Monday, October 31, 2011

Todt says 20 races per season is enough and that indicates that some European races might be dropped in the future.
Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari boss: Let me say that seeing a Ferrari on the podium at the inaugural Indian GP was very pleasing, given what this market could represent in the near future.”
Rosberg says his strategy during the Indian GP was not perfect and that is why he lost out to teammate Schumacher.
Mercedes boss Norbert Haug says it was very satisfying for everybody to have extracted the maximum from the car during the Indian GP.
Vettel: Again my race engineer advised me during the race that I won’t get any points for the fastest lap.
Vettel says the Red Bull Racing team is hard at work on its 2012 car.
A group of investors from Qatar are planning to launch a takeover bid for Silverstone
McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh says Hamilton's body language in India has been much stronger than it has been in the last races
Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali: It was pretty clear that we had a little bit of strange behaviour of that specific wing in certain conditions. It was not every time, but it was pretty clear as you have seen it. For sure what we need to bring home is good data to understand what the problem is, or I would say not a problem - but a strange behaviour of that wing – because it was that specific wing.
Brawn says it's Schumacher's decision if he wants to continue racing after 2012 when his contact expires.
Horner on Vettel: He knows there are no points for fastest laps, but he likes those little statistics to complete a perfect weekend."
Bernie on Raikkonen: "It would be nice to see him do it. I am not sure if he is serious about it."
Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn says the company is now more committed to the long term future in F1
Vettel's fastest lap in India was a way to show what speed he was capable of says team boss Christian Horner.
McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh says Hamilton is too hard on himself and should stop feeling so responsible for everything that is happening to him.
Vettel believes people are sometime to critical of F1 drivers referring to issues with Hamilton.
FIA president Jean Todt supports F1's move to countries outside of Europe.
Alonso's podium in India pleases Ferrari bosses.
Button's great performance recently has put Hamilton under pressure says team boss Martin Whitmarsh.
McLaren is not in breach of the rules defining a F1 constructor because of its deal with Force India and Virgin Racing says team boss Martin Whitmarsh.
Narain Karthikeyan finished ahead of HRT's regular driver Daniel Ricciardo at the Indian GP and believes he proved a point.
Button: The last race I really struggled on the first lap and lost a lot of places so I wanted to redeem myself here
Massa on crash with Hamilton: Massa: My view is that I was in front, I braked later than him and I was in front.

Friday, October 28, 2011

For the rest of the weekend follow us on twitter: autorace_f1
McLaren boss MARTIN WHITMARSH: The teams' facilities are very good too.
McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh congratulated the promoters of the Indian GP for the excellent circuit.
Virgin Racing John Booth, Team Principal:Certainly watching the cars here you can see that the drivers are enjoying this track.
Williams chairman Adam Parr announced on Friday in India during a press conference that Coughlan is now the team's technical director.
Force India boss Vijay Mallya says he dreamed about an Indian GP for over 30 years.
Paul Di Rest believes the DRS zones in India will be very effective and that there will be a lot of overtaking in the race.
Barrichello hopes for a good qualifying session in India on Saturday.
Mercedes GP's Nico Rosberg hopes his good feeling after practice on Friday for the Indian GP continues.
Williams rookie Pastor Maldonado thanked his mechanics for changing the engine on his car in time for the second practice for the Indian GP.
Renault confident of having a good weekend in India after Friday's 2 practice sessions.
The Indian GP track feels a lot faster than Button initially thought it would be he said after Friday's free practice sessions.
Mercedes GP will have a tough final practice session on Saturday because of limited running on Friday Schumacher said.

Lotus happy after Friday practice in India tech boss Mike Gascoyne said.

Mike Gascoyne, Lotus tech boss: An excellent first day here in India for us. We were able to complete a very decent number of laps on both cars.



Massa not getting too excited after posting the fastest time during Friday's second practice session in India.
The first laps around the new Indian GP track was like driving in the wet says Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi.
Team Lotus' test driver Karun Chandhok believes Sunday's Indian GP will deliver good racing.
Mercedes GP's Michael Schumacher says overtaking in Sunday's Indian GP will be difficult.

Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan says it was an emotional Friday practice for the Indian GP.

