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Tag: Formula One
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Vettel storms to record 9th straight win; equals Schumy’s 13 in a year
Sao Paulo, 24 Nov 2013: This year’s world champion, Sebastian Vettel, has taken his 13th win of the season to equal Michael Schumacher’s 2004 record and also achieved the record for his ninth win in a row – at the Brazilian Grand Prix, the 19th and final round of the FIA F1 World Championship at the Interlagos circuit here on Sunday night. His Red Bull teammate Mark Webber finished second in his last F1
Now familiar Vettel’s donuts to end the season at Brazil. A Pirelli photo race.
The German started from pole but was beaten by Nico Rosberg. But he took the lead back on lap two and used a two-stop strategy to win: Notwithstanding the fiasco at the pits where he made a pit stop when the team is waiting for Mark Webber. The Australian ended his career with a brilliant podium taking second ahead of Fernando Alonso of Ferrari. Webber, who began in 2002, had nine career victories from his 215 race starts. Webber is moving to endurance racing next year.
The only other driver to have won nine races in a row before was Alberto Ascari in the 1950s – but this was across two seasons, also using Pirelli tyres.
The biggest challenge all the teams and drivers faced was having no dry running on the hard and medium tyres prior to the start of the Brazilian Grand Prix, due to consistent rain on Friday and Saturday. The race started in dry conditions with ambient temperatures of 20 degrees and track temperatures of 26 degrees, with a 50 per cent chance of rain.
All the drivers got underway on the medium compound tyre apart from McLaren’s Jenson Button, who started 14th on the grid, and Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez, who started from 17th. The first driver to switch from the medium to the hard compound was Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne, who came in on lap 10. Button took his first set of mediums on lap 20, the first of the hard tyre starters to stop – and was then back on the medium on lap 43. The strategy helped him to a fourth place finish by the end: his best of the year.
Vettel pitted from the lead on lap 24 for more mediums and re-emerged in front, stopping again for the hard tyre on lap 47: the same lap as his team mate, as Red Bull feared a safety car. Although there was no heavy rain, some drops then started to fall – adding an extra element of uncertainty. The rain became slightly heavier in the closing laps, but not enough for any of the competitors to use the Cinturato Green intermediates.
The tyres performed perfectly in line with expectations despite the varying conditions. There were punctures seen on the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and the Williams of Valtteri Bottas, but this was as the result of contact between the two.
The final record of this season – the last of the V8 engine era – was set by Marussia’s Max Chilton, who became the first rookie to finish every race of his debut year.
Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said: “The fact that there was no dry running prior to the start of the grand prix meant that formulating the right tyre strategy was a matter of educated guesswork for all the teams. And with no rubber having been laid down on the track previously, it was extremely hard to calculate the wear and degradation levels. The weather forecast remained uncertain throughout the race to complicate matters even further, with different teams interpreting the information in various ways. However, they had to bear in mind their obligation to run both compounds if conditions stayed dry – which turned out to be the case. This race has marked the end of an era and now the cars, along with the tyres, change completely for next year. Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull for a record-breaking season, and best of luck for the future to Mark Webber, who ends his distinguished Formula One career here in Brazil.”
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Vettel takes 9th pole of the season in wet qualifying
Sao Paulo, 23 Nov 2013: Sebastian Vettel once again demonstrated his current dominance of Formula One with a superb final qualifying lap that put him on pole more than six tenths of a second ahead of Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg in the 19th and last round of the FIA F1 World Championship at rain-hit Interlagos here on Saturday.
According to an FIA release, t
Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) in parc fermé after having set pole position
for Brazilian Grand Prix on Saturday at Interlagos circuit. A Pirelli photohe final Q3 segment of qualifying at the Sao Paulo circuit was delayed for 40 minutes due to the amount of standing water on the track after a heavy rainfall at the end of Q2 but when the final ten-minute shootout eventually began Vettel was quick to lay claim to provisional pole.
Team-Mate Mark Webber, on full wet tyres, was the first to cross the line with a lap of 1:29.215. That time was immediately beaten by Vettel who logged a lap of 1:28.830 on the same tyre type.
Behind them Lotus’ Romain Grosjean was abandoning his run and heading for pit lane to shed his wet tyres for intermediate rubber. Others were of the same mind and the field soon made the switch too.
Grosjean was quickly up to P1, eclipsing Vettel by more than a second. Vettel though was having none of it and within moments the Red Bull Racing driver was across the line in 1:26.479, a stunning lap that put him more than a 1.2 seconds clear of the Lotus driver.
In the end, Rosberg got closest to Vettel’s time, taking P2 with a lap of 1:27.102. Fernando Alonso was third for Ferrari just over four tenths adrift of the Mercedes driver.
Afterwards, Vettel admitted he was surprised by the gap to Rosberg.
“A big surprise,” he said. “I was so happy after the quali, especially Q3, when it took a long time for us to get out. There was a lot of rain after Q2, so it took a long time. I was surprised by how much of the water had gone. I went on intermediates and was able to get a very good lap in straight away. Tried again in the second to beat that. It was very close, so with both my laps I was very happy.”
Rosberg, who had topped the timesheet in the similarly wet first two free practice sessions at Interlagos, also admitted to surprise at the advantage his compatriot had.
“I’m surprised about the gap to Sebastian, that’s very big,” he said. “It definitely would have been difficult, even getting everything perfect, to come close to him. That’s fine. Optimum, we’re second place, and we got that, so it’s OK. It’s a great place to start tomorrow – the front row of the grid.”
Alonso, meanwhile, said stealing second from the Mercedes driver might have been possible had it not been for time lost at Turn Four.
“I have mixed feelings to be honest,” he said. “I’m happy to be so high up on the grid, finally, because we start between seventh and tenths in the last five or six grand prix, which is not ideal. But I’m not totally happy with my lap. I lost a lot of time. I lost something like seven or eighth or tenths in Turn Four, off the circuit in the paint area, losing a lot of time there. I think second could be possible but obviously I’m not sad with third and all the opportunities in front of us in tomorrow’s race starting up at the front.”
Webber was fourth for Red Bull Racing, ahead of the second Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and sixth-placed Grosjean.
It was a good day for Toro Rosso, with Daniel Ricciardo seventh and team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne eighth. It was almost a disaster for the team in Q1, however, as changing conditions caught them out. With the minutes counting down, Vergne in P17 was in danger of being eliminated. He found a late burst of pace on an improving track at the death however, to scrape through the Q2 in 15th position ahead of Ricciardo in 16th.
The final two top-10 starting places were taken by Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and tenth-placed Nico Hulkenberg of Sauber.
The major casualties of the second segment were McLaren’s Jenson Button and Sergio Perez. The Mexican qualified in 14th position, crashing out at the end of the session when he ran wide on the exit of Turn Five and spun into the wall. Button, meanwhile, could do no better than 15th in the session.
2013 Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying times
1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:26.479
2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:27.102
3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:27.539
4 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:27.572
5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:27.677
6 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:27.737
7 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:28.052
8 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:28.081
9 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:28.109
10 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber 1:29.58211 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus 1:27.456
12 Paul di Resta Force India 1:27.798
13 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:27.954
14 Sergio Pérez McLaren 1:28.269
15 Jenson Button McLaren 1:28.308
16 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:28.58617 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:27.367
18 Esteban Gutiérrez Sauber 1:27.445
19 Charles Pic Caterham 1:27.843
20 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:28.320
21 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:28.366
22 Max Chilton Marussia 1:28.950eom
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Getting pole position is a big surprise and I am happy: Vettel
Sau Paulo,23 Nov 2013:
DRIVERS
1 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)
2 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)
3 – Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari)TV UNILATERAL
Congratulations Sebastian, another excellent qualifying for you, your 45th pole, your second here, and your ninth this year. But what a margin as well, that’s incredible.
Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, big surprise. I was so happy after the quali, obviously, especially Q3, it took a long time for us to get out. There was a lot of rain after Q2, already at the end of Q2. Yeah, we need to wait. If there’s too much water it’s a shame for the people who wait for us to come out, but there’s too much water and the risk of aquaplaning is too high. So it took a long time and then got out. I was surprised by how much of the water had gone. I went straight on intermediates and was able to get a very, very good lap in straight away. Tried again in the second to beat that. It was very close, so with both my laps I was very happy. Surprised by the margin. When I was told I was very happy. I even mixed up Spanish and Portuguese. I was on the radio saying “olé, olé” but olé is Spanish so I don’t know the expression in Portuguese but maybe someone can tell me today and hopefully I’ll have another chance tomorrow. But great in these conditions to get it all right., We had very little practice and still got the car where we wanted it to be in the end so very happy.
Nico, your best qualifying here, ever. You wanted to give the Red Bulls a hard time, well, second is a good effort. What are your feelings?
Nico ROSBERG: It was a good day today. Everything went to plan. It’s always extremely tough in these conditions because it’s just all over the place and you need to make sure you don’t get caught out. But the whole team, we all did a good job and perfect strategy also in the end doing those two consecutive laps with the inter, got a good lap together, so happy with that. Surprised about the gap to Sebastian, that’s very big. Definitely would have been difficult, even getting everything perfect to come close to him. That’s fine. Optimum we’re second place and got that, so it’s OK. It’s a great place to start tomorrow – front row of the grid.
