FORMULA 1 - 2013

[MIKA27]

Force India won't stop Di Resta

Force India have assured Paul Di Resta that they will not prevent him from moving to one of the bigger Formula 1 teams.

The Scot has enjoyed a hugely impressive season so far in 2013, scoring double the amount of points as his teammate Adrian Sutil on the way to eighth place in the Drivers' Championship.

Di Resta is contracted with Force India until the end of 2014, but with vacancies possibly opening up at the likes of Red Bull and Lotus, Deputy Team Principal Bob Fernley says they will not stop him leaving.

"Paul is contracted to us anyway for next season, so the question is whether somebody else comes in, so it won't be our decision," Fernley said.

"Whether Paul has to be released, or whatever, that can only come from him. But we wouldn't stand in his way. That's not our policy. If a driver feels he is better somewhere else, what would be the point in keeping him?

"We proved that at the end of last year with Nico Hulkenberg (who joined Sauber). Did we want to lose Nico? Not at all.

"He was a great member of our team, but we didn't get in the way of that particular move.

"We then proved by bringing in Adrian (Sutil) we are capable of recovering from such a situation and carrying on as normal.

"Maybe Nico is asking a few questions himself today, although last year it didn't look such a bad option."

Fearnley added that he remains hopeful of keeping up their good showing this season, which has seen Force India move in front of McLaren in the Constructors' Championship.

"I don't think we should be frightened of anything," added Fernley.

"We've been on every variation of track over the seven races so far and we've performed well at all of them.

"I think we can hold our top-10 qualifying position - assuming we can get that bit right - and it will all fall out in the race again.

"But we are genuinely the fifth quickest team out there at the moment. I don't think there is any doubt about that."

[MIKA27]

Raikkonen move to Red Bull option depends on Webber decision

The silly season this year depends largely on what Mark Webber has planned beyond 2013, and whether Kimi Raikkonen will take his place at Red Bull.

The signs are there that the world champions are taking the Raikkonen option very seriously, as team principal Christian Horner pointed out, “Kimi would have to be an option if he were to be available.”

Raikkonen is available as his deal with Lotus ends this season, and it is not certain that the Finn will renew with the Enstone based outfit. Meanwhile he is keeping quiet about the Red Bull option until further notice.

Horner also believes that the laid back environment in the world champion team would suit Raikkonen who drove with Red Bull backing during his stint as a rally driver.

“Our focus has always been based on what they’re doing in the car. Red Bull is a great environment for any driver – perhaps a bit more relaxed than some of the more corporate teams. Our focus is to get the best out of them as drivers and athletes and not bog them down with other clutter,” said Horner.

It is no secret that Sebastian Vettel and Raikkonen have a good relationship, although by all accounts it is not a relationship that extends outside the paddock into their private lives. Nevertheless the pair appear to be comfortable together during race weekends and whenever they share the podium.

When asked about the prospect of the man known as The Iceman joining the Bulls, Vettel retorted cheekily, “I think nobody could have a problem with Kimi as a team-mate, except for Sergio Pérez!”

The world champion referring to the clash between Raikkonen and Perez at Monaco, after which the 2007 world champion said that someone should punch the Mexican.

Webber’s Red Bull seat is one of the most coveted on the grid and a number of drivers have been linked to it, including Red Bull’s junior drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Jean Eric Vergne who are plying their trade at Toro Rosso with the master plan being to progress to the A-team.

This plan has not always worked out as both Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari were unceremoniously axed two seasons ago and did not progress as planned although, Buemi is the Red Bull reserve. In fact the last promotion from Toro Rosso to Red Bull was Vettel himself who was drafted into the main team at the end of 2008.

Horner is aware that Webber’s seat is much sought after, “We’re in the fortunate position that there are an awful lot of people who would like to drive a Red Bull racing car. How much longer Mark wants to go on is a question only he can answer, but from our perspective we will only change [our drivers] for something better than we currently have.”

Asked about the possibility of Jenson Button being drafted into the squad, Horner replied, “I think Jenson is an asset to any team. Jenson’s a class act, as a team player, a human being, a driver – he’s done a great job in his career. But he’s not on our radar because he’s not available.”

In the end Webber’s plans – to stay on another season in F1 or move out – will kick start the process of musical chairs. Despite well known documented with both Vettel and the team’s outspoken consultant Helmut Marko, the Australian has direct access to the team’s uber-boss Dieter Mateschitz and it will be them, together, who make the final decision.

Webber said recently, “I’ll continue to be in touch with him [Mateschitz] on where my thinking is, where my energy levels are, and where my motivation is for still operating at this level.”

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Hill: I don’t want to say Lewis is naive but he has a lot to learn

Damon Hill has come out and warned Lewis Hamilton has a lot to learn and that he needs to focus on being a race driver as opposed to nurturing his image David Beckham style, but concedes that the 2008 world champion’s move away from McLaren to Mercedes was well judged.

Interviewed by the London Evening Standard, Hill said, “Lewis, nurtured as a prodigy by his father, Anthony, and Ron Dennis [of McLaren] has a great story to tell. The question is how will the story turn out? Where is Lewis’s career going?”

“He is mercurial, got all this talent but somehow it’s squandered and lost. When is he going to get it back? Will he maximise his opportunity? He’s moved to Mercedes. He’s not 30 but he’s getting close [28]. The clock is ticking for Lewis.’

“I don’t want to say Lewis is naive but he has a lot to learn. He genuinely wants to pursue his career in his own way. But the sport that he’s in is a very Machiavellian place. To succeed in Formula 1 you have to be a bit ruthless, have a focus, and almost a business mindset. Maybe he doesn’t want to have that. He wants to get in his car and show what he can do.”

“For people like Lewis, there are two career paths: the Beckham model (he’s managed by the same management group). That model has shown that some people can transcend their sport. Lewis’s management seem to be suggesting that he should follow the Beckham model. Lewis has clearly a lot going for him in the personality area. His girlfriend is a famous singer. But what is the measure of someone’s success? Is it fame or is it actual success?

“The difficulty for Lewis is Formula 1 doesn’t regards its own drivers as celebrities. They’re stars because they perform. If you’re a footballer, you win if your team win. When you’re a racing driver it’s not like that, it’s your own performances that count. At the end of the day they don’t look back at your career and go: Well, you were with a team that won. They look back at your results and go: How many races or championships did you win?”

“When Lewis decided [to leave McLaren] it looked a bit of a reckless move. But, over the winter, Mercedes have been more competitive than they were before, so Lewis made the right move. Lewis hasn’t blown his chances of winning [the championship] this year. He has the car to win the British Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel will be tough to beat but not impossible,” concluded Hill who was world champion with Williams in 1996, winning 22 grands prix during the course of his career.

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Formula 1 world praise Honda’s return to the sport

Honda’s return to to the sport in 2015 is being warmly welcomed in the Formula 1 paddock.

Amid poor results and the global financial crisis, the Japanese carmaker pulled out as a team at the end of 2008, but will return in 2015 as a works supplier of the new turbo V6 engine to McLaren.

“I think it’s very good for the team and for McLaren’s future,” said Jenson Button, “but I think it’s also good for the sport.

“It means we will have four engines in Formula 1, and I think it will pave the way for even more carmakers to come in,” the McLaren driver, and former works Honda driver, told Brazil’s Totalrace.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso also welcomed the good news, believing Honda will boost competition in Formula 1.

“It’s always positive and always welcome when manufacturers come into Formula 1,” the Spaniard is quoted as saying.

“We have seen that the smaller teams with lower costs did not have the success that was expected, as Formula 1 is much more demanding than any other category. Honda’s arrival is the best of news,” added Alonso.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner also sees Honda’s return as a good sign for Formula 1.

“It’s great to see them coming back,” he said. “It shows that Formula 1 is very significant for car manufacturers.

“We have seen the benefits that Infiniti has had to be involved with Red Bull, so I’m very happy to see Honda coming back,” the Briton added.

Four time world champion Alain Prost, affiliated with Formula 1 engine supplier Renault, agreed: “I think it’s great. It’s great for Formula 1.

“It’s good for Honda but I think also good for the image of Formula 1.

“We have new and very complex technology coming next year, and manufacturers want to be involved in Formula 1 again because of that, which is great for Formula 1′s image in general,” he added.

Button’s former works Honda teammate, Rubens Barrichello, commented: “When I knew they (Honda) were going out of the team I was in, there was a very big sadness in the air.

“Honda without Formula 1, and Formula 1 without Honda — they’re not the same,” said the veteran Brazilian. ”I am very happy to see them again.”

[MIKA27]

Vettel: I have no idea of the championship points

World champion Sebastian Vettel claims he does not know, and does not care to know, what his points margin is at the top of the 2013 F1 world championship, or that Fernando Alonso is his main title rival.

The triple-consecutive championship winner is superstitious; he always slides a lucky coin under his boot laces, and gives his chassis a female name on the Wednesday before the first race of a season.

But he told British reporters on Wednesday that his deliberate efforts to avoid knowing the championship points situation is just “to keep things simple”.

