Singapore Grand Prix - Sunday
2009 SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX
POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE – September 27, 2009
1. Lewis HAMILTON (McLaren Mercedes), 1h56m06.337s
2. Timo GLOCK (Toyota), 1h56m15.971s
3. Fernando ALONSO (Renault), 1h56m22.961s
TV UNILATERALS
Q: Lewis, winning from pole. What an evening for you.
Lewis HAMILTON: It was a very, very tough race. I think I can speak for all of us. The conditions made it very tough, but generally the race was pretty straightforward for me. I got a good start and I just managed to bridge a big enough gap. I knew I was longer than the guys behind me, so I was never really under serious pressure. When (Sebastian) Vettel was behind me I knew that I was five laps longer than him, so all I had to do was keep him behind. I was looking after the tyres. I felt myself that I nicely controlled the race and have to say a big thank to all my team for as always doing a fantastic job and to my family for supporting me. I want to say hi to my brother and everyone back home. It was a great weekend.
Q: We heard on the radio early on that perhaps you had a bit of trouble with the KERS unit. Talk about that and that early phase of the race and Nico Rosberg putting a bit of pressure on you in that early phase.
LH: Yeah, well I don’t know what lap it was. I had no problems in the car with the KERS but the team came across the radio and said there was possibly a fault. It was still working at that point and I had to disable it and re-engage it and it worked after that. There were quite a few switch changes. I did have a little bit of pressure from Nico and the cars behind at the beginning. They just seemed to be very quick through the first sector but I was just looking after my tyres and I think it paid dividends in the end.
Q: As you said, a very demanding circuit. Did it feel like a long, physically exhausting race and talk about racing at night.
LH: It is a tough race. It is not easy, that’s for sure. It is just the temperatures. But also it is corner after corner after corner. There is never a real break and it is very bumpy. The focus you probably need here is as much as you can possibly get. But the track is fantastic. The fans here are amazing. There was a huge crowd here and they put on a great show here in Singapore again. I came here hoping to have a good result, hoping to kind of redeem myself after the last race and we did it and we are very, very happy.
Q: Timo, a great result for the team. The best result of the year so far. This time you could do it from the right end of the grid after a very strong qualifying performance.
Timo GLOCK: It was a really good race for me. The start was a bit of a mess up in the first corner. I had to attack quite a lot but then I had a good first stint. But I knew I could not go the pace of the first two or three guys, so I just settled down for me and concentrated on it and saw what I can do with my car, keep it on 100 per cent. Before I came to Singapore I knew that last year we were good here. The driver can make a difference here and I just pushed as hard as possible. I had a lot of ups and downs over the weekend. Friday’s first free practice I said ‘ok, we are not looking really strong’ and then suddenly we just picked up and really concentrated with my car crew and did everything right. In qualifying again I thought we would get easily into Q3 and then struggled in Q1, but suddenly we just got better and better in qualifying. A bit of a shame to not use the last set of tyres. But during the race it was really good. I lost a bit with the view where the other guys were, so after that I changed to the option tyres and I pushed quite a lot. My team did not say where I am and then suddenly they said you are safe for P2 and I was really surprised and just brought it home at the weekend.
Q: On that first lap Mark Webber ran wide, there was a bit of an incident with Fernando, but you managed to get inside him. Talk us through that and you should know that Mark was surprised that he had to let you pass again.
TG: Definitely. I saw that they were battling quite a lot and the chance could be there if they did a mistake. I just took it and I knew from the free practice than Fernando and Renault struggle a bit over the race distance and we were quite okay. I just saw that I have to get in front of him to make the strategy work. That worked out really well and at the end with the safety car coming out I just crossed the safety car line in front of Fernando and that was important. Just a perfect weekend and a podium at the right moment for us.
Q: Fernando, what a fantastic result for Renault after all that has happened in the build-up to this race. That first lap for you was an interesting one, for you with Mark. But let’s get your take on Timo coming down inside you. Was that related to the previous corner?
Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, it was fantastic obviously and the result is great for us to be in the first podium of the season. The first lap was a little bit stressful arriving to turn seven side-by-side with Mark. We both ran wide and over the kerb and then Timo took the benefit there and overtook me into turn eight. Because of the battle with Webber I think I lost the position with Timo and I think we finished the race behind him, but no real complaints. To be fair it is fantastic for us. We did not have the pace all weekend to be on the podium and we have the podium, so much better than we expected.
Q: There was a lot of mechanical attrition but for Renault another aspect of this great weekend.
FA: The team have been fantastic. All season I think we have had a fantastic team. The mechanics, engineers, everybody in the factory, did their maximum. Sometimes we did get some good results, sometimes we have been a little bit unlucky. But finally this podium in this particular moment after what happened from Monza to here with the team. It has been a difficult time for the team. Now we put that behind us and we concentrate on the remaining races. I dedicate this podium to Flavio (Briatore) at home as he is part of the success we had today.
Q: Lewis, going to Suzuka now for the Japanese Grand Prix which a lot of the drivers say is their favourite circuit. You have never raced there but you do so with the team within three points of Ferrari for third place in the Constructors’ Championship. It is a weekend no doubt that you are very much looking forward to.
LH: Yeah, I am sure Martin (Whitmarsh) and the rest of the team will be happy to hear that. I am not sure where Heikki (Kovalainen) came but clearly he did a good job today, possibly. I have never been to Suzuka but I have heard that it is, apart from Monaco, the best circuit. Just growing up watching television with Ayrton (Senna) and Alain (Prost) and Fernando and Kimi (Räikkönen) racing there. I always wanted to go there. I am very excited to go. I am sure it will be a very tough weekend and undoubtedly it will be very tough to learn that circuit and master it in one weekend but I will do all I can. Going with the momentum we have from this race hopefully we will have a competitive car there.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Lewis, you said you wanted to win this but what a weekend it has been for you.
