Get up to the minute F1 news at www.F1Junkie.com - The most comprehensive Formula 1 news source. Breaking F1 News from around the world! http://f1junkie.com Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:35:49 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://f1junkie.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://f1junkie.com Get up to the minute F1 news at www.F1Junkie.com - The most comprehensive Formula 1 news source. Breaking F1 News from around the world! http://f1junkie.com/content/view/454/89/ Formula 1 (TM) and Circuit of The Americas (TM) Ready to Roll 10-Year Race Contract Brings F1 Back to the U.S. in 2012; Construction to Resume Immediately AUSTIN, Texas – December 7, 2011 – Circuit of The Americas announced today that they have reached an agreement with Formula One Management that ensures the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix remains on the FIA Formula 1 World Championship race calendar. Red McCombs, chairman of McCombs Enterprises and founding partner of Circuit of The Americas stated, “Mr. Ecclestone received his check today. We want to thank the fans supporting us, the local officials and businesses that have encouraged us, the State of Texas, Circuit of The Americas’ staff and Bernie himself. I want to thank and commend Bobby Epstein for getting us across the finish line. Bobby’s perseverance and leadership kept the project on track despite unfair and unfounded criticism.” “Our investors have believed all along that this project has tremendous benefit for our region, and provides a strong economic engine for the future,” stated Epstein, founding partner of Circuit of The Americas. We remain committed to reaching our goal of being valuable community partners as we establish a platform for sports and entertainment. We’re glad that Tavo’s vision of bringing F1 to the people of Texas will become a reality.” Engineering and construction teams working on the track will resume immediately, ensuring completion for the 2012 race date. “We have a substantial number of fans who have expressed interest in buying tickets and hospitality, so today is a win for all of them as much as it is for Circuit of The Americas,” said Steve Sexton, president of Circuit of The Americas. “We encourage everyone to visit our website and register for information. Registered fans will receive the first communication regarding ticket sales plans. In a matter of weeks we will have more exciting news as we unveil our full calendar of world class events.” Fans interested in receiving information about tickets for next year's United States Grand Prix can register their contact information at www.CircuitofTheAmericas.com (http://circuitoftheamericas.com/). Ticket sales information will be communicated to those registered prior to general public notification. About Circuit of The Americas Circuit of The Americas will be a world-class destination for performance, education and business. It will be the first purpose-built Formula 1 Grand Prix facility in the United States designed for any and all classes of racing, from motor power to human power. The master plan for Circuit of The Americas features a variety of permanent structures designed for business, education, entertainment and race use. Its signature element will be a 3.4-mile (5.5-km) circuit track. Other support buildings will include a medical facility, 14 executive meeting suites, a conference center, and a banquet hall, as well as an expansive outdoor live music space. Future proposed amenities include a driving/riding experience, a motorsports driving club, kart track, grand plaza event center and tower, and a trackside recreational vehicle park. Junkie Jabber - Newsflash Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:39:44 +0100 http://f1junkie.com/content/view/453/89/ Formula 1 Team Standings 2011 P Team Aus Mal Chi Tur Spa Mon Can Spa Eng Ger Hun Bel Ita Sin Jap Kor Ind Uae Bra Total 1 Red Bull  35 37 33 43 37 37 33 40 33 27 28 43 25 40 27 40 37 12 43 650 2 McLaren  26 22 37 20 33 23 25 20 12 25 37 15 30 28 35 30 24 40 15 497 3 Ferrari  18 18 14 15 10 18 8 28 35 28 23 16 23 14 24 18 15 28 22 375 4 Mercedes  0 2 14 10 14 0 12 6 10 10 2 18 10 6 9 4 18 14 6 165 5 Renault  15 15 2 10 4 4 10 1 4 1 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 73 6 Force India  3 1 0 0 0 6 0 2 0 8 6 6 4 12 0 1 2 6 12 69 7 Sauber  0 6 1 1 3 10 6 0 6 2 0 0 0 1 4 0 1 1 2 44 8 Toro Rosso  4 0 0 2 0 1 5 4 1 0 5 0 7 0 0 8 4 0 0 41 9 Williams  0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 10 Lotus  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 Hispania  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 Virgin  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Formula 1 Driver Standings 2011 P Driver Aus Mal Chi Tur Spa Mon Can Spa Eng Ger Hun Bel Ita Sin Jap Kor Ind Uae Bra Total 1 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 25 25 18 25 25 25 18 25 18 12 18 25 25 25 15 25 25 0 18 392 2 Jenson Button (McLaren) 8 18 12 8 15 15 25 8 0 0 25 15 18 18 25 12 18 15 15 270 3 Mark Webber (Red Bull) 10 12 15 18 12 12 15 15 15 15 10 18 0 15 12 15 12 12 25 258 4 Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 12 8 6 15 10 18 0 18 25 18 15 12 15 12 18 10 15 18 12 257 5 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 18 4 25 12 18 8 0 12 12 25 12 0 12 10 10 18 6 25 0 227 6 Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 6 10 8 0 0 0 8 10 10 10 8 4 8 2 6 8 0 10 10 118 7 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 0 0 10 10 6 0 0 6 8 6 2 8 0 6 1 4 8 8 6 89 8 Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) 0 2 4 0 8 0 12 0 2 4 0 10 10 0 8 0 10 6 0 76 9 Adrian Sutil (Force India) 2 0 0 0 0 6 0 2 0 8 0 6 0 4 0 0 2 4 8 42 10 Vitaly Petrov (Renault) 15 0 2 4 0 0 10 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 37 11 Nick Heidfeld (Renault) 0 15 0 6 4 4 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 34 12 Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) 0 6 1 1 1 10 6 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 30 13 Paul Di Resta (Force India) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 4 8 0 1 0 2 4 27 14 Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 1 0 1 0 6 0 0 6 4 0 0 26 15 Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) 4 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 15 16 Sergio Perez (Sauber) 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 1 0 0 14 17 Rubens Barrichello (Williams) 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 18 Bruno Senna (Renault) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 19 Pastor Maldonado (Williams) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 20 Timo Glock (Virgin) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Hispania) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 Narain Karthikeyan (Hispania) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 Jerome d'Ambrosio (Virgin) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 Jarno Trulli (Lotus) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 Karun Chandhok (Lotus) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 27 Pedro de la Rosa (Sauber) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Junkie Jabber - Newsflash Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:49:52 +0100 http://f1junkie.com/content/view/452/89/ As the Formula 1 circus heads to a new continent and a new grand prix circuit, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes discusses the challenges of preparing for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix with Lewis, Jenson and team principal Martin Whitmarsh Lewis Hamilton Have you been to India before? “Yeah, I’ve been a few times before – we’ve done a few Vodafone promotional days there. The last time was just crazy – just after Singapore, we did a demo run in Bangalore and were expecting 5,000 people to turn up. On the day, there were around 40,000 fans – it was just incredible.” Do you think India is looking forward to Formula 1? “You can’t believe how many people are aware of Formula 1 and how many are looking forward to the race next week. There’s already a great deal of knowledge about the sport – I think it’s going to be a big deal. “India’s a sport-mad nation – mostly, it’s about cricket, which is understandable because they’re a very successful cricketing country, but I really think the people of India are going to take Formula 1 to their hearts. The reception we’ve had in the last few years has been greater than I could ever have predicted and I think the whole country is ready for something new and something exciting. “I really hope India will get turned on to Formula 1 in a big way – it would be amazing to have an entire continent supporting you – and I really hope we can put on a fantastic race!” Do you think Vodafone McLaren Mercedes will be competitive next weekend? “It’s too early to say, but I think we’re set to be competitive at all of the final three races. We were quick at Singapore, Japan and Korea – and I think the pattern at the front has sort of settled down now as we reach the end of the season. I think we have a car that can be quick anywhere, so I’d like to think we’d be in the hunt again next weekend.” Jenson Button What challenges do you face when learning a brand new track? “The first time you run on a new circuit is a strange experience because you’re piecing together an incredibly diverse and vivid set of data in your mind. That’s quite an intense experience. “You’re quickly gathering everything together – constantly assessing the grip-level, watching for unexpected bumps, checking the kerb-height, run-off areas, pitlane entry and exit, gradient. And that all happens at about 170mph!” What are your first impressions of the Buddh International Circuit? “Well, I can’t really say properly until I’ve driven it. But the track itself has quite a nice mix of corners – the start of the lap is pretty stop-start, there are a couple of long straights mixed with tight hairpins, but it’s the end of the lap that’s more interesting: there are some pretty high-speed changes of direction through the esses and some gradient change. “One of the things that looks really interesting is the double-apex banked corner at the back of the circuit – that’s pretty unusual. It’s sort of a mix between Turn 13 at China and Korea’s Turn 11. Are you looking forward to the race? “I always look forward to the next grand prix. The word is that people in India are really excited about Formula 1 and the event – it’s important for the sport that we make a good first impression and I really hope we have a fantastic race. Our car's been pretty competitive recently and we'd like to win more races before the end of the season.” Martin Whitmarsh Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes How important is the Indian Grand Prix for the sport of Formula 1? “Certainly, every new venue we visit is important to the sport of Formula 1 and to our partners, many of whom have a considerable presence in India, and who are delighted by the prospect of the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. “I think it’s important that the world championship is fully represented on the world’s stage – and a grand prix in India is certainly a very positive step. For Formula 1, the most important thing is to educate, nurture and cultivate our audience – I firmly believe that Formula 1 is the greatest sport in the world and I want us to spread that word across the whole Indian subcontinent. “Secondly, we want to take Formula 1 to the people. I know that our partners such as Vodafone are already very actively engaged in this activity in India, but I think we’ve done the right thing by establishing the circuit close to New Delhi. Initial impressions suggest the track will be a good one, with particular regard paid to close and exciting racing. And I’m also told that the prospect of the grand prix is causing a great deal of excitement within the city and the country as a whole. “So I think we’re doing everything right – and I sincerely hope we can walk away on Sunday evening having done a great job for the country and for Formula 1.” What is the atmosphere like within the team now that both world championships have been settled? “There’s not been a great distinction: we go racing to win, and, as I’ve said before, that’s the firm intention we take with us to all remaining races on the calendar. We’ve made some good progress recently with the 2011 car and we feel we have a car that can challenge for victory at all the remaining grands prix. “While we’re winding down the development of the 26 and ramping up development of MP4-27, we still have a few more opportunities to track-test components and developments that can be carried over to next year. “And we take plenty of positives away from the last two races: I think Jenson’s win in Japan and Lewis’s drive in Korea were two of the best performances of their respective careers. Both drivers are motivated to win and want to lead the team through these final few races and into the winter. There’s a lot of positive energy back at MTC, and you’re seeing that at the racetrack, too.” Junkie Jabber - Newsflash Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:53:20 +0100 