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2007 Europe GP
Team Quotes - Sunday 22 July
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Fernando Alonso claimed victory at a chaotic European Grand Prix. Fernando overtook Felipe Massa four laps from the end and achieved the team's fifth win in the 10th race of the season. Lewis Hamilton ended up ninth. Due to the changeable weather conditions, both drivers made four pit stops. Fernando came in on laps 1 (10 sec), 12 (7.7sec), 37 (7.7sec) and 53 (7.1sec). Lewis made his stops on laps 1 (10.4 sec), 6 (9.2.sec), 35 (9.3sec) and 54 (10 sec). Despite missing the podium and a points finish for the first time in the 10 Grands Prix of his Formula One career, Lewis maintained the lead in the Drivers' Championship with 70 followed by Fernando in second position with 68 points. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes extended the lead in the constructors' table with 138 points ahead of Ferrari on 111.
Ron Dennis: This was motor racing at its best. Fernando did a fantastic job demonstrating why he is a double World Champion. First of all, he kept the car on the road during the first downpour. From that moment both him and the team made all the right decisions. However his second stint following the switch to dry tyres was hampered by a wing adjustment tool failing and as a result he struggled with understeer, but fortunately in his third stop we were able to properly adjust the wing, and from there his pace was fantastic. Following the final stop to fit the intermediate rain tyres he and the car came into their own and it was great to be part of such a tremendous drive and a great race win. Lewis's race was truly eventful. Following a great start which saw him move from 10th to fourth, he picked up a puncture and immediately went into the pits. Fortunately we were able to take advantage of this and fit the intermediate tyres but he was a little ambitious in trying to push forward in what were appalling conditions and spun, but fortunately kept the engine running. On being lifted back on the circuit he was able to continue. Following the red flag period it took a while for the time keepers to establish that he had to drive through the field and past the Safety Car. Once this was done he decided to take the gamble and fit dry tyres and refuel. Unfortunately before being able to drive to the back of the pack, the Safety Car pitted and he was quickly swallowed up by those cars that were still equipped with rain tyres. After three laps the circuit dried, and he was ultimately able to unlap himself and then set numerous fastest laps to eventually finish one place out of the points. To come away with Fernando closing the gap on Lewis and the team extending its lead in the Constructors' Championship by two points is a great conclusion to a challenging Grand Prix.
Norbert Haug: The best and most exciting race of the year. In rarely seen difficult conditions. Fernando did a fantastic job and achieved a well-deserved victory. He was a class of his own in the rain. Lewis was the fastest driver in the field for many laps with a car the mechanics had repaired over night and I thank them for their great efforts. All of them worked together – Fernando's guys and Lewis's guys and the Mercedes engine colleagues too. It is great to win on home soil, and I am sure the spectators here and in front of the TVs enjoyed it a lot. Both drivers are at the top of the overall ranking within two points and in the Constructors' Championship, we extended our lead to 27 points. In the first ten races we have shown reliability and everybody in the team will work hard to continue this achievement until after the end of the season.
The ING Renault F1 Team endured a disappointing afternoon at the Nürburgring during the 2007 European Grand Prix. During a dramatic race run in changeable conditions, the team failed to take advantage of the opportunity to out-score championship rivals BMW, taking home just one point with Heikki Kovalainen's eight-place finish. The team will now look to regroup at this week's three-day test in Jerez, pursuing its development programme with further evaluations of new aerodynamic components as it looks to close the gap to the teams in front.
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: This was a bad race for the team. We arrived here optimistic that our new developments would help us gain in performance, but we failed to take advantage of the changing conditions during the race, and lost more ground to our rivals. Our job now is to analyse everything back at the factory, understand our mistakes and start moving forward again.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: Changeable conditions require teams to react quickly and effectively to the challenges they present. Clearly, we failed to do so this afternoon, and while both drivers performed strongly, we didn't give them the opportunity to shine. This has been a difficult weekend for the whole team, and we appear to have lost some ground to the midfield group that was chasing us in recent races. This week's test at Jerez will be an important opportunity to understand how and why that happened, with a view to regaining our advantage, beginning with the next race.
