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Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2009 9:53 am
by Ed
Car 14 MARK WEBBER
1st Practice P17, 2nd Practice P4
“I think that’s the most we could have hoped for during today’s session. You always expect to lose a session in Spa due to the changeable weather conditions and that was the case this morning. We had a pretty productive afternoon with plenty to go through. We didn’t always move in the right direction, but that’s not always a bad thing as we learn from it. So, that’s today and now we’ll put it all in focus for tomorrow – not a bad start for us.”


Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL
1st Practice 19, 2nd Practice P10
“We didn’t have so much running time today, especially in the morning, but that was actually quite good for us. We knew we would face a difficult Friday as we don’t have that much mileage available because of my engine situation, so it was a little bit lucky to have the rain this morning. In the afternoon, I felt comfortable with the car, we didn’t have any problems and I’m quite happy with the performance. We need to see exactly where we are tomorrow, but I think it’s been a good start to the weekend. I love this circuit, it has excellent corners and is a lot of fun.”

STATISTICS
MARK WEBBER
First Practice Session
Position: 17, Best Time: 2:06.181, Laps: 6,
Chassis No. 3
Second Practice Session
Position: 4, Best Time: 1:47.329, Laps: 37,
Chassis No. 3

SEBASTIAN VETTEL
First Practice Session
Position: 19, Best Time: No time, Laps: 1,
Chassis No. 1
Second Practice Session
Position: 10, Best Time 1:47.602, Laps: 24,
Chassis No. 1

Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 12:59 am
by Ed
Belgian Grand Prix - Qualifying

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Position 8th
“It was quite an interesting session – and not the best for us obviously; eighth and ninth will be tough tomorrow on the grid. Unfortunately I made a mistake on my last flying lap in Q3. I lost the rear going into Turn 14, which leads on to the back straight and lost all the speed, so there was no point in completing the lap. The results were quite a surprise today; I don’t think anyone expected Fisi (Fisichella) to be on pole.”

Car 14 MARK WEBBER, Position 9th
“That was a strange session – we expected to be more competitive than that. Fisi (Fisichella) on pole! A great day for them, but we were surprised by that. A lot of the guys were too quick for us; it shows you just never know in this game. It should be an interesting race tomorrow. We had to change the engine before qualifying, but that wouldn’t affect our result and we were pretty confident going into the session. We put in a new engine as we had to make some checks on the one that we used this morning, but it looks like it is okay.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “A different Q3 to normal – I bet none of the bookies predicted that one! Our guys had a strong Q2 and the fuel effect is reasonably large around here, so we’ll wait with interest to see what the fuel figures are later today. Congratulations to Force India for their first pole position. We’ look forward to what should be a really exciting race tomorrow.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: “Again – a bad day. We apologise to Mark for the electrical problem that we had on his engine – it really seems as though we have a black cloud hanging over our heads at the moment. I can only assure Red Bull and the people that want to beat us that we will never give up – and when this black cloud lifts, we will fight like hell!”

Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 1:39 am
by Ed
Belgian Grand Prix - Race

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Finish Position: 3rd, Start Position: 8th
“If you look at the Championship board, today was a good result. Obviously it was not easy to start from the middle of the pack, but the actual start was good. I was maybe too conservative in the middle of the first lap when I saw Nick (Heidfeld) go off the track – very often cars tend to come back on to the circuit spinning; I lost a position to Nico (Rosberg) and had to catch him back up after the restart. I lost too much ground to the leading cars in the first stint, but in the second and third stints the car was fantastic, I didn’t make any mistakes and was pushing like it was qualifying on every lap. It was a pleasure to drive the car and we were quicker than the guys in front. We took points out of the Brawn team today, so that’s good for the team and it’s good to score more points than Jenson (Button) and Rubens (Barichello) for the Drivers’ Championship. A big thank you to the team and compliments to Renault – after everything we’ve gone through in the last couple of races, it’s good to finish a race again. We’ve proven that we are back.”

