Team reaction after the Hungarian GP (part 1)

Red Bull Renault

Mark Webber: "Not an easy Grand Prix today. We knew the start was crucial, especially at a venue like this where it’s difficult to overtake. I knew I would be on the back foot fighting with Sebastian and Fernando at the start. I settled into the first stint, but then it was a chess game as to how we would jump Ferrari. The safety car opened up the race and we went off strategy and did something completely different to Fernando. When the safety car came out and I was told to stay out I hoped Fernando would go in to pit. When I saw him go in I knew we had a chance to do something good. I then settled down on the soft tyre and worked on getting a twenty-second lead to Fernando. After I came in for my pit-stop I was able to control the race. It’s a nice way to celebrate my 150th race and a great day for us as a team on our 100th race weekend. This result is a credit to the team, they made a good call on the strategy and the car was bomb proof. The next race is Spa, which is a beautiful circuit. I’m looking forward to that race, but it will be nice to have a few days off in the break beforehand."

Sebastian Vettel : "During the race, I didn’t understand why I got the drive-through penalty, but I understood after the race what happened. The start was fine; we knew it was a long run to the first corner and Fernando got the tow, but we were able to defend and had a good first stint. When the safety car came out, it was a late call for my pit-stop, so I only just managed to come in. After that it should have been straightforward, as we knew we had the pace advantage. I was sleeping at the re-start, I had lost the radio and was waiting for an instruction of when the safety car would come in. I didn’t see the lights in my car. Mark was close to the safety car, so I thought we had another lap. But then I saw the safety car come in and I was caught out. I lost a lot of momentum and then I got the drive-through. I am disappointed, as I hoped to win today. I was third, so it was a good result for the team, but I am disappointed."

Christian Horner, Team Principal: "A fantastic 100th Grand Prix weekend for Red Bull Racing. It was a really dominant performance from us to win the race today. The safety car came out at probably one of the worst times in the race. We split the strategies, as the only way to get Mark back ahead of the Ferraris was to outrun them at the safety car restart. Unfortunately, at the re-start, Sebastian dropped too far behind Mark and got a penalty as a result. Mark then got his head down, as he had to pull out a twenty second lead to Fernando in order to do the pit-stop and stay ahead. He drove an awesome 20 laps to achieve the required gap and win the race. For Sebastian, it was a great shame to receive the penalty. He pushed Fernando as hard as he could for the remaining thirty laps, but it’s very difficult to overtake here. A one/ three finish puts us in the lead of the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships going into the summer break, which will give the team a chance to recharge their batteries in preparation for what will be a very intense final third of the Championship."

Fabrice Lom, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support: "What an incredible race to finish the first part of the season. It was an action-packed race and despite our very quick car, our opponents had some opportunities. Fortunately we won and scored a lot of points. We are now in the lead of both championships, which is a very good result. All the guys at the factory can go on holiday with a clear mind. We will aim to continue with this momentum in the second half of the season. Congratulations to Red Bull on it’s 100th race weekend and congratulations to Renault."

Ferrari

Stefano Domenicali: "It would have been nice to dedicate a win to Lupo Montezemolo, the son of our President, but it was not possible, because, we have to admit it, this weekend, Red Bull was stronger than us, but we will definitely try again in Spa! All the same, we are very pleased to have picked up 30 points which came at the end of a race that was very closely contested from the first to the last lap. I wish to congratulate Felipe, both as a driver and as a man: he managed a very difficult race without making the slightest mistake and as a man, he proved able to tackle in the best possible way a week when he was under a lot of pressure. Fernando was extraordinary: even though his car had a lower performance level, he held off Vettel for over thirty laps, not forgetting his great start. Our aim today was to close down the gap to the leaders in both championships and that’s exactly what we did. The situation is once again more open now, but we are well aware that there is still a lot to do. The Red Bulls have always been very strong and I am sure McLaren will return to top form. We must stay focussed on our own work, always giving our utmost effort; on the track trying to exploit every opportunity while at Maranello pushing hard on the development of the F10." Finally, our thoughts are with our young driver, Jules Bianchi, who had a serious accident in yesterday’s GP2 race: he must be strong at a difficult time like this, but he can count on the knowledge that Ferrari is there to support him."

Fernando Alonso: "This is a very important result. Luck owed us a lot and today it made a first payment, or at least a partial one. I got a great start, first of all managing to get past Webber and then getting alongside Vettel going into the first corner, but I was not able to complete that move. Then, we did not have the speed to stay with the leader and so I had to think mainly about defending my position. When the Safety Car came in, there were a few tense moments, when it was vital not to make any mistakes, keeping my speed on the limit. After that, it was not easy fighting off Vettel for over thirty laps: his car was definitely quicker than mine, but luckily this track does not offer up any places for overtaking, apart from the first corner. Clearly, we have to improve our car if we want to be in with a chance of fighting for the title: here the Red Bulls were unbeatable and although McLaren struggled today, they will be very strong again in Spa and Monza, where there are long straights that suit their car. We will have some updates in Belgium: we hope they will allow us to close the gap to the best. It was important to finish this very tough month of July in the best way possible: the break is coming at just the right time. The final part of the championship will be very interesting, with five drivers all within 20 points."

