It was mission accomplished for HRT Formula 1 Team in Malaysia a couple of weeks ago after both cars qualified and completed their first race of the season after a hard start. The F112 accumulated many kilometres and data on the track and the engineers had a lot of information to work on during the two week period between the race in Sepang and China. Having met the team’s targets last time out, HRT now aims to progress from where it left things in Malaysia and continue improving.

The Shanghai International Circuit is made up of sixteen turns, with nine being right-handers and seven left-handers. Cars reach maximum speeds on the 1.2km straight between corners 13 and 14, where they try and take advantage of the length of the straight to overtake. In China, the team will have a new member on board, Ma Qing Hua, who will be joining the outfit for the first time as a member of the driver development programme at his local Grand Prix.

Pirelli have elected their soft and medium tyres for this grand prix.

Pedro de la Rosa, #22: “After these first two Grands Prix we arrive in China much better prepared, with more mileage and having learned a lot, especially after the Malaysian GP. All the data gathered in the last race is very important for us, as we mustn’t forget that we didn’t have a preseason. Now we have a better insight on the areas where we must improve, but the most important thing in this initial stage is to finish races. That is the prime objective in order to learn and improve race by race. The hardest part comes now but we are better prepared. China is a circuit where I have always done well and a place I know well, both in dry and wet conditions. It’s not a particularly hard track for the car or the driver, but aerodynamics are fundamental”.

Narain Karthikeyan, #23: “We took a step forward in Malaysia and our aim is definitely to carry the momentum into China and rest of the season. Although we managed to finish the race, cooling was still an issue at Sepang and once we have it sorted out completely we’ll be able to unlock some more performance from the car. The back straight at the Shanghai circuit is of course one of the longest on the calendar and the tightening first corner is uniquely challenging since the corner entry is in top gear and by the time you exit you’re in second. Plus there are a fair amount of technical slow-speed corners as well, and the high-speed direction change of turns 7/8. Given these mixed characteristics, it is a demanding circuit for traction, aero and braking stability in equal measures”.

Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal: “The start to the season was very complicated because we were behind schedule with regards to the other teams. We had to put in a colossal effort to be able to get on track in Australia and improve our performance just one week later in Malaysia. There’s still plenty to do and many areas to improve on to be where we should be but at least in these two weeks we’ve had a bit more time to analyse data, prepare and recharge batteries, therefore I’m confident that we’re arriving in China in a much better situation. We mustn’t forget that the F112 is only taking its first steps and, as of today, what we must do is progress without stopping. In Shanghai we’ll have some small updates to optimize cooling and aerodynamics, and the target for this weekend is to check that these adjustments work. To sum up, we have to get more out of the car but must also improve on teamwork and coordination”.

Rubens Barrichello will test for KV Racing again next week as he closes in on an IndyCar seat with the squad.

The 39-year-old Brazilian, who lost his Williams F1 seat to Bruno Senna for the coming season after a grand prix career that spanned a record 322 races, is scheduled to spend two days with the team at Sears Point on February 25-26.

This follows the three days of testing that he completed at Sebring earlier this month.

KV Racing co-owner Jimmy Vasser said that a race deal for the Brazilian is close to being signed off.

“It’s no secret all parties are working incredibly hard to make this thing come together,” KV Racing General Manager Mark Johnson told SPEED.com. “Rubens is working hard in Brazil and we’re working hard in the States. We get closer on a daily basis. We talk to Rubens three to five times a day to push this thing forward and we all believe this is going to happen.”

Johnson, along with KV Racing’s ownership, spent Monday at IndyCar’s State of the Series meetings and came away with more positive momentum in their quest to hire the 39-year-old Brazilian.

“It was good today,” Johnson continued. “We had everybody in the same place at the same time, excluding Rubens, and I think we’re just a whisker away from making it happen. It’s not there yet; we can see the finish line and now we just need a few final things to take place.”

Mark Webber has singled out tyres as the crucial difference between his stellar 2010 season and a drop of performance so far this year.
The Australian, famous in the paddock for refusing to roll out “a shopping list of excuses”, was speaking from the St Lawrence river as he did a day of kayaking ahead of the Montreal weekend.

“You’ll never find me fishing. I need to push myself,” said the 34-year-old.

He has sat in the sister Red Bull in 2011 while his teammate and reigning champion Sebastian Vettel won 5 of the 6 races so far.

“I hope I can continue my momentum of encouraging results and I hope to get my first win soon,” he told rds.ca, “because I was winning quite often last year.”

