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. That is why you should mind your own business instead of making a busybody out of something beyon your grasp. Can't you reason above your faithless horizon?

    From Penno, on Mon 20 Oct 7:40AM
  2. If God was on his side he would have cleared away the RED-MIST IN Lewis's eyes last week in Japan and he would have finished second or 3rd even though he made a right b0ll0cks of his start.that means his win this week would see the crown firmly on his head and rightly so.
    Those words are gonna come back to haunt you if the Devil puts a gremlin in your engine, or cause one of his dark angels to run you off the road, or the FIA to screw you royally like they've done all year.Before the Godly amongst you start praying for a bolt of lightning to Fry My A-rse, i'll say that its is part of your human rights to worship who ever and what ever you wish when you wish. Since we rightly don't know your political affliation,your sexual orientation & your Finanacial Situation we sure as hell (oops) are not interested in you religious beliefs either.

    From Cliffe, on Mon 20 Oct 7:36AM
  3. The fact that many of you do not believe in God does not make LH a devil. Get on with your faithless life and leave him alone. God was on his side and I even prayed for him - both for victory and for his safety.

    From Penno, on Mon 20 Oct 7:31AM
  4. COLOURBLINDFAN

    Sadly I must agree with you wholeheartedly. I can excuse him for most things he said but this is beyond the pale.If he doesn't watch his A-rse I can just see a time when something goes wrong with his car and his engineer says "We can't fix it lewis but you ask the BIG MAN to sort the @#$% out for you" I think the boy is immensly talented but for phuck sake boy , bask in your glory and leave the phucking Diateyout of it!!!! Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

    From Cliffe, on Mon 20 Oct 7:17AM
  5. Lemme just say I've followed Lewis's career since his very early days in karting till now he has always demonstarted exceptional skills and determination and he has well rewarded Big Mac for their faith in him and the money they spent...
    But I gotta take exception to this "God was on my side "@#$%.If he was on your side this weekend then where the Phuck was he what you phucked it up big time.Obviously it was the devil what done gov'ner.I get so p!ssed off when i am watching sport and athletes are point to the sky everytime they do something good but say nothing when the Phuck it up. Please please Lewis you already taking enough Flak without having religious nutter added to the list. Your faith is a private matter for you and you alone.
    Some of your supporters are not religious and you'll alienate the CCrap out of em if you keep up this god was on my side @#$%.LEAVE IT LEWIS!!!

    From Cliffe, on Mon 20 Oct 7:09AM
  6. I see only one or two of the Ferrari supporting retards are missing the rest are present & spouting their usual garbage: If there is a god, then I will have a thing or two to say to him if I ever get to meet him.

    From Tonka, on Mon 20 Oct 6:11AM
  7. danduckylarry - I read the full "God" comment, and it doesn't matter to me if he said God is on his side or the team's side, it is ridiculous and offensive either way. I started last season a Hamilton fan, and though his driving is superb I have slowly veered away from cheering him on him all year. His failing to take full responsibility for running into the back of Kimi sticks in my mind, but there were other reasons / comments / lack of comments too. This "god is on our side, as always" comment could have come from a US sprinter at the Olympics, after winning gold, except even they are GIVING CREDIT to JC, or the Lord, or God - you pick. Lewis just pointed out that God is always on his/their side. Absurd, ridiculous, offensive. I'll certainly admire his driving skills, they are sublime but perhaps I'll just skip the after race comments and enjoy the driving spectacle. Ah well, it's not like he's running for office, is it?

    From MarkH, on Mon 20 Oct 2:05AM
  8. im not a hamilton fan, but he did win fair and square on this occassion, ferrari just didnt have the pace 2day. as for team orders, lets all face it, they may not be able to have them, but if lewis needed the extra points im sure heiki would have moved over and let him pass if it was the other way around.

    From clairecrasweller, on Sun 19 Oct 11:20PM
  9. K.R.slowed to let F.M.pass as orchestrated in the pit and the announcer playing to the
    conspiracy "Oh what a BRILLANT pass". F.I.A regulation prohibits such actions but don't complain toFIArari about FIArari,they are entertaining their KINDERgarden fans.