And Fernando, your equal best grid position this year. A bit of a surprise or not?
Fernando ALONSO: Well, we know that in wet conditions normally we improve a little bit our performance. We were waiting for wet races this year but it came only in the last in Brazil. I have mixed feelings to be honest. I’m happy to be so up on the grid, finally, because we start between seventh and tenths in the last five or six grand prix, which is not ideal. So being in the first three is good, but not totally happy with my lap. I lost a lot of time. Not obviously to beat Seb, he’s too far in front of us. But I think for second place it was not difficult. I lost something like seven or eighth or tenths in Turn Four, off the circuit in the paint area, losing a lot of time there. I think second could be possible but obviously I’m not sad with third and all the opportunities in front of us in tomorrow’s race starting up at the front.
File photo of Vettel at the post-race FIA Press Conference in India. A photo by BIC PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Sebastian, facing the race tomorrow with so much wet running but not so much dry running, what sort of conditions do you want? What is ideal for you?
SV: Well, I don’t think we had that many laps in the wet, to be honest, because we were all of us trying to save tyres as much as we can. Especially yesterday, we only had one set, and this morning. But… yeah, very pleased with the result, first of all. Tomorrow, I think Nico touched on it, it could be 50:50. It looks to be the best day that we have out of the last two but, yeah, we don’t know, anything is possible here. We saw in the race last year how quickly things can change. So, yeah, looking forward to the race in general. It’s great to start from pole. Very happy with the laps I had in the end in these tricky conditions. Hopefully we can carry that momentum into the race, no matter what the conditions.
Q: Nico, you’ve been quickest in both sessions yesterday, what sort of conditions would you like for the race itself?
NR: I don’t mind. Whatever. Whatever is OK. It can be dry or wet. Maybe in the wet I have a little bit of a better chance against Sebastian but anyway, it will be tough either way. Maybe a mix will be good for a little bit of an opportunity.
Q: And Fernando, what would you like?
FA: Yeah, I think mixed conditions would be the best thing – and that’s what it’s going to be, probably, with the weather forecast we have and we saw also today how quickly it goes from extreme to nearly dry, so tomorrow will be fun.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Nico, in comparison to Sebastian you lost four tenths in the last sector which is a pretty straightforward one and Fernando, I think you lost six tenths in the middle sector. You said something before, I couldn’t understand it. Can you explain what happened?
NR: I finished my KERS unfortunately, for the last sector. That’s just a compromise because of doing two consecutive laps in these wet conditions and so it was to be expected and we chose to do it that way but for sure, that cost some lap time so it was down to that.
FA: I went off in turn four. I braked very late and I missed the corner and then I was on the extra circuit that is painted and obviously very slippery and I arrived braking more or less with zero on the target in the lap time, compared to the lap before and I exited with eight tenths slower so I lost these eight tenths, which obviously aren’t enough for pole but maybe it was enough for second place. That’s the way it is. The lap was not completely clean today.
Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Sera) Fernando, how do you see the fight for second place, is it good news for the team to have the Lotus behind, because they could try to overtake Ferrari?
FA: Yeah, definitely. I think it’s going to be tough. Obviously the second place in the Constructors’ is getting very difficult and the Mercedes were very strong all weekend so I expect them to be very strong tomorrow as well. But yeah, you are right, we cannot forget Lotus, that they have been scoring a lot of points in the last races and they are also a threat for third in the Constructors’ so it’s good to have them behind. It’s also good to have Felipe performing well today, with both Ferraris in Q3 and hopefully tomorrow both Ferraris can be in good points and I can help, failing anything, to have a very good last race with Ferrari.
Q: (Carlos Miguel – La Gaceta) Fernando, do you think victory is a possibility tomorrow or maybe it’s very difficult?
FA: Well, I think it’s going to be very difficult. Obviously every Grand Prix you go to, inside, even in a small percentage, you have to think of victory, because we are competitors and we like to win every race we go to. But we also need to be realistic and don’t tell our fans, our team, our people that tomorrow we have a high chance to win the race. That is not true, so we will try to do our best, we see whatever the position is at the end, what we have to do is to maximise what is available and for sure, comparing the last five or six events we’ve been through, there was probably zero chance to win the race. Tomorrow there’s maybe a small chance but very small.
Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) To all of you: if we have a dry race tomorrow which is possible, what will be the impact of being on the wet conditions all the days and then immediately in the race on dry tyres and dry asphalt?
SV: Well, first of all I think we all have new tyres so that helps but obviously the track is very green because we didn’t have dry conditions before, so I think that will make it tricky. And then I think it’s important that whoever has the best guess coming here, in terms of set-up, to ensure that your car is fine, not just for one lap in the wet conditions but also that the performance is there in the dry, first of all, and you are able to look after the tyres. It’s a long race, seventy laps here. We’ve seen in the past that it’s not that easy to make the tyres last, depending on your strategy so it will be difficult if it’s dry but then again, it will be same for everyone.
NR: There are a lot of other things like balance, like your front wing setting, your seventh gear – you might on the limiter for a hundred meters if you get it wrong – your engine temperatures are difficult to predict, so we might have opened too much and tomorrow we realise, oh damn, we’re running too cold so we lose performance. There’s a lot of things like that.
FA: Nothing more to add, I think.
Q: (Cristobal Rosaleny – Car and Driver) For all of you, how much did you compromise your set-up for maybe a wet race tomorrow?
SV: Well, I think to be honest with you, the typical wet set-up doesn’t exist any more, at least for us. In the past, the races that we had, there’s not that much difference. For sure we tried to go a little bit in a direction that helps us for wet conditions after the first or second practice yesterday but I wouldn’t call it a wet set-up, because usually in the wet you put more wing on, you lift the car, things like this but to be honest, the last couple of years, it has been pretty frozen when you went from dry to wet set-up, or dry to wet conditions.
NR: Same
FA: Same
Q: (Rodrigo Franca – VIP Magazine) Sebastian, the Brazilian fans cheered a lot for you in the 2008 race. It was in pretty much the same conditions that we had today and you were at Toro Rosso and if you were ahead of Lewis Hamilton it would help Felipe to be champion, so a lot of people cheered for you in that race. Do you think you have a special relationship with Brazilian fans and also with Interlagos?
SV: Well, I finished in front of Lewis as far as I can remember, so I tried to help the Brazilians but I think it’s a special place. I think all of us have had at least one race that was complete chaos in either direction, especially if I look at last year, the final race, fighting with Fernando for the championship. If you look at the highlights it has been an absolutely crazy race. My car was very damaged, I was facing the other way after turn four on the first lap but for some reason it seems to be a circuit – and together with the conditions – where you are able to create something out of nowhere. Equally, you might be on the safe side and something can happen. Surely, I have a special memory when coming here and yeah, you always believe something can happen here because the chance is there, as I described.
Ends
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Webber ready for one last hurrah as he tops FP3
Mark Webber set the fastest time in final practice ahead of qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix in another rain-affected session at Interlagos.
The Red Bull Racing driver claimed top spot in the drier final 10 minutes of the hour, setting his time of 1:27.891 on intermediate tyres on the second lap of his first time run of the session.
As the first to take on the green-banded Pirelli tyres, Webber’s time sparked a flurry of action in the final minutes of the session as rivals bolted on inters and explored the limits of the improving track.
Of Webber’s rivals it was Lotus’ Romain Grosjean and Heikki Kovalainen who fared best, with the Frenchman slotting into P2 behind the Red Bull man with a lap of 1:28.195 and his Finnish team-mate taking P3, four tenths further back.
Valtteri Bottas was fourth for Williams, ahead of Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, with Jean-Eric Vergne sixth for Toro Rosso. Esteban Gutierrez guided the second Sauber to seventh on the timesheet, finishing ahead of the second Williams of Pastor Maldonado and the twin Force India cars of Paul Di Resta and Adrian Sutil, who were ninth and tenth respectively.
A number of expected frontrunners were conspicuous by their absence, however. Champion elect Sebastian Vettel, who had briefly held top spot during a long, stop-start opening phase conducted on full wet tyres in heavy rain, opted not to run on inters. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who set the session’s best time on the blue-banded tyres, also chose to remain in pit lane.
His team-mate Nico Rosberg, meanwhile, did not set a time at all, a choice also taken by Ferari’s Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, and McLaren’s Jenson Button.
The session got off to a very slow start with only Esteban Gutierrez setting times for the first 20 minutes of the session. He was then joined by a handful of others but it wasn’t until Vettel set a wet tyre benchmark of 1:31.857 nearly 40 minutes into the session that any meaningful action took place.
With ten minutes to go Webber appeared on the intermediates for his first run and that at last was the catalyst for a busy final few minutes on the drying track.
