INDIA in F1

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  • Volkswagen Polo R all set for WRC debut

    Monte Carlo: When the first World Rally Car sets out on the opening stage of the Rally Monte Carlo, from Moulinon to Antraigues, at 09:00 on Wednesday 16 January, it will mark the start of something rather special: Volkswagen’s first season in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). 20,000 kilometres of testing, 1,700 parts designed completely from scratch, 17 months of preparations – all for this one moment, the dawn of a new age, a press release from Volkswagen said.

    The appearance of the Polo R WRC in the FIA World Rally Championship heralds a new era in motorsport for Volkswagen – and where better to make your debut than the legendary Rally Monte Carlo. In Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) and Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), the works team from Wolfsburg lines up at the WRC season-opener with two young crews who nevertheless already possess a wealth of experience. From 15 to 20 January, Volkswagen will face strong opponents and a new technological challenge. The WRC is regarded as the biggest all-round test in international motorsport and, alongside Formula One, it is the most iconic of the FIA’s world championships.

    “I cannot wait to finally getting going. The entire team at Volkswagen is looking forward to the WRC debut of the Polo WRC,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito. “World Championship rallies in the top WRC class are new territory for the team. Furthermore, the Polo R WRC has been developed from scratch, features a lot of innovative ideas, and will be making its competitive debut. The ‘Monte’ will give us our first indication of how we compare with the opposition – our rivals already have two years’ experience of the regulations that came into force in 2011, and have been driving in the WRC for many years. Our goal for the Rally Monte Carlo is to gain as much experience as possible and to finish with both cars.”

    Debut time: Volkswagen, the World Rally Championship and the Rally Monte Carlo

    The Rally Monte Carlo is a first for Volkswagen in many regards: the team is competing at a World Championship rally in the top category for World Rally Cars. At the same time, the Polo R WRC will make its first competitive outing and the team will be working with a new driving duo for the first time under rally conditions. Finn Jari-Matti Latvala and his compatriot and co-driver Miikka Anttila officially joined the Volkswagen outfit at the start of the year. Prior to their appearance at the “Monte”, the duo with seven WRC wins to their name have completed a number of test drives.

    Latvala and Anttila start the 2013 season in the number 7 Polo R WRC. In the cockpit of the number 8 Polo will be Frenchmen Sébastien Ogier and his co-driver Julien Ingrassia. They have been under contract as Volkswagen works drivers since the end of 2011 and have played significant roles in the development and testing of the Polo R WRC. Together with co-driver Ingrassia, Ogier, who was born in Gap (F), has already won his home rally on one occasion. In 2009 the French pair won the classic as guest starters in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC). Like Latvala and Anttila, Ogier and Ingrassia currently have seven WRC race wins to their name.

    Simply legendary: the “Monte” challenge in the snow and ice of the mountains

    The Volkswagen Motorsport team could hardly be facing a tougher challenge. After all, the “Monte” is the oldest rally in the world and the “mother of all rallies”, having been held for the first time in 1911. The majority of the Rally Monte Carlo is held on narrow tarmacked roads in the French Maritime Alps to the north of the principality of Monaco. While the lower roads close to the Mediterranean are regularly dry, the drivers are often faced with black ice and snow on the many mountain passes they are required to negotiate. This makes it essential to select the right tyre – and makes the “Monte” one of the most difficult and complex rallies on the World Championship calendar.

    Thoughts ahead of the Rally Monte Carlo
    Jari-Matti Latvala, Polo R WRC #7
    “I can hardly wait for the season to get started. I may already have five years as a works driver in the World Rally Championship under my belt, but both the Volkswagen Motorsport team and the Polo R WRC are new to me. As such, I will be making my debut in two regards. The tests up to now have shown that the Polo R WRC is very reliable. This is probably the most important finding so far – and a good basis for future technical developments over the course of the season. I have already developed a good feeling for the car on asphalt and snow, which is a good sign ahead of the Rally Monte Carlo. It is great fun driving the Polo R WRC. It is very stable and the driveability of the engine is also very good. I would like to get the season off to a good start at the ‘Monte’. The result is not the top priority yet, although I would obviously love to pick up some World Championship points.”

    Sébastien Ogier, Polo R WRC #8
    “The ‘Monte’ is a very special rally. After all, it is my home rally. However, the season-opener near my home will be an extraordinary experience for the entire team, as it is the first rally with the new Polo R WRC. We have been working towards this moment with Volkswagen for over a year. We can hardly wait to finally get started. However, it is difficult to judge how we will compare to the opposition, as we have not yet raced against the other teams under competitive conditions. Making your debut in a world championship with a completely new car is a big challenge, particularly as the other manufacturers have several years more experience than we do. For this reason we must be patient and concentrate at first on reaching the finish without any problems. Experience shows that this is anything but simple at the Rally Monte Carlo, as anything can happen at this event.”

    Volkswagen in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC)

    The start in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) sees Volkswagen continue its successful history in motorsport. Volkswagen claimed overall victory at the Rally Dakar in 2009, 2010 and 2011 with the Race Touareg to claim a hat-trick of titles at the toughest marathon rally in the world. The Polo R WRC is the first World Rally Car to come out of Wolfsburg, with the manufacturer now entering its own works team at the pinnacle of rallying for the first time. This presents Volkswagen with the opportunity to prove itself in direct sporting competition on a global stage. No model is more suited to the challenge than the Polo, which is one of Volkswagen’s most internationally manufactured and distributed cars.

    Three questions for … Jost Capito

    If you could have chosen a rally for the Polo R WRC to make its debut at – would you have taken the Rally Monte Carlo?
    Jost Capito: “The Rally Monte Carlo is not only the most iconic rally on the World Championship calendar, but also the most difficult and complex. The surface alternates regularly between ice, snow, rain and dry asphalt, which can make the strategy difficult and tyre selection something of a lottery. We are obviously delighted that the Polo R WRC will make its debut at this highlight.”

    In Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala you have signed two very quick drivers. Who do you feel is the stronger?
    Jost Capito: “They are both equally strong. As a Scandinavian, Latvala grew up on gravel – however, he has made huge progress on asphalt in recent years. The same applies to Ogier, who also has what it takes to win on any surface. Both have seven WRC wins to their name. In the end it will come down to who performs best on the day to determine who is the quickest.”

    What goals does Volkswagen have for the 2013 season?
    Jost Capito: “We are aware that we will be up against strong opposition with decades of World Rally Championship experience. The Polo R WRC, on the other hand, is making its debut this year and the team also has a new look to it. As such, we have to set realistic goals. We want to make it onto the podium under our own steam in the second half of the year.”
     
    In numbers The World Rally Championship debut of the Volkswagen Polo R WRC: Nine

    Monte Carlo/France, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Finland, Greece, France and Mexico: in preparation for its outings in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Volkswagen tested the Polo R WRC in nine different countries on gravel, asphalt, snow and ice. The works team from Wolfsburg spent more than 100 test days optimising the Polo R WRC in 2012.

    FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Monte Carlo – Schedule 

    Tuesday, 15 January 2013

    Shakedown P1 and P2 (Plateau de Lautagne), 120 min., 3.58 km, 08:00
    Shakedown P3 and Private (Plateau de Lautagne), 120 min., 3.58 km, 10:00
    Press conference (Parc des Expositions, Valence), 13:30
    Group photo with all WRC drivers (Parc des Expositions, Valence), 14:30

    Wednesday, 16 January 2013 

    (Connection, Special Stage, Connection)
    SS 01, Le Moulinon, 45.27 km, 37.10 km,09:03
    SS 02, Burzet, 30.15 km, 30.60 km, 92.10 km, 10:21
    Service A (Valence), 30 min., 12:46
    SS 03, Le Moulinon, 45.27 km, 37.10 km, 14:21
    SS 04, Burzet, 30.15 km, 30.60 km, 92.10 km, 15:39
    Flexi Service B (Valence), 45 min., 17:59
    Parc fermé (Valence), 21:30
    (334.78 km, 135.40 km, (Σ 471.18 km))

    Thursday, 17 January 2013

    (Connection, Special Stage, Connection)
    Service C (Valence), 15 min., 07:55
    SS 05, La Batie D’Andaure, 64.60 km, 19.08 km, 09:33
    SS 06, St Bonnet le Froid, 12.63 km, 25.45 km, 10:14
    SS 07, Lamastre, 42.80 km, 21.72 km, 33.71 km, 11:37
    Service D (Valence), 30 min., 12.57
    SS 08, La Batie D’Andaure, 64.60 km, 19.08 km, 14:50
    SS 09, St Bonnet le Froid, 12.63 km, 25.45 km, 15:31
    SS 10, Lamastre, 42.80 km, 21.72 km, 33.71 km, 16:54
    Flexi Service E (Valence), 45 min., 18:19
    Parc fermé (Valence), 22:00
    (308.42 km, 132.50 km, (Σ 440.92 km))

    Friday, 18 January 2013
    (Connection, Special Stage, Connection)
    Service F (Valence), 15 min., 07:50
    SS 11, St Jean en Royans, 46.29 km, 33.19 km, 65.59 km, 09:08
    Service G (Valance), 30 min., 11:23
    SS 12, St Nazaire le Desert, 74.90 km, 22.11 km, 13:31
    SS 13, Sisteron, 74.34 km, 36.70 km, 187.50 km, 15:29
    Parc fermé (Monaco), 19:32
    (449.24 km, 92.00 km, (Σ 541.24 km))

    Saturday, 19 January 2013
    (Connection, Special Stage, Connection)
    Service H (Monaco), 45+3 min., 13:15
    SS 14, Moulinet, 44.14 km, 23.54 km, 15:11
    SS 15, Lantosque, 6.72 km, 18.95 km, 15:54
    SS 16, Moulinet, 41.83 km, 23.54 km, 70.99 km, 17:12
    Service I (Monaco), 30+3 min., 19:17
    SS 17, Moulinet, 44.14 km, 23.54 km, 20:58
    SS 18, Lantosque, 6.72 km, 18.95 km, 21:41
    Service J (Monaco), 10+3 min., 22:56
    Parc fermé (Monaco), 23:09,
    (258.59 km, 108.52 km, (Σ 367.11 km))

    Sunday, 20 January 2013
    Presentation ceremony (Place du Palais Princier, Monaco), 11:00
    Press conference (Quai Antoine 1er, Monaco), 12:30

    FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Monte Carlo – TV times

    Thursday, 17 January 2013
    05:30 ARD WRC, Monte Carlo 2013, preview
    13:00 ARD WRC, Monte Carlo 2013, preview
    17:30 Sport1 WRC, Monte Carlo 2013, preview

    Friday, 18 January 2013
    17:30 Sport 1 WRC, Monte Carlo 2013, highlights

    Saturday, 19 January 2013
    16:15 Sport 1 WRC, Monte Carlo 2013, highlights

    Sunday, 20 January 2013
    19:30 n-tv WRC, Monte Carlo 2013, PS – Das Automagazin
    18:30 Sport 1 WRC, Monte Carlo 2013

    Thursday, 24 January 2013
    19:05 n-tv WRC, Monte Carlo 2013, PS – Das Automagazin (repeat Friday/Sunday)

    ends

    Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Monaco presentation. Photo Volkswagen Motorsports Communication

  • The California Superbike School returns to India

    Chennai, 9 January 2013: The most successful  motorcycle racing school in the world, the California Superbike School (CSS), is all set to return for its fourth successive year at the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) in Chennai come January 2013. Having produced World Champions such as Wayne Rainey, James Toseland, Thomas Luthi and Chris Vermuelen, the school founded by the legendary Keith Code returns to Chennai after three very successful stints since arriving on Indian soil for the first time in 2010, according to an

    Keith Code with TT Varadarajan. Photo by Adrenna

    Adrenna Communications release.

    The California Superbike School was founded in 1980 by Keith Code and has trained over 1,50,000 riders in 27 countries including riders in MotoGP, World Superbikes (WSBK) and various other road-racing series. An initiative that helps one evolve his or her riding skills into a safer yet faster rider, the school had all of its 126 slots for 2013 booked within a day of opening its registration to the public. The school offers comprehensive training for riders of GP and Sports bikes to full dresser Harleys and Cruisers. TVS Motors and BMW Motorrad are supporting CSS India with the former providing track ready Apache RTR 180 bikes for the students and the latter providing BMW S1000RR bikes for the coaches.

    The first year of CSS’s presence in India in 2010 marked the school’s very first foray into South East Asia and TT Varadarajan, the man spearheading the entire operation is proud of the growth it has achieved since its inception, “We brought the school to India to satisfy two main goals: One is to provide the right skill sets that are necessary to perform at the highest level of motorsport to talented youngsters who do not have access to world class training. The other is to improve the riding skills of every motorcycle rider to make him/her conscious of safe riding practices, which is the responsibility of any motorcycle rider on the road.

    “India being a country which has the highest number of road fatalities in the world, needs initiatives such as CSS to help educate riders on safe & skilled riding practices. The Indian motorcycle industry is evolving and with bigger displacement bikes on offer, attending CSS will help new riders cope with the increase in power of these larger and faster bikes. Over the past 3 years, I’m really pleased with the response we’ve had and we’re all really looking forward to taking it to a new level once again in 2013.” added Mr. Varadarajan.

    In 2012, out of the 10 qualified Seminarists worldwide, 5 were part of the Chennai School. In addition, all three of CSS’s chief riding coaches and their deputies were also present. As a result, the 2012 Chennai school had the largest gathering of qualified coaches in one location amongst the thousands of schools that have been delivered worldwide. Leon Camier, the 2009 British Superbike Champion who currently rides for Crescent Suzuki in WSBK, was a guest coach for the 2012 Chennai School. This year CSS India has attracted another phenomenal talent to help local riders at the school, with Joe Roberts on board as Guest Coach for 2013. Joe is a 15 year old racing prodigy personally coached by Keith Code since 2008. Joe started competing at the age of 7 and is now a front-runner in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, a series designed to discover future MotoGP racing talent that runs as a support series at Grand Prix events.

    The legendary Keith Code was thrilled to have CSS return for the 4th consecutive year and said, “The Chennai camp is one of the most sought after school weekends in our calendar and the coaches love coming back year after year. Unfortunately we have only a limited number of seats so we like to focus on the upcoming riders. Hopefully we’ll continue to produce some of the country’s best riding talents. Having Joe Roberts on board this year will give Indian riders some great new insights and definitely add a new dimension to their riding. He is an exceptional young talent and we’re glad to have him work with us in 2013”

    TT Siddharth, an avid motorsports fan and competitor himself, was excited at the prospect of CSS returning in 2013 and spoke of the bigger picture, “CSS has trained 250 students in its first 3 years in India and the camp has a larger objective of using revenues earned to support the discovery, mobilization and training of talented youngsters. Sarath Kumar, who trained at CSS Chennai, took part in the 2011 125cc class in Moto GP and became the first Indian to do so. Initiatives such as this are needed to ensure that, one day, India would have more of its very own riders competing in the International Motor Sport arena.”

    The school runs over 2 weekends and offers four different levels of training over 3 days on each weekend. Students receive the most effective progression of skill sets ever devised for learning the techniques of riding and cornering, to help ride safely and responsibly on the road as well as on the track. The 2013 CSS in Chennai kicks off with a 3 day course from January  18th – 20th followed by another 3 day camp from January 25th – 27th.

