Team reaction after the British GP (part 1)

Red Bull Renault

Mark Webber: "It’s great to win here in Silverstone; it’s got such a lot of history and to win big races like this one and Monaco is so rewarding. The start was ideal, when I got to the first corner I was ahead and thought, ’let’s get on with it’. It was a special day and a lot of hard work has gone in from the team - you don’t get results at this level if you’re not putting the effort in. They deserve this today. Yesterday was a unique situation, but I’m confident we can sort everything for the future. Going forward, I will do the best I can. It was an incredible day today and I’m looking forward to enjoying myself this evening."

Sebastian Vettel: "I had a bad start, we went too aggressive with the clutch and I had quite a lot of wheel-spin. Then I had the puncture, I didn’t feel anything, so I wasn’t sure what happened. After the first turn, something was strange and I saw the rear-right puncture. Unfortunately after I got it, I got a bit of damage to the car which lost me some performance, but I was able to recover and score some points, which was important. For the first thirty laps, I didn’t have much to do except going around trying to catch up, but after the safety car I had some people to fight and that was good fun, I was racing people like Felipe and Michael – it’s great as whenever you try something and you see a gap you know that they are smart enough to see it, so it was good fun for the last twenty laps. It’s always a good race here with a great atmosphere."

Christian Horner, Team Principal: "It’s fantastic to win in front of all the team members today. Mark drove an excellent race, he made a very good start and the team was fantastic in the pit stops – it was a flawless performance from him. Sebastian was unlucky at the first corner, I’m not sure if contact was made with Hamilton at the start, but thereafter he made an excellent recovery drive to score some important points for the team. It was unlucky to have got the puncture, but it was a good recovery thereafter. The most important thing today is winning this race in front of all the people that work so hard to make the team what it is."

Fabrice Lom (Renault): "A superb victory from Mark from an eventful race which included a lot of action and close racing. Sebastian suffered from this in the first corner, but made a very strong recovery to move from last to seventh; it was a huge drive from him today. It was a good result for our engines, as this is a hard track for them here in Silverstone. We came hoping for a one-two, we got a victory and we have to be happy with that. We gained one point over McLaren; we still have a gap to make up but we won’t give up."

McLaren Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton: “It’s been a phenomenal weekend – and this result is a near-perfect way to finish it. I’m so happy: considering how far behind we were in practice, we really didn’t expect to be this far up today. I’m very proud of the team and the effort they put in, as always.

“At the start, I was able to jump Fernando [Alonso] and take a step forward. After that I chased Mark [Webber] for the whole race, but the Red Bull was about four or five tenths a lap faster than our car, so it was very difficult to stay close to him. Still, the most important thing is that we scored a lot of world championship points once again, so this is another great race result for us.

“It’s been the biggest turnout I’ve ever seen here. And the support from all the fans has been incredible, I couldn’t ask for more. You can’t hear them cheering their support in the car, but you can feel it; and I carry every single one of them with me in the car. They give me a huge boost of confidence on every lap.

“We’ve got two weeks to work on our upgrades before the next grand prix. I won the last race at Hockenheim, in 2008, and if we can get the new floor there, we should be looking pretty strong.

“We’ve just got to keep pushing: this world championship is still all to play for.”

Jenson Button: “That was a great race, and I’m so happy to have made up 10 places. But it’s hard to overtake around here, so I knew I had to make up a lot of places off the start-line. In the event I made up six places, but I then had to push really hard on the Option tyre in the first stint. That strategy worked for us and I came out behind Fernando, who had a drive-through, so I picked up fourth. It’s a pity I couldn’t have overtaken Nico [Rosberg], but this is still a fantastic result for me.

“It’s a pity I couldn’t get onto the podium in front of my home crowd, who have been absolutely amazing all weekend. You can never forget the fans around here – I genuinely think they helped Lewis and me to a good result today. And they got to see and cheer Lewis on the podium too, so it’s not been a bad weekend for them overall, I hope.

“After Friday, to pick up second and fourth today is great. I’m still second in the drivers’ championship, and the only pain is that Lewis has pulled away a bit. But we’ll try and get that back at the next race.

“I reckon we’ll turn up at Hockenheim with a stronger car, and that therefore we won’t be fighting from the start of the weekend. I hope we’ll have a good race there and can really take the fight to the Red Bulls.”

Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal: “Well, what can I say?! Both our drivers drove fantastic races under serious pressure, and the result was 30 valuable points to add to our constructors’ world championship kitty.

“Lewis made a superb start and thereafter kept the pace up all afternoon. He drove brilliantly – in fact I don’t think you’ll see many better second places than that all season.

“Jenson, too, drove a masterly race to make up 10 places – from 14th at the start to fourth at the finish – and the team got all the strategy calls right for him. In fact, the team’s efforts over the whole weekend have been exemplary. I’ve said it before, but the team is operating more cohesively than ever before, whether we’ve been working late into the night to prepare the cars, or Gary putting in additional time in the simulator on Friday night to ensure we began Saturday in as competitive a proposition as possible. It’s that effort and dedication that has kept us in the lead of both world championships. So, well done, boys.