2013 Brazilian Grand Prix Free Practice Three times
1 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:27.891
2 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:28.195 +0.304
3 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus 1:28.595 +0.704
4 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:28.600 +0.709
5 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber 1:28.830 +0.939
6 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:28.921 +1.030
7 Esteban Gutiérrez Sauber 1:29.215 +1.324
8 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:29.686 +1.795
9 Paul di Resta Force India 1:29.736 +1.845
10 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:29.913 +2.022
11 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:29.980 +2.089
12 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:29.988 +2.097
13 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:30.635 +2.744
14 Charles Pic Caterham 1:30.837 +2.946
15 Max Chilton Marussia 1:30.972 +3.081
16 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:31.154 +3.263
17 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:31.857 +3.966
18 Sergio Pérez McLaren 1:32.731 +4.840
19 Nico Rosberg Mercedes no time
20 Fernando Alonso Ferrari no time
21 Jenson Button McLaren no time
22 Felipe Massa Ferrari no timeeom
File photo of Webber at the Japan GP. A Pirelli photo -
Marussia, Caterham bosses talk about the 10th place
Sao Paulo, 22 Nov 2013: TEAM REPRESENTATIVES – Eric BOULLIER (Lotus), Stefano DOMENICALI (Ferrari), Ross BRAWN (Mercedes), John BOOTH (Marussia), Cyril ABITEBOUL (Caterham)
PRESS CONFERENCE
I’ll start with you Cyril. One last chance to try to snatch that 10th place in the Constructors’ table? From Caterham’s perspective, how costly would finishing last in the championship be? Can you afford that to happen?
Cyril ABITEBOUL: As you know, I can’t answer that question. I think it will be essentially costly for the morale of the team. Everybody believes that we deserve it. All due respect, I think we both have done a good job, but the figures tend say we deserve it just a little bit more than those guys. So, I mean that will be a race. I think whatever the result we are committed to the sport, so it’s not going to make a huge difference. I mean that will give a bit of a headache to my financial director but apart from that it’s not going to change our entire strategy to Formula One.
How has the morale been in the team? From what we were hearing yesterday the rain dance was being performed on a regular basis by your drivers.
CA: Yeah, well it has to be performed again on Saturday. It’s been a drier season on Sundays. We’ve had quite a few events with some rain on Friday, sometimes on Saturday as well, and each time we’ve had rain on Saturday in particular we’ve been able to do something, in Spa and in Monaco, where we managed to qualify in Q2. So it’s a good memory. We like rain, so let’s see on Sunday.
We’ll come to you in a moment John for your thoughts on this battle, but the big changes, Cyril, coming up next season with the regulations. How beneficial would it be to have a more experience driver at your team, a Heikki Kovalainen for instance?
CA: For instance! First of all I need to make sure that Lotus is not going to keep him. But apart from that, it will be a good thing to have some experience. But everything is changing next year. So, how much experience matters when everything is changing is one question. Having said that what we really want to have, because development, iteration, will be very fast at the start of next year in particular, you need a driver that all engineers, all the team can rely upon. So you want to have proper feedback, accurate feedback to be able to improve the car on an event-to-event basis. So that’s what we need. We need a driver who is transparent in the way that he is driving the car and providing feedback to everyone.
John, 10th place in the Constructors’ Championship: can you afford to lose that 10thplace this weekend?
John BOOTH: I think I pretty much agree with Cyril on his take on it. There may be a small financial consideration. But it’s the sporting matter that is more important. We are the smallest team, we operate with the smallest budget, but we are racers and we want to improve. Tenth place would be a massive plus for the guys in the factory.
I’m sure you don’t agree with Cyril when he says that Caterham deserve that 10th place more.
JB: It’s been a good scrap this year. There has been a large spell in the middle of the year when Caterham looked much stronger than us. We had a good race last week and we think we’re getting on top of our issues. But it’s been a long, long season. We took that 10th place in Malaysia. The last update we brought to the car of any significance was Barcelona, so it’s been a long old season hanging on to that 10th place and it’s been pretty nerve-wracking to be truthful.
With the updates that haven’t been coming since Barcelona, where do you see the improvements that have been made at the Marussia team?
JB: We’ve brought some small improvements and we’ve worked very hard at optimising what we have. I think we have gone forward but it would have been better to have two or three large upgrades through the season. But we are the smallest team and to build a 2014 car that has to be on the track in Jerez in January was a big feat for us and we’ve had to concentrate on that very hard.
Thanks very much. Eric, if I can come to you. The fight is on for you for second place between yourself, Ferrari and Mercedes. Off the track, the fight continues to try to attract extra investment to the Lotus team. Can you give us all an update on where you stand with that on this Friday afternoon in Brazil?
Eric BOULLIER: Well, there is still some discussion ongoing, especially now between bankers. The process is not fully completed but I think part of it has been done, which is obviously a good sign for the weekend and we hope that everything is closed by early next week.
When you say backers, you refer to Quantum Motorsports?
EB: Yes, sorry. But about the fight for the championship, I think second place, or even third place we need a little bit of help to get there. But maybe thanks to the funny weather we have we can expect the best of it.
Looking ahead to 2014. With the uncertainty over the extra investment to the team, how has that hindered your chances of attracting the right driver to the team, the driver you see as the man you want to partner Romain Grosjean?
EB: Obviously you need to have the right package to get the right driver. But obviously sometimes the right driver is with the right package. So we will do our best to keep our force all together. That for me is the main point. Make sure the team is sticking all together. Keep, let’s say, the best expertise we have onboard and make sure we can deliver the right cars and the right package on track, that’s the most important point.
Still confident you will get the man you want in that seat?
EB: I’m still confident I will get one of the guys I want, yes.
Q: Stefano, you bid farewell to Felipe Massa this weekend, eight years that you’ve worked together with him at Ferrari. How would you sum up Felipe and what have been your highlights of the last eight years with him?
Stefano DOMENICALI: Well, first of all let me say one thing before going to the question, that is to express my solidarity to the Italian population of Sardinia that has been hit very deeply by flooding and the hurricane. Our thoughts are with those families and this population that is suffering a lot in this moment.
Going to Felipe, I think Felipe is leaving with an incredible weekend here, today in this city because, you know, we have the tendency to pass through everything without thinking. I think that what Felipe did with Ferrari has an incredible history. We had incredibly moments together. Difficult too, of course – but he is an incredible guy who deserved what he had and even if it seems a little bit too personal, I consider him a world champion 2008 because he deserved that title here in São Paulo. So, I think what I can say is that he has always shown his dedication to the team, to the Ferrari family and we wish to him all the best success for his future because he’s young – but for sure he will bring Ferrari in his heart forever.
Q: In terms of that second-placed fight, what would it mean to take that second place in the championship, to make up the 15 points to Mercedes and what would it say about your season if you didn’t end up as runners-up?
SD: Well, first of all, we are fighting with a very strong team and we will not cheer like hell if we be second and we will not be depressed if we will not be in second position because of course in sport you try to do the maximum that you can. Unfortunately this year it was not possible to fight for first position as we were last year. This year, we have the duty to try to do the maximum, knowing that it is not easy. But in this condition everything is possible. So nothing will change in our approach and we will stay focussed up until the end. And of course, we will try to do that up to last lap – but it will unfortunately change so much the consideration on a very difficult season that has been the case for us this year.
Q: Finally Ross, it’s not often in your career that you’d celebrate second place in the Constructors’ Championship but I’d suggest if you finish runners-up there would be a wry smile on your face. Are you happy with what you’ve achieved at Mercedes?
Ross BRAWN: I think happy with the progress. Obviously I hope this is not the end. I hope there’s more progress in the next few years because certainly our ambition is to win the championship, win the Drivers’ and Constructors’, so second place would be a boost for everyone in the team, particularly as we came from fifth last year and I think the improvement in the performance of the car has been quite significant this year. We’ve scored over 300 points so far this season; we scored 140-something last year, so it’s a substantial improvement over where we were and I think everyone can be pleased – or reasonably pleased – with that. Of course it’s not where we ultimately want to be, so we need to have a measured response if we’re able to finish second.
Q: You’ve assembled quite a team at Mercedes, on and off the track. With consistency over the winter, is it possible to challenge for the championship and be on a par with Red Bull?
RB: We believe so. They’re very, very strong competitors. They don’t forget. You can’t forget the things you know. They were very impressive in the second half of this year. The progress they’ve made in the second half of this season has been very impressive but it is shaken up a bit next year and I think the fact we made a commitment almost two years ago now to start the 2014 programme… we are a team similar to Ferrari where we do an engine and a chassis and I think that’s a significant benefit for next season. The engine has been very much designed alongside the chassis to get the best integrated package. I think the engine is going to be one of the differentiators next year. I don’t think it’s going to be the only one but I think it’s much more significant than the engines have been the last few years. So, there is scope to be mildly optimistic that we can have a run next year.
Q: Finally, with regard to 2014 and specifically the tyres, you didn’t really get a chance to try out the prototype tyres today because of the rain. With Pirelli requesting a December tyre test with at least one of the teams, is that feasible for a team like Mercedes or for any team on the grid? And is it vital, before the first proper pre-season test?
RB: I think whatever flows now has to be fair for all the teams. I think we’re in a very delicate position. I think we all want to help Pirelli provide the best tyre they can next year but it would be unfortunate if one team had the benefit of running a tyre to the exclusion of all the other teams. Today would have been the ideal situation for everyone to get a first look at the 2014 tyre, take the data away, and that would have been reasonably fair. I think if we end up with only one team running the 2014 tyres before next year, with no provision today or no ability today to run the tyre, that could end up a pretty unfair situation, that someone’s going to have an insight into what the tyre does and how it works. So, I think we have to look at that very carefully, how we can do something that is fair and proper for all the teams.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Luigi Perna – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Stefano, regarding exactly the last question, tyres, Pirelli is claiming more tests before the start of the season. This year tyres had an effect on the game and you were affected by that. Are you worried that kind of situation can be reproduced in the future?
