02/06 GRE Acropolis Rally
    23/06 ITA Rally d’Italia
    04/08 FIN Rally Finland
    TBC DEU Rallye Deutschland
    15/09 AUS Rally Australia
    06/10 FRA Rallye de France
    27/10 ESP Rally de España
    17/11 GBR Rally of Great Britain

    Note: The finish date given is the Sunday of the rally weekend. Itineraries are however subject to final confirmation by event organisers.

      eom

  • McLaren confirms multi-year deal with Sergio Perez

    Woking, (UK) 28 Sept 2012: It is official. Lewis Hamilton will not drive for McLaren for the 2013 season. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes announced that it has signed 22-year-old Mexican Sergio Perez to a multi-year deal from the start of the 2013 season.

    “It is a very big step in my career but I am ready for it,’’ responded the Mexican, who in just two short years, made a stunning impression on Formula One, taking a string of hugely-impressive giant-killing podium finishes while combining a deft turn of speed with considerable maturity, and showcasing the potential ability to become one of the biggest stars in global motorsport.

    Sergio’s new deal means that he will begin a driving partnership with 2009 world champion Jenson Button which the Woking-based team called as “Perfect blend of Youth and Experience’’. The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team’s new driver line-up offers a combination from which both sides – young and old alike – of the garage will be set to benefit.

    While Sergio’s career with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes will begin in earnest in Melbourne

    A file picture of Sergio Perez, relaxing after his second place for Sauber in Monza 2012. Sauber F1 team photo.

    next year, his future team remains absolutely committed to fighting for, and providing every opportunity to both Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton to contest, the 2012 drivers’ and constructors’ world championships.

    “I’m thrilled and delighted to have become a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver. The McLaren name is one of the greatest in the history of Formula One. For more than 40 years McLaren has been a team that every racing driver has aspired to drive for – I was brought up on the great stories of Ayrton Senna’s many world championship triumphs for McLaren – and I’m truly honoured that they’ve chosen me to partner Jenson from 2013 onwards,’’ said a delighted Perez.

    “I’ve spent the 2012 season working very hard to demonstrate my potential, but I’ve always remained humble and focused. I am, and always will be, extremely grateful to Peter [Sauber] and everybody at the Sauber Formula 1 team for their belief in me, and for giving me the chance to race in F1,’’ he added.

    “In fact, they gave me the perfect opportunity to demonstrate what I can do – and I’m now equally grateful to Martin [Whitmarsh] and everyone at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for giving me the chance to take this next very big step in my career.

    “I’m under no illusion that it is indeed a very big step – as it would be for any driver – but I’m ready for it. So, while I’m still fully focused on doing my best for Sauber for the remainder of this season, I’m already massively looking forward to working with everyone at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, and with Jenson, who’s someone I’ve long admired as a brilliant driver and a great champion.

    “I’d like to thank Carlos Slim Jr, who has helped me since I was 14 years old, without whom I wouldn’t be where I am today. Our journey together over the past eight years has been an incredible one, and I’ll do everything in my power to deliver with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes the results that he and I have been working so hard and so long to achieve together.

    “As I say, I’ve worked very hard to get to this stage in my career, and I’m now massively looking forward to this next even more exciting stage. It’s fantastic that all the sacrifices I’ve made are now paying off. For example, I remember very clearly the first day I left my family, when I was 15, to live in Germany to race in Formula BMW. It was tough for me – I was sleeping in a restaurant at that time – but the dream of one day becoming a Formula 1 driver kept me going through those difficult days.

    “Finally, I’d like to thank my beloved family, who’ve encouraged me at every turn, and last but far from least the people of Mexico, my home country, whose magnificent support I’ll do my very best to reward with future successes with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.”

    Martin Whitmarsh (Team Principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) said: “On behalf of everyone at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, I’m delighted to welcome Sergio on board. His performances throughout 2012 have convinced us that he’s an extremely exciting prospect for the future.

    “It was a string of giant-killing performances, a trio of podiums and a brilliant fastest lap in this year’s Monaco Grand Prix that showed us that Sergio lacks nothing in terms of speed and commitment. We’ve been monitoring his progress carefully for some months – and, now that he’s become part of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, our task will be to refine and develop his abilities as his career progresses over the coming years.

    “Uniting Sergio alongside Jenson will give us a very broad base of driver ability. Jenson is one of motorsport’s greatest ambassadors, and his unique blend of prodigious speed and canny race-craft makes him formidably well-armed to fight for victory on any grand prix circuit in the world. While Sergio is still developing his palette of skills, we’re convinced that he’s not only talented and quick, but also that he’s willing and eager to learn.