German Vettel acknowledged that he knows he is in a “good position” in the current standings, but insists he has no idea of the precise 36-point gap, or that Ferrari’s Alonso is running second.

“If you ask me currently – and please don’t tell me – what’s your score? Who’s second or third in the title race? I don’t know,” he said.

“I am not entirely sure, but I think Fernando is second now because Kimi had a poor race in Canada, but I have no idea of the points.

“The first thing I do after a race when they give me the results is rip off the championship standing and focus on the rest because that’s what matters for the next race,” added Vettel.

“I am trying consciously to keep things simple. We have 20 races — if you manage to maximise all of those then you have a good chance of winning the championship in the end.”

Vettel explained that focusing only on the races, rather than the championship, is the right strategy to perform at his best.

“I’m not stupid,” he said, “but really right now the best is to focus race by race and if there is a gap, dive into it and don’t think twice.”

The 25-year-old also insisted he doesn’t worry about rivals like Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, who always herald one another’s talents, but hail only Vettel’s Adrian Newey-designed Red Bull.

“Well, I’m not relying on their opinion,” said Vettel, who insists he feels happy with his own performance since he leapt to the top in Formula 1.

“I don’t think we have to hide,” he added. ”We have shown enough more than once, not only if you look at championships but in many different races.”

[MIKA27]

2014 Formula 1 cars to be much heavier

The new era Formula 1 cars will be much heavier in 2014, according to a report in the Bild.

A report by correspondent Frank Schneider said the V6 engines and related energy-recovery systems and batteries will make the 2014 machines weigh 50 kilograms more.

“It will certainly be a big change,” world champion Sebastian Vettel is quoted as saying, “and very different to drive.”

However, the 50kg calculation may not be as simple as that.

Although the current V8s weigh just 95kg, while next year’s V6s will be about 145kg – excluding the heavy ERS batteries – the fuel tanks will be much smaller in 2014.

That’s because while cars currently start grands prix with up to 150kg of fuel on board, next year the rules dictate that only 100kg of fuel per race may be used.

“That is a significant difference,” said the FIA’s Charlie Whiting.

The minimum legal weight of the cars is also changing for 2014: from 640 to 660kg.

[MIKA27]

F1's Top 10 Scandals

Formula One is not afraid to court controversy, from cheating teams to cheating husbands, the world's premier motor racing series has it all...

10 - The Expanding Michelins

Prior to Formula One swapping to a sole manufacturer there used to be a little thing called a tyre war and, as they say, all is fair in love and war, right? Wrong.

Michelin, in their third year back in the sport, decided not to adhere to the rules governing the width of the tyres, at least not all the way. The French tyre manufacturer found a way for their rubber to expand during running allowing their drivers more grip.

This did not go down well with Bridgestone nor the FIA who brought in inspections of the Michelins forcing the company to quickly revise their tyres ahead of the Italian GP.

Bridgestone teams, well team Ferrari, won that season's five remaining grands prix.

09 - The Weighty Tyrrell

In 1984 all the Formula One teams excluding Tyrrell were running turbo engines with the sport's rules governing a minimum weight. Tyrrell used a water injection system to help with that and would top it up during the race.

The team, though, didn't stop there as it later emerged that they were topping up the cars with water laced with lead shot to reach the required weight.

It all came to a head at the Detroit GP when Martin Brundle's car was inspected and it was found that the water was no longer water.

Tyrrell were charged with various offenses and booted out of the Championship.

08 - Benetton and The Illegal Car

Cheating was rife in Formula One in 1994 but no one did it better than Benetton and team boss Flavio Briatore.

Accused of running illegal software - including Traction Control and Launch Control - during grands prix, the FIA examined the cars and found Launch Control software in the B194.

But as they could not prove that it had been used, Benetton escaped. The FIA also found no evidence of Traction Control.

It didn't stop there, though, as a refueling fire for Jos Verstappen at the German GP resulted in another investigation which discovered that the team had removed a fuel filter from the refueling rig used during pit stops. This allowed for the fuel to flow at a faster rate.

07 - BAR Hides Its Fuel

Another team, another ban, this time was BAR-Honda who became the first team after Tyrrell to be banned. This time it was all about a hidden fuel tank.

The BAR-Honda was weighed at the end of the 2005 San Marino GP and found to be 5.4kgs under the minimum weight of 600kgs.

Examining the car, it was found to be using a hidden fuel tank as ballast. The team tried to claim that their engine specifically needed a small separate storage of fuel. The FIA didn't agree and banned the team for two races.

06 - Bernie and The German Banker

There's no Bernie without controversy but there's no Formula One without Bernie so we all accept that he's part of the package deal. But for how much longer?

Taking his age out of the equation, Bernie is facing a few legal actions relating to allegations that he paid former banker Gerhard Gribkowsky £28million in bribes in the sale of F1 to CVC. Although Gribkowsky was jailed for accepting a bribe and other stuff, Bernie insists he never paid one, he paid blackmail money instead.

Charges are expected to be laid against the F1 supremo by the Munich courts as soon as they are translated.

05 - Schumacher and His Shunts

There's no one in Formula One who crashed better than Michael Schumacher - and very few who would use that tactic to get the necessary results.

The German's first foray into the deliberate crash was in 1994 when he hit Championship rival Damon Hill. Both drivers retired and Schumacher won the title.

Fast forward to 1997, this time the battle was with Jacques Villeneuve. Again Schumacher crashed into his rival although this time he was disqualified and JV won the crown.

04 - Max Mosley and The Ladies

The downfall of former FIA President Max Mosley transpired in explosive fashion as he was caught in a sting operation by the News of the World cavorting with five prostitutes in a sex dungeon. With alleged Nazi tones to the sexcapade, Max sued left and Max sued right but the damage to his reputation was done.

Already not a favourite amongst the F1 teams, Max announced in 2009 he would not stand for re-election in order to safeguard F1's future and prevent the FOTA teams from leaving.

03 - Merc, Pirelli and Testgate

This deserves its place as the most recent scandal, in fact one that is still playing out. Merc tested for Pirelli during the season - no big deal. Merc used a 2013 car for that test - big deal.

So big in fact the team and Pirelli found themselves before a FIA International Tribunal to answer charges. Their rivals are riled up over the perceived advantage. Merc say they acted in "good faith" as they got permission from Charlie Whiting and Pirelli have told the FIA they have no grounds to penalise them.

In the end, both parties were reprimanded as it was deemed they had not acted in bad faith while Merc were also banned from the Young Driver Test to level the playing field.

02 - Spygate and The Copied Information

McLaren were hit with the biggest monetary fine ever handed out in Formula One when the FIA penalised them $100 million for using stolen Ferrari information.

In 2007 former Ferrari chief mechanic Nigel Stepney handed the information to McLaren's former designer Mike Coughlan who gave the 780 pages to his wife to copy. Bad decision. The clerk at the store ratted them out and so Spygate began.

The matter reached the FIA's World Motor Sport Council where McLaren were found guilty of being in possession of confidential Ferrari info. The Woking team was excluded from the 2007 Constructors' Championship and handed a record fine.

01 - Crashgate

It really doesn't get bigger than this, not because of the utter deceit involved but because any crash could have serious consequences and yet a driver was ordered to do it deliberately. It also goes to the heart of sport and sporting ethics. Renault back in 2008 displayed none.

At that year's Singapore GP, Nelson Piquet Jr was ordered to deliberately crash at Turn 17 on lap 14, giving his team-mate Fernando Alonso a welcome boost up the order. Alonso went on to win the race and few thought anything but 'wow, that was lucky.'

A year later the team dropped the under-performing Piquet Jr and he spilled his guts. The Brazilian went public with everything about that day, resulting in a FIA investigation with Renault charged with conspiracy.

Renault did not contest the charges and the team was given a suspended sentence while team boss Flavio Briatore and director of engineering Pat Symonds both left the team before the hearing. The duo, though, soon left F1 as they were banned for life and five-years respectively. The bans were subsequently overturned and Symonds is back in the paddock but Flav only ever visits.

[OZCUBAN]

Mark Webber to leave Formula 1 at the end of 2013 season

Mark Webber

Red Bull driver Mark Webber has decided to leave F1 at the end of this season.

The 36-year-old Australian is joining German company Porsche's new sportscar programme, which includes an assault on the classic Le Mans 24 Hours.

Webber had options to stay in F1, either with Red Bull or another top team, but feels it is time to move on in his career.

Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen is favourite to replace him, with Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo or Jean-Eric Vergne options.

Webber described it as an "honour" to race for Porsche, adding: "Porsche has written racing history as a manufacturer and stands for outstanding performance and technology at the highest level.

"I'm very much looking forward to this new challenge after my time in Formula 1. I can hardly wait to pilot one of the fastest sports cars in the world."

In 12 years in F1, Webber has won nine grands prix, achieved 36 podium finishes, 11 pole positions and 15 fastest laps and twice finished third in the World Championship.

