Sebastian Vettel is confident that his home crowd will not put any extra pressure on him in this weekend's German Grand Prix.
The 23-year-old has yet to win a grand prix on home soil, but is hopeful that the support of the fans will give him an extra performance boost.
"The fact that the next race is my home grand prix doesn't give me any extra pressure," he told AUTOSPORT. "If anything, it's extra motivation so maybe I can squeeze an extra tenth or two out of myself and the car simply because of that support.
"We have a strong car and should be able to put a good show on. If it's your home grand prix and you have so many people cheering for you, it's something you will always remember."
Vettel added that he expects a similar atmosphere to that experienced by the British drivers at Silverstone two weeks ago, where a race day crowd of 115,000 turned out to back Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.
"I hope we can have at least as good an atmosphere as there was at Silverstone," he said. "You look forward to your home grand prix, but what you like to see is that the people around the track are enjoying it and being passionate.
"There are some races that have something special about them and hopefully plenty of people should come to Hockenheim."
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Showing posts with label Sebastian Vettel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sebastian Vettel. Show all posts
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Monday, 12 July 2010
Vettel frustrated by team politics
Sebastian Vettel has expressed his own frustration at the continued politics surrounding his team - in the wake of the favouritism row that overshadowed Red Bull Racing's British Grand Prix triumph.
Vettel found himself thrust into the centre of a media and fan backlash at Silverstone after Red Bull Racing chiefs put a new front wing on his car for qualifying – having taken it off team-mate Mark Webber's.
The tensions between Webber and Vettel for that move almost certainly played their part in an aggressive duel between the two men into the first corner – which Vettel lost out in, before a minor brush with Lewis Hamilton punctured his right rear tyre.
That incident meant Vettel could finish no better than seventh and, with the outfit facing fresh internal tensions just a few races after the Turkish GP witnessed a collision between its two drivers, there are suggestions Red Bull Racing is fast becoming its own worst enemy in its fight for title glory.
Vettel is well aware that things have not become ideal with team-mate Webber, and has admitted he is praying for better times ahead where the team does not have to deal with more trouble.
"I try to focus on myself, that is what matters," Vettel said after the British Grand Prix. "We do have a very great car and, if you race cars with similar pace and guys with a similar speed on the track, then you get to see them once in a while. That is normal. It is racing, it is what it is about and it is what people love.
"The internal [situation]? If you look at the championship now, and if you look at the championship two races ago and if you look at championship two races ahead you probably don't know what is coming up, we will see.
"Surely we could have done better up until this point, but it didn't happen. I said on the radio that if someone for the weather forecast could turn the shit off for the future, because for some reason it seems to happen on our side pretty much, then that would be appreciated. It is life, and life goes on."
Vettel made it clear, however, that he was not unduly worried that there had been races this year where he had been beaten by Webber.
"I don't want to speak bad or anything about other people," he said, responding to suggestions that Webber was performing better than some had expected this season.
"Most important is always to keep the respect. I know from myself the races where I finished behind him, or were slower than him, I know the reasons for it. I can fall asleep at night, so don't worry."
Vettel found himself thrust into the centre of a media and fan backlash at Silverstone after Red Bull Racing chiefs put a new front wing on his car for qualifying – having taken it off team-mate Mark Webber's.
The tensions between Webber and Vettel for that move almost certainly played their part in an aggressive duel between the two men into the first corner – which Vettel lost out in, before a minor brush with Lewis Hamilton punctured his right rear tyre.
That incident meant Vettel could finish no better than seventh and, with the outfit facing fresh internal tensions just a few races after the Turkish GP witnessed a collision between its two drivers, there are suggestions Red Bull Racing is fast becoming its own worst enemy in its fight for title glory.
Vettel is well aware that things have not become ideal with team-mate Webber, and has admitted he is praying for better times ahead where the team does not have to deal with more trouble.
"I try to focus on myself, that is what matters," Vettel said after the British Grand Prix. "We do have a very great car and, if you race cars with similar pace and guys with a similar speed on the track, then you get to see them once in a while. That is normal. It is racing, it is what it is about and it is what people love.
"The internal [situation]? If you look at the championship now, and if you look at the championship two races ago and if you look at championship two races ahead you probably don't know what is coming up, we will see.
"Surely we could have done better up until this point, but it didn't happen. I said on the radio that if someone for the weather forecast could turn the shit off for the future, because for some reason it seems to happen on our side pretty much, then that would be appreciated. It is life, and life goes on."
Vettel made it clear, however, that he was not unduly worried that there had been races this year where he had been beaten by Webber.
"I don't want to speak bad or anything about other people," he said, responding to suggestions that Webber was performing better than some had expected this season.
"Most important is always to keep the respect. I know from myself the races where I finished behind him, or were slower than him, I know the reasons for it. I can fall asleep at night, so don't worry."
Vettel blames clutch for poor start
Sebastian Vettel was left lamenting his slow start in the British Grand Prix, something he reckons was down to having the wrong settings for the clutch.
"I think we were a little bit out of the window with the clutch," said Vettel, who lost the lead of the race to Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber at the first corner.
"I had a bad start, lots of wheelspin, so I lost the immediate pull-away. I think we tried probably a bit too hard [with start settings], but that's life - you try hard to get the optimum."
Vettel appeared to be hit by the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton at the first corner, and the German suffered a puncture as a result of the contact.
He had to complete the lap slowly and pit, returning to the track at the back of the field.
"Into Turn 1 obviously I had to let Mark past and then I don't know if - I didn't feel anything – people said that Lewis touched me. As I said, I didn't feel anything," Vettel added.
"Probably he achieved this time what he [Hamilton] didn't achieve in Valencia. Surely it wasn't his intention to give me a puncture, if it was like that [contact with Hamilton], but with a puncture early on in the race it's a big minus.
"I had to come back slowly to the pits. Then I was on the same set of tyres for the rest of the race. Fortunately the safety car came out so I had a bit of entertaining the last couple of laps."
He added: "From my point of view he had a better start, so obviously I moved to the right trying to defend but he was already there – I knew that because I could see him in the mirror. I knew he didn't stall.
"Then he was there so there was no point in doing something stupid. The race is longer than just one corner. It's a shame I couldn't fight him then, but it's good for the team. I'm happy for the team."
Webber went on to win the race while Vettel recovered to seventh position.
The Australian, however, made it clear he was still angry with the team following its decision to give Vettel one of his front wings.
Vettel refused to comment on Webber's remarks, with the Australian saying on the radio that his performance was "not bad for a number two driver."
"Well, I obviously focus on myself and sort of see, I guess," said Vettel. "Especially after what happened in the past. People have different opinions, I have my opinion, I have made my experiences, sometimes good and bad, and you get to know people probably a bit better and see their true faces. I think I learned my lesson, and I focus on myself."
Saturday, 10 July 2010
Vettel lauds 'unbelievable' Silverstone
Sebastian Vettel admitted it had been an “unbelievable” feeling to drive his RB6 around Silverstone’s array of fast sweeps after beating Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber to pole.
