Your basket is currently empty!
Tag: F1
-
Perez contract with Force India for 2017 doubtful…
DRIVERS – Marcus ERICSSON (Sauber), Felipe MASSA (Williams), Sergio PÉREZ (Force India), Carlos SAINZ (Toro Rosso), Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing), Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Marcus, first of all, how are you? Any lasting effects from your crash at Silverstone?
Marcus ERICSSON: I’m good thanks! It was a big hit, I was a bit sore the next couple of days but I went down to Italy, to Formula Medicine got some treatment there. After that I felt really good and this week has been perfect. I’m ready for a good race.
Q: Can you give us any insight into the treatment you received down there?
ME: Everything was fine with my body but obviously after a crash like that you are a bit sore in the neck and back and things like that. Got a bit of treatment on that but now it feels really good.
Q: It’s been announced that Sauber is now under new ownership following a takeover by Longbow Finance. Can you tell us about the mood in the team since that announcement was made and how it will impact on your future?
ME: I think it’s great news for the team. It’s no secret it’s been a difficult year for us in Sauber, financially mainly. We haven’t been able to update the car the way we wanted and been fighting in the back. I think for the team it’s been very, very important that this happened and it’s great news. What it means for the future, I don’t know, we have to wait and see. But for sure it’s very, very good news for everyone in Sauber.
Q: Felipe, if we could come onto you, Silverstone was a disappointing race for Williams. Were the problems there track-specific – and were you expecting more?
Felipe MASSA: For sure it was a very disappointing race, Silverstone and also Austria, so we are definitely trying to understand everything that didn’t work in a proper way in the car. We really hope we’re not suffering these problems any more. I really hope we get back to the points and be as competitive as believe so. This is not really the perfect track where we believe we can be very competitive, but anyway – we’re working so hard to make the car in the way we believe it needs to be – and we really hope it can be better from now on.
Q: What conclusions have you reached – because Williams have been very strong at Silverstone and in Austria the last few years?
FM: Yes, for sure we’re trying to develop the car. This year we’ve had many new parts in the last races and we just need to try and understand what is the right configuration to use. We will test a lot of different things tomorrow as well and hopefully we understand already the conclusion, how to use the right parts and make the car as competitive as we believe we can be.
Q: The drivers’ silly season is now in full swing. How confident are you about your plans for 2017?
FM: Well, I am confident, definitely. I think everyone knows what I am able to do, what I am able to achieve. Drive, experience inside the team, or other teams. So I’m really looking for things to go in the right direction – but not in a big worry. Just trying to do my job race by race and we’ll see what’s going to happen.
Q: What is Plan A? Is it to stay at Williams?
FM: Well the Plan A is to stay in a top team, in a good team, like Williams or maybe like another team. So we just need to… I think the time will give the right answer. As I said, I’m not really worried, trying to do my job in the best way every race and that’s the only thing I’m looking for.
Q: And just a quick nod to the Rio Olympics. Do you have plans to attend that during the summer break – and if you are, what are you going to watch?
FM: Well, I like so many different things: football, basketball, so many incredible things to watch. I didn’t plan anything for the moment but I will be there, I will be in Brazil and I really hope that I can have opportunities to watch something, which will be really nice.
Q: Sergio, Felipe was just giving his thoughts on 2017, can we talk about your contract. Vijay Mallya says you’re signed to Force India for next year yet you’ve said in the press you’re going to decide what you’re going to do during the summer break. What’s the story?
Sergio PÉREZ: Well, obviously as you know, I’m a very lucky driver to have many sponsors behind me. So I’m not alone. I don’t decide my future on my own. I need to obviously speak to my group of sponsors to see what’s the best for our future and then we will decide. I think we have some time during the summer break – that’s why I say that – and then we decide what’s the best for my career.
Q: So, just to clarify, you’re not yet under contract with Force India for next year?
SP: Well, what Vijay says is correct you know? But as I say, I depend a lot on my sponsors as well to decide together what to do.
Q: It was a double points finish for the team at Silverstone last time out. Do you feel this car is good enough to challenge Williams going forward?
SP: I think obviously Silverstone was a very different race to normal races. It will be very interesting to see how the next races go. This one is a very good test for us, to see how close we are to them. I generally think we’re getting closer and closer, certainly if you look at the points difference from five races ago, then we have closed the gap massively. I think it is going to be a very tough challenge but I’m sure we can give them a strong challenge to try and beat them. That will be a fantastic result for our team, to finish fourth in the Constructors’.
Q: Carlos, moving on to you , first time you’ve been in this press conference since your contract was renewed at Toro Rosso, so congratulations for that. How do you feel you’re going to benefit from a third season at Toro Rosso?
Carlos SAINZ: Well I think it’s a very good achievement for myself and for my group of people. I think to be renewed so early in the season by a team like Toro Rosso that we know is a difficult team with young people, I think it’s a good achievement so I must say I’m very pleased for that. I think we have now a second half of the season where we can fully focus on what we’re here for, that is pure racing, and go forward as a team. That, I think, we’ve been doing quite well lately. So, yeah, full focus on that now, and also I can be quite calm that 2017, I’m also in F1, I’m also in a team like Toro Rosso that is always improving, always creating a very good chassis and as soon as we sort out a bit the power unit side with maybe a bit more relationship with Red Bull, I think we can be in a good position next year. I’m looking forward – but first this second half of the season.
Q: As you say, you’re going to be in Formula One in 2017 – but do you feel you’re now ready for a front-running seat.
CS: Yes. Obviously like every racing driver I feel ready, fully ready for a top seat, especially this year where I have a good run without reliability issues where I could find a bit more myself. With not so many issues I think I have proved myself a lot more compared to last year. And now I’m fully really for a top seat – unfortunately there’s not many available.
Q: Max Verstappen finished fourth for Toro Rosso at this race track last year. What do you think you can achieve this weekend?
CS: I think last year was a very strange race in a way, there were many accidents going on, lots of stuff going on, so P4 is probably not a realistic position for our Toro Rosso. Obviously if some rain comes, if there are some battles at the front, something going on with a Mercedes, a Ferrari, with a Red Bull, then we can steal the spot – but it’s a tricky thing to achieve.
Q: Max, coming on to you. Great drive at Silverstone. Tell us about that battle you had with Nico Rosberg.
Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, well I enjoyed it, both the battles on the Intermediates and the medium tyre. I think the car was performing really well in both conditions but yeah, we know the car is always very strong in the wet and I’m enjoying myself in the wet as well. Once I got past, of course, you could see the real pace of the car. It was really strong. Even when we were out on the medium tyres we could hold on pretty well. So I was very pleased with that. I think in the end, to finish third in the end, get second was a great result for the team.
Q: Nico, could I just ask for your thoughts on that battle with Max? How did you enjoy it? And what sort of an adversary is he? I think it was your first wheel-to-wheel battle with him on track?
Nico ROSBERG: No, second one actually! Max does a great job out there, for sure. So, it was exciting; good thrill, especially to get second place back there in the end. That was a good feeling, and to try and go for hunting down Lewis.
Q: Max, coming back to you. You complimented your car after the race at Silverstone, saying how good it was. What can you achieve this weekend? Do you think it’s going to be Red Bull’s best chance of taking the fight to Mercedes this year?
MV: Well I think the best chance was in Monaco for sure – but I think here as well the car can be very strong and I’m definitely looking forward to the weekend, because so far the car has been very strong, even on tracks where we didn’t expect it to be that strong. We just have to wait and see. It’s all about the setup now, how we can improve during the sessions. Hopefully we can be pretty close.
Q: Nico, coming to you, you got that ten seconds penalty after the race at Silverstone. Can you just give us your view on the events that happened after the race?
NR: Well, just the radio communication was reviewed and it was deemed to be beyond what’s allowed, and that’s it, so you get a 10 second penalty. I have to accept that. Now things have been clarified once more, that we really need to stick literally to what Charlie… the wording that he gives, that he’s allowed us. And that’s it. So it’s clear. It’s a thing of the past now and moving forwards we need to make sure we stick to that.
Q: What is your view on the radio rules in Formula One at the minute?
NR: It’s not something I think about, it’s not something I have an opinion on – because I just want to make the best of what we have and let the people decide what’s best. It’s come about because fans have said we’re like puppets out there, y’know, just doing what the engineers are saying. So now we’re trying this, and I think it’s OK. It makes it more challenging for us out on track, which is good. So it’s fine.
Q: Did you feel you were a puppet when you were on track before the radio ban?
NR: No! But I can understand a little bit the frustration of the fans because there was a lot going on and the engineers were giving us a lot of advice, so I can understand that, yeah.
Q: And Nico, If we can just look at the championship now, how do you reflect on the last five races, since Monaco really?
NR: I don’t. I have reflected on each individual one once it’s done and then I’ve moved on. Feeling good, feeling excited to be here. It’s been a good season so far and I’m going to try and win this weekend, of course.
Q: Do you share the view that the World Championship is now a two-horse race between yourself and Lewis?
NR: It’s too early to say that. Red Bull and Ferrari have been a bit up-and-down, y’know? But there’s still such a long way to go so it wouldn’t be right to say that. But of course I can understand why people might think that at the moment.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Ahbishek Takle – Mid-day) A question to Marcus. There has been some speculation that Longbow is linked to you backers. I was wondering if I could get your comment on that and does this now give you clarity about your future with the team going forward for next year?
ME: Yes. I’ve seen that as well. It’s not something I know about. I’m not involved in these kind of things anyway, so yeah I really don’t know to be honest. And my future, like anyone else without a contract for next year so looking at Sauber because I really like the way it’s working in Sauber. Hopefully now with a new owner we can improve as a team but also looking at other alternatives, so let’s see.
Q: (Daniel Johnson – Daily Telegraph) A question for Nico. It’s fair to say that generally you’re not always someone who gives a great deal away about your innermost feelings as it were. But over the past five races the lead has gone from 43 points to one and this is a track where Lewis has won four times and I don’t think you’ve been on the podium here. Would it be fair to say that this is a weekend where you’re sort of feeling the pressure a bit?
NR: No it’s not. Because for me, I mean we can all agree on the fact that so far up to now I’ve had the best season of all drivers. That’s the fact for me, which I’m focusing on. As I’ve said though, in general I don’t look at the big picture, because the best approach for me to win races is just to focus on the weekend at hand, which is now look at Hungary and try and get the best out of the weekend, go for the win and that’s it. It doesn’t feel any different to any other weekend.