Webber's stats and facts

Born: 27 August 1976, Queanbeyan

Nationality: Australian

Grand Prix debut: Australia 2002

Wins: 9

Pole positions: 11

Podiums: 36

Teams: Minardi, Jaguar, Williams, Red Bull

Webber's best season was 2010, when he led the championship for much of the year before faltering in the final three races, falling behind team-mate Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

He has developed a reputation as a tough but fair competitor, with a direct and honest approach to the media, whose time at Red Bull has been characterised by an uneasy relationship with Vettel.

The German is championed by the company's motorsport adviser Helmut Marko, and Webber has often felt he has not benefited from the same support.

The tension has boiled over on several occasions during their five years as team-mates, most recently at this season's Malaysian Grand Prix, when Vettel ignored a direct team order not to overtake Webber to win the race.

The German initially apologised after the race, but subsequently said he would do the same thing again.

Webber was furious and it was widely believed that the drivers' fractious relationship meant he could not stay with Red Bull in 2014.

But Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz, with whom Webber has always had a close relationship, made it clear he could stay on if he wanted to, saying in April: "Whether he retires, only he will choose but Mark is definitely a candidate for 2014. He is always welcome with us."

Webber did consider staying with Red Bull for another season. But he has decided that with the big change in regulations next year that will dramatically alter the demands of F1 it is a good time to move on to a fresh challenge in a new category where he believes his long-term future lies.

He has never been a fan of the rapidly degrading Pirelli tyres that have been used in F1 since 2011 - Webber believes they prevent drivers pushing to the limit throughout the race, a characteristic he believes should be an integral part of the sport.

He is 37 this August, an age that for a Formula 1 driver he has admitted is "long in the tooth in some people's eyes", and recognised that even if he stayed on for another year, his time in the sport was limited.

Webber could have gone to another top team - at least one approached him - but felt that would be the wrong thing to do.

For one thing, Red Bull has produced the fastest car in F1 since 2009; for another he decided against a move to Ferrari last year partly because he felt that with time running out on his career the effort of getting used to a new environment was not worth it.

He will now spearhead Porsche's attempt to revive its glory days at Le Mans, a race it has won 16 times, the last in 1998.

Webber has raced at Le Mans twice before - with Mercedes in 1998 and 1999.

He was on pole position in 1998 but the car he shared with Germans Klaus Ludwig and Bernd Schneider retired after only 19 laps.

The following year an aerodynamic flaw in the Mercedes car caused him to flip on two separate occasions at more than 200mph, both times emerging without injury.

He said afterwards that he would never return to Le Mans because of the danger involved, but the lure of representing Porsche has proved too much to resist.

OZ :I for one will miss Mark it is a real shame he missed out on the F-1 World championship ,he is a great driver who will be missed mainly because of his Aussie way LOL

still Le Man's is one of those great auto races of the world ,one that every driver would like on their CV good luck Mark and thanks for some exciting driving moments over the years

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OZ :I for one will miss Mark it is a real shame he missed out on the F-1 World championship ,he is a great driver who will be missed mainly because of his Aussie way LOL

still Le Man's is one of those great auto races of the world ,one that every driver would like on their CV good luck Mark and thanks for some exciting driving moments over the years

I agree mate, firstly thanks for posting. It's a bit of a shock, I actually thought he'd stick around one more season.

As for Le Mans, Marks been there before so this time around, he'll no doubt excel with the F1 experience under his belt. Just take a peek below where he drove a Mercedes Benz CLR back in 1999. The Merc actually flipped twice for him, once during qualy and again on warm up pre-race.

Lets hope he wins a few more races this season. 2010 was the closest season for Webber which he blew his chances in the last 5 races. Still, 2013 is a long way from finished.

Lastly, this will be Webbers ride next season at Porsche: Porsche LMP1

Porsche's first challenger for outright honours at the Le Mans 24 Hours for 16 years has run for the first time ahead of schedule.

The new Porsche LMP1 hybrid was given a rollout on June 12 on the German manufacturer's Weissach test track at its research and development facility by factory driver Timo Bernhard.

The shakedown for the coupe, which has been built to the 2014 energy-based LMP1 rulebook for next year's World Endurance Championship, was described as "several weeks" ahead of schedule. It had been indicated by Porsche that the car would hit the track in July.

Fritz Enzinger, head of LMP1 at Porsche, said: "We are well on schedule. Our newly-formed team has worked with utmost concentration on getting this highly-complex vehicle on the track as soon as possible.

"This allows us a few additional weeks for more testing and further development. From 2014, the regulations are primarily based on efficiency and present us with completely new challenges."

Bernhard, who won Le Mans in 2010 while on loan to Porsche sister marque Audi, said that he was "very proud that I was the one to take our baby through its paces today".

Porsche has yet to reveal technical details or a name or type number for its new LMP1 coupe. It has only stated that it will be powered by a petrol engine.

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Webber: I’ll watch with interest who will succeed me at Red Bull

Mark Webber’s decision to quit Formula 1 at the end of 2013, and move his career to sportscar racing with Porsche, took many people by surprise including his own team, but the straight talking Australian believes the announcement was made at the right time and admits he is intrigued by who will replace him at Red Bull.

Webber told media at Silverstone, “The timing is perfect for me. Very, very excited about my new chapter and the new challenge ahead. One of the most famous and most well-respected brands in automotive and motor racing in Porsche, so that’s something which personally I’m very satisfied about taking on. The decision has been there for quite a long time for me actually. So, I’ve known for quite a while, I’ve had a plan and I’ve stuck to it. But still, in the meantime, respecting the profession that I have now at this level and focusing on achieving very, very strong results in my last season in F1.”

Asked if he cared who would take his seat at Red Bull, Webber replied, “I’ll watchwith interest, mate. Yeah.”

Several reasons contributed towards Webber deciding to take up the Porsche offer, “There’s lots of reasons that come into the pot, I think, when any sportsman or women comes to that time in their career where they want to call it a day. That’s another small ingredient: there’s going to be big, big changes in this sport next year, so I may as well go and do those big, big changes where my future is going to be. Let’s see how the category is next year in F1 – I’ll be interested to watch every now and then and go from there…watch these guys do their stuff.”

Webber, who won all his nine F1 races with Red Bull, does not believe his decision impacts negatively on the world champions and reveals that the team’s billionaire boss was in the loop throughout the decision making process which began several months ago.

“They know they’ve got to make some decisions in the future. Dietrich [Mateschitz] has been completely up to speed with my thinking in the last six to eight months, so Dietrich has been absolutely on board and on message with where I’ve been. He’s certainly encouraged me not to rush my decision when I approached him earlier in the season. I think basically all of the right channels and avenues that we went through to get the message across as subtly as we could in terms of the announcement was done in the right way,” claimed Webber.

Despite not winning a Formula 1 world championship title while his teammate Sebastian Vettel nothced up three in a row from 2010 to 2012, Webber claims he does not leave the pinnacle of the sport with regrets.

“At this level, you’re always open to some adversity here and there and challenges, that’s how this sport is, any top flight sport is going to be snapshots of different things which you could probably have done better here and there, but there’s no career which is like this. You’re going to have ups and downs and getting off the canvas is part of the rules, so I’ve been very fortunate to have some very, very special memories for sure, ” said Webber.

“How long is a piece of string? You could have more in terms of championships or whatever, but 2010 was a very, very big battle with lots of quality drivers and it went to the last race so of course I remember that, I led the championship at the wrong race but it was… I’m looking back with very fond memories and I’ve still got races to go obviously this year so still looking to add to those great memories and helping Red Bull still achieve very, very good results.”

Webber has been a fixture in the Formula 1 paddock since 2002, and he admitted there will be things about the world he leaves which he will miss, “We all strive to get to the pinnacle, and I’ve been with JB, Lewis, Fernando, these guys for a long time, racing.

We all know where we’ve come from. I’m very proud of where I’ve come from. I don’t forget the street that I grew up in in Australia.”

“F1 is seen as the pinnacle. Working with people like Adrian Newey, there’s things like that which of course won’t go un-noticed but as any sportsman or woman will know, you’re not 25 [years old] for ever so you’ve got to get the decision right and the timing right and stopping when you’re still performing well. I believe that’s absolutely correct for yourself and that’s part of the course that I will miss.”

“The drug on the grid when the [team] guys walk away from the car, that’s the best legal drug you can get. I’m ready to go racing so that’s brilliant. Like I say, you’ve got to be real with yourself and know there’s a day where you need to roll on to the next chapter and that’s what I’m very excited by. You can’t kid yourself and say it’s going to go on for ever,” mused the 36 year old.

Webber is adamant that the decision to move on at the end of the season will not impact his performances until the last race in Brazil.

“I think going forward, for the rest of the season, it doesn’t change a huge amount to be honest, because I’ve known the decision… nothing changes for my approach now because obviously it’s now out for everybody, but in terms of the last few races, obviously challenging for the top steps and when you get everything right, obviously we want to get wins as well.”

“I don’t see that being a huge, huge difference. It’s in my interest to keep the motivation up until Brazil and work hard with the guys.

