With medals:
1 Button: 6
2 Vettel: 1
Vettel would need to win 5 without Button winning...
I hope Button wins at Silverstone, but then someone different at Nurburgring *thinks of Hamilton*.
2009 ING Turkish Grand Prix
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JoostLamers
- F1 Champion
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Re: 2009 ING Turkish Grand Prix
Post by JoostLamers » 07 Jun 2009, 17:10
yes pleasephil1993 wrote:With medals:
1 Button: 6
2 Vettel: 1
Vettel would need to win 5 without Button winning...
I hope Button wins at Silverstone, but then someone different at Nurburgring *thinks of Hamilton*.
<<<The flag Lew1s waved at
Re: 2009 ING Turkish Grand Prix
Post by Jaguar » 07 Jun 2009, 17:15
agreenewtrex wrote:shail69 wrote:look at it now!!phil1993 wrote:Championship: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Formu ... #Drivers_2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Formu ... rands_Prix
Race was ... not bad tho i was about to feel asleep lolz ...
plz newtrex put on "Piquet" DNF on all season
so Next race let's be a bit early : "3rd position should go to Vettel 4rth Webber , 5th Hamilton 6th Alonso 7th Massa 8th Raikonen " what do u think ... i didn't mention top 2 positions they're known already and if it was Ruben leading he will have to slow down or spin or do sthg
Re: 2009 ING Turkish Grand Prix
Post by phil1993 » 07 Jun 2009, 17:16
I did not do well in predictions
Re: 2009 ING Turkish Grand Prix
Post by Haukinen » 07 Jun 2009, 17:33
That's it!
I'm not going to watch a single race this season because of that button...
I'm not going to watch a single race this season because of that button...
"F1 won't change me" -Jenson Button, just weeks before dumping his girlfriend of five years and buying a Ferrari
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Rachael The Great
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Re: 2009 ING Turkish Grand Prix
Post by Rachael The Great » 07 Jun 2009, 17:35
are you sure about that?
Re: 2009 ING Turkish Grand Prix
Post by phil1993 » 07 Jun 2009, 17:38
you're obviously not an F1 fan then... Boring races make fantastic races! 2008 was soooo good that 2009 seems boring, whereas its actually not that badHaukinen wrote:That's it!
I'm not going to watch a single race this season because of that button...
Re: 2009 ING Turkish Grand Prix
Post by Haukinen » 07 Jun 2009, 17:38
We'll see that in the next GP...Rachael-The-Great wrote:are you sure about that?
Spoiler:
I'm afraid I can't do it 
"F1 won't change me" -Jenson Button, just weeks before dumping his girlfriend of five years and buying a Ferrari
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Rachael The Great
- F1 Driver
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- Joined: 08 Sep 2008, 14:53
Re: 2009 ING Turkish Grand Prix
Post by Rachael The Great » 07 Jun 2009, 17:45
didnt think so, i couldntHaukinen wrote: We'll see that in the next GP...Spoiler:I'm afraid I can't do it
Re: 2009 ING Turkish Grand Prix
Post by phil1993 » 07 Jun 2009, 17:48
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
Re: 2009 ING Turkish Grand Prix
Post by phil1993 » 07 Jun 2009, 17:55
I think Webber will win a race this year and he thoroughly deserves it...
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Rachael The Great
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Re: 2009 ING Turkish Grand Prix
Post by Rachael The Great » 07 Jun 2009, 17:56
i was gonna say they got a lift home off Rubens but, er, maybe not.
Re: 2009 ING Turkish Grand Prix
Post by AzShadow » 07 Jun 2009, 18:06
This is the most boring championship since 2004 though. In 2005 Alonso was favorite pretty much all the season, but at least McLaren had a chance in terms of speed and it kept up some sort of tension. In 2006 Schumacher showed early on already that Ferrari was in a championship fighting condition. Obviously 2007 and 2008 were one of the most exciting seasons for years. But now when you look at Brawn, their cars are just so much ahead of others. It wouldn't even matter if Button misses out a win in a race or two, because he'll have at worst the second fastest car during the race. And it took seven races before we saw the first retirement of a Brawn car.phil1993 wrote: 2008 was soooo good that 2009 seems boring, whereas its actually not that bad
Re: 2009 ING Turkish Grand Prix
Post by phil1993 » 07 Jun 2009, 18:08
True, but nothing can match 2002 for dullness. But tbh, 2006 wasn't great until mid-season
Re: 2009 ING Turkish Grand Prix
Post by phil1993 » 07 Jun 2009, 18:22
Webber thinks tickets should have been free
Selected driver and team quotes
FIA Press Conference
Spoiler:
Mark Webber says Turkish fans should have been allowed into Sunday's grand prix for free after very poor attendance figures at the Istanbul circuit.
Official figures said just 36,000 three-day tickets were sold for the circuit with a capacity for 130,000 people.
Most of the grandstands were empty during the weekend, with some of then covered with giant black cloths.
Webber believes the tickets were just too expensive for the Turkish population.
"There was no one here," Webber was quoted as saying by Reuters after the race. "There were a lot of people that tried to come in today but obviously it's not that cheap and things like that but we should have let them in for free at the end.
"It would have been nice for the show to let people in. I'm sure there's a lot of people that would want to come to the Turkish Grand Prix but can't afford to because it's very expensive."
The Istanbul circuit is already facing doubts about its future, with motorsport federation head Mumtaz Tahincioglu admitting on Friday it would be hard for the track to keep the GP.
"It won't be easy to come to an agreement," Tahincioglu was quoted as saying by the Today's Zaman newspaper. "There's tough competition, like when we started. Notification is given as a reminder that the contract will finish on January 12, 2012. The contract only provides for races through the 2011 season.
"It means if we want to continue we have to come to an agreement with Mr. Ecclestone before then, and of course he has serious candidates, some of whom have committed to expensive construction."
Official figures said just 36,000 three-day tickets were sold for the circuit with a capacity for 130,000 people.
Most of the grandstands were empty during the weekend, with some of then covered with giant black cloths.
Webber believes the tickets were just too expensive for the Turkish population.
"There was no one here," Webber was quoted as saying by Reuters after the race. "There were a lot of people that tried to come in today but obviously it's not that cheap and things like that but we should have let them in for free at the end.
"It would have been nice for the show to let people in. I'm sure there's a lot of people that would want to come to the Turkish Grand Prix but can't afford to because it's very expensive."
The Istanbul circuit is already facing doubts about its future, with motorsport federation head Mumtaz Tahincioglu admitting on Friday it would be hard for the track to keep the GP.
"It won't be easy to come to an agreement," Tahincioglu was quoted as saying by the Today's Zaman newspaper. "There's tough competition, like when we started. Notification is given as a reminder that the contract will finish on January 12, 2012. The contract only provides for races through the 2011 season.
"It means if we want to continue we have to come to an agreement with Mr. Ecclestone before then, and of course he has serious candidates, some of whom have committed to expensive construction."
Spoiler:
Brawn GP
Jenson Button (1st):
"I wish I could have had the whole team up there on the podium with me today! This was definitely a victory for us all, everyone at the track, back at the factory in Brackley and at Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines in Brixworth. Today we really showed what this car and engine can do and to beat our closest competitors fair and square is a great feeling. I had a good start from the dirty side of the grid and it was really important to maintain second position into the first corner. I took my opportunity on the first lap when Sebastian went wide and from there we controlled the race. Once we knew that Sebastian was going for a three-stop strategy, we filled the car up at my first stop and I just tried to be as consistent as possible to keep him behind me. It's not nice to see a car catching you so quickly, even when you know he is on low fuel, but once he pitted I was able to push harder. I had a smile on my face for pretty much every lap today, the car felt that good, and I was able to back off in the last stint to conserve the engine. This is the first time that the car has been absolutely perfect for me and it means so much to the team to see just how good this car is. To go to Silverstone for our home race leading the championships is a wonderful feeling but we know that we have to keep pushing to maintain our advantage."
Rubens Barrichello (DNF):
"It was a difficult and immensely frustrating day for me today. We had a problem with the clutch at the start which caused the car to go into anti-stall so I wasn't able to get off the line. That dropped me back into the pack and to complicate things further, I was hitting the limiter on the straights which meant that I couldn't overtake and had to take risks. So it was an eventful first half of the race as I tried to compensate for the problems and I had a couple of incidents with other cars. I was prepared to fight my way up the field but the damage caused to the gearbox by the problems at the start began to get worse so the team had to retire my car. It's difficult to have a day like this when you could see the pace of the car was fantastic but we will bounce back. Silverstone is one of my favourite circuits so I'll stay positive and look ahead to the British Grand Prix in two weeks time."
Ross Brawn, Brawn team principal:
"I'm beginning to run out of superlatives to describe our season! Jenson drove an outstanding race today and demonstrated the level of talent and composure that we have come to expect. Once again, the team here at the track, in Brackley and our close partners at Mercedes-Benz worked extremely hard this weekend to improve the car and achieve the perfect set-up that we had for the race today. My sincere thanks to them all for their commitment and enthusiasm. On Rubens' side, we had a problem with his clutch off the start line which was similar to that which we experienced at the opening race in Melbourne. In attempting to recover and get off the grid, the transmission was over-torqued. As his race progressed, it became increasingly evident that this had caused a serious problem with the gearbox and we retired the car whilst the damage was contained. It's extremely frustrating for all concerned when the car was balanced and working well for Rubens going into the race. We will look into the cause of the problem to ensure that this is rectified. We can now look ahead to Silverstone, just eight miles from our factory in Brackley, and take great pride to be leading the constructors' and drivers' championships going into our home race."
Red Bull
Mark Webber (2nd):
“A good race. I knew I had to hang in there for as long as possible in the first stint. It worked out pretty well and I managed to go a lap longer and save fuel, which helped me gain some time. I knew Sebastian’s strategy and that I was in with a sniff of getting a podium finish. Both Sebastian and I knew that first place was gone and it was about who would finish behind Jenson - he was on another planet! The second stint was therefore crucial, I had to push really hard. When you’re on a different strategy, the other guy is almost invisible until after the pit stops, but it turned out well for us and my engineer kept me updated with what was happening. I did enough in the middle stint to be able to jump Sebastian at the pit stops. Then, at the end we turned the engine down and brought the car home.”
Sebastian Vettel (3rd):
“The start worked out okay, I was ahead but then I nearly lost the car in Turn Nine and 10 on the first lap. It was my mistake, it was extremely difficult there and I nearly did the same on the second lap. It was quite tricky, but I think without that there wouldn’t have a big difference, as Jenson was too quick today. After that I thought the strategy might swap to a two-stop plan, but it didn’t. I got caught behind Jenson who was heavier in the second stint and that allowed Mark to get ahead. Nonetheless, a good result for the team and I think we can be satisfied with second and third.”