    “He’s perfectly poised to develop into a world championship challenger. His addition to the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team provides us with the perfect two-pronged driver line-up for the new season.

    “Finally, it’s entirely appropriate that I should take this opportunity to pass on our thanks to Lewis [Hamilton]. He wrote a huge chapter of his life and career with us, and was, and always will be, a fine member of an exclusive club: the McLaren world champions’ club.

    “It goes without saying that we all wish him well for the future, just as it also goes without saying that we hope and believe that Sergio, too, will become a member of that exclusive club before too long.”

    Morten Lundal (Group Chief Commercial Officer, Vodafone) said: “On behalf of all at Vodafone, I’d like to say how pleased we are that Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has signed Sergio to a multi-year deal. We look forward to enjoying success with Sergio and McLaren.”

    Brief profile of Sergio Perez:

    Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez Mendoza was born in Guadalajara, central Mexico, on January 26, 1990.

    He is the fifth Mexican driver to contest a round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship – following in the footsteps of Moises Solana (1963-1968), Ricardo Rodriguez (1961-1962), Pedro Rodriguez (1963-1968) and Hector Rebaque (1977-1979).

    Sergio’s route into motorsport was always assured: his father Antonio was a Mexican Formula Vee champion and his older brother Antonio was a champion in Mexico’s Corona NASCAR series. Sergio is managed by successful IndyCar/Le Mans driver Adrian Fernandez, a fellow Mexican.

    After cutting his teeth in karting in Mexico and junior single-seaters in North America, Sergio moved to Europe in 2005, aged 15, to compete in Formula BMW. After two seasons, he quickly graduated through A1 Grand Prix, and completed two seasons of British Formula 3 (he was the National Class winner in 2007 with 14 race victories, and won four races and finished fourth in the Championship Class in 2008) and GP2, initially contesting the GP2 Asia series in 2008 before spending two seasons in the principal GP2 category in 2009 and 2010.

    His second GP2 campaign (2010) resulted in five race victories (at Monaco, Silverstone, Hockenheim, Spa-Francorchamps and Yas Marina) and the runner-up spot in the championship behind the more experienced Pastor Maldonado.

    Sergio then graduated to Formula 1 with Sauber in 2011, partnering Kamui Kobayashi. He finished seventh in his first-ever grand prix (Melbourne) before both the team’s cars were disqualified for a technical infringement. His best result in his maiden season was a seventh place, in the Santander British Grand Prix.

    For 2012, he remained at Sauber, completing a series of stunning drives – impressive second-place finishes at Sepang and Monza and a strong third-placed finish in Montreal – to cement his position as one of Formula 1’s brightest new hopes. He currently lies ninth in the Formula 1 world championship standings, with 66 world championship points from seven points-finishes.

    Ends-

     

  • Heartbreak for Hamilton

    Singapore, 23 Sept 2012: A gearbox failure caused Lewis Hamilton to retire from the lead of the Singapore Grand Prix.

    Having made a smooth getaway from pole position, and keeping his lead intact through the first round of pitstops, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton slowed to a halt on lap 23 of the planned 61. Shots from his onboard camera clearly showing the Englishman struggling to select a gear. As a result of the DNF, Hamilton slipped for second to fourth in the Drivers’ World Championship table, on a day when he would have expected to make ground on leader Fernando Alonso.

    “It’s heart-breaking not to have finished the race today,” said Hamilton afterwards. “But that’s motor racing. We had the pace this weekend, it was quite easy in the position we were in. I think it would have been a nice result for us – but we still have more races to go.”

    After the race both Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel, who had been Hamilton’s closest challengers in Singapore, reported seeing oil leaking from the 2008 Champion’s gearbox. Hamilton later explained that inside the cockpit the problem was progressive, first loosing his seamless shift capacity, then losing third gear and final becoming stuck in neutral.

    “I lost the [seamless] shift and it becomes quite an aggressive shift and so I told the team. They told me I should be able to see it to the end of the race – and then I lost third gear and then all the gears went.

    “We really couldn’t afford that today – but it is what it is. The good thing is we have good pace. I have to go and win the next few races.”

    Hamilton has been statistically unfortunate this season: his failures to score in 2012 have been the result of two collisions (Valencia and Spa) both judged by stewards to be the fault of the other driver, a puncture at Hockenheim, and today’s mechanical failure. It is his second major gearbox issue of the year having been demoted from second to seventh on the Shanghai grid for an unscheduled change.

    McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh commiserated with his driver. “Until his run was curtailed by gearbox failure on lap 23, Lewis was driving towards what would have been the perfect end to a weekend throughout which his pace had been consistently awesome.

