Fahrerstimmen – Tag 3

Ich habe soeben zum ersten Mal den Großen Preis von Brasilien gewonnen! Ich erinnere mich noch daran, wie ich bei Ayrtons Sieg 1991 zugesehen habe und mir dachte: „Eines Tages möchte ich das auch schaffen“. Ich teilte seine Emotionen an diesem Tag und nun kann ich endlich verstehen, wie er sich gefühlt haben muss. Dies war der 44. Grand Prix hier, das macht es für mich zu etwas ganz Besonderem. Vor diesem Publikum auf Sennas Boden zu gewinnen... das werde ich niemals vergessen und ich kann es einfach nicht glauben, dass mir das endlich gelungen ist. Das ist echt verrückt. In all den Jahren war es so hart, dieses Rennen zu gewinnen – und heute war es einer meiner einfachsten Siege überhaupt. Natürlich hätte mir bei diesen Bedingungen jederzeit ein Fehler unterlaufen können. Aber ich war heute sehr entspannt und merkte, dass ich alles unter Kontrolle hatte. Ich liebe es, im Regen zu fahren. Das muss davon kommen, dass ich als Kind so viele Jahre lang im Regen in Großbritannien gefahren bin! Es ist alles eine Kopfsache. Du musst cool bleiben, darfst keine Fehler begehen, brauchst großartige Reaktionen und musst wissen, wie du mit dem Auto umzugehen hast. Es war eines dieser Rennen, bei denen ich mich voll auf das Fahren konzentrieren konnte. Der Reifensatz hielt immer weiter und weiter und ich hatte keinerlei Probleme. Das Auto war einfach fantastisch. Vielen Dank an alle in unseren beiden Werken, die sehr hart dafür gearbeitet haben, um so ein unglaubliches Auto zu bauen. Dieses Ergebnis ist ihr Werk. Wir schreiben jede Woche Geschichte und wir haben immer wieder bewiesen, dass wir mit Abstand das beste Team sind – und zwar in jedem Bereich. Unsere Hospitality ist die Beste, unser Essen ist das Beste, unsere Jungs in der Box sind die Besten, die Jungs in der Fabrik sind die Besten, unsere Autos sind die Besten... es ist echt selten, dass jedes Gebiet so perfekt ist und ich bin stolz darauf, Teil des Ganzen zu sein. Ich bin glücklich, dass die Entscheidung nun erst beim letzten Rennen fällt. Jetzt kann ich mich nur noch darauf konzentrieren, so stark wie bei den letzten paar Rennen zu sein. Wenn mir das gelingt, weiß ich in meinem Herzen, was mir in diesem Jahr gelungen ist.

Die Bedingungen waren heute richtig schwierig. Den Berg hinauf gab es starkes Aquaplaning und viele Fahrer kamen dort von der Strecke ab. Auch ich hatte eine Schrecksekunde, als ich mich drehte. Aber zum Glück war es nicht bei vollem Speed. So konnte ich das Auto wieder abfangen. Lewis hat heute bessere Arbeit abgeliefert und verdient den Sieg. Deshalb muss ich mich mit Platz zwei zufrieden geben. Auch Max hat heute eine gute Leistung gezeigt. Wir wussten, dass der Red Bull im Nassen sehr stark sein würde. Aber er fuhr ein großartiges Rennen. Vielen Dank an mein Team, das die richtige Strategie gewählt hat und mich auf den Regenreifen belassen hat. Jetzt freue ich mich auf Abu Dhabi, wo ich gute Erinnerungen an das vergangene Jahr habe. Ich werde dort alles für den Sieg geben.

“I think the word for today is ‘Exciting’. I overtook Nico around the outside of turn 3 which was really fun to do, I just seemed to find a bit more grip out there. I then started chasing Lewis which resulted in me having a massive moment in the final sector, I was really lucky to keep it out of the guard rail. After that scare my pace was still good and I held onto P2. The rears then started to lose grip and I was told Daniel had pitted for Intermediates and was going fast so I followed that plan. For a lap or so it was really good but then more rain came which resulted in no grip in the last sector. There was no way we could carry on so had to pit again for wets. From there on the race was really good fun, plenty of overtakes around the outside because if you stay behind them there’s too much spray, I had to find another line. I just kept my head down and managed to get past quite a few cars in the remaining laps. I could hear the crowd going crazy when my engineer was on the radio, so I’m very thankful for the Brazilian fans for getting behind me. At the end when I crossed the line it felt like a victory, it was almost as beautiful as my race in Barcelona.”

