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2007 Brazil GP
Team Quotes - Sunday 21 October
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finished the 2007 Formula 1 World Championship second overall with one point behind the new Champion Kimi Raikkonen. At the final race, the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, which he started as the overall leader, Lewis came home seventh due to a temporary gear shifting problem on lap eight, which put him to the back of the field. His team mate Fernando Alonso finished the race third behind Kimi and Felipe Massa. Both Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers are on 109 points each, they are one point behind Kimi; Lewis took the runner-up position because he has more second places than his team mate. Fernando was on a two-stop strategy; he came in on laps 22 (8.7 seconds) and 52 (6.2 seconds). Lewis pitted on laps 22 (5.8 seconds), 36 (6.5 seconds) and 56 (5.4seconds).
Ron Dennis: Having fought a close and thrilling battle in the Drivers' Championship all year and then not to win it at the final hurdle is obviously extremely disappointing. However, we as a team can only feel very proud of all our achievements this season and the way in which we have conducted ourselves. To come into this championship showdown with two drivers both with a chance of winning is a testament to all the hard work and dedication everybody in the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team has put in throughout this difficult year. We would like to congratulate Kimi on his achievement today.
Norbert Haug: Not the result today we wanted to achieve with both Lewis and Fernando having been so close to winning the World Championship. But even two times 109 points is not making up for 110. It hurts very much if you are missing just two points to win a Championship. However, I want to thank the entire team for their hard work during this season. It is sad for everybody in the team that we couldn't capitalise on our second chance following China. Congratulations to Kimi and Ferrari on winning the World Championship.
The ING Renault F1 Team leaves the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix empty-handed after a tough weekend concluded with both drivers retiring from the race before half distance. After qualifying P12 and P17 yesterday, the team expected a tough race and, with nothing to lose, was planning some calculated risks with strategy in order to try and make up ground in what was expected to be an unusual race dominated by tyre management issues. However, events on track ultimately decided otherwise, as the team suffered its only double retirement of a 2007 season which had until then been notable for its impeccable reliability record; nevertheless, the R27 was classified a total of 30 times out of a possible 34 finishes. Giancarlo Fisichella's race was brief: he was hit from behind braking for turn 1 on the opening lap, and then ran off the road at the start of lap 2, colliding with Yamamoto as he returned to the track. The consequent damage meant he was only able to limp back to the pits before retiring. As for team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, he was the only driver to start the race on the super-soft tyre, and was set for an aggressive drive from P17. However, he collected a left-front puncture after being hit on the way into turn 1 on the opening lap, lost a lap as he returned to the pits to change tyres, and then looked set to complete a full finishing record for the season before a suspected car failure on lap 35 pitched him into retirement in turn 3. When the team recovers the car, it will investigate the cause of the accident.
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: We have had a difficult season, and it finished with a hard race. The team expected a tough end to the year because we have been working towards 2008 for a long time already, and when you start in the midfield, the kind of incidents we saw today can happen. In spite of this, though, we were prepared to take some risks today and perhaps they could have paid off. The most important thing after a year full of challenges is that we demonstrated our character and determination. The support from Renault, from ING and our other partners never wavered, and we thank them for their commitment. Our next challenge is to show that we can come back stronger next year, and regain our place at the front of the field. I am confident we can deliver.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: Giancarlo's race was very short: when you have two accidents in two laps, it's probably a sign that it's not going to be your day. As for Heikki, after his problem in qualifying we decided to do things a little differently as there were no points to be had from a conventional approach. We intended to run a very short stint on the supersoft tyre, and it turned out to be even shorter than expected, as he was forced to pit with a puncture on lap 1. He continued to race hard, even when a lap down, but ultimately he crashed at turn 3. We need to find out why, but it appears to have been the result of a car problem. We set our standards high at Renault and while our championship position is nothing to be ashamed of, it doesn't meet the goals we set ourselves. It only makes us more determined than ever to come out fighting in 2008.
Kimi Raikkonen won the Brazilian Grand Prix to take the Drivers' World Championship title, the first of his career and the fifteenth for Ferrari in Formula 1. This was win number 201 from 758 Grands Prix entered by Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, the fifteenth from 122 race starts for Kimi. The Scuderia's number of wins in this race is now nine.
