FORMULA 1 - 2013

[MIKA27]

Vettel untouchable as he dominates Belgian Grand Prix and extends championship lead

Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel stamped his authority on a somewhat processional Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday to chalk up his fifth win in 11 races and stretch his overall lead to 46 points. It was a dominant performance by the Red Bull driver.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, now his closest rival, finished second – a distant 16.8 seconds behind the German – after starting ninth. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton was third.

Vettel seized the lead from pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton on the Kemmel straight after Eau Rouge and never looked back while the threatened rain held off. The German now has 197 points to Alonso’s 151.

“It was a fantastic race for us from start to finish really. I feel good, winning helps, the car was much better going into the race so we had the pace to control it. The guys on the pit wall were not as stressed and in terms of rain there was nothing critical,” said Vettel after his 31st career win.

Behind the Red Bull, Alonso carved his way from ninth on the grid to second place. Although he had no answer to Vettel, he had enough in his Ferrari to make light work of getting by Lewis Hamilton and then consolidate his runner-up slot and in so doing banking a decent points haul when 24 hours earlier few would have factored him in to a podium prediction.

“We had to recover some places, we were not OK yesterday. But today it was a little bit boring, we get second place but no threat to Sebastian Vettel and had no threat from behind. It is important weekend for us and the team. We arrived fully motivated, and in Monza we would like to give some smiles to our fans,” said Alonso, whose team’s home Italian Grand Prix is next up.

Hamilton, winner of the previous race in Hungary and on pole position for the fourth race in a row, took third place. The Briton moved up to third overall on 139 points.

Hamilton in the Mercedes was a mega combination in qualifying, but in the race lacked the edge. First Vettel got by with a ferocious exit out of Eau Rouge which saw the Red Bull pass the Silver Arrows way before Les Combes.

Then on lap 16 Hamilton went wide at La Source, Alonso clipped the apex and had the momentum as the two went side-by-side down the hill. The Mercedes tried to fight back but even with DRS there was no way past.

Alonso disappeared into the distance, while Hamilton managed his way to third place and the final podium spot.

“We had a tough race but the team did a great job. The fans have made the weekend. I came into this weekend thinking we did not have as great a package here but I think we have a much greater package for Singapore,” Hamilton reflected afterwards.

The race, on one of the fastest and most challenging circuits on the calendar, was no thriller and the outcome proved a disappointment for those fans who had hoped to see Vettel slowed on his march to a fourth successive title.

There were boos from the crowd mixed with the cheers as drivers stood on the podium after the race, although reports suggested that may have been directed at protesters trying to interrupt the proceedings.

Greenpeace activists demonstrating against race sponsor Shell had unfurled a banner from the roof of the main grandstand, opposite the VIP area, before the race as teams readied their cars. They then remained hanging from ropes, watching the action.

“We are a bit confused here because the crowd are booing and cheering and I’m not sure why,” Vettel told the crowd after spraying the champagne during the podium celebration.

The start was uneventful after last year’s mayhem, when Lotus’s Romain Grosjean took out Alonso and Hamilton at the first corner in an accident that brought the Frenchman a one race ban. Hopes that Hamilton could hold off Vettel were short-lived.

“[Vettel] had the momentum and was able to go around Lewis and that was the decisive moment,” said Red Bull principal Christian Horner. ”There’s still a long way to go but it was a dominant performance from Seb, [a] perfect display by the team with pit stops and strategy.”

Nico Rosberg started fourth on the grid and ended fourth, in what was a strong showing but an admittedly low key afternoon on track.

Australian Mark Webber was fifth for Red Bull after a poor start in his last Belgian Grand Prix, with McLaren’s Jenson Button, last year’s winner, sixth after leading early on when those ahead pitted and he stayed out.

“We were worried before the start of the race,” said Webber. “The preparation was poor. We were on the back foot. We tried our best, but we had top gear to race in clear air.

“The two practice starts we did were diabolical. The clutch was like tractor. That’s where we were. It turned out to be not great. In the end, you murder the tyres trying to recover and it just snowballs. The win would have been difficult, but we had pace for the podium,” added the Australian.

Button spoke of his graft to sixth place, ”We made the mistake at the start of the race by pitting too early. We went from a one to a two-stop and then back to a one but the front left tyre gave up. We gave it a go but the pace was not good enough. It’s definitely progress, we were expecting to be fighting for third. We know the reasons and hopefully we can put that right in Monza. It’s nice to be racing up there with the Mercedes and one of the Red Bulls. We’re making progress, it’s just tough at the moment.”

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa was seventh, Grosjean eighth and Force India’s Adrian Sutil ninth despite being caught in a clash with the Williams of Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado that took out his team mate Paul di Resta.

“Traffic was the main event. We got stuck in traffic and when we stopped for the third time we were behind the same traffic. [The incident] was quite silly and took the rear corner of the car. Maybe a point or two was up for grabs but we have to go to Monza and end this pointless run,” said Di Resta before his early shower.

Toro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo, frontrunner to replace Webber at Red Bull next season, climbed through the field from 19th at the start to take the final point and further enhance his credentials.

“It was nice to get that point,” said the Australian. “That last set of tyres helped us get that crucial point. I’m happy, we had to work for it, so it was rewarding. We are set on the Prime and did not like it. As soon as we had the Option I felt more comfortable. It was a little bit frustrating but the team assured me it would come good and that was great.”

Kimi Raikkonen’s run of 27 successive races in the points came to an end with the first retirement since his comeback last year.

The Finn had started the day second in the championship but fell to fourth overall with 134 points after pulling into the pits and stopping with what looked like a brake problem.

Typically Raikkonen had little to say, “I don’t know if it was the brakes. It was not a problem until now but we need to check.”

[MIKA27]

Alonso: When you are the second fastest, you deserve to finish second

Fernando Alonso started the Belgian Grand Prix from ninth place on the grid, a couple of hours later he was celebrating second place on the podium against all odds, although in truth only race winner Sebastian Vettel was better than the Ferrari driver on the day. Alonso spoke afterwards.

This must feel like a victory today. You’ve never won around the Belgian Grand Prix circuit, which is surprising given that you’ve got 32 victories in your career but that was typical attacking stuff from ninth place.

Fernando Alonso: Yeah, we had to recover some places. We were not OK yesterday and everything went OK from the start and then the car has the speed to overtake some cars and it was a little bit boring. After we get the second place we are nowhere near Sebastian and not a big threat from behind.

Looking ahead to Monza, you must feel pretty much buoyed for Ferrari, going to what is the home grand prix for the Ferrari team.

FA: Yeah, definitely it’s an important weekend for us, for the team. Last year we were very close to repeat the victory that we get also in 2010, so we arrive fully motivated again and in Monza we would like to give some smiles and some satisfaction to the tifosi and we will try our best.

