Your basket is currently empty!
Tag: featured
-
Volkswagen Motorsport’s Rally-Spec Polo R2 testing begins at K1000 today
Malaysian rally ace and Team Slideways Industries driver Karamjit Singh to test the Polo R2 during the upcoming IMS K-1000 Rally
- Polo R2 will start competing in the Indian Rally Championship from 2014 season
Pune, November 5, 2013 – Volkswagen Motorsport India will begin the testing of Polo R2, a specially developed rally car, during the upcoming IMS K-1000 Rally at Bangalore. Multi-APRC title holder Karamjit Singh, who has been driving for Team Slideways Industries, will get behind the wheel of the newly developed prototype. The Polo R2 will compete in a new category that will be introduced by FMSCI in the Indian Rally Championship (IRC) 2014.
Volkswagen Motorsport India has been the pioneer of one-make car racing series in India. Polo Cup started in 2010 and is now in its fourth successful season. While young talent has been identified, trained and promoted to international racing series through the Polo R Cup series over the last few years, it was time for Volkswagen Motorsport India to expand to other forms of motorsport in India. The logical step was taken with the extension of technical support to rally teams competing with Volkswagen Polo in the Indian National Rally Championship.
In an effort to further promote our association with Indian motorsport, Volkswagen Motorsport India has now developed its first prototype of the Volkswagen Polo R2 – a rally-spec version of the Polo. The Polo R2 will compete in a new category R2 that will be introduced by FMSCI in IRC from 2014 season. Before entering the competitive season, the Polo R2 will be tested at upcoming IMS K-1000 Rally in Bangalore and then at the Chikmaglur Rally in December 2013.
The Polo R2 is powered with a four cylinder 1.6-litre MPI petrol engine that produces over 130 PS of power. The engine has been mated with a 5-speed manual transmission. Other modifications to the car include Reiger Suspension and uprated Alcon brakes (285mm front disc and 255mm rear disc). The bodywork modifications comprise of aerodynamic body kit, rear spoiler, a roof vent and stripped interiors. From safety point of view, the car has been equipped with FIA-spec roll-cage, fire extinguisher system and OMP rally seats with six-point harness for the driver and navigator. The Polo R2 will run on 15-inch alloy wheels shod with JK Rally tyres.
Prithviraj Siddappa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India, said “The first running in of the car has been done and the feedback has been good so far. Karamjit Singh has been driving the Group N Polo this season for which we have been providing technical and spares support at the rally stages. He will now move up to the R2 which is a more powerful car. His inputs are crucial for us in developing the car further and we hope to see some positive steps after the K-1000 Rally.”
Mahesh Kodumudi, President and Managing Director, Volkswagen India Private Limited, commented “The Volkswagen Polo is a perfect example of German engineering. And when the engineering is right, it is always possible to extract more out of the car. Pushing the performance of the car to the limits and putting it through extreme driving will only bring out the Polo’s real potential. I believe that the Polo R2 is our next step in showcasing the capabilities of the car.”
Motor sports enthusiasts interested in getting further information can log on to the website, www.volkswagen-motorsport.in. This website displays information about all the activities undertaken by Volkswagen Motorsport India.
Follow Volkswagen Motorsport India on Facebook: www.facebook.com/vwindiam and Twitter: www.twitter.com/vwmotorsportind
About Volkswagen Motorsport
In more than 40 years of motorsport history Volkswagen has been setting standards primarily in three areas: The brand celebrated exploits in touring car racing, formula racing and rally racing.
The brand’s history in motorsport started in 1966, in formula racing. Formula V – “V” stood for Volkswagen – became an important career step for drivers like Keke Rosberg or Niki Lauda. With 58 hp and the robust technology of the Beetle it offered favourably priced entry and high-quality racing for young drivers. Later, one-make cups like Formula König powered by Volkswagen and Formula Volkswagen built upon this line and consistently followed through on the one-make cup idea with standard chassis. In 2008 Formula ADAC powered by Volkswagen started to continue this tradition.In comparison with other manufacturers Volkswagen set the pace on the formula stage as well. Between 1979 and 1994 Volkswagen, as a Formula 3 engine manufacturer, won 55 international titles, including seven in Germany. Since September 2007 Volkswagen has been competing in the Formula 3 Euro Series, since 2008 in the German Formula 3 Cup and since 2009 in the British Formula 3, and with success: 2009 saw the title wins in the German and British Championships, and 2010 in all three series. At the prestigious Formula 3 finale in Macau in November 2009 and 2010 Edoardo Mortara celebrated wins “powered by Volkswagen”.
Successes in rally sport
While the first off-road excursions date back all the way to the 1970s, Volkswagen has been systematically promoting young talent since 1980. For half a decade, the Golf Rally Cup offered optimum opportunities to young drivers. Concurrently, Volkswagen in the 1986 World Rally Championship (WRC) clinched the title win in Group A with the Golf and driver Kenneth Eriksson. In cross-country rally sport the brand achieved its first big exploit by winning the 1980 Dakar Rally. From 2009 to 2011 Volkswagen became the first manufacturer to win the legendary rallye with a car powered by a Diesel engine. Volkswagen created history once again by re-entering the WRC 2013 and winning the championship in the debut season itself.
Attractive one-make cups in touring car racing
In more than three decades Volkswagen has shaped the touring car scene as well. The Scirocco Cup, as the first one-make cup from 1976 onwards, produced a subsequent Formula 1 driver, Manfred Winkelhock. It was followed by the Golf Cup and the Lupo/Polo Cup from which numerous talented drivers managed to ascend to higher-level series. Currently, the Scirocco R-Cup is setting bench-marks in the European racing circuits.
Follow the link to take a visual sneak-peek into the history of Volkswagen Motorsport:
http://www.volkswagen-motorsport.com/index.php?id=128&L=1
ends
-
K1000 at Gubbi, Tumkur on Nov 9, 10
Tumkur, 8 Nov 2013: 39th K1000, the fourth round of Indian National Rally Championship of 2013 is scheduled for this weekend. After a long hiatus the rally returns back to its older territory, famous for the car breaking mining stages near Gubbi, Tumkur.
As year the rally moves from the previous few years’ Sidlaghatta‘s forest stages to the age old mining area near Kibbanahalli cross, the transport section is much bigger and makes most of the rally’s cumulative distance. The weather is mostly dry and dusty, and temperature is expected to hover around 30+ °Celsius, but must confess to its spectacularly scenic countryside around the stages.
There are three physical stages, in which are run totally thrice for each of them. Total distance of the rally is 562.48 km, total liaison distance is 453.37 km and a total SS distance at 109.11 km. There are six stages for Saturday, 9th November 2013 and third loop of 3 stages for the final day on Sunday, 10th November 2013.
