Sergio Perez who topped the time sheets in Bahrain on Thursday. A Sahara Force India photoBahrain: After a four-day hiatus Formula One returned to the Bahrain International Circuit today to begin its final pre-season group test before shipping out to Australia and the first grand prix of the 2014 season. Force India’s Sergio Pérez recorded the fastest lap of the day, though few teams seemed to be searching for outright pace. Headline times were several seconds slower than those recorded at the circuit last week. Instead, the day saw the front runners largely focussing on long-run pace and – as is now expected at the last test of the winter – fitting aerodynamic parts closer to a race-specification than those seen previously.
Pérez finished nine-tenths of a second quicker than Valtteri Bottas, though the Finn recorded the highest mileage of the day, with 128 laps for Williams. Kimi Räikkönen for Ferrari was third quickest, Nico Rosberg fourth for Mercedes and Adrian Sutil fifth for Sauber. McLaren’ Kevin Magnussen was sixth fastest. He completed 109 laps, joining Pérez (105) and Bottas in three figures. That was seventy laps more than seventh-fastest Daniel Ricciardo managed for Red Bull – he did, however, had the consolation of being the fastest of the Renault-engined cars. Eighth on the timesheet was Marussia’s Max Chilton who was followed by Daniil Kvyat for Toro Rosso, Pastor Maldonado for Lotus and Caterham’s Kamui Kobayashi.
Bottas was the first man out on track, leaving the garage almost immediately the pitlane exit light turned green, though all 11 teams were lapping within the first half-hour. The first time of the day was set by Ricciardo, with a 1:40.262. The Australian dropped that to 1:38.642 moments later, over a second faster than the RB10 managed at the previous test.
If that were a reassuring start for one Renault team, the opposite was true at another as Caterham caused the first red flag of the day, with Kobayashi pulling his smoking car over 40 minutes into the session.
Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg gave the timesheet a familiar shape when he went fastest an hour and a half after the start with a lap of 1:37.722. That stood as the benchmark for an hour before Pérez took a second out of it with a lap of 1:36.051. He then improved to 1:35.290 as the lunch break approached.
“We really needed a good day to start this week and today we had it,” said Pérez. “We managed to do a lot of laps, try several different compounds and mappings, and it’s been a fantastic day in terms of learning about the car. Tomorrow is my last day in the car before the season starts so hopefully we can have another solid day to be in good shape for Melbourne.”
In a change to the timetable for the previous test, a half-hour break was scheduled for 1300, compensated with an extra half hour on track at the end of the day. The change was for the benefit of the track marshals rather than the teams – though some had a busy lunch break as Pastor Maldonado stopped out on track a few minutes before the interval. Lotus had been trialling a new exhaust system and later revealed this to be the source of the breakdown. They did not run again during the day.
After lunch Kvyat caused another red flag, stopping the Toro Rosso at Turn Two but there was happier news from the other Italian team. An unspecified glitch had restricted Raikkonen to just 12 laps in the morning but Ferrari were able to resolve the issue and allow the Finn a full afternoon of running – though it was he who brought the session to a slightly premature conclusion, stopping out on track a few minutes before the scheduled close.
Things were going the other way at Red Bull. Ricciardo completed 32 laps in the morning but failed to build on that, spending much of the afternoon in the garage as the team suffered a problem with its exhaust. Ricciardo added a further seven laps at the end of the day – but with Red Bull wanting a significant increase in track time this week, it was not the ideal start to proceedings.
“We sent Daniel out for a long-ish run, but we had to abort about five laps in, as we noticed some issues on the sensors,” explained race engineering co-ordinator Andy Damerum. “We brought him in, had a look at the car and discovered that we had a problem with the exhaust. So we had a long afternoon in the garage, but we did manage to get Daniel back out at the end of the session, which was good. We have some work to do overnight but hopefully tomorrow we’ll be able to run in a similar style to this morning.”
Testing continues tomorrow and will run until Sunday.
2014 second Bahrain test day one – unofficial times
1 Sergio Pérez Force India 1m35.290s 105laps
2 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1m36.184s +0.894s 128laps
3 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1m36.432s +1.142s 54laps
4 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m36.624s +1.334s 89laps
5 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1m37.700s +2.410s 89laps
6 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1m37.825s +2.535s 109laps
7 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1m37.908s +2.618s 39laps
8 Max Chilton Marussia 1m38.610s +3.320s 44laps
9 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1m39.242s +3.952s 56laps
10 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1m40.599s +5.309s 31laps
11 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1m42.285s +6.995s 19laps
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Paris, 6 Dec 2013: As the annual FIA Prize-Giving Gala honoured winners and champions from around the world for the year 2013, Gaurav Gill became the only Indian in the champions’ list. He won the Asia Pacific Rally Championship along with New Zealander Glenn Macneall.
Gaurav Gill (2nd from left) receiving the APRC trophy at the FIA prize-giving ceremony in Paris on Friday. An FIA photo
The annual FIA Prize-Giving Gala, held in Paris, France, took place this evening and the following winners and champions from around the world were honoured:
FIA Formula One World Championship
The Bernie Ecclestone Trophy
Formula One Promotional Trophies
FIA World Rally Championship
FIA World Endurance Championship
FIA World Endurance Cup for GT Drivers
FIA World Endurance Cup for GT Manufacturers
FIA Personality of the Year
FIA World Touring Car Championship
CIK-FIA World KZ Championship
CIK-FIA World KF Championship
FIA Moment of the Year
FIA WRC 2 Championship
FIA WRC 3 Championship
FIA Junior WRC Championship
FIA World Cup For Cross Country Rally
FIA Middle East Rally Championship
FIA African Rally Championship
FIA European Rally Championship
FIA Codasur Rally Championship
FIA Nacam Rally Championship
FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
FIA European Formula 3 Championship
FIA Masters Historic Formula One
Championship
FIA World Land Speed Records
FIA Outstanding Official
FIA Founding Members Heritage Cup
Champion Driver: Sebastian Vettel (DEU)
Champion Constructor: Red Bull Racing (AUT)
Winner: DMSB (DEU)
Winning Promoter: Brazilian Grand Prix (BRA)
Winning TV: Sky Sports (GBR)
Sao Paulo, 24 Nov 2013: At Interlagos, Sebastian Vettel took a record-equalling ninth win in succession, as Mark Webber signed off on his Formula One career with a second place that delivered Red Bull Racing a fifth one-two finish of the season. Fernando Alonso was third for Ferrari at the 19th and last round of the Formula One World Championship. Vettel took his fourth straight Driver’s title at the Indian GP earlier in October.
Vettel’s victory, which also drew him level with Michael Schumacher’s 2004 record of 13 wins in a single season, was a comfortable one, save for a few key moments, according to an FIA release.
Now familiar Vettel’s donuts to end the season at Brazil. A Pirelli photo
Starting from the 45th pole position of his career, the German made an uncharacteristically poor start, allowing Nico Rosberg to steal the lead in Turn One. The Mercedes man wasn’t there for long, however. Vettel muscled past Rosberg on the pit straight at the end of the first tour and then streaked away to build a solid gap.
His lead was briefly threatened in his second stop on lap 47 when his team were unprepared for his arrival but even then the only threat came from Webber in second place and the Australian was already steering his RB9 into the pit lane to queue up behind his team-mate for a change of tyres.
The remaining laps were simply a case of race management for Vettel. Webber closed the gap for a short period soon after their pit stops, but Vettel had proceedings well in hand and responded with a burst of pace that eventually saw him cross the line just over 10 seconds clear of the Australian.
“I’m actually quite sad that this season comes to an end,” said Vettel afterwards. “I think the last races, since the summer break… to win every race is unbelievable. The car has been phenomenal. Just kept getting better.”
Vettel also pointed to the difficulty of the final laps of the race, when fog and persistent drizzle threatened to influence the outcome.
“The last laps were very difficult with the rain because you could see the fog is coming, [then] it’s leaving, so it was very difficult to judge,” he said.
Webber’s march to second place was, typically, a more battling affair. Starting fourth he too made a poor start and dropped to fifth behind Lewis Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel and Rosberg.
He was soon past Hamilton, though, overtaking the Mercedes on lap two in Turn Six. He then passed Rosberg, who had fallen to P3, and soon became involved in a tussle for P2 with regular sparring partner Fernando Alonso. Mark passed the Ferrari man under DRS into Turn One on lap 13 but then lost P2 during a slow first stop.