Jean Todt: The result of this European Grand Prix should not be described other than disappointing. We had a very competitive car and we were starting from first and third places. But we are going home with just eight points thanks to Felipe's second place. At the end of a race run in changeable weather, - dry, wet, dry again and more rain at the end – Felipe saw himself miss out on a win which he richly deserved, losing out in the very last moments when the track was wet once again. Unfortunately, he had vibrations with his rain tyres which made the car difficult to drive. We are very disappointed for Kimi, stopped on lap thirty five by a problem with the hydraulic system. We have to find out the cause but once again it shows that you do not go far without reliability. There is still a long way to go in this season and anything could yet happen in the seven remaining races.
Luca Baldisserri: This was a race in which we were capable of picking up maximum points. We had a very competitive car in all conditions, but first a problem to the hydraulic system put Kimi out of the game when he was right behind Alonso, and then the final rain shower cancelled out Felipe's lead, built up thanks to a great drive, as at this point he was penalized by a set of tyres that were causing vibrations. We had come out of the roulette following the downpour immediately after the start reasonably well and we timed the return to dry tyres perfectly. There is much to regret because if we do not make up ground in the classification while we are as competitive as we were today, then the situation gets more complicated. But having said that, we will never give up.
A somewhat chaotic European Grand Prix ended disappointingly for the Honda Racing F1 Team at the Nürburgring today. Rubens Barrichello crossed the line in 11th position whilst Jenson Button became one of a number of casualties at a rain-soaked first corner when his car aquaplaned uncontrollably across the river which had formed there in a matter of minutes.
The race began in dry and sunny conditions but dark grey clouds were already looming ominously on the horizon. They made rapid progress towards the track and the field was forced to pit for wet tyres at the end of lap one. A flash downpour followed and many of the drivers became passengers as they lost control of their cars through the standing water. Within just two laps Jenson made up an incredible 15 places and was running in fourth position before he too fell foul of the track conditions.
During this time, Rubens was punted from behind by Rosberg, causing damage to his rear diffuser which compromised his aero balance for the duration of the race. He pitted for a second time on lap two to switch to the extreme wet tyres, but as the track conditions worsened the race was red flagged until the rain subsided.
At the restart Rubens took up his new position of ninth on the grid and on a drying track he reverted to the wet tyre. As blue skies emerged again he pitted after eight laps for dry rubber on which he remained until seven laps from the chequered flag when the heavens opened for a second time and the field was forced to stop again for wets. Rubens completed five pit stops in total and took on fuel in two of those.
Jacky Eeckelaert, Engineering Director: We missed an opportunity to score some good points today. During the first two laps Jenson did well to overtake 15 cars and was in fourth position when he went off and ended up in the gravel trap. In that part of the race Rubens sustained some damage to his rear diffuser when he got hit from behind by Rosberg. Although the race was then red flagged there was not enough time to carry out a proper repair on the grid, therefore Rubens' car did not perform at all well aerodynamically and as a result his race pace was no match for the cars in front.
After an extremely eventful European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, the BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers, Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica, finished sixth and seventh. The drivers collided shortly after the start, which dropped them to the back of the field, but during the race they were able to move back into the points.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): It was a turbulent race with two rain periods and a lot of hectic pit stops, ten in total for us. Our pit crew did an excellent job and was capable of handling this situation very well. Finishing sixth and seventh was not because of the weather conditions, the collision in the first lap was responsible for that. In the end that cost us a podium finish.
Willy Rampf (Technical Director): Following our strong performance in qualifying we are obviously disappointed with this result. For our team it started badly with Robert and Nick hitting each other in the second corner. Both cars were damaged as a result. On Nick's car we had to change the right front track rod, and on Robert's the rear wing endplate was damaged. After the re-start, both our drivers were stuck behind David Coulthard, but were not fast enough to overtake him. The fact that, despite all these problems, we managed to increase the gap to Renault in the constructors' championship doesn't make up for a bad race.
