Chinese GP: What the drivers said

Eurosport - Sun, 19 Oct 14:29:00 2008

All the reaction from the Chinese Grand Prix - including Lewis Hamilton's claims of divine help after moving to the brink of the World Championship.

2008 Chinese GP McLaren Hamilton - 0

Lewis Hamilton (1st, McLaren): "All weekend we've had God on our side, as always, and the team have done a phenomenal job. The car has taken a big step forward, it has felt fantastic all weekend and I owe so much to the guys. It was quite straightforward actually. I managed to do everything right on the formation lap. I got a great start, probably one of the best we have had. I got to turn one first, took the first few corners easy and then started to create a gap.

"Fortunately we were very consistent, every lap was faster. I was able to create a gap and from there it was pretty smooth sailing. After my second pit-stop we were pretty much cruising, looking after the tyres and looking after the engine. I knew I had a bigger gap behind me. If you are at the front and have that gap, it is about keeping calm. It was inevitable that Kimi would let Felipe by.

"This is another step towards the championship and my dream and my team's dream. The team deserve it: we have worked very, very hard through the season. Going to Brazil it will be a different situation to last year and we know we have to do a good job. It will be tough. These two will be pushing us hard. I am sure as a team we can pull through."

Felipe Massa (2nd, Ferrari): "I didn't have a good start, I had a little bit of wheelspin, even though there was not high grip on our side [of the grid]. Then we just stayed in the same position. We tried to push, Kimi was trying to get closer to Lewis, but unfortunately Lewis had a better car for the whole weekend.

"It was the best time for me in the race when I caught him [Raikkonen] and passed him; but it was not enough because we are fighting with McLaren. We managed second and third: for the drivers' championship it was not so fantastic but for the constructors' it was very good."

Kimi Raikkonen (3rd, Ferrari): "We know what we want as a team and that is what we did. It is normal in this situation [to let my team-mate through]. That is racing. I have nothing to lose or win - I am driving for the team. I had a very good car with no major issues - it was handling quite nicely, but unfortunately it was not fast enough. At the start Lewis pulled away. I started to do the same lap-times [and] in the second stop I was catching a bit; then I got traffic and that cost me a lot of time."

Fernando Alonso (4th, Renault): "It went well, and we nearly had the same pace as the Ferraris during most of the race. I'm pleasantly surprised. During the first laps I was a little faster than them [the Ferraris], but I couldn't get close. Then they started to go quicker and opened a gap, but my battle was not with them today. We lowered revs after Heikki's puncture and then when we saw Kimi slipping behind we tried a final effort. But I'm very, very happy with fourth place, as it confirms the good results of the last races. I am nearly left with the same taste as in the last two races [which I won]."

Nick Heidfeld (5th, BMW Sauber): "I'm quite happy with today's race. At the start I gained positions and at corner two I overtook Sebastian Vettel on the outside. He touched the rear of my car, but he has already told me it wasn't on purpose and, anyway, nothing happened. So after a few corners I was sixth again. Later in the race I reduced the engine revs to save it for Brazil. It is a fact that we now do not have any hopes of claiming the constructors' title, and nor can Robert win the drivers' championship. But we shouldn't be too disappointed, the team has had a fantastic third season, and Robert especially had a very good year."

Robert Kubica (6th, BMW Sauber): "After a very difficult qualifying I'm pleased with sixth. I made up a position at the start and then another two when Jarno Trulli and Sebastien Bourdais touched at the first corner. The balance of the car was still not good in the first two stints, and it only changed in the final stint after we changed to the softer compound. There is now one race left, and I shall try hard to defend my third place in the drivers' championship."

Timo Glock (7th , Toyota): "That was the most that we could have got out of today so we should be satisfied. We struggled a bit to warm up the tyres at the beginning but from then on the car felt good and we had very good pace. At the end of the first stint I had a light car but I couldn't make the most of it because I was stuck behind Nick Heidfeld when he came out of his first stop. So we lost some time there and maybe lost a place to Robert Kubica but we were quick again at the end. The strategy worked well."