There was no halting the Aussie though and just two laps after his stop he passed the Spaniard once again. From there, it was simply a case of powering to the finish for Webber.
“It was a very good finish to my career,” he said afterwards. “I had a good fight with all the guys I’ve enjoyed fighting with for most of my career: Seb, Fernando, Lewis, Nico, all the guys who have been in the window for the last five or six years.
“I want to thank the team, I enjoyed the last laps,” he added. “It was a very nice way to finish. I want to thank everyone in Australia. I wouldn’t be here where I am without the support in the early days. It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable career. A great journey, one of which I’m proud.”
Behind the front pair, the race was all about the battle for second place in the Constructors’ Championship, with Ferrari and Mercedes involved in a tight contest.
Mercedes started the race 15 points clear and despite Alonso and team-mate Felipe Massa running as high as third and fourth respectively midway through the race, the German squad weren’t in real danger, as with Rosberg fifth and Hamilton seventh the advantage still lay with them.
It remained the case even as drama hit both teams. First Felipe Massa was handed a drive-through penalty for crossing the white line at the pit entry, which dropped him to ninth. That seemed to swing the pendulum very firmly towards Mercedes, but then Hamilton clashed with Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, ending the Finn’s race and earning himself a drive through.
By the time the flag fell, Alonso was third, with Massa seventh in his final race for Ferrari. Rosberg, meanwhile, finished fifth and Hamilton ninth, the results handing Mercedes 12 points, enough to take them clear of Ferrari in the overall standings, despite the Scuderia’s 21-point haul.
Elsewhere, excellent drives from Jenson Button, 14th to fourth, and Sergio Perez, 19th to sixth gave McLaren a boost at the end of a difficult season. The team ends the campaign with fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship behind Lotus.
Nico Hulkenberg took more points for Sauber with ninth place, leaving the Swiss team seventh in the teams’ standings, behind Force India. Finally, Daniel Ricciardo bade farewell to Toro Rosso with a point for tenth place. He will, of course, replace the departing Webber at Red Bull Racing in 2014.
2013 Brazilian Grand Prix – Race Result
1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 71 1:32:36.300 25
2 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 71 +10.4 secs 18
3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari +18.9 secs 15
4 Jenson Button McLaren 71 +37.3 secs 12
5 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 71 +39.0 secs 10
6 Sergio Perez McLaren 71 +44.0 secs 8
7 Felipe Massa Ferrari 71 +49.1 secs 6
8 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 71 +64.2 secs 4
9 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 71 +72.9 secs 2
10 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 70 +1 Lap 7 1
11 Paul di Resta Force India70 +1 Lap
12 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 70+1 Lap
13 Adrian Sutil Force India 70 +1 Lap
14 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus 70 +1 Lap
15 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 70 +1 Lap
16 Pastor Maldonado Williams 70 +1 Lap
17 Jules Bianchi Marussia 69 +2 Laps
18 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 69 +2 Laps
19 Max Chilton Marussia 69 +2 Laps
Ret Charles Pic Caterham 58 Mechanical
Ret Valtteri Bottas Williams 45 Accident
Ret Romain Grosjean Lotus 2 Engine
Sao Paulo, 24 Nov 2013: FIA post-race Press Conference at the Season-ending race at Sao Paulo in Brazil on Sunday.
Webber at the FIA press conference in Sao Paulo at the Brazilian GP. An FIA photo
DRIVERS
1 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing) 2 – Mark WEBBER (Red Bull Racing) 3 – Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari)
PODIUM INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Glenda Kozlowski, TV Globo)
Sebastian Vettel, you just broke two records.,.
Sebastian VETTEL: No, please start with him. Start with Mark.
Q: OK! Mark Webber, that’s your last race in Formula One, today is a very emotional day for you. You have over 200 races in your career.
Mark WEBBER: Yeah, it was a very good finish to my career, a good fight with all the guys I’ve enjoyed fighting with for most of my career: Seb, Fernando, Lewis, Nico, all the guys who have been in the window for the last five or six years. I want to thank the team, I enjoyed the last few laps. It was a very nice way to finish. I want to thank everyone in Australia. I wouldn’t be here where I am without the support in the early days. It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable career. A great journey, one of which I’m proud of, and there’s been so many people who have played a special role in my career. They know who they all are – thank you very much if you are watching and…yeah… enjoy watching Formula One next year with these guys, but off to Porsche and looking forward to it.
Q: Sebastian, so, you just made [equalled] two records, the most consecutive wins – nine – and the highest number of wins in a single season: 13. So, what do you feel?
Sebastian VETTEL: Well, I’m actually quite sad that this season comes to an end. I think the last couple of races, really since the summer break, to win every race is unbelievable. The car has been phenomenal. Just kept getting better. I think today was a very interesting race. I had a poor start but then I was able to come back straight away in the first lap, build a gap which was nice to control then. But in the pitstop, obviously, I was waiting for my tyres again. I think it was a bit of a confusion going on because we had both cars coming in at the same time. Fortunately I got all the tyres in time ready to go. Mark was behind and then, yeah, the last laps, very difficult with the rain because you could see the fog is coming, [then] it’s leaving, so it was very difficult to judge but yeah, for sure, extremely proud. Big, big thank you to the team, big thanks to Renault. I think there’s a couple of guys that stand out. First of all Mark, obviously it’s his last race, we’ve been team-mates for a very, very long time. After all we didn’t have the best relationship but I think we always had tremendous respect for each other. And together I think we’ve been very, very successful for the team. And then there’s one other guy, he’s working on my car. His name is Tom Batch and unfortunately he’s leaving so farewell Tom, all the best for the future, and who knows, maybe we’ll meet each other again in the future.
Q: Fernando, since Singapore this was your first podium. Now the season is over and today was a tough race because like he said, the rain came and gone, came and gone. A light rain all the time. So how was it there?
Fernando ALONSO: Well it was a difficult race for everyone, unfortunately the rain didn’t come: I think we were more competitive in wet conditions but again, it seems as if it’s going to rain in any moment but it didn’t, so it was a shame for us but at least we’re in the podium, so ending the season on a high and hopefully for next year we start with a completely new direction and a positive trend. I’m looking forward.
Q: I know you’re missing Felipe Massa. Today was his last race with Ferrari.
FA: It was a shame, sad that he had this drive-through because I think the podium was very close for Felipe today. When I saw him fourth I said this would be a very good celebration for him. Sad for this race but happy for the last four years: he has been an amazing team-mate – inside the circuit with very competitive skills and also like a person. We build a friendly relationship in the last four years, a lot of time together. We’ll see him in the paddock next year with different colours but always he will remain a very good man.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Sebastian, lots of things really to talk to you about but just tell us about the race – give us some idea. Bit of a voyage into the unknown for all three of you in terms of tyres as well but also the start, the pitstop…
SV: Yeah, obviously we didn’t have any dry running, which was quite exciting when we started: bit of an adventure to find braking points, etcetera. Start was obviously quite bad for me. I had lots of wheel-slip and didn’t get the initial launch off the line as good as I was hoping for. Nico passed me straight away, Fernando was closing in. I was lucky that as soon as I got on the KERS I could recover a little bit and then it’s not a long way to Turn One – which helped today. So, lost the position, saved some KERS for the end of the lap. Was hoping to get him back up the hill which worked well, so I managed to get back in the lead straight away and was basically benefitting I think from Nico probably a little bit slower than the cars behind – Fernando and Mark – so I could open a gap and control that for more or less the rest of the race – until we came in for the second stop, which was a last minute call. I think we were afraid of a safety car at that stage. I came in, hoping everybody was ready. I think I had three wheels on the car but I was waiting for the front right. For some reason, last year and this year, it seemed to be the front right that… yeah, they let me wait for a little bit. I saw that obviously Mark was queuing behind me and I wanted to go and there was a bit of chaos in the pitlane but it was obviously fine to get the right tyres in the end, get out again and I still had a bit of a gap. We obviously lost to Fernando at that stage, both of us, but was still able to have a little bit of a gap and control that until the end which was very helpful to get through traffic and with the rain coming in and going – you could really see it from the car. The fog was coming and the rain clouds. You didn’t know how strong the rain was and, yeah, in the end it was fine all the time to stay on dries but a little harder rain and it could have been a different story so, yeah, lucky to get away with that.