That being the difference of venue, coming to the rally cars in India which are finally evolving to the much modern day models like Volkswagen Polo, Mitsubishi Evo X in the top level competition makes the championship much more exciting.Day one starts with a long liaison of 88.96 from the rally HQ to the service park. Rally starts on Saturday with the opening stage, at 10:13 hrs with the Alpha Stage [14.50 km], quickly followed with the Beta Stage [14.55 km] and later the India Mines Stage [7.32 km]. This completes the morning set of stages, and the much battered cars and crews head to the service are for the much needed pampering for the both.Post a mid-day service, at the service park located near to the stages adjacent to NH-206, and the repetition of morning’s loop of stages starts at 13:12 hrs, for the first car pass. Day’s action with the total six special stages of the day and the return liaison to the Rally HQ will conclude the day’s action.
The final day’s action on Sunday, will start with the same long liaison and the remaining third loop of the stages, with service breaks before and after the specials. The final return liaison will end the rally back at the Rally HQ, with the announcement of results and Podium ceremony.
Edditor’s note: to be edited
Source: ralliheart.com
-
Vettel dedicates the Abu Dhabi trophy to him mom and dad
3 Nov 2013: FIA DRIVERS Press Conference at Abu Dhabi GP
Abu Dhabi podium photo by Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team 1 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)
2 – Mark WEBBER (Red Bull Racing)
3 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)PODIUM INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Martin Brundle)Q: Sebastian, seven in a row, 11 so far this season. They’re going to charge you rent on this top step soon.
Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, I don’t mind. I also did some donuts so…
You are a naughty boy, that’s going to cost somebody some money…
SV: No, I don’t think so because this time I bought the car back so it’s fine. As you can see it’s in parc ferme. No, it’s incredible. Thanks to all the fans, the atmosphere today. Twice, we have this complex around Five, Six and Seven and then around Eight and Nine, along the straight to Turn 11. So many people, so many German flags, so nice to see and to get so much support. More and more for Red Bull so I hope that kicks up more in the next years. The car was absolutely brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Not much more to say. I was flying at some stages. At least it felt like it. Massive gaps, big surprise. Thanks to the team, thanks to Renault as well. A lot of our success is also down to them. They’re doing a very, very good job and I hope that next year we’ll have an engine that’s as powerful and as reliable as this year’s.
Q: Talking of support, your Mum and Dad are down there somewhere. How much does it mean to win yet again in front of them?
SV: Yeah, it means a lot. Obviously spend most of my time racing in front of them when I was a small kid and obviously now there’s a little bit bigger toys, more people watching but it’s very special to me that they were here this weekend. I love them very much and want to dedicate the win today to them. I think I learned a lot of good things from them and one day if I had kids I want to pass exactly these things on.
Q: Mark, well you tried your best, you gave it plenty but the start hurt you a little bit out there.
Mark WEBBER: Yeah. The start wasn’t great. Nico got an unbelievable start, Seb’s was a bit better than mine. I think we were lucky we’re not at Malaysia or Monza because it would have been even more painful. Anyway, I think in the first stint just not strong enough and on the soft tyres Seb got a very good gap. I had to reposition on the primes. So anyway, after that the race started pretty well for me but then Seb… he was gone. He was on another category out in front and I had to have a little battle with Nico for second. Guys did a great job on the car all week here. Nice and reliable. Fans have been great: plenty of Aussie flags here as well, so thanks guys coming from Australia. And…yeah, on to Austin and few more to go. Thank you.
Q: This guy. You’ve ended up in an era where you’re unfortunately his team-mate. That’s tough, isn’t it?
MW: Yeah. I think he’s in a sweet spot, for sure. Obviously I’ve got a few grey hairs now, I’m doing my best but yeah, he’s driving well. In the end I did my best today. It’s a circuit which… it’s my equal PB around here so would have liked to have got the win but that was Seb’s today. Thank You.
Q: Great drive Nico, you must be thoroughly satisfied to be up here.
Nico Rosberg: Yeah, I happy of course. Third place is good. The aim for the weekend was to be best of the rest behind the Red Bulls and that’s worked out – even though second place would have been possible in a perfect world today. Mark just got me with Di Resta. Little bit disappointing on that one but otherwise of course very happy.
Q: And you take a lot more points off Ferrari again for the team. Lewis had a little difficult afternoon but that’s looking good as well for second in the world championship for the team.
NR: Yes, for sure. I was very happy to hear that we took some more points off them again and that we’re edging away from them. That’s the most important thing for us at the moment – just to finish second in the Constructors’. It’s just much more money for next year but also motivation for everybody. If everybody in the factory can see that we built the second-best car this year, that’s just a massive boost.
Q: One final word from Sebastian. You’re so gentle with these tyres. What’s the secret champ?
SV: I don’t know if there’s a secret. I’ve got traction control – at least that’s what they said three or four races ago. No. These tyres are difficult to drive. Extremely sensitive. Obviously it helps when you are in free air. Not so much in traffic. But somehow we got the hang of it. More and more so towards the end of the year. And looking after them, really listening to them and being able to extract maybe a little bit more performance than the other guys. But I don’t think there’s any secret genetically. So… yeah. I’ll take it though.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Sebastian, seven wins in a row, equalling the record. I guess in Austin you can go for the record. Are these numbers important to you?
SV: It doesn’t make me jump into the car but it’s a shock when you mention these [Schumacher and Ascari]. I knew that any kind of record you talk about, Michael is involved for sure, so… yeah… I don’t know what to say. The thing is that people see seven races. People don’t see the challenge it takes every single race to nail it. It’s been exceptional. The fact that we got everything right: smooth pitstops; reliability. All these things need to come together. To answer your question, the numbers are not that important to me but equally they make me very, very proud. It you equal something or you’re close to something then… the guys you talk about are the most special drivers in the world in Formula One. So, yeah, I don’t think I’m old enough to realise. Probably.
Q: What does seem to be important to you is doing donuts at the end of grands prix. You did it again today. Are you not worried about getting into trouble again?
SV: Not really because technically I didn’t do anything wrong. I brought the car back. I think I stick to the rules. I hope that we can provide a fuel sample because obviously it burns some extra fuel. But… yeah… obviously I spoke to the Stewards after India. I’m not sure I remember everything they said but… yeah… I was just happy. It’s a sort of stadium there. It’s really nice, people all around you. I think they loved it.
Q: Mark, the start was decisive for you today. It got away from you there at that point but you were able to get Nico back. Perhaps you could talk a little bit about that move and also, is there a sense of disappointment, given that you did start from pole. You seemed to be smiling on the podium. How are your emotions at this point?