Nelson Piquet Jr (8th, Renault): "It was a difficult race but I am happy with my performance. Of course I would have liked to have made more progress through the field, but the end result is satisfying and I have scored an important point, which has helped the team finally confirm its fourth place in the constructors' championship."

Sebastian Vettel (9th, Toro Rosso): "I had a reasonably good start, but then I was surprised by Nick going down the outside and he passed a few cars. After that I had to defend my position against Robert on the opening lap then I had quite a clean first stint. But in the first pit-stop we had a problem with the front left wheel, which wouldn't come off. I think that cost me a position in the points."

David Coulthard (10th, Red Bull): "I had a reasonable start and thereafter was trying to manage tyre degeneration on the option and the prime. I tried to keep out of racing too much with the two stoppers so I wouldn't lose time, but ultimately I don't think there was much more I could have done from our grid position than 10th."

Rubens Barrichello (11th, Honda): "It was a better race today than some of our recent races, but it is disappointing not to have been able to get into the points. I had a great start and first lap where I overtook three cars to move up to 10th and went flat out for the whole race to try and make up some ground on the people ahead. However our finishing position of 11th is reflective of what the car is capable of and we have to be pleased with making the best of the package that we have available while still being disappointed not to score any points."

Kazuki Nakajima (12th, Williams): "I think it was a good race for me considering where I started. Initially it was very hard work managing the car on a heavy fuel load. I lost position off the line, but during the first stint I managed to develop a good race pace. The other significant part of the race for me was the last period when I had to work hard to keep quite a few cars behind me and defend my position, and I was pleased that I succeeded in this."

Sebastien Bourdais (13th, Toro Rosso): "I'm not sure what happened with Trulli at the first corner: I guess he didn't see me. I was halfway alongside him and he turned in. I was right under Sebastian's rear wing and of course we are all very close in the first corner. We touched, he spun and I went really wide, dropped to the back and that was my race spoilt. It was a shame because after that, every time I was in clean air I had a good pace and passed around half a dozen cars."

Mark Webber (14th, Red Bull): "It was going reasonably well until I got up to Nakajima, but it's so difficult to follow cars through the quick sections here. I tried my best, the strategy was always going to be difficult with a 10-place penalty, but the guys from Red Bull did a good job. It's a shame for Renault, as that was the first engine failure for us."

Nico Rosberg (15th, Williams): "My race was not good today, but it wasn't for lack of trying. We ran a different strategy to Kazuki just to see if we could generate some advantage, but it didn't pay off and it wasn't a lot of fun driving at the back. It didn't really represent our capability as our pace was okay and we were the 10th-fastest car. I made a few passes but it was quite difficult to overtake as our top gear was too short. From here we can look forward to Brazil which should be a bit better for us, and then after this season working with the team on a positive winter in order to move us forward for next year."

Jenson Button (16th, Honda): "The race today was more exciting than the last couple of races have been at least and I had some fun overtaking Sutil and Nakajima into the hairpin at the start. From then I really struggled with the car, and from being stuck behind Coulthard for much of the race. After my final pit-stop I had a clear stint on the option tyre and the car balance felt reasonable, but I had very poor traction and corner apex understeer. So overall a frustrating race as I wasn't able to find out my true pace on the prime tyre in clean air."

Giancarlo Fisichella (17th, Force India): "We knew our pace was not really good enough so we just tried to find a different solution to gain places. We went for a one-stop strategy but I was really struggling with the grip to start with. In the last 10 laps before the end of the race I was able to do reasonable lap times, but it was a fairly lonely race for me at that point."