Christian Horner, team principal:
“A good team result today and second and third gives us more points for the constructors’ championship. Mark drove a very strong race today with not a single mistake and did a good job to finish second. Unfortunately for Sebastian, after a good start and having led on the first lap, he made a small mistake which allowed Jenson to pass. Our only chance to then have a go at Jenson was a three-stop strategy, which is what we elected to do. It relied on us overtaking Jenson in the second stint, but unfortunately Sebastian didn’t manage that today and the time lost was the difference between second and third.”
Fabrice Lom, Renault, Principal Engineer, Track Support:
“A mixed feeling again. It’s a very good team result, we are second and third and have got fourteen points - which is four more than Brawn received today. It was a very strong race from Mark and a good race from Sebastian, but Jenson was just too quick for us. He deserved the win, he was quicker and he won - there is nothing more to add!”
Toyota
Jarno Trulli (4th):
"I am pleased with the race result and also with the car. We have worked really hard to find more performance and it's great to be back in the fight for a podium. The team deserve a lot of credit for the improvement this weekend, including the engineers who have made a good step with our starts. My start was incredible and I made up two places into the first corner, however I struggled a lot on the first lap with locking brakes so I dropped back to fourth. After that I got into a good rhythm and I was fighting hard with Nico Rosberg. He got ahead at the first pit stops but I bounced back and overtook at the second stops. I was really competitive towards the end when there was a lot of rubber down and it was enjoyable to be fighting at the front. I started the weekend with a positive feeling and we quickly found the right set-up so I am extremely happy to be back to a competitive level."
Timo Glock (8th):
"It was not easy to score points from 13th on the grid. At the start I was a bit unlucky; I got a good launch but I got caught at the exit of turn one and another car pushed me to the outside. I lost some positions so maybe the result could have been even better. But in the end I am happy to score a point because the car was spot on, really quick with race fuel. It's tricky to make up positions in Formula One but our strategy was right, the pit stops were great and the set-up worked really well so thanks to the team for a good job. Our target before the race was to get into the points so I am pleased to achieve that and I expect even more at the next race."
Tadashi Yamashina, Toyota team principal:
"It is very satisfying to have both drivers finish in the points here. We are back fighting at the front of the grid and that is where we want to be at every race. This was the best result we could achieve after qualifying which is a credit to the good work done by the team. However, we obviously want to be back on the podium so even though we showed very clear improvement, we will continue to push as hard as possible to find more performance. There is still a gap between us and the other top teams so we want to close that for the next race. I am optimistic for the British Grand Prix; we believe the Silverstone track should suit our car because it plays to our strengths therefore we want an even better result there."
Williams
Nico Rosberg, Williams (5th):
“I am happy with fifth place and happy for the team as well because this is a good result. I had a great start, which I have to thank my engineers for as it went exactly as I’d hoped it would, and by the end of the first lap I’d managed to make up four positions. From there, I pushed hard to get past Trulli, and I thought I could because my pace was good, but he had a quicker car today. I hope we can keep up this momentum and score points at every race. At the moment, I would say we can consistently be in the top eight.”
Kazuki Nakajima, Williams (12th):
“I had a good start and a strong first lap. Everything was then going well until the second stop. What happened was a real shame as I think that was probably the best race of my career so far. Basewise, we were competitive today, so thanks to the team for a good car and a solid strategy which allowed me to beat Raikkonen and Alonso on the track. We will just have to learn from the mistake in the pitstop and hope for a better result next time.”
Sam Michael, Williams’ technical director:
“It was good to score four points. Nico had a fantastic start and drove a strong race to fifth. It was a shame that we had the problem during the pitstop on Kazuki’s car when the front left wheel nut became stuck. If not for that, he would have finished in a well deserved seventh place. To come away with four points though is a good day for the team.”
Ferrari
Felipe Massa (6th):
“A very difficult day for us. We have to accept the fact that sixth place was the best we could do, because we were not quick enough to fight against those in front of us. We must continue to push on the car development front to make up for what we lack in terms of performance, starting with the race at Silverstone. From Friday it was complicated to find a way to make the tyres work well: for example, today the softs seemed to go better than on previous days, but using them right from the start would have been a risk because the degradation, up to yesterday seemed to be pretty significant.”
Kimi Raikkonen (9th):
“It was definitely not the race we were expecting or the one we wanted. The first lap was decisive for me: I lost valuable places and then it wasn’t possible to get them back because today we weren’t quick enough. Over recent weeks, we have improved our performance a lot, but we are not yet at the level of the best, especially at tracks like this one. It is never easy to catch up, because in the meantime, the others are not exactly stopping their own development. We must not be negative about this after a weekend like this one, but we should continue to concentrate and to push: I am sure we can soon return to fighting for the top places. It won’t be easy but I have confidence in this team.”
Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari team principal:
“We definitely expected more from this weekend, especially given what we had seen up to the end of Saturday morning, when our level of competitiveness was pretty good. We have to understand why the performance of our car evolved in a negative fashion over the course of the three days: the race pace we saw this afternoon was not only not up to the level of the best but it was also not as good as many of the others. We must continue to work on the development of the car to try and make up ground, by continuing to stay focused and without getting discouraged by this setback.”
Chris Dyer, Ferrari chief engineer:
“We are very disappointed because we expected to be in the fight for better places. We have to really understand why we lost so much speed from one day to another. Today we weren’t competitive, not just up against Brawn GP and Red Bull but also when compared with Toyota and Williams. On top of that, the way the first lap went cost us dear: it’s not by chance that the classification of our cars at the end of lap 1 was the same as they passed the chequered flag.”
BMW Sauber
Robert Kubica (7th):
“It is good to finally score points. I think I raced well today. My pace was good and I made no mistakes. The race was very hard, as nearly all the time I had someone very close behind me, and the smallest mistake would have cost a position. It was very hard to keep up the pace. However, finishing seventh was a clear step forward and we now have to keep up the speed of development.”
Nick Heidfeld (11th):
“For me today’s race was disappointing because I lost all my chances in the beginning when I had a problem with the car. As early as the formation lap I realised the car pulled to one side and the front left tyre had no grip at all. It stood still when I tapped the brakes softly. The start itself was okay as I was ninth, but then I more or less went straight on in the first corners because of my problems, and quite a few cars went by me. It was better in the second and third stints, but it was way too late for points. Nevertheless it is positive that the car has generally improved and again we are able to score on our own merits.”
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport director:
“This was a thrilling race for us right from the start to the chequered flag. Coming from P10, Robert made it to seventh and therefore deserved the two championship points due to his great commitment. In the early stages our cars were not fast enough to make up ground compared to our competitors. Only after lap 40 were our drivers able to set the lap times which we expected. Nick lost a lot of ground and many positions right after the start and was therefore not in a position to fight for championship points. Conclusion of the weekend: Our car was fast enough today to score points thanks to our own performance. This is the basis from which we will prepare the next development steps.”
Willy Rampf, BMW Sauber head of engineering:
“For our team today’s race was really exciting. Our strategy proved the right one and Robert was able to exploit the car’s potential. We were rewarded with two world championship points. Nick’s race was over immediately after the start. Despite our positive result there is no reason for slowing down now. We have to make more progress quickly to close the gap to the top teams. However, tonight we are happy about championship points."
Renault
Fernando Alonso (10th):
"Of course I feel frustrated that we didn't manage to finish in the points, but to be honest we couldn't expect much more today. We started in eighth position and having the lightest car on the grid penalised us because after the first pit-stop we just couldn't keep up with the pace with the top contenders. We therefore need to improve quickly. Hopefully the changes expected for the Silverstone race will be significant enough to see us score some good points and change our situation for the second part of the season."
Nelson Piquet (16th):
"It was quite a straightforward race today, but my fate had been decided yesterday with the problems that I had in qualifying and so it was difficult to make the strategy work. The car was good and I had some fun battles, including the one with Hamilton when I passed him, but our final result is disappointing. However, I remain confident we can improve in time for Silverstone."
Flavio Briatore, Renault managing director:
"Both drivers did the best they could in a difficult race and with a car that's just not competitive enough. Our priority is to keep working flat-out and to introduce constant and substantial updates and improvements to the car at each race for the remainder of the season."
Pat Symonds, Renault executive director of engineering:
"From the grid positions that we had and the current speed of the car it was difficult to see how to get points from this race. We tried to use the tyres in a slightly different manner to see if this would help us, but ultimately it wasn't enough to give us a positive result. As we have said so many times before, we must improve the basic pace of the car."
Remi Taffin, Renault head of engine operations:
"The race was difficult today. Our drivers performed well and gave their maximum, but with the way the weekend developed it was clear we couldn't finish in the points. We now head to Silverstone where we are determined to get a better result. We are all extremely motivated and will continue working at 250 percent."
McLaren
Lewis Hamilton (13th):
“It was quite an uneventful race but I actually enjoyed myself this afternoon. I was very heavy at the start but I just pushed and pushed. That’s why I can smile - because I think I drove to my full potential.The most important thing is for us to keep our heads up and to keep pushing. I see my role from now on as helping the team to cure the problems with this year’s car and to make next year’s car the best it can possibly be. When the team gives me a car to win, I will win.Now we look ahead to Silverstone - I really wish Jenson all the best: he did a fantastic job today. Personally, I hope I can come away from my home race with a great feeling from my home fans. I hope they won’t give up supporting me.”
Heikki Kovalainen (14th):
“This was a character-building race for everybody in the team. At the start of the race, I really got the maximum out of the car and I’m pleased about that. I had a good fight with Rubens too - it was great to be racing hard and fair and it was very satisfying to keep a faster car at bay with some good old-fashioned racing tactics and also our KERS hybrid. In the final stint, the engineers elected to turn down the revs to protect my engine. Still, we have to be realistic: we finished 14th and we all know we can do better. We’ve had some great days in the past and we’ll continue to push hard to enjoy some great days in the future.”
Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal:
“In extremely frustrating circumstances, both Lewis and Heikki performed very impressively this afternoon. They both tried their hardest throughout the race, and we're grateful for their sterling efforts. Of course, it's frustrating that two such forceful drives went unrewarded in terms of world championship points, but the fact is that our car just isn't as quick as we'd like it to be. So, now, we'll go back to Woking and we'll work hard to rectify its deficiencies, but there's no magic cure. No, instead, the remedy will be found via hard work, and one thing our team isn't afraid of is hard work - which, it goes without saying, I'm also extremely grateful for. But, returning to the subject of today's race, the fact that Rubens, in an extremely competitive car, was unable to make anything of his afternoon once he’d got bogged down at the start, demonstrates all too clearly that, in modern-day Formula One, as close-fought as it is, it’s more or less impossible to make useful progress from the back of the field. That may be frustrating, but it’s true nonetheless."
