INDIA in F1

Tag: Hamilton

  • Ayrton Senna was my favourite and I always wanted to emulate him, says Hamilton with an eye on third title

    Melbourne, 12 March 3025: The following drivers took part in the first Press Conference of the year as the Formula One World Championship begins at the Albert Park, near here on Sunday:

    Max VERSTAPPEN (Toro Rosso), Kevin MAGNUSSEN (McLaren), Valtteri BOTTAS (Williams), Sebastian VETTEL (Fe

    Defending champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes AMG Petronas at Melbourne Albert Park ahead the season opener on Thursday. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image
    Defending champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes AMG Petronas at Melbourne Albert Park ahead the season opener on Thursday. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image

    rrari), Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes), Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Let’s start with the defending champion. Lewis, if you’re able to successfully defend your title this year you’ll be a three-time world champion. Has that always been your career goal? Is that fair to say?

    Lewis HAMILTON: I would say that I always wanted to do what Ayrton did. Ayrton was my favourite driver and I guess as a kid I always wanted to emulate him.

    You won here in Australia back in 2008, the year you won your first title, but you haven’t won the race since then, despite being on pole a couple of times. Can you talk about how important it is for you this year to start on the front foot, as opposed to last year where you were chasing for a while in the first part of the season?

    LH: It’s the same. I don’t see a particular exaggerated importance [compared] to any other time. Of course you come here and you’d like to start on the right foot, but as I did want to last year, but there is a long, long way to go so it’s not the most important start of the year.

    Daniel, some bittersweet memories of this race from last year, but you must feel that you’ve grown a lot as a driver since then. What’s your mindset going into this year’s Australian Grand Prix?

    Daniel RICCIARDO: Excited, definitely, just to get the season going. For sure, for all of us, it’s great to have time off over Christmas but then testing starts and you get the taste for it again and you just want to go racing again. Obviously really happy to be back home here in Australia and, yeah, get another season going. A lot of confidence coming off last year, so ready to have a good one and get on track.

    Based on what we saw in the winter testing, it looks like it’s going to be a battle, at least to start with, between yourselves, Ferrari and Williams. How do you see it from inside the team and how confident do you feel?

    DR: Yeah, it looks pretty close within that group. We’ll see what happens on track, but it does look like the Mercs have a bit of pace again this year but for that last spot on the podium it looks pretty close between, as you said, us, Ferrari and Williams and I’m sure there’ll be a few other players coming into the mix. We’ll see everyone on track, like for like, this weekend and I think that’s what’s going to be exciting. I’ve been asked so many question [about] ‘where do you think you stand’, but testing doesn’t really show everything. I think what it did show is, yeah, Mercs are quick but other than that it’s all pretty close behind them.

    Thank you for that. Sebastian, obviously you had a pretty productive test session for Ferrari. Is there a cautious optimism within the team going into this season or is that putting it too strongly?

    Sebastian VETTEL: No, I think generally the atmosphere is very positive. Obviously there has been a lot of change over the winter but people have been working very hard and I think we have definitely improved as a team, so now we’ll see when we get the chance to put the car on the track, we can see where the others are, see what the others run, especially on Saturday. Finally you know a little bit more. Winter always is a bit tricky to understand everything.

    It looks as though you’re enjoying the experience of being a Ferrari driver. I wonder how much have you looked into the history of the team in the period you’ve had to think about it and what has that added to the experience?

    SV: Well, I think there’s a lot of history in the team and it’s obviously, for me it’s an honour to race for Ferrari. I’m very happy at this stage and I can’t wait to get in the car and finally start racing with the team but equally we know that we have to work hard because our ambition is very high and we want to make sure that Ferrari gets back to the top.

    Valtteri, coming to you, obviously your podiums last year helped Williams to their best championship position since 2003. Where do you and the team go from there?

    Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, it was a good season, really a huge improvement from the year before and we just really want to continue in the same way, so keep getting better. I really think that’s what we can do. We’ve been doing the right things obviously as we’ve made good progress so we will try to start the season more or less where we finished last year. That’s the way we’re operating and performing and I think that will be a good starting point for a new season and trying to improve along the way.

    You couldn’t quite get the win at the end of last season but have you felt enough from the car during the winter testing to tell you that you might be able to race the Mercedes at some point this year?

    VB: It’s still really early days and testing is not always easy to see exactly where you are but what we know and what everyone knows is that Mercedes is still ahead of everyone at this point but it is a long season, there are different types of track, you never know if there is an opportunity. So we will keep pushing and we’ll see if it happens. I really hope so.

    Kevin, coming you. Obviously you were on the podium here last year but you’ve not had very much time this year to prepare for your role as stand-in for Fernando Alonso. What have you been able to do?

    Kevin MAGNUSSEN: I didn’t get as many laps as I thought I’d get but I would maximum get maximum 150 laps in a day if everything runs perfectly. I got nearly 40 laps and I think all of those were low fuel, so at least I’m pretty prepared for that. I haven’t felt the car on high fuel yet so that will be interesting to see how that feels. But you know I’ve driven race cars before, it’s not a completely different thing. It’s a different car but I think it should be OK.

    It’s no secret that McLaren and Honda have not done that much mileage in testing. What are the expectations going into this early part of the season within the team?

    KM: I would say quite low. We’re struggling obviously with reliability, making the car run for a long time. But this is a new start for McLaren, a new start in many ways and I think it’s going to take time. But I think it’s the right direction that the team has chosen to go and I think it has a bright future ahead. But I think it’s going to take time but I’m sure they’ll get there.

    Thank you. And finally, Max Verstappen, welcome. The youngest ever Formula One driver at 17 years of age. Do you feel ready for this?

    Max VERSTAPPEN: I hope so! We’ll see.

    You put in big mileage in testing and looking at the analysis it seemed like the Toro Rosso had pretty good race pace. What are your thoughts about the car you’ve got under you going into your Formula One debut?

    MV: Yeah, compared to last year, I did three Friday practices, the car is a really good step forward, especially on the long runs we did. It was very promising. I felt really good in the car, I could do a lot of laps. Yeah, I was really happy about that and it gives me a lot of confidence to go into this race.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Sera) To Sebastian, given the results of the winter tests, how realistic is the aim of your team principle to catch at least a couple of victories during the season?

    SV: Well, it depends on the form of the other teams as well but I think we’ve made a step. We’re yet to find out how big the step is and then it depends. I think we’ve seen last year that there’s chances to win races – not just for Mercedes. So if you put yourself in a very strong position, probably at the beginning of the season right behind, then, yeah, if something happens, you’re there. I’m sure it’s not what they want but these things can happen to all of the drivers, all of the teams.

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Question to Lewis, where do we stand regarding the renewal of your contract? We have been hearing for a few months now, Toto [Wolff] saying he would be ready to sign you, that your discussion, that you’re getting closer. Can you tell us something more about it?

    LH: I don’t really know what… Toto gave you guys some answers this morning. I don’t really know what to say. It’s going good. It’s not signed yet.

    You think you will sign in a short time?

    LH: I like to think so. I hope so.

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) We have seen the mystery regarding Alonso’s crash in Barcelona. There have been many rumours, if it was a problem of his, of the car, if it was a technical failure. One of the points that has been discussed is regarding the electrical shocks he might have received as a cause. Do you feel 100 per cent safe that something like that might not happen, have you been talking with your engineers? And you feel completely confident about avoiding a risk of this kind.

    SV: I think nobody wants to send us on the track when they believe that something is not right. I think we have far too much of a team spirit – in all of the teams I would say – to let that happen. So, when the team decides that it’s safe to run, it’s safe to run.

    Q: (Luis Fernando Ramos – Racing Magazine) A question to Sebastian, you’re known to be a good friend of Kimi Räikkönen for many years. Are there any worries that this friendship might suffer from the natural strain of a competition inside the same team?

    SV: No. To be honest, no. I’ve known Kimi now for a while. I think we respect each other. He’s very straightforward, honest, which I appreciate a lot. For sure we try to beat each other on the track, I think that’s normal but if there will be some issues I think we’re old enough to talk about it and sort it out.

    Q: (Michael Lamonato – ABC Grandstand) Question to Daniel. Red Bull, at least externally, looks like it’s going through a lot of changes. Sebastian’s obviously sitting on the other end of the table, Adrian Newey’s taken a step back and now Christian Horner wants to scale back aero regulations – which sounds unheard of. How is the vibe within the team going into this season, given that on top of that, for the second year in a row it doesn’t look like you’re going to be favourites?

    DR: To be honest the vibe is still good, it’s still strong. Adrian’s here this weekend, I’ve been asked a little bit about him and how much he’s stepped back. I don’t what to put him in a spotlight but I think he was at all the tests and he’s here this weekend and it looks like he’s already done more than he originally thought he would. So, I think he’s still very much interested in the RB11. From what I can see, the team definitely wants to get back on top. Obviously it was an off-year from their standards last year and I don’t think we’re too keen to let Mercedes get any further away.

    Q: (Azrul Ananda – Jawa Pos) To Valtteri. Williams last year were very strong, this year also I’m sure. Which track of all the season do you think you have the biggest chance to steal a win this year?

    DR: Monza!

    VR: The trend where we were quick last year was quite clear – so the tracks with long straights, low downforce, were normally the best for us. I would still think the same kind of trend is going to continue, so similar kinds of tracks where we are most likely, if we are going to win a race, it’s where it’s going to be. You never know. There’s 20 opportunities, and we are here to work, to be as close to the front as possible and, if there’s an opportunity, anywhere will do.

    Q: (Pablo Grau – F1Aldia.com) Question for all of you. After testing what do you expect of the new Pirelli tyres?

    SV: Well it’s always a bit tricky to judge the tyres, judge the car as well, in testing because it is quite a lot cooler than it will be for the whole season but I think the tyres are a step forward. I think the rear tyre has improved, which I think should help.

    Lewis, any thoughts? How are they working on your car?

    LH: I think he answered it quite well.

    Max?

    MV: It’s all new for me, so I think there is still a lot to learn. But so far, what I could feel from last year and now, for sure it’s a step forward and I’m quite happy for the moment.

    Get them to last alright?

    MV: I hope so! I’ll do my best

    Q: (Don Kennedy – Hawkes Bay Today) Kevin, have you been in contact with Fernando and can you tell us anything about his current condition and do you expect him to be driving in Malaysia?

    KM: I haven’t been in contact with him, only on Twitter he wished me good luck and I said thank-you and that’s it. I haven’t asked him how he’s feeling but I hear he’s doing well so yeah, obviously at this race I wish him all the best. Can’t really say much more because I don’t know much more. What about Malaysia? You’ll have to wait, I don’t know. I’m not the right person to ask.