MW: Yeah, alright. I don’t think the start was decisive. I don’t think what happened off the line… Sebastian was in another category today. So probably this was the maximum result, even if we got away in front. He was quick and very, very strong. It was then obviously a recovery job against Nico who got a better start than both of us. Obviously it’s a short run to Turn One so… if it was a longer run he would probably have got both of us. But, Seb and myself, the last few races… we know starts is not exactly my strong point, especially on these little babies. On the little Pirellis. So, anyway, we got away and then got into the race from there. The softs, I had a reasonably feeling for them when they were fresh but I had no real feeling for those tyres when they’re scrubbed. So, I was very slow in the first stint. Very, very poor feeling with the rear, and then that makes it even worse. You have more and more slip and temperature control problems and all of those type of things. Anyway, it was regrouping at the stops after that and I think my pace wasn’t too bad after that but Seb was well and truly gone. Incredibly quick pace from him. As you said, the fight with Nico was good. I managed to get that right. Obviously I didn’t use too many KERS. I think I understood a little bit of German with Nico. He said he used all his KERS on Paul in the first attempt, which was close. It’s always tricky to know how to deploy your KERS on those two straights but in the end I left some for the next attempt and managed to get him. It was good, fair racing which you’d expect from someone of Nico’s quality and in the end we probably are sitting here with the results that we all deserve.
Q: Nico, your side of that story. You got up into second at the start but obviously you got into that incident with Mark, and you were saying Paul di Resta involved in it as well. Perhaps you could give it from your perspective – and did you think second place was achievable any other way once that had got away from you?
NR: The main thing was that I got my balance wrong in the car for that second stint and that’s why I just wasn’t as quick as I was hoping. And I was just struggling a bit to get past the Toro Rosso and then Paul di Resta. I gave it a shot down into Turn Eight, used all my KERS up and I wasn’t able to do it and Mark got me on the next one. So, definitely that was unfortunate but that’s the way it is. Anyway, third place is still a very good result. Lots of points.
Q: Sebastian. Lots of success this year but I get the impression today’s quite an emotional day for you. Would that be right?
SV: Yeah. Obviously winning is very special. As I said, obviously seven races in a row… yeah, every single race is tough. It’s a lot of work that goes into it, from Thursday, even before that at the simulator, and then the whole weekend. Please stop mentioning these kind of things because, yeah, it makes you realise a little bit what it means. I remember when I was a small kid watching Formula One and Michael was with Ferrari and dominating Formula One. They had a very strong car, very strong team spirit for many years and… yeah… if you look back you feel like he won every second race but to equal some of the stuff that they managed to achieve is very, very special. For me – but also I think for the whole team. Definitely after 2011, a special year, we said it would be very difficult to repeat a season like that and maybe it comes across once in a lifetime. Now, we can probably say it came across twice at least. So… yeah.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Sebastian, in Singapore, everybody thought you were dominating that race very easily. Today, to me it was even more impressive. In the early laps you were going almost two seconds faster and Rocky must have been very worried on the radio, from what we were hearing.
SV: Yeah, I realised that we were pulling away from Nico and also from Mark. Obviously you make use of it because you don’t know what’s coming later on in the race. We had a very very strong pace on the option. We could even have stayed out a little bit longer. I was busy, for sure, I was pushing because I felt that I can take lap time, I can take a couple of seconds out of the guys behind so I was pushing but I was also trying to look after them to be flexible on strategy and help the guys on the pit wall to make the call. Also, I could then afford to take it a little bit easier in the pit lane which I think is one of the trickiest all year with a slippery entry and a very narrow exit. I think it just all came together, I think it was a perfect day for us.
Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action and National Speedsport News) Mark, early in the race you were on the radio talking to the team about the KERS; was there a problem? And later in the race, given the number of gremlins that have struck your car, were you hearing funny noises and worrying about that?
MW: No, there was no issue with the KERS, it just got a bit warm at one point so we had to give it a chance to recover so that was fine, just a lap or so where we were a little bit out of sync with a better management so we recovered that. And at the end, not really. I can’t do much more than obviously keep pushing the car and obviously I had to… couldn’t relax completely. Nico was going reasonably well but obviously we were just maintaining… did a few laps at the end just to let him know that I had a bit in hand, but he was probably doing the same so in the end we were getting the car home, mate. It’s always a surprise when the car stops on track obviously. Normally the ratio is that you finish so I was still confident that we could do that.
Q: (Joy Chakraverty – Sport 360) Seb, in an interview just a few days ago, Adrian Newey said that two of your best races that he remembers actually came in Abu Dhabi and one of them was last year when, despite the problems with qualification, you came back and finished on the podium. But do you think that this is much better than every other race that you have had in Abu Dhabi?
SV: It’s very difficult. Obviously I can remember all the races that I’ve had here, it’s been a very very good track for me, especially come Sundays, especially looking back to 2010 and obviously with five or four drivers going into the last race, being able to win the championship, yeah, it was a special day, special emotions when you look back. Also the race last year, a very crucial point in the championship to be forced to start last or indeed from the pit lane, was tough but we came back and managed to finish on the podium. So this year, for sure, stands out in a way that we had control over the race, very very strong pace and could match the cars behind whenever we had to and were able to pull out a very very big gap, so in a way, similar to – if you look at the time and the gaps – a little bit similar to the race in Singapore. It’s a bit similar, if you look at the track layout, quite technical, quite challenging, obviously mostly low speed corners but important to get the balance right in the car and to look after the tyres which I think we did very well.
Q: (Khodr Rawi – Autosport Middle East) My first question is for Sebastian: will you keep on doing your doughnuts celebration if you win the next two Grands Prix, even if you’ll get a penalty today?
SV: Well, it depends on what kind of penalty I get. If I get excluded from the next race then probably I won’t be able to do them. Again, it was spontaneous. Obviously I had the experience last week but entering the sort of stadium, I thought it was a very very good spot, I made sure there was nobody around and I was far away from the lines. I think if we are in a position to think about that then obviously it’s very special because it means we had a very very good result in the race. So I think there’s a lot of work before we get to decide whether we can do it again or not.
Q: (Khodr Rawi – Autosport Middle East) The second question is to Mark: you have won at least one race a year with Red Bull since 2009; would it make a difference if don’t win a race in your last season?
MW: Well, it would be nice. I’ve challenged for a few victories here and there this year but not strong enough when it counted, but in the end, Seb was too strong today for the win. I’ve got a couple more races to go, all I can do is do my best. It’s not going to be a huge huge difference but it would be nice to get it as any Grand Prix victory is always special to get them. Yeah, we’ll keep pushing mate and see how we go in the next two races.
Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Nico, I know that next year the regulations are changing completely so we’re going to have pretty new cars but is it not worrying for you to see that Red Bull has such a big advantage and that two seconds are not so easy to catch up, even with the new rules?
NR: Well, I don’t think it’s two seconds at the moment, I think it’s less than that. OK, maybe at times today but anyway, I’m not worried, no, because it’s a great opportunity because it puts everybody back to zero, so on the contrary, it’s actually better this way. Everybody starts from zero. We have such a strong team now, it’s been built up over the last four years, they already did a fantastic job last winter from 1.5s a lap slower. At the beginning of this season we were sometimes the quickest car without a regulation change, so they did an amazing job last winter and I’m confident that they can do it again, for sure. And again this year, OK, we had some weaknesses which we’ve learned from and are trying to continue improving and then I’m very sure we can have a good season.
Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Mark, you said that you struggled with the scrubbed tyres in the first stint. Has that been a general feature this year for you? Why are they so unpredictable? Was it just particularly here on this circuit?
MW: When we go to this type of range of tyre it is probably a little bit more high maintenance for me to feel whether the tyre is in the race. It’s a little bit frustrating but that’s the way it is. If you want to go quick, you’ve got to go… obviously it’s such a fine, delicate balance, obviously and then you can feed the tyre a lot if you treat it in a different way but to get into that window is sometimes not obvious. I think that we’ve seen – like Korea, China, a few other races where we are probably a bit more on the front tyre. Of course I’m very fast, I’m quick but when we’re on the rears it’s a bit harder for me to be as competitive at certain times. That’s the way it is. The primes weren’t too bad, I didn’t think we were going too badly on those in terms of feeling, anyway, but that’s the way it’s been the last… since 2011. I’m not going to learn now, mate. Old dog, new tricks, it’s over.
Ends
-
Vettel `donuts’ on show again; It’s time FIA promotes crowd `thrillers’
Yas Marina, 3 Nov 2013: Sebastian Vettel decimated his rivals at the Yas Marina Circuit to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver finishing over half a minute ahead of team-mate Mark Webber and third-placed Nico Rosberg here in the 17th round of the F1 World Championship tonight.
In so doing, Vettel scored his seventh consecutive victory of the season to draw level with Michael Schumacher’s 2004 record with Ferrari.
A seemingly excited Vettel, defied gravity and the FIA authorities to once again indulge in his favourite `donuts’ to send the crowd cheering all the way for him. The huge applause is well received, but Vettel was quick to be back at the Parc Ferme, this time and was hoping there would be no fine. Vettel clinched his fourth World Championship Drivers’ Title in India last Sunday and regaled the 60,000 Indian crowd with his feats but was fined Euro 25,000 by the FIA.
INDIA in F1 dot com feels that champions like Vettel, for that matter any driver, should be allowed to do such crowd-pulling stunts which helps the crowd go home with a feeling of fun and achievement. The huge costs of the food and beverages, not to mention the prices of the tickets, make the spectator feel that he was cheated. At least, such feats help the fans to take home some sweet moments which they would cherish for a long time.
It is time FIA changes its rules to allow the drivers to thrill the crowds and
Sebastian Vettel who won the Abu Dhavi GP drives his Red Bull on Friday. An FIA photo to provide seat-edged excitement as most of the races have failed to give any competitive class to the sport.
Vettel, starting from second on the grid behind Webber, set up his 11th win of the year when the lights went out. Team-mate Webber made a poor getaway and Vettel leapt into the lead.
Nico Rosberg also passed Webber at the start but despite a good start the Mercedes driver presented little threat to Vettel in the first stint. In the first four laps, the Red Bull driver pulled out a three-second gap over his compatriot and by the time Rosberg made his first visit to the pit lane on lap 10, the gap had drifted out to 8.2 seconds.
Vettel’s utter domination of the race was then underlined when Webber passed Rosberg on lap 20. The champion elect crossed the line to start the next lap and a full 27 seconds elapsed before his team-mate began his own 21sttour.
For the Red Bull driver it was then simply a case of grinding through the remaining 34 laps until he could take the chequered flag, watch another record slide his way and, to the delight of the local fans, pitch his RB9 into a series of donuts, just as he had done in India last week.
Then the celebration has earned him a slap on the wrist and a financial penalty for his team from the stewards. This time though, Vettel was sure he would escape a visit to the officials’ office.
“I don’t think [it will be penalised] because this time I bought the car back, so it’s fine. As you can see it’s in parc fermé,” Vettel joked afterwards. “The car was absolutely brilliant. Not much more to say. I was flying at some stages. At least it felt like it. Massive gaps, a big surprise.”
Webber, meanwhile admitted that he had no response to the electric pace shown bv his team-mate.
“I think in the first stint I was just not strong enough and on the soft tyres Seb got a very good gap,” he said. “I had to reposition on the primes. So anyway, after that the race started pretty well for me but then Seb… he was gone. He was on another category out in front and I had to have a little battle with Nico for second.”
For Rosberg, third place was good reward, the result, in association with team-mate Lewis Hamilton’s seventh-place finish, lifting Mercedes further ahead of rivals Ferrari in the battle for second place in the Constructors’ Championship.
“Third place is good. The aim for the weekend was to be best of the rest behind the Red Bulls and that’s worked out,” he said. “I was very happy to hear that we took some more points off them again and that we’re edging away from them. That’s the most important thing for us at the moment – just to finish second in the Constructors’.”
Behind the front three, Romain Grosjean salvaged pride for Lotus by taking fourth place. Team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who had qualified fifth on Saturday, was sent to the back of the grid after qualifying after his car failed a left-hand side front floor deflector test and then at the start, the Finn collided with one of the Caterhams, a clash that ended Raikkonen’s race.
Fernando Alonso limited the damage with a fifth-place finish, though it was achieved controversially. The Spaniard made his second and final stop, for soft tyres, on lap 44. He emerged from the pit lane exit alongside a tight battle between Toro Rosso’ Jean-Eric Vergne in seventh and Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa.
Desperate to bypass both, Alonso aggressively overtook Vergne but was later placed under investigation for possibly exceeding the track limits in doing so. He later escaped sanction.
Behind Alonso, Force India’s Paul Di Resta made a one-stop strategy work to finish sixth, while Hamilton was seventh for Mercedes. Massa took eighth place and the final two points positions went to McLaren’s Sergio Perez and Adrian Sutil in the second Force India.
2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Race Result
1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 55 Winner 25
2 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 55 +30.8 secs 18
3 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 55 +33.6 secs 15
4 Romain Grosjean Lotus 55 +34.8 secs 12
5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 55 +67.1 secs 10
6 Paul di Resta Force India 55 +78.1 secs 8
7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 55 +79.2 secs 6
8 Felipe Massa Ferrari 55 +82.8 secs 4
9 Sergio Perez McLaren 55 +91.1 secs 2
10 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 55 +93.2 secs 1
11 Pastor Maldonado Williams 55 +95.9 secs
12 Jenson Button McLaren 55 + secs
13 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 55 + secs
14 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 54 +1 Lap
15 Valtteri Bottas Williams 54 +1 Lap
16 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 54 +1 Lap
17 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 54 +1 Lap
18 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 54 +1 Lap
19 Charles Pic Caterham 54 +1 Lap
20 Jules Bianchi Marussia 53 +2 Laps
21 Max Chilton Marussia 53 +2 Laps
Ret Kimi Räikkönen Lotus 0 Accidentends
-
Webber beats Vettel to take Abu Dhabi pole
yas Marina
From left: Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Nico Rosberg after the qualification at the Abu Dhabi GP on Saturday. Webber took the pole position. An FIA photo (Abu Dhabi), 2 Nov 2013:
FIA Post-qualification Press Conference, Abu Dhabi GP
Drivers Present
1 – Mark WEBBER (Red Bull Racing)
2 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)
3 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)Unilateral
Q: Mark, your second pole in three races now. Describe your feelings, particularly on a track where your team-mate has always been so strong.
