FORMULA 1 - 2013

[Bartolomeo]

Webber

Vettel

Hamilton

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Webber

Hamilton

Massa

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Haug: I am a happy person and happy for the team

For over 22 years Norbert Haug was the uber-motorsport boss of Mercedes including all their race programmes from DTM, GT racing through to Formula 1, but late last year he resigned his position as the new cabal headed by Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda was given the reigns of the Silver Arrows programme.

Haug was out. Now, half a year later the familiar figure was back in the Formula 1 paddock at Nurburgring, his first visit to a grand prix since departing his position as motorsport boss.

He reflected briefly on his long career and spoke about his current situation.

What have you been doing since you left?

Skiing in Austria and then at home. I was relaxing

Did you feel heartbroken not to be there in person on the first GP of the season 2013 in Melbourne?

No. After 22 years that I was at Mercedes responsible for the whole program . Now it is something different. I have more time for me and for my friends. Everything is under control. All this travelling for so many years and now it is a new challenge and it is very very good. I was not at a grand prix since Brazil 2012. As I arrived everyone was cheering and saying hello. You need to be a sportsman and respect your competitors. I have nothing to complain about. Now it is a new challenge. And new challenges are good.

Do you see changes in the paddock since you left?

Not so much. Just the tyre situation was an issue. But everyone reacted well and unanimously. It looks good and safe now.

Norbert do you have plans to work in racing and help smaller teams?

I said (in Bild Zeitung) that maybe I could help a small GT team.: It is only a general idea. I have no current contacts whatsoever and no plans in F1. It is just a a general idea. I do not know exactly what I will do. Time will tell.

Are you happy for the Mercedes team result this year [or] heart-broken to have [only] been watching on TV?

Of course it is a bit difficult if you win Monaco and you are not on site. But generally I have absolutely no problems not being there. I am a happy person and happy for the team. The team and Silver Arrows are fighting at the top. After the building up time it is great. It was long and such a tough time. I am happy for the team. I know Lewis since he was 12 years old. I know Nico a very long time too. I knew his team well since the McLaren kart times. I helped them, financed them and of course I am happy the way things look for them. I am pleased. I am a lucky guy. Six times winning Monaco or whatever. It would be a bad feeling if the team would go backwards. The results show that we have taken the right decisions in the past.

Norbert Haug with Ron Dennis during the 1997 season

What do you fear?

That there are only eight good cars in the championship and a good healthy championship needs that 22 cars[that] are healthy. Not only eight. You have to keep that in mind.

Do you have any criticisms?

I do not make any criticisms. If you see the races they go in the right direction. Of course we need to see some more races. At Mercedes, we were a very small team at the beginning. We were fighting for the results. We brought the team size up to 300. We brought the people in the right direction. There is expertise in the team. My plan was to have success with Michael and Nico. But the car was not good enough at the time. The car last year was not what it should have been . A pity for me. But that is how it is.

What’s your take on the current state of finances in F1?

It was always the case as it is now. It did not change so much. I am an outsider now. I am not Mr Smart who knows everything. I love F1 – I love the sport. I know lots of people. I know the mechanics. But if they do not get their paychecks at the end of the month it is not fair for them.

Looking back at your career what were your best moments?

The best moments… there have been so many…that when we had accidents where nothing severe happened: Like Mika Hakkinen at McLaren or our Le Mans accident. I would have been devastated, depressed and shocked if someone would have been hurt or killed. 80 wins in F1 and six world championships and now the silver arrows are in the right direction. GT 1997, 98 we won almost everything. So many good moments.

Is there anything you’d rather forget?

You cannot choose…No, I am a happy guy. I have always been a very happy manager. I have no bad memories. Of course I suffered a lot last year. If in the best case you can qualify only 12th of course it is a bit frustrating. But you learn always from the problems. You need to be strong and recover. If you cannot stand it, you cannot make it.

Plans for summer vacations?

I have no definite plans. I can be quite spontaneous. I have plans to go to Austria. I have many friends there.

Plans to come back and visit us at GPs?

No real plans as I am flexible – I used to do 150 days travelling -150 days in the office. It was a lot…but maybe I will not work over 300 days as I did before!

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Alonso: The strategy we have chosen should help to recover good positions

Fernando Alonso qualified only eighth on the grid for the German Formula One Grand Prix but the Spaniard looked on the bright side of a sunny Saturday, trusting in Ferrari strategy to make up places in the race.

The double champion is second behind Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel after eight of 19 races of the 2013 season, and his chances of cutting the 21-point gap on Sunday looked remote after the German triple titleholder and current champion qualifed second.

Lewis Hamilton took pole for Mercedes, a hefty 1.811 seconds ahead of Alonso.

However, the Ferraris have fared much better in races than on Saturdays this season. Alonso fought his way up to third at the British Grand Prix last weekend having started ninth.

He will try similar heroics in Vettel’s German backyard after Ferrari made a deliberate strategic call not to fight for pole position and start the Spaniard instead on the longer-lasting Medium tyres rather than the quicker Softs.

“We took a decision thinking only [of] the race” said team principal Stefano Domenicali.

Alonso told his 1.7 million followers on Twitter that he was confident.

“Good quali today! If we have good pace tomorrow, the different strategy we have chosen should help to recover good positions! Lets do it!,” he wrote.

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery said that the call opened up good possibilities.

“The Soft tyre was definitely the tyre to qualify on but those who start the race on the medium tyre might be able to gain track position when the soft tyre runners come in for their first stop earlier than them,” he said.

“We’re expecting most people to stop twice, with the emphasis on the Medium tyre during the race.”

Earlier, Alonso told reporters in the Ferrari motorhome that the Italian team had made a step forward.

“There is no doubt we are more competitive than we were at Silverstone,” he said. “We have come back to a more normal level of competitiveness but we need to improve [more], no questions about that. We are at least more confident.”

Alonso has won twice this season but has not started on the front row of the grid since Germany last July, when the race was held at Hockenheim.

The Nurburgring can often be unseasonably cool due to the hills which surround the famous track but any hopes which Alonso might have had of rain bunching up the pack look doomed to disappoint.

The sunshine suited his bullish mood, especially when it came to driver safety after Pirelli’s new tyres performed well during practice and qualifying.

Alonso was nearly hit on the helmet by a flying piece of tread at Silverstone last weekend when multiple tyre blow-outs caused chaos and led to most drivers warning that they would pull out of Sunday’s German race if the same happened again.