    Q: (Daniel Ortelli – Agence France Presse) Has anyone of the big brothers here any sort of important advice for the little brother at the back, Max?

    SV: Will you declare who are the big brothers? We are all older than him.

    Q: Daniel, you’re the one who most recently trod in the footsteps he’s now treading in so your thoughts?

    DR: Yeah. I think just… I’ll look to the cameras but I guess I’m talking to Max but this is probably more cameras than he’s ever been in front of in his life. They’re pretty friendly, they’re OK, so just go and enjoy it, I guess. Get behind the wheel and remember that’s the main reason why you’re here, is to be on track: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, so enjoy those few hours and I think then the rest will come.

    Q: Lewis, any pearls of wisdom? You were five years older than Max, I think, when you made your debut. Is that right? Twenty-two?

    LH: Possibly. I’ve only just realised, I’m the oldest driver here, the first time. I’ve kind of only just realised it. Jeez. (To Max) You were born in ’97?

    MV: Yup.

    LH: Jeez. I signed my first contract with McLaren in ’97. Bloody ‘ell. I don’t really have any words of wisdom for you.

    SV: I think that despite the fact that he’s still young, I think he has a lot of experience, he’s quick, otherwise he wouldn’t be here, so I don’t think he needs much advice. Take it easy, maybe.

    Q: (Shane McInnes – 3AW) Max, just on that, being just 17 years of age, flying around the world, being amongst guys that you’ve looked up to, how is it for you and taking it all in at the tender age of 17?

    MV: Well, to be honest, since I was younger, I’ve never seen anything else because my Dad was doing it, I basically grew up into it. For me, it doesn’t feel like anything new, I just deal with it.

    Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Serra) Sebastian, you have a good feeling with the new team. Is there any special fear in this stage of your new experience?

    SV: No.

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Daniel, how do you see Sebastian in red and last year, you came through a very difficult winter test period. But then you immediately started well and for a big part of the season, you were the only opponent to Mercedes for the championship. Do you think that this year things might be better, easier for you, also knowing that you have already won last year with Red Bull and looking at the improvements that Renault should have done?

    DR: I think I’ll answer that one first. If you look back at last year, for sure we’re in a better position. I think the times that we put down in testing, I don’t think I have shoed that yet but obviously we’re coming here this weekend with a lot more confidence and reliability and we’ve actually got a plan for Sunday whereas last year it was just ‘OK, let’s put the car on the track and hope to see the chequered flag.’ Within the team there’s obviously a lot more that’s progressed since then. With myself, obviously I’ve moved along, I feel a long way and I’m a more evolved driver and have a bigger impact in the team, obviously spending the twelve months in the team that I have now. It’s all there on the table, I think, ready for us to use and pursue, to put up another strong fight, so I’m looking forward to that this year definitely. I think for Seb, the only concern he may have is if he doesn’t know how to cook a good plate of pasta! Other than that, I think he should be OK. Yeah?

    SV: Just did it this morning!

    DR: Oh really? OK. Then he’s fine with the Italians.

  • Hamilton wins in Abu Dhabi to take 2014 F1 World Drivers’ title

    Lewis Hamilton took his second Formula One world title with victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as championship rival Nico Rosberg’s challenge was ended by technical problems that wrecked the German’s race.

    Hamilton made the better getaway at the start of the race to take the lead but across the opening stint Rosberg kept in touch with the title-leading Briton.

    However, on lap 25 Rosberg began to slow and reported that his car was down on power. Mercedes told the German it had suffered an ERS failure, and lascking horsepower and hampered by brake and throttle problems the German’s challenge fizzled out and he eventually limped home in 14th place.

    Hamilton, though, was imperious, fending off a late surge from Williams’ Felipe Massa, who took in a late set of supersoft tyres to close to within three seconds of the Englishman.

    Hamilton defended hard and crossed the line in front, to take his 11th victory of the year and his second championship title. Massa took second place ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas, with Daniel Ricciardo fourth after the Australian had started from the pit lane.

    At the start, Hamilton made a superb getaway to leave Rosberg standing. Behind them, Bottas had a bad getaway and by the end of the first lap had dropped from third to eighth.

    Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kyvat also has a bad start and dropped from fifth to seventh. Jenson Button took advantage of that and moved up from sixth to fourth behind Massa. Button was followed by the Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso.

    At the end of the first lap Hamilton was one second ahead of his title rival and by the time DRS use was permitted he had widened the gap beyond its use to 1.2s.

    Further back, Alonso and Kvyat passed Raikkonen and the Spaniard immediately got on the radio to inform is team he would pit to shed his starting supersofts. That triggered a round of stops as a number of option tyre starters, including Button, Kvyat and Raikkonen, headed for pit lane.

    Hamilton, though, stayed out until lap 10, taking on soft tyres, and he was told to enrich his fuel mixture to up his pace as Rosberg tried to push to close up during the title leader’s stop. Rosberg’s in-lap wasn’t good enough to make an impact and after a 2.6s stop he rejoined just behind the Briton.

    On lap 15 the first of the soft tyre starters began to pit, with Jean-Eric Vergne heading in after being passed for sixth place by Daniel Ricciardo, who had also started on softs and risen to the position after starting from pit lane, to where both Red Bull cars had been sent following exclusion from the qualifying result due to an illegal front wing.

    Kvyat became the first runner to retire, the Russian taking an escape road and stopping his Toro Rosso on lap 16.

    Still out on track on lap 18 on the soft tyres were Ricciardo – now in P4 behind Hamilton, Rosberg and Massa – McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen in P5 and Vettel in P6. They were followed by Button, Alonso and the top 10 order was rounded out by Raikkonen.

    Vettel and Magnussen made their first stops on lap 21, with the Dane taking on supersofts and Vettel opting for more softs. Vettel’s stop wasn’t a good one, however and his 4.3 seconds in front of the Red Bull garage saw him rejoin in P15 and now two seconds down on Magnussen. That left Ricciardo, in fourth, as the last man out on track not to have made a pit stop, with the Australian having completed 23 laps on his starting softs.

    But there was a limit to attempt to eke out life from his tyres, however, and on lap 24 he was passed by Bottas.

    Ahead, Nico Rosberg was suddenly in trouble, however. On lap 25 he reported that he was losing engine power. The Mercedes pit wall quickly informed him that his ERS system had failed and with the German massively down on horsepower and running slowly, the title battle was effectively ended.

    His lap 25 time was a 1:51.791 compared with Hamilton’s 1:47.963 and within a lap the German was under pressure from Massa. The Brazilian swept past the Mercedes man on lap 27.

    Ricciardo finally headed to the pit lane on lap 27 and he took on another set of softs. Meanwhile, Raikkonen was the first to make a second scheduled stop and he was followed by Button, from P5.

    At the front, Hamilton’s pace also began to drop and Massa closed to within nine seconds of the leader. It was straightforward race management, however, and the Briton was told that if he needed to turn the car back up again he was free to do so.

    The race leader made his second stop on lap 31 and when he rejoined he was marginally behind Rosberg. The severity of the troubles afflicting the German’s car was underlined when Hamilton swept past, with Rosberg still needing to make his second stop. It was further emphasised when Bottas eased past the wounded Mercedes on lap 33 to demote Rosberg to fourth.

    Rosberg made his second stop a lap later and when he emerged he found himself embroiled in a battle for P6 with Nico Hulkenberg.

    Hamilton returned to lead of the race when Massa pitted on lap 44, taking on supersoft tyres. The stop left Massa 10.8s behind the champion elect and a lap later he closed by half a second. On the following lap the Williams man took a whole second out of Hamilton’s advantage and a race to the flag looked on.

    Behind them Ricciardo made his final stop, taking on the supersoft tyres he had not yet used. He rejoined in fourth place, behind Bottas who was racing on an older, final set of soft tyres. With the gap to the Finn at 20s, however, the task of reeling in the Williams in the final laps was impossible.

    The order on lap 50 of the 55-lap race was Hamilton, with Massa now just six seconds behind. Bottas was third ahead of Ricciardo, with Button fourth. Hulkenberg was sixth ahead of a forlorn Nico Rosberg.

    In the end Rosberg slipped back to 14th and was offered the chance to retire the car by his team. The German, though, bravely insisted that he would like race to end.

    Ahead, Massa’s bid to overhaul Hamilton almost worked, with the Brazilian getting to within three seconds of the Mercedes man. Hamilton, though, wouldn’t be denied and he crossed the line 2.5s ahead of the Williams to take his second title.

    Massa was a worthy second, with team-mate Bottas third. Ricciardo finished an excellent fourth place, after starting from the pit lane, with Button fifth. Hulkenberg ended his season with sixth place at the Yas Marina Circuit, finished ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez. Vettel was ninth in his final race for Red Bull Racing and the final points position was filled by Fernando Alonso.

    2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Race 
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 55 Winner 2 50
    2 Felipe Massa Williams 55 +2.5 secs 4 36
    3 Valtteri Bottas Williams 55 +28.8 secs 3 30
    4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 55 +37.2 secs 20 24
    5 Jenson Button McLaren 55 +60.3 secs 6 20
    6 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 55 +62.1 secs 12 16
    7 Sergio Perez Force India 55 +71.0 secs 11 12
    8 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 55 +72.0 secs 19 8
    9 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 55 +85.8 secs 8 4
    10 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 55 +87.8 secs 7 2
    11 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 55 +90.3 secs 9
    12 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 55 +91.9 secs 10
    13 Romain Grosjean Lotus 54 +1 Lap 18
    14 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 54 +1 Lap 1
    15 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 54 +1 Lap 14
    16 Adrian Sutil Sauber 54 +1 Lap 13
    17 Will Stevens Caterham 54 +1 Lap 17
    Ret Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 42 +13 Laps 16
    Ret Pastor Maldonado Lotus 26 +29 Laps 15
    Ret Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 14 +41 Laps 5

    eom/FIA press release

    Hamilton 2014 World Drivers' champion. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image
    Hamilton 2014 World Drivers’ champion. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image

  • Hamilton wins Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, becomes double world champion

    Yas Marina, 23 Nov 2014: British driver Lewis Hamilton wins the season-ending Etihad Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in a Mercedes to win the Forumala One World Championship drivers’ title and becomes a double world champion under lights on Sunday.

    Lewis does a donut and celebrates the victory lap with the Union flag and waves to the crowd after winning his 33rd Grand Prix. He won 11 races this season and consigned the ridiculous double points rule to history. He became the first non-German driver after Michael Schumacher (2002 and 2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2011, 2013) to win 11 races in a season. He also became the fourth British driver to win more than one drivers’ championship in F1.