Obviously for you also the start was pretty decisive. Ninth on the grid, up to fifth on the opening lap. You passed Rosberg, Webber, Button, Hamilton to come through to second place. That’s quite a recovery from what must have been a very disappointing qualifying performance yesterday.

FA: Yeah, I think the weekend was more or less good for us with recovering some feelings that we lost in July with the car especially. We were a little bit more competitive – or we felt a little bit more competitive this weekend. Not for sure maybe for pole position but to be in the first four or five positions on the grid, maybe that was possible but yesterday I think were extremely unlucky with the situation in Q3 with weather and the track: where we were, in the place we were, at the time we were was wrong. So, unfortunately some times in these changeable conditions you are lucky, sometimes unlucky. I remember Malaysia very well in Q3, we were in the right place in the right moment and we were second and third of the grid. Yesterday was a little bit the opposite. So we had to plan a perfect race from the start to the pace of the car, to the strategy and everything worked fine and we could recover some places and extremely important for the championship also to get some good points again after three races not so good.

Throughout the practice and qualifying as well the Ferrari looked quite quick and looked like it had taken a step forward. Do you feel that over the course of this weekend? Is that giving you encouragement? Obviously we’re going to some very different kinds of circuits in the next few weeks but are you taking encouragement from this weekend?

FA: I’m happy. I’m happy with the feeling that I had this weekend. I’m happy with the parts that we brought here, seems that they are working fine. We need to take things very carefully because, as you say, this is a very specific circuit and we are not first and second in any practice or any qualifying or any race. We are ninth and tenth in quali and now we are second and seventh in the race. At the moment it is still work to do.

Definitely a good race for you, starting from P9 but is it also good for your championship, as Vettel finished ahead of you?

FA: I think it’s good; obviously we lost an extra seven points but when they are dominating the weekend, when they do everything better than us and they win the race, they deserve the win and we need to aim for maximum points. Weekends like this one we need to extract the maximum from the car. That is what we did this weekend, all we could in qualifying, all we could in the race. In the race, once we were second we were two to four tenths slower per lap. When you are the second fastest, you deserve to finish second. So we just need to congratulate Sebastian, Red Bull and try to get better for Monza, but in terms of the championship, as I said, we came from two fifth places in Hockenheim and Hungary, with a little bit of a not good feeling and not good performance from the car and today I think we recovered some of the optimism that we lost and I think it was a good weekend for the championship in terms of feeling and in terms of points as well.

Once again you were fast in the race but not so much in qualifying. Do you think this could affect your championship chances against Sebastian?

FA: Well, we need to improve the qualifying performance but to be honest, I’m doing what I can. I’m 8-3 against my teammate, I think. Yesterday was about qualifying but I was 0.6s quicker than my teammate, so in a way, it’s not that the races are good and the qualifyings are bad, it’s just the way it is and we are extracting the maximum from the car all the time. In the races there are more aspects, not pure performance of the car. There is the strategy, the management of the tyres, the characteristics of the cars and on that aspect, I think we are very strong. In the pure performance of the car, we are maybe lacking some performance compared to the others but as I said, I’m extremely happy with the performance we are achieving on Saturday and also on Sunday and the championship is open and we have the best example last year. I was leading with 41 points ahead of Sebastian after the Monza race and I arrived in Texas 15 points behind, so things can change very quickly. Our hopes are to keep developing, to keep improving performance and try to repeat what happened last year the other way around.

You said the team’s recovered some of its optimism. How far can that optimism take you; do you still believe you can mount a genuine title challenge with eight races left?

FA: Yeah, yeah. I think we cannot forget that in the first five races we were a very competitive team. We won two of the five races and we were in a position to fight for the podium all the time. At that point, we were a very few points behind the leader. Then there were some races in the championship where we went backwards in terms of a step in the car and we lost direction a little bit. We understood the problem, we analysed everything and all the things that we are now bringing to the races are delivering what we expected, finally, so this gives us the possibility to get our good form back but we still have to recover some of the gap, to fight for pole positions etc but the championship is very long, and as I said before, the example is what happened to us last year. If you have a competitive car and you win four or five consecutive races like Sebastian did last year in India, Japan, Singapore etc, you recover very quickly. If we are in the position to do that, we will find out very soon.

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Ferrari: The result at Spa showed just how competitive is our car

Team and drivers report from the Belgian Grand Prix, Round 11 of the 2013 F1 World Championship, at Spa-Francorchamps.

Stefano Domenicali: “After qualifying hadn’t really given a true picture of the hierarchy down pit lane, today’s result showed just how competitive is our car. This second place wasn’t easy to come by and follows on from a difficult month and comes after plenty of speculation, which we prefer to reply to with results on track. Certainly this result alone is not enough, because we cannot claim to be satisfied until we manage to reduce the gap to Red Bull and be able to fight for first place. In the coming races, we will try to improve the car to give Fernando a chance of fighting for the Championship title and for Felipe to deliver performances which can help the team: those are our goals, the rest doesn’t matter”.

Fernando Alonso: “Today’s result shows that the outcome of qualifying bears little relation to the result on Sunday, although I think that even if I’d started from pole I would still have finished second, because Vettel was quicker. At the start we immediately made up some places and all in a rush, first passing Button, then Rosberg and Hamilton, so I found myself six seconds behind Vettel, but if one looks at the final gap of 16 seconds, we can but congratulate him and his team. The car worked well in all conditions, with a full fuel load at first and then with a lighter one at the end and, on top of that, the extra speed we had on the straight meant I could overtake without taking too many laps to do so. We know we have made a step forward and that we have recovered some of the competitiveness we had lost in recent races. In Monza and Singapore we will see the next steps in this process. The updates used in this race worked well and, even if they were aimed at this particular circuit, they are the results of work that goes on twenty four hours a day, at home and at the track. That makes us optimistic for the coming races, because our goal still remains the same, namely to fight for the title right to the end”.

Felipe Massa: “That was a difficult race for me right from the early stages, because after managing a good passing move at the start, I then had to slow and drop back four or five places, to avoid a collision with Grosjean at the exit of the first corner. From then on, things got complicated because for a few laps I had a problem on the steering wheel linked to the KERS operation and I wasn’t able to communicate well with the team. When everything was back to normal again, it wasn’t easy to catch up, because even if the decision to bring forward the first pit stop allowed me to get past several cars, the pace wasn’t good. In the final stint on the Hard tyres, the car was very competitive and I managed to gain some important places, with a nice passing move on Grosjean. I definitely can’t be pleased with seventh place, because today, our car deserved better, but the fact we’re more competitive than at the last few races makes me think we are working in the right direction and so we can hope to make progress throughout the second half of the season”.