Mark WEBBER: Yeah, I think this weekend so far has gone pretty smoothly for us. It’s not the easiest venue because of the temperatures, when the sessions are: obviously in the afternoon and then the night session. You’ve got to be on top of that as a driver and also from an engineering perspective. So, we did what we could do. Not the smoothest part, I would say, to the start of Q2. Also Q1, we were not, I would say, electric but then getting into the groove we changed the car quite a bit, with the front wing level and things like that, as the session went on. And I got more and more comfortable. So, I knew I had to work on certain sections of the track. Sebastian had already been doing a good job there already so I had to try to match him there and keep the areas where I was still doing a pretty good job. Overall happy with the pole. It was a good lap obviously on a track which in the past hasn’t been super-invigorating for me in terms of layout, let’s say, but we certainly enjoyed the quali today and really looking forward to the race tomorrow because we’ve got a good car for the race in these conditions.
Q: Sebastian, obviously a slightly unusual session from your point of view, didn’t top the times in any of the three parts of the session. What were the tactics today and where did it get away from you?
Sebastian VETTEL: Well, I wouldn’t call it unusual. I think we were still pretty competitive, that’s probably the difference from you guys and us inside the garage. There is no guarantee. I think it’s a great result for the team, first of all. Start of qualifying I think Mercedes looked very, very strong. Both Nico and Lewis, especially in Q2. I think Mark and myself weren’t hanging about in Q2 but they were very, very strong. But we seemed to be able to find a little bit of extra time in Q3. I think I did a very good lap so congratulations to him. I think I should have done a little bit better but I don’t know if it had been enough. As a fact he deserved to be on pole today. He did a good job, no mistakes. As I said, on top of that, a great result for the team. We should have a strong race tomorrow.
Q: Nico, previous visits here, two times ninth, two times seventh. So a big step forward for you. And again, for you, your team-mate has always been very strong here and you’ve beaten him.
Nico ROSBERG: In general I’m pleased with the result for sure: third place, best of the rest, which is our target for the weekend. It was nice to annoy Red Bull a little bit from time to time there in qualifying but in the end they were just too quick again. But anyway, third place is good, I’m pleased with that. And again [we’re] just looking at the Constructors’ [Championship]. That’s what counts for us, third and fourth, blocking out the second row of the grid. Lotus for sure are some way back but especially Ferrari, who are our direct competition, they’re well back, so that’s a very good result for us today in qualifying.
Coming back to you now Mark. You didn’t manage the win from pole in Japan. Just a few races to go before the end of your Formula One career and a great chance tomorrow to sign off with a win.
MW: Yeah, look as Seb touched on, there are no guarantees. We have a good car in the race I believe. As we’ve shown in the last few events we’ve always been certainly there or thereabouts and leading some race in the last few events and challenging for some very good results. Like you say in quali it’s been pretty strong. Korea in the race, yeah, coming back from the 10-place penalty and bits and bobs. So, in general the form has been very strong, carry that over tomorrow night, keep my head down and look for a very good result, there’s no question about that.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Mark, why is it that this year has been so different from previous years. What is it about you that’s just hooked it up here?
MW: Well, I was pretty competitive last year here in qualifying. I think it’s probably no super secret that I like the more flowing circuits but you have to put your heads down and get on with these types of circuits like Singapore and Abu Dhabi and do the absolute maximum and do the best. When you start in Formula One, there is not a huge amount of circuit around like this but there are more and more now and that’s part of our job. With that, I get more exposure at these type of circuits and I think you learn more and unfortunately, or fortunately, I have a guy in the other car who is pretty handy on these type of tracks and you can also do some learning in that respect. I think it’s a strong type of layout for Seb, as he’s proved in Singapore and those type of tracks. In the end, more experience. You can never stop learning, mate, even at this age, so it was a good day and puts us in a good position tomorrow.
Sebastian, we heard you on the radio at the end, just apologising to the team that you didn’t make the most of sector one in particular. You haven’t made that many mistakes so far in 2013, I guess the heat is off now, you’ve already done what you needed to do but is that what led to the mistake?
SV: I was pushing hard, that’s the reason behind it. Surely, I think, as a driver, you always argue that there is a little bit here, a little bit there but the bottom line is that if you look at it from the outside as well, if you push yourself to the maximum trying to get everything out then you do mistakes as well. I’m not very proud of that but I did what I could today and it wasn’t enough to be on pole and that’s why I said it before and I’ll say it again – Mark deserved to be on pole, no doubt. So, I think the car was good. That’s why I apologised, I said, ‘sorry guys, I messed up a bit at turn one’. It’s a tricky corner. If you get it right, it feels great. It you mess it up, it doesn’t and then you have a long lap trying to make up for it. But obviously there is a limit. Overall, as I said, I was happy but didn’t manage to get everything perfect. Whether it would have been enough, I don’t know, Mark did a very good laps, so we’ll see tomorrow.
Q: Nico, before qualifying you could say that you hadn’t perhaps hooked up the final sector maybe as well as the other two but you put it all together when it really mattered at the end. Maybe you could talk a little bit about your preparation for qualifying.
NR: I progressed really well through the weekend. Set-up progression was massive, it changed so much from the beginning to the end and it’s just very difficult because the first session of each day is so hot that you can’t really learn much and you just have to take an estimated guess where to go for the evening sessions with the set up and so that made it very, very difficult. And in the end… yeah, got there in the end in qualifying. Felt comfortable and there you are. P3. It’s good.
Ends
-
Gill creates history as he becomes first Indian to win APRC Title
Longyou (China), 2 Nov 2013: Indian driver Gaurav Gill created history by becoming the first Indian to win the top class in the 2013 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship title after finishing Day 1 of the Rally of China at the wheel of his Team MRF ŠKODA Fabia S2000 here on Saturday.
According to Adrenna Communications’ release, title rival and team-mate Esapekka Lappi was leading at the end of Day 1 with Gill in second place. Gill, with Australian co-driver, Glenn Macneall, only had to finish the rally to secure his first APRC title, while Lappi is in a position to move up to second in the championship, having finished second in the S2000 category at the recent Sanremo Rally in Italy.
Gill’s team-mate lads Esapekka Lappi from Finland leads the event by 4 minutes. There’s still one day to go, before the finish when Gill and the team can celebrate on the APRC podium. Gill suffered a puncture which cost him 2-3 minutes but managed to get back in the rally.