Karthikeyan: The first lap was very special; I felt so many emotions driving in India. I just couldn't believe it and there were so many things running through my head. In the first practice we were just trying to get into the swing of things and the second one went much better and we have a lot of things to try for tomorrow. Overall it was a good session for me, considering I haven't driven a full race distance since July, so the body needs to wake up a bit. The track evolved a lot and so times were improving too. We have a few things to try ahead of tomorrow so I'm quite excited to see how qualifying goes.


Hamilton hopes DRS will help him make up position after getting a 3 slot grid penalty.

Hamilton:I think there's quite a good opportunity to overtake. It's a high downforce circuit in terms of it being very hard to follow, but with the DRS I think it'll make it more possible. The tyres seem to be fine. I didn't really get much of a run on the long run but I think Jenson seemed to be fine with it so I think we should be OK with the tyres.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton says his three grid penalty will make the Indian GP very difficult.

Hamilton: I'd engaged the DRS when the yellow flags were out and you're not allowed to... It's not good for the weekend. It doesn't look like we're the quickest at the moment so wherever we qualify, three places further back from there is going to make our race very tough for us. But it's not impossible, the race is very long, we've got two DRS zones so overtaking is possible, so we'll have to wait and see tomorrow just how quick we are.
The dusty Indian GP track will be better on race day says F1 champion Sebastian Vettel.
Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber says although the track is wide he does not expect drivers to go of the racing line because it is greasy.
Mercedes GP's Nico Rosberg says the Indian GP track is awesome after Friday's 2 practice sessions.
Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel expects a good Indian GP after Friday's two practice sessions.

Senna hopes Kubica won't return to Renault in 2012 to ensure he has a seat.

Senna: I would love to stay here. I like the guys here a lot. If I can stay here and get the right package and Robert [Kubica] cannot come back then hopefully I will be happy to.
Mercedes GP boss Ross Brawn says the team will take risks with the 2012 car in order to be more competitive.

Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber says only time will tell in a few years as t how awesome the New York F1 race will be.

Webber: Obviously, it's a testing market and time will tell in a few years as to how awesome it's going to be. We've clearly a phenomenal track being built in Texas, and now we have New Jersey. They will both have a very good feel to them. But a race in America is clearly something that has been missed, in terms of being on the world championship calendar, and to have North America complementing South America.
FP2 result: MAS, VET, ALO, HAM, WEB, BUT, SUT, SEN, DIR, BUE, PET, KOB, PER, ALG, BAR, MAL, TRU, KOV, ROS, GLO, MSC, DAM, RIC, KAR
Ferrari looking competitive as the second free practice for the Indian GP draws to an end.
Bernie Ecclestone reportedly said he does not always agree with FIA president Jean Todt and that he would welcome former president Max Mosley back.
Brawn: If we can learn anything or can contribute anything to events that happen, it is where motorsport always comes together.
Mercedes GP boss Ross Brawn says the FIA will bief F1 teams over the next few weeks regarding analysis of the IndyCar crash in Las Vegas.

The 2013 F1 race in New York is a dream come true for Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel.

Vettel: It's very exciting. In many ways it's a dream, not just for the organisation, but also the drivers. To have a grand prix in one of the most famous cities in the world is something special, different. And where do you reach more people than in New York? So it's great.
Hamilton and Perez have both been given three-place grid penalties in India for ignoring double waved yellow flags.

Vettel says he is not racing for statistics and that he loves F1 racing.

Vettel: I put it this way - I care about the sport, I know its history and the numbers. I like to see from time to time my name somewhere, but I don't set myself targets about the number of wins or stuff like that. I'm not racing for statistics. I'm a big fan of the sport. I love Formula 1. I always did as a small kid and that hasn't changed.
F1 teams complain about lack of grip on the dusty Indian GP track.
Webber on Indian track: What I like about it is the different width of it in areas, that's really good to test us, not to just have a fixed width all the way round the track. Why not have the track changing in width a little bit here and there? I think it's good for us, gives us more options, even when you're not racing you've got to be on top of things there in terms of the line, so it's good.
Webber on Indian track: The track's good, really good. They've been very creative with it, and it's got a good mixture of corners.
Schumacher says all drivers accept the risk of a serious accident in motorsport.
Senna says he hopes to stay at Renault even if Kubica returns next season.


Webber will want to win under his own merit, but Red Bull Racing will help him says team boss Christian Horner.

