Belgian Grand Prix - Race
2009 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX
POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE – August 30, 2009
1. Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (Ferrari), 1h23m50.995s
2. Giancarlo FISICHELLA (Force India), 1h23m51.934s
3. Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull), 1h23m54.870s
TV UNILATERALS
Q: Kimi, your fourth victory here in Spa. It has been a difficult season for the team but today you proved a point.
Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: Yes, I mean it hasn't been an easy year for us. We were behind straight away in the first race compared to the top teams and we made a big step in Barcelona but it still has not been enough and for sure we have not brought new parts to the car for a few races as we are really putting an effort into next year. I mean getting the win now, it's quite a long time since the last one, so it was perfect. My aim was to win at least one race and try to keep third place in the championship, so this is going to help us a lot but I needed a bit of effort today to get the win. We probably were not the fastest in the lap times but overall we were fastest and we managed to keep everybody behind, so that’s enough. It is great for the team and hopefully we can get some good results after this race. I always do well here; we will see what we can do in the last part of the season.
Q: Giancarlo, eight points and Force India’s best ever result. But do you feel this is a race you could have won?
Giancarlo FISICHELLA: Of course, obviously it is great result for us. The important target was to score even a point and to finish second with eight points is a great result. It’s a great day, but actually, you know, I was quicker than Kimi. He could overtake just because of KERS at the beginning of the race, at the restart after the safety car, and I am a little bit sad for that because I was quicker than him. I was keeping his pace, even behind his car. We did exactly the same strategy race, so it is great because I finished second just one second from the leader which is a great result for us but actually we could have won the race.
Q: Sebastian, you set the fastest lap and I guess the same question to you: do you feel this is a missed opportunity or do you feel good for having bitten a bit more out of Jenson Button’s points lead?
Sebastian VETTEL: We got more points than all the rest but if you look at the championship it was a very good result. Obviously it was not an easy position to start from, right in the middle, so I think I had a very good start and then unfortunately in the first lap I was bit too conservative when I saw Nick (Heidfeld) going off the track. Usually the cars very easily tend to come back spinning, so I lost a position to Nico (Rosberg) and had to catch up after the restart. I succeeded and after that, because of how things went, we just lost too much ground in the first stint to the guys ahead and then in the second and third stint I think the car was fantastic. I had no single mistake in the race. I was pushing every single lap like qualifying. It was really in the end, after the chequered flag, a pleasure to drive the car. We had very, very strong pace, quicker than the guys at the front, and also throughout the second stint even though we had more fuel on board. We lost the ground in the beginning but, nevertheless, I think, as I said, a very good result. We took points out of the Brawns for the team and, for me, I scored more points than Jenson (Button) and Rubens (Barrichello) and overall a big thank you for the team. Also compliments to Renault. With all the sh** that we have gone through the last couple of races it is good to finish again and good to prove the engine is strong enough to manage a race. I think with the failures we had we were a little bit unlucky, so we have proven that we are back and it is good to have finished the race again after quite a long time now.
Q: Kimi, the key really was that pass on Giancarlo after the restart on lap five. Talk us through how you lined up Giancarlo and passed him.
KR: I knew that we needed to get past him as more or less we were on the same lap coming in and if I hadn’t done after the safety car they had too much speed to get it after that. I just made sure I was close enough after the first corner and then went behind him as close as I could through Eau Rouge. I got quite a lot of understeer and ran a bit wide on top of the hill but then once I used the KERS I was able to get next to him and just in front of him, so it was pretty easy in that way to get in front of him. I knew then as long as we don’t make silly mistakes, we should be ok for the race.
Q: Giancarlo, you are sitting alongside Kimi now on the podium. Do you think you will be sitting alongside him as team-mate in Monza after this result?
GF: That’s just a rumour. As I told you yesterday I was just concentrated on doing this race which has been a fantastic weekend for me and tomorrow I will start concentrating on Monza. Obviously, with the Force India overall. That’s all I can say.
Q: Sebastian, tell us about the championship. How do you see it now? What can you do in the remaining races?
SV: Well, I think it is still open. This championship is a bit crazy to be honest. When I was a little boy and followed the championships in Formula One it was always pretty boring. You knew at the first race more or less who was competitive. As we see now Force India were quick this weekend. Most likely they are going to be quick in Monza. It is a low downforce track, so it is up and down and it shows how important it is to be consistent which was not our strength but nevertheless we are still in reach. I think we took six points out of Jenson, the championship leader, which is a good thing. I don’t know what happened to him. I just saw his car in turn five, so I think he had an accident. But this is how we have to do it. It would have been nice to finish first today but after the result yesterday I think it was the best we could do. Everything is possible. We are here to fight.
Q: Kimi, sum up this love affair you have with this magnificent Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Four times a winner here. What is it about this place and you?