    Please visit www.superbikeschoolindia.com for more information regarding the school.

    ends

     

  • FMSCI announces ambitious 8-round INRC for 2013

    Chennai, 19 Dec 2012: After a challenging couple of seasons, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) seeks to re-invigorate the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) with the announcement of an exciting eight-round championship set to take off in March. In what has been a purple patch for Indian motorsport overall, the FMSCI looks set to create a bigger and better season of rallying in 2013. The announcement was made on 19th Dec 2012.

    The truncated 2012 INRC saw only two rounds and Amittrajit Ghosh of Kolkota managed to earn more points in the 2000N class after a penalty for delay in getting the car out of service cost young Karna Kadur his first National title. Though one is not sure if the two events would be considered for the National championship title, on record Amittrajit Ghosh and co-driver Ashwin Naik (in pic)

    Amittrajit Ghosh and co driver Ashwin Naik at the Coffee Day Rally in Chikmagalur. File photo by Anand Philar

    were the toppers after winning the Chikmagalur Coffee Day Rally.

    The new season will also see the re-introduction of Tarmac stages with two rallies, one in Nashik and also September’s Cochin Rally running on sealed surfaces. The INRC will comprise of two major classes: the Group N 1601-200cc cars and another class for cars upto 1600cc. The FMSCI homologation of new machinery this year will also mark the entry of Maruti SX4 and Volkswagen Polo to the national rallying arena for the first time.

    Vicky Chandhok, President of the FMSCI was looking forward to a positive year ahead and said, “There’s no hiding from the fact that 2012’s INRC didn’t go to plan but all the clubs involved are putting in a solid effort to ensure we come back strong with heightened preparation for 2013. It’s also good to see more manufacturer interest and we look forward to seeing some new cars on the dirt in 2013.”

    With an eye on identifying and further developing young rallying talent in the country, the Junior Indian National Rally Championship (JINRC) returns once again with drivers under 27 years of age eligible to contest for the Championship in Group N cars under 1600cc.

    The Indian Rally Championship (IRC) is also set to return and is open to foreign participation in homologated Group N4 cars. The series for 2013 has received plenty of interest from Asia Zone drivers and will see drivers from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka battle it out for the silverware.

    The INRC kicks off with the MMSC’s historic South India Rally in Chennai on the 22nd of March 2013.

                          IRC/INRC Calendar for 2013



     

    Round 1: 22-24 March: MMSC Chennai (Gravel)



    Round 2: 12-14 April: Northern Motorsports, Bhuj (Gravel)



    Round 3: 17-20 May: Kolkata , RRPM (Gravel)



    Round 4: 07-09 June: WISA, Nashik (Tarmac)

(TBC)

    Round 5: 19-21 July : CASC, Coimbatore (Gravel) 



    Round 6: 20-22 September: KASC , Cochin (Tarmac) (TBC)

    Round 7: 25-27 October:  K1000, KMSC Bangalore (Gravel) 



    Round 8: 29 Nov -01 Dec: MSCC, Chikmagalur (Gravel)  

    ends

  • Grosjean crowned 2012 Champion of Champions

    • France’s Romain Grosjean lifts the Race Of Champions trophy after a Grand Final victory over Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen
    • Grand prix veterans Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard make it as far as the semi-finals
    • 2012 F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel knocked out in the quarter-finals for the second year in a row

    Bangkok, 16 Dec 2012:French Formula 1 star Romain Grosjean put in a stunning performance to eclipse 15 fellow superstars of motorsport and win the Race Of Champions on an evening of thrills at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium. However, the Frenchman is yet to secure a seat for the Formula One drive in 2013.

    Romain Grosjean (France) wins Champion of Champions in the Race of Champions 2012 at Bangkok on 16 Dec. Photo RoC

    India’s Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok won the Asia crown on Friday but lost in the Nations Cup on Saturday to Germany’s Schumacher and Vettel.

    Following Team Germany’s victory over Team France in last night’s ROC Nations Cup, the Race Of Champions pitted many of the biggest names in motorsport against each other in head-to-head combat in a variety of different cars.

    In the end Grosjean overcame Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen in the best-of-three Grand Final to become Champion of Champions for the first time. Kristensen, who also reached the final last year, was chasing his own first individual Race Of Champions title at the 12th attempt. But he was thwarted by the young Frenchman, who won both heats to seal glory.

    Grosjean said: “That’s what I’d call a crazy day! It got a bit tough in the group stages but I managed to make it through. Then I had to face Sebastian Vettel in the quarter-final before Michael Schumacher in the semi-final – the two Germans who beat us in yesterday’s ROC Nations Cup final. Then I had the final with Tom. We’ve had a good history at this event and I’ve raced him before so it was good to face him in the final. I got a bit of extra luck to be in the right car at the right time but it felt good.

    “It’s been a tough end to the F1 season but I finally got back on the podium yesterday, and now this! It’s great to get this win before I head off for a holiday. Thanks to everyone in Thailand because the welcome has been fantastic.”

    Beaten finalist Kristensen has competed in 12 Race Of Champions events, more than anyone else in the field. The 45-year-old Dane nonetheless hopes to be back for more.

    “This was the 25th year of the race and Romain is a deserving winner,” said Kristensen. “He had a very good Sunday – and I’m getting closer every year! It was a small gap between us in each of the heats and I made small mistakes but that’s the challenge of the Race Of Champions: to jump into different cars. Earlier I had a pretty fun run in the Audi against Ogier. I believe that was the fastest lap of the weekend so that’s what I’ll take away. Even though I’m a bit more than 25 years old like Romain, it shows I’m still pretty fast if I’m in a good car. This has been the warmest Race Of Champions I have competed in – both literally and thanks to the people who welcomed us and enjoyed having us here. I’m still young so maybe one day I’ll get the chance to win it!”

    Michael Schumacher seemed to be continuing where he left off last night as he went undefeated until the semi-final stage. There he came up against an inspired Grosjean and his quest for the individual ROC title faltered again. Schumacher’s fellow F1 old-timer David Coulthard was beaten by Kristensen in the other semi-final.

    After sharing in Schumacher’s success last night, 2012 F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel was eliminated in the individual quarter-finals for the second year in a row, also by Grosjean. Facing a tight battle, Vettel made a mistake and hit the barrier hard.

    Another big scalp at the quarter-final stage was last year’s Champion of Champions Sébastien Ogier, beaten by Kristensen in a reverse of the result of last year’s Grand Final. Coulthard defeated China’s Ho-Pin Tung while Schumacher overcame 500cc MotoGP legend Mick Doohan in the other quarter-finals.

    To start the evening the drivers were split into four groups of four, battling for the right to line up in the knockout stages.

    Reigning champion Ogier began in dominant fashion, taking three wins out of three in Group A. Coulthard also progressed thanks to his two wins against V8 Supercar king Jamie Whincup and Production World Rally Champion Benito Guerra. Whincup beat Guerra but neither driver made it any further.

    Tung was the surprise package of Group B. After falling to an initial defeat against touring car great Andy Priaulx, the Chinese driver recovered to top the group, beating Kristensen and home favourite Nattavude Charoensukawattana. The Thai prompted one of the night’s biggest cheers when he defeated Priaulx, meaning the last quarter-final berth was decided by a shootout between Kristensen and Priaulx. That went to the Dane when a mechanical problem sent Priaulx into the barriers.

    Vettel made a predictably strong start, romping to three wins out of three including a victory over 2012 MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo. Group C also included another legend of two wheels in Doohan, who defeated Lorenzo in their heat. The Thai crowd went wild as Tin Sritrai beat Lorenzo and crossed the line ahead of Doohan, only to miss out on qualification due to a time penalty.

    Schumacher and Grosjean both progressed comfortably from Group D – but it was the German who came out on top this time to keep his undefeated record intact with three wins to Grosjean’s two. 2012 IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay took a single victory against Kazuya Ohshima, Japan’s qualifier from ROC Asia, but it wasn’t enough to keep the American in the competition.

