Fahrerstimmen – Tag 3

“This has been an unforgettable day for me and I can’t find the right words to express my feelings! Winning in my country is an indescribable emotion: I still remember the victory in Barcelona in 2006 and winning today in Valencia with this fantastic team, is amazing, especially when we are going through such a difficult time at the moment in Spain. It’s nice that sport and I’m thinking of the wins for the national football team and Nadal, might be able to give people something to smile about. Stopping on the slowing down lap? I don’t know what happened but it came at the right moment, because I was in front of the grandstands and I was able to celebrate with my fans! Sport always delivers the same lessons in that there are highs and lows and things change quickly. Yesterday we didn’t make it to Q3 and today we have won: it means that we should never give up, right to the chequered flag. It’s a nice present for everyone who has come from far away, maybe even sleeping in their cars and then staying in the grandstands in this torrid heat. At the start, it was not easy to make up places and I tried to delay the braking to the maximum at Turn 4, staying on the outside. Then I started to fight my way up and, after the Safety Car, I began to think a podium could be possible. Then I attacked Grosjean and managed to pass him, although I was worried that I might have sustained some damage when we touched. After two or three corners I realised everything was alright and I relaxed. When I went into the lead after Vettel retired, we were all hoping the tyres would last to the end. I was always talking to my engineer who told me I was running the same pace as those following me: in the end, there was not much left, but unlike Canada, the others were in the same situation. It was emotional being on the podium with Andrea Stella, because he has also worked with Michael and Kimi: he could celebrate in the best way possible a totally unexpected win, given our grid position. Thinking back to yesterday, what happened confirms there is still a lot of work to be done and we have to be honest about this, to ourselves and to our fans. We will do all we can to win this championship, but we still don’t have the quickest car and we must push to reach this objective as quickly as possible.”

"Second place is okay but the win is what I really wanted. We didn’t quite have the pace for it today. I got a good start but I was blocked by Pastor (Maldonado) at the first right-hander and lost quite a few places which put me a bit behind. We made a good recovery from that position and had quite a hard fight with a few people - overtaking and being overtaken. I couldn’t get the tyres up to temperature quickly enough after the safety car, and I made a small mistake on the re-start lap too. I was able to fight back as we had good race pace again. Today was close but the race win was just out of reach.”

"Endlich hat es geklappt!", freute sich der Kerpener und fügte an: "Nach einer so langen Wartezeit, und noch dazu nach einem so unerwarteten Sprung auf das Podest, bin ich überglücklich. Das war die wohl beste Antwort an all jene, die an unserer Arbeit zweifelten: wir haben das Auto richtig hinbekommen und zurückgeschlagen - man darf eben niemals aufgeben, nichts ist unmöglich." Großen Dank richtete Michael auch ans Team und alle, die immer daran geglaubt hätten, dass er wieder auf das Podium fahren könne. "Das ist echtes Teamwork. Auch möchte ich meine Mechaniker und Ingenieure lobend erwähnen, die an diesem Wochenende nach einigen schwierigen Rennen in diesem Jahr fantastische Arbeit geleistet haben", lobte der Rekordweltmeister, der zugab selbst am Ende des Rennens nicht mit einem Podium gerechnet zu haben. "Die letzten Runden waren ziemlich ereignisreich und ich wusste nicht mehr genau, auf welchem Platz ich lag." "Als ich die Ziellinie überfuhr, fragte ich meine Jungs, auf welcher Position ich war und sie antworteten: ‚Dritter - auf dem Podium!‘ Das war einer jener Momente, die man als Fahrer zutiefst genießt", sagte der MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Fahrer. "Wir waren einige Male nahe dran, aber es war großartig, dass es in einem so spektakulären Rennen wie diesem gelungen ist - dank der Strategie und vieler Überholmanöver auf einer Strecke, auf der das Überholen schwierig ist."

“I’m very happy with that, obviously it’s been a tough weekend up until today, but you never know what’s going to happen. In the middle of the race I wasn’t too happy and I didn’t really know what was going on. Then there was a bit of attrition at the front and the strategy worked out. We got it all working well today and we got some good points. It was a crazy day today – but I got points, so I’m happy with that.

“A great result for everyone in the team today and for me personally. Fifth place is a great achievement after a very long and difficult race. The two-stop strategy worked well, but the last stint was very long and it was hard to hold off the cars behind me on fresher tyres in the last few laps. So the race was a bit messy at times, but very entertaining and it feels great to come through and score such a good result for the team. We got a bit lucky with some cars dropping out, but we were in the right place to capitalise on things so I’m very happy about today.”