Mark, a great end to your Formula One career. I hope you’re happy with it as well. How did it go?
MW: Yeah, I was happy with today. Tricky grand prix for all of us as you say, straight into dry conditions for a Sunday afternoon race. Maybe it’s what Bernie should do! He should just have Sunday afternoons mate, just turn up for Sundays and just race from there because it was a pretty good start to the grand prix, I think, all of us getting into the groove with no dry running: challenging for the teams and the drivers. So we all got there in the end. Both Seb and I had tough starts, I was happy to lose only to Lewis actually. I had a good little scrap in the first lap: Fernando and Lewis were having a good battle and then we settled into it. It looked like the Mercedes were struggling to hold the tempo of Fernando, myself and Seb, so we had to clear the Mercs as best we could. And then it was coming up to Fernando, so, managed to pass Fernando as well. There was some really nice moves and some good racing and I think for the team to get a one-two today with obviously not their cleanest day in the pitlane – which we can let them off every now and again, because they’ve had a superb season in the pitlane – so we gave the red guys a sniff but we managed to respond each time. Very proud to have raced with these guys at the end. I mean I raced pretty much all four or five of them at some stage in the race today – apart from Seb, obviously who was a little bit down the road – but the pace… it was a good battle for all of us. It’s been a real pleasure for me to finish today’s race like this. Yeah, and also to finish on the podium with arguable the two best guys of the generation we’re in at the moment. I hold them in very high esteem. I’m happy with the finish and I’m happy to go and do something different now. It was a special day for myself, all the people that helped me get here. Australia. And the team, of course, had a nice car to finish. Renault as well, a 1-2 for them, last time with the V8s. Lots of things which are special, so thank you very much.
Fernando, obviously a good result for you. As Glenda said on the podium, first time on the podium since the Singapore Grand Prix. Nice to go out with a podium?
FA: Yeah, definitely. I think to finish the season on a high is always better. We missed this podium finish from many races and today we had a chance. Obviously maybe with rain conditions, a wet race, maybe we had a little more performance than on the dry but at the end to finish behind the two Red Bulls today is the maximum we could achieve and I’m happy for that. The last race for Mark as you touched on now. We will miss him, that’s for sure. A great driver and a great person. Last race also for Felipe in Ferrari, which we wanted to help in whatever way to try to celebrate a podium finish with Felipe or something but he get a drive-through unfortunately. But, y’know, mixed emotions today but happy to finish 2013 which has been an amazing year in terms of fighting and the number of points we achieve, I think. We didn’t win the championship, which is the goal every year and for next year we reset again, start from zero and new motivations.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Mark, what will you miss most and what won’t you miss most?
MW: What will I miss most about Formula One? I think there are some special circuits which we race on: obviously Suzuka, Spa, Monte Carlo, Silverstone, even here to a degree. There are some really nice circuits which, when you have the car in the window, particularly in qualifying, there’s not much that can please a driver more than having the car on the edge and having yourself on the edge in the ultimate machine and that is something which I will miss. But you also have to respect that you want to make sure that you’re getting the best out of yourself in that scenario. If you think you’re a little bit off, then it’s not as rewarding as it once was. I will miss those scenarios. I will miss, I think, also the perfection that goes on in this game, especially with a team like Red Bull, the amount of work that goes in, the details. It’s quite inspiring to watch the relentless approach with the work, that’s something which I’ve learned a lot and I will take it to future challenges around the corner. What I won’t miss: looking to pull the travel back down a little bit, spending a bit more time with my people that helped me to get to where I am. I’m not young but I’m not old, I’m in the window, it’s a good time for me to get that balance, a little bit less intensity in the private life and also in the professional life. It doesn’t mean that I’m not going to be pushing hard with Porsche, obviously. I will be pushing very hard with those guys but in this game, you need to be on it all the time and I’m finding that more and more difficult. It’s a chance for me to finish strongly, which I’ve done. That’s some of the things I’ll miss. I think I answered that right.
Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Mark, what is your schedule now, are you going to take some holiday, just like retire or are you working for Porsche as soon as possible?
MW: No, I’m going to have a few weeks out, for sure, doing nothing. I love putting the fire on at home, chopping some wood, putting the fire on and maybe a bit of red wine and chill out with some chocolate. Also my Tasmania Challenge is on which I can’t get to this year, it’s just too busy to get to my charity event, so I hope that goes well for everyone taking part. It starts on Wednesday but I just can’t get to Tasmania from here, it’s just been a relentless year and quite difficult so I’m looking forward to just having a bit of a break. For sure there is some Porsche stuff in the background. Obviously there is a chance I can do some stuff with them before the year is out, which Red Bull have been very good with and then it will be a steady loading into January as it will be for all of us.
Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action Australia and National Speedsport News) Mark, tell us about taking your helmet off on that last ever lap and savouring it? Your eyes seem to be tearing a bit; maybe that was just the wind in your eyes.
MW: Yeah, it was the wind, Dan, I was tearing at that time. Look, it’s not easy to get the HANS device system away from the helmet so I spent half a lap trying to get the left hand side off, so I finally got it there but the cars are bloody noisy with no helmet on, I know that much, so it was really noisy, all the vibrations and you can hear lots of things that you don’t want to be hearing with the helmet on, that’s for sure. It was good to get it off, obviously the marshals, the fans, to see… in this sport, it’s not always easy to show the person that’s behind the wheel. We can in lots of other sports but in Formula One we’ve always got the helmet on so it was nice to drive back with the helmet off. Only time you’re seen with the helmet off is on the podium if we have a good day which we did both, so nice to get it off. In the last sector, I got it a little bit jammed, so I think the marshals were a little bit worried that I couldn’t turn left but in the end, no it was fine, it was a nice moment to come back, a little bit of a different touch to bring the car back.
Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Sebastian first, when did you tell your team that you wanted to come in? Was it because of a potential safety car, and to Mark, do you think it would have been better for you if the team had left you out for one more lap and then go in, because you obviously had to wait for Seb?
SV: I didn’t decide to pit. Obviously with the weather it was critical, we were trying to go as long as possible because we didn’t know… when it starts to rain and you pit one lap before, you lose a lot of time because you have to come in again to fit inters (intermediate tyres). So basically, I was told, exit of turn 12, box if I can. I had enough time to get ready. Arguably the team was on the limit and obviously they were preparing a stop for both cars so they had to get both set of tyres out, mine and Mark’s, and I think it was just a little bit of a rush, because I think the team was afraid of a safety car. Obviously I didn’t know what was going on around the track; the team is obviously able to monitor much better… to see the whole track, whereas I’m very good at judging what’s going on where I am right now but not five, six corners down the road. I think that was the reason why I got called in but unfortunately it got a bit messy.
MW: I got the pit call quite early in the lap, they were worried about a safety car as well. I think Maldonado had been off or something had happened. When I braked for the pit lane line, I looked on the big screen and I could see that Seb was in the box, saw on the TV that he was pitting and I thought ‘I hope it’s a replay’ but it wasn’t. When I got over the top, he was in the bloody box so I thought ‘shit, we’ve got a bit on here now’. In that case, mainly we were losing time, that’s the biggest thing but then just the rear jack guy remembering to get out of the way. Obviously I’m going to stop but I have to wait for him to move out of the way so I thought it was obviously a complete surprise, uncharacteristic of the team to do something quite tricky and risky, when there wasn’t a huge amount to risk but it turns out obviously that there was an issue at the start of Seb’s stop which snowballed into me and then we had the little Spanish lion on the back of me again, so it was a good recovery but the team… I’m sure they want to do that part again. In the end, we recovered well and cool heads…
Q: (Cristobal Rosaleny – Car and Driver) Seb and Fernando, Mark is going to take off some weeks for relaxing but you have to race next year and Formula One is changing a lot next year. What are you going to do until Christmas?
SV: Nothing. Obviously there are some things you have to attend to in December which is also nice, but mostly try to relax. Obviously Mark is retiring from Formula One but he’s not retiring from racing so, as he said, he will obviously get ready, probably has a little bit less pressure because the season maybe starts in a different way but I think for us it’s the same thing as the previous years. Obviously a lot of changes for next year but in terms of rhythm it is probably largely the same. Potentially you start a week or two earlier in January, to prepare the tests a little bit more. Equally, you can’t prepare so much because you need to wait for the first day on track, to know and see where we are.
