Lotus's Romain Grosjean and Mercedes' Michael Schumacher on
their first-lap collision; Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne on opting to
take a gamble and switch to intermediate tyres; Felipe Massa on bouncing
back from his recent frustrations to claim his best finish of the season so
far; and Red Bull's Mark Webber on taking his second victory in Monte
Carlo and his first win of the season. All 24 drivers and senior team
personnel report back on Sunday in the Principality…
Red Bull Mark Webber (1st "An incredible day; this place gives
you such amazing memories. There were different parts of the race where I
had to be incredibly focused and make sure we really capitalised on the
positioning we had. A good friend of mine sent me a text message this
morning and said 'You're in charge, you're in front and
in charge' and we were, but you can get bitten here very quickly.
There were a few key stages around the stops that were interesting.
Sebastian had his tyres very hot and was quick at that point and I
couldn't get mine going, but once he pitted I reverted my attention
back to Nico and just looked after the rears until the end of the race.
Then the rain came, which around here is very, very tough. But we had
composure and experience and great team work on the pit wall. It's a
tough nut to crack this race, but we did it again. I had both hands on it
today and I wasn't going to let go."
Sebastian Vettel (4th "It would have been nice to have been on
the podium today. I think the speed was there, but in the end we had the
same strategy as the leaders, just the other way round. It was quite
difficult as we were on older tyres, but we had some good laps and we
gained roughly around eight seconds, so that was strong. After that I was
in traffic and it's difficult to pass in Monaco, as I showed last
year and Mark showed this year. We were hoping some of the leaders would be
forced to do two stops, but unfortunately Kimi made quite a big gap behind
me, so the leaders had clean air after their first stop. That helped them
and it made it more difficult for us, but we started ninth and considering
it's hard to pass here, then to gain five places was a good day.
It's definitely good for Mark to win here and also for the team to
get their third Monaco win in a row – it's impressive. "
Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal «It's a fantastic result
for the team to achieve a third consecutive victory in Monte Carlo. Mark
drove an immaculate race and after a very clean get away, he controlled the
race from the front. We weren't sure if it was going to be a one or
two-stop strategy heading into the race, but Mark did such a good job on
the soft tyre that he bought the option to make a one-stop really work and
delivered the pace when he needed to. Despite some heart stopping moments
in the last few laps, he controlled his pace fantastically well and never
looked under threat. With Sebastian, after a good start he was in a high
speed train in sixth place until all the soft runners pitted and then he
had his window of opportunity to put in some really competitive lap times
on the worn hard tyre and that, together with a fantastic pit stop today,
enabled him to jump both Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton. So first and
fourth is a great team result, it's great to achieve a result like
this, especially when all our partners are here in the Principality. All
the races carry the same amount of points, but some are that little bit
more special to win. "
Cyril Dumont, Renault track support to Red Bull "It's simply
fantastic. It's the third time in a row that Red Bull-Renault has won
the Monaco Grand Prix. I think Mark made a very solid race; he started from
pole position and managed to maintain it throughout the race. For Seb, it
was much more difficult – he started ninth and so it's a pretty good
result to move up to fourth, even if we do believe that we could have
finished even a bit further up. I think we could have even got a one and
two today, but the main thing is that we have increased our lead in the
Constructors' Championship and that's the main key to keep in
mind for today. It's a very special race and it's fantastic for
everybody."
Mercedes Nico Rosberg (2nd "It’s a fantastic feeling to be on the
podium at my home race in Monaco today in front of all my family and
friends. The team have done a really good job this weekend to get the car
working so well. Although we thought this track would suit our car, it’s
been better than we expected. I had a clean start but Mark drove a very
controlled race today. I could keep in touch with him but we all know how
difficult it is to overtake around the streets here and there just wasn’t a
way past. Still I’m more than happy with second place, and it’s great to
get another podium for the boys here, and everyone back at Brackley and
Brixworth. I can’t wait to get to Canada now and keep the momentum
going."
