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DRIVERS – Sebastian VETTEL
(Ferrari), Nico HULKENBERG (Force India), Pascal WEHRLEIN (Manor), Daniel
RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing), Rio HARYANTO (Manor), Felipe NASR (Sauber)
PRESS CONFERENCE
Sebastian, let’s start with you, if we may. News yesterday that Ferrari is
replacing technical chief James Allison with Mattia Binotto. Can you give us
your thoughts on that?
Sebastian VETTEL: Well, not much to add. I think we have stated in the press
release what happened. I think Mattia has been in the team for a very long
time so he is very experienced and knows the team inside out. Obviously
there will be a difference but in the short term it doesn’t change that
much.
The timing of the switch means that he’ll be in charge with plenty of time
to influence the direction of next year’s car. Would you like the emphasis
of the team now to shift to the 2017 car?
SV: We are already obviously working flat out on the ’17 car, I think
everybody is, the rules are very different. Still there’s stuff I think we
can learn from this year, so that’s why I think it would be wrong to forget
about this year’s car. So I think still directions are very important
heading into next year with the different approach but of course there is a
very large group in the factory focusing on next year’s car.
Thank you. Coming to you Rio, you’ve out-qualified Pascal five times in 11
races; that’s quite a statement isn’t it?
Rio HARYANTO: Yeah, it’s a good result. It’s good to be able to be quote
competitive in qualifying but I still want to improve also a lot in the
races and we are clearly working hard on that and there are some occasions
in the race where I’ve been having a split strategy to him and I just try to
keep learning and to move forward.
The fact that you’re here in Germany this weekend, does that bode well for
the rest of the season in terms of your involvement with the Manor team?
RH: I have a contract for one year. Of course there are certain obligations
that we need to fulfill. My management is working very hard and I would like
to say thanks to the team and also to the people in Indonesia who have been
very supportive and hopefully I can keep my seat for the rest of the season.
Thank you for that. Nico, coming to you, you’ve scored points in five of the
last six races but after Budapest you seemed to be a little bit downbeat in
your assessment of the team’s chances at this race, sating it could possibly
be a bit like Hungary. Don't you think this track should suit Force India a
little better than that?
Nico HULKENBERG: Difficult to judge. I think in Hungary we had a bit more
potential in the car, but it was kind of a tough weekend with the mixed
qualifying and then in the race also the race, how it happened, it just
evolved against us. I think there was more potential than what we got at the
end, only a tenth place. Hopefully here this weekend we’re a bit more
competitive again and obviously we’d like to beat the McLarens, the Toro
Rossos and put on a fight with the Williams and not be behind them.
Now, Vijay Mallya told us in Silverstone that both you and Checo are
confirmed for next season. Checo was a little more non-committal than that
last weekend. What’s your situation?
NH: Everything is easy and relaxed, there’s not much more to add. I think
Vijay said what the situation is and we're just focused on this year now,
trying to get as many points as we possibly can and that’s the main focus
really.
So you’re staying for next year
NH: Yes.
OK, thank you. Felipe, we had the news last week about the takeover of
Sauber. What difference can you notice inside the team and where is the
focus of attention now?
Felipe NASR: Well, first of all, it’s good news. I was happy for the team to
have these new investors taking over. It brings a lot more stability to the
team, especially to all the employees at the team. I could see in their
faces already that people are happy again, back in their work, they can just
focus on the job they do pretty much. We were very limited on the things we
could do this year, talking about development and car performance. We
couldn’t unlock anything, just because we didn’t have the resources to do
so. I think now looking to the short and the long term there’s a lot that
can happen. I believe there are serious people behind it. We expect to see
some decent, let’s say, updates to be on the car after the summer break,
which I’m really looking forward to. I want to put the car back competitive,
I want the team to score points, I want to score points as well, which is
the only thing missing until now.
