News
20th September 2014, 18:11
Sebastian Vettel on why he felt pole in Singapore was achievable for Red Bull; Jean-Eric Vergne on the mistake that cost him a shot at progressing into Q3; Esteban Gutierrez on exceeding expectations and putting Sauber in a 'good position' for Sunday's race. The drivers and senior team personnel report back after a dramatic qualifying session at Marina Bay...
Force India
Nico Hulkenberg (13th, Q2 - 1:47.308)
"The qualifying hour in Singapore is always intense and stressful, but I was hoping to be a bit more competitive and squeeze into the top ten. As it turned out, a place in Q3 was a few tenths away, but my lap was pretty good. I feel quite positive about the race because I have a free choice on tyres for the start and Singapore is always a long and eventful race. There are a few strategy options because yesterday we saw a lot of tyre degradation on both the compounds. The target is to come away with points tomorrow."
Sergio Perez (15th, Q2 - 1:47.575)
"The track felt very different today and we were not expecting such a dramatic change coming into qualifying. As the session went on, we struggled to get the tyres to work in the way we wanted. We headed out early in Q2 to try and get a clean out lap and prepare the tyres, but obviously we knew this would give away something in terms of performance with the track evolution. Even with these choices, we weren't able to make the progress we wanted. Looking at the race we know that overtaking on this circuit is quite difficult, but with a good start and a strong strategy we can make up some places. This track is very harsh in terms of tyre degradation and I expect it to play a big part tomorrow. It will be a battle to get some good points, but on a track like this everything is possible."
Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal and managing director
"We were expecting to be a little higher up the grid today. Our starting positions tomorrow mean we will need to work a bit harder to score the points we need. However, I feel quite positive about our long run pace, which should allow us to race competitively. Singapore usually throws up opportunities to explore different strategies and we enjoy racing in the heat. We need to be ready to maximise the opportunities that come up in the race with the goal of getting both cars in the points."
Red Bull
Daniel Ricciardo (3rd, Q3 - 1:45.854)
"Coming into the weekend we thought that if we could be within two or three tenths of Mercedes then there was a realistic chance to stay with them in the race. We actually ended up closer to them than we thought in qualifying, so that's good. If the start goes okay then it's about trying to be smart and doing something with the strategy. If I can get close, then I'll have a go, I haven't been shy doing that this year, but it's difficult on a street circuit. It's close to home here and it's nice to see a few Aussie flags in the crowd. Hopefully we can get a podium result for them tomorrow."
Sebastian Vettel (4th, Q3 - 1:45.902)
"I'm not happy with that final lap, I was pushing a bit too hard and didn't get it all together, so I'm not entirely happy, but it is what it is now. I think pole could have been in our grasp. We'll hope to have a good race tomorrow, with good pit stops and a good strategy and we'll see what we can do from there. I think we have good speed, but everyone seems to have good speed here. It's a long race, so we'll see how the tyres work and what we can do."
Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal
"Second row of the grid for both of the drivers in a really tight qualifying was a really strong team performance. It was very close at the end and it was certainly the closest we've been to Mercedes in qualifying all year, so hopefully that bodes well for tomorrow's race and we can put them under pressure."
Thierry Salvi, Renault Sport F1
"After a hard start to the weekend, the quali result is a good one for the team and we start just behind our main competitors. Sebastian suffered from the lack of running after his engine change yesterday, but Daniel was able to complete his programme and was particularly quick today. Hopefully our cars will be even quicker in race conditions, which could give us more chances to reach the front tomorrow."
Marussia
Jules Bianchi (19th, Q1 - 1:49.440)
"I'm pretty pleased with my second lap and I feel like I got as much as possible from the car. I made a few mistakes on the first run but we did the maximum possible at the end. For tomorrow, I think we will have the right balance for the race. My first objective is to keep the three cars behind me, then see what is happening ahead and the opportunities that may be available to us."
Max Chilton (21st, Q1 - 1:50.473)
"It's slightly frustrating as I have struggled with car this weekend at a constantly evolving track but I managed to get it pretty good for that session. On the first run we had an issue with the mapping, which meant that I was in a compromised map and I couldn't get full power, so I had to do another prepare lap. My second run was my first real timed run. I thought it was a good lap but the time wasn't there so we need to look at that this evening. Looking ahead to tomorrow, I think we can get Kobayashi off the start and then it will all be down to strategy."