LH: It has been an incredible weekend in terms of the whole show, the build-up. It has been the busiest weekend probably of my life. I have had more appearances this week than I can remember. Obviously not a perfect Friday but Saturday was great. I have my Dad and my step-mum, Linda, here. I have my girlfriend here and I have got a friend of mine here. I got to meet Beyonce here, so it has been overall an incredible weekend. A great experience. I am very, very happy and I look forward to the celebration tonight.
Q: You never had a huge gap. Was that because you were managing tyres?
LH: Yeah, through our practice sessions our tyres never really lasted very long. I had to try and do all I could to look after them today. I also knew that the strategy I was on was very strong and I didn’t particularly need a huge gap to the people behind me. I kept a two-to-three second gap over Nico and it was good enough. Then with Vettel he was very competitive but he was again five laps shorter than me, so it had to be accepted that he was going to be on my tail, but it was never really a problem, so I just kept cruising and at the end there was a decent gap to Timo. He was putting in some good times but I was able to answer back, so I was able to keep the gap. I was very happy with it.
Q: There were quite a few drivers with brake problems here. How much attention did you pay to the brakes?
LH: I try to treat my car as good as I can. We don’t have any problems with the brakes. It has never been a problem for us, so fortunately we did a great job with the cooling and everything, so it was never an issue here.
Q: Timo, what made the difference in qualifying, because that’s been important in the races we’ve had so far?
TG: I think that for the first time since, I would say, Australia, Malaysia, Bahrain, I could just set the car up more for my driving. The car has slightly changed a bit over the year, it’s a bit more aggressive and it didn’t suit my driving style a lot for one lap, especially in qualifying. I knew from last year that you can make a difference here as a driver and you can just fight a bit more with the car. We could set the car up much, much better and we did a really good job over the weekend, we just never lost the way. We struggled in first free practice and just made our way up and just went better and better. In Q2 I just got in a really good lap and got through to Q3 and the top ten. When you see the last races when we’ve had to start out of the top ten and we made it into the top ten, I was really looking forward to the race. I just knew that we couldn’t go at the same pace as the top two or three guys, so I just said ‘OK, just find your own way, just push as hard as possible with what you have and just get the best out of it’, and at the end, we pushed at the right moment, we got into P2. The first lap was really important, when I overtook Fernando as well as under the safety car when he came out of the pits and I just stayed in front of him. That was really important for our strategy and at the end, I lost where I was really and then suddenly my engineer said ‘you are safe in P2’ and that was really surprising. I was happy with that. I think it’s been a perfect weekend for me and for the team, really important for us, a really important podium at just the right moment for us.
Q: What is the significance of this podium; why is it just at the right moment?
TG: We had goals from the beginning of the year. We started really well and got two or three podiums into the season and just had the pace at the beginning and then we had a couple of difficult weekends where we struggled and the team came down a bit. We pushed as hard as possible and then recovered over the weekend quite quickly, because we knew we had the chance to be in the top five. When you start a season as we did this year and you fall down and you fight back again, it’s just really important for the team and for us.
Q: And what are your thoughts about next weekend in Japan?
TG: It’s good to go to Japan with a podium and P2. I don’t know how our car will be in Suzuka but I think the high speed corners suit our car, so I’m looking forward to it and hopefully we can be on the podium again in Suzuka. That would be great.
Q: Fernando, I’m sure it’s also important timing for you and your team.
FA: Yeah, no doubt. It was a very important podium for Renault and they deserve this podium after all the difficulties the team had over the last two weeks, plus they have had some unlucky moments in some races when we’ve lost the possibility of podiums. I think this weekend everything came to us and we took the benefit of some circumstances like yesterday in qualifying when I think the lap was good and fifth position was better than expected. Today, running fifth, with the two penalties for Rosberg and Vettel we recovered these two positions. We made no mistakes, we kept the concentration to one hundred per cent all through the race and we knew that we were not super fast here in Singapore this weekend but if we didn’t make any mistakes we could be on the podium and we did it.
Q: All three of you were in the top four last year here; how important is it to have that experience here?
FA: It’s very important. I think it’s one of those circuits which you either like or don’t like. There’s no halfway. The people who don’t like it never find the right way, they lack confidence in some corners, it’s difficult to attack in qualifying and we know how important qualifying is on a street circuit where it’s difficult to overtake. I didn’t know that all of us were in the top four last year but I’m happy to repeat those positions.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Fernando, the hard times that you’ve had these last few weeks, did they give you extra motivation for this race and this weekend?
FA: Not really. I think we arrive very motivated to every race, so it was no different this time. Obviously now that we have this podium, I would like to dedicate it to Flavio, who watched the race at home, for sure. Part of the success this season is due to him, to the great job that the team did. I think the whole team deserved this podium because it has a been difficult for everybody, for the mechanics, the engineers, stressful weeks for them and now everything is clear, everything is behind us and we look forward with this initial podium.
Q: (Sudhir Chandran – Chequered Flag) Lewis, when my mother was in hospital some years ago, I spoke to the doctor and he said that you get just three chances to revive. This is 61 laps here, demanding clinical precision and you still come out strong, so whom do you give the credit to: your father for keeping a stoic face but then smiling at the end of it? To Nicole (Scherzinger) for being very subdued this year but smiling big time at the end? Or to the team for sweating it out and saying ‘hey man, we did this?’