Well, you mention that, the team is still looking for it’s first point as we
reach the half way stage in the championship. So are you taking some
encouragement that you’ll get there soon?
FN: Well, I believe so. I’m doing all I can. Sometimes in the last few races
we have been close to it, we just need that little bit extra from the car to
be more competitive, especially in qualifying, being able to qualify a bit
higher, Unlocking performance is all we look for and hopefully it will come
soon and I can celebrate that first point as well.
Thank you. Coming to you Pascal, your first Formula One grand prix at
Hockenheim, first home grand prix in a Mercedes-powered car as a Mercedes
protégé, sum up the emotions?
Pascal WEHRLEIN: Yeah, it’s a very special race to me. I’ve already said in
a few interviews that when I was five years old, in 2000, I was here in the
grandstands watching my first Formula One race live and it’s amazing to be
in the car now in 2016.
You’ve had podiums here, I believe, in DTM and in Formula 3, so it’s a track
you clearly know well and like. Is there a belief that you could repeat the
result from Austria?
PW: I hope so. The track shouldn’t be that good, as Austria was for us, but
as soon as I am in the car I will push as hard as I can and hopefully I can
do the same again.
Thank you. Daniel, coming to you, your 100th grand prix start this weekend,
congratulations. Obviously a very strong weekend in Hungary last time out
but do you feel that after that double setback of not winning in Spain and
Monaco it took a few races to get your mojo back?
Daniel RICCIARDO: No, not at all, if anything it increased it. The way
things turned out after Spain and Monaco, yeah, the race results weren’t as
high as I was hoping for sure. It wasn’t a lack of mojo or anything like
that. It was probably too much of the other! Obviously it was nice to be
back on the podium last weekend; that was cool. Obviously I had a podium in
Monaco, but unfortunately I didn’t really enjoy it, so it was nice to
actually enjoy the one in Budapest and appreciate it, because you don’t get
a podium every race. To see the fans and everything and to spray the
champagne on Sunday afternoon, it’s a nice reward. It’s a beautiful feeling,
so it was nice to soak that in. A hundred grands prix – I would say it’s
gone quick, but at the same time it hasn’t. It’s taken a lot of steps to get
here and yeah, I look back on HRT and it does feel like a long time ago.
Yeah, 100 feels about right.
There was optimism before Budapest that Red Bull would be able to challenger
Mercedes there. Obviously it was a slightly complicated weekend,
particularly with the rain in qualifying, but in the end they did manage to
keep you at arm’s length. You personally now are third in the Drivers’
Championship, it that the limit of what’s possible this season?
DR: There should be another chance or a slight chance you’d think in
Singapore. It’s a strong circuit for us and for whatever reason last year it
was a weakness for Mercedes, so if it’s a similar trend then we can
genuinely have a crack there. But otherwise probably a wet race is our only
real opportunity on an even playing field. Now we’re close with Ferrari in
the Constructors’, I’m third in the Drivers’ Championship, it’s really close
from third to sixth. But that’s fun, so hopefully we’’ just try and keep
that. Some more consistent podiums would be good and yeah leave Sundays
feeling happy, that’s always important.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FOOR
Q: (Daniel Johnson – The Daily Telegraph) A questions for Seb or two
actually. When you first came here when you were a kid the grandstands were
full, there were 100,000 people, and if you look at Michael’s heyday the
sport was massive here. It’s not secret that now it’s struggling for
popularity compared to that. Do you have an explanation for why that is? And
the second question is, from a driver’s point of view what was Michael’s
impact on Formula One, what’s his legacy would you say?