    “There are six grands prix left to run this season – which equate to a potential 150 world championship points for any driver to score – and you should be in no doubt that Lewis will be aiming to get as close to that 150 target as possible.”

    ends

  • Vettel on top in Singapore

    Singapore, 23 Sept 2012: The Red Bull Racing driver led over the line from Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso. As a result Vettel rises from fourth in the Drivers’ Championship standings to second place. Kimi Räikkönen remains third after finishing the Singapore Grand Prix in sixth position.

    “It’s one of the toughest races of the year to be honest,” Vettel said afterwards. “It’s very long; the full two hours. There’s no space for mis

    Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull wins in Singapore. Red Bull photo

    takes and the race just seems to go on forever. I had a good start, which got us into second and in the hunt and the pace was there. Obviously we benefited from Lewis’ failure. After that I think we generally we had very, very strong pace. I’m just incredibly happy and proud because this is a such a tough race.”

    Vettel rose from third to second at the start, getting past the Williams of Pastor Maldonado. He and leader Hamilton pulled away from the field and looked evenly matched on pace. With no change through the first round of pitstops, they developed a good lead on third-placed Jenson Button but Hamilton was forced to pull over on lap 22 with a suspected gearbox failure.

    “It’s heartbreaking not to have finished the race,” said Hamilton afterwards. “We definitely had the pace to win this weekend. In fact, before I retired, I was cruising; just managing the gap back to Seb. Then I started to experience difficulty with the gearshift, then I lost third gear, and then the gearbox kept dropping into neutral.”

    Despite the setback, Hamilton vowed to continue his battle for the Drivers’ Championship. “The good thing we can take away from this weekend is that we have extremely good pace,” he said. “As a result, I think we can really attack in the next few races. It’s going to be hard to close the gap to guys like Fernando and Sebastian, especially when they keep finishing race after race, but I’ll never give up. There are six more races, and I need to go and win all six. I’ll fight until the end.”

    Vettel’s comfortable lead vanished when Narain Karthikeyan crashed out under the Bay Grandstand on lap 31, and the safety car was deployed. It left the track at the end of lap 37 but was out again only two laps later when Michael Schumacher ploughed into the back of Jean-Eric Vergne’s Toro Rosso. Schumacher was later handed a 10-place grid penalty for his next race.

    But it was the final drama for Vettel. Once the pace car peeled off track last year’s Singapore winner settled into a solid rhythm and slowly built up a comfortable six-second lead over Button. He duly took the chequered flag for his second win of the year.

    Alonso retained his lead in the Drivers’ Championship and despite that lead being cut from 37 to 29 points, professed himself pleased with the result from an event where Ferrari did not appear strong. “I think it’s a very positive weekend; a very good weekend,” he said. “Of the four or five contenders, we lost points to one, but against the other three we increased our advantage, so obviously, as I said, when we are not quick enough to win more points against three of our opponents, I think it’s positive.”

    Behind the leaders, Paul di Resta took a career-best fourth for Force India, Nico Rosberg was fifth for Mercedes, ahead of the Lotus team of Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean. Felipe Massa recovered to eighth after a disastrous first lap saw him pitting and emerging last. Daniel Ricciardo was ninth for Toro Rosso, making up for the last-lap mechanical failure in Italy which denied him a point, and tenth was Sergio Pérez, who gained the place several hours after the race when Mark Webber was demoted for an illegal overtaking move on Pérez’s team-mate Kamui Kobayashi.

  • We benefited from Lewis’ failure: Vettel

    Singapore, 23 Sept 2012:

    Following drivers who won the first three places in the Singapore GP attended the fourth and final press conference of FIA at the Marina Bay circuit on sunday.

    1 – Sebastian Vettel

    Vettel's file photo of Saturday in Singapore 2012. Red Bull photo

    (Red Bull Racing); 2 – Jenson Button (McLaren); 3 – Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by Eddie Jordan)

    Sebastian you’re a back-to-back winner here. What’s the secret?

    Sebastian VETTEL: I think it’s one of the toughest races of the year to be honest. It’s very long; the full two hours. The circuit is a killer. There’s so many bumps, there’s no space for mistakes and the race just seems to go on forever. Obviously we benefited from Lewis’ failure. A couple of laps before that he lost some oil and then after that I think we generally we had very, very strong pace all weekend. I had a good start, which got us into second and in the hunt. The pace was there so… I’m just incredibly happy and proud because this is a such a tough race. I would like to dedicate it to one very, very special man, Professor Sid Watkins who passed away and we remember him for sure. I think he is one of the biggest reasons we can go out on a circuit like this and enjoy ourselves and be reasonably safe. He pushed the boundaries in terms of safety for all of us, so a big thank you to him.

