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Spanish Grand Prix Sunday - team and driver quotes |
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Post-race press conference - Spain |
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Q. Jenson, another brilliant day for you and your team. A switch for your team-mate to a three stop strategy relatively early in the race and then just a great day for you. Jenson BUTTON: Well, it was the other way around. We were both going that direction but they switched me to a two stop just to cover all our bases. Three stop was the quicker strategy we thought and I wasn't sure about going to a two stop. When we put the fuel on board it felt very, very heavy and I didn't think I would come out in front of (Felipe) Massa and (Sebastian) Vettel but I did. From then on I could get my head down and concentrate on putting the laps in and being as consistent as possible. So to come away with a win, they all mean a lot obviously but coming back to Europe and winning in Barcelona, a circuit that I've always found a little bit tough, it's a good feeling and gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season. Q. Rubens, a great team performance as well. Tell us about the race from your point of view. Rubens BARRICHELLO: The race evolved quite well. I had a great start, went to the lead. I was running a tiny bit quicker than Jenson to begin with and I had two more laps of fuel. It was running quite well and then I heard they changed Jenson's strategy and I had to keep on pushing. My third set of tyres was not good. I don't know if there was something broken on the car or anything. I could not keep my pace up as well as the last set, so I guess it wasn't the tyre, it must be something to do with the car and from there on it was a struggle. I had a big struggle to keep the car on the track and a relief to come second and a big thank you to the whole group as it is still first and second back in Europe. Disappointed that I haven't won the race as I thought I had it in the bag today but it is still a good effort from the whole team. Q. Mark, a strong result for you and the team. Your team-mate Sebastian Vettel obviously spent most of the race behind Felipe Massa's Ferrari. But a great ending to your second stint to make up that time. Mark WEBBER: Yeah, exactly. It was a tough first stint in terms of we knew that it was in qualifying that it was going to be difficult to get track position on those guys, particularly Felipe round this place as you can't do much on the circuit. We did our best to hang in there in the first stint as best as we could. I knew I was one lap shorter which is never ideal but that's the way it was because of qualifying. The car went incredibly neutral in the high speed in the last few laps of the first stint, so we made a balance correction for the second stint and the second stint went very well for me. It was very long, we knew we had to go extremely long to try and jump and give us very good field position if you like with the people around us. That worked well for the majority of the stint, a good 25 laps or so, and again at the end I came up to Rubens a little bit. I would have tried to stay close and the guys were encouraging me to stay as close as possible as we thought Rubens might have been one lap shorter but he stopped on the same lap. The primes worked okay at the end. I was stuck behind Rubens again for most of the last stint. But it is a good day for the team. We would like a few more points but I think, what is it 10 or 11 for Sebastian and I so that's another good chunk for us. These guys are a still going away but we are going away from the rest of the field, so a great day for us. And the team have buried themselves this week to get the car ready, a lot of all-nighters and a fantastic thank you to Renault as the engines have been great. Q. Jenson, let's have a look at the start. Your start with Rubens taking the lead and the first corner accident and weaving through the debris afterwards behind the safety car. JB: Yeah, the start I felt was okay but Rubens got a flier of a start. I moved to the inside to try and hold the line but when he has got that much of an overlap at the start you can't really do much about it into turn one. Rubens did a great start and I wasn't able to stay with him on that and as soon as he was in front I knew it was going to be very difficult to beat him. Q. And the mayhem behind you? JB: We obviously didn't see any of that. The only thing we saw was the debris. When we got to it the debris was all over the circuit, so it's a surprise that there were no tyre issues afterwards as there were massive amounts of debris. Q. When you come into that situation behind the safety car what are you looking for? What can you do to try and avoid issues with the tyres, etc? JB: Well, you are very limited. If there is carbon fibre all over the circuit you are limited to what you can do. You have got your spotter, you have got your engineer who has been looking at the accident, he knows where the worst bits are. But look at the pick up on the tyre, it's massive. And a great thing that there were no issues with the debris, so it is positive really. Q. Rubens, as Jenson just said, a great start for you. RB: I had a great reflex and I did have a little better start than Jenson and I used his slipstream and was able to carry that momentum into the first corner. Q. And then coming in for this earlier pit stop for your scheduled strategy? RB: I was on a lap or two longer. Obviously I think Jenson caught me up a little bit on the strategy because of the safety car. I was quite happy as having a lap longer and being in front I was delighted. I had the race in my hands, so I was actually quite surprised when they told me they had switched Jenson to two. From then on I had to go flat out. The only minor thing was that I came in a lap or two earlier on my final pit stop as there were lots of cars and blue flags and I was losing time. Q. Mark, your team-mate was in front of you. But the KERS certainly did well for Massa off the line. But by your second pit stop you had made that ground back by running six laps longer. MW: Yeah, we knew what we had to do. It wasn't rocket science. Go long when I knew they would have bolted the primes on. Q. And Mark today is the 50th anniversary of Sir Jack Brabham's first ever win in Formula One, so a nice day for you to be on the podium. MW: Yeah, exactly. I saw a great photo of Jack earlier today. He did a huge amount for Formula One. He is a legend in our country, so it is great to get a podium on the same day as he had a great day as well. So, a special day. Q. Jenson, we won't mention what lies ahead other than the immediate future which is the Monaco Grand Prix and what a momentum you now have. JB: Yeah, it is a dream