SV: Starting with the second one, I think he was obviously the first German
world champion and the first one that made Formula One really popular in
Germany. Obviously Formula One has been around for a long time and also
there were a lot of races in Germany, but I think the real difference is
that we didn’t really have a local hero for a very, very long time. There
were Germans participating, but obviously if there is one really, really
successful one, winning a lot of races, that’s what attracts a lot of the
attention. That’s what also caused the hype initially and caused the
grandstands to be full. I think entering the motodrom in the old days was a
bit different than nowadays, because the track was different, all the other
parts of the track there was only trees, so I think that’s different now,
you have big grandstands around the track, a bit more spread. Plus the fact
that it’s clear nowadays, let’s say the last couple of years haven’t been
that popular, there’s been a lot of negative in the press and obviously
people, fans, follow that as well and that doesn’t help. I think Formula One
has lost a little bit of its excitement in terms of just if you listen, the
cars are a lot more quiet, which also then looks a little bit less
spectacular, even though it’s not true, corners speeds are as high as
they’ve ever been. Just when we go on power it doesn’t sound as nice as it
probably did in the past. So there’s a couple of reasons and I think it
general grandstand tickets are too expensive. In my point of view they
should be a lot cheaper, a lot more affordable, so a lot more people would
be tempted to spontaneously say ‘yes, let’s go, we want to be part of it and
let’s not miss it’. So I think there are a couple of reasons.
Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) To Sebastian. Sebastian, until
September of 2014 Mr Marchionne didn’t have great approach to Formula One
and then came Arrivabene also. All of them for sure hard workers, competent
and they were doing their time – and now we have also Binotto, also another
guy without experience to concept a car globally. He comes from engine side.
Are you worried that you have very good people behind you but all of them,
the mainstream leadership of the team with no experience in Formula One?
SV: No, I think we have the right people on board. I think obviously, yeah,
it’s been a lot in the press, especially about our president and what he
expects from us and so on… I think first of all it’s good to see, as I’ve
always said, that he’s involved. Obviously he’s pushing the team very hard,
and also in Maranello, he spends a lot of time there. I think he knows what
he’s talking about and generally has been trying to understand what’s going
on, in the last year in particular. So, I think things are heading in the
right direction. Obviously it’s a big change now, which doesn’t impact on
tomorrow’s work but obviously for the future. No doubt about it but I think
things are heading in the right direction. When you say that they didn’t
have access, I think it’s not entirely true. Obviously I haven’t followed
that close but in Maurizio’s case as well I think he’s been in Formula One
and involved for a long time, so I think he knows the business very well and
I think he’s doing a very, very good job. That’s how we all feel in the
team. He’s our leader, he’s the team principal and we’re happy he’s with us.
Q: (Sandor Van Es - Formula 1 Magazine, Netherlands) Daniel, I have a
question for you. Congratulations with your third in Hungary, your team-mate
hinted that in the first part of the race he was a little bit held-up by you
because he was driving like his grandma.
DR: His grandma’s fast!
How satisfying was it to finish clearly ahead of him and, related to that,
how are you going to approach your little battle in the second part of the
season?
DR: Yeah, it’s part of… especially the early stages of the race, there’s
always, a lot of the time, when there’s some tyre-saving, you always go
through a phase where you try and make it to lap number X and sometimes the
approach is to build up to it and make sure you get to that point, that you
don’t throw yourself in a three-stop strategy, say, when you’re planning a
two. So, from my side, at the start, I was just trying to do what I had to
do. Try to hang with Nico and Lewis. It was sort of there – and then to the
end of that stint they seemed to pull away but it seemed like my tyres had a
bit more life at the end of the stint than perhaps Max’s did. Yeah, I don’t
know if it was necessarily a shot at me, it was more, I think, as well, the
way sometimes we have to manage the tyres. Especially at the start of the
race with high fuel. You do have to be quite conservative and yeah, it
doesn’t always feel that fast. I am impressed with the speed of his grandma.
That’s pretty good.
Q: (Louis Dekker – NOS.NL) For Sebastian and Daniel. What do you need to
beat Mercedes on Sunday. Help from above or something else?