Horner: I think that from a team perspective we will do everything we can to help Mark. It is a conversation we would need to have with the drivers, but I am sure Mark would want to achieve it under his own merit. I am not sure he would like to be given something, but I am quite sure if asked the question, Sebastian would be willing to do that.
Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel says the team might enforce team orders close to the end of Sunday's Indian GP
Times for the top four at India after P1 are: 1) HAM 1m26.836s 2) VET 1m27.416s 3) WEB 1m27.428s 4) BUT 1m28.394s.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Vettel: It has been a horrible last two weeks for motorsport.
Schumacher says the deaths of two motor sport drivers this month were down to fate rather than deficiencies in the sport's safety.
Button: It's very difficult when the sport has lost someone as good as Dan, but you have to take the good memories from it and remember what he has given to the sport.

Barrichello says he is happy what he has seen so far of the new Indian GP track.

Barrichello: I have also felt that the track is quite good. They have done a super job in a short period of time. We are going to go out tomorrow but like any new circuit there should be some dirt on it and some dust, but that's fairly normal. I am enjoying what I have seen so far.

Mercedes GP boss Ross Brawn says everyone is tolerant of practical issues that have been encountered so far at the Indian GP track.

Brawn: The track is fantastic. You don't really know until cars start running around, what the track is like. But the track is fantastic. It has got an exciting combination of corners and straights. It has a very long straight and some very important corners, some combination of corners that will be quite tricky. The facilities are good. Clearly it has just been finished but we understand that and we are not criticising that. We know that next year there will be another step forward with the facilities because it has been a massive challenge for everybody to get it finished, so we are very tolerant and understanding of the situation.
Button: In terms of the way you set the car up, I'd say it's more like Spa and Suzuka rather than Singapore or Korea. Our car seems to work well on this type of circuit, so I'm looking forward to getting out there.

Force India driver Paul di Resta feels safe in Formula 1

Team Lotus will continue the fight to finish 10th this season to get the prices money and that is also the reason Chandhok did not get the chance to race in India Trulli explained.

Trulli: The team is trying to get the best position for its future. Obviously there is a lot of investment made for the team for next year in order to make step and we don't want to lose opportunity to finish 10th in the championship, which is main reason for not giving Karun the chance. It is not up to me to talk about it.


Alonso: We find the real thing is better than the simulator.
Alonso says now that both championships are decided Ferrari can take more risks especially in qualifying.
Schumacher believes the nature of the Indian track will suit his Mercedes GP and that they will be more competitive.
Bernie Ecclestone happy with the new Indian GP track despite small glitches.
F1 can't afford to relax over safety issues Jackie Stewart said after Dan Wheldon's death in the Indy.
Renault's Alan Permane: “I’m very impressed by the circuit layout and implementation; it’s a really, really nice track with a little bit of everything, some lovely high speed turns, the elevation changes and gradient.

“There are very interesting details with the entries to the low speed corners after long straights which are very wide but narrowing on exit which should promote overtaking with the DRS in the race into Turn 1 and into Turn 4, in general, it’s a very nicely put together track.

“There’s nothing too significant to worry about with the kerbs as they are all reasonably low, with a traditional kerb profile. Set back there are some slightly higher kerbs which look like they are sufficient to dissuade drivers from cutting the corners too much but not so big that they could damage the chassis if you get it wrong – which is always one of our concerns

“Today (Thursday) the track looks very dirty as you’d expect of a new facility, and I’m sure there’ll be attempts to clean it before tomorrow’s running, but the best way to clean it is with running when the grip level is the same for everyone.

“We know there are two DRS zones with the pit straight and the main straight. The pit straight probably isn’t a great opportunity as it doesn’t look long enough, but it will allow a driver to close up on a car ready for the second detection zone.”

Red Bull Racing behind Webber to finished second in the drivers' championship ahead of Button and and Alonso

Webber: The entire team is behind me in support for the number 2 position. With the constructor's title in the bag, and Seb having won the drivers' title, a Red Bull one-two in the drivers' championship will be a great achievement and a fantastic way to end the season.

Webber says he is focused on overtaking his rivals to take second place in the drivers' world championship.
Williams F1 and professional services firm Hatch announced today that they have created a partnership

Massa talks about his 150th GP at Korea.