KR: I don’t think there has been any special thing. Unfortunately last year we lost it in the last lap more or less. I think many drivers like it. It is a proper circuit. An old style circuit, very flowing and up and down hills, and it is good fun to drive. It is in the forest and it is just everything what you want. Usually I have always been pretty very good here since I was here the first time many, many years ago. It just seems to be good for me somehow. I don’t mind. It is a nice place to win. Also we get very good races here. It is good for spectators, for teams, for drivers. It has been a pretty good weekend. Of course yesterday we could have done better to make out life a bit easier but anyhow we managed to win which is the main thing. It is good right now and we try to keep it up for the next races.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Kimi, what does this win mean to you personally after quite a difficult season?
KR: We have been trying to get it. Of course we need to be realistic as we know that our car is not as fast as the teams ahead of us in the championship, but in some places, like the last couple of circuits, it has been pretty okay. In Hungary we were closer to winning that ever before this year. Here we managed to do it. It really depends on the circuit. This is important for the team, they will enjoy it, especially after the hard time this year. But we can’t expect to win races after races, so we are going to give 100 per cent every weekend but it really depends if we get it 100 per cent right or not and if something funny happens, like here in qualifying. It gives us a much better chance but it was a good result for the team and we are very happy.
Q: How much pressure did you feel with Giancarlo right up behind you?
KR: I knew that he was faster. Probably we did a little mistake to put on the harder tyres at the first pit stop and they just did not warm up and maybe like three laps before the stop they suddenly started to work much better. I was able to push harder. I knew that if I could keep him behind at the pit stop it is pretty difficult for him to get past. They were very fast in the middle sector, coming back to the last chicane. Sometimes they got very close but I just started to use the KERS in a slightly different way to make sure he was not going to get a run on me and it was not so difficult. I mean it is hard to overtake anyhow, so it was very easy.
Q: At the first corner you were the only driver that went wide. Was that something that you had discussed with the team?
KR: No, first I tried to go the normal way but I think it was Nick or somebody who came a bit too fast inside and pushed Jarno Trulli very wide, so I had nowhere to go. I just needed to turn straight and go all the way around. It worked out but it wasn’t the plan in the first place but there was no space.
Q: Were you able to use the KERS perhaps earlier?
KR: No, I mean it is very bumpy there. I ended up there also last year. It doesn’t make much difference. It is a much longer way. If I could go on the circuit I would but if it would be fast I’d try to do it every lap but that was not the case.
Q: What about your chances at Monza?
KR: It will be difficult. Our car is not as strong as some others over the kerbs and that is really the key to go fast there. To be able to drive the kerbs as much as you want, that is not our strongest point, so it will be difficult I think but we will see how our car will handle there and what we can do.
Q: Giancarlo, you seem to have mixed emotions. One, I could have won it. Two, it is great to be second. Happy and unhappy.
GF: Yes, you know before we came here if you asked all the team and myself to finish eight would have been fantastic. We are second. It is a great weekend for us. Pole position but considering our pace in the race, I was quicker than Kimi, it was possible to win the race. I have been unlucky with the safety car. Just after the start up to turn eight I was two-and-half or three seconds ahead of him and it was perfect. We had the same fuel load. I was a little bit lighter but maybe the consumption was less and I did a very good job behind the safety car. It was about the same strategy and I could win the race easily as I was quicker than him. But anyway, second is fantastic. I am really happy for the team, for myself. The car was really good. It was very consistent all the way through with the soft tyres and with the medium tyres. I am really impressed with our pace and I hope to keep going like that.
Q: Was one tyre better than the other?
GF: I started with the soft, then soft, then medium. For me, the best compound was probably at the end with the medium tyre but I was a little bit lighter than in the middle sector, so it’s difficult to say because I was always behind Kimi, quite close and could never be alone to see the real pace but sometimes I lost a bit behind him and I caught him quite quickly again, so I was much quicker than him.
Q: What are the chances at Monza? How do you think the car will perform there?
GF: You know our speed on the straight is usually very good. Monza is a very high-speed circuit. The package here in Spa looks very good. Obviously we will have a proper package for Monza and it looks very promising, it looks very good. I’m not saying that we will repeat a result like today’s – which would be fantastic – but obviously getting into the top ten and scoring points would be another fantastic result.
Q: So even though you’ve had a good look at a Ferrari for about 90 minutes, you’ll stick with the Force India for the next race?
GF: As I told you yesterday, I was concentrating today on the race with Force India. So far, I’m just concentrating for the next race with Force India unless they are going to call me, but even if they do call me, there are many things to think about, so we will see.
Q: Sebastian, it all really came together on the middle stint when you jumped Robert Kubica up into third place.
