Drivers: 1 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing), 2 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus), 3 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
PODIUM INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Mario Andretti)
Q:
Sebastian, I’m still out of breath. How in the world do you do it:
eight straight, I mean you’re rewriting the record books. Tell us about
it. Second last year, top podium step this year. Tell us.
Sebastian Vettel:
I don’t know, honestly! It’s impossible to know what to say. First of
all, I would like to say thanks to the crowd. It’s unbelievable. It’s
only our second race here. Second race here and we’ve got more than
100,000 people coming on Sunday. I think this is one of the best races
we have all season. The whole city is going crazy, so it’s phenomenal to
race here in front of the crowd. The car was fantastic. It was a bit
tight at the start; Romain had a good start initially, I didn’t know
whether it would be enough. It’s tough judgement up the hill and then I
just tried to focus on myself. We had incredible pace again in the car
and could control the gaps. I don’t know, eight in a row is… you are a
legend, you know….
Q: Your first win on American soil. Your debut was on American soil as well?
SV:
Yes, 2007 in Indianapolis. To come back [to the US] last year and
finish on the podium and today to win the race is incredible. I don’t
know what to say.
Q: Fabulous, congratulations. I guess you’re going for nine next week?
SV: We’ll try.
Q:
Romain, congratulations, your best effort of the season - sixth podium.
You have represented Lotus in a very proud way. I guess number one in
the team next year, right? Let’s make it official. So congratulations.
Tell us about your race today?
Romain Grosjean: Yeah, good race.
Good start, I could pass Mark and almost got Sebastian. The car was
working very well today. I’m very proud to represent Lotus and my guys
that are working in Enstone. It’s a fantastic team. Being between those
two cars is our best - everyone did a 100 per cent job. It means a lot
to do a podium here in the United States. I like this country. It’s
always good to come here, so glad, and looking forward to come back on
that beautiful track and hopefully next year we’ll be one step ahead.
Q:
Mark, I guess this is going to be your last stop here in Formula One at
the Circuit of the Americas, so not a bad effort today, third, a
podium.
Mark Webber: Yeah. Obviously pole position was very
important yesterday, so I knew it was going to be important and that it
would cost me a lot better result today. A little bit disappointed not
to qualify better. We knew it was not going to be the easiest to get
into turn one from there. We had a good launch, a good start, but then
obviously we all wanted to be on the outside. I got a little bit boxed
in and then I had to pass Lewis. Then it’s not easy to pass Romain. He
drove very well. He was very clean on the exit of eight, nine. The DRS
in the end was a little bit short on the ratios but in the end that’s
how you get the ratios for the whole race. So, good job for the whole
team and I’m happy to finish on the podium in front of the American fans
for the last time, in Formula One anyway. I’ll see you next year with
the Porsche.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Sebastian, your 12 win
this season, seventh from pole, 38th of your career but probably the
most important number is that it’s the eighth in a row. Never been done
before in Formula One. You got a bit fed up answering questions about it
in anticipation but now that it’s actually happened and you’ve actually
done it, how does it feel?
SV: It’s incredible. I think it’s one
of those things that you never expect to… one of those records that you
never expect to be beaten so it’s very difficult to find the right
words. I didn’t really answer the questions the last couple of days
because at the end of the day what makes me jump into the car is not a
certain number. But certainly today, when you realise that you’ve done
it, it makes you very proud in that moment and, yeah, I think it’s very
difficult for all of us to realise what it actually means. If you look
back, and if you look those names who had similar records or outstanding
performances in the past, I think it’s impossible to understand. People
look back and they talk about that time and about certain drivers and
one day people might look back and talk about our time and what we’ve
done as a team. I said it on the team radio, the spirit is fantastic.
Everybody’s just happy to turn up, give it everything he has and I think
- if there is one - that’s the secret. Yes, we have a phenomenal car;
yes, the car has been mostly very, very reliable but I think it’s the
mindset we have going in, really trying to give it everything we have,
not miss a single step… yeah… How to, after the race, not to turn around
and think that there was a little bit left here, a little bit left
there. Another very, very, very strong weekend. I think people tend to
forget that every single weekend is a challenge on its own. It’s not
eight weekends as a whole. It’s every single weekend. And to have such
an incredible run, it’s very difficult to realise.
Q: Romain,
your sixth podium of the season. I think you just said in your own
language that it’s one year ago that you became a father. It’s been an
amazing turn around from last year to this year but obviously this was a
race all about your start and particularly then about soaking up the
pressure from Mark in the closing stages. Tell us about it.
RG:
Yes, exactly. We knew that the start would be crucial for us and then
the race, if they were going ahead, they had too much speed for us,
basically. They’re doing a fantastic job with a phenomenal car, as Seb
says. But we can… he spoke about the spirit in his team and I think we
have the same: every guy is happy to come in the morning and happy to
work and check things. Y’know, drivers will always complain about this
and this and this. They change it and it brings us to second at the end
of the day. So, a very good start, a very good strategy, same as
everyone else - I think I was just a little bit better on the option. I
said in my own language that one year ago my wife sent me a picture of a
pregnancy test saying that ‘well done Champion, you’re going to be a
Dad!’ So America brings me a lot of bliss and pleasure and looking
forward to come back here.
