Japanese GP: Maldonado in the points with 8th place finish
Pastor Maldonado
By Williams F1 Team
October 8 2012
The 2012 Japanese Grand Prix would see Williams F1 driver Pasyor Maldonado finally return to the points with an 8th place finish. For team-mate Bruno Senna he would finish 14th after having to pit early with a damage front wing.
| Williams Japanese GP Race Review |
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Race Notes • Both Pastor and Bruno drove a solid race for the Williams F1 Team finishing eighth and 14th respectively. • Pastor moved up four places from his grid position to end the race in a points-scoring position. • After an unscheduled pitstop for a new front wing due to a first lap collision with Rosberg, Bruno’s race was further compromised by being given a drive-through penalty for the incident. • The team now moves on to Korea looking to build on the four points scored here in Japan. |
Pastor Maldonado:
 "It was a good race for me. The car had great pace and was very consistent, but it proved difficult to overtake, especially towards the end. We felt we were quicker than the cars in front, but the nature of the track makes it difficult to close the gap. We’re back in the points so I’m happy with that as it gives us great confidence going into the next race." |
Bruno Senna  "We
had a good start managing to overtake two cars but unfortunately I ran
into an incident with Rosberg on the second corner after taking the
inside line. The race was slightly compromised from then on but we still
had good pace. The car felt very competitive which allowed us to
overtake quite a few cars and the tyres were responding well. We now go
to Korea and will try to score some points there."
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Mark Gillan Chief Operations
Engineer: "Both
drivers drove well today with strong pace throughout the race. Bruno's
race was compromised with an early stop to replace a damaged front wing
assembly and then with his subsequent drive-through penalty for contact
with Rosberg. Pastor managed his tyres well throughout the race and
brought the car home in a well-deserved 8th. We now immediately direct
our attention to next weekend's Korean GP." |
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Laurent Debout, Renault
Sport F1 team support leader: "Both drivers finished higher than their starting positions and we scored four very important points with Pastor, so we can be happy with the race today. We introduced new engines this weekend and everything went to plan so we will look to carry this momentum forward to Korea in a week’s time." |
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Suzuka Circuit, Japan |
Weather Hot and dry | |||
|
POS |
DRIVER |
TEAM |
Time (Fastest Lap) |
Grid |
|
1 |
S Vettel |
Red Bull | 1:28:56.242 (1:35.774, 1st) |
1 |
|
2 |
F Massa | Ferrari |
+ 20.639 (1:36.894, 6th |
10 |
|
3 |
K Kobayashi | Sauber |
+ 24.538 (1:36.679, 3rd) |
3 |
| 8 |
P MALDONADO FW34-02 R275404 |
Williams F1 Team | + 52.364 (1:37.771, 12th) | 14 |
| 14 |
B SENNA FW34-03 RS275349 |
Williams F1 Team | + 88.709 (1:36.819, 4th) | 18 |
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