Norbert Haug, vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“We knew that this type of circuit would be difficult for us. Whereas the car works okay in sector three with its long straightaway and tight corners where we are as quick as anybody, we struggle massively on the quick parts of this racetrack. We have to make fundamental improvements and everybody in the team is aware of that. Thanks to Lewis and Heikki who both drove faultless races and extracted the maximum from their cars. The Brawn car and Jenson Button are in a league of their own - so none of their competitors can currently be satisfied and certainly we least. Congratulations for the sixth win from Jenson in the seventh race of the season and a big thank you to our engine guys who have put in a perfect effort so far.”
Toro Rosso
Sebastien Buemi (15th):
“It was a tough but a good race for me, as I attacked as hard as I could. We have to stay positive and today, we looked a bit more competitive than over the rest of the weekend. For me, after the last two races, it was a good experience to finish the Grand Prix today and get more mileage. Now we need to do two things: analyse exactly what went wrong in qualifying and get some updates for the car as soon as possible. We will have to make the best of the next two races, after which we are hoping to have some major improvements for Hungary. We need to continue to work hard."
Sebastien Bourdais (18th):
"Starting at the back was always going to be difficult. After the start, Fisichella seemed to be in trouble and was all over the place, so I couldn't take too many risks trying to get past and I lost between three and four seconds on the opening lap. Of course, I also had to deal with a very heavy fuel load and after that, I had a solitary race. Doing the long second stint on the Option tyre was also not easy. We opted for a one-stop strategy in the hope that circumstances or a Safety Car might help us move up the order. It's been clear all weekend we were off the pace, but we have to stay positive and think about how to improve for Silverstone, when we can expect to have a few minor upgrades on the car."
Franz Tost, Toro Rosso team principal:
"After our problems in qualifying, we couldn't expect much from this race. However, the whole weekend was a useful learning process, regarding how to set up the car. Therefore, we come away from Istanbul with a lot of knowledge, which I hope we can now apply in Silverstone in a fortnight's time and put on a better performance there. Well done to Red Bull and to Vettel and Webber who did a good job today and have done their best to keep the championship fight alive."
Force India
Adrian Sutil (17th):
“Perhaps we had hoped for more from 15th on the grid. I lost a couple of places at the start but was able to get them back quickly. The race pace was quite good though and I could have some exciting battles on track with a McLaren and a Brawn, which was great. It was not a real problem with Barrichello: he touched me once through a corner but I was just defending position. It was an interesting race, the car balance and the race pace were pretty good. Only the result was not as we would have liked, but it's been quite a positive weekend overall.”
Giancarlo Fisichella (DNF):
“I have had a few problems with the braking this weekend. We changed all the brake systems to see if it made any difference but it was actually worse today as the car was almost completely locked. I had a good start and in the beginning of the race I was quite competitive with the cars around me but then unfortunately the brake pedal was getting longer and longer and we decided to come back in to the pits. We tried to see if we could get back out again but in the end it was very risky and we had to retire. It's a shame as I enjoy this race but I've just had terrible luck at the track!”
Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India chairman and team principal:
“I think we hoped for slightly more from this race, but the overall weekend performance has consolidated the steps forward we took in Monaco. We've got through to Q2 for the second race in a row and Adrian drove a very competitive race, particularly on his first and second stints. Unfortunately Giancarlo retired very early on with a brake problem he had had during several of the earlier sessions. We can be encouraged by this team performance however and also in the knowledge that we have some significant upgrades coming through for Silverstone in a couple of weeks' time.”
Jenson Button (1st):
"I wish I could have had the whole team up there on the podium with me today! This was definitely a victory for us all, everyone at the track, back at the factory in Brackley and at Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines in Brixworth. Today we really showed what this car and engine can do and to beat our closest competitors fair and square is a great feeling. I had a good start from the dirty side of the grid and it was really important to maintain second position into the first corner. I took my opportunity on the first lap when Sebastian went wide and from there we controlled the race. Once we knew that Sebastian was going for a three-stop strategy, we filled the car up at my first stop and I just tried to be as consistent as possible to keep him behind me. It's not nice to see a car catching you so quickly, even when you know he is on low fuel, but once he pitted I was able to push harder. I had a smile on my face for pretty much every lap today, the car felt that good, and I was able to back off in the last stint to conserve the engine. This is the first time that the car has been absolutely perfect for me and it means so much to the team to see just how good this car is. To go to Silverstone for our home race leading the championships is a wonderful feeling but we know that we have to keep pushing to maintain our advantage."
Rubens Barrichello (DNF):
"It was a difficult and immensely frustrating day for me today. We had a problem with the clutch at the start which caused the car to go into anti-stall so I wasn't able to get off the line. That dropped me back into the pack and to complicate things further, I was hitting the limiter on the straights which meant that I couldn't overtake and had to take risks. So it was an eventful first half of the race as I tried to compensate for the problems and I had a couple of incidents with other cars. I was prepared to fight my way up the field but the damage caused to the gearbox by the problems at the start began to get worse so the team had to retire my car. It's difficult to have a day like this when you could see the pace of the car was fantastic but we will bounce back. Silverstone is one of my favourite circuits so I'll stay positive and look ahead to the British Grand Prix in two weeks time."
Ross Brawn, Brawn team principal:
"I'm beginning to run out of superlatives to describe our season! Jenson drove an outstanding race today and demonstrated the level of talent and composure that we have come to expect. Once again, the team here at the track, in Brackley and our close partners at Mercedes-Benz worked extremely hard this weekend to improve the car and achieve the perfect set-up that we had for the race today. My sincere thanks to them all for their commitment and enthusiasm. On Rubens' side, we had a problem with his clutch off the start line which was similar to that which we experienced at the opening race in Melbourne. In attempting to recover and get off the grid, the transmission was over-torqued. As his race progressed, it became increasingly evident that this had caused a serious problem with the gearbox and we retired the car whilst the damage was contained. It's extremely frustrating for all concerned when the car was balanced and working well for Rubens going into the race. We will look into the cause of the problem to ensure that this is rectified. We can now look ahead to Silverstone, just eight miles from our factory in Brackley, and take great pride to be leading the constructors' and drivers' championships going into our home race."
Red Bull
Mark Webber (2nd):
“A good race. I knew I had to hang in there for as long as possible in the first stint. It worked out pretty well and I managed to go a lap longer and save fuel, which helped me gain some time. I knew Sebastian’s strategy and that I was in with a sniff of getting a podium finish. Both Sebastian and I knew that first place was gone and it was about who would finish behind Jenson - he was on another planet! The second stint was therefore crucial, I had to push really hard. When you’re on a different strategy, the other guy is almost invisible until after the pit stops, but it turned out well for us and my engineer kept me updated with what was happening. I did enough in the middle stint to be able to jump Sebastian at the pit stops. Then, at the end we turned the engine down and brought the car home.”
Sebastian Vettel (3rd):
“The start worked out okay, I was ahead but then I nearly lost the car in Turn Nine and 10 on the first lap. It was my mistake, it was extremely difficult there and I nearly did the same on the second lap. It was quite tricky, but I think without that there wouldn’t have a big difference, as Jenson was too quick today. After that I thought the strategy might swap to a two-stop plan, but it didn’t. I got caught behind Jenson who was heavier in the second stint and that allowed Mark to get ahead. Nonetheless, a good result for the team and I think we can be satisfied with second and third.”
Christian Horner, team principal:
“A good team result today and second and third gives us more points for the constructors’ championship. Mark drove a very strong race today with not a single mistake and did a good job to finish second. Unfortunately for Sebastian, after a good start and having led on the first lap, he made a small mistake which allowed Jenson to pass. Our only chance to then have a go at Jenson was a three-stop strategy, which is what we elected to do. It relied on us overtaking Jenson in the second stint, but unfortunately Sebastian didn’t manage that today and the time lost was the difference between second and third.”
Fabrice Lom, Renault, Principal Engineer, Track Support:
“A mixed feeling again. It’s a very good team result, we are second and third and have got fourteen points - which is four more than Brawn received today. It was a very strong race from Mark and a good race from Sebastian, but Jenson was just too quick for us. He deserved the win, he was quicker and he won - there is nothing more to add!”
Toyota
Jarno Trulli (4th):
"I am pleased with the race result and also with the car. We have worked really hard to find more performance and it's great to be back in the fight for a podium. The team deserve a lot of credit for the improvement this weekend, including the engineers who have made a good step with our starts. My start was incredible and I made up two places into the first corner, however I struggled a lot on the first lap with locking brakes so I dropped back to fourth. After that I got into a good rhythm and I was fighting hard with Nico Rosberg. He got ahead at the first pit stops but I bounced back and overtook at the second stops. I was really competitive towards the end when there was a lot of rubber down and it was enjoyable to be fighting at the front. I started the weekend with a positive feeling and we quickly found the right set-up so I am extremely happy to be back to a competitive level."
Timo Glock (8th):
"It was not easy to score points from 13th on the grid. At the start I was a bit unlucky; I got a good launch but I got caught at the exit of turn one and another car pushed me to the outside. I lost some positions so maybe the result could have been even better. But in the end I am happy to score a point because the car was spot on, really quick with race fuel. It's tricky to make up positions in Formula One but our strategy was right, the pit stops were great and the set-up worked really well so thanks to the team for a good job. Our target before the race was to get into the points so I am pleased to achieve that and I expect even more at the next race."
Tadashi Yamashina, Toyota team principal:
"It is very satisfying to have both drivers finish in the points here. We are back fighting at the front of the grid and that is where we want to be at every race. This was the best result we could achieve after qualifying which is a credit to the good work done by the team. However, we obviously want to be back on the podium so even though we showed very clear improvement, we will continue to push as hard as possible to find more performance. There is still a gap between us and the other top teams so we want to close that for the next race. I am optimistic for the British Grand Prix; we believe the Silverstone track should suit our car because it plays to our strengths therefore we want an even better result there."
Williams
Nico Rosberg, Williams (5th):
“I am happy with fifth place and happy for the team as well because this is a good result. I had a great start, which I have to thank my engineers for as it went exactly as I’d hoped it would, and by the end of the first lap I’d managed to make up four positions. From there, I pushed hard to get past Trulli, and I thought I could because my pace was good, but he had a quicker car today. I hope we can keep up this momentum and score points at every race. At the moment, I would say we can consistently be in the top eight.”