That’s important. At this level, I’m fully respectful of the effort that goes in to get the car out there, so I need to keep pushing, for myself and for the team because they put in a lot of work, obviously, at the factory at Milton Keynes, Renault, everyone,” affirmed Webber.

Webber’s new pastures are geared to take on Audi and Toyota in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) where Le Mans is by far the most important and high profile event on the schedule. Webber’s ‘first’ sportscar career, with Mercedes at the time, came to a premature end after he flipped twice on the Mulsanne straight during practice for the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans.

An aerodynamic fault on the Mercedes CLRs caused Webber to become airborne during both practice and race-day warm up, with the same fate befalling teammate Peter Dumbreck five hours into the race. Both drivers escaped uninjured, but the crashes forced Mercedes to ditch their sportscar program that year.

When reminded about the saga, Webber recollected, “Le Mans, yeah, in 1999, that era, those cars were very, very… I think the regulations were quite dangerous. We had a lot of cars having some big shunts in that era. I think all manufacturers had issues with keeping the cars on the ground, just because of the way the regs were written and they were quite quick.”

“Motor racing is dangerous, I accept that, we all know that. Le Mans is a classic race. The cars are not slow there now, but I’m not a guy who wants to wrap myself in cotton wool either. I’m looking forward to the challenge and yeah, it’s something which was in my thinking in terms of the safety factors, all those things which have improved since we were there last and they will continue to improve as well, not just the circuit but the cars. We’ve gone forward since 13 years ago.”

Webber should complete 215 grand prix starts before he parts the Formula 1 scene at Interlagos in November. Although he lies fourth in the championship standings and 63 points adrift Vettel who leads the title standings, there is still opportunities for Webber to add to his nine victories and Silverstone (this weekend) must rate as one of his best chances to take his tally into double figures.

After all the popular Aussie has won the British GP twice in three years, and been on the podium four times in the past four years.

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Alonso: We must remain calm and try to win, or finish in front of Sebastian

Fernando Alonso is very aware that he cannot sacrifice more points, to championship leader Sebastian Vettel, if he is to seriously challenge for the 2013 title and made it quite clear that the objective for future races is to finish ahead of the Red Bull driver.

Speaking on the eve of the British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone, Alonso said, “All the races are important for us given the position we are in now. We are 36 points behind the leaders, so there is not much room to lose more points. However, we must remain calm and try to win, or finish in front of Sebastian, or at least lose as few points as possible.”

“Last year in Monza, I had a 42 point lead over Sebastian at Monza (actually, Fernando’s memory is playing tricks on him, as his lead was 39!) So to be 36 points down at this earlier point of the season is not ideal, but it’s not the end of the world,” mused the Ferrari driver.

In 2011 Alonso won the British GP and he believes the team’s current F138 should be well suited to the high speed nature of Silverstone.

“This has been a good circuit for us in the past and we have been competitive for the last three or four years. After China and Bahrain, this is the best track so far for us, so I have high hopes for the weekend. However, Red Bull has been the dominant force here since ’09 and I expect Mercedes to be very close as well,” observed Alonso.

Tyres will again be a key factor, as they have been since the outset of the season, “This year has been dominated by tyre behaviour, with some tracks suiting some cars and some suiting others. If you make the tyres work well and last properly, you have a better chance to win. Certainly, in the next couple of races, we need to up our game in terms of tyre preparation for Saturday and Sunday.”

Alonso spared a thought for Jose Froilan Gonzalez, who passed away recently. The Argentinian, known as the Pampas Bull, won Ferrari’s first F1 world championship race at Silverstone back in 1951

“Sad news for Ferrari and the motorsport family. I remember after winning the race I spoke to him [Gonzalez] on the telephone after the podium ceremony. At the time we dedicated the win to him so this weekend it would be nice to dedicate it again to his family, so it will be great to do a good job for him and all Ferrari fans.”

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Vettel will have input on the identity of his 2014 Red Bull teammate

Kimi Raikkonen has admitted he has had “small talks” with Red Bull about replacing Mark Webber next year, but world champion Sebastian Vettel will have a say on who will partner him in the sister car.

Earlier reluctant to discuss his future beyond saying his Lotus contract is expiring, the 2007 world champion is now admitting that moving to the reigning world champion team is a real option.

Sebastian Vettel has made clear he would like to share the 2014 garage with his Finnish friend.

Raikkonen admitted: “It would be interesting to drive against him in the same car. It would be a big challenge, but that is why we are here. If you have a chance to be there you should take it.”

“I would say Lotus or them (Red Bull) is the only options,” the 33-year-old told British broadcaster Sky.

A key to a Raikkonen-Red Bull marriage would be to emulate his situation at Lotus, where the introverted Finn does minimal sponsor appearances.

“They might sound like stupid, small things but I’ve been long enough in the business to know what I want,” he admitted.

It is thought that, Raikkonen aside, the only other candidates Red Bull would seriously consider are Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne, who currently drive for the energy drink company’s junior team, Toro Rosso.

Australian Ricciardo admitted his cause has not been helped by a competitive dip in recent races, ”I haven’t really come off a strong few (races) to give me bragging rights to say: That’s mine, everyone.”

Ricciardo said Red Bull continues to back young drivers with the ultimate aim that they emulate Vettel’s feat and graduate to the top team.

But Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost said the prerequisite is title-winning potential, ”Both drivers would have to show an extraordinarily good second half of the season, because, and we must never forget, we are talking about the champion team.”

Vettel is making no secret that he is pushing hard in Raikkonen’s favour, but on the other hand he is also not rubbishing Ricciardo or Vergne’s chances.

“I don’t think it’s fair to compare Kimi with Daniel or Jean-Eric. Their careers are totally different,” he is quoted by Brazil’s Totalrace.

Ultimately, however, the triple world champion will have a say.

“It’s not my decision, but if I am asked, I will speak my mind,” said the German.

Helmut Marko told Bild newspaper: “This is a team, and so we need to ensure the greatest possible harmony. The best decision is one that is made in agreement on all sides. This includes Sebastian.”

MIKA: I wonder how Vettel will feel "If Kimi" joins the team and starts beating him. IMO, Kimi is a far more superior driver than vettel.

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Maldonado denies talks to replace Raikkonen at Lotus

As Kimi Raikkonen edges towards filling Mark Webber’s race seat at Red Bull next year, Pastor Maldonado has denied talking to Lotus to replace the Finn.

It has been suggested Venezuelan Maldonado, with his 2012 Barcelona-winning speed and his millions in PDVSA backing, might be a good choice as Lotus faces the possibility of replacing Raikkonen.

But “Regarding the rumours,” the 28-year-old told Spanish newspaper Marca at Silverstone, “I am 100 per cent focused on Williams.

“To this day I have not spoken to any team, this is true and I hope to be here next season. I say that because it depends not only on me but on other factors.

“Let’s see what the future brings,” Maldonado added.

“I see the rumours every day but it’s hard to imagine something happening. Clearly I’m not happy with the performance this season, I will not hide that and we need to solve our problems.

“But I believe that we have a great potential in the team and we cannot stay where we are. We have all the tools to fight for the championship, so we’re not going to give up,” he added.

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British Grand Prix Qualifying: Hamilton storms to pole on home soil

Lewis Hamilton declared before the British Grand Prix weekend that his head was in a better space, and duly proved it by storming to pole position for his home race at Silverstone, as Mercedes annexed the front row with Nico Rosberg second fastest.

In fact the smart money would have been on Rosberg doing the business in qualifying as he appeared to have the edge over Hamilton during the the free practice sessions. Hamilton even went as far as to admit that he was struggling to find the comfort zone in the cockpit.

But when it mattered Hamilton dug deep, perhaps inspired by the partisan crowd urging him on, to ****** pole with his final lap after Rosberg had knocked him off the top perch, albeit briefly.

The only other time Hamilton started from pole on home soil was in his rookie year, in 2007 when he started from top spot for McLaren At the time it was only his 3rd Formula 1 career pole, this time around it was his 28th top spot start.

Mercedes, with their W04, have the quickest car over a single lap or on short runs and this has been the case since for a number of races now. However their race pace and ability to nurture tyres has let them down. A sure sign of a step forward for the Silver Arrows will be their ability now to translate an all silver front row start to one-two on the podium.

Hamilton, who was the only driver to dip below the 90 seconds mark. soaked up the moment, ”It’s an incredible feeling – it feels like [his previous Silverstone pole] 2007. The crowd have been great – such a great turnout – that was a lap for them. I hope we can do something special in the race. It’s phenomenal because I haven’t been feeling 100% comfortable in the car.”

“The support has been incredible. Big thank you – it means the world to me to be able to put it on the front row for them. This is the first year I had a car to put it where I wanted to put it.”

“I think it’ll be tough tomorrow – we have not made huge strides in race pace, but our long-run pace has not been so far off. In Montreal we were half a second off the Red Bull and Ferrari, but here it was not as big a deficit. I’m just going to gun it tomorrow and hope for the best.”

