1. Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull), 1h34m03.414s
2. Mark WEBBER (Red Bull), 1h34m21.271s
3. Jenson BUTTON (Brawn), 1h34m21.881s
Q: Sebastian, you took the fight to Lewis Hamilton in the early stages. You managed to get ahead of him. It was another powerful performance today.
Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, it was. A fantastic race. First of all the start and we had a very good launch. Obviously not good enough to out-accelerate Lewis, but I was very close. I was surprised. Then going on the long back straight he pushed a button and that’s it, he disappeared in the distance. But I was able to stay close enough. We knew that we were a little bit heavier, so the key was to catch up, especially the last sector where the car was a dream today. I was always catching him up quite a lot and I think that was the secret, to stay with him, then with the pit stops and a lot of pressure entering the pit lane, I nearly went a bit wide at the entrance. Then that scary exit through the tunnel but on the limit and enough to get past him. Unfortunately, he then had to retire but up to that point it was a fantastic race. After that I had a little bit of a cushion to Mark and Jenson behind and I was able to pace myself a bit but until the end the car was fantastic and was working brilliantly on both tyres, both compounds. I think the prime was the favoured tyre today but also on the option towards the end it was a pleasure this evening to sit in the car. To sum up the season, it is up and down. I think the second half we have been very strong with four one-two finishes for Red Bull Racing, so congratulations to the team. They have been pushing, working a lot back in the factory, and we can see that the car is getting quicker. It is a shame now that the season ends but it is a perfect day to finish the season on a high.
Q; Mark, fantastic fight with Jenson in the closing stages. Tell us all about it.
Mark WEBBER: Well, first of all from the start I made a pretty good launch and had a bit of a look on the outside of Seb but the main game was really trying to get back on the inside and getting a clean exit as I knew it was a long run down to turn five. I got hit quite hard in the left rear at the first corner and was worried about a puncture but the team kept telling me the tyre had enough pressure, so I was quite relieved I didn’t have a puncture. It looked like Lewis was struggling a little bit in the first few laps, so both of us were able to sit a little bit closer than we expected. Then it started to stabilise and I was pretty happy on the primes. Seb was just that little bit quicker today on both stints, all three stints, especially the last one. I had not much of a feeling on the option and it was the same for me on Friday. I was quite slow on that tyre, so I preferred the stability of the prime. I thought at the end we had a bit of a short fuel, so fortunately JB could do some good laps on the overlap and close the gap down on me. I thought ‘yeah, this is going to be quite tight at the end.’ I just had to make sure I was accurate with my braking points. We know he had a slight top speed advantage but not much and it is a credit to how he has driven all year. We had a good clean fight, on the limit, but I just want to congratulate the team for their patience with me at the start of the year coming back from what happened. It has been very enjoyable driving with Sebastian this year. Renault have given us a fantastic engine and overall Red Bull can be incredibly proud for what they achieved. We have had 16 podiums together, so it is good.
Q: Jenson, that battle from your perspective and also a battle again with Kamui Kobayashi.
Jenson BUTTON: It was a fun race. For me the prime tyre was not my favourite tyre in the race and I had a lot of understeer in the car. But when Kobayashi was on a one-stopper I came out and the first big stop is turn eight and when you have got that much fuel on board it is always very difficult to judge the braking point. I slightly outbraked myself and locked the rears and the fronts and ran a bit wide and he got past. In reality it didn’t make a difference to my race as he was quicker than me at that point. Then I was struggling a little bit with the prime tyre but I tried to make the best out of it. After the second stop I found I had very good grip with the option tyre. I got back the front issues I had with the prime and had very good initial turn in which meant I could carry a lot of speed through. That’s why I was able to close down Mark. The last couple of laps were a lot of fun. I couldn’t make the move stick. I was very excited by the battle and I thought I could pull it off but Mark is always a very difficult person to overtake. We were clean but on the edge, so it was perfect. Disappointed not to get that second place but I really enjoyed the fight today and today for me has been a bonus after winning the championship in Brazil. I have really enjoyed driving this weekend a car that has been very competitive, so I need to thank everyone at Brawn and Mercedes Benz for all their hard work. After Brazil it would have been easy to say ‘right, let’s just enjoy ourselves and not concentrate on Abu Dhabi’ but we did and we have come away with a podium which is a nice way to end the year and everyone should be very proud of themselves for what we have achieved. But lastly I would like to say congratulations to Seb. He did a sterling job today. They had the legs on us and we just couldn’t challenge them which is a pity but all round I think the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a good one and I am looking forward to coming back.
Q: Sebastian, Red Bull has won the last three races of the season, so let’s look forward a little bit. What does that say about where you are going to be going into next season.
SV: It would be very good to continue like that. Now we will face a long winter, especially for all of us drivers, a long break without any testing. Back in England, back in the factory, the guys are pushing very hard. The cars do not change that much next year. The biggest change is that you are not allowed to refuel. But we will see. It is a bit unknown. I think this season was very special. I remember a couple of years back these two were driving and I was watching and it was pretty much set after the first couple of races who was going to win each race. Fair enough there were only two teams. This year it was totally different, very exciting and a lot of overtaking. Different teams on top, so I think a special season all around and hopefully the next one will be as exciting as this one, even a bit more, we will see. Definitely looking forward. I think to sum it up we had a very good season, a lot of positive things, but also some things we probably did wrong. But it is not a shame. We just need to know and understand why that happened and we should come back stronger next year.
Q: Mark, Red Bull a top team. Are you here to stay?
MW: Yes, absolutely. We have got an incredible team back at the factory. We know that we have got under Adrian Newey someone that with him leading these type of regulation changes, particularly with what we had at the start of this year, it was clear as soon as we saw the car that it was going to be a bit of a weapon. Unfortunately in a way Brawn got the start with the double diffuser and things like that but in the end our team responded well with great character and next year there is absolutely no reason whatsoever for us not to be starting at the front again. I would much, much prefer to be in our position than quite a few other teams but we can never get too complacent. This is Formula One and things can change quickly but we are positive about next year, no question about it.
Q: Jenson, no win to round off the season but obviously an upbeat ending for you.
JB: For sure. It is always nice to end on a high but it is the same for everyone out there. It is a very competitive field. It is not just one team at the front. All season it has been up and down for us and for these guys and also for McLaren and the Ferraris. It is a very competitive and challenging season for us all, so for all three of us to be up on the podium at the last race is very enjoyable and it is a great way to round out the year. Now I am going to enjoy myself and celebrate what I have achieved this season.
SV: I hear you are getting married.
JB: Are you proposing?
SV: I heard you will get married.
JB: You know, they write great things in the press. Thank you for that one Seb, but I am going to enjoy this as we often look too far into the future and I want to just enjoy this moment and then I will look to the future after that.
Q: Sebastian, you are the first winner of the first day-night race in Abu Dhabi. Sum up the weekend for you.
SV: Unbelievable. We came here and we tried to prepare as much as possible, looking at the lay-out, doing some laps in the simulator. But driving the first couple of laps it was extremely slippery. It is a new track but it has rubbered in perfectly well. Really enjoyable all race. It is a challenging circuit. Every lap you need to focus and keep up the concentration. It is pretty easy to do a mistake and it can cost a lot of time. There are some corners that are quite tricky and they are made to lead you into mistakes, so you really need to be careful but all in all, starting at day, finishing at night is special. We have a dark tear-off and the moment you rip it off it is like someone has switched on the light, so it is quite unique. All in all a great place. Amazing what they have done here in that short period of time, so winning the race, one-two for Red Bull Racing, I think it cannot be much better.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Sebastian, this gives you an excellent position with second in the championship. What are your feelings about that?
SV: I am very proud. First of all I think there was a misunderstanding in Brazil and didn’t have the chance: so congratulations to Jenson, to Brawn. I think they truly deserve it. Over the season they did the better job. But after Brazil coming here we knew that we had a very, very strong package and the priority for myself was to secure second in the drivers’ championship and we succeeded. To do it with the victory is the best possible result. I am very, very happy. It was a fantastic race. It was a good start but not enough to catch Lewis but good enough to stay close. When we went on the back straight he pushed the button and disappeared. It was quite shocking to see how much it is worth, but we were a little bit heavier but still able to go his pace, stay with him. It is not easy when you follow another car. Even though you are a couple of seconds behind you still feel it is not as if you are on your own in clean air. But that was the key, pushing very hard and then obviously when I had the two overlaps on him it was quite exciting to leave the pits through the tunnel. It was very slippery and on new tyres you have silicon on the surface and it takes a little while. You go through the tunnel and it is very easy to make a mistake. Knowing I am fighting for the lead I knew I had to push. It was enough to get him. Unfortunately he then had to retire. I heard he had a braking problem, but up to that point I enjoyed it very much. It was a nice fight even though it wasn’t wheel-to-wheel but both of us were pushing very hard. After that I had a bit more of a cushion and was able to set my pace according to the pace of the guys behind, so all in all the car was fantastic, both compounds worked surprisingly well. I think the majority favoured the prime, so did we, but even on the option the last stint was great and to win here I am very proud. Starting the race at day time and finishing at night is very special. Great circuit. A great job they did here. Now I think I have said enough.
Q: Mark, tremendous amount of pressure at the end; what was the circuit like to race on, especially as you were having to defend. We also saw you make a little mistake and go off the circuit; how difficult was it to race on?
MW: Well, it was pretty dusty off-line, not massively but a little bit dirty. I got a little bit hot into turn one on one of the laps. Once you get on the Astroturf you just have to open the steering and get behind the kerb. And then at the end, fighting with Jenson, I knew that the two big stops were key to the lap – obviously he wasn’t going to do much anywhere else but Jenson’s form in overtaking this year has been pretty good, so I knew I had to be perfect with my braking points and do the best I could with the last few laps. I turned out to be OK. My last stint clearly wasn’t one of my best this year in terms of I didn’t have a great feeling on the option and that made it a bit more difficult, a few more grey hairs for everyone, but the option was difficult for me on Friday as well, so in the end, second place was as good as I was ever going to get today. Congratulations to Sebastian on the win, he’s had the measure of me in the last sector probably most of the weekend, so I presumed it to be the same again in the race. We did the best job as we could as a team, capitalised on other people’s lack of preparation and we delivered a one-two which is exactly what we came here to achieve. As I said before, I think that’s 16 podiums for the team and that’s something that everyone can be extremely happy about. I’m certainly happy, obviously, off the back of my best season ever. Of course, I would have liked to have had some more points here and there but it could have been a hell of a lot worse for me, so I will take this season, let me tell you.
Q: Jenson, for you, interesting that you mentioned that the option was the better tyre. Do you think that if you did two stints on the option you might have been closer to Red Bull?
JB: Yeah, for sure but we didn’t expect that to be the case. All weekend we’ve been running through our practices thinking that the prime was the better tyre. We’ve been using the prime like the option: for example, saving it for the end of practice two and practice three, so we could get a feel for it for qualifying. It was the best tyre for qualifying but in the race I was really struggling for a balance on the harder tyre. I had a lot of understeer in the car and the colder the circuit temperature got, the more difficult it was for me to get heat into the fronts. So I was suffering with that, especially in the second stint and I don’t know if you could notice, but Rubens was quite close behind me at the start of the second stint, he was sitting right on my tail, but I was able to put a little bit of a gap on him before the second stop, and then when we put the soft tyre on, the car was transformed, it felt great. The lap times were reasonably good and I was able to pull Mark in. The big issue for me on the hard tyres was understeer, so putting the option on… suddenly I had this great front end that I could just carry so much more speed into the corners. I don’t know if you saw on TV, but it was a little bit loose on exit but that’s the way you have to drive the car round here. It was a great race, I really enjoyed it and as I said in the unilateral, this race is a bonus to me, because I got the championship in Brazil, so I came here to enjoy myself and that’s exactly what I did. Qualifying wasn’t perfect but the race was pretty much as good as we could have expected, I think. I had a good tussle with Mark on the last lap, a fair fight but obviously very close and enjoyed it a lot. I didn’t make that move stick but I had a lot of fun. So I’m a little bit disappointed not to be second but I’m on the podium at the last race of the year, a year that’s been exceptional and I’m very happy with what’s happened this season and the way the team has performed. Probably when it’s been toughest, I respect the team for the effort that they’ve put in then, so they should all be very proud of themselves and that’s Brawn GP and Mercedes-Benz for what they’ve achieved. At the moment, I’m just going to enjoy this, this is big and I’m not going to concentrate on next year, I’m going to relax and enjoy this moment.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Sebastian, now that the season is over, do you have any regrets from the previous Grands Prix?
SV: No. We can’t change yesterday, we can change tomorrow. The key now is obviously, looking back, five races where we didn’t finish. Sometimes we should have brought some points back home and we didn’t, so we need to understand why that was and as I say, change tomorrow, obviously learn, learn a lesson and try to come back stronger for next year. Overall, I think the circumstances sometimes weren’t easy to accept. Sometimes that happens, sometimes it’s just not supposed to be. Sometimes little mistakes happen from whoever’s side. I’m not here to blame anyone in particular. Nevertheless, I think it was a very, very strong season. If anything, I think Mark and myself and the whole team got very, very strong towards the end, we have won the last three races as a team. I think we have learned already, but there is still a lot we can improve for the future, and hopefully we will do so and come back stronger next year.
Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Mark, you struggled on the options at the end; was it because you had a busy out lap where you had overstressed the tyre or what could have been the reason?
MW: Not really. I think the movement of the tyre was the same on Friday for me. I didn’t really feel the tyre that well. It was just not as stable as the prime and I felt that immediately on Friday and I was hoping that it would be a lot better with a rubbered-in circuit but I couldn’t commit. It was half a tenth every corner, one tenth every corner and it adds up to be a lot, compared to the prime. And then, when you’re getting caught you obviously have to really make sure that you’re not making any mistakes to give him even more of a chance to pounce, so I had to then go into a bit more of a conservative mode and make sure that I didn’t give it too easily. He had to make sure he worked for it. That’s what happened in the last 15 laps.
Q: (Anne Giuntini – L’Equipe) To all three of you: considering there is a long break before February, I suppose you won’t be on holiday all the time. What is your working programme?
SV: Jenson’s getting married, we heard. So he’s busy.
MW: And we’re all invited as well.
SV: Yeah, everyone.
JB: Next question.
MW: But Japan’s a long way.
SV: Obviously I have a pretty stressful week, following up, stress and fun at the same time. We are going to Beijing, so I am looking forward to that. I’m trying to kick his (Jenson’s) arse. And after that, some things to do back in Germany, yeah, and at the end of the month we will have a big party back in Milton Keynes, with all the team, so I’m looking forward to that. So November is a bit the time probably to be a bit lazy, but back in December and January obviously trying to focus on next year, on the new car. As I said, we will have time and meetings to discuss and obviously analyse what we can do better in the future and then we put our focus on next season. Obviously it’s a long, long time without any testing, any driving for us, so I reckon I will do some karting, that’s for sure, even though it’s cold.
MW: Yeah, similar to Sebastian. Next week is very busy. I’m going to Austria tomorrow, doing some work over there for Red Bull and then also some stuff for Renault next Thursday, so the next few weeks I’ve got some PR work which we’ve put on the backburner during the season, so a few photo-shoots here and there. Then I’m potentially going to drive the GP3 car, the new category car, do a bit in that, to see how that’s going along. It’s a very exciting championship next year which Christian (Horner) and I are involved in, so I might do a little bit of driving in that, but not much, just to get a little bit of press and a little bit of feeling for how it is. And then I think the third week of November I’m going to open my leg up again and get a bit more metal out, and then that’s the end of that problem, so it will be a few weeks relaxing after that and then I go to Australia for Christmas, a few barbecues on the beach and go to the cricket as well, which is 100,000 Australians at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) which is a big highlight at the Boxing Day test match, so I’ve got a few good things to look forward to and then in January, come back to a European winter which is always a test, but anyway, we will do that and get ready for February.
JB: Wow, that’s a lot.
SV: Wait until you start…
JB: I have got nothing planned this winter. I’m going to the RoC (Race of Champions) tomorrow which takes place Tuesday, Wednesday. If you’re interested, head down to the Bird’s Nest in Beijing. The only thing is that I am going to go and enjoy myself with the team tonight, so we will see how I perform on Tuesday and Wednesday. But I’m looking forward to that, it’s always good fun. And then I’m heading to Japan to spend some time there with my girlfriend and then I will have a few more days off and then sort myself out and start thinking about next year. It’s amazing how early it starts, 2010 comes up on you in a flash. I’ve got to sort myself out and focus on that. I’m looking forward to the new challenge, for sure, but it can wait a couple of weeks. Oh, I’ve got my 30th birthday in January as well. Thirty! Imagine that, Sebastian.