SV: I think we both have the cars that we have and both of us are very
happy. Obviously we’re missing a bit to really take it on to Mercedes in lap
time. It’s been, on this type of track, probably around three-four tenths to
seven-eight tenths per lap, which is a lot and obviously allows them to take
it fairly easy but we will try to extract everything we can, try to do the
best job possible and I think that way we enhance our chances to put them
under most pressure. Then, I think, there’s always a lot of things that can
happen. We’ve seen it in the past. That’s why we go racing. Otherwise,
y’know, there’s no point for us being here.
Daniel?
DR: Yep, you always hope for some variables. I think all things even they’re
clearly the quickest at the moment. Rain definitely helps us. We seem to be
able to close the gap there, and also the rain, whether it suits our car
more or not, it also opens up more opportunity for the driver to make a bit
more of a difference. It’s easier to make mistakes with things like this.
Even if they were quicker in a wet races there’s still more chances they
might make a mistake, or whatever. So, yeah, otherwise, as Seb touched on,
we’ve just got to try and do what we can do with what we’ve got. It if does
open an opportunity, obviously Barcelona, on lap one, that opened an
opportunity for everyone, these sort of things can still happen. It would be
nice if we could beat them with them still on track. That would be, I think,
more satisfying.
Q: (Joe Van Burik - De Telegraaf) Another question for Seb and Daniel. Do
you have faith F1 will change much with the new 2017 technical regulations.
DR: Yeah. I’m confident the cars will be quicker, the cornering speeds will
be quicker. I think that’s one thing which obviously we’re all going to be
open to. If it does become a bit more physical – not that it’s not, I was
sweating quite a lot after the race last weekend – I think more to just feel
the car a bit more in the high-speed corners. I know our car is very strong
in high-speed corners and I still feel like I want to do more, so I can
imagine midfield teams, they’re not really experiencing a massive amount of
gees and grip. So, looking at that, the wider tyres and more downforce, it
should make that part a lot more fun. How much it’s going to change, I don’t
know. I am having fun, as Formula One is now, but of course you can always
improve things. Even if this improves one part of it, then that’s a
positive.
Q: (Graeme Keilloh – Grand Prix Times) Question for all of the drivers. We
understand a decision about whether the Halo is to be introduced for next
year is fairly imminent. Jolyon Palmer said earlier today that most drivers
he talks to are against the halo but reluctant to say so. Do you all agree
this is the case? That perhaps drivers aren’t expressing all of their
concerns or drawbacks about it?
Nico, why don’t you start with that one.
NH: Yeah, I think there is some mixed opinions amongst the drivers. Some
favour it, some don’t favour it. Obviously the aesthetics are not so good –
it doesn’t look very attractive – and yes, in some cases it would probably
have been better and saved lives. But as it is I think F1 is already pretty
safe and we also need to keep an element there, of danger, to keep it
exciting, to keep it spectacular – but it’s not in our hands, our decision,
what’s going to happen with it. So, I think today there is a meeting about
Halo. We’ll wait and here about that.
Rio, what are your thoughts?
RH: Same comments
Pascal?
PW: I’m for the halo, especially after the presentation we had last week in
Budapest. I think it’s a very good solution and maybe it doesn’t look so
nice but it can save our lives, I think – until 17 per cent – so I’m clearly
for it.
Felipe?
FN: I’m in favour as well. I think it doesn’t look great, as everybody
pretty much says a similar thing. On the other hand, safety being the
priority, I would be in favour. I believe it’s, for now, with what we have,
it’s something better. There can clearly be, as I said, in the priority list
of safety, it can be improved, but there’s also to consider that people will
have to get used to it, if it does happen. Because it looks very different.
Daniel, your thoughts.
