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Sahara Force India welcomes The Auden Mckenzie group as partner
Bahrain, 3 April 2014: Sahara Force India is delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with Auden Mckenzie, a pharmaceutical group which owns three different companies operating on international scale. Auden Mckenzie will feature its branding on the VJM07 of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez, and on team clothing from this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix.A brand active both in Europe and Stateside, Auden Mckenzie joins the team with the aim of integrating with its global networks and providing added value to existing and prospective clients.Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director of Sahara Force India says: “I am very happy to welcome Auden Mckenzie to the Sahara Force India family. We look forward to laying the foundations for a strong, mutually beneficial relationship – one that further reaffirms our standing as a global brand in the world of sport. As an international company, Auden Mckenzie is perfectly placed to make the most of Formula One’s global reach and its networking opportunities, and we are in the ideal position to help them achieve their goals.”Amit Patel, Auden Mckenzie CEO:“Sport has been a powerful vehicle to promote our brand and we are delighted to begin a partnership with Sahara Force India. Formula One is a global sport and to be associated with such a motivated, up-and-coming team is a sign of the ambition and values both companies share. We are confident our partnership will be a very prosperous one and we look forward to success both on and off the track.”About Auden Mckenzie GroupThe Auden Mckenzie Group was founded by Amit Patel at the age of 24 after identifying various gaps in the UK market for the supply in specialised injectable products. In 2001, with a starting capital of £150,000, the company was launched with a small pharmaceutical manufacturing unit employing 3 people and marketing only one injectable product. Today the group consists of three companies, employing over 85 people through which the Pharmaceutical Division holds over 100 Product Licences in the UK, 20 Licenses in European countries and has recently been granted its first authorisation in the United States. Auden Mckenzie products are marketed in over 30 countries internationally and are present in all hospitals, pharmacies and wholesalers in the UK.About Sahara Force India Formula One TeamSahara Force India Formula One Team was founded in 2008 when Dr Vijay Mallya, Chairman of India’s iconic UB Group, launched the first-ever Indian Formula One team. The cars incorporate the colours of the Indian flag and the team is a sporting representation of the emerging generation of young, aspirational Indians and the growing strength of India as a nation. In 2011 a historic partnership was agreed as Sahara India Pariwar became co-owners of the Silverstone-based team. With the support of Sahara, the team is now driven by two of India’s greatest industrialists who both recognise the value of using sport as a marketing platform to build some of India’s biggest brands.eo
Hulkenberg zooms past the Sahara Force India bench at Sepang last Sunday. A Sahara Force India photo m
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Teams approach changes as they race under lights: Bahrain GP preview
Bahrain, 2 April 2014: The F1 bandwagon moves on to a race under floodlights in Bahrain, just a few days after the Malaysian Grand Prix, where Mercedes stormed to its first one-two finish since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, Formula One arrives in Bahrain for round three of the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Mercedes AMG Petronas clearly showed that it is the best outfit at the moment and if Nico Rosberg opened the tally with a near-perfect win in the Australian GP, teammate Lewis Hamilton led all but a fraction of a lap at Sepang even as Rosberg finished second for a creditable 1-2 for Mercedes. Vettel showcased the power of a Red Bull Racing team as made quick recovery after poor testing days and gained some valuable points though the other car had different problems at the Petronas Malaysian GP. Nico Hulkenberg, who led, for about half a lap, and was in fourth place for sometime, could not stop Alonso in a Ferrari, but finished a wonderful 5th, being on a two-lap strategy. Teammate Sergio Perez failed to finish the race.
And as the Bahrain International Circuit celebrates the tenth anniversary and joins, Singapore and Abu Dhabi, in staging a race which would be staged fully or partially at night and the 6pm start, it will change how the teams approach the race.
For instance, the cooler temperatures of the evening will lead to changes in balance and grip levels. Teams do, however, have some data on these conditions with the two pre-season tests held at this circuit running into the cooler early evening hours on a number of occasions. The bonus, too, is that the lower temperatures will place less stress on the cooling capabilities of the new power units, a particular issue for some in the run-up to the start of this season.
Elsewhere, the Bahrain track features a mix of slow-speed corners at the end of straights which means that the BIC is one of the most severe on brakes all season. However, while this also means that tyres take some punishment, especially in terms of longitudinal energy going into the tyres, Pirelli is bringing its medium and soft compound tyres this weekend.
This race always presents an intriguing set of challenges but this year a whole new set of variables has been thrown into the mix via the sport’s new regulations and the first F1 night-race in Bahrain’s history. Mercedes have dominated so far this season, but under the BIC floodlights anything could happen.
