Red Bull Racing

Formula 1 Team reports for the 2009 F1 season includes race previews, reports and reviews
Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Sun Jun 21, 2009 1:51 am

British Grand Prix - Qualifying Quotes

SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Pole Position:
“It’s been a fantastic weekend, we haven’t had a single problem. We brought new parts here, which seem to work very well and we’ve made a good step forward. There’s always tension in qualifying and you try to do your best. It was quite difficult today and we were struggling a little bit with traffic. It’s tricky when you have cars ahead of you – even when they’re three seconds ahead, it does still affect you. In Q3 we had two very good runs, especially the last one, I think it was the lap of the weekend. Normally you think you could have got a bit more, but this lap was very good. I was able to use the tyres perfectly and when I got to the chequered flag I was surprised how quick I was – and it was enough for pole! All I can say is huge compliments to the guys back at the factory, they have been working so hard to get this car to where it is now – so it’s all down to them. Both of us have proved the car is working very well and I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s race.”

MARK WEBBER, Position 3rd
“It’s been a good weekend for us so far. I would have liked a slightly cleaner lap on my last run, but Kimi was dreaming or something – I don’t know. He was on the racing line, which wrecked my rhythm into Stowe so I was tight into there. I would have liked to have got more out of the car on that last lap, but it didn’t happen and I’m third. Congratulations to Seb, he did a great job and I think both of us are getting some good results out of the car now. So, to everyone at Red Bull, a big thank you for all your hard work!”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal:
“A great team performance today. First and third in front of so many members of the Red Bull team at our local race is a very good start to the weekend. Mark was unlucky to get traffic with Kimi Raikkonen, which spoilt his last run, otherwise I’m sure we could have locked out the first row today. But, both guys have been driving fantastically well all weekend and it puts us in a good position for tomorrow.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support:
“A great result, the car is very fast here. We have good drivers, a good car and a good engine – which makes for a very good performance! We hope to get a good result tomorrow. Mark seemed to be on for pole, but finished third in the end as he was blocked by Raikkonen, so again that gives me a little bit of mixed feeling. But, first and third is a very good result for qualifying, so let’s be happy and see what happens tomorrow.”

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Mon Jun 22, 2009 2:56 am

Race Report

GOLD AND SILVER AT SILVERSTONE

Car 15, SEBASTIAN VETTEL, (Finish Position 1st, Start Position: 1st)

“This is such a fantastic circuit. I think all the drivers enjoy it with its fast corners, it’s a dream really – so to stay focused and keep your eyes open all the time during the race is not easy! The start was very important, then in the first stint I tried to pull away and make a gap, as I knew it would be crucial for the whole race. The car was fantastic, just unbelievable. I was able to push more and more and the tyres were very consistent. The second stint wasn’t so easy; there were a lot of lapped cars that were battling with each other, so the team told me to be careful. From the last pit stop I was in clean air and from then on I was just counting down each lap. I had quite a big gap to Mark and was controlling the race from that point on. Everyone in the team has been working so hard, both in the factory and at the track. The way the team has brought the car to where it is now is fantastic – and we’ve proven it’s a step in the right direction, so I’m very pleased. I also want to thank Silverstone. I enjoyed this race so much – when I looked in the grandstands everyone was standing up and clapping and when I took the chequered flag the atmosphere was so great. This is what I was dreaming of when I watched British grands prix when I was younger when Mansell was driving. It’s almost unreal now to think that I’m here and I’ve made it. I’ve won this grand prix and I’m very happy.”


Car 14, MARK WEBBER, (Finish Position 2nd, Start Position: 3rd)
“It’s a great day for the team. I’m disappointed not to take the win, but I think I lost my chance for victory yesterday during qualifying. I should have been on the front row and, if so, I would have tried to make Sebastian work a bit harder in the first stint when I was behind Rubens. I saved a lot of fuel in the first stint, which meant we were able to jump Rubens at the first pit stop. I don’t think I could have done much more today and congratulations to Sebastian, he did a good first stint, which is what laid the foundations for his win. And the team? Well, the guys have buried themselves recently with night shifts and the attention to detail that they go to is a credit to them. They’re being led very well and they’re responding to that. Results help and it’s an incredible injection for them to get the top result, a one-two on local turf. I enjoyed it today. Silverstone is an amazing track and it’s incredible to go through that first sector, lap after lap. It’s a great place to drive a Formula One car and the British fans are always fantastic, so it was great today.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER: “What a fantastic team result, a one-two, with both guys totally dominating the race. There were so many members of the team here today and, for them to see what their cars can do, when they have put in so much effort, is just incredible. I’m thrilled for everyone at Red Bull, they’ve done a brilliant job. This track suits our car and the drivers have been in fantastic form all weekend. Sebastian was outstanding today and Mark also did a brilliant job – he was very patient when he needed to be behind Rubens in the first stint. It was a great team result. We’ve still got a long way to go to catch Brawn GP, but we’re definitely moving in the right direction.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer, Track Support: “Wow, a magic result – first and second at the British Grand Prix. The team is so happy and, for the guys in Milton Keynes, this victory is so deserved – they worked like hell to prepare this new package. It’s a great result for them. For us as the engine partner to be part of this adventure is a great pleasure – so congratulations to everyone back in the factories and let’s enjoy this fantastic result.”