Car 14 MARK WEBBER, Finish Position: 9th, Start Position: 9th
“I had a good first lap and laid the right foundations to get some good points today. But, at my first pit stop, I was released in front of Nick (Heidfeld), which I was given a drive through penalty for. After that it was a case of damage limitation. I tried to get back into the points and when we had free air, which was not often, we had good pace, but it wasn’t enough. It’s very frustrating not to take any points away, I thought I deserved them from that drive, but the drive-through wrecked that. No one’s interested in excuses though; that’s how it is, so let’s get on and look ahead to the next race.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “A very strong race by Sebastian today. As soon as he got into clear air, he used the advantage that he had in the middle sector and really closed the gap to the leaders during the second and third stints. Third was a good result for him. Mark had a good start and a good first lap and was unlucky with his drive-through penalty – it was obviously marginal – and he was unlucky to miss out on the final point. Overall we’ve slightly reduced the gap in the Constructors’ Championship and we’ve reduced the gap in the Drivers’ Championship, so a reasonable weekend. Congratulations to Ferrari and also to Force India on a great drive by Fisichella.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: “A difficult race. We started quite far down the grid, but both drivers had good starts. Sebastian made up some places and was very quick in the second-half of the race, getting the fastest lap time. He ended third, which was good, even if it was lower than we expected coming here. For Mark, his race was over with the drive-through penalty, which was unfortunate. We are happy to have made it through this race which is hard on the engines, but we still have five more races to go, so we can’t be happy until the last one is complete. Monza will be tough again."

Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 1:49 am
by Ed
Italian Grand Prix - Friday practice

Car 14 MARK WEBBER
1st Practice P9, 2nd Practice P14
“A mixed day. We had an electrical problem in P2, which probably cost us about a run and a half, so it was a good recovery from the guys to get the carturned back around. Mileage is important here, as it’s the first time we’ve driven in Monza this year – normally we test here beforehand. It’s always a unique track to drive – with high top speeds and the car moving around – so I enjoyed driving today. We’ve got a bit of pace to find, butI’m sure we’ll be in the running tomorrow.”

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL
1st Practice 18, 2nd Practice P18
“It’s quite a surprise today to look at the lap times and see who is on top and who’s in the midfield. Nothing is wrong for us and everything went to plan - we knew we faced a difficult Friday with limited mileage due to the small number of engines I have left until the end of the season. We used the laps we had available today and it seemed to go okay. We still have to improve, so we’ll now look to see who was fast and who was playing with fuel loads. At this stage it seems impossible to predict who will be on top.”


STATISTICS

MARK WEBBER
First Practice Session
Position: 9, Best Time: 1:24.759, Laps: 19,
Chassis No. 2
Second Practice Session
Position: 14, Best Time: 1:24.979, Laps: 25,
Chassis No. 2

SEBASTIAN VETTEL
First Practice Session
Position: 18, Best Time: 1:25.951, Laps: 8,
Chassis No. 1
Second Practice Session
Position: 18, Best Time 1:25.386, Laps: 27,
Chassis No. 1

Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 1:21 am
by Ed
Italian GP Qualifying

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Position 9th
“Not a very good session for us today, ninth and tenth is not where we wanted to be, but let’s wait to see the fuel weights. It’s a long race tomorrow, anything can happen and our target is to score points.”

Car 14 MARK WEBBER, Position 10th
“We’ll see how the strategy pans out tomorrow – we’ve got to try and grab everything we can now. I’m pretty happy with the job I did today and the guys (team) have done a good job all weekend, but we’re just lacking a bit of pace. We’ll do what we can tomorrow and salvage something from tenth – it’s certainly possible.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “An interesting qualifying session. Both drivers did a good job to get to Q3 at a circuit which probably doesn’t best suit the characteristics of our car. Strategies have come into play in the final part of qualifying – and it’s a shame both drivers aborted their final laps: a tenth of a second difference for Sebastian could have been fifth place today, demonstrating how close it is. It’s a mix of KERS cars and non-KERS cars on the grid, which will make an interesting first lap tomorrow.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: “I have mixed feelings today. We showed good pace in Q2, compared to what we saw in P3 this morning, so we’re satisfied with that, but unfortunately, after today’s qualifying, we are ninth and tenth. We could have easily been fifth today, there was just a very small amount of difference in the lap times, so it’s a bit of a disappointing end result. Tomorrow it will be difficult with the KERS cars – it will be a quick race, as Monza is the shortest race of the year, but it’s going to be a tough one.”