Hamilton bounces back in Malaysia. Can he win another World Championship. A file photo from Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team. eom
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We have the speed to score good points with both cars: Vijay Mallya
Sepang, 31 March 2014: Digesting a bit of disappointment in Sergio Perez not being able to start the race, Sahara Force India Team Principal Dr Vijay Mallya expressed great satisfaction in the way the Team is taking on World Championship contenders Mercedes, Red Bull Racing, Ferrari and McLaren.Talking to India in F1 dot com Special Correspondent at the paddock, Mallya said: “I have made a public statement long back that the team would improve every year. And I am glad we reclaimed the 6th position and we would be gunning for a 5th place this year.”Sahara Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg finished in a strong fifth place in the Malaysian Grand Prix to bring the team’s points tally to 19 points after two races. Sergio Perez failed to start the race after suffering a series of issues, which caused the car to get stuck in gear on the way to the grid.Starting with New Medium tyres Nico Hulkenberg did a late first pit stop after 16 laps and took on New Mediums again and went on to run another 18 laps before the team put on used Hard tyres for a strategy which saw the Force India driver struggle a bit in his VJM07-04 while warding off the challenge from Alonso. Hulkenberg still managed to overtake Alonso a couple of times, before better sense prevailed and he let off the Ferrari which is on fresh rubber and retained his position for a well-deserved fifth place.Appreciating the team effort after the race, he said: “Today was a super team effort and I’m very happy with fifth place. We were the only team among the frontrunners to do a two-stop race and we had good pace all afternoon. It shows that the team’s hard work over the winter is paying off and it feels great to be so competitive and fighting up at the front. We showed that we could manage the tyres well, although I felt a bit more comfortable on the medium compound tyres than on the hards, but we always had the tyre management under control. So I’m feeling happy that we can take all these positives to Bahrain and leave Malaysia with a good helping of points.”Meanwhile, Sergio Perez, who had a DNS (did not start) in his VJM07-02 said: “I’m disappointed not to have a chance to race today. We are still investigating the cause of the problem but the car kept going into neutral when I was downshifting on the way to the grid. I made it back to the garage but we could not find a solution. I need to focus on the positives because we learned a lot from the weekend so I hope we can come back stronger in Bahrain. It’s been a frustrating weekend for me but at least we are racing again in seven days and can look forward to putting the disappointment behind us.”A thrilled Mallya went on saying that Nico’s fifth place was a fantastic result for the team. “He didn’t put a wheel out of place and managed the race perfectly to complete a two-stop strategy. In the end we didn’t have the performance left in the hard tyres to hold off Alonso, but it’s encouraging to see us finish 36 seconds ahead of the sixth place McLaren.“Our early preparations for the new engines, new rules is paying off. And we have developments coming in for every race this year. We knew we would cope well in the hot conditions so it’s very satisfying to pick up ten more points; but it was a day of mixed fortunes with Checo unable to start the race. It’s important we solve the problem before Bahrain because we had the speed to score good points with both cars today. On the whole I’m feeling very positive about our performance this weekend and I’m confident we can deliver a similar showing in Bahrain.”eom/david/NilaiHulkenberg wards off Alonso, only for a brief while, at Sepang on Sunday. The Sahara Force India driver finished 5th. A Sat File photo from Sahara Force India -
Hamilton leads Mercedes’n 1-2 in 59 years; Vettel third
Sepang, 30 March
Hamilton (right) and Rosberg take 1-2 places in the Malaysian GP on Sunday as they pose with their engineer (centre). A Mercedes photo 2014: Lewis Hamilton took his first victory of 2014, with Nico Rosberg finishing second to hand Mercedes its first one-two finish since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel finished third for Red Bull Racing.
After starting from pole Hamilton dominated the race, eventually claiming his 23rd career win some 17 seconds ahead of his team-mate.
“I’m incredibly happy,” said Hamilton afterwards. “It’s my eighth year here and I finally got that win. I really just owe it all to the team. They did a fantastic job, the guys back at the factory have been pushing non-stop to get the car to where it is. To get a one-two… it’s quite special when you get a one-two. I’ve not had many in my career and so that makes it even more special. A great day.”
Hamilton, starting from pole position, comfortably held his lead away from the lights, but Vettel, who had started second, was surprised by the hard-charging Rosberg. The Red Bull Racing driver attempted to close the door by forcing Rosberg towards the track limits but the Mercedes driver to sneak past and took second.
Daniel Ricciardo also profited at the start. From fifth on the grid he first muscled past Fernando Alonso to claim fourth and then found a way by Vettel as the German tussled with Rosberg who made a mistake in turn three.
Behind them, Alonso was down to fifth and being harried by Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg, a battle that would be reversed later in the race.
It was Alonso’s Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen who was in the bigger trouble however. The Finn had a right rear puncture, caused in a coming together with Kevin Magnussen’s McLaren. Raikkonen limped back to the pits for a replacement but Magnussen, with front wing damage, stayed out and was soon stable in eighth place behind team-mate Jenson Button.
Vettel, meanwhile, was soon making his way back up the order, comfortably passing Ricciardo for third position.
At the front, though, Hamilton was carving out an impressive lead. With just nine laps on the board, the Mercedes driver had a 5.4-second advantage over team-mate Rosberg, who in turn had 3.8 seconds in hand over Vettel.
Magnussen headed to the pits at the end of the same lap for new tyres and a new nosecone but almost as soon as the Dane rejoined the race he was hit with a five-second stop/go penalty for causing the collision with Raikkonen at the start.
Kvyat was the next man into the pit lane, the Toro Rosso driver making his first stop at the end of lap 10. That triggered the first round of visits to the pit lane for new rubber. Alonso pitted on lap 11 for medium tyres and he was followed a lap later by Ricciardo and Williams’ Felipe Massa.
Ricciardo emerged into the path of Alonso and the two battled hard through the next few corners before the Red Bull Racing driver gained the upper hand. Vettel pitted from third place on lap 13, again for mediums, and came out just ahead of his team-mate, who immediately tucked in behind the champion.
At the front, Hamilton pitted at the end of lap 15 and when Nico Hulkenberg pitted on lap 16, the order had become Hamilton, followed 9.4 seconds later by Rosberg and then Vettel a further 1.9s back. Ricciardo was comfortable in fourth ahead of Alonso, with Hulkenberg sixth. Almost 10 seconds further back was Button, with Massa eighth, ahead of Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat and the second Williams of Valtteri Bottas.
Following the second round of stops, again triggered by Kvat on lap 22, Vettel closed right up on second-placed Rosberg. On lap 35 the gap between the two dropped to half a second and Vettel surely thought he’d have a chance of reclaiming second. The Mercedes driver responded, however, and within two laps he’d opened up his advantage to 1.2s.
“At some stage it looked like we were pretty evenly matched but then it was like he found another gear, he was just pulling away,” said Vettel. “In the end I was just trying to get the car home.”
Behind the pair Alonso, in fifth. was beginning to reel in Ricciardo, his deficit to the Red Bull Racing car dropping to 1.5s by lap 38. Pace wasn’t what promoted the Ferrari driver past the Australian, however.