Once again explaining his reluctance to make excuses, Webber pointed to the tyres as a factor in 2011.

“They are very different and the drivers are very sensitive to that (change),” he said, referring to the switch from Bridgestone to Pirelli.

“It’s like a golfer or a tennis player changing his equipment. When you’re at this level and trying to gain an edge with tiny details, the small changes can make big differences.

“But it’s up to the drivers to adapt,” added Webber.

By the same media outlet, Vettel on Wednesday was asked what has made the difference for him in 2011.

“There is not one ingredient which, alone, turns the tide,” the German insisted. “It is the details, the little things, that all come together to make a big difference.”

Discussions on the team orders at Ferrari, Fernando Alonso leave you cold – the Spaniard is focused solely on his car

Fernando Alonso has been addressed in the run up to the Grand Prix of Hungary, of course, the team orders at Hockenheim. The global debate on the approach of cold Ferrari let the Spaniard. His focus remains on winning the World Cup. In Hungary, a further step in this direction succeed.

“Of course it does not affect me. Not at all,” Alonso replied Hungary, as he is addressed to the discussions in the week after Hockenheim. “There are a Grand Prix to talk always something, not only in Germany. In every race there is an anecdote. One is the Red-Bull-collision in Turkey, at other times I’ve Massa overhauled at the pit entrance. We which can not devote too much attention. ”

“If we lose only one percent of our focus, we have lost,” the Spaniard continued. “There are many opinions and it was in the past few days a lot of talk. For us it is only important that the car is competitive and we deliver that in Hungary a good job. Everyone has their opinion, the drivers and team bosses, but it is their opinion, we can respect. We wish to concentrate on our work. ”

About the team tactics in Hockenheim Alonso can elicit any details. “I do not think that there is a number one or number two in the drivers there. I think driving is more about respect each other and to the respect for Ferrari may be. It means a lot,” says the double world champion team-mate Felipe Massa, it’s clear who said in Hungary that he was not number two.

Many fans at Hockenheim and in front of TV sets felt cheated after the race. “Of course, some fans are unhappy about some race, not only in Germany. There were other races. Some fans will also be quite regardless,” estimates Alonso. “I arrived today in Hungary. The airport and the hotel were filled with people. All have cheered for us. Maybe I see some other fans, but so far these were the only ones.”

Therefore, the Hockenheim winner is also certain that his reputation has not suffered from the incidents. “I do not think anything has changed for me, or something will happen to me. I am the same and would always fight for the best things for the team and for the sport. I hope I do it in my career, always good .

Yet it is not clear when the motor sport World Council deals with the Hockenheim-events. Alonso cares not: “We’ll see. Need Now the pilots to concentrate on driving. It is a very interesting race. We have to deliver in Hungary good opportunities in a strong performance. It’s not in our hands what the World Council in future will decide. ”

After Alonso has referred to this subject, he comes finally to evaluate the strong performance of the car. “We can be pleased with the competitiveness of the F10 in the last race. At last we have in Germany celebrated a double victory. There were no problems and we collected many points.”

“But at Silverstone and Valencia, the car was good. We want to implement this momentum in Hungary. All these discussions are in the past and there is nothing to add. We have already said everything in Germany.”

Jenson Button on Thursday predicted problems this weekend for those teams planning to debut a Red Bull-style exhaust layout.

Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault are planning to run updated cars, with exhausts pointed towards the cars’ double diffusers, during the European grand prix event.

Button’s McLaren team will not test a similar layout until the British grand prix in two weeks, and the Briton told reporters in Valencia that there is a chance his rivals have got their numbers wrong.

“The floors are going to be getting very hot, so they’re going to get through a lot of floors, I’m sure,” he said, referring to the fact the layout blasts the car’s bodywork with hot exhaust fumes.

Button’s desire to see his rivals stumble with the ‘blown rear diffuser’ concept is because McLaren engineers predict the innovation is worth up to half a second per lap.

On the similar Montreal circuit two weeks ago, the McLarens finished first and second.

“Coming here I thought that momentum could be carried, but looking at all the cars around us in the pitlane – which I had a little nose at earlier on – there is a lot of new bits on cars,” said Button.

His teammate Lewis Hamilton agrees that Ferrari in particular will be “very quick” this weekend.
(GMM)

Red Bull has presented an open and McLaren Mercedes and Ferrari also rely on the big leap. The days of lazy Sunday drives by Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are at the top of the Formula 1 field over. At the latest by the two McLaren-double victory in Istanbul and Montreal, this should be clear. The British want to take the momentum now to Valencia.