    Can you see something reminiscent of 2010; how you came from this position and just sneaked that win of the championship in 2010?

    SV: I don’t think Fernando would be too happy if it happened again in the last race. But it’s an incredible season for all of us (inaudible) we have a lot of races left, the car seems to be competitive and we just have to use the momentum and keep pushing for these last races and see what happens.

    Jenson, what happened at the re-start?

    Jenson BUTTON: First of all, good evening everyone. Was that fun? Good. It was a pretty tough two hours for us. The re-start? Sebastian accelerated and braked for the right-hander and I just didn’t expect that, such a speed difference. So I hit the brakes, locked up and just missed the rear of his car, because that would have been quite embarrassing. But we got through it and yeah it’s a good second place. I’m reasonably happy with that. We all want to win, but you can’t win them all.

    Does that second place make up in some small way for Monza?

    JB: Yeah it does, but for us as a team to have another failure this weekend is disappointing. The important thing for us is we have a very good car. I think the team are doing a fantastic job and it seems that every race we go to we really do have a chance of winning so that’s important to us.

    Fernando, you also have won twice here and now on the podium again. It must be one of your favourite tracks?

    Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, good evening everybody. Of course, is one of the best tracks to drive, to enjoy. The weekend in general is out of our normal routine, let’s say, of times etcetera. We enjoy driving here, the atmosphere is fantastic, the layout is quite interesting and it was a fun race again.

    You still have a 29 point lead in the Championship but yet you haven’t won since Germany. Are all of your opponents, are they all falling away or tripping over themselves?

    FA: Well, in Monza is was Lewis winning the race and Sebastian retired. Here it’s Sebastian winning, Lewis retiring, so for me it’s OK is they keep doing it like this.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Sebastian, really should we have expected that result after practice – but perhaps not after qualifying?

    SV: Yeah, it just underlines that we obviously struggled a bit yesterday, especially in the last section of qualifying. Up to then I think it was fine and the pace was there. The confirmation was straight away there in the grand prix when we found ourselves behind Lewis and were able to push him quite hard. I think he was obviously trying to save his tyres, we were trying to save the tyres. It’s a bit of a different race, it’s very tactical but I think the pace was there in the race throughout. Also, towards the end versus Jenson I think we could have an answer every time he was going quick and it was a good finish of the Grand Prix. Obviously it’s a long race, a lot of laps – we did the full two hours again – but it’s fun in a way, you are excited, a bit nervous before the race starts, knowing there is a little bit of a marathon coming, but I think that’s what makes this race so special: not just racing at night, it’s also the circuit with a lot of corners, a lot of bumps, making it extremely difficult. It’s a great challenge for us. Very happy with the result, obviously. I think the team deserves a big thank you. In fact working in these conditions is very, very hot and in the garage it is another 10, 15 degrees hotter than outside. So not the nicest office to work it but obviously it’s nice to give a little bit of champagne back and bring a trophy home – so I’m very happy.

    And good for the Championship chances as well…

    SV: Yeah, it looks better than before. Fernando finished third. I am not a genius but I think it’s looking ten points better than it was before. There’s a lot of races left and it’s a bit difficult to predict what’s going to happen. We have to make sure that we finish the races first of all. I think the pace is there, even if we are not quick enough to win then it is good enough to collect a lot of points. And we have to make sure we do that. It’s a tough championship so far but we’re still in it. We’re still looking forward to the next couple of races, and obviously the target at the moment is to beat Fernando.

    Jenson, the pace seemed to be there at the start but not necessarily at the end.

    JB: Yeah, the pace on the supersoft was good. I could look after the tyres pretty well – not that it did me any good anyway because after the pitstops they had a gap because they went to new tyres earlier than me, so it didn’t really work out. And on the harder of the two tyres, the balance wasn’t as good and I couldn’t really look after the tyres and degradation was reasonably high so, yeah, not too bad. Would have been nicer to have pushed Sebastian a bit harder: you never know around a street circuit when you push someone hard, so there was always the possibility that we could do one step better but it wasn’t to be; Sebastian didn’t make any mistakes and we came away with a second. Reasonably good points and it’s nice to get some good points back on the board after the DNF in Monza.

    After Lewis’ retirement was there any concern in terms of reliability, or did they not tell you that?

    JB: No, they didn’t say anything. I obviously knew that it was a… I still don’t know… but I’m guessing it was a gearbox problem.  For about three or four laps it was spraying gearbox oil. I thought it was the backmarker at the time, and then I saw Lewis pull over so I knew that was from his car. It’s disappointing for the team to have another DNF – two weekends on the trot. It’s something that we need to sort out because as a team over the race weekends we’re doing a great job and the pace is there with the car. Over the last few races the results we’ve had have been very good but it’s just we can’t seem to do that with both cars. It’s something for sure we need to work on for the rest of the season.