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Sat Jul 11, 2009 2:02 am

Car 14 MARK WEBBER
1st Practice P1, 2nd Practice P4

“That was a pretty good day for us. We expected changeable and cool conditions, which are so typical of the Nuerburgring, so there were no surprises with that. We did the normal Friday stuff, comparing the tyres and it seems pretty straightforward. We got a reasonable amount of laps in and have some good bits to go through tonight. The guys worked very well today and we were able to do everything we needed, so onwards to tomorrow!”

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL
1st Practice P8, 2nd Practice P2

“We had a problem in the morning when the engine cut off in Turn One, so we lost quite a lot of track time. Thankfully it was dry again this afternoon, so the overall loss was not that big. It was quite tricky this afternoon as the circuit was still very slippery, making it hard to get a good lap and bringing the tyres in seems to be very crucial here. On top of that, the wind is very heavy and is playing some tricks, especially during braking in the last sector, but I think we have a good car, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Obviously, we still have plenty of work to do. We’ve done a lot of testing today so we will look now at what’s best in order to be well prepared for qualifying.”

STATISTICS
MARK WEBBER
First Practice Session
Position: 1, Best Time: 1:33.082, Laps: 19, Chassis No. 2
Second Practice Session
Position: 4, Best Time 1:32.480, Laps: 28, Chassis No. 2

SEBASTIAN VETTEL
First Practice Session
Position: 8, Best Time: 1:33.909, Laps: 13, Chassis No. 4
Second Practice Session
Position: 2, Best Time: 1:32.331, Laps: 31, Chassis No. 4

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Sun Jul 12, 2009 1:12 am

German Grand Prix - Qualifying

ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR!
MARK’S FIRST POLE POSITION

Car 14 MARK WEBBER, POLE POSITION
“This is a very special day for me. I’ve been close to getting pole a few times in the past. Today we’re here and the team has done a great job. We’ve been quick all weekend and all the teams and drivers got really tested in that session. It was very, very chaotic and to deliver the lap time when it absolutely counted was very important to me. Getting the best time is fantastic. The car is working very well here and I was talking to my engineer Ciaran all the time, asking him what we were doing, because the track conditions were so hard; it looked quite dry, but the slicks just wouldn’t take it at all. In Q2, it was really hard to read what we needed for the last ten minutes. In the end, the key for me was three clean sectors and that’s what got me pole. I called on my experience and I have a great team of people, the guys on the pit wall making the right calls for me. They can see what the other drivers are doing. We’re the best drivers in the world and we know when people are making mistakes that it’s down to the wrong tyres. So we stick to the decisions we make and believe in them and go out and do the best we can, because we know everyone’s in a bit of trouble in those conditions. A huge thanks to all the team, both here and in the factory and I hope that it can be my first win tomorrow. We’re in a fantastic position to do it. Obviously these guys (Barrichello and Button) have had a very strong season and will push us, but we’re looking forward to a fight. I’m up for trying to take my first race win tomorrow if I can.”

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Position 4th
“Today’s qualifying was a bit of a lottery – especially in Q2, as you never knew which tyres to put on. In Q3, it was back to dry tyres, but it was very tight. The circuit was getting better through the session, but my last lap wasn’t magnificent, which is why I’m not on the front row. The car was good enough to have been up there today, but I didn’t do it. Who knows what is happening tomorrow in the race, the weather is quite unpredictable around here, so we will see.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “Despite the very tricky conditions, it was great for Mark to secure his first Formula One career pole and it puts him in an ideal place to start tomorrow’s race. Sebastian is on a slightly heavier fuel load, he did a very good job and it looked like he just dropped a little bit of time on the last turn. Unfortunately the two Brawns have managed to get ahead of him, so we have two Brawns in a Red Bull sandwich. I also think the McLarens are ominously placed right behind us with their KERS, so it’s going to make a very exciting race tomorrow.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: “I’m so, so happy for Mark, he really deserves it, he’s a good guy and a good driver. We owe him this pole position, he missed it by almost nothing in Silverstone, but here he has got it. We are very happy within Renault to be able to offer him this first pole position. For Sebastian, it’s a bit more complicated. He missed out by the smallest of margins and is fourth. I think he can have a good race tomorrow if the performance of the car is where we think it is.”

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Mon Jul 13, 2009 2:36 am

2009 German Grand Prix

G’DAY FOR MARK
WEBBER’S FIRST WIN!

