Team reaction after race in Suzuka (part 1)

Sebastian Vettel: “This circuit is very special – the fans are incredible here and to get my second win in Suzuka is fantastic.
It was a nice Sunday; to have qualifying and the race in one day is a unique experience and to finish top in both is great. Thanks to the team, to those here and also back in the UK – they all work very, very hard. We had some small upgrades here and they were a step forward. Our car loves this type of circuit and I’m very happy and very proud of today’s result. Mark was running in second and was trying to put me under pressure, but having track position helps and the race was basically about managing the car and the tyres until the first stop. It wasn’t certain when the soft tyres would go off, but the timing of the pitstop was right. We were then behind Jenson at the start of the second stint. I wasn’t pushing as I trying to control the gap while waiting for him to make his stop. It wasn’t easy today, but it was a nice and controlled race.”

Mark Webber: “Sebastian had an extra half tenth this morning and pole position is a nice thing to have on the chess board going into this race. Ultimately qualifying was important, but I’m happy with how I drove today – I couldn’t have got a great deal more out of the car. I wasn’t that happy with the set-up on Friday, but the guys did a good job to get it back to a place where I was happier. I pushed Sebastian in the race – we
pulled away on the soft tyre in the first stint and I was comfortable on the hard tyre after my stop. It was a formation finish and a one-two for the team; it’s a great result for us in the Constructors’ Championship and a good result for me in the Drivers’. Sebastian deserved the victory today, I’m happy.”

Christian Horner, Team Principal: “It’s been a fantastic day for the team with the added pressure of having to qualify this morning. We secured the front row and then converted that into a onetwo finish this afternoon, it was a perfect performance from the team and the drivers and it’s a fantastic result. We had to keep an eye on Jenson Button’s strategy because of him running on a different tyre at the start of the race and he started to back things up a little bit after half-distance, but at no point were we overly concerned and both drivers did a very good job of looking after their tyres and cars. Mark’s
managed to extend his Championship lead over Fernando, who Sebastian is now tied on points with, while in the Constructors’, we’ve obviously managed to open up a healthy margin.”

Fabrice Lom, (Renault), Principal Engineer Track Support: “It’s a perfect result for us, a one-two finish – 43 points – it’s the jackpot and really great. Mark’s extended his lead in the Drivers’ Championship and we have pulled away in the Constructors’. We now have to try and maintain the gap on the leaderboard until the end of the season. We only have three races to go, so we really need to focus on these last races and give our best, Championship-winning chances like this do not come along very often, so we will push!”

Another podium finish for Fernando Alonso, third in the Japanese Grand Prix, a result which sees him maintain second place in the championship standings. No points for Felipe Massa, who had to retire at the start of the opening lap after an incident in which he made contact with Liuzzi. That was the outcome of a very busy Sunday for Scuderia Ferrari, with qualifying and the race condensed into less than seven hours.

Stefano Domenicali: "First of all, I want once again to offer our condolences for the deaths of the soldiers yesterday in Afghanistan, which has affected us deeply. Then I want to praise the team, who worked in impeccable fashion on an unusual day, with qualifying and the race following one after the other. We knew that, at this track, Red Bull would be very strong and as we saw this morning, other teams also proved to be competitive. This third place is therefore a great result, in line with our game plan and it keeps us right in with a chance in the Drivers’ championship. Unfortunately, the situation in the Constructors’ took a knock because Felipe had to retire after the accident at the start. I am very disappointed for our driver, who despite a less than brilliant grid position had every chance of having a good race. There are three Grands Prix to go in this championship which is proving very hard to predict: it will be vital to concentrate all the time and give our utmost, day after day. As we have said for a while now, the maths can wait until Abu Dhabi on 14 November. Finally, I want to congratulate our customer teams, who brought home a further three Ferrari engines in the top ten."

Fernando Alonso: "All things considered this was a positive day for us. On a circuit that seemed purpose built to show off the strengths of the Red Bull, we managed to get on the podium, losing just three points to the championship leader. We had a bit of luck because Kubica’s retirement meant a potentially very strong rival was out of the reckoning. I did not make an ideal start, partly because of a problem with the clutch, but then I soon made up a place over Button. In the first part, we ran a defensive race, trying to keep the McLarens at a distance, especially Jenson, who was on a very different strategy to ours. Then when we realised they were no longer a threat we tried to put the Red Bulls under a bit of pressure, but there was nothing to be done. Here they were perfect and when that happens they are really hard to beat. However, experience tells us that it is not always like this, or they would have already won the championship. So we must try and make the most of every opportunity. We are trying to improve the F10 with every passing race: here for example we had a new oil from Shell and other minor aerodynamic updates. We will have further new parts in the next few races: maybe not so big but put together they could give us a few tenths which is always useful. We come out of this weekend with our heads held high, knowing that we must try and beat Webber in the coming races to close down the gap to the top."

