2011 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix
Driver Quotes - Sunday 24 September
Sebastian Vettel:
I am very, very pleased with the result today, the car was fantastic all the way through. When we needed to push, we could pull away quite easily, which helped us. When the safety car came out, it didn't really fit to our plan as we had a gap of about thirty seconds with thirty laps to go, but nevertheless I had a very good restart. I was a bit lucky that there were some back markers between me and Jenson and I was able to get back into the rhythm straight away. I pulled out a gap and I was quite happy. All in all it is a fantastic result. I really love this track and I love the challenge here - it’s one of the longest races of the season, but the car was fantastic and engine-wise everything was great. Renault again did a very good job, so we were in a comfortable position for most of the race, which is pretty handy around here because it's quite a challenge to put all the sectors together, not only in qualifying, but also in the race. I'm very pleased and for the Championship it looks like we have another chance at the next race.
Mark Webber:
Unfortunately I’ve found myself having to come back through the field too often this season. I can't make the starts I made last year at the moment. I need to work on those; we'll look at them and definitely improve. I have to keep working harder because it’s quite frustrating and it's quite risky to have to come back through and try to regain positions on the track, particularly when the DRS isn't working. In the end I probably lost a position today out of that, JB put a good last stint together so it would have been good battle with him, even if he did have track position. Seb deserved the victory today and overall, if you come here and you get a podium, it’s not too bad. Of course you'd love a win, that's what we all strive for, but this is a very challenging venue. The guys have done a great job all weekend, for me in particular - as it’s not the easiest track for me here. I want to thank all the guys - they’ve done a great job for me all weekend and Renault also - we have had 100% reliability, so a great job.
Lewis Hamilton:
"Congratulations to Seb on a great drive - he drove fantastically all weekend. And well done to Jenson, too - he showed what was possible from our package by really getting the maximum out of it. He nearly brought home the victory too - so I'm encouraged that we can continue to challenge for wins for the rest of the season.
"I had fun picking off cars after my penalty, but it was frustrating to once again be down the field when I felt we had a car that could have challenged up at the front.
"For me, this weekend was a bit of a missed opportunity. As always, though, I'll put it behind me - I'm already looking forward to Suzuka!"
Jenson Button:
"I was being told throughout the race to look after the car and the tyres; the only time I was really able to push was in the last 12 laps, when I chased down Seb [Vettel] on the Supersoft tyre.
"I gave it everything - but, in the end, we didn't quite have the pace to make up the gap. Still, I think we had the best possible strategy for both Saturday and Sunday, and I couldn't realistically have asked for a better result this weekend.
"In fact, we didn't make any mistakes this weekend and, as a team, I think we did the best possible job with the equipment we had. We need to improve a few things in our package, but I think Suzuka should suit us a little better than Marina Bay. "I've had a run of podium finishes recently, so I'd really love to finish one step higher at the next race!"
Fernando Alonso:
Unfortunately, today it was impossible to finish on the podium. We were not fast enough and, even if we were third for some parts of the race, we knew that sooner or later we would be overtaken. Sure, if you nail the start and something unusual happens and you do everything perfectly and then some, the podium might come your way, but at the moment, the reality is that our car is third best in terms of performance. Then, as happened today, if the Safety Car wipes out the few seconds advantage we had put together over Webber and the backmarkers, who were maybe a bit distracted, create unexpected problems, then everything becomes more difficult. At the start, on the Supersofts, we had very high degradation, while on the Softs the situation got back to more or less normal compared to Red Bull and McLaren. We fought all weekend long and I'm pleased with the way the team worked, because they always did their very best and we got the most we could have done out of this race. We have five difficult races ahead of us, but our motivation does not change: at some point maybe we will be able to attack, while there will be other times when we have to defend, but either way, we will always do our best.
Felipe Massa:
There's no point in me hiding the disappointment and anger I feel at the end of a race that could have delivered a very different result. The damage following contact with Hamilton penalised me a lot because I lost so much time in the early stages when the traffic was still very heavy. After the race, I tried to talk to him to clear the air but he walked away without even answering: so I told him what I thought when we found ourselves in the interview area. On top of that, the Safety Car added to my troubles: I had changed tyres a few laps earlier and had fitted the Supersofts which definitely would not have got me to the end of the race, while other drivers were able to make the most of the race being neutralised to make their stop without losing too much time. In the end, first of all, I lost some time behind Barrichello and then I had to let Vettel by, which meant I was a lap down on him and had lost any chance of finishing seventh, given that Sutil and Rosberg in front of me were struggling with their tyres. I would really like to have a trouble free race at some point, something that I have not experienced recently, if you look at Monza for example. Today, a top six finish was definitely within reach.