Credit to Rosberg for pushing hard all the way, and pole was his momentarily until his teammate snatched it by a big chunk of time.

“It’s definitely a great feeling to have the fastest car and the Mercedes team did a great job. We are confident we have improved and some of the other cars may be better than us but finishing top two can only be good for us,” said Rosberg.

He added, “I’ve got mixed emotions as I would love to have finished ahead of my team-mate. But it’s a great feeling to go into the race with such a good car. Handling hasn’t been the best but the car has been very quick. As a team we are doing a great job.”

“We are making progress with our tyre management but know that some other teams are maybe better. I hope that eventually we can do races as quickly as we have been doing qualifying.”

Best of the rest were the Red Bull pair with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber ending the session third and fourth respectively, ensuring an all Red Bull second row. With a strong race pace and proven winning track record this season, they must fancy their chances of overturning the Mercedes advantage in race trim.

Vettel said afterwards, ”We will see what happens tomorrow. It is a long race. I’m honestly very happy today. I don’t know if Lewis [Hamilton] found a short cut or he just found something special here – it was a phenomenal lap. It is always nice to position well in qualifying here. I am looking forward to the race tomorrow and we will see how we are with looking after tyres.”

Paul di Resta, another driver inspired to be on home turf, will start from fifth as Force Ibndia showed strong pace throughout the weekend which also translated into a solid qualifying performance across the road from their factory. Adrian Sutil was seventh fastest.

“I think I will sleep quite well tonight,” said Di Resta. “A lot of work to be done but a great result for the boys on home soil. The stands were full, the sun finally came out to play and hopefully we can score some good points tomorrow.”

Splitting the Force India pair, was Daniel Ricciardo who will start sixth in the Toro Rosso. The young Australian, by design or coincidence, timing his good form perfectly as he is very much in the spotlight in the wake of Webber’s decision to quit F1 at the end of 2013 and making available one of the most coveted race seats in motorsport.

Ricciardo’s heroics on the day will not have gone unnoticed. His teammate Jean Eric Vergne, also a candidate for promotion to partner Vettel, failed to make it beyond Q2 and will start 13th.

“It has been looking pretty good. The first two days have gone well. It is nice to confirm he speed we have,” said Ricciardo afterwards.

Romain Grosjean was the quicker of the Lotus duo, setting the eighth best time with Kimi Raikkonen ninth fastest – the difference between the boys in black and gold a mere 0.007 seconds!

Rounding out the top ten was Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari. Clearly the Maranello squad have not progressed with their latest development of the F138. Both drivers struggled, Felipe Massa more so than Alonso.

“We were not competitive all weekend and it’s not normal to see Ferrari out of Q3. We need to recover now and it was a bad Saturday. We didn’t improve the car enough in the last four to five races and we ordered some new parts but they didn’t do what we expected. We need to keep on working,” reflected Alonso.

It was also a forgettable day for two legendary British teams, as both Williams and Mclaren were woefully off the pace and never really in Q3 contention.

Williams celebrating their 600th race weekend simply do not have the car for their drivers to make the most of a momentous occasion. Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas toiled hard for the meagre reward of 16th and 17th on the grid.

For McLaren the situation was almost as dire, as both drivers headed off for an early shower having failed to make it into Q3 for the second time in a row. Jenson Button will start from 11th and Sergio Perez from 14th.

Button tried to see the bright side of a bleak scenario, ”It is quite surprising with the way the car felt. It was very difficult getting the tyres working correctly. It is not great but it is a little less bad, is probably the right way to say it. If we had qualified into Q3 we would probably have been P10 so it is not so bad.”

[MIKA27]

British Grand Prix: Rosberg wins a thriller as tyre blow outs cloud race

Nico Rosberg powered to his second victory of the season at the British Grand Prix, winning a dramatic race at Silverstone which saw early leader Lewis Hamilton suffer a high speed blowout – one of four spectacular Pirelli failures on the day.

This handed the lead to Sebastian Vettel who looked to be cruising to another victory until the gearbox on his Red Bull packed up virtually within sight of the finish line.

Rosberg said afterwards, ”It is a very special day. We are progressing all the time so it’s a very special day for me and the team today.”

“The win was for the team, it’s their home grand prix and so many of my friends were in the grandstands. It’s going better and better and the momentum that we have at the moment is amazing. It’s so cool to be part of this team at the moment, having a race car that can win is fantastic.”

“With Lewis, I feel sorry for all the British fans. It would have been great for Lewis. It’s always a massive disappointment but that’s racing. Sebastian stopped, I won’t lie, I wasn’t disappointed by that one. From then on, it was just a great race,” added the German.

Mark Webber recovered from a bad start, which saw him damage the front wing on his Red Bull. He ended up challenging for the win right up the the finish line.

Webber reflected, ”It was frustrating, but the boys did a great job. There were a lot of issues with the tyres and we were lucky and it was a clean race for us.”

With Vettel not scoring it was a double bonus for Ferrari and Fernando Alonso who turned a well below par qualifying into a podium finish, with third place, after a typically strong showing when it mattered. He also reduced the gap in title race from 36 points to 21 points.

“It was a good race for us. We got lucky to recover some points and it was a good result for us in the end. We know we have a lot of work to do and now we look ahead to the next race,” said Alonso.

Vettel was disappointed but pragmatic, ”It would have been a nice race to win. It’s difficult to feel inside the car what is wrong, and I saw Lewis’s problem with his tyre and we were told to avoid the curb and maintain position. We have to come back again next year and try to win.”

The tyre failures which afflicted four drivers – Hamilton, Felipe Massa and Jean Eric Vergne and Sergio Perez – will no doubt dominate the headlines in the aftermath of the race.

Although Rosberg was somewhat fortuitous, he nevertheless delivered a strong performance, as it was not a given that Vettel would be able to keep him at bay in the closing stages of the race. Up to that point Rosberg had kept the world champion well in his sights.

When Vettel’s Red Bull spluttered to a halt, 50 metres from the finish line forcing the German to abandon the car almost in the middle of the circuit, the safety car was deployed for the second time on the day.

At that point quick thinking saw Rosberg, Webber and Alonso dart into the pits for fresh rubber with the Mercedes driver emerging in the lead and the other two in fifth and eighth respectively.

Kimi Raikkonen, in second place raised the question over the radio: ”Did we make the right choice not to pit?”

In the end it proved to be a missed opportunity as the Lotus driver had no answer for Webber and Alonso who stole what was a sure podium thanks to the fresh rubber in the last half dozen lap sprint.

Hamilton also got by Raikkonen to end his dramatic day fourth after an impressive recovery from the back of the field. At the time of the blowout the Briton had been leading comfortably, and when the incident happened shortly after the start/finish line, few would have given him any chance of recovering as well as he did.

However a couple of Safety Car periods, to clear debris from destroyed tyres all around the circuit, did help in his quest.

“The safety is the biggest issue, it’s unacceptable,” said Hamilton. “We had that tyre test to improve the tyre and to have four blowouts is unacceptable. It’s only when someone gets hurt that [somebody] will be doing something about it. I think it’s a waste of time talking to the FIA, and if they don’t do anything that says a lot about them.”

Raikkonen crossed the line fifth, and with that result set a Formula 1 record for most consecutive points scoring finishes, 25 in a row.

Also delivering a strong recovery after a similar blow out to Hamilton, was Felipe Massa who finished sixth after being demoted to the back when his left rear Pirelli burst. The result, coupled with Alonso’s showing, provided the reds with a healthy and much needed points haul.

Adrian Sutil was in the thick of things throughout the afternoon in his Force India, running strongly in third place until the final Safety Car restart. On older tyres he simply had no answer for those on fresher tyres. He finished seventh.

Also giving as good account of himself was Daniel Ricciardo in the Toro Rosso, slugging it out way above his remit and doing his shares no harm at a time when he is one of the candidates being considered to step up to the Red Bull senior team. His reward for a hard day’s graft was eighth place.

Paul di Resta finished ninth, after starting from the back row of the grid. He to went toe-to-toe with the big names, including a heart pounding tussle with Hamilton.

Di Resta commented, “It was a bit up and down. I didn’t have the cleanest race I would have to say. I’m satisfied at the finish. Given the way this weekend has gone it continues the points run, which puts a smile on our faces and we head to Germany looking for three days without issues.”

Nico Hulkenberg picked up the final point for Sauber, keeping the Williams duo out of the points in what was the team’s 600th race weekend. Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas were 11th and 12th respectively.

Also out the points were both McLaren’s with Jenson Button crossing the line 13th, and luckless Perez retiring after suffering a blowout.

Much is still to be written about what was a near catastrophic situation with the tyres. Four blowouts, all left rear tyres (the same as Perez’s failure a day earlier) is simply unacceptable. The near misses were plentiful as debris from Hamilton caused Vettel to swerve; debris from Vergne’s incident nearly took out both Lotus drivers, shards struck Raikkonen’s helmet and the Toro Rosso driver did well to keep the car from slamming into the barriers; large chunks of rubber from Perez’s destroyed tyre flew past Alonso, missing the Ferrari narrowly.