“We took out the last two races, the maximum score. It seems as if we had a good run,” said Jenson Button before the race in Valencia. “The team is a unit, of which we want to benefit again in Valencia.” The question is still how well the McLaren-Mercedes MP4-25 on the Spanish roads is.
“While it is a road course, but nevertheless different from Monaco or Singapore,” says the reigning world champion. “The track is faster. There are some sharp curves, but also quick direction changes and long straights. Regarding the setup is it interesting. It is not only to maximize output from. This could accommodate us very much.”

Button for Valencia is a small hurdle to overcome two major events yet to be. “There then follow two home games: Grand Prix at Silverstone and Festival at Goodwood. Both events incomprehensible many British fans will be. As world champion I am looking forward to it. Silverstone is a great experience and at Goodwood I may fulfill a childhood dream.”
The champion is the famous “Festival of Speed” at the McLaren MP4/2C sitting with Alain Prost was driven in 1986 for his second title. “I can not even partially believe how happy I am,” says Button is looking forward to the special trip as a child. And team-mate Lewis Hamilton will be allowed to drive the vehicle through the historic park in Goodwood.

“Now I’m looking forward to Valencia,” said the winner of the Grands Prix in Istanbul ind Montréal. “Last year I had a great, combative racing there. In the past two years I was there each second. So this is still a score to settle,” the clear statement of Hamilton. “It’s great that there is so much variance in the tracks. From Montreal we are now fast on the narrow street circuit in Valencia.”

“Until one has never seen a lot of overtaking in Valencia, but this year it might otherwise be, given the narrow field,” promises the series leader voltage. “For me as a driver, it is difficult to estimate and not predictable. More can you ask for little. The last races were great. It would be nice if we could also offer the Spanish fans a great show. It is determined again closely.”

Sebastien Buemi drove for the first time in Canada and took a strong eighth four points. After a poor qualifying (starting 15th) are considered the Toro Rosso driver out of all the skirmishes and even led the race at the meantime. This was the 14th since July 1979 when Clay Regazzoni won on a Williams at Silverstone, the first time a Swiss at the top of a Grand Prix. With this result, outdated Toro Rosso this exact Williams team in the constructors’ standings.

“I’ve been to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, known only by the simulator,” said Buemi. “But really to go out is a different story. I like the track very much, because the atmosphere is unique. Nevertheless, our engineers prepared the runway was quite an headache, because the tire situation very critical and provided all with a challenge.”
Despite the strong performance of the 21-year-old remains on the ground of reality. “We have achieved the result with a little luck. The team has worked very well, however, and the strategy was excellent. The biggest problem lies in qualifying. We were even further behind the two Williams. It is clear that we are competitive in the race. We must continue in the top-10 or start the top-12. I think both the team and the drivers do not bring out the maximum from a fresh set of tires. With a full complement of fuel car, we bring the tires much better in the work window. ”

Now, the journey to Valencia, where Buemi had last year with a broken brake disc up early. This season, the direction is clear: “It is obviously difficult before the first practice to make a prediction. Our main aim is qualifying as close as possible to the top 10 to come. We want to take the positive momentum from Canada and Force India catch up in the standings. “

As predicted by many experts, it managed to Fernando Alonso at the Canadian Grand Prix third place on the podium. The Ferrari driver had the finish 9.214 seconds behind the winner.

“I think that was a good day for us,” the former Formula 1 world champion. “The car was very competitive here in Canada. Today I had a good chance to win, struggled with Lewis. Thanks to a fantastic work we overtook him in the pit lane.”
The Spaniard was relieved, because two weeks ago showed the Italian racing team in Istanbul is a disappointing performance. You could keep up with the competition again. Even a second place was possible, but in the end when lapping Alonso had bad luck when Karun Chandhok was before him, he lost the momentum and Jenson Button was able to use the situation for themselves.
“We lost by a transport position. In terms of the championship but we have made good ground. We were in Turkey, 50 seconds behind McLaren, and here we are fighting for the win. We are moving in the right direction.”

“I think we are fighting back. We are really close. We had some good fights. It was for me a good feeling to return to the position where I can win races, and finally on the podium to stand. ”

(TMS)

The Grand Prix of Canada is traditionally a race where there is a number of incidents. This year’s edition after a year break made no exception dar. a rare circumstance but then it was reported: There was no safety car phase. Otherwise, the fans were many – see, fortunately harmless incidents – and especially a lot of tire problems, which determined the race significantly.