Michael Schumacher:
"It was a very unfortunate ending to my race in Singapore tonight and obviously I am a bit disappointed. What happened was what I would call a misunderstanding between Sergio Perez and myself. He was about to go inside and lifted, and I was not expecting him to do that so early, and therefore hit him. It's probably one of those race incidents which look more impressive from outside than from inside, as I am totally ok and my impact in the end was not too heavy. It was a pity because my car and the tyres worked well, and therefore the pace was very good. I will look ahead to the next races and hope to have better endings there."
Nico Rosberg:
"The optimum today would have been sixth place but it didn't quite work out for us this weekend. I was struggling with the rear end in the race, and our car just really didn't suit this demanding track. I had more problems with tyre degradation than the cars around me, which combined with having to switch our strategy when the safety car came out, meant it was impossible to make any progress. Whilst we might not be happy with the outcome of our weekend here in Singapore, we will now work hard to improve the car for the next races here in Asia."
Bruno Senna:
It was a tough race. My first lap was very good, but we then suffered from some very high tyre degradation. I was pushing hard to complete good lap times but we had to adjust the brake balance a lot to try and compensate for the rear tyre wear. When we put the soft tyres on they didn't have quite the same bite as the super softs. Then, when I came into the hairpin which is the slowest corner of the track, my wheels locked up and I hit the wall. This made my race very, very complicated firstly because of the time lost there and secondly because of the extra pit stop. It could have been a much better race for us, but we did what we could and we will now start to think about Japan, where hopefully we can bring out more of the potential of the R31.
Vitaly Petrov:
Today we had a race to forget. First of all I had some problems with KERS shortly after the start, which cost me a few tenths each lap and made it difficult to overtake. Then, the tyres started to behave poorly; when cars started overlapping me, I had to slow down a little and the tyre pressure went down. We have to pull together and look at why the car isn't performing at circuits such as this. We haven't performed at our usual level today, but the final five venues are all places where the R31 should perform better.
Rubens Barrichello:
We said at the beginning that the tyres would have a hard time. With the safety car deployed when it was, the only option was to stay out to have a chance of scoring points. It was a tough call to do that many laps on the same tyre - and when Massa came up behind me there was nothing I could do. We gave it a go, but it didn't pay off for us today.
Pastor Maldonado:
The car had quite a lot of oversteer throughout the race, particularly in the first stint. We tried everything to get rid of it to save the rear tyres but the wear rate forced us to pit early. It didn't make that much of a difference to our strategy though and it actually worked out well in the end. I managed to get into a good rhythm, especially in the second half when I was able to follow Massa quite consistently. I think the team did well and I'm pleased too because it's my first time racing in Singapore.
Adrian Sutil:
"We have been aiming to get both cars in the points for a while now, so we can be very happy with where we finished. The points we scored give us some breathing space over Sauber in the championship. It was quite a normal race for me, although I lost some track position under the safety car as Rosberg got ahead of me and stayed there until the end of the race. The final stint was quite difficult because I had to do about 30 laps on the soft tyres. I had Perez close behind me and then Massa was closing in fast on the final lap. Fortunately I had enough to hold on to eighth."
Paul di Resta:
"My first Singapore Grand Prix was a lot of fun and I'm very happy with the outcome. I don't think the safety car really helped us because I still had a lot of life left in the supersoft tyres in the middle of the race, but it didn't really hurt us either. After that it was a case of managing my pace to Rosberg, looking after the tyres and bringing the car home. I was in free air for the final part of the race, which helped, and the pace was strong. It's probably my best race of the season, but it's the result of all the hard work behind the scenes. We came here with an upgrade package that has allowed us to gain performance in the race, gain tyre life, and we saw the benefits of that today."
Sergio Perez:
"I think tenth was the best we could manage today. I was on a two stop strategy, starting on the supersoft tyres and changing after 15 laps to the soft compound. For my second stop I had to pit earlier because I had a puncture after the accident with Michael (Schumacher), and then I had to do a very long last stint - actually just a bit over half the race distance - with the second set of soft tyres. I think Michael was too optimistic with what he tried. It is a shame to have lost a place to Felipe (Massa) in the end, but the tyres were finished and I couldn't defend anymore. We will keep fighting to get back sixth place in the Championship."