“What a fun but tense race today! It’s a shame to lose a podium place in the last two laps, but Max [Verstappen] just had a different pace: he was the fastest on track and there was nothing I could do to keep him behind. Even though I am a bit disappointed, we can still celebrate a great race and an incredible result, especially considering the conditions we had out there today. Just getting to the finish line on a day like this feels like a victory, and to bring home fourth is a very important result. It was so easy to make mistakes; you risked aquaplaning at any moment – every time I crossed the finish line I had a breath of relief. It’s a big result, not only for me, but also for the team as it brings us important points for the battle for fourth place. A lot can still happen in Abu Dhabi, but we can be happy about this result.”

“Obviously, today it was not ideal: in the first part of the race I span, I had some aquaplaning but I wasn’t the only one. I think it was a good recovering in the end, it was difficult to come back, and I struggled to get past Sainz: I don’t know why it took me a lot of laps before I really started to feel well in the car, and then it was too late. About the duel with Verstappen, I think I was racing side by side to him and he saw me. I still had a little bit of my nose ahead, he was much faster so it was about making the corner and he got past. Not a difficult passing manoeuver, but I don’t think it was fully correct. But I wouldn’t complain about anything today: I think I was not the only one who got caught out by the aquaplaning, but luckily I didn’t crash.”

"Well, the rain dance definitely worked and what a race that was! I'm super happy! To finish P6 after qualifying P15 yesterday is just amazing. I thought it was too risky to put the intermediates on and I asked the team to leave me out on extremes, and it worked! Today was all about a good strategy with no pit-stops for me and a strong pace with no mistakes. To do it in these difficult conditions just makes it even better. It was so hard to drive out there today – it was very, very difficult to keep the car on track at times! It was really tricky, especially in the aquaplaning areas like Turns 13 and 14 ... Particularly during the Safety Car restarts, when you are racing at 300kph and you can't see absolutely anything, it's risky! Having said that, I really enjoyed it today, I love the rain – I've always been strong in the wet, since I'm a kid in go-karting and today was no exception. We can also be very proud as a team, as we were matching the pace of the top runners in the wet, which means that our car is actually a very good one and that we've done an excellent job all weekend – I'd like to congratulate everyone for this! To bring back home another 8 points when we were not expecting many more is great news, I'm over the moon - I have to say that this second half of the season is full of surprises for us and I definitely welcome them!"

“That was an intense race and I don’t know whether to laugh or cry because I think a possible podium slipped away today. I had great confidence in the car, felt comfortable and I had the pace to push and overtake. There were some scary moments in the race, especially when Kimi crashed in front of me. Some of his debris hit my car and caused a lot of damage. At least I survived that, but then I picked up a puncture from the debris, which was so frustrating because it dropped me down to the back of the field. Without the puncture, who knows where I might have finished? I’m happy and proud of myself and the team. We did a great job, but we were just missing a bit of luck.”

“It was a frustrating race, we never really felt like we got lucky with the strategy; every time we made a change with the tyres there was a safety car or a red flag. We lost positions and obviously we could not predict what was going to happen and we felt a little bit on the back foot. But the real difficulty today was my visibility was a struggle, as my visor kept fogging up. I kept opening my visor and trying to wipe it but it’s never happened before, and it held me back. It’s a shame as the car was a lot better than eighth, when we had a clear track our speed was good. It was tricky out there, for example with Kimi, I didn’t see him crash in front of me. It wasn’t until I got back to the pits and saw a replay I knew he’d crashed. From that point of view they obviously make some good calls with red flags. I’m glad we got to race and glad we could finish it, and that despite some crashes everyone was safe. The fans put up with a long afternoon so thanks to them for staying with it.”