With Vettel and Webber having dominated free practice, the three-part qualifying session predictability developed into a private duel between the pair at the top of the times and both topped one of the first two knockout sessions apiece.
Vettel went up another level in Q3 set two times that would have been good enough for pole, with his final 1m29.615s effort 0.143s faster than Webber’s.
It was the German’s second successive British Grand Prix pole and he admits driving the 3.7-mile track is just one big thrill.
“We have a lot of races, then we come here, and Friday morning we do the first couple of laps and it’s unbelievable,” Vettel said.
“The corners combinations… I can only say it again and again – it’s so much fun, especially in quali.
“Our car obviously works very well in those sort of corners and it’s just unbelievable the speed we reach.
“I think we [the drivers] are all a bit crazy, but it’s so much fun. The combination is unbelievable.
“The new section is also great, especially the 11 and 12 [turns] so coming onto the new section with a big bump.
“So I really like this track and fortunately our car works very well here.”
After narrowly topping Q1, Vettel slipped over three tenths of a second adrift of his stable-mate in the second phase before moving back ahead in the pole shootout.
The 23-year-old admits he had probably been pushing over the limit in Q2 so consciously reigned himself back in for his crucial final laps.
“It was a tight session today,” he said. “In Q2 I wasn’t perfectly happy; I think I was pushing a bit too hard and tried a bit too much so for Q3 I went a bit more conservative.
“Of course I had to push, but I had two very, very strong laps and in the end I got the pole which is obviously key for tomorrow.”
Red Bull’s fifth front-row lockout of the season raises the prospect of the Milton Keynes squad’s second runaway Silverstone 1-2 in as many years and Vettel, who won the 2009 event, is naturally hoping history repeats itself.
“I hope we can repeat last year’s story with a very good result here,” he added.
“It’s not my home grand prix obviously but I feel [at] home because the team is home here, they are only 20 minutes away in Milton Keynes so it is great to have their cars again so high up.”
With Vettel and Webber having dominated free practice, the three-part qualifying session predictability developed into a private duel between the pair at the top of the times and both topped one of the first two knockout sessions apiece.
Vettel went up another level in Q3 set two times that would have been good enough for pole, with his final 1m29.615s effort 0.143s faster than Webber’s.
It was the German’s second successive British Grand Prix pole and he admits driving the 3.7-mile track is just one big thrill.
“We have a lot of races, then we come here, and Friday morning we do the first couple of laps and it’s unbelievable,” Vettel said.
“The corners combinations… I can only say it again and again – it’s so much fun, especially in quali.
“Our car obviously works very well in those sort of corners and it’s just unbelievable the speed we reach.
“I think we [the drivers] are all a bit crazy, but it’s so much fun. The combination is unbelievable.
“The new section is also great, especially the 11 and 12 [turns] so coming onto the new section with a big bump.
“So I really like this track and fortunately our car works very well here.”
After narrowly topping Q1, Vettel slipped over three tenths of a second adrift of his stable-mate in the second phase before moving back ahead in the pole shootout.
The 23-year-old admits he had probably been pushing over the limit in Q2 so consciously reigned himself back in for his crucial final laps.
“It was a tight session today,” he said. “In Q2 I wasn’t perfectly happy; I think I was pushing a bit too hard and tried a bit too much so for Q3 I went a bit more conservative.
“Of course I had to push, but I had two very, very strong laps and in the end I got the pole which is obviously key for tomorrow.”
Red Bull’s fifth front-row lockout of the season raises the prospect of the Milton Keynes squad’s second runaway Silverstone 1-2 in as many years and Vettel, who won the 2009 event, is naturally hoping history repeats itself.
“I hope we can repeat last year’s story with a very good result here,” he added.
“It’s not my home grand prix obviously but I feel [at] home because the team is home here, they are only 20 minutes away in Milton Keynes so it is great to have their cars again so high up.”
Vettel on pole as Red Bull crushes rivals
Red Bull continued its domination of the British Grand Prix weekend as Sebastian Vettel led Mark Webber in a seemingly easy front row sweep.
And while Red Bull proved unstoppable, its main title rival McLaren had a very tough session - with Lewis Hamilton fourth and reigning champion Jenson Button a disastrous 14th.
The latter described his car as 'undriveable', and was a lost to explain why its grip had suddenly disappeared in Q2, leaving him on row seven.
Vettel and Webber had been first and second in Q1, swapped places in Q2, and then led their rivals by just over 0.7 seconds after their first Q3 runs put them comfortably first and second, Vettel just ahead.
That was how they stayed, as Webber could not quite improve on his 1m29.758s at the end, whereas Vettel found a little more time and got his pole mark down to 1m29.615s.
Fernando Alonso was best of the rest in third for Ferrari, despite being frustrated to be caught behind Rubens Barrichello's Williams on his last Q3 run. Nevertheless, he was still able to hold off Hamilton.
Mercedes got both cars back in the top ten, Nico Rosberg taking fifth place - 0.8s and five places ahead of team-mate Michael Schumacher.
Renault's Robert Kubica will join Rosberg on row three, followed by Felipe Massa in the second Ferrari, Barrichello, and the impressive Pedro de la Rosa (Sauber) - who produced the best qualifying form of his comeback so far.
Button aside, there were few surprises among the drivers failing to make the top ten, except perhaps Force India's second straight Q2 elimination. Adrian Sutil narrowly missed out in 11th, while Tonio Liuzzi was 15th - and may yet face questions over impeding 13th-place qualifier Nico Hulkenberg's Williams.
Liuzzi had earlier edged though to Q2 with his last lap having briefly looked set for a Q1 departure. His improvement pushed Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari outside the cut in 18th.
Lotus's Heikki Kovalainen and Virgin's Timo Glock had a close battle for the top spot among the new teams, eventually won by the Finn again - although the gap up to the established midfield was back up to 2s.
Returnee Sakon Yamamoto will unsurprisingly start last for Hispania, though he was within a respectable 0.4s of team-mate Karun Chandhok.
Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:30.841 1:30.480 1:29.615
2. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:30.858 1:30.114 1:29.758
3. Alonso Ferrari 1:30.997 1:30.700 1:30.426
4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:31.297 1:31.118 1:30.556
5. Rosberg Mercedes 1:31.626 1:31.085 1:30.625
6. Kubica Renault 1:31.680 1:31.344 1:31.040
7. Massa Ferrari 1:31.313 1:31.010 1:31.172
8. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:31.424 1:31.126 1:31.175
9. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:31.533 1:31.327 1:31.274
10. Schumacher Mercedes 1:32.058 1:31.022 1:31.430
11. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:31.109 1:31.399
12. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:31.851 1:31.421
13. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:32.144 1:31.635
14. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:31.435 1:31.699
15. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:32.226 1:31.708
16. Petrov Renault 1:31.638 1:31.796
17. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:31.901 1:32.012
18. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:32.430
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:34.405
20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:34.775
21. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:34.864
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:35.212
23. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:36.576
24. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:36.968
And while Red Bull proved unstoppable, its main title rival McLaren had a very tough session - with Lewis Hamilton fourth and reigning champion Jenson Button a disastrous 14th.