On lap 40 Ricciardo headed to pit lane for his final stop but his crew failed to correctly attach his front left wheel. The Australian halted in the pit lane and called for the crew to bring him back. They did so, but in the confusion Ricciardo’s front wing was damaged by a jack and soon after he rejoined the race his wing broke and began to cut through his front right tyre.
He returned to the pit lane again for repairs but his woes didn’t end there. He went out again but was soon handed a 10-second stop/go penalty for an unsafe release. After serving the penalty with his fifth visit of the afternoon to the pit lane he was dropped to 16th place. He eventually retired from the race on lap 50.
Following the race the stewards also hit Ricciardo with a 10-place grid penalty at next weekend’s Bahrain GP.
His misfortune meant that Alonso jumped ahead of the Red Bull driver, but not into fourth place. That was now occupied by Hulkenberg, who was gambling on a two-stop race.
Alonso was over 10 seconds adrift of the Force India driver but with the German’s tyres degrading, Alonso swiftly began to close in and with seven laps to go the gap was halved.
Ahead, the front runners were all holding out on medium tyres in the hope that the rain that had been forecast for the end of the race would come. On lap 49 Red Bull Racing blinked and Vettel was called in for the prime hard tyres. Rosberg responded and a lap later he too pitted for the orange banded Pirelli. Race leader Hamilton followed on lap 51.
Alonso, meanwhile, was now hounding Hulkenberg for fourth place and on lap 53, the Spaniard muscled his way past out of turn two. There was a big battle taking place for seventh place between Williams team-mates Massa and Bottas,
The Brazilian was told that the Finn was faster and should be let through but Massa chose not to heed the request and battled hard to keep hold of his six points.
At the front though the Mercedes drivers were cruising. Hamilton was setting fastest laps, 15 seconds ahead of Rosberg, while the German was a comfortable 10 seconds ahead of Vettel and it was in that order that the trio took the flag.
Alonso duly claimed fourth, agead of Hulkenberg, with Jenson Button sixth for McLaren. With Massa finishing ahead of Bottas, the final two points-scoring places were claimed by Magnussen and Kvyat.
2014 Malaysian Grand Prix – Race result
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 56 1:40:25.974 25
2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 56 +17.3 secs 18
3 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 56 +24.5 secs 15
4 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 56 +35.9 secs 12
5 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 56 +47.1 secs 10
6 Jenson Button McLaren 56 +83.6 secs 8
7 Felipe Massa Williams 56 +85.0 secs 6
8 Valtteri Bottas Williams 56 +85.5 secs 4
9 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 55 +1 Lap 2
10 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 55 +1 Lap 1
11 Romain Grosjean Lotus 55 +1 Lap
12 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 55 +1 Lap
13 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 55 +1 Lap
14 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 54 +2 Lap
15 Max Chilton Marussia 54 +2 Lap
Ret Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 49 +7 Lap
Ret Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 35 +21 Laps
Ret Adrian Sutil Sauber 32 +24 Laps
Ret Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso18 +38 Laps
Ret Jules Bianchi Marussia 8 +48 Laps
Ret Pastor Maldonado Lotus 7 +49 Laps
DNS Sergio Perez Force India 0 +56 Lapseom
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It’s an incredible win; I dedicate it to the families affected by the tragedy: Hamilton
DRIVERS
1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
2 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)
3 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)
PODIUM INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Benedict Cumberbatch)
Well Lewis, congratulations, your first win this year and you got the hat trick – pole position, the best lap time, on lap 54 I think, and now you’re here. How does it feel?
Lewis HAMILTON: Incredible, incredible. After such a difficult weekend and such a long winter. We have a great crowd here today. For Petronas, who worked so hard with Mercedes to give us this win, I just feel so grateful, particularly after such a tragedy three weeks ago. I’d really like to dedicate this to those people and their families.
Mercedes AMG Petronas team after their second consecutive win of the season in Sepang on Sunday. A Mercedes AMG Petronas team photo Quite right. Tell us a bit about what it’s like to drive in Malaysia. You’re covered in Champagne now rather than sweat but as one wily commentator pointed out to me on the grid earlier it’s incredibly hot here. It’s in the mid-50s in terms of humidity and we hit 35 degrees Celsius on the track. What do you have to consider when you’re driving?
LH: Yeah, you’re sweating even before you get in the car. It’s trying to keep you body as cool as possible and then just keep you focus. Fortunately, the team were just spot on with all the pit stops and the calling, the timing. Also the info I was getting was just spot on.
It seems much clearer these days. You can hear the radio a bit more. Is that to do with the cars being a little bit quieter?
LH: It is. The cars are quieter. The most noise is the wind, the buffeting. Otherwise, what a great car, what a great job from everyone.
You did a fantastic job, congratulations once again. Now, Nico, congratulations to you too, well done, sir. That was a fantastically exciting moment just there [at the start]. Did you feel Sebastian on your shoulder? Because you took such a hard line on the right, you were like less than a foot away from the side.
Nico ROSBERG: Thanks to my engineer we worked together well and we got a great start and that allowed me to go into second place. It was a bit ‘iffy’, Turn Three I got a bit sideways, saw plenty of action there but it worked out well and from then on I was trying to chase Lewis but he was a bit too quick today.
Well, you did fantastically well, it was a superb run.
NR: Just one more thing. Malaysia you can be proud because your company Petronas has taken us to the front of F1, so you can be really proud of that. Petronas has given us the best oil and fuel in F1, it’s brilliant.
Sebastian, congratulations, your first time on the podium this year. You won here last year in the rain and that was an interesting race to say the least. How did it work this time being in the dry and the heat rather than the wet?
Sebastian VETTEL: It was dry last year as well.
It was dry; there you go.
SV: It was a really good race. The start was not very good. I was quite surprised when I saw Nico on my right.
Tell us about that.
