FORMULA 1 - 2015

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Sebastian Vettel hopes Ferrari keeps Kimi Raikkonen for F1 2016

Sebastian Vettel has no doubt Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen "knows what he's doing" and hopes Ferrari keeps the 2007 Formula 1 world champion next year.

The Finn's lap-one crash in the Austrian Grand Prix last time out has only added fuel to speculation he will be replaced for next season, with Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg all touted as suitors for his seat.

Four-time F1 champion Vettel vehemently backed his team-mate and referenced the Finn's famous radio remarks from his 2012 Abu Dhabi GP victory with Lotus.

Asked whether he would advise Raikkonen during his 'negative period', Vettel replied: "We all have races in which we have crashed before, so I don't think you need to call it that.

"If you look at the way Formula 1 is you have two or three races where you don't get a result and people call it a negative period.

"I had the same last year [with Red Bull] where a lot of things didn't come together for me for many different reasons and it was called a negative period.

"In the end Kimi is a champion and he knows what he's doing - he has said this before over the team radio...

"I don't need to give him any advice or talk to him."

While Vettel concedes he has no say over who should be his team-mate, he has made it clear to team principal Maurizio Arrivabene Raikkonen should stay.

"I've said many times I'm very happy with Kimi because since day one when I got to know him he's always been very straight, he hasn't changed," added Vettel.

"Becoming world champion in 2007 didn't change him; all his years in Formula 1 haven't changed him.

"It's been good for Formula 1 to have him back, he's straightforward, there's no bullshit, which are qualities I really enjoy.

"Seeing him as my team-mate it's been the first time I've been able to compare what he does on track.

"We've been very close to one another, with corners where I have the upper hand and corners where he has the upper hand.

"It's a good challenge, but there is also a lot I can learn from him as he has a different approach to things.

"I know we have this season left, and I don't know what the contract for next year entails, but it would be nice to have him on the team for next year."

FERRARI'S ALTERNATIVES ON THEIR CHANCES

Force India's Nico Hulkenberg, Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and Williams's Valtteri Bottas are tipped as the main contenders should Ferrari drop Raikkonen.

Ricciardo and Hulkenberg were both quizzed on their 2016 Ferrari prospects at Silverstone on Thursday.

Hulkenberg on Ferrari rumours: "That's usual. You do two good races and that's what happens.

"You check the market, check the options as to what could become available, of course. It would be silly not to do so.

"The most important thing for me is to keep performing, to reach my maximum every weekend.

"Other things will fall into place, but t's not fully in my hands. Other things and factors play into it."

Ricciardo: "I don't even know where the rumour started, actually. It's really exploded. It's a bit of a laugh.

"There's not much more to say, to be honest. It's nice to be regarded by a top team like that.

"Obviously I'm with a top team, but to know that there's interest and support from other teams is nice.

"Ferrari's the only top team now with potentially a seat open, so I guess that's why my name and a few others have been mentioned.

"We'll see what happens next year, it will be nice to see someone stop Mercedes' dominance."

[Lotusguy]

Seb doesn't want too much competition in his team...

Come on - doesn't look like Kimi is much of a competitor to him so far.

[ptrthgr8]

I think Kimi's basically a has-been anyhow. For someone with a moniker like "Iceman" he sure isn't very cool under pressure. It's hard to blame Ferrari for wanting to get a second good driver on the team.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

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SILVERSTONE QUALIFYING: HAMILTON ON POLE AS MERCEDES DOMINATE

After playing second fiddle to his Mercedes teammate on Friday, Lewis Hamilton delivered a day later in fine style in front of his home crowd to claim pole position for the British Grand Prix- his eighth top spot start of the season.

Hamilton’s set his best lap of 1:32.248 on his first run in Q3, and that was enough to do the business, despite it appearing a tad scrappy.

Pole position was Hamilton’s third at the British Grand Prix, and takes him to third outright on the list of all time Formula 1 pole-position winners. He now has 46 pole starts, moving him one ahead of Sebastian Vettel, and behind only Ayrton Senna (65) and Michael Schumacher (68).

Hamilton said, “It’s a special day. When you see all those fans out there, so many people they really do motivate me. It is special when you do get the pole. Generally it has not been the smoothest of weekends.”

“I made a change in the car before qualifying which hopefully will be good for the race. Once I got to Q3 I could go all out, and I am incredibly happy. Big thank you to everyone for the support. It’s the banners, the flags, the team caps, the messages that get sent every day.”

“I was replying to some just before qualifying they just create the atmosphere that buzz. You know those guys are there right behind you and I hope the energy they give can help us [in the race],” added the world champion.

Rosberg had to settle for second, while Williams with Felipe Massa third and Valtteri Bottas fourth, made it a lock out of the top two rows on the grid for Mercedes powered cars.

In the end Rosberg could simply not match the top time, falling short by a tenth of a second, and reported on his slowdown lap: “No grip on the left front. Very strange.”

The German added afterwards, “Well first of all the first lap was really good, Lewis was just one tenth quicker which is annoying but way it is. It is awesome to see how many people and here. It’s great to see how enthusiastic everyone is about our sport.”

“No one improved in that last run apart from Felipe. There was something wrong on my left front, we need to look at what it was,” added Rosberg.

Of the top six only Massa was able to go quicker on his final run in Q3, and did enough to steal P3 by 0.064 of a second from his teammate Bottas, and with it out-qualify the in demand Finn for the sixth time this season.

Massa was happy, “It was a fantastic day for us. It is amazing to see how many people here, it is the home grand prix for the team and it is great to see. Me and Valtteri were third and fourth fighting each other, especially in Q3, and I just managed to get a fantastic lap in the end.”

“I’m so happy, really looking forward to tomorrow. Hopefully we can have a strong race and fight with the Ferrari. It is important to see we are in front with both cars we just need to concentrate on [the race] now,” concluded the Brazilian.

Ferrari look to have taken a step back in the pecking order, at least for now, with Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel in fifth and sixth respectively. The under-pressure Finn having the upper-hand, with Vettel not quite finding the sweet spot so far this weekend.

Daniil Kvyat continues to show strong form for Red Bull as he set the seventh fastest time, to end up fastest of the Renault powered brigade. Notably teammate Daniel Ricciardo was tenth, his best over quarter of a second down on the Russian.