The latter described his car as 'undriveable', and was a lost to explain why its grip had suddenly disappeared in Q2, leaving him on row seven.
Vettel and Webber had been first and second in Q1, swapped places in Q2, and then led their rivals by just over 0.7 seconds after their first Q3 runs put them comfortably first and second, Vettel just ahead.
That was how they stayed, as Webber could not quite improve on his 1m29.758s at the end, whereas Vettel found a little more time and got his pole mark down to 1m29.615s.
Fernando Alonso was best of the rest in third for Ferrari, despite being frustrated to be caught behind Rubens Barrichello's Williams on his last Q3 run. Nevertheless, he was still able to hold off Hamilton.
Mercedes got both cars back in the top ten, Nico Rosberg taking fifth place - 0.8s and five places ahead of team-mate Michael Schumacher.
Renault's Robert Kubica will join Rosberg on row three, followed by Felipe Massa in the second Ferrari, Barrichello, and the impressive Pedro de la Rosa (Sauber) - who produced the best qualifying form of his comeback so far.
Button aside, there were few surprises among the drivers failing to make the top ten, except perhaps Force India's second straight Q2 elimination. Adrian Sutil narrowly missed out in 11th, while Tonio Liuzzi was 15th - and may yet face questions over impeding 13th-place qualifier Nico Hulkenberg's Williams.
Liuzzi had earlier edged though to Q2 with his last lap having briefly looked set for a Q1 departure. His improvement pushed Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari outside the cut in 18th.
Lotus's Heikki Kovalainen and Virgin's Timo Glock had a close battle for the top spot among the new teams, eventually won by the Finn again - although the gap up to the established midfield was back up to 2s.
Returnee Sakon Yamamoto will unsurprisingly start last for Hispania, though he was within a respectable 0.4s of team-mate Karun Chandhok.
Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:30.841 1:30.480 1:29.615
2. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:30.858 1:30.114 1:29.758
3. Alonso Ferrari 1:30.997 1:30.700 1:30.426
4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:31.297 1:31.118 1:30.556
5. Rosberg Mercedes 1:31.626 1:31.085 1:30.625
6. Kubica Renault 1:31.680 1:31.344 1:31.040
7. Massa Ferrari 1:31.313 1:31.010 1:31.172
8. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:31.424 1:31.126 1:31.175
9. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:31.533 1:31.327 1:31.274
10. Schumacher Mercedes 1:32.058 1:31.022 1:31.430
11. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:31.109 1:31.399
12. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:31.851 1:31.421
13. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:32.144 1:31.635
14. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:31.435 1:31.699
15. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:32.226 1:31.708
16. Petrov Renault 1:31.638 1:31.796
17. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:31.901 1:32.012
18. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:32.430
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:34.405
20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:34.775
21. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:34.864
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:35.212
23. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:36.576
24. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:36.968
Vettel leads the way in final practice
Red Bull will go into British Grand Prix qualifying in excellent form having topped final practice at Silverstone in addition to leading both Friday sessions.
But the team also had a frightening moment when the nose section on pacesetter Sebastian Vettel's car came loose on his final run.
Vettel had already set a 1m30.958s lap to depose Fernando Alonso's Ferrari from the top spot, and was set to go even quicker when his car's nose box suddenly detached at the top and dropped down on the approach to Abbey, leaving the front wing scraping on the ground.
The German nursed the car back to the pits, and his time remained unbeaten.
Mark Webber completed a Red Bull one-two, 0.034 seconds behind Vettel, with Alonso third despite parking in the Ferrari garage with a problem in the closing minutes. He had been quickest until Red Bull's late surge.
Nico Rosberg showed encouraging form for Mercedes in fourth, ahead of Alonso's team-mate Felipe Massa and mid-session leader Robert Kubica (Renault).
It was a low-key hour for McLaren after the removal of its exhaust-blown diffuser though, with local heroes Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button only seventh and 12th.
Michael Schumacher put the second Mercedes in the top ten in eighth, ahead of a strong run from Sauber's Pedro de la Rosa and Williams's Rubens Barrichello.
Other drivers hampered by issues included Adrian Sutil (whose Force India had a gearbox problem) and Jarno Trulli (Lotus), who lost more yet track time to hydraulic problems. Timo Glock managed the least mileage of all, a throttle glitch limiting his Virgin to just six laps.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:30.958 14
2. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:30.992 + 0.034 15
3. Alonso Ferrari 1:31.101 + 0.143 10
4. Rosberg Mercedes 1:31.188 + 0.230 15
5. Massa Ferrari 1:31.240 + 0.282 16
6. Kubica Renault 1:31.519 + 0.561 18
7. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:31.549 + 0.591 16
8. Schumacher Mercedes 1:31.555 + 0.597 14
9. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:31.559 + 0.601 18
10. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:31.581 + 0.623 16
11. Petrov Renault 1:31.698 + 0.740 17
12. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:31.703 + 0.745 16
13. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:31.867 + 0.909 17
14. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:31.947 + 0.989 16
15. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:31.994 + 1.036 13
16. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:32.235 + 1.277 18
17. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:32.331 + 1.373 20
18. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:32.723 + 1.765 18
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:34.339 + 3.381 20
20. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:35.479 + 4.521 17
21. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:36.098 + 5.140 11
22. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:36.286 + 5.328 16
23. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:36.640 + 5.682 6
24. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:37.178 + 6.220 18
But the team also had a frightening moment when the nose section on pacesetter Sebastian Vettel's car came loose on his final run.
Vettel had already set a 1m30.958s lap to depose Fernando Alonso's Ferrari from the top spot, and was set to go even quicker when his car's nose box suddenly detached at the top and dropped down on the approach to Abbey, leaving the front wing scraping on the ground.
The German nursed the car back to the pits, and his time remained unbeaten.
Mark Webber completed a Red Bull one-two, 0.034 seconds behind Vettel, with Alonso third despite parking in the Ferrari garage with a problem in the closing minutes. He had been quickest until Red Bull's late surge.
Nico Rosberg showed encouraging form for Mercedes in fourth, ahead of Alonso's team-mate Felipe Massa and mid-session leader Robert Kubica (Renault).
It was a low-key hour for McLaren after the removal of its exhaust-blown diffuser though, with local heroes Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button only seventh and 12th.
Michael Schumacher put the second Mercedes in the top ten in eighth, ahead of a strong run from Sauber's Pedro de la Rosa and Williams's Rubens Barrichello.