Car 14 MARK WEBBER, Finish Position: WINNER! Start Position: 1st
“It’s an incredible day. I wanted to win so badly after Silverstone, as I thought I had a good chance there, then after yesterday’s pole I knew I was in a good position to try and win the race today. The only thing that I thought was going to test me was the rain, but even that held off. It was testing to get the victory today, I lost Rubens completely at the start; I thought he was gone a little bit to the left so I went to the right and banged into him. That’s not normally my style and I got a drive-through penalty for that, so had to recover. My engineer kept me calm and I pushed as hard as I could when I needed to, so it’s a great day. It was a difficult winter, Sebastian showed in winter testing what the car could do, so that kept my motivation very high when I was hurting a lot with all the rehab. I had great people around me to recover from all the injuries I had and the team have been incredibly patient with me as well. I want to thank Dietrich Mateschitz, Red Bull and everyone at Red Bull Racing for what they did for me over the winter, everyone in Australia who has supported me on the way through my career – and there are a few people that doubted me too, so hello to them as well. It’s just an incredible day for all the people who have helped me get to where I am today.”

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Finish Position: 2nd. Start Position: 4th
“Congratulations to Mark, he was unbeatable today – he was quicker than all of us, so he totally deserved to win. I’m very happy with the result and in the end it was a good recovery. It was quite a bad start and I had all the KERS cars around me – I got passed by both the McLarens and even Felipe (Massa). It was quite difficult to start fourth and go into the first corner in eighth or something. I then struggled a lot with the soft tyre in the first stint and was in a lot of traffic. I could have gone quicker, but there was no way to pass Felipe, as he always used the special button when I was quite close. Therefore I was lucky to have the right strategy, as that pulled us back to second position but Felipe didn’t stop pushing, so it was hard until the end of the race. We had to fight, but it’s another one-two finish for the team and I’m happy. I’d be lying if I said I’m very pleased with second, as of course I wanted to win, but yesterday Mark did a better job and that’s why today he totally deserves the win – it’s a good fight between us, so I’m looking forward to the next races.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “A brilliant team performance. A fantastic drive from Mark – he’s been on it all weekend and, after all the difficulties that he’s been through over the winter, I’m absolutely delighted that’s he’s managed to get his first win. He thoroughly deserves it. Sebastian recovered from a difficult first lap and put in an excellent performance to back up Mark’s win with a second place. A one-two is a brilliant team result and puts us back in the hunt in both championships. It was an important result for the team, but today belongs to Mark Webber, who is a deserved victor.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: “I’m so, so, so happy. What a race! It was a difficult beginning with a drive-through penalty and starts that were not great, but our car and engine package is so good that we recovered from there to finish first and second – for the second time in a row – it’s just magic. I’m so happy for Mark, he deserves his first win. We cannot stop thinking about Pierre-Emeric and I want to dedicate Mark’s first victory to him - I’m sure he is watching us from above and he would be very happy about what happened today. I’m happy for the team and now let’s push for the title.”

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Tue Jul 14, 2009 10:56 pm

MARK WEBBER’S POST GERMAN GP Q&A

Two days on, are you still basking in the glow of what you’ve done?
Absolutely. It was a very special day. Personally, for me it was very nice but the fact that the team also got another one-two seems to have got ignored, but that was also very important. We’ve made the most out of the last couple of races, in which we couldn’t have done better. I’d had two second places, so I knew the momentum was with me and now I’ve got the win. It’s just great to finally get the victory.

On Saturday night, after taking pole you said, “now we’ll try and get this monkey off my back.” Is the sense of relief almost bigger than the sense of achievement?
That’s probably true. I’ve done a lot of races and for a huge majority of them, I didn’t have a chance of winning because the car wasn’t up to it and also, they featured a guy called Michael Schumacher and he tended to do a bit of damage himself. In that era, you needed to be in a Ferrari or a McLaren. Now, in this new era of F1, there are other teams in the mix and I am very happy that the situation with Red Bull Racing means we are in a position to challenge for podiums and wins at every grand prix, as long as we get things right.

You had almost 100 well wishing texts prior to the race. Did that give you extra pressure?
I had around 80 or 90 after qualifying and maybe 160 after the race. I didn’t know so many people had my bloody number! But, to be honest, I was pretty relaxed going into the race. I was keen for it to be dry, because that would mean fewer decisions to be made. I felt we probably had the Brawns covered and that my real opposition was going to be Sebastian maybe at some point in the race. Then the race exploded pretty quickly with drivers like Heikki (Kovalainen) in the mix and my drive-through penalty. But after around lap 40, I knew I just had to stay on it and bring the car home.

Some drivers, Mansell and Hakkinen for example, took a long time to get win number one, but after that they were unstoppable. Allowing for the fact they obviously had competitive cars, do you feel it’s unlocked a door and winning could get easier now?
I’ve now crossed the uncharted waters of pole position and a victory, so that can only help. It can’t be a hindrance, that’s for sure. To lead and not be the chaser was a first for me. I hope that the momentum can continue, even if there is no doubt there will be some tough races in the future. But getting this first win means that when it’s close, the races might seem more straightforward for me.

You flew back Sunday. Were there any celebrations?
I think I made a bit of a schoolboy error. We got back to the UK late on Sunday night and the downside was that Australia was just waking up, so having dealt with all the press here in Europe, I then had to deal with my home continent. I was flat out from nine in the evening ‘til two in the morning, as so many people were getting in touch to congratulate me. I couldn’t bring myself to switch my phone off, so there wasn’t much sleep, that’s for sure.

