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

Comment 5 - 24 of 64

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  1. "thought it was against the rules to let your team­ mate pass you for a higher position=more points,­ thought they changed this team "orders" a few­ years back or am i wrong?"

    Hard to prove as they­ put on tires on Kimi's car that would fall off­ sooner. As long as there is no radio chatter or the­ driver does not wave them past then no penalty will be­ done.

    The rule is in place largely because of Ferrari­ making it obvious a few years back but team orders have­ been around in F1 since the 50's. The #2 drivers­ used to give up their cars (switch cars) in the race so­ the #1 driver could finish better.

    From cylonred, on Mon 20 Oct 1:06AM
  2. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Oh dear Lewis! So it wasn't you driving the car, it­ was God? Surely there must be a clause somewhere in­ FIA's rulebook to exclude divine intervention in­ all but Ferrari's cause. And your mechanics and­ engineers et al weren't working every hour of every­ day to get you where you are now, it was God losing his­ sleep and family life to put you there! Not even your­ age and, now obvious, immaturity can't excuse you­ that sort of statement: you owe a big apology to all­ your team. Not only that but you've just tempted­ fate more than any other driver in the history of F1. ­ Will it be God who screws you over royally in Brazil or­ will it be the red devils. You've totally lost my­ support for not growing up. But of course, the loss of­ mere mortal support doesn't bother you, you have a­ direct line to the "Big Yin". You certainly­ know how to blow things at the last minute.

    From colourblindfan, on Mon 20 Oct 12:43AM
  3. well here's a surpise! Ferrari swapped postions in­ lap 50. I suppose the team orders rule dosen't­ apply to them. Noone seems even to have commented we­ are so used to them cheating.
    snowflake

    From PatriciaC, on Mon 20 Oct 12:40AM
  4. damn i knew that as well ha ha

    From martyn, on Mon 20 Oct 12:27AM
  5. thought it was against the rules to let your team mate­ pass you for a higher position=more points, thought­ they changed this team "orders" a few years­ back or am i wrong?

    From martyn, on Mon 20 Oct 12:09AM
  6. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    "God on our side, as always" - Lewis, this­ is a car race, not the Crusades. Grow up.

    From MarkH, on Sun 19 Oct 11:15PM
  7. That's because McLaren only have 1 driver capable­ of winning the championship Ferrari have two. So it is­ inevitable McLaren won't be in that position. All­ i'm saying is that McLaren have don it in the past­ and will most likely do it again even if it means­ comprimising the other driver's championship­ chances. They did it to Coult@#$% more than one­ occasion.

    From supernova891, on Sun 19 Oct 10:52PM
  8. Vigilara - I have to agree. Hopefully with the BBC­ getting the rights, and that plank Allen not involved­ any more, we may get some better TV. It's not that­ they all seem to want Hamiltons babies, but that they­ tend to ignore all the other drivers.
    I am a fan of­ Lewis but it is sick inducing the way the commentators­ go on.
    Roll on Brasil.

    From Say no to FIA, on Sun 19 Oct 10:44PM
  9. Supernova: Well my point is that McLaren don't have­ to do it! With very few exceptions this year, Hamilton­ has been way in front of his teammate......rather like­ last year :-)

    From R, on Sun 19 Oct 10:30PM
  10. R:The fact is that McLaren aren't in the same­ position as Ferrari and also that McLaren have done the­ exact same thing in the past and would most likely do­ the same thing if they were faced with Kovalainen in­ front Hamilton.

    From supernova891, on Sun 19 Oct 9:05PM
  11. did'nt you see, alonso did as he promised, he did­ help massa. if you see the peplay of the start, you­ would see that heikki was about to get a perfect­ slipstream on massa before alonso immediately­ intervened.

    From pat_cp03, on Sun 19 Oct 8:20PM
  12. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Looking forward to less biased F1 TV shows next season.­ Perhaps the commentators will give more credit to the­ supremacy of the car/team - as well as the driver.­ After all - it is a fact that there are other drivers­ who would perform as well if they had the best car to­ drive. Please.........give us a rest from the TV­ 'Hamilton' shows!!!

    From Vigilara, on Sun 19 Oct 8:00PM
  13. Racingshed: Well fact is that McLaren didn't do the­ same as Ferrari. It's stupid to justify­ Ferrari's move by saying "Well, every other­ team would have done the same". If Massa had been­ fast enough he wouldn't have had to ask Kimi to­ blatantly let him past. Oh I forgot, Massa informs us­ that LH had an easy job because he had a better car.­ LMAO. Bwwaaahhhhh!

    From R, on Sun 19 Oct 7:50PM
  14. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Thanks also to Alonso. Did he promise to help Massa? He­ will protect the back.

    From sylgasana, on Sun 19 Oct 6:51PM
  15. no one remembers 4th place.... what a @#$% alonso is

    From donbandit11, on Sun 19 Oct 6:51PM
  16. well done lewis.

    From the3.lions, on Sun 19 Oct 6:51PM
  17. A deserved victory for LH with a faster car, a good­ race for Alonso which shows promises of more­ challengers for next year and a good comeback from­ Kubica but not enough to compete with the leaders. But­ as a neutral point of view, this was a boring race­ which won't be an advertising platform for the­ future of F1.
    Lots of people complain about footballers­ wages but at the end of the day, they are way higher­ with other costs in F1 for less spectacles and­ revenues.
    They have to find a way to make it tighter­ between the teams and manufacturers if they want to up­ the game.

    From hempy, on Sun 19 Oct 6:49PM
  18. johnkendall988, you believe McLaren wouldnt have done­ the same thing in the same position? This is what teams­ have to do to secure both championships! And as for the­ rest of you comments, massa cant say Kimmi slowed down­ to let me pastcan he, you should all know that by now,­ as long as the order does come from the team its fine,­ just as massa helped Kimmi win it last year, its­ payback

    From racingshed, on Sun 19 Oct 6:48PM
  19. it was the best time for me in the race when i caught­ him(raikkonen)and passed him,,it felt the same way like­ last year in Brazil when he caught and passed me to win­ the championship.This time though,i feel it wont work­ cos i am a very bad driver.GO LEWIS

    From sdante7, on Sun 19 Oct 6:39PM
  20. Once again Ferrari flaunt the rule book and get away­ with it, what a joke.

    From johnkendall988, on Sun 19 Oct 6:35PM
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