    Grosjean’s triumph marks the end of the 2012 Race Of Champions. We hope you’ve enjoyed it and we look forward to seeing you next year for ROC 2013. Keep up with the news by signing up for all the latest updates at www.raceofchampions.com, @raceofchampions on Twitter or Race Of Champions on Facebook.

    ends

     

  • Team Germany win 6th RoC Nations Cup

    • Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel stormed to their sixth consecutive ROC Nations Cup title for Team Germany in Bangkok
    • The German duo defeated Team France’s Romain Grosjean and Sébastien Ogier by two heats to nil in the Grand Final
    • Team All Stars (Jorge Lorenzo and Tom Kristensen) and Team Australia (Jamie Whincup and Mick Doohan) reached the semi-finals

    Bangkok, 15 Dec 2012: Team Germany’s Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel added to their incredible run of success by winning their sixth consecutive ROC Nations Cup title in Bangkok.

    On another hot evening in the Thai capital, legends from many of the world’s biggest motor sport series teamed up in pairs to battle for national pride. They raced a mix of cars – including the Audi R8 LMS, VW Scirocco, Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo and the Toyota GT86 – on a purpose-built parallel track at the Rajamangala Stadium.

    Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher (2nd and 3rd from left) won the Nations Cup at the Race of Champions in Bangkok on Saturday 15 Dec 2012. Photo RoC

    To cap off a busy night of action, Schumacher and Vettel prevailed in the Grand Final against Team France’s Sébastien Ogier and Romain Grosjean. First Schumacher defeated Grosjean then Vettel beat rally ace Ogier in the ‘battle of the Sebs’.

    The result meant that the German duo took an incredible ten wins out of ten on the night, matching their combined total of F1 world championships. They have now extended their record of ROC Nations Cup titles to six in a row too.

    Schumacher said: “This is a historic day. It was already very special to win five times in a row but this new record just feels great. The Race Of Champions is a nice event with a nice set-up, there are great guys here and tough competition. We were pretty scared of the guys on Team France but in the end they lost time in the final heats so we were lucky to be consistent the whole way through.”

    Vettel added: “Even Michael hasn’t managed six titles in a row before so this is something special. Six years is a long time and now we can look back and know we’ve won for the last six years. We all love coming here as it’s a special event. It’s a privilege and an honour to race with these guys. There’s one thing that connects us all, which is racing. Now I can look forward to tomorrow and hopefully stay in the competition as long as possible. I’ve tried that for the last five years and haven’t succeeded yet so it would be nice to put my name on that trophy too.”

    Beaten finalists Team France also had a fine evening, topping their group before defeating Team All Stars (Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen and MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo) by two heats to nil in the semi-final.

    Grosjean admitted: “We knew going up against Team Germany was the toughest moment of the evening. But we fought as well as we could with what we had in our hands. Last year we reached the semi-final, this year the final. Now the next step is to be on the top of the podium. They want to go for seven next year but we want to go for our first one in the future. For now it’s great to have brought the blue, white and red flag to the final.”

    Reigning individual Champion of Champions Ogier said: “First I want to congratulate Team Germany because six victories in a row is a great result. We tried our best but they were very strong. We will try to do better next time. First I will do my best to retain the individual Race Of Champions title tomorrow but I know it will be tough.”

    In the semi-finals Team Germany beat Team Australia’s Jamie Whincup and Mick Doohan by two heats to nil. They had earlier sailed through their Group B with six wins out of six to kick off their perfect night. Team Australia joined them in the semi-finals with three victories: two for Whincup, one for Doohan.

    Following their triumph in yesterday’s ROC Asia, Team India’s Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok failed to make it beyond the group stages this time. They took a win apiece but it wasn’t enough against the might of Germany and Australia.

    Host nation Team Thailand (Nattavude Charoensukawattana and Tin Sritrai) fought hard but they were unable to progress beyond the group stages. Sritrai nonetheless gave the home fans something to cheer with victory over Doohan.

    Earlier in the evening, Team France (four wins) and Team All Stars (three wins) both progressed through the round-robin Group A to line up a best-of-three semi-final. Lorenzo memorably proved his two-wheeled skill extends to four wheels by defeating touring car great Andy Priaulx in one of the heats.

    Team Americas were unlucky to miss out on qualification on countback of fastest times as they also ended up with three wins courtesy of Benito Guerra (2) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (1). Team Great Britain (Priaulx and David Coulthard) missed a semi-final spot after both fell foul of penalties for touching the barriers – though they still took one win each.

    There is plenty more action to come in Bangkok on Sunday as the drivers will put their friendships aside and go it alone in the individual Race Of Champions.

    Coverage of tomorrow’s finale will be available on television all over the world. Stations showing ROC live include SAT1 in Germany, Motors TV around Europe, Al Jazeera in the Middle East, Fox in Latin America and Brazil, Speed TV in Australia, the Sony Entertainment Network in India, PPTV and Euro Soccer channel in China, Super Sport in Africa plus many more. Please check local listings for exact details of broadcast times.

    Tickets are still available for this weekend’s action. For a live results feed and access to high-resolution imagery please visit www.raceofchampions.com. Sign up for all the latest updates atwww.raceofchampions.com, @raceofchampions on Twitter or Race Of Champions on Facebook.

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  • Narain, Karun triumph in Race of Champions-Asia

    Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok took Team India to glory in the first ever ROC Asia competition in Bangkok tonight

    The Indian driver pairing defeated Toyota Team Gazoo Japan’s Kazuya Ohshima and Takuto Iguchi in the final

    Bangkok, 14 Dec 2012: Team India’s Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok are celebrating tonight after they took glory in the inaugural ROC Asia competition, the first night of action of the 2012 Race Of Champions weekend.

    On a hot evening at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium, Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok joined forces for Team India as both made their ROC debuts. The Indian duo topped the group stage with four wins out of six to go into the final as favourites.

    There they faced Toyota Team Gazoo Japan, who were represented by Kazuya Ohshima and Takuto Iguchi, who were both class winners in this year’s Nürburgring 24-Hour race. In the end the Indian duo prevailed, both winning their heats to take the title.

    Chandhok said: “That was a really good night and it was obviously very nice to end up on top. It wasn’t as straightforward as we would have hoped as we both had our favourite cars and we ended up driving the opposite ones to what we wanted. But it worked out well in the end. It was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed our first experience of competing here. In the end I think we beat everyone fair and square. That’s what the Race Of Champions all about – same cars, same track, same conditions. It’s a bit of history for Team India to win the first ROC Asia. That’s obviously very special. Now we start from scratch again tomorrow.”

    Karthikeyan added: “This is the first time at the Race Of Champions for both myself and Karun and I’ve really enjoyed this event so far. It’s a unique format and it’s pretty tight and narrow out there. So it was a challenge to put a precise lap together in any of the cars. But it’s just about getting the best out of each car. You need to adapt very quickly without any mistakes as you need a clean lap. We’re happy to come out on top, now we can look forward to the rest of the event. We’re up for the challenge and we’ll take on the world tomorrow!”

    The performance earns Team India a place in tomorrow’s ROC Nations Cup along with Team Thailand, who qualify as host nation. The home team were unlucky not to make it through to the final after they took three wins in the group stage, the same as finalists Toyota Team Gazoo Japan. 2010 Supercar Thailand Champ Nattavude Charoensukawattana and touring car ace Tin Sritrai both thrilled their home crowd with victories but they missed out on the countback of the fastest times.

    Team China paired F1 test driver Ho-Pin Tung with rally ace Han Han, better known as the world’s most widely-read blogger. The Chinese pair already had Race Of Champions experience as they competed in the 2009 event at Beijing’s ‘Bird’s Nest’ Olympic Stadium, getting as far as the semi-finals of the ROC Nations Cup. But there was no repeat this time as they were knocked out despite taking one win apiece.