“The tyres are still behaving well, I mean safe, with not any problems…so tomorrow, fingers crossed, it will be still the same,” said Alonso, who was outqualified by team mate Felipe Massa in seventh and Toro Rosso’s emerging talent Daniel Ricciardo in a heady sixth.

“There are not any signs that there will be any problems so that is the best news of the weekend.”

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Mercedes: We didn’t make the right call for Rosberg so we’ll have live with it

Mercedes were left red-faced at their home German Grand Prix on Saturday despite Lewis Hamilton seizing pole position after they admitted to making a huge mistake with angry team mate Nico Rosberg.

With top movie director Ron Howard visiting their pitlane garage for the day, Mercedes endured all the drama of a Hollywood movie during qualifying.

German Rosberg, who won in Britain last weekend to put the Silver Arrows second in the constructors’ championship, failed to make the final phase of qualifying and will start from a lowly 11th on the grid on Sunday.

“It was just a misjudgement we made. We had a cutoff time that we thought would be reasonably comfortable, he achieved it but the track seemed to get a lot quicker at the end and we hadn’t anticipated it,” Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn told reporters.

“He didn’t have the greatest of laps anyway so that was added to the frustration but we didn’t make the right call on that one so we’ll have live with it and see what benefits it might bring for the race, because of course Nico’s now got free tyre choice.”

Rosberg had gone well in practice at the Nurburgring and was the second quickest driver in all three sessions.

However, his hopes of following up his Silverstone steal – when he won after triple world champion Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull broke down while leading, just 11 laps from the end, home heroics looked unlikely after the big bungle.

“The team just [made] a mistake because they underestimated the track ramping up, so that’s a big disappointment. I didn’t see that coming. I thought it would be easy to be on the front row today,” Rosberg, son of 1982 champion Keke Rosberg, told Sky Sports television.

“It’s definitely tough to digest that one. It’s going to take a bit of time. Tomorrow from 11th I don’t know, it’s not going to be possible to do much but I’ll give it everything anyway.”

Rosberg, who also won in Monaco this year, was asked at the Thursday news conference whether a run at the title was now possible given his recent form but he has a 50-point gap to German rival and championship leader Vettel, after eight of 19 races.

His chances of cutting that gap this weekend look remote with Vettel qualifying second on the grid behind Hamilton and confident that his car is quicker and more reliable than it was at Silverstone.

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Vettel: We have 60 laps, it is a long grand prix, a lot of things can happen

The Nurburgring is famous for its 21-kilometre long Nordschleife circuit and although Sunday’s German Grand Prix will be raced on the much shorter new track, world champion Sebastian Vettel is in for the long haul.

The German Red Bull driver, who leads the standings as he bids for a fourth straight Formula One title, was beaten to pole position by Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes but believes his home race is far from decided.

“We have 60 laps, it is a long grand prix, a lot of things can happen here so I don’t think the race gets decided straight away so I’m really looking after myself first of all,” the 26-year-old told a news conference on Saturday.

“I think generally you don’t have to start from pole position to win races. I think we had good races also from other positions.”

Backing Vettel up is the fact that Hamilton won here the last time F1 came to this part of rural western Germany in 2011 despite Mark Webber starting on pole.

However, Webber triumphed in 2009 from the front of the Nurburgring grid for his first race win and Vettel led from lights to flag in Canada last month.

Nevertheless the steely German, who leads Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso by 21 points after eight of 19 races, expects little else but victory having been denied by a gearbox problem at the British Grand Prix last weekend.

“I think we’ve made some progress and have all the confidence tomorrow,” he said, acknowledging that he suffered in the first sector of the track during qualifying, partly because of the wind.

“In terms of strategy, I think we have a rough idea, it all depends on tyres and tyre wear.”

Tyres have been the talk of the paddock after blow-outs at Silverstone prompted Pirelli to alter their supply for this race with drivers threatening a boycott if explosions happen again.

Vettel said that the drivers could still get a race abandoned even when on the track.

“First of all, I’m confident that we won’t have any problems,” he said.

“[Race director] Charlie [Whiting] can hear us when we are talking on the radio. It’s not the first time he’s listening to us. He’s aware of the situation.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was a little less confident than Vettel when it came to who might dominate on Sunday, with Ferrari taking a gamble by not fighting for pole and starting the race instead on the longer-lasting Medium tyres.

“[Vettel] is certainly very relaxed, he’s in reasonable shape but the Mercedes is quick,” Horner told Sky.

“Ferrari have taken an interesting strategy as well which is effectively running the race in reverse tomorrow so that’s going to be interesting as well.”

[ayedfy]

Solid comeback from Webber (helped significantly by the safety laps, to be sure, but not to diminish his impressive driving). A little disappointing from Ricciardo given how well he went in Quali. Particularly excellent driving from Hulkenberg as well.

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German Grand Prix: Vettel withstands the heat to win on home soil at last

Sebastian Vettel broke his ‘July jinx’ as he powered to victory in the German Grand Prix at Nurburgring and in doing so added the winner’s trophy for his home race to his collection which now amounts to thirty big ones.

Much was made of the apparent ‘curse’ that had ‘haunted’ the world champion, but he tore those superstition to threads by taking the lead from the start and thereafter controlling the race to a certain degree, until the very end where a late charge by the Lotus duo, particularly Kimi Raikkonen, made the Red Bull driver sweat all the way to the finish line.

In the end Vettel did enough, but it was ever so close, and he knew it as he celebrated over the radio on his slow down lap after taking the chequered flag: ”Yes, yes, yes and yes again! Thanks guys that was a tough race, they really gave me a run for my money.”

A bizarre incident shortly before the halfway mark brought out the Safety Car which invariably changed the complexion of the race. Jules Bianchi’s Marussia coasted to a halt, just before the chicane, after a major Cosworth engine blow-up, flames billowing from the car as the Frenchman parked it before jumping out. Then, by itself it rolled across the track. Mercifully no one collected it on its slow motion journey.

After several laps behind Bernd Maylander’s Safety Car, the field was unleashed, whereupon Lotus threw everything at the championship leader in the final phase of the race. First Romain Grosjean harried the leader, before ceding second place to Raikkonen, who had bolted on a set of the softer compound for his final ten lap stint – Vettel and Grosjean were on the harder Medium tyres at that stage.

Although Raikkonen was tearing into lead at about half a second per lap, it was nowhere near the expected difference of one second or more per tour of the Nurburgring, the Mediums proving more effective in the heat on race day. In the end the Iceman was probably one lap short of doing the business.