Other drivers hampered by issues included Adrian Sutil (whose Force India had a gearbox problem) and Jarno Trulli (Lotus), who lost more yet track time to hydraulic problems. Timo Glock managed the least mileage of all, a throttle glitch limiting his Virgin to just six laps.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:30.958 14
2. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:30.992 + 0.034 15
3. Alonso Ferrari 1:31.101 + 0.143 10
4. Rosberg Mercedes 1:31.188 + 0.230 15
5. Massa Ferrari 1:31.240 + 0.282 16
6. Kubica Renault 1:31.519 + 0.561 18
7. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:31.549 + 0.591 16
8. Schumacher Mercedes 1:31.555 + 0.597 14
9. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:31.559 + 0.601 18
10. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:31.581 + 0.623 16
11. Petrov Renault 1:31.698 + 0.740 17
12. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:31.703 + 0.745 16
13. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:31.867 + 0.909 17
14. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:31.947 + 0.989 16
15. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:31.994 + 1.036 13
16. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:32.235 + 1.277 18
17. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:32.331 + 1.373 20
18. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:32.723 + 1.765 18
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:34.339 + 3.381 20
20. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:35.479 + 4.521 17
21. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:36.098 + 5.140 11
22. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:36.286 + 5.328 16
23. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:36.640 + 5.682 6
24. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:37.178 + 6.220 18
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Vettel: Britain crucial for title hopes
Sebastian Vettel believes the outcome of this weekend's British Grand Prix could set the tone for the remaining part of the season.
Vettel took a commanding win in the last race in Valencia, but rival McLaren is introducing a significant update to its car in the the hope of matching Red Bull's speed.
That is why Vettel believes the weekend will be crucial to see how the championship battle will pan out in the second half of the season.
"It will be a very important one," Vettel told reports at Silverstone on Thursday.
"McLaren is quite confident that they make a very big step so it will be crucial for them, having that many expectations going into this race, it is important for us to see how big their step is going to be.
"Probably then we can make out how the rest of the season or the next five races will look like. It will be an important one definitely, also because I think here you are able to read the changes you make to the car quite well.
"You have the types of corners that show you quite well who has made a step or not, so I am confident we can win it. It will be an important one, surely."
Despite Red Bull dominating the last race, and also having won comfortably at Silverstone in 2009, Vettel is refusing to see himself as favourite for victory.
"We need to see. As I said, it is still a bit unknown because parts of the circuit are unknown, some part traditionally our car was working very well here, especially last year, plus we do have some new bits other teams there are some rumours that there are a couple of tenths coming - or even seconds – so we need to see where we are.
"But I think by the end of tomorrow we know already much better. Surely our target is to win races or win the championship. Of course we have to be in a position to fight for race wins and big points."
Vettel took a commanding win in the last race in Valencia, but rival McLaren is introducing a significant update to its car in the the hope of matching Red Bull's speed.
That is why Vettel believes the weekend will be crucial to see how the championship battle will pan out in the second half of the season.
"It will be a very important one," Vettel told reports at Silverstone on Thursday.
"McLaren is quite confident that they make a very big step so it will be crucial for them, having that many expectations going into this race, it is important for us to see how big their step is going to be.
"Probably then we can make out how the rest of the season or the next five races will look like. It will be an important one definitely, also because I think here you are able to read the changes you make to the car quite well.
"You have the types of corners that show you quite well who has made a step or not, so I am confident we can win it. It will be an important one, surely."
Despite Red Bull dominating the last race, and also having won comfortably at Silverstone in 2009, Vettel is refusing to see himself as favourite for victory.
"We need to see. As I said, it is still a bit unknown because parts of the circuit are unknown, some part traditionally our car was working very well here, especially last year, plus we do have some new bits other teams there are some rumours that there are a couple of tenths coming - or even seconds – so we need to see where we are.
"But I think by the end of tomorrow we know already much better. Surely our target is to win races or win the championship. Of course we have to be in a position to fight for race wins and big points."
Thursday, 3 June 2010
Red Bull looks to extend Vettel contract
Red Bull Racing is making moves to secure Sebastian Vettel's future at the team until the end of 2015, AUTOSPORT has learned, in a bid to head off interest from rival teams.
Vettel's current deal run until the end of 2012, but despite there still being two years to run, team insiders have revealed that the outfit hopes to conclude a three-year extension as soon as possible.
It is understood that talks have already opened between the driver and the team about the idea of committing him to the team until 2015, although no deal has yet been finalised.
Hopes of keeping Vettel on board have been boosted by the fact that the team's technical chief Adrian Newey has indicated that he is now likely to stay at the outfit for the long-term, after agreeing to a rolling contract.
Team principal Christian Horner told AUTOSPORT about the Newey situation: "The relationship is open-ended. He is enjoying what he is doing, he enjoys the environment at Red Bull and he is still relatively young.
"It is not like he is an old timer, so I don't think he has any plans to retire at the moment. He will certainly be here for the foreseeable future."
While the team hopes to build its longer-term plans around Vettel, insiders suggest that Mark Webber will be kept on single-year contracts rather than also being put on a multi-season deal.
Despite the controversy caused by his collision with Vettel in Turkey last weekend, it is expected that Webber's new contract for 2011 will be sorted out before the British Grand Prix.
Vettel's current deal run until the end of 2012, but despite there still being two years to run, team insiders have revealed that the outfit hopes to conclude a three-year extension as soon as possible.
It is understood that talks have already opened between the driver and the team about the idea of committing him to the team until 2015, although no deal has yet been finalised.
Hopes of keeping Vettel on board have been boosted by the fact that the team's technical chief Adrian Newey has indicated that he is now likely to stay at the outfit for the long-term, after agreeing to a rolling contract.
Team principal Christian Horner told AUTOSPORT about the Newey situation: "The relationship is open-ended. He is enjoying what he is doing, he enjoys the environment at Red Bull and he is still relatively young.
"It is not like he is an old timer, so I don't think he has any plans to retire at the moment. He will certainly be here for the foreseeable future."
While the team hopes to build its longer-term plans around Vettel, insiders suggest that Mark Webber will be kept on single-year contracts rather than also being put on a multi-season deal.
Despite the controversy caused by his collision with Vettel in Turkey last weekend, it is expected that Webber's new contract for 2011 will be sorted out before the British Grand Prix.
Monday, 19 April 2010
Horner: RBR would have won normal GP
Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner is adamant his team would have dominated the Chinese Grand Prix had it been run in normal conditions.
Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber finished a distant sixth and eighth respectively in the Shanghai race, despite having started from the front row of the grid.
Red Bull struggled in the tricky conditions, with rain hitting the circuit several times during the race.
Horner believes, however, that had it been dry, his drivers would have emerged on top quite easily.
"A far from straightforward race in very tricky conditions, and sixth and eighth is still very valuable points," Horner told AUTOSPORT.
"It is just obviously frustrating, that with a straightforward dry race today I don't think the opposition would have seen us."
Despite Red Bull having missed several opportunities in the first four races of the season, Horner insists there are lots of reasons to be positive.
"We know we have a fast car," he said. "I think in conditions like in China it is not just about strategy, there is a degree of luck involved. And when you start seventh and eighth you have less to lose and more to gain.
"We head back to Europe have gone to four very different venues, had had two 1-2 starts and one 1-3 start.
"So I think there is an awful lot of positives. As you saw with Ferrari here, they didn't score big points either. So I think it is innate to the championship that there will be swings and roundabouts to it."
And he reckons Red Bull is operationally stronger than last season, despite having won just one race out of a possible four so far.
"Absolutely. There is no question about that. Here was not anything to do with strategy or operationally. I think the communication between the engineers and the cars and the drivers - at the end of the day they made all the same calls as Lewis [Hamilton] did, so I don't think there are any issues there whatsoever."
Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber finished a distant sixth and eighth respectively in the Shanghai race, despite having started from the front row of the grid.
Red Bull struggled in the tricky conditions, with rain hitting the circuit several times during the race.
Horner believes, however, that had it been dry, his drivers would have emerged on top quite easily.
"A far from straightforward race in very tricky conditions, and sixth and eighth is still very valuable points," Horner told AUTOSPORT.
"It is just obviously frustrating, that with a straightforward dry race today I don't think the opposition would have seen us."
Despite Red Bull having missed several opportunities in the first four races of the season, Horner insists there are lots of reasons to be positive.
"We know we have a fast car," he said. "I think in conditions like in China it is not just about strategy, there is a degree of luck involved. And when you start seventh and eighth you have less to lose and more to gain.
"We head back to Europe have gone to four very different venues, had had two 1-2 starts and one 1-3 start.
"So I think there is an awful lot of positives. As you saw with Ferrari here, they didn't score big points either. So I think it is innate to the championship that there will be swings and roundabouts to it."
And he reckons Red Bull is operationally stronger than last season, despite having won just one race out of a possible four so far.
"Absolutely. There is no question about that. Here was not anything to do with strategy or operationally. I think the communication between the engineers and the cars and the drivers - at the end of the day they made all the same calls as Lewis [Hamilton] did, so I don't think there are any issues there whatsoever."
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Vettel, Hamilton get a reprimand
Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have both been reprimanded by the race stewards for dangerous driving during their pitlane incident in the Chinese Grand Prix.
Hamilton was released after a pitstop just as Vettel was near him, and the pair chose to race side-by-side down the length of the pits rather than concede the position.
The stewards believed that such driving, which included Hamilton getting sideways as he tried to out-accelerate the Red Bull Racing driver and Vettel edging over on the McLaren, was done in a "dangerous manner."
The stewards spoke to both drivers and reviewed video evidence before making their ruling.
Hamilton was released after a pitstop just as Vettel was near him, and the pair chose to race side-by-side down the length of the pits rather than concede the position.
The stewards believed that such driving, which included Hamilton getting sideways as he tried to out-accelerate the Red Bull Racing driver and Vettel edging over on the McLaren, was done in a "dangerous manner."
The stewards spoke to both drivers and reviewed video evidence before making their ruling.
Saturday, 17 April 2010
Vettel hails 'fantastic' pole lap
Sebastian Vettel hailed his final qualifying lap as "fantastic" after securing pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix.
The German claimed his third pole in four races, also making sure Red Bull has secured the top spot in all the grands prix of the season so far.
Vettel, who had struggled with his car's set-up before qualifying, admitted his lap had been superb, especially on the first sector, where the German had had more trouble this weekend.
He qualified nearly three tenths ahead of team-mate Mark Webber.
"It was tough today. I was not so happy yesterday and this morning especially Mark was quite a bit quicker than me," said Vettel.
"We did some changes and went a little bit in Mark's direction but it was extremely difficult. "I was struggling in the first sector especially but now in qualifying I was purple in sector one.
"I found a line like last year a little bit. I had two very good runs in Q3, the last corner on the first run I was a bit too wide, otherwise it would already have been a good time, but the second run was a bit better everywhere.
"It was a fantastic lap, and the fourth consecutive pole position for Red Bull. We are proving we have a very good car independent of the circuit type. We are always up there.
"Special thanks to the mechanics because they had zero lunch as we required a lot of changes that they had to work from free practice to qualifying."
Vettel said he is confident he will be strong in any conditions in tomorrow's race, when rain is expected to hit the circuit.
"I think it will be raining tomorrow, it's just a question of when," he added. "It will be similar to the last two races. We are not afraid of any rain, for Sunday it looks quite bad if you look at the weather.
"The question is will it be wet throughout the whole race or after the start? We have good memories of the wet conditions last year and if the rain comes it is best to start at the front because you are the one who sees the best. Dry or wet we should be well armed for tomorrow."
The German claimed his third pole in four races, also making sure Red Bull has secured the top spot in all the grands prix of the season so far.
Vettel, who had struggled with his car's set-up before qualifying, admitted his lap had been superb, especially on the first sector, where the German had had more trouble this weekend.
He qualified nearly three tenths ahead of team-mate Mark Webber.
"It was tough today. I was not so happy yesterday and this morning especially Mark was quite a bit quicker than me," said Vettel.
"We did some changes and went a little bit in Mark's direction but it was extremely difficult. "I was struggling in the first sector especially but now in qualifying I was purple in sector one.
"I found a line like last year a little bit. I had two very good runs in Q3, the last corner on the first run I was a bit too wide, otherwise it would already have been a good time, but the second run was a bit better everywhere.
"It was a fantastic lap, and the fourth consecutive pole position for Red Bull. We are proving we have a very good car independent of the circuit type. We are always up there.
"Special thanks to the mechanics because they had zero lunch as we required a lot of changes that they had to work from free practice to qualifying."
Vettel said he is confident he will be strong in any conditions in tomorrow's race, when rain is expected to hit the circuit.
"I think it will be raining tomorrow, it's just a question of when," he added. "It will be similar to the last two races. We are not afraid of any rain, for Sunday it looks quite bad if you look at the weather.
"The question is will it be wet throughout the whole race or after the start? We have good memories of the wet conditions last year and if the rain comes it is best to start at the front because you are the one who sees the best. Dry or wet we should be well armed for tomorrow."
Sunday, 4 April 2010
Vettel leads dominant Red Bull one-two
Red Bull finally delivered the kind of crushing performance it had threatened to all season as Sebastian Vettel led Mark Webber home in a one-two demonstration run at Sepang.
Nico Rosberg gave the new Mercedes works team its first podium in third, although his team-mate Michael Schumacher was an early retirement, while the McLarens and Ferraris all recovered into the top ten following their qualifying miscues, although Fernando Alonso suffered a last gasp engine failure.
The potential for downpours and chaos had dominated conversation in the build-up, but ironically the race was dry throughout. Vettel got a great start from third, instantly passing Rosberg and slipping down the inside of Webber into the first corner to take the lead.
The two Red Bulls then pulled away from the Mercedes in formation, remaining a second or so apart until their pitstops on laps 23 and 24, where any chance of Webber threatening Vettel was removed when an airgun problem on his right front wheel meant his tyre change took a crucial 1.4s longer. That briefly put Webber behind the yet-to-stop Lewis Hamilton, and gave Vettel a clean break. He duly cruised clear to clinch his and Red Bull's first win of 2010.
Rosberg was a safe third throughout, but the second Mercedes of Schumacher dropped out on lap eight when its left rear wheel came loose.
Robert Kubica continued Renault's strong form with fourth, never quite close enough to scare Rosberg, and safe from attack from behind as fifth-placed Adrian Sutil (Force India) had his hands full resisting Hamilton by the end.
Hamilton made the most assertive progress of the displaced frontrunners, getting into the top ten within seven laps, despite being warned for excessive weaving during a spectacular battle with Renault rookie Vitaly Petrov, and ultimately rising as high as second as he left his pitstop until lap 30.