While the hype and attention swirls around his Toro Rosso teammate Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz quietly got on with his own business and posted the eighth fastest time, while the teenage Dutchman failed to make it beyond Q2, complaining that “I dont know what’s going on, it’s just so bad compared to the practice. I don’t feel one corner the same. Just no grip.”

Le Mans winner Nico Hulkenberg was ninth fastest for Force India, with teammate Sergio Perez set to start from 11th.

It was another sad day for McLaren, this time on the occasion of their home race, in Britain, which they have won on no fewer than 14 occasions (only Ferrari have won one more) with neither of their world champion drivers progressing beyond Q1. Fernando Alonso was 17th and Jenson Button 18th.

At the sharp end, Mercedes became only the second team in Formula 1 history to take 20 consecutive poles. Williams are the only other team to achieve the feat, in 1992-1993.

Final word to Silver Arrows team boss Toto Wolff: “It’s great Lewis is on pole, he deserved it. The wind is pretty strong and gusty that was a bit of a messy situation for everybody. Until this morning it was Nico who was more at ease but, as you can see in all the other races, Lewis responds when it matters.”

Come race day row one will be all Mercedes, row two all Williams, row three all Ferrari and row four all Red Bull, albeit one of the energy drinks backed cars will be of junior variety…

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WOLFF CONFIRMS BOTTAS WILL MOVE TO FERRARI OR STAY AT WILLIAMS

Toto Wolff has confirmed speculation Valtteri Bottas will either keep driving for Williams next year or switch to Ferrari.

Wolff, who is Mercedes’ Formula 1 chief, is also involved in the management of Bottas’ career. The Finn is strongly linked with a move to Ferrari next year to replace his struggling countryman Kimi Raikkonen.

But Raikkonen’s manager, Steve Robertson, said at Silverstone that the 2007 world champion still has time to bounce back.

“What I do know is that the situation is still in Kimi’s hands,” Robertson told Turun Sanomat newspaper. “Let’s see what the next couple of races brings and go from there.”

“Sometimes it’s like this: try as you might, nothing seems to go to plan. It happens in sport just as it happens in life. “But hopefully Kimi will perform very well this weekend and then continue in Hungary. Then we’ll see what happens,” he said.

If Raikkonen continues to struggle, though, the Bottas speculation will only increase.

“The question is whether he will be in blue like your microphone or red like your shirt,” Wolff, 25-year-old Bottas’ manager, joked to a reporter for the Finnish broadcaster MTV3.

Asked to have a “guess” as to what will happen for 2016, the Austrian answered: “I’m not in the speculation business.

“We have to remember how much Valtteri owes to Williams. It is a great team that can win,” Wolff insisted. “On the other hand Ferrari is an icon of the sport and one of the biggest teams so it is an attractive option.”

“We have to take the time and work it out. Then it’s either this (blue microphone) or that (red shirt),” he smiled.

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MALLYA: ECCLESTONE NEEDS TO WORK WITH TEAMS TO UNCRAP F1

Force India co-owner Vijay Mallya has called on Bernie Ecclestone to work with teams to help “un-crap” Formula One if the commercial supremo thinks the product is not good enough.

Mallya was responding to recent media reports that suggested Ecclestone, 84, had denigrated the sport in comments to reporters.

The Briton, who has panned the quieter V6 turbo hybrid power units that have replaced the screaming V8s, has said he was misquoted and had been criticising the engines rather than the sport as a whole.

Asked for a response, with the sport suffering from generally negative headlines, Mallya told a British Grand Prix news conference that Ecclestone “shouldn’t be selling the product if he thought it was crap.

“Considering that he sells the product that he calls crap and makes billions out of it, he needs to work with the participants to un-crap it,” the Indian tycoon added to a ripple of laughter.

Formula One is facing dwindling audiences in some countries such as Germany, which does not have a race this year for financial reasons, although Silverstone is expected to see a record crowd of 140,000 on Sunday.

With champions Mercedes dominant, and engine performance the key factor, the sport is planning changes to make the racing more exciting.

A meeting of the key Strategy Group, that includes Mallya’s team as well as Ecclestone, decided a number of measures this week aimed at making cars faster, louder, harder to drive and more aggressive-looking.

Mallya, who has called for privately-owned teams like his to get a bigger share of revenues to help them survive and compete on more level terms, said he was all in favour of more competitive racing.

He also said, however, the sport could have a much more favourable image if teams were given a bigger share of the revenues and did not have to face constant questions about their financial health.

“Formula One is perhaps the most exciting sport in the world,” he said. “If Formula One is made sustainable for all participants I think the negativity will be removed.

“If the stability of all participants in Formula 1 is addressed as a matter of priority we will have more exciting racing and we will get a lot more positive media,” added the Indian businessman.

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No penalty for Alonso

Finally some good news for everyone at McLaren as Fernando Alonso won't be penalised for a tyre error during qualifying for the British Grand Prix.

The Woking-based squad were ordered to appear before the race stewards after qualifying at Silverstone on Saturday after it was found that one of Jenson Button's tyres was mistakenly put on Alonso's car during Q1.

McLaren boss Eric Boullier confirmed the mistake after the session as concluded and the resulting penalty could have been disqualification from qualifying with the Spaniard sent to the back of the grid.

However, the team received a reprimand with the stewards statement reading: "The team admitted the wrong tyre had been fitted onto car 14 due to a communication error."

It means Alonso will start P17, one place ahead of team-mate Button.

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Aston Martin in F1 talks with Red Bull over Mercedes engine deal

Aston Martin is negotiating a shock return to Formula 1 in a tie-up with Red Bull for next season that would bring the team Mercedes engines.

In a deal that is currently still under negotiation, Aston Martin would become brand partner with four-time world champion team Red Bull Racing in exchange for brokering a deal for it to run the dominant Mercedes F1 engine.

Mercedes owns five per cent of Aston Martin, which competed in F1 for just two seasons, in 1959 and 1960 (pictured below), with very limited success.

Under the deal Mercedes would be recognised as the official engine supplier of Red Bull, but Aston Martin would become a partner and have branding on the cars.

The deal is said to have the blessing of Mercedes, which is eager to run more customer teams to offset the costs of its investment in F1 and does not consider Aston Martin to be a competitor for road car sales.