DR: I think what people from the outside need to understand is that, when we
say it’s going to make it safer, it will – but it doesn’t mean the risks we
take are any less. So it will not change our approach to a corner, for me,
as much as I understand it, it’s to help the freak accident, or to support
the freak accident, or if something comes flying in the air to stop it
hitting us on the head, as some incidents happen, and y’know, with last year
as well with Indy. It’s purely just to, I’d say, get rid of that risk, which
I think it will do a good job. For us getting behind the wheel and going
flat out in Eau Rouge or something, it does not change if we’ve got the halo
on or not. So, I think that’s what people from the outside who are against
it, need to understand, that we’re not all just turning into… y’know… we’re
still race car drivers, it’s just trying to eliminate that freak accident
side of it.
Sebastian?
SV: I’m a bit surprised because it doesn’t sound as if we were clear about
what we want in the future, so I’m a bit surprised about these comments and
I think 90-95 per cent voted for it – so I don’t know why all of a sudden it
comes up the way it does. I think it’s the wrong impression. As I think the
majority in here said as well, we don’t like the looks of it but I don’t
think there’s anything really that justifies death. So, I think we’ve always
learned from what happened, incidences that happened on track, and we’ve
always tried to improve. Now, that would be the first time I would think in
human history that we’ve learned a lesson and we don’t change. I think it’s
up to us to make sure it does happen, otherwise I think we’d be quite
stupid.
Q: (Daniele Sparisci - Corriere della Sera) Question to Seb. What do you
expect from this race? A podium would be a good result for you here?
SV: Yeah, I think the nature of the track should suit us probably a little
bit more than last week. But having said so, our main rival for victory will
still remain Mercedes so we try to line all of our ducks up so we can
deliver the strongest Ferrari that we can. Of course it would be very nice
for me to be on the podium. Racing at home I think is something very special
and, in that way, to give a little bit back would be great. It depends on
how the race unfolds: if there’s a chance to win and you don’t, you cannot
be happy. But yeah, I think, if everything goes, let’s say, normal, we
should be fairly competitive and should be aiming at a podium.
Q: (Daniel Johnson – The Telegraph) Seb, on the halo, you said that you had
a vote among the drivers. How do you feel about the fact that it’s something
the teams are deciding on rather you. It would be in the FIA’s hands to just
impose it but they’ve put it to a vote of the strategy group. Do you think
that’s really fair on you guys?
SV: I think ultimately the FIA can do what they want, because based on
safety grounds, they can do what they want so I think the message is clear,
I think the feedback from the drivers so far – apart from the odd one or two
here and there – has been clear. I think it’s fairly clear.
Q: (Walter Koster – Saarbrucker Zeitung) Nico, after your inter-mezzo with
the Sauber team, you turned back to Force India in 2014. What is for you the
main difference between your first time in Force India formerly and today?
What has changed?
NH: Well, I think obviously the team has grown and really become a more
solid, stronger competitor since. When I initially joined the team in 2011
as a reserve driver and then 2012 I was there as a racing driver, and then
when I came back in 2014, I think we’ve really made a good step. The team
has employed a lot of good people, changed structures back at base at
Silverstone and I think just taken a lot of good directions, made some good
decisions and hired some right people and that usually then sets you up,
puts you in the right direction and makes you competitive on the track. So I
think all in all the team has matured and grown a lot in a very positive
sense.
Q: (Rzeczpospolita – Mikolaj Sokol ) To all gentlemen, after last weekend
when you now see a double yellow flag, what will you do?
SV: I don’t know, whatever comes up, spontaneously. I was the car in front
of Nico (Rosberg) and I lifted as well but maybe I lifted too much, I don’t
know. What to say? I think double yellow is still... should be double
caution and I think in the rulebook it says ‘prepare to stop’. I think after
what happened last week, we shouldn’t change our mindset. I think it should
still remain the same in terms of that you are aware that someone’s in
trouble, marshals might be on the track to help him, whatever, so you should
be aware of that and be prepared to lift. That’s it.
Q: Daniel, do you still have some question marks about this after last week?