    Friday’s action began with ROC Thailand, a four-way battle between drivers from the host country. The competition started with a group stage involving Charoensukawattana, Sritrai, Nattapon Horthongkum and drift guru Sak ‘Kiki’ Nana.

    Charoensukawattana and Sritrai progressed to the final, with 49-year-old Bangkok resident Charoensukawattana coming out on top. Those results earned both finalists the honour of representing Team Thailand in ROC Asia along with Saturday’s ROC Nations Cup and Sunday’s individual Race Of Champions.

    Charoensukawattana said: “It was a great race today and I would like to thank all my fans because their support was powerful. My experience helped but what was most important was that I didn’t make any mistakes. This is the first time we’ve had this event in Thailand and I hope it will come back next year too. If I have another opportunity next year I will definitely come here again.”

    ROC 2012 continues in Bangkok for the rest of the weekend with a dazzling line-up of motor sport stars including Formula 1 world champions Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel plus MotoGP world champions Mick Doohan and Jorge Lorenzo.

    Coverage of Saturday’s ROC Nations Cup and Sunday’s Race Of Champions will be available on television all over the world. Stations showing ROC live include SAT1 in Germany, Motors TV throughout Europe, Al Jazeera in the Middle East, Fox in Latin America and Brazil, Speed TV in Australia, the Sony Entertainment Network in India, PPTV and Euro Soccer channel in China, Super Sport in Africa plus many more. Please check local listings for exact details of broadcast times.

    Tickets are still available for this weekend’s action. For a live results feed and access to high-resolution imagery please visit www.raceofchampions.com. Sign up for all the latest updates atwww.raceofchampions.com, @raceofchampions on Twitter or Race Of Champions on Facebook.

    ends

    Karun Chandhok (lef) and Narain Karthikeyan after winning on Friday in the Race of Champions in Bangkok. Photo RoC

  • Narain, Karun ready for Race of Champions

    • Drivers from all over Asia have assembled in Bangkok ahead of Friday’s ROC Asia and ROC Thailand
    • The two most populous nations on Earth are represented by India’s Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok plus China’s Ho-Pin Tung and Han Han
    • The racing begins with a four-way shootout between the host nation’s finest drivers to decide who will represent Team Thailand
      Many of Asia’s finest drivers have gathered at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium for ROC Asia and ROC Thailand, the opening events of this weekend’s ROC 2012 on Friday December 14.The Race Of Champions, which is being staged for the 25th consecutive year in 2012, brings together the world’s greatest drivers from motor sport’s main disciplines – including Formula 1, world rally, touring cars, Le Mans, MotoGP, IndyCar and the X-Games – and sets them free to battle head-to-head in identical machinery.

      A dazzling line-up of international superstars including multiple F1 world champions Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel plus multiple MotoGP world champions Mick Doohan and Jorge Lorenzo will compete in Saturday’s ROC Nations Cup and Sunday’s individual Race Of Champions. The on-track action begins on Friday with ROC Thailand and ROC Asia.

      The two most populous nations on Earth will be in the hunt for glory as Team India and Team China join Toyota Team Gazoo Japan and hosts Team Thailand in the line-up for ROC Asia. The four-way competition will seek to find Asia’s fastest nation, with the winners going on to race against the best drivers in the world in the ROC Nations Cup on Saturday.

      Formula 1’s Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok will join forces for Team India as they make their ROC debuts. Team China will partner F1 test driver Ho-Pin Tung with rally ace Han Han, better known as the world’s most widely-read blogger. The Chinese pair already have Race Of Champions experience as they both competed in the 2009 event at Beijing’s ‘Bird’s Nest’ Olympic Stadium, getting as far as the semi-finals of the ROC Nations Cup. Toyota Team Gazoo Japan will be represented by Kazuya Ohshima and Takuto Iguchi, rising stars from the Land of the Rising Sun.

      ROC Asia will be preceded on Friday by a four-way battle between drivers from the host country for the ROC Thailand crown. Sak ‘Kiki’ Nana, Tin Sritrai, Nattavude Charoensukawattana and Nattapon Horthongkum will compete in a round-robin group stage, with the two most successful drivers going on to face each other in the final. The two finalists will have the honour of representing Team Thailand in ROC Asia and Saturday’s ROC Nations Cup.

      Ahead of Friday’s events the drivers faced the media at the Rajamangala Stadium. Here is a selection of their quotes:

      Karun Chandhok (Team India) 

      “It’s amazing to have this much excitement about a motor sport event so close to home. So I’m very happy to be here and thank you to Fredrik Johnsson and his team for the invitation. It’s going to be a fun weekend and it’s nice to catch up with some familiar faces from the past. Narain and I just had a look at the stadium and the first thing that strikes us is how small it is. It’s quite different from driving at a grand prix circuit. It’s fantastic that motor sport is moving towards Asia and being here this weekend is another illustration of that. Motor sport has grown very quickly in India in the last few years too and hopefully one day we can have the Race Of Champions in India as well.”

      Narain Karthikeyan (Team India) 

      “It’s really nice to be in Thailand for the Race Of Champions. This is the first time that Karun and I have competed at a ROC event and it looks very interesting. To represent your country is always very good and Thailand is not too far away for us. I’m glad we got the invitation and we’ll try to do the best we can. Seeing the videos, it’s going to be the people who make the least mistakes who succeed, so you have to drive very precisely. There’s no margin for error.”

      Ho-Pin Tung (Team China) 

      “I’m very excited to be back at the Race Of Champions. People in China still ask us about our experiences at ROC 2009 in Beijing and I’ve heard there are Chinese fans travelling across to Thailand. So I’m very proud and I hope to give them a good show. I have a great team-mate in Han Han who is not only a great racing driver but a big celebrity in China. So it will put extra pressure on me to raise my game. Of course we’re all racing drivers and we all want to win. So even if we’re going to race against the greatest names in motor sport we’ll try hard to beat all of them…

      Kazuya Ohshima (Toyota Team Gazoo Japan) 

      “This is the first time that Japan has had a team at the Race Of Champions and we’re very happy to be here. There are a lot of very nice cars and I’m really looking forward to driving them. Team China, Team India and Team Thailand all look very strong, but we will try our hardest and we are confident we can do well. Japan has a lot of good racing drivers so I will try to make no mistakes otherwise I cannot go back to Japan!”

      Sak ‘Kiki’ Nana (ROC Thailand)

      “I’m really proud to have the Race Of Champions in Thailand and all four of us in ROC Thailand are very proud to be representing our country. We don’t have much experience in the Race Of Champions way of driving, especially with all the different cars. So that will be brand new for us and I don’t want to say too much yet as I’m still a bit nervous. But we’ll push hard, do our best and see what happens.”

      Tickets are still available for this weekend’s action. For a live results feed and access to high-resolution imagery please visit www.raceofchampions.com. Sign up for all the latest updates at www.raceofchampions.com, @raceofchampions on Twitter or Race Of Champions on Facebook.

    Courtesy www.racer.com

    Some of the champions for the 25th annual Race Of Champions:

    • Michael Schumacher, seven-time Formula 1 World Champion
    • Sebastian Vettel, three-time Formula 1 World Champion
    • Jorge Lorenzo, two-time MotoGP World Champion
    • Mick Doohan, five-time 500cc MotoGP World Champion
    • Jamie Whincup, four-time V8 Supercar Champion
    • David Coulthard, 13-time Formula 1 grand prix winner
    • Tom Kristensen, eight-time Le Mans 24-Hour race winner
    • Andy Priaulx, three-time World Touring Car Champion
    • Benito Guerra Jr., FIA’s Production World Rally Champion
    • Romain Grosjean, GP2 Series champion
    • Sebastien Ogier, World Rally Championship driver and 2011 ROC “Champion of Champions”
    ends

    Indian Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan (left) and Karun Chandhok hold the Indian Tricolour as they team up as Team India for the Race of Champiions in Bangkok on Thursday. Photo RoC.