John Booth, Marussia team principal
"Overall a good qualifying session, in particular on Jules' side of the garage with a strong result versus our nearest competitors. The day has not been without its troubles and some issues on Max's car at the start of his qualifying run surely disturbed his rhythm and unfortunately with his car we find ourselves between the two Caterhams. In FP3 and pretty much throughout the weekend so far, the car does seem to have been stronger than where it was in Monza and, of course, we would have preferred having both cars together on the grid. As always here, there is the potential for tomorrow's race to be a chaotic one. The objective with both cars is to be in front of our championship competitors and then take advantage of any chances that comes our way."
Sauber
Esteban Gutierrez (14th, Q2 - 1:47.333)
"I am pleased with the outcome of today. In qualifying we were able to extract more than we expected. We made the best out of what we currently have. Tomorrow it will not be an easy race, but at the same time we will keep fighting to extract the maximum out of the car. We will keep working hard and focusing on the race."
Adrian Sutil (17th, Q2 - 1:48.324)
"It is a pity that qualifying was not as good as we expected. But on the other hand, we have had issues with the power unit and the energy management since yesterday. Because of this, we were not able to extract full power during qualifying, which cost me a lot of time on the straights. More than Q1 was unfortunately not possible under these circumstances. We have to get together and find a solution for the race tomorrow."
Monisha Kaltenborn, Sauber team principal
"During the whole weekend we have had issues with the energy management, which didn't help us at all. However, Esteban was able to constantly improve and showed a good performance. He is in a good position for the race. Adrian could not extract the maximum from the powertrain and was, therefore, handicapped. The past has shown that a lot can happen during the race, thus our objective is to keep the contact to the drivers in front of us and be ready for all eventualities."
Giampaolo Dall'Ara , Sauber head of track engineering
"It was a pitty that Adrian couldn't make it into Q2. We don't know yet what exactly happened, but we can see in the data that he was missing some speed on the straights. Esteban delivered a solid performance and achieved what was possible today. He made some good progress during FP3 and was able to build on that. Even though the actual positions are not much different from other events before, we are quite satisfied we were able to keep the gap to some of our competitors quite small, which will enable us to race and target a better result tomorrow."
Toro Rosso
Daniil Kvyat (10th, Q3 - 1:47.362)
"I think we definitely got the maximum out of the car today, so well done to the team. Q3 was a bit scrappy and throughout the session the car was difficult to drive. But fortunately we managed to pull it all together and complete a good lap in Q2 and move on to Q3. P10 was the best possible result today. We still have some homework to do tonight to make sure the car feels more consistent tomorrow, but for today we did what we could."
Jean-Eric Vergne (12th, Q2 - 1:46.989)
"I had some problems with the front hand of the car today. I just could not make it work and bring it up to the right temperature, which caused me some front locking. Then I made a mistake and I lost more than three tenths. Q3 was not far so it's a real shame. But it's tomorrow that counts and we have got a competitive car here to gain some positions back and score some points."
James Key, Toro Rosso technical director
"We had a bit of work to do last night. I think we made some good progress during FP3 with Jev's car. Daniil wasn't completely happy with his car so we made some changes for Qualifying. Our target was to get both cars into Q3. It's never easy here, it's a complicated track, where you have to be one hundred per cent positioned the whole time. Unfortunately Jev just missed his second sector of his Q2 and got very close to Q3. I think it's a shame as he deserved it. Daniil got through in his first lap and then in Q3, again in the middle sector, it was a bit tricky for him. Overall it's a bit disappointing that we didn't manage to bring both cars into Q3 but the race is tomorrow and I'm convinced that we can still fight for some points."
Caterham
Kamui Kobayashi (20th, Q1 - 1:50.405)
"We did our homework and we improved the car for today. The track wasn't in the best of conditions for FP3 so it didn't show in the lap times, but performance-wise we are better than yesterday. I got the most out of the car during the qualifying session and our result was the best we could achieve tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a long and challenging race so I need to make sure I sleep well and come back tomorrow ready to fight through the streets of Singapore!"