http://f1junkie.com/content/view/451/89/ P Driver Flag Team 1 Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes 2 Fernando Alonso Spain Ferrari 3 Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 4 Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault 5 Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes 6 Michael Schumacher Germany Mercedes GP 7 Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari 8 Sergio Perez Mexico Sauber-Ferrari 9 Vitaly Petrov Russia Renault 10 Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes GP 11 Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes 12 Paul di Resta Britain Force India-Mercedes 13 Kamui Kobayashi Japan Sauber-Ferrari 14 Pastor Moldonado Venezuela Williams-Cosworth 15 Jaime Alguersuari Spain Toro Rosso-Ferrari 16 Bruno Senna Brazil Renault 17 Rubens Barrichello Brazil Williams-Cosworth 18 Heikki Kovalainen Finland Lotus-Renault 19 Jarno Trulli Italy Lotus-Renault 20 Timo Glock Germany Virgin-Cosworth 21 Jerome d'Ambrosio Belgium Virgin-Cosworth 22 Daniel Ricciardo Australia HRT-Cosworth 23 Vitantonio Liuzzi Italy HRT-Cosworth Junkie Jabber - Newsflash Sun, 09 Oct 2011 11:15:41 +0100 http://f1junkie.com/content/view/450/89/ POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT 09.10.2011 DRIVERS  1 - Jenson BUTTON (McLaren) 2 - Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari) 3 - Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull) TV UNILATERALS Q: Jenson, coming into this weekend you said all you wanted from the rest of the season was to take another grand prix victory. Job done.  Congratulations. Jenson BUTTON: Thank you very much. I think this circuit is very special to all of us. We love this place, so to get a victory here in front of such an amazing Japanese crowd really does mean a lot. I need to say a big thanks to the team for the improvements we have had over the last few races and today they have been impeccable. Congratulations to them and congratulations to the fans. I think we put on a good show for them today. Q: Fernando, a brilliant podium, a great strategic race and a fabulous battle with Sebastian. It looked like a lot of fun. Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, first of all, congratulations to Sebastian. World Champion in this race. It was a fun race. From the start we didn’t overtake any car but then the strategy was quite important, with a lot of tyre degradation, so we picked the right moment to stop and we had the pace today to fight with McLaren and Red Bull and finally, a fantastic podium. I think it is a good thing for the team after difficult races where we were not so competitive that we came back to a good level here, and this podium means a lot for the team, a lot of motivation for the remaining races of this year and, for sure, a big boost for next year’s motivation. Q: Sebastian, probably not the result you were hoping for today but you came into this weekend needing one point and with a podium you have done it. Sebastian VETTEL: Yes, it is difficult to know where to start. Such a long year. We had a fantastic year. The good thing is it is not over yet. Today’s race was not so easy. I think we weren’t that quick on the soft tyres as we hoped to be and then it was difficult. We lost two positions. In the end, I think we had a very good car. It was difficult to get past Fernando. I think I got my move of the year in Monza, so I don’t think he is letting me through this way twice. But phenomenal, strong result again today. To win the championship here is fantastic. There are so many things you want to say at this moment but it’s hard to remember all of them. I am just so thankful to everyone in the team. We have got so many people here at the track but also at Milton Keynes working day in day out. Not only Friday, Saturday, Sunday, but also Monday to Friday, every day, pushing hard to build those two cars and to fight for a lot of points and to fight for the championship. We found ourselves in a very, very strong position and it is great to achieve the goal we set ourselves going into this year already now. There are so many people it is hard to name them all to thank, but I think one person that really stands out this year is the person I spend most of my time with during the year. It’s my trainer Tommi Parmakoski. Also, regards to his family. I think back in Finland they have a great son with a great heart. He was the one not allowing me at any stage this year to lose the grip, start to fly, or think about things that are not in our control. Congratulations to Jenson, congratulations to Fernando. I think today we saw that it is extremely tight. Tighter than maybe sometimes it looked this year. In the end, the top four cars were within not even 10 seconds and it is great to know that it is so tight but that we can come so strong out of it. They also know how to drive as well and are doing a fantastic job, but I think this year we have always been just this one step ahead. It is down to people like Tommi and other individuals, every single one is pushing more than 100 per cent to do his job and keeps us on the right track. There is no secret. It is step-by-step. I think in a way the hardest thing is after winning last year… we won the championship it was so close and we were so excited. To go out and do it again, even though you know how to do it, it doesn’t allow you to forget all these little steps and as I said I could not have done this alone. I needed all the support I could get from the team, from Mark [Webber], from everyone outside the team working for me, so it is just as confusing as the first one I have to say. It is hard to find the right words. Q: Jenson, everyone knows the affinity you have with Japan and its people. What’s it like to win here on this incredible circuit with these fabulous fans and how much motivation does that give you going into the last few races of the year?  