    From DavidG, on Sun 19 Oct 11:07PM
  10. SO GOD IS ON LEWIS'S SIDE! DOES GOD KNOW? OR IS LEWIS BEING ARROGANT YET AGAIN.DOES HE KNOW HOW TO BE ANYTHING ELSE.?HOPFULLY HE WILL NOT WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP....ONE THING'S FOR SURE IN THE SPORTSMANSHIP CHAMPIONSHIP LEWIS COMES BOTTOM....BELOW BOTTOM IN FACT...HE WOULD DO WELL TO COPY THE DRIVER OUT THERE WHO IS SO MUCH MORE TALENTED THAN HIM AND WHO COULD CERTAINLY TEACH HIM HOW TO BE A SPORTING GENTLEMAN..THAT DRIVER IS SEB VETTEL...AND LEWIS WILL HAVE TO LOOK OUT ...NEXT SEASON SEB WILL SHOW HIM WHAT TRUE TALENT IS.

    From LIZZIE, on Sun 19 Oct 11:06PM
  11. Well lets see what the judges say about team order.

    From pHilo, on Sun 19 Oct 10:06PM
  12. As far as I am concerned Hamilton has won the championship whatever happens in the final race - just as Damon Hill did before Michael Schumacher 'accidently' steered his stricken ferrari into him. They have changed the rules for Ferrari just like a petulent child does to make sure they win. No doubt Alonso ganged up on the good kid when he played games as a child too - time to grow up Alonso.

    From harwood67@..., on Sun 19 Oct 9:17PM
  13. Colourblind fan. How sad that you have to use deflection techniques to dig up something pathetic to throw at Hamilton. Even the red barons concede he drove a blinder all over the weekend and was unbeatable today. You are deflecting from the obvious facts, he was the best man on the day and the best man won. God was with them all, Hamilton just chose to comment on it. It wasn't a slight on his team, it's this type of deliberate misinterpretation that spoils informed debate.

    From Steve B, on Sun 19 Oct 8:57PM
  14. colourblindfan, you are the one who doesn't have objectivity or literacy as your strongest point, the way you are harping on about the fact that Hamilton mentioned God or attributed his overall victory to God Almighty makes me think you are a Satanist and for that I rebuke you in Jesus name!! Amen.

    From danluckylarry, on Sun 19 Oct 8:23PM
  15. colourblindfan and dwatech, you're both deaf and as for colourblind, stop deceiving yourself by saying you are colourblind, you're simply blind or you can't read. Read Hamilton's full comment AGAIN!

    From danluckylarry, on Sun 19 Oct 8:19PM
  16. Kaka.... you are a little vulgar man from italy
    Don't bother us and stay with your gazzetta dello sport.

    From fdenis22, on Sun 19 Oct 7:51PM
  17. Martyn B: Maybe you should read more carefully, as neither literacy nor objectivity seems to be your strong point. Hamilton by mentioning God first gives more credit to divine intervention than to his team. If he seriously believed that his win had been a team effort he would have given priority to mentioning that and not to his insane and arrogant remark that God was with them "as always". His remark seems to highlight an arrogance born of his belief that God is taking his side, or a gross insensitivity to the amount of work his team has put in.

    From colourblindfan, on Sun 19 Oct 7:43PM
  18. Good day for F1 today, the right man won, the drug Barron's son got his arse whipped and the stewards kept out of it. Thank God, only one more race before we can watch the whole of next seasons races without the commercial breaks and best of all, for only one more race do we have to listen to that boring lardy arse Pratt, James (who ate all the pies) Allen......... Roll on Brazil.

    From wrenn, on Sun 19 Oct 7:09PM
  19. colourblindfan try reading what LH said again about god its at the top of this page he say's WE and THE GUYS no me this and god that or are you relly blind?

    From martyn, on Sun 19 Oct 6:53PM
  20. Vigilara: I hope you're watching more with your eyes on the intro of the F1 coverage by the ITV more than you're mouth! as you can see, ITV is a british television and in the intro they featured the british drivers LH, Button & Coulthard. Meaning they will focus more on the british drivers not on other nationality! Got the point? If you're a british television, why the hell you're focusing more on the italian or brazilian? Even if the coverage rights will be in BBC, still british! So if you can't take it, watch the other country's television coverage. If you want Kimi on focus, watch the Finland television! simple as that!

    From Leonil C, on Sun 19 Oct 6:36PM
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