Pat Fry: “The performance level we saw in today’s race is what we were unable to demonstrate yesterday in qualifying and it was certainly worthy of a front row. We knew that with a competitive car on this track, we would be in the game, even if moving up from ninth and tenth places and coming out of La Source in one piece is no easy task. Fernando got a great start, being both aggressive and steady at the same time, even if unfortunately, it was not enough to get past Vettel. In the middle stint of the race, their pace was very similar and it was only in the closing stages that the gap grew. Felipe had a harder time, especially at the start when he got caught up in traffic. We tried bringing forward his first pit stop to make up some places, but in the end, the time lost at the start prevented him from getting into the top five. Now we will tackle two very important races and only by improving the car will we be able to fight for the lead in the Championship”.

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Vettel: We had massive pace and could control the race until the end

Sebastian Vettel continues to astound with his relentless performances in this Formula 1 era and now adding the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix to his peerless CV. The Red Bull driver was simply in a league of his own at Spa-Francorchamps, bagging maximum points with ease, while augmenting his lead in the championship battle and looking increasingly likely to notch up his fourth title in as many years. The German spoke after celebrating his 31st grand prix victory.

Your 31st Grand Prix victory, you’re now just one behind the man [Alonso] who finished in second place. That looked pretty easy for you today.

Sebastian Vettel: Yeah, it was fantastic race for us. From start to finish really very good tactics. Obviously it helped the first lap to have the tow off Lewis through Eau Rouge and then I was flying. Once I passed him we had incredible pace and really could control the race until the end. We were a bit afraid of the rain coming towards the end but I think it just passed the circuit. Great race.

Thank you to the team, thanks to Renault. All the guys have been working very hard and… yeah, fantastic result, can’t be any better.

You passed a milestone today if you’re into statistics. You seem to like to get the fastest lap towards the end of these grand prix but you’ve now led well over 2000 laps in your grand prix career. Were you aware of that one?

SV: Now I am. Thank You! Yeah, incredible. We are a bit confused down here because the crowd is booing and cheering and booing and we don’t understand why.

[Note: the drivers were unable to see the Greenpeace protest taking place around and above the podium which irritated the crowd gathered at the foot of the podium.]

Your points lead is extended to the largest ever margin you’ve had. You must feel good looking to the second half of this season.

SV: Yeah. Obviously winning helps. Just really controlled. The car was much better than I think we expected going into the race. So we had a bit of pace on hand to control the race. I really enjoyed that a lot. I think the guys on the pit wall as well, it was not as stressed as at other times. Fortunately there was no rain, so in terms of critical calls there were none to make. It was a very good afternoon for us and obviously looking forward to Monza where we don’t expect, maybe, to be that strong but let’s see.

Clearly the decisive moment was the opening lap of the race. Tell us about that and how it set you up for the rest of the afternoon.

SV: Yeah, obviously very difficult around here to plan your start because first of all you need to have a good launch off the line and then there’s a long straight coming. A bit like Korea. I tried my best to line up behind Lewis and basically benefit from a massive tow through Eau Rouge. I think especially in the opening lap when the tyres are not yet completely there and the fuel tank is full, Obviously the cars are quite heavy up the hill and produce a lot of drag and I was able, in the tow, to make up a lot of speed and when I got side by side I had a lot of advantage over Lewis and was able to get straight ahead. So, yeah, it worked very well, what I was trying to, let’s say, plan at the exit of turn two. And after that I just tried to settle into the rhythm. I tried to open a gap to be flexible at the first stop and yeah, until the end we had incredible pace. We didn’t expect that. We knew, probably, going in that, in the dry, we should be able to beat Mercedes on the track but we knew other cars – Lotus, Ferrari – they looked very competitive in the dry, so in that regard yeah, we had massive pace and could control the race until the end.

You’ve increased your championship lead as well, now over Fernando, almost two race wins clear. How are you feeling about it at this stage?

SV: For sure a positive message today but I’m honestly more happy to win the race today: it’s a fantastic track and especially when the car works well, you don’t want the race to stop. The car is getting lighter and lighter and I was very comfortable at the end on the Primes. The car, as I said, was just a pleasure to drive. You don’t… I didn’t think about the championship or points. Obviously I know the higher up you finish the better it is: ideally ahead of everyone else, which worked today. But yeah, such a great circuit. We’ve had good races here in the past so it’s nice to have another one, another great memory today. So, that’s what honestly I was focussing on most. For sure, regarding the championship, it’s a bonus.

Kimi is now 63 points behind you. Do you think he’s out of this championship?

SV: No, there’s more than 63 points you can score before the end of the season. I don’t know what happened to him. It’s obviously a shame for him but these things can happen. I had a technical failure in Silverstone, we lost the race. It hurts but equally you have so many races that all of us we have these kind of things happening; surely the cars are – in terms of generation – at their end and it’s not a completely new car if you look at the previous years but still we are pushing. The cars are on the limit and you try to get everything out of them. Things that are built on the limit can also break.

Do you feel you are like in the situation of two years ago when you won the championship quite early in Japan? Do you think it’s going smoothly and you are relaxed with the situation around you?

SV: Well, I… maybe you have a different memory but what I remember from 2011 is that we had a fantastic season but we were working very hard, step by step, race by race and surely not working towards a certain race to seal the championship with a couple of races to go. I wasn’t relaxed at that time, I was as nervous as I am today, hopefully. Therefore, as I said, it’s really step by step and not trying to be too smart, too clever and think too far ahead.

Unusually for Red Bull, your car was set up for quite a high top speed. Was it because you have taken into consideration that you expected to do some overtaking during the race, and how well does that look for Monza, with reasonably low downforce? You were very quick here.

SV: Well, ideally we try to set up our car to the optimum. I think we were maybe more competitive than we expected. Whether that’s us over-performing or the others under-performing, I’m not entirely sure to be honest. So in that regard, it’s always nice to have speed on the straights if you have to overtake, then it’s obviously easier to get yourself side-by-side with the other car and to lose something more under braking, whereas if you’re limited by straightline speed it’s very difficult to pass. We’ve had some bad experiences around here so maybe this year we were a little bit on the higher side in terms of speed. For Monza, I don’t know actually. It’s very difficult to predict. We had painful years in a way, where we just get hammered down the straights and we’ve had years where the loss down the straight was limited, so we could come back in the corners and for sure, if you look back the 2011 experience was great in that regard. How it turns out to be this year it’s difficult to say. I think we can be quite confident. We had a good race in Canada, we had a very good race here which are both medium downforce type of tracks, so I hope that our low downforce package goes in the same direction.

When you attacked Lewis did you have some KERS left for it and then obviously to Lewis, did you have some KERS to defend yourself or was everything gone after the start?