SD: Well, for sure the tyre situation has had an effect on this championship because with the change of specification, for sure something that never happened came in place this year. I think that we always give our will to help Pirelli in order to find the best solutions, in order to find very competitive tyres that can be used in all the conditions, where the drivers can push and show their driving skills, so on our side we have given our will to help them in all the conditions that they can. I agree with what Ross said about being able to be balanced and having the equality within the teams but it will reach a point where for sure if there’s no kind of test, the negative hit of not having a test will be really important, so I think that in the next days we need to decide what to do for the future in this very hot topic.
Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Eric, Kimi was third in the Drivers’ championship and this year he’s not in the top three; how would you rate his season: was it worse or better?
EB: Well, sportingly I think it has been better obviously. Last year he was just re-joining the F1 field so maybe he needed a little bit of fine tuning at the beginning of the season, even if he was scoring good points. I think this year he started with a win, so obviously he had a much better start and I think overall it was better.
Q: (Tariq Panja – Bloomberg News) I’m not really a Formula One reporter but I’m a sports reporter based in Brazil. This country will have two of the major sporting events, the World Cup coming next year and the summer Olympics in 2016. Ross and Stefano, you’ve been coming here for many years, what do you think of Brazil’s preparedness for these mega events? Has it been improving over time as you’ve been coming to this track, for instance?
RB: I think there’s a number of things we enjoy about Brazil. There’s always a great passion here for sport. The crowd is always incredibly enthusiastic and that feeds through to the teams. We enjoy racing here. It’s fair to say that these are not the best facilities we enjoy during the season but I think the enthusiasm and passion for the sport compensates for that and we do enjoy coming here. We don’t have any problems in terms of organisation and preparation here, everything turns up, all goes through customs OK, we don’t have any dramas that are unusual, so we have a good race here and we don’t have any unique problems.
SD: I couldn’t agree more with what Ross has said. On our situation, it’s really great, we enjoy being here and I can understand the situation of the Olympics and World Cup is different because you may have people coming from abroad, you have different locations, different logistical problems but on that, honestly, I’m not in a position to comment because I don’t really know the situation. What I can say is that what we are experiencing is a unique atmosphere, when the passion is one of the key factors and I’m sure that will also happen in the events that will come in the future here in Brazil.
Q: (Ian Parkes – Press Association) Question to John and Cyril: speaking to Christian Horner yesterday, he remarked that even for a team of their resource and their standing given they’re four times World Champions, that trying to find the additional cost for next year, which he estimated to be around £20m was proving incredibly difficult. He did also note that if it’s difficult for them, it must be exceptionally hard for you guys. So can you give us an idea as to the troubles you’ve been going through, trying to find those kind of resources for next year?
JB: I’d love to be struggling as much as Christian is struggling at the moment, that’s for sure. We have known about the cost of the powertrain for many months now, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise for anybody and everybody I assume has planned accordingly. As far as we’re concerned, we knew about the cost and we think we have a manageable business for next year and going forward.
CA: Not much to add; obviously it’s something we anticipated and that has even affected our strategy of spend for this year because we knew that there would be so much to invest both from a factory perspective in terms of engine costs, contractual costs but also in terms of car build, so that we have a cash flow that is structured in order to absorb all of that. We are going through that now. But there is a reason why, to do a degree, we have started development quite early; it was precisely to absorb those costs.
Q: So basically cut down this year and leave yourselves room for next year?
CA & JB: Yup.
RB: I think it is challenging next year, but we all have to remember that if we cut the budgets in half we would still go racing. It’s the standards of which we want to go racing that causes the pressure on the budget. It’s not that there’s insufficient money, it’s the fact that we all want to compete at the highest possible standard, and that means that we push the budgets as hard as we can. If everybody’s budget tomorrow was reduced by 50 percent, it wouldn’t make any difference.
Q: Can you see that ever happening?
RB: No. But that’s a fact. It wasn’t so many years ago that we were able to come to every race at every track with reliable cars for half of what we are spending now. That’s the nature of Formula One.
Q: (Dieter Rencken – RacingLines) Gentlemen, customer cars have been a contentious issue recently. Given what you’re just discussing about budgets and costs and whatever, there are constant rumours about teams going out of business or possibly going out of business. I believe that Formula One is possibly looking at three car teams, eight three car teams for a 24 car grid as opposed to five As and five Bs. How do you people feel about that, because it will affect you all differently?
EB: Well, obviously nobody has a crystal ball. I think everybody agrees that for the future, as ratio costs for the new costs or inverse revenue costs has to change, and it’s true that customer cars was brought in to the discussion. I personally don’t think it’s the right path to go, it’s against the DNA of F1 I think and it may create some other issues which to find the funds to run customer cars, to run modern or current cars, I think if F1 needs to go one path, it is to guarantee a number of cars on the grid and obviously a number of teams running three cars would be, for me, a better solution.
JB: I think I’m correct in saying that under current regulations if the numbers of cars on the grid falls below a certain number then certain teams are required to run three cars but as far as I know there’s been no discussion about three car teams in the near future. Certainly I’ve not been part of the discussions and I assume it would need a big change in regulations to achieve that.
Q: Is that something you would welcome, though, or not?
JB: We’re finding two cars tough enough without running three.
CA: Well, personally, I’m just like Eric and most of the teams, I believe. I’m not in favour of customer cars. Having said that, I think the situation we have is not necessarily sustainable. Clearly an analysis must be made regarding what to do and make sure that we anticipate that correctly and there is also a gliding path to whatever solution is retained, whether it’s a budget cap, RRA. I take the point, of course. If we’re all at fifty or one hundred million budget, the show will be no different at all so I think that we need to be sensible about that, make sure that we are doing the right thing. If a third car is one thing to do, why not, but in your example there were only eight teams so I would like to hope that we are not one of the three teams that will be out of the game.
Q: And this will be the problem, Ross, if you have eight teams of three cars, then three teams would have to make way.
RB: Well, I don’t think it would be that way round. I think it would be if we had some teams drop out and the number of entrants, the number of cars entered dropped below a certain level, then we do have to support extra entries. We’re not a supporter of customer cars, we think the identity of the teams is important, the fact that the teams design and build their own cars is important but however if Formula One faced a situation where we didn’t have sufficient cars on the grid, then of course a three car team is a possibility, but only in those circumstances.
SD: I agree. First of all we need to see what we want for the future of Formula One. We are in a situation where for sure we are different in philosophies with the teams that are in the championship, there are different situations, so I think that solution, that situation can be driven really if some teams will not be there in the future. Because also now, when we discuss about cost-cutting measures, of course the goals that we have in mind are different and maybe with the goals that we have in mind, we don’t expect… we don’t even reach the half of what the expenditure of a small team, so we really need to understand what is the future of Formula One, what are the objectives that can be discussed in a common way because otherwise you can cherry-pick different measures but you will not really have a clear focus on what should be the focus of Formula One and this is really a point of discussion that we have on the table since many many years. I’m sure that very soon this will be the most important topic of discussion.
Q: (Kate Walker – GP Week) Eric, my question regards your potential investor, Mansoor Ijaz. A cursory Google-search of his background shows a few problematic business dealings including the use of value-less companies as collateral for loans. I was wondering what proof you’ve been given of the existence of his money and whether or not any due diligence had been done.
EB: Fortunately we don’t have to base our judgement only on Google, with all respect to Google for what they are doing. To answer the question, yes, we have very serious proof of funds and good compliance of what is Quantum Motorsport.
Q: (Ian Parkes – Press Association) Ross, given what you said, the fact that you could race on half the money and the show wouldn’t change, if the FIA were ever to potentially look down the route of a budget cap again, is it something that potentially could be considered somewhere down the line, or has the RRA proven that it’s something that could never ever work, given certain other teams’ objections to the way teams work?
RB: Well, I think the conclusions for me for the RRA is that there was a structure of a system that could work but quite clearly wasn’t a system that could work with self-regulation from the teams themselves. It was a system that had to be policed, we believe by the FIA but it seemed that we couldn’t get enough agreement within the teams that that should happen, so it failed on that basis. I don’t think it failed because it wouldn’t work, in my view it failed because we couldn’t engage the governing body in policing the system. I think whatever system we have is going to affect the competitiveness of teams and therefore it has to be controlled by the sporting body. It can’t be controlled by the teams themselves and I think any attempt to have self-regulation of something so important as budget and resource is futile, because of the nature of the teams. We’re very competitive and will always be looking to push the boundaries. If you look at the technical regulations, we push the boundaries all the time, quite rightly, and then we have a governing body that taps us back into place, and also a governing body that we can get a reference from. If we have a query, we can go to them, we can ask them, we can argue and we can get an opinion on whether something is legal or not. Unless you have that process with the financial control, it can never succeed because one team’s interpretation of a regulation with be different to another team’s interpretation of a regulation so you have to have this process going on where you introduce a constraint, a control and then a mechanism to police it and a mechanism to answer queries and regulate queries and questions on the regulations to refine the regulations because no set of regulations will be a hundred percent perfect from day one, they need refining. We draw the analogy with the technical regulations; it works pretty well, we occasionally have a big blow up about something but most of the time it’s good and if we had the same with the financial regulations, I think that would be the only way forward, because I can’t see any other way. Attempts to change the technical regulations to reduce the costs have historically failed. They can push it back a bit for a while and then the teams find something else to spend the money on so the budgets never really change.