„Mir fehlen die Worte, um in diesem Moment zu sagen, wie glücklich ich bin. Als ich die Wettervorhersage für heute sah, wusste ich, dass der Regen für uns im Rennen Möglichkeiten bieten könnte. Und diese Möglichkeiten eröffneten sich und ich war bereit dafür. Heute gelang uns eine aussergewöhnliche Leistung. Das Team informierte mich exakt über die jeweiligen Streckenbedingungen und ich gab dazu meine Rückmeldungen ab. Es war ein heikles Rennen, weil die Streckenverhältnisse an einigen Stellen wirklich sehr schwierig waren. Am Ende war es einfach ein unglaubliches Gefühl, als alle Zuschauer auf den Tribünen mir nach der Zieldurchfahrt zujubelten. Diese zwei wichtigen Punkte beim Heimrennen zu holen – da kann man sich für den Moment nicht mehr wünschen. Es hätte am Renntag zu Hause in Interlagos nicht besser laufen können.“

“I think we were aiming for something better today. “I started 10th and finished 10th, and there were some retirements in front of me, so we definitely didn’t take some of the opportunities that presented themselves out there. “The conditions were extremely difficult today. Sometimes it was just enough to keep the car on track. There was very poor visibility and the drainage on the circuit wasn’t great – I had some aquaplaning which made it hard to push the car and close the gap ahead. “In the end, we scored one point. Hopefully, in Abu Dhabi we can finish the season on a high.”

It was a very difficult day in very difficult conditions. We managed to keep the car in one piece but it wasn’t easy. We had quite a lot of potential with the strategy, but in the end the intermediate tyres starting working a bit too late for us. It’s a shame that Force India got a lot more points than us, so it’s going to be tricky in Abu Dhabi. We were just really unlucky today with the timing of our strategy. It’s been amazing to see the support here for Felipe and I’m sure he really appreciated it. We’ll enjoy Abu Dhabi.

“I’m really disappointed and sad for all of us. It was such a difficult race and though I have my own feelings on whether the race should have continued, that doesn’t matter. If the track is declared fit to race on, we have to race and do the best job we can. There were some pretty scary moments out there; I was so lucky to react so quickly to the Kimi incident. “Well obviously I was pushing as hard as I could - throughout the whole race in fact. In the third race stint – after the second red flag – it was clear I just had to push to catch Felipe because the chances of him coming back down the order to a position of safety were diminishing. The race was going his way, not ours. I did what I could but the cars behind me were closing and in the end they just had the pace to get by. There are so many reasons to feel disappointed today that I can’t just single that one out, but, yes, my first F1 point would have been nice.”

"What a crazy race. My start was good and we switched to intermediate tyres at the right time, but then I suffered a puncture under the Safety Car, so I was last after I pitted, unfortunately. I didn't give up and I was starting to come back up the grid, but at that point the car was very damaged... The reason for this is that during one of the restarts, Palmer crashed into me and, even though we stayed out because of the tricky conditions, the car was very difficult to drive. It's a pity, because up until today I was satisfied with how my weekend was going and I was hoping for more."

“The conditions today were definitely testing, especially turn 12 which isn’t actually a corner in the dry but became a real corner in the wet! There was clear aquaplaning there, and even if there hadn’t been, it was still on the limit. I do wish we could have driven more today though. Of course you should have red flags to clear a crash and safety should always be the priority, but after that, I feel we were too careful with driving in the wet. At the end of the day, it’s up to us drivers to slow down enough to get around it. We just need to drive to the conditions and not go over the limit, which is exactly what we do in the dry.”

“Conditions were terrible – all the way through the race. Even when the rain subsided, the track was holding so much water. It was such a gamble for anyone making the switch from the Extreme Wet tyres to the Inters. The conditions were close at times, but not close enough. I was aquaplaning still and then the risk was that we could be brave, yes, but if we end up in the wall, we’ve gained nothing. Plus, the visibility was quite bad. It was a very nerve-wracking race with conditions I’m not keen to experience again anytime soon. “Well, it’s happened, but we have to keep working hard and pushing. Today showed that anything can still happen, although I’m not expecting any rain in Abu Dhabi. Racing can be unpredictable, so we’ll keep fighting.”