"Was für ein spannendes Rennen. Ich hatte einen schwachen Start und verlor einige Positionen; auch das Safety Car ging für mich zu einem schlechten Moment auf die Strecke", erklärte Nico nach dem Rennen. "Nach dem Re-Start hatte ich gebrauchte Reifen und kaum Grip, was es mir erschwerte, meine Position zu verteidigen. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt glaubte ich nicht an ein Punkteresultat", gab der 26-Jährige zu. "Wir hatten eine Ein-Stopp-Strategie vorgesehen, wechselten dann aber auf zwei Stopps." "Dank unserer Strategen stoppten wir allerdings später als alle anderen - somit hatte ich am Rennende frischere Reifen als die anderen Fahrer, die mit ihren Pneus zu kämpfen hatten. In Runde 47 lag ich noch auf Platz zwölf, im Ziel war ich dann Sechster - der Strategiewechsel hat sich für mich also ausgezahlt", lobte Nico, der in der Weltmeisterschaft weiterhin den fünften Rang belegt. Der Wiesbadener fügte an: "Wir freuen uns nach einem so chaotischen Rennen mit zwei Autos in den Top-Sechs über ein gutes Mannschaftsergebnis." Gratulieren wollte der MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Fahrer auch Teamkollege Michael, der in Valencia auf das Podium fuhr - über sein eigenes Rennen war Nico ebenso glücklich: "Ich bin zufrieden, erneut weitere Punkte gesammelt zu haben."

“We went very aggressive by only stopping once and in fact we were the only car to pull off this strategy. Of course, when you’re stopping once you really don’t want a safety car period and it certainly hurt my race and cost me some track position. But with the way the race unfolded we can’t be too disappointed to finish seventh and it’s great to have another two-car points finish. On the whole our relative pace through the race was strong, but it was hard to keep the tyre performance towards the end and I was really fighting the car in the closing laps. There was some attrition ahead of us, but we were there to pick up the points when it mattered.”

“This was a really difficult race to read. I got a poor start, was boxed in at Turn One, and had to lift to prevent Fernando [Alonso] and myself hitting the wall at Turn Two. I don’t think we did a bad job in terms of strategy - the car felt good and kept improving during the race - but, when the Safety Car was deployed, I think a few others lucked in to a better strategy. And, today, also, we just didn’t get lucky. Finally, massive congratulations to Fernando - he did a great job. Hopefully we can do the same thing at our home grand prix in two weeks’ time!”

„Das war heute ein sehr schwieriges Rennen. Wir haben mit unserer Strategie einiges riskiert, und am Ende haben die Reifen extrem abgebaut. Man kann sagen, dass es ja gar nicht so schlecht ist, vom 15. Startplatz aus zwei Punkte zu holen. Aber das Wichtigste ist jetzt, dass wir unsere Leistung im Qualifying weiter verbessern. Ich bin zum zweiten Mal hintereinander als 15. losgefahren. Wenn ich nur weiter vorne starten würde, wäre da viel mehr zu holen.”

I feel quite disappointed with today as we had good pace and the right strategy. It would have been difficult but it was working for us. However, after losing time with the puncture and then receiving the drive-through penalty it would have been difficult to get into the points even in a race like today. We got lucky with the timing of the safety car but on a positive note we had good tyre management and so we were looking competitive. Now we need to put it behind us and see it as a lesson learned.

“The final result of the race is disappointing. I think I drove well and the team deserved better. Apart from my finish position, it was a really good race. I had a good getaway off the line, passing a couple of cars. But the opening lap was a bit of a mess and as I tried to overtake some cars down the inside, Perez got me round the outside. My first stint was strong and I was in touch with our competitors, then the second stint was also good. The Safety Car did not really work in our favour. After my second stop I was pushing to the end and I had Petrov going quite slowly in front of me, I went to get around him and he defended by going a bit wide. So I tried to switch back and I feel I gave him some racing room, but we still made contact because perhaps his move was a bit too aggressive. Anyway, that cost me a chance to get into the points, but there were some positives to take away from this race, even if they are not so visible from the outside.”

It was an unlucky race for us as we were looking strong for a podium finish. We were struggling at the beginning of the race but at the end I passed Lewis (Hamilton) and then he came back across. I jumped across the kerb but there was nothing I could do and we made contact. I was on a great lap after a great race. The car was feeling good and we had good pace.

"I'm really pleased with how today's race went. I made a pretty good start and was just behind Heikki after the first corner - I was pretty careful into T1 as I didn't want to make any mistakes and from that point it was really about managing the tyres and following the instructions from my engineer. I want to thank the boys for the fantastic job they did in the pitstops, particularly when I had to box for a new nose late on in the race. Even though we were running tenth at one point I'm not sure a point was quite within reach today, but it's really encouraging to see how we've progressed here and we know we have more to come in Silverstone so we have something good to fight for and that's great for the whole team."

"My start wasn't the best I've had this year but I was keeping pace with Webber and Ricciardo for the first few laps. Unfortunately we had a KERS issue early on and that obviously hit my pace for the whole race. We had opted for a two stop strategy so for the first stint I was looking after the tyres until we boxed. The stop went well and my pace was good but then Vergne made what looks like a rookie mistake, hit me and I had to come in for a new nose. From that point I was just trying to get to the end of the race and with about five or six laps left the tyres were gone. Despite that 13th and 14th is another decent result for the team. We've had a very good weekend here and now we can look forward to making more gains at the next race so we leave on a positive note."