FA: Obviously until Christmas time we are quite busy at Ferrari with some events with the sponsors and there are many activities in Maranello around Christmas time with the people working there at Ferrari, with their families etc and we will use those days while we are already in Italy to spend some time on the simulator and to do some work, looking at next year’s regulations. Christmas time will probably be the first time that we completely stop, so until the 21st of December, I think, we are on, still.
Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Sera) To Fernando and Sebastian: Seb, what do you feel having reached Alberto Ascari’s record with nine victories in a row, a driver who comes from the distant past of Formula One, and to Fernando, do you feel more optimistic for 2014 after this result?
SV: Well, I think it is very very difficult for me to realise probably now and in the next couple of weeks what we have achieved again, and in particular this year at the end of the season. I think in terms of a certain record with Alberto Ascari you can’t really compare it, it’s at a completely different time. If you consider the fact that in the fifties the races were much longer and there were a lot of things that were breaking down, much more than nowadays where it’s very professional, reliability is exceptionally good for everybody. I think his record still stands out a lot. So at the end of the day, as I see it now, it’s just a number but hopefully one day, when I’ve got less hair and chubby then it’s probably something nice to look back to.
FA: Nothing changed, to be honest. I’m still optimistic for next year because I trust my team, I trust Ferrari preparation and philosophy for the 2014 car. We will be a contender, always, even this year when we haven’t been competitive and we only won two Grands Prix, we were off the podium for the last six or seven Grands Prix etc, we finished second in the World Championship, so with whatever the car that Ferrari do, normally, better or worse, you are a contender. That’s my optimistic point for next year, not because today we are on the podium or not on the podium.
Sao Paulo, 24 Nov 2013: This year’s world champion, Sebastian Vettel, has taken his 13th win of the season to equal Michael Schumacher’s 2004 record and also achieved the record for his ninth win in a row – at the Brazilian Grand Prix, the 19th and final round of the FIA F1 World Championship at the Interlagos circuit here on Sunday night. His Red Bull teammate Mark Webber finished second in his last F1
Now familiar Vettel’s donuts to end the season at Brazil. A Pirelli photo
race.
The German started from pole but was beaten by Nico Rosberg. But he took the lead back on lap two and used a two-stop strategy to win: Notwithstanding the fiasco at the pits where he made a pit stop when the team is waiting for Mark Webber. The Australian ended his career with a brilliant podium taking second ahead of Fernando Alonso of Ferrari. Webber, who began in 2002, had nine career victories from his 215 race starts. Webber is moving to endurance racing next year.
The only other driver to have won nine races in a row before was Alberto Ascari in the 1950s – but this was across two seasons, also using Pirelli tyres.
The biggest challenge all the teams and drivers faced was having no dry running on the hard and medium tyres prior to the start of the Brazilian Grand Prix, due to consistent rain on Friday and Saturday. The race started in dry conditions with ambient temperatures of 20 degrees and track temperatures of 26 degrees, with a 50 per cent chance of rain.
All the drivers got underway on the medium compound tyre apart from McLaren’s Jenson Button, who started 14th on the grid, and Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez, who started from 17th. The first driver to switch from the medium to the hard compound was Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne, who came in on lap 10. Button took his first set of mediums on lap 20, the first of the hard tyre starters to stop – and was then back on the medium on lap 43. The strategy helped him to a fourth place finish by the end: his best of the year.
Vettel pitted from the lead on lap 24 for more mediums and re-emerged in front, stopping again for the hard tyre on lap 47: the same lap as his team mate, as Red Bull feared a safety car. Although there was no heavy rain, some drops then started to fall – adding an extra element of uncertainty. The rain became slightly heavier in the closing laps, but not enough for any of the competitors to use the Cinturato Green intermediates.
The tyres performed perfectly in line with expectations despite the varying conditions. There were punctures seen on the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and the Williams of Valtteri Bottas, but this was as the result of contact between the two.
The final record of this season – the last of the V8 engine era – was set by Marussia’s Max Chilton, who became the first rookie to finish every race of his debut year.
Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said: “The fact that there was no dry running prior to the start of the grand prix meant that formulating the right tyre strategy was a matter of educated guesswork for all the teams. And with no rubber having been laid down on the track previously, it was extremely hard to calculate the wear and degradation levels. The weather forecast remained uncertain throughout the race to complicate matters even further, with different teams interpreting the information in various ways. However, they had to bear in mind their obligation to run both compounds if conditions stayed dry – which turned out to be the case. This race has marked the end of an era and now the cars, along with the tyres, change completely for next year. Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull for a record-breaking season, and best of luck for the future to Mark Webber, who ends his distinguished Formula One career here in Brazil.”
Sao Paulo, 23 Nov 2013: Sebastian Vettel once again demonstrated his current dominance of Formula One with a superb final qualifying lap that put him on pole more than six tenths of a second ahead of Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg in the 19th and last round of the FIA F1 World Championship at rain-hit Interlagos here on Saturday.
According to an FIA release, t
Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) in parc fermé after having set pole position for Brazilian Grand Prix on Saturday at Interlagos circuit. A Pirelli photo
he final Q3 segment of qualifying at the Sao Paulo circuit was delayed for 40 minutes due to the amount of standing water on the track after a heavy rainfall at the end of Q2 but when the final ten-minute shootout eventually began Vettel was quick to lay claim to provisional pole.
Team-Mate Mark Webber, on full wet tyres, was the first to cross the line with a lap of 1:29.215. That time was immediately beaten by Vettel who logged a lap of 1:28.830 on the same tyre type.
Behind them Lotus’ Romain Grosjean was abandoning his run and heading for pit lane to shed his wet tyres for intermediate rubber. Others were of the same mind and the field soon made the switch too.
Grosjean was quickly up to P1, eclipsing Vettel by more than a second. Vettel though was having none of it and within moments the Red Bull Racing driver was across the line in 1:26.479, a stunning lap that put him more than a 1.2 seconds clear of the Lotus driver.
In the end, Rosberg got closest to Vettel’s time, taking P2 with a lap of 1:27.102. Fernando Alonso was third for Ferrari just over four tenths adrift of the Mercedes driver.
Afterwards, Vettel admitted he was surprised by the gap to Rosberg.
“A big surprise,” he said. “I was so happy after the quali, especially Q3, when it took a long time for us to get out. There was a lot of rain after Q2, so it took a long time. I was surprised by how much of the water had gone. I went on intermediates and was able to get a very good lap in straight away. Tried again in the second to beat that. It was very close, so with both my laps I was very happy.”
Rosberg, who had topped the timesheet in the similarly wet first two free practice sessions at Interlagos, also admitted to surprise at the advantage his compatriot had.
“I’m surprised about the gap to Sebastian, that’s very big,” he said. “It definitely would have been difficult, even getting everything perfect, to come close to him. That’s fine. Optimum, we’re second place, and we got that, so it’s OK. It’s a great place to start tomorrow – the front row of the grid.”
Alonso, meanwhile, said stealing second from the Mercedes driver might have been possible had it not been for time lost at Turn Four.
“I have mixed feelings to be honest,” he said. “I’m happy to be so high up on the grid, finally, because we start between seventh and tenths in the last five or six grand prix, which is not ideal. But I’m not totally happy with my lap. I lost a lot of time. I lost something like seven or eighth or tenths in Turn Four, off the circuit in the paint area, losing a lot of time there. I think second could be possible but obviously I’m not sad with third and all the opportunities in front of us in tomorrow’s race starting up at the front.”
Webber was fourth for Red Bull Racing, ahead of the second Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and sixth-placed Grosjean.
It was a good day for Toro Rosso, with Daniel Ricciardo seventh and team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne eighth. It was almost a disaster for the team in Q1, however, as changing conditions caught them out. With the minutes counting down, Vergne in P17 was in danger of being eliminated. He found a late burst of pace on an improving track at the death however, to scrape through the Q2 in 15th position ahead of Ricciardo in 16th.
The final two top-10 starting places were taken by Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and tenth-placed Nico Hulkenberg of Sauber.
The major casualties of the second segment were McLaren’s Jenson Button and Sergio Perez. The Mexican qualified in 14th position, crashing out at the end of the session when he ran wide on the exit of Turn Five and spun into the wall. Button, meanwhile, could do no better than 15th in the session.