Q: (Kate Walker – GP Week) I wanted to refer back to Dieter’s earlier question about the potential of three car teams, because it seemed to me that the three of you in the back row were aware of the concept whereas it was new to the two of you in the front row, I believe, I got from John’s answer. Could you please tell me, John and Cyril, what level of communication you’ve had from the teams in the strategy commission and how much you are aware of the formal and informal discussions they’ve been having?
CA: I think we have had the same minutes as they have had.
Q: So you have received the information?
CA: We have received as much information as they have received after the meeting.
Q: Same for you, John?
JB: Yup.
Q: So no complaints about that, then?
JB: No, that’s not wholly true. I think Cyril’s statement is absolutely correct but to say that there is no complaints wouldn’t be accurate.
CA: To be a bit more… to develop that just a bit, we have an F1 commission actually in a few days and we are also circulated the agenda of the next F1 strategy meeting so I wouldn’t be concerned too much about that because ultimately we have a seat, we have a voice. Obviously we are outnumbered, we are one or two, just a couple but still, Formula One knows very well that it cannot really live without everyone, so maybe the process is a bit less inclusive than it’s been in the past. There is also a meeting of the F1 strategy group so for me it’s more the goodwill and the agenda in general of the F1 strategy group rather than who is sitting in it that will make a difference.
Q: (Pablo Juanarena – Marca) It’s a question for Stefano but could be for Ross or Eric: today, Red Bull has used the 2014 tyres, one lap for Sebastian. It seems that they are always a step ahead. Do you think it’s that way?
SD: What I can say is that they are in a situation that if they had crashed today nothing would have changed for them, so I think that they took… not a risk because that’s maybe not the right word but they want to take some measurement in that condition. If they were happy to do it in that way I don’t think it’s a matter of being a step ahead. It’s a matter of decision or a possibility considering the conditions that they have… they are in this specific weekend.
Q: Was there a possibility that you would run a car on the slick tyres, even just for one lap this morning?
SD: No.
RB: We always work on the principle that bad information is worse than no information. With all due to respect, Red Bull may well have found something out that we don’t anticipate but we couldn’t understand what you could learn in those conditions, even though it looked like they were trying to take profiles of the tyres and so on, it was difficult to see how it could be useful and certainly our conclusion was there was no use for us with what we wanted to do to run the tyre this morning.
Q: (Dieter Rencken – RacingLines) The two things one can never have enough of: power and sponsors yet if I have a look at your shirts, if I’d gone back a year, your shirts would look identical with the exception of one or two stickers or logos on your shirts. Formula One hasn’t really attracted any major sponsors for the last three or four years. Is there a fundamental problem in Formula One, because other sports are certainly attracting them?
EB: We have attracted some blue chip brands, Microsoft and Burn, which is the Coca Cola group. But it’s true that the biggest deals have been done with FOM recently which is quite an achievement. I think the question is that everybody knows the world economic situation is not as brilliant as ten years ago so I don’t there is some big comparison or let’s say some conclusion to be drawn today.
SD: From our side, I have to say that we have attracted a new sponsor, a big one like UPS for example this year. We have basically renewed with all our major sponsors, major partners so we have quite a solid base of partners that are really investing with us and of course they are with us because there is a win-win situation. So far, I would say that I don’t see that directly because maybe Ferrari has different options to exploit with the partners for sure but I think that in general, in a situation where there is this economic crisis it is important not to devalue too much the sale of what you have, if you can, of course. Otherwise then when the economy will start again, it will be more difficult to keep the level of investment that is valid for the Formula One World Championship.
JB: I think there’s been a trend in motor sport in general, particularly Formula One over the years that it’s two or three years behind the world economy and the initial crash of the economy didn’t seem to affect Formula One whereas three years later it is starting to bite. As the economy recovers, I’m sure we will be two or three years behind, picking up again. And maybe we should ask ourselves if we’re offering the right exciting package to the viewers as well.
CA: On our side, we are quite lucky to have some nice brands associated to us because I think in general the Caterham project is something that is quite exciting and attractive for sponsors and investors, but I think now we have a duty to deliver because they have not let us down, we should not let them down so performance is what can buy interest in that sport so that’s what we need to focus on. More generally on Formula One, I believe that it also goes back to the question of performance. We need to make sure that the grid in general is in the right window and that also the TV coverage which obviously focuses on people that perform, is distributed in not a fair manner because there must be a winner, there must be a loser and we are losers right now but we must make sure that we are part of the show and we’ve been missing to be part of the show because of the facts, so it’s one thing to be getting back to the economic model and the regulation structured, we need to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to be in the show.
RB: Well, we’ve been quite fortunate; perhaps or our people have worked very well and the number of our partners have improved or we have improved our deals with them. Blackberry was new for us, we know Blackberry faces some challenges at the moment, but that’s a major sponsor that came to the team this year. But no, we’ve seen some reasonable upsides with most of our partners but it is very tough and as John said, there is a lag in the system that is impacting motor sport and Formula One, but hopefully with the improved economic environment that some countries are experiencing we can pick it up and get it going again.
Ends
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Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg on top again
Sao Paulo, 22 Nov 2013: After a wet start to Friday practice at Interlagos, Formula One teams had hoped for drier weather in the afternoon. Instead, the clouds grew darker and heavier rain fell on the outskirts of São Paulo. What didn’t change was the dominance of Nico Rosberg at the second practice session of the last round of the F1 World Championship at Interlagos circuit here on Friday.
According to an FIA release, t
File photo of Rosberg by Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team. he Mercedes driver was the fastest man in the early stages of the session, with the field running on full-wet tyre. When the intensity of the rain reduced in the last few minutes, he emerged on the intermediate rubber and again claimed the session’s fastest lap, beating off spirited competition from the Red Bulls, with Sebastian Vettel finishing second and Mark Webber third.
Behind the front three, Heikki Kovalainen was fourth, having had a successful first day of wet running for Lotus, finishing narrowly ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes. Jean-Eric Vergne was sixth for Toro Rosso, Felipe Massa seventh for Ferrari and Nico Hülkenberg eighth for Sauber. Daniel Ricciardo in the second Toro Rosso finished the session ninth quickest and Romain Grosjean was tenth for Lotus.
Heavy rain started to fall half an hour before the session commenced, leading to a degree of circumspection when the pitlane traffic light turned green. Nobody wanted to be the first car to test the conditions. Eventually it fell to Max Chilton, emerging five minutes into the session, his Marussia shod with full-wet tyres. He was soon followed by Kovalainen. Both drivers were keen for track time: Chilton had not run in the morning session, while Kovalainen, drafted into the Lotus team only last week, has no experience of the car on the blue-banded Pirellis. He ran a short stint and set a P1 time of 1:30.537 before pulling into the pitlane reporting heavier rain.
Red Bull Racing are traditionally among the last runners out of the garage in practice but today Webber broke with tradition, heading out just 21 minutes into the session. He beat the Finn’s time by well over a second, resetting the benchmark with a lap of 1:29.088. His tenure at the top of the timesheet was short-lived, however. At the half-hour mark Rosberg appeared, did a single flying lap of 1:28.873 to take top spot, and then retired to the garage.
Little changed for the next 40 minutes, with many runners waiting until the track was theoretically suitable for Intermediates. Initially the green-banded tyres proved a handful through the looping middle sector but gradually, as surface water was thrown off the line, came into their own. Vettel appeared on track with 14 minutes remaining, getting quicker with each lap, taking P5, P2 and then P1 with 1:27.993, nearly a second quicker than Rosberg’s full wet lap. Vettel then improved to 1:27.531 with Webber slotting in right behind, but Rosberg was still getting up to speed. He set his best lap of 1:27.306 in the final minute of the session.
As had been the case in the morning, the session was characterised by a slew of spins, half-spins and trips across the kerbs as drivers struggled for grip, particular during the tricky crossover period when the Inter tyre was a marginal proposition. As had been the case in the morning, everybody managed to avoid doing damage to his car.