Kazuki Nakajima, Williams (12th):
“I had a good start and a strong first lap. Everything was then going well until the second stop. What happened was a real shame as I think that was probably the best race of my career so far. Basewise, we were competitive today, so thanks to the team for a good car and a solid strategy which allowed me to beat Raikkonen and Alonso on the track. We will just have to learn from the mistake in the pitstop and hope for a better result next time.”
Sam Michael, Williams’ technical director:
“It was good to score four points. Nico had a fantastic start and drove a strong race to fifth. It was a shame that we had the problem during the pitstop on Kazuki’s car when the front left wheel nut became stuck. If not for that, he would have finished in a well deserved seventh place. To come away with four points though is a good day for the team.”
Ferrari
Felipe Massa (6th):
“A very difficult day for us. We have to accept the fact that sixth place was the best we could do, because we were not quick enough to fight against those in front of us. We must continue to push on the car development front to make up for what we lack in terms of performance, starting with the race at Silverstone. From Friday it was complicated to find a way to make the tyres work well: for example, today the softs seemed to go better than on previous days, but using them right from the start would have been a risk because the degradation, up to yesterday seemed to be pretty significant.”
Kimi Raikkonen (9th):
“It was definitely not the race we were expecting or the one we wanted. The first lap was decisive for me: I lost valuable places and then it wasn’t possible to get them back because today we weren’t quick enough. Over recent weeks, we have improved our performance a lot, but we are not yet at the level of the best, especially at tracks like this one. It is never easy to catch up, because in the meantime, the others are not exactly stopping their own development. We must not be negative about this after a weekend like this one, but we should continue to concentrate and to push: I am sure we can soon return to fighting for the top places. It won’t be easy but I have confidence in this team.”
Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari team principal:
“We definitely expected more from this weekend, especially given what we had seen up to the end of Saturday morning, when our level of competitiveness was pretty good. We have to understand why the performance of our car evolved in a negative fashion over the course of the three days: the race pace we saw this afternoon was not only not up to the level of the best but it was also not as good as many of the others. We must continue to work on the development of the car to try and make up ground, by continuing to stay focused and without getting discouraged by this setback.”
Chris Dyer, Ferrari chief engineer:
“We are very disappointed because we expected to be in the fight for better places. We have to really understand why we lost so much speed from one day to another. Today we weren’t competitive, not just up against Brawn GP and Red Bull but also when compared with Toyota and Williams. On top of that, the way the first lap went cost us dear: it’s not by chance that the classification of our cars at the end of lap 1 was the same as they passed the chequered flag.”
BMW Sauber
Robert Kubica (7th):
“It is good to finally score points. I think I raced well today. My pace was good and I made no mistakes. The race was very hard, as nearly all the time I had someone very close behind me, and the smallest mistake would have cost a position. It was very hard to keep up the pace. However, finishing seventh was a clear step forward and we now have to keep up the speed of development.”
Nick Heidfeld (11th):
“For me today’s race was disappointing because I lost all my chances in the beginning when I had a problem with the car. As early as the formation lap I realised the car pulled to one side and the front left tyre had no grip at all. It stood still when I tapped the brakes softly. The start itself was okay as I was ninth, but then I more or less went straight on in the first corners because of my problems, and quite a few cars went by me. It was better in the second and third stints, but it was way too late for points. Nevertheless it is positive that the car has generally improved and again we are able to score on our own merits.”
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport director:
“This was a thrilling race for us right from the start to the chequered flag. Coming from P10, Robert made it to seventh and therefore deserved the two championship points due to his great commitment. In the early stages our cars were not fast enough to make up ground compared to our competitors. Only after lap 40 were our drivers able to set the lap times which we expected. Nick lost a lot of ground and many positions right after the start and was therefore not in a position to fight for championship points. Conclusion of the weekend: Our car was fast enough today to score points thanks to our own performance. This is the basis from which we will prepare the next development steps.”
Willy Rampf, BMW Sauber head of engineering:
“For our team today’s race was really exciting. Our strategy proved the right one and Robert was able to exploit the car’s potential. We were rewarded with two world championship points. Nick’s race was over immediately after the start. Despite our positive result there is no reason for slowing down now. We have to make more progress quickly to close the gap to the top teams. However, tonight we are happy about championship points."
Renault
Fernando Alonso (10th):
"Of course I feel frustrated that we didn't manage to finish in the points, but to be honest we couldn't expect much more today. We started in eighth position and having the lightest car on the grid penalised us because after the first pit-stop we just couldn't keep up with the pace with the top contenders. We therefore need to improve quickly. Hopefully the changes expected for the Silverstone race will be significant enough to see us score some good points and change our situation for the second part of the season."
Nelson Piquet (16th):
"It was quite a straightforward race today, but my fate had been decided yesterday with the problems that I had in qualifying and so it was difficult to make the strategy work. The car was good and I had some fun battles, including the one with Hamilton when I passed him, but our final result is disappointing. However, I remain confident we can improve in time for Silverstone."
Flavio Briatore, Renault managing director:
"Both drivers did the best they could in a difficult race and with a car that's just not competitive enough. Our priority is to keep working flat-out and to introduce constant and substantial updates and improvements to the car at each race for the remainder of the season."
Pat Symonds, Renault executive director of engineering:
"From the grid positions that we had and the current speed of the car it was difficult to see how to get points from this race. We tried to use the tyres in a slightly different manner to see if this would help us, but ultimately it wasn't enough to give us a positive result. As we have said so many times before, we must improve the basic pace of the car."
Remi Taffin, Renault head of engine operations:
"The race was difficult today. Our drivers performed well and gave their maximum, but with the way the weekend developed it was clear we couldn't finish in the points. We now head to Silverstone where we are determined to get a better result. We are all extremely motivated and will continue working at 250 percent."
McLaren
Lewis Hamilton (13th):
“It was quite an uneventful race but I actually enjoyed myself this afternoon. I was very heavy at the start but I just pushed and pushed. That’s why I can smile - because I think I drove to my full potential.The most important thing is for us to keep our heads up and to keep pushing. I see my role from now on as helping the team to cure the problems with this year’s car and to make next year’s car the best it can possibly be. When the team gives me a car to win, I will win.Now we look ahead to Silverstone - I really wish Jenson all the best: he did a fantastic job today. Personally, I hope I can come away from my home race with a great feeling from my home fans. I hope they won’t give up supporting me.”
Heikki Kovalainen (14th):
“This was a character-building race for everybody in the team. At the start of the race, I really got the maximum out of the car and I’m pleased about that. I had a good fight with Rubens too - it was great to be racing hard and fair and it was very satisfying to keep a faster car at bay with some good old-fashioned racing tactics and also our KERS hybrid. In the final stint, the engineers elected to turn down the revs to protect my engine. Still, we have to be realistic: we finished 14th and we all know we can do better. We’ve had some great days in the past and we’ll continue to push hard to enjoy some great days in the future.”
Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal:
“In extremely frustrating circumstances, both Lewis and Heikki performed very impressively this afternoon. They both tried their hardest throughout the race, and we're grateful for their sterling efforts. Of course, it's frustrating that two such forceful drives went unrewarded in terms of world championship points, but the fact is that our car just isn't as quick as we'd like it to be. So, now, we'll go back to Woking and we'll work hard to rectify its deficiencies, but there's no magic cure. No, instead, the remedy will be found via hard work, and one thing our team isn't afraid of is hard work - which, it goes without saying, I'm also extremely grateful for. But, returning to the subject of today's race, the fact that Rubens, in an extremely competitive car, was unable to make anything of his afternoon once he’d got bogged down at the start, demonstrates all too clearly that, in modern-day Formula One, as close-fought as it is, it’s more or less impossible to make useful progress from the back of the field. That may be frustrating, but it’s true nonetheless."
Norbert Haug, vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“We knew that this type of circuit would be difficult for us. Whereas the car works okay in sector three with its long straightaway and tight corners where we are as quick as anybody, we struggle massively on the quick parts of this racetrack. We have to make fundamental improvements and everybody in the team is aware of that. Thanks to Lewis and Heikki who both drove faultless races and extracted the maximum from their cars. The Brawn car and Jenson Button are in a league of their own - so none of their competitors can currently be satisfied and certainly we least. Congratulations for the sixth win from Jenson in the seventh race of the season and a big thank you to our engine guys who have put in a perfect effort so far.”
Toro Rosso
Sebastien Buemi (15th):
“It was a tough but a good race for me, as I attacked as hard as I could. We have to stay positive and today, we looked a bit more competitive than over the rest of the weekend. For me, after the last two races, it was a good experience to finish the Grand Prix today and get more mileage. Now we need to do two things: analyse exactly what went wrong in qualifying and get some updates for the car as soon as possible. We will have to make the best of the next two races, after which we are hoping to have some major improvements for Hungary. We need to continue to work hard."
Sebastien Bourdais (18th):
"Starting at the back was always going to be difficult. After the start, Fisichella seemed to be in trouble and was all over the place, so I couldn't take too many risks trying to get past and I lost between three and four seconds on the opening lap. Of course, I also had to deal with a very heavy fuel load and after that, I had a solitary race. Doing the long second stint on the Option tyre was also not easy. We opted for a one-stop strategy in the hope that circumstances or a Safety Car might help us move up the order. It's been clear all weekend we were off the pace, but we have to stay positive and think about how to improve for Silverstone, when we can expect to have a few minor upgrades on the car."
Franz Tost, Toro Rosso team principal:
"After our problems in qualifying, we couldn't expect much from this race. However, the whole weekend was a useful learning process, regarding how to set up the car. Therefore, we come away from Istanbul with a lot of knowledge, which I hope we can now apply in Silverstone in a fortnight's time and put on a better performance there. Well done to Red Bull and to Vettel and Webber who did a good job today and have done their best to keep the championship fight alive."
Force India
Adrian Sutil (17th):
“Perhaps we had hoped for more from 15th on the grid. I lost a couple of places at the start but was able to get them back quickly. The race pace was quite good though and I could have some exciting battles on track with a McLaren and a Brawn, which was great. It was not a real problem with Barrichello: he touched me once through a corner but I was just defending position. It was an interesting race, the car balance and the race pace were pretty good. Only the result was not as we would have liked, but it's been quite a positive weekend overall.”
Giancarlo Fisichella (DNF):
“I have had a few problems with the braking this weekend. We changed all the brake systems to see if it made any difference but it was actually worse today as the car was almost completely locked. I had a good start and in the beginning of the race I was quite competitive with the cars around me but then unfortunately the brake pedal was getting longer and longer and we decided to come back in to the pits. We tried to see if we could get back out again but in the end it was very risky and we had to retire. It's a shame as I enjoy this race but I've just had terrible luck at the track!”
Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India chairman and team principal:
“I think we hoped for slightly more from this race, but the overall weekend performance has consolidated the steps forward we took in Monaco. We've got through to Q2 for the second race in a row and Adrian drove a very competitive race, particularly on his first and second stints. Unfortunately Giancarlo retired very early on with a brake problem he had had during several of the earlier sessions. We can be encouraged by this team performance however and also in the knowledge that we have some significant upgrades coming through for Silverstone in a couple of weeks' time.”
Spoiler:
Q: Jenson, on your slow down lap you used the word ‘outrageous’ to describe this car. That was an outrageous win for you today.
Jenson Button: Thank you. I mean today the car was the best it’s felt all year. We have been quick on other occasions and the car has been a bit loose and hasn’t really suited my style but today the car was immense. It really was. I have got to say a massive thank you to everyone. It just keeps getting better. I don’t know if this circuit suits our car more than others. I think some of it was due to the rubber on the circuit: That really helped our car. But, yeah, the car was fantastic today. I wish I could have all the boys on the podium. I had one of my engineers but they all deserved to be up there as they did a great job.
Q: Mark, a great result for you. More fuel on board at the start of the race and a two stop strategy compared with your team-mate’s three stop strategy. Talk us through that.
Mark Webber: Well, it was a very good afternoon for me. The first stint I knew I had to try and hang in there as long as I could and that worked out pretty well. I managed also to go a lap longer and save a bit of fuel as well. That really opened up me going away from the rest of field. I knew Sebastian’s strategy as well, so I knew I would have a chance to have a sniff at him as well to get another position. I knew the podium was pretty much taken, it was just a question of whom out of Sebastian and myself would get the second place behind this guy who was on another planet. I knew the second stint was crucial for me and I had to push really, really hard as usual as all the drivers are doing in the race but when someone is on a different strategy it is invisible to see them obviously and it turned out well for us. My engineer kept me in the loop with what was happening and I did enough damage in the middle stint to be able to jump Sebastian and at the end it was okay, we just turned the engine down and brought the car home.
Q: Sebastian, P3 for you. Another great result but from the pole this time sadly no win. But you were leading for a little bit on the first lap.
Sebastian Vettel: Yeah, up to turn nine and ten. It worked out okay at the start. I stayed ahead. Then I nearly lost the car at nine and ten. It was my mistake. I think all race it was difficult there. It was a bit of tail wind and it was extremely difficult, so even on the second lap I nearly lost the car again, so it was quite tricky. But still I think it would not have made a big difference as Jenson was just too quick today, so I think I wouldn’t have been able to hold him anyway. After that I knew my strategy. But we have seen that Jenson was not behind us and we were not opening a gap to him. It was the opposite, so I thought we were switching to two stop. We did not and then obviously in my second stint I was in traffic to Jenson and he was on a heavier fuel load than me. I nearly passed him. There was one chance but it was quite tricky and after that I lost a little bit of time there and it turned out that the three stop possibly was not as quick as two stop today. Nevertheless a good result for the team. I am not happy but I think we can be very satisfied to take second and third and it is getting closer, so that is a good thing.
Q: Jenson, it must have been a nice moment for you on the opening lap when you are following Sebastian. We get towards turn nine and ten, a little bit of wind there, and he leaves the road.
JB: Yeah, at the start I was very happy that I got away in second position. My start was good actually on the dirty side of the grid. Sebastian covered the inside which I was surprised about as going onto the dirty side I didn’t think was the best idea. We sat behind him for the first half of the lap and then Sebastian ran wide on the exit of ten and that was my opportunity. It is difficult to overtake here and as you might have seen we were sat on the limiter for a lot of the straight, so I would not have had the opportunity to pass at the end of the straights.
Q: You were under pressure from Sebastian on the second stint when he had a lighter fuel load. What was the situation like for you there?
JB: It was okay. I knew that he was going short. We sort of knew what lap he was going to stop on. But it is still never a nice feeling, even when you know you have got more fuel in the car, to see a car catching you eight or nine tenths a lap. I just had to be as consistent as I could. I knew that if Sebastian was behind me it was going to be difficult to overtake, so I backed off in the corners I could to help the exits and as soon as Sebastian pitted I pushed a bit harder and got the lap times down a bit. It was still an exciting race but I must say I personally think the races before this, especially Bahrain and Barcelona, I think the Red Bulls were on our pace. I really do but today we were a step ahead, so it is a nice feeling.
Q: Mark for you the start was opened up a little bit with Rubens Barrichello making a slow start. Give us your thoughts off the line and then behind Jarno Trulli on the opening lap.
MW: I didn’t get a bad start compared to Rubens. He had a very poor one and Jarno had a very good start and then I was behind Jarno for the first sector and there were quite a few opportunities to have a stab at him. He made quite a few mistakes on the first lap. I was on the outside of turn eight but I was also mindful of the fact that I had Ferrari and a KERS car behind and I didn’t want to lose another position to him. It turned out when Jarno ran wide, doing the same mistake as Sebastian, that was very fortunate for me and I just got my head down. Of course the track was different today, so it did play a role in the first lap.
Q: Sebastian, I hate to ask you again but can you talk us through that moment on the first lap, as you are putting Jenson under pressure in the middle phase of the race.
SV: Well, I mean as I said it was very, very windy there. A tail wind compared to other days when I think we had a head wind. Therefore it was extremely difficult. There is a kind of a dip there that you go through and I lost the rear and went wide at turn ten over the Astroturf and nearly lost the car and a lot of speed also for the straight, so it was no problem for Jenson to pass me. Then later on in my second stint I knew then I was quite a bit lighter than he was. I was catching up massively and I think there was one chance in the last corner. I tried to pass him. He covered the inside and he ran slightly wide but I didn’t have the best exit anyway as I approached the last corner also from the inside, so it was also not enough to pass him down to turn one. It would have been too risky. After that it’s the same game. You kind of feel your tyres going off and then there is not much you can do. Obviously in the tow I was on the limiter for part of the straight and it was not possible to catch up anymore and there basically I lost the race.
Q: You were asked late in the race by your team not to pass Mark. Your thoughts on that?
SV: They did not tell me not to pass Mark. They just said ‘Mark is faster.’ Similar to what he did we just turned the engine down and just drove the car home. I mean if you start from pole you want to win. If you lose the lead already in the first lap it is not so good and you just see that someone has much quicker pace. It is not that nice to see and obviously then we lost because of the strategy the position to Mark, so in the end I was third. Of course I wasn’t that happy with that and just kept pushing to the end. Obviously both of us turned the engines down but still I would rather go fast the last couple of laps and enjoy rather than just going around without any sense.
Q: Jenson, what a set up for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
JB: Yeah, I said on the radio to my engineer. The British Grand Prix is always special even when times have been tough, so going there leading the championship by 26 points is quite a nice feeling. I am looking forward to it very much, so we will see what happens.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Jenson, up until seven or eight laps from the end it was a margin of 20 seconds which is pretty remarkable.
JB: Yeah, and this is the first race really where the car has just been absolutely perfect for me. We have had very good pace in other races but I have still found it difficult to drive. But here the car has been fantastic. Coming from where we were on Friday we have made some good changes over the weekend. I think when the circuit grips up it really helps out car. I wanted the whole team on the podium with me as this was definitely a victory for all of us. To beat these guys fair and square is a great victory for us I think.
Q: What were the tyres like at the end of the race as the margin in the end was 6.7 seconds from 20 seconds?
JB: I don’t really know how the tyres were in the last stint as I backed off quite a bit, saving the engine. As we have only got eight engines a season you have got to be careful with what you use and when, so I wanted to conserve the engine a little bit which I did. The tyres were okay. They started graining a bit but not anything that would have cost us any time. I also knew these guys were turning down as I could see their lap times dropping off, so the last 10 laps I am sure were not the most exciting in the race but that was the best option for me.
Q: Was Sebastian's three stop strategy a surprise to you?
JB: It was. It really was. Especially when he was behind me on the first stint by five or six seconds. I was very surprised that they went for a three, maybe they thought that we were going to do the same. I don’t know. We filled the car up after we saw what they had done and it worked very well. But when you are leading with a five second gap and you see it closing down, whatever the guy’s fuel load is behind you, it is still a strange feeling when he is picking you off a second a lap. When he caught me up I just had to cover the lines a little bit. We geared slightly wrong for this circuit as the wind changes quite a bit. I was on the limiter for five seconds on the back straight, so I was very worried about that and Sebastian slipping up the inside. But it was fine, so I was able to hold him off and I knew if he stayed behind me before he pitted on lap 32 or 31, that from then on it was an easier race for sure. The car was great to drive and I enjoyed every single lap. I didn’t have any big moments or anything, so yeah, a great day for us.
Q: Mark, similarly how were the tyres at the end as you were being gained on by Sebastian?
MW: We knew that there was no point of us two smashing into each other with five laps to go, so we just brought the cars home really. Jenson was down the road, so it was a stalemate. We had everyone else covered, so it was a great day for the team to get second and third. We expected to be closer to the Brawns but we got caned fair and square today, so this is a deserving result. I also enjoyed the race today. The track was quite good to drive as Jenson said it rubbered up and it was pretty enjoyable to drive. It would have been nice if there was one less car in the race but he was there. In the end I was happy with how I drove.
Q: And it was your second second place this year.
MW: It shows how good the car is. We are in position to challenge at most grands prix now and that is very rewarding for the whole team including Renault. Everyone is working incredibly hard. Obviously Brawn have had the jump from the off. There have been a few other venues where we have been a little bit closer here and there. We expected to be closer here but we weren’t and we need to work a lot harder now for Silverstone to try and make a little bit more pressure on them. Obviously Rubens has had a tough day but the guy leading the championship keeps going away. It’s not bad for the constructors for us today but for the drivers Jenson has gone away a bit more.
Q: Silverstone is almost a home race for you anyway in terms of where you live. What are your feelings about that race and how do you think the car will react there?
MW: I am looking forward to Silverstone for many reasons because I think it will be a great atmosphere unlike here. There was no-one here and Silverstone is going to be fantastic for Jenson and all the drivers. We like to perform in front of a lot of people. It is one of the best grands prix of the year. The English people love their motor sport. I love the track. It is a brilliant circuit and it is a home race for the team as well, so there are many reasons to look forward to it.
Q: Do you think the car will be good there?
MW: Yes. We will see how good.
Q: Sebastian, it was interesting that you said you lost the race at the start. But also do you think the three stop strategy was the wrong one?