    Fernando, for you was this pretty much the best you could hope for?

    FA: Yes, definitely. I think we were not very competitive this weekend so we struggled a little with the pace of the car and yesterday we managed to put a good lap in Q3 and that was a little bit the best part of the weekend. Because if you start at the rear I think you are having problems all the race, so starting in fifth, it was OK. Then the start was so-so. We lost position with di Resta and then we recovered in first and second corner, and then we fight a little bit with Maldonado so I think the safety car arrive in the worst moment for us because we have stopped and changed the tyres five laps before the safety car, so we didn’t have the pitstop for free like the others did. So, it was, I think with all these difficulties, if we put altogether, arriving third in our difficult weekend is for sure a fantastic result in terms of points.

    And in terms of your rivals obviously with Lewis not finishing…

    FA: Yes, again I think it’s a very positive weekend. A very good weekend. Of the four or five contenders, we lost points with one, with the other three we increased our advantage, so obviously, as I said, when we are not quick enough to win more points against three of our opponents, I think it’s positive.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Ubaid Parker – F1 Pulse) Sebastian, when you were chasing Hamilton, you were losing three to four tenths on several laps in sector two alone, although you were recovering it a little bit in sector one and sector three. Was there any particular reason for that, because you did mention that turn ten was a difficulty yesterday?

    SV: No, not really. I saw that I was gaining a little bit in the first sector, not sure in the second sector but I could see that I probably lost a bit but I think Lewis has been very quick in sector two all weekend. Also, I think I was fairly close to him, so obviously the closer you get, it’s a bit of a disadvantage but I try to keep the gap fairly much the same, lap by lap. I didn’t really mean to close the gap, because I know that the closer I get, the more grip I lose, and obviously I will lose tyres just by running close to him and losing downforce so I think it was a tactical race in the beginning, especially the beginning of the second stint after the first pit stop. If you go all out in one lap you probably go a second faster but then you do this exercise for three laps and Jenson is coming. It’s the races that we have these days but I think, as I said, Lewis was already quick in sector two so it was probably not a surprise to lose a little bit against him.

    Q: (Ian de Cotta – Today) Sebastian, you say this is a tough circuit. What does it feel like to win twice in a row?

    SV: Very good. I’m very happy. I think this is one of the best races to win in terms of atmosphere. Everything is a little bit special here. It’s a surprise in a way, because we haven’t been racing here for fifty years – Formula One hasn’t been racing here for fifty years but it still feels like a real classic already. It’s nice. I think everyone likes coming here. It’s a bit funny to be in the European time zone and a little bit against everything else in this city. It’s great to get the opportunity. It’s a great city, more than five million people living here and the circuit is right in the middle. When you do the drivers’ parade and you see a lot of people around the track it’s nice just to be part of it, obviously even greater to win, which was great last year, but is even greater this year to repeat it. I’m very happy, especially with this year’s championship. It’s very tight. We probably didn’t have the fastest package this weekend but we still won the race. I’m very happy.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Fernando, in the second stint you were consistently catching up to the leaders; what was different in that stint compared to qualifying and the other parts of the race?

    FA: I don’t know. I think we were pushing a little bit harder and we were in free air. In the first stint we were fighting a little bit with Pastor and then we were probably a little bit more competitive with the soft tyre compared to the super soft, so maybe that was the reason.

    Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) To all three of you: what are your expectations for Suzuka and your specific car, each of you?

    SV: I think we have to improve. I think there is still a little bit that we need to gain. I think that at the moment McLaren is the fastest car and the Ferrari is a little bit of an allrounder. It’s always quick and always there so we need to make sure that we see the chequered flag.  Reliability will be important but it’s a fun track so I’m looking forward to it. The Sauber will be quick, unlike this weekend and we will go from there.

    JB: It’s always very difficult to know because it’s such a different circuit to this one but if you compare it to Spa, and it’s reasonably similar to Spa – but without the run-off areas – it’s a circuit that should suit us pretty well. I still think that the Red Bulls will be strong as they were in Spa. Qualifying was great for us and the race was as well, but in the race our pace was no better than the Red Bulls. It’s going to be a competitive race, I think. We really don’t know where the Ferrari will stand on that type of circuit. It’s going to be a competitive race, and one I’m very much looking forward to.

    FA: Yeah, a little bit difficult to predict. I think all this year we’ve been up and down for all the teams and it’s the same for us. For sure, we need to improve the performance we saw here. We struggled all weekend. Positions five and 13 for our cars is not what we were hoping for so we need to be in a better position in Suzuka. Maybe Silverstone is also quite similar to Suzuka and we were quite OK there so hopefully we can repeat that kind of performance.