come true so far this season. Even when times are tough we seem to be able to get the wins. When it is going well, it goes well, doesn't it. And it was the same last year. When it was going bad, it went really bad. I do feel like I am on top of the world at the moment as I am sure the whole team do also. They have done a magnificent job and with this new package you can see we have got a bit of an advantage again. I am very proud of all the guys back at the factory. I don't think they get enough of a mention, the guys at Brackley, so thank you very much and also thanks to Mercedes Benz as we can't do it without you. PRESS CONFERENCE Q. Jenson, I mentioned earlier on today about that statistic about starting from pole. The last eight winners. Now it makes nine winners. But you were on the clean side of the circuit in theory and yet you got a worse start than Rubens who was on the dirty side. JB: No, Rubens started right behind me. Q. Yes, that's right. You had Sebastian right behind you. JB: Yes, thanks for that statistic. I was thinking about that when I came out of turn one second. It wasn't the best start. It was a good start but this guy just got an amazing start and as soon as he was in front I couldn't do anything about him on the first stint. Basically I was hoping I could get a big enough gap with Massa as I knew he was stopping a few laps longer. I thought if he gets in front of me then that's it, I'm screwed. I was pushing him as much as I could and we both pulled away. Rubens pulled a little bit of a gap on me and I was able to get the gap to Massa. They realized I had enough of a gap to pit and exit in front of Massa even though he was stopping later, so they tried to cover both bases. We were both on a three stop initially and they put me to a two. The three was a quicker race we thought but obviously the two worked. As soon as I came out of the pits in front of Massa then it was just trying to put the laps in. It was difficult as I had a lot of fuel on board on that second stint. I had to push so hard on a heavy fuel load and I damaged the tyres quite a bit but I could get the lap time out of the car being aggressive with it. And that's the good thing about this car. You can be aggressive and it doesn't seem to eat up the tyres. It is not normally my style but it is a style I had to take for this race and it made the difference and Rubens had his problems with understeer on his third set of tyres. When I got onto the prime I could get a reasonable lap time out of them which most people couldn't. There were lots of little factors which all came together and I crossed the finish line first. This is a race which I didn't really think I was going to, so yeah, I am very happy and this means a lot going into the next couple of races. Q. It sounds like you learned a little bit during this race as well? JB: Yeah, I mean different circuits you have got to drive these cars with a different style. Bahrain is a circuit where a smooth style sort of helps and here I have found over the last couple of days that you can't get the lap time by driving smoothly. You have to come out of the corner and plant the throttle. As you see from the on-board cameras there is a lot of nervousness and if you don't have that you don't have the lap time. It is something I have learnt and it definitely paid off learning from watching people but also learning from watching Rubens. Rubens has been very fast this weekend. I have obviously watched him out on the circuit and looked at his data, so he has helped me quite a bit. Q. What about Monaco? Will that be a bit of a wild card as a race? JB: It is very different and it is 'chuck all the downforce on' and don't worry about the drag and see what happens. It is a circuit which I think is very similar to this. I think I have always been a little bit too cautious around circuits like this, so I have to change my style a bit to make it work on different circuits and Monaco is a circuit where I need to get the best out of the car and maybe change my style a bit from the first four races as it's a bit more like here, so I am looking forward to it and this guy is going to be a big challenge there and that is what we look forward to, the challenge. Q. It is going to be his birthday in Monaco. He is going to be expecting a birthday present. RB: Absolutely. JB: We will see about that. I don't think I can help out. I think that is down to you, fella? Q. Rubens, your thoughts on today? How much was Massa a threat with his KERS? |
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RB: He was always a threat before the race but I was very confident that we could have a good start. I was very determined to be very precise with everything and my race was like that. My race was very precise. From the first corner I thought leading the race and having a lap more than Jenson I would have won the race. I pushed from the very beginning as much as I could. There was never any time that I dropped any time as I just had to go flat out as soon as they told me that Jenson had switched to a two I thought there was some danger in there because when you have three and the guys are behind, he will be much faster but you can control the visibility and see where he is fast and where he is not and control the pace. But when I saw that he changed I was on my own and had to go flat out and I did. I couldn't have done any better. On my third set I didn't have the pace that I had on the first and second set. I don't know why. It was just not there. I was locking wheels all over the place and the same thing happened to the final set, so I hope that the guys come back to me and say there was a small problem somewhere. But again, I go home happy with myself. I gave everything I could but unfortunately I missed by a little bit the victory. Q. It is a big disappointment with the difference in strategies? RB: Well, it was a disappointment yesterday to have lost the pole position. But, you know you find energy, you put yourself up to the cage. I love the challenge as well and after I had the start I told myself everything is coming up again, so use your best knowledge and experience and speed. Everything was coming alive, so it is a disappointment not to have won the race today of course. Q. And what was the tyre strategy and was there a big difference between the tyres? RB: No, I left the hards to the very end, so I think everyone must have struggled a touch more with that. The first three sets they had a common, maybe my third set had three or four laps more if they did but not that it would have meant a problem. Otherwise we would not have gone for three stops. As Jenson said we were both on three stops and they changed the strategy for him. Good for him, good for the team as we both covered one and two but I would like to understand why we