In the end, as in Turkey two weeks ago, Lewis Hamilton in the lead – ahead of McLaren-Mercedes team-mate Jenson Button. After China and Turkey, the team was happy about the third double victory of the season and twice the championship lead.

Fernando Alonso on the podium there as a third party also succeeded in the Ferrari. There were points behind Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull, who had again to struggle with technical problems. Mark Webber came in fifth place.
Nico Rosberg was sixth at the Mercedes in front of Robert Kubica in a Renault, Sebastien Buemi in the Toro Rosso, Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India driver Adrian Sutil and team-mate.

At the start of the race was able to retain their top positions, while the back of the box were some collisions. Vitantonio Liuzzi in his Force India collided with Felipe Massa in a Ferrari. Even Pedro de la Rosa was in Sauber in a collision with Vitaly Petrov involved in the Renault and had in the pits to pick up a new front wing, as well as Massa. Nico Rosberg in the Mercedes was “only” 13 to the Rank returned.

De la Rosa’s team-mate Kamui Kobayashi crashed his Sauber into the “Wall of Champions” after one to overtake Nico Hulkenberg failed in the first chicane and he jumped over the curbs. The Japanese were forced to leave the car a short time later.

The order after the first three laps before Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Mark Webber, Robert Kubica, Adrian Sutil, Michael Schumacher, Nico Hulkenberg, Jaime Alguersuari and Sébastien Buemi in eleventh place. Nico Rosberg 13, Timo Glock 19th and Felipe Massa 23rd

In the fifth round, Webber was able to pass on button. In the sixth round Rosberg and Trulli were already on the pit stop. A lap later followed Button, Sutil and Hülkenberg – while Vettel was in front much faster than Hamilton and attacks launched. Now the soft tires began to significantly sacrificing performance.

In the seventh round of Hamilton and Alonso entered the pits – so that the two Red Bull took the lead. It started off a bit earlier and Alonso came alongside Hamilton in the pit lane, who was taken off later. That should look at the race closely, because who goes first in the pit lane has right of way actually.

Nico Hulkenberg experienced a setback in the eighth round, when he started up under braking for the hairpin curve on a front man and in so doing damaged the front wing. In the tenth round Kubica came into the pits, which, however, was already on the hard tires. The Pole had to bring up again the hard tires. The race management reported in the eleventh round of a drive-through for Vitaly Petrov. The Renault driver had made an early start.

The order after eleven laps before Vettel Webber, Schumacher, Buemi, Alonso, Hamilton, Button, Kubica, Sutil and Kovalainen in tenth place. Hülkenberg twelfth, thirteenth Rosberg, Glock ranked 16th and Massa on 22 Rank. Meanwhile, Barrichello tried the box on an unscheduled stop, and was the last to return to the track.

In the 13th Schumacher came round to the pits. The Mercedes driver was at eye level with Kubica back on the track. No one had the other go first, so the following two at the chicane drove through the grass. In the 14th Webber came round to the stop, one lap later, Vettel. Unlike Webber Vettel put on the soft tires! Meanwhile, Schumacher came into the pits again – unscheduled. May have been damaged during the battle with Kubica a tire.

The order for 25 of 70 laps: Hamilton 0.7 seconds ahead of Alonso, 2.5 ahead of Button, Vettel 3.5 before, 5.7 ahead of Webber, 16.6 before Kubica, Sutil 17.3 before, 18.0 before Buemi, 20.1 before Rosberg, Schumacher before 34.9. Hülkenberg with +48.3 seconds to rank twelve. Massa 18th Glock and 20th

In the 27th Hamilton and Kubica came round to the second stop, one lap later followed by Vettel and Button. Sutil was forced to a slow lap to the pits to come – the right rear tire had burst. In the 28th Round the stewards announced a drive-through penalty against Nico Hulkenberg – the Williams driver had been in the pit lane too fast. In the 29th Circulation also contributed Alonso into the pits.

In the 32th Round had to leave Pedro de la Rosa’s Sauber with a technical defect end of the start-finish straight. In the 34th Schumacher came round to his third stop and picked up the soft set of tires.
At the halfway point of the race shaped the distances as follows: Webber 11.6 seconds ahead of Hamilton, 13.1 ahead of Alonso, 15.6 ahead of Button, 16.4 ahead of Vettel, Kubica before 32.7, 36.4 before Rosberg, 40 , 1 before Buemi, 54.5 before Alguersuari, 62.3 before Schumacher. 66.6 before Hülkenberg in eleventh place, followed by Sutil (+68.9 seconds). Glock 21st (+2 Laps).