SV: I had some left.

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Hamilton: We’ll be back to being very competitive when we get to Singapore

Lewis Hamilton delivered a scintillating lap to claim pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, but 24 hours later – in the race – he lacked the extra edge to fight off winner Sebastian Vettel and second placed Fernando Alonso. Nevertheless the Mercedes driver finished third and kept his title chances alive. He spoke after the race.

That’s your 54th podium, that equals you with Niki Lauda who is one of the senior management at the Mercedes grand prix team. Does that statistic mean anything to you and what do these points mean for you this afternoon?

Lewis Hamilton: We had a tough race, these guys were a little bit faster than us but the team did a great job throughout the weekend and I’m really happy with the results. Of course to be put in the same sentence as someone as legendary as Niki is a real privilege. I’m happy with the result we had, I’m glad to see so many great fans here this weekend. They made the weekend.

Once again we heard you on the team radio saying you were taking absolutely everything out of the car and the tyres. You went off into the summer break as the victor, you’ve come on a roll of four pole positions. Looking ahead to the next grand prix, what do you think you’ve learnt from this Belgian race?

LH: I came in this weekend and when we started I felt that we perhaps didn’t have as good a package as these two here. I think we’ll go away after this weekend, we’ll try and see if we can improve for Monza. But definitely when we get to Singapore, I think we’ll have a much better chance there.

Great getaway from pole into the first corner but describe the remainder of that first part of that first lap from your perspective.

LH: It was not particularly exciting or anything. It was pretty straightforward. Half-decent start and I felt like I got a good exit out of turn one but these guys… Sebastian just caught me massively, particularly through Eau Rouge. There was no defending really. I could only move once, so I moved once and just had to watch him glide by. After that it was very, very difficult to hold onto him. And also when Fernando came by, particularly down the straights, he was just pulling away.

At one point on the radio you were saying “I’m getting everything I can out of the car.” Obviously finishing around 27 seconds behind at the end of the race. Is that a concern for you, given the way you translated pole to victory before the summer break?

LH: Not really. I think every year you come here – here and Monza – you come with a new package, new front and particularly rear wing and sometimes you hit the nail on the head and sometimes you don’t. I think we’ve done a decent job but obviously these guys have done a slightly better job. Whether or not we can make an adjustment before the next race, we’ll wait and see but I think more importantly we’ll be back to being very competitive – or more competitive when we get to Singapore.

After being on pole position, is this more of less what you expected in the race or did you expect to be closer to Red Bull?

LH: I think yesterday I said that I don’t think we generally have the same pace as these guys, or at least, not necessarily the Ferraris but more so the Red Bulls. But they were both too fast for us today. It’s the best we could have done. Yesterday, the weather helped us to get up to where we were. At the end of the day, we just need to work a little bit harder. I think we can do a better job, hopefully for Monza.

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Williams: We just didn’t have enough pace on the hard compound to progress

Team and drivers report from the Belgian Grand Prix, Round 11 of the 2013 F1 World Championship, at Spa-Francorchamps.

Race Notes

• Valtteri Bottas finished 15th and Pastor Maldonado 17th in today’s Belgian Grand Prix.
  
• Valtteri drove a consistent race but did not have the pace in the car to challenge the top ten. Pastor’s race was compromised by a collision with Di Resta when attempting to enter the pitlane which resulted in a stop-and-go penalty.
  

Xevi Pujolar, Chief Race Engineer: Pastor and Valtteri both made good starts on the Medium tyre and our initial pace was good.

We switched to the hard tyre for the second stints to allow us more flexibility if the forecasted rain arrived in the late stages, however the race remained dry and our pace on the Hard compound tyres wasn’t quick enough compared to our nearest competitors. We also had the added challenge of a radio problem with Pastor which began shortly before the second pitstop and then as he came in for his pitstop he was involved in an incident with Di Resta which resulted in him needing a new front wing. Pastor then received a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for the incident which dropped him down the order. Valtteri had a clean race but after being held up initially during his Medium tyre stint, we just didn’t have enough pace on the Hard compound to progress beyond P15 today.

Valtteri Bottas: Today’s race was not the easiest for us. We were struggling for pace in sector two and this made it difficult to get close to the cars in front and once I had been overtaken it was very difficult to regain the place. We will have to go away and understand why our race pace was not as strong today as it has been and try to make improvements in time for Monza.

Pastor Maldonado: I had a good start and I immediately picked up a number of places, but we struggled for pace in the second stint and I was not able to push and overtake the cars in front. I then had a collision with Di Resta in the final corner when our lines crossed as I was entering the pits. It was a difficult situation because I was fighting hard with the Sauber and I didn’t see Di Resta on the outside as I turned toward the pitlane. I tried to brake to avoid the accident but it was too late. It wasn’t a good weekend for us but we need to keep working hard and improving the performance of the car.

Laurent Debout, Renault Sport F1 team support leader: Sadly we have not been able to capitalise on the improved form we showed in Hungary. The variable track conditions put us out of position in qualifying yesterday and as a result we were unable to make an impression in the race. We’ll hope for better in Monza.

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Lotus: We must now look ahead and learn from this disappointing weekend

Lotus F1 Team endured a difficult Belgian Grand Prix, with brake failure leading to the retirement of Kimi Räikkönen whilst Romain Grosjean employed a one-stop strategy to finish eighth. Kimi’s DNF was the first of his Lotus F1 Team career and his first retirement in 39 races. It was his first non-points finish in 28 races and only his second non-points finish since driving for the team.

Kimi now drops to fourth in the drivers’ championship on 134 points, having been overtaken by second-placed Fernando Alonso [151] and third-placed Lewis Hamilton [139]. The team remains in fourth place in the constructors’ championship on 187 points from Ferrari’s 218.

• Kimi started from P8 with a scrubbed set of medium tyres, changing to scrubbed medium compound tyres on lap 14. He retired on lap 25.
  
• Romain started from P7 on a scrubbed set of medium tyres, changing to a new set of hard compound tyres on lap 22.
  

Kimi Räikkönen:

“I had a brake failure so there was really no point in trying to continue. We both got good starts off the line but there wasn’t enough space into the first corner where I went over the kerb and lost some time, but after that I was pushing as hard as I could. There were some brake issues at the beginning of the race but we were managing them and it was going okay until we had to retire. We’ve finished a lot of races and had some good reliability; one day your luck has to run out and today was that day.”