changed that. PRESS CONFERENCE Q. Mark, as you said, a long 31 lap second stint. MW: Yeah, we knew it was going to be massive. We spoke about it this morning, if I was - not out of position, but we knew that I was one lap shorter than most of the people we were trying to race, i.e. Felipe was the main person we were trying to jump, it was going to be difficult to race these guys today in terms of track position and also stopping on a similar lap, so Felipe was our main target. Obviously that became true with Sebastian being stuck in his diffuser for most of the race. So switching to the mega, mega long middle stint was a crucial part of the race for us, to be able to get a little bit closer to Rubens and also jump a few guys, so it was a challenge. The car felt like it had a caravan on the back to start with but we got through that and then you've just got to keep knocking the laps in, even though it doesn't feel that quick. But I had Lewis and one of the BMWs were obviously light finishing their stints in front. I felt ‘I can't even stay with these guys' but you know how heavy you are, you're just trying to do your best and it worked out well for us. The pit stops were clean and all those little things that you obviously need to get results like this, so it worked out well for us. Q. And then you were behind Rubens at the end but no chance of getting any closer. MW: It's still quite tricky to follow cars in the quick stuff here. I was pretty keen to get as close as I could but on the other hand I just knew that the closer you get the risk just gets higher and higher and I wasn't that keen to drop it either, so we had a good result there and I just knew that you can get within 1.5s and then forget it, really. Around here it's so tough. Q. So third's not too much of a boring afternoon for you! MW: I have to say that of course I did say it was going to be a boring race when it's dry but it looks like you had a bit of a spectacle in turn one with a few people having some problems down there but it turned out that with some different strategies and things like that, it looks like the race wasn't too bad. It's always a worry here, sometimes a Barcelona race can be incredibly boring but it looks like it was quite a good race, so it's good for the people watching it. And it looks like a lot of journos enjoyed it today as well, lots of guys are here! Q. They'll all be listening to you next door. MW: Ah, OK, well they can get their ar** in here. It's only a two minute walk, isn't it? Hi guys out there, wherever you are... QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR Q. (Ian Parkes - PA) Jenson, well done again. At what stage in the race did you get the call that you were switching to two stops? Who do you have to thank for that call and what were your thoughts initially? JB: Well, it was about a lap before I stopped. It was very, very late and I think they were judging the distance between me and Massa. And initially I didn't think it was a great idea because I wasn't sure who I was racing at that point. Rubens was obviously in front and I had Massa and Vettel behind and initially I thought maybe they were worried that I was not going to get out in front of Massa and Vettel, so they were going to send me long, so I could get them at the next stop but obviously that isn't what they were thinking and it was a very different situation to that. But when I first drove the car with a lot of fuel on board it was moving around quite a bit at the back and it took a while to find my feet but when I did – well, I had to, as soon as possible. Shov (Andrew Shovlin, race engineer) was on the radio, my engineer, shouting at me ‘you've got to put the laps in now, you've got to put the laps in now.' And then closer and closer to Rubens's second stop they were telling me ‘Rubens has got a three second advantage over you, you've got to keep pushing.' Every lap was flat out, I've never driven in that style before and I'm sure when you watch it back on replay it looks pretty messy but it was the best way to get the lap time out of the car. I got every tenth and everything out of that car that I could do today. Q. (Ian Parkes – PA) Who made that decision? JB: I didn't ask. Q. (Paulo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) It was basically the same question to you also; who does the strategy in the team? Is it Ross or is it your race engineer? RB: It's a group. Ross is involved. A group, we are together and this morning we decided that three stops was the way to go. We came straight here (after the race) but after this evening we are going to have a meeting again and then we have some answers. Q. (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Mark, what happened at the restart? (Fernando) Alonso almost jumped you. MW: Yeah, I had a big moment out of the chicane at the restart and I lost the rear under power, so the momentum wasn't great onto the start/finish straight and Fernando got a good run on me. I waited for him to arrive and then I tried to send him to the outside but the pit lane arrived at the same time, so he went in there and then I gave him just enough room to get down the inside. Then I thought that I still need to get back past him, so immediately I tacked again down the inside and got the move done. If that didn't happen my race was destroyed, so I needed to risk quite a bit to do it and it happened. Q. (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) Mark, you've always been fast around Monaco and this year you go there with a very quick car. What are your thoughts on that race? MW: I think Monte Carlo is a very special track for all the drivers. It's obviously definitely on its own now. We have some other street circuits on the calendar like Valencia but they're not exactly in the same boat in terms of the precision that's required. It's bumpy, there's obviously barriers everywhere, the track changes a lot over the course of the weekend, so it's a real challenge for the drivers in the cockpit to nail and tame that circuit if you like, so that's one&ldots; |