Team MRF Driver Gaurav Gill (India), 2013 FIA APRC Champion commented “This is definitely the high-light of my career so far, we’ve come close on several other occasions and this year wasn’t easy either. I have to thank the team, my co-driver Glenn (Macneall), Skoda and a big thank you to MRF tyres too as they’ve stuck with me all these years and so it’s nice to reward them and my country. We stopped and changed tyre losing 2-3 minutes, but the main thing is to get the car back here.”
eom
Gaurav Gill of India pilots the MRF Skoda to finish Day 1 and take the APRC titles in the China leg on Saturday. An Adrenna Communications photo -
Pirelli expects one-stop strategy for Abu Dhabi race
Yas Marina, 2 Nov 2013: Red Bull’s Mark Webber will start the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from pole position after qualifying fastest on the P Zero Yellow soft compound, which has been nominated together with the P Zero White medium this weekend.
Qualifying was held as usual in the afternoon and evening, with Q1 starting in daylight and Q3 finishing in darkness, under the lights. Webber’s 1m39.957s pole lap, the 13th of his career and his second of this season, means that he equals the pole position record for an Australian, established by Jack Brabham. With Sebastian Vettel qualifying second, this was the fourth Red Bull one-two of the season.
With up to a second and a half lap time difference between the two compounds, strategy was an important consideration right from the start of Q1. The majority of the drivers started on the medium compound, but both Red Bull drivers were straight out on the soft tyres, and did not use the medium at all during qualifying. This then prompted the rest of the field to switch to the soft compound for the rest of Q1, with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton going quickest in the closing seconds.
The top 16 drivers, who went through to Q2, were covered by just six-tenths of a
Webber takes pole in his last race at Abu Dhabi. A Pirelli photo second. They all used soft tyres throughout the session, at the end of which Mercedes was again quickest: this time with Nico Rosberg leading Hamilton.
The final top 10 all started Q3 on soft tyres. Webber set his pole lap right at the end of the session, with track temperature stabilising at 34 degrees. His time was more than half a second faster than last year’s pole from Lewis Hamilton.
Red Bull also finished one-two in the final free practice session, during which all the drivers used both tyre compounds. Vettel led Webber, concluding the session with a qualifying simulation.
Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said: “Two key factors shaped the strategy during qualifying: the big lap time difference between the two compounds and the high degree of track evolution, which meant that the fastest times were usually set at the end of each session once the most rubber had been laid down on the surface. As an extra factor, track temperature was consistently falling with the sun going down during qualifying, which adds another challenge from a tyre engineering perspective. We’re expecting a one-stop race tomorrow for most drivers, but some may try something different. With the wear and degradation rates that we can see so far, the options are open. While the soft tyre has a significant performance advantage, it’s also capable of consistent performance over a longer run. We’ve got the same tyre nomination as India but the situation at this race is a lot less clear-cut, which means that strategy can make a real difference tomorrow.”
The Pirelli mystery strategy predictor:
One stop is theoretically the quickest approach to the 56-lap Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, irrespective of starting on the soft or the medium compound. So, if starting on the soft, we would expect drivers to change to the medium on lap 12 and then go to the end. Or if starting on the medium, change to the soft on lap 43 and then go to the end.
The optimal two-stop strategy is: start on the soft, change to the medium on lap nine, and a final stint on the medium from lap 32.
Fastest compounds in FP3:
1. Vettel 1m41.349s Soft New 2. Webber 1m41.571s Soft New 3. Hamilton 1m41.580s Soft New Top 10 tyre use:
Webber Soft 1m39.957s Vettel Soft 1m40.075s Rosberg Soft 1m40.419s Hamilton Soft 1m40.501s Raikkonen Soft 1m40.542s Hulkenberg Soft 1m40.576s Grosjean Soft 1m40.997s Massa Soft 1m41.015s Perez Soft 1m41.068s Ricciardo Soft 1m41.111s -
Vettel reclaims P1 in Free Practice 2
Yas Marina, 1 Nov 2013: The first day/night session of 2013 saw Sebastian Vettel reclaim the P1 position he held in each session of last week’s Indian Grand Prix. The Red Bull Racing driver finished FP2 with a best time of 1:41.335, one-and-a-half tenths clear of team-mate Mark Webber. Behind them, Lewis Hamilton slotted into third place for Mercedes, narrowly ahead of 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix winner, Kimi Räikkönen of Lotus.
Nico Rosberg was fifth in the second Mercedes, with the McLaren pair of Sergio Pérez and Jenson Button sixth and seventh respectively. Fernando Alonso was eighth and Felipe Massa tenth, the Ferrari pair bracketing the Sauber of Nico Hülkenberg.
The session had no preamble of installation laps, Räikkönen heading straight out on track for a timed run as soon as the light turned green. His first effort on the medium tyre was six-tenths quicker that he had managed earlier in the day. That trend was repeated throughout the opening exchanges, as the combination of lower temperatures and more rubber on the circuit coaxed laps faster than the best of the afternoon out of the prime rubber. Button and then Pérez each held the lead before Vettel rose to the top after 15 minutes.
His was to be the final benchmark on the primes, with option tyres appearing soon after. With 70 minutes of the session remaining, Räikkönen was the first driver to sample the yellow-banded soft tyres. He instantly went two seconds faster than his earlier best lap and reset P1 at 1:41.888. Then, proving the soft tyre is good for more than one fast lap, the Finn improved, recording a time of 1:41.726.
With the floodlighting starting to take over from natural light, Hamilton and then Webber rose to the top before Vettel arrived and, 42 minutes into the session, took P1 with 1:41.434. He too would improve slightly on his next lap, setting his ultimate time of 1:41.335 at the halfway point.
That was the end of the search for outright speed, with the field spending the second 45 minutes concentrating on long runs. The soft tyre appears much more durable at Yas than it was in India, with graining rather than extreme wear characterising the conversations between drivers and engineers, many cars putting over 20 laps onto a set of options.
While the session had no outright drama, there was a spin for Giedo van der Garde, while early afternoon pacesetter Romain Grosjean suffered unspecified technical trouble that kept him in the garage for 25 minutes and then caused him to end his session early.
2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Free Practice Two times
1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:41.335
2 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:41.490 +0.155
3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:41.690 +0.355
4 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus 1:41.726 +0.391
5 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:41.758 +0.423
6 Sergio Pérez McLaren 1:42.006 +0.671
7 Jenson Button McLaren 1:42.010 +0.675
8 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:42.171 +0.836
9 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber 1:42.324 +0.989
10 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:42.440 +1.105
11 Esteban Gutiérrez Sauber 1:42.509 +1.174
12 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:42.607 +1.272
13 Paul di Resta Force India 1:42.806 +1.471
14 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:42.952 +1.617
15 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:42.998 +1.663
16 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:43.152 +1.817
17 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:43.271 +1.936
18 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:43.565 +2.230
19 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:44.138 +2.803
20 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:44.459 +3.124
21 Charles Pic Caterham 1:44.525 +3.190
22 Max Chilton Marussia 1:45.565 +4.230ends
File photo of Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull. Photo courtesy FIA. -
Akhil wins place in FIA Institute Young Driver’s Excellence Academy
31 Oct 2013: After an intensive three days of tests and evaluations at the FIA Institute Asia-Pacific Selection Event hosted by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS), India’s Akhil Rabindra won himself a place in the FIA Institute Young Drivers Excellence Academy. Rabindra, 17, who races in the JK Racing India Series (Formula BMW) won his place on the fully-funded Academy program after demonstrating his ability not just on the track but also in terms of fitness and understanding of safety and vehicle dynamics.