SV: I don’t know. I though I had a good start but then I focused on getting in the tow of Lewis to maybe attack him going into the first corner. Then Nico was there on the right and it was quite tight. Daniel was coming as well as I was trying to get past Nico. So I lost a place but fortunately I got it back and then later on I was trying to get as close as I could to Nico. At some stage it looked like we are pretty similar, pretty evenly matched but then it’s like he found another gear, he was pulling away. In the end I was just trying to get the car home. Obviously Daniel didn’t make it for a couple of reasons. All in all it’s good to get another podium after Daniel has been on the podium in Australia. But we still have a long way [to go] these guys are bloody quick, congratulations to them, they did a good but we are trying to catch-up.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Lewis, congratulations, the 23rd win of your career. The first 1-2 for Mercedes of the modern era, your first win in Malaysia. You weren’t wanting to celebrate yesterday after that pole but I guess you will allow yourself a celebration tonight.
LH: Yeah. Definitely. Incredibly happy. My first time. It’s my eighth year here and finally got that win. I really just owe it all to the team. Did a fantastic job, the guys back at the factory pushing non-stop to get the car to where it is, and of course to do it on Petronas… on our home ground… almost, to get a one-two, I mean it’s quite special when you get a one-two. I’ve not had many in my career and so that makes it even more special. I’m really grateful for all the work that’s done and… yeah, great day.
Q: Nico, I guess you’re looking on your mobile there at the points position because you’re not only leading the World Championship but you’ve extended your lead today in the World Championship. But to take you back to earlier in the race, you seemed to have a few problems with the rear tyres, we were hearing over the radio, maybe you could tell us a bit about that – and also maybe a bit about the start as well.…
NR: First of all the start, I had a really good start, so I was happy about that because it’s not so easy this year. The rear tyres are harder and we have more torque. So it’s very difficult to get it right – but it felt great and got away well and then Sebastian, I thought he was going to put me right into the wall, but he stopped just before – so thank you for that!
SV: I had a similar experience last year…
NR: …that doesn’t make it right to do it again! My heartbeat skipped a beat a little bit but I kept right on it, it was OK anyway, it wasn’t that bad. Then I had a bit of a moment in Turn Three, a bit of a tail, tank-slapper and that allowed them all to get another run on me, but it all worked out. And then I was just trying to chase Lewis but he was a bit too quick today. It was a bit difficult out there because the track was really poor, it seemed, sliding so much, and just struggling with the rear tyres especially. That made it a bit difficult out there.
Q: Sebastian, coming to you, you said over the radio at the end there that you’re pretty pleased, that you’ve got some work to do still but you were on the whole pleased with the outcome – but you were 24.5s behind Lewis at the finish, and that’s a pretty big number still, isn’t it?
SV: Yes, it is – but I don’t think that’s… probably Lewis could have gone faster, I think we could have gone faster at the end of the race but our priority at the end was to make sure we secure the podium. So, I think probably to see the reality, I don’t know where the gaps were, probably 10, 15 laps to the end but no doubt, congratulations to them, they did a very good job, they looked nearly seamless already in winter testing, they are bloody quick, the package they have is very, very strong, we know that but I think, y’know, for us there’s mostly positives that remain. After Australia, Daniel did a fantastic job here again. I think the car was very competitive, it’s a completely different track, different conditions but yeah, we are there and that’s the most important… I think it’s much better than what we expected at some stage during the winter. We know that there’s a lot we can do better – because it doesn’t feel great when we are out there racing. Just if you go out on track and listen and look at how the cars behave, on power I think there’s a big difference, so yeah, we know that. I think it’s a question of time, how soon we manage to catch up. And then we try to give them a harder time.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Lewis, was there any difficulty during the race for you or was it an easy trip?
LH: I don’t think any race is ever easy. Obviously there are opportunities that are presented in front of you and obviously you have to take them with both hands and today that’s what I did but no, looking after the car, looking after fuel, not making any mistakes, it was a massive challenge in that sense. The time… I would hear that Nico had stepped up the speed, reacting to those things without damaging your tyres, so without doubt it was still a great challenge, but one that I was able to do well because the car was spectacular this weekend, so really really happy with just a great performance by the team.
Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) For the three of you, do you think that the three contenders for the title are sitting up there today?
LH: I would like to think that us, as Mercedes, are the title… at least, at the moment, but there’s such a long way to go. We’ve got a lot of competition out there so I’m sure everyone’s going to be pushing and so we need to stay on it.
Q: And the championship leader?
NR: That sounds very good already as it is but there’s a long way to go. I’m not thinking about that at the moment, I’m really just taking it race by race, just enjoying the moment, making the most of it, keeping on it, keeping to push. The best example is now Red Bull. The last day of testing was four weeks ago or something or three weeks ago and they were absolutely nowhere and now he (Vettel) was right in the back of me, pushing me. OK, I had some pace in hand so I could beat him in the end clearly but still, the way they’ve ramped up their pace, very impressive, so we need to keep on it to keep our advantage.
SV: Well, I think Fernando is missing, Daniel, Kimi and probably one other guy that we don’t know yet. Still early days, but that’s what I would say.
Q: (Kate Walker – Crash.net) For all three of you: we’ve heard an awful lot about some extreme measures that drivers have taken to stay below weight this season with the car. Now Malaysia is always a punishing race because of the heat. Was it more difficult this year, especially as we had no rain, just the physical challenge?
LH: It’s always a great challenge here and today wasn’t as hot as it has been in the past, i would say. Generally, this year, with a lot less downforce, it’s a lot less physical – still really physical but it’s not as much as years and years ago when we had so much downforce and particularly last year when we had a lot of downforce, but it’s still a serious workout. Fortunately I’m just grateful my drink machine worked, even though it’s like drinking hot tea, it did the job. I think the team has done a great job in terms of weight this year. We know we’re not having to cut things off to get to the weight.
NR: Yeah, it’s not nice that everything weight-wise is on the edge but that’s the way it is. It’s always a compromise between being light but still being able to perform at the highest of my abilities and I found my compromise and so I felt absolutely fine today. But of course, it is tough out there always. Malaysia is very very hot.
