INDIA in F1

Tag: grand prix

  • My best race is my next one: Pat Symmonds

    Q: You have recently been appointed Chief Technical Officer of the Williams F1 Team – what does this new challenge entail?

    Firstly, I think it’s a great team. The facilities are top class, we have a huge number of talented people and yet the results on the track are not a reflection of the quality we have. So I think my challenge is to analyse why this is happening, make the changes that are needed to empower the people and really get the focus in one direction: performance.

    Q: What does it mean to you to join the Williams F1 Team?

    Funnily enough I was reminded the other day, by a good friend, that many years ago when I was at Renault I was quoted as saying that the only other team in Formula One that I would work for was Williams. It’s taken me a long while to get here, but now I’m here I’m very happy to be.

    I’ve been here in Grove for a couple of days now and the first thing that strikes me is how welcome I’ve been made. I’ve over 500 new names to learn and I need to learn my way around the place so it’s a bit like the first day at school!  I’m impressed by what I see though: the facilities are fantastic; I know a lot of the people are very good and I feel confident.

    Q: What does it mean to now be working alongside Sir Frank Williams – who has previously been one of your biggest rivals?

    Frank has always been a fierce competitor but one that always competes with a lot of honour and dignity. Sometimes I beat him, sometimes I lost to him but I always had the utmost respect for him. I’m really thrilled that now we can combine our efforts to beat our competitors.

    Q: Looking back at your career – you have worked with many outstanding drivers – who has been the most interesting to work with so far?

    The most interesting are not always the most outstanding and I’ve met many who were very interesting over the years! I’ve always enjoyed working with every driver in different ways. I’ve worked with many outstanding drivers from Senna, Schumacher, and Alonso but if I had to pick one, I do have a special place for Michael (Schumacher). He is obviously a super talent, he very much thinks like an engineer and yet he’s also a really great person, so I definitely have a soft spot for him.

    Q: From what you have seen, what do you think about the team’s current driver line-up of Pastor Maldonado & Valtteri Bottas?

    So far I have really only seen them from the outside. I was able to spend time with both of them on my second day at Grove and what I can see is that they are both extremely committed and determined to see the team progress. I’m looking forward to working together with them to achieve greater success. They strike me as intelligent and committed drivers so let’s give them some equipment to show their talent.

    Q: Your 30 year Formula One career has seen you achieve success with some of the sport’s most accomplished teams and drivers. With 32 race wins, four Drivers’ World Championships and three Constructors’ World Championships – what would you say was your proudest achievement to date?

    I always say my best race is my next one. I’m not really a person that tends to look backwards very much but if you ask me specifically then the mid-90s with Michael and mid-2000s with Fernando, where we had a lot of dominant wins, of course I’m proud of those achievements. But in a different vein, I’m equally proud of the non-racing aspects. The work I’ve done building up various teams and people. It’s nice to see some guys who worked with me when they were very young now in senior positions at various teams. I certainly enjoy the mentoring and development of people.

    Q: What do you hope to bring to Williams and how do you think your working style can benefit the team?

    My primary aim is to bring success back to the team and I will be very singular in my focus to achieve that. I want the people who are working with me to enjoy that success and be an integral part of bringing Williams back to where I think it should be. It will take time to analyse what is happening and improve things but it’s up to me to facilitate this process.

    Q: Coming into the team at this stage, can you make a difference this season or will your focus be on next year?

    There are developments going on for the remainder of this season. We have new parts coming to races as far out as Korea and beyond. They are not things I’ve had influence on but I can see them in the development programme. I hope we can look at some smaller details from the wind tunnel to improve things over the coming races and I’ll be looking at the operational side too. Fundamentality focus has to be much more towards 2014 as it’s an immensely difficult programme, the most difficult we have had to tackle for a long while. The FW36 is well underway and I think it’s important I get my influence onto that. However, my influence will be much more on process rather than detail, so I hope that pays off and leads to the sort of structure that can lead to on-going success for the team.

    ends

  • Pirelli choses Hard and Medium tyres for Spa-Francorchamps

    Spa-circuit-view-of-the-track Pirelli pic 19Aug2013Milan, 19 August 2013: Before the mid-season break, the Formula One teams visited the slowest permanent track on the calendar: the Hungaroring. Now they head to one of the quickest of all: Spa-Francorchamps, in the foothills of the Ardennes. Pirelli is bringing the P Zero Orange hard and P Zero White medium tyres: the two hardest compounds in the range. These are perfectly suited to the high-energy demands of the circuit, with its rapid corners and fast compressions such as the legendary Eau Rouge. One of the key characteristics of Spa is its variable weather conditions, which means that the Cinturato Green intermediate tyres and Cinturato Blue full wet tyres are also likely to be called into play over the course of the weekend.

    Paul Hembery: “Spa is not only an epic circuit, but also one of the biggest challenges for our tyres all year. Mostly this is because of the very high-energy loads that go all the way through the tyres, both vertically – due to the big compressions such as Eau Rouge – and also laterally at fast corners like Blanchimont. Often, the tyres are subjected to forces acting in different directions at the same time, which increases the work still further. So looking after the tyres is very important, particularly as it’s such a long lap. This means that there are a very wide variety of possible strategies available at Spa as well, with plenty of time to be won and lost if the right tactics are chosen. However, any strategy has to be very flexible, because it’s the changing weather that often makes Spa such a fascinating race. The conditions can change extremely quickly, which then makes how the teams use the intermediate and wet tyres the key to success – as we have seen so often in the past. Both our wet-weather tyres have proved their performance over previous races; with the intermediate tyre in particular showing how well suited it is even to inconsistent and drying conditions. There are plenty of overtaking opportunities, and the blend of performance and durability offered by our nominated tyres should maximise those chances this weekend.”

    Jean Alesi: “Spa is a circuit that everyone talks about and over the years I’ve not heard anybody say anything apart from the fact that it is awesome. It’s so fast and so challenging, but one of the key characteristics is the fact that it’s very long. So it’s never monotonous, as you do very few laps compared to other tracks. Managing the tyres takes a special skill: there are lots of fast corners and the length of the track as well as the variable temperatures mean that your tyres can actually cool down after the first part of the circuit. But in qualifying, if you start off with your tyres too warm, then you won’t get the maximum performance from them throughout the entire length of the lap. There’s a huge amount of variation possible in terms of set-up as well: some teams add downforce to get more grip in the mid part of the lap, and that will also have an effect on how the tyres work. Probably the most important characteristic is the high possibility of rainfall. You can have a completely dry corner and then a fully wet track a few corners later. Underneath the water though, the surface is quite abrasive and offers good grip, so you can still drive. The bigger problem is the sudden rivers of water that run across the track in a zigzag shape: you’ve got to know where they are, so that the aquaplaning doesn’t catch you out. There’s also a lot of spray at Spa when it rains, which makes visibility very difficult in wet conditions.”

    The circuit from a tyre point of view:

    Spa is one of the circuits that has featured on the Formula One world championship since it got underway in 1950. While the track has altered radically over the years (the current layout dates from 1979) it maintains its fast and flowing nature, with an average lap speed in the region of 230kph.

    The circuit is just over seven kilometres in length, making this comfortably the longest lap of the year. Cars are on full throttle for around 80% of the lap, sometimes for more than 20 seconds at a time. The variation in the lap means that starting from pole is not as important as it can be on other circuits.

    At high speeds, aggressive camber angles can cause blistering as heat builds up around the edges of the tyres. However, teams are expected to comply with Pirelli’s maximum recommended camber angles, which should help prevent this phenomenon.

    Further information about Spa and the demands it places on tyres, as well as more information about how tyres are tested in the laboratory, can be found on a 3D animated video starring Pirelli’s Racing Manager Mario Isola. This is copyright-free for media use on Pirelli’s Formula One website: www.pirelli.com/f1pressarea

    Technical tyre notes:

    The big compression at Eau Rouge subjects the front tyres to the highest vertical load of the season: 1000 kilograms.

    The top two last year (Button and Vettel) used a one-stop strategy, while the third-placed finisher (Raikkonen) stopped twice. There was also plenty of variation in the start tyres selected: while most drivers started on the medium tyre, Hulkenberg started on the hard tyre and finished fourth with a two-stop strategy.

    The performance gap between the hard and medium tyre is likely to be more than a second per lap.

    The tyre choices so far:

    PZero Red PZero Yellow PZero White PZero Orange
    Australia Supersoft Medium
    Malaysia Medium Hard
    China Soft Medium
    Bahrain Medium Hard
    Spain Medium Hard
    Monaco Supersoft Soft
    Canada Supersoft Medium
    Great Britain Medium Hard
    Germany Soft Medium
    Hungary Soft Medium
    Belgium Medium Hard

    Meet the Pirelli F1 Team: Jaime Alguersuari and Lucas di Grassi, F1 test drivers

    Once more, Pirelli is able to rely on two high-calibre test drivers this year: Jaime Alguersuari and Lucas di Grassi, from Spain and Brazil respectively. Jaime has done the first two tests this season, while Lucas is scheduled to take over later this year.