Jean Todt: A dream that it seemed would be impossible to come true was transformed into reality at the end of a race which the drivers and the team managed superbly, which is self evident from looking at the details of the race. We had to get a one-two and then see what our main competitors could do. We needed a "helping hand" from others, both those in the running for the title as well as those out of the running to bring home both titles. And yes, because not only have we taken the Drivers' title with Kimi, but we also numerically confirmed the Constructors' title that we acquired after the decision of the FIA World Council back on 13 September. Two titles, nine wins, four one-two finishes, nine pole positions, twelve fastest race laps: these are exceptional figures in a season which included some difficult moments, but in which we never gave up the fight. Today was our reward for all this work. I wish to congratulate Kimi and thank Felipe, who again today demonstrated his loyalty to Ferrari: without his help, we would have not reached this result.
Luca Baldisserri: We needed a perfect race and we produced one. However, even that on its own would not have been enough and we needed a little help from the others. Our two drivers were fantastic and the car was up to their level. This result is a dream and we were so keen to win it on the race track. It confirms we are a fantastic group.
The Formula One season finale ended in disappointment for the Honda Racing F1 Team in Brazil today. Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello drove determined races before they were both forced to retire with engine failure.
The 71-lap Brazilian Grand Prix took place in scorching temperatures at the Interlagos circuit. The air temperature of 37°C created tough conditions for the drivers, whilst the track temperature reached a 61°C high, making tyre durability an issue.
Rubens and Jenson lined up in 11th and 16th positions on the grid and made good starts, however Rubens was handed a drive-through penalty for jumping the start. He took the penalty on lap eight whilst lying in 10th place, and rejoined in 17th position. He did well to battle back to 11th place on his home circuit but he was forced to retire on lap 41.
Jenson made up two places at the start and was running in 10th place when his engine lost power on lap 22 and he was forced to pull over.
The team will now take a brief break from the track before the challenge of 2008 begins in earnest with the start of its winter development programme. Every resource at the team's disposal will now be focused on next year's World Championship campaign, which begins in only four months' time.
Jacky Eeckelaert, Engineering Director: First of all congratulations to the new World Champion! Unfortunately our race was less successful. With our race strategy both drivers might have been in points contention today. Despite the fact that the car balance was a little too much on the understeer side, the lap times were competitive for both Rubens and Jenson. Unfortunately both retired early in the race with engine failure before we were able to capitalise on the strategy.
The BMW Sauber F1 Team has ended the 2007 season on a high at the final race of the season in Brazil. Not only did both cars cross the finish line at Interlagos in the points, with Robert Kubica fifth and Nick Heidfeld sixth, but kept up its one hundred per cent record of scoring in each race of the season. As if that was not enough for the young team to celebrate in only its second season, its tally of points has reached the impressive total of 101.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): First of all congratulations to Kimi Räikkönen who won the world championship title in a real thriller today. For our team it was a great finish to a very good season. With positions five and six we reached the 100 point mark in the final race and scored almost three times as many points as in the previous season. I would like to thank the drivers and the whole team – not only here at the track, but especially in Munich and Hinwil. With this we have created a good basis for the coming season.
Willy Rampf (Technical Director): For us it was a very good ending to the season which gave us 101 points in only our second season with the BMW Sauber F1 Team. We went into the race with two different strategies – Robert with an aggressive three stopper, Nick with two stops. Both paid off well. Compliments to the whole team for the great job everybody has done during the season. Congratulations to Kimi Räikkönen who was crowned champion in a very dramatic race.
Panasonic Toyota Racing is celebrating its first points finish for six races after Jarno Trulli took 8th place in today's action-packed Brazilian Grand Prix. On a punishingly hot day in Sao Paulo, air temperatures were in the mid-thirties and the track topped 60° Celsius. Jarno made a solid start from 8th position and was up as high as 4th midway through the race on his three-stop strategy. He then battled hard all the way to a valuable point for the team, which secured 6th place in the constructors' championship as a result. Ralf Schumacher had more to do, starting from 15th and clashing with another car at the first corner. He nonetheless pushed hard on a two-stop strategy on his way to 11th place. As it is his last race for Toyota, Ralf was this morning presented with a farewell gift as a sign of appreciation for all his hard work over the last three years. The race team will now have a well-earned break following a long season of hard work. Toyota is next scheduled to return to the track at the first winter test at Barcelona on November 13 as it begins preparations for the 2008 F1 season.