Marcus Ericsson (22nd, Q1 - 1:52.287)
"It's been a tough day. In FP3 this afternoon we had some electrical issues and no telemetry, so it was a challenging start and a big stress for the team in between sessions, but in the end we were able to get out into Q1. I have to thank the team for their efforts to get me out in time to set a lap time but I'm disappointed with the overall result as we could've done better today if it hadn't been for the technical problems. It was a compromised qualifying session, which is a shame, but it certainly was a great recovery and I look forward to the race tomorrow
More... (http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/9/16376.html)
Force India
Nico Hulkenberg (13th, Q2 - 1:47.308)
"The qualifying hour in Singapore is always intense and stressful, but I was hoping to be a bit more competitive and squeeze into the top ten. As it turned out, a place in Q3 was a few tenths away, but my lap was pretty good. I feel quite positive about the race because I have a free choice on tyres for the start and Singapore is always a long and eventful race. There are a few strategy options because yesterday we saw a lot of tyre degradation on both the compounds. The target is to come away with points tomorrow."
Sergio Perez (15th, Q2 - 1:47.575)
"The track felt very different today and we were not expecting such a dramatic change coming into qualifying. As the session went on, we struggled to get the tyres to work in the way we wanted. We headed out early in Q2 to try and get a clean out lap and prepare the tyres, but obviously we knew this would give away something in terms of performance with the track evolution. Even with these choices, we weren't able to make the progress we wanted. Looking at the race we know that overtaking on this circuit is quite difficult, but with a good start and a strong strategy we can make up some places. This track is very harsh in terms of tyre degradation and I expect it to play a big part tomorrow. It will be a battle to get some good points, but on a track like this everything is possible."
Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal and managing director
"We were expecting to be a little higher up the grid today. Our starting positions tomorrow mean we will need to work a bit harder to score the points we need. However, I feel quite positive about our long run pace, which should allow us to race competitively. Singapore usually throws up opportunities to explore different strategies and we enjoy racing in the heat. We need to be ready to maximise the opportunities that come up in the race with the goal of getting both cars in the points."
Red Bull
Daniel Ricciardo (3rd, Q3 - 1:45.854)
"Coming into the weekend we thought that if we could be within two or three tenths of Mercedes then there was a realistic chance to stay with them in the race. We actually ended up closer to them than we thought in qualifying, so that's good. If the start goes okay then it's about trying to be smart and doing something with the strategy. If I can get close, then I'll have a go, I haven't been shy doing that this year, but it's difficult on a street circuit. It's close to home here and it's nice to see a few Aussie flags in the crowd. Hopefully we can get a podium result for them tomorrow."
Sebastian Vettel (4th, Q3 - 1:45.902)
"I'm not happy with that final lap, I was pushing a bit too hard and didn't get it all together, so I'm not entirely happy, but it is what it is now. I think pole could have been in our grasp. We'll hope to have a good race tomorrow, with good pit stops and a good strategy and we'll see what we can do from there. I think we have good speed, but everyone seems to have good speed here. It's a long race, so we'll see how the tyres work and what we can do."
Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal
"Second row of the grid for both of the drivers in a really tight qualifying was a really strong team performance. It was very close at the end and it was certainly the closest we've been to Mercedes in qualifying all year, so hopefully that bodes well for tomorrow's race and we can put them under pressure."
Thierry Salvi, Renault Sport F1
"After a hard start to the weekend, the quali result is a good one for the team and we start just behind our main competitors. Sebastian suffered from the lack of running after his engine change yesterday, but Daniel was able to complete his programme and was particularly quick today. Hopefully our cars will be even quicker in race conditions, which could give us more chances to reach the front tomorrow."
Marussia
Jules Bianchi (19th, Q1 - 1:49.440)
"I'm pretty pleased with my second lap and I feel like I got as much as possible from the car. I made a few mistakes on the first run but we did the maximum possible at the end. For tomorrow, I think we will have the right balance for the race. My first objective is to keep the three cars behind me, then see what is happening ahead and the opportunities that may be available to us."
Max Chilton (21st, Q1 - 1:50.473)
"It's slightly frustrating as I have struggled with car this weekend at a constantly evolving track but I managed to get it pretty good for that session. On the first run we had an issue with the mapping, which meant that I was in a compromised map and I couldn't get full power, so I had to do another prepare lap. My second run was my first real timed run. I thought it was a good lap but the time wasn't there so we need to look at that this evening. Looking ahead to tomorrow, I think we can get Kobayashi off the start and then it will all be down to strategy."