    Their work consists of assessing the latest experimental compounds from Pirelli during private tests, driving a 2010 Renault that has been modified to replicate the latest regulations. Once they have driven on the prototype tyres, they give their feedback to Pirelli’s engineers about each compound’s characteristics and how the tyres could be improved for the future. The use of two test drivers ensures that the engineers get two different perspectives and opinions: essential when tyres are being developed for a grid of 22 drivers.

    Jaime became the youngest driver to start a Formula One race when he made his debut in 2009, then he completed two further full season with Toro Rosso before becoming a Pirelli test driver, with a best result of seventh in Italy and Korea in 2011. As well as a skilled racing driver, he is also a talented DJ, topping the charts in Spain.

    Lucas drove for the Virgin Formula One team during its debut season in 2010, taking the car to 14th in Malaysia. He joined Pirelli in 2011 and is also a factory Audi driver in endurance racing, finishing on the podium at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours.

    Other news from Pirelli:

    Pirelli recently announced its return to the World Rally Championship next year, making a comeback following its last spell in the WRC as single tyre supplier from 2008 to 2010. This time, three other tyre suppliers have also been appointed to supply the WRC.

    Pirelli’s last outing in Spa was at the Spa 24 Hours last month. This was one of Pirelli’s biggest-ever logistical operations, with 8552 tyres available on site, transported by a convoy of 19 trucks. The fitting service delivered a tyre every 26 seconds on average (over a 22-hour period).

    Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen tested a GP3 car on Pirelli tyres last week. The Finn tried out the car in Barcelona during an official development test. “The GP3/13 is a very good tool for young drivers, especially when you have to learn about tyre management like we have in F1,” he said.

  • It’s an incredible feeling: Hamilton

    FIA transcript of the DRIVERS press conference after the race at the Hungarian GP on Sunday 28 July 2013:

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
    2 – Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (Lotus)
    3 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)

    PODIUM INTERVIEW  (Conducted by Martin Brundle)

    Q: Lewis, when we spoke last night you didn’t believe you could be on pole position and you gave yourself no chance of winning today’s race. How on Earth does it feel now?

    Lewis HAMILTON: It’s an incredible feeling. I really have to say a big thank you to all the fans today for turning up. It was great to see their support. And my team: they just did an incredible job. We studied a lot last night. We were hoping the tyres were going to work for us. We had no idea it was going to go that well — but the last 20 laps was just managing the tyres and cruising.

    Q: Well you got a great start but there were two key moments where you overtook Jenson, so you didn’t lose any time behind him down into turn one and then that turn three pass on Mark Webber, that was just incredible.

    LH: Yeah, I think you could tell I was hungry for it today. I was just going all-out. I needed to get past those people and usually I get stuck in traffic, generally in my races, and today I wasn’t having it. I was going for every move I had.

    Q: Incredible support here for you as always Kimi. P2 on the podium, you really had to work hard for that today.

    Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: Yeah, obviously I keep making my life difficult on Saturdays so then we pay a price but I had a good car and we managed to do two stops so that was the only way really to jump people. In the end it was a bit tight with Seb but in the end it paid off for us and we gained some points in the Championship. So that’s good.

    Q: You made the last set of tyres last 33 laps which is quite spectacular today in these conditions. Surely you thought he was going to have a great chance to pass you towards the end but you just seemed to park your car in the middle of the track and make it so difficult.

    KR: Yeah, I mean I knew it was going to be a bit tight but I felt that the tyres were good still in the last ten laps. So maybe last two laps they drop off quite badly but I didn’t really have any doubts that I couldn’t keep him behind. I had good speed through the last sector so I knew that in the first corner they will not have a chance. Obviously you take a chance always when you make so many laps with a set of tyres – but like I said, the team worked well, everything worked well for us and unfortunately yesterday wasn’t an easy day so otherwise we could probably have fight for a win. But anyhow, we are here.

    Q: Satisfied you take a few points off the World Championship leader?

    KR: Yeah, it’s better than nothing.

    Q: Sebastian, only third but the fans seem pretty happy with that. How do you feel about it?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Well, it was not the best race. The start was difficult but was able to defend second and then Lewis pulled in, we thought we had a little bit more on the soft but the rear tyres seemed to fall apart pretty quickly and then I lost a bit, came out behind Jenson which was crucial and struggled to get past, damaged my front wing which didn’t help, after that managed to get past. It was a long time but lost a bit of speed and basically tried to hang in there, tried to fight back. Very close with Kimi in the end but as he mentioned, he was very quick through the last two corners and then I couldn’t really get him on the straight. So yeah, I did all we could but surely wanted a little bit more today.

    Q: You felt Kimi didn’t leave you enough room at turn four towards the end of the race. You felt that was a bit too close?

    SV: Yeah, I told him but he was laughing only. It was fine. Obviously in the heat of the moment it was quite tight getting into there, I tried to prepare the next corner but nearly lost the car. That’s racing.

    Q: Lewis, two very quick questions. Does this put your World Championship crusade very much back on course and how does this race today compare with your other victories?

    LH: I think this is probably one of the most important grand prix wins of my career. To move to a new team and to win for Mercedes-Benz is just a real privilege. The guys have done an exceptional job, I’m so glad I could be a part of the team and I really couldn’t be happier. I hope there’s many more to come.

    Q: And this year’s World Championship? Surely you’ve still got a chance of it, you’ve got to work hard.

    LH: We’ve got to work hard, you never know how the tyres are going to last elsewhere but if we come here and make our tyres last then we should be able to do it anywhere. So, fingers crossed.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Lewis, congratulations. You weren’t too optimistic yesterday but a lot of factors obviously worked well for you today: good start, getting the traffic right as well and some great overtaking manoeuvres. Tell us about them.

    LH: It’s been a great weekend, really a great weekend. Really didn’t expect it coming in. It’s probably been one of the toughest weeks for me. Obviously we hadn’t had the test, we didn’t do the test, we were on the back foot when we came in. Really wasn’t even expecting to be on pole. Really surprised with that and then yeah, at the start of the race the pace was OK. I think maybe Sebastian perhaps was just as quick or a little bit quicker but fortunately he was behind and my tyres went off just maybe a lap or two before his. I think I called the pitstop just right – the first one – and after that it was just managing the gap. I had to make sure I got past people. I normally get held up in my… I thought when I came behind Jenson I thought it was just my luck because that’s what usually happens. But I got past him and was surprised to see Sebastian and the others get stuck behind him as well. I guess he did me a favour there. But I think generally we had the pace on everyone today. I know I was really controlling the pace, particularly through the second, third and last stint, particularly on the last stint. This is just down to an exceptional job from the team. We came here with upgrades and constantly doing work to try and understand these tyres. I think today we bolted them on and they just worked for us. I really was not inspecting it.

    Q: Kimi, that was a robust defence at the end of the race. I’m not certain if it was a good job interview for joining Red Bull Racing for next year but tell us about it.

    KR: Obviously I don’t have anything for next year so I mean it does matter what happens on a race circuit for that matter. I knew that my tyres are pretty OK and I was good through the last sector so I was pretty sure there was no chance to try to overtake me into the first corner but then obviously turn two was a bit more tricky for me all race. He got a good run, Sebastian once before and then second time and I defended. Maybe I’m over a bit on the right and it’s a bit tight but then I kept him behind and that was the only time he had a good run on me. In there it is very difficult to overtake because it is so narrow on top of the hill. After that I had no issues. That was the only part of the circuit that I really had some problems with the tyres. But it was good work for the team, the car was working well but unfortunately I keep making Saturdays… after Saturdays making the race a bit difficult for myself. Hopefully we can fix that a little bit and be a bit more on the front at the beginning of the race.

    Q: Sebastian a little bit of trouble behind traffic during the race itself. What do you feel about third place?

    SV: Generally happy. Not the best circuit to be stuck in traffic because it’s quite difficult to overtake. I think we had not enough speed on the straights to put people under enough pressure so yeah, obviously got stuck behind Jenson for a long time. Damaged my front wing as well which dropped us back and after that obviously it was about the fight back as much as we could. In the middle of the race I didn’t know where I was. I just tried to hang in there and try to come back as much as we can. In the end obviously quite close with Kimi. We were faster, I had fresher tyres but as I said, no way past. Once I was pretty close up the hill. I think I didn’t have enough room on the outside but it’s pretty difficult to judge. Obviously I couldn’t go around the outside and pass him but I was trying to maybe put him under pressure for the next couple of corners and try to create my chance but yeah, was not a decent gap anyways. So, I tried, didn’t work, we have to be happy with third. The car was good all weekend, there wasn’t much missing. But as I said, I should have done a better job with Jenson in the beginning and especially not damaged my front wing – and then it could have been a different race. But would, could, should. In the end I think we’re happy with third.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Abhishek Tackle – Midday) Lewis,  track temperatures were in their fifties today; would you say you’ve turned the corner with your tyre wear issues and how much of that was work going on back at the factory, and how much of that was the new tyres, new constructions?