There were three judges on the selection panel with the Gus Glover from the FIA Institute, Academy Instructor Dr. Tony Turner and Lead Driving Instructor Cameron McConville . In the end it was a tough decision, but all three felt Rabindra was a worthy winner, and he was naturally thrilled to have been chosen with the announcement made by FIA Institute Deputy President Garry Connelly.
“I am honoured to have been selected I would like to thank the FIA Institute, CAMS and my ASN The FMSCI for making this possible. I am looking forward to taking on the other drivers from across the world. The Academy should be great and I hope to lean a lot,” Rabindra said.
Rabindra now has the opportunity to follow i
Akhil Rabindran who won the Young Driver Excellence Award. An Adrenna Photo n the footsteps of previous participants in the Academy who have gone on to drive in Formula One and the World Rally Championship.
All the young drivers, who had been nominated by the national motor sport authorities in their own countries, gained invaluable knowledge and experience to help them in their careers.
Andrew Papadopoulos, President of CAMS, which hosted the event on behalf of the FIA Institute, congratulated the winner and all those involved.
“It has been fantastic to host this event we would like to thank the New South Wales Institute of Sport and Sydney Motorsport Park and Mazda for their support. Driver development is important in the Asia Pacific region and we are happy to have helped raise the standard in this part of the world.” said Papadopoulos.
FMSCI President Vicky Chandhok commented, “This is a great initiative by the FIA to develop young drivers across the world. On behalf of the FMSCI, I would like to congratulate Akhil on winning the APAC selection, and wish him all the best in the Academy. There are so many young drivers with so much potential that the future of Indian motorsport looks promising.”
On the final day of the selection event the 12 drivers were whittled down to three, Rabindra, Petr Borodin from Kazakhstan and Mark Gibson from New Zealand.
Ultimately, the choice of Rabindra as the regional winner was based not only on the shoot-out result but on all-round skills displayed over the three days.
He now joins Venezuelan Diego Ferreira who won the Americas region selection event, South Africa’s Kelvin Van der Linde as the winner of the African regional event, Lithuania’s Ignas Gelzinis, the winner of the European regional event, and Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Bamogaddam, winner of the Middle East and Mediterranean event, on the Academy programme. They in turn will join three additional wild card entries to form the eight of the Academy.
Beginning in December, the next Academy provides a fully-funded training programme which aims to help drivers develop their motor sport careers, whilst increasing safety skills and actively promoting the principles of safety, fairness and responsibility on and off the track.
ends
-
The development of Force India car stopped six months back: Sutil
DRIVERS – Valtteri BOTTAS (Williams), Romain GROSJEAN (Lotus), Adrian SUTIL (Force India), Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes), Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing), Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari)
PRESS CONFERENCE
Sebastian, your fourth world title of course. Tell us about the last four days. What have you been doing, how have you celebrated and what has the reaction been like?
Sebastian VETTEL: Well, the reaction has been very positive. Obviously great relief when I crossed the line on Sunday, a great feeling. Sunday night, obviously the whole team still had to do the pack-up, but we had a little bit of fun in the hotel bar – quite spontaneous. Obviously, there’s not a lot of time between the race in India and the race here, so the team is very busy. So we couldn’t go completely made, but I had a time on Sunday night and then I had two days at home before coming here, again fairly quiet, not very spectacular. I just enjoyed the peace at home. I had some time for myself, back with my girlfriend as well. So, fairly quiet.
Probably history will remember this achievement as you in a strong team with a strong beating a very strong field of drivers – looking at the gentlemen sitting around you here. Is that how you see it?
SV: I think that’s the way it always has been. When Lewis won his title in 2008 he was with a strong team facing strong drivers, same for Fernando in 2005 and 2006, so yeah, even 20 or 30 years ago it has always been the name of the game. That’s how people remember the past and one day will remember what we are doing now.
Fernando, runner-up again. So hard to hit the sweet spot in Formula One isn’t it? How far off championship level do you feel your group is?
Fernando ALONSO: I think we need to be realistic, knowing that we didn’t have the chance this year to fight for the championship. In the beginning of the year we were a little bit closer but then we were not quick enough and we are fighting now for other targets, which is the Constructors’ Championship and second place in the Drivers’ [Championship] as well, which was not the main priority when we started the season but still a good target to achieve and a good thing for the team, to help them. We’ll see, I think we need to keep very focused in the remaining races and try to do our best and obviously with half of our mind thinking of 2014 because we are competitive people, we want to win. This year it was not possible but next year we start from zero.
How has your relationship with the team evolved over the course of the year, particularly in terms of steering a course for the future?
FA: It’s fantastic. Obviously, every weekend I repeat the same thing. So I guess in Austin on Thursday the first question in the press conference will be how is my relationship with the team…
The question was how has it evolved?
FA: It was perfect, it’s perfect and it will be perfect.
Lewis, coming to you. You didn’t perhaps expect to challenge for the title this year but can you talk about the level of the challenge coming from Sebastian and Red Bull and how you take the fight to them from here?
Lewis HAMILTON: They’ve done an incredible job for some time now, so you know, they’ve raised the bar and everyone just needs to work harder. Us, as a team, we’re working as hard as we can to really put the energy into next year and hope that we can compete with them. That’s ultimately what I’d love to do and ultimately what the team desires too. That’s what the dream is. There’s a long steep curve for us to climb or hill for us to climb for next year but it’s more of a level starting ground for everyone and you can either get it right or wrong. Hopefully we’re on the right side.
Racing drivers always move on very quickly and I wonder if mentally you’re already in 2014.
LH: No, no. I’m still trying to… this year hasn’t been perfect for me and I’m always trying to learn and improve. There are lots of areas that can always be improved on, from myself and from the team, and we’re just working on those because we don’t want to carry the negatives of anything we have into next year.
Q: Romain, really strong run of form at the moment. Was India your best performance yet in Formula One, do you think? How much more is there to come from you?