LH: I always think it’s a job done by a lot of people. We wouldn’t have had the pace here if it wasn’t for the guys back at the factory who don’t always get the acknowledgement but they’re always there for me. But they are the guys that are working non-stop, really trying to get these components out, making sure that we compete for wins. But for me, the one person for me is God. He’s the one who has given me the opportunity to be here, he’s the one that keeps me healthy, has blessed me with a great family and great people around me. I think that answers it.
Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Lewis, is third place in the Constructors’ Championship your goal at the moment?
LH: Definitely, definitely. I think the team would be very happy with that. It doesn’t really have too much importance exactly where I finish in the championship. If you’re not first, then it doesn’t matter where you are really. First is where you want to be, but for the team, after the hard work they’ve put in, they’ve had a couple of tough years but they’ve done a great job this year and they deserve to first make a step forward and hopefully at least get third, that would be great for them.
Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Fernando, how do you rate this third place? Is it the maximum opportunity that you took? Or do you think you can get on the podium again before the end of the year?
FA: Obviously you never know, but I think here was the best chance for us to get a podium. Knowing that there are some very demanding circuits to come in terms of aerodynamics like Suzuka and we would not have improvements on the car and there are some other teams that keep producing new pieces, so we know that every race is going to be more and more difficult for us. So I think we were quite confident here in Singapore and we take this podium back home to all the guys back at the factory and from now on we will obviously try, starting from Suzuka next weekend but I think it will be more difficult, for sure, than it has been here.
Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Lewis, according to people who listen to television, you had some conversation with your team in the early stages of the race about KERS. Did you have to switch it off?
LH: No, no. It was working the whole time, as far as I was concerned, but they came across on the radio saying that there was possibly a problem with it, but I wasn’t seeing that. I just had to make some switch changes. I believe I had to disengage it and re-engage it or something like that, restart it, reboot it. Like I don’t have enough things to think about in the car, pressing all these buttons, but it was good fun!
Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Lewis, looking at the championship today, Jenson (Button) got the most out of it, even if he started in the worst position. Do you think that at this point it’s almost finished for him? I mean, he has 17 points over Rubens with three races to go.
LH: I don’t know where he finished today, but if he’s done a good job, that’s good for him and his team. But let’s not forget, I was leading by 17 points with two races to go and I lost it. It’s very, very, very tough, right up until the last moment, so I just suggest that they all keep pushing and we will see over the next few races but he’s done a fantastic job up until now, so I wish him all the best.
Q: (Don Kennedy – Hawke’s Bay Today) Fernando, given that you seem to be the key to the drivers’ market for 2010, does this podium help you make the decision as to which team you might drive for next year, including it could possibly be Ferrari?
FA: No, this podium doesn’t change anything. I took the decision already, so soon we will know.
Q: (Don Kennedy – Hawke’s Bay Today) Are you going to tell us?
FA: If you pay a good amount.
LH: I’ll give you a tenner, ten euros.
FA: Not enough. At least twenty!
Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Timo, you said you now have the car you had at the beginning of the season. Do you think you could win a race before the end of the year?
TG: It’s difficult to say. Singapore is a completely different race track. As I said, a driver can make a difference here. I think that as the teams are really, really close together, it becomes more and more difficult for us to win a race, but I would say that I will fight as long as possible and I will never give up. There will be a time when we have the chance to win a race and it will come and if we work as we have this weekend and really concentrate with little steps, little improvements on the car, then I think something is possible. When conditions are changing, maybe a wet race or whatever, there is another chance again, but at the moment I think we have to be realistic. The top two teams are still a step ahead of us, so it will be difficult.
Sebastian Vettel (4th):
“The start was not so good from the dirty side of the track, but it was pretty good race for me until we had the drive-through. There’s a bit of a question mark as to why I got the penalty, I mean I had no reason to push at that point. We knew we couldn’t pass Lewis at the pit-stop because he was staying out longer, so I was surprised when I got the call on the radio for it. We were on the limit with the brakes, I was lifting earlier than normal and braking a little more smoothly when I was in traffic. Sometimes I had to drop off a bit to cool them too, before I could push again - you always have to listen to your car. Regarding the championship, I think history has shown many different examples of how it can finish over the years, with it going either way. At the next races our approach will be simple: we will try to get pole position and try to win, so it’s very straightforward.”
Mark Webber (DNF):
“We had a suspected brake problem, so when I came in for my pit-stop, the guys made a visual check. It seemed reasonable for me to continue, but then we had the failure and I retired. The guys did everything they could - I think they were seconds away from retiring me when we had the failure, so it’s disappointing. The first lap was pretty feisty, as you’d expect on a street circuit and I had a bit of a fight with Fernando in Turn 7 and we both ran wide. About nine laps later I had to let Fernando back through, but unfortunately Glock was in the middle by then, so I had to let them both through. My race was heavily compromised from there. I thought the incident was fifty/fifty – but the stewards decided I had to let Fernando and Glock through, so I lost the hard work I’d done during my first stint. It was a hard penalty I think, Kimi did something similar in Spa and got away with it. I’d like to say thanks to the guys in the garage for this weekend - they’re awesome and that’s why we’re second in the constructor’s championship. Fingers crossed we can finish this year on a high.”