Felipe Massa: "I think I was really cursed today! This morning in qualifying, because of traffic, I failed to get into Q3. This afternoon in the race, I didn’t even manage to get through the first two corners. At the start, Rosberg, who was in front of me, got away poorly and at first I tried to move to the left, but Sutil was coming there. Then I moved to the right, but in so doing I found myself on the grass and the kerb. At that point the car took off on its own, I was unable to make it through the first corner and I ended up colliding with Liuzzi’s Force India. It’s a shame, because as Fernando showed, in the race our car had a good pace and I could have fought for a points finish. The main problem is still qualifying: again today I struggled, even if traffic played its part. In the race, the situation is better but we know how difficult it is to overtake. These past two races have been frustrating for me but we have seen many times this year how quickly the situation can change: I will be trying my very best in the remaining three Grand Prix."

Chris Dyer: "A very tough day for the entire team, with qualifying and the race squeezed into just a few hours. The day did not get off to an easy start: Fernando did not get a perfect lap in qualifying and Felipe had problems that kept him from making it to Q3. At the start, we immediately lost Felipe and that is very disappointing as he could still have had a good race. Fernando drove a great race, obtaining the maximum we could have hoped for in a Grand Prix where we did not have the pace to beat the Red Bulls: he drove almost the entire time as if it was a qualifying session. We can claim to have limited the damage in the most effective way possible and now we hope to be more competitive in the coming races. From every point of view, the team worked very well - car preparation, pit stops and strategy – in what was definitely not an easy situation, so to all of them my heartfelt congratulations."

Jenson Button: “At the start of the race, the drivers in front weren’t struggling on the Option tyre as much as we’d expected. So we were a little bit compromised, and I think we stayed out too long for our first stint. As soon as we saw the others were quick on the Option, and I wasn’t able to pull a gap, or pressure anyone in front, maybe it would have been sensible to pit at that point and fit the Option. We’ll go away and look at the data, and the reasons for it.

“It was a tough race on such old tyres, but it was fun once we’d fitted the Option; the car felt great – I had a lot of grip, and the car was very fast. Still, we weren’t quick enough today to beat the Red Bulls and possibly the Ferrari. And I don’t think we’d have finished any further up.

“I’m in the same championship position as I was before this race, so the title’s getting more difficult. We came here with a lot of different new parts – some of them worked really well, while others need a bit of work. We’ve just got to hope that when we put the new package on the car in Korea, we get the best out of it. For the next race, we’ll hopefully have the performance we’d expected to have here.”

Lewis Hamilton: “This wasn’t a great weekend for me. I made a mistake on Friday, then we changed the gearbox yesterday and I got a grid penalty, and then I had another gearbox problem in the race. That’s an unfortunate amount of collective bad luck, but the team and I will bounce back.

“With the gearbox, I was running normally, then downshifted into third, accelerated and lost the gear. After that, I had to rely on just fourth gear and above. I didn’t think the car would make it – it was making a lot of strange noises, but I kept my fingers crossed, tried not to shift too much and looked after it to the flag. I’m thankful and so happy that I least saw the end of the race – it’s my first finish for a long time.

“The championship doesn’t look great at the moment. But there are still three races to go and 75 points available, so we’ll remain optimistic and keep doing the best job we can. I’ll keep fighting.”

Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal: “The biggest positive we can take away from today’s result is that both drivers clearly demonstrated significant pace against that of our rivals – and that’s a motivating force that we’ll take with us into the final three races of the championship.

“Obviously we played the long-game with Jenson, who was the only frontrunner to start on Primes. Ultimately, that strategy didn’t come off as best we’d have liked because the others’ Option tyres didn’t fall away as quickly as we’d anticipated. Still, we feel it was a strategic choice worth taking. After switching to Options, Jenson showed excellent pace, and I think we had the second fastest car today.

“Lewis did a great job, consistently closing the gap to the car in front before encountering a gearbox problem towards the end of the race. Initial analysis suggests this was a dog-ring failure, that lost Lewis third gear. As a result, Lewis drove brilliantly, adapting his technique to race to the flag in fourth gear and above. We’re confident it can be resolved for Korea without incurring a five-place grid penalty.

“For the final three races, we’ve got to make sure we have 100 per cent reliability. Lewis finished this race 28 points behind the leader in the drivers’ championship, with Jenson trailing by 31. With 75 points to play for in the drivers’ championship, and 129 in the constructors’, our title challenge is still very much alive.

“We’ll keep on pushing and developing this car. There’s no reason why we can’t be fighting for the championship in Abu Dhabi.”

Michael Schumacher finished the Japanese Grand Prix in the points today after a good start from 10th position on the grid and a strong race, including an exciting battle with his team-mate, saw him finish in sixth place.

The team was on course for a double points-finish before an accident for Nico Rosberg brought his race to a premature end on lap 48 when he was in sixth position, just ahead of Michael who was then in seventh place.

Nico Rosberg: “It was a disappointing end to the weekend today. Due to a clutch problem, my start was poor but our strategy was good to change tyres under the safety car on the first lap which enabled me to recover the places and be racing in sixth position. My tyres were suffering from having done such a long stint so it was tough to maintain a good pace but it was enough to keep Michael behind. Then something broke on the rear of the car and put me into the tyre barrier which ended my race early.”