After Vergne’s rubber explosion, the safety car was deployed and just about every marshal at Silverstone (it seemed) was sent out on track to pick up bits of rubber, steel and carbon fibre.

Button summed up the sentiment regarding the tyre fiasco, “We’ve had five tyres [blow out] over the last few days, a big issue and something that needs to be sorted out. Don’t change how you drive but of course it’s on your mind. Happening at 300 km/h, like for Checo, it’s not right.”

“It’s not just dangerous for the driver in the car, it’s dangerous for all the other cars. The cars behind get hit by rubber that has metal in it. It’s got to change. I don’t think anything needs to be said. We all know the situation,” warned one of the most experienced drivers on the grid.

The racing gods were kind to F1 at Silversone today.

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Pirelli: We are taking the situation very seriously

Pirelli have announced that they are doing everything possible to get to the bottom of the tyre explosions that marred the British Grand Prix, and are working flat out to sort out the problem before next weekend’s German Grand Prix.

The were a number of rear-left tyre failures during the race, which affected Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa (Ferrari), Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso) and Sergio Perez (McLaren). Pirelli engineers will investigate closely the cause of the failures ahead of next week’s German Grand Prix.

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said, “There have obviously been some issues with rear-left tyre failures which we have not seen before. We are taking the situation very seriously and we are currently investigating all tyres to determine the cause as soon as possible, ahead of the next Grand Prix in Germany.”

“At the moment, we can’t really say much more until we have fully investigated and analysed all of these incidents, which is our top priority. However, we can exclude that the new bonding process, which we introduced at this race, is at cause for the tyre failures we have seen today.”

“There might be some aspect to this circuit that impacts specifically on the latest version of our 2013 specification tyres but at this point we do not want to speculate but will now put together all the evidence to find out what happened and then take appropriate next steps should these be required.”

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Webber: Thank you to all the British fans for the support over the years

Mark Webber botched his start at the British Grand Prix, then got tagged in Turn 1 causing damage to the front wing end-plate on his Red Bull and before he knew it he was way down the order, which thereafter prompted a storming drive through the field by Australian and nearly ended in him snatching victory – adding to the two already bagged – at the very end of a drama packed race at Silverstone.

Webber spoke after finishing second in his last ever British Grand Prix.

A storming drive. You must have thought it was all over, the start didn’t go so well, tell us about it.

Mark Webber: I didn’t have a clue what happened off the line. We’ve had two or three good starts in the last few races and then the lights went out and we’re back to our normal tactics. So, I’m not sure. We need to have a look at why they pop up every now and again. That was frustrating. Then I had, I think it was Grosjean, take the front wing in the first corner, so the first stint was compromised by that. The boys did a great job to put a fresh front wing on at the stop and then we started to get the race underway from there. Obviously there was a lot of people with issues with the tyres which helped a bit but we were lucky not to have any issues. It was a clean race, good strategy. I think that, yeah I would have liked a few more laps at Nico but he deserved the win. He was quick all day, obviously. Little bit of fortune but anyway you’ve got to be there to capitalise. I’m very happy with second, team have done a good job and thanks – last time here in Formula One in front of the British fans – thank you very much.

You almost got him [winner Rosberg] at the end. 0.7 seconds as you crossed the finish line of a race you’ve won twice – you obviously enjoy it very much here. Great recovery though, after a poor start. Just listening to the tone of your radio messages, is it tempting to say that you feel a win got away from you today?

MW: Oh yes, it’s easy to say that. With ten laps to go when you can see the win in sight. It is mixed feelings when you finish seven-tenths behind Nico for the win. But he’s also out there doing his things, so he deserved the win. We did recover. I think we had a bit of luck after that but we’ve got to be there to capitalise on it. We had a good strategy, obviously I pushed very hard on the laps I had to do the business. The start… I don’t know. I have no idea how we can get so good some weekends and then not at others. That was a big negative for us. And then Grosjean – someone, I think it was him – touched my front wing at turn one. I had to get that changes at the first stop. And then the race really reset from there. The safety cars obviously helped – although I didn’t want them because of the reasons why they were happening. Obviously it’s very nervous for all the drivers to see that happening. In the end, very, very good result for myself, for the team, still go something out of it, what was… looked like a pretty random weekend for everyone on race day. I want to thank all the English and British fans for the support that I’ve had over the years racing here – it’s been a real highlight for me to race at this circuit. So, very much looking forward to the next race and hoping to challenge again. I was happy with my performance today.

They broadcast at least four or five messages from Rocky (Guillaume Rocquelin) to Sebastian telling him to stay off the kerbs; were you getting a similar amount of that kind of message?

MW: Yeah, Simon was keeping me up to date with the… That’s all they could give us was staying off the kerbs because they were saying that they probably didn’t really know why the tyres were failing at the rate they were. So yeah, I did what I could in all the right hand corners to have… turn one, exit of seven, also Copse and Becketts and Stowe, all the fast corners, trying to stay away from there. It’s not always easy but in general I tried to adhere to the advice, because yes, you want to gain a little bit here and there, but as Nico touched on, it’s not much fun driving a Formula One car on three tyres so you have to make sure that you do what you can to listen to the team; they’re on the pit wall with the most information so you have to do what they say.

You’re not the kind of guy who normally blames his equipment, less so perhaps than other people, but this story of your starts goes back a long way. No doubt you’ve analysed it over and over again. Looking back today, was it possibly a human failure on your side or was it an equipment shortcoming of some kind?

MW: I need to look. We know it’s not the strength of our situation up until Monaco. I think Monaco and Canada, same procedure and we’re running into the back of these guys. Same in Canada, I went round Bottas and we were very very strong off the line.

Today, reverse was in gear. I was obviously ready for the start, everything was set, but I didn’t go anywhere, obviously. I think it was quite slippery off the line but we had a lot of issues getting away. It is frustrating, mate, but I need to go through it and we’re working on things to make it more consistent in the future, but it’s just such an important part of the weekend and it’s a no-brainer that you have to get it right, all the effort that goes in. There’s no question about it, it’s cost a lot of good points over the time but yeah, it shouldn’t be that difficult but it turns out that we’ve got to improve on that area and I’m happy to be part of that.

Nurburgring is not like Silverstone in terms of fast corners and all of that, but if somebody tells you that the same thing is going to happen, that the tyres could explode there, would you race or would you tell the people that’s enough?

MW: I think we’ve been trying to have input for the last three years and it’s deaf ears. Anyway, we’re part of the package, part of the show. The show goes on by the looks of it.

You were on fire from that last safety car period to the end; what was that like for you, that last stint, especially given it was your last British Grand Prix?

MW: Yeah, it felt pretty good mate, I knew that I was going to make pretty light work of the guys ahead of me because they were on old tyres. I wanted information on Nico, I wanted to know what compound he was on and how his pace was before the safety car because I hadn’t seen him before in the race at any stage. They said that he was pretty quick so I was pretty keen to get past those guys early and then go from there, but both of us managed to get to the end of course on the limit but also managing the scenario with the tyres. So yeah, it was a nice finish to race. It would have been about a hundred cherries on top if I’d managed to get past him but I didn’t. He deserved the win and we made him work for it which was good and rewarding, but we could have got much more out of the car in the race today to be honest.

You were asked by your race engineer after the tyre failures to stay off the kerbs; how much did it affect your racing, in particular Mark and Fernando who had been in fights or battles with other drivers?

MW: Well, it’s a compromise. You want to still push as hard as possible but you have to check your line a bit, change your trajectory, the radius is tighter, obviously, in certain corners, i.e. the quick stuff, Copse, Stowe, turn one, staying away from there. It turns out maybe it wasn’t really the kerbs, who knows but it’s just better to factor in everything that you possibly can. Some laps, when you’re in disturbed air and you get behind a car and you get a little bit wide then that’s life, you’ve got to… you can’t be super accurate when you’re tucked up behind the guy in the quick stuff so that’s just the decisions you have to make and yeah, we managed that as best we could.

MIKA: Was a brilliant drive for Webber considering he had that awful start to the race and slight shunt.

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Alonso: Overall I think it has been a very lucky race for us

Fernando Alonso fought his way in typical fashion from ninth on the grid to third place at the British Grand Prix, and with it re-ignited his championship challenge by reeling in Sebastian Vettel (who suffered a DNF) to the tune of 15 points and reducing the deficit at the top of the table to 21 points. He spoke during the post race press conference at Silverstone.

You again drove a storming race. You really got caught out by the second safety car – you were down and had to charge back up through the field. Fantastic drive back into the podium.

Fernando Alonso: Yeah, it was a good race for us. With the last safety car we lost six positions because of the safety car. But overall I think it has been a very lucky race for us. Looking at the problems with the tyres of some of the drivers, the fact we didn’t have any problem we have to consider lucky. And then with Sebastian’s problem, as Nico touched on before, we’ve been also lucky to recover some points. At the end it was a very good Sunday and hopefully we put on a good show for the great, great fans.