“After today’s race, we need to go back to the factory and work out what it is that’s wrong with the car. “During Friday practice, it was working really well; I was comfortable with the car and in the high-speed corners we had a strong rear-end. Yesterday, it wasn’t working, and today it was further exaggerated by the conditions. “In terms of the restarts, those were very difficult conditions in which to judge what’s right and what’s wrong, but nobody was injured – and that’s the most important thing. “Finishing last is unusual for me in conditions like these – so there’s definitely something wrong. I don’t think I’ve forgotten how to drive in the wet…”

“It was a fun race – pretty boring at the beginning, but got much better when we started to race on full wets. The conditions were very tricky on track with the wet and the intermediate tires, and it was all about keeping the car on track. We were picking up a good pace and I was making my way up the grid and saw an opportunity to score some points. Unfortunately, we started to have some electrical problems. I was having power issues on braking and in the corners. In the wet, that’s the worst thing you can have. The team gave their best effort to fix it, but we had to retire the car. Now we’re looking ahead to the final race of the season. It’s another opportunity. We have to stay optimistic and try to do the best with what we have and focus on that.”

It’s impossible to explain my feelings from today, for everything that has happened. So much love. We couldn’t finish the race. I wanted to finish in the right way, with the flag on the top. Unfortunately, I couldn’t, but I think God knows what to do. I was just walking, in front of my people, with this amazing reaction. Not just from the fans but from all the people in Formula One coming out to clap their hands for me. It’s impossible to explain these emotions. I never expected this in my life, I don’t think I deserved as much as this. The minimum I can say is thank you very much to everyone, all the people I’ve worked with, all of the fans. I will never forget this day.

“The conditions this afternoon were very difficult and unfortunately we had to retire following contact with Kvyat. I had some more grip at that point on full wet tyres and I was faster than cars in front on intermediates. I wanted to make up some places. In the end the visibility was so bad that I couldn’t even see past my steering wheel. I didn’t see where the corner went, I knew that there was the pitwall and pitlane somewhere; I just couldn’t see anything. Kvyat in front of me was slower and I hit him. Around the lap, the visibility wasn’t too bad and there were some places where you aquaplaned but coming up the hill you had no traction and couldn’t see if you were behind anyone else. You had to guess where you were going, there was water on track and rivers of water running across. It was really tricky.”

“The conditions today were not the easiest ones: it was very tricky, and when you do many laps behind the Safety Car it gets even more difficult. It was not raining heavily, but there was a lot of standing water. The biggest problem was the aquaplaning and I got it in a place where I was not expecting it: I spun off on the straight! I almost got the car back, but then I went off in a pretty bad place. The Wet tires are very vulnerable, easy to aquaplaning. It obviously depends on the circuit and on many other things, but comparing to some years ago, those tires could handle this kind of water with no issues of aquaplaning.”

„Das war für mich ein sehr enttäuschendes Ende dieses Regenrennens – ein Ausfall aufgrund der sehr schwierigen Streckenverhältnisse. Auf der Bergauf-Passage kurz vor dem Ziel habe ich das Auto wegen zu viel Wasser auf der Fahrbahn verloren – in einer solchen Situation ist man am Ende nur noch Passagier und kann den Aufprall nicht mehr vermeiden. Ich bin darüber auch bezüglich des Teams sehr enttäuscht, denn die Crew hat am Wochenende sehr hart für mich gearbeitet. Ich freue mich jedoch umso mehr für das Team, dass Felipe zwei Punkte für uns eingefahren hat. Das ist sehr wichtig für uns. Beim nächsten Rennen in Abu Dhabi werde ich alles geben, um ein starkes Saisonfinale fahren zu können.“

“Well, I’m sorry for the fans, for all of Haas F1 Team. We’ve gone from hero to zero in less than 24 hours. What can I say? I wasn’t even flat out. I was barely faster than Gutiérrez, and then the car just spun. It was just bad luck. There was really no grip at that point. I picked up the wheelspin, spun and crashed. I feel so bad for the crew. It was a big impact, something like 30G. It happens fast in Formula One, but I’m okay physically.”