2013 Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying times
1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:26.479
2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:27.102
3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:27.539
4 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:27.572
5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:27.677
6 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:27.737
7 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:28.052
8 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:28.081
9 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:28.109
10 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber 1:29.582
11 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus 1:27.456
12 Paul di Resta Force India 1:27.798
13 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:27.954
14 Sergio Pérez McLaren 1:28.269
15 Jenson Button McLaren 1:28.308
16 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:28.586
17 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:27.367
18 Esteban Gutiérrez Sauber 1:27.445
19 Charles Pic Caterham 1:27.843
20 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:28.320
21 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:28.366
22 Max Chilton Marussia 1:28.950
1 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing) 2 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes) 3 – Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari)
TV UNILATERAL
Congratulations Sebastian, another excellent qualifying for you, your 45th pole, your second here, and your ninth this year. But what a margin as well, that’s incredible.
Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, big surprise. I was so happy after the quali, obviously, especially Q3, it took a long time for us to get out. There was a lot of rain after Q2, already at the end of Q2. Yeah, we need to wait. If there’s too much water it’s a shame for the people who wait for us to come out, but there’s too much water and the risk of aquaplaning is too high. So it took a long time and then got out. I was surprised by how much of the water had gone. I went straight on intermediates and was able to get a very, very good lap in straight away. Tried again in the second to beat that. It was very close, so with both my laps I was very happy. Surprised by the margin. When I was told I was very happy. I even mixed up Spanish and Portuguese. I was on the radio saying “olé, olé” but olé is Spanish so I don’t know the expression in Portuguese but maybe someone can tell me today and hopefully I’ll have another chance tomorrow. But great in these conditions to get it all right., We had very little practice and still got the car where we wanted it to be in the end so very happy.
Nico, your best qualifying here, ever. You wanted to give the Red Bulls a hard time, well, second is a good effort. What are your feelings?
Nico ROSBERG: It was a good day today. Everything went to plan. It’s always extremely tough in these conditions because it’s just all over the place and you need to make sure you don’t get caught out. But the whole team, we all did a good job and perfect strategy also in the end doing those two consecutive laps with the inter, got a good lap together, so happy with that. Surprised about the gap to Sebastian, that’s very big. Definitely would have been difficult, even getting everything perfect to come close to him. That’s fine. Optimum we’re second place and got that, so it’s OK. It’s a great place to start tomorrow – front row of the grid.
And Fernando, your equal best grid position this year. A bit of a surprise or not?
Fernando ALONSO: Well, we know that in wet conditions normally we improve a little bit our performance. We were waiting for wet races this year but it came only in the last in Brazil. I have mixed feelings to be honest. I’m happy to be so up on the grid, finally, because we start between seventh and tenths in the last five or six grand prix, which is not ideal. So being in the first three is good, but not totally happy with my lap. I lost a lot of time. Not obviously to beat Seb, he’s too far in front of us. But I think for second place it was not difficult. I lost something like seven or eighth or tenths in Turn Four, off the circuit in the paint area, losing a lot of time there. I think second could be possible but obviously I’m not sad with third and all the opportunities in front of us in tomorrow’s race starting up at the front.
File photo of Vettel at the post-race FIA Press Conference in India. A photo by BIC
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Sebastian, facing the race tomorrow with so much wet running but not so much dry running, what sort of conditions do you want? What is ideal for you?
SV: Well, I don’t think we had that many laps in the wet, to be honest, because we were all of us trying to save tyres as much as we can. Especially yesterday, we only had one set, and this morning. But… yeah, very pleased with the result, first of all. Tomorrow, I think Nico touched on it, it could be 50:50. It looks to be the best day that we have out of the last two but, yeah, we don’t know, anything is possible here. We saw in the race last year how quickly things can change. So, yeah, looking forward to the race in general. It’s great to start from pole. Very happy with the laps I had in the end in these tricky conditions. Hopefully we can carry that momentum into the race, no matter what the conditions.
Q: Nico, you’ve been quickest in both sessions yesterday, what sort of conditions would you like for the race itself?
NR: I don’t mind. Whatever. Whatever is OK. It can be dry or wet. Maybe in the wet I have a little bit of a better chance against Sebastian but anyway, it will be tough either way. Maybe a mix will be good for a little bit of an opportunity.
Q: And Fernando, what would you like?
FA: Yeah, I think mixed conditions would be the best thing – and that’s what it’s going to be, probably, with the weather forecast we have and we saw also today how quickly it goes from extreme to nearly dry, so tomorrow will be fun.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Nico, in comparison to Sebastian you lost four tenths in the last sector which is a pretty straightforward one and Fernando, I think you lost six tenths in the middle sector. You said something before, I couldn’t understand it. Can you explain what happened?
NR: I finished my KERS unfortunately, for the last sector. That’s just a compromise because of doing two consecutive laps in these wet conditions and so it was to be expected and we chose to do it that way but for sure, that cost some lap time so it was down to that.
FA: I went off in turn four. I braked very late and I missed the corner and then I was on the extra circuit that is painted and obviously very slippery and I arrived braking more or less with zero on the target in the lap time, compared to the lap before and I exited with eight tenths slower so I lost these eight tenths, which obviously aren’t enough for pole but maybe it was enough for second place. That’s the way it is. The lap was not completely clean today.
Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Sera) Fernando, how do you see the fight for second place, is it good news for the team to have the Lotus behind, because they could try to overtake Ferrari?
FA: Yeah, definitely. I think it’s going to be tough. Obviously the second place in the Constructors’ is getting very difficult and the Mercedes were very strong all weekend so I expect them to be very strong tomorrow as well. But yeah, you are right, we cannot forget Lotus, that they have been scoring a lot of points in the last races and they are also a threat for third in the Constructors’ so it’s good to have them behind. It’s also good to have Felipe performing well today, with both Ferraris in Q3 and hopefully tomorrow both Ferraris can be in good points and I can help, failing anything, to have a very good last race with Ferrari.
Q: (Carlos Miguel – La Gaceta) Fernando, do you think victory is a possibility tomorrow or maybe it’s very difficult?
FA: Well, I think it’s going to be very difficult. Obviously every Grand Prix you go to, inside, even in a small percentage, you have to think of victory, because we are competitors and we like to win every race we go to. But we also need to be realistic and don’t tell our fans, our team, our people that tomorrow we have a high chance to win the race. That is not true, so we will try to do our best, we see whatever the position is at the end, what we have to do is to maximise what is available and for sure, comparing the last five or six events we’ve been through, there was probably zero chance to win the race. Tomorrow there’s maybe a small chance but very small.
Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) To all of you: if we have a dry race tomorrow which is possible, what will be the impact of being on the wet conditions all the days and then immediately in the race on dry tyres and dry asphalt?
SV: Well, first of all I think we all have new tyres so that helps but obviously the track is very green because we didn’t have dry conditions before, so I think that will make it tricky. And then I think it’s important that whoever has the best guess coming here, in terms of set-up, to ensure that your car is fine, not just for one lap in the wet conditions but also that the performance is there in the dry, first of all, and you are able to look after the tyres. It’s a long race, seventy laps here. We’ve seen in the past that it’s not that easy to make the tyres last, depending on your strategy so it will be difficult if it’s dry but then again, it will be same for everyone.
NR: There are a lot of other things like balance, like your front wing setting, your seventh gear – you might on the limiter for a hundred meters if you get it wrong – your engine temperatures are difficult to predict, so we might have opened too much and tomorrow we realise, oh damn, we’re running too cold so we lose performance. There’s a lot of things like that.
FA: Nothing more to add, I think.
Q: (Cristobal Rosaleny – Car and Driver) For all of you, how much did you compromise your set-up for maybe a wet race tomorrow?
SV: Well, I think to be honest with you, the typical wet set-up doesn’t exist any more, at least for us. In the past, the races that we had, there’s not that much difference. For sure we tried to go a little bit in a direction that helps us for wet conditions after the first or second practice yesterday but I wouldn’t call it a wet set-up, because usually in the wet you put more wing on, you lift the car, things like this but to be honest, the last couple of years, it has been pretty frozen when you went from dry to wet set-up, or dry to wet conditions.
NR: Same
FA: Same
Q: (Rodrigo Franca – VIP Magazine) Sebastian, the Brazilian fans cheered a lot for you in the 2008 race. It was in pretty much the same conditions that we had today and you were at Toro Rosso and if you were ahead of Lewis Hamilton it would help Felipe to be champion, so a lot of people cheered for you in that race. Do you think you have a special relationship with Brazilian fans and also with Interlagos?