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We have to enjoy all circuits. It's like a golfer, you can't like some courses and not others. We have to do our best at every track. Monaco has been reasonable to me in the past. I'm looking forward to going there again in a few weeks. These guys got a few more points out of us again today, so we need to very, very quickly in the next three or four races, try to swing the momentum, otherwise the constructors will start to eke away from us. Q. (Ed Gorman – The Times) Congratulations Jenson. You've now won four out of five races. How hard is it for you to not start thinking about the championship because it looks to many of us that this could be a runaway season? JB: I think it would be good if I believed that, in a way, but also I think that at this point of the season, as I've said, you need to be aggressive and you need to fight for every single point. There's no point hanging back and expecting it to happen. We need to be very aggressive and we need to get everything out of this car at every race we go to, as I keep saying. It might be getting boring for you guys but it's just the way it is. This was an important victory for me, for sure, first victory back in Europe, five races in and a reasonably good lead now. It's a good feeling but I'm not getting comfortable. Rubens is very quick and he's proved that this weekend, and also the Red Bulls, when they get it together they've got good pace and obviously Mark and Sebastian are doing a great job. Sebastian's been ahead of us twice now in the last two races, so if he gets a free shot, like Mark, he'll be close to Mark. It's not easy and we've got to take every race as it comes and we are obviously going to look for a victory in every race that comes, so we need to be aggressive and have that style of racing, I think. Q. (Ed Gorman – The Times) Jenson, you mentioned in the earlier press conference that you felt that the car is still ahead after this round of upgrades. Is that the case? JB: If you look at the result you would say so but obviously Mark and Sebastian were both held up behind Massa and if they had free runs we don't know what would have happened. I'm very surprised that Mark was able to sit on the back of Rubens. I think we've had very good weekends and this weekend you can say that our strategy was good, which it was – probably Rubens will say more on one car than the other – but I think when Red Bull have a clear shot at it and they do everything right, they are going to be competitive and we can't forget that and they are going to be on us in Monaco for sure. Q. (Paulo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Rubens, I remember the Austrian race a few years with Michael (Schumacher), early in the season, and you were stopped to allow him to win. Are you afraid that this could happen again, seeing that Jenson is winning so much and you are trying to score points and probably looking for a championship, that this might happen again with the team pushing more for Jenson and you covering his shoulders? RB: Well, I'm very experienced with that, and if that happens, I won't follow any team orders any more. I'm making it clear now, so everybody knows. JB: I'm going to answer this a bit as well because this affects me. Our strategy said that a three stop was quicker, full stop. RB: It's true, it's much more different than it used to be at Ferrari. We have a much more friendly situation, so I'm not sitting down on the side blaming this or that. The race was finished half an hour ago and that's the way it went. There's no way I'm going to be crying here and saying I should have done this or that. It's in the best interests of myself to learn what went wrong today because I had the ability to win the race but I didn't and this is a full stop. Jenson is on a flyer and he's doing very well. I think this weekend was really good for me because I worked quite hard on all the set-up and everything. We both learned to get better, we're pushing each other very well. There's a bit more pressure on my side, obviously, because he's won four races and I've won nothing but I'm there, I'm working and I won't stop working. I'm definitely raising my hands to the sky to give thanks because this is a great car. It was not long ago that people were putting flowers on my grave and saying ‘thank you very much for your job' and so on. So I'm here, very much alive and happy and I'm going to make it work. It's as it was some years ago but with a much more friendly atmosphere. Q. (Druv Behl – Auto Exchange, India) Jenson, you mentioned that you need to be aggressive and it looks messy with this year's car to be quick. Ordinarily, messy, aggressive and Monaco wouldn't go very well together, so how will you approach the next race relative to years past? JB: Well, I think you do need to be a bit more aggressive in Monaco. Obviously you've got the barriers as your limiting factor. As long as you stay off them you're fine but you can't pussyfoot round Monaco and that's why I think Rubens has always been pretty spectacular around Monaco, Mark also, so it's going to be a tough weekend in Monaco, for sure, for myself, but I go there full of confidence that I can have a good weekend, but for sure it's not going to be a boring Monaco Grand Prix. I think there's going to be a lot of very competitive people and I think you will see a very exciting qualifying, for sure, and I think the race could be interesting also. Q. (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Do you still see a challenge from Ferrari, McLaren and BMW – the big teams – or is it too late for a turnaround in terms of the championship? JB: Well, it's quite strange because BMW at the first race were competitive. You can say some of it is down to the strategy with the tyres but they did a good job. McLaren at the last race were surprisingly quick, the same with Ferrari here, in qualifying. They've had good races but they just haven't had the consistency and I think that when you've started so far back compared to the competition, you're throwing things at the car and I'm sure they're putting lots of new parts on the car to improve it. Some might not work, some probably do work. It's a much easier position for us, obviously, at the front. We can really test the parts and make sure they really are an improvement before we put them on whereas Ferrari and McLaren need to put as much performance on the car as possible. But they're both great teams and they've both achieved so much in the past, as we all know. They've had tough years before, maybe not quite as tough but they will definitely bounce back. They're very strong teams. We'll see them being competitive throughout the year, I think. Q. (Byron Young – The Daily Mirror) Does that question from the front there, that you're winning races because you're somehow being given better machinery or some advantage frustrate you? Does Rubens believe that? JB: We both work very closely together within the team and it's a very good atmosphere within the team. We're all here to win; it went my way today and it might go Rubens's way in Monaco and that's just the way it is. He had a problem in his stint and I didn't. I made it work and I won the race today but you know that can swing around at the next race and that's the way we go racing and that's the way racing should be and I think it has been, within most teams in Formula One. I don't ever want to go down that avenue of talking about that because it's so far from the situation within our team. |