Massa:Korea was my one hundred and fiftieth grand prix and almost all of them have been at the wheel of a Ferrari, in fact my hundredth race with the Scuderia should coincide with the final round of the season at home in Interlagos. It's always great to achieve a nice number like 150 races. I still have some years ahead of me in this sport, as I'm not so old and so I plan to keep pushing to get better results than the one in Korea which did not turn into much of a celebration for my 150th.
Virgin Racing boss John Booth says reliability is the team's watchword and they hope to continue like this until the end of the season.
Indian GP: Sutil has been to India a few times and said: Every time I go there Formula 1 seems to become even more popular, and having a race there will add even more interest. I hope this year we will have more fans cheering us than any other team.
Indian GP: Team Lotus tech boss Mike Gascoyne says turns 10, 11 and 12 will present the drivers with a bit of a challenge.
Williams cars will have new logo on the nose this weekend. Thomson Reuters handing the space to Plan International, promoting child rights

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Ecclestone today took one look around the Buddh International Circuit in India and said they did a great job.
The FIA has now confirmed the double DRS zones for the Indian GP.
Virgin's Jérôme D’Ambrosio: What is also good about this is that the track is going to be a new one for everyone - it will equal things a bit.
Massa has no plans to quit F1 after his Ferrari deal ends at the end of 2012.
Austin F1 organizers welcomes the second US F1 race in New Jersey.
Ferrari''s 2012 car won't be a Red Bull Racing copy despite the success they had this season.
Trulli: I’ve obviously been to a lot of new circuits throughout my F1 career but I’m looking forward to India more than most.
Team Lotus team boss Tony Fernandes congratulated the Jaypee Group and everyone involved at the Indian GP circuit for their hard work.
Sunday's Indian GP is Force India's biggest race of the season says owner Vijay Mallya.
The Indian GP race organisers says 40 000 of the 120 000 tickets for Sunday's race is still available.
Red Bull Racing's employees are happy and motivated and that contributes to the team's success says Vettel.
Nico Rosberg says he has already started talks with Mercedes GP about a long term commitment.

Massa hopes Ferrari has made progress with car's tyre wear issues ahead of the Indian GP

Massa: We will run the Soft and Hard tyres from Pirelli, historically not the ideal choice for the 150º Italia. I hope that we have made some progress in this area and that we can get a good result.
RECAP: New Jersey governor Chris Christie confirmed on Tuesday the state will host a F1 race from 2013.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Massa says he is wary of potential tyre trouble for Ferrari with the hard compound supplied by Pirelli for the Indian GP.
We hope to be able to leave here on Sunday night, having secured a great result!
Massa was the guest of honour at a dinner organised by Ferrari India at the Leela Palace Hotel.
Not official: The Indian GP will have two DRS zone the first will be at the exit of turn 15 and the second will be on entry to turn 3.

Team Lotus explains why Chandhok won't race in his home GP.

Tony Fernandes, Group CEO, Team Lotus: From the team perspective the key goal for us this weekend is to maintain the performance levels we saw in the last two races and while I am sure there will be fans in India who want to see Karun race for us on Sunday we had to make the best decision for the future of the team. While all the emotional reasons for him driving were right we were conscious that the limited running he has had in the car this season, largely due to the weather conditions that have hit most of his FP1 sessions, has not given him the best preparation for this race, so we have taken the very difficult decision not to run him in the race this weekend.

Team Lotus will be working hard on Friday in India says tech boss Mike Gascoyne.

Mike Gascoyne: Everyone up and down the pitlane will be in the same situation, so we will all be working hard on Friday to gather as much data as we can and give ourselves as good a shot at qualifying as we can, and at maintaining the race pace we showed in the last two Grands Prix.
Rosberg says he feel comfortable in the Mercedes GP and is ready for a long term commitment.
Kubica’s hand surgeon Igor Rossello says Kubica will be able to drive a F1 car again and he is reportedly already driving a road car.
Pirelli will bring an extra set of soft tyres for Friday's practice sessions in India.
Pirelli will supply teams with six softs and five hards says boss Paul Hembery and the results of the choice will help them plan for 2012.

Brundle happy that even with all the technology no one really knows what will happen in a races.

Martin Brundle BBC F1 commentator: In many ways I am pleased that despite all the technology and simulation tools, along with an army of strategists and technicians in each team, nobody really knows exactly what's going to happen.

Vettel says at age 24 he can still improve because there are a lot of areas to understand.