SV: It’s a long way to go.
JB: Trust me, it goes by very quickly.
Q: (Chris Lines – Associated Press) Guys, you sit up there as two representatives of the two most dominant teams this season. If we go back a year ago, it was Ferrari and McLaren and they were nowhere in the early part of this year. How confident are you guys that you will be able to carry this form into next season and not pay a price for going all the way through developing the car?
SV: Well, I think we are a team, we are professional. You might read here and there that other teams stopped developing for this year, looking ahead to next year, but as I said earlier on, I think the regulations aren’t changing too much. Obviously the biggest change is no refuelling but other than that the cars will remain similar, similar shapes. I think the people know what they are doing back in Milton Keynes. Obviously this year was a great chance for us and as Mark said, we were able to build quite a weapon. So I’m very confident. I think we can only get stronger. Obviously it was the first time that we were in that position for us, Mark, myself and the team that we were in that position and I think we handled it quite well. We made some mistakes here and there but that’s what happens. We are not the only ones who made these mistakes and if you are fighting and trying to push and trying to get the last bit out of yourself, out of the team, out of the car, then sometimes you might step over the limit. I think it’s totally natural to go through that progress, so we have definitely learned a lot and the important thing is, as I’ve said before, to do it much better next year.
JB: Ferrari and McLaren are going to be competitive next season. They have the resources, they have the expertise, they have competitive drivers. For sure they are going to be quick. They’ve had a different approach over the last few races. If you look at Ferrari, they’ve said that they’ve had no development which is unusual to hear that, as there’s not much that changes for next season. But it seems that McLaren have thrown everything at the car and have been very competitive over the last couple of races. So going into next year, yeah, they’re going to be quicker compared to the start of this season but I don’t think they’re suddenly going to be stronger than Red Bull and Brawn. I think there’s going to be a big battle at the front which is going to be a new thing for all of us, because having four teams fighting it out at the front, that hasn’t happened – could you just keep… ‘scuse me, I’m just trying to talk – you might want to listen to this.
MW: We’re just talking about your wedding day, mate. We’re just trying to clear our schedules.
JB: But with four teams at the front, eight drivers fighting out for wins, I think that’s exciting, so, yeah.
Q: (Bob McKenzie – The Daily Express) What’s the date for the wedding, Jenson?
JB: It’s my birthday, did you say? By the way, I’m looking forward to my present, thank you very much, Bob. What did you call me before?
BMcK: The World Champion?
JB: That’s the one, thank you. I’m not getting married this year.
SV: Why not? You don’t love her?
MW: Clear up January, clear it up.
JB: I think some things need to be kept private in your life and that’s one of them. Thank you very much.
News from Formula One in the Formation Lap.
Showing posts with label Abu Dhabi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abu Dhabi. Show all posts
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Vettel and Red Bull triumphant at Yas Marina
Once a brake problem slowed McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel had no competition in Sunday evening’s inaugural day/night Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. A brilliant win cemented his second place in the drivers’ world championship behind Brawn GP’s Jenson Button, who enlivened the end of the race with a superb challenge to the second-placed Red Bull of Mark Webber in the closing stages.
Hamilton led from pole and built a lead of 1.4s when he refuelled on the 17th lap. Vettel was able to run until the 20th, and emerged comfortably in the lead. Soon afterwards Hamilton’s challenge ended when McLaren had to withdraw his car after the telemetry revealed a problem with the right rear brake pads which were suffering from excessive wear.
Webber thus moved up to second, with Button at that stage a distant third ahead of Brawn GP team mate Rubens Barrichello. The Brazilian had run ahead of the Englishman on the opening lap but clipped Webber’s left-rear wheel with the right-hand endplate of his front wing, causing understeer. Button overtook, and chased after Webber while, at one stage, unsuccessfully fending off impressive rookie Kamui Kobayashi, until the Toyota driver finally refuelled.
€n the closing stages Button found the softer Bridgestone option tyre cured the understeer he’d had on the harder primes and homed in on Webber like a heat-seeking missile. On the final lap he drew alongside at the end of the 1.2km back straight, but Webber handled the situation beautifully, hogging the inside line and forcing Button to go to the outside where he didn’t want to go. They ran side by side for a while, but the Australian was able to keep his second place by 0.6s.
Behind them, the race was relatively uneventful. Nick Heidfeld signed off BMW Sauber’s tenure as a joint team with a solid fifth place ahead of Kobayashi, who proved to be the find of the second half of the season. Toyota’s Jarno Trulli was seventh, two-stopping where Kobayashi stopped once, and Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi survived a challenge and a brush with BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica, which left the Pole spinning, to take the final point.
Nico Rosberg was ninth for Williams with a recovered Kubica 10th. McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen fought up from his 18th place start to take 11th, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen’s uncompetitive Ferrari, Kazuki Nakajima’s Williams, Fernando Alonso who took his Renault until the 34th lap before his sole refuelling stop, and similarly single-stopping Vitantonio Liuzzi whose Force €ndia was the last unlapped runner.
Ferrari’s Giancarlo Fisichella jumped Romain Grosjean’s Renault in the closing laps for 16th, and the Franco Swiss driver was so unsettled that Force €ndia’s Adrian Sutil also sneaked by.
Besides Hamilton, the only other retirement was Jaime Alguersuari. The Spaniard mistakenly tried to refuel in Vettel’s Red Bull pit instead of his own Toro Rosso camp and was frantically waved back round. He stopped soon after out on the track.
€n the constructors’ world championship, McLaren retained third place ahead of Ferrari, while Williams lost sixth at the last gasp by 1.5 points to BMW Sauber
Hamilton led from pole and built a lead of 1.4s when he refuelled on the 17th lap. Vettel was able to run until the 20th, and emerged comfortably in the lead. Soon afterwards Hamilton’s challenge ended when McLaren had to withdraw his car after the telemetry revealed a problem with the right rear brake pads which were suffering from excessive wear.
Webber thus moved up to second, with Button at that stage a distant third ahead of Brawn GP team mate Rubens Barrichello. The Brazilian had run ahead of the Englishman on the opening lap but clipped Webber’s left-rear wheel with the right-hand endplate of his front wing, causing understeer. Button overtook, and chased after Webber while, at one stage, unsuccessfully fending off impressive rookie Kamui Kobayashi, until the Toyota driver finally refuelled.
€n the closing stages Button found the softer Bridgestone option tyre cured the understeer he’d had on the harder primes and homed in on Webber like a heat-seeking missile. On the final lap he drew alongside at the end of the 1.2km back straight, but Webber handled the situation beautifully, hogging the inside line and forcing Button to go to the outside where he didn’t want to go. They ran side by side for a while, but the Australian was able to keep his second place by 0.6s.
Behind them, the race was relatively uneventful. Nick Heidfeld signed off BMW Sauber’s tenure as a joint team with a solid fifth place ahead of Kobayashi, who proved to be the find of the second half of the season. Toyota’s Jarno Trulli was seventh, two-stopping where Kobayashi stopped once, and Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi survived a challenge and a brush with BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica, which left the Pole spinning, to take the final point.
Nico Rosberg was ninth for Williams with a recovered Kubica 10th. McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen fought up from his 18th place start to take 11th, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen’s uncompetitive Ferrari, Kazuki Nakajima’s Williams, Fernando Alonso who took his Renault until the 34th lap before his sole refuelling stop, and similarly single-stopping Vitantonio Liuzzi whose Force €ndia was the last unlapped runner.
Ferrari’s Giancarlo Fisichella jumped Romain Grosjean’s Renault in the closing laps for 16th, and the Franco Swiss driver was so unsettled that Force €ndia’s Adrian Sutil also sneaked by.
Besides Hamilton, the only other retirement was Jaime Alguersuari. The Spaniard mistakenly tried to refuel in Vettel’s Red Bull pit instead of his own Toro Rosso camp and was frantically waved back round. He stopped soon after out on the track.
€n the constructors’ world championship, McLaren retained third place ahead of Ferrari, while Williams lost sixth at the last gasp by 1.5 points to BMW Sauber
Q and A with Lewis Hamilton-Abu Dhabi
Lewis Hamilton and McLaren have surged back from nowhere at the start of the year to become race winners and consistent top three contenders again going into the final rounds of the 2009 season.
Having continued that form with a crushing pole position in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton told the media why he is so upbeat about 2010, but why the current car is still not perfect.
Q. If you had had this car at the start of the season, do you think you would have been fighting for the title?
Lewis Hamilton: I don't think so. It is difficult to say it would have been a world championship campaign for sure, because there are some tracks where the car has really been quite poor, I think of Spa for example. Even though it is feeling quite good here on these slow speed corners, it is still not the best car by a fair amount. We still have a lot to improve on. And the foundations of the car are not perfect, so we need to improve that for next year. The faster we get, the worse the car gets in the high speed corners, and if we went to places like Spa we would struggle still.
But the reliability has been good, the engine has been performing fantastically, and we have definitely got closer. If we had this car from the beginning we would have got closer, and if we had started from here we would have just continued to improve.
Q. Were you expecting such domination this weekend?
LH: The weekend is not over, but I didn't expect it. We arrive at every race this year, and each one is different. Sometimes we are there, sometimes we are not. We came here, and I didn't know where we would be. So it was a real surprise. On Friday we really dialled the car in, and it feels the best it has felt all year to drive. So it was a surprise for all of us.
Q. Watching trackside this place looks fantastic, how does it feel from the cockpit?
LH: It is a bit like driving a go-kart through some of those corners. Turn 11/12/13, it is like corners of a go-kart track. A bit of kerb here, a little bit more there, a little bit less - you lose vision as you go over the brow, and then the car drops back down so you get back on the power. It is cool. I like it.
Q. There were a lot of incidents in Brazil that have prompted a debate about driving standards this weekend. Is it time for a new code of conduct, or is the FIA doing enough?
LH: I think the FIA has done a tremendous job this year. Whether it has all been perfect... it is a very hard job to do. The situations are always different, but they have done a great job this year. I think for Brazil, clearly we had some great racing, some very tough calls for them, but for us in the drivers' briefing it was more comments about younger drivers coming in. The rest of us, we have been here and we have established an agreement amongst drivers. The new ones have come and have not been briefed about what we all go by manoeuvre wise, so perhaps it is a question of them becoming aware of it.
Q. What direction would you like to see F1 go now that we have a new FIA president in Jean Todt?
LH: I haven't really thought about it too much. I have not really seen Jean to say congratulations, but I think he is going to do a great job. Clearly, it is not an easy job for him to just step in and do, but he did a great job in his past history in F1 and has been a good team leader. So the people around him, hopefully he will be able to manage them very well and help us all move forward. From our point, [that means] working well with the GPDA and hopefully improve safety. For the rest of the FIA, I don't know what they need to improve but hopefully it is going to be an addition to the group and hopefully a positive.
Q. How encouraged are you by the way the team has ended the year, looking ahead to next season?
LH: It is extremely encouraging. I cannot express how encouraging it is. When you come from a team where for two years you have had a good, competitive car, to the beginning of the year where you had your doubts and you felt the car was just nowhere, and didn't know when or if it would get better. It is encouraging for the future, but it is also such an encouraging feeling to be working so close with everyone, my team-mate, and all the guys back at the factory. Bit by bit we are getting there.
Q. McLaren's approach is different to Ferrari - who drew a line under the season and started developing the new car for next year straight away. You've kept developing this year's car. Are you satisfied enough effort has gone into the 2010 car?
LH: Yes, definitely. Sure you can always start earlier, but we had to understand and work with this year's car to know where we were going. If you start making a new car but don't know where you've been or where you are coming from, then you cannot work on it. We think we have done a great job, a very good approach to understand mistakes and wrong routes/right routes with this car, to improve it to the point that we are now. But we have been focusing on next year's car for some time now so we should be quite strong.
Q. Sebastian Vettel could not explain the gap after qualifying. Could you explain it? Was it the perfect lap for you? Was it KERS?
LH: We are getting no more than we are always getting from KERS. There was a great feeling in the car, and it was a great lap. I would say it was the best lap I have done all year. It was a very, very nice lap. I need to go and look at it to see where I could improve. There are always places where you can do a little bit better, but if I compared it to my perfect lap – maybe there are a couple of hundredths here or there. Otherwise I am very happy with it.
Q. Better than the lap in Q1 then?
LH: Yeah, it was better than that. So that is why I am smiling. It was even better. Especially when you have got heavier fuel, the balance between front and rear tyres, the amount of kerb you are taking. In previous laps you take a bit too much kerb in places, hits the bottom of the car, miss the apex a bit, and lose a bit of time. But it was just full on.
Q. There has been talk this weekend about the pit exit. How close to the limit have you been there?
LH: I have been quite sensible. It is quite a challenging pit exit, especially going from 60 km/h to 100 km/h, you switch off the pit limiter and it accelerates so quickly. Then all of a sudden you have to brake, so you have to be careful. It drops all of a sudden and it is easy to lock your tyres and go straight on, so it is not easy. But is definitely exciting and should be a real challenge. There is time there if you need it.
Having continued that form with a crushing pole position in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton told the media why he is so upbeat about 2010, but why the current car is still not perfect.
Q. If you had had this car at the start of the season, do you think you would have been fighting for the title?
Lewis Hamilton: I don't think so. It is difficult to say it would have been a world championship campaign for sure, because there are some tracks where the car has really been quite poor, I think of Spa for example. Even though it is feeling quite good here on these slow speed corners, it is still not the best car by a fair amount. We still have a lot to improve on. And the foundations of the car are not perfect, so we need to improve that for next year. The faster we get, the worse the car gets in the high speed corners, and if we went to places like Spa we would struggle still.
But the reliability has been good, the engine has been performing fantastically, and we have definitely got closer. If we had this car from the beginning we would have got closer, and if we had started from here we would have just continued to improve.
Q. Were you expecting such domination this weekend?
LH: The weekend is not over, but I didn't expect it. We arrive at every race this year, and each one is different. Sometimes we are there, sometimes we are not. We came here, and I didn't know where we would be. So it was a real surprise. On Friday we really dialled the car in, and it feels the best it has felt all year to drive. So it was a surprise for all of us.
Q. Watching trackside this place looks fantastic, how does it feel from the cockpit?
LH: It is a bit like driving a go-kart through some of those corners. Turn 11/12/13, it is like corners of a go-kart track. A bit of kerb here, a little bit more there, a little bit less - you lose vision as you go over the brow, and then the car drops back down so you get back on the power. It is cool. I like it.
Q. There were a lot of incidents in Brazil that have prompted a debate about driving standards this weekend. Is it time for a new code of conduct, or is the FIA doing enough?
LH: I think the FIA has done a tremendous job this year. Whether it has all been perfect... it is a very hard job to do. The situations are always different, but they have done a great job this year. I think for Brazil, clearly we had some great racing, some very tough calls for them, but for us in the drivers' briefing it was more comments about younger drivers coming in. The rest of us, we have been here and we have established an agreement amongst drivers. The new ones have come and have not been briefed about what we all go by manoeuvre wise, so perhaps it is a question of them becoming aware of it.
Q. What direction would you like to see F1 go now that we have a new FIA president in Jean Todt?
LH: I haven't really thought about it too much. I have not really seen Jean to say congratulations, but I think he is going to do a great job. Clearly, it is not an easy job for him to just step in and do, but he did a great job in his past history in F1 and has been a good team leader. So the people around him, hopefully he will be able to manage them very well and help us all move forward. From our point, [that means] working well with the GPDA and hopefully improve safety. For the rest of the FIA, I don't know what they need to improve but hopefully it is going to be an addition to the group and hopefully a positive.
Q. How encouraged are you by the way the team has ended the year, looking ahead to next season?
LH: It is extremely encouraging. I cannot express how encouraging it is. When you come from a team where for two years you have had a good, competitive car, to the beginning of the year where you had your doubts and you felt the car was just nowhere, and didn't know when or if it would get better. It is encouraging for the future, but it is also such an encouraging feeling to be working so close with everyone, my team-mate, and all the guys back at the factory. Bit by bit we are getting there.
Q. McLaren's approach is different to Ferrari - who drew a line under the season and started developing the new car for next year straight away. You've kept developing this year's car. Are you satisfied enough effort has gone into the 2010 car?
LH: Yes, definitely. Sure you can always start earlier, but we had to understand and work with this year's car to know where we were going. If you start making a new car but don't know where you've been or where you are coming from, then you cannot work on it. We think we have done a great job, a very good approach to understand mistakes and wrong routes/right routes with this car, to improve it to the point that we are now. But we have been focusing on next year's car for some time now so we should be quite strong.