Romain GROSJEAN: Hopefully two more places! It was certainly one of our best races. We misjudged our level of performance on the Saturday and we took the right decision about the strategy, how to go for the race. It was clearly not an easy one as I really had to first make the option tyre last and then try to make the prime tyre last for 47 laps. There were some quick cars around me, especially behind me, and yeah, just try to take care as much as we can of our tyres and do good driving. But I think Japan was a pretty good race. We had certainly a fantastic start and led the race from there, which was somehow easy to control in the first part. I think Red Bull was just a little bit too quick behind but when you watch the gap with Fernando who was P4, it was quite big, so I think those last four races have been pretty good: trying to improve myself every time, car is getting there and clearly the blue cars are still a little bit quicker than we are – but we try to push them as much as we can.
Q: Let’s cut to the chase: you’re a completely different racing driver from 12 months ago. What’s the key to the turnaround do you think?
RG: I don’t think there is any particular key to be honest. We like to put some things are changes but to me the work started a year ago and I’m improving myself day after day – or I’m trying to. The start of the season was poor. It’s a bit of a shame when we look at what we are capable to do right now but then since we put back the car in place it has been getting better and better. I was a bit unlucky before Germany and then Germany things turn out to be well together and from there we had very, very good races and the car is doing well. Hopefully it’s going to be the case until the end of the season.
Q: Adrian, strong drive in India, bold strategy. How important was it to stem the recent tide of Sauber getting closer and closer to you? And how much confidence has that given the team going forward now for the rest of the year?
Adrian SUTIL: Well it was an important race for us, of course. It was our home grand prix and we wanted to show that we’re still able to be in the top ten. The last couple of races were a bit more difficult to score the points but we recovered and we did what we could to make a good result. We risked a little bit with the strategy – where we had both cars on a different strategy. I was on a one-stop – more risky – but almost the same outcome. Eighth and ninth position was almost the maximum we could achieve. Six points as a team, now 23 points ahead of Sauber, which is quite a good gap. It’s not over yet, we have to push on, but I think quite comfortable. It’s very important for us to save this sixth position in the championship, looking to next year of course, as a team. But I think, yeah, nice to have recovered a bit. Now we focus on what we have and try to optimise the package and do similar results in the next couple of races.
Q: Looking from the outside it seems that the tyre change mid-season didn’t really help your team particularly. What do you feel about that?
AS: Yes, it’s true. It’s one reason. We were a bit slower after that change but also we decided to stop the development very early in the season, so we had no parts on the car for the last six months or so. It’s quite a long time. I think it just hit us: from the tyre; from the development. Also the strategies in the race were more equal for everyone. Normally we were able to save one pitstop just because our tyre life was much better to others. After the tyre change that was different. But also we messed up a little bit the setup in the last races. We tried to somehow go back where we were but with a package where we just couldn’t make it. We tried different setups and it almost just slowed us down even more. We got problems, we made mistakes as the driver because the car was so difficult to drive. So, in India was said “we stop it, we take what we’ve got,” and that was the key for the points.
Q: Valtteri, been obviously a difficult, challenging year for you. What sort of shape are Williams in going forward?
Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, it’s been a challenging year. We’ve been learning a lot the whole year as a team. It’s been very tough. So we’re definitely I think going in a good direction, we’re now very focussed for next year. What I’ve seen at the factory, the working at the factory is changing. We’ve got some new people and I’ve already seen some good things. I really think the future of Williams will be much better than what we’ve seen this year.
Q: Not too many rumours about you, does that indicate that you’re staying put for next year?
VB: I think Claire Williams is tomorrow in the press conference so maybe you can ask her.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Joy Chakravarty– Sport 360) Seb, considering that the big prize is already yours, how will you motivate yourself to win over the next three races, and if you win on Sunday, will it be one of your greatest challenges, when you win with just about nothing to gain from the season, at least?
SV: Well, I don’t think we approach the weekend as if there’s nothing to gain. I think we – as a fact – we love what we’re doing. We enjoy the challenge and that’s why there’s no question as to why we are here and what we have to do. We want to race, race the others as hard as possible. If we have a chance, we want to win. As I said, I had some quiet days at home which was good, to sober up after India and get ready for here.
Q: (Khodr Rawi – Autosport Middle East) Sebastian, after winning so many races and four consecutive championships, do you think it will be harder again for you to lose?
SV: To be honest, I’m not getting in the car and thinking that there’s a guarantee that we will do well. Maybe that’s a little bit the impression that you get from the outside; obviously since the summer break we’ve won all the races but we come here and there’s absolutely no guarantee that we will do well, so we have to give it everything we have. Yes, we have a strong package so I think we have reason to be confident. I need the team, I think the team needs Mark and myself to push the car to the limit and to get some good results. There’s no guarantee for what we’ve been doing the last couple of races to make it last.
Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Valtteri, last four qualifyings you have managed to beat your teammate. Have you found something new in your one lap performance?
VB: The whole season I’ve been learning a lot and there are little things you’re picking up all the time. In qualifying, it’s been very tight this year – it’s always like that – and every hundredth counts. I think after the August break, for sure I’ve also improved in qualifying. I think I can now maybe get a bit more out of the car more consistently than before. I feel more confident all the time, so maybe we can see that in the results.
Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Lewis, we heard yesterday some declaration from Dieter Mateschitz saying that Red Bull has been working hard on the development for this season but also trying many new parts that they will use in 2014; about 50 percent of that will be on next year’s car. How is the situation at Mercedes? Have you been trying the same path or also working on trying to fight with Ferrari for second place in the Constructors’ series?
LH: Probably not being doing as much as it sounds as they have been doing, in terms of developing for next year, but I think that a lot of the stuff that you do develop on this year’s car, upgrades that we do bring to this year’s hopefully will have an effect on next year’s car. It’s kinda of similar but some teams obviously can turn their focus a little bit earlier and some a little bit later, but hopefully, ultimately, we’ll still be competitive next year with these guys.
Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) To Romain, Sebastian and Fernando: what do you think of Kimi as a man and as a driver?
RG: As a man, I would say yeah, Kimi basically I don’t know him. He is with me as he is with you. As a driver, he’s a very good driver and he has been, until recently, a very good teammate. He’s a quicker driver, he’s a consistent driver and to me, having him to learn (from) and to improve myself has been pretty good. But yeah, I don’t see him in different clothes to the ones we’re wearing right now.
SV: Well, I think I have huge respect for the fact that he loves what he’s doing, he loves motor racing, any form of it. Obviously, I think Formula One gives him a lot of satisfaction to drive a Formula One car. He doesn’t like the rest of it so much. On a personal level, he does talk to me. I don’t know what I do differently. He’s one of the most straightforward guys I’ve met so far and I respect a lot that he has always been very honest. Since I came into Formula One, he was ready to help, even gave me a lift a couple of times early on. I get along with him.
FA: Personally, I cannot say anything because I do not know him enough to speak about him personally. As a driver, he’s a great champion, great talent, very very fast. He likes what he’s doing. That’s the best thing.
File photo of Adrian Sutil with an Engineer. Photo by Sahara Force India F1 team Ends