SV: Well, I finished in front of Lewis as far as I can remember, so I tried to help the Brazilians but I think it’s a special place. I think all of us have had at least one race that was complete chaos in either direction, especially if I look at last year, the final race, fighting with Fernando for the championship. If you look at the highlights it has been an absolutely crazy race. My car was very damaged, I was facing the other way after turn four on the first lap but for some reason it seems to be a circuit – and together with the conditions – where you are able to create something out of nowhere. Equally, you might be on the safe side and something can happen. Surely, I have a special memory when coming here and yeah, you always believe something can happen here because the chance is there, as I described.
Mark Webber set the fastest time in final practice ahead of qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix in another rain-affected session at Interlagos.
The Red Bull Racing driver claimed top spot in the drier final 10 minutes of the hour, setting his time of 1:27.891 on intermediate tyres on the second lap of his first time run of the session.
As the first to take on the green-banded Pirelli tyres, Webber’s time sparked a flurry of action in the final minutes of the session as rivals bolted on inters and explored the limits of the improving track.
Of Webber’s rivals it was Lotus’ Romain Grosjean and Heikki Kovalainen who fared best, with the Frenchman slotting into P2 behind the Red Bull man with a lap of 1:28.195 and his Finnish team-mate taking P3, four tenths further back.
Valtteri Bottas was fourth for Williams, ahead of Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, with Jean-Eric Vergne sixth for Toro Rosso. Esteban Gutierrez guided the second Sauber to seventh on the timesheet, finishing ahead of the second Williams of Pastor Maldonado and the twin Force India cars of Paul Di Resta and Adrian Sutil, who were ninth and tenth respectively.
A number of expected frontrunners were conspicuous by their absence, however. Champion elect Sebastian Vettel, who had briefly held top spot during a long, stop-start opening phase conducted on full wet tyres in heavy rain, opted not to run on inters. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who set the session’s best time on the blue-banded tyres, also chose to remain in pit lane.
His team-mate Nico Rosberg, meanwhile, did not set a time at all, a choice also taken by Ferari’s Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, and McLaren’s Jenson Button.
The session got off to a very slow start with only Esteban Gutierrez setting times for the first 20 minutes of the session. He was then joined by a handful of others but it wasn’t until Vettel set a wet tyre benchmark of 1:31.857 nearly 40 minutes into the session that any meaningful action took place.
With ten minutes to go Webber appeared on the intermediates for his first run and that at last was the catalyst for a busy final few minutes on the drying track.
2013 Brazilian Grand Prix Free Practice Three times
1 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:27.891
2 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:28.195 +0.304
3 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus 1:28.595 +0.704
4 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:28.600 +0.709
5 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber 1:28.830 +0.939
6 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:28.921 +1.030
7 Esteban Gutiérrez Sauber 1:29.215 +1.324
8 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:29.686 +1.795
9 Paul di Resta Force India 1:29.736 +1.845
10 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:29.913 +2.022
11 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:29.980 +2.089
12 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:29.988 +2.097
13 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:30.635 +2.744
14 Charles Pic Caterham 1:30.837 +2.946
15 Max Chilton Marussia 1:30.972 +3.081
16 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:31.154 +3.263
17 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:31.857 +3.966
18 Sergio Pérez McLaren 1:32.731 +4.840
19 Nico Rosberg Mercedes no time
20 Fernando Alonso Ferrari no time
21 Jenson Button McLaren no time
22 Felipe Massa Ferrari no time
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File photo of Webber at the Japan GP. A Pirelli photo
File photo of Felipe Massa at the Indian GP this year. A BIC photo
21Nov2013: DRIVERS – Charles PIC (Caterham), Max CHILTON (Marussia), Giedo VAN DER GARDE (Caterham), Jean-Eric VERGNE (Toro Rosso), Felipe MASSA (Ferrari), Mark WEBBER (Red Bull Racing)
PRESS CONFERENCE
I’ll start with you Mark: 215th and final grand prix start this weekend. I know you’ve had time to come to terms with your retirement from Formula One but when you climb into that Red Bull for one last time, it’s going to emotional isn’t it?
Mark WEBBER: I think on Sunday it will be a little bit different but it still feels like a normal race at the moment, so looking forward to Sunday in many ways, in terms of obviously pushing for a good result, but also I’m ready to stop and looking forward to the extended winter that I’ll have and the new challenges around the corner. Getting out of the car Sunday there will be a few things that will be for the last obviously in terms of Formula One, but I’m pretty relaxed at the moment and looking forward to the race.
What do you think you might miss most of all?
MW: There are certain situations in Formula One that are super rewarding. Obviously driving the car on the limit at certain venues is still very satisfying, no question about it. You’ve got Suzuka, Spa, Monte Carlo, come qualifying day and even racing, at certain circuits it’s very challenging and rewarding. So I’ll miss some of that. But I’m on a little bit of a slippery slope now, in terms of… you’ve got to be careful not to test it too much in terms of performance and what you used to be able to do. I still think I’m driving well but I don’t want to be around not driving well. So it’s inevitable that you’re going to miss certain parts, for sure the adrenaline and working with people like Adrian Newey. Stuff like that you don’t get to do that often obviously. That’ll be something I’ll miss a bit. But there comes a time when you’ve got to let go and I’ll still have good adrenaline next year obviously with Porsche and that’ll be a good balance.
So many highs and lows from your association with Formula One. Which period have you enjoyed driving the least and which period have you enjoyed driving the most.
MW: I think the hardest and most difficult cars to driver were in the mid-2000s, when we had all the refueling and the tyre war. Those cars were tricky and you had to push every time you went out. There was no such thing as pacing at any point really, in qualifying, practice or Sunday afternoon. So it really was a tight envelope for a grand prix driver in those eras to operate but that’s what we trained [for] and we aspire to do. They were good times. Obviously a lot of power too, the V10s had plenty of horsepower. So the lap times floating around then were pretty impressive, and in the early 2000s as well to a degree. We’ve had a lot of changes in the last three or four years. The racing has gone through some boring phases, so we’ve introduced some DRS, things like that, things that have been of benefit to the sport. It’s taken a little bit of the tradition out of it I suppose, some of the passing moves and things like that, which probably which are not as difficult to achieve as in years gone by. They are achievable now. That’s a little bit fabricated but good for the neutral at home. Tyres – we’ve had some challenging times on those as drivers, and as teams, trying to understand particularly the new brand of heavily modified pace during races is probably not as rewarding as it was. But you can’t always have it. I’ve driven in so many different regulations… one championship but with so many different scenarios but generally you just have to enjoy it, it’s your job.
I’m sure you’ll be greatly missed by everyone here in the paddock. Good luck for the future. For you, Felipe, it’s the end of an era too. Your association with Ferrari, which begun in 2006, comes to an end and what a place for it to come to an end – your home race, at Interlagos.
Felipe MASSA: Yeah, definitely. It’s a fantastic place to race and to finish an incredible time with Ferrari. It’s a very long time. It’s our eighth championship but I’ve been inside Ferrari even before Formula One, so it’s a long time and I need to say thank you to all of them – everyone who worked together in Ferrari. Stefano as well. You know that he is a big friend and he did a lot for me as well, Domenicali. Everybody, everybody I worked with together. I hope we can enjoy the last race here in Ferrari and having a lot of fun and having a good result as well to have even more emotion at the end.
Do you pinch yourself when you think back that you spent eight years with Ferrari, the team that every boy racer dreams of racing for?
FM: Yeah, I mean I think Ferrari is a dream for all the drivers. I remember, one of the first go-karts I had was red. My first overall was red, so I was always supporting Ferrari as a kid. So racing eight years for Ferrari is definitely a dream come true. So, getting old as well! But also it’s another re-start for my career. I’m really happy and looking forward to my future in Williams, a different team. So really, a lot to do still in Formula One.
Q: How important for your morale was it that Williams had the faith in you to extend your Formula One career, to take you on and try and restart a period of success that they’ll be hoping for from next season? And also, how important is it for the sport that a Brazilian driver still stays in Formula One.