The talks are understood to have been instigated by Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer and its director of marketing and communications Simon Sproule, both of whom were credited for Infiniti's long-term sponsorship deal with Red Bull when they worked for Nissan.

Infiniti is the upmarket brand of Nissan, which is in an alliance with Renault.

When contacted by AUTOSPORT's sister title Autocar, Aston Martin refused to comment.

Red Bull has a contract to compete with Renault engines until the end of 2016, but the championship-winning relationship has soured over the past 18 months as the French firm has struggled to match the pace of Mercedes and Ferrari.

Senior figures at Red Bull have regularly criticised Renault in public this season, and on Thursday team and engine chiefs held a meeting at the team's Milton Keynes base.

Red Bull has repeatedly threatened to pull out of F1 if it is unable to get a competitive engine in the near future.

Its owner Dietrich Mateschitz said last month Renault had "destroyed our enjoyment and motivation", and he also ruled out becoming a customer to another engine supplier.

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Mercedes could offer Renault and Honda F1 engine lifeline

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff is willing to offer Formula 1 engine rivals Renault and Honda a lifeline in their bid to catch up.

Part of the current criticism of F1 surrounds Mercedes' dominance, and although Ferrari has made inroads this season, Renault and newcomer Honda continue to struggle.

In-season development should have been blocked this season, only for Ferrari to discover a loophole that forced the FIA to relax its regulations. That has now been closed for 2016.

Wolff has suggested there is scope to review that block, or to open up certain areas of the power unit for extra development, but he is concerned about the impact on teams' budgets.

"With somebody like Honda, through all this struggle, we need to understand and find ways of enabling them to catch up without changing the DNA of Formula 1," said Wolff.

"But this is why we have always been reluctant about in-season development because it comes at a huge cost.

"Ferrari found that loophole, and it was clever how they did it. Now they say they have maybe opened a can of worms because it is expensive.

"So in the last [strategy Group] meeting we said although that loophole has been closed and it's not going to happen next year - that's how we see it - if Renault and Honda think they need that, then let's discuss it, whether we reintroduce it.

"Commercially it is not the most intelligent we can do, but if it is what the others need, or what they believe they need in order to catch up, then we will certainly consider that."

Wolff has made clear, though, Mercedes has no intention of freezing its engine development to allow Renault and Honda the opportunity to gain ground.

Addressing the matter of concessions and whether he would be willing to help out his rivals, Wolff said: "Normally if you run a team, or you are an engine supplier, you need to go out there full blast and try to crush everybody.

"But then we need to have sympathy for the ones who are struggling with the new regulations.

"It has never happened before that one was asked to stop development, or to be frozen, to allow the others to catch up. That is not the DNA of F1.

"This is a competition and we are all fighting out there to be the best.

"It's tiny little decisions and mistakes that might have a big effect in the future."

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Sebastian Vettel against additional Saturday Formula 1 races

Four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel is against the idea of a Saturday race being introduced to spice up the format of a grand prix weekend.

A potential second race on an F1 weekend was discussed at this week's Strategy Group meeting on Wednesday, along with other ideas to mix up the GP format.

But Vettel said a two-race weekend would go against F1's history.

"I love racing, but I'm traditional on some things so I'm not in favour of it," said Vettel.

"A grand prix should be a grand prix. I know it's only a qualifying race but it will take some of the spectacle from Sunday.

"I think we have different issues to solve, rather than if we have a race on Saturday."

Vettel then joked: "Maybe we should think about the real problems, like helmet designs!"

Nico Rosberg highlighted the DTM's switch to a two-race format for this year and said he was open to the change, but he also urged caution on going against F1's traditions.

"DTM just did it and I think that was quite successful for them," said the Mercedes driver.

"It gives more to the fans. We're all here anyway, so it's something to look into.

"The only thing I find a pity is it goes away from the Formula 1 tradition, that's the biggest thing that would bother me.

"It's like suddenly having seven Grand Slams in tennis instead of four - that would really bother people."

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton said he would like the format of the weekend to change, and he believes the drivers should be consulted on the matter.

"I would be very, very happy for the weekend to change," said Hamilton.

"I've been here nine years - Thursday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday always exactly the same, so I'd be happy for them to muddle it up to make it more exciting.

"If the format is the same for the next seven years I don't think I could take that!

"It would be sensible for the people that have to make those decisions to sometimes consult the drivers.

"Sometimes the gut feeling decision you take is better than the theoretical best choice.

"It would be positive for them to ask us and I'd love to help in any way I can."

McLaren's Jenson Button, however, dismissed the weekend format as a talking point.

"I don't think that's going to happen," said the 2009 world champion.

"It's not worth even commenting on, because it's not going to happen."

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON RECOVERS TO SCORE THRILLING HOME WIN

Local hero Lewis Hamilton delighted the large and enthusiastic crowd at Silveretone as he powered to a thrilling victory in the British Grand Prix for the third time and with it his fifth of this season and 38th of his career.

He also became the first British winner from pole since Damon Hill in 1994, and the first back-to-back winner since David Coulthard in 1999 and 2000.

The key moment was when Hamilton made a crucial call to pit for intermediate tyres, when it appeared he had lost his home race, as rain came down over Silverstone turning an already exciting race into a proverbial nail-biter.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff revealed, “It was Lewis’s call to come in. We gave him the option. He did it at the perfect time and that gave him the edge.”

But prior to the game changing moment Hamilton had to work hard all afternoon. First he could only watch as Felipe Massa rocketed off the line and took the lead with Valtteri Bottas in tow. The world champion managed to muscle his way past Bottas before the end of lap one.

But a first lap melee which saw Romain Grosjean collide with Lotus teammate Pastor Maldonado in Turn 2, which in turn forced Jenson Button into avoiding action, but to no avail as he was slammed into inadvertently by his McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso. For the Lotus lads and Button it was race over.

This brought out the safety car, and at the restart Hamilton was a tad too feisty as he attacked Massa, got it wrong, watched Bottas squeeze by and spent the rest of the stint in third with Rosberg in his mirrors.

At this point Williams appeared in control, although Bottas was quicker Massa stubbornly resisted his attacks which prevented them from maximising their advantage at that stage when they were faster than the chasing Silver Arrows pair.

Hamilton was first of the leaders to stop for medium tyres, and it proved to be an inspired move as the undercut handed him a comfortable lead and with Williams fluffing their lines, Nico Rosberg squeezed past Massa to take second after spending most of the first stint in fourth.