Christian Horner, team principal:
"A really disappointing day - and unfortunately one with too many incidents. Both drivers didn’t have great starts, which was inevitable from the dirty side of the grid, and Rosberg was able to get past Sebastian. It was a shame that Mark had to drop back behind Glock and Alonso after both drivers had run wide at Turn Seven. There was a drive-through penalty for Sebastian and damage to his diffuser after running over a kerb and, with all of that, he managed to bring the car home in P4 with a really competitive drive. With Mark, we had some concern about his brake wear, so we called his pit-stop a couple of laps earlier to do a visual safety check. Visually, both the brake pads and brake discs looked fine and we cleared the cooling duct of any debris. After the stop the brake wear continued to rise and we were just in the process of calling him in, when a suspected brake disk failure occurred.”
Fabrice Lom, Renault, Principal Engineer, Track Support:
“A very, very disappointing result. One penalty per driver and one retirement, so it was a very bad Sunday compared to what we showed we could do yesterday. On the positive side we didn’t have any engine problems and the performance of the car was good, so let’s hope we will get a better result in Japan next week.”
Kimi Raikkonen finished the Singapore Grand Prix in tenth place, while his Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team-mate, Giancarlo Fisichella came home in thirteenth place. Having qualified in 12th and 17th places respectively, there was never a realistic chance of a great result on a street circuit, where overtaking is virtually impossible. Even the inevitable intervention of a Safety Car did nothing to improve the Scuderia duo’s situation.
Lewis Hamilton led from pole and went on to win, which means that his McLaren team are now a mere three points behind us in the battle for third place in the championship, as the first two positions have been locked out by Brawn and Red Bull for a long time now. Joining the reigning world champion on the podium, was Timo Glock second for Toyota and Fernando Alonso third for Renault.
Against the most unique and spectacular night time backdrop of Singapore, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro’s Kimi Raikkonen lined up on row 6 of the grid in twelfth spot, with Giancarlo Fisichella on the penultimate row in seventeenth place. Nick Heidfeld would start from pit lane in the BMW.
As the lights went out to start the fourteenth round of the World Championship, with a heat haze rising from the cars, Hamilton shot into the lead from pole and Rosberg immediately went to second, passing Vettel, who then had to fight off Alonso who got alongside the Red Bull in his Renault but not enough to get past. Webber maintained his grid place of fourth. Kimi dropped a place to thirteenth, while Giancarlo moved up one to 16th in the F60, both Ferraris getting pushed wide and bogged down in traffic. Grosjean was the first retirement, bringing his Renault into the pits on lap 3.
With lap times slower than last year – leader Hamilton had done a 1.49.172 at this stage – the race was going to go very close to the two hour limit, which in the heat and humidity would be a real test of man and machine.
On lap 5, Hamilton led from Rosberg, Vettel, Webber, Glock, Alonso, Barrichello, Kubica, Kovalainen, Button, Nakajima, Buemi, Raikkonen, Alguersuari, Sutil, Fisichella, Liuzzi, Trulli and Heidfeld. One lap later, the order changed as Glock and Alonso both got past Webber, who thus dropped to sixth. Kimi was two seconds behind twelfth man Buemi and Giancarlo was 2.4 adrift of Sutil. Although his engineer told him to disable the faulty KERS on the McLaren, Hamilton was still the fastest man on track, exploiting the advantage of having no one ahead of him. After 10 laps, Kimi’s times began to match those of Buemi ahead of him and the gap began to come down between them and on lap 11, the Finn got by comfortably to go twelfth. In 14th place, Alguersuari was slowing those behind, so that Sutil was just 0.6 behind him, with Giancarlo a further 0.6 behind, but coming under pressure from Liuzzi.
Lap 14 and Hamilton led Rosberg by 3 seconds, with Vettel 1.7 down on the Williams. Then came a big gap to fourth placed Glock, who had 5 seconds in hand over Alonso. The rest of the top ten had Webber in sixth, followed by Barrichello, Kubica, Kovalainen and Button.
Vettel was the first to pit, coming in on lap 17, dropping from third to seventh, with Rosberg bringing the Williams in from second one lap later. Webber also came in at the same time from seventh, followed in by Giancarlo and Liuzzi. Glock who had moved up to second refuelled the Toyota on lap 19, with leader Hamilton in on lap 20.
The inevitable safety car now appeared, after Sutil tried to pass Alguersuari, which spun the Force India round, then collecting the BMW of Heidfeld. Naturally, this prompted a rush for the pits, as this was the window for most drivers’ first stop, including Kimi.
Alguersuari tried to drive away with his fuel line still attached, knocking over a Toro Rosso refueller, but then got away again without further incident. The entire field had now made their first refuelling stop and were still running behind the SC on lap 24, when the order was Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel, Glock, Alonso, Barrichello, Kovalainen, Button, Webber, Kubica, Nakajima, Kimi (12) Buemi, Trulli, Giancarlo (15,) Liuzzi, Alguersuari 17th and last as Sutil retired in the pit.
The SC came in to pit lane at the end of lap 25 and after such a long period tyres and brakes would have cooled significantly, providing less grip and braking. The entire field was back within ten seconds, from Hamilton to Alguersuari. Rosberg in second place was due to take a drive through for crossing the white line at the pit lane exit. The German came in for it on lap 27.
The battle at the front was hotting up, as Vettel chased down Hamilton, the gap being 0.8 on lap 29. In third, Glock was a further 4.1 behind. In eleventh place, Kimi trailed Nakajima by 1.9 and had Buemi 1.0 behind, while in 15th, Giancarlo was 3.9 behind Rosberg, with Liuzzi 0.8 behind.