Michael Schumacher: “I am quite happy with the race today and the car felt really good. The opportunity to make up places was just what I hoped for and sixth place was the maximum that we could have achieved. It was good racing and it must have been very entertaining for the crowd. It was fun to be racing Nico so it is a shame what happened to him. We are now heading to South Korea and although I don’t really know what to expect, if our car is as good as it was here, then I hope for another encouraging race.”

Ross Brawn: “We had a strong race today with both cars and it is very disappointing and frustrating that Nico was unable to finish the race.
Our prime concern was for his safety and thankfully he is absolutely fine. Prior to the incident, he was in an excellent position having taken advantage of an early stop under the safety car to make up places lost at the start. Michael also had a very good
race today with a great start setting him up to make up positions. It was an entertaining few laps when Nico and Michael were fighting for sixth place and we were happy for them to battle it out. We are looking into the cause of Nico’s accident now and as always there will be a thorough investigation into what happened.”

Norbert Haug: “Michael finished in sixth place today and was the first car behind the five drivers fighting for the World Championship. He drove a strong race after he was handicapped with a small technical issue during qualifying. We still need to investigate what happened to Nico’s car six laps before the end when he was in sixth position. It is a real shame that he could not finish and sorry to him for that. Nico drove a faultless race and it was a good strategy to bring him in under the safety car on lap one.
Michael proved this weekend that he is strong when we give him the base to do so.”

At the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka Kamui Kobayashi and Nick Heidfeld achieved the best result for the team this season. The Japanese proved once again his fighting spirit and worked his way through from 14th on the grid to seventh at the finish. Nick Heidfeld also drove a very good race and took the chequered flag in eighth.

Kamui Kobayashi: “I tried my best and I am very happy. It was a great race for our team, and I’m very pleased for the Japanese fans who have watched an exciting race. It is the second time we have got both cars in the points, and for me it was really something to come back here and race for the first time after seven years in front of my home crowd. Nevertheless it was a very tough race today. Qualifying and the race in the space of only a few hours made it quite a busy and unusual Sunday. After the start I saw the accidents in front of me, and I was really lucky not to be hit. Later it was not too easy to overtake and I had some contact. The car was damaged, but it was not too severe and I was able to finish the race. I really want to thank the team for the great job and the fans for their fantastic support.”

Nick Heidfeld: “I’m quite happy – it is the best result for the team this season. In the end I could have finished one place higher, but I was on a different tyre strategy to Kamui and he was obviously faster with his fresh option tyres. I started on the option tyres. Obviously I was meant to push really hard in the early laps, but then the safety car came out and later I got stuck behind Rubens (Barrichello). The team did a very good job by calling me in early for the change to the prime tyres. Compared to Singapore, we made good progress in race performance. For qualifying, I think, there is more to come. I’m looking forward to the three remaining races.”

Monisha Kaltenborn, CEO Sauber Motorsport: “It was a fantastic performance by the whole team, which proves we are going in the right direction. Nick showed he has learned quickly. In only his second race in the C29 he gave a great performance. Kamui was simply incredible in his home race. The way he overtook several competitors was absolutely spectacular. Congratulations to the whole team.”

James Key, Technical Director: “I’m delighted with the race and the result we achieved. We just missed out in qualifying, but our race performance more than makes up for that. Both drivers got a clean start and were able to avoid the problems in turn one. We decided for a split strategy with Kamui on the prime tyre and Nick on the option, and both strategies worked in the way we hoped they would. Kamui did a great job to hang on with the prime. He drove superbly to control his race, but overtook as well on a track where overtaking is very difficult. On the option tyres at the end he was absolutely spectacular. Nick also did a fantastic job. He drove exactly the race he needed to. The pace was good, and it’s a great result in just his second race after coming back. The team on the pit wall did a great job as well as did the mechanics. It was a great performance from the whole team.”

The AT&T Williams team achieved another points scoring race result in today’s Japanese Grand Prix following Rubens Barrichello’s determined drive to ninth place. Meanwhile, team mate Nico Hulkenberg was unable to capitalise on his competitive showing in qualifying when a collision off the start line put him out of contention from the outset. Rubens’ two points further strengthen the team’s efforts to secure sixth place in the Constructors’ championship with just three races of the season remaining.

Rubens Barrichello: My car was skating all over the track this afternoon. I don’t know why and, to make matters worse, I had quite a lot of vibration. We managed to salvage some points today, but I really thought we were going to finish higher up.

Nico Hulkenberg: I had a bad start and I didn’t get off the line at all. I then saw Petrov coming up behind me. He touched my front right wheel and that was it. You never want to finish a race that early, but today it happened and it was unfortunate for us both. The team are doing a really good job developing the car and that showed in our qualifying performance so it was a shame to finish that early.

Sam Michael, Technical Director: It was good to get a couple of points with Rubens for the Constructors’. However, our race pace was disappointing, particularly compared to our qualifying performance when we were comfortably in the top ten. The team will work extra hard in order to understand and improve our position ahead of the remaining races. Unfortunately, we had a poor start on Nico’s car and then he was run into by another car before Turn One.