Heikki Kovalainen (retired, McLaren): "I made a good start, got past Fernando and almost got alongside Felipe. Fernando managed to re-pass me before turn 14 and I settled down in fifth. I had a lot of understeer during my first stint and tried to improve things during the first stop by raising the front wing angle. Later, I was still running in the points when I had a puncture early on in the lap - it cost me a lot of time driving slowly back to the pits and I knew it would be an uphill struggle for the rest of the race. In the closing stages, I had a problem with the pneumatic system so the team called me in as a precautionary measure. We still have a chance to win the constructors' championship in Brazil, so I'll definitely be going for it in Sao Paulo."

Jarno Trulli (retired, Toyota): "Away from the line I was side-by-side with Sebastian Vettel but I had to give up on him because he had the inside line. Then Sebastien Bourdais suddenly hit the right side of my car at the rear and damaged it. It is frustrating because he did this once before this year at Spa, where he also ruined my race at the first corner. Today I couldn't carry on which is a pity because we had a very good chance of more points."

Adrian Sutil (retired, Force India): "Very early on in the race my car developed a problem. I couldn't select gears any more and had to pull off just before the main straight and park the car. Until that point I was quite happy in the car, even though the traction and grip was very low so it's disappointing not to finish yet again."

Eurosport

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  1. I have been trying very hard to figure out where all­ the dislike for LH comes from. No one disliked Schumi­ or Alonso when they won titles ahead of the established­ stars. All I personally see in him is the confidence­ and aggression of most F1 champions. Is LH being judged­ differently because of his colour?

    From Ebere, on Tue 21 Oct 8:06AM
  2. I reckon Lewis came out with the 'God is on our­ side' comment to try and impress the parole board­ at his next FIA trial. Should he actually break FIA­ law and win the driver's championship in Brazil,­ he's going to need all the help he can get. ­ Finding God has always come in handy when trying to­ escape a punishment!

    From boxster, on Mon 20 Oct 4:08PM
  3. Lewis did NOT THANK God for his success - this is a­ critical distinction! If he HAD done that I would­ likely have had a momentary twinge, probably got over­ it as he is still young, may just want to wear his­ beliefs on his sleeve, and may not believe as I do that­ those beliefs are a private matter. What he did was­ point out that "All weekend we've had God on­ our side, as always (!). . ." That is NOT­ THANKING God for his success, that is purely pointing­ out that he (Lewis) believes that he (and his team) is­ /are the righteous one(s), the chosen one(s), who the­ infallible and omniscient Lord God Almightly believes­ deserving of His Fantasy F1 picks. To me, those are­ the words of a supremely arrogant person erroneously­ TRYING to appear humble. It's not in his nature­ and he f*cked it up royally when he tried to do it,­ exposing his arrogance even more clearly. Does he need­ that arrogance to be the excellent & outstanding­ driver that he is? Maybe, he does, but I don't­ need to like it.

    From MarkH, on Mon 20 Oct 3:37PM
  4. The FIA court have just announced that the Mclaren­ driver, L.Hamilton has been given a 25 second, post­ race penalty ( taking him to 4th place in China )AND a­ 10 place grid penalty at the next race for taking the­ Lords name in vain. This was investigated following­ complaints from a leading Roman Church.

    From chtech06, on Mon 20 Oct 3:03PM
  5. You can stop your analytical bull@#$% i am not full of­ anything unlike you.His destiny is to be WDC he is the­ best driver on the Track and has to fight against­ greater odds than any other driver has in the past. As­ a proud black man who has achieved a measure of succes­ in My chosen Field. I WILL BE AS PROUD AS HIS OWN­ FAMILY WHEN HE ACHIVES THAT DESTINY..JUST LEAVE THE GOD­ BIT OUT......GO ON MY SON BRING THE CHAMPIONSHIP HOME.

    From Cliffe, on Mon 20 Oct 2:52PM
  6. ANYONE WHO SLAGS LEWIS HAMILTON OFF IS A @#$% SIMPLE AS­ THAT BEST DRIVER IVE SEEN ALL HE WANTS TO DO IS RACE­ AND WIN UNLIKE THE OTHERS WHO HAVENT A CLUE.