SV: Yeah, but the race started a bit earlier for us than the middle stint. Obviously the first stint was very difficult, starting eighth. I think I had a fantastic start. Then I had nowhere to go, really. Unfortunately, I lost the train in front a little bit up the hill through Eau Rouge. Mark was able to get in my tow, passed me around the outside and then I was probably a bit too cautious when I saw people going off. I think it was Heidfeld running wide. Yeah, I lost a place to Rosberg, because very likely the car could come spinning back, like I experienced in qualifying yesterday. It can happen. So it wasn’t easy. But nevertheless, after the restart I was able to pass him, which was important because he was heavier and then, just because of the action, the first couple of laps after the restart again we lost too much ground to the guys in front. You know it’s quite different, the cars have their gaps in between. And then onwards it was difficult to catch up. I think we did a very good job. We had an extremely good race after that, very, very good pace. I think we were one of the longest in the second stint and still catching up the leaders as well as Robert, which then brought us to third place, and then catching up again in the last stint. I think the car was behaving very well, I had an awful lot of fun driving. This circuit is fantastic, it’s a pleasure, but taking three, four, five tenths per lap out of the guys in front is probably the maximum you can do, so I think pace-wise we definitely had the car to win, but it didn’t come together yesterday. I’m still very happy with third place, especially after the things we’ve gone through at the last two races. I also have to pay compliments to Renault. I know there are obviously a lot of discussions going on in the press about our future and so on, but I can say that they are doing a really good job, the people are really behind us and pushing a lot. Obviously we were in a little bit of a bad situation with the two engine failures, especially in Valencia, for sure it didn’t help, but I think we can still manage, we can see that the car is working, the engine is working, so it was a good day for us. Six points, more than all the others in the championship, so a very good day after all.
Q: Which was the best set of tyres for you? You set fastest lap quite early in the last stint.
SV: Yeah, it’s true. Obviously the Friday running, especially for me, was limited because of saving mileage also. On Friday, the circuit is not in the same shape that you will find in the race, so it was quite difficult to pick the right tyre. I always struggled a bit on primes to start the stint. I think that’s also why we lost out at the beginning of the first stint to the cars in front when they went away from us – they were gone very quickly. Then later on, I think the pace was fine, the car was getting better and better on the hard tyres. On the second stint, on the hard tyres, it was quite difficult to restart, so the warm-up wasn’t easy. And then in the last stint, I set the time quite early, obviously the new tyre effect, and the circuit was in the proper shape and then in the last couple of laps I was trying to catch up, but the gap was too big, so I was just trying to manage the gap to Robert in which I succeeded, and took a bit of pace out&ldots; we reduced the revs and drove the car to the finish.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Marco Evangelisti – Corriere dello Sport) Giancarlo, there has been such an impressive improvement in your car, in today’s race. How could it be possible, and how much is this result linked to your driving skill on this particularly circuit?
GF: In the last race in Valencia we introduced the new aero package, which was about 0.6s better than the previous one, so it was already a big step forward. We nearly had the possibility to get into the top ten and the pace in the race was not too bad, not as good as today. Here, we have more or less the same package, but obviously with a wing for Spa and as soon as we put the car on the ground we felt a good feeling, good behaviour. The balance was not good, but in terms of lap time we were quite quick anyway. On Saturday morning, with the right balance, the car was really good. And this is one of my best circuits, one of my favourite circuits, I have a very good feeling here. I’m usually able to find the limit of the circuit and I was so comfortable and that’s the reason. But sometimes you never know why a car like McLaren was slow at the beginning, then it was winning. Even Trulli said the same thing yesterday. At the last race he was nowhere and yesterday he was second, and today he could even win the race, so you never know. But obviously we made a big step forward, that’s very important.
Q: (Alberto Antonini – Autosprint) Kimi, well done. You said Ferrari hasn’t brought many new parts to the last races but you’ve still taken two podium finishes and a win. Could that be you and not the car?
KR: I guess everybody can decide for themselves. We found a bit of a different way for the car. We started going a bit of a different way at the start of the year and then came back in the previous races. For sure, the car is not as quick as we want, as maybe it should be, but it’s handling well, and that sometimes gives much more than you can drive – when you can drive it as you want, it sometimes gets you in a better position. I’m happy with the way it works, but with more downforce I’m pretty sure it could be a very fast car, but we know that we’re not really getting any new parts, so we are where we are and as long as we get everything working well and the car feels good, I think we can still manage to get good results. It’s difficult to expect more wins but hopefully (we can expect) podiums and good points and maybe in some circumstances a win.
Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, could you have won without KERS and where was it the most important, when you took the lead or when you were defending?
KR: There’s no point in wondering if we could have won (without KERS) or not. We won and we have KERS at every race and that’s a fact. It helped at the start. I actually got a very good start, but then there was Barrichello – I don’t know what happened to him at the start, so it already helped there and then passing Robert, I think, and then of course, it helped to pass Fisichella. It worked well for us, but it’s a normal thing for us to use it at every race, so it’s not like it’s going to disappear suddenly.