DR: I voiced my comments in the post-race briefing. I couldn’t have done
anything different. Fernando was still on the track so I was prepared to
slow down a lot and that I had to because he was there. So yeah, for me, I
even get thing when people go quicker on a single yellow. The double yellow,
I think, has to be clearly... there has to be a difference between a single
and a double. When I see a single, sure, I slow but I’m aware that there
probably isn’t anyone on the track but when you see a double it’s a lot more
of a stronger sign, at least for me, and yeah, you know there’s a bit more
going on. I think it’s something we’re still going to talk about, discuss
and make a bit more clear. There needs to be a big difference.
PW: I think there will be a big meeting tomorrow and let’s see what’s the
discussion and solution after that.
NH: I will take some food and drink into that one, I think. It’s going to be
long. Every double yellow, of course, means there is some danger and
obviously we know (we have to) prepare to stop. Every case is different,
though. It’s difficult also for Charlie (Whiting) and for those on the
outside to judge. Obviously in that incident, if you come around turn eight
in Hungary you look into turn nine so some cars saw Fernando sitting on the
kerb there, so you know you have to lift, you’re forced (to) because he was
right there on the ideal line and I think when Nico came he was clear and it
was different so it’s difficult but yeah, we all definitely have to have
great respect for yellow flags.
FN: I agree on what the others are saying too. There has to be a clear
message. Tomorrow, when we all sit down together, there has to be something
that is really being followed by everyone, I guess. We don’t want to get in
those doubts of the position there, well the car wasn’t there... It has to
be something clear that we have to do and then everybody respects that.
RH: I think a double yellow says you have to prepare to stop. I think
tomorrow we will discuss things together and clarify the position to take
from what happened two weeks ago.
Q: Just for clarity, Sebastian, from a leadership point of view amongst the
drivers, will that meeting tomorrow bring forward something that you will
take to the FIA? What will happen?
SV: Well, first of all we will see how the discussion goes but I assume it
will be a bit longer, it won’t be dealt with in two minutes so I think we
will have to wait and see.
Q: But it would be some sort of protocol that you would all agree between
you from then on. Is that the idea?
SV: Well, to be honest, I think the difficulty is that with that, since we
have the... again you could argue that modern technology didn’t do us a
favour. Since we introduced the loops, the timing loops so that not just the
sectors one, two and three but also in the individual sectors we have
different loops and then there was a sort of guideline that if there was a
single yellow waved flag you have to lift off by two tenths. If there’s a
double yellow waved you have to lift off by five tenths but that was verbal,
there’s no way (you will) find that in the rulebook and basically apply
common sense. But then again the problem is that you leave it up to us and
then where’s the limit, so you had a guy last weekend that arguably if a lot
of other guys were in his shoes, we would maybe have done the same. He comes
around the corner, sees the double yellow... first of all, comes around the
corner, sees the track is clear, obviously then still has a shot at the rest
of his lap, where do you draw the line? In the past it was probably more
simple just because we didn’t have the ability with the loops, it was clear:
sector two, in that case, if you go green or purple you abused the rule and
yeah, in that sense it made it a lot easier for us in the car. Now you have
to think about how much time you have to lose and so on and that, I think is
what we need to discuss tomorrow and hopefully we will find a common
agreement to move forwards.
Q: (Barna Zsoldos – Nemzeti Sport) Nico, Sebastian and Daniel, a follow-up
on the 2017 changes, Stoffel Vandoorne recently made some interesting
remarks comparing SuperFormula and Formula One. He said that in SuperFormula
the tyres are rock solid so he can push, it’s quite enjoyable but that’s why
the racing is not exciting. Now, next year we will have more aerodynamics,
grippier and bigger tyres. Don’t you agree that the same will happen with
Formula One and what is more important for you: having fun in the car or
providing a good show? Because it seems to be a controversy.