SV: Yeah, to come back to the first lap I made a mistake at turn nine and ten. We did a good job from the line and defended first position. Then I think it was the most critical corner today as the wind direction changed and we had a tail wind there and it was always very slippery and very difficult to get the entrance right. I just lost the car and went more or less straight and was quite lucky not to lose the car but obviously lost the position straight away to Jenson. But I think today we have to accept that they were on a different planet. I was quite happy with the car. I think we both were. The car was fine. The circuit was good and to come back to the strategy, it is not a secret anymore that we had the plan to go three stop. We thought we had a fair chance today to beat Jenson and the Brawns. It turned out not to be. After the first stint it was more or less clear that I was short on fuel and therefore I was surprised that we still went on a three stop strategy as from there onwards it did not make much sense especially as I caught up Jenson in my middle stint and lost time there. I basically lost the race to Mark as well, so all in all we probably didn’t do the best job there. If you start from pole you want to win the race. We did not, so I am not that happy. But still as Mark said, it was a very good day for the team. A lot of points. It is getting closer even though maybe today was the first day that Jenson showed what they really can do, so let’s see. But I think we have reasons to be confident. It was a good race today. I had a good car. I was quite happy and there are new bits to come in Silverstone, so let’s see.
Q: You were very quick at the end there, how many more laps would it have taken?
SV: It’s difficult to say. In the end I came out behind Mark by quite a bit. I was surprised it was that much and then my engineer came on the radio and said Mark was faster. I think I just have to ask you what you would do in this kind of situation. You start from pole, you realise that your strategy doesn’t work as it was supposed to and you’re not in the position you want to be, so the last thing you do is just go round slowly and drive the car home. I think both of us turned down the engines but I enjoy driving, so I would rather continue to go quickly than start to slow down and carry the car home.
Q: Interesting line out of this final corner when you were behind Jenson, you were much tighter through there.
SV: I think one time, initially when I caught him up, I wanted to dive down the inside going to the last corner and he defended, so it was not possible and he made a mistake, running a bit wide, which gave me a better exit for turn one but it wasn’t enough. All in all, I seemed to catch up in the last couple of corners: 12, 13, 14, also compared to Mark. It’s quite a Mickey Mouse complex but I kind of like it. I like this circuit, I felt good from the first lap onwards and again, it wasn’t at all bad today. I think I had a very good car, I was quite happy, a bit of understeer/oversteer here and there. The most critical point was probably turn nine and ten but I think mainly down to the wind conditions but all in all it wasn’t bad. We’re just not quick enough yet.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Mathias Brunner – Speedweek) Sebastian, is there much of a discussion going on on the radio, whether to do two stops, three stops or is simply a decision that you are told and basically that’s it?
SV: Obviously you know what you are going to do in certain scenarios. You discuss strategy a long time before the start of the race and it was clear that in case we would be leading and we would have a certain gap to the car behind, because we were quite a bit shorter, then we would have gone for a three stop. At this point I haven’t spoken to the team but at this point I don’t yet understand why we were still on a three stop. I think a two stop would have just secured second position. We tried, it didn’t work, so we’ll know next time.
Q: (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Congratulations Jenson. Just watching you in the TV press conference, you looked a bit emotional, a bit teary-eyed. What is it about this win which has meant so much to you today?
JB: I think it was… every race that I’ve won this year has been pretty emotional. The old memories obviously come flooding back but I think it’s because we thought it would be a much tougher fight today and also when you get into a car that every single lap you drive you’ve got a smile on your face because it’s working so well; this race was that race. I could have carried on driving for another 200 laps because I was enjoying myself so much in that car. Today was a day when we’ve shown that we have made a good step forward. People will say that this is our true pace and it has been all year but that’s not a fact. I’ve given everything every race this year and I think we’ve found the best pace possible at every race we’ve gone to this year but at this race I think we have made a step forward with the balance of the car and the aero of the car, so it was a nice feeling. Even ten laps in, 15 laps in I thought it’s probably not a good idea but I really wanted to radio the team and say ‘this car is just outrageous.’ It was tempting fate a little bit, so I left it until the end of the race. But it was just a very enjoyable day. This is the day really that I think is for the whole team; I really wanted them to be on the podium with me. I suppose they are at every race but especially at this one. I think it meant a lot to the team because they could see how good the whole package was.
Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Jenson, the question is when are you planning to win this championship because it looks like you’re pretty much unstoppable?
JB: I would love to win every single race this year but I’ve got another 19 guys on the circuit who want to stop me doing that. I’m in a good position, for sure. This race showed that we do have the best car but I think that we have the best package. I think this car really suits me, so I’m driving it at my best and everybody within the team is in a very good position and I think that they are giving a hundred percent also. You would say that the situation at the moment is perfect but it could very easily go the wrong way. These guys (Red Bull) can suddenly bolt something on that will bring them to our pace or even quicker, so you can’t take it for granted and you’ve got to keep pushing. You can’t lift off and hope for the best or try and take it easy. You still have to keep pushing. I’ve got a 26 point lead which is just out of this world but I’m still not going to lift off. I want to do the best job I can at every race I go to and I’m still going to make every move that I possibly can to win every race. But I also know that that is not going to be easy. I will have a bad race this year and I will get beaten and it’s being ready for that situation I suppose.
Q: (Will Buxton – Australasian Motorsport News) Congratulations guys. Question for all of you. You were all in the FOTA meeting this morning. Having been in that meeting, having listened to what everybody had to say, how much have you learned about FOTA’s position, about their solidarity, their strength, and how much has that influenced or affected your feelings about the future of the sport and where it’s headed?
MW: Well, FOTA were very good this morning. They called in all the drivers with the FOTA teams just to give us a heads up and bring us right up to speed because obviously the circumstances out there in relation to the sport are changing pretty quickly. So for us to go there and listen to all the team principals and all the people making decisions for their own teams, to talk to the drivers who have been with them for a long time in certain situations, and our position is that we are totally in support of FOTA. All the FOTA drivers are with FOTA in the future. We want to race against the best drivers in the world, we want to drive for the best teams in the world and that’s the way we want to see it go forward. We hope there is a… not a compromise – whatever they need to do to work with the FIA to have a very, very good championship next year and that’s it really. We’re very, very confident and we’re trusting the FOTA teams and they are absolutely binding together, they are so strong together and this is what we’re very happy about because this is what it needs to bring the governance of the sport in the correct fashion that we need to go forward.
Q: (Ercan Kazaz – Hurriyet) Jenson, the next race is in the UK. Do you expect the same support that Lewis enjoyed last year from your home fans, ad would that create pressure or motivate you?
JB: Every year I’ve been to Silverstone to race in Formula One it’s quite amazing the support you get, even when you’re not driving a competitive car and when you can’t get a result you still get a lot of support which is fantastic. The British public has always been behind their drivers. Going there this year is obviously a different situation: I’m leading the championship. In previous years, when the car has been difficult to drive and we haven’t had any results, in a way you’re a little bit embarrassed because you’ve got so much support. You’ve got so much support but you can’t give them anything back but to arrive there leading the championship, I feel that, in a way, it’s giving them something to really get a hold of and sink their teeth into and really enjoy. Yeah, so arriving at Silverstone I’m going to be very excited and looking forward to the weekend but when you get into the car you’re a hundred percent focused. In a way it’s another race while you’re actually in the car. Before and after it’s very different, for sure, but the great thing is, a lot of people that work in Formula One are British, we have a lot of fans in the United Kingdom, so hopefully we will put on a good show for them and we will have a sell-out crowd and this will help us in the future have a Grand Prix in the UK.
Q: (Mathias Brunner – Speedweek) Mark, of the upcoming tracks where do you think Red Bull Racing can most likely challenge Brawn GP?
MW: Well, it’s difficult to say. We expected to be a bit closer here, to be honest. Jenson was on another level today. There was no way anyone was going to beat him. It’s not that we’re really going to change our mentality going forward. We’re doing everything we can to make the car as fast as possible for every venue we go to and that’s starting with the next Grand Prix in the UK. You would think, looking at the past, whether it was Barcelona or a little bit Malaysia – those sorts of circuits and Shanghai – where there were some quicker sections that would suit us, so maybe Silverstone is somewhere where we can maybe get closer. Nürburgring? It’s very difficult to say at the moment. I think if we went to Nürburgring as the next race Brawn would still have an advantage. We need to keep going on the path we are but we need to bite into the back of their development if we can somehow and soon. Obviously we need to do it soon because the more races we do, there are less to come.
Q: (Ed Gorman – The Times) Mark, following that one up, you’re renowned for saying it more or less as it is. Jenson, then, was trying to make the case that things could still go wrong for him, even though he’s won six out of seven races but do you, in your heart or hearts, really believe he can be stopped from being World Champion this year?
MW: Jenson’s in an incredible position. To have a 26 point lead is an amazing position to be in but the way the points-scoring system is at the moment, for him to chip away is still not that easy if his main competitors are consistent. He’s got a great benchmark to start from now. Two DNFs changes things obviously. But there’s no question about it, he’s in fantastic shape, going forward, seven races down, ten or eleven to go. Even if he’s cruising and picks up a lot of results, not on the top step, it’s going to be a long, long time for people to get that back. Finishes are crucial for him and he’s been around long enough to know that.
But just adding to my statement before, I said there was no atmosphere in Turkey. I think that there were a lot of people that tried to come in today but obviously it’s not that cheap and things like that but we should have let them in for free at the end. It would have been nice for the show to let people in. I’m sure there’s a lot of people that would want to come to the Turkish Grand Prix but can’t afford to because it’s very expensive. Jenson and I spoke about this on the parade lap that on the day maybe we should have made an announcement yesterday or even this morning to get some more people in here to let them experience our sport and that’s a shame that it didn’t happen today.
Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Mark, you’ve opted rather for the conservative strategy during the last three races, as it is mostly decided on the Saturday before you put fuel in for Q3. Is that what you are pushing for?
MW: No, it’s just the better way for me. I’ve had a little bit of problems with Q3. Yesterday I nailed Q3 pretty much how I wanted to, so with that in mind, it’s always better to have a little bit more fuel and have the options in the afternoon on Sunday. Obviously the KERS cars are a risky business because you can also qualify around them, so that’s a major trap for me in the first stint but going forward I’m obviously planning to qualify the best I can in Q3 and have the best strategy for the race. I know there’s no points on Saturday afternoon and I want to get the best result on Sunday.
Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Question to Sebastian: you said arriving here that your car suits the track and you were confident with it. When you saw Jenson flying away what did you feel you still miss in your car, to beat the Brawn’s race pace?
SV: When I saw him flying away the first thing I thought was ‘s***’ because obviously we wanted to win today and we were not quick enough. As I said before, I was happy with the car, I felt quite comfortable all weekend. Yesterday was very good, I think. Today we were just not quick enough. I don’t see that there’s one particular place on this circuit, for instance, where we were losing time. I think it’s just a little bit here, a little bit there. Again, I think we have a very good car, especially in medium- and high–speed corners and I think that’s not where we are losing too much time. I think it’s probably more in the areas like the last sector here, in the low speed corners, but I don’t really see that we have been much weaker in general there, so I think it’s a bit everywhere, maybe. Just a little bit more in the slow speed corners.