Felipe Massa: "This is my best result at this Grand Prix and I am happy that it comes one year after my accident. All things considered, this was a positive result. At the start, I did not have much grip, but I expected that, given I was on the dirty side of the track. Today, against rivals who were really flying we did the most we could. I think the decision to pit when the race was under the Safety Car was the right one: we could not have done the same as Webber, staying out for such a long time on the soft tyres. It’s true that with the double pit-stop, I lost a place to Hamilton, but then for once, luck was on my side and I got the place back. A week ago in Hockenheim and at the start of the season in Bahrain, we were the quickest, but apart from that, the Red Bulls have always been strongest. We have to continue to push on the development front to catch up: in four weeks times in Spa, we will see where we are compared to them. My championship definitely does not stop here: it has been a very special week for me and this has been a positive weekend for me and the team."

Chris Dyer: "A great performance from both our drivers. Today we got a result that was definitely better than the one our car should have been capable of delivering and Felipe and Fernando both had to be perfect to bring home these 30 points. When the Safety-Car came out we immediately called in Fernando because it was the best solution, while with Felipe we also had the option to keep him out on track: he also came in and thus lost a place to Hamilton, but got it back when the Englishman retired. The soft tyres performed as expected, without really showing any real signs of degradation. However, we probably could not have done such a long stint as Webber: for us it was important to control the situation and react to what our rivals did."

Renault

Vitaly Petrov: I feel wonderful because we did everything almost perfect today. I made a good start and managed to pass Rosberg and Hamilton into the first corner, which was our target. After that, I didn’t try and block Lewis too much because I had a problem with my tyre warm-up. I lost a lot of grip and I was fighting the car. I decided to let him through rather than risk losing more positions.
The points today are very important for us because Mercedes didn’t score any. Also, I have a lot of friends and family here today so I’m pleased I could give them a good result.

Robert Kubica: I had managed a pretty good start from the dirty side of the track, but I wasn’t really able to gain any positions. Then I was stuck behind Rosberg for the first stint until the safety car came out
and we made the pit stop. That’s when I had the accident with Sutil. I saw the lollipop go up and I started to go but unfortunately we collided, which forced us to retire because of the damage to the front suspension. It would have been nice to have at least finished the race because there are so many Polish fans here and looking at how the race evolved, we could probably have got a good result.

Eric Boullier, Team Principal: We scored a lot of valuable points today, but just as important is the fact that Vitaly has had a superb weekend. He finished the race in fifth, which is obviously an excellent result. It’s even more satisfying because Mercedes didn’t score any points today, so we have made up ten points on them. Obviously we can’t be completely happy because we had the incident in the pit lane, which
cost Robert some points as well. Without this I think he could have expected to finish at least sixth, so we could have had both cars in the points. But this is racing and it’s still a satisfying weekend for
the team.

Alan Permane, Chief Race Engineer: It was an excellent drive from Vitaly today with good pace and consistency. He made a great start and did well to get ahead of Rosberg, which was our target, and after that he was able to pull away from him comfortably. From then on he drove a faultless race and he can be very satisfied with his performance across the entire weekend. Unfortunately Robert had to retire after the incident at his
pit stop. We were concerned about the loads the suspension had seen and whether there was damage, so we decided to stop the car on safety grounds.

Rémi Taffin, Head of Engine Operations: Fifth place for Vitaly is a well deserved result after the excellent job he has done all weekend. He
had a new engine here and it hasn’t suffered too much so we will reuse it again at the next race in Spa. It was a disappointing race for Robert because his race ended with the collision in the pit lane.
We retired the car because of suspected damage and so his engine has not really suffered much from this race either

Williams Cosworth

Nico Hulkenberg claimed a career-best sixth place Formula One finish in today’s Hungarian GP, driving a mature and controlled race amid an incident-filled afternoon. A Safety Car on lap 15 saw 13 cars enter the pitlane simultaneously and in one of the ensuing incidents, a loose wheel from another car knocked down Nigel Hope, a member of the AT&T Williams pitcrew. Despite sustaining some injuries, he returned to resume duties on the pitcrew for the second tyre stop of the afternoon, following a precautionary visit to the medical centre. Having started on the prime tyre, the early Safety Car effectively neutralised Rubens’ race plan and he was forced to run a long first stint, but in a courageous move on new options tyres, he claimed P10 for the last point of the day.

Nico Hulkenberg: I am very happy with today’s outcome. It was a great effort from the team and the factory. We were in the right place to take advantage of the Safety Car, but even so, the car had good pace today and I didn’t make any mistakes. It was good to collect decent points and have the luck running with us. The result is a good way to go into the break and sets up the second half of the season well for me and the team.

Rubens Barrichello: We had a car that in terms of performance was capable of finishing P5 or thereabouts, but taking the chance to start on primes always left us liable to a Safety Car. It came too early to box for the option tyre, so I had to stay out until we found a window that would allow me to attack for points. I had to work pretty hard for the point in a fight that wasn’t fair or clean, but I will let others be the judge of that. All I am clear about is that I am a racer and in such situations, I never back off.