Michael Schumacher (DNF "What can I say? It was simply a pity to
end the race in this way. In any case, the fuel pressure problem had
nothing to do with the incident at the start. But it made it doubly
disappointing because I had secretly been hoping for a podium finish today.
I will take the boost from the high points of this weekend with me to
Canada. The track should suit us and I’m hoping to have a normal, clean
race."
Ross Brawn, Mercedes team principal "Nico ran a very good race
today and did all he needed to do. I think we made the right calls but
nothing opened up for us. It was a race that was about managing gaps and
finding the right windows in the traffic; the team did a great job on that.
Nico was the first of the front-runners to stop, but the harder tyre took a
lap or two to come in and it wasn’t enough to jump Mark. As for Michael, he
was hit on the run to the opening corner which cost him positions, but was
very quick when a fuel pressure problem started to slow him later in the
race. We tried to continue but it was costing him too much time, dropped
him out of the points and forced us to retire the car. It was very
disappointing because he put in a great performance this weekend and he was
still on course to score useful points. We need to make sure we eliminate
the problems for him, starting in Canada. "
Norbert Haug, vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport "It was a
strong race for Nico and our team, and we were in with a chance of winning
until the chequered flag, but Mark did not put a foot wrong all afternoon
ahead of Nico. Looking at the results today, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian
Vettel and Lewis Hamilton – who lead Nico in the championship – all
finished behind him, and this helped him close the gap at the top of the
standings to 17 points. That translates to an average of fewer than three
points a race separating Nico from the championship lead after six rounds
of the championship. It was a pity for Michael: he clearly demonstrated
this weekend that he has the speed to win races but his time will come
again, like yesterday when he posted the pole position time."
Ferrari Fernando Alonso (3rd "I'm very happy with the way
things have gone this weekend. We leave Monaco heading the Championship: if
I'd been offered that after the Mugello test at the beginning of the
month, I'd have signed for it there and then, but if I'd been
told that after Melbourne, I would never have believed it! In Australia we
started twelfth, then in the last two races we have jumped onto the podium
and we are first in the classification. This result has to be further
motivation to push even harder on the development of the F2012. We knew the
start would be crucial. I got away very well and I almost got alongside
Grosjean and Hamilton: the Frenchman and I touched and, for a moment, I was
scared the car was damaged. On this track overtaking is almost impossible
and being in someone's slipstream causes temperature problems, both
for the engine and the tyres. So, you cannot always be on the attack of
those ahead, trying instead to manage the situation and push flat out only
at the moments that count, such as the pit stops and that's what I
did. Could I have also got past Rosberg and Webber if I'd stayed out
on track a bit longer? Maybe, but at that moment it was the right choice to
make. I was definitely very quick with a clear track ahead of me. Towards
the end, I was a bit worried about Vettel who was on the Supersoft, but
luckily I could defend my position comfortably. Then I hoped the rain would
come, because I think that could have given me a chance of winning,
however, in the last five or six laps I thought it was over, partly because
at every corner there might have been a surprise lying in wait. In
Barcelona, a track with a lot of fast corners, we went well and this track
is a law unto itself, so let's see what the situation is in Canada,
but certainly we hope to be able to confirm at this track too the progress
we have seen at the last two Grands Prix. Finally, I dedicate this podium
to all the victims and their families of the earthquake that hit the Emilia
region last week. "
Felipe Massa (6th "It was a good race. I felt comfortable with
the car right from the start of Thursday's free practice. I had the
right feeling and it was much easier to drive than at the previous races.
Maybe it depends on the nature of the track or the set-up and we definitely
need to analyse everything carefully to see what we can learn from this
weekend. All things considered, I could have brought home a better result,
but I am happy nevertheless. It was a very difficult race and very close
and I was able to match the pace of the leaders. I am only sorry I was
unable to do a few laps with a clear track ahead of me when the tyres were
still competitive. The start was very good and also the tyre degradation,
especially on the Soft compound was minimal. A driver always wants to do
the maximum so I can't be delighted with sixth place, however these
are important points. I really hope my championship has turned around and
that, from now on, I can always be in the fight for the top places, as was
the case here in Monaco. Now we go to Montreal, which is a different type
of track to this one, because you need a good top speed but, in fact
it's not that different in terms of the set-up required."