    LH: I think it was a bit of both. As I said, coming into the weekend, we are making improvement but not big enough to make the difference it did today so I’m assuming that a large part of that was the tyres. I really wasn’t expecting it. Our long runs didn’t look that great in P2 but I got the balance just spot on today with the front wing and yeah, if we can be quick  here in a race with these track temperatures then I’m very hopeful that we can be competitive everywhere else, so this could be a really good… could be a good turning point for us.

    Q: (Leonid Novozhilov – F1 Life) Lewis, which of the ingredients made the difference in your success today?

    LH: Teamwork, absolutely teamwork. The guys have just been phenomenal all year with the work they do in the garage, preparation of the car, the reliability has been exceptional – obviously not for Nico today – and the team’s in the position where it’s beginning to develop the car still through the season. At this point of the year, last year, they said they weren’t anywhere near making improvements so it’s good to see that. I think hopefully I’m a part of that as well. I feel like I really earned my keep today so I’m really happy for that.

    Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto Motor) Sebastian, we have heard you complaining a bit over the radio two laps from the end when you thought that Kimi didn’t leave you enough room in turn four. Was it serious?

    SV: In the heat of the moment, for sure, obviously it’s narrow there. As I said before, it was clear… or it was to me at that stage that I didn’t find a way past around the outside. First of all, Kimi is not an idiot and secondly, it’s a narrow part of the track so it was clear but I was pushing very hard, trying to create a chance, put him under pressure and as I said, it was clear I didn’t pass him there, but maybe two corners later or something. Yeah, I was not too happy but as I said, it was quite hot this afternoon, I was pushing very hard and it was quite narrow and I was a little bit on the dirt, turning in. You feel that you have to say something so that’s what I said.

    Q: (Kate Walker – GP Week) Sebastian, three weeks ago in Germany, I asked you if you would relish the challenge of having Kimi as your teammate next year and you said you would enjoy having such a competitive teammate. I was wondering if your opinion had changed, now that you had finished behind him.

    SV: There have been races where I have finished behind him, especially in the beginning  of my career – I finished nearly every race behind him. And there are races where I’ve finished ahead of him so that doesn’t really matter. As I said, I think he’s one of the drivers I get along most with. He’s been very honest all the time which I appreciate a lot. I think at the end of the day we’re a group of 20, 22 guys; some of them you like, others you don’t. I think at the end of the day you have to beat everyone. Obviously we enjoy it a lot more as well if you’re fighting other drivers in similar cars, meaning with similar pace, because it’s kind of boring when you’re only fighting your teammate. I think this is something we all enjoy.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Sebastian, at Nurburgring, after your battle with Kimi, you said that one day you will feel as angry as Kimi felt that day. Do you feel angry now?

    SV: I don’t think it was really really angry but obviously it was a battle for the win so I was happy that I succeeded. Today was for second, but still, you know, second is better than third. I’m not entirely happy with my race because I think the car was probably a little bit better than where we finished today but as I described, with the race that I had, I think P3 is what we have to be happy with. It’s not a disaster. We were still on the podium which is nice, a lot of people here which is still very special so I think we have to keep our feet on the ground. I’ve always said that there will be days when there will be people ahead of us and there will be days when we will be ahead of them so it’s just life.

    Q: (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Lewis, do you think that with nine races to go it’s possible to fight for the championship?

    LH: I think it’s too early to… still far too early to… of course, when you have a win like this, you get excited and you think anything is possible and obviously today shows that anything is possible but I think it’s still too early for us to say whether or not we can challenge these guys. I know the guys are working hard so that we can close the gap and I hope today is the first step in doing so but we’ve got a lot of tough races coming up. I just hope that that’s not the last time my tyres work for me.

    Q: (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Sebastian, do you think that today there is some complaint about the strategy because as you said before, you were twice stuck behind McLaren when you came out of the pits?

    SV: Usually in the past it was not a bad thing when you came out behind a McLaren but this year’s a bit different. Yeah, I’m not blaming the team. I think it’s pretty easy (to see) what happened. In the first stint I lost more time on the way to the pits, because the tyres were falling apart (more) than they expected, probably around 1.5s. If you take those away, I come out ahead of him, so I think in terms of strategy they did the right call. Second time round, I think he was on a very used set of soft tyres which was going away quickly and I found my way past pretty quickly as well, so I’m not blaming them. If there’s anything to blame, today, then it’s me because I damaged my wing which wasn’t the best thing.

    Q: (Michael Neudecker – Sud Deutsche Zeitung) To all three of you: how did the high temperatures today affect you, your performance?

    LH: Physically it was quite easy, to be honest. I wasn’t on the ragged edge the whole way. Particularly the last twenty laps I was able to really chill, I was drinking a lot and just trying to bring it home, look after the car and the tyres, yeah, for the first time  ever that I can remember my tyres not being a problem. I think this track has always been good to me. I hope there’s many more like this.

    KR: Obviously I was bit out of tyres at the end because we did a run with a set of tyres but apart from that it was OK. It was a bit hot but as normal as any hot race. No problem.

    SV: Yeah, it was pretty hot, especially, obviously, towards the end of the race when the drink is not cool any more, it’s more like tea, which isn’t the nicest to cool down. But yeah, I think we were probably in a bit of a different situation to Lewis, still fighting towards the end, I was pushing very hard. Every time you get close, you lose some grip. I was struggling to get past, didn’t succeed but yeah, it’s not the only hot race we have during the season.

    Q: (Anthony Rowlinson – F1 Racing) Lewis, does it feel different winning for Mercedes than it did for McLaren?

    LH: I think it feels different. It always feels like it’s the first time, that’s for sure, when you win. I remember the first time I won it was exceptional, an exceptional feeling and today it was a really calming, relaxing feeling when I came across the line. I really wasn’t expecting it. As I said yesterday, I talked it down a lot because I really was expecting a real tough race today, I  thought we were going to fall behind. The experiences I had at McLaren were some of my greatest but I think this is one of the highlights of my career up to now. Moving to a new team and a team that was struggling massively last year and to finally get a win with them after the first nine or ten races is a great feeling.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, now you’ve got some feeling with the new tyres, do you think you have the right package to win in Spa?

    KR: I don’t know. It’s a different circuit. I have no idea. Last year we were not very strong there. I think we know the reasons and for sure our car is better this year but is it good enough for fighting for a win? We will see in Spa in one month.

    Q: (Peter Vamosi – Vas Nepe) Kimi, you are now second in the championship. What does this mean now, at this time, for you and for the next four weeks? Will you go to Enstone and help to develop the car or just have fun and holiday?

    KR: I don’t design the car so there’s not much use for me there. Everybody has to be off work in a week’s time so there’s nothing happening at any of the factories, at least, that’s how it should be. I will do something and see what happens at the next race in four weeks.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Sebastian, if, at the end of the first bend you were first in the race after the start, the story of this race might have been different. And Lewis, I would also like to hear your opinion about that.

    SV: Well I wasn’t so, hard to… If. If. If I was sick today I wouldn’t race so… I think Lewis did a great job today, a good lap yesterday and deserved to win today no doubt. I think we had a bit stronger pace than what we probably had towards the end of the race, but I didn’t do the best job either. I damaged my front wing, I got stuck behind Jenson, didn’t find a way past unlike Lewis so yeah, there are things that I could have done better but it’s hard to say where we could have been without those two things. I think it would have been close. Obviously he had track position, overtaking is difficult, maybe we would have been a bit closer, maybe with strategy we could have found a way past, I don’t know. But in the end, as I said, it wasn’t the case.

    LH: It’s nothing I really want to think about. I got into turn one first, that’s the most important thing. I think if Sebastian was out in the lead it would have been hard to have kept a hold of him but I think generally my second and third and fourth stints were pretty strong. I think I would hopefully have had as good a pace as he would have had so I think it could have been a close race.

    Q: (Gabor Joo – Index)  Kimi, last year you finished second, this year you finished second as well. Are you satisfied with the progress Lotus is making in terms of car development?

    KR: Obviously we always hope for more, myself and the team hopes for more. I think we’ve made progress, for sure.  Now we have tyres that are a little bit different and I wasn’t so happy with how things ran on Friday and yesterday – more happy in qualifying than the whole weekend before that but still not ideal and in the race we usually run better than in qualifying. I was happy with the car in the race but obviously when you start from such a bad starting place it’s difficult to make big progress on this kind of circuit but I managed to do two stops and we’re still pretty competitive so we’re happy how we’ve done but we’re here to try to win races and if we keep finishing second and third like we’ve done many times this year, it’s probably not enough for the championship but the best thing today when we finished second we gained a few points on Sebastian, so it’s better than nothing but with a win it would have been a much bigger difference.