He emerged right alongside team-mate Jenson Button, who had pitted as early as lap 10, but it was Hamilton's strategy that proved best, as the younger Briton fended off his team-mate and then quickly pulled away - leaving Button at the mercy of the charging Ferraris. Felipe Massa had run until lap 28 before pitting, while Fernando Alonso, who had struggled with a downshift problem all race and been low-key in the early stages, stayed on hards until lap 36, and then set a string of fastest laps as he charged into contention.
Massa eventually got past Button and then closed on Sutil and Hamilton, while Alonso remained stuck behind Button until he dived past with two laps to go - only for his Ferrari's engine to immediately fail as he completed the move. Alonso's retirement means Massa edges into the championship lead.
Jaime Alguersuari earned his first Formula 1 points with the finest drive of his career to date, as he determinedly battled past Nico Hulkenberg and Petrov to ultimately take ninth.
Williams could not capitalise on its brilliant qualifying result, with Rubens Barrichello tumbling to last at the start thanks to an overheating clutch, and Hulkenberg losing a few positions on lap one then dropping further back as his early tyre stop strategy failed to pay off. He at least picked up 10th thanks to Alonso's late failure.
The battle between the new teams turned physical in Malaysia. Virgin's Timo Glock retired on lap three when a bid to overtake Jarno Trulli saw him spin into the Lotus, while Heikki Kovalainen's attempted pass on Virgin driver Lucas di Grassi seven laps later caused more contact - the Lotus slicing a rear tyre on the Virgin's front wing as it slid past sideways.
It was di Grassi who ultimately emerged on top, giving Virgin its first race finish as he nursed its inadequate fuel level to the flag and finished ahead of the two Hispanias. Trulli made the flag despite backing right off with hydraulic problems at the end - with similar issues forcing Kovalainen to lose several laps in the pits.
Also hitting mechanical trouble were Petrov, Force India's Tonio Liuzzi, and both Saubers - Pedro de la Rosa striking engine problems on his way from the garage to the grid.
The Malaysian Grand Prix
Sepang F1 Circuit, Malaysia;
56 laps; 310.408km;
Weather: Sunny.
Pos Driver Team Gap
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 4.8s
3. Rosberg Mercedes + 13.5s
4. Kubica Renault + 18.5s
5. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 21.0s
6. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 23.4s
7. Massa Ferrari + 27.0s
8. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 37.9s
9. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1m10.6s
10. Hulkenberg Williams + 1m13.3s
11. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1m18.9s
12. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
13. Alonso Ferrari + 2 laps
14. Di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth + 3 laps
15. Chandhok Hispania-Cosworth + 3 laps
16. Senna Hispania-Cosworth + 4 laps
17. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth + 5 laps
Not classified/retirements:
Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 46 laps
Petrov Renault 32 laps
Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 12 laps
Schumacher Mercedes 9 laps
Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 8 laps
Glock Virgin-Cosworth 2 laps
De la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 0 laps
Fastest lap: Webber 1m37.054s
World Championship standings, round 3:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. Massa 39 1. Ferrari 76
2. Vettel 37 2. McLaren-Mercedes 66
3. Alonso 37 3. Red Bull-Renault 61
4. Button 35 4. Mercedes 44
5. Rosberg 35 5. Renault 30
6. Hamilton 31 6. Force India-Mercedes 18
7. Kubica 30 7. Williams-Cosworth 6
8. Webber 24 8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 2
9. Sutil 10
10. Schumacher 9
11. Liuzzi 8
12. Barrichello 5
13. Alguersuari 2
14. Hulkenberg 1
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Brembo denies Vettel's brake failure
Brake manufacturer Brembo has denied reports that Sebastian Vettel's retirement from the Australian Grand Prix was caused by a brake failure.
The Red Bull Racing driver retired from the Melbourne event while leading comfortably, after he suffered a mechanical problem on his front left wheel.
Red Bull's brake supplier Brembo issued a statement on Tuesday clarifying that the failure had nothing to do with the brakes.
The company said Red Bull had confirmed a torque drive between the front left axle and wheel has been lost.
"With regard to the retirement of the Red Bull Racing's driver Sebastian Vettel during the Grand Prix of Australia, Brembo communicates that the cause of his exit in Turn 13 was not caused by the braking system supplied by Brembo, as some publications have reported," Brembo said.
"Red Bull Racing has confirmed that Sebastian Vettel retired from the Australian Grand Prix after the torque drive between the front left axle and wheel was lost.
"Post-race investigations revealed the wheel nut was correctly tightened at the pitstop as well as other possible causes of the fault.
"The team has communicated that it's studying a number of solutions at present, which can be implemented for the Malaysian Grand Prix."
The Red Bull Racing driver retired from the Melbourne event while leading comfortably, after he suffered a mechanical problem on his front left wheel.
Red Bull's brake supplier Brembo issued a statement on Tuesday clarifying that the failure had nothing to do with the brakes.
The company said Red Bull had confirmed a torque drive between the front left axle and wheel has been lost.
"With regard to the retirement of the Red Bull Racing's driver Sebastian Vettel during the Grand Prix of Australia, Brembo communicates that the cause of his exit in Turn 13 was not caused by the braking system supplied by Brembo, as some publications have reported," Brembo said.
"Red Bull Racing has confirmed that Sebastian Vettel retired from the Australian Grand Prix after the torque drive between the front left axle and wheel was lost.
"Post-race investigations revealed the wheel nut was correctly tightened at the pitstop as well as other possible causes of the fault.
"The team has communicated that it's studying a number of solutions at present, which can be implemented for the Malaysian Grand Prix."
Sunday, 28 March 2010
Vettel says failure robbed him of win
Sebastian Vettel believes he would have won the Australian Grand Prix today had a brake failure not pitched him off the road just before half-distance.
The Red Bull driver led the race from pole until a front brake failure sent him into the gravel at turn 13.
It is the second race in a row Vettel has lost due to a mechanical issue after a spark plug problem slowed him in Bahrain.
"We had a braking failure," confirmed Vettel. "Earlier on the lap I felt some vibrations. There was nothing I could have done and I lost the car. It's a shame - I think we had the race under control even though the conditions were difficult."
Vettel has called for his Red Bull squad to make a push so that he can improve his finishing record and get his title challenge on track.
"It breaks my balls," he said. "We are all pushing and trying to do our best. It's nobody's fault, but we need to get on top of it and make sure that we see the chequered flag in Malaysia."
The Red Bull driver led the race from pole until a front brake failure sent him into the gravel at turn 13.
It is the second race in a row Vettel has lost due to a mechanical issue after a spark plug problem slowed him in Bahrain.
"We had a braking failure," confirmed Vettel. "Earlier on the lap I felt some vibrations. There was nothing I could have done and I lost the car. It's a shame - I think we had the race under control even though the conditions were difficult."
Vettel has called for his Red Bull squad to make a push so that he can improve his finishing record and get his title challenge on track.