    From jon c, on Mon 20 Oct 2:50PM
  7. ClispyDuck.!!!.You are one stupid Gold Bricking­ @#$%..How many times have i said I am a Lewis supporter­ I am don't have a problem with him Winning I WANT­ HIM TO PHUCKING WIN YOU MORONIC SON OF A B!TCH WHICH­ PHUCKING PLANET ARE YOU ONE.
    Now you are turning on­ Lewis supporters if any one of us is a Jaun kerr that­ distinction should go to you. You have never ever seen­ me post anything negative about Lewis in all the time I­ have been posting one these forums. I leave all that­ negative and racist @#$% to beegee23 and his Ilke..We­ are not talking about other Famous people we are­ talking about Lewis.
    I SUPPORT HIM FULLY WITH­ EVERYTHING HE DOES I JUST THINK ,HE SHOULD KEEP RELGION­ OUT OF IT.A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE SACRIFICE A LOT TO GET­ HIM TO THE BRINK OF F1 IMMORTALITY . i just think it­ ill advised to be making such sweeping statements.You­ should do me the honour of reading all my post and not­ cherry pick the ones that give you a platform to be a­ TW4T.

    From Cliffe, on Mon 20 Oct 2:45PM
  8. As usual i have come on to the forum yet again to read­ a torrent of abuse hurled at one person!!!! Why do you­ all hate LEWIS so much??? I have enjoyed watching him­ race over the last 2 seasons, i am not disputing the­ fact he has made mistakes but he has been punished for­ them even wrongly punished in races, but he has taken­ his punishments and gone on to drive some fine races­ afterwards. I believe he has brought excitement back­ into F1 and i for one always look forward to he next­ race. He is a great driver with a lot more to come.­ Give the boy some credit!!!!! I am proud to watch him­ race. Also if he wants to say god is on his side well­ leave him be, After all we are ALL entitled to our own­ opinions, just like you have YOUR OPINIONS of HIM on­ here.
    GO LEWIS!!!!!!!!!!

    From vicci t, on Mon 20 Oct 2:40PM
  9. Exchange photo album and spend the lonely nights­ ______Wealthy Finder C om_______ for people tired of­ lonely life

    From sexymodel2008d, on Mon 20 Oct 2:31PM
  10. Cliffe P: You are full of rage and obviously obsessed­ with Hamilton. Think it is you that should seek God and­ you are in obvious need of some guidance.
    What's­ wrong? Can you not find anything other than Lewis­ thanking god to moan your sad little gob off at? LOADS­ of famous people thank God and they don't get­ moaned about. Your problem is with Lewis Hamilton­ WINNING. Perhaps you should leave the negative comments­ about his coice of religion out and stick to racing­ matter you sad little vvanker!

    From crispyduck, on Mon 20 Oct 2:15PM
  11. But Keemmee. Am I allowed to overtake, I can't­ remember how to do it. Are you sure the FIA allow­ overtaking anymore.That nasty Lewis, he get told off­ for doing it and I got his points.Ok, but can you slow­ down a bit more.

    From chtech06, on Mon 20 Oct 2:01PM
  12. Raikonnen did not slow down to let Massa past.
    He­ parked up and ordered a burger from a drive through.­

    Watch Kimi´s face at the after-race conference; he­ did not like what happened any more than the majority­ of true sports fans.

    My understanding is that allowing­ a team-mate to pass on orders is forbidden or is that­ only for cars that are not red!

    From George, on Mon 20 Oct 12:48PM
  13. danluckylarry

    I don't really a flying Phuck if you­ think I'm an Idiot. I am a Fervent Hamilton­ Supporter and if you read all of my post you'd know­ that. But I really really hate to see people in the­ public eye chucking reigion down our throats this an F1­ Racetrack not some bloody Methodist Church. I am 100%­ not religious as far as I am concerned when one man is­ deluded its call madness, when many people are deluded­ its called Religion.having Said that I RESPECT THE­ RIGHTS OF EVERY HUMAN BEING TO BELEIVE IN WHAT THEY­ WANT TO.Just don't go singing it from the rafters­ bigging it up to other people who don't­ care..Being Religious doesn't make anyone person­ better than the other becuase in essene its a state of­ mind... If he wasn't and F1 Driver who would give a­ rats- a-arse who he worshipped.If he wants to thank God­ then find the nearest church and quietly do your­ personal thing,like he does with all the other personal­ thing in his life.