Vettel: It's always a difficult question to know where to improve. I think, being 24, there are a lot of areas to understand, a lot of bits inside and outside the car. You always need to be ready to learn, and small steps can make the difference. When I look at Korea, we were able to learn from Japan - both the team and myself. Only small things sometimes, but we addressed them and did a better job. You have to be open like that, always ready to learn and working always for the next race.
McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh: I firmly believe that F1 is the greatest sport in the world and I want us to spread that word across the whole Indian subcontinent.
Button: It's important for the sport that we make a good first impression and I really hope we have a fantastic race.

Schumacher extra motivated to score points at this weekend's India GP because he was out of the last race.

Schumacher: The outcome of the last race in Korea was unlucky for us, therefore I am extra-motivated to score some points next weekend, and reward the good work of the team.
Force India's Adrian Sutil is looking forward to a special, but busy Indian GP weekend
The New Jersey F1 track will be like Spa, but with the feel of Monaco said Joe DeMarco, an attorney with West New York.
New Jersey governor Chris Christie will announce the F1 deal at a press conference in Weehawken, New Jersey, on Tuesday.

Glock says Virgin Racing must focus in finding the right setup for this weekend's Indian GP

Timo Glock: “A new race is always a big challenge for the whole team but at the same time it’s always very exciting to get to know a new country and drive at a new track. There are always some big unknowns but this time it’s the same for everyone, so what we have to do is focus hard on finding the right set-up for the weekend.

Toro Rosso has found more downforce on their car says Jaime Alguersuari

Jaime Alguersuari:We are solving these problems now because we have been working a lot on the car and we do have more downforce than we had in the past, so it is more easy to work on the car.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Vettel says his homecoming over the weekend was even better than last year.

Vettel: I am travelling around the world a lot and we have a lot of fans but I have never seen so many Red Bull caps before. It couldn’t be better. Thank you so much. Last year in Heppenheim was already unbelievable but today is even better. You made my day. Thank you.
Fernandes denies report of Indian investment in Team Lotus.
Renault has not always achieved the results they are capable of says Petrov.
Sutil says he can't wait until December for a decision on his seat for 2012.
Maldonado says he is as ready as he can be after simulator work ahead of the Indian GP.
Mumbai planning Formula One circuit
German banker trial over F1 rights starts in Munich
Mercedes GP wants to end a difficult season on a high says team boss Ross Brawn.
The first laps at a new circuit is crucial for teams because the drivers gives actual feedback says Mercedes GP boss Ross Brawn.
Kimi Raikkonen has signed a contract to race for Williams next season unconfirmed reports said on Monday.
Hamilton: I really think the people of India are going to take Formula 1 to their hearts.
Senna says Indian Karun Chandhok will show him around in India
Pirelli's Paul Hembery: We’ve opted for a deliberately conservative nomination in selecting the hard tyre alongside the soft, simply because on a brand new circuit you are never quite sure of the exact race conditions you will encounter.
India is likely to be the most challenging race for Pirelli this far this year, given the lack of available data.
Karun Chandhok says F1 should prepare themselves for a hectic time in India.
Williams boss Frank Williams travelled to Qatat and Saudi Arabia for new sponsorship deals according to reports.
F1 is set to have two F1 races in the US from 2013, with plans for a race around the streets of New Jersey expected to be confirmed soon.
Petrov on India: It will be quite challenging for the teams and drivers because it is a new track where no-one has raced before.
Hamilton’s split with pop star girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger will make him a better man and driver says his father.
Ferrari offers condolences for the death of Simoncelli
Bernie Ecclestone says F1 is safe after MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli was killed on Sunday
HRT has asked Tonio Liuzzi to give Narain Karthikeyan a chance to race in his home event in India this weekend.
The simulator only gave Webber a 85% understanding of the Indian GP track because the final details such as the kerbs are unknown.
Vettel says Red Bull Racing expects this weekend's India GP to have the second highest average speed after Monza.

Sauber's Sergio Perez says his Indian friends says this weekend's Indian GP is very emotional for everybody.

Sergio Perez: I think the first Indian Grand Prix will be a very exciting event. I have some Indian friends and they keep telling me how emotional everybody is there about it. In any case, it is my goal to make the most out of that race weekend and score points again.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Sauber tech boss - James Key: The downforce level is most likely similar to recent events. We will have the soft and the hard tyre compound there.