SV: It’s always hot, it’s not a walk in the park but I think we’re going slower, tyres are harder, cars are slower, less downforce as Lewis touched on, so it’s probably a little less hard than it was. The fact that we all try to save weight for this year… next year the weight goes up anyway which is good for the heavy drivers but for this year it’s a pain for them. Doesn’t help, because you’re a bit more on the edge but this is probably one of the worst races. I think the most difficult one is probably Singapore later this year.
Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Sebastian, Red Bull made big progress between Bahrain and Melbourne, again progress between Melbourne and here. Are you happy with the speed of development, is that the speed you need in order to catch the Mercedes, let’s say, when the European season starts?
SV: Yeah, we need to make big steps because they are quite far ahead but I’m quite happy with the steps we’re currently making. It’s the first race distance I’ve done this year, since Brazil, it’s the first race distance I’ve done so that’s a big step. Obviously, at some stage during testing, we didn’t expect to finish the first couple of races so well done to all the guys in the team on the reliability front. It’s not a big secret, we know there’s still a lot to do. In terms of driveability we’re not yet there where we want to be. In terms of power, it’s not a big secret without giving a hammering but the guys at Viry are flat out to work on that front. Renault is pushing very very hard but at this stage we have to summarise and say that Mercedes did a better job, they’re quicker than us so we know that there’s a lot of things we have to do better but it’s still a bloody good result today, finishing on the podium, right behind them. That’s what we need to do, as long as we can, up to the point where we’re even and we can challenge them and give them a harder time.
Q: (Ajit Devadason – Sify.com) Lewis, this is to do with your helmet design: the words that you have chosen for this season on the back of your helmet, Still I Rise, are you thrilled that it’s working your way and it’s matching belief?
LH: It’s what I have tattooed on my back so I just added it to the helmet design and I think the metaphor is just that regardless of what difficulties you go through, you still rise above it. That’s really something my Dad has always enforced in me. We’ve had so many ups and downs throughout our lives and our careers, as everyone has, but he would always ‘say just rise above it’ and do your talking on track. I had a difficult time in the last race and that’s what I did today, so I feel quite good about it.
eom
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Nico Hulkenberg in seventh heaven: Malaysian GP Qualies
Sepang, 29 March 2014: It was a wet Saturday afternoon in Sepang this year and Sahara Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg qualified in seventh place repeating his Australian performance while teammate Sergio Perez will start P14.The Qualifying sessions were delayed for over 45 minutes and all the drivers had to manage in conditions that left visibility very poor with water and spray making driving tricky with the new engines.
German Hulkenberg, rejoined the Indian outfit, after a year’s sojourn with Sauber team. Sauber, with its team principal in Indian-born Monisha Kaltenborn, are close competitors for Sahara Force India, which pushed them to 7th place last year to regain its sixth place. The change of tyre compounds midway through the last season after the Webber tyre flew and hit a cameraman, had ruined the chances of the Indian team, which would otherwise may have achieved much better results. Many also feel, the Pirelli’s safety-first strategy was one of the crucial reasons for Red Bull winning their fourth title. Vettel, who struggled in the initial races, became a dominating force in the later half of the season.
This year, Force India, vows to do better than last year. “I made a public statement that we would improve year and we have been doing that. We reclaimed our 6th place and dry or wet, I want both our cars to finish in top ten,’’ said Vijay Mallya, Team Principal.
Hulkenberg clocked 2:01.712 for P-7 on Saturday. “It was pretty challenging with the weather conditions today. There was so much rain, standing water and spray. Visibility was an issue and it was hard to see your braking points. It’s tricky to drive these engines with lots of torque in these conditions and you need to be really smooth with the throttle out of the slow corners, but I enjoyed the challenge. We’re in P7 and in the top ten on the grid for the second time in a row, which is a result we can be satisfied with. I think we have shown all weekend that we have the speed to be top-ten material whether it’s wet or dry and I hope to score a good helping of points tomorrow,” commented Hulkenberg.
Meanwhile, Sergio Perez, popularly called Checko could not make it to the final qualifying session after clocking 2:02.511 in Q2. “The conditions out there were very difficult and they kept changing with every lap, especially during Q2. I had a better feeling on the intermediate tyres and when I changed to the full wets I struggled to keep the temperature in them, which made it hard to put together a good lap. Tomorrow we will need to try and recover from P14, but we have to see what the weather will do. I also need to solve the rear locking which is affecting me under braking in the wet conditions. I’m still confident we can have a good race and I will keep fighting to score as many points as possible,” he said.
Team’s Managing Director Vijay Mallya added: “Another very wet qualifying session in Sepang presented us with challenging conditions today. Nico looked comfortable in the wet and matched his starting position from Melbourne with seventh place. He has been in the top ten in all the sessions this weekend and should be in good shape for tomorrow. Sergio struggled more in the wet and didn’t have confidence on the wet tyres. We will try and solve those issues tonight because there’s a good chance of more rain tomorrow.’’
Talking to India in F1, he commented as a parting shot: “Whether it’s wet or dry I’d like to see both Sahara Force India cars well inside the top ten.”
However, Nico was realistic when he spoke of the problems a day earlier: “I think we can be satisfied with what we learned on Friday. We worked through the programme and there were no big issues on my side. Of course, the hot weather here means conditions are tough and we found that tyre management during the long run was quite challenging.
“It’s even more difficult this year because there is more wheelspin with these engines and the rear degradation is quite high. We collected the usual data for the tyres and the set-up, and I think there is still room for improvement. I need some more grip and we need to tweak the balance before final practice,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Chief Operating Officer Otmar Szafnauer, sounded optimistic: “Apart from some lost track time for Sergio on Friday, which resulted from a fuel system issue, our preparation for the Malaysian Grand Prix has gone largely to plan. We are happy with P-7 and will try to finish both cars in points for the Sunday.