FM: First of all, I really believe I can do a lot with Williams. Everything is changing, brand new rules for the championship so I think it’s also a good time that we start something new, different. You never know, you’re doing a good job in a team that has also all the infrastructure to do – like Williams has – everything inside the company to do a good car. So everything is possible. They believe in me so I’m really happy and motivated to drive for them, to work and to do everything I can to help the team to be competitive again, which I’m sure everything is possible.
And how important for a Brazilian to stay in Formula One?
FM: It’s very important. We know how important is Brazil in Formula One: the history for so many drivers, so many championships, so many victories. For Brazil, Formula One is very important. We have motor racing in the blood. So, it’s very, very important to keep Brazilian drivers in Formula One, and also, we’re not having a great time in Brazil for the small categories, so I think it’s important to give a push and help for our future – because for the moment it doesn’t look very nice. I’m trying to help and give some good ideas for the Federation to help and pushing for our future.
Jean-Eric, your second full season in Formula One. How difficult has this year been for you? Off the track when Mark announced he was retiring there was the hope of a Red Bull seat, tantalisingly close but it never ultimately came your way.
Jean-Eric VERGNE: It was a difficult season. I have to say that I’ve been quite unlucky in many races, not finishing when I should have been in the points. We had a really good car to start off the season with but then I guess with the introduction of the new tyres, everything went a little bit more difficult for us and, yeah, we were out of the points for a long time. It has been really tough. Obviously there was the Red Bull seat opportunity. They went for Daniel. It was, of course, a big disappointment for me as a racing driver. You want to win races, be one day a world champion and obviously it’s the team to be in to do this, to succeed. But, you know, I try to look at the positive. I guess if Red Bull choose Daniel that means there are things I haven’t done good. I have to look at myself in the mirror, try to understand the reasons and try to get better. The challenge with Toro Rosso next year will be massive. I’m really happy to stay in that team and everything is possible. Even staying in this team, it’s not a back-up plan or whatever. I really believe in this team and I want to grow as a racing driver with this team that is growing a lot too.
Q: When you miss out on a big seat is it difficult to keep your head high, is it difficult to keep your morale and your focus.
J-EV: For a few races it has been difficult because I think I was doing really good races and I was on a good run from Monaco, Canada and Silverstone was going to be really good as well but obviously I had the big tyre explosion and then there was the call of Red Bull to put Daniel in the Red Bull for the young driver test and straight away I understood that this seat was not going to be for me even though I tried to do my best. And then there were a couple of really difficult races in terms of pace, everything, so it was quite difficult to manage it, I guess.
Q: Giedo and Max. Question for you both. We know where Mark’s going to be next year, we know where Felipe and Jean-Eric are going to be – but you two, we’re not sure at the moment. Max first, what can you tell us about the future?
Max CHILTON: I’m not going to speculate any more than people already have. We’ve had some good discussions over the last couple of weeks and I’m happy with those conversations, they’ve gone quite well so I’m just looking forward to hopefully being back next year and having a bit of a better chance.
Q: No doubt in your mind that ideally you would like to stay with Marussia.
MC: Yeah. Marussia have been great to me. They gave me the chance to get into Formula One and it’s not easy for us where we are but this year I think we’ve done a pretty stunning job with what we’ve got. It’s not over yet – we learnt that last year here with five laps to go – so we’re kind of… we’re fingers-crossed hoping that it can finish well but the car’s looking strong for next year. When big rule changes tend to come into Formula One it gives the smaller teams a bit of a chance. So looking forward to Australia hopefully next year.
Q: Giedo, what does the future hold for you?
Giedo VAN DER GARDE: Well, I can tell you nothing yet. The management is very busy at the moment. Hopefully they can do a good job. I think I’ve proven myself during the last part of the season and I think I’ve been doing a very good job so hopefully I will be there next year.
Q: Is it easier to have those negotiations after a season of Formula One do you think – or is it easier to make more of an impression with your results from the junior categories, trying to get in for the first time?
GVDG: I think after a season it’s better to negotiate – because then you’ve shown already what you can do. I think we’ve shown already this year what I did. Let’s see.
Q: So, tell us about the battle this weekend. 13th place will be good enough to Caterham in the Constructors’ Championship if there’s no Marussia car ahead of them. At the moment Marussia have that tenth place and with it the financial benefits of tenth. How are both camps feeling? Let’s start with Max first. It’s a massive weekend for both teams.
MC: Yeah, for sure. We know how important this weekend is, coming into it. The worst thing is to start panicking because you start not concentrating on the right things. The best thing to do is treat it like a normal race weekend and try to get the most out of the car. If we can do that, and we can race well, then there’s nothing that we can be sad about because we gave it the best shot we can. We’ve done that every race this year and it’s worked. But with the weather in Brazil it’s never over until that chequered flag.
Q: Does that mean then, Giedo, that Caterham are praying for rain?
GVDG: Absolutely! Because by pure speed it’s going to be tough in dry conditions and we need some luck. We need some other cars maybe to have a collision or maybe to have a mechanical failure – but rain will help a lot. And our car seems to work quite well in the rain. And also our car is quite competitive here also in the dry. We have to give it a big push, the last chance, and hopefully we can do the same as last year.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Sera) Felipe, which was your happiest moment at Ferrari and which was the toughest one? Can we say the toughest one was after losing the championship here, or the period after the accident in Budapest?
FM: I would say the happiest moment was, I think, the first time I won in Brazil, 2006, with the green and yellow overalls. I think that was definitely the best moment for me. You know how important it is for a Brazilian to win at home. If you remember well, Senna was more happy to win in Brazil than to win a championship so you can see how important it is for a Brazilian to win here. It was a very special moment, not just that time but even 2008 was a special moment. I won the race here, it was Sao Paulo, quickest lap. It was other championships, not here in Brazil, you know, before. I think the toughest moment was… definitely the accident was not a great moment and maybe the race in Hockenheim, 2010.
Q: (Marc Surer – Sky Germany) Mark, you must be very pleased next year that there are no standing starts any more for you. I hardly remember a perfect start from you. Can you explain us what is so difficult about starting a modern Formula One car?
MW: Austin was very good. Austin was a great start. Austin was a good start.
Q: Sadly the Frenchman behind you got a better start.
MW: That’s right. I think that my reaction… first of all, we are not completely in a position like Ferrari with their clutches. We know they have a very very good start system so they’re stronger than us on the initial…
FM: If you want we can change the downforce…
MW: So yeah, our initial starts, the initial part has not always been consistent and then I think my reaction to this inconsistency is not as good as it could be. So when you go for the second lever, when you go for the KERS, when you go for the slip control, especially on the Pirellis… with the Bridgestones, you could slip the tyre a little bit more and you get no penalty. With the Pirellis, you slip the tyre a little bit and you lose time so I think that… We’ve never seen Sebastian go through the row in front either. We’re either holding position or losing and Seb has got the starts just OK because I think he can manage some of the problems but for me, it has not, particularly in the last few years. The Bridgestone years we were fine, 2010 was actually pretty good but in the last few years it has not been our strength and it has not been a strength of mine. But I enjoy the starts. I’m relaxed on the grid, I could sing a song to the guys, it’s not something which… when the lights are on, it’s a great part of the Grand Prix but of course, it’s a part of the weekend that, if you look at Austin, it’s a big part of the weekend that needs to… Maybe I should have done ‘bike racing because in ‘bike racing you can overtake but in Formula One now, it’s less easy to recover because in traffic with the tyres, blah blah blah it’s a big part.
Q: Before we continue with our questions from our journalists here, I’m pleased to report that Charles Pic has managed to join us this morning. Thanks for coming along. We asked Max and we asked Giedo about their futures in Formula One; it would be wrong not to ask you about next season and how negotiations are going?
Charles PIC: Yeah, sorry, first, for the delay. I was doing the trackwalk because we had a mistake with the scheduled programme. For next year, I think the logical thing for me would be to stay at Caterham but it’s not sure. I think there are still many seats available for next year so nothing is sure for the moment so we will see.
Q: How difficult is it for a driver and a driver as young as yourself to be thinking, ‘do you know what, if it doesn’t go right with the negotiations, that might be my time in Formula One and it might have come and gone so, so quickly?’
CP: Yeah but you say that every year, no? So, at the end, I don’t think it’s changing a lot. We try to be focused on the races we are on, so it’s Brazil this weekend and give our best this weekend, try to get good results for the team and then we will see what happens for next year.