Jenson Button: Thank you. I mean today the car was the best it’s felt all year. We have been quick on other occasions and the car has been a bit loose and hasn’t really suited my style but today the car was immense. It really was. I have got to say a massive thank you to everyone. It just keeps getting better. I don’t know if this circuit suits our car more than others. I think some of it was due to the rubber on the circuit: That really helped our car. But, yeah, the car was fantastic today. I wish I could have all the boys on the podium. I had one of my engineers but they all deserved to be up there as they did a great job.
Q: Mark, a great result for you. More fuel on board at the start of the race and a two stop strategy compared with your team-mate’s three stop strategy. Talk us through that.
Mark Webber: Well, it was a very good afternoon for me. The first stint I knew I had to try and hang in there as long as I could and that worked out pretty well. I managed also to go a lap longer and save a bit of fuel as well. That really opened up me going away from the rest of field. I knew Sebastian’s strategy as well, so I knew I would have a chance to have a sniff at him as well to get another position. I knew the podium was pretty much taken, it was just a question of whom out of Sebastian and myself would get the second place behind this guy who was on another planet. I knew the second stint was crucial for me and I had to push really, really hard as usual as all the drivers are doing in the race but when someone is on a different strategy it is invisible to see them obviously and it turned out well for us. My engineer kept me in the loop with what was happening and I did enough damage in the middle stint to be able to jump Sebastian and at the end it was okay, we just turned the engine down and brought the car home.
Q: Sebastian, P3 for you. Another great result but from the pole this time sadly no win. But you were leading for a little bit on the first lap.
Sebastian Vettel: Yeah, up to turn nine and ten. It worked out okay at the start. I stayed ahead. Then I nearly lost the car at nine and ten. It was my mistake. I think all race it was difficult there. It was a bit of tail wind and it was extremely difficult, so even on the second lap I nearly lost the car again, so it was quite tricky. But still I think it would not have made a big difference as Jenson was just too quick today, so I think I wouldn’t have been able to hold him anyway. After that I knew my strategy. But we have seen that Jenson was not behind us and we were not opening a gap to him. It was the opposite, so I thought we were switching to two stop. We did not and then obviously in my second stint I was in traffic to Jenson and he was on a heavier fuel load than me. I nearly passed him. There was one chance but it was quite tricky and after that I lost a little bit of time there and it turned out that the three stop possibly was not as quick as two stop today. Nevertheless a good result for the team. I am not happy but I think we can be very satisfied to take second and third and it is getting closer, so that is a good thing.
Q: Jenson, it must have been a nice moment for you on the opening lap when you are following Sebastian. We get towards turn nine and ten, a little bit of wind there, and he leaves the road.
JB: Yeah, at the start I was very happy that I got away in second position. My start was good actually on the dirty side of the grid. Sebastian covered the inside which I was surprised about as going onto the dirty side I didn’t think was the best idea. We sat behind him for the first half of the lap and then Sebastian ran wide on the exit of ten and that was my opportunity. It is difficult to overtake here and as you might have seen we were sat on the limiter for a lot of the straight, so I would not have had the opportunity to pass at the end of the straights.
Q: You were under pressure from Sebastian on the second stint when he had a lighter fuel load. What was the situation like for you there?
JB: It was okay. I knew that he was going short. We sort of knew what lap he was going to stop on. But it is still never a nice feeling, even when you know you have got more fuel in the car, to see a car catching you eight or nine tenths a lap. I just had to be as consistent as I could. I knew that if Sebastian was behind me it was going to be difficult to overtake, so I backed off in the corners I could to help the exits and as soon as Sebastian pitted I pushed a bit harder and got the lap times down a bit. It was still an exciting race but I must say I personally think the races before this, especially Bahrain and Barcelona, I think the Red Bulls were on our pace. I really do but today we were a step ahead, so it is a nice feeling.
Q: Mark for you the start was opened up a little bit with Rubens Barrichello making a slow start. Give us your thoughts off the line and then behind Jarno Trulli on the opening lap.
MW: I didn’t get a bad start compared to Rubens. He had a very poor one and Jarno had a very good start and then I was behind Jarno for the first sector and there were quite a few opportunities to have a stab at him. He made quite a few mistakes on the first lap. I was on the outside of turn eight but I was also mindful of the fact that I had Ferrari and a KERS car behind and I didn’t want to lose another position to him. It turned out when Jarno ran wide, doing the same mistake as Sebastian, that was very fortunate for me and I just got my head down. Of course the track was different today, so it did play a role in the first lap.
Q: Sebastian, I hate to ask you again but can you talk us through that moment on the first lap, as you are putting Jenson under pressure in the middle phase of the race.
SV: Well, I mean as I said it was very, very windy there. A tail wind compared to other days when I think we had a head wind. Therefore it was extremely difficult. There is a kind of a dip there that you go through and I lost the rear and went wide at turn ten over the Astroturf and nearly lost the car and a lot of speed also for the straight, so it was no problem for Jenson to pass me. Then later on in my second stint I knew then I was quite a bit lighter than he was. I was catching up massively and I think there was one chance in the last corner. I tried to pass him. He covered the inside and he ran slightly wide but I didn’t have the best exit anyway as I approached the last corner also from the inside, so it was also not enough to pass him down to turn one. It would have been too risky. After that it’s the same game. You kind of feel your tyres going off and then there is not much you can do. Obviously in the tow I was on the limiter for part of the straight and it was not possible to catch up anymore and there basically I lost the race.
Q: You were asked late in the race by your team not to pass Mark. Your thoughts on that?
SV: They did not tell me not to pass Mark. They just said ‘Mark is faster.’ Similar to what he did we just turned the engine down and just drove the car home. I mean if you start from pole you want to win. If you lose the lead already in the first lap it is not so good and you just see that someone has much quicker pace. It is not that nice to see and obviously then we lost because of the strategy the position to Mark, so in the end I was third. Of course I wasn’t that happy with that and just kept pushing to the end. Obviously both of us turned the engines down but still I would rather go fast the last couple of laps and enjoy rather than just going around without any sense.
Q: Jenson, what a set up for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
JB: Yeah, I said on the radio to my engineer. The British Grand Prix is always special even when times have been tough, so going there leading the championship by 26 points is quite a nice feeling. I am looking forward to it very much, so we will see what happens.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Jenson, up until seven or eight laps from the end it was a margin of 20 seconds which is pretty remarkable.
JB: Yeah, and this is the first race really where the car has just been absolutely perfect for me. We have had very good pace in other races but I have still found it difficult to drive. But here the car has been fantastic. Coming from where we were on Friday we have made some good changes over the weekend. I think when the circuit grips up it really helps out car. I wanted the whole team on the podium with me as this was definitely a victory for all of us. To beat these guys fair and square is a great victory for us I think.
Q: What were the tyres like at the end of the race as the margin in the end was 6.7 seconds from 20 seconds?
JB: I don’t really know how the tyres were in the last stint as I backed off quite a bit, saving the engine. As we have only got eight engines a season you have got to be careful with what you use and when, so I wanted to conserve the engine a little bit which I did. The tyres were okay. They started graining a bit but not anything that would have cost us any time. I also knew these guys were turning down as I could see their lap times dropping off, so the last 10 laps I am sure were not the most exciting in the race but that was the best option for me.
Q: Was Sebastian's three stop strategy a surprise to you?
JB: It was. It really was. Especially when he was behind me on the first stint by five or six seconds. I was very surprised that they went for a three, maybe they thought that we were going to do the same. I don’t know. We filled the car up after we saw what they had done and it worked very well. But when you are leading with a five second gap and you see it closing down, whatever the guy’s fuel load is behind you, it is still a strange feeling when he is picking you off a second a lap. When he caught me up I just had to cover the lines a little bit. We geared slightly wrong for this circuit as the wind changes quite a bit. I was on the limiter for five seconds on the back straight, so I was very worried about that and Sebastian slipping up the inside. But it was fine, so I was able to hold him off and I knew if he stayed behind me before he pitted on lap 32 or 31, that from then on it was an easier race for sure. The car was great to drive and I enjoyed every single lap. I didn’t have any big moments or anything, so yeah, a great day for us.
Q: Mark, similarly how were the tyres at the end as you were being gained on by Sebastian?
MW: We knew that there was no point of us two smashing into each other with five laps to go, so we just brought the cars home really. Jenson was down the road, so it was a stalemate. We had everyone else covered, so it was a great day for the team to get second and third. We expected to be closer to the Brawns but we got caned fair and square today, so this is a deserving result. I also enjoyed the race today. The track was quite good to drive as Jenson said it rubbered up and it was pretty enjoyable to drive. It would have been nice if there was one less car in the race but he was there. In the end I was happy with how I drove.
Q: And it was your second second place this year.
MW: It shows how good the car is. We are in position to challenge at most grands prix now and that is very rewarding for the whole team including Renault. Everyone is working incredibly hard. Obviously Brawn have had the jump from the off. There have been a few other venues where we have been a little bit closer here and there. We expected to be closer here but we weren’t and we need to work a lot harder now for Silverstone to try and make a little bit more pressure on them. Obviously Rubens has had a tough day but the guy leading the championship keeps going away. It’s not bad for the constructors for us today but for the drivers Jenson has gone away a bit more.
Q: Silverstone is almost a home race for you anyway in terms of where you live. What are your feelings about that race and how do you think the car will react there?
MW: I am looking forward to Silverstone for many reasons because I think it will be a great atmosphere unlike here. There was no-one here and Silverstone is going to be fantastic for Jenson and all the drivers. We like to perform in front of a lot of people. It is one of the best grands prix of the year. The English people love their motor sport. I love the track. It is a brilliant circuit and it is a home race for the team as well, so there are many reasons to look forward to it.
Q: Do you think the car will be good there?
MW: Yes. We will see how good.
Q: Sebastian, it was interesting that you said you lost the race at the start. But also do you think the three stop strategy was the wrong one?