Practice 3
Vettel: P18, Best Time: 1:25.244, Laps: 16
Webber: P17, Best Time: 1:25.154, Laps: 13

Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:55 am
by Ed
Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Finish Position: 8th, Start Position: 9th

“I think we had a good start and a good first lap, but then I was struggling to stay with the cars in front. The biggest issue today was the first five to ten laps when I was struggling with low grip, I was sliding a lot and lost a lot of time. Overall, we didn’t have the speed and perhaps this wasn’t the best track for our car. For the next race we will put more downforce in again and maybe we’ll be better, we will see. The Championship isn’t over – our target is to do our best, we’re here to win races and the Championship, so we have to focus on that, all the rest is out of our hands.”

Car 14 MARK WEBBER, Finish Position: DNF, Start Position: 10th

“I had a reasonable start, I was trying to find a good line through the chicane. I had Sebastian in front, so I was pretty clean as I didn’t want to get tangled up with him. Both of us got through the first chicane, I was following Sebastian into the next, but then had a racing incident with Robert Kubica. It seems like his front wheel was inside my rear left at the second chicane, it was difficult to know he was there. We had contact which flicked the car into the air a little bit, then nosed it into the guard rail. The car was undamaged, but I couldn’t get it out and back onto the track. I couldn’t have done anything differently. It’s frustrating to retire through such a small incident, especially when all the guys have put so much effort into preparing the car. It’s not great for the Drivers’ Championship, but this is my first DNF of the year. We will bounce back from this and do what we can in the final races.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “A disappointing start to the race when Mark was tipped out by one of the BMWs and Sebastian lost quite a bit of time in the first stint behind Kubica, who then had a damaged front wing. Thereafter we were lucky to pick up one point following Hamilton’s accident. Unfortunately we just weren’t quick enough today – it’s been our worst performance of the year at a track which has exposed some of our weaknesses. Hopefully the remaining circuits will come back more in our favour.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: “What a disappointing result. To get only one point and have a retirement is very bad for us. Brawn scored a one-two finish, so congratulations to them – but our result is hard to swallow. It’s going to be very difficult in both titles for us, but we won’t give up – we still have four races in which we can fight.”

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:31 pm
by Ed
SINGAPORE GRAND PRIXVIEW
AS WE PREPARE FOR SINGAPORE, WE TAKE A QUICK LOOK BACK AT THE
2009 EUROPEAN SEASON