Panasonic Toyota Racing left its home race at the Nürburgring empty handed after a dramatic but disappointing European Grand Prix. Jarno Trulli finished 13th but Ralf Schumacher's battle for points ended in retirement after a collision. At the start, Jarno lined up 8th and Ralf 9th but rain on the first lap triggered chaos, with several cars spinning off, although both Toyota men drove carefully to stay on the track. At the end of the first lap, Ralf pitted but was given wet Bridgestone Potenza tyres on one side and grooved, dry tyres on the other, costing him time as the problem was rectified. Jarno also pitted twice in quick succession, losing time and positions before the race was red-flagged after four laps. After a 15-minute delay, the race restarted behind the safety car for two laps and Jarno changed to wet tyres while Ralf made up three places when racing resumed. But track conditions were constantly changing and on lap 12 both switched to grooved dry tyres. Ralf was soon in ninth and battling for the points positions but his day came to an early end when Nick Heidfeld collided with him at the last corner on lap 19. Jarno faced an uphill struggle after losing time when his tyres were not ready at his pit stop but, after a late rain shower, he finished 13th. The team's next on-track engagement begins on Tuesday with testing at Jerez.
Tadashi Yamashina – Team Principal: First we must analyse some faults that we faced during today's race. We had some problems in the garage work, and also tyre preparations and how we utilise the weather report. That is the only thing to say. The two drivers do their best during this kind of weather conditions and I very much appreciate that. Unfortunately Ralf had a collision and Jarno got to the end. The two drivers did their best. We are not sure of all the facts but we must analyse some causes in order to strengthen our team for the future.
Christian Horner: A fantastic team result today. Today was all about teamwork, the drivers, the work on the pit wall, the work in the pit stops, everyone did a fantastic job. I'm very, very pleased for Mark, after such rotton luck during the first half of the season he finally got a result he deserved. David had a fantastic recovery from a disappointing qualifying session, but the guys did their bit on the circuit today and the team in the pit lane, and I'm very proud of everybody, it's a great result for the whole team.
Fabrice Lom, Renault Principal Engineer, Track Support: We are delighted with today's result. It's a great moment for the whole team especially after the mixed feelings we had yesterday after qualifying. We had a strong package, the drivers did a fantastic job in the changing conditions and our strategy worked perfectly. It was a podium that we earned on merit. This result puts us in front of Toyota and helps us reduce the gap to Williams. I think everybody in the team will be pushing with renewed determination for the next race in Hungary.
The Eifel region's micro-climate almost predictably came into play this afternoon as torrential rain caused chaos in the opening laps of the European Grand Prix but prompted one of the most compelling races of the season. Alex Wurz drove flawlessly to bring the car home in fourth place and claim some welcome points for the team. Nico Rosberg's race was over when he became a casualty of the conditions, aquaplaning off the track on lap two into a car park of fellow victims at the Castrol-S. Alex's five points strengthen the team's fifth position in the Constructors' Championship.
Sam Michael, Technical Director: A great result for Alex again. It clearly shows that under difficult conditions, similar to those in Montreal, he can keep his head and make the right choices. He also almost got a podium today but it just wasn't to be. It was a fantastic effort and good for the team as it consolidates our position in the Championship. Obviously, Nico's race was over really early. Apart from having to make quick strategy calls and tyre choices, we didn't have any problems in the race.
Spyker's Markus Winkelhock enjoyed a sensational Formula 1 debut today at the European Grand Prix. As rain fell seconds into the parade lap, an inspired decision to change him to wet tyres in the pit lane for the start saw the 27-year-old take the lead. As the rain worsened minutes into the race, Markus changed to extreme wet Bridgestone Potenzas and extended his lead over the second-placed Ferrari of Massa to more than 30secs. In unprecedented scenes, a Spyker led a Grand Prix for the first time this century.
With more rain falling, the safety car was brought out and the race was eventually red flagged to allow the worst of the weather to pass. However, as the track dried after the restart Markus struggled to keep his lead and dropped down the field. He kept pace with the tail end of the group until a suspected hydraulic failure brought his first-ever race to a premature end.
Adrian Sutil was one of several drivers to fall foul of the slippery first corner in the monsoon-like conditions at the start. The 24-year-old German slid into a tyre barrier and out of the race on lap two.