On the other hand Vettel played it superbly, keeping ahead of the Lotus driver by a smidgen over one second and preventing DRS activation until the very last lap. By then he had done enough – by a mere second that is!

“It’s unbelievable. I am very, very happy. Kimi was pushing very close in the end but I was pushing in every lap except from the ones with the Safety Car. I enjoyed today and I could feel Kimi coming and it was quite close with Romain too but we recovered. I am very happy the race ended after 60 laps and not 61 or 62 laps,” said Vettel as he savoured home victory, an ultra-special occasion for any driver.

Sporting a US marine style crew cut hairstyle, Raikkonen did manage a smile in the pre-podium room, as he congratulated his mate who had kept him at bay. Nevertheless, for Lotus it was a return to the kind of form that they enjoyed earlier in the season, when temperatures were higher and more favourable to the E21.

“My radio only worked in one part of the circuit and unfortunately today there was quite a lot to discuss,” revealed Raikkonen. “Not ideal. We did well but we didn’t have the speed. Maybe the race could have been a little longer. The result wasn’t ideal for us but we are getting back to where we should be.”

Credit to Grosjean for delivering the kind of performance which does justice to the faith Lotus, and particularly Eric Boullier, has shown in the Frenchman. He was quick, he was intelligent had a hearty go at Vettel, but when required played the team game, and a podium place was a just reward for a job well done.

Grosjean said afterwards, ”It’s good, it is a good result for the team. I thought I had a good chance but Sebastian drove very well. The team took the decision to put us on different tyres and it worked out in the end. It’s good to be back on the podium.”

Ferrari took a gamble by opting to start their cars on the Medium compound. Although Fernando Alonso finished fourth, victory or at least a podium was clearly the objective. For some reason the Spaniard could not make his first set of tyres last the required length for a two stopper, which would have been their plan. Instead they were forced to stop three times, bolting on the Soft tyre for a late race burst which fell short.

Clearly they got their maths wrong, the gamble not reaping the dividends that they no doubt expected. Adding to their disappointment was Felipe Massa’s early retirement as he spun outunder braking, with just seven laps on the board.

Alonso reflected, ”The race was not too bad. We did a good 60 laps overall, but obviously not good enough for the podium. Lotus [was] very good, it surprised us how long they did in the first stint on the Soft tyres. The strategy that we thought yesterday didn’t pay off so much. We lost a podium in the first 20 laps where we weren’t good enough.”

As much as the heat on the day helped Lotus, it did the opposite for Mercedes. Up until the race the Silver Arrows were the pick of the bunch, with Lewis Hamilton taking pole position and Nico Rosberg always at the sharp end of proceedings despite a strategy blunder by the team resulting in him starting from 11th on the grid.

Despite a reasonable start off the line, Hamilton struggled for grip as they darted into Turn 1 for the first time and before he knew it he was looking at the rear ends of the Red Bull pair. Thereafter it was a slide downhill to 11th place at one stage before he mounted a strong recovery to finish fifth.

Hamilton was not happy, ”I have nothing positive to say about these tyres. I don’t understand why we struggle so much on them. But the team is working hard and we need to keep pushing.”

“It’s crazy that I struggled that much to get past the Sauber. I felt I was having such a difficult time and I wanted to know if Nico wasn’t having a problem then it must be something with my driving or my setup. But it turned out it wasn’t,” added the winner of last year’s German GP at Hockenheim.

Rosberg who won with ease a week earlier at Silverstone, was never in contention for anything like a podium at his home race, and ninth place was his only reward.

McLaren won the German GP a year earlier (at Hockenheim) but this season have hardly shown race winning pace. This time around it was no different, although sixth for Jenson Button and eighth for Sergio Perez will no doubt have brought some satisfaction for the Woking outfit who had not scored points for two races in a row.

“We got everything out of the car that we could. The strategy was good. I was really hoping to get fifth, but the Caterhams destroyed the possibility. They’re racing for position, but when there are blue flags, there are blue flags! It’s a shame when it costs you so much. A pity but all in all, as a team we haven’t put a foot wrong. Sixth is probably a bit better than we expected,” admitted Button.

Mark Webber, looked strong all weekend long, and in the race looked set for a podium until disaster struck during his first pit stop.

His crew struggled to fit the right rear, and he was released before it was fastened properly. It then went on its own journey down the pitlane, collecting a cameraman who suffered a broken shoulder and cracked ribs. He was taken to hospital and put under observation.

Webber’s crew reclaimed the errant wheel, bolted it onto the RB9 , and he was sent out again, albeit way behind the field. he did well to recover to finish seventh, but in truth a lot more was on offer for the Australian racing in his final German Grand Prix.

Nico Hulkenberg again delivered the kind of performance that has to see him seated in a top team in the near future. In the woefully under par Sauber he still managed to take on the likes of Hamilton, Alonso, Webber and run as high as fourth at one stage. A solitary point was his reward.

Out of the points were both the Force India cars who simply failed to find the sweet spot at Nurburgring, as did the Williams team who have yet to find the sweet spot at all this year.

Much was expected from Daniel Ricciardo who performed so well in qualifying for Toro Rosso, but a sixth place grid slot ended in 12th place for the Australian who spent the afternoon going backwards. It was also disappointment for (fellow Red Bull race seat candidate) Jean Eric Vergne who retired after 38 laps.

The result sees Vettel and Red Bull enhance their lead in the 2013 Formula 1 World Championship. In the drivers’ title race the German, with 157 points, leads Alonso by 34 points and Raikkonen by 41.

Red Bull, with 250 points, lead the constructors’ contest by 67 points from Mercedes, who are three points up on Ferrari.

Last word to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who told BBC, “The most important thing today is that the cameraman who got struck by the tyre does not appear to have suffered serious injury. It’s a timely reminder that working in the pit lane is dangerous. Everyone reacted incredibly quickly and the most important thing is to hear that he seems to be fundamentally OK.”

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Red Bull fined for incident that injured cameraman during German GP

A television cameraman was taken to hospital by helicopter after being struck by a wheel which came off Mark Webber’s Red Bull during a pitstop in the early stages of the German Grand Prix, after which the world champions were fined €30,000 for an unsafe pit release.

Formula One safety has been in the headlines since multiple tyre blow-outs at last weekend’s British Grand Prix raised fears about drivers being hit by flying debris, and Sunday’s incident will fuel concern about pitlane dangers.

While teams’ pit crew routinely wear protective headgear, many others working in the pitlane during the race do not.