But with the skies threatening and rain spitting, Hamilton succumbed the lead to Rosberg on lap 43, and immediately decided to plunge into the pits and change to Pirelli inters. The timing was perfect for the Briton as the thick clouds unloaded themselves and serious rain came down to render the slick tyres hazardous and substantially slower.

Although Rosberg at this point took the lead, after reeling in Hamilton at almost two seconds a lap, he had to complete a lap on a much slower wet track – all his hard work was rendered to naught, because by the time he stopped and changed to inters, Hamilton was up the road and gone, victory in the bag.

The double F1 world champion was clearly delighted and emotional as he spoke afterwards, “It doesn’t seem real. I have to pinch myself. An incredible day. I didn’t know how it was going to go. I thought when it started to rain the heavens was not going to make it easy to me.”

“Nico was catching me and I chose to come in and change the tyres and thankfully it was the right choice. It would be great if the trophy was solid gold but to be up there with Brabham, Stewart, Clark. It is just crazy and to think that way past my time Hamilton will be on there makes me proud,” grinned the Briton.

Second placed Rosberg said, “It was not nice at one point. I could not get by the Williams but then it was cool, it was a great race when it started to drizzle, that gave me the opportunity to pass both Williams and then hunt down Lewis.”

“I was believing I was going to get him but then the rain came more and Lewis made the right call. I thought it was wrong at first. It was exciting at times, a lot going on, if you ask the 140,000 people around the track if F1 is exciting they would give a big cheer,” added the German.

After the first stops, Massa and Bottas were no longer top step of the podium contenders, but at least one of them looked sure to be on it. But it was not to be as fate had other ideas.

With lady luck smiling on Hamilton and not on Rosberg, in terms of timing for the change to inters, Ferrari made an error in bringing Kimi Raikkonen too early. What looked like a top five finish for the Finn turned into eighth place and he did himself no favours spinning late on in the race.

But the Reds did get it spot on when they brought in Sebastian Vettel – also at the end of lap 43 – which enabled him to leap-frog Massa and Bottas – Williams got their sums wrong when decisive calls had to be made from the pit wall. Vettel literally stole third from the Martini boys.

What at one stage looked like a possible win for the Grove outfit, and even a couple of podiums, turned into fourth for Massa and fifth for Bottas.

Massa reflected, “It was a fantastic start but the second stop we made was the worst. We lost the opportunity then to be on the podium and also the rain showed we are not so competitive in the wet.”

Bottas added, “We really struggled in the wet, I could not any grip or heat in the tyre. Not easy in the end. It was a big struggle in the end. Another weekend to learn from but the pace at the beginning was a real positive.”

Behind the scrap for the top four positions, Daniil Kvyat in the Red Bull was having an inspired afternoon slugging it out with the Ferrari pair, with Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg thrown in the mix to spice things up.

Kvyat scored a well deserved sixth place even chasing Bottas until the very last corner, ahead of Hulkenberg in seventh, Raikkonen eighth, Force India’s Sergio Perez ninth and Alonso recovering to score his first point of the season.

Alonso said, “I am not so excited. I know it is important for the team morale and motivation for everyone. The team is focused on the job, it is a long-term project but there are no magic solutions.”

“It was an unbelievable start. The two Lotus were far too aggressive at Turn 3. I ended up in a spin and touched Jenson Button. Common sense [needed] I think,” added the Spaniard.

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ROSBERG: GAVE IT EVERYTHING AND DIDN’T WORK OUT

Nico Rosberg had to graft hard to finish second in the British grand Prix, and in fact at one stage even looked as if he would steal victory from his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. But in the end lady luck favoured local hero, but nevertheless second at Silverstone was better than fourth which was where Rosberg languished before he turned his race around late in proceedings. He spoke to media afterwards.

A good second, how hard was it driving the last few laps in the rain?

Nico Rosberg: Yeah it was a good race. I was pushing hard to try and catch Lewis under the difficult conditions but then he just made the better call with the pit stop, so that’s where I lost it. Fair play to him, he did a great job all weekend. You’ve been amazing, really absolutely unbelievable, a great atmosphere here, really a pleasure to drive in front of all of you and that’s it.

Perhaps not the start that anybody expected. It was a Williams 1-2 for the first 20 laps of this grand prix. You, obviously, weren’t able to get ahead of them – because you had second choice of strategy I guess at the first stop – so you found yourself behind them and you were then told, “right, we go Plan B, be aggressive”. Tell us a little bit about that phase of your grand prix.

NR: Yeah, that was not such a great phase because I had these two Williams in front and was completely blocked and couldn’t get close. So that was a bit annoying. And then I was very thankful when the rain came. I felt great when it started raining. I really was able to attack and pass both Williams and close in on Lewis a lot. I was hoping it would stay more or less like that, and I thought I could attack Lewis at some point – and then Lewis boxed. I was pretty sure it was the wrong call because it was still touch-and-go at that time. So I was actually quite happy that he boxed. But then it was the right call in the end. It started raining more on that lap. So, that was it. Anyways, I had to take that chance because just following Lewis into the box is definite lose for me, so I might as well take the chance, stay out and do one lap more at least. It didn’t work out. So that’s it. Gave it everything and didn’t work out.

Did the Williams have a particularly good start and or did you have a particularly bad start? If it was bad, what happened?

NR: Bad start, no explanation. We need to look into it afterwards.

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VETTEL: SANTA CLAUS WASN’T THERE TO TELL ME WHEN TO DIVE INTO THE PITS

For a large portion of the British Grand Prix Sebastian Vettel looked nowhere near finishing on the podium, but fate conspired to hand him an opportunity he relishes, namely wet and slippery conditions late on in the race. He and Ferrari seized the ‘gift’ and scored a memorable, and fortuitous, third place at Silverstone. He spoke afterwards.

Do you think the rain made a big difference in the end of grab third place?

Sebastian Vettel: Yes, without the rain we would not be on the podium. I think we kept our head down and were patient enough to wait until the rain properly started to pour down. In the end, that’s England for you – a couple of minutes later you have sunshine, so obviously it helped us today, we did the right choice, we came in on the perfect lap and the team did a great job on the radio as well. So thank you very much and thanks to everyone, it’s a great atmosphere today.