You attended the Red Bull Racing factory debrief on Monday. What sort of reception did you get?
It was incredible. As an intro for me, they played the recording of my car-to-pit radio as I crossed the line. I didn’t realise how long I was shouting for! The response was incredible. There are still a lot of people at the factory whom I worked with back in my Jaguar days there and we have been through a lot together. There are also a lot of new people, who haven’t been in Formula One for that long and they are at the start of an incredible journey. As a team, as a group of people working together, including those at Renault, everything that Dietrich (Mateschitz) has done, and Adria (Newey) with his group and Christian (Horner), we have finally unlocked the door to success. The past few years have certainly been tough, but now we have clearly made the most of the new regulations and shown we are a team that can fight at the front. We know we can expect some fights this season with other teams coming through, but that’s what this sport is about and we’re ready for it.

Then on Monday night, you went to a dinner with the Aussie test cricket team. What happened there?
Ricky Ponting had a Foundation Dinner for his charity, which was a great event. He was kind enough to give me and Ann a fantastic table, so it was a wonderful night to be there with my cricketing heroes. There were over a thousand people and they made a bit of a deal about me being there which was nice. The reception from the English people at the event was equal to that from the Australians, which made me feel good too.

There’s been a huge reaction from Australia. The whole country is really sports mad isn’t it?
Yes, it takes a bit to get on the front pages of the papers there, but I am on them and that’s a great feeling too. It’s good for Red Bull and it’s true that, in Australia, if one of their sportsmen or women achieves something on the world stage, it is recognised.

There was a lot of talk last weekend about Sir Jack Brabham, did you hear from him after the race?
Yes, I got an email from him and his son, David, which was great. The Brabham family has always been fantastic towards me. I remember fifteen years ago, Jack telling me that he had always found it great to come over and beat those Europeans, even if he didn’t put it quite as diplomatically as that! Certainly, a small part of my victory is down to Jack, because my father was a great admirer of his and probably I wouldn’t have been racing cars without Jack lighting that little fire in the Webber family.

You sounded almost in tears on the slowing down lap. Can you remember what thoughts went through your mind as you drove back to parc ferme?
There were two main thoughts: I wanted to see my team. It’s always the first thing you want to do. The “in” lap is okay, but really you’re busting to get back and see the guys. The other thing was that I wanted to hear my Australian National Anthem.

Before the race you said that if you were leading, it would seem like the longest race ever. Did it, or was there so much going on what with the collisions, penalty etc?
It was pretty normal really and no, it didn’t drag much. Or maybe just a little bit through laps 40 to 47, when it got dark and I thought ‘s#$%, it’s going to rain’. I wanted to fast-forward a bit at that point as I didn’t want us to have to take any more decisions. The last ten laps didn’t take that long. It was good actually and I was surprised at how relaxed I felt, controlling the race to the flag.

There’s only 1.5 points between you and your team-mate. How do you think the two of you are going to deal with this?
The good thing is that it’s incredibly straightforward. All we drivers and the team have to do is turn up and try to do the best job we can. We know how important Saturday’s qualifying is and maybe one day that part of the weekend might not go as smoothly as planned for either myself or Sebastian. Plus there are other rivals mixed into that, so it’s not just a straight fight between the two of us. Sebastian and I might come across each other quite a bit in the races and that will be reflected in the points tally. It will continue to see-saw either way until one of us has a blip in performance. It’s unrealistic to expect us to have one-two finishes through to the end of the year and there will be interesting grands prix to come. For the team, it’s an incredible position to have both its drivers on virtually equal points, which bodes very well for the Constructors’ Championship. Jenson (Button) is our big hurdle in the Drivers’, as he is two grands prix in the lead in terms of points.

After the race, your Dad said, “This is the greatest day of my life” and then corrected himself and added “at least equal with a couple of others.” He’s not exactly Mr. Pushy Dad thank goodness, but how would you sum up how he’s helped you in life and in your career?
He’s been incredible, particularly in the early days, because when you are very young, in your early teens, you can’t make all the big decisions for yourself and you need support. Dad was always very much a single-seater man and, as he said, “I wouldn’t like you to race taxis and I think the best racing car drivers in the world are in single-seaters,” so that was always the path we followed. I think back to how incredibly balanced he was with me, when I was out of the car, in terms of the total lack of pressure he put on me to go and do my best. He never had any problems with the guys I was racing, like some of the other bloody fathers can do. He doesn’t get heavily involved and that’s always been his style. Of course he’s proud, but he’s always let me get on with it and it was good to have him there for that special day.

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Sat Jul 18, 2009 2:45 am

HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIXVIEW

Red Bull Racing has reached the mid-point of the season in fine form, with consecutive one-two finishes in the British and German Grands Prix. Red Bull Racing Team Principal, Christian Horner and Red Bull Technology Chief Technical Officer, Adrian Newey explain the groundwork that went into producing these results. The team currently lies second in both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships.