  • Ghorpade crowned Formula Pilota Asian champion

    Sepang (Malaysia), 8 Dec 2012: Young Indian racer Parth Ghorpade has became the first Indian to win the Formula Pilota Asian Championship when he won Race 2 at Round 6 of the 2012 Formula Pilota Championship in Sepang, Malaysia. With this win he finished 1st in the Asian Category and 3rd overall in the Championship behind Antonio Giovinazzi and Dan Wells. Parth had earlier finished 5th in Race 1 and had to retire in Race 3.

    Both the overall Champion and Asian Champion will get the opportunity to join a 4 day evaluation at the Ferrari Driver Academy, which will include a F3 test, and a program of physical and psychological tests, along with a day of testing in the simulator. The Ferrari Driver Academy is aimed at evaluating young upcoming talents at both national and international levels and Parth will have the distinction of becoming the first Indian to be a part of it.

    Qualifying had been a disaster for his entire Eurasia team as they took the wrong direction on the set up for the wet session. As a result, the 4 Eurasia cars, despite taking the top 4 positions in the official practice session, were at the back in qualifying. The best Parth could manage was a P9 for Race 1 and P7 for Race 3. In Race 1, Parth finished in 5th place after starting P9 and also set 2nd fastest time which got him a P2 grid position for Race 2.

    In Race 2, Parth managed to overtake pole-sitter Giovinazzi into the first corner and started to pull away. On lap 3 it started to rain with all the cars on slick tyres and the track very slippery. On the  last lap as the conditions worsened, 7 cars went off the track with only 2 managing to rejoin. Parth managed to hold his nerve and pull off one of his best wins of the season, setting fastest lap of the race enroute. With this win Parth managed to seal the Asian title with one race to go. Parth was forced to retire from Race 3 with damage to his car.

    Parth, who is only in his 2nd year of single seater racing was delighted with his season. He commented, “I am thrilled to be the first ever Indian to win the Formula Pilota Asian Championship. The Eurasia Team have given me a great car all year to finish 3rd overall so a big thank you to all the hard work put in by everyone this year. After our worst qualifying of the year  we knew we had to take some risks to move up the grid. 5th in the first race was the best I could do. In the second race I got a great start and went into the lead with Antonio behind me. I managed to pull away but then it started raining and the track became very slippery with slick tyres. On the last lap it was really hard to keep the car on track but was determined to win this one. ”

    Parth has been doubling up on his racing as he has been taking part in the MRF Challenge 2012 as well. After a tough Round 1 he bounced back at Round 2 with 2 top 10 finishes. While Parth will turn his attention to the remaining rounds of MRF Challenge 2012, he is keenly looking forward to the Ferrari Driver Academy evaluation which will take place early next year.

    He continued, “The Ferrari Driver Academy evaluation program will be one of the coolest things I have ever been a part of. I am really looking forward to it and understanding the way they work. This will definitely be a unique opportunity so will savour it. Now I have a good break coming up before I return to the MRF Challenge 2012. A big thank you to all my sponsors and supporters, Karvy Group and Flameback Lodges, and most importantly my family for all their support.”

    19 year old Ghorpade is a five-time National Karting Champion, runner-up in the inaugural 2010 Volkswagen Polo Cup India, and recently competed in the Renault F4 series in 2011, finishing in the top five multiple times. Parth was also one of 30 young drivers from 26 countries and the only Indian to be shortlisted for the prestigious FIA Institute Young Driver Academy last year.

    About Formula Pilota Championship

    Following the extremely successful Formula Abarth in Europe, a new series – Formula Pilota Championship was established in Asia in 2011. Also known as Formula Pilota China, the series managed to keep the Asian entry level formula up-to date with Europe and provided the exact same platform & race cars at a more affordable price.

    The 2011 season held 12 rounds (6 events) plus 1 FPC Final Master Race. The series gathered 8 teams & 26 drivers from 20 difference countries and regions. Having a strong connection with European motorsport has qualified FPC one of the best stepping stones for the young drivers to either move forward to the next level, or have a taste of single-seater right after graduation from Karting. The series has a great mix of young Asian, European and South American drivers and in 2011, FPC sent 2 young drivers (Champion & best Asian) to the Ferrari Drivers Academy (FDA) test.  In 2012 season, FPC will have 6 triple-rounds events and 1 invitational race, which will sure to bring more excitement to the competition. The series will travel to Shanghai, Zhuhai, Taiwan and Sepang.

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    Parth Ghorpade becomes Formula Pilota Asia Champion at Sepang on 8 Dec 2012. Photo Adrenna

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  • Vettel, youngest triple champ; Alonso shattered

    Sao Paulo, 25 Nov 2012: Jenson Button stood between Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and the World Championship as Alonso lost the battle finishing second to watch Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull become the youngest triple world champions as he finished sixth at the Interlagos circuit here. Jenson Button emerged from the gloom to take a shining victory at Interlagos while behind him raged a battle royal for the F1 Drivers’ World Championship.

    In a dramatic race, the Red Bull driver went back of the grid and appeared to have lost the battle but he  emerged from calamity to win his third consecutive Formula One Drivers’ World Championship.

    In a dramatic, rain-affected Brazilian Grand Prix, Button took the lead from McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton on lap six after both made a clean start – but Button’s route to victory was far from straightforward, though the trial-by-water of the leaders was not the main attraction.

    Vettel finished sixth, more than sufficient to maintain his lead over Fernando Alonso in the title race. Alonso didn’t give up but in the end could only finish second to Button – with a little help from Felipe Massa, who took third in the other Ferrari. If he had managed to win the race here, he would have won the World championship provided Vettel is not in the first four.

    Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull (centre) with Adrain Newey (left) and Christian Horner after winning the third World Championship in Sao Paulo on Sunday 25 Nov 2012. A Red Bull Content pool photo.

    Going into the race, Vettel’s numerical advantage was 13 points. He also had a positional advantage, starting from fourth alongside team-mate Mark Webber, behind the front-row McLaren pair. Alonso, by contrast was starting from seventh. Those positions did not last as far as the first corner.

    The start took place in light drizzle: not enough to call for intermediate tyres but sufficient to make Interlagos incredibly difficult. It didn’t seem to hamper Alonso who surged forward at the start to challenge the McLarens. Vettel lost out initially and by Turn Four was back in the pack, where he was hit hard by Bruno Senna’s Williams. Vettel was pitched into a spin and ended up facing the wrong way as the field went around him. He spun back and resumed his race dead last and with heavy damage to his left-hand sidepod. The slippery conditions worked in his favour, however. With cars lapping around seven seconds slower than would be expected on a fully dry long stint, the championship leader cut through the field and was up to sixth by lap eight, back in touch with Alonso who was running fourth.

    To have any chance to taking his third title the Spaniard needed to finish on the podium. Having taken third at the start he was muscled out by Force India’s Nico Hülkenberg, who seemed to have the car and the talent for the tricky conditions. As the weather worsened and everyone else dived for the pits and intermediates, he and Button elected to press on with the dry tyres. As a dry line began to appear their advantage stretched to over 40 seconds as they had their own private race at the front. On lap 18 Hülkenberg pounced, taking the lead.

    Their advantage was to be cut dramatically, however. An accumulation of shattered carbon-fibre on the circuit saw the safety car deployed, though not before Nico Rosberg had picked up a puncture. The leaders took the opportunity to pit for fresh tyres but their advantage was gone. Once racing resumed on lap 30 the order was Hülkenberg, Button, Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel, Kobayashi, Vettel.