Q: (Peter Vamosi – Vas Népe) The question is to Max. Are you still in the phase of learning how to drive the Red Bull or are you ready now?
MV: I think you always learn. For sure I’m feeling very confident with the car but every weekend I jump in the car and straight away you are learning again and you find new bits to improve the set-up, so still learning.
Q: (Vladimir Rogovets – Belarus Segoduya) We see here today drivers with contract for next year and drivers without contract. My question, for all drivers: what influence does the existence of contracts [have] on a driver’s motivation to race. But my question… I want to know opinion personal and not opinion of team?
NR: Of course you need to be careful, because it can influence and take some energy away but I think from my side with the experience that I have now I know how to handle it and in my part I have Gerhard Berger who is handling it for me, specifically to make sure that I don’t lose any focus on the racing and to get the best out of it.
Carlos you have a contract now, so how does that impact on your race weekend?
CS: I’m not the kind of guy who goes to sleep on a race weekend thinking about your contract situation. During a race weekend it doesn’t really affect you but maybe in the summer when you are on vacation, yeah you think about your future and where you are going to be but now that I am under contract I didn’t think about it any more, because there’s nothing to think about. You have easier holidays, let’s put it like that – even this year.
Felipe, your thoughts?
FM: Definitely when you are in the race weekend you’re trying to get the best you can, in terms of how to drive, what you think. I don’t think really having a contract or not for next year would change exactly your thinking of driving., Definitely if you are trying to do a big risk overtake maybe you think twice, because it’s better to finish the race, better to try to do the best you can, but to be honest I don’t think it really changes massively by having the contract for next year.
Marcus, Sergio, Max have you anything to add?
MV: Well, I’ve never been without a contract in F1 so far. To be honest, I never real the pressure anyway, it’s all about what you do one really, so pedal to the metal.
Q (Barna Zsoldos – Nemzeti Sport) To all drivers. After 2013 the podium-placed drivers will again have these classical, traditional Hungarian porcelain trophy. What do you think of this and in general is it important for a driver for a driver to get aesthetically beautiful and OK trophies in Formula One?
Nico, how much would you like to get your hands on one of those trophies this weekend?
NR: I would love to get my hands on the biggest one and I think it’s great that there are such traditions and that the trophies are done in the country’s traditional manner. That’s great and they’re very nice here.
Sergio, your thoughts?
SP: Yeah, I would love to have a trophy to be honest.
FM: I think the trophy is a very important image of the country, so it’s needs to look nice, it needs to look beautiful. Also for the image of the country, that you’re getting something. I had races where the trophy was pretty… not nice. You do an amazing job on the track and you get a little trophy like that. To be honest, we are in Formula One not… I think it needs to be nice.
NR: Which one in for Formula One?
FM: One in Barcelona, maybe three years ago.
NR: So the Spanish did a terrible trophy?
FM: For that race! Maybe I wasn’t lucky for that race!
Carlos, give us your thoughts?
CS: I will talk to the circuit in Barcelona and let’s see if they can do something for me next year!
And Max?
MV: I quite like the trophy of Barcelona, it looks great!
Q (Peter Farkas – Auto Motor) Question to all of you: I know most of you have already walked the track. It’s been resurfaced completely, new kerbs have been installed. I guess you had a careful look at them, any impressions, concerns, especially after what happened in Austria, there are some similar ones? Also, what’s your opinion of the electronic track limits policing that will be used this weekend?
ME: I did the track walk earlier today and it looks nice, definitely more smooth than before. The kerbs are quote different at some places. Hopefully this new system will work because I can see some places where there is potential lap time to gain by going off track and I think that discussion is not something we like, so hopefully this new system is going to be used and is reliable to be used also in qualifying and in the race. Apart from that I like the track and I think even though it’s resurfaced and new kerbs I think it will still have the same character.
Max?
MV: It looks great. I’ve seen some racing before with F3 one or two months ago and it looked nice. I’m looking forward to driving it.
Q: (Tom Richter – AMC Sport TV CZ) Question for Max. How different mentally is it to race in the mental with a not so competitive car, some blue flags and running at the front, for example in Spain? How mentally is it different as you are the guy with the most recent experience with that, so you can compare.
MV: Actually it’s not different because you approach your competitors as the number one… or the guy who is leading the race, because you know whether you can fight with him or not. So, for me, it doesn’t really change – only the blue flags. Before you were a bit angry that you had to move out of the way and now you are the one overtaking them and you are getting a bit angry with them because they are not moving out of the way, so that’s the only difference.
Q: (Abhishek Takle – Mid-Day) Question to Felipe and Nico: Imola has emerged as an alternative to Monza as host to the Italian Grand Prix. As drivers who have raced there in the past, what are your views regarding a return to the venue? Is it viable, would it be safe given the cars are going to get a lot quicker? And also what do you feel about the Italian Grand Prix potentially moving away from Monza?
FM: Well, first of all I think we need to wait and see what’s going to happen and if they really announce something in the proper way. Before, it’s just talks. It’s really not the right time to answer about that. I think it would not be nice to lose the Italian Grand Prix. I really love to race in Monza. I used to enjoy racing a lot at Imola as well. It’s important to have the Italian Grand Prix. Italy’s such an important country for Formula One, for the history of Formula One. It would be really sad to lose a race in Italy. I used to enjoy Imola a lot but I love to race in Monza. If we keep Monza, for me it is maybe even better.
NR: Yeah, just very important to keep the Italian Grand Prix, because it’s legendary and a huge following there, a huge crowd and the tifosi. So we need to make sure to race there.
Q: Did you enjoy the challenge of Imola?
NR: Yeah, yeah. Imola’s great, Monza’s great. Both tracks are good.
Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Marcus, you said earlier on that you’d heard these suggestions that your backers and Longbow were interlinked. You said you didn’t get involved in these things though. Are you saying that as an ambitious young driver you don’t really care about the future of your team or what the ownership is and what the potential is?
ME: Of course I care about it and I think it’s important that the team has got a new owner, but who they are and what they are is not something that I’m involved with. I’m contracted as a racing driver and my job is to drive the car as fast as possible on the race track, to work with my engineers, to work with the guys on the aero, stuff like that. Who owns the teams and who is putting money in the team and all these kinds of stuff – I think that is not my job so it’s as simple as that.
Q: (Daniel Johnson – The Telegraph) Max, Nico and Felipe, correct me if I’m wrong but you all live in Monaco. Were any of you affected or were you at home at the time of the awful events in Nice last week? I just wondered if you went to the parade afterwards or anything like that.
NR: Yes, of course all tragedies like that are touching and this one was in a particular manner to me because I went to school in Nice and I have family living in Nice. So it’s very shocking. What can I say beyond that?
FM: Well, I was in a plane, just arriving in Nice at that moment, so I think it happened at maybe 10.30pm and I just landed at midnight from London. I was working at Williams for two days and I just got a message when I landed that a very big event had happened in Nice so I tried to go as quick as… tried to leave the airport as quick as I could because it was a big thing going on and then when I landed also the people from the plane, everybody started to be a little bit shocked due to the things happening. It was such a shame to see that to be honest. People were enjoying their time and then just lose your life for maybe your friends, your family because of this. It’s really shocking. I really hope the best for them. I really hope that we don’t need to see that any more. Things are getting more and more all the time which is really not nice.
MV: I was in Monaco at the time having dinner so once I heard the message, of course also the people around me saw it and you could clearly see the atmosphere was changing. Yeah, it was of course very shocking what happened there.
Q: (Roland Mather – JHED Media) Max, first of all how do you reflect on your race here last year and second of all, your goal for this year ahead of the season was to score one hundred points. You’ve almost achieved that, what are you going to do next?
MV: 200 points? I don’t know. Last year was very good. Of course we had some luck as well, to finish fourth even with a drive-through. It was a great weekend, I enjoyed that one a lot but hopefully this year we are aiming for more than fourth, so hopefully we can be on the podium.
Q: (Dan Knutson – Speedsport and Auto Action magazines) There have been stories on the internet that Max is getting a new road car but I’d like to ask all of you: what is the primary road car that you have in the garage back home?
SP: I have a Ferrari, a 458.
CS: I have a Golf.
ME: I have a Porsche Panamera.
FM: Yeah, I have a few Ferraris. One La Ferrari and one F40.
NR: A 280SL, Mercedes, Pagoda.
Q: And?
Q: Max, any more details about your garage?
MV: Yeah, everybody has seen it, I think.
FM: And the pink, the colour?
MV: Pink? Pink. Yeah, I wrapped it in a great colour! No. It’s a great car. It’s a Porsche GT3, great car.
Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Max, there are a lot of people in Argentina who stopped watching Formula One for years and now they are back because of you, I have to tell you. So I want to know, how does that affect you, to have so many fans already all over the world?
MV: Yes, of course, very nice, I have to say. Also Argentinian steakhouses are also great. It’s quite close, so I really enjoy it, it’s very good. Yes, it’s of course great that there are more and more fans coming and hopefully we get more and more.
Q: (James Gheerbrant – The Times) Nico, I think it was two years ago at this circuit that you had a bit of a run-in with Lewis. He was ordered to let you through but he didn’t and that probably cost you the chance to win the race. When you return to a circuit does that have any bearing, can you draw any extra motivation from that and get yourself fired up?
NR: Umm, I didn’t know that, I mean now I do, of course, but I wasn’t thinking about it so no, it doesn’t. We review last year’s race for the weekend, just to go through what happened and just make sure that we refresh to make sure we remember everything but that’s it, then I don’t think about last year. Especially this year, it’s even more so the case because the asphalt is new and that will make it very different out there so we all need to start from scratch and also the kerbs are new so it’s going to change a lot of things.
Q: (Peter Vamosi – Vas Népe) Felipe, Valtteri will go to Rio games, visiting Emilia, what do you think or prefer for them to join or be a little bit Brazilian?? What should they do, what not? Can you give some advice to them?
FM: Yeah, we’ve already spoken to him about Rio, giving him some suggestions and I think he found the right place and I think he’s found a place to stay. I’m sure he will enjoy it and I hope the best for his girlfriend as well, to be competitive. I think Rio is definitely a fantastic place for the Olympic Games so I’m sure the people will enjoy it a lot and I hope it will be very successful for the country. That is very important anyway.
Q: (Louis Dekker – NOS.NL) Max, could you say P3 is a realistic target? Let’s imagine that Hamilton or Rosberg will be the World Champion but you’re not far behind number three now.