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Ferrari Felipe Massa (6th): "It's a real shame to have lost two places in the final stages, even if we've finally made it to the scoreboard. We knew we couldn't match the pace of the Brawns but we had managed to get ahead of the Red Bulls and, but for the fuel problem, I could have certainly stayed ahead of Vettel and Alonso. The final part of the race was a pain. I was already struggling on the harder tyres and then I had to try and save fuel as much as possible, while at the same time staying ahead of Vettel. Then the team told that if I wanted to make it to the finish, I would have to let Vettel by and slow down a lot: if I had made another pit stop I would have finished out of the points. Today, the car's pace on the softer tyre was reasonably good, even if we're still lacking a few tenths, but at least we are back to fighting for the top places." Kimi Raikkonen (DNF): "I am very unhappy because I could have finished in the points. Unfortunately, I had a hydraulic problem linked to the control of the accelerator which meant I had to retire. At the start I managed to make up a few places but then, I found myself behind Heidfeld's BMW. The car is better, but we must fix these reliability problems. Obviously, when you have to make up ground you can end up making avoidable errors, as has happened to us in this first part of the season, but that doesn't mean to say the team has lost its way. We are the same people who over the past two years have won three world titles out of the four available." Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari team principal: "We can take some satisfaction from this weekend, but at the same time, it has thrown up further concerns. On the one hand we saw that the effort expended in recent weeks has born fruit in terms of improving the performance level of the car. Both in yesterday's qualifying and today, Felipe was competitive at the highest level, as was confirmed on the clock: it's not by luck that we got the third fastest time in the race, which would have been far out of our reach in previous races this year. Once again, the downside comes from the reliability side. Again today, we had problems which forced Kimi to retire and cost Felipe two places in the final stages, having also robbed him of the chance of getting to the podium, which would have been well deserved. This is unacceptable for a team like Ferrari: we must all react to get back to our usual standard, as indeed we have partially managed on the performance side. There is much to do on all fronts and we will tackle it with our usual absolute determination." Chris Dyer, Ferrari chief engineer: "The most important thing this weekend is that the car performance is much improved compared to the previous races. Today we were capable of fighting with the best and we had a great chance of finishing on the podium. On the downside, we can only be disappointed about our reliability and the running of our on-track operation. After what happened in qualifying yesterday, Kimi had to retire because of a problem with the hydraulics used to control the accelerator. On Felipe's car, the front left wheel fairing broke and at both pit stops we had a refueling problem, the cause of which we have yet to find out. Obviously, we have a lot of work to do. We are all very unhappy for what happened and lament the fact that so much work from the team to improve car performance was not adequately rewarded in the final result." |
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Brawn GP Brawn GP achieved the team’s second one-two result of the 2009 Formula One season today with Jenson Button taking his fourth victory of the year at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona and team-mate Rubens Barrichello securing second position. Starting from third on the grid, Rubens had a fantastic start to the race as he passed Sebastian Vettel and Jenson, who started on pole, on the run down to the first corner. A multi-car collision brought out the safety car for the first four laps of the race with Rubens and Jenson heading the field in first and second positions. With the racing underway on lap five, the two Brawn-Mercedes drivers concentrated on building a gap at the front. Jenson pitted first on lap 18 where his planned three-stop strategy was switched to a two-stop, followed by Rubens on lap 19. Rubens pitted for the second of his three stops on lap 31 and struggled with his tyres throughout his third stint which allowed Jenson to edge ahead on strategy by the time he came in for his final stop on lap 50. Jenson took the chequered flag at the end of the 66-lap race to achieve his fourth victory and fifth consecutive podium of the season. Rubens’ second position and fastest lap of the race capped a fantastic start to Formula One’s European season for Brawn GP and engine partner Mercedes-Benz. The team has now extended its lead in the Constructors’ Championship with 68 points. Jenson leads the Drivers’ Championship on 41 points with Rubens in second place on 27 points. RESULTS Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Race Result / Fastest Lap Jenson Button 22 BGP 001-02 P1 01:22.899 Rubens Barrichello 23 BGP 001-01 P2 01:22.762 Weather Warm and sunny Temperatures Air: 23-24°C Track: 37-44°C JENSON BUTTON “We thought that three-stops would be the quicker strategy here and that was what we fuelled for in Q3 yesterday. I had a good start from pole but Rubens had an absolute flier and I couldn’t hold him off. Having lost the lead and with the prospect of being caught behind Rosberg, we made the decision to switch to a two-stop strategy. The car felt so heavy with the fuel on board after my first stop but I worked really hard on my final two stints to make the strategy work for me. To come away with the win is a little unexpected but it means so much to continue our run of success. Obviously Rubens is disappointed not to have got the win today and he has been a huge help over the weekend in helping me overcome the issues that I faced on Friday. His turn will certainly come. There’s a great feeling within our team and I am very proud of them for producing such a great car. A special thanks to all the guys back at the factory in Brackley and to Norbert Haug and Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines. They supported our team through the difficult times and we couldn’t have achieved this without them.” RUBENS BARRICHELLO “The race began really well for me and I had a great start overtaking Sebastian and Jenson to be leading the race coming out of turn one and through the safety car period. The car was feeling really good during the first stint and getting out from my first stop ahead of Nico on track set the race up nicely for me. I was quite surprised when Jenson’s strategy was switched and from then I knew that I had to go flat out