John Booth, Marussia team principal
"Overall a good qualifying session, in particular on Jules' side of the garage with a strong result versus our nearest competitors. The day has not been without its troubles and some issues on Max's car at the start of his qualifying run surely disturbed his rhythm and unfortunately with his car we find ourselves between the two Caterhams. In FP3 and pretty much throughout the weekend so far, the car does seem to have been stronger than where it was in Monza and, of course, we would have preferred having both cars together on the grid. As always here, there is the potential for tomorrow's race to be a chaotic one. The objective with both cars is to be in front of our championship competitors and then take advantage of any chances that comes our way."
Sauber
Esteban Gutierrez (14th, Q2 - 1:47.333)
"I am pleased with the outcome of today. In qualifying we were able to extract more than we expected. We made the best out of what we currently have. Tomorrow it will not be an easy race, but at the same time we will keep fighting to extract the maximum out of the car. We will keep working hard and focusing on the race."
Adrian Sutil (17th, Q2 - 1:48.324)
"It is a pity that qualifying was not as good as we expected. But on the other hand, we have had issues with the power unit and the energy management since yesterday. Because of this, we were not able to extract full power during qualifying, which cost me a lot of time on the straights. More than Q1 was unfortunately not possible under these circumstances. We have to get together and find a solution for the race tomorrow."
Monisha Kaltenborn, Sauber team principal
"During the whole weekend we have had issues with the energy management, which didn't help us at all. However, Esteban was able to constantly improve and showed a good performance. He is in a good position for the race. Adrian could not extract the maximum from the powertrain and was, therefore, handicapped. The past has shown that a lot can happen during the race, thus our objective is to keep the contact to the drivers in front of us and be ready for all eventualities."
Giampaolo Dall'Ara , Sauber head of track engineering
"It was a pitty that Adrian couldn't make it into Q2. We don't know yet what exactly happened, but we can see in the data that he was missing some speed on the straights. Esteban delivered a solid performance and achieved what was possible today. He made some good progress during FP3 and was able to build on that. Even though the actual positions are not much different from other events before, we are quite satisfied we were able to keep the gap to some of our competitors quite small, which will enable us to race and target a better result tomorrow."
Toro Rosso
Daniil Kvyat (10th, Q3 - 1:47.362)
"I think we definitely got the maximum out of the car today, so well done to the team. Q3 was a bit scrappy and throughout the session the car was difficult to drive. But fortunately we managed to pull it all together and complete a good lap in Q2 and move on to Q3. P10 was the best possible result today. We still have some homework to do tonight to make sure the car feels more consistent tomorrow, but for today we did what we could."
Jean-Eric Vergne (12th, Q2 - 1:46.989)
"I had some problems with the front hand of the car today. I just could not make it work and bring it up to the right temperature, which caused me some front locking. Then I made a mistake and I lost more than three tenths. Q3 was not far so it's a real shame. But it's tomorrow that counts and we have got a competitive car here to gain some positions back and score some points."
James Key, Toro Rosso technical director
"We had a bit of work to do last night. I think we made some good progress during FP3 with Jev's car. Daniil wasn't completely happy with his car so we made some changes for Qualifying. Our target was to get both cars into Q3. It's never easy here, it's a complicated track, where you have to be one hundred per cent positioned the whole time. Unfortunately Jev just missed his second sector of his Q2 and got very close to Q3. I think it's a shame as he deserved it. Daniil got through in his first lap and then in Q3, again in the middle sector, it was a bit tricky for him. Overall it's a bit disappointing that we didn't manage to bring both cars into Q3 but the race is tomorrow and I'm convinced that we can still fight for some points."
Caterham
Kamui Kobayashi (20th, Q1 - 1:50.405)
"We did our homework and we improved the car for today. The track wasn't in the best of conditions for FP3 so it didn't show in the lap times, but performance-wise we are better than yesterday. I got the most out of the car during the qualifying session and our result was the best we could achieve tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a long and challenging race so I need to make sure I sleep well and come back tomorrow ready to fight through the streets of Singapore!"
Marcus Ericsson (22nd, Q1 - 1:52.287)
"It's been a tough day. In FP3 this afternoon we had some electrical issues and no telemetry, so it was a challenging start and a big stress for the team in between sessions, but in the end we were able to get out into Q1. I have to thank the team for their efforts to get me out in time to set a lap time but I'm disappointed with the overall result as we could've done better today if it hadn't been for the technical problems. It was a compromised qualifying session, which is a shame, but it certainly was a great recovery and I look forward to the race tomorrow
More... (http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/9/16376.html)