MV: Yeah, we are pretty close but we will see where we end up at the end of the season. We’ll be third or sixth – in between that. Hopefully.
Q: (Louis Dekker – NOS.NL) So you think race-by-race.
MV: Yeah. You try to do the best possible job every race and then we’ll see after Abu Dhabi where we are.
Q: (Louis Dekker – NOS.NL) Max, do you remember the first winner here in Hungary? It was before your time.
MV: Yeah, I wasn’t born.
Q: (Louis Dekker – NOS.NL) Nelson Piquet. He made a very nice move. You can’t pass on this circuit but the one question I have is that he’d like you to see you win here. Have you ever spoken to him?
MV: OK. Not him, to his son, yes.
eom/FIA transcript of the Press Conference
Thursday Press Conference image by FIA -
Penalty for Rosberg; Hamilton, just a point behind leader
After the 10-second penalty awarded by the FIA stewards for the Radio communication from the team to Nico Rosberg, Max Verstappen moved to the second place. The German had to settle for a third and it helped Hamilton move within a point to the championship leadership table.
-
Hamilton wins British GP, moves within 4 points of Roseberg
Lewis Hamilton romped to a fourth career British Grand Prix win at Silverstone, as team-mate Nico Rosberg faced a post-race investigation over radio messages delivered to him by Mercedes as the German battled late-race gearbox issues. Max Verstappen was third for Red Bull Racing.
Following a start under the Safety Car brought about by heavy rain in the build-up to the race, pole sitter Hamilton controlled matters from the front with apparent ease. When the safety car peeled away to allow racing to begin after five laps, a stream of cars headed towards pit lane to move from full wet Pirelli tyres to intermediate rubber but the lead four cars, of Hamilton, Rosberg, Verstappen and the second Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo stayed on track.
Hamilton pitted after seven laps, taking on intermediates and then after 17 laps the Mercedes driver moved to medium tyres, which he kept for the remainder of the race.
Aside from one incident where, like many drivers during the race, he was momentarily caught out by lingering damp conditions at Turn One and was forced off track, Hamilton controlled matters expertly to eventually claim a fourth British Grand Prix victory and to become the first man to claim three consecutive wins at Silverstone.
“I’m glad that the good English weather came out,” he said afterwards. “We went out and did the formation lap and it was dry and then all of a sudden it rained and it was so tricky in those conditions. It was drying pretty quickly but obviously when we started the race I was the first to really have to attack it. Trying not to make any mistakes was difficult for all of us.
“But that’s what I love about this race, because it’s never just plain, smooth sailing. There are always these things that just happen through the race that make it spectacular, that’s why the British Grand Prix is the best grand prix we have.”
Behind Hamilton, it was a more eventful race for second-place starter Rosberg. The championship leader held his starting position once the Safety Car left the track but he soon found himself under pressure from Verstappen and on lap 15 Rosberg was surprised by an audacious move from the Dutch teenager around the outside through the high-speed Becketts corner.
After taking on medium tyres, Rosberg then set about rectifying the situation and after shadowing the Red Bull driver for some 20 laps, he passed the Dutchman with a good move around thee outside at Stowe as Verstappen struggled with the rear tyre wear.
That should have cemented the title leader into second place but a handful of laps from home, he got on the radio to say that he was experience gearbox issues. He was told to make some setting changes and the exchange with his engineer quickly saw him placed under investigation for potentially contravening regulations governing the kind of assistance a driver can receive from his pit wall.
Despite Verstappen closing in, Rosberg managed to hold onto second place in the race and afterward said he was sure the instructions he received were legal.
“It was a very critical problem,” he said. “I was stuck in seventh gear and I was about to stop on track, so they told me ‘change default’ and try and fix it.”
With Verstappen taking his third podium finish of the season with third place, fourth place in the race went to the Dutch driver’s Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardio.
Ricciardo pitted for intermediate tyres as soon as the Safety Car left the track and emerged to find himself behind Force India’s Sergio Perez. The Australian spent some time bottled up behind the Mexican and when he eventually got past Ricciardo found himself 16.5s behind then third-placed Rosberg.
The Australian upped his pace to match Hamilton’s pace at one point but he could make no inroads on the gap to the leaders and he crossed the line almost 18 seconds behind his team-mate.
After being passed by Ricciardo, Perez clung on to fifth under heavy pressure from Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. But seven laps from home Raikkonen found a way past and the Finn took fifth place ahead of the Mexican.
Seventh place went to Perez’s team-mate Nico Hulkenberg, with Carlos Sainz taking a useful eighth place for Toro Rosso.
Sebastian Vettel finished in ninth place after an eventful afternoon. The Ferrari driver was the first to take on slick tyres early in the race but soon after spun at Turn One and dropped down the field. He hauled his way back but then while attempting to pass Williams’ Felipe Massa for P8, Vettel outbraked himself and both he and Massa were forced off track.
The incident resulted in a five–second time penalty for Vettel but with Daniil Kvyat six seconds adrift, Vettel held ninth ahead of the Russian.
2016 British Grand Prix – Race
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 52 laps – 1h34m55.831s 2
2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes +6.911 2
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull +8.250 2
4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull +26.211 2
5 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari +69.743 2
6 Sergio Perez Force India +76.941 2
7 Nico Hulkenberg Force India +77.712 2
8 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso +85.858 2
9 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari +91.654 2
10 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso +92.600 2
11 Felipe Massa Williams +1 lap 3
12 Jenson Button McLaren +1 lap 2
13 Fernando Alonso McLaren +1 lap 3
14 Valtteri Bottas Williams +1 lap 2
15 Felipe Nasr Sauber +1 lap 2
16 Esteban Gutierrez Haas +1 lap 2
17 Kevin Magnussen Renault +3 laps 4
18 Jolyon Palmer Renault DNF 4
19 Rio Haryanto Manor DNF 2
20 Romain Grosjean Haas DNF 2
21 Marcus Ericsson Sauber DNF 3
22 Pascal Wehrlein Manor DNF 1eom/FIA press release
-
Best result for Force India at home GP
Hulkenberg in rain on way to 7th in the British GP behing Perez (not in pic) in 6th. A Sahara Force India image Sahara Force India scored 14 points in today’s British Grand Prix as Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg raced to sixth and seventh places in a thrilling wet-dry race. This result represents the team’s best ever showing at its local track.
P6 Sergio Perez VJM09-02Strategy: New Wet (7 laps) – New Inter (10 laps) – Used Medium (35 laps)Sergio: “It’s a very good result for the team, with two cars in the points, even if I feel I could have kept fifth place without that spin at turn one. When I had that moment I thought my race was over, but I managed to save it. However, I flat-spotted my tyres and that hurt me for the rest of the race in terms of degradation. I pushed hard to try and keep Raikkonen behind, and it was only when he passed me that I was able to take it easy and save the tyres. We had to do a very long stint on the mediums, which was a bit of a risk as degradation was quite high, but the team made the right calls at the right time and it paid off in the end. The conditions, especially in the first part of the race, were very tricky. You had a drying line, but as soon as you put a wheel on the damp parts, all the grip was gone. Just keeping the car facing in the right direction was an achievement. To come away with this many points after a weekend in which I hadn’t been very comfortable with the car is a big satisfaction and it makes up for the disappointment of last week.”P7 Nico Hülkenberg VJM09-03Strategy: New Wet (5 laps) – New Inter (12 laps) – Used Medium (35 laps)Nico: “Obviously a good result for the team, but I still feel a bit frustrated with how the race unfolded because things didn’t work in my favour today. I really lost out under the virtual safety car, which allowed a lot of cars to jump me when I had already made the switch to intermediates. Then, I was stuck behind Felipe [Massa] for so many laps, even though I was a lot quicker than him. There was only a narrow dry line with a lot of standing water offline so it wasn’t easy to make a move. When everybody moved to dry tyres it was a lot of fun out there and you had to be very careful through turn one, which remained damp for so long. I did a very long stint on the medium tyres and by the final few laps it was just a case of trying to manage the degradation and survive until the end. Although I’m not totally happy, I am pleased with the car performance and the fact that we scored good points today.”Vijay Mallya, Team Principal & Managing Director“Today’s race was extremely entertaining and I am very happy with our team performance. It’s our best ever result at Silverstone and we are now just 19 points adrift of fourth place in the championship. It wasn’t an easy race by any means, especially with the track drying out so quickly in some places and remaining damp in others. Nico and Checo were both in the thick of the action all afternoon and did a splendid job to bring home 14 important points. We’ve shown today just how competitive we can be on one of the most demanding high-speed tracks of the year and I think there is even more potential to come in the second half of the season.”eom/Sahara Force India press release -
Hamilton gets British GP pole
Lewis Hamilton claimed a fourth career British Grand Prix, taking top spot on the grid with a superb last-ditch effort after his first Q3 flyer was deleted for exceeding the track limits.
Overnight at Silverstone the race stewards had informed teams that a “zero tolerance” attitude would be taken to drivers utilising more of the track than is legal, particularly at Copse, Stowe and Club corners.
Several drivers were penalised during the course of the session and after taking provisional pole position with a lap of 1:29.339 Hamilton too felt the stewards’ wrath as he went over the kerbing.
“The penultimate lap was a very good lap but unfortunately it was taken away,” he said. “I touched the kerb but it pulled me further. It didn’t feel like I was going to be running wide but the car bottomed and kind of bounced just outside the line.”
That handed P1 to Rosberg with Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen in P2 ahead of team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.
Hamilton was left with a single run in which to stake his claim to top spot and the defending champion delivered in spectacular style, bettering his first run time by five hundredths of a second. Rosberg failed to improve and thus Hamilton his fourth career British Grand Prix pole.
“A lot of pressure for that last lap. I was just sitting in the garage and I knew that I couldn’t let the guys down as on the first lap I had,” said Hamilton. “The second lap wasn’t as good but I was obviously making sure I was cautious, making sure I got that lap in. I’m grateful that I did and really again thank you to my team who have done an amazing job to have the performance we have this weekend, it’s outstanding.”
Behind the Mercedes duo, Verstappen held P3. The Dutch driver failed to improve on his first-run time but Ricciardo too could find no more pace and the teenager out-qualified his more experienced team-mate for the first time since joining Red Bull ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix. Today’s result is also Verstappen’s best qualifying finish to date.
Kimi Raikkonen claimed the front slot of row three with a time 0.263 behind Ricciardo. The Finn survived a Q2 scare in which several errant laps saw him in P15 in the final moment of the middle session.