“We met our mileage target for the tyres and signed off the cooling solutions we have in place for this weekend. The long run performance looks competitive, although coping with the high tyre degradation will be critical on Sunday afternoon,” he added. But rain may bring along its own problems.
The mood in the Indian camp, both inside the garage and the among the team personnel, looks very bright. A good Sunday at Sepang is in the offing for the Force!
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A fantastic experience, the jump is tremendous: Ogier
29 March 2014 (Portugal):Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), in a Volkswagen Polo R WRC winning the Fafe Sprint in Portugal. A Volkswagen Motorsport photo Right at the front with the Portuguese flag at the rear: The current WRC champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia secured victory at the legendary “Fafe Rally Sprint” at their debut attempt.
The Volkswagen pair put on a spectacular show in their Polo R WRC for more than 100,000 enthusiastic spectators. On the 6.34-kilometre stage in Northern Portugal, the French rally ace set the best time of the day with 3:40.5 minutes, just ahead of Ott Tänak (3:40.5 minutes, Ford) and third-placed Dani Sordo (3:42.2 minutes, Hyundai).
Traditionally the Portuguese fans set up camp with bonfires and tents along the route days before the event to make sure they have the best viewing spots. A particularly popular spot on the famous Lameirinha Special Stage: the extremely demanding flying leap just before the finish.
“It was an absolutely fantastic experience,” said the Sébastien Ogier afterwards with visible enthusiasm. “The Portuguese fans really are some of the best in the world. We wanted to thank them in our own small way, which is why we were driving with the national flag at the rear today. In some places you can hardly see the countryside for the crowds of people, it’s incredible. On top of that, the stage is really demanding and the jump is tremendous. Such an event is definitely a bonus for rallying. There’s no way we are going to miss out next year.”
On Sunday the world champions are taking some time out to take in the sights during a brief stop in Lisbon before visiting Volkswagen factory “Autoeuropa” on Monday. From here they travel to Faro, where they will join the other two Volkswagen crews Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila and Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula to start at the Rally Portugal from the 3rd to 6th April.
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Hamilton takes 2nd consecutive pole ahead of Vettel, Rosberg
Mercedes driver take second conHamilton on Friday at Sepang. Photo by Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team secutive pole position ahead of Vettel and Rosberg.
SAT 29.03.14, 12:12PMSepang, 29 March 2014:Lewis Hamilton edged a resurgent Sebastian Vettel to claim pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver taking his second pole in a row by just five hundredths of a second in a session defined by the wet conditions.
Nico Rosberg finished third in the second Mercedes. The German seemed to struggle on full wet tyres in the difficult conditions in Q3 but delivered a lap of 2:00.050, which was good enough to push Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso out to fourth.
“I’m really happy, firstly with the job the team has done and just generally how well we have done throughout the weekend,” said Hamilton after claiming his 33rd career pole with a lap of 1:59.431.
“Today was just incredible, with how much it rained before qualifying and then during the session it was very, very tricky out there for everyone,” he added. Particularly at the end it was almost impossible to see anything. During my last lap I just couldn’t see a thing behind [Nico] Hulkenberg. I couldn’t see where the track went, didn’t know where the corners were, when to brake. These guys [Vettel and Red Bull Racing] are definitely a little bit too close, so happy to be here.”
The hour-long session was delayed by 50-minutes due to torrential rain before the 4pm local start and when Q1 eventually got underway on a damp track, most teams opted for the intermediate tyre.
With more on its way a number of teams called for ‘banker’ laps from their drivers but five minutes into the 18-minute session that looked like being problematic for world champion Sebastian Vettel, who was called back to the garage to investigate a problem with the RB10’s energy store.
“The heartbeat was definitely rising very quickly when we realised there was an issue,” said Vettel afterwards. “But we restarted the car, which seemed to solve the problem. After that it was fine, so it was good to go out and get another feel for the car, in the wet, with the conditions.”
It was left to Rosberg to top the session with a time of 1:57.183, two hundredths ahead of Hamilton. Vettel finished four tenths down on the Mercedes.
The opening segment was red-flagged with just 35 seconds remaining when Caterham’s Marcus Ericsson spun off into the barriers and slid back on track, almost into the path of Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez.
The result was that out went 17th-placed Maldonado, Force India’s Adrian Sutil, the Marussias of Jules Bianchi (P19) and Max Chilton (P21) and the Caterham’s of Kamui Kobayashi and Ericsson, who finished 20th and 22nd respectively.
The red flag reappeared within minutes of the start of Q2, Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat sliding into the side of Alonso’s Ferrari.
The clash left the Spaniard’s F14 T with damage to the front left suspension but a lightning-quick fix by the Ferrari crew saw the Spaniard back on track just two minutes after the restart and Alonso was soon up to sixth with his first flying lap, behind leader Hamilton, Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Rosberg and Nico Hulkenberg.
Further back, a clutch of drivers went into the final two minutes with a good chance of claiming a top 10 spot, Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniil Kvyat and Williams’ Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa looking well placed to make the move.
In the end it was only Vergne who claimed a place in the top-10 shootout, the Frenchman posting a lap of 2:02.096, which was good enough to claim 10th place, ahead to Kvyat, who was bumped to 11th. The Russian was also to be investigated after qualifying for his part in the early accident with Alonso. The matter was later ruled as requiring no further action.
At the top of the Q2 list were Hamilton and Vettel, the Mercedes man lapping in 1:59.041, over three tenths quicker than the Red Bull man. Rosberg was third, ahead of Ricciardo, who had earlier been blocked by Bottas,. The Finn was later given a three-place grid penalty for the offence.
That left the top 10 shootout. With Alonso an impressive fourth at the end, fifth spot went to Ricciardo. Behind him Kimi Raikonen took sixth in the second Ferrari, ahead of and Nico Hulkenberg, also in impressive form for Force India. Kevin Magnussen was eighth for McLaren, ahead of Vergne and the final top-10 place was taken by Jenson Button in the second McLaren.