It’s fair to say it wasn’t looking too rosy up until the point at which it rained. You did the same timing as Lewis. Did you feel the same way as Lewis? Was it something that you motivated yourself? Were you slightly surprised by what was going on around you with the other cars? Did you think it was your birthday when you realised where you were?

SV: I don’t know. I had a bad start but then we obviously, more or less, came back to fifth and sixth – so where we started – but obviously the gap was too big to the cars in front. Then there was some rain around six-seven – so around Luffield. And, yeah, it was only there so it was quicker to stay out on dries. But then I noted… it’s a tough call to make. If it rains, yes, some cars are already pitting, you obviously think about it but if the majority of the circuit is dry, there’s no point. Then I came out of Chapel and down the Hangar straight, noticed a lot more rain. I was trying to look at the clouds, all the laps before and though, ‘well, that’s the lap to go’. Because it was significantly more intense, the rain. It wasn’t just drizzle, it was proper rain and I decided to box. Once I was in the box I was told that Lewis decided to – the leader – decided to pit as well so I thought, yeah, should have been a good call. And then it was a surprise because I had Kvyat behind me when I boxed, and I came out behind him – like I saw him when I came out of the box. I don’t know what happened to him in between. But I guess at that point already the track was quite poor.

Can you make a final balance of this weekend, because we saw Ferrari struggling and now you’ve got a podium? Is it just like a Christmas gift or there’s something coming also from the team, your talent of course, from the situation? Can you make a summary, please?

SV: It’s not easy. It’s not a Christmas gift. Santa Claus wasn’t there waving me into the pits so he didn’t tell me which lap to dive into the pits. It was our own decision and obviously not a lot of people got it right but we did so that’s our choice and that’s what we achieved today. Other than that, obviously it was not a very good weekend for us. We expected to be stronger. I think we were surprised by the pace of Williams on Saturday in qualifying and also on Sunday. I think you could also see it was not a good weekend from ourselves because the gap simply to the top was larger than at previous events I don’t think that we did a step back but I think we just couldn’t find the right direction this weekend and obviously if you’re not P1, P2 it’s quite tight between us, Williams, the Red Bulls were very quick this weekend. I think they’d taken a step forward and that’s what happens.

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WILLIAMS: WE HAVE TO REMAIN POSITIVE AND PROUD OF OUR RESULT

Williams report from the British Grand Prix, Round 9 of the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship, at Silverstone.

Race Notes:

Felipe Massa finished fourth and Valtteri Bottas fifth after running 1-2 in the first stint of an exciting British Grand Prix today.

After a brilliant start, Felipe took the lead of the race, holding on to the position until the first round of pitstops.

Valtteri was racing for second off the start, eventually holding third until he was able to capitalise on a mistake from Hamilton to retake the position after a brief safety car period.

Hamilton jumped both cars in the first pitstops before rain played havoc with the field allowing Rosberg and Vettel to move ahead as they stopped for intermediates.

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: “There were a few moments in the race where things didn’t go our way. We have to remain positive and proud of our result. The pace we showed throughout this weekend was great, we had a stunning race up until the rain came. We raced two cars against both Mercedes for a majority of the race which shows the hard work and upgrades we are bringing to the car are all working. We closed the gap on second position and moved further ahead of fourth, so it has been a good weekend.”

Felipe Massa: “It is a frustrating result because the race was amazing today. I had a fantastic start and we were fighting with Mercedes the whole time, it could even have been possible to win the race if it had stayed dry, which is great to see. It was a shame to lost positions in the rain. We waited one lap longer on the second stop which is where we lost the opportunity to be on the podium. That shower also highlighted the car’s weakness in the wet.”

Valtteri Bottas: “In some ways it was an incredibly frustrating race, and others it was very pleasing. Both cars had great starts and we raced the Mercedes with genuine pace, but when the rain came I really struggled with the intermediate tyre. I was allowed to race Felipe, but it was hard to get through, and I didn’t want to make any mistakes. We have to have a look the race data and make sure we continue to learn from this.”

[MIKA27]

SAUBER F1 TEAM – BRITISH GRAND PRIX

A very unfortunate British Grand Prix for the Sauber F1 Team. Marcus Ericsson put in a flawless performance until the weather came into play. The Swede lost a lot of time due to numerous pit stops and, therefore, finished 11th. The Sauber C34-Ferrari of Felipe Nasr had issues on the way to the starting grid. The team identified a mechanical issue with the gear box. Because of this, the Brazilian was not able to participate in the race.

Marcus Ericsson: “It is disappointing to miss out on points when we had it in the bag for quite a long time. The first half of the race was reasonable. I had a good start, gaining some positions on lap one. My pace was good, so I was able to keep up with our direct competitors. It was one of those days when it was difficult to make predictions, as it started to rain on some parts of the track and others were still dry. It was not an easy situation, either for the drivers or for the team. Unfortunately, we made too many pit stops today. We need to sit down and analayse what we could have done differently.”

Felipe Nasr: Did not start - “An unlucky day for me. When I went out to the starting grid I got stuck in sixth gear. As soon as I returned to the garage the team detected a mechanical issue with the gearbox. It is a shame. Looking at the number of cars that retired, this was a race in which I could have taken advantage of some situations. Now we have to look forward and focus on the next race weekend in Budapest.”

Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal: “A very unfortunate race in which many things went wrong. Felipe was not able to race due to a mechanical issue with the gearbox. Marcus put in a strong performance until the weather conditions changed. Afterwards it is clear that we changed too early onto intermediate tyres. As the rain that was predicted didn’t come as much as it was expected, his intermediate tyres lost grip and, therefore, he lost lap time. Then it seemed that we were able to close the gap in the next two to three laps due to what we expected to be a dry period. That’s why we changed to slicks. If we had waited for one more lap, this wouldn’t have happened.”

[MIKA27]

LOTUS: MOTORSPORT IS SOMETIMES A CRUEL SPORT

Lotus F1 Team’s hopes for the British Grand Prix evaporated before the completion of the first lap after an incident instigated retirement for both Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado.

Contact between Daniel Riccardo’s Red Bull and Romain’s E23 led to contact with and damage to Pastor’s car; Romain retired almost immediately whereas Pastor was able to complete more of his lap before being told to park and retire.

Romain started from P12 on the grid on fresh medium compound tyres.