Christian Horner, Team Principal
As we go into the second half of the season are the pressures you now have to deal with different to those of last year, or even at the start of this season?
The rewards on track are different, but the pressures are the same. We are working as hard as possible to get as much performance as possible, as quickly as we can. Everyone at the factory has a spring in their step at the moment, even if the pace of development required to meet this year’s major regulation change has been relentless. There are a lot of unsung heroes at the factory, putting in superhuman efforts and hours to get the components on the car.

How has the operation at Milton Keynes changed, to produce the performances we have seen so far this season?
There were already signs of a change last year, when RB4 delivered reasonable performance in the first half of the season, while in the second half Red Bull Technology had good results with Toro Rosso, in what was essentially an identical car. The design group has really gelled and is working cohesively and the integration across the whole group, R&D and the production side, is working very well. This is down to stability and continuity in what is still a relatively young team.

The race team at the track seems to be working well too and it features lots of new faces. What effect has that had on performance?
The faces new to the race team are not new to the company, as they were all on the test team last year. It’s a testimony to how strong the test team was that, when we conducted the difficult exercise over the winter when as all the other teams we had to make redundancies, we went through a scrupulously fair system to identify the best candidates for the roles we had available. The group of guys in the garage are brilliant. The camaraderie between the two car crews and the way they work for each other is fantastic; the team spirit is very strong this year.

Does the team have any weak points?
You can always do better. Putting aside our performance and two dominant one-two finishes in the last two races, the team’s determination to continue to improve and not to take anything for granted is very important. There are no obvious weaknesses in our armoury, but as a group we must continue to push ourselves in all areas all the time.

Going back a few races, what do you remember about standing on an F1 podium for the first time after the win in China?
It was a very proud moment representing Red Bull at the team’s first win, having been here since the beginning. Looking down and seeing the faces of all the guys looking up at the podium and standing next to the two drivers who’d driven brilliantly is a moment I will certainly always remember. It was a great feeling, especially at the end of such a long race of almost two hours, held in atrocious conditions.

At the start of the season, Mark Webber, partly because of his cycling accident, was being positioned as something of an underdog up against new boy Vettel. What do you think about that?
Our drivers are both at the top of their game at different stages in their career and they are pushing one another very hard. I think we’ve got the best driver line-up in F1 at the moment. When I saw Mark in early January, he’d forgotten to mention he’d also broken his shoulder! He couldn’t put any weight on his right leg and I remember thinking ‘this is going to be interesting!’ He was resolute in his determination to drive the new car at its launch. After he drove RB5 for the first time, there was a look of relief in his eyes, as I think he was unsure if he would still have the same feeling in his right foot and how he would cope with the bumps on track. From then on, there was never any doubt he was going to be fit for Melbourne. In typical Aussie fashion, he carried the injury without letting on about how much pain and discomfort he was feeling. He’s had great support and his physios and trainers have done a great job. I think it’s only now we are seeing Mark at the level of fitness he was at prior to his injury and his recent results show he is absolutely on the form of his life. Sebastian is undoubtedly a star in the making. He shows remarkable maturity, given his lack of experience. He is a prodigious talent who will continue to get better. The best is yet to come from him. Both men are being treated with total fairness within the team and are supplied with identical equipment.

At what point will you have to think about team orders between the two drivers in terms of the championship?
We will continue to support both drivers equally. There’s only a point and a half between them, so obviously they are both in contention for the Drivers’ Championship. There’s a long way to go to catch up with Jenson Button. If and when we reach a point where there is a significant gap, or it becomes mathematically impossible for one of them to challenge for the Championship, then they are both team players and one of them will play a supporting role should it be required. Our intention is to see both of them catch the lead Brawn as quickly as possible.

Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer, Red Bull Technology
RB5 was good enough to give the Brawn a run for its money even before the scramble to produce a double diffuser. How much did the work involved in fitting a double diffuser to our car upset the planned development programme?
It was a huge amount of work as the car wasn’t designed to work with a double diffuser and, in particular, it wasn’t an easy marriage with the pullrod rear suspension. We decided we didn’t have the resources to redesign the gearbox and rear suspension to better suit the double diffuser concept, so we kept the existing mechanical package and adapt as best we could. The first attempt was our Monaco package, which was a small step that didn’t work as well as we would have liked. The second step was then introduced for the British Grand Prix.

Did this affect the overall development programme of the car?
It took up a lot of my time and during that intensive two month period I was less involved with the rest of the car than I would normally have been. But we were able to handle our usual development in parallel.

Red Bull Racing and indeed all the other teams, have brought in new developments with no testing. Does this mean that testing has been something of a red herring over the past years or would this year’s cars be much quicker if testing had continued as before?
It’s difficult to say. When you introduce something without testing, you are reliant on your research tools: wind tunnel testing primarily, CFD and simulation to a lesser extent. As we are now introducing new elements at race weekends, if we have stepped in the wrong direction by a small amount, it’s hard to notice, as we are unable to do back-to-back testing to quite the same level as we used to. But we do use the Fridays of a grand prix as a test session, as well as for preparation for the rest of the weekend.