Pat Fry, Ferrari chassis director "A very intense race, which
ended with one car on the podium and the other in the top six. There was
not a moment's respite, right from the start, with the top six all
together in just a handful of seconds. We all started a bit blind in terms
of how the tyres would behave, both as far as durability was concerned and
how they would perform in the first laps of use. Furthermore, the rain was
always lying in wait and appeared right in the final moments. Fernando and
Felipe both drove impeccably, without making the slightest mistake, as was
the case for the crew during the pit stops. As for the strategy, day after
day, the option of the one stop became ever more clear and, in the end it
was the best choice. Sure, with hindsight, it's easy to say that if
Fernando had stayed out on track for a few laps more, then maybe he could
have also passed Rosberg and got on terms with Webber as well as Hamilton,
given the time he did on his in-lap. I think this weather was a surprise
for everyone, as was the difficulty encountered in getting the Softs up to
temperature in their first laps. With just a few seconds to react, we took
the most logical decision, which did all the same lead to a podium finish.
It all goes to show how every detail is crucial in a championship as
closely contested as this one. We need to continue pushing on the
development of the car, because we are still not where we want to be in
terms of performance. "
Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari team principal "First of all, I want
to say that all our thoughts are with everyone who is suffering as a result
of the earthquake that hit the Emilia region last week: we hope that this
strong race from Ferrari will have allowed them, just for a couple of
hours, to forget their troubles at such a difficult time. We are with you,
in thought and deed, because our roots are there, in the ground that has
continued to shake there for the past eight days. As for the race, we leave
the Principality with a very positive result and, above all, with Fernando
Alonso leading the Drivers' classification and Felipe Massa having
delivered a brilliant and feisty performance all weekend long. Both our
drivers did a great job, from the first to the last lap and the team behind
them was a match for the situation. I am particularly happy for Felipe who
needed a positive result: I'm sure this weekend really represents a
fresh start to the season for him. We have to be satisfied, but we must
definitely not relax, especially as we are not yet the best in terms of
performance, particularly in qualifying. As I usually say after a good
weekend, keep calm and carry on!"
McLaren Lewis Hamilton (5th "I had a pretty poor start – I
didn't understand why that happened – and I was lucky not to get
caught up in the first-corner crash. During the race, I struggled in the
low-speed corners and found looking after the rear tyres tough. To make
them last as long as we did, while trying to keep up with the pace of the
guys in front, was one of the trickiest things I've had to do in a
race. I lost time at my pitstop and gave away a place to Fernando, and then
Sebastian was able to get past me after he made his own stop. After that,
it was impossible to overtake. Today wasn't the best result for me -
I really dislike going backwards in a race – but I think I got everything I
could out of the car. We came away with some points, and there are many
more races ahead, but we've definitely got some work to do because,
race by race, we're struggling to keep up with the leaders. The other
teams are picking up serious pace, too. We can't let them pull away
from us – but we're a fantastic team, we'll knuckle down
together, and we'll really push on now."
Jenson Button (DNF "At the start, Kamui almost landed on top of
me because he'd been launched off someone else. Then I almost got
stuck at the exit of Sainte Devote, but I just managed to squeeze through.
After my stop, I got caught behind Heikki – we weren't really
fighting, but if you position your car in the right place around here then
it's impossible to overtake. That's quite frustrating when
you're so much quicker than the guy in front. Finally, I had a look
up the inside of Turn 15, we touched, and I had a puncture. Game over.