At the head of Webber began from the 39th to get round problems with the tires – in some cases he drove over a second slower than the second placed Hamilton. Vettel, meanwhile, turned in fifth place lying on the provisional fastest lap. In subsequent rounds the times Webber could stabilize somewhat. In the 48th Round Vettel radioed to the pits, “How am I to pass, when I slow down?”. What he radioed his team: “We are trying to solve a problem.” Even the Heppenheim had extremely fluctuating lap times.

In the 49th Webber his lead lap was going on and had Hamilton in the neck, while Vettel in this round, only one could drive 1:21.2 – one second faster than his teammate. A lap later, Webber was due – Hamilton, at the conclusion of the start-finish straight past the Australian. Webber came at the end of the round to the pits to switch on the soft tires. Timo Glock had his car in the 55th Round park in the pits.

The distances to the 55th Lap: Hamilton by 2.4 seconds ahead of Alonso, 3.6 ahead of Button, 8.4 ahead of Vettel, 19.7 ahead of Webber, Kubica before 47.1, 54.3 before Rosberg, one lap before Schumacher, Buemi, and Hulkenberg Massa and Sutil on the 12th Rank. In the 56th Alonso lost round one position and thus rank second to Button. While lapping him Chandhok stood in the way, which the Spaniards lost momentum.

In the 61 Lap Schumacher grabbed Buemi and thus came to the eighth rank forward. In the 64th Round Massa tried to get past Schumacher, the Ferrari driver while touching the rear of the Germans, so the front wing was damaged. Massa fell through the pit stop at 15 Square back. The race will investigate the incident after the race.

The order of four laps to go Hamilton ahead of Button, Alonso, Vettel, Webber, Rosberg, Kubica, Buemi, Schumacher, Liuzzi and tenth on the field. Eleventh Sutil, Hülkenberg 13th, 15th Massa In the last round, it still managed the two Force India drivers to get past Schumacher.

(Totalmotorsports)

Jos Verstappen thinks Sebastian Vettel should receive “the full blame” for the crash with Red Bull teammate Mark Webber in Turkey.

Dutchman Verstappen, 38, contested more than 100 grands prix until 2003, most famously as Michael Schumacher’s teammate at Benetton in the mid 90s.

He wrote in his latest column for De Telegraaf newspaper that Australian Webber was not at fault for the collision on lap 40 at Istanbul Park.

“Vettel had the momentum and the slipstream, but he then made a crucial error by moving quickly to the right and hitting his teammate,” Verstappen wrote in Italy, where he is accompanying his 12-year-old son Max at a kart event.

“Of course, Webber defended his lead, but that was his right.  Everyone races to win, and he gave more than enough space to Vettel, who should have driven straight ahead.”

Verstappen said it was wrong of Red Bull team bosses to criticise the behaviour of Webber, who had driven to the extremity of the circuit to defend the inside line for the forthcoming left-hand corner.

“Maybe it was a bit about politics, and I understand that some may prefer a young German talent to be champion, but Webber has done a good job.

“Now it’s up to the management to ensure that the incident is put in the past.  It is important that teammates can work with one another, but I assume that both Vettel and Webber are professional enough,” he added.

(GMM)

Mark Webber is emerging as the favourite to win the 2010 world championship.

That is the belief of Mercedes reserve driver Nick Heidfeld, after seeing Webber’s second pole position within a week on Saturday.

Webber, 33, still lags his highly-favoured teammate Sebastian Vettel in the points standings, but won dominantly in Barcelona and is the favourite to hang onto first place in Monaco on Sunday.

He is 3:3 in his 2010 qualifying battle with Vettel, and now has the momentum of recent success, Heidfeld told German television Sky.

“We all know how strong Sebastian is,” said the German, “but Mark is now beating him. It’s his third pole position.

“More and more he is evolving into the world championship favourite,” added Heidfeld.

Also impressed with Webber is retired ten time winner Gerhard Berger, who is in the Principality this weekend and has spent time watching the cars from a trackside vantage point.

“What is great is that the driver can still make a big difference here,” said the Austrian. “At the chicane Webber is really very good — very aggressive, fast.

“We are seeing that it is not only the car but also the driver,” added Berger.

And triple world champion Niki Lauda told Kleine Zeitung: “Right now he (Webber) is almost unbeatable.