    Q: (Sarah Holt – CNN.com) Lewis, tyre problems cost you your first chance of a win for Mercedes at Silverstone and it’s ironic that now, because of that, the tyres have been changed and here we have them, you’ve got your first win, so does this make up for everything that happened in Britain and if the tyres now suit you, it could have ironically set you up for the rest of the season?

    LH: Well thank you. Yeah, yeah, you can’t really make up for Silverstone.  That was my home Grand Prix, we were in a good position to have won that so I don’t know when I will ever get a chance to win at Silverstone again in front of my home crowd. But this is definitely a great feeling to finally get the win. I’ve been on pole position for the last three races, it’s good to finally not lose position and just stay and be able to hold it and maintain position throughout the race, it’s a good feeling. I came here saying and praying that when we put on these tyres that they would come towards us more than away from us and it seems like they’ve done that: 52/55 degrees track temperatures today, one of the hottest races I think I can remember doing and for a team that really struggles with tyre degradation today was a walk in the park. I’m really baffled… I used all the technique I could possibly use to look after the tyres which I’m sure everyone is doing, but it worked today. I really really hope that when we go to the next race it happens, that we’re able to do the same.

    Q: (Geza Suranyi – Heves Megyei Hirlap) Lewis, you said that this circuit is a classic, so as a four time winner of the Hungarian Grand Prix, perhaps it’s about time to name a corner after you. Which corner would you chose?

    LH: I’d forgotten that it’s four times here. That’s incredible, absolutely incredible, I’m so happy with that. I love it here: the weather’s great, the fans, we have such a great turnout, they have beautiful women here, great food, I really can’t say more about it. A great track. If I was to chose a corner, I would say turn two.

    Ends

  • Sutil’s 100th race ends in disappointment

    Budapest, 28 July 2013: It was a tough afternoon for Sahara Force India in Budapest as both Paul Di Resta and Adrian Sutil retired from the Hungarian Grand Prix. The team is still handing on to the 5th position in the battle for Constructors’ title but with both McLaren drivers finishing in points the lead was narrowed to just two points at the half-way stage of the 19-race Formula One World Championship. In the tenth race of the season at Hungaroring, Jenson Button of team McLaren Mercedes finished 7th with teammate Sergio Perez managing 9th to gain 6 and 2 points respectively. Now Force India has 59 points after 10 races to McLaren’s 57. The Benz team is expected to do well in the second half of the season.
    Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton has taken his first win for Mercedes in Hungary, using a three-stop strategy in some of the hottest conditions seen all year, with ambient temperatures peaking at 35 degrees centigrade. Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen was second with a two-stop strategy while Sebastian Vettel finished third for Red Bull to extend his championship lead over Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso heading into the Formula One summer break.
    Today, Paul di Resta, who started on P18, made a brilliant start and was on P12 at one point of time. But he lost balance and unable to manage tyres, retired. Sutil also retired much earlier.
    After the race Paul said: “I made a good start and was very aggressive on the opening lap. I think I was up to about P12, but from there on it was difficult because I was struggling with the balance and tyre performance. Without the speed we did not have the flexibility to make the strategy work and points were looking out of reach. Towards the end of the race the team called me to the pits because it seems we had picked up a hydraulic issue, similar to the problem with the other car. Over the summer break we will regroup, analyse things properly and take a fresh approach into the second part of the year.”
    Adrian Sutil had a disappointing 100th race of his career. “It’s disappointing not to finish, especially as the race was coming back to me after a poor start on the medium tyres. Just before my pit stop I had a problem with the gear shifts and I could not shift up any more. I came into the pits and it became clear we had a hydraulic problem so the team immediately told me to park the car,” he said.
    Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director, said: “It’s not been the easiest of weekends for us and it’s disappointing to come away from Budapest without any points. Adrian celebrated his 100th Grand Prix this weekend, but he remained out of luck in Hungary and had to retire early with a hydraulic problem. His strategy was looking good so he missed a chance of points today. Paul’s race was quite straightforward, but we did not have the speed to make his three-stop strategy work – despite his superb start. With a few laps to go we noticed a similar hydraulic issue with his car and he also had to retire. With the next race coming up in four weeks’ time, we will analyse our performance and work hard to recapture our form in Spa.”
    ends

    Adrian Sutil poses before his 100th race at Budapest on Sunday. A Sahara Force India photo
    Adrian Sutil poses before his 100th race at Budapest on Sunday. A Sahara Force India photo

  • Hamilton takes pole; Grosjean favourite from P3

    Hungaroring, 27 July 2013: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton claimed his third pole position in a row and his fourth of the season to edge out the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel by less than four hundredths of a second in a tense qualifying session ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

    Red Bull Racing driver Vettel looked set for his own fourth pole of the season after setting an early Q3 benchmark of 1:19.506, eight tenths ahead of Hamilton’s first timed lap of the segment. The championship leader looked to be even more secure when, with his final run, he managed to shave another tenth off his best time, FIA said.

    Hamilton and Mercedes have dominated over a single lap at recent races, and it was not different in Budapest. A superb first sector saw the three-time Hungarian GP winner running three tenths quicker than the Red Bull Racing driver and though he lost time in the middle sector it was a strong enough foundation to allow the Briton to cross the line in P1.

    Afterwards, Hamilton said he had been sure Vettel would be at the head of field.

    “I was surprised when I came across the line and they said I’d got pole,” he admitted. “I had been expecting Sebastian to get it as he’d shown some serious pace. I didn’t even feel that I’d done that great a lap, so I was very surprised.”

    Vettel, meanwhile, felt there “had not been much missing” from his lap and professed himself confident of a good race from P2 on the grid.

    “I think Lewis did a good job,” he said. “I put a strong lap in. I had two sets of new tyres and I was pretty happy with both laps. Maybe on the second try I was losing out a little bit in the middle sector. Maybe I wasn’t aggressive enough there. I would have loved to have been a little bit faster and been on pole but I think it puts us in a great place for tomorrow.”

    Romain Grosjean took third place for Lotus, out-qualifying sixth-placed team-mate Kimi Raikkonen for just the second time this year. Hamilton’s team-mate Nico Rosberg was fourth, with Fernando Alonso fifth for Ferrari ahead of Raikkonen and the second Ferrari of Felipe Massa.

    Toro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo enjoyed another good qualifying session and will line up eighth on the grid. Afterwards he said he had got the maximum from his STR8.

    “It was good to get into Q3 again,” he said. “We seem to make a habit of finding a little bit extra for qualifying, although ideally, I’d like to be on the pace right from Friday and chip away at the lap times within the top ten. I think we got the most out of the car this afternoon. I was happy with the way I drove and I am pleased with my form at the moment.”

    Behind him, McLaren’s Sergio Perez recovered from a FP3 crash that left his crew building his car around him at the start of qualifying to claim ninth.

    For Mark Webber, though, it was a frustrating session. A soon as he took to the track for the first time in Q1, the Red Bull Racing driver was told he had a KERS failure. He made it through to the second phase of the session in P13 and dug deep in Q2 to claim P8 and a spot in the top-10 shootout. However, on his first run in the final segment, he encountered another problem and abandoned his run. He failed to emerge from the garage again and will line up tenth.

    “That was a massively disappointing qualifying session,” said Webber. “Obviously we had a lot of issues with the car and we left a lot of lap time in the garage, with items which weren’t working on the car at their optimum. We had no KERS, and a basic gearbox setting that we couldn’t get out of, which cost a lot of lap time.”

    Elsewhere there were few surprises, save for the Q1 exit of Paul Di Resta. The Scot will line up 18th and afterwards said he had no explanation for his lack of pace.

    “A tough session and I am a bit confused as to why we struggled so much on the soft tyre,” he said. “Throughout all the sessions we’ve looked more competitive on the softs, but in Q1 they just didn’t switch on. We’ve given ourselves a lot of work to do tomorrow, but we will go away and come back refreshed and ready to fight.”

    2013 Hungarian Grand Prix Qualifying result

    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:19.388
    2 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:19.426
    3 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:19.595
    4 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:19.720
    5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:19.791
    6 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus 1:19.851
    7 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:19.929
    8 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:20.641
    9 Sergio Pérez McLaren 1:22.398
    10 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing no time
    11 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:20.569
    12 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber 1:20.580
    13 Jenson Button McLaren 1:20.777
    14 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:21.029
    15 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:21.133
    16 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:21.219
    17 Esteban Gutiérrez Sauber 1:21.724
    18 Paul di Resta Force India 1:22.043
    19 Charles Pic Caterham 1:23.007
    20 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:23.333
    21 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:23.787
    |22 Max Chilton Marussia 1:23.997

    ends

  • I was surprised with pole position: Hamilton

    DRIVERS

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
    2 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)
    3 – Romain GROSJEAN (Lotus)

    TV UNILATERAL

    Q: Congratulations Lewis, a phenomenal pole position, a phenomenal time on what is a very challenging circuit I think.