They’ve been here from Thursday to today, supporting all the teams, respecting all the teams. Thank you very much.

The championship, is it blown open now? Here you have a points gain on Sebastian.

FA: Mixed feelings to be honest. Happy for the points, we’ve reduced the gap a little bit in this race but the pace we saw this weekend is not good enough. There were some other Sundays that we lost some points and maybe I was more optimistic. Today we recovered some points but we know there is a lot of work to do. But I trust the team, we are united, we have a difficult weekend, we put the cross and now we think of the next one.

What did you think before Sergio Pérez when his tyre blew? What was going through your mind there?

FA: I’ve had two moments, that one with Sergio I was so scared and so lucky because I missed the contact by one centimetre. And also at the start into turn one. I locked the tyres and nearly lost the front wheel. As I said, some risky moments. All of them were fine for me today, so I just need to enjoy the result but from tomorrow working in Germany race because we need to raise our game.

A very quick call when Vettel retired there, to come in and make a stop. Dropped you down to eighth. I was wondering whether the team had made a mistake there but you managed to fight your way through some amazing overtakes. Did you think you might have blown it at that point? And your thoughts on the race.

FA: No, obviously it was an unlucky situation. They called me in around Turn Five. So, Vettel was not having the problem yet at that point they call me. We were in this lap and we try to pass Webber and Kimi, they were slowing down a little bit in front of us, so we committed to stop before Sebastian’s problem. And then yes, I go out of the pits and I see ‘Safety Car Deployed.’ Obviously it was the worst time possible to have a safety car, when you have just pitted, and we lost an extra five positions. I don’t know how many overtakings I did all the whole race. The start was probably the worst start of years. Probably. I was fighting with Hülkenberg in Turn Three, Turn Four, and I remember he was not in the first positions on the grid so I realised I was quite far down there. After the start we recovered some positions, some safety car moments as we touch on, and then the last big push at the end as we try to get a podium. We did it, it’s a fantastic result for our very difficult weekend. Sometimes we have very good pace, we have a car that is able to fight for the wins and we are out of the podium. This weekend everything went a little bit on the wrong side for us, we get the podium and Sebastian doesn’t finish the race. It’s one of these weekends where the result is very good but the feeling is that we must improve for next weekend.

Obviously on the day when your main title rival retires, you want to try to take 25 points and not 15 but the qualifying situation really wouldn’t allow you to do that today. What do you go away from this weekend and back to Maranello telling the team?

FA: Well it was not the qualifying, it was the weekend in general. We were normally very fast on Fridays, on the long run pace. It was not the case here. We were not fast on qualifying and not fast on the race – so definitely was the overall weekend we didn’t manage to make the tyres work. We’ve been very lucky – unlucky with the safety car moment that came out but very lucky with the first corner, that it was very close with Mark and Grosjean I think. In the first stop, lap nine, I had a tyre problem also. My tyre was finished and disintegrate in the last corner. For me it was the right rear that I think was new compared to all the other failures and if this happened like Felipe – that I think was in Turn Five when it happened – then I lose the race. For me it happened in the last corner and I pit. At the end it was a very lucky race and I just need to be very thankful for the team, for the luck and try to improve for next weekend.

In the last races, every Sunday you seem to have to overtake five, six positions from the start to the end; I wonder if you would explain what you feel, both physically and psychologically?

FA: I’ve been doing this for the last five years, unfortunately. It would be nice to start on the front row of the grid but we are not good enough on Saturdays and it’s something we try to work on as a team: the package, car performance, tyre preparations, driver maximising the lap. Whatever we are missing on Saturdays, we haven’t been on pole position for a long time but we fight, we gain some good experiences in my career, especially in 2008 and 2009 were maybe not so bad seasons in the end, with no good results but very good experience and you try to play safe, obviously when you are fighting very hard with some rookie drivers etc it requires a little bit of extra care but we managed today to do some good moves and some good points, but as I said, it’s something that we don’t like to do and we would like to improve Saturday’s situation.

Nurburgring is not like Silverstone in terms of fast corners and all of that, but if somebody tells you that the same thing is going to happen, that the tyres could explode there, would you race or would you tell the people that’s enough?

FA: Theoretically the cars are the same all year. They were OK on most circuits so it should be OK, but for sure it’s something that what we saw today is not good but we drive the cars so we understand nothing about what is the real problem or what it is the real solution so it’s a question for them, for sure.

You were asked by your race engineer after the tyre failures to stay off the kerbs; how much did it affect your racing, in particular Mark and Fernando who had been in fights or battles with other drivers?

FA: I didn’t change, I didn’t change lines. I was fighting with twelve cars all the race through so you go in the dirty air, let’s say, and you lose downforce and you go straight out over the exit kerb. As I said, it’s hard to believe that the kerbs were the problem because we’ve been racing here for 12 years with those kerbs.

[MIKA27]

Pirelli tyre blowouts at Silverstone have Formula 1 world up in arms

Formula 1′s intense heat on Pirelli only got hotter, as the British Grand Prix took place amid shards of exploding tyre rubber and only a miracle preventing a catastrophe on the day.

Four blowouts, all left rear tyres (the same as Perez’s failure a day earlier) is now an unacceptable scenario for drivers and teams.

The near misses were plentiful as debris from Hamilton caused Vettel to swerve in avoidance; debris from Vergne’s incident nearly took out both Lotus drivers, shards struck Raikkonen’s helmet and the Toro Rosso driver did well to keep the car from slamming into the barriers; large chunks of rubber from Perez’s destroyed tyre flew past Alonso, missing the Ferrari by inches.

Lewis Hamilton, just one of four drivers who had spectacular rear failures during the Silverstone race, was comfortably leading when he had his problem. Afterwards, the furious Briton told reporters he was trying to hold his tongue.

“Big time,” he relented to Sky when asked if he is worried about safety. They need to do something”

Later on BBC he added, ”It’s unacceptable. We tested a tyre that was much safer than this one and I don’t know why they’ve not used it.”

His Mercedes teammate and race winner Nico Rosberg also had a partial tyre failure just as a safety car period began and only quick thinking by the team kept him in contention.

On-board footage from Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso’s cars showed how the big chunks of flying tyre debris could have seriously hurt a following driver had they been struck by the wayward shards.

“It’s only when someone gets hurt that [somebody] will be doing something about it,” Hamilton charged. ”I think it’s a waste of time talking to the FIA, and if they don’t do anything that says a lot about them.”

McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale, whose driver Sergio Perez had one of the exploding failures, insisted: “We have to make sure our drivers are safe.”

Perez reflected on the incident, “My race had been going well. I’d been running inside the top 10 for most of the afternoon when my left-rear tyre suddenly exploded. I just felt an explosion along the Hangar Straight – there was nothing I could really do about it. “

“The tyres are a big concern. Luckily nothing too serious happened to anyone, but we need to sit down together, get an explanation and get something done,” ventured the Mexican.

Jenson Button agreed: “The cars behind get hit by rubber that has metal in it. It’s obvious it’s got to change. It’s very scary.”

“We’ve had five tyres over the last few days, a big issue and something that needs to be sorted out. Don’t change how you drive but of course it’s on your mind. Happening at 300 km/h, like for Checo, it’s not right.”

“It’s not just dangerous for the driver in the car, it’s dangerous for all the other cars. The cars behind get hit by rubber that has metal in it. It’s got to change. I don’t think anything needs to be said. We all know the situation,” warned Button.

Vergne said of his incident, ”I don’t know what happened, I did not feel any warning signs and it just let go under braking. I am very upset about it and something needs to be done about it soon.”

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was visibly alarmed by the failures, ”The issues with the tyres changed the complexion of the race so instructing the drivers to stay away from the kerbs changed the race.”

“I think they’ll be some fairly serious questions being asked and I think Pirelli will address that. It’s clear Pirelli need to do something but the most important thing is that they address it,” added Horner.

Recently, Pirelli wanted to make a fundamental change to the tyre construction – replacing an internal steel band with a kevlar one – to stop delaminations, but teams like Lotus blocked the move.

F1′s official supplier instead had to resort to tackling the issue by deploying a new kind of glue to bind the tread.

All the talk immediately after the race on Sunday was about the obvious need for Pirelli to change the tyre construction, whether or not the teams agree.

Pirelli’s Paul Hembery refused to immediately comment pending an investigation, despite the international media relentlessly bombarding him with questions.

“Sorry,” he told them. “When we have the answers, we’ll let you know.”

[Bartolomeo]

Great drive by Alonso again.....Webber would of caught Niko if there were two more laps....Tire situation WTF?

Bart

[MIKA27]

Lotus: We made the wrong call

Kimi Räikkönen set a new record for consecutive Grand Prix points placings [25] by taking fifth position in an eventful British Grand Prix at Silverstone today.

The Finn ran as high as second place in a race punctuated by safety car periods and characterised by an unusual amount of tyre failures.

Romain Grosjean had a more difficult race, from which he retired at the end due to a front wing failure. Kimi leaves Silverstone third in the Drivers’ Championship while the team remains fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.