“So, yes, although we didn’t win the 2010 Santander British Grand Prix, today is a good day. We saw an excellent afternoon’s racing on a wonderful racetrack – and we leave Silverstone with our lead in the constructors’ world championship intact, and with Lewis and Jenson still in first and second places in the drivers’ world championship.

“In the past four grands prix we’ve scored 149 points out of a possible 172 – a stupendous achievement that speaks volumes for the tenacious determination of all at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.”

Mercedes GP

Nico Rosberg achieved his third podium finish of the season at the British Grand Prix today with an excellent drive from fifth position on the grid to take third place at the MERCEDES GP team’s home race at Silverstone.

After an early pit stop, Michael Schumacher was also looking in a strong position when a small mistake on his out lap cost him valuable time and he came home in ninth place at the chequered flag.

Nico Rosberg: “I had a good start today and was happy to be up to fourth place by the end of the first lap. Robert was holding me up and with Fernando pushing hard behind, it wasn’t easy to maintain the place. Our strategy was really strong today so thanks to the guys on the pit wall for their efforts and keeping me out on the options. I had a great lap and with the quick pit stop, it was enough to get me out ahead of Robert, and that made the podium possible. It’s been a good effort from the team to turn our situation around after Valencia. We have made a step forward and analysed where we went wrong and to come away with a podium today is fantastic. It’s a real turnaround and I am confident that there is more to come from us.”

Michael Schumacher: “Again a race which I am not really happy about today. It was ok and seeing Nico on the podium is good for the team but my race was obviously less rewarding. I was in traffic for most of the race and did not really have a clear track. After the pit stop where I had to push really hard to make it in front of Rubens, I unfortunately made a mistake out of a slow corner which put me off the track. That cost me a lot of time plus two positions and that was it for today. We now look towards Hockenheim where we obviously will do everything to perform in the best possible way.”

Ross Brawn: “That was a very good performance from Nico and the team today. Nico had a great race and we got the maximum out of the car with a strong start, good strategy and impressive driving. Nico pushed as hard as he needed to and produced some great laps at the crucial time so his race went perfectly. Michael also had a good start and his position was looking interesting. We made an early pit stop to put him in fresh air, as he told us the guys around him were holding him up, but unfortunately he made a mistake and lost the advantage that we were gaining from the early stop. When the others made their stops, they were out in front of him, and with some damage to the car, that was really his race. Overall we’ve done a respectable job this weekend and now we just have to find some more pace. We’re all looking forward to going back to the factory this evening with the trophy to see our team and their families.”

Norbert Haug: “A great race from Nico and the team. Starting from fifth position, Nico came home in third place to finish on the podium for the third time in the last eight races. Our performance this weekend looked better than a fortnight ago in Valencia. I am very happy that the team has achieved a podium finish at our home race and this fits perfectly with the BBQ that we have this evening with all our team members in Brackley. Starting from tenth place, Michael drove a committed race and brought home points. I am absolutely sure that we will see similar results to Nico’s podium today sooner rather than later for Michael.”

Williams Cosworth

Williams enjoyed their first double points-paying race of the season today in front of a home crowd at the British Grand Prix. Rubens Barrichello’s competitive form continued at Silverstone, where he took two places off the line to move into sixth place before gaining a further position in the
second half of the race. Rubens maintained position to take fifth at the chequered flag, securing a second consecutive top five result for the team. A decisive strategy from the pitwall combined with a mature race drive saw Nico match his best result of the season to date and conclude his first outing at Silverstone in 10th place.

Rubens Barrichello: It was a good race today. It started well on the opening lap and I managed to claim some positions without too much trouble. Around the stops and the Safety Car, we gained a position from Alonso and lost one to Jenson, but overall we were in a safe position to come home in fifth. It is a great effort from the team to achieve a top five finish two races in a row - not so much in absolute results, but the
direction of improvement. The team is still not quite where it belongs, but we are quite happy with our performance today. We will continue to think and work positively and continue our forward progress.

Nico Hulkenberg: All in all that was a positive race. It’s a shame I lost places at the start though and going down the Hangar Straight Petrov just managed to overtake me round the outside. That, combined with not
being able to get past Michael at the end, meant tenth for me today. A long first stint on the option tyre was the right strategy call and a good effort by the team.

Sam Michael, Technical Director: Both drivers in the points today is another good result for the team. Rubens had a great first lap and
embedded himself into a points-paying position. Nico did an excellent job in his first stint, following a different strategy and staying out on his set of options for as long as possible. All of the aero upgrades worked well on both cars, which shows the factory is making good progress. We now need to maintain that progress.