Today's result stems from a poor qualifying performance and being
unlucky at the start. Also, when you start from the mid-grid, you're
more prone to incidents. It wasn't my day today – but hopefully it
will be sooner rather than later. "
Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal This year's Monaco Grand
Prix won't go down as one of the most triumphant in McLaren's
glorious Monte-Carlo history – since, although Lewis finished just four
seconds behind Mark today, in truth the smallness of that deficit was
partly occasioned by the unique combination of the drivers' need to
drive with tyre conservation in mind and a circuit on which overtaking is
well-nigh impossible. As a consequence, Mark was able to back the field up
in the closing stages, without risking his lead. Still, Lewis scored a
useful 10 points, and lies only 13 points off the drivers' world
championship lead. Jenson had a frustrating afternoon, striving to make up
ground from 12th on the grid, the result of which was ultimately a lap-71
DNF. Our next stop will be Montreal, another non-purpose-built racetrack,
but one on which overtaking is at least feasible. Jenson won brilliantly
there last year, and Lewis won superbly there the year before – so,
although we weren't able to add to our unrivalled record of 15 wins
here at Monaco this afternoon, you can rest assured that in two
weeks' time we'll be aiming to score a hat-trick of Vodafone
McLaren Mercedes Canadian Grand Prix victories."
Force India Paul di Resta (7th "A great result today and
I'm very happy to make up so much ground on my starting position. We
went aggressive with the strategy and I have to say the team really
optimised it. The secret was managing the tyres and trying to find clean
air when we could. The car felt really good, much stronger than yesterday,
and that allowed me to push when we needed to. Fortunately the rain held
off at the end because that could have had a big impact on the end of the
race. It's great that we managed to get both cars in the points and
we can celebrate tonight."
Nico Hulkenberg (8th "It was a pretty messy start with lots of
cars touching and I was lucky to make it through because I had to avoid
Grosjean, who was in the middle of the track. For the first few laps I was
running with Michael and we were stuck behind Kimi who was struggling on
the supersofts, but it was difficult to get by. Unfortunately Kimi stopped
on the same lap as me so I remained behind him and we came out in a lot of
traffic, which is when Paul jumped ahead of me. The rest of the race was
quite uneventful and I just focused on looking after the tyres. It's
a great result for the team and we should be happy with the
result. "
Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal and managing director
"A very enjoyable Monaco Grand Prix and I am delighted to see both
Sahara Force Indias well inside the points. Paul drove a very strong race,
making up seven places on his grid position and managing the tyres
perfectly. Nico was running the reverse strategy to Paul, which also worked
out well, and means we leave here with ten important points. Now we look
forward to the next race in Canada where we hope to continue our run of
points finishes."
Lotus Kimi Raikkonen, (9th "Ninth was the best we could do today.
I didn't start in a great position and I had some difficulties during
the race so it's not been the easiest weekend, but at least we got a
couple of points. It's better than nothing but not exactly what we
wanted. One race doesn't change the fact that we have been pretty
strong everywhere – even here at the beginning of the weekend. This
circuit is completely different from any other and I don't think we
should worry too much about the fact that it wasn't our best weekend.
It is what it is – sometimes it doesn't go the way you expected
and now we should look to Canada for a better result. "
Romain Grosjean, (DNF "We struggled to get off the line and it
looked like Lewis in front didn't have the best start either.
Fernando pulled alongside him so I was then on the outside of both cars,
and unfortunately Michael was on the outside of me as well. There just
wasn't enough room and next thing I'm facing all the traffic
after just one hundred metres which wasn't a nice feeling. It's
a disappointing end to the week after some positive early signs, but
that's racing and now we look forward to Canada and a chance to
bounce back. "
James Allison, Lotus technical director "We've had five
races so far this season where we've shown strongly. Sadly, at the
sixth we were not on the pace. It was a completely joyless experience from
start to finish. Romain has been metronomic this weekend, but he was out of
the race before the first corner which was a massive blow to our hopes for
today. Kimi had an okay start, but wasn't able to keep the car
running at a challenging pace once the sheen came off his tyres after ten
or fifteen laps. We stayed out longer than we would have done otherwise on
the first set of super soft tyres as we, and everyone else, were waiting
for rain to come. Now we have to pick ourselves up and come back in Canada
to bring both cars home in strong placings."