Webber came into the pits for a routine tyre change after nine laps but his crew took longer than usual because of a problem with the rear right tyre.

The Australian was released without the wheel being secured properly. It broke free and bounced into the oblivious cameraman, knocking him flat on his back.

“Paul Allen was hit on the lefthand side. Remaining conscious, he was treated at the circuit medical centre and then transported by helicopter to Koblenz Hospital,” the governing FIA said in a statement, adding that the cameraman was from F1′s commercial arm.

“The Briton was kept there, under observation.”

BBC radio reported he had some chest pain and concussion.

Webber was ordered to turn off his engine and the wheel was reattached, allowing the driver to rejoin the race near the back of the field. He finished seventh.

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Alonso hails Ferrari's strategy

Fernando Alonso believes Ferrari's decision to start on the medium compounds is what saw him fighting for the podium at the German GP.

While his rivals opted to qualify on the soft Pirelli tyres, Ferrari put Alonso on the medium compound which meant he was unable to challenge for pole position and qualified P8.

However, the decision also meant he ran a longer first stint that all his main rivals barring Romain Grosjean.

And when the 60-lap grand prix played out, it was Grosjean who Alonso was battling with for the third place.

The Frenchman, though, secured it by less than two second ahead of Alonso who defended Ferrari's strategy.

"The strategy gave us the possibility to fight for the podium," the double World Champ said during Ferrari's press briefing.

"We were not quick enough to day, we didn't have the pace, but even with that we fought for the podium with the leading group.

"It is hard for me to imagine if we had started fifth and we used soft, hard, hard, hard as the main competitors I would not have fought with them.

"But we were fighting with them thanks to the strategy."

The Spaniard weighed in on Pirelli's revised tyres, which now feature a Kevlar-belt, saying they worked better than expected in the heat at the Nurburgring.

"The tyres were good, no problems with safety," Alonso said.

"Only when Felipe had the problem in Turn One I didn't know if it was the tyre so I asked over the radio if there was any problem with the tyre because it was strange but there was nothing wrong with the tyre.

"They were this weekend very very sensitive to temperature. In FP1 the mediums were unbelievably good for Mercedes, one second ahead of everyone. Then with hotter temperature Mercedes lost performance.

"Yesterday with it hot for one lap Lotus and Ferrari were very good and today with it even hotter I think the soft were working much better than expected.

"The tyres were working very very good."

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Massa: The car was stuck in fifth

Felipe Massa says it wasn't his spin that put him out of the German GP, rather it was the fact that his car was stuck in fifth.

The Ferrari driver's Sunday afternoon at the Nurburgring was over almost before it began as he spun off the track at Turn One on lap three.

Massa appeared to stall and climbed out of his car calling it a day but later revealed that his F138 was actually stuck in fifth gear, making it impossible for him to pull away.

"I braked at the straight and locked the rear wheels," the 32-year-old said.

"The car went sidewards to the right and then I corrected and it went sideways to the left.

"I stopped the car and was in fifth gear and tried to go down to first to get out but the gear was not going down. I was stuck in fifth gear.

"I tried to get out but the engine stopped, went out because it is difficult to leave in fifth gear. It just was not possible."

And although the Brazilian's grand prix was a short one, he still got to experience the revised Pirelli tyres which he reckons made little difference to the order of things.

"I see Red Bull were competitive in qualifying and in the race and Lotus was competitive as well, in the race more than in qualifying.

"Mercedes were very competitive in qualifying, a bit less for the race as when it gets a bit hot they suffer a lot more and use more of the tyres.

"We were more or less there, the car was not so bad on this track so I think maybe the Red Bulls were a bit stronger than us and the Lotus as well.

"But I don't think it [the tyres] changed so much, I don't think it was a bit thing."

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Button: Caterhams cost us P5

Jenson Button was delighted to finish sixth in the German GP, but he feels he would have claimed P5 had the Caterhams not held him up.

Button started ninth on the grid with McLaren opting to focus on Sunday's race instead of qualifying. The strategy worked a charm as Button managed to mix it in the top five for most of the race.

However, he was held up by the Caterhams late in the day and that allowed Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, who was on a fresher set of rubber, to overtake him during the final few laps.

Button is convinced he would've held off Hamilton had it not been for the backmarkers.

"We got everything out of the car that we could," he said.

"The strategy was good. I was really hoping to get fifth, but the Caterhams destroyed the possibility. They're racing for position, but when they're blue flags, there are blue flags.

"It's a shame when it costs you so much. A pity but all in all, as a team we haven't put a foot wrong. Sixth is probably a bit better than we expected."

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Solid comeback from Webber (helped significantly by the safety laps, to be sure, but not to diminish his impressive driving). A little disappointing from Ricciardo given how well he went in Quali. Particularly excellent driving from Hulkenberg as well.

Yes, brilliant drive from Webber, was great to see Romain on the podium and Hulkenberg also scoring a point for the Sauber team. Hopefully minor achievements such as a single point can only help encourage sponsors to support the Sauber team who have so much potential. I'd hate to see Sauber out of Formula 1.

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Vettel: Very happy with the result and incredible to finally win in Germany

Sebastian Vettel racked up Formula 1 career win number 30, but this time the taste of victory was extra special as it was done at his home race – the German Grand Prix – on hallowed motor racing turf: the Nurburgring. Thus that elusive first home win is now bagged after a tense afternoon for the Red Bull driver. He spoke to media afterwards.

Tell the world how sweet a taste is this home victory?

Sebastian Vettel: Yeah, it’s unbelievable. I’m very, very happy, an unbelievable race. Kimi was pushing very, very hard in the end and obviously they tried to do something different with different compound tyres. I think we had a very solid, very controlled race but I was pushing, I think, every single lap, except the laps behind the Safety Car. Very happy with the result and incredible to finally win in Germany.

At the closing stages of the race you felt the warm breath of this guy [Räikkönen] in your neck so what do you think about driving with this guy next year together in one team?

SV: Well, I don’t know. I think first of all I enjoy today and, yeah, I could feel him coming and more and more pressure but yeah, I obviously had a couple of laps where it was quite close with Romain as well who tried to push very hard. In the middle of the race we lost KERS for a couple of laps so it was very difficult – but fortunately the system recovered and yeah, it’s very useful to defend properly. Very happy that the race ended after 60 laps and not 61 or 62.