Sebastian Buemi:
"I think twelfth was pretty much the maximum I could have hoped for today. If one analyses the weekend overall, I would say we did not have enough downforce, reflected in the fact we had a very good top speed down the straights, but were not fast enough through the corners. But of course, it is always easy to say these things and be wise in hindsight. Degradation was quite high and we opted for three tyre stops. I expect that, with the car we have, we should be much more competitive at a track like Suzuka, so I am looking forward to going to Japan for the next round. Before that, we must analyse the data from this race very carefully, to see how we can improve for future races at this type of track."
Jaime Alguersuari:
"We already knew on Saturday what sort of race we would have today and although ready to do my best, I was not expecting much from this evening. I had a lot of oversteer after the first few laps onwards. With a couple of laps to go I crashed into the barriers and that was my race over. Looking at my performance and that of my team-mate, who was on a different strategy to me - I was on a two stop - I don't think points would have been on the agenda for us this weekend. As for the drive-through, I am not really sure why I got it, as I only made very light contact with Trulli."
Heikki Kovalainen:
"I'm really pleased with the performance today and we should all be happy as it was a great race from the whole team. The pitstop strategy worked out well for us and the boys worked brilliantly to get me out quickly each time, helping me make sure I could stay ahead of Petrov at each stop. The car felt balanced throughout the whole race and the tyres worked well so I was able to pull away from Petrov and ended up finishing strongly in 16th. It's also good that the upgrade we've brought here has helped us take a small step forward and I think we'll see more from that in Suzuka where it will come more into its own. After a race like today I can't wait to get back in the car, so we leave Singapore feeling pretty good about the last few races of the season."
Jarno Trulli:
"I had another really good start and was ahead of both Renaults and the Toro Rosso. They were pushing me but the car felt great and I was able to keep ahead of them pretty comfortably, coming out of the first stop still ahead and feeling good on the second set of tyres. Then Jaime hit my left rear and I had to come which was pretty disappointing - it's just bad luck really, but that meant I had to try and fight back which I did my best to do until the gearbox problem meant I had to pull over. I'm pleased for the team that we were able to fight from the start and I think it's a good sign that we could do so well in the race, but now we move on to Japan and I hope we can keep pushing on there."
Daniel Ricciardo:
"Unfortunately my race wasn't too exciting because I got my nose clipped on the first lap. It was all a bit bunched into turn 8 and I didn't have a clear line so I just wanted to keep that line for the next corner and had a touch. It was my mistake for going in a bit too deep and it was a costly one because then I encountered quite a few blue flags which upset my rhythm. But the middle stint wasn't too bad, we got a bit of a rhythm going but towards the end of the race we got more blue flags and tried to go quite long on the tyres, which was pretty difficult to manage. But we made it and it's good to get to the finish line though in the toughest race of the season. Now I need to keep on working and move forward".
Tonio Liuzzi:
"Today's race has been quite tough; not only because the car was difficult to drive in such conditions but also because we have been a little unlucky. The first half of the race has been good and then, in the last quarter, we were forced to change to our last set of tyres because the rear was going and had to put on the tyres that we used in qualifying. Immediately I felt that the car had a lot less grip, to the point where I locked the front on turn 14 without doing anything different and I touched the wall, which caused the wing to break. So I was forced to pit again. After the wall incident the car was difficult to drive with quite a lot of understeer so we just tried to reach the checkered flag from there. So it was tough out there but with the positive of having reached the end".
Timo Glock:
"It's a disappointing end to the weekend for the team and for me. I had quite a good start but I lost my positioning with Jerome because I was on the outside. Then, unfortunately, in the second sector Ricciardo drove into the rear right of the car and from that moment my steering wheel was not straight, it was quite a lot to the right, and in all the left-hand corners the car was really difficult to drive. I had a lot of degradation on the rear right tyre and then suddenly I lost the rear under braking and when I hit the wall I think it broke the rear suspension and that was it. It's a real shame for the team that has been working hard all over the weekend, but this is racing and now we just have to look forward to the next race in Japan."
Jerome d'Ambrosio:
"I'm quite happy with my race today. I had a good start and pushed hard on the first two laps and then tried to save the tyres as we were following a two-stop strategy - that was pretty good. The last stint was long and not easy to manage. I could push, but I had to have in mind that I had to look after the tyres until the end of the race. It has been quite a good race. I'm satisfied and we need to continue like this. It's certainly the toughest race I have done, but I managed to go to the end without many problems, so it was good."