"It breaks my balls," he said. "We are all pushing and trying to do our best. It's nobody's fault, but we need to get on top of it and make sure that we see the chequered flag in Malaysia."
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Exclusive Vettel Q and A:
We won’t repeat 2009 errors There will be at least six German drivers on the grid this season, and at least three - Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel - have a real chance of winning the championship. While 2009 runner-up Vettel has been tipped for success by none other than Formula One Management’s CEO Bernie Ecclestone, there are concerns that Renault could struggle to supply a competitive enough engine to power his Red Bull to glory. The German, however, is confident the French manufacturer has solved the reliability issues that hampered his ’09 campaign and believes the title is well within his grasp…
Q: Sebastian, you have been tipped as the best bet to become 2010 world champion by Bernie Ecclestone…
Sebastian Vettel: For sure it is flattering to hear such things. It’s my target to win the championship as soon as possible. It is why I am here and, as always, I will give my best and fight until the very end. It’s very difficult to predict anything before testing has even started, but after the first race in Bahrain we will know more.
Q: It’s your turn to make it happen. What would you say were your strengths and weaknesses?
SV: I have a very strong team, which supports me 100 percent, and we really have a great atmosphere within the team. In Renault we have one of the strongest engine partners on board. They are also one of the best in terms of fuel consumption. I am sure the car will be very competitive. So far there are only positives, so let’s see.
Q: The Red Bull was pretty perfect last season, but there is a big question mark hovering over the engine. Are Renault capable of delivering something competitive?
SV: It’s correct that we had some engine problems during last season and there is no way to get around that. But I know Renault looked into them, and towards the end of the season we didn’t have any more issues. Please don’t forget that, even though everybody predicted us to have an additional engine change and to receive a penalty, we did not. So while there was nobody in a worse position, we didn’t lose ground because of it and could continue to fight for the championship. We have all worked hard over the winter, not only at Renault and Viry, and have analysed what went wrong during the season, so that it doesn’t happen again.
Q: Last season you were the front-running German driver. With Michael Schumacher returning at Mercedes, where do you think you’ll end up this year?
SV: Well, clearly I would like to be number one, but it is much more than that. A season is very long and you need to work hard to reach your own goals. I want to win the world championship, which would also mean that I would be the German frontrunner. But I’m not interested in being the best of the Germans; I want to be the best of all. 2009 was a good year for me, and now I am working very hard to make this new season even better.
Q: What was your first thought when the news broke that Schumacher would return?
SV: I was surprised like all of us were I guess. I think it was a brave decision for Michael to make and one that is exciting for the sport. But in the end it doesn’t change my challenge for the season, except that there is another strong competitor out there. But there are other drivers who will be very strong too.
Q: Looking at the 2010 grid you and team mate Mark Webber are up against some very strong ‘enemy’ line-ups like Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa at Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button at McLaren, and Schumacher and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes. Which of these pairings do you think will be the toughest to beat?
SV: Out on the circuit everybody is your ‘enemy’, it doesn’t matter who it is. In the end you have to beat them all.
Q: There is a new points system in place for 2010. As last year’s championship runner-up, what do you make of this innovation?
SV: It does several things. It rewards the competition in the middle part of the grid, now that there are more teams. It will also force drivers to continue to race, even when they have problems, because now there are points available all the way down to 10th place. But as far as I understand, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome of the past couple of championships. In any case, winning and scoring points regularly is the best way to fight for the cup.
Q: We will see four new teams start from scratch this year. Red Bull joined the grid after taking over Jaguar, but they still took years to make it to the front. What do you think the four brand-new teams can achieve?
SV: You are right, it is a huge challenge for a team to start from scratch and enter F1. It will be a real achievement if they get their cars to the first race, and even better if they manage to finish the race. Realistically, it will take time for them to become properly competitive. But that doesn’t mean that any existing team can relax. There may be some surprises. Let’s see.
Q: It’s been revealed that Red Bull are set to miss the first official pre-season test in Valencia. Are you worried about missing vital track time?
SV: Sure it's disappointing. But we will have 12 days of testing for the new car, which is plenty of time. It’s much better to spend time in the windtunnel and on the design of the new car, so I am perfectly happy with this.
Q: Sebastian, you have been tipped as the best bet to become 2010 world champion by Bernie Ecclestone…
Sebastian Vettel: For sure it is flattering to hear such things. It’s my target to win the championship as soon as possible. It is why I am here and, as always, I will give my best and fight until the very end. It’s very difficult to predict anything before testing has even started, but after the first race in Bahrain we will know more.
Q: It’s your turn to make it happen. What would you say were your strengths and weaknesses?
SV: I have a very strong team, which supports me 100 percent, and we really have a great atmosphere within the team. In Renault we have one of the strongest engine partners on board. They are also one of the best in terms of fuel consumption. I am sure the car will be very competitive. So far there are only positives, so let’s see.
Q: The Red Bull was pretty perfect last season, but there is a big question mark hovering over the engine. Are Renault capable of delivering something competitive?
SV: It’s correct that we had some engine problems during last season and there is no way to get around that. But I know Renault looked into them, and towards the end of the season we didn’t have any more issues. Please don’t forget that, even though everybody predicted us to have an additional engine change and to receive a penalty, we did not. So while there was nobody in a worse position, we didn’t lose ground because of it and could continue to fight for the championship. We have all worked hard over the winter, not only at Renault and Viry, and have analysed what went wrong during the season, so that it doesn’t happen again.
Q: Last season you were the front-running German driver. With Michael Schumacher returning at Mercedes, where do you think you’ll end up this year?
SV: Well, clearly I would like to be number one, but it is much more than that. A season is very long and you need to work hard to reach your own goals. I want to win the world championship, which would also mean that I would be the German frontrunner. But I’m not interested in being the best of the Germans; I want to be the best of all. 2009 was a good year for me, and now I am working very hard to make this new season even better.
Q: What was your first thought when the news broke that Schumacher would return?
SV: I was surprised like all of us were I guess. I think it was a brave decision for Michael to make and one that is exciting for the sport. But in the end it doesn’t change my challenge for the season, except that there is another strong competitor out there. But there are other drivers who will be very strong too.
Q: Looking at the 2010 grid you and team mate Mark Webber are up against some very strong ‘enemy’ line-ups like Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa at Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button at McLaren, and Schumacher and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes. Which of these pairings do you think will be the toughest to beat?
SV: Out on the circuit everybody is your ‘enemy’, it doesn’t matter who it is. In the end you have to beat them all.
Q: There is a new points system in place for 2010. As last year’s championship runner-up, what do you make of this innovation?
SV: It does several things. It rewards the competition in the middle part of the grid, now that there are more teams. It will also force drivers to continue to race, even when they have problems, because now there are points available all the way down to 10th place. But as far as I understand, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome of the past couple of championships. In any case, winning and scoring points regularly is the best way to fight for the cup.
Q: We will see four new teams start from scratch this year. Red Bull joined the grid after taking over Jaguar, but they still took years to make it to the front. What do you think the four brand-new teams can achieve?