Raikkonen found a clean lap with his final flyer, however, to make it through to Q3 in P6 and then bettered that by one place in the final session. Team-mate Sebastian Vettel took sixth place but is set to drop down the grid after requiring a replacement gearbox following an issue in FP3.
Valtteri Bottas was seventh for Williams ahead of Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg, Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz and McLaren’s Fernando Alonso.
The first session saw Jenson Button, in the second McLaren, eliminated in P17 ahead of Renault’s Jolyon Palmer, the Manors of Rio Haryanto and Pascal Wehrlein and the sole Sauber of Felipe Nasr. The Brazilian’s team-mate Marcus Ericsson did not take part in the session having been sent to hospital for checks following his heavy crash in FP3.
There was confusion ahead of Q2 with McLaren believing that Button might make it into Q2 owing to the possibility of Magnussen’s final time being deleted. But it was not the case and Button’s scramble to be ready for the session, having left the garage after Q1, was in vain.
Raikkonen’s was not the only driver to make a good escape in Q2. Carlos Sainz too put in a superb final flyer to rise from the lower reaches of the order to claim P8 and a Q3 berth.
Behind tenth-placed Alonso, eliminated in Q2 were Force India’s Sergio Perez, Williams’ Felipe Massa, Haas’ Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez, Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat and Renault’s Magnussen.
2016 British Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:30.739 1:29.243 1:29.287
2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:30.724 1:29.970 1:29.606
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:31.305 1:30.697 1:30.313
4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:31.684 1:31.319 1:30.618
5 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:31.326 1:31.385 1:30.881
6 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:31.606 1:30.711 1:31.490
7 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:31.913 1:31.478 1:31.557
8 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:32.349 1:37.770 1:31.920
9 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:32.115 1:31.708 1:31.989
10 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:32.281 1:31.740 1:32.343
11 Sergio Perez Force India 1:32.336 1:31.875
12 Felipe Massa Williams 1:32.146 1:32.002
13 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:32.283 1:32.050
14 Esteban Gutierrez Haas 1:32.237 1:32.241
15 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:32.553 1:32.306
16 Kevin Magnussen Renault 1:32.729 1:37.060
17 Jenson Button McLaren 1:32.788
18 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:32.905
19 Rio Haryanto Manor 1:33.098
20 Pascal Wehrlein Manor 1:33.151
21 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:33.544
22 Marcus Ericsson Saubereom/FIA press release
-
I am delighted and over the moon to be here in Silverstone: Vijay Mallya
TEAM REPRESENTATIVES – Dave RYAN (Manor), Eric BOULLIER (McLaren), Vijay MALLYA (Force India), Claire WILLIAMS (Williams), Maurizio ARRIVABENE (Ferrari), Toto WOLFF (Mercedes)
PRESS CONFERENCEFirst question to all you, it’s been two weeks since the UK public voted to exit the European Union. As team principals employing many EU nationals in the UK, as well as UK nationals in Italy of course, what impact do you think this will have going forward and what impact has the falling pound, for example, made so far?
Toto WOLFF: Well, for us it has a big impact because from a personal level we don’t know where it’s going to go. There are many experts working in Brackley and we don’t know how that’s going to be handled in the future and it’s the same in Germany, within the DTM team there are many Brits and it looks like everybody could be impacted the situation. In terms of the currencies, you can’t interfere anyway. The weak pound is not so bad for us as we are getting the income in dollars and the mothership subsidises in euros, so it is actually a good ratio. But we have to wait and see. Nobody really knows what consequences are going to be, whether some kind of agreements are going to be formed. There is no short-term impact I guess.Vijay, your thoughts?
Vijay MALLYA: I’ve reviewed the position at Force India and we are largely British-centric, so we don’t expect that Brexit will affect is in any significant way. Of course the depreciation in the value of the pound helps because the income is largely in dollars. Other than that I see no change.Claire?
Claire WILLIAMS: I think it’s slightly too early to see what the long-term impacts are for us as a business. There have been some short-term impacts around costs. We unfortunately pay for our engine in euros. All the hard work that we have done to bring the cost down by €4m for 2018 have been counterbalanced. Maybe Toto will let us pay for our engines in euros going forward, I don’t know – a conversation offline. And then, for us there are concerns on the medium term once Article 50 is invoked and the implications of that around freedom of people to move in employment. I think we have to wait and see the true implications of that. Personally, for us an independent team, we don’t have a mothership, like Toto does, and many other teams, and sponsorship is one of our key incomes. I think with the political instability that Brexit has caused there are a lot of businesses out there that are going to have to wait and see what they do particularly with their marketing spend and that of course could have implications for us as an independent team. As much as we were having great conversations prior to the referendum, those conversations are slowing down now and people are waiting to see what’s going to happen. That’s a real concern for us and I think a concern for a lot of sports teams out there. But again, I’m not going to worry too much. I think we’ll wait and see what happens.Dave?
Dave RYAN: Well, I think it’s early days yet. Everyone seems to have an opinion but we don’t know what’s going to happen. The government doesn’t know what’s going to happen, so for us to speculate is just a bit too soon I think.And Eric, as a Frenchman working in England, with a Japanese partner?
Eric BOULLIER: Just a few visa issues maybe in the future, but I doubt it’s going to be that complicated. I think everything has been said. Nobody knows. We are definitely not the right experts to predict what is going to happen. It’s a concern just to know where we go, exchanging, travelling, our money currency but so far nobody knows, so we just monitor what’s going on.And finally Maurizio, obviously you employ quite a few Brits.
Maurizio ARRIVABENE: Concerning Ferrari we are at the early stage. We have some employees they are coming from the UK. We are at the early stage now to evaluate how the situation is going to evolve. The big problems need to be solved at the European level with all the member states to better evaluate the impact of this decision. At the right time we will see how it’s going to impact the guys working in our company but at the moment it’s more important to have a clear vision and a clear view on the global situation in the EU and I think that the problem is even bigger than what could be related to us.Thanks for that. Coming back to you Eric, obviously a positive result in Austria and news that you have another update from Honda. Are you getting towards your performance targets for 2016 and how is the second half of the season roll out for you?
EB: Let’s say the development is going as per to plan. As far as targets are concerned we have much more ambitious targets, but this is as per plan going so far. There are some more upgrades coming this year and we believe if it’s like today, we have validated all our upgrades as per planned on the engineering side and I hope that the other ones will be as the one we had before. But we keep working hard and keep under-promising and slowly, little by little we are getting there.Thank you. Vijay, we haven’t seen you for a while. You said a few weeks ago in an interview that your circumstances mean that your are devoting much more time these days to the Formula One team. Tell us about that?
VM: I am. First of all, I’m absolutely delighted and over the moon to be here in Silverstone. Apart from the fact that Silverstone is a very special race track for Force India, I am personally delighted I’m here, because all the other races I have virtually experienced in this virtual world. But sadly, currently I am unable to travel. That has to go through due legal process. And since I am now spending my time in England – far more regulated, less hectic – I am doing what I am passionate about. And one thing I sure am passionate about is Force India and Formula One and I spend a lot more time, I get a lot of pleasure out of it and the team is delivering results.Absolutely. Okay thank you for that. Dave, in the points in Austria. You’ve had a very long career in Formula One and I’m sure you’ve had many more important results in many ways, but how much did that result mean to you and the team ?
DR: It was a big moment for the team. I think more than anything else it put a bit of a marker down that we are serious players and we are working very hard. Yeah, it’s one point and we need a lot more points, but it’s one step at a time. So a great moment in the development of the team.Maurizio, you’ve confirmed Kimi Raikkonen today for the 2017 season. Was that mainly due to his performances and podiums so far this season and did you have any other candidates under serious consideration?
MA: We confirmed Kimi because first of all he deserves it. Having said so we are looking for the interests of the team and the interest of the team was not looking for another driver but concentrating on car development. We have two good drivers so that was not an issue for us, so we remove all the pressure from the shoulders of Kimi in taking this decision, that actually was confirmed yesterday in a phone call from the President, and a couple of hours [later] we are with Kimi. We turn the page and we look forward to work very hard where the problem is.Picking up on that Claire, where are you at with drivers for next year?
CW: We are evaluating our options. We still feel it’s quite early in the year to be making our decision. We have some performance issues at the moment so we really need Valtteri and Felipe to be concentrating on their track performance rather than worrying about what’s happening in 2017. As you’d expect those conversations are going on behind closed doors and when we’re ready to make an announcement we will, but I don’t foresee that being the next few races.Just picking up on what you said there, it’s clear that Williams haven’t been able to build on the performance of 2014 and 2015. What effect is that having on your thinking about strategy for next year and beyond?
CW: Running a Formula One team you have always have to evolve don’t you and you have to look at your performance and if you need to make changes, whatever those changes may be, then you have to do that. We don’t want to be going backwards. At the moment we seem to be having to look over our shoulders more than looking ahead to Red Bull and worrying about the Force Indias. That’s a problem and that’s a real concern for us and we need to address it. Fortunately, we’ve done quite a lot of analysis over the past few races to identify those areas of weakness and put them right. For us, that work is going on behind closed doors. We have some upgrades coming to the next few races, we have a new front wing here, which we hope is going to deliver a bit more performance to us, but there are other areas, structural areas of weakness in the business that we’re addressing at the moment.Q: Toto, obviously you delivered the ultimatum to your two drivers after the collision in Austria. You called it a final warning: are you satisfied they have 100 per cent got the message? And why did you choose to make this whole process public rather than do everything behind closed doors?
TW: The whole story obviously brought a lot of narrative for everybody and as a team we have always communicated in a transparent way because we believe this is the DNA and the more you try to hide things, the more suspicious you become, the worse you can actually be in control of the situation. So, a lot has been said and I think at that point we should stop and look forward. We believe we have the best driver pairing in Formula One. For sure one of the best driver pairings in Formula One and we have confidence these kind of incidents can be avoided in the future.And you’re satisfied they 100 per cent got the message, yes?
TW: I am satisfied they 100 per cent got the message, yes. But at the end of the day they are behind the steering wheel, they drive the cars and they are in control.And just quickly, an update on Nico’s situation. We saw he had to climb out of the car early in the session.
TW: Yeah, we had a water leak, which at the beginning looked like we can solve the problem and then we figured out that it was meaning to take more risks on the engine if we were to go into the session.QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Joe Saward – Auto X) Question for Vijay. You say you’re passionate about the sport, and you are the FIA representative of India. You don’t want to go back to India to solve the problem, what would you say to people who say that you’re doing the sport damage?