    Q: (Carlos Miguel – La Gaceta) Fernando, maybe your first stop was a little bit early; one or two laps more, for the traffic, I think – or no?

    FA: I don’t know. We more or less stopped when we felt that the tyres were dropping off too much and we didn’t want to lose too much time. So we stopped. We found some traffic there and we struggled to overtake. After that, we had good pace so maybe… I don’t know. It’s difficult to… or it’s easy to see after the race. I was happy with the pit stop call.

    Ends

  • Hamilton takes Singapore pole

    Singapore, 22 Sept 2012: Lewis Hamilton took a surprisingly dominant pole position as Sebastian Vettel had to settle for third.

    It was the McLaren driver’s 24th career pole, though Vettel had been heavily favoured, having finished top of the timesheets in each of the three practice sessions. The Red Bull driver, however, had no answer to Hamilton in Q3, and was over half a second off

    Lewis Hamilton of Team McLaren along with Pastor Maldonado (to his right) and Sebastian Vettel after qualification on Saturday at Singapore on 22 Sept 2012. McLaren photo

    the pace. The reigning World Champion was even pushed back to third by the charging Williams of Pastor Maldonado.

    “If you don’t do the last step in qualifying it’s a shame, because I think the speed was there. It didn’t come together in the end,” said Vettel. “In Q2 I got a lap and I was reasonably safe. I was off Lewis by one and a half tenths I think, but I was confident that we could go quicker. If, would, could, should – we don’t know. In the end I was even struggling to repeat the lap I did in the beginning. However, the speed is there and we have been competitive all weekend. The race is long, a safety car can happen and it’s important to be in the right place at the right time.”
    Hamilton was naturally delighted with his efforts: “It was a great lap and I’m very happy with it,” said the McLaren driver. “We’ve put ourselves in the best position so I hope that we will be able to capitalise on that tomorrow.
    Maldonado was bullish about his chances of taking the fight to Hamilton. “I think it’s possible to overtake here, especially because of the big tyre degradation that we will have tomorrow. I think everybody will be struggling with the tyres at some time, but the strategy must be really good for everyone, just to try to be consistent but I think here it’s possible to overtake. We have a long straight, good DRS, it’s not going to be very easy but we have a couple of places.”

    Vettel will be joined on row two by Jenson Button, while behind them Championship leader Fernando Alonso is fifth, alongside the Force India of Paul di Resta. Mark Webber was seventh in the second Red Bull and Romain Grosjean eight after an eventful qualifying session which included a spin and contact with the wall. Behind him the two Mercedes took the final places in the top ten, with Rosberg ahead of Schumacher, though neither set a Q3 time. “We could have tried to make up one or two positions, although this would have been very difficult,” said Schumacher. “However we decided to give up this possibility in favour of the fact that we now have a fresh set and free choice of tyres going into the race.”

    Nico Hülkenberg, having looked very competitive in practice was a surprising elimination in Q2, missing out by three-hundredths of a second. The others big scalps were Kimi Räikkönen (12th), Felipe Massa (13th) and Sergio Pérez (14th). Daniel Ricciardo narrowly edged out Jean-Eric Vergne for fifteenth as the Toro Rossos continued their own private battle. Bruno Senna did not set a time in Q2, damaging his suspension after heavy contact with the wall on his first timed lap.

    The surprise elimination in Q1 was Kamui Kobayashi (18th), though Sauber have not looked competitive throughout the weekend. Behind him Vitaly Petrov (19th) got the better of team-mate Heikki Kovalainen (20th). Timo Glock (21st) was in front of Charles Pic (22nd), while Narain  Karthikeyan (23rd) out-qualified Pedro de la Rosa (24th) for the second race in succession.

     

  • My team has done a fantastic job: Hamilton

    DRIVERS

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (McLaren)

    2 – Pastor MALDONADO (Williams)

    3 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)

    UNILATERAL

    Lewis, a phenomenal margin, very, very quick indeed, well done.

    Lewis HAMILTON: Thank you. The guys have done a fantastic job all week and to come here with some small things that have improved from the last race. Obviously we have high downforce here so we weren’t sure where we would turn out against the others but obviously Sebastian was incredibly fast through most of the sessions, I’m not really sure what happened in the end. Nonetheless I’m very happy that I was able to pull that time out. A great lap, I’m very happy with it.

    It must be a very, very difficult circuit indeed. We saw you make a couple of mistakes in Q1, very tricky around here?