That was a tremendously entertaining race to watch for anybody who loves the sport. You were obviously made to work pretty hard for it. Your fourth win of the season [and the] 30th of your career. Clearly, the defining thing is that it’s meant so much to you for such a long time and you’ve achieved so much in 26 years but just put into words what it means to finally win your home grand prix.

SV: Definitely a great relief. Very happy with how the day went. To be honest, for sure, there are a lot of expectations. Especially when you have a good car and for a couple of years you’ve had a good run, when you come to home soil people expect you to win.

I think the whole team, including myself, we never ever let that get to our head but it just feels very, very sweet now to have succeeded after a couple of tries. Sometimes we were close. I think we had good races in the past in Germany as well, finished on the podium, which was a great experience but today, to win here, yeah. Both tracks, Hockenheim and Nürburgring mean a lot to me.

To race in Germany I think is a privilege. To have the ability to have a home grand prix. Great relief, very happy, special day for sure. I think it take some little while to sink in but yeah, just incredibly proud today. The team did a fantastic job for strategy and for the pit stops. On the track it was so difficult. I pushed every single lap but it’s so tough when you’re on the edge and you know that you can’t go over the tyres too much because then you will not reach the end of the stint. Equally, passing people, you know that you have to get through traffic as quick as you can, so not an easy race. The Safety Car didn’t help us. We had a little bit of a cushion but Lotus was incredibly quick today and gave us definitely a big run for our money. I’m just very happy that it worked out.

Last but not least our compliments to Pirelli. They did a very, very good job within a couple of days to react and bring a different rear tyre to this event. I think we didn’t have any failures throughout the whole weekend. Compliments to them. They had a lot of criteria after the last race but it looked like they made up for it this race and hopefully for the next races we continue to have racing like that.

What to you think about the weather today? Maybe the weather help you make a win, or no?

SV: Well first of all it’s German weather. It’s always like this in Germany. I think we were just a little unlucky the last couple of years. I think it didn’t help us today. I think it made it a little bit more tricky. I think it helped probably Lotus a little bit. They were taking care of their tyres probably a little bit better than the rest of the field. By the looks of it they were very strong at the end of the stints – but I say that now, I don’t have a proper look. But in the end we won today so we had good speed – good enough to win the race so I’m very happy but I think we were a little bit stronger on Friday than today.

When you came in for the third time, did you do it in order to cover Romain or did you come in anyway? Was it a plan to come in?

SV: No, I don’t think it was the plan yet. Tyres were holding up OK and the gap to Romain was increasing a little bit again at that time. Just before the stop, a couple of laps, I lost KERS and I was able to switch it back on and pull away again. But obviously I think we try to cover him to make sure we stay ahead and we defend the lead because we saw that overtaking is quite tricky here. It’s possible: I went through traffic pretty quickly but obviously there was a big delta in speed, in pace at that time. So, yeah, in order to make sure we stay ahead, we try to cover him.

How intense is the relief to get this done, with this win now? Did you have a plan to get it here in Germany, right now, this year?

SV: Yeah, I made it in January! No, in the end it’s just another race and we try to prepare as much as we can for every race. Surely winning here is very special and tastes very very sweet, especially the way we won today with a lot of pressure from behind, but I think we did our homework – as much as we could – on Friday, the conditions changed a little bit and it was quite close today but we succeeded, that’s the most important thing. Very happy to take the win today and also it’s good to score some points.

Kimi is one of the men on the short list to replace Webber as your teammate next season. In the closing stages of the race, we saw him giving you quite a bit of challenge. How do you feel about the prospect of being challenged by a fellow World Champion in equal equipment for an entire season rather than just a few laps?

SV: Well, I wouldn’t mind. I think he wasn’t nice today to me because of that but in the end of the day, to be completely straight, it’s not my decision. I think I have a good relationship with the team and to be honest, we spoke about that but not in detail yet. I think the team has no pressure to decide on anything, at least, that’s what they communicated with me. I think I get along fairly well with Kimi; we never had a problem on track, even if one day we might have and crash into each other which can happen, then I think we deal with it as grown-ups and talk about it and sort it out amongst ourselves, at least, I think that’s the relationship I have with him. I respect him a lot on and off track. But like I said, it’s not my decision.

Would you be excited by the challenge?

SV: Yeah, definitely. I think it’s strange in a way because I was looking up to Kimi when he was with McLaren for many years and trying to give Michael a very hard time but his McLaren broke down many times and now, since he’s come back, I’ve raced him again and I think there’s no doubt that when it comes to qualifying, to race, he does his job very well and gets the maximum out of the car, and that’s what – at the end of the day – is our job. He’s quite good at what he does. That’s my opinion.

Your team was one of the teams that suggested to come back to 2012 tyres and it looked like your car behaved very well today. Is there any relationship between these two facts?

SV: I think no. Whenever I opened my mouth, it was purely targeted at safety, because it can’t be the case that we go out and we have a race like at Silverstone. I think in the end of the day, we step into the car, we want to race, race at the limit and we cannot drive into the unknown. All sorts of criteria I think was targeted at that and I think people forget that at the end of the day, you have to do your maths, you don’t have to be a genius. We are leading the team championship and the Drivers’ championship and if anything, we are the ones that have most to lose. Nevertheless, we pushed very hard, at least I did, from the drivers’ point of view. I wasn’t shy of communicating as well. I think we are happier overall – all the drivers – with the tyres we raced this weekend. Whether it suits your car or not is secondary.

Kimi has been chasing you for victory quite a few times. What this the tightest of them all or was Bahrain last year even tighter?

SV: It was a different race. I think Bahrain was tighter because he was right behind for more than a couple of laps. Obviously I had Romain pushing very hard before Kimi pushed at the end of the stint, because he came through, past Romain and he was a little bit quicker at the end. Yeah, but both races, in terms of race pace, were very even and if the cars are nearly the same pace then it’s very tricky and very difficult to overtake, so obviously if you’re ahead, it’s your advantage but I’m sure that one day it will be the other way round and I will probably hate it as much as Kimi does right now.

How confident are you about the next race because they will change the tyres again and they will be even more similar than 2012 tyres?

SV: First of all, I think we have to wait now. I think there’s a test at Silverstone where race drivers are allowed to test and so we have a tyre test you can say, for at least a day and get a little bit more of an idea, and then I think Pirelli will make up their mind and decide to get together with the FIA – whether the teams like it or not, it doesn’t matter. So I think at this point we don’t know which tyres we are probably running in Hungary. The most important thing is that we learn the lesson from previous races, especially Silverstone, so for here, I think nothing happened which is good but it’s good to have another proper look, especially around Silverstone and then decide for the remainder of the season.