    File photo of Hamilton in Abu Dhabi courtesy FIA.
    File photo of Hamilton in Abu Dhabi courtesy FIA.

    Hamilton who started on P2 behind teammate Nico Rosberg jumped into the lead with a stunning get away at the lights and controlled the race thereafter. He had a scare midway but soon recovered the lead from Massa after a pit stop and with Nico Rosberg losing pace with the failure of hybrid system, towards the end, and finishing out of points in 13th place, it was a cake walk for the Briton.

    As Martin Brundle interviews the drivers on the podium and says, The final word goes to Lewis Hamilton. What happens now? “I don’t know what will happen,” he says. “This is the greatest day of my life and that’s due to people around me.

    “2008 was special but the feeling I have now is above and beyond. It’s the greatest feeling I’ve ever had. Thanks so much everyone.”

    Hamilton continues on the podium:

    “I’ve been lost for words but I want to thank the fans,” he says trying to control his emotions.“ It’s made such a difference. And to my family: I love you guys. And to my team thank you. It feels even more than the first time.

    “It was a good start, probably the best start I’d ever had. Going into the race I had a couple of different options. If it was ahead I knew I had to race. Qualifying wasn’t perfect but we got it right for the race.

    “Nico put on an incredible fight throughout the year. We met in 1997 and always thought we would be competing together. He was graceful enough to come up to congratulate me. He just came into the room, very professional and he said: ‘you drove really well.’ And the same for him.” And he did not forget to thank the God before he concluded the final podium ceremony of the season.

    eom

     

  • Hamilton remains cool and refuses to get into a battle of words: FIA pre-race press conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

    2 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    3 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Williams)

    TV UNILATERAL

    Nico, three poles in a row now at the end of the season and I guess you have the vital advantage going into tomorrow’s grand prix. How do you feel about that?

    Nico ROSBERG: Yeah, it was a great day again today I’m sure. I’m thankful to the engineers and everything, because [they] did a good job, sorted out the car, you know, I was really happy with the set-up. It all worked out well. I got a good lap together in the end; I’m pleased with that. But, of course, it’s only one step, a very small step, because this weekend it’s about the championship, not about pole position or anything. Of course, I was hoping, you know, who knows… Valtteri said he got his perfect lap together, so there wasn’t anything else in that. Of course it would have been great if somehow there could have been a Williams between the two of us, but that can always happen tomorrow. For sure, starting first is a great place to be and it should be a good start.

    I guess the crucial question is how are you going to play the first corner tomorrow? 

    NR: Yes, that’s going to be interesting, as always. But I’m on the clean side I think, I’m not sure. Maybe none of them are realty clean, not sure, but anyways I have the advantage from pole, so that should be OK.

    Lewis, is it the case that the driver who made the fewest mistakes eventually came out on top at the end? 

    Lewis HAMILTON: I don’t know. I don’t know how many mistakes Nico made but I generally didn’t have the best of laps but it was still a really good qualifying session, I really enjoyed it. The car was fantastic. So, as Nico was saying, tomorrow is the special day.

    Does it matter? At the end of the day you only need to finish second to win the title but how are you going to approach it tomorrow and again the same questions as to Nico, how will you approach that first corner? 

    LH: Same as every time.

    OK, let’s move on to Valtteri. Valtteri, well done, another top three. Do you think you’re fast enough to mix it with the two Mercedes drivers in tomorrow’s grand prix?

    Valtteri BOTTAS: Thanks, yeah, it was a nice quali and especially the lap in the end, the car felt pretty good and I got a really good lap in the end. That felt nice because Felipe was really quick today as well, so it was not easy to beat him. Yeah, it’s good to be third and fourth again. I think in the race, as we’ve seen before, Mercedes is normally having a bit more advantage on Sundays than Saturdays, so it could be difficult, but for us the main target is to finish as high as possible and if something is going to happen and if we have the pace there is no doubt we are going to try to move forward.

    And what are you going to do into the first corner tomorrow? 

    VB: Same as usual really, just trying to gain any positions if there are possibilities but in the end the race is never won in the first corner, so that’s good to remember. So this race is no different to any other for me.

    Back to you Nico, a unique situation tomorrow, double points on offer for the first time. Your thoughts going into the race, and your mindset? 

    NR: Well, the mindset is that I need to get the job done and continue on the sort of form that I had in Brazil in the race. I’m sure it’s going to be a great battle between the two of us. Of course I hope for more than that – not just the win but some sort of help from Lewis, or anything, I don’t know… I mean I offered Valtteri… I’m paying [for] a wellness night [for him] tonight, a spa session, all-inclusive, hoping that he can be in extra special form and do the impossible tomorrow.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Nico, you came here wanting pole position, you’ve done it. Just tell us what kind of statement you think your qualifying has made this year.

    NR: Of course yes, qualifying was one of the strengths this year but that’s only… it’s not even half of it on a weekend, just the first step into every race weekend. It’s Sunday that counts and that’s where I’ve looked to improve a little bit recently, like in Interlagos for example where I managed to do the step – and that’s what I need to do again tomorrow.

    Q: Lewis, in a similar situation in Austin, you tried to pass and pulled it off spectacularly; in Brazil you didn’t get a chance to try the pass. Which of those is it going to be tomorrow?

    LH: I don’t know. We’ll see.

    Q: What are your feelings though in terms of the way you’re going to conduct the race? Are you going to…

    LH: Same as always.

    Q: Valtteri, the 12th top three qualifying this season for Williams. It was a difficult start to this weekend for the Williams team, particularly in free practice one. Tell us about how you built up the speed this weekend.

    VB: Well yeah, we only really had one real issue this weekend, it was the thing with the bodywork. We tried something different, it failed but it’s good we tried it in Practice One. It was no drama, everything was all set for Practice Two and everything went into the plan. And yeah, Practice Three the car felt OK but we still knew that adjusting some things we could get more out of it for qualifying and still not compromising the set-up for the race, so pretty normal weekend. Normally Friday we’d not be looking so good so pretty normal weekend so far for us. We’ve done a solid job but, like always, it’s tomorrow that really matters.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Ralf Bach – Sport Bild) Question to Lewis. How many risks will you take tomorrow at the start to keep Valtteri behind you?

    LH: I don’t know. I’m looking forwards, so just drive the same as I always drive.

    Q: (Haoran Zhou – F1 Express) Question for Lewis. If you can pick a fight tomorrow, who is safer? Fight with Nico or fight with Valtteri? To you.

    LH: Neither is safer, they’re both just as safe.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Valtteri, do you feel any kind of extra pressure now that you are some kind of factor in this championship fight?

    VB: No, not at all. I think it’s kind of cool if I can be part of something. It’s nice. Obviously for me the maximum I can get at the moment is fourth place in the championship and the main thing for us as a team is definitely securing the third place – and that’s our target tomorrow and to achieve that our goal tomorrow is finish as high as possible where we can. So no different race to any other for me.

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action / National Speedsport News) Valtteri, qualifying started at 5pm like the race tomorrow. During that hour, do the track conditions change much?

    VB: Quite a bit, yeah. The temperature is definitely still dropping. The air temperature and also the track temperature so that affects how the tyres are behaving so, you know, for the tyre life of the tyre it should only get easier to us end of the race. So maybe at the end of the race everyone can see bit longer stints than in the beginning. That’s the main thing really. And if some people are struggling with the cooling of the car, that should be a bit easier in the end of the race.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globo.com) Lewis, this is not your style when you don’t fight. You have to go to the fight. Do you consider, maybe, in this specific race, to race for second place, that would be enough for you? 

    LH: I don’t know. We’ll see. You’re right, it’s not my style, so we’ll decide tomorrow.

    Q: (Chris Medland – crash.net) Nico, Lewis was saying that he didn’t really get a lap together today, he made a few mistakes in qualifying. Do you feel that that is a sign of the pressure, that you’re handling it better so far this weekend? 

    NR: I don’t know. Of course pressure is one of the hopes that I have. If Lewis feels the pressure and here makes a mistake as a result, a bit like today – I haven’t seen it – but if you’re saying that and a bit like Brazil and that’s the sort of opportunities that I’m looking for and I’m trying to push for. I push flat out, all the time to try and keep the level extremely high and that’s all I can do really and try and go for the win and keep the pressure on.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globo.com) Valtteri, if you overtake one of the Mercedes cars, do you think it’s realistic to keep one of them behind you during the race? 

    VB: Well, yeah, it’s difficult to say now. We will see tomorrow. Sometimes this season it’s been difficult to predict in detail about the race pace and how we’re going to be, how the tyres are going to behave, how long stints we can do, there’s a lot of factors. We’ve seen that we have quick straightline speeds normally, so that normally helps us defending, so that’s on our side I think. But it’s really difficult to say, we’ll see tomorrow.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Nico, how intensely is your father living this weekend? Is he supporting you all the time, or how does he do it? 

    NR: Yeah, of course my family is intensely watching and I’m sure it’s as nerve-wracking for them and intense as it is for all of us here and that’s great to know that they’re supporting me and also my Dad wrote me… or we had a discussion about it. He gave me his advice for this weekend and I try and apply that or take whatever I think would help me and that’s it really.

    Q: (Phillip Merrell – AMEInfo.com) Lewis, how does this finale compare to 2008, given your position and the double points system? 

    LH: I don’t really remember much from 2008 but obviously it was a great season and this is a lot different, just much older and hopefully wiser and I’ve learned a lot along the way. Yeah, it’s a great battle. Obviously it’s different when you’re racing your teammate to racing someone from another team but just as exciting.

    Q: (Chris Medland – crash.net) Lewis, what’s the over-riding emotion for you after qualifying with the gap you’ve got to Nico? Are you just happy to be in P2 and where you need to be or are you disappointed with your performance? 

    LH: I’m not particularly disappointed with it. Of course you always want to be on pole, that’s what we work for. I’ve had very good pace throughout practice and particularly the long runs which is comforting and then in Q1, Q2 was good, Q3 just wasn’t… didn’t really put a comfortable lap together but it wasn’t really lots of mistakes or anything, it just wasn’t a great lap. Nico did a great job but we’re still there for the fight tomorrow.

    Nico Rosberg, right, takes pole ahead of Hamilton on Saturday. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image
    Nico Rosberg, right, takes pole ahead of Hamilton on Saturday. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image

  • Hamilton maintains advantage in FP2 at Abu Dhabi

    File photo of Hamilton in Abu Dhabi courtesy FIA.
    File photo of Hamilton in Abu Dhabi courtesy Mercedes AMG Petronas team.

    Title leader fastest in second practice session ahead of Rosberg. Magnussen takes third place.

    Abu Dhabi, 21 Nov 2014: After running quickest in the opening practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton doubled up in the late afternoon, the championship leader beating team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg to top spot in FP2.