Pastor started from P14 on the grid on new medium compound tyres.

Romain Grosjean: “That was a very short race for the team and I feel for everyone here at Silverstone and at Enstone. Daniel must have thought his brakes and tyres would be able to slow him better than they did and the result was the end of both my and Pastor’s race. No-one likes to end a Grand Prix like that as so much effort goes into making and preparing the cars. I know we have many fans who want to see us race so I feel for them too. Budapest is next, and we’ve gone well there in the past. I’m pumped-up to fight for every single point available.”

Pastor Maldonado: “At first I thought I had a puncture and would be able to return to the pits and re-join the race but unfortunately the damage to the car was more serious than that and I had to retire. There is nothing you can do in situations like these as it’s all part of racing. Now my focus is on the next race where we’ll be trying our very best as always.”

Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal: “Motorsport is sometimes a cruel sport and we saw that today. There was nothing either of our drivers could have done to avoid the first lap incident and that was our race over. It’s been a frustrating home weekend for us. We weren’t able to show the pace we have in the car, we’ve suffered from a few niggles, then it was a very early bath for both our guys. Our focus is now very much on Budapest and doing everything we can to ensure we perform at the best of our ability there.”

Nick Chester, Technical Director: “Both Romain and Pastor were the victims of over-exuberance at the start of the race meaning that both returned to the garage for a very short debrief after only a lap on track. It’s now a rapid return to Enstone to put everything we can into preparing the cars for Hungary and our next opportunity for a points haul.”

[MIKA27]

MCLAREN: A GREAT JOB BY THE RACE TEAM EARNED US A PRECIOUS POINT

Fernando Alonso scored what he described as ‘the first point of many’ for McLaren-Honda today. It was a particularly opportune comeback: on lap one he spun to avoid an accident ahead of him, T-boning team-mate Jenson Button, and damaged his front wing, prompting a pit-stop to fit a new nose-box.

Thereafter, he put his head down, took a worthwhile gamble to make an early switch to Intermediate tyres as soon as the rain started, and moved into 10th position. When his closest challenger, Marcus Ericsson, switched from Inters to Options, then back to Inters as the rain ebbed and flowed, Fernando secured his position, despite increasingly worsening grip from his tired tyres.

Jenson’s home race was particularly cruel. He was eliminated on the first lap, the resultant impact lifting the car off the ground, switching it off in the process. He was out on the spot – a real pity, as this afternoon’s changeable conditions seemed perfectly suited to play to his strengths.

Fernando Alonso: “It’s not the best of results, but 10th position helps to motivate everyone. The whole team is incredibly focused – they’ve been working day and night to improve the car – and we all know this is a long-term project, and there are no magic solutions, but to get a decent result, and to put some points on the table, is always important. The start was unbelievable. It was a big mess as we arrived at Turn Three. The two Lotus drivers were far too aggressive, and they touched each other; in avoiding them, I had a half-spin, and touched Jenson. There were a lot of retirements, and little common sense on display. Still, we know we’re improving, and today has been a good day for morale.”

Jenson Button: “On lap one, there was an incident between two cars at the apex of Turn Three. Fernando tried to move to the right in order to miss them, and in so doing I think he lost the rear end and clipped my rear tyre. The impact lifted the car up and turned it off. With the engine not running, I had no option but to retire. When you start towards the back, there’s always a greater chance that incidents may occur because the closing speeds between cars are much larger. I just want to add that the crowd has been amazing all weekend – they were even clapping and cheering me after my race. It’s been such a nice atmosphere – very special – and I just wish I could have done more for them today.”

Eric Boullier, Racing director, McLaren-Honda: “Although it’s well worth mentioning that Fernando got off the mark in the 2015 world championship standings by finishing 10th here today, that isn’t an accomplishment we’re about to extol. Having said that, it was heartening to see that his car ran reliably all afternoon, even though its race pace was demonstrably insufficient. He never gave up, though, and his dogged efforts fully deserved the world championship point they earned him. Irresolute he is not. In the changeable weather conditions in which he usually excels, Jenson was very unlucky to be eliminated on lap one, through no fault of his or indeed of Fernando’s. Their collision was just one of those things – the culmination of an unavoidable chain reaction triggered by the unruly jostling for position by drivers immediately ahead of them. So, yet again, poor Jenson was unable to put on a show in his home Grand Prix, which was a great pity. As always, the Silverstone crowd was magnificent – 140,000 super-knowledgeable race fans shouting themselves hoarse – and it was fitting that a local hero, and an ex-McLaren driver to boot, won for them today. British Formula 1 fans are among the most loyal and passionate in the world, and we’re acutely aware of how steadfast their support for us has been and remains even in times of tribulation; speaking on behalf of all at McLaren-Honda, let me aver that next season we intend to give the Silverstone faithful something about which to enthuse.”

Yasuhisa Arai, Honda R&D senior managing officer – chief officer of motorsport: “Thanks to a great job by the race team, and all Fernando’s efforts, he was able to gain a precious world championship point for us today. Jenson was unfortunately forced to retire due to the incident at the beginning of the race, so we still have a task ahead of us to get both cars to the finish in future races. On the plus side, our power units’ settings for both qualifying and the race were exactly as we targeted for this weekend, so we hope that this is headed in the right direction. The next circuit in three weeks’ time is a low- to mid-speed configuration, so energy management is going to be very important throughout the race. We’ll use the data learned today to race at Hungaroring.”

[MIKA27]

FORCE INDIA: WE MADE THE RIGHT DECISIONS

Sahara Force India scored eight points in today’s British Grand Prix with Nico Hülkenberg racing to seventh place and Sergio Perez coming home ninth. The double points finish consolidates the team’s fifth position in the Constructors’ championship.

Nico Hulkenberg: “That was an entertaining afternoon and it’s great to come away from our home race with a good bunch of points. My start was sensational – maybe the best I ever had in Formula One – and I rocketed up to fifth place ahead of the two Ferraris. I was able to keep them behind me for the first stint, but they had too much pace and were able to use the strategy to jump us by pitting early. When the rain arrived at the end of the race the track was very slippery. I was a bit unfortunate with the timing because I had just passed the pit lane entry when the rain became really heavy and I had to do a full lap before I could change to intermediates. Overall, though, I think seventh place is a great result and we should be satisfied. A lot of the performance today is down to the updates we brought here. It’s moved us in the right direction so I have to say a big well done to the team.”