2013 Brazilian Grand Prix – Free Practice 2 Result
1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:27.306
2 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:27.531 0.225
3 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:27.592 0.286
4 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus 1:28.129 0.823
5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:28.147 0.841
6 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:28.405 1.099
7 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:28.540 1.234
8 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1:28.560 1.254
9 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:28.739 1.433
10 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:28.891 1.585
11 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:28.928 1.622
12 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:29.049 1.743
13 Paul di Resta Force India 1:29.174 1.868
14 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:29.717 2.411
15 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:29.783 2.477
16 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:30.425 3.119
17 Sergio Perez McLaren 1:30.748 3.442
18 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:31.061 3.755
19 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:31.118 3.812
20 Charles Pic Caterham 1:31.165 3.859
21 Max Chilton Marussia 1:31.211 3.905
22 Jenson Button McLaren 1:31.770 4.464eom
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Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg fastest in FP1
Sao Paulo,
File Photo of Nico Rosberg 22 Nov 2013: Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg was the fastest man as the first free practice session as Interlagos was dampened by persistent light rain. Rosberg went into P1 with a time of 1:24.781 early in the session. His time did not face a serious challenge and when the chequered flag fell, he had an advantage of nearly half a second over team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Sebastian Vettel was third for Red Bull Racing after a late surge, while Jenson Button was fourth for McLaren. Fifth place went to Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber was sixth in the second Red Bull, and Sergio Pérez seventh in the second McLaren. Daniil Kvyat, standing in for Daniel Ricciardo rose to the occasion and recorded the eighth best time for Toro Rosso. In ninth, Heikki Kovalainen was the faster of the Lotus cars and the top ten was rounded out by Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg.
Jules Bianchi was the first man out of the pitlane onto an already damp track, his Marussia carrying Pirelli’s blue-banded full wet tyres. He was closely followed by Esteban Gutiérrez on the intermediate compound. Inters were the tyres of choice for the majority of the following field, and indeed the tyre of choice for the whole 90 minutes of the session as rain continued to fall, gently but without pause.
After installation laps, Jenson Button was the first driver to set a time. His lap of 1:26.184 came 15 minutes into the session. He and Rosberg traded best times before Rosberg’s second flying lap of the stint ended the competition.
The session was characterised by spins, half-spins and off-track excursions as every driver struggled for grip on the greasy surface – but serious incidents were avoided. Red Bull Racing stayed in the garage for the first half of the session. Vettel eventually emerged carrying aero rakes behind his diffuser. Unlike the rest of the field, he opted to go out on the hard tyre, lapping well off the pace. Later he switched to the experimental 2014 slick compound Pirelli bought to the track in the hope of getting some preparatory running.
Vettel did not set a time, opting to run through the pitlane after each lap. He and Webber eventually went out on the Inter in the last half-hour. While radar had predicted a lull in the rain, in reality it intensified as the end of the session approached. Both Red Bull cars slotted into the top ten but did not threaten the Mercedes.
2013 Brazilian Grand Prix – Free Practice 1 Result
1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:24.781
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:25.230 0.449
3 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:25.387 0.606
4 Jenson Button McLaren 1:25.391 0.610
5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:25.593 0.812
6 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:25.797 1.016
7 Sergio Perez McLaren 1:25.946 1.165
8 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:26.064 1.283
9 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus 1:26.133 1.352
10 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 1:26.232 1.451
11 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:26.248 1.467
12 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:26.326 1.545
13 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:26.570 1.789
14 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:26.593 1.812
15 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:27.115 2.334
16 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:27.269 2.488
17 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:27.358 2.577
18 James Calado Force India 1:27.436 2.655
19 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:28.107 3.326
20 Charles Pic Caterham 1:28.199 3.418
21 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:30.004 5.223
22 Rodolfo Gonzalez Marussia 1:32.646 7.865eom
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Ross Brawn to leave Mercedes on Dec 31
Brackley, 22 Nov 2013: The MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team announced on Friday that Ross Brawn will step down from his position as Team Principal at the end of 2013.
Following an extended period of open discussion between the team’s key stakeholders, Ross has chosen to hand over the team leadership to Executive Director (Business) Toto Wolff and Executive Director (Technical) Paddy Lowe.
Ross Brawn, who will formally leave the team on 31st December 2013, said:
“The most important consideration in my decision to step down from the role as Team Principal was to ensure that the timing was right for the team in order to ensure its future success.
“The succession planning process that we have implemented during this year means we are now ready to conduct the transition from my current responsibilities to a new leadership team composed of Toto and Paddy.
“Mercedes-Benz has invested significantly in both the personnel and infrastructure at Brackley and Brixworth. Thanks to the one-team approach we have implemented between the two facilities, the team is uniquely positioned to succeed in 2014 and I am proud to have helped lay the foundations for that success.
“However, 2014 will mark the beginning of a new era in the sport. We therefore felt this was the right time to simultaneously begin a new era of team management to ensure that the organisation is in the strongest possible competitive position for the years to come.
“We can take pride not just in our on-track achievements but also in the organisation we have built at Brackley. In its different guises over the past six seasons, this team has delivered some of the most memorable moments of my career. Our second place in this season’s Constructors’ Championship is an important milestone on the road to championship success.
“I am confident that the future will hold just as much success for the team and will take real pride in having played my own part in those achievements.”
Niki Lauda, Non-Executive Chairman of MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, commented:
“First of all and most importantly, we must say thank you to Ross. When you consider the step that has been made from finishing fifth in 2012 to the second place that we have secured this season, he has been the architect of this success. He put the plans in place to recruit key people since early 2011, and the performance this season shows that the team is on the right track.
“We have had long discussions with Ross about how he could continue with the team but it is a basic fact that you cannot hold somebody back when they have chosen to move on. Ross has decided that this is the right time to hand over the reins to Toto and Paddy and we respect his decision.
“Toto and Paddy are the right people to lead our team in 2014 and beyond.”
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, concluded:
“Last winter, we restructured the management of our Formula One activities, with the support of Niki Lauda. The first step was to convince Toto Wolff to join us to run our Mercedes-Benz motorsport activities and our Formula One company. The second step was the recruitment of Paddy Lowe during 2013.
“This gave us a clear succession plan for the time when Ross decided to step down from his current role, and that time has now come. I have every confidence that Toto and Paddy will build on Ross’ good work and that they possess exactly the balance of skills required to lead our team to world championship success.
“I would like to personally thank Ross for the calm authority with which he has led our works team since 2010, for his crucial contribution to our team’s development and also for the undoubted share he will have in our future success. It has been a pleasure working with him over the past four years and I extend all my very best wishes to him for the future.”
eom
Tio Ellinas takes double pole at Bahrain on Thursday. An Adrenna photo -
Formula One circus comes to its last stop in Brazil
Sao Paulo, 21 Nov 2013: Brazil plays host to the 19th and final round of the 2013 FIA Formula One World Championship as teams make their way to São Paulo and the suburb of Interlagos, home of the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, according to an FIA release
The lap of Interlagos is one of the year’s shortest but it crams a lot into its 15 turns and 4.3 kilometres. It presents a classic demand for compromise between the high-downforce requirements of the looping medium-low speed middle section and the flat-out, low-drag search for ultimate top speed that characterises the long section uphill from the Junção corner to the start-finish line, which then drops down to the overtaking-friendly, heavy-braking Senna S.
As in 2012, Pirelli will bring its Hard and Medium compounds to Interlagos. The rain-affected 2012 race provides few clues to strategy but key to Jenson Button’s victory last year was his ability to run on slicks in marginal conditions, winning on a two-stop strategy while his pursuers made an extra stop for rain tyres. The forecasts suggest rain may play a part again.
Even if rain does fall, the 2013 edition is unlikely to deliver quite the level of drama seen in 2012’s title-decider. However, although the main issues of the season have been resolved, F1 goes to Interlagos with questions still to be answered. There are tight battles up and down the field in the Constructors’ Championship, not least of which is the competition for second place. In the USA, Mercedes increased their lead over Ferrari to 15 points, while Lotus remain a long-shot thanks to Romain Grosjean’s sterling efforts in Austin. Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Marussia and Caterham are fighting to avoid finishing the season in last place. Marussia currently hold tenth, courtesy of Jules Bianchi’s 13th-place finish in Malaysia. In the normal course of events it would be difficult to imagine that being under threat – but Interlagos is perfectly capable of springing a surprise.
Brazilian GP Facts: (courtesy FIA)
► Sebastian Vettel’s sixth place in last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix made him a triple world champion. It was the sixth time the Drivers’ Championship has been decided at Interlagos since the race was moved to the back end of the calendar in 2004. Fernando Alonso (’05, ’06) Kimi Räikkönen (’07), Lewis Hamilton (’08) and Jenson Button (’09) also sealed their titles at this circuit. Only Räikkönen marked the occasion with a victory.
► McLaren have a record 12 victories in Brazil. Emerson Fittipaldi triumphed at home in 1974, as did Ayrton Senna in ’91 and ’93. Alain Prost won in ’84, ’85, ’87 and ’88, Mika Hakkinen in ’98 and ’99, David Coulthard in 2001, Juan Pablo Montoya in ’05 and Button last year.
► Button is scheduled to make his 247th grand prix start on Sunday – a record for a British driver, overtaking David Coulthard who ended his driving career in F1 at this circuit in 2008.
► Prost’s four McLaren victories are bracketed by wins for Renault (’82) and Ferrari (’90) making him the most successful driver in the history of the race. He and Carlos Reutemann are the only drivers to have won the race both in Rio and São Paulo.► The current 4.3km layout of Interlagos has hosted the Brazilian Grand Prix since 1990. Prior to this the race was held in Rio at the Jacarepaguá circuit (’78,’81-’89) and on the original 8km Interlagos layout (’73-’77, ’79-’80).