Eric Boullier, Lotus team principal «We arrived in Monaco after two
consecutive podiums and did not really know what to expect at such a unique
circuit. Before qualifying it was obvious that the E20 was going to be
competitive, but things did not go as planned. Our positions on the grid
did not reflect our true pace and that put us on the back foot for the rest
of the weekend. Unfortunately Romain's race ended prematurely after
contact with Michael Schumacher, and like the Stewards I think it was a
racing incident. With Kimi, we knew that fighting for a podium was going to
be more than difficult. It then became obvious that we were struggling with
our tyres when the temperature fell. The grip was just not there and we
could only defend our position. In the end, the two points we've
scored today are disappointing but because the field is so tight we have
not lost too much ground on our opponents. We have the same number of
points as Ferrari in the constructors' championship, while Kimi is 25
points away from Fernando Alonso who's leading the drivers'
classification. Anything can still happen and the championship is wide
open. We're now looking forward to Montreal, the first low downforce
track of the season, where the E20 should be strong. Finally, I wish to
congratulate the team for all their hard work this weekend. Our 500th was
not one of our best, but I hope the 501st is!"
Williams Bruno Senna (10th "I'm happy we got a point from a
very tough race. We deserved more and I felt we could be stronger than
this, but today it didn't happen and so we did the best we could do.
It's good to be in the top 10 but I have bitter-sweet feelings. Now
we are fired up for Canada and I'm really looking forward to that
race. I have a lot of confidence that we are getting there with the set-up
of the car, so I can't wait to get going again."
Pastor Maldonado (DNF "It was a difficult weekend from my side. I
am disappointed because I was expecting something more from the race. We
had a great strategy, but after a good start I was in the middle of the
track, and got a bit unlucky caught up in cars fighting ahead. I locked up
and couldn’t stop the car on the dirty side of the track at turn six. The
weekend was compromised after we received the penalties yesterday so we are
now looking forward to the next race. We have a competitive car and it will
be completely different in Canada, it's a different track and a
different situation. "
Mark Gillan, Williams chief operations engineer "Whilst we are
pleased to get a point today with Bruno we are equally frustrated as the
car and drivers had much more pace than those immediately in front of them.
Unfortunately Pastor’s race ended on the first lap as he hit Pedro de la
Rosa who was in turn braking hard due to the Grosjean incident ahead. Bruno
drove a very good race pushing Rikknen hard all the way to the end, but
could simply not get past despite trying hard. We will now regroup for
Canada and hope to do a better job in Montreal. "
Laurent Debout, Renault track support to Williams "Monaco is a
challenging track for engine engineers as it's unlike any other
circuit on the calendar due to the high number of low speed corners. But
this weekend has been difficult overall. Starting so far back means it is
hard to make up positions so one point for Bruno is a reasonable result.
We're looking forward to Montreal for a better outcome."
Sauber Sergio Perez (11th "We were very quick, but from my grid
position it is very difficult to overtake and move forward. After the drive
through I managed to make up some positions, but the race was lost
yesterday. We expected and hoped for more rain in the race. Nothing much
happened and it was quite a normal race at the end. It was a shame, but for
the next races we can be up there as we have a very good pace."
Kamui Kobayashi (DNF "I had a great start and was fighting with
Sebastian Vettel, so maybe could have been just behind him. First Romain
Grosjean went on the inside, but suddently he came back on the outside. I
tried to avoid him, but he didn't brake, hit my rear tyres and
damaged my suspension. Maybe if I had had two wheels and not four I would
have been fine! It was too dangerous to continue to drive."