“Vettel’s problem is that suddenly his greatest enemy is within his own team, just as it was with myself at McLaren with Alain Prost,” added the Austrian.
(GMM)

May 3 (GMM)  Nico Rosberg will soon notch up the first victory of his formula one career, team boss Ross Brawn predicts.

The 24-year-old German finished on the podium just twice during his four-year tenure with Williams, but within four races has already finished in the top-3 twice at the wheel of a Mercedes.

“Nico is very close to winning a race,” Brawn told the Daily Star newspaper.

“Things just need to fall into place — but that will come.  I am sure he’ll do it.  Definitely,” he added.

Rosberg, whose Finnish father Keke won the world championship in 1982, finished third in both Malaysia and China, while his famous teammate Michael Schumacher’s last two finishes have been in tenth place.

“Nico has raised his game,” said former triple world champion Sir Jackie Stewart, who while a sponsor representative at Williams worked close up with Rosberg.

“The boy has extraordinary skills.  I think Michael has been taken aback by that.  It must be affecting him,” added the Scot.

Rosberg’s former boss Sir Frank Williams told the Daily Mail: “Nico is a very self-confident young man with a reasonable amount of justification for being so.

“He won’t be overawed in Michael’s presence.”

But a report in the Telegraph newspaper expressed concern that Mercedes’ decision to alter the wheelbase length of the W01 car could affect Rosberg’s momentum.

“Instead of helping Schumacher get back up to speed, could it just upset Rosberg, costing him the chance to compete for the world title?” wondered writer Tom Cary.

Held at the state of the art Shanghai International Circuit on the outskirts of China’s largest city, the Force India Formula One Team will be heading to this event with high hopes of keeping its recent run of form going after scoring points in the first three races of the year. Adrian Sutil picked up his first points-finish of the year in Malaysia with a fighting fifth place, taking the team’s season total so far to 18 points.The Chinese Grand Prix will be the fourth round of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship and the final event in the quartet of flyaway races that opened the season.

Team Q&A
Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal
Dr Mallya, the team is currently sixth in the constructors’ championship and has 18 points from three races. You must be pleased with this progress so far?
At the start of the season I said we wanted to be regular points finishers and here we are, three races in, with three points’ finishes. It’s very pleasing when you see just how far we’ve come in one year: after three races in 2009 we had nul points and were tenth. The difference, I believe, has been keeping the focus on what we want to do. We’ve kept our heads down, got on with the job and to a certain extent kept out of what the other teams are doing – we’ve focussed on our own game. It’s a real credit to Mark Smith and his team that we’ve got the points we have. The team at Brackley and Silverstone are tight-knit, efficient and the results are now coming through.

You’ve made a lot about wanting fifth in the championship. Three races in, do you still think this is possible?
The grid is very tight as we saw in Malaysia and Australia and there’s no clear delineation between the front and the midfield. The most important at this stage is that we are still up there fighting. Renault look very strong right now but there’s still a lot more races to go this year and we have a clear direction about where we are going that will keep us with them, or hopefully leapfrog them. The drivers are confident and the team is working well so I think fifth is still realistic.

Driver Q&A
Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM03/03)
Adrian, you scored your first points of the season in Malaysia. What were your feelings after this race?
It felt really good to finally get them. It was an exciting race as well in the end, racing against Lewis. Fighting against each other is always a pleasure, as we did it a lot in F3 and sometimes in F1. We have a lot of respect for each other; I am happy for him when he wins and he is happy for me when I do well. I was happy, relieved, proud – all of the above really – when we got to the finish. I knew we had the car to do it so it was only a matter of time before we scored some points. I’m now full of motivation for the rest of the season.

What do you think about the next race in China?
The next race in China will be a bit different but there are some similarities to Malaysia as well. The circuit layout is different, of course, but you need a good top speed, which we have, and you need a little bit of downforce for the mid sector, for the slow corners so I think it should suit our car really well. I don’t think we should be concerned about our performance at the moment, we are strong and we can fight in the top 10, and that’s very encouraging at this point of the year.

What is possible in Shanghai?
I’m confident, definitely. It was encouraging in Malaysia, and also the last races in Bahrain and Australia. I think we can show a very similar performance in China. Temperatures will be a bit cooler, but there is a long straight and you need to be very fast on that, and that’s what our car can do. It has also the downforce required for the slow speed corners. My feeling is that we can perform well again in Shanghai.