► Vettel’s victory in Austin was his eighth consecutive win of 2013, beating a record set by Michael Schumacher in 2004. This weekend Vettel can equal the nine consecutive victories recorded by Alberto Ascari. Ascari’s record was set over the season’s 1952-1953 and is only applicable if the Indianapolis 500 (in which Ascari and other ‘regular’ F1 drivers did not participate) is discounted.
► Interlagos historically has provided excellent overtaking opportunities. In the modern times Turns One & Two (Senna S) and Turns Four & Five (Descida do Lago) have provided the bulk of the overtaking action. Records show that from 30 races at this circuit, pole position has only led to victory on 10 occasions. The only driver to win from pole this century is Felipe Massa, who managed the feat in both ’06 and ’08.► This is Mark Webber’s final grand prix. To date, the Australian has 214 grand prix starts, nine victories, 32 other podium finishes, 13 pole positions and 18 fastest laps. He has twice finished third in the Drivers’ Championship (’10, ’11). His first F1 race was the 2002 Australian Grand Prix, in which he finished fifth, driving for Minardi.
► This weekend F1 also says goodbye to Cosworth for the immediate future. The engine privateer has powered 176 F1 victories, second in the all-time list behind Ferrari. It’s most recent victory was at this circuit in 2003: Jordan’s Giancarlo Fisichella awarded the win after a red flag. Cosworth also recorded its most recent pole position here, Nico Hülkenberg taking P1 for Williams in 2010.File photo of grid girls at the US GP 2013. A Caterham F1 team photo -
Ferrari is a dream for all drivers: Massa
File photo of Felipe Massa at the Indian GP this year. A BIC photo 21Nov2013: DRIVERS – Charles PIC (Caterham), Max CHILTON (Marussia), Giedo VAN DER GARDE (Caterham), Jean-Eric VERGNE (Toro Rosso), Felipe MASSA (Ferrari), Mark WEBBER (Red Bull Racing)
PRESS CONFERENCE
I’ll start with you Mark: 215th and final grand prix start this weekend. I know you’ve had time to come to terms with your retirement from Formula One but when you climb into that Red Bull for one last time, it’s going to emotional isn’t it?
Mark WEBBER: I think on Sunday it will be a little bit different but it still feels like a normal race at the moment, so looking forward to Sunday in many ways, in terms of obviously pushing for a good result, but also I’m ready to stop and looking forward to the extended winter that I’ll have and the new challenges around the corner. Getting out of the car Sunday there will be a few things that will be for the last obviously in terms of Formula One, but I’m pretty relaxed at the moment and looking forward to the race.
What do you think you might miss most of all?
MW: There are certain situations in Formula One that are super rewarding. Obviously driving the car on the limit at certain venues is still very satisfying, no question about it. You’ve got Suzuka, Spa, Monte Carlo, come qualifying day and even racing, at certain circuits it’s very challenging and rewarding. So I’ll miss some of that. But I’m on a little bit of a slippery slope now, in terms of… you’ve got to be careful not to test it too much in terms of performance and what you used to be able to do. I still think I’m driving well but I don’t want to be around not driving well. So it’s inevitable that you’re going to miss certain parts, for sure the adrenaline and working with people like Adrian Newey. Stuff like that you don’t get to do that often obviously. That’ll be something I’ll miss a bit. But there comes a time when you’ve got to let go and I’ll still have good adrenaline next year obviously with Porsche and that’ll be a good balance.
So many highs and lows from your association with Formula One. Which period have you enjoyed driving the least and which period have you enjoyed driving the most.
MW: I think the hardest and most difficult cars to driver were in the mid-2000s, when we had all the refueling and the tyre war. Those cars were tricky and you had to push every time you went out. There was no such thing as pacing at any point really, in qualifying, practice or Sunday afternoon. So it really was a tight envelope for a grand prix driver in those eras to operate but that’s what we trained [for] and we aspire to do. They were good times. Obviously a lot of power too, the V10s had plenty of horsepower. So the lap times floating around then were pretty impressive, and in the early 2000s as well to a degree. We’ve had a lot of changes in the last three or four years. The racing has gone through some boring phases, so we’ve introduced some DRS, things like that, things that have been of benefit to the sport. It’s taken a little bit of the tradition out of it I suppose, some of the passing moves and things like that, which probably which are not as difficult to achieve as in years gone by. They are achievable now. That’s a little bit fabricated but good for the neutral at home. Tyres – we’ve had some challenging times on those as drivers, and as teams, trying to understand particularly the new brand of heavily modified pace during races is probably not as rewarding as it was. But you can’t always have it. I’ve driven in so many different regulations… one championship but with so many different scenarios but generally you just have to enjoy it, it’s your job.
I’m sure you’ll be greatly missed by everyone here in the paddock. Good luck for the future. For you, Felipe, it’s the end of an era too. Your association with Ferrari, which begun in 2006, comes to an end and what a place for it to come to an end – your home race, at Interlagos.
Felipe MASSA: Yeah, definitely. It’s a fantastic place to race and to finish an incredible time with Ferrari. It’s a very long time. It’s our eighth championship but I’ve been inside Ferrari even before Formula One, so it’s a long time and I need to say thank you to all of them – everyone who worked together in Ferrari. Stefano as well. You know that he is a big friend and he did a lot for me as well, Domenicali. Everybody, everybody I worked with together. I hope we can enjoy the last race here in Ferrari and having a lot of fun and having a good result as well to have even more emotion at the end.
Do you pinch yourself when you think back that you spent eight years with Ferrari, the team that every boy racer dreams of racing for?
FM: Yeah, I mean I think Ferrari is a dream for all the drivers. I remember, one of the first go-karts I had was red. My first overall was red, so I was always supporting Ferrari as a kid. So racing eight years for Ferrari is definitely a dream come true. So, getting old as well! But also it’s another re-start for my career. I’m really happy and looking forward to my future in Williams, a different team. So really, a lot to do still in Formula One.
Q: How important for your morale was it that Williams had the faith in you to extend your Formula One career, to take you on and try and restart a period of success that they’ll be hoping for from next season? And also, how important is it for the sport that a Brazilian driver still stays in Formula One.
FM: First of all, I really believe I can do a lot with Williams. Everything is changing, brand new rules for the championship so I think it’s also a good time that we start something new, different. You never know, you’re doing a good job in a team that has also all the infrastructure to do – like Williams has – everything inside the company to do a good car. So everything is possible. They believe in me so I’m really happy and motivated to drive for them, to work and to do everything I can to help the team to be competitive again, which I’m sure everything is possible.
And how important for a Brazilian to stay in Formula One?
FM: It’s very important. We know how important is Brazil in Formula One: the history for so many drivers, so many championships, so many victories. For Brazil, Formula One is very important. We have motor racing in the blood. So, it’s very, very important to keep Brazilian drivers in Formula One, and also, we’re not having a great time in Brazil for the small categories, so I think it’s important to give a push and help for our future – because for the moment it doesn’t look very nice. I’m trying to help and give some good ideas for the Federation to help and pushing for our future.
Jean-Eric, your second full season in Formula One. How difficult has this year been for you? Off the track when Mark announced he was retiring there was the hope of a Red Bull seat, tantalisingly close but it never ultimately came your way.
Jean-Eric VERGNE: It was a difficult season. I have to say that I’ve been quite unlucky in many races, not finishing when I should have been in the points. We had a really good car to start off the season with but then I guess with the introduction of the new tyres, everything went a little bit more difficult for us and, yeah, we were out of the points for a long time. It has been really tough. Obviously there was the Red Bull seat opportunity. They went for Daniel. It was, of course, a big disappointment for me as a racing driver. You want to win races, be one day a world champion and obviously it’s the team to be in to do this, to succeed. But, you know, I try to look at the positive. I guess if Red Bull choose Daniel that means there are things I haven’t done good. I have to look at myself in the mirror, try to understand the reasons and try to get better. The challenge with Toro Rosso next year will be massive. I’m really happy to stay in that team and everything is possible. Even staying in this team, it’s not a back-up plan or whatever. I really believe in this team and I want to grow as a racing driver with this team that is growing a lot too.
Q: When you miss out on a big seat is it difficult to keep your head high, is it difficult to keep your morale and your focus.
J-EV: For a few races it has been difficult because I think I was doing really good races and I was on a good run from Monaco, Canada and Silverstone was going to be really good as well but obviously I had the big tyre explosion and then there was the call of Red Bull to put Daniel in the Red Bull for the young driver test and straight away I understood that this seat was not going to be for me even though I tried to do my best. And then there were a couple of really difficult races in terms of pace, everything, so it was quite difficult to manage it, I guess.
Q: Giedo and Max. Question for you both. We know where Mark’s going to be next year, we know where Felipe and Jean-Eric are going to be – but you two, we’re not sure at the moment. Max first, what can you tell us about the future?
Max CHILTON: I’m not going to speculate any more than people already have. We’ve had some good discussions over the last couple of weeks and I’m happy with those conversations, they’ve gone quite well so I’m just looking forward to hopefully being back next year and having a bit of a better chance.
Q: No doubt in your mind that ideally you would like to stay with Marussia.