Q: (Ottavio Daviddi – Tuttosport) Kimi, there are a lot of rumours about Giancarlo as your next team-mate, as you know. May I have your opinion about him?
KR: For me, it doesn’t matter who is in the second car, it’s not my decision. For sure the team will decide on whatever happens for the next race. But if I purely look at this race, they probably had a faster car than us, so it’s probably a bit of a difficult decision in that way.
Q: (Juha Päätalo – Financial Times Deutschland) Kimi, you said that you changed the way how you use KERS to defend. Can you explain what you did exactly?
KR: I was using more in the last part than before, just to make sure I got good speed on the back straight. That was the only difference.
Q: (Paulo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Kimi, it looks like you are somehow giving Ferrari a hard time, considering all the rumours about next year, because it was said that you might leave Ferrari because you’re not performing as well now. Lately, you’ve been doing pretty well. Is there something inside of you that is bringing you to this, showing that the real Räikkönen is still there?
KR: No. Nothing has changed, as I said. We found a pretty good way to work with the car. We did well in Monaco. The last race was very similar, Hungary was similar. This place is a bit different than many others. It’s purely that where the car has been strong we’ve been doing quite well every time. There’s nothing that I’ve done differently. We’ve just achieved a good result now and hopefully we can keep it up. I think there will be races where it’s not going to be easy for us but we can always try. There have been rumours almost every year since I’ve been in Formula One, so I don’t really care about them. I’m not worried about next year. I have a contract, so it’s nothing that I should be worried about. I don’t make the decisions in the end but we will see what happens. Maybe Ferrari have some other plans, but as far as I know nothing has changed.
Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Kimi, according to the fuel weights, you should have been able to go at least two laps longer than Giancarlo. Giancarlo mentioned before that he was saving fuel behind the safety car but I guess you did the same, so why did you come in on the same lap?
KR: I don’t know. It’s difficult to say. Some engines use a bit more fuel than others. I think our engine probably uses a bit more fuel than the Renaults or McLarens. Maybe that’s the one difference. I tried to get my tyres warmed up quite heavily behind the safety car, so I definitely didn’t try to save as much as we could. But it paid off, we got first place after the safety car and that counts much more than one lap on a pit stop.
Q: (Joonas Partanen – Iltalehti) Kimi, it has been almost a year and a half since you last won, so did the champagne taste better on the podium compared to those times you were second and third, and then another question: some people have suggested that you won’t cut your hair until you have won again, so are you going to cut it now?
KR: No, it’s nothing to do with that. There’s always speculation in Formula One and b****t as we know. It doesn’t change anything. It’s the same stuff. When you’re first or second or third, it makes no difference what is in the bottle, but of course the feeling is nicer overall. It’s good for the team and good for me, so in that way it’s nice.
Adrian Sutil - 12th: It was a great weekend for the team, particularly for Giancarlo. He did a great race today, second position, which is a big achievement for everyone. We have clearly made a very good step and I think today anything was possible and we can look forward to the next race. Personally I am a little disappointed as someone crashed into me at the first corner and the race was over at that point. I think it was Alonso, who went straight into my rear and turned me around and destroyed my front wing. In the end it was disappointing as the car had the speed and I tried to get back in the race but it was frustrating. I am still very happy with the car and for the team as second place is still a very good position. I hope I can get a similar result in Monza.
Giancarlo Fisichella - 2nd: It's been another great day and it was an amazing result today. Before coming to Spa if you had asked all the team if we would have been happy to finish eighth we would have said it was a fantastic result but second is a dream, just great. Actually if I can be honest I am a little disappointed as I felt we could have won the race. I was unlucky with the safety car when Kimi came past me at the restart and overtook me with the KERS. Actually behind him I was quicker but with the KERS I couldn't get past as it was impossible to be quick on the long straight. But we can't take it away from the fantastic result, both at the track and in the factory to get this result. After yesterday I was pretty confident to score points, it's positive for the championship and for the coming races. A big thank you to everyone.
Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal: What a result. I am so proud of this race, which will ultimately go down in the history books as India's first-ever World Championship points. It's been a fantastic Saturday, fantastic race and to get our first podium and championship points is just unbelievable. We've worked so very hard to get this with a solid plan of upgrades coming through on the factory. Giancarlo drove a truly outstanding race. We can all be so proud of the entire effort.
Hiroshi Yasukawa - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport: "Congratulations to Kimi Raikkonen and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro for taking their first win of the year. Congratulations also to Giancarlo Fisichella and Force India for their fine second place. Today we saw a very exciting race, where Bridgestone's tyres provided a vital ingredient. This is the home race for Bridgestone Europe, which is based in Brussels, so it is very good to have such a fine display from this wonderful sport for us here at the track, and for so many television viewers around the world."
Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development: "This has been a very interesting weekend from a tyre perspective, and this has provided a very exciting race. The medium and soft Bridgestone tyres were quite evenly matched for overall performance, and each podium finisher used a different strategy to achieve their result. Which tyre was best for which team depended on car characteristics, set-up and driver preference so we saw a good range of strategy choices. We did see some very small blisters today for the first time this season, so we can say that the tyres were worked hard at this track. We will use the same tyre allocation at Monza, so it will be interesting to see how the teams translate what they have learnt here to the next race."
Kimi Raikkonen won the Belgian Grand Prix, to give Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro its first win of the season, and Kimi his fourth podium of 2009.Luca Badoer finished 14th. It is the fourth time the Finn has won at this classic track.
Kimi started from the outside of Row 3 and Luca from the back row of what was the most unexpected grid of the year, with the Force India of Giancarlo Fisichella on pole and the Toyota of Jarno Trulli alongside him. It was dry with some sunshine and an air temperature of 17 degrees.
There was drama right after the start, with Kimi going very wide using the run off after the hairpin, but he powered through to second on the run up the hill after Eau Rouge, but then a multiple collision brought out the Safety Car, with four cars already out of the running, Button, Grosjean, Hamilton and Alguersuari.
The order behind the SC was Fisichella, Kimi, Kubica, Glock, Webber, Heidfeld, Rosberg, Vettel, Alonso, with Kovalainen tenth. Then came Buemi, Nakajima, Luca Badoer up to 13th from last on the grid, Trulli, all the way down off the front row after pitting for a new nose, Barrichello, who got bogged down from fourth on the grid and Sutil, 16th and last, having also stopped for repairs.
As the Safety Car came in at the start of lap 5, Kimi swept past Fisichella after Radillon to take the lead, his F60 still evidently working well, despite tangling with another car in the first lap chaos. The only other change being Vettel getting ahead of Rosberg for seventh. Luca then dropped to fourteenth as he was passed by Barrichello, who also passed Nakajima. Luca lost another place on lap 7 when he was passed by Sutil. Pit stops began on lap 12, with Kubica bringing his BMW in from third place and Timo Glock refuelling his Toyota from sixth. At the front, Kimi led Fisichella in the Force India by 1.8. Webber was now third in the Red Bull, 8.9 behind the Ferrari, with Kimi pitting on lap 14, at the same time as Fisichella, Webber and Heidfeld. These last two nearly collided in the pit lane as they drove out and Webber was given a drive through penalty. Lap 15 saw Kimi third behind Vettel and Rosberg, who were yet to stop. Vettel came in next time round, promoting Rosberg to the lead for Williams.
When Rosberg came in on lap 22, Kimi was now back in the lead, still with Fisichella behind him, closer than before in fact, just 0.9 down. Alonso was third but had yet to stop. Luca was fifteenth. Trulli retired his Toyota in the pits on lap 22, the halfway point of the race. The battle at the front was intriguing as Kimi’s Ferrari was not managing to pull away from Fisichella, the gap now 0.8, going down another tenth on lap 23. Alonso finally brought the Renault in for its one stop from third place on lap 24, but all his hard work evaporated as the pit crew struggled for a long time with the left front wheel, after it had been damaged in a collision at the start of the race. He continued for a short while, but the team retired him as the data showed a problem with the left front corner. Luca also pitted his F60 at this point, on a one stop strategy. Kovalainen was the last of the lead group (5th) to pit on lap 26.
As the one-stop drivers finished their visit to pit lane, the two stoppers returned for a final time, Barrichello first in on lap 27 from sixth place. Lap 31 and Kimi and Fisichella made their final stops together, temporarily promoting Vettel to the lead ahead of Heidfeld. The German BMW driver came in next time around, so that Kimi was back in second, 11.1 behind the Red Bull, with Fisichella 0.7 behind the Ferrari. Vettel came in on lap 35 which meant that Kimi and Fisichella were back fighting for the lead again, the gap between them now 0.6, as Kimi had to push the F60 as hard as he could.
From here on in, despite Fisichella’s best efforts, the order remained unchanged, so the order as a delighted Kimi buzzed the pit wall was Raikkonen, Fisichella, Vettel, Kubica, Heidfeld, Kovalainen, Barrichello with Rosberg the last point scorer in eighth place. Luca brought his F60 home in fourteenth and last place.
Jenson Button - DNF: "I had a really good start and had made up a few places in the first few corners to be ahead of Lewis and Rubens. I had a good run going down the straight to turn five just after Eau Rouge. I was on the outside of Heikki and turned in for the corner but quite simply Romain outbraked himself and hit my back wheel. That was it for my race today. It's frustrating as I was in a reasonable position having made up some places and with a lot of fuel on board but it's better to have my first retirement here where I haven't been so competitive than when I'm running at the front. We're determined get back on the track at the next race and be more competitive there at a track which should be quite good for our car."
*Rubens Barrichello - 7th: "I have to be happy with seventh place and the two points really after such an eventful race. We should have had far more from today but the problem with the clutch at the start took away any chance of a podium which is frustrating for me and the team. We changed my strategy at the end of the first lap to fuel longer for the first stint which was a good move and gave me the chance to get into the points. I had fun in the race from then on and the move on Mark Webber at the Blanchimont bend was definitely one of the highlights. The oil leak gave us some worrying laps but I was able to manage the pace and bring the car safely home which was a big relief."
Ross Brawn: "It was a very disappointing race for us today when there was potential for more. Rubens' car went into anti-stall at the start which left him stranded on the grid which was very frustrating for the whole team. It was a technical problem on the car and we have to get on top of that quickly as it has caught us out too many times this season. When the safety car came out, we took advantage to switch Rubens onto what was effectively a one-stop strategy and he drove extremely well from there. His car had an oil leak with two laps to go therefore we asked him to back off from chasing Heikki Kovalainen and manage the car to the end of the race. Jenson had a really good start from 14th and gained a few places before he was hit from behind at turn five which ended his race. There are important lessons which we can take from this weekend and some hard work to be done back at the factory before the final five races of the season."
Nico Rosberg, Williams (8th):
“We got absolutely the maximum out of today and so I am not so unhappy with the result. Even though the car was not good at all on Friday, we moved it forward and had a reasonable qualifying. We built on this with a good start to the race and claimed another point finishing in 8th place. It is more than I could have hoped for at the beginning of the weekend. The car was difficult to drive today and it had a lot to do with the tyres. When the sun came out, the tyres worked well, especially the soft tyres in the final stint. In these conditions, I was able to push more.”
Kazuki Nakajima, Williams (13th):
“We struggled with our pace throughout the whole weekend here and qualifying was especially tough, which of course affected our potential in the race. On balance, the race was slightly better than Saturday, but of course all of our attention will now be on what we can do to be sure of an improved result in Italy in two weeks time.”
Sam Michael, Williams’ technical director:
“This wasn’t a competitive race for us, but at least we scored a point and Nico fought well for his position. We were competitive at various points today but not over the race distance. What is clear is that on the low drag tracks we are not as competitive as on the normal high downforce circuits and we have a similar race in two weeks time, so we will be putting some energy towards being able to score more points in Italy.”
Sebastian Vettel (3rd):
“If you look at the Championship board, today was a good result. Obviously it was not easy to start from the middle of the pack, but the actual start was good. I was maybe too conservative in the middle of the first lap when I saw Nick go off the track - very often cars tend to come back on to the circuit spinning; I lost a position to Nico Rosberg and had to catch him back up after the restart. I lost too much ground to the leading cars in the first stint, but in the second and third stints the car was fantastic, I didn’t make any mistakes and was pushing like it was qualifying on every lap. It was a pleasure to drive the car and we were quicker than the guys in front. We took points out of the Brawn team today, so that’s good for the team and it’s good to score more points than Jenson and Rubens for the drivers’ championship. A big thank you to the team and compliments to Renault - after everything we’ve gone through in the last couple of races, it’s good to finish a race again. We’ve proven that we are back.”
*Mark Webber (9th):
“I had a good first lap and laid the right foundations to get some good points today. But, at my first pit stop, I was released in front of Nick Heidfeld, which I was given a drive through penalty for. After that it was a case of damage limitation. I tried to get back into the points and when we had free air, which was not often, we had good pace, but it wasn’t enough. It’s very frustrating not to take any points away, I thought I deserved them from that drive, but the drive-through wrecked that. No one’s interested in excuses though; that’s how it is, so let’s get on and look ahead to the next race.”
Christian Horner, team principal:
A very strong race by Sebastian today. As soon as he got into clear air, he used the advantage that he had in the middle sector and really closed the gap to the leaders during the second and third stints. Third was a good result for him. Mark had a good start and a good first lap and was unlucky with his drive-through penalty - it was obviously marginal - and he was unlucky to miss out on the final point. Overall we’ve slightly reduced the gap in the constructors’ championship and we’ve reduced the gap in the drivers’ championship, so a reasonable weekend. Congratulations to Ferrari and also to Force India on a great drive by Fisichella.”
Fabrice Lom, Renault, Principal Engineer, Track Support:
“A difficult race. We started quite far down the grid, but both drivers had good starts. Sebastian made up some places and was very quick in the second-half of the race, getting the fastest lap time. He ended third, which was good, even if it was lower than we expected coming here. For Mark, his race was over with the drive-through penalty, which was unfortunate. We are happy to have made it through this race which is hard on the engines, but we still have five more races to go, so we can’t be happy until the last one is complete. Monza will be tough again.”
Robert Kubica - 4th: "I managed to make a good start and was second after the first corner. I was surprised to see Kimi next to me going through Eau Rouge. Approaching the fifth corner he braked very late and went off. It is a very tricky place. He came back on the track right in front of me and I played it safe as we saw a lot of accidents there over the weekend. Although we had a slight touch, I was able to continue. At times we lacked a bit of speed but, of course, it is good to be fighting for podiums again. The result means a lot of points for the team and is good. Unfortunately we didn't have the chance to achieve anything better. The result proves we are quite competitive on low downforce tracks, which is a positive sign for Monza. However, we have to analyse why the car was more competitive and felt better during qualifying yesterday."
Nick Heidfeld - 5th: "Although it is a good result for the team, I have to admit I'm disappointed. From third on the grid I had higher expectations, but I lost the race on the first lap. My thought pattern before the race went back and forth as to whether I should take the harder or the softer compound for the start. The harder was the quicker one but, of course, not the better one for heating up quickly. Because the sun was shining I went for the harder compound, and paid for it. After the start I tried to out brake Jarno on the inside of La Source, but I lost ground because the tyres weren't warm enough. Up the hill to turn five several cars were in the gravel, including me, and that's where I lost more positions. Later at my first pit stop I had to lock up the brakes in the pit lane to avoid crashing into Mark, who I was then able to immediately overtake on the track. In the last stint my pace was really good and I closed the gap to Robert. But, even though I was quicker than him, I couldn't overtake because as soon as you are less than two seconds behind another car you start sliding due to losing downforce in the dirty air."
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): "After our best qualifying this was also the best race result of the season. With fourth and fifth we were the only team that managed to get both cars into the top eight, and we scored nine championship points. Nick lost the chance of a podium position on the thrilling first lap. Robert damaged his front wing right at the beginning, but was able to continue. A big compliment to the whole team for this strong performance."
Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering): "We were all very excited before the start because we expected some action. And this happened exactly as expected. Unfortunately, Nick lost the advantage of his strong starting position in the chicane after the Kemmel straight. After this incident he was able to maintain a very good pace and he finally clinched fifth. Robert had contact with another car right at the beginning and lost part of his front wing. We checked the aero data and decided it would not make sense to bring him into the pits, which turned out to be the right decision. Today's result is the reward for all our hard work during recent weeks."
*Fernando Alonso - DNF: "Today I missed an opportunity to be on the podium. I had a good start, making up a few positions and the strategy looked good. The car was better than we expected and I was in third position when I came in for my pit stop and it became clear that something was wrong on my left front tyre and the team asked me to retire. We now think it was damaged at the first corner at the beginning of the race. Anyway, Monza is in two weeks and I look forward to making up for the disappointment of today. "
Romain Grosjean - DNF: "I made a very good start, moving up to thirteenth place and I was keeping a good pace but then Button took me out at turn five and it was the end for me. It's frustrating because I would have loved to finish the race and learn more about the car on this very special track. Hopefully I can do better in Monza."
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: "Today we took the decision of retiring Fernando's car although he was very competitive in the first part of the race. It's frustrating also that Romain's race came to an end so quickly. Let's turn the page and move on and concentrate on Monza in two weeks time."
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: "Romain's race was unfortunately very short as he was hit by Button on the first lap, which is a pity because this race would have been a valuable part of his learning experience. Fernando's race was ultimately ended by damage sustained also on the first lap. This resulted in a problem at the pit stop and for safety reasons we decided to retire the car."
Sebastien Buemi (12th):
“I drove a consistent race, making no mistakes and everything on the car worked well. It’s a shame I could not pass Kovalainen, even though I was quicker than him, but at least I tried. Maybe a one stop strategy would have worked better for me. I wasn’t involved in the first lap accident, but maybe I picked up some debris, as for several laps my front wing did not seem to be working and I tried driving over the kerbs to shake it loose and eventually it got better. Overall, I think I had a good race and I hope that we do so again in Monza running in a low downforce configuration.”
Jaime Alguersuari (DNF):
“My race didn’t last long. These things happen in racing and you just have to accept it. My start was not too bad and the car seemed to be going well. At Turn Two, Jenson spun and Hamilton had to move to the left to avoid him, moving onto the part of the track that I was on. We collided and my car was too damaged for me to continue. Hopefully we can do better in the coming races.”
Franz Tost, Toro Rosso team principal:
“Jaime’s race was over at the second corner due to a collision with Hamilton. Sebastien had a good start, lying eleventh on Lap Two and had a good first stint. In the second part of the race, he got stuck behind Kovalainen and we decided to bring him in early for the second stop, but by then the race had got away from us. It proves yet again that it’s important to qualify well to get a good race result.”
Timo Glock (10th):
"I made a pretty strong start and was running fourth when the safety car came out so we had a good chance of points. But at my first pit stop we had trouble with the fuel rig which cost me time and positions. The crew did well to quickly change to the back-up rig but nevertheless we lost time. Clearly there was a problem with the fuel rig and we have to analyse what happened and prevent any similar problems in the future. I did my best and the car was quite quick but it wasn't to be."
*Jarno Trulli (DNF):
"I can't say how disappointed I am with that race. I was really expecting a strong result because we were in great shape after qualifying. But at the first corner I was right behind Heidfeld and at the exit I expected him to pull away faster than he did. I'm not sure if he had a problem but I just touched him slightly and that broke the front wing. It was vibrating a lot so I had no choice but to make a pit stop. There was nothing I could do after that and in the end the team saw a problem with brake wear and decided it was safer to stop."
Tadashi Yamashina, Toyota team principal:
"Unfortunately we couldn't make the most of the car today, despite having such a promising grid position. I am sorry for our supporters because everyone was expecting a much better result. Jarno's race was decided on the first lap and Timo had a problem with the fuel rig which prevented him scoring points. So it was a very frustrating day for us, particularly because the car is competitive and we achieved our target of a significant improvement in qualifying. We will work at the factory to solve the fuel rig issue and get more out of the car for the Italian Grand Prix."
HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
MP4-24-03
Started: 15th
Finished: 6th
Fastest lap: 1m48.348s (13th)
Pitstops: one (Op- Pr)
2009 points: 17 (10th)
A textbook one-stopper for Heikki, who started from 15th position and drove faultlessly to finish sixth. He began the race on the Option tyre, made a strong start to slot into 10th. As the earlier-stopping cars pitted ahead of him, Heikki moved as high as fourth before making his sole stop of the race on lap 26.
After a switch to Primes, he rejoined 10th and enjoyed a close battle with Rubens Barrichello as he once again climbed up the order to finish sixth.
"A good race for me," said Heikki afterwards. "Even though our overall pace here hasn't been as good as in the two previous races, our strategy worked out perfectly and I was able to overtake a lot of the guys stopping before me.
"I want to say a big thank you to all the guys in Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart for all their efforts. Today's sixth place was the result of a strong, reliable car, a great strategy, a fantastic engine and a first-rate KERS - all of which helped me to make up nine places on my grid position today.
"We still have some work to do to be fully competitive on medium-downforce tracks, but Monza should be a different story as it's a very low-downforce circuit and we are traditionally quite good there.
"Finally, I'm really happy for Kimi: he drove a great race and I knew he would be a tough guy to beat around this place."
LEWIS HAMILTON
MP4-24-05
Started: 12th
Finished: Ret (0 laps, accident)
Fastest lap: -
Pitstops: -
2009 points: 27 (7th)
Starting from 12th, Lewis's car bogged down at the start and the anti-stall kicked in, delaying his momentum down to the first corner. Into La Source, he was pincered by two cars, snapping off part of his wing following contact with another car. Into the braking zone for Les Combes, Lewis slowed to avoid an entanglement ahead of him and was heavily broadsided by Jaime Alguersari, pitching him into the gravel and immediately out of the race.
"Some days, when things go bad they go bad - and this was just one of those days," admitted Lewis. "I got a poor start, the anti-stall kicked in and I tried to recover, but got sandwiched at the first corner and lost a bit of my front wing. When Romain Grosjean spun Jenson around at Turn Five, everyone was trying to avoid them, so I slowed down to try and avoid the damage and got taken out by one of the drivers behind me, who was trying to avoid the accident too. A disappointing day, but we'll come back and try to win this race next year."
MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
"Heikki drove very strongly from 15th on the grid to sixth at the finish, optimising a one-stop strategy that necessitated comparatively heavy fuel loads, and nursing his tyres judiciously all afternoon. Lewis was tapped by another car at La Source, and was then slammed into the wall at Les Combes by yet another. But that's racing.
"On behalf of all at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, I'd like to offer congratulations to Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari on the occasion of their first win of the season, and also to Giancarlo Fisichella and Force India on a sensational second place - a refreshing result that is very healthy for Formula 1 in that it demonstrates that the smaller teams are capable of turning the tables on the bigger teams from time to time.
"Returning to the subject of our team, we'd hoped to be leaving Spa with more than three world championship points - but the reality is that, although our car has been much improved recently, it still isn't as fast as the quickest cars. But we'll analyse that, and we'll work on it, and we'll hope to do better at Monza in two weeks' time."
NORBERT HAUG
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"Both Lewis and Heikki lost places at the start, Lewis was hit in the first corner and then taken out in the third one in Les Combes. So Heikki's sixth place is the best we could get today and this is not too bad as Heikki started from 15th.
"Congratulations to Kimi - it must be a big relief for him having achieved his first win for 25 races and compliments to Ferrari for their first victory this season. Well done to Giancarlo for second place and to McLaren-Mercedes' customer team Force India, who showed today, from the start to the finish, that they were a real match for the winner."