In Spain, Bourdais drives over back of Buemi both retire, Button’s fourth win, another Brawn 1-2, but Webber and Vettel next best, Diffusergate and Lewis Liargate behind us replaced by budget capping b#$% slapping, Ferrari grumbling about going elsewhere, lots of new bits on cars, tears over two tier F1, motorhomes are back, Monaco is glam as ever – no cost cutting here, Button makes it five out of six. Kimi smiles in press conference shock, Campos and US F1 confirm 2010 entries, Vettel crashes out, Bourdais takes first point for eighth, Bernie FOTA Max, Father Son and Holy Ghost, Turkey sees Jenson win again, Mark and Seb go second and third, rumours of FOTA teams boycotting race are false, drivers back FOTA, Toyota fits KERS… to its paddock bicycles, McLaren save 20,000 sheets of paper by only distributing its releases electronically – journos tell wives to start buying toilet paper, Turn 8 puts drivers under same Gforce as astronauts and plenty of outer space in grandstands as no spectators, Scalextric to enter F1 in 2010, Will Donington building site turn into race track and sign death warrant for Silverstone? Seb and Mark do the one-two at home, Austrian anthem finally played on podium, Jammy Lewis does donut on track, Silverstone concert uses Eddie Jordan on drums to quickly clear crowds, Rumours of Bulgarian GP, Bernie boobs over famous German dictator, Mark wins at last, Seb second, Bye bye Bourdais, Next FIA Pres? Vatanen and Todt the long and the short of it, Backstreet Motors announce plans to enter F1 in 2010, Webber signs up for more Red Bull fizz in 2010, Hamilton takes first win of the year in Budapest so KERS is Kool, Bernie says no more Silverstone then yes more Silverstone, Confused?, Alguersuari dubbed “most dangerous man in F1” as baby driver joins Toro Rosso, poor poor Massa, wheel falls off Alonso’s Renault but much worse to come, BMW pull out to go Green, yeah right, Prestige Taxis announce plans to enter F1 in 2010, F1 has first ever summer holiday – kids now know Daddy’s name. Still plenty of beach time in sticky Valencia, Renault allowed to race, ticket sales rise, Massa to be replaced by Alonso, Bourdais, Montoya, Davidson, Gene, Bortolotti, Villeneuve, Andretti, Coulthard, but no it’s Badoer, as Schumacher is pain in the neck, Grosjean replaces Piquet who is VERY VERY PISSED OFF, Barrichello wins race in his 17th F1 season, Vettel gets short of engines, Force India show signs of improvement, Vettel inks another Bull contract for 2011, De Lorean cars to enter F1 in 2010, Sunshine at Spa, Kimi wins but still too poor to get a haircut, Fisico second from pole for Force India so world stops spinning, Second Ferrari driven by Luca Von Badtoworse, KERS now trés chic and de rigeur, Fisico gets Ferrari call up for Monza, Montezemolo on home turf with shirt collar bigger than Monza rear wing, Vettel gets to watch the action for a change during P1 as he does so few laps, Former Red Bull boy Liuzzi in at Force India, Barrichello takes win number 2 at age equal to two Toro Rosso drivers combined, Crashgate means bye bye Flav and Pat, Hello Team Lotus. Reliant Robin Racing to enter F1 so 28 cars on 2010 grid. As the European season closes, Red Bull Racing is second in the Constructors’ and Alguersuari Buemi Vettel and Webber prepare for night racing in Singapore…

Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 10:20 am
by Ed
Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL
1st Practice P5, 2nd Practice P1
“We can see from the times that the track is a little bit slower here than it was last year, which is a shame because some of the faster corners are now not so quick, but overall the character has remained the same. It’s a challenging track – quite stop and go – you don’t experience as much G-force here as on other circuits, but there are a lot of bumps, which don’t make your life easy, but I like the circuit a lot. Overall, it was a good day for us and we look better here than we did in Monza.”


Car 14 MARK WEBBER
1st Practice P3, 2nd Practice P6
“I was pushing a little bit too hard in the second practice, it was a bit slippery off line and I went off in the last corner and into the pit wall, which ended my session. The car was going well up until then; I was quick and both Sebastian and I had pretty good practice sessions. I would have liked to have done a bit more mileage, but in the end we still learned quite a bit and we’ll be back tomorrow. I think it should be a good race for us, it will be interesting as the tyres are not massively easy to handle here, so we’ll have to work on that tonight. But, overall, not too bad.”

STATISTICS

SEBASTIAN VETTEL
First Practice Session
Position: 5, Best Time: 1:50.614, Laps: 16, Chassis No. 1
Second Practice Session
Position: 1, Best Time 1:48.650, Laps: 31, Chassis No. 1
MARK WEBBER
First Practice Session
Position: 3, Best Time: 1:50.416, Laps: 21, Chassis No. 2
Second Practice Session
Position: 6, Best Time: 1:49.317, Laps: 14, Chassis No. 2

Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 5:26 am
by Ed
Singapore Grand Prix - Qualifying

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Position 2nd
“Unfortunately, when the red flag came out it was my first run on new tyres. I had previously been on used tyres, so my flying lap wasn’t as easy or relaxed as it might have been. But, at the end of the day, it’s great to be back qualifying near the front, especially on a street circuit. The car has been very good all weekend and I’ve been feeling comfortable. It was a shame the red flag came out, but we’ll keep pushing tomorrow. Let’s see – it’s a long race and it will be tough, but we have all that it takes, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Car 14 MARK WEBBER, Position 4th
“You never think your first run is going to be for the grid, so I think everyone always leaves a little bit of a margin. I was on scrubbed tyres and was banking on a big lap in my second run. I’m not sure who was on new tyres, but we’re fourth so let’s see – it could have been a lot worse. My guys have been absolute superstars this weekend, putting the car back together after yesterday, in very tough working conditions for them here. I have a lot of motivation to reward them tomorrow.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “An exciting qualifying session. It was disappointing that it got red flagged just before the end, as both our guys were on really strong laps and we felt we could lock out the front row today. But, both drivers drove very well throughout all the sessions and second and fourth are good starting places for tomorrow’s race, which will be long and tough. The spectacle of seeing the cars driving under the lights again here is fantastic.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: “A mixed feeling again today. It’s a very good qualifying result, we didn’t expect to be as quick as we are, so second and fourth is very good, but I think we were quicker than our final times show. We didn’t demonstrate exactly what we can do, due to the red flag interrupting the final runs, but let’s see tomorrow. I think we can have a strong race and close the gap to the Brawns here.”