Is tyres the one area where you really feel the lack of testing, as we have seen some unusual situations on the tyre side so far this year?
Some of what we have seen with tyres this season has been very circuit and temperature specific. If your tests are not at the circuits you race on, or at the temperatures you encounter at the race weekend, then the problems with the tyres might not necessarily show up.

Leaving aside the Brawns, who do you expect to mount a serious challenge over the next few races?
I think anybody can. We saw McLaren and Renault make a big step forward at the Nuerburgring and we ourselves made a step forward at Silverstone. As teams introduce new packages, it’s possible for them to make a good step forward – that has been a trademark of the season so far and may well continue to be so for the rest of the year.

At the moment, it seems likely that Red Bull Racing will have to persevere with development of this year’s car right to the end of the season if it is in the fight for both titles. What effect will that have on the 2010 car?
It’s a problem we face every year. Last year, research carried out on RB4 for the balance of last season had no application to the 2009 car because of the regulation change. That is not the case this year; development parts we find for RB5 will be applied to RB6 and possibly even vice versa as we start to research RB6.

Are you surprised to see where Red Bull Racing is now in the championship? Did you expect things to be going this well?
We made reasonable progress through the last couple of years which, for Red Bull Technology, culminated in the win at Monza last year. Then, with the big change in regulations, we had the opportunity to do something new and different and possibly steal a march on more established competitors. Last year, we continued to develop RB4 and TR3 fairly aggressively right through the summer. Other teams abandoned their 08 car somewhat earlier. Given our resources, that did stretch us quite thin last summer. We managed it as best we could and split up our development teams. We were probably one of the latest starters on the 09 car. We managed to find a few novel features that have helped to make the car competitive and from then on it’s been a case of developing it.

On a personal note, you looked quite emotional standing on the Silverstone podium after the one-two finish in the British GP. How did that feel?
To be honest, the three months leading up to Silverstone had been very hard work, as we developed the car to adapt it to the double diffuser. So to see that, as a package, make the difference at Silverstone was a great feeling.

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Thu Jul 23, 2009 10:22 pm

WEBBER TO DRIVE FOR RED BULL RACING IN 2010

Red Bull Racing has confirmed today that Mark Webber will continue to drive for the team in 2010, alongside his team-mate Sebastian Vettel.

Christian Horner: “I’m delighted that we have re-signed Mark for 2010. He has continued to show huge commitment and determination this season, especially following his bike accident at the end of last year. His recent results show he is on the form of his life – most notably with his recent win at the German GP – and he has the motivation to deliver at the highest level. It was therefore a straightforward decision to extend the relationship. We believe that the driver line-up of Mark and Sebastian is one of the strongest in the sport.

Mark Webber: “I’m extremely happy that Red Bull and I have been able to agree to race together again next year. Even in the leaner and tougher years at the start of my relationship with the team, I’ve always enjoyed working with them, so now to go through this purple patch, which we hope will continue for a good while to come, makes the work even more enjoyable. We’ve got a very exciting finish to this year’s Championship, but I’m also looking forward to helping to develop and race the RB6 in the 2010 World Championship.”

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Sat Jul 25, 2009 12:49 am

Red Bull Friday Practice quotes

Car 14 MARK WEBBER
1st Practice P4, 2nd Practice P4

“We’ve had a good day so far. It’s normal for Budapest to be pretty warm, so we’ve experienced the normal characteristics and the problems that Budapest throws at the engineers and drivers. The car seems to be going okay at the moment – we’ll see what fuel loads people are running as usual tomorrow and on Sunday. We’ve got a bit of work to do with our car but, in general, it’s been a reasonably positive day, with the exception of stopping towards the end of the second session with a hydraulic problem.”

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL
1st Practice 15, 2nd Practice P6

“A hot, hot Friday, obviously the sun is out in Hungary, which makes it hot in the car, but it’s okay. Overall I think we are still struggling to find the balance – I’m not yet 100% happy, so we need to look into it carefully overnight to see where we are. Hopefully we can make a step forward tomorrow and then it will be all about qualifying as usual. I think it’s much closer here than at previous races, other teams are very competitive, so we will see!”

Statistics

MARK WEBBER
First Practice Session
Position: 4, Best Time: 1:22.615, Laps: 21,
Chassis No. 2
Second Practice Session
Position: 4, Best Time 1:22.369, Laps: 29,
Chassis No. 2

SEBASTIAN VETTEL
First Practice Session
Position: 15, Best Time: 1:23.283, Laps:
25, Chassis No. 4
Second Practice Session
Position: 6, Best Time: 1:22.550, Laps: 30,
Chassis No. 4

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Sun Jul 26, 2009 1:23 am

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Position 2nd
“That was good today. I had a pretty difficult start to the weekend and was struggling with the balance of the car in yesterday’s practice, but overnight we made a good step forward and it’s now looking good for the race. However, the challenge, no matter if you are first, second or third, is the threat from the cars behind us that are equipped with KERS, as there’s quite a run down to Turn one here. Today’s qualifying was a bit ‘on the edge’, first there were yellow flags and then I got caught in traffic on the second timed lap, so it wasn’t ideal. I was confident in the last qualifying though and we’ve got a good result. Let’s see tomorrow, it should be a good race for us.”