Sergio Perez: “Finishing with both cars in the points at Silverstone is a very positive step for the team. We probably could have been even higher up, but the strategy didn’t really work out in my favour. After my first stop, I lost a position to Sainz and I spent a few laps stuck behind him when my tyres were at their best. I was in the dirty air and struggling with the front tyres, which had a lot of graining. When the second rain shower came we had a lot of discussions over the radio about what call to make and unfortunately we waited too long, which cost us a place. When you get opportunities and you don’t make the best of them you are obviously disappointed, but I think we should focus on the positives of this weekend. We’ve shown good progress and there is a lot of potential for the second half of the season.”

Vijay Mallya, Team Principal & Managing Director: “To score eight points in our home race and strengthen our hold on fifth place in the championship is a fantastic achievement. Historically we’ve never been especially strong on the high-speed layout of Silverstone, but today the updated VJM08 looked competitive in all weather conditions. This track provides a tough test of a Formula One car so I’m optimistic we can keep up the momentum as we enter the second half of the season. Both Nico and Sergio drove exceptionally well today; they kept out of trouble and coped well with the changeable conditions. It wasn’t easy to know when to pit for intermediate tyres because some parts of the track were wet and some were dry, but I think we made the right decisions with the information we had.”

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RED BULL REPORT FROM THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX

Red Bull report from the British Grand Prix, Round 9 of the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship, at Silverstone.

Daniil Kvyat: “We were really competitive today, the race was really fun, a little crazy with the rain, and I was enjoying myself. The team have done a great job and the car is handling really well. We will keep pushing to improve and move forward over the next few races.”

Daniel Ricciardo: “I was really optimistic and excited for this weekend but it didn’t work out for us on the day. We suffered an electrical problem which forced us to retire. I could feel the loss of power going into turn 7, we tried circulating for a few laps to try and fix it, we also tried to reboot the engine in the pits but unfortunately it didn’t work. The last few races haven’t been kind to us but that’s racing. We have some time off to look forward to and we’ll go into Hungary a little more hopeful as the track there should suit us better.”

Christian Horner, Team Principal: “The weather produced an exciting British Grand Prix, adding an interesting twist which hopefully the fans enjoyed. Dany drove a great race, and all weekend he has done a good job. He possibly could have been in contention for a podium if we had pitted him earlier when he was fighting with Sebastian, and he also spun on his in-lap, but nonetheless, he drove a very strong race. Unfortunately, for Daniel, he suffered an engine energy related issue which forced him to retire early.”

Thierry Salvi, Renault: “Daniil had a good start and managed to stay at the front. His performance in the wet was strong and he deserved the finish. Daniel suffered an electrical issue during the race, which affected both the ERS-H and K. Despite several resets, we were not able to fix the issue on track and had to retire. The problem is under investigation and we will resolve it soon.”

[MIKA27]

MANOR: WHAT A GREAT RACE!

The Manor F1 Team achieved its best result of the 2015 season today, with Roberto Merhi finishing the British Grand Prix in 12th position and team-mate Will Stevens in 13th.

A sell-out crowd, intense racing, sunshine and showers – Silverstone delivered it all as the team celebrated the occasion of its home race with a strong performance in front of the British fans, which saw them edging towards a points-scoring position.

Roberto Merhi: “I’m so happy to end the team’s home race in 12th position. To be honest, this had not been the best weekend for me prior to the race, but it all came good when it mattered and I found the performance I needed to get ahead. When the weather started to change and we switched to the Inters, it was very difficult to know what would happen next because the conditions were hard to read. We were a long time on the Inters before the rain intensified, which meant that we had to pit again for a new set quite close to the end of the race. The team has made some good progress here this weekend, so it was good to give everyone a nice reward for all their hard work over the past few months in preparing for the new upgrade. It has been a great weekend racing in front of the home crowd, and now we look forward to the next race ahead of the summer break.”

Will Stevens: “A good result for the team but incredibly frustrating for me. The weekend up until the race had been really positive and even in the early part of the race we were going strong on the option tyres, which were working really well for me. When it started to rain we stopped for Inters but we had 15 laps on them and the worst of the rain only lasted for a couple of laps. I was effectively on slicks by the end of the race and that’s what caused me to spin off and damage my nose. Overall, we have to look at the positives though. We’ve made a good step forward here, so well done to the team, and the support of my home crowd has been incredible. All in all it has been a special weekend and one to remember.”

John Booth, Team Principal: “What a great race! A classic British Grand Prix which had a bit of everything. In particular, the changeable conditions kept us all on the edge of our seats, with the intensity of the rain being very difficult to read. Both Will and Roberto delivered a strong performance today and it was nice to see everything coming together for Roberto after having a rather more frustrating earlier part of the weekend. We did experience a software glitch, which affected the calling of Will’s first pit stop and lost him a substantial amount of time in the pit box. Towards the end of the race, the combination of the greasy conditions and Will’s worn intermediates caused him to spin off, damaging the nose in the process. Nonetheless, our excellent reliability enabled us to achieve a good two-car finish in front of our home crowd. The fans have been incredible all weekend, so I’m pleased we were able to shine a little in today’s race.”

[MIKA27]

Massa: I was faster than Valtteri

It was a case of what might have been for Felipe Massa as he finished fourth at Silverstone, but he insists the team made the right call by not telling him to move aside for Valtteri Bottas.

The Brazilian produced the start of the season as ducked in between the two Mercedes cars to take P1 with his team-mate Bottas settling into second place ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Bottas, though, at one stage felt he was quicker than the Brazilian and would've been able to open a bigger gap at the front, but he was initially told not to attack as both drivers were fighting Mercedes together.

Although the Finn was later told "it has to be a clean move and he has pull away quickly" he never managed to get close and both Williams cars then ended up behind the Mercs after the first round of pit stops.

Despite Bottas appearing to have the edge in the early stages, Massa believes he had more pace than his team-mate.

"He was on DRS. It was much easier for him to follow me. But I was quicker," the veteran driver said.

Williams' head of vehicle performance Rob Smedley also feels the team made the right call.

"We told them to hold station and then told them free to race - if they weren't holding each other up," he said.