Q. Sebastian Vettel could not explain the gap after qualifying. Could you explain it? Was it the perfect lap for you? Was it KERS?
LH: We are getting no more than we are always getting from KERS. There was a great feeling in the car, and it was a great lap. I would say it was the best lap I have done all year. It was a very, very nice lap. I need to go and look at it to see where I could improve. There are always places where you can do a little bit better, but if I compared it to my perfect lap – maybe there are a couple of hundredths here or there. Otherwise I am very happy with it.
Q. Better than the lap in Q1 then?
LH: Yeah, it was better than that. So that is why I am smiling. It was even better. Especially when you have got heavier fuel, the balance between front and rear tyres, the amount of kerb you are taking. In previous laps you take a bit too much kerb in places, hits the bottom of the car, miss the apex a bit, and lose a bit of time. But it was just full on.
Q. There has been talk this weekend about the pit exit. How close to the limit have you been there?
LH: I have been quite sensible. It is quite a challenging pit exit, especially going from 60 km/h to 100 km/h, you switch off the pit limiter and it accelerates so quickly. Then all of a sudden you have to brake, so you have to be careful. It drops all of a sudden and it is easy to lock your tyres and go straight on, so it is not easy. But is definitely exciting and should be a real challenge. There is time there if you need it.
Post-qualifying car weights - Abu Dhabi
From the 2009 season, the FIA is making public the weights of the cars, with their fuel load included, following Saturday's qualifying session.
Below is the weight of each car following qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, sorted by qualifying position.
Pos Driver Weight (kg)
1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 658.5
2. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 663.0
3. Webber Red Bull-Renault 660.0
4. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 655.0
5. Button Brawn-Mercedes 657.0
6. Trulli Toyota 661.0
7. Kubica BMW-Sauber 654.5
8. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber 664.0
9. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 665.0
10. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 661.5
11. Raikkonen Ferrari 692.0*
12. Kobayashi Toyota 694.3*
13. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 697.0*
14. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 704.0*
15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 696.5*
16. Alonso Renault 708.3*
17. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 695.0*
18. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 696.0*
19. Grosjean Renault 710.8*
20. Fisichella Ferrari 692.5*
* Declared weight
Below is the weight of each car following qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, sorted by qualifying position.
Pos Driver Weight (kg)
1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 658.5
2. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 663.0
3. Webber Red Bull-Renault 660.0
4. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 655.0
5. Button Brawn-Mercedes 657.0
6. Trulli Toyota 661.0
7. Kubica BMW-Sauber 654.5
8. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber 664.0
9. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 665.0
10. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 661.5
11. Raikkonen Ferrari 692.0*
12. Kobayashi Toyota 694.3*
13. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 697.0*
14. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 704.0*
15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 696.5*
16. Alonso Renault 708.3*
17. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 695.0*
18. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 696.0*
19. Grosjean Renault 710.8*
20. Fisichella Ferrari 692.5*
* Declared weight
2009 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX post Q3
PRESS CONFERENCE – October 31, 2009
DRIVERS:
1. Lewis HAMILTON (McLaren Mercedes), 1m40.948s
2. Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull), 1m41.615s
3. Mark WEBBER (Red Bull), 1m41.726s
TV UNILATERALS
Q: Lewis, your fourth pole in seven races. You have been on fire here all weekend in Abu Dhabi. Was it as easy as it looked?
Lewis HAMILTON: Like I always say it is never easy but it definitely was as fun as it looked. The car has been I think probably the best it has been all year. It seems to really feel quite comfortable on this circuit. What they have done here is incredible and I think it is just a real pleasure to drive here and when you have definitely got the car beneath you it is just a great drive. That lap for me, we could have thought about going a bit longer, but I don’t think we were particularly too aggressive but it was quite a smooth lap. It just kept getting better and better. I am very happy with it.
Q: Sebastian, you said coming into the weekend that you wanted to finish the year on a high. Second on the grid is a great way to start.
Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, it is. Just looking ahead both of us are a little bit surprised by the gap. Lewis has been strong all weekend and generally McLaren is very strong here and we could see already in Q1 and Q2 that it would be difficult to match them. But let’s see later when we get the strategies. I think it was the maximum we could do, so very pleased so far. I think tomorrow we should have a good race. The car is working well here. It just seems that our KERS button which we have on the steering wheel is not working, so it is not an easy one but let’s see tomorrow. I think we do have a good race pace. The car is getting better throughout the distance, so I am looking forward to tomorrow.
Q: Mark, two Red Bulls in the top three and the two Brawns just behind you. A great qualifying performance from you, but do you think you can hold the new champions behind you?
Mark WEBBER: We hope so. The grid tonight is the story of the second part of the championship. Lewis has been here and there at a lot of venues, clearly they are very strong here and we will see when we get the weights, but also Seb and I are pushing as hard as we can. I enjoyed qualifying tonight and Brawn are there as well, so it is very much a message of how the second part of the championship has gone. I was pretty happy, considering when I did my lap within the session, as obviously other people can run after, so I was pretty happy.
Q: Lewis, new circuit, new country. Your feelings on this Yas Marina track and the job that they have done here to create it?
LH: Coming here I had not really seen any pictures. I had seen perhaps a picture of the hotel or something, but the place is just stunning. They all said it would be a great event, but it is mind-blowing. What they have been able to create here is really fantastic and I expect more and more people will want to come here in the future. It is a great race to come to. I definitely will try to bring my family next time. It is a great country, it’s a great part of the world. We came to Bahrain. I have been in Bahrain. I was there earlier in the week, then we came through to Dubai and then here. The weather has always been great. The people have been so respectful and so welcoming and I am sure we are going to put on a great show for everyone, so fingers crossed it is a great day tomorrow.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Lewis were you ever not going to be on pole? You have been dominant so much this weekend.
LH: Anything could have happened. Clearly we have been very competitive all weekend and the car has felt great and I didn’t have any particular doubts in my mind whether we could have done it. But it is still finding the gap, getting your tyres up to temperature, all these different things and it is easy to make mistakes but fortunately I didn’t and put a really nice lap together. Very, very happy with it.
Q: What is suiting the car here particularly? The lack of slow corners, KERS worth four-tenths-of-a-second Heikki (Kovalainen) said yesterday.
LH: Yep, it is the same at every race. You ask that question at every race. KERS, when you press that button, is worth four tenths pretty much everywhere. Three to four tenths. Here in qualifying it is around four-tenths, but obviously you have got to use it to optimise it and get the maximum from it but it works really well. The great thing is the car is working and feeling better than it has all year, so it is such a great feeling for me in the car and also for all the guys. What a great job they have done all year and what a great way to finish at least our practice session and our qualifying session and I want to go out and do the job tomorrow.
Q: What’s the circuit going to be like to race on? A lot of people were worried that off line it might be dirty.
LH: It is always dirty off line but it is not going to be somewhere like Montreal with all the bubbles off line. I don’t think it will be a problem. I have been off line a couple of places and it wasn’t too bad. The track surface, I mean we are always trying to improve other circuits saying the kerbs should be good here or we could improve the rumble strip here, but I can honestly say I think they have really done almost a perfect job at this track. They have really done a good job with the layout, with the track. It is very, very smooth. The kerbs are nice and in the right places and I think for the racing it looks very safe. I think there are quite a few opportunities to overtake, so it should be quite an exciting race, especially for the spectators here.
Q: How was the car on the option tyre?
LH: For me the option and the prime are pretty much the same. Normally we see quite a big difference between them with obviously the option being a lot quicker and a little bit grippier. Here I generally find it is very, very close. There is a different kind of warm-up, different way of using them, but I preferred the prime. For me they just seemed to be a little bit more consistent throughout the lap but no doubt the track will get grippier, so who knows what tyre we will use tomorrow.
Q: Sebastian, what was the tyre choice like for you? Is it fairly simple?
SV: Well, I think it was pretty much the same for everyone. It is difficult to point out how much there is between the tyres. I think you could see that we also favoured the prime. Overall, back to qualifying, I think it was the maximum we could do. Just a little bit surprised by the gap in the end. You know, seven tenths in qualifying is quite a big gap. Looking at the sectors, sector two I think, there are maybe a little bit too many straight lines for us, so we don’t have the button. We do have it, but it doesn’t work.
Q: Was there much difference as the natural light changed?
SV: Well, it is a little bit, but you get used to it quite quickly, so you have to deal a little bit with the visor and use a darker one maybe to start and then a lighter one for the end as when the sun goes down it is a little bit darker. But it is not a big problem. I think they have done a very good job here, similar to Singapore. Even though the lights are further away I think they seem to be strong enough to make us see all the track.
Q: Mark, what about this McLaren performance? Do you think you can take the race to them tomorrow?
MW: Easy. We are not stopping tomorrow. We don’t do a pit stop. We just put the option on for the last lap and we jump them like that, so pretty straightforward.
Q: Sounds a great idea. What’s the truth?
MW: No, look, they did good job. No question about it. They are quick. I am a bit surprised by Lewis’s time, both of us are, but we did our best. As I said before it is a reflection on the second part of the championship with Brawn sitting there as well behind us. These are the guys who have been there most of the season and here we are again, ready to go tomorrow. I enjoyed quali(fying) actually. As always you want a bit more out of it, but it was a good job by the team. We want to finish on a high and we have laid the foundations for a reasonable race tomorrow.
Q: Tell us your thoughts on the circuit, particularly for the race tomorrow?
MW: It’s a pretty good track. I would say the first sector is nice. It’s always difficult to make a track with lots and lots of quick corners because obviously you need a lot of run-off, so I can understand it’s easier in terms of space to have a lot more slower speed corners finishing the lap here. So the rhythm of the lap goes a little bit, especially in turns 11, 12, 13 – all that section up there is a little bit Mickey Mouse, but it’s unique in quite a lot of areas, I would say. Yeah, it’s a pretty good track. For overtaking, there’s obviously a very long straight, that’s clear, but I think everyone’s running pretty similar wing levels for their cars, so it’s not like Interlagos or some other tracks where you maybe have a different opinion on end-of-straight speed. It’s not going to be Interlagos, don’t worry about that, but it might be better than Barcelona.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Sana Bagersh – Abu Dhabi Tempo) What are each of you going to do between now and tomorrow’s race, to prepare mentally or physically? Any specially rituals, any relaxation techniques?
SV: Sleep. It’s quite late already. I think everyone has his own way to get prepared. Obviously everyone is trying to get a good night’s sleep, rest, then tomorrow. I don’t know what the others do, if they have a dance or whatever. I think, for myself, dancing for rain would be pretty useless here, but yeah, just trying to go through. Obviously later we will know a little bit more about strategy and then just trying to prepare, to focus on the start and then seeing how the race goes.
LH: Yeah, same for me really. A little bit different to some of the other tracks. The climate change: it’s so much hotter here, so the race will be very tough tomorrow, so you could perhaps focus on the preparation a little bit more in terms of the amount of rest you get, the fluids through the night, drinking plenty. I will probably have to make a pit stop during the night, because you’ve just got to drink as much as you can for the race tomorrow. And then just good food, we’re staying in town and I’m just going to enjoy myself, make sure I enjoy the weather, might sit on the beach, just relaxing things. I’ve got the girlfriend with me, so just relax.
MW: Yup, pretty similar: yeah, good sleep, good food and I get to the track as late possible tomorrow. No point in getting in too early. But generally the GP2 cars have been my wake-up call at the hotel, so I will sleep until they start up. But it’s very easy for us, we’re staying close here, so relax, there’s no hassle with traffic like some other venues we have like Brazil or in Shanghai. We have a lot of tracks like that where there’s a bit of a palaver getting to the track but here it’s a lot more straightforward, so that helps our preparation.
Q: (Tomas Richter – TV Nova) It looks like the most difficult corners are those before the hotel and turn one. The race will be long and hot; first of all do you agree and secondly do you expect some difficulties during the race?
MW: Yeah, you’re right, there are some difficult corners in the last sector, there’s no question about it, it’s easy to get in there a little bit deep and not hit the apex cleanly. Turn one, you’re right, is the same. It’s easy to get a little bit out of the track there but all the guys are fit these days, there should be no problems tomorrow night. It’s a pretty long race but we’ve had worse. There are a lot of straights you can relax on, so this track is not that physically demanding, it’s just a bit warm.
SV: As Mark said, there are some difficult corners, not only turn one and 15, 16, 17. Turn one is still outstanding; it’s quite quick and it’s blind, so it’s very easy to overshoot, to make a mistake at the entrance and you have a long straight following, obviously turn two, three, four which is flat, but whatever you lose there you pay the price for. 15, 16, 17 is easy to lose the car on the entrance and if you go wide it’s very easy to go off-line and then it’s quite dirty, like everywhere else, but you lose a lot of time easily. Let’s see tomorrow. I think the start is the key, turn one, and then it will be interesting going down the long straight. Obviously I hope I will be ahead of Lewis or at least right on his back, and then have a good space. I hope that Mark and myself will have good space to whoever comes behind us.
LH: I don’t particularly want to comment just on those corners. I think turn one is obviously very important for the beginning of the race but it’s fairly straightforward. The great part of this track is that even though we do have a couple of high speed corners, maybe it will be tough to follow through two, three, four but it’s not difficult to stay behind someone through five, six, seven, so that means you can be close to them and have a good chance of towing them down the back straight. Also braking into eight and nine, again it’s easy to be quite close and then relatively easy to have another shot going down the other back straight. Clearly, then, it gets a bit tighter and a little bit harder to follow, but I think it should provide some good racing, being able to be a little bit closer than normal. You normally have the long flowing corners and you lose a little bit and then you have this long straight and you never really catch up. I hope – I feel it’s designed quite well.
Q: (Vajta Balazs – Autosport Es Formula) For all three drivers: the last two or three days we’ve basically heard only positive words about the track: how great it is, the facilities and everything else. I know it’s also very hard to name negative aspects about yourself, but can you name or point out some negative points about the track?
MW: We’re paid lots of money to say good stuff, obviously. You know that we get backhanders to say that it’s a great track, so we’re not going to say anything negative. The deal is done before we all arrive, so 20 drivers, we get a backhander, easy from there! It’s a great facility, it’s a good track.
LH: (to the journalist) You should try and get in on it!
SV: I think probably the worst thing is that you get a wake-up call from the GP2 cars, if you’re sleeping at the track. Other than that: similar. Just to sum it up as well, and what we all agreed on in the drivers’ briefing: we come to many new circuits, more and more and there are always bits and pieces which can be improved, but here everything is pretty much spot on: kerbs, everything.
Q: (Vajta Balazs – Autosport Es Formula) But were you expecting a boring race because of the track layout?
SV: No, I don’t think so. As they said, you have a very long straight here and the key is that you don’t have high speed corners leading onto that straight like in Shanghai. You have a tight corner leading onto the back straight, but it opens up and then it’s difficult to follow other cars, whereas here you have the complex of five, six, seven which is quite low speed and then obviously the longer straight, leading into another low speed section, eight and nine, which gives you another chance if you’ve used the tow and then stay close to whoever is in front for turn eleven. As we’ve seen in the GP2 race and also the Porsche SuperCup race it should be a good race tomorrow. You are always smarter after a Grand Prix distance but it looks promising so far.
DRIVERS:
1. Lewis HAMILTON (McLaren Mercedes), 1m40.948s
2. Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull), 1m41.615s
3. Mark WEBBER (Red Bull), 1m41.726s
TV UNILATERALS
Q: Lewis, your fourth pole in seven races. You have been on fire here all weekend in Abu Dhabi. Was it as easy as it looked?
Lewis HAMILTON: Like I always say it is never easy but it definitely was as fun as it looked. The car has been I think probably the best it has been all year. It seems to really feel quite comfortable on this circuit. What they have done here is incredible and I think it is just a real pleasure to drive here and when you have definitely got the car beneath you it is just a great drive. That lap for me, we could have thought about going a bit longer, but I don’t think we were particularly too aggressive but it was quite a smooth lap. It just kept getting better and better. I am very happy with it.
Q: Sebastian, you said coming into the weekend that you wanted to finish the year on a high. Second on the grid is a great way to start.
Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, it is. Just looking ahead both of us are a little bit surprised by the gap. Lewis has been strong all weekend and generally McLaren is very strong here and we could see already in Q1 and Q2 that it would be difficult to match them. But let’s see later when we get the strategies. I think it was the maximum we could do, so very pleased so far. I think tomorrow we should have a good race. The car is working well here. It just seems that our KERS button which we have on the steering wheel is not working, so it is not an easy one but let’s see tomorrow. I think we do have a good race pace. The car is getting better throughout the distance, so I am looking forward to tomorrow.