Mike Gascoyne, chief technical officer: Obviously short and sweet but good while it lasted. We had the forecast of showers coming in and we decided to take the risk with Markus and put wet tyres on at the start, which proved to be exactly the right decision. We are one of the smallest teams at the back of the grid with the smallest budget, but we showed today that thinking is free and we got the calls spot on. Then when even more rain came, we put him on extreme wets so he was in a very good position at that stage. We really didn't need the safety car or the red flag as he was leading the race by 30secs and, as one of the only two cars on extreme wets, I think we would have been in very good shape. Unfortunately Adrian lost it at turn one, as did many drivers, and then Markus then stopped with a suspected hydraulic failure. But overall a great first Grand Prix for Markus, it's been a pleasure working with him this weekend. He has done a very professional job and while it was a shame we couldn't get the car to the finish, I'm sure his dad would be very proud of him.
Colin Kolles, team principal and managing director: I am very pleased with the effort of the whole team this weekend. Markus has done a fantastic job dealing with the incredible pressure of stepping into a Formula 1 car at his home race, dealing with that new situation and all the media interest surrounding him. To then lead the race in such difficult conditions shows his professionalism and talent. Unfortunately we couldn't get the car to the finish, but for a Spyker to have led a race is still a very good showing. It is a shame for Adrian, but as many other drivers showed, the conditions were not the easiest to deal with.
The weather played the leading role in today's 2007 European Grand Prix. As soon as the Red Lights went off to start the race the rain came pounding down. Following a number of immediate retirements, Super Aguri drivers Anthony Davidson and Takuma Sato drove solid laps to keep their cars safely on the waterlogged track. The severity of the rain forced a Red Flag situation and the race was restarted by the Safety Car 35 minutes after it had originally begun. Unfortunately a hydraulic problem forced the team to retire Takuma on lap 19, however Anthony went on to finish the demanding race, just as a further shower of rain came down, in 12th position.
Aguri Suzuki, Team Principal: It was a difficult race because the weather was very unstable at the beginning. Our two cars were running with good performance and pace, but in the end we had to ask Takuma to retire with a hydraulic problem. Anthony continued to run in uncertain conditions which made the decision of tyre choice for the rest of the race a difficult one. However, Anthony and the team did a very good job today and we shall learn from our experience here at the Nürburgring.
McLaren Mercedes driver Fernando Alonso scored his third win of the season in a race where Bridgestone's full weather range of Potenza racing tyres were used in a highly eventful European Grand Prix.
Bridgestone's dry grooved racing tyre, wet and extreme wet tyres were all in use over the course of the 60 laps at the 5.15 km Nurburgring. A torrential rain shower started close to the start of the Grand Prix with all runners on Bridgestone's medium compound Potenza dry tyre for the formation lap. Markus Winkelhock (Spyker-Ferrari) however, opted not to take to the grid and started from the pit lane on wets.
Conditions deteriorated so rapidly that making the correct choice of either wet or extreme wet caught many teams out and a number of drivers lost control in the slippery conditions. Soon the amount of water on track meant the race was red flagged until conditions improved. No sooner had the rain finished than the German circuit was basking in sunshine, such is the changeable nature of the weather in the region.
A safety car restarted the race, with Winkelhock leading the field away, his early move to wets and then to the extreme wets having enabled the German to lead his debut Grand Prix. The track dried rapidly and competitors were not required to make use of the soft compound Potenza, as would be normal in a dry race, as the wet and extreme wet tyres had been used.
With nine laps to go to the chequered flag, the rain once more visited the track, meaning another pit stop to change back to Bridgestone's wet Potenzas. The final stint favoured Alonso who was able to catch and pass Massa for the lead, with five laps to go, crossing the finish line 8.1 seconds in front.
Mark Webber finished in third place for Red Bull Racing, scoring his first podium place on Bridgestone Potenzas.
Alonso's win means he is now just two points off McLaren Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton's lead of the Drivers' Championship. Formula One soon heads to Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Bridgestone's soft and super soft compound Potenzas will be used on the tight and twisty track.
Kees van de Grint, Bridgestone Motorsport Head of Track Engineering Operations: That was an exciting and dramatic race from start to finish. The weather played a major factor and we saw all but the soft compound Bridgestone Potenza in action today. The medium compound was extremely consistent in the dry running with no issues to report. The first shower was a bit of a surprise and the amount of water was too much for the wet tyre. The extreme wet was the correct tyre for these conditions, so it is difficult to make any comments on the tyre performance we saw. For the final laps of the race, after the second shower, the wet was the correct tyre to be on.
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