IN 14th, Rosberg started the second run of stops on lap 34. Lap 37 and the lead battle was hotting up as Vettel was now just half a second off Hamilton. Fisichella moved up to 13th when Buemi refuelled on lap 38. Vettel pitted on lap 39 from second, while Buemi came in again as no fuel had gone in the car at the first stop. Vettel however was given a drive through penalty for speeding in the pit lane, which he took on lap 43. At this point, Kimi was tenth and Giancarlo 13th. Webber refuelled from ninth on lap 44, a long stop because of a problem with the right front wheel. The next lap saw Glock refuel his Toyota, which dropped him from second to sixth. Lap 45 and Webber put his car in the wall at Turn 3, as the leader Hamilton made his second stop. Kovalainen, Barrichello and Nakajima also refuelled as did Giancarlo. Alonso yet to make a second stop now led from Hamilton and Button, the Englishman also yet to refuel.
Kimi made his second stop on lap 52 and was tenth on lap 54. Out in front, Hamilton appeared to be heading for the win, his McLaren 7.1 ahead of the Toyota of Glock, with Alonso occupying the final podium position. As for the rest of the points places, Vettel was fourth, leading Button, Barrichello, Kovalainen and Kubica. With five laps remaining, Kimi was closing on Nakajima in ninth, but Kubica in the last points position was a further second ahead of the Japanese driver. The positions remained unchanged, with Ferrari thus ending a run of ten races in the points. Now there are just a few days, before the Scuderia has a chance to do better at Suzuka; a circuit where both it and its two drivers have a good track record.
K. Raikkonen: 10th 1:57.05.229 + 58.892, 61 laps, Chassis 279
G. Fisichella: 13th 1:57.26.227 + 79.890, 61 laps, Chassis 280
Weather: air temperature 32/30 °C, track temperature 34/32°C, covered skies.
No points for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro in the Singapore Grand Prix, which turned out to be as cursed as expected for the Maranello team. Kimi Raikkonen and Giancarlo Fisichella were classified tenth and thirteenth respectively. It thus brings to an end a string of races which saw at least one Ferrari finish in the points (10) and on the podium (5.) Today’s result means that the lead over its closest rival in the fight for third place has now been cut to just three points.
Stefano Domenicali: “Honestly, I don’t think we could have done much better. When you start this far back on a track like this, it’s difficult to climb up the order. Kimi and Giancarlo did their best, trying to exploit what their cars had to offer. We have to accept the fact that many other teams have made yet another step forward in terms of performance, which makes our technical situation even more difficult, given that development on the F60 stopped a while ago now. When we took that decision, we knew we would pay for it more and more as the end of the season approached, but let’s be clear on one thing, we are not giving up: there are still three races to go and we will tackle them with maximum effort because we want to do all we can to finish third in the Constructors’ classification. In a strange season like this one, anything can happen. Again today, for example, we saw teams that used to be a long way back, now at the front end, while others did the opposite.”
Kimi Raikkonen: “I couldn’t do any better. The car was sliding everywhere and I had no grip. In the final part, with the softer tyres, the situation improved a bit, but by then it was too late. I closed up to Nakajima and, a few times, I tried to risk a passing move, but here it’s really difficult to overtake unless the guy in front makes a mistake. I don’t expect the situation to be much different next week in Suzuka: it is a very demanding track for the car, from an aerodynamic point of view and we are lacking in this area. Having said that, I will be trying my hardest.”
Giancarlo Fisichella: “It was a very tough race, both physically and mentally. The pace was not up to Ferrari’s standard and we have to take that on board. I was struggling to keep the car on track because of a lack of grip. At the end, on the softer tyre, the car’s handling improved and I managed to do some good lap times. We brought my first pit stop forward to try and get me out of traffic, given that I was stuck behind Sutil, but then with the safety car the move didn’t give the result we’d hoped for. Here, KERS was less of a factor than at Monza: at the start I managed to pass a car and then it was mainly useful to defend my position. Now we go to Suzuka, a real track: given how things have gone this year, with cars being strong in one race and weak the next, it’s difficult to make any predictions.”
Chris Dyer: “It was a very difficult race, for both Kimi and Giancarlo. Contrary to what has happened in recent races, we were unable to make the most of the start, which has been one of our strong points this year. We were already a long way back on the grid and so our situation was immediately more complicated, especially as overtaking is virtually impossible here. Today, several cars failed to finish, or were struggling with brake problems, but we were not able to exploit that to make it at least into the points. As for the tyre performance, the softer compound, in the final part of the race proved to be better than expected in terms of consistency, but it was not clear enough to decide to use it as from the second stint, which was the longest one. It’s easy to say things after the event, but I do really think we made the right choice.”
Hiroshi Yasukawa - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport: "What a fantastic Grand Prix! We appreciate the great organisation required to put on such a race in this wonderful venue. Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for their second win of the season. Timo Glock will be very pleased with his second place, equalling Toyota's best-ever result, and it is good to see strong performance from them heading to the Japanese Grand Prix. Renault and Fernando Alonso have also done very well to achieve a podium finish in such difficult circumstances."
Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development: "This was a long and gruelling race, only four minutes short of two hours duration. Over this time the circuit became cleaner and cleaner and more rubber was laid meaning a better track surface. This meant that degradation was better than seen earlier in the week. Indeed, brake degradation was a bigger concern for some competitors. Most drivers used the same tyre strategy; however with the information we have after the race, two stints using the super soft was a realistic option. Driver style and car set-up and characteristics defined the tyre performance on this difficult track. Nico Rosberg completed nearly half race distance on the super soft showing that it had solid durability today."