Sauber Ferrari

Kamui Kobayashi:
“I’m really happy, but actually I don’t have much to tell. I had a very good start from 12th, the team did a great pit stop and the race pace today was as good as I thought it would be. I was pretty confident before the race because I can really feel how the car is getting better and better now. I had no chance to overtake anybody this time, but I still enjoyed the race. I didn’t find it especially hard, I didn’t even sweat.”

Pedro de la Rosa: “Naturally I’m very disappointed. The car was quite good. I had some understeer, but nothing major. Right after the start I was racing alongside Rubens Barrichello and he pushed me wide in turn one. That was where I lost two places and dropped back to 11th. But I was still racing for points when Adrian Sutil hit me from behind at half
distance of the race because not everybody in front of me had stopped by then. Unfortunately the damage proved to be too bad to continue.”

Peter Sauber, Team Principal: “This was another strong and successful race for Kamui. But the difference to the recent Grand Prix in Valencia is this time he had to withstand a lot of pressure over the entire race distance. There was never a real gap ahead or behind him. He managed
this tight situation very well and I think he could have gone even faster. My
compliments not only to him and his driving, but also to the team which is improving the car step by step. Pedro had a very unlucky race. Right after the start he was pushed off by somebody, but he still had a good chance for points before the incident with Adrian Sutil on lap 26.”

James Key, Technical Director: “I am very pleased we brought home points for the second race in a row. We consolidated our performance shown in qualifying. Kamui had an excellent first lap and then he drove a very controlled race - again with no mistakes. The team also got everything right and the pit stop strategy was fine. It is a great shame for Pedro, because he really deserved a good race result. But after the collision the rear wing endplate and diffuser were damaged, and once we have had a first look at it we decided to retire Pedro from the race because we were uncertain about further structural damage.”

Force India Mercedes

Adrian Sutil continued the Force India F1 Team’s run of points finishes in today’s British Grand Prix. The 27-year-old German secured a hard-fought eighth position, his sixth consecutive top ten finish, to bring the team’s season total so far to 47 points. Tonio Liuzzi similarly put in a fighting performance to end the race in 11th position, less than a second from tenth and nine positions up from grid slot.

Both Adrian and Tonio had good first laps, with Adrian up to fifth by the time of his first stop on lap 15. On rejoining Adrian dropped to 13th behind Pedro de la Rosa, but was able to move back to tenth on lap 26 when he passed the Spaniard on the straight. Pedro’s rear wing however came apart, dropping carbon shards on the racing line. A safety car period ensued, after which Adrian was quickly elevated to eighth when Alonso served a drivethrough penalty for passing Kubica off the track. Adrian then scythed past Michael Schumacher through Luffield for seventh, but soon found a charging Vettel in his mirrors. Vettel - third in the championship going into this race - tried every which way to pass Adrian, however he kept him behind for 10 laps until Vettel eventually squeezed past on the final lap.

Tonio moved steadily up the field and was sitting in 15th position by the time of his pit stop just over halfway through the race. He graduated through the field to 11th after a change to the softer tyres but he too had to fight for position until the very end of the race as Alonso sought to regain track position following his penalty. Tonio however kept his nerve and his line to hold onto 11th, only narrowly missing out on giving the team a double points finish.

Adrian Sutil: It was fun and quite an interesting race. We started on the hard tyre as we wanted to try a long stint at the start but it was not really possible as the tyres didn’t behave well at the beginning. I didn’t have enough grip on the car so we came in to do an early stop and go on the soft tyre, so really the opposite strategy to everyone else. It worked well although the last ten laps were tough. But we managed it and there were some really good fights with Schumacher and then Vettel. It was good racing and I defended my position well against Vettel until the final lap, but then he just seemed to drive into me and I lost the racing line and had to move over. Otherwise I don’t think he would have got past me. All the same eighth position was a good result in the end, it’s more points and it keeps that momentum going. I’m really looking forward to my home Grand Prix in Germany next.

Tonio Liuzzi: I really enjoyed the second part of the race. We need to understand what happened in the first part of the race as with the hard tyres we had unbelievable understeer. I couldn’t cope with the high speed corners and was really struggling to keep positions and a strong pace. We have to work it out as on the softer tyres we were performing very well and finished just a few hundredths from the points. Definitely without this issue we could have been in the points so we’ll look at it and understand. We also still have an issue with the speed in the race but it was a great race overall and I always pushed 100% as you never know what can happen at the end.

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal: I’m really proud of both drivers here today - both demonstrated great racing acumen to keep positions. It also gave us some great television! In both situations - Adrian with Sebastian and Tonio with Fernando - it would have been very easy for them to buckle, but they really did us proud and so nearly produced another double points finish. The pace of the car is clearly there and with more updates scheduled for the next race we can be very optimistic for the second half of the season. Our next focus now has to be getting the whole weekend together on both cars, but in terms of finishes and results we are where we should be at this point in the season.