Q: Mark from your point of view.
Obviously starting second. The initial getaway looked fine but it then
was going up the hill that you lost the initiative. I guess your race
really was dictated by qualifying yesterday to a large extent but
particularly by the getaway today.
MW: Yeah, pole position
yesterday was where the fight was. Going to be very difficult from
there. I think we were… I was very happy with how I drove today. Got a
very good start. You want to be on the outside for Turn One but Romain
was already there. I think I made a very good start from the left hand
side, which is not the easiest here, so we did what we could. Lewis also
was on the outside for clean braking so I had to be a little bit
careful with Seb on the inside. And then you’ve got to clear people and
you know when you’ve got to clear people you use tyres, you use
everything up. Romain drove a very good race, he was very strong in the
last part of the first sector which you need to be to get out of there.
It’s super-super difficult to stay close. I did what I could for most of
the time but also the tyres are screaming at you for lap after lap and
you have to drop back, give them a breather, go again. So, yeah, I did a
pretty clean race. I think the performance and pace were very strong
from my side but yesterday was when victory was made easier for Seb.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q:
(Frederic Ferret - L’Equipe) Romain, what was the strategy to resist to
Mark, and Mark, what were the different things you tried with the KERS?
RG:
Well, I think the strategy was pretty clear. We were copying what Mark
was doing. When he was pitting for hard tyres, we pitted for hard tyres,
if he was pitting for prime or option. Then in the race I was just
trying to make as much gap as I could before the DRS zone, so turns
eight and nine are pretty hard to follow another car. I think we had a
pretty good balance around there and then use all the power we could on
the back straight, trying to avoid the DRS and then I know that by turns
17,18, 19 it was very difficult to follow me, so he was very close
every time into turn one, but never had a go. I think the closest he was
into turn 12 was probably ten meters. He pushed me wide once because I
outbraked myself but as long as he didn’t seem to be too big in the
mirror that was fine.
MW: As usual, the Lotus is not too
bad on the softer end of the range, if you like, with this tyre we
qualified on. Had to do the race start, obviously I had to use the tyre
to pass Lewis, so when it was time to build up towards the stop, to be
patient, to go as long as possible but also knowing that Romain was
covering us off, covering the move and waiting for us to pit because the
Enstone guys are not rookies when it comes to strategy either. We knew
we would look to have an attack on the prime but also, as you say,
moving the KERS round a lot is part of my job, to try and create more
pressure. The back straight was OK to use all of it, but the key areas
are eight, nine and then the hairpin. It’s not the easiest track on
which to follow people, I think we saw last year, obviously Seb was in
traffic with Lewis, Lewis was very quick but following all the time and
couldn’t pass. It’s a challenging venue still to pass because of turn
eight and nine, I think, so in the end we did what we could do. There’s
not many regrets as to what we could have done differently to get the
job done on Romain after that.
Q: (Luis Fernando Ramos -
Racing magazine) Mark, we have a Brazilian Grand Prix in one week, so
what’s your feeling as you go into your final F1 Grand Prix?
MW:
I’m looking forward to it, driving round in the middle of the race
thinking ‘yes, I’m really looking forward to it because it’s time’, the
enjoyment factor is there but it’s not like it was when I was at Jaguar
or when I first started at Red Bull. That’s natural, that’s why the
decision gets made obviously. The category has changed quite a bit in
the last few years, I’ve done what I can, done my best but when you
realise there comes a point where it’s not what it once was and that’s
what happens to all sportsmen and women, there’s a point when it’s a
little bit different. I’ve got one week to go, I will leave the paddock
very satisfied. I’ve been dealt a very good hand, very proud of what
I’ve achieved. I never thought I would do that when I left Queanbeyan in
Australia, to have had the results I’ve had, to have worked with the
amazing people I’ve worked with, to race against amazing drivers on the
best tracks in the world. I’ve learned a huge amount about myself,
about everything. One week to go and go from there. It’s the next
chapter when I step out of the car for the last time I will be fine with
it. Back to UK Sunday night, walk the dogs on Tuesday morning.
Q:
(Sarah Holt - CNN) Seb, not such a massive victory margin as we’ve seen
in recent races but still, can you tell us what it’s been like to
effectively race yourself in the last few races and what’s been going
through your mind in the car?
SV: It’s not as if I’ve been
getting bored. Obviously I’ve quite a lot to do, looking at the gaps.