VM: Nobody has ever said that I’m doing the sport any damage. Irrespective of where in the world I physically am present, doesn’t affect my contribution in any part of the world. Certainly in India. I have been used to managing a multinational group of companies for the last 30 years and I couldn’t possibly be physically present in each territory in which my business interests operate but yet I was able to guide and contribute and that continues.Q: (Abhishek Takle – Mid-Day) Question to Vijay. You said things have to go through the due legal process but you expect to be able to go to more races this season and as you mean you are able to travel, would you consider returning to India to fight the allegations levelled against you there? Thank you.
VM: First of all, with respect, this is an FIA press conference about motorsport and not about my ability to travel. Having said that, when the due legal process follows its logical course, your questions will be automatically answered. Until then my job is to make sure that Force India continues to perform and closes the gaps to my dear Claire in front.Q: (Marc Surer – Sky Germany) Question for Toto. Is this the race engine that had the problem today?
TW: No, it’s not. It’s a Friday engine.Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Question for Toto. Toto, there’s been an awful lot of controversy around your team, the last lap accident, meetings, final warnings, threatened race suspensions, a non-executive chairman making comments whether in a casual context or not which have damaged the relationships. Are you really confident that you and your team are strong enough to control this monster you seem to have created?
TW: We have won eight of nine races this season so far, two championships in the last two years. Nobody speaks of boring racing. There is stories and headlines being created. The spirit within the team is really great. We haven’t lost people and we are very much looking forward into the new regulations for next year. So, you as a journalist, you should know that headlines are important for the sport, that headlines are sometimes being blown out of proportion. We contribute with these headlines. Not more, not less.Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) Question for Vijay. Back to racing and next year’s car. Are you working exclusively on the 2017 Force India and how are you coping with wind tunnels? Are you still booking, or having to pre-book a Toyota or are there any plans to upgrade your 50 per cent wind tunnel here on site?
VM: To be honest, 2017 we see as a great opportunity, we have already shifted to the 2017 car development. We still continue to use the Toyota wind tunnel facility and for the first time in this team’s history we actually have a 60 per cent model in there. So that’s the focus. Brackley is an old wind tunnel with a 50 per cent model. In any event, according to the rules, there is a restriction on wind tunnel usage so we obviously like to maximise our time at Toyota.Q: (Joe Saward – Auto X) You’re all looking so miserable I’m going to ask a question. I want an honest answer from all of you. If you could hire someone who’s not one of your drivers right now, who would it be? To drive racing cars.
You’ve just committed Maurizio, so why don’t you start with this one?
MA: Why me? I give you a hypothetical answer. The two drivers I have they are fine. And if I have to make a choice it is these two.Claire?
CW: I would have Nigel Mansell and Juan Pablo Montoya.Toto?
TW: I like Pascal Wehrlein, Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Ocon. I like Sebastian Vettel also. So a couple that are quite good…Eric?
EB: Same answer as Maurizio. I’m happy with my drivers. I’ve got Stoffel on the wing as well. So, Stoffel.TW: I like that one also!
EB: You can’t!
MA: Go back to your motorhome afterwards!
EB: The driver market is now all over the place thanks to Toto.
Vijay?
VM: We are very happy with Nico and Checo. Both are signed for 2017. And really I haven’t thought about it beyond that. In any case, we’re pretty early, much earlier than normal. We used to wait almost to the onset of winter before we announced our driver line-up but this time we signed both for 2017 well in advance – and of course today’s announce by Ferrari put to rest a lot of speculation that has been taking place in the last several weeks.And finally David.
TW: Well if Toto, if either of his drivers jump ship we’ll obviously take either of them.Q: (Ralf Bach – Sport Bild). Question to Toto. Concerning the background with all the love your drivers feel to each other at the moment. Can you confirm 100 per cent your driver line-up next year will be Lewis and Nico?
TW: Well, you know that we are in discussion with Nico and hopefully these discussions will come to a positive end soon. I have no doubt at the moment that they will so absolutely yeah, this is going to be the line-up next year. You can never say 100 per cent because you don’t know what happens tomorrow and after tomorrow. If one gets food poisoning he will not be driving – so you can never confirm 100 per cent. But I am very, very confident that will be the line-up.Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) Claire, Austria saw you take the pit stop win yet again, undefeated all year, something Williams has revelled in and you’ve actually made yourself the pit stop kings because you concentrated on that. Are you now picking a different aspect to work on as the next phase in the development of the team or were the pit stops just something that was unique that you had to concentrate on?
CW: It’s not a case of – with any Formula One team – that you just pick one area of weakness that you need to focus on, obviously, as you will all well know, but last year we had the weakness in our pit stops but it was nothing to do with the performance of our boys, it was more because we had an issue with our wheelguns and our nuts sticking. We’ve resolved that issue and we’re now seeing the performance, and I am personally so proud of the job that our guys are doing. To record the fastest pit stop in every race this year is phenomenal but we need to get every area right in our team and as I said earlier, that we’re looking at all our areas of weaknesses, we do, as every team does throughout the course of the year, and try and improve upon on them.
I think it’s very clear to see that the car struggles in slow speed corners, the car isn’t competitive in the wet, the two key areas and we’re currently struggling to understand our tyres. The tyre science is definitely an area that we’re looking to build upon.Q: (Mike Doodson – Auto Action) This is for Vijay: let’s stick to sport, Vijay. You’re a sporty chap, you’ve got your interests in Formula One and in Indian cricket. We hear that you now own a team in the Caribbean premier league. Will this require you to spend time in Barbados and while you’re there, do you think you might see any potential for motor racing out there in the Caribbean?
VM: Well, yes, my son does own the Barbados Tridents cricket team and they’re currently playing in the Caribbean premier league which requires me to be up from 2am to 6am every morning because of the time change, if I want to watch the games. I’ve been to Barbados several times, I’ve been to Bushy Park which is the race circuit. The FIA representative from Barbados is a very dear friend of mine, Andrew Mallalieu, who is absolutely passionate about motor sport. They organise karting events, single-seater events, saloon car events almost every weekend. I can say that the Bajans are very keen on motor sport which is something fantastic to see and witness. So whenever I go to Barbados, I make a point of visiting Bushy Park as well. Now whether my interests are going to go beyond that in Bajan motor sport we will have to see. Right now I’m sticking to cricket.Q: (Dieter Recken – Racing Lines) Dave, the point scored a week ago ensures that your FOM money going forward is guaranteed for an additional year, which wasn’t the case beforehand and particularly now there are eleven teams. Does this mean that you’re able to make proper investment plans and if so, how are you aiming to develop the team?
DR: The plan was always to make investment in the team, that was always going to happen and it’s an ongoing process. If you were party to what was going on in the team you would see that we’re looking forward, we’re planning not just for 2017 but beyond that and we plan, our goal, is to be a solid midfield team so we’re working towards that and that’s what we’re gearing up to do.Q: (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Maurizio, talking with the TV you said that to explain why you signed a contract with Kimi so early in the season that he signed a little bit the pressure you wanted to take off the pressure from his own shoulders. Could you explain us how a driver show you that the pressure, that he’s under pressure about the contract please?
MA: The story of the pressure was at the end of my answer because I said something more interesting before and I said that our main interest, our issue, was not related to the driver. We were very proud and very happy about the work of Kimi since the beginning of the season. He was asked to show his commitment, his results so he deserved the confirmation for next year. Then I was talking about the fact that we needed a kind of good atmosphere in the team and the drivers could help to keep this atmosphere and due to the fact that the team is still quite new and we need to keep the same commitment for everybody without inserting into the team elements that they can disturb or something new that could break this balance. Having said so, I also said that we confirm Kimi not very soon, because we are in July but normally the tradition of Ferrari, this is probably what you refer to, it was to do a press release in Monza. We are a new team, we have changed the tradition and we are confirming now because I think we would like to be, as I said, focused and concentrated on car development and not about confirmation or non-confirmation of the drivers. So it’s a message of stability.
Relating to the pressure, you know better than me that in the last three or four races every time that Kimi was sitting in a press conference somebody would ask what about his contract, what about your contract? I asked many many times for a bit of respect for a driver that was a World Champion with Ferrari. I know that his nickname is Iceman but he’s a human being. Sometimes in Formula One we need to be conscious that we are talking, not with cars because actually the computer talks with the car but the cars are driven by human beings so even Iceman is a human being with his emotions and I think he could feel the pressure. That’s it .Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Dave, back to my previous question to you when you said that you’ve got various plans in place and in progress and whatever else. It’s no secret that your facilities are fairly modest so what are these plans? Are you going to build a wind tunnel, are you going to get cfd in or a gearbox shop? What are the plans?
DR: We’re quite happy being a modest facility to be honest. We’ve got great partners with Mercedes, with Williams Advanced Engineering so that side of it is good. We are expanding our capabilities and you will see that in due course.Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) To all six of you, given the crash by Checo in Austria last weekend where the team couldn’t let him know what was going on with the brakes situation due to the FIA’s clampdown on radio communication, has there been any talk amongst you as the strategy group or amongst team principals in talking to the FIA about perhaps relenting a little, perhaps a joker or two during a race for each team?
EB: Well, there were discussions between the teams and the FIA and seeking either some more freedom on this or clarification and the FIA has been clear that they will not change their position.Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Maurizio, I would like to know which is for you, do you think, which is the main factor you have to work on to try to catch Ferrari or Red Bull?
MA: Mercedes, you mean? Because Mercedes is here, Red Bull is there. No, Red Bull is not in front of us. I think the main area – I said so last time – we need to improve in areas, mainly, and we need to understand the tyres a bit better. That’s what we have to do to catch them.eom/FIA transcript of the Press Conference
-
Vijay Mallya attends Friday sessions at British GP
Silverstone, 8 July 2016: Sporting a smile and a new-look beard in trendy black Sahara Force India t-shirt, Vijay Mallya was as cool as a cucumber at the British GP paddock on Friday as he watched the two Free Practice sessions where Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez completed over 130 laps together.
Mallya, who left India in March, is living in England and is facing trial back home. He expressed concerns about the lack of free and fair trail and said he would not be able to travel until things go through due legal process.