    The gap between the two was vanishingly low, however. In the morning just over a tenth of a second separated the pair but in the second session, on the option super soft tyre, Rosberg narrowed the deficit to 0.083s.

    Third in the session was Kevin Magnussen, the McLaren driver getting to within 0.7s of Hamilton’s benchmark. In the morning Fernando Alonso occupied that position, though 1.7s down on the Hamilton’s best time. In the afternoon the Ferrari driver had an altogether more difficult time, with a suspected electrical problem halting his progress after just two laps.

    With Magnussen third then, Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel finished fourth with Valtteri Bottas fifth. After his work in the first session ended after just eight laps due to a bodywork problem, Bottas had a more profitable run in the second outing, the Finn completing 34 laps and finishing just under a second off Hamilton’s time.

    Daniel Ricciardo was sixth fastest for Red Bull ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

    Like Bottas, McLaren’s Jenson Button had limited running in the morning due to a hydraulic issue and work on the problem kept him in the garage for part of the evening session. He eventually managed to take to the circuit and completed 20 laps to claim the eighth fastest time of the session.

    Daniil Kvyat was ninth for Toro Rosso and the top 10 order was rounded out by Williams’ Felipe Massa.

    Elsewhere, Lotus’ Romain Grosjean had been handed ad20-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race after his team made multiple changes to his engine for the race weekend.

    2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:42.113 35
    2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:42.196 0.083 37
    3 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:42.895 0.782 37
    4 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:42.959 0.846 33
    5 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:43.070 0.957 34
    6 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:43.183 1.070 32
    7 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:43.489 1.376 33
    8 Jenson Button McLaren 1:43.503 1.390 23
    9 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:43.546 1.433 38
    10 Felipe Massa Williams 1:43.558 1.445 34
    11 Sergio Perez Force India 1:43.746 1.633 37
    12 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:44.005 1.892 38
    13 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:44.068 1.955 32
    14 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:44.157 2.044 39
    15 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:44.316 2.203 38
    16 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:44.763 2.650 37
    17 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:44.986 2.873 35
    18 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1:45.505 3.392 38
    19 Will Stevens Caterham 1:47.057 4.944 34
    20 Fernando Alonso Ferrari No time 2
    eom/FIA press release

  • Hamilton quickest in Abu Dhabi as F1 title showdown begins

     

    Hamilton tops Friday practice FP1 at Abu Dhabi on Friday. An FIA image
    Hamilton tops Friday practice FP1 at Abu Dhabi on Friday. An FIA image

    Championship leader finishes first ahead of title rival Rosberg in opening practice at Yas Marina Circuit

    Yas Marina (Abu Dhabi), 21 Nov 2014: As the title deciding race of the 2014 Formula One World Championship got underway at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, championship leader Lewis Hamilton seized the early initiative by taking top spot in the opening practice session.

    The Briton recorded a lap of 1:43.476 to finish 0.133s ahead of title rival Nico Rosberg. Hamilton enters the weekend 17 points ahead of Rosberg, who has to win the race to stand any chance of winning the title. However, should Rosberg win, Hamilton could finish second and still take the title.

    Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who yesterday confirmed that he is to quit the team at the end of the season, finished a distant third, 1.7 seconds behind pacesetter Hamilton.

    The gap back to third place might have less had Williams’ running not been cut short when both its cars suffered identical body work failures.

    Felipe Mass completed just seven laps before part of his FW36’s right sidepod came loose and he was forced back to the pits. Team-mate Valtteri Bottas, with one more lap on the board, suffered the same issue. Neither car would run again in the session, with the team later blaming a new cooling configuration for the issue.

    Behind Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, who was yesterday confirmed as the Spaniard’s replacement at Ferrari, finished fourth ahead of Red Bull Racing team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.

    Daniil Kvyat and Jean-Eric Vergne were sixth and seventh respectively for Toro Rosso, while Bottas’ best time was still good enough for eighth place, albeit nearly 2.5s down on Hamilton’s lap. Sergio Perez finished ninth ahead of Force India team-mate Nico Hulkenberg.

    Several young drivers made their grand prix weekend debut in the session. FIA Formula 3 European Championship winner Esteban Ocon was handed a drive at Lotus for the session, replacing Romain Grosjean. Ocon finished the session in 16th place, immediately behind Maldonado and a respectable three tenths of a second adrift of the experience Venezuelan.

    GP3 racer Adderly Fong took over Adrian Sutil’s Sauber and set the day’s 19th fastest time, 4.7s off the pace.

    The troubled Caterham team returned to grand prix weekend action for the first time since the Russian Grand Prix with race regular Kamui Kobayashi finishing 18th. The team handed a debut to Will Stevens, who finished this years Formula Renault 3.5 championship in sixth place. The young Briton’s first F1 session was a frustrating experience after he experienced technical problems on his first lap and returned to the garage. He eventually returned to the fray in the closing stages of the session, but with little time available to exploire the car’s limits Stevens finished last and seven seconds off the pace.

    2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Free Practice 1
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:43.476 32
    2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:43.609 0.133 31
    3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:45.184 1.708 22
    4 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:45.334 1.858 30
    5 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:45.361 1.885 23
    6 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Renault 1:45.718 2.242 17
    7 Daniil Kvyat STR-Renault 1:45.835 2.359 32
    8 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1:45.913 2.437 8
    9 Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 1:45.983 2.507 23
    10 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1:46.030 2.554 24
    11 Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Mercedes 1:46.049 2.573 23
    12 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:46.131 2.655 23
    13 Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 1:46.549 3.073 7
    14 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1:46.556 3.080 28
    15 Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Renault 1:46.711 3.235 31
    16 Esteban Ocon Lotus-Renault 1:47.066 3.590 29
    17 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:47.235 3.759 8
    18 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham-Renault 1:47.971 4.495 24
    19 Adderly Fong Sauber-Ferrari 1:48.269 4.793 25
    20 Will Stevens Caterham-Renault 1:50.684 7.208 14

  • Ayrton Senna was a genius and a perfectionist at what he did and that’s what I aspire to be like: Hamilton

    DRIVERS: 1 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes); 2 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes); 3 – Felipe MASSA (William)

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS (Conducted by Nelson Piquet)

    Nico, what a fantastic race you did. I was really impressed with all your performance. Your father must be very proud of you. But I want to ask you one thing. Of course you are driving there, with Hamilton behind you and with DRS. Do you think this is fair?  

    Nico ROSBERG: First of all, thank you very, great to see you. No, I’m very happy with the whole weekend. The whole weekend I’ve been feeling comfortable in the car, I was able to attack and control the gap also to Lewis in the race. So that worked out great and I’m very, very happy. Especially in Brazil. The atmosphere is fantastic and also great to see the support that you’re giving Felipe here, that’s awesome, and also for me. So obrigado.

    Hamilton, I have been for a long time very jealous of you – not only of your driving but also of your old girlfriend. Where is Nicole?

    Lewis Hamilton: …She’s at home.

    OK, say hello to her and you did fantastic. I think everything will stay in the last race. It’s very good.

    Felipe, fantastic. I have to say in English first. He did a very good race. I want to ask him. What is he going to do to prepare himself to always keep Button behind him?

    Felipe MASSA: First of all, I’m so happy for my race. So many mistakes also in my race. I had the drive through, the five seconds for the penalty for the sped limiter. Also I stop in the McLaren [pit box] because it was a similar and it just was prepared before my garage. But the car was fantastic, I’m so grateful for the pace.

    Back to Lewis. Tell me about the race? I think it was a very, very difficult race, and I think everything will finish in one race at the end of the year.

    LH: It was an amazing race; I had a great time. Obviously I had a big mistake in the mid part of the race but otherwise the car was fantastic, the team did an amazing job and it was a great race with Nico. And great to see Felipe up here. We had the best crowd today. I enjoyed it.

    And what do you think about Abu Dhabi?

    LH: I’m going to drive pretty much the same. Hopefully I’ll improve. Today, obviously, I lost a little bit of time but otherwise it’s everything to play for in the last race.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: So Nico, many congratulations, you’ve taken it down to the wire then. Pole position trophy won yesterday and then an important win today. Is this one of your best? How good does it feel to have delivered today under pressure?

    NR: Yeah, it was a great weekend all in all. Austin was a tough day for me on Sunday, so yeah, it was important for me to just improve, because just didn’t do a good enough job in the race in Austin. Today I managed to do that, so that I’m happy about. I learned from Austin and did better so that’s a big step in the right direction. One race too late but, y’know, there’s still all to play for. Now I’m just hoping for [Abu Dhabi] and need to try and keep this going now. Really feeling good in the car and everything. And it was a great race with Lewis. He had a great race too, just behind me all the time. I always needed to make sure that the gap was always such that there was no chance for him to go for the overtake – unlike Austin. And managed to do that, so that was good.

    Q: Lewis, with a 17-point lead the numbers still favour you going into that title showdown – but at the end there we heard your team say to you on the radio “sorry for the stop”. You tried to do two hot laps coming into your second stop, you were fastest lap of the race on the first one but then you spun on the second one, dropped seven seconds to Nico. You managed to close it up – but do you think that spin cost you chance of a victory today?

    LH: I think ultimately it cost me the win, yeah. I mean, I was much quicker up until that point and on that lap I’d gone a second quicker whilst Nico pitted and I thought I was going to pit at the end of that lap so I used everything of the tyres. The next lap, I had nothing left. Either way, at the end of the day, I made a mistake, I locked the rears into Turn Four and with the under-rotation, just spun me around. Second time it’s happened this weekend. So, no-one’s fault but mine. Still, great result for the team. Nico drove really well, great, defensive, no mistakes and ultimately we got a one-two. I really was pushing right to the chequered flag, which is what motor racing’s all about. So I really enjoyed it.

    Q: It is a record, 11 one-two finishes, beaten the record of Senna and Prost from 1988 – just a quick word from the two of you on another one-two.

    NR: It’s fantastic. The team is doing such an awesome job, all-in-all. Just keeping on pushing, development rate through the year also. It’s so great to be a part of that movement. And you can feel it in the team. Everybody is really, really pumped and just fully head-down focussed all the way. Because it’s also… it’s a change now. We used to be always hunting and now we’re the hunted, and that’s a big change. It’s great to see how the team has adapted and not slackened off because that is always difficult, when you get to the front to then stay there. It seems at the moment that we’re really going strong and that’s fantastic.

    Lewis, nice bit of history?

    LH: Absolutely incredible. This year as a team we’ve broken a couple of records and it’s just an unbelievable job by the team, obviously for us to be able to finish one-two, great reliability and ultimately the car has been the best car I’ve ever driven so big thank you to all the guys at the factory.