“Having not been so pleased with where I ended up in qualifying yesterday, by contrast I am very pleased with how things have gone for myself and the whole team in today’s race. I think we got the most from our strategy and made everything work well in our favour. I am happy to see the improvement in our race pace and we are back in a better place versus the Caterhams ahead. I am also pleased that we were able to put the HRTs back behind us again and in that sense I had an enjoyable race to be able to do the job we needed to do here. I would like to thank the team for all the hard work over the weekend and especially today when we all pulled together to get the best possible result. It has been a frustrating time for everyone, but I think we can now look forward to the team’s home race in two weeks with a little more confidence and with two cars back in play, hopefully push the improvements some more.”

“What do you want me to say, nothing went right today! From lap 8 onwards I started to feel there was something not right at the back of the car and, at the end of the race, the team found some damage that had completely ruined the balance and the aerodynamic downforce level. From being able to attack the Force India, I went to losing a second a lap! I am very disappointed, because I had a good pace and could keep up with the group Fernando was in. Then there was also the collision with Kobayashi and there, any hope I had of finishing in the points evaporated. The car was going very well today and it was at the level of the best, I am pleased for Fernando, who drove a fantastic race to win, but there’s also some bitterness as today could have been very nice for both of us”

"The truth is that I gave it my all in this race, I emptied myself, and I’m satisfied. It was a very long race and towards the end, right in the middle of a battle, my rear tyres went and all I could do was hold on until the end. To be honest I could have done without the last seven laps. It was the typical survival race where the cars with most degradation get the wrong end of the stick, but we knew beforehand that it would be tough. But the best thing is that we maintained a good rhythm and managed our brakes for them to last. Perhaps I should have been a bit more conservative when I had Pic behind but I preferred to risk. If the tyres held out, great, and if not, great too. I’m satisfied because we did well the entire weekend in front of our fans. They deserve the best and I think that they see us fight in every race and we’re improving, so I can only thank them for their support”.

"I got off to a good start and managed to hold my position. We had a tough battle for the first 15 laps and our car was going very well on the straights but the degradation of the rear tyres started affecting our performance. After the pitstop I was behind Pic and it wasn’t easy to drive so I was unable to catch him up. But we had a good last stint on the prime tyres which, unfortunately, got hampered by a drive-through penalty as a result of speeding in the pit lane. Had it not been for this then perhaps I could have finished in a better position but the important thing is that we made it to the finish line in very challenging conditions”.

“Big congratulations to Fernando - he did a great job today to come from all the way back in 11th. We lost some points today - fortunately, however, a couple of other drivers fighting at the front also missed out, so it’s not the end of the world. It just makes things a little bit tougher. Today was just a bad day in the office - but that’s motor racing, and I’m already looking forward to the next Grand Prix, my home race at Silverstone.”

“It’s a big shame not to finish the race as I was picking up my pace on the Option tyre, having started on Prime and it also means it’s my first retirement this season. As for the incident with Heikki, I felt I was ahead and as I started to turn into the corner, we collided and his front wing clipped my rear wheel and there was too much damage to the floor and it was impossible to change the damaged rear wheel so there was no way for me to continue. I think it was just a racing incident.”

„Was für ein Rennen, ich bin sehr enttäuscht. Ich hatte einen wirklich guten Start von meinem siebten Platz aus. Ich konnte gleich zwei Plätze gutmachen und dann in der ersten Runde noch Pastor Maldonado überholen. Ich war Vierter, und alles sah gut aus. Dann hatten wir bei meinem ersten Stopp nach 14 Runden ein Problem mit dem Wechsel des linken Vorderrades. Danach war ich erst einmal Elfter, aber da hatte ich noch gute Chancen. In der 20. Runde fuhr ich hinter Kimi Räikkönen, der seinerseits Bruno Senna überholte. Dann war ich innen neben Senna. Da ist eine Mauer, er liess mir keinen Platz. Unsere Autos berührten sich, und ich musste an die Box, um eine neue Fahrzeugnase zu holen. Später, nach der Safety-Car-Phase und der Rennfreigabe, kämpfte ich mit Felipe Massa. Unsere Autos berührten sich, und diesmal war der Schaden zu gross, um weiterzufahren.“

“Basically the car lost power and switched off. I couldn’t even call my engineer on the radio as the radio was dead. The race was almost perfect up until that point: we had a good start and a good strategy. I don’t think we were that far from our first win. The positives of this weekend are that we battled right at the front and we showed good pace. Sebastian (Vettel) was very strong and I don’t know if we could have caught him. When he had his issue, I was in second place behind Fernando (Alonso) and it was then that I thought we could challenge for the lead because we knew that our tyre degradation was going to be less than his. Unfortunately fate decided otherwise…”

“At the moment it’s not entirely clear what the problem was. I lost acceleration, the engine stalled and I couldn’t do anything; that was it. You can’t change it now. Up until that point it was clear we were strong, I was very happy in the car and had the pace. We were very quick today and it felt good. The initial re-start after the safety car was fine, but we’re not sure of the exact problem, we’ll need to look into it.”

Timo Glock konnte wegen einer Lebensmittelvergiftung am Rennen nicht teilnehmen.