    LH: Oh, it is. It is absolutely. Just trying to find the gaps is quite difficult, particularly in Q1. And making sure your tyres are up to temperature, making sure your brakes are up to temperature without using them before you start your lap. And yeah, the first few laps I did on the prime was quite poor and I feel very fortunate that I was able to get at least one lap on them, so I didn’t have to go again.

    Pastor, where did that lap come from? Well done.

    Pastor MALDONADO: We were working very hard because at the beginning of the weekend and during the practice we were a little bit lost with the setup and yeah, we were improving, especially during the quali, y’know, during the qualifying just trying to adapt the car to my style. We find naturally very well balanced, especially in Q2 and then Q3. I’m really looking forward to the race because yesterday we showed very good pace, very consistent so I think it’s going to be a good one for us this time.

    Sebastian, fastest in all three practice sessions. A little bit disappointed with third on the grid?

    Sebastian VETTEL. Yeah, a little disappointed. Especially Q3. I don’t know why we couldn’t do the step. Nevertheless, third is a good position to start from. There is a long race tomorrow, a lot of things that can happen. I think the pace is there, we’ve proven throughout the weekend – but surely if you don’t do the last step in qualifying it’s a shame, because I think the speed was there. So, yeah, it didn’t come together in the end.

    Lewis, a final thought on tomorrow’s race. What are the main factors?

    LH: It’s an incredibly tough circuit for tyre degradation, as we have at pretty much every track but especially as it’s hot and humid here. So I think everyone is going to struggle with that, and I think we just have to try and get away cleanly at the start and stick to the strategy that we have planned and be prepared if it doesn’t work.

    PRESS CONFERENCE.

    So Lewis, well done, obviously as you say, tyre degradation the big thing but the walls… so many different factors, so many difficult things, and the heat as well, and at an anti-clockwise circuit. It must be a really tough circuit, this?

    LH: It is, and I think everyone here will see that tomorrow. I think we all felt that with our long runs. Hopefully we’ve done the work we need to do to hopefully put together a good package tomorrow. We’ve put ourselves in the best position so I hope that we will be able to capitalise on that tomorrow.

    Pastor, again it’s fantastic that you’re once again so close. Is this because it’s a similar circuit, do you feel, to Barcelona?

    PM: It’s completely different than Barcelona. Especially because the lack of grip. We were struggling a little bit to put the car together but, including the qualifying, we managed to find a very good balance and we are really looking forward to tomorrow. Yesterday we did a couple of long runs and it’s looking pretty good for us. The tyre degradation I mean. So I’m really looking forward.

    Sebastian, any further worries about alternators or is that firmly behind you?

    SV: There’s no guarantee. It’s hard to get a guarantee on anything in life, so we’ll see. So far we didn’t have any problems, no signs. Monza was a different story. Obviously we had a failure on Saturday and Sunday. Today no failures and hopefully tomorrow we’ll be fine as well. So no concerns.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Sebastian, what happened in Q3, you seemed to have lost the speed a little bit?

    SV: Yeah, I don’t know to be honest. I think the speed was there but we weren’t able to really improve, whereas in Q2 I got the lap in reasonably safely and I was a little bit off Lewis, I think, one and a half tenths. I was confident that we can go quicker somewhere, lower in the 46s region. I think Lewis’s time in Q3 was very quick so… if, could, would, should… we don’t know but I think the pace was there to do better than what we did in Q2 but in Q3 we just couldn’t pick and in the end I was even struggling to repeat the lap I did in the beginning, so yeah, obviously a bit disappointing but I think the speed is there. We have been competitive throughout the weekend. The race is very long here, a lot of things can happen – safety cars – so it’s important to be in the right place at the right time and then we go from there.

    Q: (Kate Walker – Girl Racer) For all three of you: every race that we’ve had here has featured some safety cars, so to what extent do you guys take that into account for your own strategies in the race?

    LH: Well, I think for us as drivers we just have to be ready to react, hope that it’s neither of us and then we just leave it to the team to work on what we have to do. They will direct us what we have to do with fuel-wise and all those kind of things.

    PM: I agree. I think either we need to be fully focused in this race on the conditions very very hot, very warm and we need to put everything together to get a good performance. It’s not only from our side, the team has to work together.

    SV: It’s difficult to know what happens. You can’t drive round waiting for the safety car, to have a break but obviously there’s little run-off here and we saw in free practice that if a car stops on the circuit then it’s already enough to have yellow flags at least and a potential safety car in the race. It’s difficult to know what happens but we’ll see tomorrow I guess. So far we’ve always had one as far as I can remember.

    Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) To all three of you: how confident are you that you can overtake tomorrow during the race?