    Q: Felipe, great response from the crowd here to you today. It’s like a win. Obviously you managed to survive quite a lot of things in that race: a penalty you had to serve for speeding in the pitlane; you went and paid a visit to another pitbox on your way to your own – but you managed to recover from that and get the podium you so badly wanted here this weekend. What made the difference for you today?

    FM: I think the race was amazing. Everything that happened in my race today. So, I think the most important thing was that the pace was there, the car was quick. I’ve been so happy with the car during the whole all weekend. The car was so competitive – unfortunately not enough to beat these guys here, which is winning all the races. I’m so happy with the race, not happy with my mistakes today. Just got a problem when I braked for the pitstop, I pressed the pit-limiter but for whatever reason the pit-limiter was not inside, and then just past the speed I brake, I press again and it was a problem I had today. And then I managed to catch the guys trying to put the gap again. The car was fantastic. I managed to overtake many cars, catch Button as well, that he was in front. Then I stop. I was opening the gap compared to Jenson for about five, six seconds, maybe even more. Then I stop in the wrong garage. I stop in the McLaren because they change our garage this race and we are a lot more in the middle and McLaren with the similar colour – not white but y’know – I thought it was our garage. They were ready. Then I just stopped there and lost a lot of time because of that. But anyway, it was not enough to… pushing again, doing quick laps all the time and managing the tyres and just opening again compared to Jenson. It was really a fantastic race, and these people… they’re still here, singing and screaming. It’s amazing. The whole energy that I had this weekend, it’s difficult to explain. Difficult to explain the emotion – so thank you very much for all of our Torcida [fan club] that was pushing the whole weekend, every day. It was amazing.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Rodrigo Franca – VIP Magazine) Question to Nico and Lewis: of course, there are double points for Abu Dhabi, the chase for the title. Would you guys, if you had the chance to change it for a single race, not double points, would you do that and why? 

    NR: Well, I find it artificial and I don’t like it in general. Of course, now, with the way it is, it’s great for me now, at the moment, but you know that’s just because of the situation but in general… There are other sports which have tried the same sort of thing, like NASCAR and they’ve done this very successfully. The fans love it and everything, so we need to keep on reviewing it. It’s good to try something and we’ll see how it goes this year. The important thing is that the fans are happy, that’s the most important thing, and we need to see if we keep on doing it or change or whatever.

    LH: The same as Nico.

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Nico, you must win in Abu Dhabi but Lewis has to finish third for you to win the championship. Who could help you? Do you think somebody…

    NR: He’s the man (indicating Felipe). I need some Felipe Massa help.

    FM: I hope I win!

    NR: No, that’s not so much help. Not so fast, in between.

    Q: (Vladimir Rogovets – SB – Belarus Segodnya) Felipe, here you were really quick today. You were first after the champions, Mercedes. You are now 36 years old, for example, Max Verstappen will be 17 for his first Grand Prix. How long will you be staying a Formula One driver? 

    FM: Me? I don’t know. I will stay while I have this type of results, while I am competitive and while I enjoy it, what I’m doing so I’m really enjoying my moment, even if I want to have better results like we’re having today. So I want to keep this moment until I am enjoying myself. I don’t see the point to stop. I’m driving for a fantastic team, they really like me, they really support me, respect me, so I’m here and I think Verstappen is doing a good job. He’s young but he’s quick, he’s won everything he could until now so he has a talent. We cannot forget that we got our opportunity to get into Formula One, we show our talent and we need to understand… It’s true that he’s a little bit too young. If I need to chose, I would prefer to wait a little more, but you have maybe one opportunity in Formula One so you need to be ready. I would say that maybe now it’s a little bit easier with the car, with driving now, how it is with all this technology. Maybe it’s a little bit easier compared to when I started for example. The car was a little bit more difficult to drive, so it was a little more physical as well compared to now. Now it’s so easy to race. I think that in this aspect, it’s a little bit easier for a young driver to start but it’s important to have the talent and to have everything inside his brain so he can do a good job.

    Q: (Felipe Siquera – globoesporte.com) Massa, when you came into the McLaren pits, when you pushed the wrong button, did you think you could lose the podium at that moment? 

    FM: Yeah. I think I could lose the podium because of the first mistake with the five second penalty, speeding in the pit lane. I think I could have lost the podium there. So disappointed that that thing happened and then I was pushing even harder. The problem is that you cannot push so hard because otherwise you use the tyres too much. I managed to take care of the tyres and I managed to put a good pace straightaway, but I was worried by the first mistake. Not the second because Jenson was behind me and it was not enough to lose the position, but the first one, yes.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Lewis, when you locked the rears in turn four, was it because of the graining on the rears? We also saw you had a blistered right front; did that have anything to do with it? 

    LH: No, literally because I took too much… when they told me to push, I was under the impression that I had only one lap to do, so I used all the tyres that I had left, that I had saved and when they told me to go by, I kept pushing but I think the rears were grained, the rears were dead and I just lost a little bit of the grip, but up until then it was looking great. Overall, I’m really happy. I came back, I clearly had a lot more pace than Nico today. I know that he would have seen that, obviously, by closing down the seven seconds (gap) but he did a good job to not make any mistakes while I was there, so I’m looking forward to the next race.

    Q: (Ted Kravitz – Sky Sports) Nico, it’s been an immaculate weekend for you. Were you confident that you would have been able to keep Lewis behind you even if he had not had that spin? And you didn’t look particularly happy coming off the podium, what was that about? 

    NR: No, I am happy, very happy. I don’t know; that was a wrong impression. No, I was confident, yes, definitely, because already in the first stint I could see that I could control the gap and could just make sure that Lewis didn’t come into the region where he could launch an attack, so from that point of view, once I saw that, I was very confident that I could keep on controlling the gap for the whole race. Also, when Lewis had the spin and was further behind, I saved more tyres than I normally would have done and so that I could just make sure that at the end of the stint I had enough, because it was so critical on tyres today and that worked out really well too.

    Q: (Leandro Alvares – Auto Esporte) Lewis, Senna was the last champion with a turbo engine; now you have the chance in this new era. As an Ayrton fan, does it mean anything to you? 

    LH: That he won? I mean winning this championship at the moment has no relation to Senna. No, this is something me and my family have worked very hard to do but of course, for me, Ayrton was my favourite driver of all time. Whenever my name is mentioned in the same sentence, I feel very honoured, very proud and naturally, he was a genius and a perfectionist at what he did and that’s what I aspire to be like.

    Q: (Claudio Nogueira – O Globo) For both Lewis and Nico, is it more difficult to fight against your teammate or against a driver from another team, driving for the title? 

    NR: That’s a difficult one. I don’t know, I don’t know if it’s… I think it’s the same you know. Lewis is a really strong competitor, and OK, he has the same car as me, that has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that the car is the same, so that, for example, today I know that he didn’t have more top speed than me so I know exactly what he has. I don’t know, it’s difficult to answer, but of course it is a great challenge, it’s a great battle, fantastic also that the team is always letting us race, letting us battle, and also treating us 100 percent equally at all times. That’s really important. We’re both very lucky to be in that situation and that’s awesome.

    LH: They’re both completely different. I would imagine it’s probably harder with the same car because only you can make the difference whereas when you’re racing another team, they will be races where one is quicker, the other is quicker as you saw in the championship with me and Felipe. There were tracks where he was quicker and there were tracks that I was quicker at. It’s a different championship, for sure.

    Q: (Renan Couto – Warm-Up) Felipe, are you confident that you keep this pace at the next race in Abu Dhabi? 

    FM: Yeah, I am. I’ve been confident that we will have the car to fight for the podium in most of the races, as we saw in the last race where we were fighting for the podium. Unfortunately I lost the podium in the last race but we’ve had many podiums in the last races as a team and I really believe we can fight and we can have the possibility to be on the podium again in the next race. The car is good, competitive and I don’t think anybody will have different pieces so whatever things that will make the car quicker than this track, so I really hope we can be very strong on that track as well.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Universo OnLine) Lewis, the last two times you arrived at the last race of the season with the chance of being World Champion, here at this circuit in 2007 and 2008, you were starting Formula One and you made small mistakes. How do you feel yourself for the next race in the same condition? You are very close to being World Champion; do you feel more prepared, the chance of making small mistakes are maybe reduced? If you remember, you also made a mistake today. 

    LH: Not really. I think today…. I think it was a lot different back then and obviously today I recovered from it, much better than perhaps I did in the past. Today wasn’t racing to win the World Championship as I was obviously trying to get points. The next one is a different one and as I’m approaching it, I guess I would decide how I approach it.

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Lewis, you were very fast in the first and last sector but you were always losing quite a lot to Nico in the middle one. Was it because there was a little bit of a difference in the set-up? And do you think you had a chance at some point to attack or in the last few laps you were happy with it? 

    LH: When I was close to him or in general? In the middle sector it’s all downforce. Due to being right behind him, I couldn’t get the exit of turn nine so I would lose out through that middle sector and I couldn’t stay close in the last sector. Obviously if I was in clean air it would be different.

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) And to both of you, after Abu Dhabi, when the championship is over, do you think that you’re going to sit together somewhere, go over the season, discuss what happened, about the hard times you had and get over it? 

    FM: I think they will move to the same apartment.

    LH: Well, we live in the same building so…

    FM: You’d spend a lot less money living together so it’s easy.

    LH: I don’t think so.

    NR: Well, we’ll see. At the moment it’s very neutral, the relationship, and that’s where it always comes back to. Of course we’ve had difficult times and then better times. I think it’s always going to be like that. It’s just very competitive, you know? It’s a great competition, exactly the same as it was 15 years ago all over again. Now I just hope that we have a fantastic last race. It’s going to be exciting, that’s for sure and we’ll see who wins.

    eom/FIA transcript of the interviews

  • There’s not enough for me to win, I need to rely on something happening: Nico Rosberg with two races left

    File photo of Hamilton left, and Nico Rosberg at Hockenheim on Friday. An Mercedes AMG Petronas image
    File photo of Hamilton left, and Nico Rosberg at Hockenheim on Friday. An Mercedes AMG Petronas image

    DRIVERS – Kevin MAGNUSSEN (McLaren), Adrian SUTIL (Sauber), Pastor MALDONADO (Lotus), Jean-Eric VERGNE (Toro Rosso), Felipe MASSA (Williams), Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Nico, if we could start with you? It’s the first time this year, in this championship, that the championship itself is out of your hands, in the sense that two wins, here and in Abu Dhabi, won’t be enough. Do you feel you need to rely on a little bit of luck then and this venue might provide it? 