Before he attended the official FIA press conference, Mallya said about today’s sessions: “The conditions out there were not the easiest, with very strong winds that could unsettle the car, especially through the high-speed corners. This morning we were able to evaluate the new parts we brought for the car, while the rest of the day’s work was focussed on preparing for the race. In any case, we only used the two harder compounds in the afternoon session. The drivers are reasonably happy with the baseline set-up and with the balance of the car. Of course, we had a wide range of parts to test on the car and slightly different programmes for the two drivers, so we will analyse all the data tonight to find the best way to move forward. Overall, we’re happy with how the day went, especially in these conditions, and we can be optimistic for tomorrow and Sunday.”
Earlier on Tuesday, looking forward to the team’s show at the home race, he said: “Leaving Austria empty-handed was very disappointing. We showed good form throughout the weekend, but various factors prevented us from realising our true potential. We’ve understood what went wrong and I’m confident we can bounce back this weekend at Silverstone.
“We shouldn’t let one unlucky race overshadow the great results we have been achieving recently. We’re sitting fifth in the championship and the battle for fourth remains wide open with twelves races still to go. We’ve got some extra performance coming for the VJM09 this weekend and that should help us for the races leading up to the summer break.“There is no denying that Silverstone is one of the most special races of the whole season. Being so close to our factory, just across the road, means our staff can be close to the action and we enjoy incredible support from our fans. The British Grand Prix is one of the classic races on the calendar and the atmosphere is unique: the supporters are brilliant and knowledgeable; there is a party atmosphere in the campsites and the weekend is a true celebration of our sport.”eom/davidVijay Mallya at the FIA press conference on Friday. A Sahara Force India image -
Hamilton tops times in both the FP
Hamilton during second FP. An FIA image Silverstone, 8 July 2016: After edging team-mate Nico Rosberg by just three hundredths of a second in opening practice for the British Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton made lighter work of the second session, taking top spot by almost four tenths of a second ahead of Daniel Ricciardo after Rosberg failed to take to the track due to car issues.
Rosberg pushed his chief championship rival hard in the morning session but his second 90 minutes of track was halted before it had begun, with Mercedes detecting a water leak in his car. The German did climb into his car again an hour into the session but when the engine was fired up another issue was found and he sat out the remainder of the session.
By contrast Hamilton’s session was smooth, with the defending champion setting his best time of 1:31.660 after 35 minutes, using the Soft compound Pirelli tyres. The time was marginally slower than his morning best of 1:31.654, set on the Medium tyre.
With Rosberg ruled out of the session, Ricciardo took second place 0.4s behind Hamilton, running the Briton closer than in the morning when Ricciardo was fifth and 1.1s behind the Mercedes driver.
The Australian’s team-mate Max Verstappen also made progress, finishing third after taking P7 in the FP1. The Dutch teenager’s time was almost a second quicker better than his best lap of the morning.
The Red Bull driver took third almost three tenths of a second clear of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel who repeated his FP1 slot of fourth, nine tenths off Hamilton’s pace. The four-time champion’s team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen, ended the session in fifth, 0.166s ahead of the lead McLaren-Honda of Fernando Alonso.
After a quiet start to the weekend for Williams, with 12th and 13th positions respectively for Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa in FP1, the team improved in the afternoon with Bottas seventh and Massa 10th. Behind Bottas in eighth was Haas’ Romain Grosjean’s Haas with Jenson Button in the second McLaren ninth, though the Briton was seventh tenths of a second down on team-mate Alonso.
2016 British Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:31.660 36
2 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:32.051 30
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:32.286 36
4 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:32.570 40
5 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:32.736 38
6 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:33.040 31
7 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:33.493 38
8 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:33.614 32
9 Jenson Button McLaren 1:33.763 20
10 Felipe Massa Williams 1:33.801 29
11 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:33.840 27
12 Esteban Gutierrez Haas 1:34.000 32
13 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:34.139 35
14 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:34.154 25
15 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:34.321 35
16 Sergio Perez Force India 1:34.356 37
17 Pascal Wehrlein Manor 1:34.549 40
18 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:34.610 41
19 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:34.722 36
20 Kevin Magnussen Renault 1:34.959 41
21 Rio Haryanto Manor 1:35.841 36
22 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 0eom/FIA press release
-
Kimi, Vettel to continue at Ferrari
Maranello, July 8 – Scuderia Ferrari announces that it has renewed its technical and racing agreement with Kimi Raikkonen. The driver line-up for the 2017 racing season will still consist of the Finnish driver and Sebastian Vettel.
A press release from Maurizio Arrivabene, team Principal and Managing Director Scuderia Ferrari said on Friday.
eom/Ferrari release
-
Yes they are scary deterrents but no team orders, says Hamilton
DRIVERS – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes), Jenson BUTTON (McLaren), Jolyon PALMER (Renault), Valtteri BOTTAS (Williams), Romain GROSJEAN (Haas), Pascal WEHRLEIN (Manor)
PRESS CONFERENCE
Hamilton-centre-front-row-at-the-Thursday-Press-Conference.-An-FIA-imageJenson, let’s start with you, 2009 Formula One World Champion? A positive result in Austria showed clear improvement in car pace. Was that circuit and tyre-specific or do you expect that to roll out this weekend and the weekends to come in the best few weeks?
Jenson BUTTON: First of all, good afternoon. I would say it was weather-dependent rather than tyres. I think the conditions helped us quite a lot. In the wet we were pretty quick and in the drying conditions we made the best of it. Put it P5, and obviously got lifted up to P3 and was running P2 for a bit of the race but were quickly put into our place. But considering that, I don’t think P6 was too bad. The three teams in front of us were a massive amount quicker than us but to beat the cars that we did, we did alright. Coming here I don’t expect to be qualifying fifth, unless we get some really good British weather and have a good downpour, which I’m hoping for, because then I think we do have more of an opportunity. Yeah, we’ll see. Then race is going to be reasonably tricky for us here. The car is very good in low-speed corners. High-speed corners we don’t really know. We do have some upgrades, aero-wise, engine-wise, so it’s moving forward. It’s just never as a quick as you hope is it. But the guys are doing a very good job of bringing something to every race and on the power side it should be a positive step.That’s performance, but in nine races McLaren has only managed to get both cars to the finish on three occasions. Is that because you are pushing it so hard in development or is reliability a bit of a concern?
JB: I don’t think so. If you look at a lot of teams, cars aren’t finishing and yeah, so I don’t think that is an issue. I would rather be pushing things to the limit and getting better results and possibly having some reliability issues. We’re not fighting for a world championship this year, far from it, so it’s important for is to try to maximise what we have, enjoy the weekend and get the best out of what we have on the weekend and I think they are doing a good job of balancing that.Thank you. Romain, turning to you, you were back in the points in Austria, your fourth time this year scoring points, the first time since Russia. It was based on a long stint on the tyres. Were you encouraged by what you achieved in Austria?
Romain GROSJEAN: Yeah, I thin Austria was a good weekend for us. I think qualifying could have been a bit better but then the car felt great for the long run on tyres. We understood a bit better how to use them, so hopefully we can transform that and keep it going here in Silverstone. Then in the race the car felt good. We managed to get the one-stop strategy that we planned working. It’s a shame we didn’t have enough speed to just overtake the McLaren but generally very happy with the result.It’s only the first season for the team but performance seems to have fluctuated all season. Do you feel you now understand the strengths and weaknesses of this car, enough to establish a good baseline for next year’s car, for example?
RG: I think we started very well and then we had some issues, very different every time, that didn’t allow us to score points. I think Baku and Canada we did have the chance to score points but once we had debris in the radiator and the other time we lost the front wing. That cost us a shot at good results. I think we could have been a bit more consistent but it’s a brand new team, first year and things like that you expect that to happen. Hopefully now things are a bit more settled and we can try to score points as much as possible.Pascal, turning to you, your first Formula One points last time and the first for Manor under that name as well. It was based on getting the tyres into the right operating window, which has been a bit of a struggle for you and the team this year. Do you think you have learned the magic formula now?
Pascal WEHRLEIN: I don’t think so. I think the new surface in Austria helped us a lot. It was quicker and so we put more energy into the tyres and it helped us a lot. We were in the working window for qualifying and for the race and we could extend the run in the race. In qualifying, on the first lap the tyres were there and I could do a very good lap with P12 in Q2 and that’s it.You’re coming from a track that you knew very well from your previous racing experience to one here at Silverstone that you have never raced on I believe. What are you looking forward to about Silverstone, what’s exciting you?
PW: I think there are many nice corners, like… I don’t really know the names, but it’s Copse of Hops…RG: Maggotts, Becketts, Chapel…
PW: A bit strange names but still the corners are really nice, really high-speed corners. I like that challenge, basically. With the Manor car it won’t be easy because we are struggling a bit with downforce. In general, I am really looking forward to drive this track tomorrow. I’m always looking forward to new tracks.
Thanks. Turning to Valtteri Bottas, a podium finisher here a couple of years ago. Of course you know all the corners, you’ve been through them many times in the past, one of your favourite tracks I believe. It’s been a good track for Williams over the past couple of years. This year do you arrive here feeling optimistic you’ll be able to compete on that same level again, because at other circuits this year it seems to have been a bit more of a struggle for you?
Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, definitely. It’s really cool to be in Silverstone, one of my favourite tracks. It’s a home grand prix for Williams so it’s always great. There is a very special atmosphere racing around these high-speed corners. Of course we have high expectations, but we will need to wait and see how the practice goes, because there have been some circuits where it’s been very close… I mean, just a few races ago we had high expectations but we couldn’t execute that. We just need to do everything we can in the practice, find a good set-up with the car and try to get the tyres to work perfectly. That’s been the main issue in Baku and Austria. So yeah, just waiting for quali and race and hopefully we can be high up there.Now, I think that I’m right in saying that you’ve had the opportunity to drive some of the great Williams F1 cars from the past around Silverstone in your time in with the team. Tell us about how that felt, any highlights, what the experience was like?
VB: Yeah, I’ve driven Keke Rosberg’s wining car from ’82 and Damon Hill’s car from the ‘90s. Yeah, it’s been really cool trying out those cars on the same track that I’m driving in nowadays Formula One. Of course they are very different. Completely different behaviour. The technology has gone so much forward nowadays. But I have to say that with the cars we have now it’s a real enjoyment driving here in these corners, so I wouldn’t change that.Turning to Jolyon, first British Grand Prix as a Formula One driver. Some 135,000 people are expected here on race day. Everything has built up to this I guess, so what does this weekend mean to you?