Romain Grosjean:

“We had a difficult first lap where we lost a few positions and then dropped back a couple more places in the incident with Sergio [Perez]. We decided on a one stop strategy today and with the new tyres I felt that the grip was much higher than before but I knew that it would be difficult to get the time back. We tried something different and you never know; had it rained in the middle of the race we could have been well-placed to take advantage. It is good to finish the race without any mistakes, even if eighth place isn’t what we were hoping for this weekend; it’s also a shame that Kimi didn’t finish the race, but we go to Monza hopeful of better things.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal:

“It was a disappointing weekend, with qualifying not as good as we had expected and then a difficult first lap in the race. Kimi suffered from a brake failure which, of course, is a concern. We already believe we know why it happened and we will investigate this in detail to prevent the situation arising again. Romain finished eighth which clearly isn’t the sort of position we hope for at the end of a race weekend. Today we lost some pace and part of that might be due to the low temperatures. We must now look ahead, learn from this weekend and make sure that next year we can deliver on a medium downforce track.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director:

“It was a difficult race for us. We didn’t have the pace in qualifying yesterday and didn’t seem to have the pace today. We had a difficult first lap where we lost a few places and found ourselves sat behind slower cars. After that it was difficult to make up any ground. Unfortunately Kimi retired from the race with a front brake failure which we are now investigating. Romain was on a one stop strategy which was the right thing to do today. We look forward to starting again in Monza where we will bring new developments to the car can hopefully have a better weekend.”

Ricardo Penteado, Renault Sport F1 Team Support Leader:

“Spa is traditionally very hard on engines, with long sections at full throttle, changes of altitude and compressions putting the engines under pressure. The RS27 has performed well all weekend and we were hopeful of a better result. The starting positions put us down in the pack and despite Romain’s efforts we could not make up any places. It’s a shame for Kimi but at least we come away with some points this weekend, which is important for the championship.”

[MIKA27]

McLaren: Fifth place isn’t where we want to be, but it’s one place higher than we were before the race

Team and drivers report from the Belgian Grand Prix, Round 11 of the 2013 F1 World Championship, at Spa-Francorchamps.

Jenson Button:

“We were trying for a one-stop strategy at the start of the race, then we adapted that to a two-stopper later on. We gave it a go, but our pace still wasn’t quite as good as that of the cars in front of us, so we couldn’t really chase them down at the end of the race. Having said that, it was decent race for us. Moreover, as always, it was really fun to race around this magnificent circuit – I really enjoyed driving the car today. In terms of performance there’s been a small but definite improvement, so we should be pleased with the progress we’ve made. I’m pretty happy with the feel of the car now, in fact; okay, there’s still room for improvement in terms of pace, but the good thing is that we know which areas we should be focusing on. So I’m looking forward to Monza – another great circuit – where hopefully we can take another small step. We’re not going to be fighting at the front, we know that; instead we’re concentrating on ourselves, gradually understanding more about the car, and progressively improving things. There are still a lot of grands prix left this season, and we can enjoy some of them, I’m sure.”

Sergio Perez:

“My race started pretty well. I managed to make up a couple of positions at the start, and then a few more in the first 10 laps, and at that point things were looking pretty good. I was happy with the balance of the car and we were on a good strategy. Then came the drive-through, and after that it was always going to be tricky to score any points. What happened with Romain [Grosjean] was unfortunate. I got ahead of him, and took the corner, but I now understand where the penalty came from, even if I’m naturally disappointed for myself and for the team. These things are always difficult, but the team spirit at McLaren is unbelievably strong and now, together, we simply have to move on. What we must now do is look ahead to Monza, and do our very best to make up for the points we missed out on here at Spa.”

Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes:

“Jenson made a brilliant start to move from sixth place on the grid to fourth place after the first corner, and thereafter he drove a typically faultless race to finish just 13 seconds behind a podium finish. At one point we were considering opting for a one-stop strategy for him, and, if we’d been able to do that successfully, he may well have got that podium finish. As things turned out, it wasn’t to be; but, as I say, he drove an excellent race, and the eight points he scored were richly deserved, lifting our constructors’ world championship ranking to fifth place. Clearly, fifth place isn’t where we want to be, but it’s one place higher than we were this morning. As for Checo, he’ll be disappointed with having got involved in an incident with Romain, because, had he not done so, he’d definitely have scored points too.

“So we’re a bit disappointed, overall, of course we are, but equally we’re pleased to see firm evidence of underlying improvement in terms of pace. We’re still not where we want to be, but the trend is clearly in the right direction.

“Looking forward, then, from here we go to Italy, where we hope that that underlying pace improvement will produce better on-track results. Having said that, we never under-estimate our opponents, and we’re far from complacent about our chances. Nonetheless, we’ll be doing our utmost to put on a good show at Monza, a magnificent racetrack whose unique ambience always creates a very special vibe.

[MIKA27]

Marussia: A tough race coming on the back of such a positive qualifying

Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton delivered another two car finish for the Marussia F1 Team in Spa today, but it was not the race the team had hoped for after such a positive wet qualifying session yesterday, in which they made it through to Q2. In a dry race it was always going to be a tough battle for them to retain their grid positions, or thereabouts, and this afternoon they ended the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix in 18th and 19th positions.

Having lined up side by side on the eighth row, both drivers lost places at the start to emerge from the opening lap 18th (Jules) and 21st (Max). They started on the Hard tyre before switching to the Medium for the middle stint of three then back to the Hard rubber for the final stretch. Max paid an extra visit to the pit lane for a drive through penalty for a blue flag infringement.

Jules Bianchi: “It was a tough race today, made more difficult by the fact that I had a radio problem from the start. Our pace was not as good as we hoped for, which was a shame. Although it was going to be hard to hang on to our grid positions if it didn’t rain, we were looking for something more after a good result yesterday. As it remained dry we were not presented with the sort of opportunities we were hoping might come our way. However, we did get a two-car finish and also we continue to hold position in the championship, so we will now look to Monza for more of an improvement we hope.”

Max Chilton: “A long race today, not just in terms of laps and lap distance, but more the fact that the dry conditions made the race quite uneventful for us. The threat of rain meant that we had thought through and prepared for so many different scenarios, so we would be in a position to capitalise on any opportunity to move up the order, but as it turned out much of the homework was not required. So we’re disappointed with the race but encouraged by signs earlier in the weekend and I hope we can make more of those in Monza in two weeks’ time.”

John Booth, Team Principal: “A tough race today, coming on the back of such a positive day yesterday. Both drivers really suffered at the start of the race, losing position much more quickly than we expected on the opening laps. From this point in the race it was really all about trying to claim back positions but unfortunately we simply didn’t have the pace to do that. In terms of the decisions made through the race and the operation of the pit crew, there were no issues today at a race where we have brought developments in these areas. Overall we simply need to go back and regroup and attempt to extract as much performance out of the current package as possible before the next race in Monza.”