    Nico ROSBERG: Yeah, it’s clear that I need to rely on something happening. Yeah, for sure there’s not enough for me to win, unfortunately, but that’s the way it is. Anyways, in sport so much can happen, so I’m still very optimistic.

    You had a rich run of form from Monaco through to Hockenheim. How would characterise the period since then?

    NR: A less rich run of form! What is it? Lewis has done a little bit of a better job since then. That’s it, pretty simple, but as I say, still two races.

    OK, thank you. Felipe, coming to you: obviously, you’re a two-time winner of the Brazilian Grand Prix. Do you feel that with this car this year is your best shot of getting back on the podium, since that great win in ’08.

    Felipe MASSA: Yeah, I think so. Anyway, I was on the podium in 2012. It’s a fantastic track for me. A track that I had great results. As you said, two victories, almost three I would say. Three pole positions. I always love this track. I won many races [here] even before Formula One. So I started my career here, on the other side of the wall, which is a go-kart track, at the top. I love this place. I love the energy that I feel here and I’m really looking forward to having a fantastic weekend. I hope our car can be as competitive as shown in the other tracks here as well. We’ll see how far we can be, or maybe even in the middle of these guys here on the left [Mercedes]. Trying to get all the opportunities to have a great race here.

    You’ve obviously been a key part of Williams’ renaissance this year. With all the experience you have, tell us how you feel this team can become more competitive in 2015?

    FM: Well, first of all you cannot forget how much we grow from the first race until now. I think maybe… I would say it was the team that grows more during the championship. It was a team that gets better, that improved the car in the top level, from the first race to the last race, looking at where we started and where we are now. So, I think definitely the team… when we started at the first test and where we are now, the team changed completely the organisation, the mentality. We are still changing, there are still some improvements we are working to be there before the first race of next year. But I really believe in this team. I think this team has everything to be even more competitive, it has everything to be fighting for victories and I really, really hope for championships as well.

    Kevin, coming to you, obviously clear progress for McLaren on the car side in the last few grands prix, that’s clear to see. But the car still seem to have a narrow sweet spot in terms of getting the most out of it during a race weekend. What’s going on there?

    Kevin MAGNUSSEN: A lot of it is down to the tyres, making the tyres work. It’s seems that sometimes we get it better than others. Sochi was an example of where we got the tyres working very well and I think Austin was an example of where we didn’t. It’s a little bit hard to understand but we’re trying out best.

    Since the summer break you’ve had pretty strong form yourself personally, especially in qualifying. Do you think you’ve done enough to book your seat for 2015?

    KM: I can only say I hope so. I think I’ve learned a lot. I’ve improved a lot in many areas and yeah, I’m sure I have a lot more potential even from where I am now. So, I hope so.

    Thank you very much. Pastor, coming to you, first points in Austin, a very strong performance. Tell us about your and Lotus’ fight back?

    Pastor MALDONADO: It was a very tough season, especially at the beginning, even not able to run the car as we wanted. It was not maybe the best way to start to work with a team. But we did a great job to try to put everything together, to get better and better and at some point we decided to be focused on next year’s car. But the team seems to be quite good, very competitive in terms of spirit. They are used to being in the front. They know how to do a good car, so let’s hope the best for next year.

    How do you feel about opportunities for this weekend? This track is always very unpredictable and the weather forecast looks like it’s going to be pretty wet throughout the weekend. A lot of variables there. Opportunities?

     

    PM: Yeah, the main objective is to maintain the performance we had last week in Austin, so we think, as a team, we can continue to fight for the points. That is the main focus at the moment.

    Q: Adrian, coming to you, obviously Sauber have announced both their 2015 drivers, so in what direction does your future lie, do you feel?

    Adrian SUTIL: I don’t know, so I will see what is possible, what I want and also… yeah, it’s quite a few things to think about and I can’t really say more at the moment.

    Q: Are you optimistic that you’ll be in Formula One next year?

    AS: At the moment, I don’t know. Maybe. F1 is unpredictable – but as I said, there are a few things to think about first and then the team has to comment the rest.

    Q: Obviously great performance in qualifying in Austin, you must have been so disappointed the way that first lap turned out. Have you spoken to Sergio [Pérez] afterwards? Have you been back through it?

    AS: No, we didn’t speak. He didn’t apologise, to be honest. But anyway, that’s how it is. Shame, it was for sure a good chance for points. It was a very nice qualifying, it was good to be in Q3 finally with this car. It has been quite a challenge this year, to be honest, so we didn’t expect it – but for some reason it got better and better through the qualifying session and especially on Saturday, the car was better than ever before, so, many things to analyse. We try it of course again here. I look forward to the race weekend. Big chances with weather looking very wet and I think everyone knows how the weather can turn out here in Brazil. We have seen many exciting races.

    Q: Jean-Eric, coming to you, some encouraging noises that you may get a chance to retain your Toro Rosso seat for next year. Can you tell us about progress on that and progress on any other options you might have in Formula One?

    Jean-Eric VERGNE: Well yeah, there were some good words from many people, especially from Franz [Tost]. Well, you know, it would be a good thing to stay with this team, I really believe in it and I think this year we did get a lot stronger and next year we’ll be again on this up-trend, so I believe we can be again in a better position next year so hopefully we can continue. But you never know. And I don’t know much more about the situation than this.

    Q: It’s clear from watching you race in the last period of time, just more recently, that there’s a lot of passion in your driving. Is that coming from the adversity that you’ve been through, the setbacks, or is it anger? What’s driving it?

    JEV: Definitely not anger. I believe that I’ve done many races in the past like this but unfortunately the beginning of the year I had a lot of DNF and obviously, when you don’t finish the race, people don’t remember what you’ve been up to in the race. That was a little bit of a shame. I haven’t changed anything. I drive with a lot of passion, I love racing, that’s what I do best and it doesn’t matter what I do next year, I continue,  I don’t continue, I’ll always give my best to a hundred percent and try to have the most fun possible. This is when you perform well.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Elmar Dreher – German Press Agency) Adrian, I can imagine that you are very frustrated. Can you describe a little bit your feelings about this bad situation for you?

    AS: Well, I’m not frustrated but that’s just how it is in F1 since many years. It’s a little bit a different business. That’s all I can say right now. I look forward to the race and that’s it.

    Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriera della Sera) Nico, we know the championship will not finish here in Brazil. Is it an add-point from a psychological point of view that you can have a last chance in Abu Dhabi?

    NR: It’s… for sure it’s great. Great news that for sure this year I have a chance to win the championship the way it is now. That’s a good thing. I’m also happy because it’s good for the fans that it’s going to be exciting until the very end. And, yeah, for sure it keeps me very, very optimistic.

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Nico, Lewis said that what happened in Spa was kind of a war for him and since then he changes his attitude and everything. What has it changed for you since then and what do you think you have to do now to change the results of the last five races?

    NR: Did he say we’re at war? I don’t think anything has changed. It was an intense battle before and it still is an intense battle now. So, I don’t know his exact opinion on things but for me nothing has changed since then.

    Q: (Claudio Nogueira – O Gobo) Felipe, can you make an overall evaluation of your first season with the Williams team?

    FM: Starting with the team, the team did a fantastic season, looking at how they were last year and looking at how they are now. I think the team did a fantastic season in terms of what I was saying before: improving the car and working in the good areas. We lost some opportunities, I lost many opportunities during the season, so many races that I couldn’t finish for different reasons. Some unlucky races as well, I would say. But I think now, I would say maybe from the middle of the season, things were a lot more consistent for myself, for the races, and I really believe that we can still do a great two races for the end of the championship. I’m really working and looking forward to having a very consistent and good season in 2015.

    Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Kevin, two part question: first of all, I take it you still don’t know exactly what your future is for next year, and secondly, then, if you don’t know what your future is, do you feel a bit let down by the team, that in your rookie year, after you’ve done your best to try and perform on the track, you’ve got two races to go and they still haven’t told you whether you’ve got a drive next year or not?

    KM: They’re not doing that to annoy me. They have a reason for it.

    Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Do you feel let down? 

    KM: No, because I understand why I’ve not been told yet. Some things are still not sorted out from their side and if they could let me know, they would. Yeah, I can only just wait and see what happens. I’m not planning anything else, I’m not looking for anything else. I’m planning as if I’m here next year, so that’s what I’m working for and doing my best to get to.

    Q: (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) Adrian, I understood you had a two year contract and it seems that it’s only one year. Is this something you have to talk to Sauber about resolving? You alluded to some issues to sort out still.

    AS: Yes, there are certain things to talk about, definitely, yes. They’ve confirmed two drivers but that doesn’t mean the drivers can drive and it doesn’t mean that the team’s going to drive. So there’s no real change from last weekend to this weekend. It’s just an announcement and now, of course, my situation, I think I have to do some talking, to sort out the things.

    Q: (Luiz Fernando Ramos – Racing Magazine) I don’t know which drivers have done a track walk or saw the new pit entry and pit exit but if somebody can comment on what they saw? Maybe Felipe?

    FM: Yeah, I saw it. The pit exit is more or less similar, a little bit more inside and I would say corner two is more safe, because the wall is a bit further away, so we won’t see some crashes which we saw many times. I think that corner will be a lot safer now. And the pit entry, I would say, was a good job. You still have the wall there, in a similar place – this is the only thing that we need to be careful of, but the pit entrance is better so I would say it’s more safe, it’s better and I really hope we will see no accidents or less accidents than we saw in the past there. Anyway, we need to drive to see exactly but it looks OK by looking but we just need to drive to be sure about it.

    Q: (Andy Benson – BBC) At the beginning of the year, Nico, you were quite outspoken against double points, you didn’t like it.

    NR: I do now! It’s really a fantastic idea.

    Q: (Andy Benson – BBC) I’m coming to that, yeah, and last weekend you were also saying you didn’t like it but you could see the positives. If you end up winning the championship because of double points now, the way the season’s gone, some people will say that it was a hollow victory or it shouldn’t have happened or whatever. How would you respond to that? 

    NR: I wouldn’t respond. Everybody can have their opinion and in sport it’s the points that count in the end and of course, then you can debate who deserved it more or less. That’s always going to be the case.

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Felipe, we heard that Felipe Nasr is going to race for Sauber next year. You know him pretty well, he’s been the third driver for your team. What do you think he can bring to Sauber and what do you say about him as a driver?