Tonio Liuzzi (car 15, VJM03/01)
What are your thoughts on the next race in China?
We are pushing to try to bring some more steps forward for the car. I have been in the simulator and we are pushing to bring updates to China as we want to be ready to score points again and not let our momentum slip. For sure it’s one of the circuits that I like, and I’ve always had good results there. In fact my best result in F1 was at that circuit – in 2007 Sebastian Vettel and myself finished fourth and sixth for Toro Rosso. We go to China pretty positive about our potential. It was good to finally get into Q3 in Malaysia and from there we have to hope for a good race. In Malaysia we were quite comfortable in the car and I have to hope that the luck stays with me this time and we can get some more points.

Do you enjoy driving at the track?
It’s pretty similar to Malaysia. There are a lot of high speed corners, and it’s quite technical, especially Turns One and Six and Seven. It’s got a flow as a circuit and there are some technical corners, and it’s always a crazy race because there can be some different weather conditions. So overall I’m looking forward to it! More points are the aim and we can do it, for sure.

Paul di Resta, test and reserve driver
Paul, you’ve driven two practice sessions now. What are your key learnings from this?
It went relatively well in Malaysia. It was always going to be a difficult task as I hadn’t had any running in the simulator beforehand so it completely new to me and very different conditions. With the high temperatures and the different behaviour of the tyres it was an uphill curve but I felt I moved forward, I improved and I got some good experience. I didn’t find it physically tough but the heat and humidity was something else. In DTM you get very hot inside the car but this wasn’t something I’d ever experienced. It’s all part of that learning curve and I felt I acclimatised to it well.

You’ve also had the chance to sit in different cars, with you driving Adrian’s in Australia and Tonio’s in Malaysia. Is this a particular challenge for you?
Each crew has their ways of doing things as there are different engineers and mechanics but the cars are very similar. I am now getting a feel for how Tonio or Adrian want their base set-ups, but in terms of the programme it is entirely the same as the race drivers. At the moment I’m still conscious it isn’t my car so I have to be careful to build up gradually, be controlled and constructive and get the data for weekend

Have you driven on the Shanghai International Circuit before?
No it will be new again to me and I won’t have any simulator running beforehand so it will be starting from the bottom, learning the new track. At least I have now got some experience on this type of wide, Tilke track so it should just be a case of making steady progress again.

Highlights of the answers given by Malaysian Grand Prix winner Sebastian Vettel, in his Red Bull Racing Renault, during the post race press conference at Sepang

A victory today set up by an excellent start and one that looked fairly comfortable if you ever can be comfortable in the heat of Malaysia.
Sebastian Vettel: Well, it wasn’t comfortable. I realised straight away that I had a good start and passed Nico, who was alongside, and then got the tow from Mark, so I was able to gain, gain, gain. It is a long sprint down to turn one and I clearly had an advantage over him and then I took the chance I had into turn one. It was quite late, so I just made it and then Mark had a bit of a better exit out of turn two, through turn three and it is very slippery and we both tried to push. We are here to fight ourselves but you should keep the respect and I think we both had the respect for each other. If Mark would have been in my position I am quite sure he would have done the same. After that it was just a question about getting away from our competitors. I could see Mark and I were more or less having the same pace, I think he was a little bit quicker in the beginning. I was trying to save my tyres. It did work, so before the stop I could pull away a little bit and the second stint was extremely long. It is extremely hot here and I didn’t stop sweating. Fortunately, I didn’t run out of drinks in the car. I was trying not to be too extreme in the beginning.  But it is very hot and very physical and at some stage I was hoping for rain, just to get a bit of a cool down. What a day. Yesterday was extremely difficult with the conditions. Today it stayed dry all the time fortunately and we had a magnificent car. The key was to pace yourself, watch your tyres. Bridgestone did a good job bringing two compounds here that worked fairly well. A very good result for us, especially for myself after two races where we didn’t finish where we wanted to be. To come back, thanks to the team. It is very crucial in that moment not to panic and to stay relaxed. It is a long season but getting here on Sunday afternoon having won the race is the best result we can get. On top of that Mark in second place is a big, big plus for the team. A lot of points and I am very, very happy.