What about the support from the stands today?

SV: Yeah, it was great to receive so much support. I think it’s unique for Germany to have a situation where the Grand Prix is coming and you have two drivers able to win the race. Obviously Michael was in a good position for many years so I think we are in a lucky position anyway, but I think it was exceptional this year with Nico winning in Monaco and at Silverstone last week. Yeah, I think it was great and nice to see, especially round turn seven where, for the second time around Nurburgring, there were a lot of people and guests and friends from Red Bull. They put a big banner up on the formation lap and also on the in lap so it was very special and I enjoyed every second, for sure, especially after the chequered flag.

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Raikkonen: The race should have been a bit longer, not ideal but pretty OK for us

Kimi Raikkonen gave it his best shot to reel in Sebastian Vettel in the final laps of the German Grand Prix, but the race was perhaps a lap or two short and in the end the Lotus driver had to settle for second place much to his annoyance.

Nevertheless the Finn was back on the podium after a three race absence and lies third in the 2013 Formula 1 world championship titlerace. He spoke after the race at Nurburgring.

Was it better for you that the radio had some problems and you couldn’t understand the guy from the pit wall?

Kimi Raikkonen: No actually – I could hear them but they couldn’t hear me. I think it only worked in one part of the circuit and unfortunately today there was quite a lot to discuss and it didn’t work. So, not the ideal but we managed to do pretty well and obviously we want to win but today we didn’t have the speed. The race should have been a bit longer, maybe then we could have had a good chance – but we scored good points for two cars and we are getting back where we should be. So in the end not ideal but pretty OK for us.

Obviously Lotus were in a strong position. They could make a tactical gamble, put Red Bull on the back foot. From your point of view, you got through, Romain let you through towards the end. But was there a scenario where you could have won this race today?

KR: Obviously not, because we didn’t win it. I was stuck behind the Mercedes after the first stop for a little while until I got past them. It cost me some time. After the Safety Car we were pretty OK and the cars, three of us, had similar speed and it’s very difficult to overtake anybody. I could run longer and we had a think about it, if we can try to run until the end but we had a massive problem with the radio. I could hear them but they could only hear me between two corners. So I’m wondering if we should have done it, take a gamble and try to go to the end because the tyres were pretty OK, my speed was pretty OK so it was hard to know what happens in the next ten laps. We decided to come in and put the soft tyres. We had good speed. Obviously I got some help from Romain to get past but that was… we would have had a big fight, anyhow. I could have probably passed him in a normal situation but obviously it would have cost me a lot of time. And as a team we try to win and I caught up with Seb but, like I said before, everybody was behind each other but we are too close on speeds and it’s so difficult to overtake then. We tried everything that we had and failed to win but I think for the team we did a good race and got both cars on the podium, so as a team we’re happy but obviously I lost some more points to Seb in the championship. We keep trying.

You chased Sebastian Vettel very hard. What chances you will be his teammate in 2014?

KR: I don’t know what will happen in the future. Things will be decided at some point but until that happens there’s nothing to talk about. I would definitely tell if I know something just so that all these follow-up rumours and nonsense stops straight away. But right now, there’s absolutely nothing for next year and we will see. For sure, at some point, once we know we will tell but I don’t have any pressure to make any decision right now. Obviously I try to make the right decision for myself but it depends on many things; next year there are rule changes, everything else, so it can be a right or wrong decision. Whatever it will be, I will live with it and I’m fine with it. We will see when it comes.

Your best ever result in Germany. Does it taste any better than the previous ones or is it only victory that makes the difference?

KR: Obviously we are here to try and win races. We couldn’t today because we were not fast enough but for the team it was a good result after a couple of quite difficult races, so obviously for my championship it was not ideal, we lost some more points but it’s still a long season and if we keep putting ourselves in a position for at least fighting for first place then I think we can do it again but as I said, it’s good for the team and not so good for my championship.

Is the performance of your car also related to the new tyres?

KR: First of all, I don’t think it’s a 2012 tyre. The front tyre is exactly the same as all year. The rear belt is different but it’s not the construction of 2012. We tried these tyres in Montreal and they were fine. It’s not a very big difference to what we ran before so for us, I don’t think it made any difference. They felt a little bit better tyre in Montreal. I think the biggest difference is on high downforce circuits but the weather is hot so that’s probably what made the bigger difference for us.

During the last laps, did you think about the opportunity of being with Red Bull and if that had an effect on your mood during the fight?

KR: Absolutely not. I try to win and it doesn’t matter if it’s a teammate or some other team. As long as we give ourselves a chance, I try to make it happen and obviously if there is a good chance to try to overtake I will try it but we never got that close so there was nothing to do really.

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Grosjean: I’m very happy to be back on the podium

Romain Grosjean scored his second podium finish of the season when he crossed the line to finish third in the German Grand Prix at Nurburgring, the Lotus driver delivering a strong and mature performance which has done his shares a fair amount of good.

The Frenchman spoke after the race about his afternoon which resulted in his fifth Formula 1 career podium.

How good is it being back on the podium, even if it is now the third position and not the second if that could been?

Romain Grosjean: It’s good, it’s a good result for the team. We had a very strong race, which is good. Very good first stint. I thought I would have had a chance at one stage on Seb but the Red Bull was quick today. And then at the end we choose different strategy with the team. I think that was the right things to do – just put one car on one tyres and the other one on the other one, and it appears the Option for Kimi was quicker. So, yeah, I think it was good to play a little bit, the team, and then I’m very happy to be back on the podium. I think we’ve deserved it for a little while but now it’s reality.

Great to see you back here in the top three again. Fantastic first stint that really played you into contention for this grand prix. Tell us about your race, about how you felt and also a little bit of detail maybe about the radio traffic that was going on.

RG: We had a good qualifying and the first stint has been amazing, seeing P1 on the board is always good. The car was working much better than what we thought on Option tyres. After the first pit stop Seb and myself were quite a long way ahead of everyone else and it was looking like we will try to see with strategy to adapt, to stop three stops depending on how we were going and then the Safety Car came. It made it easy for strategy but less good then for the traffic. Clearly then, as a team we had to put different eggs not in the same basket and change different strategy for Kimi and myself. It appears that Kimi’s one worked better but it could have been the opposite. So, it’s good to be back on the podium, good to score strong points. The summer is back on – which should help us to be more consistent at the front. But the first stint has been really good and finally getting car and tyres that work together, it’s nice.