Fernando Alonso claimed his first podium of the season today as he delivered a strong drive to take third place in the Singapore Grand Prix. Teammate Romain Grosjean retired in the early stages with brake problems.
Fernando Alonso, R2904, P3
“This was a great result for the team allowing us to be positive and put behind us the past few weeks. I had a good start and great pace throughout the race and third place came as a result of a good strategy and a solid race. Everyone at Enstone, Viry and here at the circuit has done a great job and this has paid off today. Now we go to Suzuka in high spirits.”
Romain Grosjean, R2903, DNF
“It was a disappointing weekend for me. The car just wasn't right and we had recurring brake problems which we hoped we had solved before the race. I had a good start and a good first lap when I felt my brakes failing and so the team asked me to retire. It’s too bad because I was comfortable and enjoying this track and racing at night. Now we will have to work hard and get the car back in order for Japan next week.”
Bob Bell, Team Principal
“Today was absolutely fantastic. It’s wonderful to get a podium at any time but to get one after what the team has just been through is really positive and gives us great strength to move on now. Unfortunately Romain had more brake problems which put him out of the race early on. It’s clear he has a lot of potential for the future and he just needs to move on from this race and make sure he completes a solid race in Japan. Everybody in the team will now go to the final three races very buoyed by this result because it shows that the team can fight for the podium.”
Jean-François Caubet, Managing Director
“To end the weekend with a podium is a great result. When we arrived here on Wednesday we did not think it was achievable, but little-by-little we have made it possible. In the end the race team put together a strategy that worked very well today. It’s great to get a podium here and it’s extremely important for Renault, for our partner TOTAL and for our sponsors, and for Renault F1 Team. We showed that Renault F1 has what it takes to fight at the front.”
Remi Taffin, Head of Engine Operations
“The engines have run perfectly this weekend. We were using the same engines we ran in Spa and Monza so it was their third race and they have delivered once again. The only issue we had was a small alert in the race, but we managed it and it had no consequence on the result of the race. To finish on the podium here isn’t easy because it’s an unforgiving circuit where you cannot afford to make any mistakes. Today we showed that the whole team is focussed and it’s a super result for us.”
Having secured P3 on the starting grid and wrestling another position off the start line at the beginning of the race, Nico Rosberg was well set for a repeat of his second place finish at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix when a transgression relegated him to the rear of the field. Jumping the kerb at the pitlane exit, he was unable to recover the car into the pitlane before the white line that drivers must observe before rejoining the race. That unfortunately earned him a mandatory drive-through penalty, which coincided with a safety car period. This sequence of events consigned him to an unrecoverable position towards the rear of the field. Despite the disappointment, Nico’s pace in Q2 as well as in the race itself was encouragement for the team to take forward to next weekend’s race in Japan.
Kazuki Nakajima:
It was a difficult race and I think I did the best job I could, but it was disappointing not to be able to claim any points. There seemed to be a possibility in the last stint as the car in front of me was struggling with its tyres but as much as focus on the car ahead, I also had to defend from behind, so it was tough to find the balance. The car has been good here and hopefully we can carry this with us to Japan.
Nico Rosberg:
Today’s outcome was hugely disappointing. I made an unnecessary mistake by braking too late and running over the white line on the pitlane exit. Then the safety car came out at the worst possible moment. It left me with a really horrible feeling, also for the team, knowing that I wouldn’t be second when I have served my drive-through penalty and I would have to spend the rest of the race at the back. The team gave me such a good car this weekend having put more effort into development than anyone else, and I am now determined to use this to best advantage in Japan.
Sam Michael, Technical Director:
Nico had a really good start and showed strong pace all the way to the first pit stop. He had a good strategy for the remainder of the race which was going to put him solidly into P2, but unfortunately he had a problem at the end of the pitlane which cost him a drive-through penalty. It was a real shame because he had done everything right in practice, qualifying and the race, and then had a small mistake that was very costly. We then called him in early for his second stop to vary the strategy in case of another safety car. Kazuki had an uneventful race, but the car pace here has been good all weekend, our upgrades are delivering and we have some more to add to the car for the races ahead.
Points: AT&T Williams 30.5 (6th), Nico Rosberg 30.5 (7th), Kazuki Nakajima - *started P10
Brawn GP extended the team’s lead in the Constructors’ Championship at the Singapore Grand Prix this evening with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello bringing their Brawn-Mercedes cars home in fifth and sixth positions respectively.
Both drivers had good first laps to set up the points-scoring opportunity with Rubens gaining two places to be running in seventh position and Jenson making up one place to tenth position. Rubens pitted first on lap 19, gaining a place over Mark Webber, whilst Jenson was held up behind Heikki Kovalainen before pitting earlier than planned when the safety car came out on lap 21.
A problem with engaging neutral at his second stop on lap 46 cost Rubens valuable time allowing Jenson, who was fuelled five laps longer, to gain fifth place when he stopped on lap 51. After a below-par qualifying performance on Saturday, the team recovered well to add a further seven points to its Championship tally with three races of the season remaining.
RESULTS
Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Race Result / Fastest Lap
Jenson Button 22 BGP 001-02 P5 01:48.369
Rubens Barrichello 23 BGP 001-03 P6 01:48.598
Weather Hot & humid - Max 77.6% humidity
Temperatures Air: 29-30°C Track: 29-32°C
JENSON BUTTON
“It was a good race for me and I’m happy with fifth position and four more points today. Getting ahead of Kazuki off the line was key and that really made my race. The first stint was quite frustrating as I could see Rubens getting away from me whilst I was stuck behind Heikki with a heavier fuel load. The safety car then made it very difficult as I still had fuel for a few more laps and should have been able to make up two places at my first stop. I had to put in some quick laps before my second stop to close up to Rubens and then we were pushing to catch Sebastian before deciding to save the brakes and settle for the fifth position. The weekend hasn’t been quite what we expected but it’s good to come through from 11th on the grid to score points today. I’ll go to Japan tomorrow feeling very positive and looking forward to the next race.”