Tadashi Yamashina – Team Principal: We scored a point at the last race so we are very happy with that. Jarno did a good job and this type of race is what we have been aiming for. It is important to keep the grid position on the first lap. If we can do that, then we can do this kind of race. Unfortunately Ralf did not have such a good first lap but he too did his best and he could have made the top ten. He lost some aero parts at the first corner and he had a problem with a damaged wheelnut at his first pit stop which cost him a position. I would like to say thank you very much to Ralf for the last three years. His contribution to the team has been huge and I wish him all the best for the future. This was also the last race weekend for third driver Franck Montagny but he will continue to test for us for the rest of 2007. Of course we will use this return to the points as a springboard and we will do our best to develop the best possible car for next season.
Christian Horner: It was a promising start from Mark and obviously it's disappointing for him to retire reasonably early in the race with a transmission failure. With David, we struggled a little with some graining on his tyres. We rolled the dice and adjusted his strategy when it was obvious that he couldn't pass the cars ahead, and decided to fuel him to the finish. He then had a knock with Nakijama, which cost him a considerable amount of time. It's frustrating to have started in such strong grid positions, but to come away ultimately with nothing. “I think the whole team's worked incredibly hard this year and we've seen some very positive signs in the car's performance over the last quarter of the season. However, the transmission train has let us down too many times this year, so we need to go away, do our homework over the winter, build on the momentum from the last few races and make sure that we carry that in to 2008.
Fabrice Lom, Renault Principal Engineer, Track Support: Mark had a strong start, which was quite promising for the rest of the race, but he finally had to retire owing to a transmission problem. David, on the other hand, kept his position throughout the race. Williams were stronger this weekend and I'd like to congratulate them. We are disappointed of course, but it was a great and promising season with our partner Red Bull Racing and we are now looking forward to the net one!
The AT&T Williams team have today secured fourth place in the 2007 FIA World Constructors' Championship. In a thrilling Brazilian Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg delivered another flawless performance, driving his FW29 home to fourth place, having started in tenth, the best finish of his Formula One career to date. Kazuki Nakajima had an impressive debut outing, finishing in tenth place from P19 on the grid. Unfortunately, some of the team's mechanics were injured during Kazuki's first stop and are currently receiving medical treatment. Congratulations to Kimi Raikkonen who claimed the Drivers' title.
Patrick Head, Director of Engineering: Congratulations to Kimi Raikkonen who drove a great race to secure the Drivers' Championship.
For us, it was a strong end to the year. Nico had a fantastic race and Kazuki drove well on his debut. His lap times were impressive and he's set a marker for a future in Formula One. Some of our mechanics were injured today, they're having some checks done now and we send our best wishes to them. On behalf of myself and Frank, I'd like to thank the team who have done a great job this year to put us in fourth place in the Constructors' Championship.
Sam Michael, Technical Director: Obviously our first concern is with our mechanics who were injured during Kazuki's pitstop, they are undergoing medical checks at the moment. Today's race brought a very good end to the season and we've claimed fourth place in the Constructors' Championship. The team have done a fantastic job. Nico drove a first class race to get fourth place, and to take us to fourth place in the Championship. Kazuki also drove well today. His lap times were strong and he overtook a number of cars. I would like to say thank you to everyone at Grove and at Cologne for all the hard work they've put in, their efforts have delivered a big step in performance and reliability since last year. Our focus now is to improve again for next year.
Franz Tost: In the early stages, Sebastian was running at a good pace. Unfortunately, Tonio had a collision with FIsichella and lost the front wing. Later on he too ran a good race. The second half of this season, especially Fuji and Shanghai showed an improvement in performance. We have finished seventh in the Constructors' and this is what counts. From tomorrow, we start preparing for the 2008 season. I also want to thank Tonio after his last race for us. Especially in the last few races, he produced a very good performance and everyone at Toro Rosso wishes him all the best for the future. I would also like to congratulate our engine supplier, Ferrari, for today's Championship win.
The Etihad Aldar Spyker Formula One Team's debut Formula One season came to a disappointing conclusion in today's Brazilian Grand Prix, with neither F8-VII cars making it to the finish.
Sakon Yamamoto was involved in a second lap incident with Giancarlo Fisichella, which caused irreparable damage to his car. The Italian Renault driver had gone off line after the first turn, but on rejoining the track he moved straight onto the racing line and into the path of Sakon. At such close quarters there was nothing Sakon could do but run into the side of Fisichella, effectively ending his race on the spot.
Adrian Sutil had started well and enjoyed a long battle with local hero Rubens Barrichello. Up to 15th position before his first pit stop, the German looked set to move further up the order with an aggressive set-up and strategy, however a collision with Anthony Davidson on lap 16 caused significant damage to his car. Although the German could continue with a shredded right-hand sidepod, his brakes started to lose pressure. The team tried in subsequent pit stops to rectify the problem, however it proved terminal on lap 43.