MC: Yeah. Marussia have been great to me. They gave me the chance to get into Formula One and it’s not easy for us where we are but this year I think we’ve done a pretty stunning job with what we’ve got. It’s not over yet – we learnt that last year here with five laps to go – so we’re kind of… we’re fingers-crossed hoping that it can finish well but the car’s looking strong for next year. When big rule changes tend to come into Formula One it gives the smaller teams a bit of a chance. So looking forward to Australia hopefully next year.
Q: Giedo, what does the future hold for you?
Giedo VAN DER GARDE: Well, I can tell you nothing yet. The management is very busy at the moment. Hopefully they can do a good job. I think I’ve proven myself during the last part of the season and I think I’ve been doing a very good job so hopefully I will be there next year.
Q: Is it easier to have those negotiations after a season of Formula One do you think – or is it easier to make more of an impression with your results from the junior categories, trying to get in for the first time?
GVDG: I think after a season it’s better to negotiate – because then you’ve shown already what you can do. I think we’ve shown already this year what I did. Let’s see.
Q: So, tell us about the battle this weekend. 13th place will be good enough to Caterham in the Constructors’ Championship if there’s no Marussia car ahead of them. At the moment Marussia have that tenth place and with it the financial benefits of tenth. How are both camps feeling? Let’s start with Max first. It’s a massive weekend for both teams.
MC: Yeah, for sure. We know how important this weekend is, coming into it. The worst thing is to start panicking because you start not concentrating on the right things. The best thing to do is treat it like a normal race weekend and try to get the most out of the car. If we can do that, and we can race well, then there’s nothing that we can be sad about because we gave it the best shot we can. We’ve done that every race this year and it’s worked. But with the weather in Brazil it’s never over until that chequered flag.
Q: Does that mean then, Giedo, that Caterham are praying for rain?
GVDG: Absolutely! Because by pure speed it’s going to be tough in dry conditions and we need some luck. We need some other cars maybe to have a collision or maybe to have a mechanical failure – but rain will help a lot. And our car seems to work quite well in the rain. And also our car is quite competitive here also in the dry. We have to give it a big push, the last chance, and hopefully we can do the same as last year.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Sera) Felipe, which was your happiest moment at Ferrari and which was the toughest one? Can we say the toughest one was after losing the championship here, or the period after the accident in Budapest?
FM: I would say the happiest moment was, I think, the first time I won in Brazil, 2006, with the green and yellow overalls. I think that was definitely the best moment for me. You know how important it is for a Brazilian to win at home. If you remember well, Senna was more happy to win in Brazil than to win a championship so you can see how important it is for a Brazilian to win here. It was a very special moment, not just that time but even 2008 was a special moment. I won the race here, it was Sao Paulo, quickest lap. It was other championships, not here in Brazil, you know, before. I think the toughest moment was… definitely the accident was not a great moment and maybe the race in Hockenheim, 2010.
Q: (Marc Surer – Sky Germany) Mark, you must be very pleased next year that there are no standing starts any more for you. I hardly remember a perfect start from you. Can you explain us what is so difficult about starting a modern Formula One car?
MW: Austin was very good. Austin was a great start. Austin was a good start.
Q: Sadly the Frenchman behind you got a better start.
MW: That’s right. I think that my reaction… first of all, we are not completely in a position like Ferrari with their clutches. We know they have a very very good start system so they’re stronger than us on the initial…
FM: If you want we can change the downforce…
MW: So yeah, our initial starts, the initial part has not always been consistent and then I think my reaction to this inconsistency is not as good as it could be. So when you go for the second lever, when you go for the KERS, when you go for the slip control, especially on the Pirellis… with the Bridgestones, you could slip the tyre a little bit more and you get no penalty. With the Pirellis, you slip the tyre a little bit and you lose time so I think that… We’ve never seen Sebastian go through the row in front either. We’re either holding position or losing and Seb has got the starts just OK because I think he can manage some of the problems but for me, it has not, particularly in the last few years. The Bridgestone years we were fine, 2010 was actually pretty good but in the last few years it has not been our strength and it has not been a strength of mine. But I enjoy the starts. I’m relaxed on the grid, I could sing a song to the guys, it’s not something which… when the lights are on, it’s a great part of the Grand Prix but of course, it’s a part of the weekend that, if you look at Austin, it’s a big part of the weekend that needs to… Maybe I should have done ‘bike racing because in ‘bike racing you can overtake but in Formula One now, it’s less easy to recover because in traffic with the tyres, blah blah blah it’s a big part.
Q: Before we continue with our questions from our journalists here, I’m pleased to report that Charles Pic has managed to join us this morning. Thanks for coming along. We asked Max and we asked Giedo about their futures in Formula One; it would be wrong not to ask you about next season and how negotiations are going?
Charles PIC: Yeah, sorry, first, for the delay. I was doing the trackwalk because we had a mistake with the scheduled programme. For next year, I think the logical thing for me would be to stay at Caterham but it’s not sure. I think there are still many seats available for next year so nothing is sure for the moment so we will see.
Q: How difficult is it for a driver and a driver as young as yourself to be thinking, ‘do you know what, if it doesn’t go right with the negotiations, that might be my time in Formula One and it might have come and gone so, so quickly?’
CP: Yeah but you say that every year, no? So, at the end, I don’t think it’s changing a lot. We try to be focused on the races we are on, so it’s Brazil this weekend and give our best this weekend, try to get good results for the team and then we will see what happens for next year.
Q: Thirteenth or better on the track might help those negotiations along for this weekend and helping Caterham maybe to tenth in the Constructors’ championship. Giedo was saying that the team is praying for rain. Do you believe that the shock result is possible, even without the rain?
CP: I don’t know if it will help the negotiations but for sure it would help the team and it’s the target so we will go for it and see.
Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action and National Speedsport News) Mark, would you like to send a message to Australia and a thank-you to the legions of Australian fans that have supported you ever since that first race with Minardi?
MW: Yeah, well obviously Formula One down there is not the easiest sport to follow, or wasn’t particularly when I was growing up. It’s always on in the middle of the night, there was no internet, blah blah blah. These days it’s a little bit more easy to follow. Obviously we’ve been very very lucky to have an Australian Grand Prix since ’85 in Adelaide and then at Melbourne, so that’s a real tonic for our country to follow the best single-seater category in the world – obviously the pinnacle is Formula One so they are always happy to have the best drivers and the best teams in the world to come down there to compete in Australia and that’s evident with one of the best organised events of the year. So, when they have an Australian racing, that’s a super bonus and when they have an Australian challenging for good results, for them it’s been a good period in the last few years so it’s been phenomenal the amount of support that I’ve had from there, not always easy for them to understand the sport at times but they do what they can and they are very passionate behind their sporting people. I believe that I’ve competed in a way which they would be proud of and I just want to thank them, obviously, for all their amazing messages that I’ve had over the last few weeks and specially this week, it’s been incredible. I look forward to spending a little bit more time down in Oz in the future, I haven’t seen a huge amount of my country since I left there as a young lad so I’m looking forward to spending a bit more time down there, have a look around and I always represented and was proud to race for Australia throughout my career, so the Australian national anthem and the flag for me was very important because I always knew it was not often… there’s only been three race winners so it’s not exactly easy for us to compete at this level and get over to Europe. It’s very special to race for Australia.
Q: (Patricia Sanchez – Motorpasion F1) Mark, already we ask you what are going to miss now you’re leaving, is there something you’re happy to leave behind, maybe us journalists?
MW: Well, I wouldn’t be leaving if there wasn’t things that I’m not happy to leave behind. Obviously if there’s more positives than negatives then obviously I would stay, so there’s more negatives than positives so for me, it’s something that I want a fresh change, a new chapter in my life. Basically I’m ready for that, personally and professionally. Obviously the journos have to do their job, obviously I have a good relationship with quite a few of them, also the photographers for me have been very good for me over the years. Some of the snappers in the room here have been with me for my first test, for example in Estoril in 2001. You strike up good friendships with a lot of people, not just the drivers but other people. Obviously there’s some shit magazines that have to do shit journalism and that’s normal but in the end, you’ve got to deal with those as well but in general it’s a good professional tennis match and that’s how we always like to play it. The journos, I don’t feel negative about the journos at all, they’re doing their job but sometimes they test you of course.
Q: (Luigi Perna – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Felipe, considering all, do you think that Ferrari will miss you in future?
FM: I hope so. For sure, it’s not part of my thinking. I’ve tried to do the best in my career so I really hope Ferrari can have a good future as well, so I have nothing really to complain about, to say. We have had a very good time together and I hope I can have a fantastic future in a different team and I hope it’s the same for Ferrari. I have had zero frustration in my life and I think that’s the way it is.
Q: (Ben Edwards – BBC Sport) Max, your thoughts going into this race, a chance of finishing every single Grand Prix of your rookie season, is that something you’re already thinking about?
MC: Yeah, for sure it’s something I’m proud of, a good achievement so far to finish 18 races. I think it’s broken Tiago’s (Monteiro) record already of 16 but I’m trying not to look into… I’m a little bit superstitious. If you start looking around I feel that I will tempt fate. It’s something I would quite like to keep up. Obviously if I’m put in a position where I have to really fight as hard as I can to keep that 13th and screw the keeping it on the track I will do whatever I can to keep that tenth. It would be nice if I could finish the race on Sunday but it’s not the end of the world if not.
Ends