    Lewis HAMILTON: Thank you. Yeah, it is. Especially with the temperatures and everything. That makes it pretty tough but I was really surprised when I came across the line and they said I got pole. I was expecting Sebastian to get it because he had shown some serious pace before. And it didn’t even feel that great a lap so that’s why I was quite surprised.

    Q: When we saw Sebastian’s time we thought surely it’s not possible to beat him – yet you did so.

    LH: As I said, I’m really surprised. I felt maybe he made a mistake or something. But I think as always it’s down to the… we bought some upgrades this weekend. The guys have been working incredibly hard to try to catch everyone and they’re just doing a phenomenal job. It’s a result of all the hard work they’ve put in.

    Q: A tough circuit here. Surely pole position is very, very important because it’s so difficult to overtake?

    LH: It definitely helps. It’s very difficult to follow here. If you can get off the… it’s a long way down to Turn One from the start but if you can get into Turn One first, try and hold your position then it’s definitely advantageous. But looking after the tyres in these conditions is going to be, as always, trouble. These guys are going to be ridiculously fast so trying to keep ahead of them or hold onto them is going to be the challenge tomorrow.

    Q: Sebastian. I have to say we thought you surely had it in the bag with that time. Did you feel the same?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Well there wasn’t much missing so I think Lewis did a good job. I put a strong lap in, I had two sets of new tyres and I was pretty happy with both laps. Maybe on the second try I was losing out a little bit in the middle sector. It’s very twisty and a lot of corners in a short amount of time. Maybe I wasn’t aggressive enough there. But it’s stupid to sit here now and say “we should have done this, we should have done that.” At the end of the day I was pretty happy with my lap but it was just not quick enough. Obviously Mercedes have a very strong pace in qualifying. I think Lewis did an exceptional job today if you look also at the gap to Nico, so you have to be fair and respect that. I’m not arguing with that. Surely I would have loved to be a little bit faster and to be on pole but still I think it puts us in a great place for tomorrow. I think we have a good car and good pace also for the race. Shame that in the other car Mark had an issue. He didn’t have KERS and had a problem with the gearbox so had slow upshifts so he was basically not having an attempt for the front and the first couple of positions but still I think we should have a good race tomorrow because the car feels fine. I’m quite confident.

    Q: Romain, you were second on the grid here last year, finished third. You’re in the first three again this year. It must be a lucky circuit for you, do you feel that?

    Romain GROSJEAN: Well I don’t know! I quite like the circuit but it doesn’t mean much unfortunately. It has been a good weekend so far, been working pretty hard with the team, trying to get the best out of the car. Our last lap was a pretty good lap, not missing much to get even more ahead but those guys were really quick so I think it’s good to be here. The race is very long tomorrow and it’s hot so we will see what we can do and what we can get as a best result.

    Q: And both the long and short runs have been good in practice?

    RG: Yeah, they were pretty all right yesterday. I think the Option is quite a tough tyre to make last but then the medium one was all right on our car. With the temperature coming up it can change a little bit the things. It was the case last race. My first stint was very long just because the tyres held up pretty well. Hopefully tomorrow is going to be the case again and then I can try to have a go. But we’ll decide when the time comes.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Lewis, how much of a worry is the long-run pace for the race tomorrow? Particularly given the heat?

    LH: It is what it is, y’know? It’s been the same for a long time. We don’t come into the race and it’s a surprise to us. That’s what it is. It’s great to have the pole position but it doesn’t really mean a lot throughout the weekend. Obviously the race is where we score the points. It’s going to be tough tomorrow. It didn’t feel like a disaster through our long runs but it definitely wasn’t as good as the guys next to me. So, that’s the way it is.

    Q: Sebastian, this is a trophy that’s missing from the trophy cabinet. You reduced that number by one last time in the German Grand Prix. How badly do you want this one?

    SV: Well, hopefully… I’m not that young anymore but hopefully I’ve got a couple of years left and I’m not in a rush. Obviously it’s a very nice race, a lot of fans coming, especially from Austria to support our team. So, yeah, that’s great, a great atmosphere and it would be very nice to win here. It’s a shame that they don’t have the nice, traditionally trophy any more. Instead we get this, I don’t know, this six-legged dog as the trophy on the podium the last couple of years. But, no, I think we are in a good position. Pretty happy with qualifying, obviously I would have loved to have been on pole but Lewis did a good job, as I said before. So we’ll see what we can do tomorrow. I’m sure it’s going to be hot and a lot will be decided over the tyres. We’ll see what we can do.

    Romain, you were on the podium last year. Is there a certain confidence after last year’s performance and this year’s performance as well? You were fastest this morning and now here you arte third fastest on the grid.

    RG: As I said, this has been a pretty good weekend so far and the car is behaving pretty well. The main job was to try to get those new tyres to work properly and it didn’t change night and day, so that was a good surprise from yesterday morning. And then, just trying to improve the car lap after lap, and that’s what we did. The long run yesterday was OK. It felt OK in the car, which was important. Then tomorrow we will see with the race. We will see different strategies I guess and we’ll try to get the best of our car when we get free air and stuff like that.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto-Motor) Sebastian you have mentioned in the [TV] press conference that maybe you were not aggressive in the middle sector. Was it because you though you virtually had pole and you didn’t want to take too many risks.

    SV: No, surely not. In the end, I wasn’t on holiday. If you could, then I would say have a go and try to do the same time. I lost a little bit of time there and should have been more aggressive. That doesn’t mean I didn’t push but maybe I should have pushed a little bit harder and a little bit extra to get some more time. I think the time Lewis did was in the car but it’s always easy with hindsight to say you could have done a little bit more here or there but as a fact, we did not, so we deserve P2 today.

    Q: (Leonid Novozhilov – F1 Life) Romain, what does it mean your little smile. Is this success for you, this third place, or maybe you want more?

    RG: I do always smile, so it’s hard to read on that. It’s OK. You always want better and I think we had a tough quali and it’s really hot in the car and I gave a good effort to get there. It’s good to be in the top three. This morning we were fastest but we knew it would be very tight and again it is. I’m, pretty pleased with the gap which is behind. Tomorrow’s race is long and a different story. I was a bit surprised by the Mercedes being that quick but in the race we know it’s a different story.

    Q: (Kate Walker – GP Week) Lewis, your pole has demonstrated that your qualifying pace has not been affected by the new Pirelli constructions. What kind of feelings do you have about your long run pace, about the race tomorrow and especially the fifty degree plus track temperatures we are anticipating?

    LH: I’m not really looking forward to it. I was just saying to Sebastian, it’s just a shame that we obviously have good pace… we’ve got a good car so I think if we didn’t have the tyre issues we would be able to compete with the guys in the race. It sucks in the way that I’m not able to have a race with these guys but we will do the best we can tomorrow. The tyre degradation is an issue and no matter what rules change or whatever solutions we find, so far, generally it seems very difficult for us to improve. But we’re just working away at it and hopefully we will get there before the rules change again for next year, different tyres come in. Otherwise it’s just trying to get as many points as we can and trying to hold on to Sebastian for as long as I can.

    Q: (Peter Vamosi – Vas Népe) Lewis, Michael Schumacher won here four times at the Hungaroring with two different teams. You can be the next one tomorrow. Is there any more pressure because of that?

    LH: No. I really am not bothered at all about beating someone else’s record  or matching someone else’s record. I’ve been very fortunate to have had a good car for quite a few years when I’ve come here with McLaren and I was privileged to have the opportunity with them and obviously now we are in a good position but now I don’t envisage tomorrow being a win for us. We’ve got a steep hill to climb tomorrow with these tyres and in these conditions. If we did win it would be a miracle and I would be really happy with it of course but I still feel the win is a while off.

    Q: (Sarah Holt – CNN.com) Romain, it looked like the new tyres have actually helped you as opposed to your teammate. Is that a fair reading?

    RG: No, I don’t think it is. I think at Silverstone and Nurburgring we were very competitive and to be honest I haven’t really found exactly the same feeling as I had last year with the tyres. I think we are just doing a good job with the car. That we struggled at the beginning of the year is not a secret with mapping and stuff like that, but since then we have found what I need to bring the car where I want to and it’s getting better and better. I don’t think those tyres have changed the deal massively.

    Q: (Sarah Holt – CNN.com) There was another close race between you and Seb in Germany; now you have another chance to do that tomorrow. Is there any chance that Lewis might hinder you as you chase after him tomorrow?

    RG: Well, he’s on pole at the moment, so he’s the one with the advantage on the grid but then it’s just up to how the tyre reacts in the race, what the degradation is like, when people pit, the strategy and stuff like that. We know the track is quite short and you can easily fall into traffic which cost me the win here last year in the second stint, so it’s just up to us to get the best out of everything I can.

    Q: (Abhishek Takle – Midday) Sebastian, how difficult do you think it’s going to be for you to keep Romain behind, given that he’s qualified so close to you and he could potentially run longer on the soft tyre?