Q: Mark, two Red Bulls in the top three and the two Brawns just behind you. A great qualifying performance from you, but do you think you can hold the new champions behind you?
Mark WEBBER: We hope so. The grid tonight is the story of the second part of the championship. Lewis has been here and there at a lot of venues, clearly they are very strong here and we will see when we get the weights, but also Seb and I are pushing as hard as we can. I enjoyed qualifying tonight and Brawn are there as well, so it is very much a message of how the second part of the championship has gone. I was pretty happy, considering when I did my lap within the session, as obviously other people can run after, so I was pretty happy.
Q: Lewis, new circuit, new country. Your feelings on this Yas Marina track and the job that they have done here to create it?
LH: Coming here I had not really seen any pictures. I had seen perhaps a picture of the hotel or something, but the place is just stunning. They all said it would be a great event, but it is mind-blowing. What they have been able to create here is really fantastic and I expect more and more people will want to come here in the future. It is a great race to come to. I definitely will try to bring my family next time. It is a great country, it’s a great part of the world. We came to Bahrain. I have been in Bahrain. I was there earlier in the week, then we came through to Dubai and then here. The weather has always been great. The people have been so respectful and so welcoming and I am sure we are going to put on a great show for everyone, so fingers crossed it is a great day tomorrow.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Lewis were you ever not going to be on pole? You have been dominant so much this weekend.
LH: Anything could have happened. Clearly we have been very competitive all weekend and the car has felt great and I didn’t have any particular doubts in my mind whether we could have done it. But it is still finding the gap, getting your tyres up to temperature, all these different things and it is easy to make mistakes but fortunately I didn’t and put a really nice lap together. Very, very happy with it.
Q: What is suiting the car here particularly? The lack of slow corners, KERS worth four-tenths-of-a-second Heikki (Kovalainen) said yesterday.
LH: Yep, it is the same at every race. You ask that question at every race. KERS, when you press that button, is worth four tenths pretty much everywhere. Three to four tenths. Here in qualifying it is around four-tenths, but obviously you have got to use it to optimise it and get the maximum from it but it works really well. The great thing is the car is working and feeling better than it has all year, so it is such a great feeling for me in the car and also for all the guys. What a great job they have done all year and what a great way to finish at least our practice session and our qualifying session and I want to go out and do the job tomorrow.
Q: What’s the circuit going to be like to race on? A lot of people were worried that off line it might be dirty.
LH: It is always dirty off line but it is not going to be somewhere like Montreal with all the bubbles off line. I don’t think it will be a problem. I have been off line a couple of places and it wasn’t too bad. The track surface, I mean we are always trying to improve other circuits saying the kerbs should be good here or we could improve the rumble strip here, but I can honestly say I think they have really done almost a perfect job at this track. They have really done a good job with the layout, with the track. It is very, very smooth. The kerbs are nice and in the right places and I think for the racing it looks very safe. I think there are quite a few opportunities to overtake, so it should be quite an exciting race, especially for the spectators here.
Q: How was the car on the option tyre?
LH: For me the option and the prime are pretty much the same. Normally we see quite a big difference between them with obviously the option being a lot quicker and a little bit grippier. Here I generally find it is very, very close. There is a different kind of warm-up, different way of using them, but I preferred the prime. For me they just seemed to be a little bit more consistent throughout the lap but no doubt the track will get grippier, so who knows what tyre we will use tomorrow.
Q: Sebastian, what was the tyre choice like for you? Is it fairly simple?
SV: Well, I think it was pretty much the same for everyone. It is difficult to point out how much there is between the tyres. I think you could see that we also favoured the prime. Overall, back to qualifying, I think it was the maximum we could do. Just a little bit surprised by the gap in the end. You know, seven tenths in qualifying is quite a big gap. Looking at the sectors, sector two I think, there are maybe a little bit too many straight lines for us, so we don’t have the button. We do have it, but it doesn’t work.
Q: Was there much difference as the natural light changed?
SV: Well, it is a little bit, but you get used to it quite quickly, so you have to deal a little bit with the visor and use a darker one maybe to start and then a lighter one for the end as when the sun goes down it is a little bit darker. But it is not a big problem. I think they have done a very good job here, similar to Singapore. Even though the lights are further away I think they seem to be strong enough to make us see all the track.
Q: Mark, what about this McLaren performance? Do you think you can take the race to them tomorrow?
MW: Easy. We are not stopping tomorrow. We don’t do a pit stop. We just put the option on for the last lap and we jump them like that, so pretty straightforward.
Q: Sounds a great idea. What’s the truth?
MW: No, look, they did good job. No question about it. They are quick. I am a bit surprised by Lewis’s time, both of us are, but we did our best. As I said before it is a reflection on the second part of the championship with Brawn sitting there as well behind us. These are the guys who have been there most of the season and here we are again, ready to go tomorrow. I enjoyed quali(fying) actually. As always you want a bit more out of it, but it was a good job by the team. We want to finish on a high and we have laid the foundations for a reasonable race tomorrow.
Q: Tell us your thoughts on the circuit, particularly for the race tomorrow?
MW: It’s a pretty good track. I would say the first sector is nice. It’s always difficult to make a track with lots and lots of quick corners because obviously you need a lot of run-off, so I can understand it’s easier in terms of space to have a lot more slower speed corners finishing the lap here. So the rhythm of the lap goes a little bit, especially in turns 11, 12, 13 – all that section up there is a little bit Mickey Mouse, but it’s unique in quite a lot of areas, I would say. Yeah, it’s a pretty good track. For overtaking, there’s obviously a very long straight, that’s clear, but I think everyone’s running pretty similar wing levels for their cars, so it’s not like Interlagos or some other tracks where you maybe have a different opinion on end-of-straight speed. It’s not going to be Interlagos, don’t worry about that, but it might be better than Barcelona.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Sana Bagersh – Abu Dhabi Tempo) What are each of you going to do between now and tomorrow’s race, to prepare mentally or physically? Any specially rituals, any relaxation techniques?
SV: Sleep. It’s quite late already. I think everyone has his own way to get prepared. Obviously everyone is trying to get a good night’s sleep, rest, then tomorrow. I don’t know what the others do, if they have a dance or whatever. I think, for myself, dancing for rain would be pretty useless here, but yeah, just trying to go through. Obviously later we will know a little bit more about strategy and then just trying to prepare, to focus on the start and then seeing how the race goes.
LH: Yeah, same for me really. A little bit different to some of the other tracks. The climate change: it’s so much hotter here, so the race will be very tough tomorrow, so you could perhaps focus on the preparation a little bit more in terms of the amount of rest you get, the fluids through the night, drinking plenty. I will probably have to make a pit stop during the night, because you’ve just got to drink as much as you can for the race tomorrow. And then just good food, we’re staying in town and I’m just going to enjoy myself, make sure I enjoy the weather, might sit on the beach, just relaxing things. I’ve got the girlfriend with me, so just relax.
MW: Yup, pretty similar: yeah, good sleep, good food and I get to the track as late possible tomorrow. No point in getting in too early. But generally the GP2 cars have been my wake-up call at the hotel, so I will sleep until they start up. But it’s very easy for us, we’re staying close here, so relax, there’s no hassle with traffic like some other venues we have like Brazil or in Shanghai. We have a lot of tracks like that where there’s a bit of a palaver getting to the track but here it’s a lot more straightforward, so that helps our preparation.
Q: (Tomas Richter – TV Nova) It looks like the most difficult corners are those before the hotel and turn one. The race will be long and hot; first of all do you agree and secondly do you expect some difficulties during the race?
MW: Yeah, you’re right, there are some difficult corners in the last sector, there’s no question about it, it’s easy to get in there a little bit deep and not hit the apex cleanly. Turn one, you’re right, is the same. It’s easy to get a little bit out of the track there but all the guys are fit these days, there should be no problems tomorrow night. It’s a pretty long race but we’ve had worse. There are a lot of straights you can relax on, so this track is not that physically demanding, it’s just a bit warm.
SV: As Mark said, there are some difficult corners, not only turn one and 15, 16, 17. Turn one is still outstanding; it’s quite quick and it’s blind, so it’s very easy to overshoot, to make a mistake at the entrance and you have a long straight following, obviously turn two, three, four which is flat, but whatever you lose there you pay the price for. 15, 16, 17 is easy to lose the car on the entrance and if you go wide it’s very easy to go off-line and then it’s quite dirty, like everywhere else, but you lose a lot of time easily. Let’s see tomorrow. I think the start is the key, turn one, and then it will be interesting going down the long straight. Obviously I hope I will be ahead of Lewis or at least right on his back, and then have a good space. I hope that Mark and myself will have good space to whoever comes behind us.
LH: I don’t particularly want to comment just on those corners. I think turn one is obviously very important for the beginning of the race but it’s fairly straightforward. The great part of this track is that even though we do have a couple of high speed corners, maybe it will be tough to follow through two, three, four but it’s not difficult to stay behind someone through five, six, seven, so that means you can be close to them and have a good chance of towing them down the back straight. Also braking into eight and nine, again it’s easy to be quite close and then relatively easy to have another shot going down the other back straight. Clearly, then, it gets a bit tighter and a little bit harder to follow, but I think it should provide some good racing, being able to be a little bit closer than normal. You normally have the long flowing corners and you lose a little bit and then you have this long straight and you never really catch up. I hope – I feel it’s designed quite well.
Q: (Vajta Balazs – Autosport Es Formula) For all three drivers: the last two or three days we’ve basically heard only positive words about the track: how great it is, the facilities and everything else. I know it’s also very hard to name negative aspects about yourself, but can you name or point out some negative points about the track?
MW: We’re paid lots of money to say good stuff, obviously. You know that we get backhanders to say that it’s a great track, so we’re not going to say anything negative. The deal is done before we all arrive, so 20 drivers, we get a backhander, easy from there! It’s a great facility, it’s a good track.
LH: (to the journalist) You should try and get in on it!
SV: I think probably the worst thing is that you get a wake-up call from the GP2 cars, if you’re sleeping at the track. Other than that: similar. Just to sum it up as well, and what we all agreed on in the drivers’ briefing: we come to many new circuits, more and more and there are always bits and pieces which can be improved, but here everything is pretty much spot on: kerbs, everything.
Q: (Vajta Balazs – Autosport Es Formula) But were you expecting a boring race because of the track layout?
SV: No, I don’t think so. As they said, you have a very long straight here and the key is that you don’t have high speed corners leading onto that straight like in Shanghai. You have a tight corner leading onto the back straight, but it opens up and then it’s difficult to follow other cars, whereas here you have the complex of five, six, seven which is quite low speed and then obviously the longer straight, leading into another low speed section, eight and nine, which gives you another chance if you’ve used the tow and then stay close to whoever is in front for turn eleven. As we’ve seen in the GP2 race and also the Porsche SuperCup race it should be a good race tomorrow. You are always smarter after a Grand Prix distance but it looks promising so far.
Hamilton flies to Abu Dhabi pole
Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position for the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by a crushing 0.7s margin over the Red Bulls.
McLaren driver Hamilton had dominated the early stages of qualifying - topping Q1 by half a second and Q2 by 0.3s. He then squandered his first Q3 lap by running wide at Turn 17, but regrouped and set a 1m41.773s next time around to take provisional pole from Rubens Barrichello (Brawn).
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber then made massive gains to jump from potential fourth row positions to first and second in the closing seconds. However Hamilton was already on a much faster final lap, and he duly put in a time of 1m40.948s to take his fourth pole of 2009.
An all-McLaren front row looked possible given the team's practice pace, but Heikki Kovalainen's car stopped with a transmission fault in Q2. Third at the time, he slipped to 13th on the grid.
Vettel, Webber and Barrichello remained in second to fourth positions, with new world champion Jenson Button fifth in the second Brawn.
Toyota's Jarno Trulli was a contender for pole early in Q3 but found himself edged down to sixth by the end, ahead of the two BMWs, which share row four for the team's final race. Williams's Nico Rosberg and Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi completed the top ten.
Neither Ferrari made it into the top ten - making 2009 the first season since 1993 that the team has not managed a single pole. Kimi Raikkonen only narrowly missed Q3 in 11th place, but his team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella was slowest of all - leaving Ferrari hard-pressed to overcome McLaren's two-point advantage in their battle for third in the Constructors' Championship.
It was an even worse session for Renault. Fernando Alonso could only manage 16th, so was eliminated in Q1 for the first time ever, while his team-mate Romain Grosjean had a spin on the way to 19th, behind the disappointing Force Indias.
Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3
1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:39.873 1:39.695 1:40.948
2. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:40.666 1:39.984 1:41.615
3. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:40.667 1:40.272 1:41.726
4. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:40.574 1:40.421 1:41.786
5. Button Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:40.378 1:40.148 1:41.892
6. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:40.517 1:40.373 1:41.897
7. Kubica BMW-Sauber (B) 1:40.520 1:40.545 1:41.992
8. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber (B) 1:40.558 1:40.635 1:42.343
9. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:40.842 1:40.661 1:42.583
10. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:40.908 1:40.430 1:42.713
11. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:41.100 1:40.726
12. Kobayashi Toyota (B) 1:41.035 1:40.777
13. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:40.808 1:40.983
14. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:41.096 1:41.148
15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:41.503 1:41.689
16. Alonso Renault (B) 1:41.667
17. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:41.701
18. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:41.863
19. Grosjean Renault (B) 1:41.950
20. Fisichella Ferrari (B) 1:42.184
McLaren driver Hamilton had dominated the early stages of qualifying - topping Q1 by half a second and Q2 by 0.3s. He then squandered his first Q3 lap by running wide at Turn 17, but regrouped and set a 1m41.773s next time around to take provisional pole from Rubens Barrichello (Brawn).
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber then made massive gains to jump from potential fourth row positions to first and second in the closing seconds. However Hamilton was already on a much faster final lap, and he duly put in a time of 1m40.948s to take his fourth pole of 2009.
An all-McLaren front row looked possible given the team's practice pace, but Heikki Kovalainen's car stopped with a transmission fault in Q2. Third at the time, he slipped to 13th on the grid.
Vettel, Webber and Barrichello remained in second to fourth positions, with new world champion Jenson Button fifth in the second Brawn.
Toyota's Jarno Trulli was a contender for pole early in Q3 but found himself edged down to sixth by the end, ahead of the two BMWs, which share row four for the team's final race. Williams's Nico Rosberg and Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi completed the top ten.
Neither Ferrari made it into the top ten - making 2009 the first season since 1993 that the team has not managed a single pole. Kimi Raikkonen only narrowly missed Q3 in 11th place, but his team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella was slowest of all - leaving Ferrari hard-pressed to overcome McLaren's two-point advantage in their battle for third in the Constructors' Championship.
It was an even worse session for Renault. Fernando Alonso could only manage 16th, so was eliminated in Q1 for the first time ever, while his team-mate Romain Grosjean had a spin on the way to 19th, behind the disappointing Force Indias.
Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3
1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:39.873 1:39.695 1:40.948
2. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:40.666 1:39.984 1:41.615
3. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:40.667 1:40.272 1:41.726
4. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:40.574 1:40.421 1:41.786
5. Button Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:40.378 1:40.148 1:41.892
6. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:40.517 1:40.373 1:41.897
7. Kubica BMW-Sauber (B) 1:40.520 1:40.545 1:41.992
8. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber (B) 1:40.558 1:40.635 1:42.343
9. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:40.842 1:40.661 1:42.583
10. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:40.908 1:40.430 1:42.713
11. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:41.100 1:40.726
12. Kobayashi Toyota (B) 1:41.035 1:40.777
13. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:40.808 1:40.983
14. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:41.096 1:41.148
15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:41.503 1:41.689
16. Alonso Renault (B) 1:41.667
17. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:41.701
18. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:41.863
19. Grosjean Renault (B) 1:41.950
20. Fisichella Ferrari (B) 1:42.184
Button fastest in final Abu Dhabi practice
Jenson Button beat Lewis Hamilton by a scant 0.002 seconds in the final Formula 1 practice session of 2009 in Abu Dhabi.
The pair of British world champions had been closely-matched during Friday's sessions and resumed battle today, with Button sneaking ahead right at the end of the hour and earning his first fastest time in an official session since he took pole in Monaco five months ago.
McLaren driver Hamilton had been the man to beat for the majority of the session.
Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi had swapped first place with Hamilton's team-mate Heikki Kovalainen early on, and then Button edged ahead of them with a very early soft tyre run. But then Hamilton completely blew them away with a 1m41.270s lap - 1.1s quicker than anyone else - on hard tyres just before the halfway point.
He later shaved a further 0.2s off that mark, and although Buemi briefly nosed back ahead, when Hamilton switched to soft tyres he rapidly moved back in front with a 1m40.810s two minutes from the end.
That looked set to stand as the best time of the session, until Button - back on harder tyres - stole the top spot with a 1m40.625s. Hamilton, still on his now-worn softs, improving to just 0.002s behind, but Button was going faster still on his next lap before backing off and returning to the pits.
Rubens Barrichello jumped to third in the dying seconds in the second Brawn, ahead of Buemi.
Nick Heidfeld completed the top five for BMW, despite earlier expressing his amazement at team-mate Robert Kubica's pace. In the end, the Pole was three places further back, behind Kovalainen and Toyota's Jarno Trulli. Adrian Sutil and Kimi Raikkonen filled the final top ten places for Force India and Ferrari.
The session passed without major incident, bar a brush of the barrier by Force India's Tonio Liuzzi and two quick spins from Renault's Romain Grosjean.
But while there were no accidents, Jaime Alguersuari was sidelined for the entire hour as his Toro Rosso team worked to fix a hydraulic problem.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Button Brawn GP-Mercedes (B) 1:40.625 21
2. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:40.627 + 0.002 18
3. Barrichello Brawn GP-Mercedes (B) 1:40.907 + 0.282 20
4. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:40.934 + 0.309 22
5. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:41.241 + 0.616 18
6. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:41.263 + 0.638 20
7. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:41.310 + 0.685 23
8. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:41.322 + 0.697 20
9. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:41.372 + 0.747 22
10. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:41.373 + 0.748 23
11. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:41.403 + 0.778 19
12. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:41.478 + 0.853 22
13. Kobayashi Toyota (B) 1:41.499 + 0.874 24
14. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:41.675 + 1.050 20
15. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:41.682 + 1.057 15
16. Alonso Renault (B) 1:41.897 + 1.272 19
17. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:42.156 + 1.531 21
18. Grosjean Renault (B) 1:42.213 + 1.588 19
19. Fisichella Ferrari (B) 1:42.351 + 1.726 23
The pair of British world champions had been closely-matched during Friday's sessions and resumed battle today, with Button sneaking ahead right at the end of the hour and earning his first fastest time in an official session since he took pole in Monaco five months ago.
McLaren driver Hamilton had been the man to beat for the majority of the session.
Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi had swapped first place with Hamilton's team-mate Heikki Kovalainen early on, and then Button edged ahead of them with a very early soft tyre run. But then Hamilton completely blew them away with a 1m41.270s lap - 1.1s quicker than anyone else - on hard tyres just before the halfway point.
He later shaved a further 0.2s off that mark, and although Buemi briefly nosed back ahead, when Hamilton switched to soft tyres he rapidly moved back in front with a 1m40.810s two minutes from the end.
That looked set to stand as the best time of the session, until Button - back on harder tyres - stole the top spot with a 1m40.625s. Hamilton, still on his now-worn softs, improving to just 0.002s behind, but Button was going faster still on his next lap before backing off and returning to the pits.
Rubens Barrichello jumped to third in the dying seconds in the second Brawn, ahead of Buemi.
Nick Heidfeld completed the top five for BMW, despite earlier expressing his amazement at team-mate Robert Kubica's pace. In the end, the Pole was three places further back, behind Kovalainen and Toyota's Jarno Trulli. Adrian Sutil and Kimi Raikkonen filled the final top ten places for Force India and Ferrari.
The session passed without major incident, bar a brush of the barrier by Force India's Tonio Liuzzi and two quick spins from Renault's Romain Grosjean.
But while there were no accidents, Jaime Alguersuari was sidelined for the entire hour as his Toro Rosso team worked to fix a hydraulic problem.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Button Brawn GP-Mercedes (B) 1:40.625 21
2. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:40.627 + 0.002 18
3. Barrichello Brawn GP-Mercedes (B) 1:40.907 + 0.282 20
4. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:40.934 + 0.309 22
5. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:41.241 + 0.616 18
6. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:41.263 + 0.638 20
7. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:41.310 + 0.685 23
8. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:41.322 + 0.697 20
9. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:41.372 + 0.747 22
10. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:41.373 + 0.748 23
11. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:41.403 + 0.778 19
12. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:41.478 + 0.853 22
13. Kobayashi Toyota (B) 1:41.499 + 0.874 24
14. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:41.675 + 1.050 20
15. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:41.682 + 1.057 15
16. Alonso Renault (B) 1:41.897 + 1.272 19
17. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:42.156 + 1.531 21
18. Grosjean Renault (B) 1:42.213 + 1.588 19
19. Fisichella Ferrari (B) 1:42.351 + 1.726 23
Friday, 30 October 2009
Trulli, Sutil spat continues in Abu Dhabi
Jarno Trulli and Adrian Sutil reopened their war of words over who was to blame for their opening-lap collision in the Brazilian Grand Prix in an extraordinary appearance alongside each other in Thursday’s FIA press conference in Abu Dhabi.
The pair crashed out of the Interlagos race two weeks ago while battling over fourth position, Trulli losing control of his Toyota as he attempted to pass his Force India rival on the kerb on the outside of turn five and slamming into the side of Sutil’s car.
Then after clambering out of their damaged cars after the incident, a clearly incensed Trulli ran over to Sutil and started gesticulating furiously at the German driver – actions which later resulted in him being fined $10,000 by race stewards.
Almost two weeks on from their acrimonious tangle, the pair appeared alongside each other in the first ever press conference at the new Yas Marina Circuit and a question asking whether they had now settled their differences triggered an amazing public resumption of hostilities.
Trulli, clearly still fuming about the incident he claims cost him a shot at a podium finish, said he expected the crash to be discussed in Friday’s driver briefing, a view that prompted Sutil to accuse the veteran Italian of “freaking out”.
"Obviously it was very disappointing to end the race like that, especially on the first lap,” Trulli said.
"I had every reason to be extremely furious. I've got all the evidence to show that I was there and was next to him, and tomorrow we are going to discuss it."
Sutil, however, felt the incident was cut and dried, adding: "I think there's nothing to discuss, it was quite an obvious incident.
"In the end it was very disappointing for myself I think even more because I was the one who was just driving, and he lost control of his car and crashed into my back.
"It was not my problem, it's his problem. I don't know why he's freaking out like that to be honest."
In an attempt to further his argument, Trulli then produced photographs of the incident which he claims proved he had managed to get his Toyota fully alongside Sutil’s car.
However, Sutil immediately fired back, saying his rival should clearly have backed out of the move while claiming Trulli had also made the same mistake when they crashed earlier in the season in Spain.
“I can show you some pictures, I don't know if you're blind, but I can clearly show you my front wing is next to your front wing,” Trulli said.
Sutil replied: "But you're trying to overtake me on the outside of the kerbing. There was not a problem. You were just not going off the power.
"The same happened in Barcelona where you lost control again and crashed again into a Force India car.
"You have to sometimes also respect the limits of the car. If there’s nowhere to go, you have to back off – that's how the racing is. I don't know how long you need to learn this."
Trulli was in no mood to accept this version of events, saying: "In Barcelona I spun and he hit me because he cut the kerb, cut the circuit completely, and he didn't slow down."
To which Sutil retorted: "I didn't hit you. You hit me. I don't know what is your problem. I don't understand really, sorry."
After watching the pair trade verbal blows for several minutes, Fernando Alonso was then asked for his view of the incident having run several cars behind the battling pair on the opening lap at Interlagos before being collected by the spinning Sutil.
The Renault driver was keen not to be drawn into the spat, simply saying the accident would be discussed in Friday’s driver meeting: “I saw everything more or less...but as Jarno said tomorrow in the drivers' briefing we will discuss it, deeply.”
The pair crashed out of the Interlagos race two weeks ago while battling over fourth position, Trulli losing control of his Toyota as he attempted to pass his Force India rival on the kerb on the outside of turn five and slamming into the side of Sutil’s car.
Then after clambering out of their damaged cars after the incident, a clearly incensed Trulli ran over to Sutil and started gesticulating furiously at the German driver – actions which later resulted in him being fined $10,000 by race stewards.
Almost two weeks on from their acrimonious tangle, the pair appeared alongside each other in the first ever press conference at the new Yas Marina Circuit and a question asking whether they had now settled their differences triggered an amazing public resumption of hostilities.
Trulli, clearly still fuming about the incident he claims cost him a shot at a podium finish, said he expected the crash to be discussed in Friday’s driver briefing, a view that prompted Sutil to accuse the veteran Italian of “freaking out”.
"Obviously it was very disappointing to end the race like that, especially on the first lap,” Trulli said.
"I had every reason to be extremely furious. I've got all the evidence to show that I was there and was next to him, and tomorrow we are going to discuss it."
Sutil, however, felt the incident was cut and dried, adding: "I think there's nothing to discuss, it was quite an obvious incident.
"In the end it was very disappointing for myself I think even more because I was the one who was just driving, and he lost control of his car and crashed into my back.
"It was not my problem, it's his problem. I don't know why he's freaking out like that to be honest."
In an attempt to further his argument, Trulli then produced photographs of the incident which he claims proved he had managed to get his Toyota fully alongside Sutil’s car.
However, Sutil immediately fired back, saying his rival should clearly have backed out of the move while claiming Trulli had also made the same mistake when they crashed earlier in the season in Spain.
“I can show you some pictures, I don't know if you're blind, but I can clearly show you my front wing is next to your front wing,” Trulli said.
Sutil replied: "But you're trying to overtake me on the outside of the kerbing. There was not a problem. You were just not going off the power.
"The same happened in Barcelona where you lost control again and crashed again into a Force India car.
"You have to sometimes also respect the limits of the car. If there’s nowhere to go, you have to back off – that's how the racing is. I don't know how long you need to learn this."
Trulli was in no mood to accept this version of events, saying: "In Barcelona I spun and he hit me because he cut the kerb, cut the circuit completely, and he didn't slow down."
To which Sutil retorted: "I didn't hit you. You hit me. I don't know what is your problem. I don't understand really, sorry."
After watching the pair trade verbal blows for several minutes, Fernando Alonso was then asked for his view of the incident having run several cars behind the battling pair on the opening lap at Interlagos before being collected by the spinning Sutil.
The Renault driver was keen not to be drawn into the spat, simply saying the accident would be discussed in Friday’s driver meeting: “I saw everything more or less...but as Jarno said tomorrow in the drivers' briefing we will discuss it, deeply.”
Thursday, 29 October 2009
FIA Thursday press conference - Abu Dhabi
Drivers: Fernando Alonso (Renault), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), Adrian Sutil (Force India) and Jarno Trulli (Toyota)
Q: A question to you all. What are your reactions to seeing the Yas Island Circuit for the first time. The facilities? The circuit? Adrian, would you like to start?
Adrian Sutil: Impressive, let’s say. A very nice circuit, very big. I think it is the biggest I’ve ever seen. The facilities are amazing. It is going to be an interesting weekend really.
Jarno Trulli: I think I agree. I was impressed with the facilities and the place and the circuit. So far it seems to be very well made with the surface and the kerbs. I think the run-off area so far seems pretty good. Obviously before we judge the circuit lay-out we need to have a run.
Kimi Raikkonen: I have only seen the paddock area so far. I haven’t been around the circuit yet. It looks all new and you can see a bit that it is last minute but, overall, it is a very big, massive thing and it will be one of the nicest when everything is ready.
Q: Fernando, have you looked at it on the simulator?
Fernando Alonso: No, no simulator for us. Not even Play Station this time. It will be the first lap tomorrow. Again, the same as all the others, I am very impressed with all the facilities. The circuit itself and the lay-out I think we need to wait until tomorrow as in the car you have always different feelings and different sensations, so I am looking forward. It will be an interesting weekend especially with the late start for the race, with the lights, so it can be quite a good show for television.
Q: Adrian, you have tried it on the simulator, haven’t you?
AS: Yes, I tried it on the simulator. It is quite good to drive but let’s say, not overwhelming, but let’s see how it is in the real. It is always a different thing.
Q: Do you think you can continue the form you have shown in the last few races here?
AS: Well, hopefully yes. There are long straights on this circuit, so hopefully it will suit our car but it is hard to say where we are. It went really well in the last races, especially in qualifying where our pace was great. But it is a new circuit and we have no set-up here. For everybody it is a big challenge, so let’s see how we go but we try to do the best out of the car and hope for a really good race.
Q: There are a lot of right angle turns here. Do you think they will hurt the car?
AS: Yeah, a long straight and then hairpins. Some second gear corners, some first gear corners, so actually really slow corners everywhere. I am not sure if it suits us but we will have to try and make the best out of it. But when I walked the circuit today I had quite a good feeling, so hopefully it is the truth.
Q: What about your future? What are the chances of staying on at Force India?
AS: Well, at the moment I am still not confirmed but we are talking with Force India for sure and it would be a good thing to do another season there. Both sides are interested and I feel really well with my team at the moment.
Q: Jarno, a similar questions to you really, concerning your form over the last few races and your future.
JT: I think it was really good by the team to show the performance in the last few races after a poor middle of the season. It was nice to be back fighting for the front. I think we missed a little bit of luck but all in all it was nice to prove that Toyota was bouncing back after a fantastic start to the season. But to be honest we have gone through such an up and down season that it is difficult to predict what is going to happen for this race. These hot conditions should suit our car but it is only a hope and we will only find out during the weekend. Regarding the future, I have nothing to say or add at the moment.
Q: Are you talking to other teams as well at the moment?
JT: I prefer not to make any speculation. Obviously I have got some options.
Q: What are your thoughts on possibly leaving Toyota?
JT: Obviously there is a high chance to be leaving Toyota but it difficult to say and talk about. A lot is up in the air.
Q: Kimi, what are your thoughts on leaving Ferrari?
KR: Well, it is not any different than a few races ago. I don’t have a contract anymore with them. It is the last race and we try to make a good result and we will see what happens in the future.
Q: Is your focus totally on Formula One or would you like to pursue your rallying career?
KR: Basically I have a few different options and we will see what is the best one overall and then make my decision.
Q: Would rallying be a consideration?
KR: It is definitely one of them, but I mean it is not just Formula One and rallying. There are other things I could do and we will see what happens.
Q: Just looking back at the second part of the season. You have only scored two points less than the person who has scored the most points. Considering that development has stopped on the car it is a pretty remarkable record, isn’t it?
KR: Yeah, I think we had a good second half. The car is definitely not the fastest but we found a pretty good way of working with the car and getting the best out of. It has been more normal to drive than for a long time before. Once you get something that you have a good feeling with, then usually you get good results. The bigger teams or the better teams who have been faster this year should have done better; better cars, better results and better points overall in the last part but they haven’t and I think we did pretty well.
Q: It seems almost unfair that the focus has been on your team-mates and how fast they have been going whereas you have been racking up points all the time.
KR: It makes no difference for me really. I don’t think they have been going very fast and they can talk to them as much as they want. We just try to score points and get good results. That has been our aim and is still our aim in the last race and hopefully we can get a bit more than McLaren.
Q: Fernando, looking at your future and leaving Renault. What are your thoughts on those?
FA: Well, obviously it is finishing one of the steps that you do in your career and now it is time to move forward and change team. It will be quite an emotional race as it has been many years with Renault now, seven years with them, and I know everybody in the team. Some of them after so many years are good friends to me, so for sure I will miss them in the future but a new challenge is ahead of me now and I am looking forward to next year as well.
Q: When do you go to Ferrari for the first time? Is there a date?
FA: No, there is not a date.
Q: No ideas?
FA: No, soon.
Q: Pretty soon?
FA: Hopefully, yes.
Q: I know for a long time you had somewhere to live in Oxford. Are you going to have somewhere in Maranello?
FA: No, I will be in Switzerland, where I am now, but it is not too far from Maranello. It is only three hours driving or whatever, or two, so it won’t be too difficult to go there.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Dan Knutson - National Speed Sport News) If I can ask all of you. Jean Todt is the new President of the FIA. What would you like to see him achieve and accomplish for Formula One? Jarno, would you like to start?
JT: I mean he knows better than me what Formula One needs at the moment. Probably stability and consistency in terms of rules as this will help the cost cutting. There are plenty of things that will be discussed with the team principals. They really have to work together in order to get Formula One back to where it was last year. This year has been pretty difficult in general. On our side, the drivers’ side, I think we have always had a good relationship with the FIA people. We look after safety and it will be important to talk to each other.
KR: I think he is going to do good work. I think he is a good guy for this work and he is very straightforward and not too much politics. But I know from working with him that he is going to be the right guy.
FA: The same. I think his experience in Formula One will be a huge help to improve things and he will have a better idea of what Formula One needs. He is quite a clever guy, so I am sure we are in good hands now.
AS: Yeah, I think a good President. He has a lot of experience in Formula One and he knows what’s important. I think the biggest point is maybe the drivers can also argue a little bit than just being asked about situations and stuff like that as it did not really happen, I think I had a feeling, in the last years. That will be the most important thing for myself that we are in there for discussions as well sometimes.
Q: (Chris Lines - Associated Press) Question for you all about the late start: starting in the afternoon, going into the evening. We had a situation in Australia, first race of the year, with a similar kind of timing. Towards the end of the race there were complaints from the drivers about the sun getting in their eyes, complaints about the track cooling down, so the grip wasn’t as good. Do you have concerns here for the same reasons?
KR: I don’t think there will be any problems. Of course, it might look a little bit different at some point when the sun disappears but the lights, at least in Singapore, were so good that you hardly see the difference between day and night. Here, it will be quite hot anyhow, so it should be OK.
Q: Would ten degrees make a lot of difference to the track temperature?
FA: I don’t think so. I think in Australia the temperatures were different. Here, the track temperature at the start of the race will maybe be 50 degrees, so it will never be cool enough to give you problems warming up the tyres.
AS: Very similar. I think it won’t be a real problem. The only place where we were quite late this year with the sunset was in Australia. It was a little bit difficult, for sure, in some corners but not a problem for me, and temperature-wise, well, it’s so hot here anyway, so we shouldn’t have a problem. For sure you have to readjust the temperatures but it’s about communicating with the engineers and just doing the right thing at the right time.
JT: I agree. In general temperatures shouldn’t be a problem. The only question mark which we will eventually find out about tomorrow will be the shadows because of the sunset in this twilight race. We’ve got the experience of Australia and all the time schedule has been moved, so already tomorrow we will find out, so we will get an idea.
Q: (Ian Parkes - The Press Association) Question to Jarno and Adrian: I’m just wondering if you two guys have settled your differences after your exchange of words following your first lap accident in Brazil?
JT: I think we’re going to discuss it probably tomorrow in the drivers’ briefing and in the GPDA briefing. Obviously it was very disappointing to end the race like that, especially on the first lap. Obviously I think I had every reason to be extremely furious. I’ve got all the evidence to show that I was there, I was next to him, so I think tomorrow we are going to discuss it.
AS: I think there’s nothing to discuss. It was a quite obvious incident. In the end it was very disappointing for myself, even more, I think, because I was the one who was just driving and he lost control of his car and crashed in my back, so it was not my problem, it was his problem. I don’t know why he’s freaking out like that, to be honest.
JT: (Laughing) If you want, I can show you some pictures. I don’t know if you’re blind but they clearly show you that my front wing is next to your front wing, so…
AS: Yeah, but you’re trying to overtake me on the outside on the kerbing. There was not a problem…
JT: So you mean… you didn’t move there…
AS: No, you were just not going off the power. The same happened in Barcelona where you lost control again and crashed again into a Force India car. You just have to sometimes also…
JT: I just lost…
AS: ...expect the limits of the car. If there’s no way to go, you have to back off, that’s how racing is, and I don’t know how long you want to learn it.
JT: In Barcelona I spun and he hit me because he tapped the kerb, he completely cut the circuit and he didn’t slow down, so basically… Anyway, I think it’s better…
FA: (to KR) Shall we go?
AS: No, no. Watch the race in Barcelona. I didn’t hit you, you hit me. I don’t know what’s the problem, but maybe your eyes are a problem.
JT: I don’t have any feeling about him.
AS: I don’t understand, really, sorry.
Q: (Alan Baldwin - Reuters) I was actually going to ask a similar question, but maybe the two of you can agree on what you said after the incident in Brazil, because obviously Jarno was seen to be gesticulating and saying quite a few things. Could you just tell us what was said at the time?
JT: I was furious because I said ‘didn’t you see me?’ I mean, I was next to him and he kept pushing me going outside until I was obviously on the kerbs. I couldn’t believe…
AS: …the kerbs, not a problem to be on the kerb, I think. Where’s the problem?
JT: Ok, no problem, it’s OK. As long as we know the rules.
AS: I know the rules.
JT: Fantastic.
Q: (Andrea Cremonesi - La Gazzetta dello Sport) Fernando, you were behind these two guys. Could you give us your point of view and Kimi, we heard something about you taking a sabbatical next year in 2010. Is that true, it’s an option or not?
KR: I can if I want. I can do whatever I want, but like I said before, I haven’t made my decision what I want to do yet.
FA: Yes, I saw everything, more or less. Second or third row, because I had two cars in front of me but as Jarno said, I think tomorrow in the drivers’ briefing we will discuss… deep.
Q: (Joris Fioriti - AFP) Do you think, the four of you, that Jenson Button is a good champion for the sport, or just that he had the best car this year?
FA: I think he’s a good champion for Formula One and he deserved it. He did a very good job this season. It’s true that in the second half he maybe didn’t score the points that people expected but it was very difficult to keep the same average points as in the first half, when he won all the races. For that reason, you have the feeling that he stepped back a little bit but I think he did a very good job. If you look at the overall view of the championship from race one to the final race, he was the best of us, so he deserved it. It’s good for him, good for Brawn and good for the sport, I think.
AS: Yes, I think he deserved it, definitely. I think it was quite hard in the last races because he was maybe struggling a little bit with the car and the car just wasn’t the fastest anymore, so they were harder races for him, but I think he always made the best of his possibilities and scored points, a few points, sometimes more points but it was definitely enough for the championship, so my congratulations to him. He did a good job this year, yeah.
JT: I think he’s a very well deserved champion because it’s turned out a good season. Obviously he’s had some ups and downs but he managed to handle the situation; when he had the best car he proved he was a race winner and when he had to defend he just drove well, always keeping his head cool. I think in the end, he deserved it.
KR: Yeah, he had the most points, also at the end of the season but whoever gets the most points deserves it, so he’s definitely the right man for that.
Q: (Flavio Vanetti - Corriere dello Sport) Kimi, what would like to tell Fernando as he’s joining Ferrari to replace you?
KR: I don’t think I need to tell him anything; for sure he will find out. He’s been in Formula One a long time and he’s not going to have any issues there. I think he’s probably been there before and met the people already, so there’s not much to say.
Q: (Gautam Sharma - F1 Racing, Middle East) Question for Fernando: do you know anything about the car you will be driving next year and do you have any expectations for the season or are you just taking it as it comes?
FA: I don’t know anything so far, about the 2010 car but hopefully it’s quick enough to fight for the title which is the main goal not only for myself but for the team as well. After one season that was not good for me and maybe not good enough for Ferrari either, I think next year hopefully we have the possibility to fight and then you can win, you lose, it depends on many details but at least there is the possibility to be winning some races and afterwards you will see race by race. You never have any specific programme before the championship. You take it as it comes, later.
Q: (Jonathan Legard - BBC Sport) Question for Kimi: you talk about your options. I just wondered how important it would be if you decided to stay in Formula One, if you found another team, that you could do some rallying as well, like you did with Ferrari or whether that’s something of a stumbling block, wanting to do another form of motor sport as well as doing Formula One?
KR: It’s definitely going to be Formula One, it’s going to be in the contract that I’m allowed to do it (rallying). It’s not going to hurt you. Any kind of driving is always going to give you some experience, so I don’t see what’s the issue. It’s been working well this year, so as long as it doesn’t disturb what you’re doing in Formula One or whatever you do, I don’t see that there’s any problem.
Q: (Joris Fioriti - AFP) Both championships have been settled. Will this race be the last opportunity to show yourselves, the ones that don’t have a team for next year?
JT: I think we race for the team as well. We don’t only race for us. We always want to do our best and obviously this is the last race and we want to finish on a high, not just for us or the team. Basically we’re in the same boat.
KR: You always try to do your best - at least, I try and it’s the same story in the last race: we try to get back third place in the championship for the team. I think it’s a bit late if you only try to do your best in the last race to try to prove yourself to some other team, then you shouldn’t be there. It’s the same story as any race this year: we try to do the maximum.
AS: For me it makes no difference. I’m always trying to get the best out of the car and do my best. It’s the last race but there’s no difference for me.
Q: (Jonathan Legard - BBC Sport) Fernando, after you won the title in 2005, there were still two races to go. How did you approach those? Just thinking of Jenson Button’s approach; he’s done it now, is there a sense of release, any different approach to the race?
FA: I think he will be more relaxed because you did the job already, and they also won the constructors’ championship, so there is nothing really to fight for, so you approach the race relaxed and you enjoy the weekend, while in the last two or three races you maybe had some stress when you arrived at a race. For me, 2005 was different because we were fighting for the constructors’ championship until the last race, so there was still a little bit of stress in the weekend, but for him it will be quite a fun weekend.
Q: A question to you all. What are your reactions to seeing the Yas Island Circuit for the first time. The facilities? The circuit? Adrian, would you like to start?
Adrian Sutil: Impressive, let’s say. A very nice circuit, very big. I think it is the biggest I’ve ever seen. The facilities are amazing. It is going to be an interesting weekend really.
Jarno Trulli: I think I agree. I was impressed with the facilities and the place and the circuit. So far it seems to be very well made with the surface and the kerbs. I think the run-off area so far seems pretty good. Obviously before we judge the circuit lay-out we need to have a run.
Kimi Raikkonen: I have only seen the paddock area so far. I haven’t been around the circuit yet. It looks all new and you can see a bit that it is last minute but, overall, it is a very big, massive thing and it will be one of the nicest when everything is ready.
Q: Fernando, have you looked at it on the simulator?
Fernando Alonso: No, no simulator for us. Not even Play Station this time. It will be the first lap tomorrow. Again, the same as all the others, I am very impressed with all the facilities. The circuit itself and the lay-out I think we need to wait until tomorrow as in the car you have always different feelings and different sensations, so I am looking forward. It will be an interesting weekend especially with the late start for the race, with the lights, so it can be quite a good show for television.
Q: Adrian, you have tried it on the simulator, haven’t you?
AS: Yes, I tried it on the simulator. It is quite good to drive but let’s say, not overwhelming, but let’s see how it is in the real. It is always a different thing.
Q: Do you think you can continue the form you have shown in the last few races here?
AS: Well, hopefully yes. There are long straights on this circuit, so hopefully it will suit our car but it is hard to say where we are. It went really well in the last races, especially in qualifying where our pace was great. But it is a new circuit and we have no set-up here. For everybody it is a big challenge, so let’s see how we go but we try to do the best out of the car and hope for a really good race.
Q: There are a lot of right angle turns here. Do you think they will hurt the car?
AS: Yeah, a long straight and then hairpins. Some second gear corners, some first gear corners, so actually really slow corners everywhere. I am not sure if it suits us but we will have to try and make the best out of it. But when I walked the circuit today I had quite a good feeling, so hopefully it is the truth.
Q: What about your future? What are the chances of staying on at Force India?
AS: Well, at the moment I am still not confirmed but we are talking with Force India for sure and it would be a good thing to do another season there. Both sides are interested and I feel really well with my team at the moment.
Q: Jarno, a similar questions to you really, concerning your form over the last few races and your future.
JT: I think it was really good by the team to show the performance in the last few races after a poor middle of the season. It was nice to be back fighting for the front. I think we missed a little bit of luck but all in all it was nice to prove that Toyota was bouncing back after a fantastic start to the season. But to be honest we have gone through such an up and down season that it is difficult to predict what is going to happen for this race. These hot conditions should suit our car but it is only a hope and we will only find out during the weekend. Regarding the future, I have nothing to say or add at the moment.
Q: Are you talking to other teams as well at the moment?
JT: I prefer not to make any speculation. Obviously I have got some options.
Q: What are your thoughts on possibly leaving Toyota?
JT: Obviously there is a high chance to be leaving Toyota but it difficult to say and talk about. A lot is up in the air.
Q: Kimi, what are your thoughts on leaving Ferrari?
KR: Well, it is not any different than a few races ago. I don’t have a contract anymore with them. It is the last race and we try to make a good result and we will see what happens in the future.
Q: Is your focus totally on Formula One or would you like to pursue your rallying career?
KR: Basically I have a few different options and we will see what is the best one overall and then make my decision.
Q: Would rallying be a consideration?
KR: It is definitely one of them, but I mean it is not just Formula One and rallying. There are other things I could do and we will see what happens.
Q: Just looking back at the second part of the season. You have only scored two points less than the person who has scored the most points. Considering that development has stopped on the car it is a pretty remarkable record, isn’t it?
KR: Yeah, I think we had a good second half. The car is definitely not the fastest but we found a pretty good way of working with the car and getting the best out of. It has been more normal to drive than for a long time before. Once you get something that you have a good feeling with, then usually you get good results. The bigger teams or the better teams who have been faster this year should have done better; better cars, better results and better points overall in the last part but they haven’t and I think we did pretty well.
Q: It seems almost unfair that the focus has been on your team-mates and how fast they have been going whereas you have been racking up points all the time.
KR: It makes no difference for me really. I don’t think they have been going very fast and they can talk to them as much as they want. We just try to score points and get good results. That has been our aim and is still our aim in the last race and hopefully we can get a bit more than McLaren.
Q: Fernando, looking at your future and leaving Renault. What are your thoughts on those?
FA: Well, obviously it is finishing one of the steps that you do in your career and now it is time to move forward and change team. It will be quite an emotional race as it has been many years with Renault now, seven years with them, and I know everybody in the team. Some of them after so many years are good friends to me, so for sure I will miss them in the future but a new challenge is ahead of me now and I am looking forward to next year as well.
Q: When do you go to Ferrari for the first time? Is there a date?
FA: No, there is not a date.
Q: No ideas?
FA: No, soon.
Q: Pretty soon?
FA: Hopefully, yes.
Q: I know for a long time you had somewhere to live in Oxford. Are you going to have somewhere in Maranello?
FA: No, I will be in Switzerland, where I am now, but it is not too far from Maranello. It is only three hours driving or whatever, or two, so it won’t be too difficult to go there.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Dan Knutson - National Speed Sport News) If I can ask all of you. Jean Todt is the new President of the FIA. What would you like to see him achieve and accomplish for Formula One? Jarno, would you like to start?
JT: I mean he knows better than me what Formula One needs at the moment. Probably stability and consistency in terms of rules as this will help the cost cutting. There are plenty of things that will be discussed with the team principals. They really have to work together in order to get Formula One back to where it was last year. This year has been pretty difficult in general. On our side, the drivers’ side, I think we have always had a good relationship with the FIA people. We look after safety and it will be important to talk to each other.
KR: I think he is going to do good work. I think he is a good guy for this work and he is very straightforward and not too much politics. But I know from working with him that he is going to be the right guy.
FA: The same. I think his experience in Formula One will be a huge help to improve things and he will have a better idea of what Formula One needs. He is quite a clever guy, so I am sure we are in good hands now.
AS: Yeah, I think a good President. He has a lot of experience in Formula One and he knows what’s important. I think the biggest point is maybe the drivers can also argue a little bit than just being asked about situations and stuff like that as it did not really happen, I think I had a feeling, in the last years. That will be the most important thing for myself that we are in there for discussions as well sometimes.
Q: (Chris Lines - Associated Press) Question for you all about the late start: starting in the afternoon, going into the evening. We had a situation in Australia, first race of the year, with a similar kind of timing. Towards the end of the race there were complaints from the drivers about the sun getting in their eyes, complaints about the track cooling down, so the grip wasn’t as good. Do you have concerns here for the same reasons?
KR: I don’t think there will be any problems. Of course, it might look a little bit different at some point when the sun disappears but the lights, at least in Singapore, were so good that you hardly see the difference between day and night. Here, it will be quite hot anyhow, so it should be OK.
Q: Would ten degrees make a lot of difference to the track temperature?
FA: I don’t think so. I think in Australia the temperatures were different. Here, the track temperature at the start of the race will maybe be 50 degrees, so it will never be cool enough to give you problems warming up the tyres.
AS: Very similar. I think it won’t be a real problem. The only place where we were quite late this year with the sunset was in Australia. It was a little bit difficult, for sure, in some corners but not a problem for me, and temperature-wise, well, it’s so hot here anyway, so we shouldn’t have a problem. For sure you have to readjust the temperatures but it’s about communicating with the engineers and just doing the right thing at the right time.
JT: I agree. In general temperatures shouldn’t be a problem. The only question mark which we will eventually find out about tomorrow will be the shadows because of the sunset in this twilight race. We’ve got the experience of Australia and all the time schedule has been moved, so already tomorrow we will find out, so we will get an idea.
Q: (Ian Parkes - The Press Association) Question to Jarno and Adrian: I’m just wondering if you two guys have settled your differences after your exchange of words following your first lap accident in Brazil?
JT: I think we’re going to discuss it probably tomorrow in the drivers’ briefing and in the GPDA briefing. Obviously it was very disappointing to end the race like that, especially on the first lap. Obviously I think I had every reason to be extremely furious. I’ve got all the evidence to show that I was there, I was next to him, so I think tomorrow we are going to discuss it.
AS: I think there’s nothing to discuss. It was a quite obvious incident. In the end it was very disappointing for myself, even more, I think, because I was the one who was just driving and he lost control of his car and crashed in my back, so it was not my problem, it was his problem. I don’t know why he’s freaking out like that, to be honest.
JT: (Laughing) If you want, I can show you some pictures. I don’t know if you’re blind but they clearly show you that my front wing is next to your front wing, so…
AS: Yeah, but you’re trying to overtake me on the outside on the kerbing. There was not a problem…
JT: So you mean… you didn’t move there…
AS: No, you were just not going off the power. The same happened in Barcelona where you lost control again and crashed again into a Force India car. You just have to sometimes also…
JT: I just lost…
AS: ...expect the limits of the car. If there’s no way to go, you have to back off, that’s how racing is, and I don’t know how long you want to learn it.
JT: In Barcelona I spun and he hit me because he tapped the kerb, he completely cut the circuit and he didn’t slow down, so basically… Anyway, I think it’s better…
FA: (to KR) Shall we go?
AS: No, no. Watch the race in Barcelona. I didn’t hit you, you hit me. I don’t know what’s the problem, but maybe your eyes are a problem.
JT: I don’t have any feeling about him.
AS: I don’t understand, really, sorry.
Q: (Alan Baldwin - Reuters) I was actually going to ask a similar question, but maybe the two of you can agree on what you said after the incident in Brazil, because obviously Jarno was seen to be gesticulating and saying quite a few things. Could you just tell us what was said at the time?
JT: I was furious because I said ‘didn’t you see me?’ I mean, I was next to him and he kept pushing me going outside until I was obviously on the kerbs. I couldn’t believe…
AS: …the kerbs, not a problem to be on the kerb, I think. Where’s the problem?
JT: Ok, no problem, it’s OK. As long as we know the rules.
AS: I know the rules.
JT: Fantastic.
Q: (Andrea Cremonesi - La Gazzetta dello Sport) Fernando, you were behind these two guys. Could you give us your point of view and Kimi, we heard something about you taking a sabbatical next year in 2010. Is that true, it’s an option or not?
KR: I can if I want. I can do whatever I want, but like I said before, I haven’t made my decision what I want to do yet.
FA: Yes, I saw everything, more or less. Second or third row, because I had two cars in front of me but as Jarno said, I think tomorrow in the drivers’ briefing we will discuss… deep.
Q: (Joris Fioriti - AFP) Do you think, the four of you, that Jenson Button is a good champion for the sport, or just that he had the best car this year?
FA: I think he’s a good champion for Formula One and he deserved it. He did a very good job this season. It’s true that in the second half he maybe didn’t score the points that people expected but it was very difficult to keep the same average points as in the first half, when he won all the races. For that reason, you have the feeling that he stepped back a little bit but I think he did a very good job. If you look at the overall view of the championship from race one to the final race, he was the best of us, so he deserved it. It’s good for him, good for Brawn and good for the sport, I think.
AS: Yes, I think he deserved it, definitely. I think it was quite hard in the last races because he was maybe struggling a little bit with the car and the car just wasn’t the fastest anymore, so they were harder races for him, but I think he always made the best of his possibilities and scored points, a few points, sometimes more points but it was definitely enough for the championship, so my congratulations to him. He did a good job this year, yeah.
JT: I think he’s a very well deserved champion because it’s turned out a good season. Obviously he’s had some ups and downs but he managed to handle the situation; when he had the best car he proved he was a race winner and when he had to defend he just drove well, always keeping his head cool. I think in the end, he deserved it.
KR: Yeah, he had the most points, also at the end of the season but whoever gets the most points deserves it, so he’s definitely the right man for that.
Q: (Flavio Vanetti - Corriere dello Sport) Kimi, what would like to tell Fernando as he’s joining Ferrari to replace you?
KR: I don’t think I need to tell him anything; for sure he will find out. He’s been in Formula One a long time and he’s not going to have any issues there. I think he’s probably been there before and met the people already, so there’s not much to say.
Q: (Gautam Sharma - F1 Racing, Middle East) Question for Fernando: do you know anything about the car you will be driving next year and do you have any expectations for the season or are you just taking it as it comes?
FA: I don’t know anything so far, about the 2010 car but hopefully it’s quick enough to fight for the title which is the main goal not only for myself but for the team as well. After one season that was not good for me and maybe not good enough for Ferrari either, I think next year hopefully we have the possibility to fight and then you can win, you lose, it depends on many details but at least there is the possibility to be winning some races and afterwards you will see race by race. You never have any specific programme before the championship. You take it as it comes, later.
Q: (Jonathan Legard - BBC Sport) Question for Kimi: you talk about your options. I just wondered how important it would be if you decided to stay in Formula One, if you found another team, that you could do some rallying as well, like you did with Ferrari or whether that’s something of a stumbling block, wanting to do another form of motor sport as well as doing Formula One?
KR: It’s definitely going to be Formula One, it’s going to be in the contract that I’m allowed to do it (rallying). It’s not going to hurt you. Any kind of driving is always going to give you some experience, so I don’t see what’s the issue. It’s been working well this year, so as long as it doesn’t disturb what you’re doing in Formula One or whatever you do, I don’t see that there’s any problem.
Q: (Joris Fioriti - AFP) Both championships have been settled. Will this race be the last opportunity to show yourselves, the ones that don’t have a team for next year?
JT: I think we race for the team as well. We don’t only race for us. We always want to do our best and obviously this is the last race and we want to finish on a high, not just for us or the team. Basically we’re in the same boat.
KR: You always try to do your best - at least, I try and it’s the same story in the last race: we try to get back third place in the championship for the team. I think it’s a bit late if you only try to do your best in the last race to try to prove yourself to some other team, then you shouldn’t be there. It’s the same story as any race this year: we try to do the maximum.
AS: For me it makes no difference. I’m always trying to get the best out of the car and do my best. It’s the last race but there’s no difference for me.
Q: (Jonathan Legard - BBC Sport) Fernando, after you won the title in 2005, there were still two races to go. How did you approach those? Just thinking of Jenson Button’s approach; he’s done it now, is there a sense of release, any different approach to the race?
FA: I think he will be more relaxed because you did the job already, and they also won the constructors’ championship, so there is nothing really to fight for, so you approach the race relaxed and you enjoy the weekend, while in the last two or three races you maybe had some stress when you arrived at a race. For me, 2005 was different because we were fighting for the constructors’ championship until the last race, so there was still a little bit of stress in the weekend, but for him it will be quite a fun weekend.
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Preview
The 17th and final round of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship takes place at the Yas Marina Circuit, around 30 minutes from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. This will be the inaugural event for the purpose-built circuit.
Designed by Herman Tilke, the circuit features 21 turns, 12 left and nine right, and runs in an anti-clockwise direction. The Yas Marina Circuit features a combination of three chicanes, six 90-degree corners and a hairpin leading to the back straight, along with sand dunes which wind through the man-made island. The circuit features four main grandstand areas and part of its pitlane exit runs underneath the track through a tunnel under turn one. Drivers will be faced with the challenges of the Arabian climate and will have to cope with heat, dehydration and sand on the track.
The race is scheduled to begin at 5pm local time, seeing the Grand Prix starting in daylight and ending at night time, with the sun setting in Abu Dhabi at around 6pm.
Designed by Herman Tilke, the circuit features 21 turns, 12 left and nine right, and runs in an anti-clockwise direction. The Yas Marina Circuit features a combination of three chicanes, six 90-degree corners and a hairpin leading to the back straight, along with sand dunes which wind through the man-made island. The circuit features four main grandstand areas and part of its pitlane exit runs underneath the track through a tunnel under turn one. Drivers will be faced with the challenges of the Arabian climate and will have to cope with heat, dehydration and sand on the track.
The race is scheduled to begin at 5pm local time, seeing the Grand Prix starting in daylight and ending at night time, with the sun setting in Abu Dhabi at around 6pm.
To Abu Dhabi and beyond...
The coming weekend in Abu Dhabi will be the beginning of an exciting new race and the end of other stories in Formula 1. The sport has new leadership with Jean Todt having been elected as FIA President and everyone is waiting to see what the Frenchman is planning to do. There are hopes and there are fears. Todt is a man who has been divisive in the past, but he now has a clean sheet or paper and an opportunity to do things differently. Some say that a leopard does not change its spots but one can hope that Todt's focus and commitment will be used be used for the good of F1 and that it will end the confrontational style of management that has existed under Max Mosley.
There are significant rule-changing next year with the end of refuelling in races. The knock-on effect of this will be cars that are very different to the current machinery with much larger fuel tanks and the need for drivers to be more careful with their tyres. Whether this will mean better racing remains to be seen. There will still be tyre strategies and pit stops but will there be more overtaking? Time will tell. The reality about overtaking is that it is not just about the cars. The design of the circuits needs to be taken into account as well and with too much money leaving the sport and disappearing into the pockets of venture capitalists and bankers, who care nothing for F1 beyond what they can make out of it, it is not easy for this to change. In many respects the NASCAR financing model, which gives 60% of the revenues back to the circuits is a much more sustainable structure in the longer term. A decent percentage of that money finds its way back to the teams from prize funds and appearance money. In addition the competitors get 25% directly from NASCAR, leaving the sanctioning body with a fair 15% of the take. This is ultimately better for the sport - mainly the fans - who pay less for their tickets and thus have more available money if they wish to invest in merchandising.
Formula 1 needs to look very carefully at its funding models in the years ahead as there are increasing signs - recession or no recession - that the current structure is becoming unssutainable in the traditional F1 markets. There is nothing wrong with expansion to new markets, but the balance needs to be right and when the sport is not in the world's biggest consumer market then something is clearly wrong.
The race in Abu Dhabi will also be the end of the current chapter in BMW's F1 history. The Munich firm will probably come to regret the decision to pack up and leave, taken because of new environmental goals that need to be addressed. The whole withdrawal has been very badly managed by the folk in Munich and one hopes that the Sauber team will emerge in one piece from the current crisis over entries. The team could have achieved a great deal more if it hd been given a little more time.
Elsewhere in the paddock there is much movement with some of the top names switching between the teams. Next year we will see Fernando Alonso at Ferrari. Kimi Raikkonen is on the move and will end up somewhere unless his financial demands catch him out. Rubens Barrichello is on his way to Williams and Nico Rosberg seems on his way to Brawn. And the talented Robert Kubica is going to Renault, where hopefully his talents will be better used than they have been at BMW Sauber.
There is therefore much to look forward to.
The season has flown by very quickly and in the offseason will no doubt do the same. There are four and a half months in which there will be no races but no doubt when we get to Bahrain in March it will seem like yesterday that we were in Abu Dhabi.
There are significant rule-changing next year with the end of refuelling in races. The knock-on effect of this will be cars that are very different to the current machinery with much larger fuel tanks and the need for drivers to be more careful with their tyres. Whether this will mean better racing remains to be seen. There will still be tyre strategies and pit stops but will there be more overtaking? Time will tell. The reality about overtaking is that it is not just about the cars. The design of the circuits needs to be taken into account as well and with too much money leaving the sport and disappearing into the pockets of venture capitalists and bankers, who care nothing for F1 beyond what they can make out of it, it is not easy for this to change. In many respects the NASCAR financing model, which gives 60% of the revenues back to the circuits is a much more sustainable structure in the longer term. A decent percentage of that money finds its way back to the teams from prize funds and appearance money. In addition the competitors get 25% directly from NASCAR, leaving the sanctioning body with a fair 15% of the take. This is ultimately better for the sport - mainly the fans - who pay less for their tickets and thus have more available money if they wish to invest in merchandising.
Formula 1 needs to look very carefully at its funding models in the years ahead as there are increasing signs - recession or no recession - that the current structure is becoming unssutainable in the traditional F1 markets. There is nothing wrong with expansion to new markets, but the balance needs to be right and when the sport is not in the world's biggest consumer market then something is clearly wrong.
The race in Abu Dhabi will also be the end of the current chapter in BMW's F1 history. The Munich firm will probably come to regret the decision to pack up and leave, taken because of new environmental goals that need to be addressed. The whole withdrawal has been very badly managed by the folk in Munich and one hopes that the Sauber team will emerge in one piece from the current crisis over entries. The team could have achieved a great deal more if it hd been given a little more time.
Elsewhere in the paddock there is much movement with some of the top names switching between the teams. Next year we will see Fernando Alonso at Ferrari. Kimi Raikkonen is on the move and will end up somewhere unless his financial demands catch him out. Rubens Barrichello is on his way to Williams and Nico Rosberg seems on his way to Brawn. And the talented Robert Kubica is going to Renault, where hopefully his talents will be better used than they have been at BMW Sauber.
There is therefore much to look forward to.
The season has flown by very quickly and in the offseason will no doubt do the same. There are four and a half months in which there will be no races but no doubt when we get to Bahrain in March it will seem like yesterday that we were in Abu Dhabi.
Renault on Abu Dhabi - Alonso and Permane tackle Yas Marina
For every member of the Formula One fraternity, this weekend’s inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be a step into the unknown. For the drivers and engineers, however, there’s a lot more to worry about than where they’re going to eat and rest their heads, with a brand-new circuit to learn and - hopefully - conquer. Renault’s Fernando Alonso and the team’s chief engineer, Alan Permane, explain how they’ve been preparing to do just that…
Q: Fernando, what are your first impressions of the new circuit in Abu Dhabi?
Fernando Alonso: It looks like it will be quite a demanding circuit for the drivers as there are over twenty corners in the lap - and some of them look very challenging. However, when you are looking at a map it's difficult to really understand a circuit and it's only when you get there and walk the circuit that you start to feel what it is really like.
Q: How do you normally prepare for a new circuit?
FA: We look at a lot of simulation data and I work very closely with the team to understand the demands of the track - much more than I would do for a track that I already know. We will probably spend five times longer preparing for a new venue and the circuit walk becomes very important for me and the engineers.
Q: Which corners have caught your attention?
FA: I think Turns 11, 12 and 13 look interesting. I remember when we first saw the map of the circuit it reminded me of the difficult turn ten chicane in Singapore. It looks like Turns Eight and 11 will be the two big braking zones and for sure there will be opportunities to overtake there.
Q: How long does it take you to learn a new track?
FA: It doesn't take long because we jump in the car knowing the circuit perfectly in our mind as we have studied the map. After three or four laps you realise the lines and the braking points so I would say five laps is enough to know the track pretty well. But it's true that every lap you feel more confident and you learn more about the track and how to get the most from it. The final laps of the race are usually your best laps as you know the track so well by then.
Q: Alan, tell us about the team's technical preparations for a new circuit…
Alan Permane: We usually begin our preparations about two months ahead of the race, which is when we receive a detailed map showing the layout and characteristics of the circuit. This gives us an idea of the set-up we will need in terms of the downforce levels and the demands on the brakes and the engine. We then feed the circuit map into our computers to create a virtual circuit where we can run simulations with a computer model of our car. This allows us to evaluate many different set-up options which can be easily changed to help us work out a good base set-up.
Once we have arrived at the circuit and run the car in free practice, we will send the real circuit data back to the factory, which can be used to run more accurate simulations. The logged data from Friday practice can also be used on our chassis dynamics rig to explore the ride characteristics of the circuit and can reveal improvements to the damping or perhaps to the spring rates. Any suggestions from the factory for improving the set-up of the car usually come through by the end of Friday so that we can try them on Saturday morning ahead of qualifying.
Q: What are your first impressions of the Abu Dhabi circuit?
AP: There are a couple of reasonably long straights, but it does look like it will be quite stop-start - a bit like the street circuit in Valencia. In terms of downforce, it will be on the higher side, although we won't run maximum downforce settings because of the long straights where straight-line speed will be important. There are a lot of right-angled corners, but it's difficult to predict the impact this will have on car set-up as it depends on the layout of the curbs. That's one thing we will examine during our track walk.