Giampaolo Dall'Ara, Sauber head of track engineering "It is
difficult to decide whether to laugh or cry. On the one hand we can be very
happy about how quick our car was, especially on a track which historically
doesn't favour us. On the other hand if something was going to go
wrong then we were in the middle of it. Kamui just had bad luck being hit
by Romain Grosjean's Lotus in the first corner. Due to a part of the
suspension being damaged he had to retire after six laps. It is to
Sergio's credit that he didn't give up today despite his
difficult starting position and heavy traffic. He made some good overtaking
manoeuvres. On strategy we actually didn't help him. The ideal time
for a tyre change obviously would have been earlier, but we calculated more
rain would come and lengthened his stint a bit. However, later in the race
this turned out to be an advantage as his tyres then were fresher than
those of the other drivers. We clearly wanted points here and didn't
get them. "
Peter Sauber, Sauber team principal "Sergio not only did the
fastest race lap, but for long periods of the race he was the fastest
driver on the track. This clearly shows what we can achieve if everything
goes right for us. Now it is up to the entire team to turn our
opportunities into success."
Toro Rosso Jean-Eric Vergne (12th "After the start, lots of cars
in front of me cut the corner at the first turn and I found myself behind
the Marussia and I was losing a lot of time. I was on a one stop strategy
and to try and get me out of the traffic, we made an early stop. From then
on, I ran at a very good pace, which I am happy about and I was as high as
seventh. I was lapping quickly and consistently. But with around 14 laps to
the end, my tyres were completely gone and I had to come in for the
Intermediates, but the rain was not strong enough. It's a real shame
about the laps I lost in traffic at the start because without that I could
have been comfortably in the points today. I am looking forward to Canada,
as it's a track I particularly like even if I have not been there and
I will go there really hungry to get a good result. "
Daniel Ricciardo (DNF "I had a good start after which I had to
avoid an incident ahead of me but I was able to make up a couple of
positions from that. I was behind Di Resta who was running the Prime tyre
on a different strategy to me on the Option. We had good pace and I tried
to attack, but I couldn't manage it. I tried to stay out as long as
possible on the Option tyre but then I started to lose pace, so I came in
for the Prime, hoping to run to the end of the race. I came out in clear
air and got into a rhythm before ending up in a train behind Kovalainen and
Button. I tried to pass the McLaren but it was not so easy. Then I clipped
a kerb at Turn 15. At the time I did not feel anything, but one lap later
the steering felt very loose so I came into the pits as the car was no
longer safe to drive. Despite all that, from a driving point of view, I
really enjoyed myself until my retirement."
Franz Tost, Toro Rosso team principal "The heavier rain that
finally arrived as Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber was on the podium
celebrating a great win came too late to keep Jean-Eric in the points.
Because he found himself towards the back of the field in the early stages
after several cars got ahead of him on the opening lap by cutting the
chicane, we brought him in early to switch to the Soft tyre with which he
would go to the end of the race on a one stop strategy. Unfortunately, the
tyres we fitted on lap 17 were therefore not in the best condition when
some very light drizzle began to fall. As he had very little grip on the
worn tyres, we brought him to fit the Intermediates on lap 71, but the rain
which would have helped him fight for tenth place did not come soon enough.
Rain, or the lack of it, also affected Daniel's strategy. We kept him
out late on the Supersoft in the hope we would call him in for rain tyres,
but it did not happen and, as those around him picked up their pace, when
he left the pits he therefore found himself at the back of that same group.
In the end, we elected to retire his car in the pits after impact with a
kerb appears to have damaged the steering."
Caterham Heikki Kovalainen (13th "That was obviously a great race
for the team and I’m delighted we’ve got tenth place back and recorded our
highest finish of the season. Despite that I think we could have had even
more, but the rain came at just the wrong moment for us. If it had been
fully wet and everyone had pitted we’d have been able to keep 12th,
possibly even made up more in the stops, but when the light rain started
falling my brake temperatures dropped and I wasn’t quite able to keep up
the pace I’d had throughout the race up to that point. However – this is a
really good day for the team, and it’s great to get back to the garage and
see everyone in such good spirits. This type of track was always going to
give us the chance to fight, I’d said that before the race, and it was
really good fighting with Jenson for as long as I did, keeping him behind
me and really pushing. We have more to come from this car throughout the
season, so I think we have more races like this to look forward to, and
results like today make all the hard work the whole team put in worth
it."