Patrick Head, Director of Engineering: Today was a good result for the team. I am pleased that Nico had a strong race and Rubens showed that he has a passion for racing that has characterised his career. Rubens also set the third fastest lap of the race.

Sauber Ferrari

In what was the 300th Grand Prix for Peter Sauber’s team both drivers finished in the points for the first time this year: Pedro de la Rosa came seventh in today’s Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest while his team mate Kamui Kobayashi finished ninth having started from 23rd on the grid.

Pedro de la Rosa: “I am extremely happy and I am especially happy for the team who deserved a good result for all the hard work in developing the car so much further. After the start is was difficult for me but then the safety car came out at a good time and the team did a good job calling me in. My pit stop went very well and afterwards it was more or less about keeping position. My car was okay during the race although I can see several things that we can learn from. We came here and did not expect too much on this slow circuit and now we have finished with both cars in the points for the first time this year.“

Kamui Kobayashi: “I think I had a good recovery from my bad qualifying. I could only try my best today. My start was good and then after the safety car period it was important that I overtook Michael Schumacher because otherwise Rubens Barrichello would have caught me before the end. I am so pleased for the team that we brought both cars into the points for the first time this season. I think we can now all be happy going into our summer holidays which is a very nice feeling.“

Peter Sauber, Team Principal: “This result for the team’s 300th Grand Prix is just great and a big relief. It was a fantastic effort from the drivers and the team who all did a fantastic job. Congratulations to everybody! Pedro lost two positions following the start but then drove very consistently and fast and had no problems keeping Jenson Button behind him and scored six valuable points. We knew that Kamui is a good race starter, but what he did today was simply outstanding. He gained seven places on lap one and finally finished ninth coming from 23rd. With this result in the bag the summer break will be particularly sweet.”

James Key, Technical Director: “A great result for the team to get both cars in the points and very solidly too. Pedro drove very well. He lost two places at the start, but in the mêlée of the situation with the safety car he gained positions. Then he held on very well and was just part of a train behind the cars ahead of him. For Kamui to come from P23 to ninth is outstanding. He made a brilliant start where he gained seven places. This immediately put him in a position where he could do a normal strategy. He started on the soft tyres and that turned out to be the way to go. He controlled it very well. It’s an excellent result and a good reflection of how hard the team is working.”

McLaren Mercedes

Jenson Button: “The weekend started really well: we showed good pace in free practice and I was looking forward to qualifying. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out, and I started 11th on the grid.

“I got a good start off the line, but I went four abreast into Turn One, and got stuck on the outside, losing about four or five places.

“So, from that position, finishing eighth wasn’t too bad. I lost a lot of points, and for the team to take home only four points today is disappointing, but there isn’t a very big points gap covering the top four drivers – I’m only 14 points behind the championship leader, after all – so it’s still all to play for.

“It’s been a tough weekend, but we’ll come back fighting. We’re a very positive and strong team, and we’ve been in difficult situations before, so we can definitely jump back from this – hopefully as soon as Spa-Francorchamps at the end of this month.”

Lewis Hamilton: “I was accelerating out of Turn One when I felt a sudden vibration and then a loss of drive. I initially thought it was a driveshaft failure, but it now appears that it was a gearbox problem.

“Actually, I may have had an issue with the gearbox from the very beginning of the race, when I initially feared I had a brake-related vibration. Whatever, it’s a bit of a shame because, as always, the guys had worked very, very hard all weekend, and I think we’d done more than enough in the race to get up to the front and score some decent points.

“It’s a pity to have a fault at this stage in the year, but that’s racing – when you push the car to the limit, these things can happen.

“We’ll learn from this, though, and we’ll just have to work even harder to make sure we don’t have any further problems this year, and that we can catch back up to the front-runners – which I’m certain we’ll be able to do.”

Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal: “Obviously, we’re disappointed with our haul of world championship points here in Hungary, but we remain in hot contention for the drivers’ world championship and the constructors’ world championship, and it’s all still to play for in the last seven grands prix of the season.

“Lewis made a decent start this afternoon, but then got squeezed into Turn One and dropped a place. He then did really well to pass Vitaly [Petrov] on lap two, and the boys then pulled off a really slick pit stop to get him ahead of Felipe [Massa], too. As the race unfolded, it became clear that, had he not suffered a gearbox failure, Lewis would probably have finished third. So that’s very frustrating.

“Jenson made a good start but then got boxed in at Turn One and also lost time avoiding Michael [Schumacher] as he [Schumacher] ran wide and then rejoined the track. But, from 15th at the end of lap one, Jenson then drove patiently and determinedly all afternoon, slogging his way to four world championship points as a result.

“After the summer shutdown, we’ll come back fully refreshed and utterly determined to apply ourselves as hard as is humanly possible to take world championship honours this season. We’ve got lots of good people, we’ve got lots of good ideas, and we’re prepared to do lots of work. We always knew that this year’s world championship was going to be a tough battle, but we’re up for that tough battle – so bring it on!”