Q: Thirteenth or better on the track might help those negotiations along for this weekend and helping Caterham maybe to tenth in the Constructors’ championship. Giedo was saying that the team is praying for rain. Do you believe that the shock result is possible, even without the rain?
CP: I don’t know if it will help the negotiations but for sure it would help the team and it’s the target so we will go for it and see.
Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action and National Speedsport News) Mark, would you like to send a message to Australia and a thank-you to the legions of Australian fans that have supported you ever since that first race with Minardi?
MW: Yeah, well obviously Formula One down there is not the easiest sport to follow, or wasn’t particularly when I was growing up. It’s always on in the middle of the night, there was no internet, blah blah blah. These days it’s a little bit more easy to follow. Obviously we’ve been very very lucky to have an Australian Grand Prix since ’85 in Adelaide and then at Melbourne, so that’s a real tonic for our country to follow the best single-seater category in the world – obviously the pinnacle is Formula One so they are always happy to have the best drivers and the best teams in the world to come down there to compete in Australia and that’s evident with one of the best organised events of the year. So, when they have an Australian racing, that’s a super bonus and when they have an Australian challenging for good results, for them it’s been a good period in the last few years so it’s been phenomenal the amount of support that I’ve had from there, not always easy for them to understand the sport at times but they do what they can and they are very passionate behind their sporting people. I believe that I’ve competed in a way which they would be proud of and I just want to thank them, obviously, for all their amazing messages that I’ve had over the last few weeks and specially this week, it’s been incredible. I look forward to spending a little bit more time down in Oz in the future, I haven’t seen a huge amount of my country since I left there as a young lad so I’m looking forward to spending a bit more time down there, have a look around and I always represented and was proud to race for Australia throughout my career, so the Australian national anthem and the flag for me was very important because I always knew it was not often… there’s only been three race winners so it’s not exactly easy for us to compete at this level and get over to Europe. It’s very special to race for Australia.
Q: (Patricia Sanchez – Motorpasion F1) Mark, already we ask you what are going to miss now you’re leaving, is there something you’re happy to leave behind, maybe us journalists?
MW: Well, I wouldn’t be leaving if there wasn’t things that I’m not happy to leave behind. Obviously if there’s more positives than negatives then obviously I would stay, so there’s more negatives than positives so for me, it’s something that I want a fresh change, a new chapter in my life. Basically I’m ready for that, personally and professionally. Obviously the journos have to do their job, obviously I have a good relationship with quite a few of them, also the photographers for me have been very good for me over the years. Some of the snappers in the room here have been with me for my first test, for example in Estoril in 2001. You strike up good friendships with a lot of people, not just the drivers but other people. Obviously there’s some shit magazines that have to do shit journalism and that’s normal but in the end, you’ve got to deal with those as well but in general it’s a good professional tennis match and that’s how we always like to play it. The journos, I don’t feel negative about the journos at all, they’re doing their job but sometimes they test you of course.
Q: (Luigi Perna – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Felipe, considering all, do you think that Ferrari will miss you in future?
FM: I hope so. For sure, it’s not part of my thinking. I’ve tried to do the best in my career so I really hope Ferrari can have a good future as well, so I have nothing really to complain about, to say. We have had a very good time together and I hope I can have a fantastic future in a different team and I hope it’s the same for Ferrari. I have had zero frustration in my life and I think that’s the way it is.
Q: (Ben Edwards – BBC Sport) Max, your thoughts going into this race, a chance of finishing every single Grand Prix of your rookie season, is that something you’re already thinking about?
MC: Yeah, for sure it’s something I’m proud of, a good achievement so far to finish 18 races. I think it’s broken Tiago’s (Monteiro) record already of 16 but I’m trying not to look into… I’m a little bit superstitious. If you start looking around I feel that I will tempt fate. It’s something I would quite like to keep up. Obviously if I’m put in a position where I have to really fight as hard as I can to keep that 13th and screw the keeping it on the track I will do whatever I can to keep that tenth. It would be nice if I could finish the race on Sunday but it’s not the end of the world if not.
Austin, 17 Nov 2013 (IST 18 Nov early hours): Sebastian Vettel took a commanding win at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas to win the US Grand Prix for the first time and break Michael Schumacher’s nine-year old record for most consecutive wins in a season into the bargain.
Both the Force India cars failed to finish in the points. While Paul di Resta finished 16th Adrian Sutil retired early after an accident.
Starting from pole, Vettel cruised to victory at COTA, only being headed for two laps following his sole pit stop for the harder of the two tyre compounds on offer on lap 28.
After team-mate Mark Webber and brief leader Romain Grosjean then visited pit lane for their stops, Vettel resumed at the front and controlled proceedings until the end.
After landing his eighth straight win of the season, which sent him past Schumacher’s 2004 mark, Vettel admitted the achievement was difficult to put into words.
“It’s impossible to know what to say,” he said. “The car was fantastic. It was a bit tight at the start; Romain had a good start [and] initially I didn’t know whether it would be enough. It’s tough judgement up the hill and then I just tried to focus on myself. We had incredible pace again in the car and could control the gaps. Eight in a row, I don’t know what to say.”
Behind Vettel the battle for second place was a nip and tuck affair between Grosjean and Webber.
The Australian had started alongside team-mate Vettel on the front row, but got away badly from the dirty side of the track and was passed by Grosjean and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton as the field swept through the first turn.
Webber eventually seized third place from Hamilton on lap 13 with a pass at Turn 12 under DRS and set off after Grosjean.
And that was the shape of the Red Bull driver’s race until the flag. He hassled and harried, pushed and probed but no matter what he tried Grosjean remained resolute, defending well and using his KERS judiciously as Webber tried to maximise the twin DRS zones in place at COTA.
“A good race,” said a delighted Grosjean after scoring his sixth podium finish of the season and his best result since the Canadian Grand Prix of 2012. “I got a good start, I could pass Mark and almost got Sebastian. The car was working very well today. I’m very proud to represent Lotus and my guys that are working in Enstone. It’s a fantastic team.”
For Webber it was a bittersweet seventh podium finish of the season, the Australian admitting that losing out on pole cost him in the race.
“Pole position was very important yesterday, I knew it would cost me a better result today, so a little bit disappointed not to qualify better.” he said. “We knew it was not going to be the easiest to get into turn one from there. We had a good launch, a good start, but then obviously we all wanted to be on the outside. I got a little bit boxed in and then I had to pass Lewis.
“After that it was not easy to pass Romain,” he added. “He drove very well. He was very clean on the exit of eight, nine.”
Behind the top three, Hamilton’s fourth-placed finish ahead of Fernando Alonso, coupled with Nico Rosberg’s ninth place gives Mercedes a slightly bigger advantage over Ferrari in the battel for second place in the Constructors’ Championship. The now lead Ferrari by 15 points ahead of the final round in Brazil. Grosjean’s second place leaves Lotus on 315 points, 18 behind Ferrari.
Nico Hulkenberg put in another good performance for Sauber to take sixth place. His eight points leave the Swiss team in seventh place in the teams’ battle, 21 ahead of Toro Rosso.
Sergio Perez finished seventh for McLaren and behind him Valtteri Bottas took his first career points with an excellent drive to eighth place for Williams. With Rosberg ninth for Mercedes, Jenson Button claimed the final points position.
2013 United States Grand Prix – Race Result
1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 56 1:39:17.148 25
2 Romain Grosjean Lotus 56 +6.2 secs 18
3 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 56 +8.3 secs 15
4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 56 +27.3 secs 12
5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 56 +29.5 secs 10
6 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 56 +30.4 secs 8
7 Sergio Perez McLaren 56 +46.6 secs 6
8 Valtteri Bottas Williams 56 +54.5 secs 4
9 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 56 +59.1 secs 2
10 Jenson Button McLaren 56 +77.2 secs 1
11 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 56 +81.0 secs
12 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 56 +84.5 secs
13 Felipe Massa Ferrari 56 +86.9 secs
14 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 56 +91.7 secs
15 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus 56 +95.0 secs
16 Paul di Resta Force India 56 +96.8 secs
17 Pastor Maldonado Williams 55 +1 Lap
18 Jules Bianchi Marussia 55 +1 Lap
19 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 55 +1 Lap
20 Charles Pic Caterham 55 +1 Lap
21 Max Chilton Marussia 54 +2 Laps
Ret Adrian Sutil Force India 0 Accident