DR: For me, the perfect or the ideal scenario would be to have something in
qualifying with a lot of grip, that you can get the maximum out of the F1
car and push it to its limit and feel a real step but then yeah, the race,
you don’t want it to go where it’s follow the leader and everyone’s going so
quick and the braking points are too late and then you can’t overtake or
anything so... I think the balance in racing hasn’t been too bad. I think
the tyre deg and all that is not too bad. I think if we could just have that
but with more grip like with quicker lap times but still the same rate of
deg or whatever then I think that would still be a decent solution or
outcome. So I think that’s what – looking at it – we probably will get, I
think we will get just generally faster lap times but still the same amount
of pit stops or whatever and hopefully in qualifying, we just get a bit more
of a rush. Let’s see. I do believe it will go in the right direction, how
much we achieve I’m not sure yet.
NH: Yeah, not much more to add really. Obviously we’re going to go faster
for sure but we will also still see deg in the race which then allows a good
show and overtaking and wheel-to-wheel racing so I think for now we will go
in a good direction.
Q: Seb, to the gentleman’s point about it not just being about you guys
having fun but also the wider show and spectacle.
SV: Well, I think on that it needs to be real so I think now you can argue
that obviously we all know how much faster our car could go if there was a
fresher set of tyres on the car, less fuel in the car, that’s what is not so
satisfying in the race. I think that’s the point that Stoffel made and also
amongst us that he can push all the way through the race and that’s how, to
be fair, Formula One has been some years ago and to what people refer when
they say this was the best time, in the year 2000 through 2005. You didn’t
see a lot of overtaking but if someone made it stick it was real and that
generally got appreciated. Nowadays, we also have arguments whether there
have been too many overtakings, whether some of the overtakings have been
too easy and that’s where, I think, it sums it up, where we say it has to be
real. If we enjoy it, I think the people enjoy it, our passion transfers
also to the people in the grandstands and following it on the television. I
think that has to be the target. Whether we will achieve it or not we have
to wait and see.
Q: (Ralf Bach – Autobild Motorsport) Question also about flag-gate in
Hungary: Lewis went to Charlie’s office to get a clarification and he called
him later in the evening as well; why didn’t you do this?
SV: Well, I think in that regard the rule is clear, in that if you read what
it says under double waved yellow or yellow flag I think it’s clear.
Obviously there was still the option to continue the lap which Nico did,
fair enough to him and he made it stick and put the car on pole and then I
think it means exactly that. What we are now all talking about is how much
do you have to lift and every situation is different. I think we’re not too
happy with that because there are certain inconsistencies there because then
somebody has a different feeling or approach to somebody else. But to answer
your question: I don’t know, I think to me it was clear what double waved
yellow means so I didn’t feel that I had to go and ask.
DR: Yeah, I guess the team... I made my thoughts clear to the team and left
that with them to deal with so I know... I think they were on to Charlie as
well and seeing what the outcome was going to be.
PW: I don’t have Charlie’s number!
NH: Not much to say.
Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Sebastian, talking about flags. You have been
complaining during the race on radio about the blue flags. How much does it
need to make you complain about other drivers? Does it affect your driving?
What can you say about that, about these things happening?
SV: I think it’s emotions. I think in the race you want to... I was catching
Daniel at the time, I believe, and yeah, it always feels that you’re losing
more time than the guy in front which I don’t think is true and I have been
in the other situation as well. It’s not easy, you know. The mirrors are
small, you see the car coming and two or three corners later the car is a
lot closer and maybe closer than you expect. Equally you’re racing someone,
you’re doing your own race. Yeah, I think in that moment I was a bit
emotional and complaining. After the race I was a lot more relaxed about it,
maybe I got a bit tempted by Max in the last couple of races so I started to
complain a lot about blue flags during the race. But yeah, i think we’re all
trying to do our best and I think most of the guys most of the time do a
very good job, especially because it’s not easy and it’s not a nice position
to be in. I think we all come from a racing background where we were not
used to seeing blue flags and especially not used to moving over so it is a
pain but people are doing what they can. |