    FM: Well, I’m happy for him. I think for Brazil it’s great to have another Brazilian driver racing. I’m quite close to him, we’ve worked together the whole season inside the team. He’s in GP2, maybe his third season in GP2 so it’s his time, his opportunity to go to Formula One, otherwise it starts to be a little bit more difficult after that so I’m happy that he had his opportunity, his chance and I hope the best for him. I hope the best for him and I hope that we can bring our Brazilian flag on the top  now with two drivers, not just one, and I hope the best for him. Definitely, it’s not a great moment for Sauber. I don’t know exactly how it’s going to be next year, his team, I don’t know which car and how competitive they can be, seeing that they are suffering a little bit of crisis and crisis is not good for everything you’re doing but anyway, I hope the best for him and I hope he can have a good start and a good experience and being in Formula One for a long time, not just for a few years.

    eom/FIA press release of the transcript

  • Hamilton extends title lead with third career US GP win

    The Victor and the Vanquished: Hamilton celebrated after extending the championship lead while Nico Rosberg (background) ponders in Austin on Sunday. A Mercedes AMG Petronas team image
    The Victor and the Vanquished: Hamilton celebrated after extending the championship lead while Nico Rosberg (background) ponders in Austin on Sunday. A Mercedes AMG Petronas team image

    Briton now 24 points clear of Mercedes team-mate Rosberg with three races to go. Ricciardo third in Austin.

    Austin, 2 Nov 2014 (IST Monday morning): Lewis Hamilton extended his title lead over team-mate Nico Rosberg to 24 points, as he took a comfortable third career US Grand Prix win after passing the German for the lead as the race approached its midpoint. Daniel Ricciardo finished third for Red Bull Racing.

    Having claimed his ninth pole position of the season on Saturday, Rosberg led the race through the opening stint, but when the Mercedes duo made their first visit to the pit lane for medium tyres, Hamilton found more pace than his team-mate on the prime rubber and on lap 24 completed a bold move on the German into Turn 12 to steal the lead. Rosberg fought back but Hamilton always had a reserve of pace in hand to eventually take a comfortable 10th win of the season.

    At the race start, behind the Mercedes pair, Felipe Massa passed team-mate Valtteri Bottas to claim third position. the Finn was then forced to defend hard as Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso attempted to pass but managed to kept hold of fourth.

    Ricciardo, meanwhile, had made a poor getaway. He dropped to seventh behind McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen but soon claimed a place back, easing past Magnussen as the Dane was too cautious into Turn 12.

    Behind them, Sergio Perez overcooked his entry into the corner and hit Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari. He then cannoned into the Sauber of Adrian Sutil, ending the German’s race. It was bitterly disappointing for Sauber, who had yesterday seen Sutil claim their first top 10 qualifying position of the season and put the team in a good position to claim its first points of the year.

    The safety car came out and many cars pitted to change tyres. Sebastian Vettel was one of those, pitting twice and eventually emerging on medium tyres.

    When the safety car peeled off track at the end of lap four, Rosberg kept his lead ahead of Hamilton and the Williams duo of Massa and Bottas. Ricciardo, meanwhile, muscled his way past Alonso on the outside of Turn Two to steal back fifth place. Behind Alonso, team-mate Raikkonen was seventh ahead of Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado, Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne and Romain Grosjean in the second Lotus in 10th place.

    Maldonado, though, was in trouble. Placed under investigation by the stewards for speeding under the safety car – along with a clutch of other drivers – the Venezuelan was handed a five-second stop and go penalty, as were Vergne and Gutierrez.

    The first round of planned pit stops began on lap 15 as Massa and Ricciardo dived toward the pit lane. Massa took on more softs, while Ricciardo opted for mediums. Rosberg made his stop on the next lap, taking on medium tyres. He was followed by Valtteri Bottas.

    The single lap extra that Bottas had to put in over Ricciardo cost him, however, as the Red Bull driver used the undercut to sneak ahead as Bottas rejoined. Hamilton, meanwhile, pitted on lap 16 and like his team-mate took on medium tyres. Elsewhere, Maldonado and Vergne took their penalties during their pit stops and that allowed Grosjean to move ahead of the pair.

    At the front, on lap 21, Rosberg was just 1.4 seconds ahead of Hamilton and by the time the pair crossed the line at the end of the tour, the championship leader had narrowed the gap to one second and was inside DRS range. Seven seconds further back, Massa continued in third, two seconds ahead of Ricciardo who had now built a three-second lead over Bottas.

    Magnussen was now fifth for McLaren, ahead of team-mate Button who was being heavily pressured by a hard-charging Alonso. The Spaniard probed and pressed and eventually found a way through at Turn One on lap 24 to steal eighth.

    A bigger change of position was taking place at further up the track, however. As Rosberg and Hamilton headed for Turn 12, the Briton spotted a gap and dived down the inside. He made the move stick and took the race lead.

    At the edge of the top 10 Vettel was struggling badly. The champion, who was running considerably slower than his team-mate, had already complained about the mysteriously poor pace of his car and now was suffering with bad understeer. On lap 25 he was brushed aside through Turn One by Grosjean and then, almost immediately by Vergne, who was now 10th.

    As the front-runners’ second stops began, Ricciardo, in fourth, visited the pits for more medium tyres on lap 32. Massa, in third, came in a lap later but a slow halt as his team fitted medium tyres allowed the Red Bull driver to steal third as Massa exited the pits and the pair ran up to Turn One.

    Hamilton and Rosberg, meanwhile, made their final stops, with both taking on medium tyres. Rosberg had been told to push hard while Hamilton pitted ahead of him, but he could find no gain and a slightly slower stop than Hamilton’s left him in second place, 3.6s down on his team-mate.

    Rosberg wasn’t defeated, however. On lap 36 he put in a race fastest lap, a 1:42.381 to run almost a second quicker than his title rival and the gap dropped to 2.7s. Hamilton was immediately informed of the fact by his race engineer and upped his pace, setting a personal best for the race of 1:42.618. Rosberg was pushing too, however, and maintained his assault by logging a 1:42.718. The duo continued to trade fastest laps, but with Hamilton seemingly able to respond at will the gap eventually began to stabilise at 2.5s.

    Alonso, in sixth, was the last man to make a scheduled stop, on lap 44 but when he emerged he was beaten into Turn One by Vettel. The German, on older medium tyres, couldn’t hold out for long against the soft tyre-shot Ferrari driver and Alonso soon stole back the position on lap 46.

    With 10 laps left Hamilton led Rosberg by 2.4s, with Ricciardo third. Massa was now fourth in front of team-mate Bottas, with Alonso sixth ahead of Vettel. Then came the McLarens of Magnussen and Button, while the final points position was occupied by Grosjean, who had Vergne in close attendance.

    That order wouldn’t hold, however. Vettel briefly dropped out of the top 10 on lap 49 to make a fourth pit stop, during which he took on soft tyres. He was soon scything through the pack as further ahead Vergne also attempted to climb the order.

    The Frenchman put a late, strong-arm move on Grosjean to claim ninth, which drew the attention of the stewards for investigation after the race, and then overtook Button for eighth.

    Vettel though was marching on and soon brushed passed Grosjean, Maldonado, Vergne, and Magnussen to rise back to seventh place. Maldonado passed Vergne for in the final corners but the Venezuelan had to take a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane during an earlier stop.

    The flurry of action meant that Hamilton won, 4.3s ahead of Rosberg, with Ricciardo taking his eighth podium finish of the season.

    Massa finished fourth ahead of team-mate Bottas, while Alonso was sixth, just half a second ahead of Vettel who spent the final lap desperately trying to pass the Ferrari. Magnussen was eighth with Vergne ninth when Maldonado’s penalty was applied as he crossed the line. The Lotus man still held on to a point, however.

    2014 United States Grand Prix – Race 
    1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 56 Winner 2 25
    2 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 56 +4.3 secs 1 18
    3 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 56 +25.5 secs 5 15
    4 19 Felipe Massa Williams 56 +26.9 secs 4 12
    5 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams 56 +30.9 secs 3 10
    6 14 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 56 +95.2 secs 6 8
    7 1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 56 +95.7 secs 18 6
    8 20 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 56 + secs 7 4
    9 25 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 56 + secs 14 2
    10 13 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 56 + secs 10 1
    11 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus +1 Lap 16
    12 22 Jenson Button McLaren +1 Lap 12
    13 7 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari +1 Lap 8
    14 21 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber +1 Lap 15
    15 26 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso +1 Lap 17
    Ret 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India +40 Laps 13
    Ret 11 Sergio Perez Force India +55 Laps 11
    Ret 99 Adrian Sutil Sauber + secs 9
    eom/FIA transcript

  • It has been an incredible place, a big thank you to the American fans, says Hamilton

    DRIVERS

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    2 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

    3 – Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing)

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by Mario Andretti)

    Hello Austin, another exciting and beautiful race in the record books. Amazing, guys. All my deputies here. Lewis, if my math is correct it’s your tenth win this season, a 24-point lead in the championship. Oh my gosh. Three races, two wins and a second, is there anything you can tell me about your secret here?

    Lewis HAMILTON: You know, this is an incredible place. I’ve got such great support here, so a big, huge thank you to the fans here. Again, I’ve been so fortunate – I’ve got an incredible team, an incredible and I had a great competitor today and I’m really grateful to be up front. I’m really excited. It’s such a privilege to be representing my country and to be at the top of the driver wins is really quite special.

    A beautiful job, obviously. You had work to do. You’ve done that in the past. You made a beautiful pass on your friend here Nico and I think you might have caught him by surprise a little bit but after that in clear air it looked like clear sailing, because it looked like the car just worked perfectly for you? 

    LH: The car was great today, but you know what, where’s the Stetson? Can I use your hat?

    MA: In a minute… I’m still on official duty.

    LH: Oh yeah, you’re the sheriff.

    Nico, great start, brilliant pole. It looks to me like you were caught a little bit by surprise on that overtake early on in the race and once Lewis got into clear air it seemed like you had a tough time. Nevertheless a one-two, many times this year, a brilliant performance by both of you and kudos to Mercedes.

    Nico ROSBERG: yeah, it definitely kind of sucks to me today, but that’s the way it is (inaudible). It took too long for me to find my rhythm. Once Lewis got by I found my rhythm, but it was too late, so that kind of sucked. But anyways, thank you to all of you; you’ve been fantastic today. As I see, you’ve had a great time, that’s important and it’s great that F1 is in Texas.

    Seventy-five points still available before the end of the season, so the fight is still open right. Daniel, wow! Eight podiums this season, you’re just right there aren’t there aren’t you? Keeping these two pretty honest aren’t you? That’s fabulous to see.

    Daniel RICCIARDO: Yeah we’re doing what we can. We all had a great weekend. So, firstly, thanks to all the fans. It’s honestly a pleasure to come out here. Austin’s great – the circuit, the facilities, the town, everything’s good. So thanks to Red Bull for giving me the package to fight for the podium today and I’m really happy with third place.

    That was brilliant obviously as I said. Some of your overtakes are textbook. As a young man it’s amazing. It’s fun to watch, honestly.