    Button lost second place to Hamilton, and Vettel was passed by Kobayashi for sixth. Hülkenberg was able to pull out a small gap but was then remorselessly hunted down by Hamilton. The departing McLaren driver took the lead on lap 48 when Hülkenberg slid wide in conditions that were becoming slippery again as more rain fell.

    The German did not lose touch and stayed on Hamilton’s tail. He attempted to take the position back at the start of lap 55, but in between backmarkers he ran out of space, braked too late and slammed into the side of Hamilton. The 2008 Champion’s final race for McLaren would end there. Hülkenberg was passed by Button but continued. He would, however, receive a drive-through penalty for causing the accident and emerged in fifth where he stayed until the end.

    The crash was concurrent with a slew of pitstops, with the field going back onto Inters for the final stint as the rain became heavier. Once the stops shook out, the impact of Hamilton’s exit and Hülkenberg’s demotion changed the complexion of both the title fight and the Brazilian Grand Prix.

    Button led but was now trailed by an early-stopping Felipe Massa. Alonso was third, followed by Webber, Hülkenberg, Michael Schumacher and Vettel. When Alonso was promoted to second through the acquiescence of Massa, Vettel’s position was precarious: on the road he was now leading the championship by a single point.

    That wasn’t enough of a cushion for the Red Bull driver and he pushed on to pass Schumacher and take a more comfortable margin. As the rain increased the positions were static but the tension was palpable. It was the unlikely figure of Paul di Resta who broke it. Running ninth with two laps remaining, the Scot slid wide while climbing the hill and came to rest on the track at Arquibancadas. The race finished under the safety car.

    Button was victorious with Alonso second and Massa third. Webber finished an eventful race in fourth, Hülkenberg was a disconsolate fifth, Vettel ecstatic in sixth. Schumacher finished his career with seventh, ahead of Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne and Kobayashi. Kimi Räikkönen took the final point of 2012 – he is the only driver to finish every race this year, and finishes third in the Drivers’ Championship courtesy of scoring in every race but one.

    “It’s difficult to imagine what goes through my head now, I am so full of adrenalin,” said a drained Vettel, now a three times World Champion. “I was crying in the car but my radio wasn’t working, so I’m maybe happy for that! Tomorrow I can probably say more, but now I just don’t have the right words.”

    A philosophical Alonso meanwhile admitted his hunt for a third title had not been lost on a wet Interlagos afternoon but in other incidents. “I feel very proud of my team, very proud of the season we did,” he said on the podium. “Obviously we lost the championship now, but I don’t think that we lost here in Brazil: we lost in some races where we were a little bit unlucky. But this is a sport, but when you do something with your heart, when you do something with 100 per cent, you have to be proud of your team, happy for them, and we will try next year.”

    Button was fulsome in his praise to the title challengers and his team, both on the podium and in the subsequent press conference – but he’d said the most pertinent thing over the radio on his victory lap. ““It was a great way to finish the year.” He was speaking to his pitwall, but the sentiment was shared by most here at Interlagos.

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  • To end on a high is fantastic, thanks to the team: Button

    DRIVERS

    1 – Jenson BUTTON (McLaren)

    2 – Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari)

    3 – Felipe MASSA (Ferrari)

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by Nelson Piquet)

    First of all, a question for the winner. For sure, you’ve done a fantastic job all year round? But the best race was the most exciting race I ever saw in Formula One. The question for you is, I’m sure you’re very happy in this race, but are you happy also that you get Hamilton out of the way?

    Jenson BUTTON: First of all, I want to congratulate the whole team. This is the perfect way for us to end the season. We started on a high and we’ve had ups and downs, and to end on a high is fantastic. It bodes very well for 2013. Congratulations guys. We fought for second in the Constructors’ today but these boys were a little bit too strong. Thank you very much.

    Alonso, I’m sorry. You did a fantastic job all year round. Massa can say, you have some accidents that were not your fault. I’m sorry about you because I have also… I lost two championships at the last race, I know how it feels. Actually, I’m asking about your feelings now.

    Fernando ALONSO: Well, first of all I feel very proud of my team, very proud of the season we did. Obviously we lost the championship now, but I don’t think, as you said, that we lost here in Brazil, we lost in some races where we were a little bit unlucky. But this is a sport, but when you do something with your heart, when you do something with 100 per cent, you have to be proud of your team, happy for them, and we will try next year.

    And my friend Massa: you started the year not very good but you have been improving all the time. What about next year? Are you going to start in the right way?

    Felipe MASSA: Yeah, for sure. I think the second part of the year was the preparation for next year. It’s such an emotion to race here. I think the race was really fantastic. For sure, it could have been a better position than what I finished but anyway I didn’t know what to say. Just crying and I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to feel, it was so amazing.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Jenson, congratulations, what an amazing race for you. First of all, that tyre strategy, staying out, it really worked well for you.

    JB: Yeah it did. It was one of the toughest races I’ve had. It was very tricky. It was on that point many times when you think Inters is the right tyre. I kept asking the team “what’s going to happen with the weather: it’s supposed to be light showers?” Well OK, we’ll see how we go but it was so, so difficult. You’re locking up tyres here and there but you’ve just got to push to the limit. You have to wait for the team to give you the information about all the other people on Inters so it’s not just about driving the car at that point. Y’know, you need every single piece of information that’s out there to know that you’re doing the right thing. But it was a really good race. Obviously things were made more difficult with the first safety car. Lost 40 seconds, the race was between me and Nico then. It was made a lot more difficult. And then when the safety car came in I grained the front-right tyre. I really struggled but when that went away it was good. The two guys in front obviously had a coming together, which helped things but in that sort of race you never really know what the outcome is going to be. We still had a lot more rain coming. We still had to make the right call on the pitstop again, which I think we did, and then we just tried to hold the gap really to the Ferraris, which was about 20 seconds, which was difficult in itself, because there was so much water out there for Inters. But really happy with the end result. We started the year so strong and we’ve ended it so strong. Just a few areas that we need to improve in the middle of the season. It’s sad that Lewis isn’t here to enjoy his last race with the team but it’s racing and these things happen. I’d like to bid him farewell. We’ve had a good time together over the last three years and I think we’ve proved that on the first ten laps of the race with how close our fighting was. I hope he has a good career in his next team. Lastly, I’d like to congratulation Sebastian on his third title in a row. He’s very, very impressive so congratulations to him and also Red Bull for clinching the Constructors’ at the previous race.

    Fernando, you wanted unusual circumstances but it seems they weren’t either the right ones or not enough. But it was just an incredible race for all of you.

    FA: Yes, it was good I think. It was more or less what we wanted. Mixed conditions and very, very difficult race. It was one of the most difficult races we ever drove, I think with the conditions out there and you feel that you are with the wrong tyre every lap but you ask the team and everyone is in the same position so you need to keep fighting. There was a lot of risk every lap to crash and have an accident and finish the race there.  So we could not afford this for sure because we needed a podium finish to have any chance, so it was a very delicate situation but we managed very well and again we starting in eighth or seven or something like that and we finished in the podium one more time. As usual in the last couple of races. So this can only be achieved with perfection from the team, with good strategies, with good start, with good pace in the car. And today we mixed all again and it was very fine. Obviously you are not in control of what your rivals do. And I think we need a second place and Sebastian eighth or something like that, which we know that is a very strange combination of results because to be out of the first eight positions for Red Bull in this race is not so easy, so we were hoping a little miracle, as we were hoping for all through the year, I think from the start to the end it was a dream and we had this little present to fight for the championship until the last race. So we enjoyed the race, we did our job and the dream continued until today. And this was… thank you for the team to have a perfect season.

    Felipe, on the podium at home, you were also the perfect team-mate, and also an emotional podium for you.