JB: It gives us, as a team, a lot of motivation. It is good, as Sebastian said, to see three different cars within, I think, about three seconds. It shows how competitive Formula One is at the moment. There are a lot of fans here. They are so supportive of the sport that we are in and I think we have all tried to do a little bit to help them, to plant a good memory in their mind as this has been a tough year for Japan. This is a special race and a very special crowd. I think we need to thank them for supporting us. But, lastly, it should be Seb that we talk about, as this guy has done a great job this year. However hard we have tried we haven’t been able to touch him in a lot of races so congratulations. PRESS CONFERENCE Q: Jenson, a great race, and in the dry. Does that give you some satisfaction? JB: I can’t believe you just said that! I have won other races in the dry! No, it was a great race. The start was very good, maybe too good, and I ended up on the grass, which lost me a bit of time. Very interesting race as tyre wear was massive. It was a very exciting race and it wasn’t just down to being quick over one lap. You really had to think through the race. I really enjoyed it out there. It is always a very special place to race, Suzuka, a fast, flowing circuit and it is unforgiving, so one little mistake and it is game over. This is one of the most perfect circuits in grand prix racing and also with one of the most special crowds as well. The Japanese people here have been so supportive of us and it is great to see so many fans here supporting this weekend and hopefully we have planted a small, good memory in their heads as it has been a very difficult year for them. To get the win here is one of my most special victories as I don’t think I have ever won a race on such a high-speed circuit, so it means a lot to me. Q: Going down into the first corner, over the radio, you thought maybe Sebastian should have had a penalty for that. JB: Yeah, I did at the time. I am not going to lie. From my point of view I felt that he kept coming when I wasn’t alongside him but I had half my car up the inside. I thought he was coming across more than I expected and didn’t give me any room and I was on the grass but I am sure when I watch it back on TV, or maybe when I watch it back on TV, I will have a different opinion. But at that moment in time, yes, I felt that it was a little bit more than was needed. But it was obviously fair, as the stewards said it was fair, so that’s it. Sometimes, when you get a good start and the guy in front doesn’t get such a good start these sort of things happen. If we all get off the line at the same speed it is not normally an issue. We will put that behind us. But a great weekend. I felt very strong in the car all weekend and this is promising for the next four races. I know Seb has wrapped it up today, which is pretty impressive with so many races to go, but there are still a few races left and there is a lot of fighting to be done and a lot of wins to fight for, which I am very excited about. Q: We saw the pair of them catching you in the final moments, but then you popped in the fastest lap. Were you just conserving tyres? What was going on? JB: Well, I have been watching Seb drive all year and I have decided that is the way to go racing. Just cruise it and stick in a fast lap. That’s what he seems to do at the end of the race, so I thought I would give it a go and it worked pretty well, so it was good. Q: But were you conserving tyres or were you in trouble there? JB: I was looking after tyres, also looking after a bit of fuel, so it wasn’t the easiest few laps. The last five laps weren’t the most enjoyable, I must admit, but we got it home. The car has been great around here. The Red Bulls are always so strong on these fast circuits, especially with the change of direction, so for us to win here really does mean a lot for us, as we have been fighting this for two years now. It is good to be up there with the Red Bulls. In a way, it is nice that the Ferrari is up there as well. A three-way battle at the end, four seconds between us or less, this is what racing is all about and hopefully it will be the same for the next few races. Q: Fernando, among the euphoria of the winner and the new World Champion, that was a great race for Ferrari as well? FA: Yeah, I think it is a good race, a good weekend in general for us. Trouble-free in practice and then a good qualifying performance, fourth and fifth, so in the top five and both Ferraris in front of Webber, so in general quite competitive here, the car. At the end, with a perfect race, good start, good strategy, good pit-stops, and a good pace throughout the race second feels much, much better than expected probably before the start at three o’clock. It is a good result and gives us some extra motivation for the remaining races knowing that it is going to be tough as the updates on the car will be minimal but in some races, some circuits, we are still competitive, so why not fight for victory in one of the remaining races. Q: And what about those last few laps with Sebastian right behind you and Jenson just ahead? FA: First, with Sebastian it was difficult to keep him behind as at that part of the race he was quicker than us. I tried to defend the position in braking for the last corners and into the first corner as well, where the DRS was active. After we had done this job we saw we were catching a little bit Jenson, so we tried in the last couple of laps but, as we saw later on, Jenson was taking care about tyres, about his car, so it was impossible to fight for victory this time. Also, we start fifth, so when you start fifth you have to recover always all through the race and you arrive two seconds behind the leader. If you start second or third that gap is already done maybe 10 laps before the end. Q: Sebastian, was your approach any different today? This was one of your more difficult races; you saw two drivers come out ahead of you after pit stops which hasn’t happened.  SV: No, which I didn’t enjoy. I think we were a little bit too weak today on the option tyre, against those two guys at the end of the stints. I think in comparison to Lewis - I don’t know what was happening to the end of his race - but in the first stint we were able to pull away. Then obviously I got informed that Jenson passed him – Jenson was seven, eight tenths quicker at that stage, which clearly is not because he found a short cut all of a sudden but he took care of his tyres better than the rest and is able to push harder at the end of the stints, and any time on the soft tyre, we had to come in quite early. On the hard tyre, I felt  much much better but as you said, I came out behind Fernando, lost a little bit of time to the Force India when I tried to get past, which didn’t work straight away and then I was sticking to Fernando quite well until the Virgin… I don’t know, maybe he should use both of his mirrors, it was a bit dangerous. Fernando was right behind him, he pulled to the right, let him by, before taking the corner before turn eight and I knew that I wouldn’t take any stupid risks but I didn’t expect him to go back on line but he did so I lost quite a lot. I lost the connection which is obviously important. You get some lap time for free if you’re always behind because you are in the DRS zone so it’s easy to catch up a little bit on the straight. Unfortunately I was never really close enough to pass Fernando. Their straightline speed was quite good, which we already knew on Friday.  