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 9:36 am
by Ed
SINGA-POOR RESULT
HOPE JA-PANS OUT BETTER

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Finish Position: 4th, Start Position: 2nd
“The start was not so good from the dirty side of the track, but it was pretty good race for me until we had the drive-through. There’s a bit of a question mark as to why I got the penalty, I mean I had no reason to push at that point. We knew we couldn’t pass Lewis at the pit-stop because he was staying out longer, so I was surprised when I got the call on the radio for it. We were on the limit with the brakes, I was lifting earlier than normal and braking a little more smoothly when I was in traffic. Sometimes I had to drop off a bit to cool them too, before I could push again – you always have to listen to your car. Regarding the Championship, I think history has shown many different examples of how it can finish over the years, with it going either way. At the next races our approach will be simple: we will try to get pole position and try to win, so it’s very straightforward.”

Car 14 MARK WEBBER, Finish Position: DNF, Start Position: 4th
“We had a suspected brake problem, so when I came in for my pit-stop, the guys made a visual check. It seemed reasonable for me to continue, but then we had the failure and I retired. The guys did everything they could – I think they were seconds away from retiring me when we had the failure, so it’s disappointing. The first lap was pretty feisty, as you’d expect on a street circuit and I had a bit of a fight with Fernando in Turn 7 and we both ran wide. About nine laps later I had to let Fernando back through, but unfortunately Glock was in the middle by then, so I had to let them both through. My race was heavily compromised from there. I thought the incident was fifty/fifty – but the stewards decided I had to let Fernando and Glock through, so I lost the hard work I’d done during my first stint. It was a hard penalty I think, Kimi did something similar in Spa and got away with it. I’d like to say thanks to the guys in the garage for this weekend – they’re awesome and that’s why we’re second in the Constructors’ Championship. Fingers crossed we can finish this year on a high.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “A really disappointing day – and unfortunately one with too many incidents. Both drivers didn’t have great starts, which was inevitable from the dirty side of the grid, and Rosberg was able to get past Sebastian. It was a shame that Mark had to drop back behind Glock and Alonso after both drivers had run wide at Turn 7. There was a drive-through penalty for Sebastian and damage to his diffuser after running over a kerb and, with all of that, he managed to bring the car home in P4 with a really competitive drive. With Mark, we had some concern about his brake wear, so we called his pit-stop a couple of laps earlier to do a visual safety check. Visually, both the brake pads and brake discs looked fine and we cleared the cooling duct of any debris. After the stop, the brake wear continued to rise and we were just in the process of calling him in, when a suspected brake disk failure occurred.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: “A very, very disappointing result. One penalty per driver and one retirement, so it was a very bad Sunday compared to what we showed we could do yesterday. On the positive side we didn’t have any engine problems and the performance of the car was good, so let’s hope we will get a better result in Japan next week.”

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 10:33 am
by Ed
Japanese Grand Prix preview

Sebastian Vettel
“Suzuka is the best track in the world. I drove the two hours of Friday free practice here at the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix. The first hour was wet, which was pretty scary as I didn’t know where the track went. I’m looking forward to racing there as it’s one of the most challenging circuits with a lot of high speed corners. It’s enjoyable and I think it should suit our car. I like the culture and the people in Japan. Last year, I climbed Mount Fuji and I’ve also spent time in Tokyo. The food is great, although maybe not all of it! Everything about the place is very disciplined and ordered, which I like.”