to make my strategy work. However I suffered on my third set of tyres and was not able to get the lap times which would have kept me ahead of Jenson. It was a great result for Jenson and the team today but I am disappointed not to have won the race after having such a good weekend. I am a positive person however and I am confident that my victory will come soon.” ROSS BRAWN “A fantastic result for the team today after a great deal of hard work to maximise the performance of our new developments this weekend. Rubens had a great start to be leading the race from lap one and we asked both drivers to push as hard as possible to build a lead over the chasing pack. As we approached the window for the first pit stops, it became apparent that Jenson would come out directly behind Nico Rosberg if we went with his planned three-stop strategy. We therefore made the decision to switch Jenson onto a two-stop strategy to ensure that he could run in clean air. Rubens was going extremely quickly at the front at that time and his three-stop strategy was clearly the quickest option for him. Unfortunately his tyres did not perform well after his second stop which compromised his pace and ultimately cost him the race. Rubens has performed extremely well throughout this weekend and it has been largely thanks to his input that we have been able to maximise our pace and achieve the successes of today. Our second one-two finish is a fantastic way to start the European season and I am extremely proud of Jenson, Rubens and the team. Our thanks as always to Mercedes-Benz and all of our team partners for their continued support.” |
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BMW Nick Heidfeld - 7th: "It was a tough race but I think it was one of my better ones. I had hoped for points as a birthday present, but honestly didn't really believe in this as I was starting from 13th. The start was the decisive time when I gained four positions. In the first corner I was hit from behind but luckily my car wasn't damaged. It was not easy to defend my position against Kimi Raikkonen later on in the race, and our fight slowed me down, so I lost the contact with the front runners. Our pit crew did a fantastic job and got me in front of Nico Rosberg at my second pit stop. It is a great result for us and the race pace proved the new aero package is a clear improvement, which is very good news for the rest of the season." Robert Kubica - 11th: "At the start I lost several places due to a clutch problem. But that was only the beginning of a very difficult race. After the safety car period, my car had no grip at all. I just couldn't push and the car was sliding all over the place. I really don't understand what happened. Up to Q3 yesterday everything was going well, and the performance of the car was good, but today there was nothing I could do. We have to analyse what happened." Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): "We made a come back for the start of the European season, although our situation after the first lap wasn't that good. Robert got stuck in traffic at the start, lost five positions and was just able to avoid the early accident. Whereas Nick on the outside was able to gain some places. During the race it was our pit crew that did a great job and enabled Nick to get by another car with every pit stop. Two points for seventh place is not a big result, but it demonstrates the improved performance of the car with the new aero update. We can build on this." Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering): "The significant modifications we made to the F1.09 obviously brought us one step forward. After the accident at the start Nick moved up from P13 to P9, and later he was able to gain another two positions. This was also thanks to the fantastic work by the pit crew with two excellent pit stops. Robert was unlucky as he was squeezed in at the start and lost a lot of positions. During the race he wasn't able to drive at his true pace for most of the time because he was stuck in traffic. Now it's all about bringing the next development steps onto the car as quickly as possible." |
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Red Bull Mark Webber (3rd): "It’s good to be back on the podium. It’s interesting how the team’s mentality has changed - last year we would have been happy to score points and now we want podiums at every race! We’re working incredibly hard and the guys’ eyes are falling out of their heads with all the late nights and long hours. Sebastian had more trouble with traffic today, but the team got us both home with a lot of points, which is fantastic. I had a very long second stint and was much happier with the car than in the first, although the tyres had nothing left for the last ten laps. We planned to be long in the second, as we knew Felipe (Massa) would be one lap longer and his drive would be the key to my race. We had to unlock ourselves from him and that second stint was the key. I was very happy with the way I drove and the car was fantastic. I expect Monaco will be closer than this, but the way the car performed here, on a circuit that is a tough test on a car, is a good sign for places like Turkey and Silverstone. Red Bull has done a great job and so have Renault.” Sebastian Vettel (4th): “My start wasn’t the best - by the first corner Rubens was first and I was fourth, so obviously we lost some positions - most importantly to Massa. I was then stuck behind him for almost all of the race. He was impossible to pass, he did a very good job with no mistakes. It’s obviously disappointing as my car was quick today, but I couldn’t finish on the podium. Still, it’s a strong result for the team and we take away some good points.” Christian Horner, team principal: “A very good drive from Mark, who claimed his second podium of the season. His strategy worked very well and he put Rubens under a lot of pressure at the end of the race. It was frustrating for Sebastian as, unfortunately it was the second race in a row where a KERS car has cost him dearly. Massa stopped on the same lap as Sebastian for his first stop and then, despite us bringing his middle stint very short, they picked the same lap for Massa as well, so he spent 63 laps looking at the back of a Ferrari! As soon as he was released from him, his pace was obvious. We showed again that we have a car that is quick enough to win races, but third and fourth is still a very strong result.” Fabrice Lom, Renault, Principal Engineer, Track Support: “A difficult race and one that, once again, we could have won. We are tested hard by these KERS cars! Massa got in front of Sebastian at the first corner and it ruined his race. Mark had a very solid race and was very quick, he had some free air and finished very close to the Brawns. It’s a good overall result for us, with eleven more points, but it’s still frustrating and we need to focus on a win for the next races.” |