First of all, I have to match their pace. Obviously when they do come
closer it’s not the best feeling because you want the gap to increase
always, but you don’t want the gap to become smaller. I think it was
clear this weekend that again we had a very strong package. Friday
already looked very good, especially on the long run pace. I think in
terms of set-up we might have compromised the pace a little bit
yesterday. Also it was very tricky with the windy conditions in
qualifying for everyone to get everything right in just one lap. It was
very easy to lose out a little bit here and there but today I was
happier with the balance. Already on the laps to the grid I could feel
the car was more similar to Friday so I was very happy once I was in the
lead after turn one. Obviously I had to wait a little bit with the
safety car before I could unleash the pace but certainly it’s a great
feeling when you do pull away, and then it’s about pacing yourself,
pacing yourself to get the range, to look after the tyres etc. Certainly
there are a lot of things going on but also it’s a nice feeling to have
a little bit of a gap because you can take it a little bit easier in
some crucial places, to look after the tyres and benefit from that,
especially later on in the stint. Overall, you do tend to have quite a
bit of work in the car, it’s not necessarily... it is a Sunday afternoon
drive but not in that regard.
Q: (Peter Windsor - F1 Racing)
Just following on from Sarah’s question: Seb, a lot of great drivers say
they’ve never actually driven the perfect lap, and I guess therefore
the perfect race has never been driven. How was your race today, we
didn’t see every corner of every lap. In your own standards, did you
make any mistakes at all?
SV: Well, it’s different these days. If
I compare when I came into Formula One, it was more like sprint racing
for twenty laps, get a new set of tyres, refuel and go out and do
another sprint. Today, obviously, is different because you don’t refuel,
the car is very heavy at the beginning and naturally, just because of
the way that you have to look after tyres. Now we’ve seen in the past
couple of years that these tyres do need some management as well, also
in terms of driving style and looking after them and making sure you
don’t go crazy too soon, because it might hurt you later on, so
therefore, if you look at the perfect lap, you can’t repeat a 100
percent lap every time, because you need to look after the car and
tyres. In the end, I think what you want to achieve is the fastest race
to the finish line. I think we had a very very strong race today. The
last couple of laps on the softs I was struggling because I running into
traffic and the tyres were falling off so we were actually the first to
come in this time, despite the big gap, but then the hards seem to last
very very well in the end. We had very strong pace. I think I went a
little bit wide once or twice into turn 12 under braking but other than
that, I obviously tried as well to keep it on the line. It is a little
bit easier if you have a ten second gap to the car behind to not
necessarily use all the kerbs here and there, to manage the tyres a
little bit better.
Q: (Peter Windsor - F1 Racing) The
concentric doughnuts you did afterwards looked beautiful. Do you have
any set-up that you put into the car before the race in terms of diff or
brake balance, to make that happen?
SV: No, no, definitely not.
Obviously there’s a couple of tricks, we had some... we do have some
show runs every year and this is usually when you get to practise your
skills when it comes to doughnuts and burn-outs. It just seemed like a
good spot. You know, you have to do it in a smooth way otherwise I get a
big bollocking from my engineers for not looking after gearbox, engine
and so on, so I try to be smooth but equally you want to create some
smoke and just have fun. But not any maps, particular set-ups that go in
the car just because of that.
Q: (Luigi Perna - La Gazzetta dello Sport) Seb, what do you think that Michael will tell you about this broken record?
SV:
Well, in a way I think I have the same approach as him, as probably
every sportsman. I don’t think we are jumping into the car to beat
certain records. At his time, he was braking a lot of records and many
of them will last forever, I think. To come even close and today to beat
one of those is exceptional. I think, as a sportsman, you don’t jump
into the car to break records and equally you don’t expect them to last
forever. I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago and generally, I think
he’s very happy with what he has achieved and seemed fairly relaxed. I
think he’s riding a lot of horses lately so he’s quite happy to go
karting with his kids and enjoying his life after Formula One. There’s a
huge part of our lives if you consider that there’s a lot of years left
once we retire. It’s good to enjoy those as well.
Q: (John
Sturbin - Ft. Worth Star-Telegram) Sebastian, on Friday, the technical
directors were in here including Adrian Newey talking about next year’s
changes and how that might upset the balance of power. Is that something
you were maybe referring to in your post-race message, you were talking
about ‘this is something we need to remember?’ Are you worried about
next year and how it might upset everything?
SV: No, to be
honest... Yeah, I remember Adrian said the same thing. I think we have
all been there. Yesterday evening I took a shower and I had some
thoughts about the day, finishing on pole. It’s a little bit of a shame
that obviously because of the run we’ve had lately, people take it as
guaranteed that you deliver the result on a Saturday afternoon and
Sunday afternoon because I think people tend to in a way respect the
result and what it means, the effort behind it and I think it’s natural
that as an athlete you have ups and downs. Right now, you could say that
it’s rather more up and then down but you never know what’s going to
happen, next year is an unknown. I’m sure we will push very very hard
and I’m sure we will fight a lot to maintain our position but there’s no
guarantee that next year will be like this year. With the new
regulations coming in, I think nobody really knows where he will stand.
You will have the big teams in front but the question is who and the
question is also in terms of gaps. Yesterday was one tenth between Mark
and myself which is very very small, it’s a small gap and certainly
there’s a reason to believe that next year the gaps will be bigger and
the season will be less consistent for everyone. It’s unknown at this
stage but generally I think we need to remember and therefore enjoy the
moment and the days we’re having.
(Source:f1.com)