Mike Gascoyne, chief technical officer: A disappointing end to the year. We wanted to get two cars to the finish, but perhaps that sums up our season quite well. Both cars suffered damage from accidents - Sakon's race was really over before it started when Fisichella came back onto the track and there was nothing he could do to avoid a collision. In attempting to pass Davidson Adrian had some contact which heavily damaged his sidepod and he started to have problems with his brakes. We tried to get the car to the finish but unfortunately the problem just got worse and we had to retire the car in the end. A disappointing conclusion to what's been a difficult year, but I would like to say thank you very much to all our partners, particularly Ferrari - Rui de Castro and his team have been incredibly hardworking, professional and supportive, and also to Bridgestone. Most importantly thanks to everyone in the team, back at the factory and at the track, who in difficult circumstances have done a fantastic job. I am very proud of them and with our new owners I think we can look forward to doing something much, much better next year.
Colin Kolles, team principal and managing director: I would like to say thank you to all the team, our partners and suppliers for supporting us through what has been a very hard season. It is a shame that we could not give everyone a better result to end the season on, but I am certain there is more to come from us next year.
Today's solid two-car finish by Super Aguri drivers Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson epitomises the team's year. The pair took the chequered flag at the end of the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix in 12th and 14th positions following a tough, but exciting race. The team will now be celebrating its own victories this evening as it has exceeded the goals set at the beginning of the year. The team ends the 2007 season in ninth position in the Constructors' Championship and Takuma finishes in 17th place in the Drivers' competition with four points. A further set of impressive milestones have been etched into the history of the Super Aguri team in only its second year.
Aguri Suzuki, Team Principal: The team has done an excellent job here in Brazil this weekend. Our target for the year was to end in a top ten position and with a Championship point and we have achieved this, so I am very happy. I want to thank everyone in the team, our Drivers, sponsors and all of our supporters and fans.
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) has been crowned 2007 Formula One World Champion after winning an epic championship showdown in the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos. Raikkonen joins Michael Schumacher (Ferrari, champion in 2000-2004) and Mika Hakkinen (McLaren Mercedes, champion in 1998-99) as a driver who has won the Formula One World Championship using Bridgestone Potenza tyres.
At the end of one of the most scintillating Formula One seasons ever, Raikkonen used a soft-soft- super-soft tyre strategy to achieve his win, battling the highest track temperatures seen this season at the newly resurfaced Interlagos track. He was joined on the podium by team-mate Felipe Massa who used the same strategy to finish second, leading the race until his final pit stop. Fernando Alonso (McLaren Mercedes) finished in third place on the same strategy and took third in the drivers' championship standings, just one point behind Raikkonen.
Championship leader coming into this race, Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes), lost a number of positions on the first lap and then suffered a brief mechanical problem. He made three pit-stops with a soft-super soft-soft-soft strategy, and finished in seventh place – his third lowest finish of the season. He took second in the drivers' championship, tied on points with Alonso, but ahead in the standings because of more second place finishes. This meant the top three in the title finished the season just a point apart, a fitting end to such a close fought year-long battle.
Nico Rosberg (Williams) drove an aggressive final stint on the super soft tyre to finish in fourth place, after finally overtaking Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) following a multiple lap battle. Kubica finished in fifth, one place ahead of team-mate Nick Heidfeld. Hamilton finished in seventh and Jarno Trulli scored the final championship point in eighth.
Raikkonen is the second motorsport world champion using Bridgestone tyres to be crowned today, with Formula One-bound Sebastien Bourdais winning the Champ Car World Series race at Surfers' Paradise to clinch his fourth consecutive drivers' title. Also today, Bridgestone-shod MotoGP champion Casey Stoner won his tenth race of the season in Malaysia.
Hirohide Hamashima - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development: Congratulations to Kimi Raikkonen who drove a very fast race today and rose above many difficulties in this season to become champion after so many years of trying. Conditions were difficult with the highest track temperatures of the year meaning tyre blistering and high degradation. We saw many different strategies to try to take account of this, but the track also improved rapidly so technical directors were given headaches as they had to modify their strategies from those originally planned. The Ferrari was very stable in these conditions and used both the soft and the super soft tyre well. This has been an exciting season for Bridgestone supplying all of the teams in Formula One for the first time since 2000. Thank you to all of our hard working staff, we are all looking forward to working with everyone again in 2008.
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