Is the performance of your car also related to the new tyres?

RG: I think when we tested it in Canada – well, personally, I quite liked them. They were more proper racing tyres with the different rear belt so I was sort of happy that they brought them here. I think the compounds – medium and soft – were better than hard and medium normally, so I am looking forward to using the full new tyres from Budapest onwards that I understood a little bit better last year than this year. The fronts are a bit strange sometimes but as Sebastian said I think the main thing was to have a safety issue.

We all remember Felipe Massa in 2009 and we don’t want to see the same thing with a piece of tyre so we were glad and happy that Pirelli did something and well done to them because it wasn’t easy.

For the second race in a row, you were told to let Kimi pass. Do you think you have any chance to fight for wins when you’re ahead of Kimi?

RG: When the opportunity comes, yes. Today, as I said, we didn’t put our eggs in the same basket and Kimi was quicker and might have gained on Sebastian but it didn’t work. I think it was the right thing to do. It is important for a team to score points and try to get the win. Without the safety car it would have been a different story, but we all got together and that was it.

[MIKA27]

Hamilton again mystified by tyres

Lewis Hamilton was once again left perplexed by Mercedes' struggles on the Pirelli tyres after he finished fifth at the German Grand Prix.

The 2008 World Champion produced another one-lap special in qualifying at the Nurburgring to start in pole position, but things went horribly wrong as soon as the lights went out on the Sunday.

He was overtaken by Red Bull drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber at the first corner and he continued to slip back throughout the race as his Mercedes tyres struggled in the heat.

He eventually had to settle for fifth place behind race winner Vettel, Lotus duo Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean and Fernando Alonso from Ferrari.

"I have to hold myself back because I've got nothing positive to say about these tyres," Hamilton said.

"I don't understand why we struggled so much on them, but that's motor racing. The only positive is that we got some points.

"It's a shame because the team is working so hard and doing such a good job. Clearly we've got a good car, but for some reason it just doesn't work on these tyres."

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Peter Sauber: The situation is uncomfortable and embarrassing

Peter Sauber has denied reports that employees of his struggling team are going without pay, in the wake of revelations that the Swiss team is struggling financially.

It is reported that, because he has not been paid his contractual instalments for May or June, Nico Hulkenberg has terminated his 2013 deal and is therefore free to switch to another team at any moment.

“Basically, I won’t talk about contracts,” Sauber told Swiss television Sportpanorama. ”But I am convinced that Nico will be with us in the second half of the season.”

The Sonntagszeitung newspaper claims sponsor Oerlikon, and perhaps some other Sauber sponsors, has provided “emergency relief” to the tune of a mid-six figure to the Hinwil based team.

“It is very difficult at the moment,” team founder Peter Sauber admitted. ”Our resources are very limited and the situation is uncomfortable and embarrassing.”

But Sauber, 69, vehemently denied that his staff are not being paid their wages, ”In 20 years in Formula 1, we have never not paid wages on time.”

However, Sauber admitted that some suppliers of the team are being asked to wait for their invoices to be paid.

“It is affecting not only the development of the car, but also the suppliers,” he said. ”For the large part, we are being met with understanding, but it is very stressful for us and in many regards painful.”

He said he has “never” laid off staff “for financial reasons”, and does not intend to start now.

“Once you start doing that, you hurt the team so much,” said Sauber who acknowledged that his team needs new sponsors urgently, or preferably an investor.

“We are very confident in this regard,” he revealed. “If it runs smoothly, we can give the all-clear by the end of the month.”

He also said a ‘plan B’ is in place.

“It is a good plan,” said Sauber, “but time is the big problem – we’re running out of it. Mainly because we might not be able to drive if suppliers begin to stop supplying us.”

Asked if Sauber’s 2013 season is assured, he admitted: “In principle, no. But I feel safe. Currently we are working day to day.”

The last resort will be to simply sell the team.

“If there is no other way out,” said Sauber, “that is a possibility. But we are far from that. Closure is not an option. The fire inside me is kindled by situations like this. There is nothing else to do than fight.”

MIKA: Hmmmm.... Does that cigar look like a HDM Epicure 2?

[MIKA27]

F1 to ramp up pitlane safety after cameraman incident

Formula 1 could be set to further improve safety in the pitlane, after a cameraman was lucky to escape with his life during the German Grand Prix.

Red Bull has been fined € 30 000 for sending Mark Webber away from a pitstop with a loose rear wheel, which detached from the car and struck at high speed a British television cameraman for Bernie Ecclestone’s company FOM.

The cameraman – identified as Paul Allen working for FOM – has broken bones and is still in a Koblenz hospital, but an FOM spokeswoman told Bild newspaper that doctors do not believe that he is injured internally.

“The most important thing is that he is fundamentally ok,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.

“But it was a timely reminder that life in the pitlane is still a pretty dangerous place to be, that things can go wrong.

“Mechanics have to wear safety gear and helmets, and maybe it’s time some of the other operational people in the pitlane have some safety equipment as well,” he added.

Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn agrees: “On the basis of what we have seen here, we should be thinking that all people in the pitlane are properly dressed, equipped and should have a helmet on.”

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Susie Wolff admits that Williams test not yet confirmed

Williams development driver Susie Wolff has revealed that she is likely to make her proper Formula 1 circuit debut at Silverstone next week.

We reported at the weekend that the 30-year-old Scot will definitely appear in Williams’ 2013 car during the three-day ‘young driver’ test.

“Yes, it’s not official,” Wolff, whose husband is the Mercedes director and Williams co-owner Toto Wolff, told German broadcaster Sky.

“It’s not clear yet how many sets of tyres the team will have available, but I’m getting ready and I expect to drive – at least one day,” she added.

“I’m very happy, it’s a big challenge and I’m ready. I’ll do my best and hopefully that’s enough,” the former DTM driver said, adding that she has been strengthening her neck muscles so much that the result is now visible.

With Mercedes banned from the Silverstone test, Brackley-based Toto Wolff said at the weekend that he will attend simply to watch his wife at the wheel.

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Hulkenberg not denying Sauber contract termination reports

Nico Hulkenberg during the German Grand Prix weekend did not deny reports that he has activated a termination clause in his contract with the beleaguered Sauber team.

Having already not denied the struggling Swiss team’s failure to pay him since May, the reports on Sunday had said that the 25-year-old will continue to drive for Sauber in 2013.