    PM: I think it’s possible to overtake here, especially because of the big tyre degradation that we will have tomorrow. I think everybody will be struggling with the tyres at some time, but the strategy-wise must be really good for everyone, just to try to be consistent but I think here it’s possible to overtake. We have a long straight, good DRS, it’s not going to be very easy but we have a couple of places.

    LH: Yeah, I think he’s said it pretty good. You can overtake here.

    SV: Yeah, it’s not the easiest circuit but it’s not impossible.

    Q: (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Lewis, looking at the TV in slow motion, we saw that you touched the wall a little bit on the last lap. What happened? Did you feel something in the car or is it OK?

    LH: I did?

    Q: (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport) …touched the wall a little bit.

    LH: Yessss. That means I’m using all the road. I didn’t mean to and I didn’t feel it so it hopefully hasn’t done any damage but I honestly didn’t feel it.

    Q: (Ian Parkes – PA) Lewis, we’ve not seen too much emotion from you when you’ve got out of the car, either here today or following the victory in Italy. I’m just wondering if there’s any particular reason for that.

    LH: No, I’m pretty happy.

    Q: (Ian Parkes – PA) Really? Because you don’t seem to be.

    LH: I am.

    Q: (Ian Parkes – PA) Was it tough out there today, because obviously you’re sitting there fanning yourself with a sleeve of your overalls? Was it a really tough one for you?

    LH: It’s easy for you to sit in your shorts – if you’re wearing shorts – and T-shirt but I’ve got like three or so layers on and I’ve got this extra jacket on which doesn’t help. It’s pretty warm.

    Q: (Matt Coch – pitpass.com) To all three of you: Pastor mentioned tyre degradation. The supersofts don’t last a great length of time. The guys behind you, the Mercedes guys, didn’t set a time so they’ve got a choice of tyres. How worried are you about the start of the race and what the guys behind you are doing for when you come out of the stops?

    SV: I think that hopefully by the time we pit we have a big gap to the guys who are maybe on a different strategy. I think it’s difficult to know now how long we will be able to stay out. Obviously we have a rough idea. I think we’re all on the same tyre and the same amount of laps so we will see when the lights go off but I think it will be a difficult race for tyre degradation and I think the difficulty is that we probably don’t know what to expect so we will see tomorrow, I think.

    LH: I think this weekend there seems to be a bigger gap between all the drivers and teams so perhaps that will allow… that will mean that there are bigger gaps throughout the race. Maybe.

    PM: I think that especially at the beginning of the race we are in very similar conditions, especially with the tyres, so it’s difficult to predict what’s going to happen, because this is an unusual race, an unusual track but I think it’s going to be very tight for everyone, especially at the beginning.

    Q: (Kate Walker – Girl Racer) Another question for all three of you: we heard today that the race contract has been extended for five years and that the organisers are open to the possibility of configuration changes. Are there any changes to the layout that you guys would like to see: hairpins, faster corners, anything like that?

    SV: I think we’ve discussed it many times, every year actually, to find a better solution in turn ten which probably requires to take a little bit of land from the cricket club for those couple of days or maybe remove the pavement for three/four days. I don’t know, but if you consider the costs for this whole event, I think taking a pavement away and putting it back on shouldn’t be a big problem, but in terms of safety, yeah, I think that’s one of the worst corners we have on the calendar, because you’ve got these big kerbs, big bumps and it’s a bit tricky to find a better solution right now with the space we have, but I think that’s something we need to work on.

    LH: The same.

    PM: The same.

    file picture of Lewis Hamilton who set the pole in Singapore on 22 Sept 2012. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes photo

    Ends

  • Vettel sets pace in FP1

    Sebastian Vettel carried on where he left off in Singapore last year by claiming P1 at the end of the first free practice session at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, though he finished just five hundredths of a second ahead of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.

    The duos’ times were almost a second clear of third-placed Jenson Button with Fernando Alonso a tenth behind the second McLaren driver.

    With the circuit still drying after a heavy rain shower in the hours before the start of the first practice session the early forays of the driver were cautious affairs, mostly run on intermediate tyres. When a proper dry line finally developed it was Kamui Kobayashi who set the first real benchmark.

    The Sauber driver maintained his position at the top past the session’s midpoint but then, in the final 30 minutes, Vettel and Hamilton began trading times, a duel which eventually left them well ahead of the pack when the flag fell at 7.30pm local time.

    Behind the top four, Pastor Maldonado finished the session five hundredths off Alonso, with Mark Webber sixth and Nico Hulkenberg seventh. The top ten was completed by Paul Di Resta, Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Pérez, the Mexican finishing 1.7 seconds adrift of Vettel’s time and complaining of very poor handling.