    FM: Yeah, I think it was so emotional. Not just the podium, I mean what’s happened all through the year, y’know? I think everything came together in the same moment. And I didn’t know what to say, didn’t know what to think, I mean I just couldn’t even breathe. It was very emotional. The race was good, we made some mistakes on the strategy but you never know. It was raining, stopping, raining, stopping and you never know what to expect. And I choose also together, to try that strategy but then after we saw, I saw myself again in 11th and just was quite aggressive overtaking cars and I think from there on the race was incredible. It was very good. And for sure with… together with this problem on the strategy, I mean the race I suppose should be different. Suppose even to fight for the victory maybe, y’know? Under normal circumstance. I think all together the first part of the season, which was a disaster and then after that was completely different; doing what I like, doing what I know, the performance I know and I think when we put everything together it just collapsed.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    (Adam Hay-Nicholls – Metro) Fernando, when Seb had his first lap spin, did the team get on the radio and tell you what had happened, or did they just let you get on with it?

    FA: Yes, yes, they told me that they had a spin and he was last. But nothing because the conditions were so difficult that being last, 11th or 12th was not a big drama at that time but obviously it was one more time to be cool and to calm down. The race was on and it was very strange situations and very strange conditions on the track and obviously when Sebastian was quite far down after the spin it was obviously a message to calm down and stay cool because we need to keep it in the track. That was sometimes the most difficult thing. It was not about lap time, it was not about one-tenth it was just to survive every lap. So it was the most difficult thing in the race.

    (Anne Giuntini – L’Equipe) Question for Fernando, where and when do you think you lost this championship?

    FA: Many, many places. Obviously I have two retirements in the year, over 20 races and the two retirements was not engine problem, not gear problem, not driver error. It was nothing. It was one car puncturing your rear tyre and one car passing over you. Nothing really you could do in these two starts. So for sure there you lose a couple of points. There were also some races that we have some strange decisions let’s say, and some penalties, so maybe we lost also there.

    (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Fernando, before you did your last pitstop, Sebastian went in for another set of dry tyres and then took Inters. You stayed out, how difficult was it for you to find the balance? I mean you stayed out on probably very used old tyres. And who did the decision to stay out?

    FA: It was a shared decision, obviously. It was getting quite wet and the pace was starting to be six seconds slower, then eight, and then the last two laps were 14 seconds slower than the normal dry pace. They call me to put the new tyres, dry tyres, two laps before and I said “guys, it’s raining quite a lot, so let’s wait one more lap. Give me one more lap because I don’t think it is ready for new dry tyres or for intermediate.” And then we wait one more lap and it was very clear that it was intermediate conditions, so we were lucky in that lap.

    (Leonid Novozhilov – F1Life) Question to all drivers: this season was usual or unusual for you – and why?

    JB: I think it’s pretty obvious it was quite an unusual season, especially at the start of the year, having seven different winners from so many different teams. We don’t see that in Formula One so often. Well, ever. I think a lot of it was down to the way we were getting the tyres working or not getting the tyres working. But also I think a lot of the teams, the teams that aren’t normally at the front, I think they’ve done a very good job over the winter. But through the year when the bigger teams work out how to use the tyres and also, you know, the development race, suddenly you see a difference towards the end of the season. Not as big as some might have thought. I don’t think we would have expected a Force India to be leading the race today. So, I think it shows Formula One is a lot closer than it used to be; in terms of regulations it’s a lot tighter and also with not many regulation changes, it brings the field very close – and I think we’ll see that also next year.

    FM: I think he said everything.

    (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Fernando, did the team inform you every single lap what was going on, behind and in front of you, considering the championship fight? And if you can make some comments about Felipe because he has been helping you a lot in the last few races.

    FA: Of course, I was constantly updated with the positions of our rivals. At the beginning of the race for the Constructors’ Championship and also for the Drivers’ Championship. After Hamilton retired the Constructors’ Championship was a little easier for us so we were concentrating the Drivers’ Championship. Nothing really to say, it’s good to have some information because sometimes you don’t know if you’re fast enough or you are too slow and when you see that the pace is OK and your rivals are fighting at the back, there is some extra motivation. And about Felipe for sure it was a very, very good second part of the year with some podiums and some very good performance. If I found myself fighting for the World Championship at the last race it’s also thanks to the teamwork, and when we say teamwork it’s engineers, we say people in Maranello, we say sponsors and we say the drivers. There are a lot of tests that have been done in the simulator with our test drivers. There is a lot of test that Felipe was doing in the simulator also in the summer and there is the Friday practice that without a team-mate… you can share the programme and you can trust the results… it’s impossible sometimes to work. Maximum trust, maximum confidence in Felipe’s work every time in the races, in the practice, in the simulator, we are a team. We are united. And in the last two races, three races, there was also some help in the race itself in terms of positions gained etcetera. So this is also due to the position in the championship that Felipe had no more options and the team decide this. As I said, fantastic team and thanks to everybody, we were in this situation.

    (Carlos Miguel – La Gaceta) Fernando, two questions, do you know something about Vettel overtaking Kobayashi with yellow flag and the second question is about the future: in what aspects must improve Ferrari to win the championship.

    FA: The yellow flag, not any news, only Jenson was in front of me when we arrive in the podium. There was some kind of hope when he told me there is some yellow flag problem but then I think it was not true. I don’t know, I came from the podium here, so maybe you have more information. For future, I think we need to improve the car. I think we have the best team in terms of approaching the races, preparing the races. Zero mechanical problems, zero problems for the year. Good pitstops, good starts, good strategy. But we were too slow. We were behind the Red Bulls, behind the McLarens, and now in the last couple of grands prix, behind Williams, Force India. We were clearly slower than them in pace. So this is something we must improve next year because we cannot fight for a World Championship if we are too slow. We can be a little bit slower but not that much. And this year it was something strange, combinations that allowed us to fight until the end but I’m not sure we’ll be this lucky in the future.

    (Claudio Nogueira – O Globo) Alonso, please, do you feel more frustrated for not being champion or satisfied having been to the end of the championship?

    FA: I’m very satisfied. I think it’s very good feeling what I have now. It was very frustrating maybe in Abu Dhabi, feeling, two years ago because we have in our hands and we lost it. It was some kind of frustration there. Here is completely the opposite. I’m so proud and I’m so happy to fight until the last lap with the package we have in hands. That is the best thing for me, to feel proud of myself, it was by far the best season of my career and I will remember this 2012 like some dream season. Obviously we didn’t achieve the points to win the title but I won so many things this year: so much respect from everybody.

    (Alberto Antonini – Autosprint) Fernando, last year in Brazil you called 2012 as your best season ever. Do you think this one was even better?

    FA: Yes, yes definitely. I think last year was very good, I was very proud of the season, how we approach races, how we improve mistakes we done in 2010 and this 2012, as I said, apart from the competitiveness of the car, if I repeat the 20 races, it would be difficult to do anything different of what we did because everything was so good for me.

    (Rodrigo Gini – O Estado de Minas) Question for Felipe. The last time you entered through that door four years ago was maybe the most bitter moment on your career. You did whatever you could to try to fight to the championship and lost it to Lewis. Four years later you come through the same door and it’s even emotional, can you tell us what changed and what happened through that time and how to you feel about returning to the podium in Brazil?

    FM: Well, I think it happen so many things in this time, from the last time I came from that door after the race and now. It was actually not a great timing on my career, and before was just great times. I had a difficult time but I think I learnt a lot. It was a life experience, y’know? Which is always important for you to learn, to understand so many things. I think the most important thing is to understand, and to turn around and go back to the good direction. To do all you know. Which I always believe I am able to do – and I think I’m showing now. So, coming back through that door is always a great feeling. And not just through that door, but in this place and being competitive. I think I was competitive the whole weekend. Even in the race, with the problems I had in the race but anyway I was always competitive. And I think that’s really what makes me proud. To be here, to enjoy, to do the best you can and to do all you know, without any bullshit. Just to know and enjoy.

    Ends