[MIKA27]

Hembery: Everybody would look ridiculous if a new F1 tyre tender went out now

Putting Formula 1′s 2014 tyre supply contract out to tender so late in the season would be a ridiculous step, Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery said on Saturday.

The Italian company is proceeding on the basis that it will remain the sole supplier next season but has yet to sign a contract with the sport’s governing, International Automobile Federation (FIA).

Hembery told reporters at the Belgian Grand Prix that 10 of the 11 teams had signed contracts with Pirelli as had the commercial rights holder, who also has a deal for trackside advertising.

However, French rivals Michelin have been reported in the media as saying they were interested in returning to Formula One next year.

“Ask Michelin,” Hembery said when asked about the reports. “We have contracts in place, and we would hope people would respect them. We have lots of contracts signed.”

Hembery said an agreement with the FIA, led by Frenchman Jean Todt, would have to wait until the governing body’s world council meeting in Croatia next month.

Formula One’s tyre specifications for 2014, which teams need to know to design their cars, have to be lodged within a matter of weeks and Hembery said that Pirelli is on course to meet the deadline.

The company hoped to do some wet testing at the Le Castellet circuit in the south of France next month and in Brazil after the final race of the season.

With a new V6 power unit and energy recovery systems being introduced next season in the biggest technical shake-up in the sport for decades, Hembery said they also wanted a test in Abu Dhabi or Bahrain in December.

Regular pre-season testing with teams will then start in January, with details still to be finalised but one test set for Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Bahrain.

“Quite frankly a tender in September when you are running in January would be farcical,” he said. “You should have done that in September last year.

“Everybody would look ridiculous in that scenario.”

Pirelli have suffered negative coverage and taken considerable flak this season after producing tyres designed to wear quickly to shake up the race strategy and encourage overtaking.

A spate of blowouts at Silverstone in June triggered safety fears and threw the sport into crisis, forcing Pirelli to make the tyres more durable and revert to 2012′s structure with 2013 compounds.

Hembery said that next year’s tyres would be more conservative.

“It will be the year of the powertrain, a year where you talk of other things and strategy will be about how to manage the energy recovery and when to use it, the fuel management,” he said.

“It’s the year for us not to give them a tyre challenge.”

[MIKA27]

Sauber: We expected more this weekend

The Sauber F1 Team was not able to claim points at the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps. Nico Hülkenberg complained about the balance of the car, which affected its performance and left him in 13th. Esteban Gutiérrez started 21st and had a difficult task ahead of him.

Due to good lap times and managing his tyres well, he was able to get close to the points. A drive through penalty left him without a chance of reaching the top ten, however. He finished 14th.

Nico Hülkenberg:

• Start on Medium tyres, after 9 and 24 laps change to hard tyres
  

“I was able to improve a couple of positions at the start. It was tight but I managed quite well. I had a good first lap, but the pace was missing pretty much from the beginning. The car was difficult to drive. We were lacking a good balance throughout the whole weekend and during the race, and the tyres started to go off pretty quickly. We had to pit earlier than planned. Overall, we were simply missing speed today.”

Esteban Gutiérrez:

• Start on Hard tyres, after 19 and 28 change to Medium tyres
  

“From where I started I had to make progress and be clever about how much I could push. It was a matter of finding the right balance between pushing and taking care of the tyres, and I found that balance pretty well. I just focused on being as quick as possible, trying to manage the tyres well and getting the most out of the car. We lost a lot of time in the first stint with the traffic I encountered as I was coming from the back of the field. The strategy we planed was not ideal, so we had to change it and that still wasn’t perfect. I totally respect the FIA ‘s decision to penalise me for overtaking Pastor, but I don’t agree with the penalty. To be able to fight and to extract the maximum today is good to know. Now we have to improve in qualifying, because I think with the pace we have we can still fight for the top ten.”

Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal: “We expected more this weekend. On a performance level, we were able to close the gap to our direct competitors. However, we weren’t able to translate that into points. We have to have a look at the data as to why Nico’s performance decreased during the race. Esteban did a good job, but the drive through penalty made it impossible for him to score points.”

Tom McCullough, Head of Track Engineering: “In the end the race was dry, and we opted for a two stop strategy for both cars. For Nico it was clear from the early part of the race he was struggling with the balance of the car, and the second and third stints were simply not fast enough to score points today. We need to understand why that is when we get the car back and analyse the data. It was clear that for Esteban starting so far back would be difficult, but his pace and tyre management was strong, and it was unfortunate he ended up with a drive through penalty. Otherwise he would have been close to the points towards the end of the race. Now we will regroup and are looking forward to Monza in two weeks time.”

[MIKA27]

Lopez expects Raikkonen to agree new deal very soon

Lotus team co-owner Gerard Lopez is hopeful Kimi Raikkonen will soon sign a new deal to stay with the Enstone based outfit in 2014.

As a weekend of fever-pitch speculation nears an end, the Finnish driver’s manager Steve Robertson has now clearly denied rumours Raikkonen has inked a Ferrari contract.

“It’s a load of rubbish,” he told the broadcaster MTV3.

“We are in the same place as we were a month ago in Hungary – we do not have an agreement,” Robertson insisted.

MTV3 claims Raikkonen staying at Lotus next year is backed by Formula 1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, who wants as many top drivers as possible spread across all the top teams.

So if Raikkonen stays put, Ecclestone thinks McLaren with Jenson Button, Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari with Fernando Alonso and Red Bull with Sebastian Vettel is an ideal situation for the sport.

Raikkonen hinted on Friday that one pertinent issue is the fact Lotus has often been late to pay wages.

But according to another rumour in Belgium, also crucial to Raikkonen staying next year could be a deal that brings engine supplier Renault – marginalised at Red Bull due to the Infiniti deal – closer to Lotus.

That would tie into speculation Raikkonen has demanded certain ‘guarantees’ about Lotus’ competitiveness in 2014.

“We do not need to give any guarantees,” Lopez insists. “We are very competitive.

“Rather, the question is about next season. We are very close to reaching an agreement with Renault.

“I believe that we have very good chances. We’ve done a good job to give Kimi what he wants.”

And, ultimately, he thinks that when the time is right, sitting down with a new contract and Raikkonen will be a straightforward matter.

“We already talk a lot,” said Lopez. “As long as we are able to give him what he wants and we can react calmly, I believe we can reach an agreement quickly.”

[MIKA27]

Webber confirms Ricciardo is his successor at Red Bull

A mischievous Mark Webber on Sunday gave away the identity of the driver who will succeed him at Red Bull.

While the frenzied ‘silly season’ rumour-mongers wonder if Kimi Raikkonen, Jenson Button or even Fernando Alonso might still be in the running, Australian Webber said it is his younger compatriot who has secured the plum 2014 seat.