SV: Yeah, to come back to the first lap I made a mistake at turn nine and ten. We did a good job from the line and defended first position. Then I think it was the most critical corner today as the wind direction changed and we had a tail wind there and it was always very slippery and very difficult to get the entrance right. I just lost the car and went more or less straight and was quite lucky not to lose the car but obviously lost the position straight away to Jenson. But I think today we have to accept that they were on a different planet. I was quite happy with the car. I think we both were. The car was fine. The circuit was good and to come back to the strategy, it is not a secret anymore that we had the plan to go three stop. We thought we had a fair chance today to beat Jenson and the Brawns. It turned out not to be. After the first stint it was more or less clear that I was short on fuel and therefore I was surprised that we still went on a three stop strategy as from there onwards it did not make much sense especially as I caught up Jenson in my middle stint and lost time there. I basically lost the race to Mark as well, so all in all we probably didn’t do the best job there. If you start from pole you want to win the race. We did not, so I am not that happy. But still as Mark said, it was a very good day for the team. A lot of points. It is getting closer even though maybe today was the first day that Jenson showed what they really can do, so let’s see. But I think we have reasons to be confident. It was a good race today. I had a good car. I was quite happy and there are new bits to come in Silverstone, so let’s see.
Q: You were very quick at the end there, how many more laps would it have taken?
SV: It’s difficult to say. In the end I came out behind Mark by quite a bit. I was surprised it was that much and then my engineer came on the radio and said Mark was faster. I think I just have to ask you what you would do in this kind of situation. You start from pole, you realise that your strategy doesn’t work as it was supposed to and you’re not in the position you want to be, so the last thing you do is just go round slowly and drive the car home. I think both of us turned down the engines but I enjoy driving, so I would rather continue to go quickly than start to slow down and carry the car home.
Q: Interesting line out of this final corner when you were behind Jenson, you were much tighter through there.
SV: I think one time, initially when I caught him up, I wanted to dive down the inside going to the last corner and he defended, so it was not possible and he made a mistake, running a bit wide, which gave me a better exit for turn one but it wasn’t enough. All in all, I seemed to catch up in the last couple of corners: 12, 13, 14, also compared to Mark. It’s quite a Mickey Mouse complex but I kind of like it. I like this circuit, I felt good from the first lap onwards and again, it wasn’t at all bad today. I think I had a very good car, I was quite happy, a bit of understeer/oversteer here and there. The most critical point was probably turn nine and ten but I think mainly down to the wind conditions but all in all it wasn’t bad. We’re just not quick enough yet.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Mathias Brunner – Speedweek) Sebastian, is there much of a discussion going on on the radio, whether to do two stops, three stops or is simply a decision that you are told and basically that’s it?
SV: Obviously you know what you are going to do in certain scenarios. You discuss strategy a long time before the start of the race and it was clear that in case we would be leading and we would have a certain gap to the car behind, because we were quite a bit shorter, then we would have gone for a three stop. At this point I haven’t spoken to the team but at this point I don’t yet understand why we were still on a three stop. I think a two stop would have just secured second position. We tried, it didn’t work, so we’ll know next time.
Q: (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Congratulations Jenson. Just watching you in the TV press conference, you looked a bit emotional, a bit teary-eyed. What is it about this win which has meant so much to you today?
JB: I think it was… every race that I’ve won this year has been pretty emotional. The old memories obviously come flooding back but I think it’s because we thought it would be a much tougher fight today and also when you get into a car that every single lap you drive you’ve got a smile on your face because it’s working so well; this race was that race. I could have carried on driving for another 200 laps because I was enjoying myself so much in that car. Today was a day when we’ve shown that we have made a good step forward. People will say that this is our true pace and it has been all year but that’s not a fact. I’ve given everything every race this year and I think we’ve found the best pace possible at every race we’ve gone to this year but at this race I think we have made a step forward with the balance of the car and the aero of the car, so it was a nice feeling. Even ten laps in, 15 laps in I thought it’s probably not a good idea but I really wanted to radio the team and say ‘this car is just outrageous.’ It was tempting fate a little bit, so I left it until the end of the race. But it was just a very enjoyable day. This is the day really that I think is for the whole team; I really wanted them to be on the podium with me. I suppose they are at every race but especially at this one. I think it meant a lot to the team because they could see how good the whole package was.
Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Jenson, the question is when are you planning to win this championship because it looks like you’re pretty much unstoppable?
JB: I would love to win every single race this year but I’ve got another 19 guys on the circuit who want to stop me doing that. I’m in a good position, for sure. This race showed that we do have the best car but I think that we have the best package. I think this car really suits me, so I’m driving it at my best and everybody within the team is in a very good position and I think that they are giving a hundred percent also. You would say that the situation at the moment is perfect but it could very easily go the wrong way. These guys (Red Bull) can suddenly bolt something on that will bring them to our pace or even quicker, so you can’t take it for granted and you’ve got to keep pushing. You can’t lift off and hope for the best or try and take it easy. You still have to keep pushing. I’ve got a 26 point lead which is just out of this world but I’m still not going to lift off. I want to do the best job I can at every race I go to and I’m still going to make every move that I possibly can to win every race. But I also know that that is not going to be easy. I will have a bad race this year and I will get beaten and it’s being ready for that situation I suppose.
Q: (Will Buxton – Australasian Motorsport News) Congratulations guys. Question for all of you. You were all in the FOTA meeting this morning. Having been in that meeting, having listened to what everybody had to say, how much have you learned about FOTA’s position, about their solidarity, their strength, and how much has that influenced or affected your feelings about the future of the sport and where it’s headed?
MW: Well, FOTA were very good this morning. They called in all the drivers with the FOTA teams just to give us a heads up and bring us right up to speed because obviously the circumstances out there in relation to the sport are changing pretty quickly. So for us to go there and listen to all the team principals and all the people making decisions for their own teams, to talk to the drivers who have been with them for a long time in certain situations, and our position is that we are totally in support of FOTA. All the FOTA drivers are with FOTA in the future. We want to race against the best drivers in the world, we want to drive for the best teams in the world and that’s the way we want to see it go forward. We hope there is a… not a compromise – whatever they need to do to work with the FIA to have a very, very good championship next year and that’s it really. We’re very, very confident and we’re trusting the FOTA teams and they are absolutely binding together, they are so strong together and this is what we’re very happy about because this is what it needs to bring the governance of the sport in the correct fashion that we need to go forward.
Q: (Ercan Kazaz – Hurriyet) Jenson, the next race is in the UK. Do you expect the same support that Lewis enjoyed last year from your home fans, ad would that create pressure or motivate you?
JB: Every year I’ve been to Silverstone to race in Formula One it’s quite amazing the support you get, even when you’re not driving a competitive car and when you can’t get a result you still get a lot of support which is fantastic. The British public has always been behind their drivers. Going there this year is obviously a different situation: I’m leading the championship. In previous years, when the car has been difficult to drive and we haven’t had any results, in a way you’re a little bit embarrassed because you’ve got so much support. You’ve got so much support but you can’t give them anything back but to arrive there leading the championship, I feel that, in a way, it’s giving them something to really get a hold of and sink their teeth into and really enjoy. Yeah, so arriving at Silverstone I’m going to be very excited and looking forward to the weekend but when you get into the car you’re a hundred percent focused. In a way it’s another race while you’re actually in the car. Before and after it’s very different, for sure, but the great thing is, a lot of people that work in Formula One are British, we have a lot of fans in the United Kingdom, so hopefully we will put on a good show for them and we will have a sell-out crowd and this will help us in the future have a Grand Prix in the UK.
Q: (Mathias Brunner – Speedweek) Mark, of the upcoming tracks where do you think Red Bull Racing can most likely challenge Brawn GP?
MW: Well, it’s difficult to say. We expected to be a bit closer here, to be honest. Jenson was on another level today. There was no way anyone was going to beat him. It’s not that we’re really going to change our mentality going forward. We’re doing everything we can to make the car as fast as possible for every venue we go to and that’s starting with the next Grand Prix in the UK. You would think, looking at the past, whether it was Barcelona or a little bit Malaysia – those sorts of circuits and Shanghai – where there were some quicker sections that would suit us, so maybe Silverstone is somewhere where we can maybe get closer. Nürburgring? It’s very difficult to say at the moment. I think if we went to Nürburgring as the next race Brawn would still have an advantage. We need to keep going on the path we are but we need to bite into the back of their development if we can somehow and soon. Obviously we need to do it soon because the more races we do, there are less to come.
Q: (Ed Gorman – The Times) Mark, following that one up, you’re renowned for saying it more or less as it is. Jenson, then, was trying to make the case that things could still go wrong for him, even though he’s won six out of seven races but do you, in your heart or hearts, really believe he can be stopped from being World Champion this year?
MW: Jenson’s in an incredible position. To have a 26 point lead is an amazing position to be in but the way the points-scoring system is at the moment, for him to chip away is still not that easy if his main competitors are consistent. He’s got a great benchmark to start from now. Two DNFs changes things obviously. But there’s no question about it, he’s in fantastic shape, going forward, seven races down, ten or eleven to go. Even if he’s cruising and picks up a lot of results, not on the top step, it’s going to be a long, long time for people to get that back. Finishes are crucial for him and he’s been around long enough to know that.
But just adding to my statement before, I said there was no atmosphere in Turkey. I think that there were a lot of people that tried to come in today but obviously it’s not that cheap and things like that but we should have let them in for free at the end. It would have been nice for the show to let people in. I’m sure there’s a lot of people that would want to come to the Turkish Grand Prix but can’t afford to because it’s very expensive. Jenson and I spoke about this on the parade lap that on the day maybe we should have made an announcement yesterday or even this morning to get some more people in here to let them experience our sport and that’s a shame that it didn’t happen today.
Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Mark, you’ve opted rather for the conservative strategy during the last three races, as it is mostly decided on the Saturday before you put fuel in for Q3. Is that what you are pushing for?
MW: No, it’s just the better way for me. I’ve had a little bit of problems with Q3. Yesterday I nailed Q3 pretty much how I wanted to, so with that in mind, it’s always better to have a little bit more fuel and have the options in the afternoon on Sunday. Obviously the KERS cars are a risky business because you can also qualify around them, so that’s a major trap for me in the first stint but going forward I’m obviously planning to qualify the best I can in Q3 and have the best strategy for the race. I know there’s no points on Saturday afternoon and I want to get the best result on Sunday.
Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Question to Sebastian: you said arriving here that your car suits the track and you were confident with it. When you saw Jenson flying away what did you feel you still miss in your car, to beat the Brawn’s race pace?
SV: When I saw him flying away the first thing I thought was ‘s***’ because obviously we wanted to win today and we were not quick enough. As I said before, I was happy with the car, I felt quite comfortable all weekend. Yesterday was very good, I think. Today we were just not quick enough. I don’t see that there’s one particular place on this circuit, for instance, where we were losing time. I think it’s just a little bit here, a little bit there. Again, I think we have a very good car, especially in medium- and high–speed corners and I think that’s not where we are losing too much time. I think it’s probably more in the areas like the last sector here, in the low speed corners, but I don’t really see that we have been much weaker in general there, so I think it’s a bit everywhere, maybe. Just a little bit more in the slow speed corners.
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