Jolyon PALMER: Well, it’s huge. My first British Grand Prix, a race I’ve been looking forward to since the start of the year really. So a track I know really, really well, I’ve been racing here for a long time. And I love the track as well. The layout is awesome, lot of fast corners. You need a lot of commitment but I really enjoy it. And then the crowd, which is every year fantastic here. Been coming here myself for many years and now to be racing Formula One here is going to be pretty special. So I’m looking forward to it.,Now you out-raced Magnussen in Austria, but you haven’t managed to get into Q2 for a while, in fact I think it’s the first race of the season. So is qualifying the clear for you at the moment?
JP: Yeah, 100% really. For us we have been quite close – Montreal I was only 15,000ths off Romain to get to Q2. It was really close. Austria as well we were OK but then we had a red flag and we struggled to get the last set of tyres on. I think we’re not far away and hopefully this weekend we can find the last bit. I think the track should suit us more than the last few. And then once you’re in Q2, you’re starting a few places higher, you’ve got the pace to start a few places higher and you have more chance of scoring points. I mean they are the two aims: to get into Q2 and then score some points.Turning to Lewis, defending world champion of course, a three-time British Grand Prix winner. Just mention to Jolyon there, 135,000 people expected here on race day, so a lot of expectation, but lets’ talk about the championship. Twelve races to go, 11 points behind your team-mate, nearest rival challenger is 50 behind. Do you see this now as a two-horse race and how excited are you about it?
Lewis HAMILTON: I don’t think it’s a two-horse race. I should take a page out of your book [Jenson], good afternoon everyone. No, I mean, it’s the same as it’s been since the beginning. It’s still a fight. I think Ferrari are still there. Sebastian has had a couple of unfortunate races but they are still a force to be aware of. Every time I look up the cameras go… watch this!JB: We need some silent shutters, can we do that?
LH: We do, we do. It’s definitely a nicer position to be in. I’ve definitely seen worse days and worse times, obviously I was 43 points behind at one point. It’s still behind but it’s not impossible to come back.
Mercedes bosses met with you and Nico and the team’s issued a statement in the last couple of hours saying “in the last five races there have been three incidents that have cost us over 50 points in the championship. We have therefore strengthened our rules of engagement to include much greater deterrents to contact between the cars. With these in place we will our drivers to manage the situation. Their destiny is in their own hands.” Now clearly, last time out in Austria, the stewards found that the collision was your team-mate’s fault but what’s your comment on the statement today and how will it affect the battle going forward?
LH: In all honesty, I think our destiny has always been in our hands, so it doesn’t realty change anything. We are still able to race, no team rules or team orders or whatever it’s called, which I think is great for the fans, so I think everyone should be excited.And you’re both completely clear on what it all means and what these “much greater deterrents” are?
LH: Yeah.Are they scary deterrents?
LH: I should say yes.You should?
LH: I guess I should say yes.QUESTIONS FROM THE FOOR
Q: (Dan Knutson – Speedsport Magazine) Two questions for Valtteri. Has the team discovered what went wrong in the last race and going into the second half of the season is Red Bull still a target or are you looking over your shoulder at Force India?
VB: First of all with Austria, it was a really disappointing race for us. Like Pascal and Jenson said they could really use the conditions to their benefit with the tyres and the temperature and the new asphalt but for us it was completely the opposite, so we really struggled massively. I think there are multiple factors. I’m still yet today to have a better look with the engineers about it. I can say we don’t 100% understand our performance yet. We have some kind of ideas but we are still analysing everything. But the good thing is at least we now to a more normal type of tarmac, not new at least, so hopefully it works out better. With the Red Bull, definitely they are strong and they are getting stronger all the time. But we also have some updates lined up. I am trying out the new front wing that Felipe tried out in Austria. I think we both have and also some other updates lined up for the next few races. With that in mind then if we can get better results than Austria and if we start to understand things better and really use those tracks that are good for us, getting string points for our cars, then it is still possible. I think it is a good target for us to try to put pressure on them, try to beat them in the races and if we can’t make it then at least we should finish ahead of Force India.Q: (Sean McGreevy – CSMA) Question for Lewis, you, Jim Clark and Nigel Mansell have all won three races, British Grands Prix at this circuit. If you win on Sunday you’ll be the most successful British driver at Silverstone. Have you thought about that and what would it mean to you if you won?
LH: Is that true? Nigel has four. [one at Brands Hatch] Ah, I see. No pressure then! I didn’t know that. Ask me if I get there. It doesn’t change anything into the weekend. As Jenson said, it’s a great thing to be able to arrive here and have the incredible support we have. We’ve definitely got the best following of fans here and the Brits turn out regardless of what the weather is, they turn out in their thousands and it’s just a very proud experience being here and being able to represent all the Brits. I’m still of the mind that… I remember being here when I wasn’t even in Formula One and one day dreaming of driving Formula One, so it’s just crazy to think I’ve had those wins here and I hope that I can continue to, along with the drivers here, raise the flag proudly.Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Along the same lines Lewis, as time has gone on, this race has grown bigger and bigger for you and for the British sporting public and I wonder if there is a point where you have to be very disciplined about it not affecting your weekend performance and how you approach the weekend to find that balance between what you normally have to do and this massive audience which you find yourself facing?
LH: Honestly, I personally draw a lot of energy from the fans. There’s races where you have a few and races where you have a lot. You come to Silverstone and that’s when the energy is in abundance. I just absorb that. Seeing people that have saved up there money to come and spend their money here and put all of their energy towards you getting across the finish line first, that’s… pretty much impossible to describe how amazing that feels. And when there’s so many of them, all drivers will talk about it giving you that extra tenth or two on the weekend and I generally find that is the case. So the more and more there is, hopefully there’s more time in it. Don’t know if that’s the case, I hope so! I’d like to believe so.Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC Sport) Has Toto given you any guidelines about how you can race with Nico, side-by-side now? For example, could you do what you did in Suzuka or Austin last year under whatever new guidelines there might be?
LH: Unfortunately Andrew, everything that’s been said is private and confidential so I’m not allowed to… it’s a good question. We’re still able to race, and obviously in those races the stewards deemed me racing, so we… I… will still race like that.Q: (Qasim Abdul – Renaissance Foundation) Lewis, my question is in two parts: how can young people get into Formula One first of all. Because it’s not broadcast as much as other sports. Second, when we spoke to you, you were very interested in “Peace”, and right now with all the media that’s going on, how can we spread peace [unclear] Would you like to come with us to the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway?
LH: That sounds pretty cool. I’ve never been invited. Is it a good gig?
It’s in Oslo, so it’s really cold, but good…
LH: Maybe we should chat about that off-line. I’m always up for good events. Peace. For us as a team, fortunately we have people higher-up and obviously we’re adults so we, with our bosses, we work very hard, or they work very hard to try and dilute whatever tensions there are between all the people in the team. Whilst it’s not the easiest thing to come across, it’s something that I think, as men and women, we are able to reach an agreement at that point. So, while at one specific moment you might be angry, there’s always peace on the horizon. The first one, it’s really hard. It’s not like the other sports, like football, tennis, basketball. Not taking away from how hard it is to get into those sports but growing up I could go and buy a basketball and play in my driveway. You could play at school, you could play anywhere you want. Go-karts, you have to go and find a kart track, you can hire a kart but it’s expensive. It’s very expensive, and that’s the issue. But there are people, like Carolyn Hoy who does the karting championship in the UK, who really try to make it manageable for all families. Ultimately there’s going to be a wealthier and those families that have less money – but I think Jenson and I, from what I know of Jenson’s background, we both didn’t have money but we both got here which shows it is possible. There is always a way. Where there’s a will there’s a way and our parents somehow found that way. Jenson’s Dad worked so hard – he even did my engines, at a decent rate as well! He didn’t overcharge us! Our job is really to encourage kids. And it’s not just for motor racing. It really is for whatever it is that they’re into. I guess this is a platform for us to real inspire people in whatever genre or sport or form of work or whatever ambition they have, to fight for it and not give up, even though times do get low. I think the races we have that are good and the races that are bad, hopefully through those experiences we show that.Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) Lewis, if you were a team principal – let’s suppose – in the circumstances you are facing now with Nico, what would be your reaction? You would let free completely? You would give some orientation? Because you also would answer to the president of the company, for example.
LH: Me personally, I think I’d be in a better position because I’m a racing driver, so I know what you would do, and what I would do on a race track and what I would not. Our great engineers and generally individuals who don’t race, it’s difficult to understand the decisions we take when we’re racing at 200mph. So I think I’d be in a better position – but I’m not going to tell you what I would or would not do. I would want them to race, that’s for sure, and I wouldn’t bring in team orders ‘cos racing is why I’m here and why I’d want to be there: to see the guys race. I’d probably be more understanding that, when you have cars that are racing first and second, there are going to be times, out of 60 races together… I don’t know if it’s five collisions we’ve had, I don’t know how many collisions we’ve had, but it’s a small amount compared to the amount of successful races we’ve had and 1-2s we’ve had. So, that’s me.Q: (Sarah Holt – Channel Four) Just a really simple question for the British drivers: what’s your favourite thing about coming home to race here in Britain? Whether it’s on track or something you do off-track like seeing your families or watching TV or something…
JB: Watching TV or something! That’s the best question. I’m not taking the mickey, it was a very good question. The best thing about the British Grand Prix. We can say that we love the circuit because I think every driver likes Silverstone. It’s flowing, there’s so much history here, whether your car works here or not, you still enjoy the circuit. As a British driver, it has to be the fans. It has to be the support that you get here. I camp here, as a few of the drivers do, and when you drive from the campsite – motorhome site I’ll call it, glamping I think it’s called – you drive in, see the people coming in, see the Union Jacks, and obviously the different team kits. They don’t just come here to support the British drivers, they come here to support whoever they like and whatever team they like. But if you drive past someone with a Renault hat on, and you’re a British driver, he’s still going to cheer for you. And he’s still going to say good luck for the weekend – or a Mercedes hat – because they’re so supportive of Formula One as a whole, not just individuals. Which is what makes this race so special. I think for everyone a race that stands out because of that. Also, after the race we get to go to the stand, where they have the live bands, and standing up there, whether you’ve had a good race or not – and most of mine haven’t been good here – you stand up there and there’s just a sea of people, different flags, people that are British, people that are from all over the world that come to watch this race, the atmosphere’s electric. It’s a very special feeling. Then you head back to the motorhome and have a Bar-B with your mates. It’s old-school. Like the karting days.LH: I’m trying to think what it is because you’ve now taking my answer, so I’ll pass it to Jolyon for a second.