    SV: Well, it depends, obviously. We know that the Lotus usually is very good with its tyres, exceptional to everybody else. I think we are in a good position too so we will see. At the moment, as Romain said, Lewis is leading the pack and then we go from there. The race is long, the first corner is only a small part of it so we will see what happens at the start and after that it could be all different already. It’s a long way to go, it’s a lot of laps here, 70 laps, it’s a long race, it’s going to be hot so I think it will be tough for drivers but also for the cars in terms of cooling. I think we’re all on the limit. It will be a long race and surely tyres will be important but I think we are confident, as confident as we can be. How strong the Lotus will be I don’t know. On the long runs they don’t look anything special but we saw the same at Nurburgring on the Friday so let’s see what happens tomorrow.

    Q: (Zolt Godina – Best of Radio) Lewis, do you have problems with the car in terms of driving, as in the first part of the season?

    LH: It’s still not the easiest to set up but we’ve not done a bad job this weekend as we have managed to get through the last couple of races, getting quite high up. I love the car and I’m constantly growing with it and improving with it. Each qualifying I get into I’m getting stronger and more confident as to how to get the best out of the car. I hope there’s more to come.

    Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto Motor) We are hearing – it will be announced tomorrow – that the contract for the Hungaroring will be extended until 2021. Could you please all comment on that, if you are happy to come to the Hungaroring?

    LH: I love it here. I love the track, I’ve had good experiences every time I’ve come since 2006. Budapest is a beautiful place. We have a good turn-out every time we come, great weather. We can’t really complain so I’m happy that it’s on the calendar. It’s a historic circuit so I’m proud to have put my name to it and when I retire someone else will come but I’m grateful to be around when it’s here.

    SV: Yeah, not much more to add. I think the race has been here since ’86 so it is already a tradition to come here. Obviously it’s very special to have a lot of fans always coming despite the fact that it’s very hot and they usually leave the track with big sunburn. Yeah, they love coming here, a lot of people from Germany, from Austria which is obviously very special for us. Looking forward to the next couple of years and I think it’s a good message. The only downside probably is the fact that usually overtaking around here is not that easy but I think it’s a great place, nevertheless.

    RG: I was planning to stay on holiday a little bit next year after the race so it’s great news. I love the city, I love the place so I’m pleased with that.

    Q: (Jerome Pugmire – Associated Press) Yesterday, team principals were divided in opinion as to whether there should be more races on the calendar. As drivers, do you think there should be more?

    SV: I think it’s enough, twenty is enough races. Maybe for us (drivers) it’s possible to have another one here or there but especially for the teams, in terms of logistics and for team staff I think it’s already a big effort, very little time, very few weekends to spend at home with their families, with their kids. I think you mustn’t forget about that and therefore I think twenty races is already a lot. Five years ago or ten years it was only 16 races so it’s already a lot more and I don’t think more than twenty races is good for the teams.

    LH:  I love racing so I could race every weekend if I had to, but as Sebastian said, it’s difficult for the guys in the garage and people back at the factory. They’re constantly on the edge, and particular the guys who are travelling, as you said, seeing their families and stuff. I’m sure if I went into the garage and asked my guys if they wanted to race more I’m sure they would say they would but they would also miss their families.

    RG:  I quite agree with Seb. Twenty is pretty alright and it’s tough for everyone so why not some more testing but twenty races is about good.

    Q: (Jeroen Huis in T Veld – Jhed Media B.V) We’ve talked about the heat a lot and what it does to the tyres but what does it do to you, Lewis, physically and even more, in tomorrow’s race for two hours in the heat?

    LH: It’s not really that bad, to be honest. I’ve not really noticed the heat too much so far this weekend. Malaysia is usually the biggest killer and Singapore, obviously, with the humidity but it’s not that humid here. It’s nice and warm and of course it would be nice to be cooler in the car but by this time of the season you are used to it so just have to make sure you drink plenty and that’s it.

    Q: (Gabor Joo– Index) Romain, do you expect one pit stop less than the other two guys tomorrow?

    RG: How much do you plan? I don’t know. It really depends on how it goes. I think again it’s a question of how long you can go in the first stint without losing too much time or gaining time and then the strategy guy will be on the pit wall making all the calculations and working harder to give me the best chance.

    Ends

    Hamilton takes pole ahead of Sebastian Vettel (left) and third placed Romain Grosjean, who is expected to have a better grip of tyres on race day. A M
    Hamilton takes pole ahead of Sebastian Vettel (left) and third placed Romain Grosjean, who is expected to have a better grip of tyres on race day. A M

  • Grosjean tops final FP 3

    Hungaroring, 27 July 2013: Romain Grosjean took top spot in the final practice session ahead of qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, his time of 1:20.730 beating out Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso by just under two tenths of a second.

    The morning’s third quickest time went to McLaren’s Sergio Perez, who then crashed soon after Grosjean had completed his timesheet-topping lap. The Mexican driver’s Turn 11 slide into the barriers precluded any further improvement in times, an FIA release said.

    The session began in predictable fashion with installation laps giving way to runs on the medium Pirelli tyre. Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen was the first to set a realistic benchmark 15 minutes in, with a lap of 1:22.717.

    That was soon beaten by Grosjean but as the session approached the half way point, Lewis Hamilton leapt to the top of the order with a lap of 1:22.266. The Mercedes driver then bettered that with a lap of 1:21.942, the only driver to dip below 1m22s on the medium tyre.

    Friday’s quickest man, Sebastian Vettel, was noticeable by his absence from the top 10 on the prime tyre. The championship-leading driver chose to focus on a long opening run, recording 20 laps on a single set of medium tyres before returning to his Red Bull Racing garage to take on soft tyres for the final part of the hour.

    Alonso was the first out on the option tyre and immediately eclipsed Hamilton’s medium tyre best by a full second, the Ferrari driver posting a lap of 1:20.898. Grosjean then moved into P1 with six minutes to go but when Perez crashed out the improvements came to a halt, leaving the Frenchman top, ahead of Alonso and the unfortunate Perez.

    Behind them, Vettel moved to P4 on the soft tyre, ahead of Felipe Massa in the second Ferrari. Hamilton took sixth for Mercedes, with Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber seventh. The final top 10 places went to Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg, McLaren’s Jenson Button and Force India’s Adrian Sutil.

    Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez was the only driver who failed to set a time in the session. The Mexican completed two installation laps before he returned to the garage with an engine problem that sidelined him for the rest of the session.

    2013 Hungarian Grand Prix Free Practice 3 times
    1 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:20.730
    2 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:20.898 +0.168
    3 Sergio Pérez McLaren 1:21.052 +0.322
    4 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:21.125 +0.395
    5 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:21.151 +0.421
    6 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:21.158 +0.428
    7 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:21.254 +0.524
    8 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:21.356 +0.626
    9 Jenson Button McLaren 1:21.499 +0.769
    10 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:21.519 +0.789
    11 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus 1:21.589 +0.859
    12 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:21.646 +0.916
    13 Paul di Resta Force India 1:21.963 +1.233
    14 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber 1:21.964 +1.234
    15 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:22.180 +1.450
    16 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:22.423 +1.693
    17 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:23.028 +2.298
    18 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:23.975 +3.245
    19 Charles Pic Caterham 1:23.987 +3.257
    20 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:24.298 +3.568
    21 Max Chilton Marussia 1:25.122 +4.392
    22 Esteban Gutiérrez Sauber No time

    ends

  • Sahara Force India has a busy Free Practice sessions

    Hungaroring, 26 July 2013: It was a busy day of free practice for Sahara Force India at the Hungaroring where it saw Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta work through a comprehensive tyre programme ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying session.

    Adrian Sutil      VJM06-03
    FP1:     1:23.390            P7        20 laps
    FP2:     1:22.304            P10      41 laps
    Adrian: “It was a positive morning session and quite early on I had found a good balance with the car. In the afternoon we were working mainly on the tyres and trying to get the most from them. I felt better on the soft compared to the medium, but it was tricky to get them working all the time. The main thing is that we got some good information and we can hopefully improve things for tomorrow. Apart from the tyres the overall balance is good: the car behaves well under braking and on turn-in, and I’m feeling comfortable.”
    Paul Di Resta   VJM06-04
    FP1:     1:24.608            P18      21 laps
    FP2:     1:22.526            P11      39 laps
    Paul: “It’s not been the most straightforward of days and right from the start of practice I was chasing the set-up of the car. We definitely made some progress this afternoon, but there are a lot of things to discuss tonight to try and get on top of things ahead of qualifying. Today was the first chance to really start doing performance work with new tyre construction and we managed to do 60 laps, which gives us lots of information going into the weekend.”
    Jakob Andreasen, Chief Race Engineer
    “Changing tyre construction mid-way through the season presents a lot of challenges so today’s programme was largely focussed on learning more about the medium and soft compound tyres. It proved tricky to find the right operating window consistently, but it has been a very useful day in terms of learning and gathering the right data. As for the car balance, we made steady progress. Paul had a difficult morning but was happier with the car by the end of FP2. Adrian’s feedback was encouraging and he was inside the top ten during both sessions. With the high temperatures set to continue over the weekend, it’s clear that we still have some work to do.”
    ends

    Adrian Sutil at Hungary on Friday. A Sahara Force India photo
    Adrian Sutil at Hungary on Friday. A Sahara Force India photo

  • Vettel fastest in both Free Practice sessions

    Hungaroring, 26 July 2013: Having been fastest in FP1, Red Bull Racing continued that form into the afternoon with Sebastian Vettel again going quickest, though this time by a much smaller margin over team-mate Mark Webber ahead of the 10th race of the season at the Hungaroring circuit here on Friday.