Mark Webber
“Fourth is my best result here, for Williams in 2005, the penultimate time we raced at Suzuka. It was a bit of a classic with Raikkonen and Alonso coming through from the back. Kimi took the lead on the last lap and I had a good battle with Fernando in the middle of the race. It’s a sensational circuit and I’ve even got good memories of watching the 8 Hours motorcycle race on TV, as a lot of Australians ride in that race. The crowd are pretty close to the Italians in terms of how knowledgeable and passionate they are, although they’re also very reserved. When I walk into the track, going through the amusement park, you can really feel that Suzuka has got something about it that makes it special.”

Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 7:43 pm
by Ed
Japanese Grand Prix Practice

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL
1st Practice P17, 2nd Practice P2

"In P1 it was too dry for the extreme wets and by the end, also for the inters, but it was too wet for the dry tyres too. I think the general problem today for all is that teams are short of wet tyres – whatever you use today has to also count as part of your allocation for the weekend, which is why not many cars were running. In P2 there was a lot of water on the circuit at the start, so no-one wanted to take the risk of maybe doing something stupid. Towards the end of the session the rain became lighter, so we went out to check everything was good with the car. The circuit is fun to drive here, even in the wet. Let’s hope for more consistent conditions tomorrow, but I think we have a competitive package whatever the weather, so let’s see"

First Practice Session
Position: 17, Best Time: 1:43.218, Laps: 11, Chassis No. 1
Second Practice Session
Position: 2, Best Time 1:47.3923, Laps: 6, Chassis No. 1


Car 14 MARK WEBBER
1st Practice P11, 2nd Practice P13

Today was all about the conditions. We’ve only got a certain amount of wet tyres that we can use during a race weekend, so we can’t just run round in the wet for the sake of it. We have to do what we can in the laps that we have available on those tyres. The start of P2 was very wet and it wouldn’t have been possible to learn a great amount – but we did a few laps at the end of the session to get an idea of where we’re going

First Practice Session
Position: 11, Best Time: 1:42.332, Laps: 10, Chassis No. 2
Second Practice Session
Position: 13, Best Time: 1:49.382, Laps: 7, Chassis No. 2

Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 6:56 pm
by Ed
Red Bull Qualifying notes:

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL, POLE POSITION
“I did my best not to get distracted today; it was a strange session with a lot of incidents. The most important thing is that all the drivers are okay. In qualifying, it’s usual that you’re looking for the limit, as it’s about just one fast lap time, but Turn 9, where the people went off, is quite difficult. If you go too wide on that kerb you’re basically just a passenger, as you can’t get rid of the speed. There’s not much run off, so the wall is close and people hit it. For the other cars, sometimes you’re lucky and the red flag is called just as you’re about to warm up your tyres, but sometimes it’s called when you’ve started your flying lap. The car worked fantastically today and we were quickest in Q1, Q2 and Q3. The most difficult was probably Q3, due to running with race fuel and only having one lap. It’s not easy through the S-bends and the tyres don’t really last for a second lap. I’m very happy, we’re back to full strength since Singapore and have now put the car on pole. A good day today, now let’s see tomorrow.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “A great performance by Sebastian and the team. We were fastest in all three sessions and have a healthy fuel load for the race; we’ll wait with interest to see the fuel figures later today. So, a good start for Sebastian. It’s unfortunate for Mark not to be able to take part in qualifying when the car’s proved so competitive here. It’s important tomorrow that we attack the race from both ends of the grid.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: “A fantastic result – especially on this track, which requires a lot of power from the engine and a very good chassis – and we have both! Pole position is the best we could do today, so let’s wait for the weights and see if we can turn it into a win. It was such a shame for Mark. He was in very good shape, but unfortunately lost the car – although we’re rebuilding it now to give him the chance to fight back tomorrow. Qualifying proved this is a difficult track, as a lot of people lost their cars in the same place.”

Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 1:25 am
by Ed
Japanese Grand Prix

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Finish Position: 1st, Start Position: 1st
“What a race! We already had pole position and strategy-wise we were the favourites, but, you know – first of all you have to do the start! We were pretty confident that we could defend our position, as we’ve had good starts in the past, but it was closer than I thought it would be! Going into Turn 1, I suddenly saw a silver arrow on my left-hand side, but I had the inside line so it was my advantage. After that I put my head down and tried to push with every single lap. The car was fantastic and I was able to create a gap quite quickly. We were two laps longer than Lewis (Hamilton) and a lap longer than Jarno (Trulli) in the first stint, so it all worked out and I was pretty much in control of the race. After we fitted the soft tyres for the last stint, I wanted to have a little bit of fun. I did one very quick lap (I think a 32.5), but then my engineer came on the radio and said ‘watch your tyres, there might be a safety car or something’ and two laps later there was the safety car! It’s not what you want when you’re in the lead, but I was still taking care of my tyres and had a good restart. I had a bit of a cushion with Grosjean behind me and then three or four laps to build a gap again that was enough to win the race. Finally, we made it! Fantastic. I was screaming with happiness on the radio at the end of the race. The last couple of races have been a bit up and down, sometimes we had pace and sometimes not, but finally we made it. It’s good to be back in first position on Sunday. A huge thanks to all the team and everyone at Red Bull for this.”

Car 14 MARK WEBBER, Finish Position: 17th, Start Position: Pit Lane
“I had to make two pit stops on the first two laps, so it was all over from there. On the first lap, the headrest came loose in the car, so I had to come in and get that fixed. I went back out, but the same thing happened so I had to come in again in order for the guys to tape it down. We tested some things today, and tried some other items for future races. That’s all we could really do from there.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “A brilliant job by Sebastian today. He’s been on it all weekend and he looked like he really enjoyed himself out there. The car’s worked fantastically well and a big thank you to everyone in the Red Bull team, to Renault and to all of our partners that have supported us so well here. For Mark, this was the weekend from hell – with a chassis change overnight, then issues on the first lap with a headrest that had somehow come loose and then a puncture. After that the race was little more than a test, but it’s encouraging that right at the end he got the fastest lap time as a small consolation.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: “A fantastic result for Sebastian today – pole position and a win. It was a perfect weekend for him on what is a very difficult track for engines. Unfortunately for Mark – his glass was more half empty than half full today. It was a difficult race for him after starting from the pit lane. He proved he was quick by setting the fastest lap of the race, but he couldn’t do anything else, so I’m sad for him. There are two more races to go and we won’t give up until the end.”

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 11:45 pm
by Ed
BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIXVIEW

SAO PAULO SURVIVAL GUIDE PART ONE

Brazil is like a drug that Formula One can’t get enough of. With great food, powerful drinks, intoxicating music (but not as intoxicating as Caipirinha) and beautiful people, what’s not to like? Over the years, we have even learned to appreciate the ‘minimalist’ paddock facilities. But, like any drug, there comes a time when it’s best to Just Say No!

Here are some questions to which, when in Brazil, you really should answer in the negative:

“Is that a real Rolex?”
“Would you like an eighth Caipirinha?”
“Should I stop at red traffic lights?”
“Would you like to meet a very pretty girl I know?”
“Is that really a girl?”
“Would you like more meat?”
“Would you like me to park your car?”
“Have you considered getting by with just one kidney?”
“Should I stop if a car runs into the back of me?”
“Will my wife believe the worn g-string she finds in my suitcase is a gift for her?”

SAO PAULO SURVIVAL GUIDE PART TWO

It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings

The famous quote originates from the world of American basketball, but it’s equally apt for Formula One. In case you haven’t noticed, for the first time since 2003, the Brazilian Grand Prix is no longer the last race of the season. So concentrate hard and follow our advice to avoid putting it in the wall with just two laps to go:

Please…
Don’t leave the press room on Sunday night and sell your pass to a spectator
Don’t go around saying, “see you next year mate!”
Don’t go on a three week holiday
Don’t file your final story with a cheery note telling the Sports Editor what you really think of him, on the basis you’re not working for that paper next year
Do remember the clocks change on Saturday night, going forward one hour. That means turning the dial clockwise, unlike the Interlagos track that goes anticlockwise.

Great, still not over the Singapore-Japan-Europe-Brazil jet lag and the gods rob you of another hour’s sleep…