Team boss Christian Horner has insisted all weekend that a decision has not been made, and that an announcement is not due at least until Monza in two weeks.

But the Le Mans-bound Webber said at Spa-Francorchamps: “The decision’s made. We all know who it is. I’m happy with that decision.

“It’s good for him and good for Australia,” he told Channel 10.

[MIKA27]

Honda return aimed to bring Japanese driver to F1?

Suzuka’s Japanese Grand Prix race promoter Hiroshi Soda has played down suggestions Honda’s return to Formula 1 will see a Japanese driver on the grid again.

It emerged this weekend at Spa that Bernie Ecclestone has inked a new five-year deal to keep the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka until at least 2018.

Many insiders made a link between the new race deal and the fact that Suzuka is owned by Honda, the Japanese carmaker that is returning to Formula 1 in 2015 as McLaren’s works engine supplier.

Another part of the deal, it is rumoured, could be Honda ensuring a Japanese driver is on the 2015 grid.

But Soda, president of the Suzuka operator Mobilityland, insists: “That is pure speculation.”

“The return of Honda is very important for us, but it would be wrong to say that automatically means a Japanese driver will be at the start,” he told Speed Week.

“Of course though it would help us — in the best of times we had a full house with 160,000 fans,” he admitted. ”Of course, we will try do have this again. I expect a lot of synergy with Honda.”

Kamui Kobayashi was the last Japanese driver on the F1 grid, who also happened to be the country’s most successful driver to ply his trade at the pinnacle of the sport.

[MIKA27]

Greenpeace protests target F1 sponsor Shell at Belgian GP

Environmental activists Greenpeace on Sunday staged an audacious protest against race sponsors Shell before the start of the Belgian Grand Prix.

Shell is the Spa-Francorchamps race’s high-profile title sponsor, as well as backing the famous Italian team Ferrari.

First, paragliders took to the skies with banners protesting the oil multinational’s Arctic oil drilling plans.

Abseiling activists then mounted the roof of the main grandstand and unfurled a huge banner that read ‘ARCTIC OIL? SHELL NO!’

After the race, as Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton took their trophies, another abseiling protester tried to get onto the podium, amid the boos of the crowd and the resistance of the Shell-branded grid girls.

Although unsuccessful in their final bid, the activists did manage to place another Shell-branded banner prominently in front of the podium, reading ‘Save the Arctic’.

[MIKA27]

Sauber seat for teenager Sirotkin not a mistake claims Marko

Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s often hard-talking Formula 1 consultant, has a surprising view regarding the sport’s most likely newest rookie.

If 17-year-old Sergey Sirotkin makes his Grand Prix debut for Sauber next year as scheduled, he will be by far the youngest driver in the history of the sport ever to do so.

The Russian is therefore already being written off as simply the latest crude example of pay-drivers buying their way into the pinnacle of motor sport.

But Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn insists at Spa-Francorchamps: “You can’t cut him down just because of his age and his father.”

He may be central to Sauber’s Russian rescue deal, but Kaltenborn insists Sirotkin deserves a chance.

“There are drivers who pay for their cockpit, that’s true,” she admitted.

“But many who came with backing have very quickly got rid of the ‘pay driver’ accusation. Look at Raikkonen,” said Kaltenborn, referring to Sauber’s controversial driver choice way back in 2001.

One man who knows a lot about Sirotkin’s current arena, Formula Renault 3.5, is Marko, who has placed a lot of up-and-coming Red Bull-backed youngsters in the ‘world series’.

“Sirotkin is still young,” Marko told Der Spiegel, “but he is already very good. I am of the view that it is not a mistake to promote him.”

MIKA: Helmut better pull his fingers out his ears, I think they're too deep!

[MIKA27]

Hamilton refusing to wear team cap and wants to design his own

Lewis Hamilton has revealed taht he is refusing to wear Mercedes’ team cap because it is not his style.

While team chairman Niki Lauda is famous for his cap, 2008 world champion and Spa pole sitter Hamilton has not been seen wearing one at all this year.

“I would like to help to design the Mercedes team clothing,” Hamilton told Bild am Sonntag newspaper in a wide-ranging interview.

“I don’t totally like what we have at the moment — that’s why I don’t wear the cap.

“But the team is working on it,” the Briton laughed, “we are well on the way!”

[MIKA27]

McLaren divided over Perez penalty

One has to feel for the fans on either side of the fence when even Sergio Perez's own team can't quite decide if his Belgian penalty was justified.

The Mexican driver, who is contesting his first season with McLaren, was hit with a drive-through penalty at Spa for pushing Romain Grosjean off the track.

And his team boss Martin Whitmarsh felt it was a harsh call.

"Checo is clearly being watched in these situations (pass on Grosjean). I think it was a tough decision," F1 journalist Maurice Hamilton quoted Whitmarsh as having said.

But while Whitmarsh wasn't happy with the decision, McLaren's sporting director Sam Michael believes it was justified.

"Sergio did not leave enough room so I have no complaints with the penalty," he said.

Perez finished the 44-lap Belgian GP down in 11th place, outside the points for the sixth time in 11 races.

[MIKA27]

Di Resta: It was silly

Paul di Resta reckons his retirement from the Belgian GP was "quite silly" as he was taken out by Pastor Maldonado.

The Williams driver had been fighting Esteban Gutierrez for position when the Sauber driver managed to edge ahead.

Attempting to retake the position, Maldonado ran wide at the Bus Stop chicane and rejoined in the path of Adrian Sutil.

First tagging Sutil, Maldonado went on to hit di Resta who had been behind his team-mate with the Scot taking the brunt of the collision.

"The traffic was the main event," di Resta told the BBC. "We got stuck in traffic and when we stopped for the third time we were behind the same traffic.

"[The incident] was quite silly and took the rear corner of the car.

"Maybe a point or two was up for grabs but we have to go to Monza and end this pointless run."

Di Resta has not scored since he finished ninth at Silverstone.

Maldonado was hit with a ten-second stop-go penalty for the accident and later stated that he was not aware of the Scot when he rejoined.

"It was my lap to the pit, I did not see Di Resta, I tried to brake and avoid the incident but it was too late," said the Venezuelan.

"Overall, it was a good start but we need to keep pushing just to improve. We pitted too late."

[MIKA27]

Adrian Newey is Spearheading Engineering Academy to find the next Formula 1 innovators:

Red Bull Racing’s Adrian Newey and his technical staff have launched a new programme with the team’s title partner Infiniti to offer engineering graduates the opportunity to complete a twelve month internship at the team’s Headquarters in Milton Keynes, as part of the ‘Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy’.

The scheme – set up to bring through the next group of future F1 innovators – will begin in September 2014 and includes work in both Milton Keynes and at the Infiniti Technical Centre, just eight miles down the road in Cranfield.