    DR: Thanks. This place is great. You can overtake here, there are a lot of opportunities. I got Magnussen on lap one and then Fernando on the restart, so it wasn’t too boring out there.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Lewis, well done, what an amazing run of races you’ve had, these five victories, absolutely fantastic. How have you felt about those?

    LH: It’s been an incredible run. This whole season has been incredible really. Just an unbelievable job done by the team. Nico was very quick in qualifying yesterday. Obviously I said I had a couple of problems and I corrected them today and, never know how the race is going to go but I pushed as hard as I could, particularly in the first stint. And the second stint I seemed to be even quicker on that stint. Once I got past Nico it was really just about controlling it. Coming here today, just having that same determination and hunger to get that win. And, as I said, there’s not a better crowd really to do that in front of.

    Q: Tell us about that overtake. How did that happen? How did you feel about that? Was it all DRS? How did it actually happen?

    LH: It’s obviously a very good circuit to be able to follow but it’s not easy and it was very hard through the middle sector to try to stay as close to him as possible and get as close as I could to the DRS zone. And I was quite a bit back, I would say, but I felt very confident, there was a big headwind into 12, and I just felt like I was waiting for the moment really, to just be just close enough to throw it up the inside. And that’s what I did. There’s a kind of… you have to decide how much of a risk you’re willing to take. Nico wasn’t defending there really so almost caught him unaware. And after that, really I was just trying to maintain it. But what an incredible achievement. I’m so grateful. Big thank you to all my team and to my family because the results that I’ve had and the amount of wins that I’ve had wouldn’t have been possible without those people.

    Q: You talked yesterday about brakes and also a little bit about a flat-spot. There was no sign of that during the opening laps?

    LH: No, there was no problem. Fortunately it was a small one. But when the Safety Car came out I did have that big difference of around 100°C between the left front brake and the right front, so was trying very hard to keep it as high as possible but fortunately once we got going again it started to rebalance itself and I didn’t have too many problems. Locking was still there but it didn’t seem to hinder me.

    Q: Nico, great start again the overtake saw you back in second place. What happened there?

    NR: Yeah, the start was good so thanks to the team for that, that worked out really well. It’s pretty simple that I didn’t find my rhythm early on. It took a long time, like all the way until after Lewis passed me. In the overtake, I knew there was a chance. Maybe he would try or not, so I went kinda, halfway defensive but Lewis just did a good job and that’s it. Five or ten laps later I started to find a better rhythm and then I felt OK – but it was unfortunately just way too late.

    Q: At one point, for something like five laps in succession, you were lapping so close, the two of you, within thousandths of a second of one another, I guess that when you’d found the rhythm.

    NR: Yes. That’s the period went I started to feel more comfortable. I never gave up in this race, of course, I was just fully determined all the way to try and put the pressure onto Lewis, try and get a bit closer, but it just wasn’t possible today.

    Q: And you radioed in that you hit a kerb at some point. Was there any lasting effect from that?

    NR: No, it’s just that with these kerbs around the back there, if you take a little bit too much, they’re quite high and it was a little bit of a thump but everything was OK. Again, they’ve built a good car. Robust.

    Q: Daniel, fantastic pace to get past both of the Williams. It looked like the car really came into its own in the middle of the race.

    DR: Yeah. I think we had good pace. Williams were strong. I think we used good strategy to get ahead of them basically, and that paid off. But yeah, the first few laps were fun. We dropped a few places on the start but then got Magnussen into 12 and then Alonso on the restart so, couldn’t really hang with the Williams at first but it seemed like the longer the stint went, the more pace we had. Really happy with third. As we know, Mercedes are a bit out of reach, so third I think was the best we could do today.

    Q: And when you had the Williams behind you, within the DRS capability as it were, a slippery Williams with a Mercedes engine, you must have thought it was all over.

    DR: Yeah, Felipe was coming on strong at the end. I could see him. At the beginning of the stint I pulled but then he came back stronger than he expected. I don’t know if he had DRS or not but I was trying to do a little bit down the straights so he couldn’t get too much in my tow. But anyways, I think we held on pretty comfortably in the end but they had good pace and kept me honest until the last lap.

    Q: So really happy to be on the podium.

    DR: You betcha!

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Sef Harding – Zero Zone News) Lewis, you’ve been focused out there like a Jedi knight this season. Big numbers for you: this makes five in a row and ten wins through the season. Did everything just come together for you today, once you had the car hooked up?

    LH: I like the Jedi knight reference! That’s cool. Yeah, today, just really doing my homework. Before the race there’s a lot you can do to really understand what opportunities could come up and in different scenarios, how you approach it and I felt very much on top of that as I have done for quite some time. Just went into the race with the belief that I could win it. Incredible support from my fans, even from when I was in New York this week. The support from my fans and the tons of flags out there and team tops and team caps, I really am so grateful for that support that I have here in the US. It’s amazing. I hope it continues to grow over the years. Great weather, the circuit’s just fantastic. I went into the race thinking I need another race just like 2012 and it was just like that. I was catching him through exactly the same points at which I was catching Sebastian. There wasn’t a moment in the race when I didn’t think that I would get him. Once I was past, as I said, I was able to relax for a second and really try to manage the tyres, because I knew that perhaps he would push at some other point. And so I was always having to respond. It’s such a great feeling when you have a race like that, it just feels great that you’ve really done it as best as you can.

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action/National Speed Sport News) Daniel, as you said, a slow start. What happened at the start and also, looking forward to next weekend, the Red Bull is second best here, how will it be in Interlagos?

    DR: I don’t really want to talk about the start! We’ll see. I feel that it was my fault today. It just didn’t feel like I got the procedure right but I will have to look back and see the ins and outs. But I think it was… for getting off the line poorly, I think we had good damage limitation. Yes. Think I picked a better line in turn one and then, as I said, got Kevin back in turn 12 so in the end we only lost one spot. I think it could have been a lot worse. Yeah, we’ll work on that and then Brazil, hopefully we’re strong. In the past, it has definitely been a good track for Red Bull but I think, again, it’s going to be that last step on the podium that we’re going to fight for. I don’t know. I would like to say that I could catch these two but I think I will be happy with third but let’s see how we go.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Universo OnLine) Nico, now there are 24 points difference to Lewis; do you go to the two last races with the same approach until now, or emotionally inevitable that it affects you? And Daniel, can you describe the manoeuvre to overtake Alonso and then Massa in the operation of pit stops?

    NR: Same approach from me: fully committed, full attack, try and be on pole in qualifying and then win Interlagos and that’s it. There are still many points to be had and a lot can still happen. Same as all the time.

    DR: Fernando on the restart; I don’t think that, from memory, the two Williamses didn’t get a great restart so it sort of bunched us all up. We were close and I saw Fernando cover a bit but it’s so wide at turn one, I knew there was a bit more room on the inside. I guess I committed to that, already out of the last corner when I knew I was close enough and that worked, so that was good but then Massa or Valtteri cut in late. I was very shallow on the apex and I nearly actually collected the Williams but I’m sure Fernando was watching me and saying ‘it’s all over here. He braked too late. Silly boy.’ It was close but that worked well and then I think just the undercut worked to our advantage. I don’t know if Felipe had a slow pit stop or not but yeah, that probably helped us out and I think our pit stop was pretty quick so that was the story there.

    Q: (David Estrada – The Port Arthur News) Lewis and Nico, you guys had a very similar tyre- changing strategy today. Do you think it was done intentionally, to level the playing field between you two? And do you guys see that continuing in the future races?

    LH: It wasn’t because of that. It was because if you look at some of the races, you have been able to offset. Usually the first driver will have the optimum strategy, but then the second driver usually has… say it’s option, prime, prime, the second driver would have a chance of doing option, prime, option but the option’s quite weak here so you had to run option, prime, prime. It was much much slower to run an option, so then we were both on that strategy and that’s why I had to push so hard to make sure I got by as soon as possible because I wouldn’t have that opportunity later on.

    Q: (Matthew Walter – Bleacher Report) Lewis, now if you were to finish second in the next two races, no matter what Nico did, you would still be World Champion, so does this change your approach at all, in terms of maybe being a little bit more conservative, taking fewer chances or is it the same for you?

    LH: It doesn’t really change, same as for Nico really, because we’re hunting for those points. I think during the year you have to be balanced in the risks you take and I think that so far I’ve not been taking too many risks. I’ve done what I’ve needed to do to get by in the safest way, in the cleanest way, which has worked all year, so I should just continue to do the same. Even in this race, I was looking after the car, trying to nurse it home and make sure that it had no problems, and I think really you’ve just got to keep going until the last chequered flag.

    Q: (Steve Aibel – Drafting the circuits) Daniel, the atmosphere here in Austin and Texas, you seem to really have embraced. You’ve talked about Sixth Street, wore a cowboy hat but the thing that I think really embraces you to the State is that number on your hat. Is there any way you can talk about the three and the influence of Dale Earnhardt in picking that number?

    DR: Yes, you’re absolutely right. I love this place. I’m definitely not alone but yeah, it is special, it’s cool. And then yeah, the three. I was a big fan of Dale Earnhardt. I’m a fan of motorsports but I’ve followed NASCAR since I was very young. It was follow Dale and it was my first go-kart number as well. When Formula One said you can pick your numbers this year, it was a no-brainer for me to chose the three and then once they agreed I could run it, I thought what better way to have the style of Dale on my helmet. Yeah, it’s been pretty cool. Dale Junior has seen that we’ve spoken via social media a little bit and it’s really nice that he’s supportive of that. So really quite honoured, obviously, to represent that in Formula One.

    Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) Lewis and Nico, no matter what the result is at the next race, the Abu Dhabi race will be the determining who wins. There’s fifty points on offer, various scenarios and mathematical computations can be played out. Any views on this, how you approach it?

    LH: I think I just said I would do exactly the same. There isn’t much more to add to it, just going to be exactly the same as I approached this weekend and previous races: I want to win.

    NR: For me, that’s great to hear of course, because then there’s a definite shot at the championship this year, even with the points that I’m now behind and anyways, there’s still Brazil to come so in Brazil it’s even possible to completely turn it around. You never know what will happen there so I’m sure it will be an exciting end to the season. I hope it’s going to be exciting for the fans, that’s the most important thing also, that we put on a good show which I think we managed to do today. I look forward to the last two races. With the car that we have, it’s awesome, it really is.

    Hamilton celebrates and thanks fans after winning the US GP in Austin on Sunday (Monday morning IST). A Mercedes AMG Petronas image
    Hamilton celebrates and thanks fans after winning the US GP in Austin on Sunday (Monday morning IST). A Mercedes AMG Petronas image