As for Williams' decision not to pit for intermediate tyres before Mercedes, Massa admits they got things wrong.

"It was a fantastic start but the second stop we made was the worst. We lost the opportunity then to be on the podium and also the rain showed we are not so competitive in the wet," he said.

"My pit stop was slow because we had to clear the rear wing. We waited to long to stop when the rain came."

[ptrthgr8]

I was really rooting for Williams to pull that off, but it quickly became another Mercedes 1-2 yawner. It's getting old. Really f**king old. Hard to care about F1 anymore when the only real question is which Merc will finish 1st. I need to start watching other motorsports until F1 gets competitive again.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

[MIKA27]

British Grand Prix: Bottas 'would have been able to pull a gap'

Valtteri Bottas believes he could have pulled away in the lead of the British Grand Prix had he been allowed to attack Williams Formula 1 team-mate Felipe Massa earlier on.

Both Williams made stunning getaways with Massa taking the lead from third on the grid and Bottas briefly rising to second before being repassed by Lewis Hamilton, only to take the Mercedes again at the safety car restart.

Bottas looked to be the quicker of the two Williams drivers as he chased Massa but was initially told to hold station before being given the all-clear to race.

When asked by AUTOSPORT if he felt he could have eased clear had he got past Massa, Bottas said: "I feel I would have been able to have pulled a gap.

"I'm guessing half a second per lap because on the in-lap I was nearly one second quicker.

"No-one should let anyone by. That's not racing, but it would have been nice to have been able to race when I had the best opportunities, but I wasn't allowed to overtake.

"Then we were allowed to race after, but I never had that kind of opportunity again.

"Because we were in very good positions the team wanted to settle things down, not for us to lose time battling, so that was the thinking behind it.

"Of course for me it was a disappointing situation, but that's very easy to say afterwards.

"Possibly there were things we could have done better in the race."

Massa said he understood Williams' decision to initially hold station before making the call to race and said it had no effect on the outcome of the race.

"I understand the team sometimes gets a little bit afraid," he said. "We know the result is the most important thing.

"It was difficult for Valtteri to pass me, it was difficult for Mercedes to pass him as well.

"Nothing changed. Everything we did today didn't cost any position."

Explaining the reasoning behind Williams' strategy, performance chief Rob Smedley said: "The absolute key point was that we didn't want to get held up fighting each other too hard.

"That was the message that we gave because if we were fighting each other too hard then we weren't pulling away from the Mercedes.

"Once it became clear that everything had calmed down a little bit then they were free to race as long as it was a clean pass and they weren't going to be backing each other up into the Mercedes, that was fine.

"We gave that message maybe two laps later and they carried on like that until the stop."

[MIKA27]

British GP spin cost Daniil Kvyat chance to fight for F1 podium

Christian Horner believes his Red Bull Formula 1 team could have challenged for a podium in the British Grand Prix had Daniil Kvyat not spun when it started to rain.

Red Bull brought an updated package to this weekend's race and looked more comfortable on the sweeping turns of Silverstone with Kvyat qualifying seventh and Daniel Ricciardo 10th.

Kvyat went on to finish sixth in the race, 37 seconds behind third-placed Vettel, with Ricciardo retiring with an electrical failure of the ERS and turbo.

Horner said Kvyat was driving well before a spin on his in-lap, and he felt the Russian deserved better than sixth.

"For the first time since Monaco, it felt we were in the race," Horner told reporters at Silverstone.

"We were racing the Ferraris and Kvyat made a good move on Seb [Vettel] into Luffield and then focused on a one-stop strategy.

"Daniil had a spin on his in-lap where he lost 10 to 12 seconds and then there was the deteriorating circuit.

"Without that, we would have been pushing Sebastian for a podium."

Vettel, who was in the pits when Kvyat spun, said he was confused to see the Red Bull hadn't made up much time on him while he was in the pitlane.

"I was surprised because I had Kvyat behind me when I boxed, and when I came out I could still see him just ahead," said Vettel.

"So I didn't know what happened to him in between, but I guess the track was tough."

It was Red Bull's best result since Kvyat scored a career-best fourth place in Monaco with Horner pleased to see the team making progress.

"Overall, it's been a positive weekend and the car has made a forward step," he said.

"We take heart from this weekend as it's been encouraging.

"Throughout practice and the grand prix we have looked certainly been lot more competitive and Hungary represents a better opportunity for us.

"The layout of the circuit was always going to play for our strengths.

"But something that reassures us is when you get a bit of variable conditions, we saw Kvyat was the quickest on the track in last few laps there, when the rain came on the slicks.

"It's great to see flashes of real potential there. Ultimately it could have been better today but it could have been a lot worse."

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No action over first lap crash in F1's British Grand Prix

Formula 1 stewards have opted not to take further action regarding the multi-car incident at the start of the British Grand Prix described by Fernando Alonso as "a big mess".

Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull made contact with Romain Grosjean's Lotus when the Australian dived down the inside of the Frenchman at Village on the opening lap.

That pushed Grosjean into team-mate Pastor Maldonado, sending the Venezuelan briefly airborne and forcing both drivers into retirement.

Alonso spun his McLaren-Honda on the exit of the corner in avoidance of the two Lotus drivers, and collected the left-rear of team-mate Jenson Button, ending the Briton's race immediately.

A statement from the stewards read: "After hearing from all the drivers involved in the Turn 3 incident at the start of the race, it was decided that no driver was wholly or predominately to blame."

Alonso went on to score his first point for McLaren-Honda in 10th but was unhappy after the race, labelling the incident "unbelievable".

"They [the Lotus team-mates] touched each other, and then to avoid them I had half a spin, until I touched Jenson and he retired," he explained.

"So one McLaren out, both Lotuses out. There definitely was no common sense at that corner."

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said the collision did not require any action.

"It was a racing incident," he said. "When racing in the midfield like that it gets pretty cosy through the first few turns."

Ricciardo ultimately retired with an engine problem but Grosjean said the Red Bull man had been "a bit optimistic" at the start.

He added: "[He] locked up and went straight. There was a Sauber outside me and Daniel so I couldn't turn in.

"[He] touched me, I then touched the Sauber which meant my front wing and front tyres were gone and that's why my car flicked to the left and Pastor was there.

"That was it. Turn 3 is always a bit of a tricky one and when you're between 10th and 15th there's always more risk."