2014 Malaysian Grand Prix – Qualifying Times
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:59.431 22
2 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:59.486 20
3 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 2:00.050 23
4 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 2:00.175 22
5 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 2:00.541 20
6 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 2:01.218 21
7 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 2:01.712 23
8 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 2:02.213 20
9 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 2:03.078 23
10 Jenson Button McLaren 2:04.053 2211 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 2:02.351 16
12 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 2:02.369 16
13 Felipe Massa Williams 2:02.460 16
14 Sergio Perez Force India 2:02.511 15
15 Valtteri Bottas Williams 2:02.756 17
16 Romain Grosjean Lotus 2:02.885 1717 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 2:02.074 8
18 Adrian Sutil Sauber 2:02.131 7
19 Jules Bianchi Marussia 2:02.702 8
20 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 2:03.595 8
21 Max Chilton Marussia 2:04.388 8
22 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 2:04.407 7
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Young journalists asking tough questions and opening up FIA press conferences
Sepang, 29 March 2014:
Hamilton after taking pole in KL. A photo by Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team photo An engineer, a pretty young thing, is in the Press Box, and she is asking questions that make sense. This should make our veteran journalist, Joe Saward, happy. He is the is the one who has the kanck to identify a story from a plant, and many a journalist fall prey to the like of a Thatha. In India, in amny an Indian language, Thatha is an old man with all his tricks up his sleeve
So it feels good to have journalists around, who know their stuff. Once my editior told me dont feell shy to have a drink and get pampered, but when you write leave that stuff behind and criticise that same guy, if he so deserves. Once you start writing, only truth matters and what you beleie in.
I got eleven transfers and saw the whole of India, while working with the Newspaper for 18 years. My Editor is no more. He is a great soul. He is Rajan Bala. And I make sense what Joe says and feel good to have some young crop around who know their job.
For the record, the transcript of the Press conference is reproduced here courtesy FIA: (More later on the subject…)
DRIVERS
1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
2 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)
3 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)
TV UNILATERAL
Lewis, it was pretty close at the end. Obviously a very tough day in terms of the conditions and stoppages, how great is the joy at the moment?
Lewis HAMILTON: A bit all over the place at the moment. I’m really happy, firstly with the job the team has done and just generally how well we have done throughout the weekend. But today was just incredible, how much, firstly, it rained before qualifying and then during the session it was very, very tricky out there I think for everyone. Particularly at the end it was almost impossible to see anything. During my last lap I just couldn’t see a thing behind Hulkenberg. I couldn’t see where the track went, didn’t know where the corners were, when to brake. To start the lap I couldn’t see where Fernando was behind me, so it was impossible to try to get a gap, so I had to bail out. But fortunately… very close. These guys [Vettel and Red Bull Racing] are definitely a little bit too close, so happy to be here.
I make it five one hundredths of a second between you at the end there. Sebastian, you had to recover from an early setback, with a reset that you had to have on your car. What was that all about and how do you feel about where you ended up as a result?
Sebastian VETTEL: Well, obviously, yeah, the beginning of Q1, the heartbeat was definitely rising very quickly when we realised there was an issue, restarted the car, which seemed to solve the problem. After that it was fine, so it was good to go out and get another feel for the car, in the wet, with the conditions. As Lewis touched on it was very tricky. Q3 was not perfect; I would have loved to have a second go. My first attempt, I felt there was a little bit of time to gain here and there, so obviously very, very close; too close because definitely the margin was possible to go that much faster but equally I think if Lewis had another chance he would have improved as well. Would, could, should – at the end of the day it’s good to be on the front row. If I’m not wrong I should be on the good side [of the grid] tomorrow. It depends on how good the start is but for sure very happy with the result.
It looked as though you were perhaps faster than your team-mate on the intermediates, but then slower when it went to the full wet conditions but again a very close fight between you.
Nico ROSBERG: Yeah, it was, except for right at the end unfortunately. I was a little bit less comfortable on the full wets, especially in braking, so I’ll have to look into that. But other than that, it’s still a decent place to be, third place. The race is going to be long tomorrow; who knows what the weather is going to do and everything. So that’s OK, just looking forward to tomorrow now, to try to make the most of it again.
Well done. Coming back to you Lewis. Your second consecutive pole but I guess after what happened to you in Australia your focus is 100 per cent on getting some points on the board tomorrow?
LH: Definitely, definitely, for myself and for the team the priority is to try to bag as many points, collectively, me and Nico. I think we have a great opportunity, we’ve got a great car and the team’s just performing fantastically right now, so fingers crossed we both see our way through to the finish line.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Can I bring you back to the question I asked Nico about the difference between you on the intermediates early on in the qualifying and then the full wets later on? What’s your side of the story, in terms of how you saw that?
LH: Not much really. Wasn’t really able to drag the most out of the Inters and when I got to the Extremes it was much easier extract it. I saw where I was losing time and it was very easy to correct it. Obviously my lap at the end, what I qualified on, was obviously not my optimum, not my best lap, it was the first lap so at the end I kind of just messed it up for myself, I was in an awkward position, I wasn’t able to go get another lap but naturally I think with the fresh tyres there was more grip, so I should have been able to eke out a little bit more time.
Q: Sebastian, how do you see the state of play now? Obviously we’re a grand prix-and-a-half under our belts in this season, we’ve had some dry running, some wet running – how do you see the state of play between yourselves, Mercedes, possibly Ferrari as well up front?
SV: Well, to be honest I think Mercedes as a team has the best package. They’ve done a very good job across the break. Obviously with new rules there was a lot of work, so I think they’re the favourites at the moment, no matter, I think, where we go. As a fact, after that I think it’s fairly close between the other Mercedes-powered teams and probably Ferrari and us. I think we’re similar, depending on the day, conditions etc., but difficult to judge. As you said, it’s only one-and-a-half races in. But I’m very happy, to be honest, because we had a bad winter, but the team is fired up, the guys are pushing still flat out. I cannot even imagine how they must feel. It was very tough, we didn’t run a lot, so for us drivers it wasn’t very tough but they surely had a lot of jobs to do on the car: cover off, engine off, change the engine, change this, change that. A lot of work, but they are very happy and it seemed to pay off, bit by bit. Obviously we still have a way to go but… yeah, that’s how I see it.