Vitaly Petrov (DNF "I made a good start and passed a few cars but
then a Sauber came right across me and hit me as we were going into turn 1.
I could immediately feel a problem with the front wing so we gave it a
couple of laps to see how bad the damage was but then had to pit for a new
nose on lap 3. From that point I was pushing as ha/prd as I could but then I
had a low battery warning light on the dash and from that point my race was
pretty much over. My engineer told me to box on lap 16 with an electrical
failure and that was the end of the race. It’s a real shame as I was in a
strong position after my good start and as the car has felt good all
weekend I would have been in with a chance of finishing really well, but
these things happen in motor racing. "
Tony Fernandes, Caterham team principal «I am obviously a very happy man
today. That was one of the most tense but most exciting races we have had
since we came into the sport just two and a half years ago, and to be not
only racing Jenson’s McLaren, but to be keeping him behind us and to be
able to resist his attacks is a huge achievement for a team that is still
young, still growing and hungrier than ever to succeed. In fact, when
Heikki passed Jenson out of the pits that was definitely the most exciting
moment in my Formula 1 career and something that I will remember for ever.
For Vitaly today will go down as one of those races. It was good to see him
how disappointed he was to be forced out by something out of his control as
it proves how hungry he is to help us keep pushing forwards, but he has had
another good weekend with us and I am sure the luck will turn for him soon.
On the other side of the garage Heikki put in one of the best drives we
have seen from him since we started back in Bahrain 2010 and his 13th place
today puts us back into tenth in the championship and gives us a very good
platform to work from for the rest of the season. I am also extremely proud
of how the whole team worked today. The people back at the factory have
never stopped working as hard as they can to give the drivers a car that
they can use like they did this weekend, and the team on track were
magnificent today. Calm, professional and as good as anyone else out there
in the pitlane. When Heikki had to box late on in the race for a new nose
it was a pretty tense moment, but they performed brilliantly, enough to
make our Chief Race Engineer Jody Egginton tell them over the radio that
they had done a «fantastic job lads – pure mint», and that sentiment goes
for the whole team. I am an optimist and our pit wall is full of people who
would call themselves realists – I would probably say they are
pessimists – but after today I have never seen so many pessimists so
optimistic about the future. A great day for sure.»
Mark Smith, Caterham technical director "A very exciting race and
one where we showed how we are progressing. It was obviously unfortunate to
see Vitaly having to retire early, had he not been hit by the Sauber he
would likely have been right up there with his team mate and we had opted
to start the cars on different compounds so we would have had more strategy
options open to us if he had not had the electrical failure that ended his
race. With Heikki we started him on the super-softs and kept him out for a
long first stint as he was managing his tyres well. He was having a
fantastic battle with Jenson and keeping him at bay, and the pit crew did a
very good job indeed to keep him ahead of the McLaren after the stops. When
the rain started falling we saw Heikki’s brake temperatures starting to
drop and he was telling us the car was harder to control, but had Perez not
hit him and caused his front wing failure I am sure he would have retained
that place – he was clearly in a very determined mood and driving to the
level everyone knows he can. I am delighted for him and the whole team -
this has been a strong weekend for us and one that gives us even more
impetus to keep challenging as we head to Canada and the rest of the
season.»