It was a fun race though, and especially seeing as we were closing in on Jenson, I thought here you go, now you see how it feels when the guys are catching up at the end of the race. It’s not the most comfortable feeling. But obviously he had quite a bit in hand and he was able to react three laps to the end. I think this race has been a little bit the story of the year, even though sometimes the results look pretty clear. You see that in the races the cars are pretty close to each other. Ferrari played a major role today with Fernando, they looked much better than what people expected. It was a fun race. Obviously I would have loved to sit in the middle which, to answer your question, was the target going into the race. I wasn’t targeting one point. If we targeted one point, I think the race would have been a bit different, but we targeted to do our optimum, which in a way today was third place, and that’s what we got.  But to win the championship here is pretty special and a bit funny at the same time, because it’s as confusing as the first one. All of sudden, you’re supposed to… yep, that’s the moment, now enjoy. I think it will surely take a little bit of time but the season has been fantastic. I think with a less dominant car than last year we were able to do a very, very good job. We are very strong as a team. Every time it mattered, we made very few mistakes, especially at those times when it was critical, we were there, we were performing. I think everyone working for Red Bull Racing can be very proud today. Renault has done a fantastic job; very often they get forgotten. We have had no problems with the engine at all. They were sending a lot of support all the time, pushing very hard in Viry, back in France, close to Paris. Obviously this year I think it has been more about engines than in any other year, not maybe in a performance perspective as in raw power but playing around with engine modes. We had a lot of discussion midway through the season, exhaust blowing etc, and I think Renault has pushed very hard and a lot of our performance is down to them. It’s hard to name one individual. In the end, I think the secret, if there was one this year, is that we could trust, one hundred percent, the guy next to us and that’s for the whole team. I think what we have achieved so far in Red Bull Racing is just incredible and we obviously hope to enjoy the rest of the year. The target for the next race will be exactly the same as this race and the last race, but also make sure that we are fighting those guys in the future.  QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Sebastian, could you describe your manoeuvre at the start of the race? Jenson said that it was not so fair.  SV: I just spoke to him. He expressed his feelings. Initially I wasn’t sure where he was, I didn’t really see him. I thought he was either on the right or he was far away on the left. I saw Lewis and I thought I had a good start and kept moving to the right, looking for him. By the time I saw him, I realised that maybe I was a little bit too far to the right and then he was backing off. Obviously no intention to put him in any danger but I think we can run with two wheels on the grass, can’t we Fernando?  JB: Did you think I was Fernando?  SV: No, no, I said we can race with two wheels on the grass, and then I said Fernando. Obviously, as I said, I didn’t want to put him in danger but I think we have to race each other hard and I thought it was a shame… at the end, I thought we were all getting together again and maybe have another fight. For a moment, I was thinking that maybe the victory was not out of my hands, which it looked like going into the last stint, but yeah, it was close. It would have been fun if it had continued for another five or ten laps. JB: I probably would have struggled with another five laps.  SV: That’s why! Q: (Joris Fioriti – Agence France Presse) Jenson, I may have been mistaken, but when I saw you on the podium you were not really overwhelmed with joy. I thought that you were at the same time happy to win, but very disappointed to lose the title. Did I imagine that or is that the way you feel?  JB: I was really surprised to lose the title today, yeah! I think I had given up on that quite a long time ago. I was very happy on the podium, maybe just the way I express my feelings isn’t as obvious as maybe I think.  SV: Maybe you were still exhausted, you had to run down from the pit lane. JB: I had to run the whole pit lane. For some reason, I seem to do that quite a lot: parking in the wrong place and running down. I’ve never realised how uphill the pit lane is as well. Amazing. But no, I was very happy, ecstatic, this is a very special race to win, as Seb knows for the last couple of years, not just because of the layout but because of the history here and also, as I said before, the crowd here. So a very special victory; it’s obviously not as big as Seb winning the World Championship today but winning a race like this does take a little bit of time to sink in. I remember when I won the World Championship, immediately it was a strange feeling, it was like: what am I supposed to feel right now? And it takes a little bit of time. It normally comes when you’re on your own and you can really think about what you have achieved. I’m sure Seb’s going to look forward to that tonight or about five or six in the morning.  SV: Oh no. Afternoon.  Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Fernando, now Seb is the youngest two time World Champion; you’ve lost that title. What does it mean to you now?  FA: Really nothing special. I think now we will see who is the youngest three time World Champion.  JB: I’m feeling the odd one out here, I’m feeling uncomfortable.  SV: Did you notice that Michael is the youngest seven time World Champion – ever! JB: Really? Wow. Is he? That surprises me. He’s also the oldest racing driver in F1.  SV: No. No. Not.  Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) One year later, Sebastian, what’s going through your head? Last year was perhaps a surprise at that last race; is it any different this year? SV: Every year… I think every race is different. I wouldn’t say last year was a surprise. That’s what we were fighting for and even if the odds weren’t looking too good, we kept believing. Even the year before I remember very, very well the moment in Brazil, probably as well as Jenson does. It’s not a nice feeling, knowing that you lose the title, so but it’s always these important moments that you remember, the good and the bad and in particular the bad because I think you are able to learn so much from the times that you are being beaten in a way. But the funny thing this year is that next week there is the next race, so that’s a bit difficult to understand. I think all year we tried very, very hard to keep our feet on the ground and always tried to focus on the next step, on the next race which, I think, in the end, if there was any, was one of the secrets. Last year, after the chequered flag it was all over, there was a long period of time when you weren’t in the car again etc, so it’s a bit different this year, and it makes it even more special in a way. So I’m very much looking forward to the rest of the season. We have a great car, a great team, and obviously we use everything we have to make the next step and do well or perform well at the next race. It does take some time to understand and I think those quiet moments that I will have, at some point, either tonight, tomorrow or the next week or weeks, for myself, but also with people who are very close to me, to take time and let things sink in a little bit.  Q: (Sarah Holt – BBC Sport) Seb, you’ve almost answered my question because I was going to say it’s been a long time since we’ve had the championship won with four races left to go. Do you think… SV: It’s probably Michael, I think he won half of his championships… JB: Bloody Germans! SV: What exactly do you mean?  Q: (Sarah Holt – BBC Sport) Do you think in some ways we should read that your championship this year was easier than it was last year, and for all three of you, how are going to race now that the championship has been won? Will it be free-er, how is your attitude different now?  SV: I think that it’s very likely for people to draw the wrong conclusion, to say that we had a very easy run this year. Things like this, they happen for a reason; I strongly believe that, not because things were easy for us. We had a very, very good car, no doubt, but we had an even stronger team, and as I said, a couple of times already, I think the car this year was less dominant than the car last year. Last year we had so many races where sometimes you may say we were unlucky but we made stupid mistakes as well. We did things which cost us a lot of time and cost us a lot of points in the end. A championship is not one race, it’s a lot of races pulled together and I think that’s where the difference came from this year. Obviously, after a very good start to the season, if you are on a good run, and you have this certain momentum and you’re able to keep that momentum, by not allowing yourself to start to fly or think too far ahead, really just stay present and just stay at that moment and focus race by race, and not thinking anything else. If you are able to keep that momentum that way, I think it makes you very strong and if you are on that sort of wave, then things might come a bit easier to you but it doesn’t mean that they are easy. So all in all, I think there was a lot to learn again this year, and hopefully that made us stronger for the remainder of the season, in which I think the approach will be very similar. Obviously a lot of the pressure has fallen away but nonetheless, there is a lot of pressure on us, because naturally we want to win, we want to beat those guys. We didn’t do so today so obviously we are over the moon to wrap up the championship today but we didn’t win today, so we’ve got another chance in the next races and we want to use those chances. It’s about using the opportunities you have, rather than seeing what could go wrong.  JB: Hopefully (we will race) exactly the same.  SV: So you’re always going to park just after the chequered flag?  JB: Yeah. I might not lift off next time you pull across at the start though.  SV: That means I’m on pole, so that’s good.  Q: (Carlos Miguel – La Gaceta) Fernando, during the race, in the car, did you really believe you could win, and is it really possible to finish second in the championship?  FA: In the race, I never thought about victory, if I’m completely honest with you. I only had a small possibility, maybe five or six laps from the end, when Jenson was dropping back a little bit and we closed the gap. Then I thought maybe if we were close enough maybe two laps or one lap from the end I could use the DRS and maybe have a chance, but I knew that it was difficult, but during the race, no, no time to think.  And second place in the championship. It’s nice to be second, better than fourth or fifth, but as I said on Thursday, I prefer a win and finish fifth in the championship than finish in second not winning one of the remaining races. Hopefully we can do one of those two things, either second or win a race but probably it will be difficult to win a race and will be difficult to be second so that’s the worst combination, but it’s very possible as well.  Junkie Jabber - Newsflash Sun, 09 Oct 2011 10:52:42 +0100 http://f1junkie.com/content/view/449/89/ “Always encouraging to end the day fastest” Suzuka, Friday October 7 JENSON BUTTON MP4-26A-04 P1 programme 20 laps 1m33.634s 1st P2 programme 32 laps 1m31.901s 1st “It’s always fun driving around Suzuka, particularly when you have a good car beneath you. This is an amazing circuit – the first sector is phenomenal; there is no rest, I don’t think you breathe through that whole sector. It’s all about getting it together and finding a balance that lets you flow through there. “And the car feels good around here. I don’t really know what to take from today in terms of where we stand, but the car feels pretty good. We tried a couple of different fuel-loads: on heavier fuel, the car feels okay through the high-speed changes of direction, although there are still some areas to improve – particularly in the long runs. “The important thing for us is to get the car sorted and ready to challenge for victory. “My crash helmet for this weekend features the Japanese flag and the words ‘JB’ and ‘Jenson’ in Japanese on the sides and the back. It’s similar to the helmet I wore in Monaco, and I’ll be auctioning it off after the race to raise money for the people who’ve been affected by the earthquakes and tsunami here in Japan.” LEWIS HAMILTON MP4-26A-03 P1 programme 18 laps 1m33.725s (+0.091s) 2nd P2 programme 26 laps 1m33.245s (+1.344s) 8th “Suzuka is a fantastic track to drive, especially when the weather’s as beautiful as today. “Looking at the times, I think Red Bull typically carries less fuel than us during Friday’s long-run practices – that’s often been the case throughout the year – and we’re often closer in the races. I think our long-run pace, particularly on Jenson’s car, looks good: I think we’ve got a good chance of being very competitive. Also, our pace over a single lap also looks very good. “Actually, I think looking after the tyres during the race will be the biggest challenge, because degradation could be a slight issue for the teams. “After P2, the stewards were looking at my data after [Vitantonio] Liuzzi parked his car at the exit of Turn 14 – but I did a slower sector time and didn’t use DRS or KERS, so it should be okay.” MARTIN WHITMARSH Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes “It’s always encouraging to end the day fastest, and Jenson really underlined our pace by heading up both of today’s free practice sessions. We’ve made a number of small changes to the cars for Japan and we’re encouraged by the results – not just for this weekend, but as the foundation for development at future races. “Lewis wasn’t able to capitalise on the softer rubber when his tyres were at their optimum due to several yellow-flag sectors during P2, but, nevertheless, he’s still encouraged by the pace of the car over both a single flying-lap and a long-run. “It’s always hard to make accurate assessments of other teams’ pace on higher fuel-loads, but we’ve been very focused on our own programme and feel comfortable with our pace given the fuel we were carrying. Obviously, that belief will be borne out tomorrow in qualifying and we hope that our predictions prove to be accurate.” Junkie Jabber - Newsflash Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:17:35 +0100 http://f1junkie.com/content/view/448/89/ Objectives P1 • Testing of upgrade components Objectives P2 • Continued evaluation of FW33 upgrades • Tyre runs and set-up work Mark Gillan, Chief Operations Engineer We’ve had a difficult start to the weekend with not as much running as we had hoped for. Accordingly, we have now revised the running plan going into P3. We did improve the set-up between sessions one and two with some aero development and mechanical adjustments on the cars. Rubens Barrichello I had limited running today which was unfortunate. In this morning’s session, a puncture cut my session short and then an off this afternoon also put me out early. The car felt quite loose before the incident and so we have a lot of things to look into now. Pastor Maldonado An engine problem caused me to stop early in P2. It’s my first time at Suzuka so I really need some more laps. We’ll have our work cut out in tomorrow’s final session. Junkie Jabber - Newsflash Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:15:24 +0100 http://f1junkie.com/content/view/447/89/ VODAFONE McLAREN MERCEDES BUILDS FOR THE FUTURE BY RE-SIGNING JENSON BUTTON TO NEW MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT WOKING, SURREY, UK, 5th OCTOBER 2011 Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is delighted to confirm that it has re-signed 2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button to a new multi-year contract. Jenson’s re-signing is a move that will strengthen Vodafone McLaren Mercedes’ long-term stability as it continues to grow and develop its race-winning form into further world championship successes. Jenson said: I’ve never felt more at home at a team than I do at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. I’ve won four of the greatest races of my life here, I’m currently lying second in the drivers’ world championship, and I feel that I’m driving better than ever. "You can only achieve that with the right level of support – and I truly believe that the passion and determination to win are stronger here at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes than anywhere else. "As a grand prix driver, those are incredibly powerful feelings to share and be part of, and they’ve only reinforced my desire to commit my long-term future to this team. "I’ve made no secret of my ambition to continue winning races and world championships, and I fully believe this is the place where I can achieve those aims. "We at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes know how to win, and we’re busy refining an organisation that will enable us to keep on doing that for years to come." Lewis said: "It’s great news that Jenson has chosen to stay with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. "Jenson has been a great person to work with, and a genuine team-player, from the moment we welcomed him on board. "Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is a team with a unique and successful tradition in Formula 1, which I'm proud to be part of. "It was the best moment of my career when I won the drivers’ world championship with this team. "Jenson and I are as hungry and as ambitious as ever to win races and world championships in the future." Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh said: “Jenson is a great driver and a great guy. “In fact, I can safely say that he’s one of the most capable and respected drivers we’ve ever had, and I’m therefore absolutely delighted that he’ll continue to work with us into the future. “He’s a considerable credit to this organisation, and I’m proud to be his Team Principal. “I feel sure that he’ll now build on the considerable success he’s already achieved with us, and will be even more successful with us in years to come. “I think he and Lewis say it better than anyone. Their comments show just how much they respect and trust each other, and they once again continue to prove what we as a team have always known: that Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has the very best driver line-up in all of Formula 1." Junkie Jabber - Newsflash Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:54:38 +0100 http://f1junkie.com/content/view/446/89/ There has been speculation in the local newspaper that the perverbial wheels were coming off at the Circuit of the America's, site of the 2012 USGP in Texas (http://www.usgptexas.com). It was reported yesterday that work has resumed and the delay over the past couple of weeks was due to paperwork, specifically getting the funding for the rest of the build completed. With funding complete, crews are expected to begin work on the verticle structures and hardscape. Junkie Jabber - Newsflash Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:52:08 +0100 http://f1junkie.com/content/view/445/89/ SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX RACE AT T Williams finished today’s Singapore Grand Prix in 11th and 13th place with its drivers Pastor Maldonado and Rubens Barrichello. From a P13 start position, Pastor secured 11th on a three stop strategy, while Rubens concluded the race in 13th from P12 on the grid, a two strategy forcing a long, final stint of tyre conservation. As Technical Director, Sam Michael, completes his last race for AT T Williams today, the team thanks him for his contribution over the past 11 seasons. Sam Michael, Technical Director: We tried a couple of different things on strategy between the two cars but today we didn’t have enough pace to get into the points. Both the drivers probably got the best out of the car they could. It was a tough race but both FW33s came home with no reliability issues. As that was my last Grand Prix for AT T Williams, I would like to thank everyone on the race team and at the factory for the last 11 years and to wish them all the best for a bright future. Pastor Maldonado: The car had quite a lot of oversteer throughout the race, particularly in the first stint. We tried everything to get rid of it to save the rear tyres but the wear rate forced us to pit early. It didn’t make that much of a difference to our strategy though and it actually worked out well in the end. I managed to get into a good rhythm, especially in the second half when I was able to follow Massa quite consistently. I think the team did well and I’m pleased too because it’s my first time racing in Singapore. Rubens Barrichello: We said at the beginning that the tyres would have a hard time. With the safety car deployed when it was, the only option was to stay out to have a chance of scoring points. It was a tough call to do that many laps on the same tyre - and when Massa came up behind me there was nothing I could do. We gave it a go, but it didn’t pay off for us today. Junkie Jabber - Newsflash Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:53:47 +0100 http://f1junkie.com/content/view/444/89/ 2011 Singapore Grand Prix Results POS DRIVER ENTRANT Pts 1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 25 2 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 18 3 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 15 4 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 12 5 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 10 6 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 8 7 Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP 6 8 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 4 9 Felipe Massa Ferrari 2 10 Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1 11 Pastor Moldonado Williams-Cosworth 0 12 Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 0 13 Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 0 14 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 0 15 Bruno Senna Renault 0 16 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 0 17 Vitaly Petrov Renault 0 18 Jerome d'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 0 19 Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 0 20 Vitantonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 0 21 Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 0 R Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 0 R Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP 0 R Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 0 Junkie Jabber - Newsflash Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:49:27 +0100 http://f1junkie.com/content/view/443/89/ 2011 SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX “The best possible result with the equipment we had” Marina Bay circuit, Sunday September 25 JENSON BUTTON MP4-26A-04 Started: 3rd Finished: 2nd Fastest lap: 1m48.454s (1st) Pitstops: Three: laps 14, 30 and 48 (Op-Pr-Op-Op) 2011 points: 185 (2nd) “I was being told throughout the race to look after the car and the tyres; the only time I was really able to push was in the last 12 laps, when I chased down Seb [Vettel] on the Supersoft tyre. “I gave it everything – but, in the end, we didn’t quite have the pace to make up the gap. Still, I think we had the best possible strategy for both Saturday and Sunday, and I couldn’t realistically have asked for a better result this weekend. “In fact, we didn’t make any mistakes this weekend and, as a team, I think we did the best possible job with the equipment we had. We need to improve a few things in our package, but I think Suzuka should suit us a little better [than Marina Bay]. “I’ve had a run of podium finishes recently, so I’d really love to finish one step higher at the next race!” LEWIS HAMILTON MP4-26A-03 Started: 4th Finished: 5th Fastest lap: 1m50.832s (+2.378s, 4th) Pitstops: Five: laps 11, 13 (front-wing change), 15 (drive-through), 29 and 48 (Op-Op-Pr-d/t-Op-Pr) 2011 points: 168 (5th) “Congratulations to Seb on a great drive – he drove fantastically all weekend. “And well done to Jenson, too – he showed what was possible from our package by really getting the maximum out of it. He nearly brought home the victory too – so I’m encouraged that we can continue to challenge for wins for the rest of the season. “I had fun picking off cars after my penalty, but it was frustrating to once again be down the field when I felt we had a car that could have challenged up at the front. “For me, this weekend was a bit of a missed opportunity. As always, though, I’ll put it behind me – I’m already looking forward to Suzuka!” MARTIN WHITMARSH Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes “Jenson drove a truly fabulous race yet again – and bagged 18 valuable world championship points as a result. “He controlled his pace faultlessly, looked after his tyres brilliantly, and then attacked the Marina Bay circuit with total commitment at the end when aggression rather than circumspection was called for. But for a bit of bad luck in the form of a few backmarkers whom he encountered at precisely the inopportune moment, he could well have snatched a truly sensational victory. “He’s now a clear second in the drivers’ world championship too. “Lewis had a more frustrating day, but drove with great determination to finish fifth at the chequered flag, pulling off some fantastic passing manoeuvres in so doing. “All in all, he had to make five visits to the pitlane – so, as I say, bearing that in mind, fifth place was a seriously impressive achievement. “Next, though, we go to Suzuka, which is one of the great circuits on the Formula 1 calendar from a driver’s point of view. “Both Lewis and Jenson will be aiming for ultimate honours there – as indeed they will in all the remaining races of the 2011 season.” Junkie Jabber - Newsflash Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:23:36 +0100