Car 14 MARK WEBBER, Position 3rd
“Not a great session for me in Q3, as I made a mistake in Turn 2. Sebastian did a clean lap and it should be a good race between all of us tomorrow. Well done to Fernando too, it’s good for Renault to have another engine up here and to be on pole. Rubens (Barrichello) didn’t make it through into Q3, so Sebastian and I are in a good position to capitalise on that and hopefully get some points. The KERS cars will be arriving on the straight somewhere, we don’t know when, but that’s how it is.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “First of all, it’s great to hear that Felipe Massa is conscious and the initial signs look good, especially as it was quite a nasty looking accident. Both our guys did a very good job today – second and third is a good team starting place. The KERS cars are going to be a factor tomorrow, especially Lewis’ McLaren. Well done to Renault for its top three on the grid. Hopefully we can convert our starting position into good points tomorrow.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: “A very strange qualifying session today with Massa’s accident and the collapse of the timing, but in the end, it was a one, two, three for Renault, so we can only be happy. It would be good to have the two Red Bulls in front, but a great day for Renault nonetheless and congratulations to Fernando. The KERS cars are on the dirty side of the track tomorrow – let’s wait for the weights of the cars, but I think we’re in good shape for tomorrow.”

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Mon Jul 27, 2009 1:59 am

Hungarian Grand Prix Race

Car 14 MARK WEBBER, Finish Position: 3rd, Start Position: 3rd
“I expected us to be a little bit quicker after our running on Friday, but to be honest we expected these guys (McLaren and Ferrari) to be around us. We knew it would be a more difficult venue for us and that we wouldn’t have the advantage that we maybe had at the last two events so, all-in-all, I’m happy to get the result we did today. I think we would have had a better chance to fight with Kimi (Raikkonen) if we’d made a slightly different pit stop and chose a different tyre for the middle stint, but that was my call. I was worried about how long the middle stint was, so it was quite difficult to know which tyre to put on. Overall we still have a lot of positives to take away from here – we’re still up there, we’re in the hunt and know that we can take our car to a lot of venues and be competitive. Red Bull and Renault have a lot to be proud of, we’re still a strong force and it’s a positive day.”

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Finish Position: DNF, Start Position: 2nd
“I had a collision on the first corner with Kimi (Raikkonen). I was on the inside and had a clear run to accelerate, his car came sideways and we touched – he crashed into my car, it can happen. This was why my first pit stop was bad and, at some point, the front-left suspension gave up and we had to retire the car. We knew it would be close with the other teams here, but at the start of the race there’s nothing you can do other than putting your foot down. We have a button on our steering wheel, which is similar to the other teams, but nothing happens if you press it. You go into the first corner and you have five or six cars next to each other instead of three or four, so it’s a different situation. There are still a few races left this season and the race is still on, so we will see what we can do.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “A good drive from Mark today for third. Unfortunately, we perhaps gave away too much time in the middle stint on the harder tyre and a small issue at Mark’s pit stop allowed Kimi (Raikkonen) to jump ahead, but I think Lewis was out of reach today. Nonetheless, a good result for Mark in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships. For Sebastian, things just didn’t go his way today – unfortunately a knock on the first lap looks as though it caused suspension damage that resulted in his retirement. Going into the break, we’ve closed the gap in the Constructors’ and we’re looking forward to the next race in four weeks time in Valencia.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: “A difficult race. Our cars made very good starts, but the long run to the first corner meant the KERS cars were stronger and unfortunately we lost some places. Sebastian had an accident, which caused damage that forced him to retire. Mark had a solid race, in which tyres played a big role. We finished third and scored more points than Brawn, so in the end a good result for the team, but a disappointing result for Sebastian.”

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Tue Aug 18, 2009 11:28 pm

European Grand Prix preview

Postcards from the break!

G’day from the sunny south of France

Having a great time getting used to not doing very much. I didn’t really feel the need for the break after Hungary, but I reckon I’ll feel the benefit when we come to the final three races of this season. I’ve been here in the South of France for the whole break, catching up with a load of friends, even allowing myself the occasional glass of wine! But don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten the day job completely and I’ve spent a lot of time cycling up the mountains. It’s a beautiful part of the world to ride a bike. I didn’t bump into any other F1 types – always a plus point! But my Kiwi mate, triathlon and Ironman champ Richard Usher came and joined us here, so generally it’s been a great opportunity to catch up with people you don’t normally see during the season.

See you soon
Mark

Hallo!

Sorry for not sending this earlier, but I’m having a very busy break! Time has flown by since Hungary and the highlight for me was going to Finland to watch the World Championship Rally. It’s the first time I’ve seen one ‘live’ and it was an amazing experience. I went to a lot of the Special Stages and even being a spectator means you have to be a fast driver just to get to the viewing points. Looking at the roads there, you can see why so many Finns are great racing drivers! Apart from that, it’s been the usual F1 cliché of “relaxing and training.” I can’t wait to get back to work in Valencia, where I came sixth last year – it’s a fun track to drive, much quicker than a normal street circuit like Monaco or Singapore.