JP: Not getting onto a plane to get to a race is a bonus. Just an hour up the M40 is quite nice. It’s the same as Jenson, it’s the fans, I think. Home support, friends and family that can come up as well but just generally the fans are pretty awesome here.
LH: He’s covered then all!
JP: I’m just going broad so you’ve got no more options!
You mentioned the fans earlier Lewis, but I wonder also racing here, as Jenson said, it’s old-school. Does it basically just bring back a lot of memories. Does it connect you with your childhood and all those races?
LH: What I love firstly, is landing here the other day, whether it’s going home, seeing family, driving down the countryside where I grew up, seeing friends who I grew up with. I guess just being around something you’re used to. We’ve been to Baku, for example, and it’s all new: you don’t know the streets, you don’t know the restaurants. Here you can go to your usual favourite restaurants, meet up with your friends, it’s an amazing feeling. Last night I caught up with a couple of friends that I grew up with, that I met 21 years ago. It’s that but most importantly, as Jenson said, it’s when we arrive here. It’s the history, it’s knowing that we’re going to be one of only 22 people in the world that get to be here and one of the relatively small amount of British drivers, compared to the amount of people in the world, who get to come here and represent their country. It’s just an amazing feeling when you get on your home turf. I would imagine it’s similar for football fans in their own stadium with their own fans… the majority of fans are there for them. It’s unbelievable. It’s as powerful as, for me, the energy is as powerful as the sea. Like a wave. It’s unreal. It’s so powerful it’s hard to absorb – but you absorb as much as you can. It’s amazing.Q: (Angela Bern – SID) Lewis did the reaction of the crowd last Sunday in Spielberg affect you in any way? They were booing during the victory ceremony. Is that something that affects you, that you are thinking about afterwards?
LH: Fortunately not at all. I don’t know if you saw my Snapchat but I had an amazing time literally… once we got away from the track, leaving, went to a really beautiful place for the last couple of days and had the best two days of the year. And also, someone mentioned to me that potentially that someone… some of the fans didn’t see exactly everything what happened and also a comment from someone that… someone told me that someone said that I had rammed Nico off. I understand that that was the first reaction and whether some of them still feel the same away, it doesn’t really make a big difference. This weekend, the cheers will make those boos so small which is a good thing.Q: (Mikolaj Sokol – Rzeczpospolita) Lewis, when you’re battling on the track, attacking or defending, what’s the balance between rational thinking, preparation and analysis, and just pure racing instinct and reflex? What goes on in your mind in those split seconds when you have to take a decision the track?
LH: Can you just tell me that again? I’m just struggling to… So when I’m racing for the championship, the balance…
Q: (Mikolaj Sokol – Rzeczpospolita) No, when you’re battling on the track, attacking or defending against any other driver, what’s the proportion between thinking, analysing and preparation, when it comes to every move on the track, and pure racing instinct in those split second decision?
LH: Well, the more of every single one of those, the more instinct, the more preparation and the more… yeah, you want to have it all. Some of us drivers have more instinct, some of us drivers have better preparation, but we’re all working on our skills throughout the years to be the best at overtaking and analysing manoeuvres, so when I’m trying to make a manoeuvre, for sure it’s analysing the weaknesses of the car ahead, analysing your strengths and then planning and executing and in executing it takes a lot of instinct to know… you know, when you go for a manoeuvre, you basically have a calculation, a percentage of your chance of overtaking. Sometimes it’s 100 percent, sometimes it’s less but as racing drivers, we even go for the small percentages and that’s what makes us racing drivers and if we don’t then we’re not racing.
Q: Any others? Valtteri, does it come from experience, how much of it is experience, how much of it is instinct?
VB: I think it is both really and of course it depends completely on the situation. Sometimes you don’t have time to plan things, if something comes in front of you in the race and you suddenly need to go with your instinct rather than planning. But it is funny, sometimes, when you’re really at your best, really focused and sometimes it feels like there’s plenty of time to think about the situation, what to do and how to make the move and then if you see it in the replay for example, it just looks really quick, completely depends on the situation.
Q: How about you, Romain, because you had to consider how much risk was appropriate? You went through that process and it made you a better driver.
RG: I knew that would come to me! I messed up a few times. I think the start, for example, is instinct because you cannot prepare for what’s going to happen in front of you and you cannot think ‘well these guys are going to turn right and they’re going to go left and so on’. It’s all at the minute and that’s where you really need to take the right decision and aim for the right objective. And then during the race, there are other times as Valtteri says where you can take your time and you can actually follow another guy for a few laps and for a while and then you know that you’re much faster and I can actually go for it and it feels more natural but it’s well prepared. Another case where a car just comes out of the pits in front of you and in the instinct and decides to go right/left.Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) Romain, arguably last year you had a pick of where you could go. You could have stayed – if the rumours and the gossips are to be believed – you could have stayed at Lotus. You could have gone to other teams but you chose Haas. Nine races into the new season with a new team, what are your thoughts? Are you happy you’ve made that decision? What do you want to do next year and also tell us a bit about NASCAR.
RG: Well, I’ll tell you one thing. On the 9th of September last year, I made my decision and I didn’t regret it from there. I like to think before, but when I stick to one plan then I don’t like to regret. I think I’m living a very nice experience in a very good team, very proud to be driving for the US, for a US team. Very proud to have scored a first time ever in Formula One, the first points for Haas so all of that together, it’s a very nice experience and I don’t regret one thing that I’m doing and the more we go, the more we learn, the more the people I work with are really following the same trend so that’s great.
NASCAR, when I was sitting on my sofa watching the Sonoma race, I wished I was there. It looks good fun, I liked the last lap with Tony Stewart winning the race and pushing Martin Truex a little bit wide but it was great fun. I do need to get a few laps, a few days in the car, do some laps, get some good sensation and then I will come to do a race.Q: (Ralf Bach – Autobild Motorsport) Lewis, if in future you will get some team orders – you or Nico, you will get some team orders – would you follow them or would you react as angry, two years ago when your team told you to let Nico past but you didn’t?
LH: Oooh, buddy, you’re feeling in a certain way, hunh? Hey, you’ve just got to let it go buddy, that was a couple of years ago. I would, that’s my job, that’s what I get paid to do. That’s what we agreed today, that’s what’s in our agreement. If you go back to 2014 and if you listen to the manuscript, you understand I didn’t say no. I just said I won’t get in the way. He didn’t get close so…Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Just going to back to instinct versus experience, Valtteri I’m just wondering: turn one at Bahrain with Lewis? Was that instinct or was that experience, maybe get some Lewis input here?
VB: It was both, I think 50-50. For sure coming into the corner I remember seeing a gap there, I was sure I could get inside and try and keep my position. Not sure Lewis maybe saw me and I was also sliding at the same time, slightly drifting off the apex, not a lot but… Yeah. I don’t know how Lewis saw it. I would say that was a 50-50 situation.
LH: I can tell you, I didn’t see it, I just felt it. I don’t know, it was a racing incident.Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Lewis, speaking about you being a team boss. Seeing what Nico did last week, would you understand it as a racing driver?
LH: Didn’t I just answer that question? I’m pretty sure that I did say that if I was a team boss I would be in a better position to understand the situation because I have driven and know what I would do in that situation. I do believe so. I’m pretty sure I said that before.
Q: Would you accept from Nico’s point of view, would you be more understanding of Nico’s point of view?
LH: Any more than I am now? I don’t really understand it, more accepting than what?
Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) As you are a racing driver, seeing it as a racing driver, would you understand what he did?
LH: Well, I understand it now and I would understand it then. It doesn’t mean it’s right or wrong. I would have to take an opinion, I would have an opinion whether it was right or wrong but I would understand it just as I do now.Q: (Casseem Campbell – Renaissance Foundation) On a more positive note…
LH: It’s all about positive energy, yeah.
Q: (Casseem Campbell – Renaissance Foundation) To Lewis and Jenson. I’m a big believer in the mental part of any sport as I’m a tennis player as well. Well, not a tennis player, I play tennis. I wanted to know, in terms of Formula One specifically, what are the main nuance qualities you feel that a Formula One driver has to have to be successful?
LH: Good question. I think… is that for all of us?
Q: To you and Jenson.
LH: Go first.
JB: You’ve started mate, go for it.
LH: Ah s***. I think it’s very similar to other sports. I watch other sports like tennis and I’m amazed when – and I always refer to Federer as one of my favourite players – when a player’s up and I understand the positive mental space you’re in when you’re up and then when you make a mistake, how you don’t drop it all or lose it all, how they come back from a couple of sets down, for example and those kind of things. You take a lot of energy, I think I try to take a lot from that because for us it’s kind of similar, you know? We have our ups and downs, you have your good days and your bad days but as a racing driver, for us it’s a long long season, it is about focus, it’s about… the training helps massively. You go out for a run, it helps you really… you have a lot to think about. I think for every single person it’s different but for me, if I go and work out whatever it is, it helps me stay focused. It is about keeping the eye on the prize, it’s about learning through every single experience, whether good or bad. Hopefully you have more… hopefully you learn more through the bad times because that’s how you grow. You learn less in the good times I would say. But if you understand to learn and enjoy from the bad times, then you appreciate the better times. I don’t know if that’s really… I don’t think I’m answering it, I’m leaving you space to answer it. The nuances in the performance…
JB: I think Formula One is a sport but it’s not as physical as most sports so it has to be mental. A lot of it is about feeling but mentally to have to be in the right place, you really do. Off the back of a good race, you have so much more confidence coming into the weekend. I think we’ve all been through tough times in our careers and some people, they fall into the tough times and never come out again, and you see that with racing drivers which is a shame because you know the raw talent is there. So it’s not just about being strong enough as an individual because you can only learn that with time and it can be too late by the time you’ve learned that, you are already cast aside for another driver. So you need good people around you to support you, family and obviously close friends but also the people you work with. Formula One is a massive team sport and it’s not just about people doing their job correctly, building the front wing or designing the rear wing or what have you. It’s about making sure that you are in the right frame of mind and everyone working together and making sure there’s a positive attitude, because it’s not just the drivers that have difficult days, it’s the mechanics as well and the engineers who have a bad day if they make the wrong call. They’re told they’ve made the wrong call and it hurts, mentally, a lot. And it’s about you all pulling together in those difficult times and making the difference. It’s a massive mental game, Formula One, and a lot of people don’t realise that.
LH: Ultimately down to the positive mental attitude. I think that’s the key, as Jenson said.eom/FIA transcript of the Thursday Press Conference