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Bridgestone Hiroshi Yasukawa - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport: "Congratulations to Jenson Button for his win and Brawn GP for their 1-2. It is satisfying to see an independent team such as Brawn GP perform so well and it is good to watch Jenson showing his talents at the front of the field. Spain is a very important market for Bridgestone, so to start the European season with such a strong race was very rewarding for us. Lap times were very close and we saw good action on track." Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development: "Today was a very exciting race in terms of tyre strategy. It was clear all weekend that the soft tyre was a superior race tyre to the hard, so the strategy had to maximise time on the soft. We saw a variety of two and three stops take place so it was a race we had to watch closely to see who would win. "Congratulations to Jenson, whose two stop strategy worked best to win the race and Rubens for a solid second place. Mark Webber also drove very well. Most drivers found the soft tyre to be very durable as well as quicker than the hard tyre. Some drivers experienced rear tyre degradation which is what we would expect with the current cars, but overall it was a strong tyre performance with no particular issues." |
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Force India Adrian Sutil - DNF: "I had a good start but then as I accelerated away from turn three I saw a car flying into me. Jarno had spun on the inside of the corner and he was just in front of me and I couldn't do anything. It went so quickly and my car was damaged and I had to stop straight away. I wasn't injured, just disappointed I couldn't get to the end. I will have a good look at the accident after the race, but it was just one of those incidents that can happen at the start." Giancarlo Fisichella - 14th: "The first corner was quite messy as Trulli spun in front of me and there was a lot of debris around the circuit. I was a little worried about having picked up some damage but in the end I was out of trouble and didn't pick up anything. We decided to change the tyres under the safety car though and change the strategy, which was a good choice in the end. "At the beginning the car was quite heavy and I tried to keep my pace. It wasn't easy but then the car was getting better and in the last 10 laps I was one of the quickest on the circuit. Unfortunately in the last pit stop we had a problem with the refuelling so I had to come in and do another extra pit stop, which cost me the chance to go back ahead of Nakajima. Overall the car balance and grip were good so it's encouraging for future races." Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal: "Although the result was a fairly average one for us, I think there are positives we can take away. We've kept the upgrades coming through and, while we haven't moved up the order, we certainly are closer than ever. Giancarlo's times in the latter stages of the race also demonstrate a strong race performance and that we've got potential to achieve more. I think we can now look forward to Monaco with some confidence: we have further development coming through and it's also been a good track for us in the past." |
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Williams Nico Rosberg - 8th: "I really believe we could have taken fifth place today but things didn't go too well. I had a very good first few laps but, after 10 laps or so, I started to experience a problem at the rear of the car which I've had all weekend. Something inexplicable would just happen and affect the balance which caused a lot of oversteer. Oddly enough, it would then be ok again. As this was happening throughout much of the race, I couldn't really push and that really hurt me. Going home with one point is always positive though and we should have a good car in Monaco so I think we'll have the chance to get a good result there." Kazuki Nakajima - 13th: "Another difficult race for me. I didn't have anywhere to go off the line and ended up damaging my front wing as I was caught in the middle of the first lap incident. Fortunately, I didn't lose a massive amount of time because the safety car was deployed, but my race was really over from there. Our race pace was quite good, and that allowed me to get ahead of Fisichella, but this is just a disappointing end to the weekend." Patrick Head, Director of Engineering: "Although we were in the points today, it was frustrating not to get more out of the race, particularly as the safety car on the first lap gave our strategy a good advantage over the cars in front. Kazuki was out of points contention early on due to a pitstop to change the front wing. Nico's pace in the first stint was initially good but we then struggled to maintain consistency so we'll have to investigate that. Both cars were reliable." |
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Renault Fernando Alonso - 5th: "It was a great race for us. We were not too optimistic before the start and our simulations suggested we would finish in 9th or 10th place. But I had a good start and I was up to 6th after the first corner. The car worked really well during the race and then I was able to overtake Massa on the final lap. It was also an interesting race for the fans." Nelson Piquet - 12th: "I was lucky not to get caught in the accident at the start of the race. The performance of the car was disappointing and the balance wasn't good. I don't have a fully updated car yet so I hope that we can make some improvements for the next race." Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: "Today's result and our pace in the race showed the potential and the improvements made to the car as Fernando's times were very close to those of the front runners. Now we must work hard and keep improving in order to secure strong points for both cars in the races to come." Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: "Barcelona is not renowned for producing exciting racing, but that certainly wasn't true today. It was a fight all the way through to end and a great result from Fernando. Nelson was extremely lucky not to have been taken out in the first corner accident, which seemed to have happened all around him. From then on the car didn't have the pace we expected and we feel that there is probably unseen damage to it." Remi Taffin, Head of Engine Operations: "Overall it was a weekend that brought us more than we expected. We came here with hopes of taking a step forward, but unfortunately everybody brought lots of developments and the order of the teams remained pretty much the same. But thanks to the work that we have done throughout the weekend, we've come away with a great result. Fernando was pushing flat out for the whole race and fifth place is a nice reward. This result puts us in a good frame of mind for the upcoming races, but we will continue working hard." |