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
“It was a pretty eventful weekend for me and a tough race today. I had a great start to make up two places and everything was going well in the first stint. It’s a shame that the safety car didn’t play into my hands but I was in a good position. Unfortunately I had a problem on my second pit stop when I couldn’t engage neutral and the engine stalled which lost me the crucial time needed to stay ahead of Jenson. After that my brakes were struggling and I couldn’t fight anymore so we came home with sixth position. It could have been a better weekend but I only lost a point to Jenson in the championship despite everything that happened so I’m staying positive.”
ROSS BRAWN
“Jenson, Rubens and the team put in a very good performance today to achieve two points-scoring positions after what was a disappointing qualifying result for us yesterday. Both drivers did exactly what they needed to do at the start with Jenson getting ahead of Nakajima and Rubens taking two places from Kubica and Kovalainen. From there, the pace was good and whilst the safety car didn’t play in our hands particularly for either driver, we were able to make steady progress up the field. A longer than planned pit stop for Rubens when the car stalled as he entered the box lost him some time however the pit crew recovered the situation superbly and he was safe for sixth position. Jenson put in some quick laps before his stop to make up the required time for fifth place which we settled for and decided to bring both cars safely home. We will go away from Singapore with further valuable points in the championship having done as we intended and recovered well from qualifying.”
Lewis Hamilton - 1st: "This is the perfect end to a fantastic weekend. The race was physically very tough for all the drivers, but it was actually quite straightforward for me. I made a good start and I knew I was running longer than the guys behind me, so I was able to bridge the gap back to them. It was a very nicely controlled race in that way.
"The team did radio me about a small problem with KERS - but I didn't have a problem in the cockpit and was able to just disable it and then re-engage it. It worked fine after that. We came here hoping for a good result – and I wanted to redeem myself after the last lap in Monza – and we got it!"
Heikki Kovalainen - 7th: "I had no problems from start to finish and was feeling very comfortable, but I couldn't go quicker. I drove to the pace I could with this car. I struggle a bit to maintain the tyre's performance and the car gets out of shape if I try to increase my pace, so I can't carry more speed through the corners. My focus now is to get the car better for me, so I can achieve better results.
As a team, we'll take many positives from this race. First of all, our car performance has been fantastic all weekend – and Lewis's victory shows that the performance is definitely there. But, to be honest, my weekend was ruined yesterday in qualifying, which was very unfortunate for me."
Martin Whitmarsh - Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: "You won't be surprised to hear me describe what Lewis did this weekend as 'a fantastic job'. After a slightly troubled Friday, the team worked tremendously hard throughout Friday night and Saturday morning to rebuild Lewis's car completely – and the result, combined with a brilliant pole lap from the man himself, was that we were able to approach today with a win firmly in our sights.
"As such, it was a perfectly paced weekend – and Lewis delivered magnificently today. Working together with the team, he was able to control the race from the front – and, although at one point both Nico [Rosberg] and Sebastian [Vettel] were piling the pressure on, we were always confident.
"In short, I'd describe it as a great victory – not only for Lewis, but also for the team. To design and manufacture the new parts required for our latest upgrades, against time pressure, and yet to do it accurately and reliably, is a truly superb achievement. In fact, I'm every bit as proud of the team as I am of Lewis himself.
"As for Heikki, he was unlucky in qualifying yesterday, but today he put in a solid performance from 10th position on the grid, in tricky circumstances, and earned us some valuable world championship points as a result."
Norbert Haug - Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: "A first-class grand prix from Lewis and our whole team. Lewis did everything right, setting pole position yesterday and winning the race today. The team was at its best by building up a different chassis for Lewis over night from Friday to Saturday – and they all got the reward for their exceptional work including perfectly timed and well-executed pit stops.
"Heikki came home seventh, and more was just not possible after his 10th place in qualifying. Well done to everybody – nobody scored more points than Vodafone McLaren Mercedes in this so important night race here in Singapore.
"The statistics speak for themselves: this is the 60th grand prix victory of the McLaren-Mercedes partnership, and no team has scored more points than us in the five races since Lewis's victory in Hungary two months ago Now we all are looking forward to a great season finale with three more races to go.
"Congratulations to our German friend Timo Glock and Toyota for their second place today, they have been strong all weekend."
Adrian Sutil - DNF: It was quite frustrating at the start as we knew with the one stop we were very heavy, but Jaime [Alguersuari] was very slow and really fighting with the car. He was holding me up a lot and I tried a few times to pass him but I finally saw a chance. I tried and it wasn't enough - I was a little late on the brakes, spun and that's it. Then Nick came around the corner and hit my front wing as I was stuck in the corner. I didn't see him coming as I was on the move already and couldn't react to it, but I'm sorry for it. It was a race incident. After the accident I then had a problem with the brakes and lost all the rear pressure and I had to stop as it was too dangerous to drive. We should be much better in Suzuka - I really can't wait for it. It's one of my favourite circuits and I have big hopes for a better result.