Marussia Timo Glock (14th "A bit of a disappointing end to a race
that started so well. We had good speed at the beginning and for the first
10 laps I could stick with Jenson quite well. We had good pace all the way
until maybe the last quarter when the front wing end plate broke. We
don't know for sure why; maybe because of the touch with Perez early
in the race. We will have to see what caused it. Generally happy with my
performance and that of the team, but disappointing to hold on to 10th
place for so long and now drop back. That's racing though and not for
long we have to hope. Now we focus on Canada and look forward to some
better luck. "
Charles Pic (DNF "Not a great race for me, but to be honest not
our best weekend all round on my side. We held out for some forecast rain
but this did not come, so we were not able to try to take advantage. Our
pace was better in the race than the rest of the weekend, but in the end I
had to stop early due to an electrical problem. After a strong run in the
first five races I am a little disappointed, but we hope for better things
in Canada."
John Booth, Marussia team principal "This has been a disappointing
race all round for us in terms of how it concluded. Unfortunately, given
the way the race played out at the end, despite Kovalainen's front
wing change the problems on both our cars meant that he was able to retain
13th position, which means we have slipped back from 10th place in the
Championship. However, looking at the positives, the race pace on both our
cars was good and Timo was in line to finish without being lapped. It was
therefore very frustrating that he lost his right front wing end plate in
the Swimming Pool section. We have yet to determine how this happened,
although a likely scenario is damage incurred at some other point in the
race that weakened the end plate and it eventually came off. For Charles,
unfortunately he retired on lap 65 due to a chassis related electrical
issue which caused the engine to stop. We will take the lessons we've
learned from this weekend and apply them positively as we prepare for the
next race and beyond."
HRT Narain Karthikeyan (15th «It was a tough race because we were very
limited on our tyres. We tried to keep a constant pace, stay out of trouble
and finish the race; we knew that if we managed to do that we would be able
to finish in a good position. 15th position is a good result and a good way
of getting over the disappointment from Barcelona. Now what I need to do is
work on putting together a good lap in qualifying as that has been my
weakest point this season. Hopefully I’ll be able to carry the momentum
from here onto the next race in Canada and continue to progress. «
Pedro de la Rosa (DNF «It was a terrible shame; I feel sorry for the
team because yesterday we did a good job and today we were starting from an
interesting position and I think we could have achieved a good result. Our
one-stop strategy with softs first and super-softs second was good, you
only have to see what Vettel did, so it was a shame not to have been able
to complete more than 300 metres. It wasn’t a mistake by me or the team,
but one by another driver, but those things happen in races. One day it
might happen to me too, the sad thing is that it happened precisely here
after all the good work we’d done and how much I was looking forward to
finishing in Monaco with a good result. I leave here a little bit sad
because, although we wouldn’t have scored a point, we could have at least
finished with a good result.»
Luis Perez-Sala, HRT team principal «We’ve got mixed feelings today.
Pedro got hit from behind in the early stages, which was a real shame but,
on the other hand, Narain completed a very good race and we achieved a 15th
place finish, our best result this season so far. This race is always
complicated and, given the forecast, we started with a strategy planned for
a wet race. In the end it didn’t rain and that cost us a couple of
positions. But we’re satisfied because we finished the race, with one car
at least and only two laps off the winner, something which here in Monte
Carlo is positive for us.»
Pirelli Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director "Congratulations
to Mark Webber and Red Bull. The team managed their race and their tyre
strategy perfectly, winning Monaco for the third year in a row and a race
for the second time this year. Once again we saw that the cars were all
extremely closely matched, equalling each other on pace throughout the
race. This was despite the fact that nobody had any proper running on the
supersoft with full tanks, due to the mixed weather conditions during free
practice on Thursday. As a result, calculating the strategy was extremely
complicated. But with the nature of the circuit, plus a tyre choice that
was certainly more conservative and hardly any tyre degradation, it was
clear that a one-stop strategy was the way forward as soon as the teams
learned more about the performance of the supersoft after the race got
underway. Obviously that led to longer stints and limited opportunities for
overtaking. Although there was some rain at the end, our slick tyres still
offered enough grip to carry the leaders through to a very close finish
with the top six finishing within six seconds of each other.
Читать полностью или написать коммент.. Про установку спутниковых тарелок в Московской областиhttp://tarelka-tv.ru/
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий