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Tio Ellinas secures double pole for MRF Challenge Round 2
Sakhir (Bahrain), 28 Nov 2013: Championship contender Tio Ellinas secured pole position for Race 1 & 3 at Round 2 of the MRF Challenge 2013 at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir, Bahrain. Renault sponsored driver Arthur Pic, who currently leads the championship, will start second ahead of British driver Rupert Svendsen-Cook. Earlier in the day, Sam Dejonghe and Arthur Pic were fastest in the Free Practice sessions 1& 2. The FIA sanctioned MRF Challenge will serve as one of the main support races for the FIA World Endurance Championship round.
In the 30 minute qualifying session, Japanese driver Shinya Michimi was the first to set a competitive time and went to top of the time sheets with a 2:04:610. Pic came out next and went faster by three-tenths to go fastest, but that was soon eclipsed by Svendsen-Cook, who did a 2:03:551. Ellinas kept his run late and set a 2:02:983 to go provisional pole. His next lap was even faster as he became the first man to dip under the 2:03:00 mark to set a 2:02:960 and cement his pole position. As he set the second fastest lap as well in the qualifying session, he will start Race 3 from the front of the grid. Pic and Svendsen-Cook will start in second and third place again for Race 3.
Pole sitter Tio Ellinas was thrilled to be on pole after finding the perfect balance in practice. He commented, “It was a good session for me. We used the practice sessions to find the right balance and it worked well in qualifying. I did my fastest laps in succession and am confident going into to the race tomorrow. Getting pole here is very important so I will try to use this to my advantage at the start.”
Second placed man Arthur Pic commented, “I am happy with second place on the grid. We used a set of old tyres so could not match Tio for pole position. I am close to Tio with regard to race pace and I think the start will be important as whoever leads into turn 1 will have the advantage for the race.”
The Indian challenge had a tough day with Parth Ghorpade and Raj Bharath both suffering from mechanical problems. While Parth suffered a drive-shaft failure in qualifying, Bharath managed to get in a total of 5 laps the whole day after his car gave trouble. Ghorpade will start from 13th on the grid with Bharath and Vikash Anand further back.
Sam Dejonghe was the fastest man in Free Practice 1 as the drivers spent time learning the circuit. He set a fastest time of 2:03:390 with Svendsen-Cook behind him with a 2:03:427. In Free Practice 2, Arthur Pic topped the time sheets with a 2:03:491 ahead of Japanese driver Shinya Michimi, who was half a second off his pace.
About MRF Challenge 2013
The four round calendar will include 14 races, and will see the leading single-seater racing category in India go international with two rounds to be held in Bahrain in November and December. The final round of the championship will be held in Chennai in February. MRF also confirmed a prize money of Rs. 6,500,000 for the winners of the Championship.
Tio Ellinas takes double pole at Bahrain on Thursday. An Adrenna photo In its second year, the MRF Challenge 2013 will feature 18 MRF Formula 2000 race cars, which have been made in India by JA Motorsport based in Coimbatore, in collaboration with Dallara, world’s largest racing car manufacturer and also Jayem Automotives Ltd, which is a strategic partner for Tata Motors Ltd. The Formula 3 style car has been built by JA Motorsport in technical collaboration with Dallara, and is considered to be the fastest of its kind in Asia. The MRF Formula 2000 is powered by a 2.0 litre 210 BHP Renault Sport Engine and will have a Hewland 6-Speed sequential gearbox. The race car has also been crash tested to FIA F3 safety standards and will race with MRF ZLO slick and wet tyres.
Please go to www.mrfracing.in for information on Championship Standings.
MRF Challenge 2013 Calendar:
Round 1: October 25-27, 2013, New Delhi, Buddh International Circuit (Formula One Support Race)
Round 2: November 28-30, 2013, Bahrain, Bahrain International Circuit (World Endurance Championship Support Race)
Round 3: December 19-21, 2013, Bahrain, Bahrain International Circuit (Gulf Racing Festival)
Round 4: February 14-16, 2013, Chennai, Madras Motor Race Trust
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MRF Challenge 2013 heads to Bahrain for Round 2
Chennai, 27 Nov 2013: Round 2 of the MRF Challenge 2013 season will kick-off this weekend with the Indian based series heading to the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir, Bahrain. The FIA sanctioned MRF Challenge will continue to mix it with the elite in international motorsport as it will serve as one of the main support races for the FIA World Endurance Championship round. This will be the first time that an Indian series, which includes race cars made in India and run on Indian tyres, will race internationally. This weekend will see 4 races of the MRF Formula 2000 cars in action, India’s faster single-seater cars.
The MRF Challenge also announced the addition of young Indian driver Raj Bharath who will join the championship in Round 2 at Bahrain. He will join other Indian drivers Parth Ghorpade and Vikash Anand on the grid. The battle will resume with Formula Renault 3.5 driver Arthur Pic defending his championship lead against GP3 driver Tio Ellinas and British driver Rupert Svendsen-Cook. The weekend will have 2 free practice sessions, one qualifying session and 4 races this weekend. Other races this weekend include the FIA WEC and the Porsche GT3 Cup.
Arun Mammen, Managing Director, MRF Tyres, commented, “We had a great start to the season in India and now we move on to Bahrain for Round 2 of the MRF Challenge 2013. We are proud to be the first Indian tyre manufacturer to race our tyres internationally in a single-seater series. This is a huge step not only for us, but Indian motorsport as well. The circuit is challenging for drivers and we are confident of another action packed race this weekend.”
The MRF Challenge boasts some of the top upcoming drivers across the world with Formula Renault 3.5 driver Arthur Pic leading the charge. Both Pic and second placed Tio Ellinas were busy after Round 1 as they tested the GP2 car in Abu Dhabi. GP2 Series and Formula Renault 3.5 both serve as the top feeder series for Formula 1 and it is a great for the MRF Challenge to have drivers of this calibre competing here.
The Indian challenge will be boosted with the addition of young driver Raj Bharath joining the competition. Bharath had a successful year in the Formula Masters China Series with race wins, pole positions and podium finishes. Bharath and Parth Ghorpade are the only two Indians to race in internationally single-seater categories this year, along with MRF driver Narain Karthikeyan.
J Anand, Managing Director, JA Motorsports, strongly believes that it can only help young Indian drivers to compete with the best drivers from Europe. He commented, “Our objective was always to build an international series attracting the best drivers from across the globe. This also helps our young Indian drivers develop as they work and compete against a good line-up of drivers. Bahrain will be a new challenge for all the drivers and they are all very excited to be driving over here.”
About MRF Challenge 2013
The four round calendar will include 14 races, and will see the leading single-seater racing category in India go international with two rounds to be held in Bahrain in November and December. The final round of the championship will be held in Chennai in February. MRF also confirmed a prize money of Rs. 6,500,000 for the winners of the Championship.
In its second year, the MRF Challenge 2013 will feature 18 MRF Formula 2000 race cars, which have been made in India by JA Motorsport based in Coimbatore, in collaboration with Dallara, world’s largest racing car manufacturer and also Jayem Automotives Ltd, which is a strategic partner for Tata Motors Ltd. The Formula 3 style car has been built by JA Motorsport in technical collaboration with Dallara, and is considered to be the fastest of its kind in Asia. The MRF Formula 2000 is powered by a 2.0 litre 210 BHP Renault Sport Engine and will have a Hewland 6-Speed sequential gearbox. The race car has also been crash tested to FIA F3 safety standards and will race with MRF ZLO slick and wet tyres.
Please go to www.mrfracing.in for information on Championship Standings.
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Webber signs off F1 career in style; Vettel on a record-spree
Sao Paulo, 24 Nov 2013: At Interlagos, Sebastian Vettel took a record-equalling ninth win in succession, as Mark Webber signed off on his Formula One career with a second place that delivered Red Bull Racing a fifth one-two finish of the season. Fernando Alonso was third for Ferrari at the 19th and last round of the Formula One World Championship. Vettel took his fourth straight Driver’s title at the Indian GP earlier in October.
Vettel’s victory, which also drew him level with Michael Schumacher’s 2004 record of 13 wins in a single season, was a comfortable one, save for a few key moments, according to an FIA release.
Now familiar Vettel’s donuts to end the season at Brazil. A Pirelli photo Starting from the 45th pole position of his career, the German made an uncharacteristically poor start, allowing Nico Rosberg to steal the lead in Turn One. The Mercedes man wasn’t there for long, however. Vettel muscled past Rosberg on the pit straight at the end of the first tour and then streaked away to build a solid gap.
His lead was briefly threatened in his second stop on lap 47 when his team were unprepared for his arrival but even then the only threat came from Webber in second place and the Australian was already steering his RB9 into the pit lane to queue up behind his team-mate for a change of tyres.
The remaining laps were simply a case of race management for Vettel. Webber closed the gap for a short period soon after their pit stops, but Vettel had proceedings well in hand and responded with a burst of pace that eventually saw him cross the line just over 10 seconds clear of the Australian.
“I’m actually quite sad that this season comes to an end,” said Vettel afterwards. “I think the last races, since the summer break… to win every race is unbelievable. The car has been phenomenal. Just kept getting better.”
Vettel also pointed to the difficulty of the final laps of the race, when fog and persistent drizzle threatened to influence the outcome.
“The last laps were very difficult with the rain because you could see the fog is coming, [then] it’s leaving, so it was very difficult to judge,” he said.
Webber’s march to second place was, typically, a more battling affair. Starting fourth he too made a poor start and dropped to fifth behind Lewis Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel and Rosberg.
He was soon past Hamilton, though, overtaking the Mercedes on lap two in Turn Six. He then passed Rosberg, who had fallen to P3, and soon became involved in a tussle for P2 with regular sparring partner Fernando Alonso. Mark passed the Ferrari man under DRS into Turn One on lap 13 but then lost P2 during a slow first stop.
There was no halting the Aussie though and just two laps after his stop he passed the Spaniard once again. From there, it was simply a case of powering to the finish for Webber.
“It was a very good finish to my career,” he said afterwards. “I had a good fight with all the guys I’ve enjoyed fighting with for most of my career: Seb, Fernando, Lewis, Nico, all the guys who have been in the window for the last five or six years.
“I want to thank the team, I enjoyed the last laps,” he added. “It was a very nice way to finish. I want to thank everyone in Australia. I wouldn’t be here where I am without the support in the early days. It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable career. A great journey, one of which I’m proud.”
Behind the front pair, the race was all about the battle for second place in the Constructors’ Championship, with Ferrari and Mercedes involved in a tight contest.
Mercedes started the race 15 points clear and despite Alonso and team-mate Felipe Massa running as high as third and fourth respectively midway through the race, the German squad weren’t in real danger, as with Rosberg fifth and Hamilton seventh the advantage still lay with them.
It remained the case even as drama hit both teams. First Felipe Massa was handed a drive-through penalty for crossing the white line at the pit entry, which dropped him to ninth. That seemed to swing the pendulum very firmly towards Mercedes, but then Hamilton clashed with Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, ending the Finn’s race and earning himself a drive through.
By the time the flag fell, Alonso was third, with Massa seventh in his final race for Ferrari. Rosberg, meanwhile, finished fifth and Hamilton ninth, the results handing Mercedes 12 points, enough to take them clear of Ferrari in the overall standings, despite the Scuderia’s 21-point haul.
Elsewhere, excellent drives from Jenson Button, 14th to fourth, and Sergio Perez, 19th to sixth gave McLaren a boost at the end of a difficult season. The team ends the campaign with fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship behind Lotus.
Nico Hulkenberg took more points for Sauber with ninth place, leaving the Swiss team seventh in the teams’ standings, behind Force India. Finally, Daniel Ricciardo bade farewell to Toro Rosso with a point for tenth place. He will, of course, replace the departing Webber at Red Bull Racing in 2014.
2013 Brazilian Grand Prix – Race Result
1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 71 1:32:36.300 25
2 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 71 +10.4 secs 18
3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari +18.9 secs 15
4 Jenson Button McLaren 71 +37.3 secs 12
5 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 71 +39.0 secs 10
6 Sergio Perez McLaren 71 +44.0 secs 8
7 Felipe Massa Ferrari 71 +49.1 secs 6
8 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 71 +64.2 secs 4
9 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 71 +72.9 secs 2
10 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 70 +1 Lap 7 1
11 Paul di Resta Force India70 +1 Lap
12 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 70+1 Lap
13 Adrian Sutil Force India 70 +1 Lap
14 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus 70 +1 Lap
15 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 70 +1 Lap
16 Pastor Maldonado Williams 70 +1 Lap
17 Jules Bianchi Marussia 69 +2 Laps
18 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 69 +2 Laps
19 Max Chilton Marussia 69 +2 Laps
Ret Charles Pic Caterham 58 Mechanical
Ret Valtteri Bottas Williams 45 Accident
Ret Romain Grosjean Lotus 2 Engineeom
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Will miss having myself on the edge in the ultimate machine: Webber
Sao Paulo, 24 Nov 2013: FIA post-race Press Conference at the Season-ending race at Sao Paulo in Brazil on Sunday.
Webber at the FIA press conference in Sao Paulo at the Brazilian GP. An FIA photo DRIVERS
1 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)
2 – Mark WEBBER (Red Bull Racing)
3 – Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari)PODIUM INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Glenda Kozlowski, TV Globo)
Sebastian Vettel, you just broke two records.,.
Sebastian VETTEL: No, please start with him. Start with Mark.
Q: OK! Mark Webber, that’s your last race in Formula One, today is a very emotional day for you. You have over 200 races in your career.
Mark WEBBER: Yeah, it was a very good finish to my career, a good fight with all the guys I’ve enjoyed fighting with for most of my career: Seb, Fernando, Lewis, Nico, all the guys who have been in the window for the last five or six years. I want to thank the team, I enjoyed the last few laps. It was a very nice way to finish. I want to thank everyone in Australia. I wouldn’t be here where I am without the support in the early days. It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable career. A great journey, one of which I’m proud of, and there’s been so many people who have played a special role in my career. They know who they all are – thank you very much if you are watching and…yeah… enjoy watching Formula One next year with these guys, but off to Porsche and looking forward to it.
Q: Sebastian, so, you just made [equalled] two records, the most consecutive wins – nine – and the highest number of wins in a single season: 13. So, what do you feel?
Sebastian VETTEL: Well, I’m actually quite sad that this season comes to an end. I think the last couple of races, really since the summer break, to win every race is unbelievable. The car has been phenomenal. Just kept getting better. I think today was a very interesting race. I had a poor start but then I was able to come back straight away in the first lap, build a gap which was nice to control then. But in the pitstop, obviously, I was waiting for my tyres again. I think it was a bit of a confusion going on because we had both cars coming in at the same time. Fortunately I got all the tyres in time ready to go. Mark was behind and then, yeah, the last laps, very difficult with the rain because you could see the fog is coming, [then] it’s leaving, so it was very difficult to judge but yeah, for sure, extremely proud. Big, big thank you to the team, big thanks to Renault. I think there’s a couple of guys that stand out. First of all Mark, obviously it’s his last race, we’ve been team-mates for a very, very long time. After all we didn’t have the best relationship but I think we always had tremendous respect for each other. And together I think we’ve been very, very successful for the team. And then there’s one other guy, he’s working on my car. His name is Tom Batch and unfortunately he’s leaving so farewell Tom, all the best for the future, and who knows, maybe we’ll meet each other again in the future.
Q: Fernando, since Singapore this was your first podium. Now the season is over and today was a tough race because like he said, the rain came and gone, came and gone. A light rain all the time. So how was it there?
Fernando ALONSO: Well it was a difficult race for everyone, unfortunately the rain didn’t come: I think we were more competitive in wet conditions but again, it seems as if it’s going to rain in any moment but it didn’t, so it was a shame for us but at least we’re in the podium, so ending the season on a high and hopefully for next year we start with a completely new direction and a positive trend. I’m looking forward.
Q: I know you’re missing Felipe Massa. Today was his last race with Ferrari.
FA: It was a shame, sad that he had this drive-through because I think the podium was very close for Felipe today. When I saw him fourth I said this would be a very good celebration for him. Sad for this race but happy for the last four years: he has been an amazing team-mate – inside the circuit with very competitive skills and also like a person. We build a friendly relationship in the last four years, a lot of time together. We’ll see him in the paddock next year with different colours but always he will remain a very good man.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Sebastian, lots of things really to talk to you about but just tell us about the race – give us some idea. Bit of a voyage into the unknown for all three of you in terms of tyres as well but also the start, the pitstop…
SV: Yeah, obviously we didn’t have any dry running, which was quite exciting when we started: bit of an adventure to find braking points, etcetera. Start was obviously quite bad for me. I had lots of wheel-slip and didn’t get the initial launch off the line as good as I was hoping for. Nico passed me straight away, Fernando was closing in. I was lucky that as soon as I got on the KERS I could recover a little bit and then it’s not a long way to Turn One – which helped today. So, lost the position, saved some KERS for the end of the lap. Was hoping to get him back up the hill which worked well, so I managed to get back in the lead straight away and was basically benefitting I think from Nico probably a little bit slower than the cars behind – Fernando and Mark – so I could open a gap and control that for more or less the rest of the race – until we came in for the second stop, which was a last minute call. I think we were afraid of a safety car at that stage. I came in, hoping everybody was ready. I think I had three wheels on the car but I was waiting for the front right. For some reason, last year and this year, it seemed to be the front right that… yeah, they let me wait for a little bit. I saw that obviously Mark was queuing behind me and I wanted to go and there was a bit of chaos in the pitlane but it was obviously fine to get the right tyres in the end, get out again and I still had a bit of a gap. We obviously lost to Fernando at that stage, both of us, but was still able to have a little bit of a gap and control that until the end which was very helpful to get through traffic and with the rain coming in and going – you could really see it from the car. The fog was coming and the rain clouds. You didn’t know how strong the rain was and, yeah, in the end it was fine all the time to stay on dries but a little harder rain and it could have been a different story so, yeah, lucky to get away with that.
Mark, a great end to your Formula One career. I hope you’re happy with it as well. How did it go?
MW: Yeah, I was happy with today. Tricky grand prix for all of us as you say, straight into dry conditions for a Sunday afternoon race. Maybe it’s what Bernie should do! He should just have Sunday afternoons mate, just turn up for Sundays and just race from there because it was a pretty good start to the grand prix, I think, all of us getting into the groove with no dry running: challenging for the teams and the drivers. So we all got there in the end. Both Seb and I had tough starts, I was happy to lose only to Lewis actually. I had a good little scrap in the first lap: Fernando and Lewis were having a good battle and then we settled into it. It looked like the Mercedes were struggling to hold the tempo of Fernando, myself and Seb, so we had to clear the Mercs as best we could. And then it was coming up to Fernando, so, managed to pass Fernando as well. There was some really nice moves and some good racing and I think for the team to get a one-two today with obviously not their cleanest day in the pitlane – which we can let them off every now and again, because they’ve had a superb season in the pitlane – so we gave the red guys a sniff but we managed to respond each time. Very proud to have raced with these guys at the end. I mean I raced pretty much all four or five of them at some stage in the race today – apart from Seb, obviously who was a little bit down the road – but the pace… it was a good battle for all of us. It’s been a real pleasure for me to finish today’s race like this. Yeah, and also to finish on the podium with arguable the two best guys of the generation we’re in at the moment. I hold them in very high esteem. I’m happy with the finish and I’m happy to go and do something different now. It was a special day for myself, all the people that helped me get here. Australia. And the team, of course, had a nice car to finish. Renault as well, a 1-2 for them, last time with the V8s. Lots of things which are special, so thank you very much.
Fernando, obviously a good result for you. As Glenda said on the podium, first time on the podium since the Singapore Grand Prix. Nice to go out with a podium?
FA: Yeah, definitely. I think to finish the season on a high is always better. We missed this podium finish from many races and today we had a chance. Obviously maybe with rain conditions, a wet race, maybe we had a little more performance than on the dry but at the end to finish behind the two Red Bulls today is the maximum we could achieve and I’m happy for that. The last race for Mark as you touched on now. We will miss him, that’s for sure. A great driver and a great person. Last race also for Felipe in Ferrari, which we wanted to help in whatever way to try to celebrate a podium finish with Felipe or something but he get a drive-through unfortunately. But, y’know, mixed emotions today but happy to finish 2013 which has been an amazing year in terms of fighting and the number of points we achieve, I think. We didn’t win the championship, which is the goal every year and for next year we reset again, start from zero and new motivations.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Mark, what will you miss most and what won’t you miss most?
MW: What will I miss most about Formula One? I think there are some special circuits which we race on: obviously Suzuka, Spa, Monte Carlo, Silverstone, even here to a degree. There are some really nice circuits which, when you have the car in the window, particularly in qualifying, there’s not much that can please a driver more than having the car on the edge and having yourself on the edge in the ultimate machine and that is something which I will miss. But you also have to respect that you want to make sure that you’re getting the best out of yourself in that scenario. If you think you’re a little bit off, then it’s not as rewarding as it once was. I will miss those scenarios. I will miss, I think, also the perfection that goes on in this game, especially with a team like Red Bull, the amount of work that goes in, the details. It’s quite inspiring to watch the relentless approach with the work, that’s something which I’ve learned a lot and I will take it to future challenges around the corner. What I won’t miss: looking to pull the travel back down a little bit, spending a bit more time with my people that helped me to get to where I am. I’m not young but I’m not old, I’m in the window, it’s a good time for me to get that balance, a little bit less intensity in the private life and also in the professional life. It doesn’t mean that I’m not going to be pushing hard with Porsche, obviously. I will be pushing very hard with those guys but in this game, you need to be on it all the time and I’m finding that more and more difficult. It’s a chance for me to finish strongly, which I’ve done. That’s some of the things I’ll miss. I think I answered that right.
Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Mark, what is your schedule now, are you going to take some holiday, just like retire or are you working for Porsche as soon as possible?
MW: No, I’m going to have a few weeks out, for sure, doing nothing. I love putting the fire on at home, chopping some wood, putting the fire on and maybe a bit of red wine and chill out with some chocolate. Also my Tasmania Challenge is on which I can’t get to this year, it’s just too busy to get to my charity event, so I hope that goes well for everyone taking part. It starts on Wednesday but I just can’t get to Tasmania from here, it’s just been a relentless year and quite difficult so I’m looking forward to just having a bit of a break. For sure there is some Porsche stuff in the background. Obviously there is a chance I can do some stuff with them before the year is out, which Red Bull have been very good with and then it will be a steady loading into January as it will be for all of us.
Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action Australia and National Speedsport News) Mark, tell us about taking your helmet off on that last ever lap and savouring it? Your eyes seem to be tearing a bit; maybe that was just the wind in your eyes.
MW: Yeah, it was the wind, Dan, I was tearing at that time. Look, it’s not easy to get the HANS device system away from the helmet so I spent half a lap trying to get the left hand side off, so I finally got it there but the cars are bloody noisy with no helmet on, I know that much, so it was really noisy, all the vibrations and you can hear lots of things that you don’t want to be hearing with the helmet on, that’s for sure. It was good to get it off, obviously the marshals, the fans, to see… in this sport, it’s not always easy to show the person that’s behind the wheel. We can in lots of other sports but in Formula One we’ve always got the helmet on so it was nice to drive back with the helmet off. Only time you’re seen with the helmet off is on the podium if we have a good day which we did both, so nice to get it off. In the last sector, I got it a little bit jammed, so I think the marshals were a little bit worried that I couldn’t turn left but in the end, no it was fine, it was a nice moment to come back, a little bit of a different touch to bring the car back.
Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Sebastian first, when did you tell your team that you wanted to come in? Was it because of a potential safety car, and to Mark, do you think it would have been better for you if the team had left you out for one more lap and then go in, because you obviously had to wait for Seb?
SV: I didn’t decide to pit. Obviously with the weather it was critical, we were trying to go as long as possible because we didn’t know… when it starts to rain and you pit one lap before, you lose a lot of time because you have to come in again to fit inters (intermediate tyres). So basically, I was told, exit of turn 12, box if I can. I had enough time to get ready. Arguably the team was on the limit and obviously they were preparing a stop for both cars so they had to get both set of tyres out, mine and Mark’s, and I think it was just a little bit of a rush, because I think the team was afraid of a safety car. Obviously I didn’t know what was going on around the track; the team is obviously able to monitor much better… to see the whole track, whereas I’m very good at judging what’s going on where I am right now but not five, six corners down the road. I think that was the reason why I got called in but unfortunately it got a bit messy.
MW: I got the pit call quite early in the lap, they were worried about a safety car as well. I think Maldonado had been off or something had happened. When I braked for the pit lane line, I looked on the big screen and I could see that Seb was in the box, saw on the TV that he was pitting and I thought ‘I hope it’s a replay’ but it wasn’t. When I got over the top, he was in the bloody box so I thought ‘shit, we’ve got a bit on here now’. In that case, mainly we were losing time, that’s the biggest thing but then just the rear jack guy remembering to get out of the way. Obviously I’m going to stop but I have to wait for him to move out of the way so I thought it was obviously a complete surprise, uncharacteristic of the team to do something quite tricky and risky, when there wasn’t a huge amount to risk but it turns out obviously that there was an issue at the start of Seb’s stop which snowballed into me and then we had the little Spanish lion on the back of me again, so it was a good recovery but the team… I’m sure they want to do that part again. In the end, we recovered well and cool heads…
Q: (Cristobal Rosaleny – Car and Driver) Seb and Fernando, Mark is going to take off some weeks for relaxing but you have to race next year and Formula One is changing a lot next year. What are you going to do until Christmas?
SV: Nothing. Obviously there are some things you have to attend to in December which is also nice, but mostly try to relax. Obviously Mark is retiring from Formula One but he’s not retiring from racing so, as he said, he will obviously get ready, probably has a little bit less pressure because the season maybe starts in a different way but I think for us it’s the same thing as the previous years. Obviously a lot of changes for next year but in terms of rhythm it is probably largely the same. Potentially you start a week or two earlier in January, to prepare the tests a little bit more. Equally, you can’t prepare so much because you need to wait for the first day on track, to know and see where we are.
FA: Obviously until Christmas time we are quite busy at Ferrari with some events with the sponsors and there are many activities in Maranello around Christmas time with the people working there at Ferrari, with their families etc and we will use those days while we are already in Italy to spend some time on the simulator and to do some work, looking at next year’s regulations. Christmas time will probably be the first time that we completely stop, so until the 21st of December, I think, we are on, still.
Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Sera) To Fernando and Sebastian: Seb, what do you feel having reached Alberto Ascari’s record with nine victories in a row, a driver who comes from the distant past of Formula One, and to Fernando, do you feel more optimistic for 2014 after this result?
SV: Well, I think it is very very difficult for me to realise probably now and in the next couple of weeks what we have achieved again, and in particular this year at the end of the season. I think in terms of a certain record with Alberto Ascari you can’t really compare it, it’s at a completely different time. If you consider the fact that in the fifties the races were much longer and there were a lot of things that were breaking down, much more than nowadays where it’s very professional, reliability is exceptionally good for everybody. I think his record still stands out a lot. So at the end of the day, as I see it now, it’s just a number but hopefully one day, when I’ve got less hair and chubby then it’s probably something nice to look back to.
FA: Nothing changed, to be honest. I’m still optimistic for next year because I trust my team, I trust Ferrari preparation and philosophy for the 2014 car. We will be a contender, always, even this year when we haven’t been competitive and we only won two Grands Prix, we were off the podium for the last six or seven Grands Prix etc, we finished second in the World Championship, so with whatever the car that Ferrari do, normally, better or worse, you are a contender. That’s my optimistic point for next year, not because today we are on the podium or not on the podium.
Ends
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Vettel storms to record 9th straight win; equals Schumy’s 13 in a year
Sao Paulo, 24 Nov 2013: This year’s world champion, Sebastian Vettel, has taken his 13th win of the season to equal Michael Schumacher’s 2004 record and also achieved the record for his ninth win in a row – at the Brazilian Grand Prix, the 19th and final round of the FIA F1 World Championship at the Interlagos circuit here on Sunday night. His Red Bull teammate Mark Webber finished second in his last F1
Now familiar Vettel’s donuts to end the season at Brazil. A Pirelli photo race.
The German started from pole but was beaten by Nico Rosberg. But he took the lead back on lap two and used a two-stop strategy to win: Notwithstanding the fiasco at the pits where he made a pit stop when the team is waiting for Mark Webber. The Australian ended his career with a brilliant podium taking second ahead of Fernando Alonso of Ferrari. Webber, who began in 2002, had nine career victories from his 215 race starts. Webber is moving to endurance racing next year.
The only other driver to have won nine races in a row before was Alberto Ascari in the 1950s – but this was across two seasons, also using Pirelli tyres.
The biggest challenge all the teams and drivers faced was having no dry running on the hard and medium tyres prior to the start of the Brazilian Grand Prix, due to consistent rain on Friday and Saturday. The race started in dry conditions with ambient temperatures of 20 degrees and track temperatures of 26 degrees, with a 50 per cent chance of rain.
All the drivers got underway on the medium compound tyre apart from McLaren’s Jenson Button, who started 14th on the grid, and Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez, who started from 17th. The first driver to switch from the medium to the hard compound was Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne, who came in on lap 10. Button took his first set of mediums on lap 20, the first of the hard tyre starters to stop – and was then back on the medium on lap 43. The strategy helped him to a fourth place finish by the end: his best of the year.
Vettel pitted from the lead on lap 24 for more mediums and re-emerged in front, stopping again for the hard tyre on lap 47: the same lap as his team mate, as Red Bull feared a safety car. Although there was no heavy rain, some drops then started to fall – adding an extra element of uncertainty. The rain became slightly heavier in the closing laps, but not enough for any of the competitors to use the Cinturato Green intermediates.
The tyres performed perfectly in line with expectations despite the varying conditions. There were punctures seen on the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and the Williams of Valtteri Bottas, but this was as the result of contact between the two.
The final record of this season – the last of the V8 engine era – was set by Marussia’s Max Chilton, who became the first rookie to finish every race of his debut year.
Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said: “The fact that there was no dry running prior to the start of the grand prix meant that formulating the right tyre strategy was a matter of educated guesswork for all the teams. And with no rubber having been laid down on the track previously, it was extremely hard to calculate the wear and degradation levels. The weather forecast remained uncertain throughout the race to complicate matters even further, with different teams interpreting the information in various ways. However, they had to bear in mind their obligation to run both compounds if conditions stayed dry – which turned out to be the case. This race has marked the end of an era and now the cars, along with the tyres, change completely for next year. Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull for a record-breaking season, and best of luck for the future to Mark Webber, who ends his distinguished Formula One career here in Brazil.”
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Vettel takes 9th pole of the season in wet qualifying
Sao Paulo, 23 Nov 2013: Sebastian Vettel once again demonstrated his current dominance of Formula One with a superb final qualifying lap that put him on pole more than six tenths of a second ahead of Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg in the 19th and last round of the FIA F1 World Championship at rain-hit Interlagos here on Saturday.
According to an FIA release, t
Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) in parc fermé after having set pole position
for Brazilian Grand Prix on Saturday at Interlagos circuit. A Pirelli photohe final Q3 segment of qualifying at the Sao Paulo circuit was delayed for 40 minutes due to the amount of standing water on the track after a heavy rainfall at the end of Q2 but when the final ten-minute shootout eventually began Vettel was quick to lay claim to provisional pole.
Team-Mate Mark Webber, on full wet tyres, was the first to cross the line with a lap of 1:29.215. That time was immediately beaten by Vettel who logged a lap of 1:28.830 on the same tyre type.
Behind them Lotus’ Romain Grosjean was abandoning his run and heading for pit lane to shed his wet tyres for intermediate rubber. Others were of the same mind and the field soon made the switch too.
Grosjean was quickly up to P1, eclipsing Vettel by more than a second. Vettel though was having none of it and within moments the Red Bull Racing driver was across the line in 1:26.479, a stunning lap that put him more than a 1.2 seconds clear of the Lotus driver.
In the end, Rosberg got closest to Vettel’s time, taking P2 with a lap of 1:27.102. Fernando Alonso was third for Ferrari just over four tenths adrift of the Mercedes driver.
Afterwards, Vettel admitted he was surprised by the gap to Rosberg.
“A big surprise,” he said. “I was so happy after the quali, especially Q3, when it took a long time for us to get out. There was a lot of rain after Q2, so it took a long time. I was surprised by how much of the water had gone. I went on intermediates and was able to get a very good lap in straight away. Tried again in the second to beat that. It was very close, so with both my laps I was very happy.”
Rosberg, who had topped the timesheet in the similarly wet first two free practice sessions at Interlagos, also admitted to surprise at the advantage his compatriot had.
“I’m surprised about the gap to Sebastian, that’s very big,” he said. “It definitely would have been difficult, even getting everything perfect, to come close to him. That’s fine. Optimum, we’re second place, and we got that, so it’s OK. It’s a great place to start tomorrow – the front row of the grid.”
Alonso, meanwhile, said stealing second from the Mercedes driver might have been possible had it not been for time lost at Turn Four.
“I have mixed feelings to be honest,” he said. “I’m happy to be so high up on the grid, finally, because we start between seventh and tenths in the last five or six grand prix, which is not ideal. But I’m not totally happy with my lap. I lost a lot of time. I lost something like seven or eighth or tenths in Turn Four, off the circuit in the paint area, losing a lot of time there. I think second could be possible but obviously I’m not sad with third and all the opportunities in front of us in tomorrow’s race starting up at the front.”
Webber was fourth for Red Bull Racing, ahead of the second Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and sixth-placed Grosjean.
It was a good day for Toro Rosso, with Daniel Ricciardo seventh and team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne eighth. It was almost a disaster for the team in Q1, however, as changing conditions caught them out. With the minutes counting down, Vergne in P17 was in danger of being eliminated. He found a late burst of pace on an improving track at the death however, to scrape through the Q2 in 15th position ahead of Ricciardo in 16th.
The final two top-10 starting places were taken by Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and tenth-placed Nico Hulkenberg of Sauber.
The major casualties of the second segment were McLaren’s Jenson Button and Sergio Perez. The Mexican qualified in 14th position, crashing out at the end of the session when he ran wide on the exit of Turn Five and spun into the wall. Button, meanwhile, could do no better than 15th in the session.
2013 Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying times
1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:26.479
2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:27.102
3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:27.539
4 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:27.572
5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:27.677
6 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:27.737
7 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:28.052
8 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:28.081
9 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:28.109
10 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber 1:29.58211 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus 1:27.456
12 Paul di Resta Force India 1:27.798
13 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:27.954
14 Sergio Pérez McLaren 1:28.269
15 Jenson Button McLaren 1:28.308
16 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:28.58617 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:27.367
18 Esteban Gutiérrez Sauber 1:27.445
19 Charles Pic Caterham 1:27.843
20 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:28.320
21 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:28.366
22 Max Chilton Marussia 1:28.950eom
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Getting pole position is a big surprise and I am happy: Vettel
Sau Paulo,23 Nov 2013:
DRIVERS
1 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)
2 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)
3 – Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari)TV UNILATERAL
Congratulations Sebastian, another excellent qualifying for you, your 45th pole, your second here, and your ninth this year. But what a margin as well, that’s incredible.
Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, big surprise. I was so happy after the quali, obviously, especially Q3, it took a long time for us to get out. There was a lot of rain after Q2, already at the end of Q2. Yeah, we need to wait. If there’s too much water it’s a shame for the people who wait for us to come out, but there’s too much water and the risk of aquaplaning is too high. So it took a long time and then got out. I was surprised by how much of the water had gone. I went straight on intermediates and was able to get a very, very good lap in straight away. Tried again in the second to beat that. It was very close, so with both my laps I was very happy. Surprised by the margin. When I was told I was very happy. I even mixed up Spanish and Portuguese. I was on the radio saying “olé, olé” but olé is Spanish so I don’t know the expression in Portuguese but maybe someone can tell me today and hopefully I’ll have another chance tomorrow. But great in these conditions to get it all right., We had very little practice and still got the car where we wanted it to be in the end so very happy.
Nico, your best qualifying here, ever. You wanted to give the Red Bulls a hard time, well, second is a good effort. What are your feelings?
Nico ROSBERG: It was a good day today. Everything went to plan. It’s always extremely tough in these conditions because it’s just all over the place and you need to make sure you don’t get caught out. But the whole team, we all did a good job and perfect strategy also in the end doing those two consecutive laps with the inter, got a good lap together, so happy with that. Surprised about the gap to Sebastian, that’s very big. Definitely would have been difficult, even getting everything perfect to come close to him. That’s fine. Optimum we’re second place and got that, so it’s OK. It’s a great place to start tomorrow – front row of the grid.
And Fernando, your equal best grid position this year. A bit of a surprise or not?
Fernando ALONSO: Well, we know that in wet conditions normally we improve a little bit our performance. We were waiting for wet races this year but it came only in the last in Brazil. I have mixed feelings to be honest. I’m happy to be so up on the grid, finally, because we start between seventh and tenths in the last five or six grand prix, which is not ideal. So being in the first three is good, but not totally happy with my lap. I lost a lot of time. Not obviously to beat Seb, he’s too far in front of us. But I think for second place it was not difficult. I lost something like seven or eighth or tenths in Turn Four, off the circuit in the paint area, losing a lot of time there. I think second could be possible but obviously I’m not sad with third and all the opportunities in front of us in tomorrow’s race starting up at the front.
File photo of Vettel at the post-race FIA Press Conference in India. A photo by BIC PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Sebastian, facing the race tomorrow with so much wet running but not so much dry running, what sort of conditions do you want? What is ideal for you?
SV: Well, I don’t think we had that many laps in the wet, to be honest, because we were all of us trying to save tyres as much as we can. Especially yesterday, we only had one set, and this morning. But… yeah, very pleased with the result, first of all. Tomorrow, I think Nico touched on it, it could be 50:50. It looks to be the best day that we have out of the last two but, yeah, we don’t know, anything is possible here. We saw in the race last year how quickly things can change. So, yeah, looking forward to the race in general. It’s great to start from pole. Very happy with the laps I had in the end in these tricky conditions. Hopefully we can carry that momentum into the race, no matter what the conditions.
Q: Nico, you’ve been quickest in both sessions yesterday, what sort of conditions would you like for the race itself?
NR: I don’t mind. Whatever. Whatever is OK. It can be dry or wet. Maybe in the wet I have a little bit of a better chance against Sebastian but anyway, it will be tough either way. Maybe a mix will be good for a little bit of an opportunity.
Q: And Fernando, what would you like?
FA: Yeah, I think mixed conditions would be the best thing – and that’s what it’s going to be, probably, with the weather forecast we have and we saw also today how quickly it goes from extreme to nearly dry, so tomorrow will be fun.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Nico, in comparison to Sebastian you lost four tenths in the last sector which is a pretty straightforward one and Fernando, I think you lost six tenths in the middle sector. You said something before, I couldn’t understand it. Can you explain what happened?
NR: I finished my KERS unfortunately, for the last sector. That’s just a compromise because of doing two consecutive laps in these wet conditions and so it was to be expected and we chose to do it that way but for sure, that cost some lap time so it was down to that.
FA: I went off in turn four. I braked very late and I missed the corner and then I was on the extra circuit that is painted and obviously very slippery and I arrived braking more or less with zero on the target in the lap time, compared to the lap before and I exited with eight tenths slower so I lost these eight tenths, which obviously aren’t enough for pole but maybe it was enough for second place. That’s the way it is. The lap was not completely clean today.
Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Sera) Fernando, how do you see the fight for second place, is it good news for the team to have the Lotus behind, because they could try to overtake Ferrari?
FA: Yeah, definitely. I think it’s going to be tough. Obviously the second place in the Constructors’ is getting very difficult and the Mercedes were very strong all weekend so I expect them to be very strong tomorrow as well. But yeah, you are right, we cannot forget Lotus, that they have been scoring a lot of points in the last races and they are also a threat for third in the Constructors’ so it’s good to have them behind. It’s also good to have Felipe performing well today, with both Ferraris in Q3 and hopefully tomorrow both Ferraris can be in good points and I can help, failing anything, to have a very good last race with Ferrari.
Q: (Carlos Miguel – La Gaceta) Fernando, do you think victory is a possibility tomorrow or maybe it’s very difficult?
FA: Well, I think it’s going to be very difficult. Obviously every Grand Prix you go to, inside, even in a small percentage, you have to think of victory, because we are competitors and we like to win every race we go to. But we also need to be realistic and don’t tell our fans, our team, our people that tomorrow we have a high chance to win the race. That is not true, so we will try to do our best, we see whatever the position is at the end, what we have to do is to maximise what is available and for sure, comparing the last five or six events we’ve been through, there was probably zero chance to win the race. Tomorrow there’s maybe a small chance but very small.
Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) To all of you: if we have a dry race tomorrow which is possible, what will be the impact of being on the wet conditions all the days and then immediately in the race on dry tyres and dry asphalt?
SV: Well, first of all I think we all have new tyres so that helps but obviously the track is very green because we didn’t have dry conditions before, so I think that will make it tricky. And then I think it’s important that whoever has the best guess coming here, in terms of set-up, to ensure that your car is fine, not just for one lap in the wet conditions but also that the performance is there in the dry, first of all, and you are able to look after the tyres. It’s a long race, seventy laps here. We’ve seen in the past that it’s not that easy to make the tyres last, depending on your strategy so it will be difficult if it’s dry but then again, it will be same for everyone.
NR: There are a lot of other things like balance, like your front wing setting, your seventh gear – you might on the limiter for a hundred meters if you get it wrong – your engine temperatures are difficult to predict, so we might have opened too much and tomorrow we realise, oh damn, we’re running too cold so we lose performance. There’s a lot of things like that.
FA: Nothing more to add, I think.
Q: (Cristobal Rosaleny – Car and Driver) For all of you, how much did you compromise your set-up for maybe a wet race tomorrow?
SV: Well, I think to be honest with you, the typical wet set-up doesn’t exist any more, at least for us. In the past, the races that we had, there’s not that much difference. For sure we tried to go a little bit in a direction that helps us for wet conditions after the first or second practice yesterday but I wouldn’t call it a wet set-up, because usually in the wet you put more wing on, you lift the car, things like this but to be honest, the last couple of years, it has been pretty frozen when you went from dry to wet set-up, or dry to wet conditions.
NR: Same
FA: Same
Q: (Rodrigo Franca – VIP Magazine) Sebastian, the Brazilian fans cheered a lot for you in the 2008 race. It was in pretty much the same conditions that we had today and you were at Toro Rosso and if you were ahead of Lewis Hamilton it would help Felipe to be champion, so a lot of people cheered for you in that race. Do you think you have a special relationship with Brazilian fans and also with Interlagos?
SV: Well, I finished in front of Lewis as far as I can remember, so I tried to help the Brazilians but I think it’s a special place. I think all of us have had at least one race that was complete chaos in either direction, especially if I look at last year, the final race, fighting with Fernando for the championship. If you look at the highlights it has been an absolutely crazy race. My car was very damaged, I was facing the other way after turn four on the first lap but for some reason it seems to be a circuit – and together with the conditions – where you are able to create something out of nowhere. Equally, you might be on the safe side and something can happen. Surely, I have a special memory when coming here and yeah, you always believe something can happen here because the chance is there, as I described.
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Webber ready for one last hurrah as he tops FP3
Mark Webber set the fastest time in final practice ahead of qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix in another rain-affected session at Interlagos.
The Red Bull Racing driver claimed top spot in the drier final 10 minutes of the hour, setting his time of 1:27.891 on intermediate tyres on the second lap of his first time run of the session.
As the first to take on the green-banded Pirelli tyres, Webber’s time sparked a flurry of action in the final minutes of the session as rivals bolted on inters and explored the limits of the improving track.
Of Webber’s rivals it was Lotus’ Romain Grosjean and Heikki Kovalainen who fared best, with the Frenchman slotting into P2 behind the Red Bull man with a lap of 1:28.195 and his Finnish team-mate taking P3, four tenths further back.
Valtteri Bottas was fourth for Williams, ahead of Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, with Jean-Eric Vergne sixth for Toro Rosso. Esteban Gutierrez guided the second Sauber to seventh on the timesheet, finishing ahead of the second Williams of Pastor Maldonado and the twin Force India cars of Paul Di Resta and Adrian Sutil, who were ninth and tenth respectively.
A number of expected frontrunners were conspicuous by their absence, however. Champion elect Sebastian Vettel, who had briefly held top spot during a long, stop-start opening phase conducted on full wet tyres in heavy rain, opted not to run on inters. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who set the session’s best time on the blue-banded tyres, also chose to remain in pit lane.
His team-mate Nico Rosberg, meanwhile, did not set a time at all, a choice also taken by Ferari’s Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, and McLaren’s Jenson Button.
The session got off to a very slow start with only Esteban Gutierrez setting times for the first 20 minutes of the session. He was then joined by a handful of others but it wasn’t until Vettel set a wet tyre benchmark of 1:31.857 nearly 40 minutes into the session that any meaningful action took place.
With ten minutes to go Webber appeared on the intermediates for his first run and that at last was the catalyst for a busy final few minutes on the drying track.
2013 Brazilian Grand Prix Free Practice Three times
1 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:27.891
2 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:28.195 +0.304
3 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus 1:28.595 +0.704
4 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:28.600 +0.709
5 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber 1:28.830 +0.939
6 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:28.921 +1.030
7 Esteban Gutiérrez Sauber 1:29.215 +1.324
8 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:29.686 +1.795
9 Paul di Resta Force India 1:29.736 +1.845
10 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:29.913 +2.022
11 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:29.980 +2.089
12 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:29.988 +2.097
13 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:30.635 +2.744
14 Charles Pic Caterham 1:30.837 +2.946
15 Max Chilton Marussia 1:30.972 +3.081
16 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:31.154 +3.263
17 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:31.857 +3.966
18 Sergio Pérez McLaren 1:32.731 +4.840
19 Nico Rosberg Mercedes no time
20 Fernando Alonso Ferrari no time
21 Jenson Button McLaren no time
22 Felipe Massa Ferrari no timeeom
File photo of Webber at the Japan GP. A Pirelli photo -
Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg on top again
Sao Paulo, 22 Nov 2013: After a wet start to Friday practice at Interlagos, Formula One teams had hoped for drier weather in the afternoon. Instead, the clouds grew darker and heavier rain fell on the outskirts of São Paulo. What didn’t change was the dominance of Nico Rosberg at the second practice session of the last round of the F1 World Championship at Interlagos circuit here on Friday.
According to an FIA release, t
File photo of Rosberg by Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team. he Mercedes driver was the fastest man in the early stages of the session, with the field running on full-wet tyre. When the intensity of the rain reduced in the last few minutes, he emerged on the intermediate rubber and again claimed the session’s fastest lap, beating off spirited competition from the Red Bulls, with Sebastian Vettel finishing second and Mark Webber third.
Behind the front three, Heikki Kovalainen was fourth, having had a successful first day of wet running for Lotus, finishing narrowly ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes. Jean-Eric Vergne was sixth for Toro Rosso, Felipe Massa seventh for Ferrari and Nico Hülkenberg eighth for Sauber. Daniel Ricciardo in the second Toro Rosso finished the session ninth quickest and Romain Grosjean was tenth for Lotus.
Heavy rain started to fall half an hour before the session commenced, leading to a degree of circumspection when the pitlane traffic light turned green. Nobody wanted to be the first car to test the conditions. Eventually it fell to Max Chilton, emerging five minutes into the session, his Marussia shod with full-wet tyres. He was soon followed by Kovalainen. Both drivers were keen for track time: Chilton had not run in the morning session, while Kovalainen, drafted into the Lotus team only last week, has no experience of the car on the blue-banded Pirellis. He ran a short stint and set a P1 time of 1:30.537 before pulling into the pitlane reporting heavier rain.
Red Bull Racing are traditionally among the last runners out of the garage in practice but today Webber broke with tradition, heading out just 21 minutes into the session. He beat the Finn’s time by well over a second, resetting the benchmark with a lap of 1:29.088. His tenure at the top of the timesheet was short-lived, however. At the half-hour mark Rosberg appeared, did a single flying lap of 1:28.873 to take top spot, and then retired to the garage.
Little changed for the next 40 minutes, with many runners waiting until the track was theoretically suitable for Intermediates. Initially the green-banded tyres proved a handful through the looping middle sector but gradually, as surface water was thrown off the line, came into their own. Vettel appeared on track with 14 minutes remaining, getting quicker with each lap, taking P5, P2 and then P1 with 1:27.993, nearly a second quicker than Rosberg’s full wet lap. Vettel then improved to 1:27.531 with Webber slotting in right behind, but Rosberg was still getting up to speed. He set his best lap of 1:27.306 in the final minute of the session.
As had been the case in the morning, the session was characterised by a slew of spins, half-spins and trips across the kerbs as drivers struggled for grip, particular during the tricky crossover period when the Inter tyre was a marginal proposition. As had been the case in the morning, everybody managed to avoid doing damage to his car.
2013 Brazilian Grand Prix – Free Practice 2 Result
1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:27.306
2 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:27.531 0.225
3 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:27.592 0.286
4 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus 1:28.129 0.823
5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:28.147 0.841
6 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:28.405 1.099
7 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:28.540 1.234
8 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1:28.560 1.254
9 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:28.739 1.433
10 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:28.891 1.585
11 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:28.928 1.622
12 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:29.049 1.743
13 Paul di Resta Force India 1:29.174 1.868
14 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:29.717 2.411
15 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:29.783 2.477
16 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:30.425 3.119
17 Sergio Perez McLaren 1:30.748 3.442
18 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:31.061 3.755
19 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:31.118 3.812
20 Charles Pic Caterham 1:31.165 3.859
21 Max Chilton Marussia 1:31.211 3.905
22 Jenson Button McLaren 1:31.770 4.464eom
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Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg fastest in FP1
Sao Paulo,
File Photo of Nico Rosberg 22 Nov 2013: Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg was the fastest man as the first free practice session as Interlagos was dampened by persistent light rain. Rosberg went into P1 with a time of 1:24.781 early in the session. His time did not face a serious challenge and when the chequered flag fell, he had an advantage of nearly half a second over team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Sebastian Vettel was third for Red Bull Racing after a late surge, while Jenson Button was fourth for McLaren. Fifth place went to Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber was sixth in the second Red Bull, and Sergio Pérez seventh in the second McLaren. Daniil Kvyat, standing in for Daniel Ricciardo rose to the occasion and recorded the eighth best time for Toro Rosso. In ninth, Heikki Kovalainen was the faster of the Lotus cars and the top ten was rounded out by Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg.
Jules Bianchi was the first man out of the pitlane onto an already damp track, his Marussia carrying Pirelli’s blue-banded full wet tyres. He was closely followed by Esteban Gutiérrez on the intermediate compound. Inters were the tyres of choice for the majority of the following field, and indeed the tyre of choice for the whole 90 minutes of the session as rain continued to fall, gently but without pause.
After installation laps, Jenson Button was the first driver to set a time. His lap of 1:26.184 came 15 minutes into the session. He and Rosberg traded best times before Rosberg’s second flying lap of the stint ended the competition.
The session was characterised by spins, half-spins and off-track excursions as every driver struggled for grip on the greasy surface – but serious incidents were avoided. Red Bull Racing stayed in the garage for the first half of the session. Vettel eventually emerged carrying aero rakes behind his diffuser. Unlike the rest of the field, he opted to go out on the hard tyre, lapping well off the pace. Later he switched to the experimental 2014 slick compound Pirelli bought to the track in the hope of getting some preparatory running.
Vettel did not set a time, opting to run through the pitlane after each lap. He and Webber eventually went out on the Inter in the last half-hour. While radar had predicted a lull in the rain, in reality it intensified as the end of the session approached. Both Red Bull cars slotted into the top ten but did not threaten the Mercedes.
2013 Brazilian Grand Prix – Free Practice 1 Result
1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:24.781
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:25.230 0.449
3 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:25.387 0.606
4 Jenson Button McLaren 1:25.391 0.610
5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:25.593 0.812
6 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:25.797 1.016
7 Sergio Perez McLaren 1:25.946 1.165
8 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:26.064 1.283
9 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus 1:26.133 1.352
10 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 1:26.232 1.451
11 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:26.248 1.467
12 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:26.326 1.545
13 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:26.570 1.789
14 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:26.593 1.812
15 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:27.115 2.334
16 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:27.269 2.488
17 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:27.358 2.577
18 James Calado Force India 1:27.436 2.655
19 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:28.107 3.326
20 Charles Pic Caterham 1:28.199 3.418
21 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:30.004 5.223
22 Rodolfo Gonzalez Marussia 1:32.646 7.865eom