Tonio Liuzzi - 14th: It has been an ultra difficult weekend and race for us. The conditions are very difficult from the beginning as we were starting on the last row and trying to get some points was always going to be tough. Also having two cars with KERS in front of me didn't help. I couldn't overtake Giancarlo [Fisichella] even though I was quicker on my first two stints. On the third stint we started to have a lot of graining with the rear tyres with the soft compound and I just couldn't catch him. In the end it was a difficult race but we are more optimistic for the next races.
Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal: We thought this was going to be a difficult race with the high downforce configuration and it indeed proved to be true. We tried all we could to gain some places but ultimately it was too big a challenge to score some points today. I am however very pleased that Tonio has achieved his first race finish for the team and again trailed home a Ferrari. Adrian tried to make up places but it just didn't work out for him. But it was a racing incident and these things happen when you are pushing hard. We are now looking forward to Suzuka where we hope we will see a truer reflection of our performance.
Timo Glock - 2nd: "We have had a really good weekend and this is a great reward for the team. After a solid qualifying the pace was good in the race so I am really happy for the team and myself. It was important to get in front of Fernando (Alonso) on the first lap and I was disappointed I didn't do it at the start. I saw he was fighting with Mark (Webber) and I just dived in and made the pass. It paid off because after that our strategy worked well; it was the key point in my race. I was just concentrating the whole race on my speed and we didn't make any mistakes. This is a brilliant result for Toyota before the Japanese Grand Prix. It's important for everyone in the team; the mechanics and engineers as well as the people back home in Cologne and in Japan. The car worked well today with the new package and I hope we can be competitive again in Suzuka."
Jarno Trulli - 12th: "It was a really tough race and not much went right for me. As soon as I got out of the traffic the safety car came at the wrong moment for me; right when I was passing through the pits for my first stop. I wasn't particularly competitive all weekend and I was struggling with traction so we have to take a look at that. But on the positive side Timo's second place is a great result for the team, who really deserve it. Timo drove a great race and I am happy for his podium; it is also good news for us in the Constructors' Championship."
Tadashi Yamashina - Team Principal: "I am extremely happy to be back on the podium and fighting at the front again. Timo did a fantastic job this weekend, as did the entire team. Everything went perfectly with Timo today; his pit stops were very good and he drove very well. Jarno did his best but unfortunately it was always going to be difficult after qualifying. To be on the podium again is a particularly satisfying result coming just a few days before our home Grand Prix in Japan. Suzuka should be more suited to our car than Singapore so we can expect to be very competitive there as well. I would like to thank the team for their hard work in getting such a great result and I am looking forward to another strong performance next weekend."
Robert Kubica (8th):
“This was a very tough race. I was quite unlucky with the safety car period. I lost a couple of positions as I had just refuelled before the safety car went out. On top of this we had a lot of problems with my car’s rear tyre degradation. As a result the final ten to fifteen laps of my stint were very slow and, especially in the final stint, I had to defend my position extremely hard. In the end I must say this was the most difficult point I have scored in my whole life.”
Nick Heidfeld (DNF):
“For me it was clearly Adrian Sutil’s fault. Obviously I saw it from the inside and later also on TV. He had spun backwards and then just drove back onto the track and straight into my car. That’s something you just can’t do. I had no chance to avoid this accident. I was last with a lot of fuel on board. The speed at the back of the pack was very low and, therefore, I started to save fuel very early on as overtaking was impossible anyway. Although my chances were far from promising today, it is still annoying not to finish because of such a stupid incident.”
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport director:
“That was a lot of hard work for a single point. With Nick starting from the pit lane it was clear he would not be involved in the outcome of the race. Unfortunately eventually he was taken completely out of the race due to an accident which was not his fault. Robert, yet again, was unlucky as the safety car came out just after his first pit stop. Therefore he lost some positions. What we take from this race is the improved performance in qualifying. Now we have to fully exploit the potential of the car.”
Willy Rampf, BMW Sauber head of engineering:
“Nick’s start was very difficult as it was from the pit lane. The accident, which was not his fault, ruined his race early on. Robert lost ground at the start. Later he was not able to fight back as our pace today was bad compared to our qualifying speed. Also Robert suffered from early tyre degradation. In the end he rewarded himself with one point, which he had to fight for really hard in the final laps."
Jaime Alguersuari (DNF):
“It would have been difficult for me to do better today, as conditions in the race in terms of the track and the heat were very tough. I ran at my own pace and then I was stopped with a brake problem. Now we go to Suzuka where I hope to do better and finish the race with no technical issues.”
Sebastien Buemi (DNF):
“The start was good for me as I got past Kimi and was going well, but towards the end of the first run, I began to suffer with tyre degradation. The first pit stop went well and I rejoined in P12. After that the safety car came out, bunching up the field. I was behind Kimi again and pushing hard until my second pit stop, when we had a big problem as no fuel went in and I had to come in again. Finally, I had an issue with the gearbox which meant I had to stop. I am very disappointed that we had reliability problems in a race where we might have got a good result.”
Franz Tost, Toro Rosso team principal:
“Both drivers got an okay start, Buemi moving up to twelfth and Alguersuari was fourteenth. Buemi defended his position, until he was passed by Raikkonen. The first pit stop for Buemi went according to plan. Then we had a major problem at Jaime’s first stop, as he tried to drive away before the lollipop was up and this damaged the fuel rig. As a consequence, when Sebastien came in for his second stop, no fuel went in and we had to bring him in to refuel again. Towards the end, we called him back to the pits, as we could see he was losing oil pressure in the gear box, for reasons we must now investigate. When Jaime made his second pit stop, we saw that there was a problem with the front right brake, the cause of which we have yet to identify, so on safety grounds we decided to retire him.”