But the German and his manager Werner Heinz have reportedly terminated the deal for breach of contract, meaning Hulkenberg is now free to leave Sauber at any time.

Rumours at the Nurburgring suggested that Heinz has already been in talks with Lotus, while Hulkenberg has also been linked with a future move to Ferrari.

Asked on Sunday about the contract rumours, Hulkenberg did not deny that the Sauber deal has been terminated.

“Unfortunately I can’t and I won’t talk about contractual details,” he told German broadcaster Sky.

But “clearly, I need to take care of my future,” Hulkenberg admitted. “Nothing is impossible or excluded.”

[MIKA27]

Mateschitz interested in Nurburgring purchase as Ecclestone loses interest

Billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz has emerged as a potential buyer of the embattled Nurburgring.

The Kolner Express and Bild newspapers claim Red Bull team owner Mateschitz – who bought, demolished, rebuilt and launched the former A1-Ring in Austria – is one potential bidder.

Another is the Nurburgring track boss Jorg Linder, and yet another is the German automobile club ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club).

“The bids must all be placed by September,” said Bild.

Meanwhile it has emerged that Bernie Ecclestone has performed a swift u-turn, having said earlier that he is “thinking about” buying the financially embattled Nurburgring.

“If I [buy the circuit],” the Formula 1 chief executive had told Die Welt newspaper, “it would mean the German Grand Prix is secure in the future”.

According to quotes that will appear in the Rhein-Zeitung newspaper on Monday, however, 82-year-old Briton Ecclestone has had a rapid change of heart.

“I thought about it and it is not practical for me,” he said.

Ecclestone’s latest comments follow reports that Red Bull mogul Dietrich Mateschitz, Nurburgring chief Jorg Lindner and the German automobile club ADAC are also interested in bidding for the fabled circuit.

Ecclestone said he that hopes that someone buys the Nurburgring “as we enjoy being here”.

“We are always happy to come here,” he added, “especially as we’ve been coming here for so long.”

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Struggle for Williams to end slump claims their former champion

Ending their current slump will not be an easy feat for the Williams team – that is the view of the British team’s outspoken last world champion, Jacques Villeneuve, who in Germany assessed the Grove outfit’s current form on the occasion of its 600th Grand Prix.

In total contrast to 1997, when Williams and French-Canadian Villeneuve were Formula 1′s dominant force, the 2013-spec FW35s failed to make it through even the initial ‘Q1′ qualifying segment on Saturday.

And that was after fire marshals had to be called into the Williams garage to contain a smoky and hazardous KERS battery failure.

Villeneuve, now a television pundit, told Spain’s El Pais newspaper: “Williams has to reformulate.

“For many years, the manufacturers were in control, but when they left, the structure remained but not the money,” the 42-year-old said at the Nurburgring.

“The sponsors had come because of the manufacturer, and so when [the carmakers] go, [the sponsors] go as well.

“That’s why it’s easy to get pay drivers rather than focus on whether they’re fast enough, which ends up turning into a cycle that’s very difficult to get out of,” added Villeneuve.

Meanwhile, the former Williams and Sauber driver said that Mark Webber’s departure at Red Bull at the end of the year is good news for the reigning world champion.

“Now everyone will work just for [sebastian] Vettel, because Webber’s leaving anyway,” said Villeneuve. ”So his decision to leave will make life easier for everyone.”

And when asked what he would do if he was in charge of Formula 1, the unabashed purist Villeneuve answered: “I’d get rid of the sole tyre supplier, everything artificial like KERS and DRS and the restrictions on the number of engines.

“Less rules, more pure racing – like Nascar,” he added

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Massa: I have no idea if it will jeopardise my future

Having recovered his career jeopardising form with a flurry of strong races at the end of last year, Felipe Massa is once again at risk of falling into another spiral that could cost him his Ferrari seat.

The Brazilian, re-signed only on a new one-year contract after his speculation blighted 2012 season, has been involved in a string of crashes and incidents, now stretching back several races to Monaco.

The latest was on Sunday at the Nurburgring, where Massa inexplicably spun and then stalled into retirement on lap four.

Asked if he is continuing to back the 32-year-old, despite other candidates like Nico Hulkenberg and Jules Bianchi looming large, team boss Stefano Domenicali said on Sunday: “Absolutely.”

“I have always said that we believe in him,” he is quoted by Russia’s Formula 1news.ru.

“Yes, there are critical moments, and of course we are not happy with the results, but we have to support Felipe, because the team is fighting for the constructors’ championship. He knows that the team is 100 per cent behind him.”

Notwithstanding Domenicali’s quotes, even Massa acknowledged that he is not sure where he stands regarding 2014.

“I have no idea if it will jeopardise my future,” he is quoted by Brazil’s Totalrace on Sunday. ”The only thing I can say is that I am not happy with what happened today.”

It seems that Sunday was simply Massa’s latest driver error.

“I am serious enough to say that the team did not see anything wrong with the car,” Massa is quoted by O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper.

“The most important thing is that, as far as performance [goes], I was doing a great job this weekend, and that’s what matters for the next races,” added Massa.

“I’ve come out of a hole many times in the past, and one more will not make a difference.”

[MIKA27]

Marussia: Jules couldn't do anything else

Marussia sporting director Graeme Lowdon admits it was a huge relief that nothing serious happened when Jules Bianchi's car rolled backwards at the Nurburgring.

Bianchi's MR02 suffered an engine failure on lap 23 and smoke soon started coming out of the back, prompting the Frenchman to get out of the car as quickly as possible.

However, the Marussia soon started to roll down the hill at Turns 13 and 14 and race leaders Sebastian Vettel and Romain Grosjean were forced to slow down.

Thankfully nothing serious happened, and Lowdon says there wasn't much else that Bianchi could've done.

"You could see it was a catastrophic failure of the engine, and instantaneous because we didn't see anything until it went," he told Press Association Sport.

"It was a bit frustrating because we had just managed to get ahead of both Caterhams and the race was looking quite good for us.

"Jules pulled off the track straight away, the car was in neutral when he stopped, and he then put the steering wheel back on, as he is required to do.

"There was a marshal in attendance when he left the car, which was stationary. There was nothing more Jules could have done.

"There was clearly no engine, he couldn't put it in gear, he couldn't do anything with it at all.

"What happened is part of the nature of this circuit - it's hilly - although obviously not something you want to see, but one of those things.

"Thankfully nobody had to avoid the car. There was obvious relief nothing happened, but it was pretty slow moving at the time and the yellow flags were also out."