    Romain Grosjean was third fastest for Lotus, ahead of the Ferrari’s of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. Behind them the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were sixth and seventh, Kimi Räikkönen was eighth quickest in the second Lotus. Jenson Button was ninth for McLaren and Adrian Sutil rounded out the top-ten for Force India, an FIA release said.

    Vettel’s time of 1:21.264 was set at the half-hour mark. He was already P1 at that point, having been the quickest man in the opening exchanges on the medium tyre. Having changed to the soft compound he improved by 1.2 seconds, setting his fastest time on his first flying lap with the yellow-banded tyre. Webber slotted into P2 a lap later.

    The final hour of Friday practice was dominated by long runs, with drivers conducting race simulations. With track temperatures above 40°C tyre performance fell off quickly and no one threatened to match Vettel’s headline time. The circuit remained slippery and, as had been the case in the morning, many drivers struggled with grip, sliding over the kerbs and into the run-off areas.

    Hungarian Grand Prix Free Practice 2 results

    1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:21.264
    2 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:21.308 +0.044
    3 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:21.417 +0.153
    4 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:21.426 +0.162
    5 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:21.544 +0.280
    6 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:21.802 +0.538
    7 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:21.991 +0.727
    8 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus 1:22.011 +0.747
    9 Jenson Button McLaren 1:22.180 +0.916
    10 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:22.304 +1.040
    11 Paul di Resta Force India 1:22.526 +1.262
    12 Sergio Pérez McLaren 1:22.529 +1.265
    13 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:22.781 +1.517
    14 Esteban Gutiérrez Sauber 1:22.837 +1.573
    15 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber 1:22.841 +1.577
    16 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:23.369 +2.105
    17 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:23.411 +2.147
    18 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:23.646 +2.382
    19 Charles Pic Caterham 1:24.325 +3.061
    20 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:25.065 +3.801
    21 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:25.143 +3.879
    22 Max Chilton Marussia 1:26.647 +5.383

     

    ends

    File photo of Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull. Photo courtesy FIA.
    File photo of Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull. Photo courtesy FIA.

  • I’m not a title contender at the moment: Hamilton

    DRIVERS – Esteban GUTIERREZ (Sauber), Paul DI RESTA (Force India), Valtteri BOTTAS (Williams), Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes), Kimi RAIKKONEN (Lotus), Pastor MALDONADO (Williams)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Good afternoon. We’ll start with Lewis Hamilton. As a three-time winner here and a two-time pole-sitter, I think the heat is on, literally, here this weekend for you to try to make it four wins. Forty degrees ambient expected on Sunday, how much is that going to be a disadvantage to you and Mercedes?

    Lewis HAMILTON: It’s good to see everyone again. It’s going to be tough this weekend definitely – the conditions will not help. Plus, we haven’t driven the tyres as everyone else has. We’ve got a bit of catching up to do, but that’s what we do best and we just have to work as hard as we can this weekend to try to understand the tyres and put ourselves in the best position possible. We have a lot of work to do to continue to improve our race pace, but I anticipate it will be a difficult weekend.

    Do you think you are at more of a disadvantage, are you worse off, or is every team in the same boat with the temperatures this weekend?

    LH: I’m sure everyone is going to have to open up their cars, so everyone in in the same boat in terms of car packaging and the heat that the cars are absorbing. Tyre-wise, of course there are teams that will deal with it slightly better than us, just naturally, and there are some people that will deal with it the same as us.

    Nine races into your Mercedes career and we’re almost at the half-way point of the season. Do you see still yourself as a championship contender?

    LH: I don’t really look at myself as a championship contender at the moment. Of course, we’re fourth, we’re second as a team in the Constructors’ Championship, so… just at the beginning of the season everyone was writing me off and then all of a sudden they changed their opinions and we’ve had some really good results. That’s just due to all the hard work the team are putting in and we’re not giving up. We’re going to keep pushing. We hope that we’re going to get some wins in the future races coming. It’s going to be tough but I’m really happy with how the season has gone so far, especially compared to where the team was last year, it’s a massive step.

    Let’s turn to Pastor Maldonado next. Can we start with a comment about Williams’ appointment in the last few days of Pat Symonds, who comes in as technical director. From a driver’s perspective, how welcome is that and how necessary do you think it was that the team have a new technical director and new leadership in that part of the company?

    Pastor MALDONADO: We had a hard beginning to the season with the car, fighting a lot to improve and develop the conditions and the performance. It’s quite tough for us, still. We try to put everything together in the past races. Some races we were a bit better, some others not. Especially the consistency and the race pace is quite good on our car, just missing a lot of performance in quali which is penalising us a lot. Starting from the back is not the best for us. Yeah, I think we need some change. The way, how we’ve been working, trying to improve out performance was not the best and for sure any change in a good way is very welcome.

    What about yourself at the moment? I think ‘silly season’ is very much upon us, a few rumours in the press about your future career. Did you take much notice of that? Can it be a destabilising factor for a driver?

    PM: No, I’m still full focused on the season. I think we can still improve. We are a strong team. Last year we were fighting for good places, sometimes even fighting for the podium and this year, some years you miss the pace. We just need to be together as a team, work harder than before, try to fix the problem and to be there again. I think we have all the tools to become again very competitive.

    Thanks Pastor. Esteban, let’s turn to you next. Looking at the championship table, you’re the leading rookie, how do you assess your performance in the first half of your first Formula One season?

    Esteban GUTIERREZ: It’s been very challenging. Obviously I’m not completely happy with how the first part of the season went. But again, being a rookie I’ve been focusing a lot on gaining a lot of experience to improve every part I can. I think what matters is the second half of the season, Everything will be judged on how the second half goes and I’m full focused on what is happening from now own.

    What areas have you been focusing on most? Where do you think improvements need to be made?

    EG: I think qualifying can be improved a lot. There’s obviously a lot of variable playing into account on performance, sometimes different car set-ups, different things, trying to experiment with new things. Obviously this puts the situation a little bit more difficult. The team’s situation is not the best. We were expecting a lot better performance from the car. But we are close as a team and we are working ourselves to get all these things right.

    Q: Because of that situation you mentioned with the team, do you feel you haven’t had the full opportunity to show exactly what you can do?

    EG: Well, definitely it’s affecting that, but as I said the second part of the season there is a good chance to show what is really our performance, our capabilities and obviously to put everything together, to reflect everything in the results.

    Q: Valtteri, if we could turn to you, the other rookie amongst us this afternoon. Did you feel you’ve had the opportunity to fully show your ability behind the wheel or is the performance of the car not helping you?

    Valtteri BOTTAS: I think for sure it’s not helping. Also we expected a much better start for the season. If you would be consistently fighting in the top ten, everyone would see maybe a bit more of what you can do. It’s not easy but I’m trying my best and I think still improving a lot all the time. I think the first half of the season hasn’t been too bad for me. Of course when I look back there’s always things you could have done better. You learn all the time, that’s how it is.

    Q: With Pat Symonds arrival, is it too much to expect results will turn around this year, very quickly? As a driver is that something you will be looking for?

    VB: Of course you would hope so but I think the fact is it’s not a quick fix. It’s still going to take time and we need to keep working on the areas where we need to improve and I think it’s more about the future, not necessarily the end of the year. Of course we try to improve. Any improvement would be nice because it’s so close at the moment. For me it’s a positive thing. It was good to work with Mike before but I think at this stage maybe we just need some new ideas and new opinions.

    Q: Paul, a change to the tyres again this weekend. 2012 construction, 2013 compounds, you had a chance to drive with them at Silverstone. Force India, some say, might be disadvantaged by these tyr

    Paul di Resta of Sahara Force India (left) with an engineer at Nurburgring on Thursday. An FIA photo
    Paul di Resta of Sahara Force India (left) with an engineer at Nurburgring on Thursday. An FIA photo

    e changes. How fearful are you that this could be proved true?

    Paul DI RESTA: It’s a hard one. Obviously we got a little bit of an impression at Silverstone but I think it was directed to enable Pirelli to understand their tyre more, that they’re bringing for the rest of the season. Tomorrow’s going to be busy, it’s the first time that we get to try some setup things and actually understand them but yes, we did have a good idea of where the tyres were working and how to use them over a race distance. That’s not to say that this won’t continue and, on the flip side, it may suit the car better. It’s completely unknown. All we can do is do what we can and the team is working hard to try and score some points because we missed them in the Nürburgring.