    I asked the question which you­ religious types haven't answered, If he praises God­ for the Good Stuff who does he blame when the @#$%­ hits the Fan??On the other side of the coin Max max has­ been having it away with hookers for years nobody knew­ and nobody cared but as soon as he was caught bang to­ rights there was hell to pay. As far as i am concerned­ its the otherside of the same coin.

    From Cliffe, on Mon 20 Oct 12:38PM
  14. I think that Lizzie person should stop watching GPs.­ They are RACING DRIVERS not Grannies. Tart.

    From yaw, on Mon 20 Oct 12:25PM
  15. Nicola D. I think that he's been having a few­ lessons. He was actually much clearer at the press­ conference with a few smiles. The nearest to a grin was­ whem Massa said " I catch Keemee ". I thought­ ( hoped ) Kimi was gonna say " I waited for you,­ you TW4T ".

    From chtech06, on Mon 20 Oct 11:38AM
  16. Chinese GP: What the drivers said:
    Kimi­ Raikkonen:
    mumblemumblemumblemumble insecondplace­ mumblemumblemumble messagefromteam­ mumblemumblemumblemumble hadtoletfelipepass­ mumblemumblemumblemumble finishedthirdnothappy­ mumblemumblemumblemumblemumble

    Sorry to poke fun at­ you Kimi, but you do mumble a bit.

    From Alien, on Mon 20 Oct 11:26AM
  17. Danluckylarry: totally agree, add Patrick Head,­ Technical Director, Williams F1 racing to that list as­ he classes Hamilton as an "Exceptional­ driver"

    From Tonka, on Mon 20 Oct 9:59AM
  18. dwatech, I don't believe you when you say­ you've been cheering him on since last season­ otherwise you wouldn't be so pissed off that he­ attributes his success to God. like you've rightly­ pointed out a lot of athletes do it, I don't know­ how much you know about religion or belief in the­ supernatural, but he felt moved to say that God was on­ their side and that's that. As per him not­ admiting to running into the back of Kimi, I saw that­ race, he apologised to Kimi immediately, HE ALSO GOT­ PUNISHED FOR IT!!!! Why does everyone forget­ that!!!

    And I'd like to echo some other posts by­ saying that why are idiots like cliffe p and co picking­ on this particular statement he paid and always pays­ tribute to his team, he's never run over his pit­ men either, why why why can't people stop being so­ jealous!!!!

    As for LIZZIE, how can you spew so much­ hatred at someone you don't even know. Did you­ hear what Ros Brawn said about Hamilton after that wet­ race where he beat the Ferraris by over a minute? No­ you didn't. Did you hear Rob Smedley (Massa's­ chief Engineer) praising Hamilton's yesterday?­ Probably not. You are too obsessed with Sebastian­ Vettel, who is also a good driver but to compare him to­ Hamilton is just silly.

    From danluckylarry, on Mon 20 Oct 9:42AM
  19. Been reading many of the comments and most of them seem­ to be written by idiots!
    Claiming Lewis is arrogant­ because he talks of thanking God! Some people thank God­ everyday and believe he is with them all the time NO­ MATTER WHAT THEY ARE DOING, are they arrogant? No , it­ is is what they believe in and everybody has that­ right.
    No matter who was along side Lewis he still­ whooped Ferrari's @#$%!!!!

    From cartman, on Mon 20 Oct 8:41AM
  20. I am happy that at least Lewis Hamilton thanks God. I­ wish more drivers would find a way to acknowledge the­ power of Jesus in everything we do

    From sylgasana, on Mon 20 Oct 8:32AM
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