• Kimi started from P8 with a used set of medium tyres, changing to new hard tyres on laps 11 and 29.
  
• Romain started from P7 on a used set of medium tyres, changing to new hards on lap 9, scrubbed hards on lap 30 and new mediums on lap 42.
  
• Today was Kimi’s 36th consecutive race finish – 28th consecutive with Lotus F1 Team – and 25th consecutive Grand Prix points finish; the latter statistic meaning he sets a new record
  

Kimi Räikkönen: “I tried to hold on at the end of the race, but with tyres that were maybe twenty laps older than the others’ it was impossible to keep them behind. It’s a shame as the race went pretty well until then; we had good pace and looked set for a pretty easy P2, but this is racing sometimes. It’s three races now where we haven’t had the result we maybe expect, but hopefully if we can have a bit more luck and also get rid of some of the mistakes we’ll be able to get back to the front.”

Romain Grosjean: “Towards the end of the race we lost quite a big part of the front wing meaning it became really difficult to drive, so in the end it was best to retire because of safety considerations. We don’t know if it was caused by some debris or something to do with the fact that it was a new part; we will be working to find out the root of the problem. Before that my race wasn’t going quite to plan and we were suffering with tyre performance. This was related to the front wing issue which started earlier in the race. The safety cars didn’t really go our way either so it’s a race I’d rather forget. Let’s go to Germany and have a better weekend.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal: ”The outcome of the race isn’t rewarding with the amount of work that has been done by the team recently. Most of the upgrades we brought here seem to be working which is a positive sign, although we did struggle a bit in qualifying to generate good grip from the tyres. Our strategy was great today until the last safety car when we should have called Kimi in to save at least one position and make the podium. Unfortunately, we made the wrong call for which we apologise to Kimi and to the team. This sometimes happens and it isn’t easy to manage when you have so many safety car periods. We will be in Germany in a few days’ time where we’re confident we will be competitive and aiming to make amends.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “We have mixed feelings today. We made some good places up during the race but in hindsight, we should have pitted Kimi at the final safety car. It wasn’t obvious at the time, but the benefit of hindsight is always enlightening. Romain had a front wing failure near the end of the race, the cause of which we don’t know yet. We weren’t affected by the tyres issues that we have seen today but warned our drivers to stay clear of the kerb at Turn 4 as there was a suspicion it might be the cause. Despite not being as good as it could have been, it was a better weekend for us than the last two. Further upgrades we have coming for Germany mean we fight on.”

Ricardo Penteado, Renault Sport F1 Team Support Leader: “A positive Grand Prix on our side and we got the most we could from the engine performance. We decided not to run with new units to retain some flexibility for later in the season; this year it’s very unpredictable so we need to keep as many aces up our sleeves as we can. Obviously we would have liked to end up on the podium, particularly after Kimi’s performance, but a top five finish is important with our rivals scoring big this weekend. We’ll try and redress the balance next weekend.”

[MIKA27]

Great drive by Alonso again.....Webber would of caught Niko if there were two more laps....Tire situation WTF?

Bart™

Yeah, Pirelli need to be removed from F1. It's a shame but the past few years have been full of issues related to tyres. Bring back Michelin to mix things up.

[MIKA27]

Force India: We achieved our objective of both cars in the points

Sahara Force India picked up eight world championship points as Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta delivered strong race performances to finish in seventh and ninth places respectively in today’s British Grand Prix.

Adrian Sutil: “The start of the race was looking very good because we were always planning atwo-stop strategy and I was up into fourth on lap one. It was a challenge to look after the tyres and keep them going, but the main problem for me was the second safety car because the cars around me chose to pit. I stayed out and was third at the restart, but the cars behind with fresh rubber had a big advantage and were able to overtake me quite easily in the final few laps. It’s disappointing to slip back so close to the finish, but seventh place gives us some good points so we can be happy with the result.”

Paul Di Resta: “That wasn’t the cleanest of races for me, but given everything that’s happened this weekend I think we can feel satisfied with two points today. It was a bit of a scruffy race because I lost my front wing trying to get ahead of Nico [Hulkenberg], so we chose to change it when the safety car came out, which probably cost me a couple of positions. Towards the end of the race I had fresh tyres, and was closing in on Ricciardo, but I ran out of laps and he was just out of reach. So a weekend of highs and lows, but it’s definitely good to continue our points run and have another double points finish for the team.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Team Principal & Managing Director: “Before the race we set the target of getting two cars home in the points, so I’m pleased that we managed to achieve this objective. It means we’ve scored points at the last six events. Adrian’s race was very strong and for a while it looked like we might be challenging for a podium. However, the two safety car periods kept the pack close together and limited the benefits of his two-stop strategy. Paul’s race was very busy, but once again he battled his way through to the points and showed the speed of the car. With eight points scored today we continue to strengthen our hold on fifth place in the championship and head to Germany determined to keep the momentum going.”

[MIKA27]

Caterham: We must continue to work harder than ever

Team and drivers report on the British Grand Prix, Round 8 of the 2013 Formula 1 world championship at Silverstone.

Charles Pic: “I think that was a pretty good race, I’m pleased with how it went. We were managing the tyre deg for most of the afternoon but just before the last safety car came out I was ahead of Bottas and looking at an exciting last few laps. We finally ended up 15th which is not too bad, and we were comfortably ahead of our nearest competitors so it’s a reasonably positive result, despite losing a lot of the gains we’d made when the second safety car came out.

“For me this has been a good weekend, one where we’ve started to get a bit back to the performance levels we saw in Bahrain and Spain. The pitstops were good, we ran to a strategy that gave me a chance to fight the Williams cars until the flag and we have a lot more information about the updates we brought here, both from today and the aero work we did yesterday. Overall this puts us in a much better position than we were in when we left Canada so now we’ll go straight to Germany and aim to continue this upward curve there.”

Giedo van der Garde: “That was a bit of a frustrating afternoon to be honest, but there wasn’t much more I could do. We started the race running with a strategy we’d begun yesterday in FP3 and in quali which was all about managing the tyre deg as long as possible so we could take advantage of anything that happened ahead. The plan was running ok and we were on target for managing the deg levels but then the first safety car came out and as we’d already boxed we effectively lost track time to everyone who hadn’t stopped. With the position we were in then in the race there wasn’t a lot more we could do so we continued with the plan and it was working ok for the last stint, but then we had the second safety car straight after I’d stopped again so it was back to where we’d been at the start.

“As we only had a few laps left and I was on new mediums I was able to push to the flag and had a good battle with Chilton right until we crossed the line, practically together. I did pass him with a couple of laps left, but it was very tight on track and I had to give the place back which is obviously a shame, but we had a clean fight and without the safety cars I think I’d have been clear of him.

“Even though we went into this weekend knowing we had a fight on our hands I think we’ve made a bit of progress, getting us nearer to where we want to be relative to our nearest rivals. Next it’s Germany on a track I like racing on and, coming straight after Silverstone, we can keep pushing on. That’s what this season’s all about, keep learning, keep fighting and never give up.”

Cyril Abiteboul, Team Principal, Caterham F1 Team: “I’m certainly happier leaving our second home race of the season than I was when we left Montreal, but we must continue to work, harder than ever. Seeing Charles towards the end of the race with clear air between him and the Marussia behind, and targeting a fight with Bottas and Gutierrez is a sign that we’re getting back to the performance level we are targeting for this season. However, it is quite frustrating that with such an eventful race we weren’t able to use this as an opportunity to record a more positive result.

“After a couple of particularly frustrating races with the repeated DNFs and the low point of Montreal, I see this weekend as a restart of the season. The team is now fully operational, between the track and the factory, between the drivers and the engineers, with our technical partners, to make the most out of the package available. We all feel that there is more performance to get out of it, and we must now switch to attack mode to see what we can deliver at tracks that are more suited to the characteristics of our car.”

[MIKA27]

Button: I was a sitting duck

Jenson Button admits there was nothing he could do during the closing stages of the British Grand Prix as he slipped to P13.

Having started Sunday's race at Silverstone in 10th place, Button appeared to be in the mix for a good haul of points after he found himself P6 following the deployment of the second Safety Car.

However, he went backwards after the restart as McLaren's decision not to pit their drivers for a third time when the Safety Car was still out backfired.

There was nothing the Briton could do as several drivers overtook him in the space of a few laps.

"When the Safety Car came out at the end, I had quite old tyres and was just a sitting duck," he said.

"I couldn't get any tyre temperature. That's one of our issues anyway and when you've got no tread you definitely can't get tyre temperature.

"I was just waiting for people to pass me. It was tough."

Button was the only driver in the top 10 to start on the harder tyre and he found it difficult to race on them.

"The first stint we went for the primes because nobody else in front was on them, but that was actually the one that grained - front and rear - for me so we had big problems in the first stint," he said.

"We just had to wait until a lap we could pit and put the other tyre on.

"I was much happier on that tyre - strong pace and no graining... work that one out..."