What we do know already is that the drivers will want a car that is biased towards traction as the circuit doesn't have high-speed changes of direction, which would require a stiffer car set- up. So to aid good traction from the low-speed corners we will aim to give the drivers a softer rear end. In terms of braking, our simulations have shown it to be similar to Valencia and Melbourne so it's by no means an easy circuit on the brakes, but it's not as tough as Monza.
Q: Which parts of the track look challenging to you?
AP: I agree with Fernando that Turns 11, 12 and 13 will be interesting and certainly worth a lot of lap- time. Drivers always enjoy the high-speed corners, but most of the gains can be found in these low-speed corners where you spend the most time. So, with this in mind, Turns Five, Six and Seven will also be a section of the lap where the car needs to work well so we can maximise the gains in lap-time
Q: Fernando, what are your first impressions of the new circuit in Abu Dhabi?
Fernando Alonso: It looks like it will be quite a demanding circuit for the drivers as there are over twenty corners in the lap - and some of them look very challenging. However, when you are looking at a map it's difficult to really understand a circuit and it's only when you get there and walk the circuit that you start to feel what it is really like.
Q: How do you normally prepare for a new circuit?
FA: We look at a lot of simulation data and I work very closely with the team to understand the demands of the track - much more than I would do for a track that I already know. We will probably spend five times longer preparing for a new venue and the circuit walk becomes very important for me and the engineers.
Q: Which corners have caught your attention?
FA: I think Turns 11, 12 and 13 look interesting. I remember when we first saw the map of the circuit it reminded me of the difficult turn ten chicane in Singapore. It looks like Turns Eight and 11 will be the two big braking zones and for sure there will be opportunities to overtake there.
Q: How long does it take you to learn a new track?
FA: It doesn't take long because we jump in the car knowing the circuit perfectly in our mind as we have studied the map. After three or four laps you realise the lines and the braking points so I would say five laps is enough to know the track pretty well. But it's true that every lap you feel more confident and you learn more about the track and how to get the most from it. The final laps of the race are usually your best laps as you know the track so well by then.
Q: Alan, tell us about the team's technical preparations for a new circuit…
Alan Permane: We usually begin our preparations about two months ahead of the race, which is when we receive a detailed map showing the layout and characteristics of the circuit. This gives us an idea of the set-up we will need in terms of the downforce levels and the demands on the brakes and the engine. We then feed the circuit map into our computers to create a virtual circuit where we can run simulations with a computer model of our car. This allows us to evaluate many different set-up options which can be easily changed to help us work out a good base set-up.
Once we have arrived at the circuit and run the car in free practice, we will send the real circuit data back to the factory, which can be used to run more accurate simulations. The logged data from Friday practice can also be used on our chassis dynamics rig to explore the ride characteristics of the circuit and can reveal improvements to the damping or perhaps to the spring rates. Any suggestions from the factory for improving the set-up of the car usually come through by the end of Friday so that we can try them on Saturday morning ahead of qualifying.
Q: What are your first impressions of the Abu Dhabi circuit?
AP: There are a couple of reasonably long straights, but it does look like it will be quite stop-start - a bit like the street circuit in Valencia. In terms of downforce, it will be on the higher side, although we won't run maximum downforce settings because of the long straights where straight-line speed will be important. There are a lot of right-angled corners, but it's difficult to predict the impact this will have on car set-up as it depends on the layout of the curbs. That's one thing we will examine during our track walk.
What we do know already is that the drivers will want a car that is biased towards traction as the circuit doesn't have high-speed changes of direction, which would require a stiffer car set- up. So to aid good traction from the low-speed corners we will aim to give the drivers a softer rear end. In terms of braking, our simulations have shown it to be similar to Valencia and Melbourne so it's by no means an easy circuit on the brakes, but it's not as tough as Monza.
Q: Which parts of the track look challenging to you?
AP: I agree with Fernando that Turns 11, 12 and 13 will be interesting and certainly worth a lot of lap- time. Drivers always enjoy the high-speed corners, but most of the gains can be found in these low-speed corners where you spend the most time. So, with this in mind, Turns Five, Six and Seven will also be a section of the lap where the car needs to work well so we can maximise the gains in lap-time
McLaren aims for strong finish
McLaren is aiming to leave this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as "winner of the second half of the season," according to team principal Martin Whitmarsh.
Since the German Grand Prix in July, driver Lewis Hamilton has scored 40 points - more than any other driver – and climbed from 11th to sixth in the drivers' standings as a result. Only Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen has come close to Hamilton's consistency, the Finn scoring 38 points over the same period.
Likewise, in the constructor's championship, McLaren's 57-point haul since the Nurburgring is greater than world champion team Brawn, and has only been beaten by Red Bull, on 61. Should Hamilton and his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen finish 1-2 on Sunday, the team will have achieved its aim.
Given McLaren's shaky start to the season, Whitmarsh is delighted with the progress made with the MP4-24.
"I'm very proud [of the turnaround]," he said during a conference call with UK media. "It was a poor start for us and Lewis.
"Now though, it’s interesting to see how, during a season when a lot of teams put in a lot of effort to improve, if we look at German GP onwards than Lewis has scored more points than any other driver and we're [as a team] only a few points shy of what Red Bull has done in the constructors’ [championship].
"Hopefully this weekend we can establish ourselves as having won the second half of the season. I firmly believe we can win in Abu Dhabi as well with Lewis and Heikki."
Whitmarsh said that McLaren's 2010 driver lineup was still not yet decided and that no decision on Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate would be taken until after the end of the season.
"The reality is we're going into the last race, which is what we're concentrating on for now," he added.
"We are very fortunate that there appears to be a number of drivers who are interested in McLaren. Following the end of the season, we'll sit down and analyse the situation."
Since the German Grand Prix in July, driver Lewis Hamilton has scored 40 points - more than any other driver – and climbed from 11th to sixth in the drivers' standings as a result. Only Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen has come close to Hamilton's consistency, the Finn scoring 38 points over the same period.
Likewise, in the constructor's championship, McLaren's 57-point haul since the Nurburgring is greater than world champion team Brawn, and has only been beaten by Red Bull, on 61. Should Hamilton and his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen finish 1-2 on Sunday, the team will have achieved its aim.
Given McLaren's shaky start to the season, Whitmarsh is delighted with the progress made with the MP4-24.
"I'm very proud [of the turnaround]," he said during a conference call with UK media. "It was a poor start for us and Lewis.
"Now though, it’s interesting to see how, during a season when a lot of teams put in a lot of effort to improve, if we look at German GP onwards than Lewis has scored more points than any other driver and we're [as a team] only a few points shy of what Red Bull has done in the constructors’ [championship].
"Hopefully this weekend we can establish ourselves as having won the second half of the season. I firmly believe we can win in Abu Dhabi as well with Lewis and Heikki."
Whitmarsh said that McLaren's 2010 driver lineup was still not yet decided and that no decision on Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate would be taken until after the end of the season.
"The reality is we're going into the last race, which is what we're concentrating on for now," he added.
"We are very fortunate that there appears to be a number of drivers who are interested in McLaren. Following the end of the season, we'll sit down and analyse the situation."
Ten facts about Abu Dhabi
This weekend's inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marks an exciting new chapter for Formula 1 - with a state-of-the-art facility set to raise the benchmark for grand prix venues.
AUTOSPORT brings you 10 facts about the Abu Dhabi track ahead of its first F1 race.
• The new Yas Marina circuit features the longest straight on the Formula 1 calendar. It stretches for 1.2 kilometres.
• The end of that straight is also unique - as it features a run-off area that extends below the West Grandstand. Cars spinning off will therefore carry on underneath the spectators.
• Abu Dhabi is proud to boast that every single grandstand seat at the track is covered – a first for a Formula 1 circuit.
• The pitlane exit is the only underground one on the calendar. After leaving the pits, the drivers descend into a tunnel that turns 90 degrees left and runs underneath the track after Turn 1.
• The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be Formula 1's first day-night race. The event starts in twilight at 5pm and will finish at night – although the track will be illuminated by floodlights.
• The track runs underneath the posh five-star Yas Hotel – which will be lit for much of the Abu Dhabi weekend.
• More than 14,000 staff worked on creating the new Yas Marina circuit from scratch in February 2007. It took them a total of 35 million man hours to complete the track.
• Race organisers have gone out of their way to make sure the teams are comfortable – by installing air-conditioned pit buildings for the mechanics
• There is a nice bit of number symmetry to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It will be 55 laps around a 5.55 kilometre track.
• The corporate blue branding of the Yas Marina circuit has been chosen because it matches the colour of the local water.
AUTOSPORT brings you 10 facts about the Abu Dhabi track ahead of its first F1 race.
• The new Yas Marina circuit features the longest straight on the Formula 1 calendar. It stretches for 1.2 kilometres.
• The end of that straight is also unique - as it features a run-off area that extends below the West Grandstand. Cars spinning off will therefore carry on underneath the spectators.
• Abu Dhabi is proud to boast that every single grandstand seat at the track is covered – a first for a Formula 1 circuit.
• The pitlane exit is the only underground one on the calendar. After leaving the pits, the drivers descend into a tunnel that turns 90 degrees left and runs underneath the track after Turn 1.
• The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be Formula 1's first day-night race. The event starts in twilight at 5pm and will finish at night – although the track will be illuminated by floodlights.
• The track runs underneath the posh five-star Yas Hotel – which will be lit for much of the Abu Dhabi weekend.
• More than 14,000 staff worked on creating the new Yas Marina circuit from scratch in February 2007. It took them a total of 35 million man hours to complete the track.
• Race organisers have gone out of their way to make sure the teams are comfortable – by installing air-conditioned pit buildings for the mechanics
• There is a nice bit of number symmetry to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It will be 55 laps around a 5.55 kilometre track.
• The corporate blue branding of the Yas Marina circuit has been chosen because it matches the colour of the local water.
A special weekend for Ferrari at Abu Dhabi
Maranello, 27 October 2009 - This Sunday marks the end of a very unusual season of Formula 1 Grands Prix, characterised by significant technical regulation changes which in turn led to a new order, with the more established teams, including Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, having to make way for new names at the top of the classifications. While both championships were decided a fortnight ago in Brazil, this still promises to be a very interesting weekend, as it takes place at the brand new Yas Marina circuit, a facility which even makes some of the more recent additions to the calendar look slightly dated.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is a special weekend for Ferrari, as the Maranello company has several strong links to this event: Mubadala is the investment company of the government of Abu Dhabi, a shareholder in the company and a sponsor of the team. Another team sponsor, Etihad, is also the title sponsor of this race. Additionally, the Yas Marina circuit is located on the same island that is home to the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi theme park. It is due to have its official opening next year and this coming Thursday at 10.30, Ferrari S.p.A. vice-president, Piero Ferrari will attend a press conference, when the roof of the park will be unveiled, featuring a large Prancing Horse logo. Interest in Ferrari and the Scuderia is already very high in the Gulf and on Wednesday afternoon, both Kimi Raikkonen and Giancarlo Fisichella will be in neighbouring Dubai, for the official opening of a new Ferrari store, which will be the largest of all the Ferrari stores in the world.
The track itself is interesting and unusual, starting with a couple of fast corners, with very slow turns leading into two very fast straights, followed by a twistier section, which is very reminiscent of the Singapore track. Finding the correct balance for the car will therefore not be a straightforward task. Although this circuit is near the sea, sand on the track surface asphalt – which incidentally is provided by Ferrari partner Shell – could also cause problems, in terms of its affect on grip and on the need to protect components from its abrasive properties, especially on Friday, when cars take to the track for first practice and it will also depend on what the wind is doing at the time. KERS should be very useful here, given the track layout features fast straights following on from slow corners, which is the typical scenario where a power boost can give a significant advantage. Although it does not present a specific technical difficulty, the pit lane is certainly interesting and innovative as it include a tunnel that takes cars from one side of the track to the other, as the entrance is on the right hand side and the exit on the left.
After Singapore, this will be the second race to be run under floodlights. The local start time of 5pm means that approximately the first forty minutes should take place in daylight, however any risk of the drivers being dazzled by the setting sun will be counteracted by the artificial lighting. This three hour delay compared to a normal Grand Prix start also means that the intense heat, with temperatures in the mid-thirties and a high level of humidity in the middle of the day, should also be less of a problem, while for the mechanics, working conditions will be helped by the fact that the garages are air-conditioned.
As has been the case throughout this fascinating season, tyres will play a key role and in Abu Dhabi, teams will have a choice of Bridgestone’s soft and medium rubber, marking a return to the use of two adjacent compounds. While it is fair to say that the F60 is no longer an obvious candidate to produce a race win, those who like to bet based on happenstance might wish to consider that this tyre combination is the same as that available in Spa and Monza, where Ferrari took a win and a third place respectively. However, this should not be seen as any sort of guarantee of success!
The Bahrain Grand Prix has featured on the calendar for six years now and this additional Middle East race means that interest in Formula 1 and motor sport in general is growing in this part of the world, as proven by the fact that all tickets are already sold out. This will also be a special end of season for both our drivers, as Kimi Raikkonen is leaving the team after three years and Giancarlo Fisichella will take on the role of official test and reserve driver for the Scuderia after this weekend. The Italian experienced the Yas Marina circuit on the simulator last week and his avowed aim will be to end his short stint as a Ferrari race driver in the points, because although the titles are decided, the team is still determined to end the year third in the Constructors’ classification, in which it currently stands fourth, one point behind McLaren.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is a special weekend for Ferrari, as the Maranello company has several strong links to this event: Mubadala is the investment company of the government of Abu Dhabi, a shareholder in the company and a sponsor of the team. Another team sponsor, Etihad, is also the title sponsor of this race. Additionally, the Yas Marina circuit is located on the same island that is home to the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi theme park. It is due to have its official opening next year and this coming Thursday at 10.30, Ferrari S.p.A. vice-president, Piero Ferrari will attend a press conference, when the roof of the park will be unveiled, featuring a large Prancing Horse logo. Interest in Ferrari and the Scuderia is already very high in the Gulf and on Wednesday afternoon, both Kimi Raikkonen and Giancarlo Fisichella will be in neighbouring Dubai, for the official opening of a new Ferrari store, which will be the largest of all the Ferrari stores in the world.
The track itself is interesting and unusual, starting with a couple of fast corners, with very slow turns leading into two very fast straights, followed by a twistier section, which is very reminiscent of the Singapore track. Finding the correct balance for the car will therefore not be a straightforward task. Although this circuit is near the sea, sand on the track surface asphalt – which incidentally is provided by Ferrari partner Shell – could also cause problems, in terms of its affect on grip and on the need to protect components from its abrasive properties, especially on Friday, when cars take to the track for first practice and it will also depend on what the wind is doing at the time. KERS should be very useful here, given the track layout features fast straights following on from slow corners, which is the typical scenario where a power boost can give a significant advantage. Although it does not present a specific technical difficulty, the pit lane is certainly interesting and innovative as it include a tunnel that takes cars from one side of the track to the other, as the entrance is on the right hand side and the exit on the left.
After Singapore, this will be the second race to be run under floodlights. The local start time of 5pm means that approximately the first forty minutes should take place in daylight, however any risk of the drivers being dazzled by the setting sun will be counteracted by the artificial lighting. This three hour delay compared to a normal Grand Prix start also means that the intense heat, with temperatures in the mid-thirties and a high level of humidity in the middle of the day, should also be less of a problem, while for the mechanics, working conditions will be helped by the fact that the garages are air-conditioned.
As has been the case throughout this fascinating season, tyres will play a key role and in Abu Dhabi, teams will have a choice of Bridgestone’s soft and medium rubber, marking a return to the use of two adjacent compounds. While it is fair to say that the F60 is no longer an obvious candidate to produce a race win, those who like to bet based on happenstance might wish to consider that this tyre combination is the same as that available in Spa and Monza, where Ferrari took a win and a third place respectively. However, this should not be seen as any sort of guarantee of success!
The Bahrain Grand Prix has featured on the calendar for six years now and this additional Middle East race means that interest in Formula 1 and motor sport in general is growing in this part of the world, as proven by the fact that all tickets are already sold out. This will also be a special end of season for both our drivers, as Kimi Raikkonen is leaving the team after three years and Giancarlo Fisichella will take on the role of official test and reserve driver for the Scuderia after this weekend. The Italian experienced the Yas Marina circuit on the simulator last week and his avowed aim will be to end his short stint as a Ferrari race driver in the points, because although the titles are decided, the team is still determined to end the year third in the Constructors’ classification, in which it currently stands fourth, one point behind McLaren.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)