Bis bald
Sebastian

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Sat Aug 22, 2009 4:08 pm

European Grand Prix - Practice Quotes

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL
1st Practice 5, 2nd Practice P9
“Today seemed to be okay, there were no problems so we had a smooth Friday. I think we are more or less in the pack, but Fernando (Alonso) was very quick towards the end of the second session, which was a surprise. We need to improve for tomorrow, so we will look at our day carefully and see where we were lacking, compared to the others.”

Car 14 MARK WEBBER
1st Practice P8, 2nd Practice P14
“We did a lot of laps today. We’ve got some good stuff to go through tonight and we did the tyre comparison, which was pretty straightforward. We’ve got some work to do this evening – this track is a little like Bahrain with walls!”

SEBASTIAN VETTEL
First Practice Session
Position: 5, Best Time: 1:43.088, Laps: 17,
Chassis No. 1
Second Practice Session
Position: 9, Best Time 1:40.723, Laps: 33,
Chassis No. 1

MARK WEBBER
First Practice Session
Position: 8, Best Time: 1:43.243, Laps: 19,
Chassis No. 3
Second Practice Session
Position: 14, Best Time: 1:40.956, Laps: 37,
Chassis No. 3

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Sun Aug 23, 2009 12:18 pm

Red Bull Racing Qualifying notes

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Position 4th
“I would like to be further forward on tomorrow’s grid, but I think that’s the most we could have hoped for, so I’m quite happy – especially after not doing many laps this morning. I’m quite confident about tomorrow, as we made a step forward for this morning and then another for qualifying. McLaren look strong and it’s hard for the other cars to get close to them. We will see how quick they are in the race tomorrow, but starting in first and second position they have a good chance to win the race. We want to win too though, so we will see. I like this track, it’s a bit more difficult for us to be at the top here – but it’s a long and hot race tomorrow, so let’s see.”

Car 14 MARK WEBBER, Position 9th
“We expected to have a tough qualifying session today and it turned out to be the case. We thought we would be in the top six or top eight, so it’s not been the best day for us. It’s one of our worst qualifying sessions for a long time, but let’s see how we go from here. We’ll fight like hell as normal, Red Bull knows how to do that, I hope we can get some points.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “After a difficult P3 for Sebastian, when he lost an engine, it was a great effort from his side of the garage to get the engine changed and produce a competitive qualifying. The McLarens are too quick, their power advantage with the KERS here is significant, but we can be happy with P4. One tenth of a second for Mark would have made a big difference to his grid position – it would have been the difference between sixth and ninth – but with a bit more fuel in hopefully he can have a good run from there tomorrow. The key for us is obviously to finish ahead of the Brawns.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: “It was a very tough Saturday, beginning with the engine failure on Sebastian’s car, which is very bad for us. We changed the engine for him ahead of qualifying. We are not as quick as usual on this track and it’s difficult for us. We did our best in qualifying and we know we have to focus on getting the best possible result in tomorrow’s race. It will be a tough Sunday.”

Practice 3
Webber: P17, Best Time: 1:40.879, Laps: 10
Vettel: P18, Best Time: 1:40.916, Laps: 6

Ed
NewsOnF1 Editor
NewsOnF1 Editor
Posts: 22255
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:24 pm

Post by Ed » Mon Aug 24, 2009 1:40 am

Red Bull race notes

Car 14 MARK WEBBER, Finish Position: 9th, Start Position: 9th
“No gains for us today, which is the first time in a long time. The long and short of it was that I wasn’t quick enough today – it was a tough race. I’ve been struggling all weekend and I think I got the result I deserved, which was no points, unfortunately. We were a little bit unlucky around the pit stops with Lewis (Hamilton) coming back out in front, but that’s the way it goes. The pit stops weren’t great, as I might have been a bit long on positioning – so not the best day for us. But, we will dust ourselves down and move on to Spa.”

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Finish Position: DNF, Start Position: 4th
“The biggest problem today was the first stop – we weren’t able to get fuel in the car, so we had to come in again. We were lucky to make it back for a second stop. The race was lost already at that point but then, a couple of laps on, I had a problem with the engine and I had to retire. It’s not good. In terms of the Championship, I will fight until the last breath, but it’s not good to have retired when you’re hunting and want to get more points than your opponent. You’re in a position to do it, but then you don’t finish the race.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “A bitterly disappointing day. A fuel rig failure on Sebastian’s car, followed by an engine failure, which is the second of the weekend, was costly. Unfortunately with Mark, we just weren’t quick enough today. He held Jenson (Button) behind him for a long time, but Jenson was too quick and jumped us with a very quick out-lap, unfortunately Mark was not quick enough to hold him behind.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: “This race ended a nightmare weekend for us. We had two engine failures on Sebastian’s car, so it’s a black weekend. I can only apologise to Red Bull Racing and Sebastian in particular for this reliability issue and assure them that we will work as hard as possible to ensure it doesn’t happen again. But, the end of the season will now be tough on the engine side for Sebastian.”

Post Reply