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McLaren Lewis Hamilton (9th): “Today was a difficult race for me because we lack the downforce of the top cars. I was a bit worried about my tyres after driving over so much debris at the first corner but I came out of it okay. It was a tough, long race and it was incredibly hard to keep the car on the road - it felt like driving on ice at times, especially at the end of the second stint, when the tyres were finished, and in the final stint, when there was very little grip on the prime. I gave it 100 percent for the entire race so ninth place doesn’t feel like the proper reward for the team, who worked hard all weekend. Still, we’re all hopeful that Monaco will be a better race for us because the absence of fast corners shouldn’t hurt us as much as it did here. In fact, I’m already looking forward to it.” Heikki Kovalainen (DNF): “Luck just doesn’t seem to be going my way right now. It’s been a difficult weekend - the car’s performance is not where we want it to be and this was tough for us all - but that’s life. But we shouldn’t forget that we’ve improved our car massively since we last tested here in the winter and eventually we’ll be fighting with Jenson and the other guys at the front. I’m already looking ahead to Monaco where I’ll be fighting harder than ever. I’m not going to let this get me down.” Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal: “Lewis made a great start off the line - but, after having been obstructed by another car, through no fault of his own he lost time avoiding an accident and ended up at the back of the field at the end of lap one. After that, his task was always going to be a tough one, because the Barcelona circuit is not an easy one on which to overtake. Furthermore, his tyres went off during his second stint, and then he got pipped by Fernando when they made their second pit stops. But he kept pushing as hard as he could, in ninth place, in the hope that one of the cars ahead of him would drop out and thereby allow him to score one hard-earned championship point. It didn't happen, unfortunately, but the fact that Lewis never gave up demonstrates just what a competitive individual he is. Heikki made a decent start, but his race was ended disappointingly - and unluckily - by a gearbox failure. We predicted that this race would be a low point of our season, and we've been proved right. In two weeks’ time, at Monaco, which is a very different kind of circuit from Barcelona, things ought to be significantly better for us. But we know we aren't yet where we want to be, and we'll continue to work flat-out to get there.” Norbert Haug, vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “We knew since testing here what to expect from our car on this race track. Being lapped here is not what Lewis deserves: he delivered everything that was possible with his car today - we just cannot handle the high-speed corners and need to dramatically improve over the next weeks and months. Thank God the Brawn guys saved our bacon again with our engine in the back. Congratulations Jenson, Rubens, Ross and the whole team, you guys have been the benchmark since the season started.” |
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Toyota Timo Glock (10th): "I had a tough race. At the start the car didn't pull away; I don't know why but we have to analyse it because Jarno (Trulli) didn't have a great start either. He was in front of me into turn one and then I saw him spinning. I got through the incident but then I was behind Nico (Rosberg) and I couldn't get close enough to him in the slipstream; every time I was close my tyres started to go off. Even when I was in clear air today the car was not perfect so we have to look at what happened and try to come back stronger for the next races." Jarno Trulli (DNF): "It was a very frustrating day for me because I was optimistic our strategy was good and I would be able to score a lot of points. Unfortunately my race did not last very long. I had a poor start because the engine didn't pull exactly as it should have done so I lost some positions and was right behind Alonso and Rosberg going into the first corner. Rosberg went off then during the next corner he came back on to the track right next to me. I had to avoid him because he came back on really quickly. I had to steer off the track and lost control of the car over the grass, so I spun and someone hit me. But there is no point in looking back; now we have to focus on the next race when hopefully we can achieve a much better result." Tadashi Yamashina, Toyota team principal: "That was a disappointing race because we were very hopeful of scoring points and it did not happen. We expected a better performance this weekend but things have not worked out as we wanted. The whole team put in a big effort to bring a package of aerodynamic upgrades to this race but ultimately it has been a frustrating weekend so we have to look at the data when we get back to Cologne and understand how to improve. Also, it seemed both Jarno and Timo had some trouble at the start so we have to analyse this too. But we will not be disheartened; we will push really hard in the coming days and we will fight for a better result in Monaco." |
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Toro Rosso Sebastien Bourdais (DNF): “I didn’t even have the time to brake before I was flying over the back of my team mate’s car and I thought I was going to roll over. I’m not sure how it happened although I saw that Trulli had spun and came back on the track. It’s very frustrating.” Sebastien Buemi (DNF): “I’m not really sure what happened. I do know that I didn’t get a very good start, so that Raikkonen and Kovalainen overtook me before the first corner. Then, at the exit of the second corner, Trulli spun and I had to brake to avoid him. My team mate did not see I was slowing down and could not avoid me. His car went over mine, I saw his tyre go over my head and that was it.” Franz Tost, Toro Rosso team principal: “When you start at the back end of the grid, there is always a bigger risk of getting involved in an accident. Unfortunately today, Trulli went off and spun back on again, forcing Buemi to lift and Bourdais just crashed into the back of him. On a more positive note, the new package we introduced here does seem to be a step forward in terms of car performance. Now we must try and make better use of it in the next few races.” |
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1. Button 41
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