SV: You are right, it is a huge challenge for a team to start from scratch and enter F1. It will be a real achievement if they get their cars to the first race, and even better if they manage to finish the race. Realistically, it will take time for them to become properly competitive. But that doesn’t mean that any existing team can relax. There may be some surprises. Let’s see.
Q: It’s been revealed that Red Bull are set to miss the first official pre-season test in Valencia. Are you worried about missing vital track time?
SV: Sure it's disappointing. But we will have 12 days of testing for the new car, which is plenty of time. It’s much better to spend time in the windtunnel and on the design of the new car, so I am perfectly happy with this.
Friday, 16 October 2009
Interview with Sebastian Vettel
When your odds of winning the title are as slim as Sebastian Vettel’s, you need all the luck you can get - hence the Red Bull driver’s decision to keep the ‘lucky’ beard that served him so well at the last round in Japan. And the new talisman seems to have retained its powers in Brazil - rain, or ‘Vettel weather’, is forecast throughout the Interlagos weekend. The German, however, insists his RB5 is a great package in any conditions - and that a focussed mind can achieve the seemingly impossible…
Q: You come here from your fantastic win in Japan knowing that you have to win again. How do you approach this weekend?
Sebastian Vettel: With the same approach as in Japan. We try to do our best, give our maximum and push as hard as we can. As everybody knows, I have to win - and that’s what I am trying to do. But it is also true that if you force things you might achieve the opposite, so we follow our normal procedures and see how it goes.
Q: But that ‘must win’ scenario - doesn’t that put you under extra pressure?
SV: Well, we have a very straightforward plan: we want to win the next two races - and, of course to make it really happen is much, much harder. It is also in their (Rubens Barrichello’s and Jenson Button’s) hands. In the last couple of races they’ve done their best not to score too many points and I hope that they continue that way.
Q: So is your job this weekend to make trouble for the two guys in the white cars?
SV: I think they’re doing their best on their own - they don’t need help. From the outside everything might look nice and cosy - like we are friends and all that - but I think on the inside it’s a little bit of a different story.
Q: You have Mark Webber on your side to support you whereas Jenson and Rubens still have to fight it out. Does that help?
SV: Ah, first I have to beat Mark. He is not on a joyride when he gets in his car. But for sure if the situation might come up that I might need help in any way he’s the last one to deny it. He will do anything to help the team.
Q: Two years ago Kimi Raikkonen’s victory here in Sao Paulo showed that everything is possible in Formula One racing. Is he an example for you of keeping the faith to the very end?
SV: One of them, yes. But it is not only Formula One where things can change last minute - that happens in other sports as well. What it teaches is that you should never give up believing in yourself and your ability that you still can do it.
Q: So how do you see your chances for this weekend? Many already say that we have ‘Vettel weather’. Do you agree?
SV: If everything comes to a happy ending on Sunday afternoon I would agree, but there is still a long weekend ahead of me and when it rains it also means that there is more risk - but probably this is what we need.
Q: Would you say that the Red Bull is stronger in wet conditions?
SV: No, not necessarily. We have shown that we are also strong in the dry, so in reality we don’t mind what weather conditions there will be.
Q: Would you say that on a track like Interlagos your engine situation will be even more difficult?
SV: No. At the last races we’ve saved a lot of mileage so it should be okay.
Q: In Japan Mark started from the back of the grid and it looked more like a test session than a race. What was learnt by the team that could help you at this race?
SV: Unfortunately his race was predictable as he didn’t qualify well as he damaged his chassis in practice. So they tested a new front wing which we will race here. The outcome was very positive, although it’s hard to say what that means in real lap time. The hope is that it will give us a little extra boost.
Q: This track has two long straights and slow corners - will that work against your package?
SV: No. If you take Singapore, with only slow corners and long straights, we’ve been very competitive there. We had the best pace on Sunday but unfortunately got stuck in traffic. We didn’t win there, so ultimately we didn’t do the best job. Then came Suzuka with its high-speed corners, and we won the race. Now we come here - a track somewhere in between Singapore and Suzuka - and we should be okay.
Q: Do you have your lucky charms with you to enhance your chances?
SV: Not now - but for sure on Sunday!
Q: You come here from your fantastic win in Japan knowing that you have to win again. How do you approach this weekend?
Sebastian Vettel: With the same approach as in Japan. We try to do our best, give our maximum and push as hard as we can. As everybody knows, I have to win - and that’s what I am trying to do. But it is also true that if you force things you might achieve the opposite, so we follow our normal procedures and see how it goes.
Q: But that ‘must win’ scenario - doesn’t that put you under extra pressure?
SV: Well, we have a very straightforward plan: we want to win the next two races - and, of course to make it really happen is much, much harder. It is also in their (Rubens Barrichello’s and Jenson Button’s) hands. In the last couple of races they’ve done their best not to score too many points and I hope that they continue that way.
Q: So is your job this weekend to make trouble for the two guys in the white cars?
SV: I think they’re doing their best on their own - they don’t need help. From the outside everything might look nice and cosy - like we are friends and all that - but I think on the inside it’s a little bit of a different story.
Q: You have Mark Webber on your side to support you whereas Jenson and Rubens still have to fight it out. Does that help?
SV: Ah, first I have to beat Mark. He is not on a joyride when he gets in his car. But for sure if the situation might come up that I might need help in any way he’s the last one to deny it. He will do anything to help the team.
Q: Two years ago Kimi Raikkonen’s victory here in Sao Paulo showed that everything is possible in Formula One racing. Is he an example for you of keeping the faith to the very end?
SV: One of them, yes. But it is not only Formula One where things can change last minute - that happens in other sports as well. What it teaches is that you should never give up believing in yourself and your ability that you still can do it.
Q: So how do you see your chances for this weekend? Many already say that we have ‘Vettel weather’. Do you agree?
SV: If everything comes to a happy ending on Sunday afternoon I would agree, but there is still a long weekend ahead of me and when it rains it also means that there is more risk - but probably this is what we need.
Q: Would you say that the Red Bull is stronger in wet conditions?
SV: No, not necessarily. We have shown that we are also strong in the dry, so in reality we don’t mind what weather conditions there will be.
Q: Would you say that on a track like Interlagos your engine situation will be even more difficult?
SV: No. At the last races we’ve saved a lot of mileage so it should be okay.
Q: In Japan Mark started from the back of the grid and it looked more like a test session than a race. What was learnt by the team that could help you at this race?
SV: Unfortunately his race was predictable as he didn’t qualify well as he damaged his chassis in practice. So they tested a new front wing which we will race here. The outcome was very positive, although it’s hard to say what that means in real lap time. The hope is that it will give us a little extra boost.
Q: This track has two long straights and slow corners - will that work against your package?
SV: No. If you take Singapore, with only slow corners and long straights, we’ve been very competitive there. We had the best pace on Sunday but unfortunately got stuck in traffic. We didn’t win there, so ultimately we didn’t do the best job. Then came Suzuka with its high-speed corners, and we won the race. Now we come here - a track somewhere in between Singapore and Suzuka - and we should be okay.
Q: Do you have your lucky charms with you to enhance your chances?
SV: Not now - but for sure on Sunday!
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