The candidates will be whittled down to two interns who will be given the chance to work alongside some of the leading brains in motorsport.

The Academy’s stated goals are increasing performance and innovation within Formula One, before making transferable use out of the skills, knowledge and materials that can aid in the innovation of road cars.

“One of the key advantages of our partnership with Infiniti is our ability to utilise their resources, from materials to processes and people,” added Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer, Infiniti Red Bull Racing.

“As such it is really interesting for us to benefit from a worldwide selection process which brings the best new talent through our door. The speed of technical development in Formula One means that fresh thinking is crucial in keeping ahead of the other teams and we hope that providing an opportunity for world class graduates to work with us will provide long term performance benefits for us and for Infiniti.”

“The Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy is a unique opportunity for top engineering talents from around the world,” said Johan De Nysschen, President of Infiniti Motor Company.

“They can experience the highest levels of performance and precision in both Formula One and in road car engineering. We are looking for candidates who share our passion, and we open up an avenue for them to become an elite member of the Infiniti engineering team in the future.”

Due to the global reach of the Academy, the selection process will take place across several world regions.

The applicants will be assessed on their performance potential and their ability to think innovatively, with a group of selected finalists presenting their ideas to technical staff from both Infiniti and Red Bull Racing, before the final candidates are announced during the weekend of 2014 British Grand Prix.

[Bartolomeo]

Fantastic race for Seb and first lap move he made on Lewis but the real effort was made from Alonzo....just confirms my belief that he is the best overall driver on the grid....put him in the best car(Red Bull) and he would out qualify and out race Seb every time....look what he does with an average car this year

Bart

[MIKA27]

Fantastic race for Seb and first lap move he made on Lewis but the real effort was made from Alonzo....just confirms my belief that he is the best overall driver on the grid....put him in the best car(Red Bull) and he would out qualify and out race Seb every time....look what he does with an average car this year

Bart™

I agree Bart. Shame Ferrari can't give him a decent ride, but then in saying this, he did make up a great deal positions to achieve P2 in the end which is great progress.

[MIKA27]

Boullier: I am confident that Kimi will stay, he loves this team

Lotus are expecting to finalise an investment deal imminently and are confident that Kimi Raikkonen will decide to stay on next season, according to the Formula 1 team’s principal, Eric Boullier.

“Yes, I am [confident]. He loves this team. He likes to be here and he likes the environment we created for him,” the Frenchman told reporters after Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix.

“I understand [that] he needs to be reassured about the strength of the team financially, the technical challenges we have to face next year… it’s normal.”

Boullier said that he expected new investment, first announced in June, to be finalised by next week’s Italian Grand Prix to put the team on a secure footing.

Raikkonen, the 2007 champion who is out of contract at the end of the year and has been linked to other top teams, indicated at Spa that his salary had not been fully paid and that Lotus knew what had to be resolved before any talks could begin.

Boullier said that the issues alluded to by Raikkonen, who won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and is currently fourth in the standings, were being addressed.

“They are solvable if we can put in place the package we want to put in place,” he said.

“There is a lot of effort in this team to compete at the highest level. Obviously you need to establish then another strategy once you reach the first step. It’s like playing in the Premier League, fighting for some wins and let’s say top three position in the championship.

“But if you want then to be consistently [successful] like Man Utd, you need another level of investment and commitment and this is what we are looking and working for.”

Lotus announced in June that a consortium of private investors, including an American hedge fund manager and an Abu Dhabi-based multinational business group, had acquired a 35 percent stake.

However, owner Gerard Lopez subsequently revealed that the deal had not been finalised.

“We are still working on it but I think we [have] solved most of the issues now and so we expect before Monza to get the deal completely done,” said Boullier.

Raikkonen has been linked to Red Bull, although his manager appeared to have ruled out a move to the champion team last week, and a return to Ferrari, but being number one at a well-financed Lotus is an attractive option.

“I’ve always said I have a very good team here, but things have to be right in all areas,” he said last week . “As long as I get a place where all the things are as I want them to be…then that is fine for me.”

Lotus have the same Renault engine as champions Red Bull but struggled at Spa, with Raikkonen suffering his first retirement since he began his comeback last year after two seasons in world championship rallying.

The brake failure ended a record run of 27 successive points finishes by the Finn, whose French team mate Romain Grosjean finished only eighth.

For Monza, the fastest track on the calendar and last of the season in Europe, Lotus will have a longer wheelbase car to help with handling.

[MIKA27]

Lauda: Alonso should tread carefully when dealing with sensitive Italians

Niki Lauda has advised Fernando Alonso to change his technique when it comes to working with Ferrari, and Italians for that matter.

As his title campaign drove off the rails in July, the Spaniard entered the summer break criticising Ferrari’s development, and deployed his manager for talks with Red Bull.

Lauda, now Mercedes’ team chairman but once a highly-successful Ferrari driver, has some advise for Alonso.

“If you drive for Ferrari,” he told the German broadcaster RTL, “you sometimes have to [accept] that the car is not that great.

“But his mechanics work day and night on a car that is not as good as a Red Bull at the moment – and he complains,” said Lauda.

“But you have to constantly motivate the people – the Italians are very sensitive,” he added.

“They expect him to say ‘I didn’t win, but I want to thank you all that we finished second, and we are going uphill now’.

“That is the way to deal with the Italians,” said Lauda.

The famous Austrian said that Alonso runs the risk that Ferrari will eventually turn away from him.

“He has to be a bit careful,” said Lauda. “Alonso is sometimes really not likeable.

“For me, as a package, he’s the best racer out there today. But if, compared to Vettel, Hamilton or Rosberg he was to lose his two tenths of ‘magic’, then we would have to see what is his reputation.

“At the moment he lives off his performance,” he concluded.

[MIKA27]

Red Bull plays down chance of dominating at Monza

World champion team Red Bull is playing down expectations that Sebastian Vettel will continue his dominance when the championship resumes for the next round at Monza.

Although some insiders thought that Mercedes would have the upper hand on the long Spa-Francorchamps straights, German Vettel dominated the Belgian Grand Prix from start to finish.

Monza is an even higher-speed and lower-downforce circuit, but Vettel is not so sure that the RB9 will continue to dominate in Italy.

“It’s very difficult to predict,” said the reigning triple world champion, whose points advantage over Fernando Alonso is now 46 points with eight races to go.

“We had some painful years [at Monza], where we just got hammered down the straights, and we’ve had years where the loss down the straight was limited, so we could come back in the corners.

“How it turns out to be this year is difficult to say,” added Vettel.

Designer Adrian Newey is also unsure.

“I think Monza could be a difficult circuit for us,” he is quoted by Italy’s Autosprint. “There are a lot of straights and not so many corners.”