Nico, of the three drivers up there, obviously you’re the only one who’s completed a competitive race distance in a grand prix – can you talk a little bit about the strategy, not just the tyres but also the deployment of these new energy recovery systems. How big an impact can conserving, discharging etc., how big an impact that can have on the racing.
NR: It’s not as much as I would have thought initially because on a track like here, there’s not that much you can do. It’s so easy to… you boost a little bit more on the straight and you discharge a little bit more back there and it’s all done. It’s not like you can push someone into having no battery charge left and then easily overtake him – that’s not the case. I thought it was going to go a bit more in that direction but actually it’s much more simple than expected. Still, of course, a little bit can be done…
QUESTONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Sebastian, do you think that with the rain you can beat the Mercedes or are they still too quick for the Red Bulls?
SV: I think we always have a chance to beat everyone, that’s why we’re here. Obviously, as I said, in terms of a package, I think they have the most competitive package. Lewis isn’t digging around, equally, Nico is doing a very good job. It’s difficult to beat them on the day but it’s not impossible. It would be quite sad to wake up in the morning thinking that you can only finish second or fifth or eighth. We’re here to win. We know that in the rain everything is possible, it’s more likely for us to make a mistake, maybe the performance of the car is not that important compared to the dry, to raw dry conditions. We will see what happens tomorrow. If the race is at the same time, I think there is no rain or not so much rain forecast but there’s always a chance around here. We will see but I think yesterday was good, today was very good so it should be a good race. I’m keen to find out where we are, where I stand. Obviously I haven’t done a race since Brazil last year so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.
Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Question to Sebastian and Nico: at the end of Q3 you were almost coming together, I think. Sebastian, you weren’t able to do another lap, what happened there?
SV: Nico couldn’t see much in his mirrors, I guess. Obviously I was on a flying lap and Nico was preparing his hot lap, if that’s correct, and not much happened. Obviously I was pissed off at the time because… sorry, I was angry at that time, at that moment because I turned into turn 12 not knowing where to turn in because I couldn’t see anything. The lap was lost but equally I think there was another car in front of Nico…
NR: I don’t think that was me.
SV: No, so then it was Lewis. I think it was a Mercedes.
NR: I don’t think it was me. I never had anybody behind me.
SV: Anyways, I ran into traffic, not really, there were two seconds or three seconds gap but enough so that the next corner was completely blind. That’s it.
Q: (Yassmin Abdel-Magied – RichardsF1.com) Lewis, you’re now the best English qualifier and equal best British, how does this make you feel and were you surprised by how close Red Bull and Mercedes were in terms of times?
LH: Yeah, definitely. The thing is in qualifying so much is going on so sometimes you forget… you don’t forget but you’re caught in situations and you wish you had another lap. For sure, I don’t fully understand exactly why everyone closes up, particularly Red Bulls get a little bit closer to us when it is wet. That’s something we have to work on but naturally I think, they’re always quick in the wet. [Hey guys, I can’t even hear myself talk.]
SV: We’re still figuring out who it was…
LH: But very very proud to be representing the UK and to be amongst the names like Nigel Mansell and James Hunt, James Clark, sorry, Jim Clark, is really really a real honour to be there.
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eom/Transcript from FIA
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Nico Rosberg tops the time sheets for FP3
Mercedes continued to dominate at the Malaysian Grand Prix, with Nico Rosberg heading team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the top of the final practice session timesheet. The pair finished a second clear or more ahead of third-placed Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari.
Hamilton had been fastest in the session’s opening phase on the hard compound Pirelli tyres, with a lap of 1:40.552. However, when the field made the switch to the quicker medium tyre, Rosberg jumped ahead, delivering a lap of 1: 39.008s. Hamilton finished second with a time of 1:39.240.
Raikkonen’s lap of 1:40.156 was good enough for third, with Sebastian Vettel, who did not run until midway through the session, posting a medium tyre lap of 1:40.387. That was three tenths of a second quicker than team-mate Daniel Ricciardo who finished sixth, behind Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg.
Seventh-quickest was Fernando Alonso, the Ferrari driver logging a best time of 1:40.736 ahead of former team-mate Felipe Massa who posted a lap of 1:40.781 for Williams. The top 10 was rounded by Valtteri Bottas in the second Williams and Sergio Perez in the second Force India.
After Lotus’ woes of yesterday, both Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado ran throughout the session, with the Frenchman ending the session in 15th place and the Venezuelan slotting into 16th position.
Instead, it was McLaren’s turn to encounter problems. Kevin Magnussen reported a loss of engine power early in the session, with the result that he recorded just five untimed laps during the session. Jenson Button, too, spent most of the session in the garage and finished just four laps during the hour-long session.
2014 Malaysian Grand Prix – Free Practice 3 Result
1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:39.008 13
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:39.240 0.232 13
3 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:40.156 1.148 13
4 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:40.387 1.379 14
5 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:40.523 1.515 15
6 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:40.686 1.678 14
7 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:40.736 1.728 14
8 Felipe Massa Williams 1:40.781 1.773 20
9 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:40.891 1.883 20
10 Sergio Perez Force India 1:41.029 2.021 15
11 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:41.182 2.174 18
12 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:41.441 2.433 18
13 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:41.552 2.544 15
14 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:42.041 3.033 17
15 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:42.749 3.741 16
16 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:43.539 4.531 20
17 Max Chilton Marussia 1:43.977 4.969 16
18 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:44.170 5.162 18
19 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:44.457 5.449 12
20 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1:46.015 7.007 7
21 Jenson Button McLaren 2:05.555 26.547 4
22 Kevin Magnussen McLaren No time 5eom