    Q: In terms of this season, it’s been a successful season for yourself and for Force India but with resources tight at the team and the concentration having to come on 2014 eventually. As a driver, how difficult is that balancing act going to be? I’m sure you want to fully focus on 2013 and not so much on 2014 at the moment.

    PDR: It’s certainly a harder balance this year, I think, with the new regs for next year. I think everybody at the factory is probably focussed on next year whereas we as a race team are focussed on this year. Just a lot of racing, a lot of points and a lot of laps that we need to be on top of our game. Ultimately where we reward ourselves, this will help the team next year in terms of Constructors’ position. That’s why I think everybody here is trying to stay on top of McLaren if we can. We can’t underestimate what they are and what they do. Up until the last weekend of racing we were having a damn good season and there’s no reason why we can’t get our elbows out and fight even harder.

    Q: Kimi, like Lewis you’ve had plenty of success in Hungary. I think one more podium and you equal the record for the most about of podiums for a driver here. With the high temperatures, does that play into your hands a little bit on Sunday? If we go on the form of Germany, we assume it should do.

    Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: I think we’ve always been a bit more happy when it’s more warm. Now it’s a bit difficult to say with the new – or different – tyres than we raced at the beginning of the year but last year helped us and the tyres should be a mix of this year and last year so let’s hope that it works well for us.

    Q: You didn’t go to Silverstone. Did you think twice that maybe you should?

    KR: No. The decision was made with the team that there was not really so much… it was better for the team to put a young driver in it because we were not allowed to do any changes as a race driver, so with that sort of rules you don’t really learn much. We would only have had one set of tyres or so, and so it was overall better for the team to use our test drivers.

    Q: Red Bull? Lotus? Maybe somewhere else? It’s silly season and you seem to be, you appear to be if the stories are true, very much a man in demand.  When you look at next season and where you may or may not be driving, what are the factors that go through your mind in helping you make that decision?

    KR: There’s not really one thing. I think there is going to be an overall package and whatever feels right for me. Whatever the decision will be it might feel stupid to somebody else but then it might feel right for me. I have no idea what will happen. We have to wait and see what will come but hopefully whatever it will be, it will be the right choice.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Gerhard Potochnik – Kleine Zeitung) We are talking about the future; a few days ago Red Bull and Bernie Ecclestone announced that there would be an Austrian Grand Prix next July. Can you tell us your thoughts about this?

    KR: I was there maybe two years ago or something the last time. It looks slightly different. The circuit is exactly the same, I think. It’s a nice place to go, I think. It’s not a very difficult circuit because it hasn’t got many corners, but it usually produces very good racing because of the layout of the straights and the tight corners. I’m more than happy to go back there.

    Q: Paul, a new venue on the calendar, does that excite you?

    PdiR:  A new event, yeah. I’ve never been there so I don’t know what to expect but it looks a very good track from what Kimi said.

    EG: It looks interesting, obviously another track, hard to know what to expect but it’s always interesting to go to a new place.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, if it’s really going to be 40 degrees for the race, is that really going to be too hot for you and your car? Is it a big risk for your record of finishing races?

    KR: It’s the same for everybody, obviously. It will be a bit more tricky for cars and everything, brakes, everything for the drivers, but it’s not the first time that it will be hot when we are racing. If it’s going to be that hot we will see what happens. It was meant to be hot today and it was raining. Things change quickly.

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action/National Speedsport News) Kimi,  following on from the earlier question about Red Bull; you don’t like to do PR, Red Bull likes its drivers to do a lot of PR. How much PR work would you put up with if it means you have a winning car?

    KR: Obviously you can’t have a guarantee what will happen next year with any team or any cars. There are a lot of rumours about PR days but we have ten and some other teams have a hundred. I’ve been in most of the top teams and I know exactly how it goes and if you count things that you do during the week and during a weekend and you put everything together, everybody has a different way of counting the days. I’m sure it’s not – at least in my knowledge – the difference between the teams is in days and it’s not a deciding factor.

    Q: (Michael Noir Trawniczek – Rally and More) Kimi, when you are chosing the package and the right team, what sort of questions do you ask, how technical is it, do you visit the factory, things like that? How do you make your choice?

    KR: I think it’s like I said earlier, it’s a combination of things and it has to be right on racing and outside of racing. Basically everything just has to feel right and I think in the end it comes down to whatever I think is the right choice and there will be no guarantee that the choice will be the good one in the long run but I’m fine with it, whatever the outcome will be; you live with the choices.

    Q: Is any choice for next year complicated by the fact that the engine regulations, the rule regulations have changed quite drastically? 

    KR: Obviously it would be much easier for everybody to more or less get an idea what will happen next year without those big changes but that’s how it is. It really depends on whether one engine manufacturer gets it right and one wrong, then it might be a long season for some teams and an easier one for others but I don’t know. You hear rumours but that’s all I know about it.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Lewis, your team didn’t take part in the Silverstone test; how does it affect your team and you and Nico from a driver’s point of view? 

    LH: To be honest, it doesn’t really faze me. I think it would have definitely helped if we were there and we have an understanding of how to set up the car with the new tyres and to see what kind of characteristics they have and how they behave on long runs and all those kind of things but we will try and find that out this weekend. At the end of the day, it is what it is and we will just try to do the best with what we’ve got. It’s a great team, I have no doubt that we will make up for the lost time.

    Q:  (Ian Parkes – Press Association) Gentlemen, you may have seen the story last week that Sauber are due to fast track a young Russian by the name of Sergey Sirotkin into Formula One. If he is on the grid at the start of next season, and he gains the necessary super licence, he will be 18-years old. Is 18 too young to be racing a Formula One car?

    PM: It’s a difficult one because I don’t know the driver very well. It’s difficult to say.  I think it’s more up to the team and not to us.

    VB: Yeah, I don’t really know the background of this driver so it’s difficult to say.

    PdiR: It’s unfair to say anything. I don’t think anybody knows too much about him because he’s not been in racing cars too long.

    Q: But is 18 too young to be a Formula One driver, if you take away the individual concerned?

    PdiR: You can never say never, can you? People surprise you with what they’re doing. If that’s a decision I’m sure there’s a reason behind it.

    LH: I wasn’t ready at 18. I was pretty good at 18, so…

    KR: I’m sure there will be and has also been an 18-year old, I guess. For sure they will take him if they feel it’s the right thing, so I don’t see that age will be the problem. It’s about experience and that. He might be ready, he might not. Time will tell.

    Q: He might need a good teammate to look after him, Esteban.

    EG: Well, very difficult to judge. What Kimi said comes down to experience, results. I think all of that should be taken into account.

    Q: (Jose Maria Moreira – Organizacion Editorial Mexicana) Esteban, will Sergey Sirotkin and the Russian  backers affect your future at Sauber?

    EG: Well, that doesn’t really make a difference to my current season so to be honest, my focus is here, it’s on this season and I know very well what I have with the team, what has been my path with them over the last few years and what we’re looking into in the future.

    Q: (Gergely Denes – F1-Live.hu) Kimi, last week there was some Twitter  chat between Lewis and your team, a photo postcard of you and Roscoe, Lewis’s dog. Are you aware of that and what is your opinion of it?

    KR: It’s the first I’ve heard of it. I don’t have a Twitter account, I don’t have any other things. I don’t really have a comment.

    Q: You weren’t the man putting #where’sRoscoe on the side of the car?

    KR: (Sighs and points to the team’s PR man)

    Q: (Peter Vamosi – Vas Népe ) Lewis, what is the difference between Nico Rosberg as a teammate in GP2 and Formula One?

    LH: I wasn’t his teammate in GP2. I was his teammate in go-karts. It was more fun when we were in go-karts,  that’s about it. We’re both older and wiser and yeah, we don’t play as many games and kid games and all the silly things you do as a kid. He’s more competitive now than he was back then.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Lewis, if Kimi goes to Red Bull, would he be an even harder competitor for you than he is now?

    LH:  I think Kimi will always be one of the hardest competitors here. He’s a fantastic driver, he’s got great experience and he’s constantly proving his abilities and I think whatever car you put him in he’s going to be a fighting force in the field and of course he’s doing a great job at Lotus, they’ve done a great job this year and over the last couple of years. I think whatever he decides either way, he will have a strong car and I just hope that we’re competing with them.

    Q: (Joo Gabor – Index) Kimi, we can divide your Formula One career into two; which one have you enjoyed most, the first one to 2009 or the second one now?

    KR: I don’t really count it as two. I did something else that I wanted to do between them and then obviously I wanted to race again. It hasn’t really changed much. Obviously the team’s different but I’ve been in different teams in the past and every team has a good side and some things that you are probably finding not that much fun. Obviously when you have decent results you have more fun that if you have bad years. I would say that is very similar, more or less the same people, same stuff. I have no real difference between earlier teams and how it is now.

    Ends