How much of a relief was that after the last couple of races?
Sebastian: A big relief. I am sorry. I feel a bit tipsy from the champagne. I think I took a bit too much. I am very pleased. A great day for us and Red Bull. As you said, the first two races we weren’t finishing where we want to be. But a great result. The start for myself was crucial. I had a good start, good initial momentum. I was a bit worried to start on the dirty side as the right side is the clean side but I was patient really trying to control the wheelspin and didn’t ask for too much throttle too early. That was the key to get past Nico and then run with big tow down to turn one. It is a long sprint. It is one of the longest sprints to turn one behind Mark and I was able to catch him and outbrake him into turn one. It was quite late. Big respect for Mark. I think he would have done the same thing. But he could have behaved differently down into turn one and turn two but that was good. The fight carried on down to turn four. It was extremely slippery for both of us and it was a question who is braking first and if the car stops. Obviously going out of qualifying it was wet, but usually you are having a completely different reference point. Now you start with the car fully filled and it is a bit of an adventure to find your braking point. From then onwards I could see we were one-two which was crucial, so we were able to pull a gap to Nico. But Mark didn’t stop pushing, so I had to push myself. I was trying to look after my tyres in the first stint especially with the soft compound. I was quite pleased that they held together. I was trying to save them a little bit for the end of the stint and then the hard tyres were quite solid and you could push all the way through. Mark again did not stop pushing. He came a bit closer and I could see he was doing faster lap times than I was, so I was just trying to control the gap. It was quite difficult with the lapped cars as they were coming quicker than you thought. Over the team radio I got the call that at some stage we were about 10 seconds quicker a lap compared to them which is funny as two laps before you had nobody there and then all of a sudden you catch them up. But in the end of the day very, very pleased with the result. I think we did a very good job yesterday as a team. Mark was the poker face yesterday and got the pole but today to finish one-two is fantastic especially for myself after the first two races, so I am very happy.

Mark held onto you pretty much in the opening stages but in the second stint he came back at you. Was that all to do with the traffic?
Sebastian: When you are in the lead and you have got a couple of seconds on your side then you don’t try to do anything stupid in traffic. For the guys I think in the slower cars it is a pretty difficult job to do as three corners before they had no-one in their mirror and all of sudden they had someone behind, so sometimes you find yourself in a bit of an adventure trying to get past. But they did a very good job. Sometimes you lose a little bit more depending on where you have to pass them and how quickly they move over but it was all fairly in control. On the primes in the beginning Mark was a bit faster. I was just trying to react to his times and then the gaps are sometimes shrinking, sometimes I am gaining a bit again. I was trying to bring the car home at some stage. I was hoping for rain as it was quite hot. I think we all lost quite a bit of water, so that is why after two sips of champagne you might feel a bit dizzy. I am still young. I am not used to this.

It only took you one race to wipe out the gap to Massa and Alonso, who were quite far ahead. Were you expecting to do that so quickly?
Sebastian: Yeah, that’s what people are saying. We are just here to race. Yes, as I said before, obviously there’s always a lot of talking and things happening. Yes, we didn’t have great races, the first and second one, we didn’t do the best job we could, but that’s life. You build racing cars to go as quickly as you can. They’re built on the limit and sometimes something breaks. Obviously it depends when. When it happens on Friday, no one cares but if it happens on Sunday, obviously everyone is highlighting the issue and blaming you for poor reliability. We are a team, we stick together in good and bad times. We win and lose together and it’s not like in football where you probably change the coach after you’ve lost two times. So we carry on and we’ve proven that we can come back. I don’t know the ranking in the championship now but I think today we scored 25 points. I saw that Fernando (Alonso) had an engine failure, I think, on the last lap. As far as I remember, our gap was about 25 points, so it’s not anymore. I think that’s a good thing. If anything, it shows how quickly it can turn around. It’s a long, long season. We still have 16 races to go which is a lot, so we are here to do our best and we want to fight for the championship, both of us, and for the team, so at the end of the day, finishing first and second was good points for the team and good points for ourselves, so I think we’re in a much better position now than probably on Friday or this morning.

Last year you won the third race, and this year you’ve now won the third race. Are you on the same schedule like last year, to carry on fighting for the championship?
Sebastian: I need to remember where we finished the fourth race and the fifth race. Last year is last year, this year is this year. I think we are always looking ahead but you can live in history or you can live in the future, but I think the best thing is to live in the now and live the moment, so we have to focus on what is happening now. From here, first of all we go back and then kind of come back to Asia to go to China. The cars go more or less straight there, but there’s a bit of break between races. And hopefully we will have the same result in China as last year, that’s all I can say. Every race is a new challenge. Into the first race, I think we were pretty quick. Ferrari was very quick and in Melbourne all of a sudden we were kind of back. They weren’t really that far behind in Bahrain but it just shows that a slightly different kind of track, a different layout… you know, we’ve seen here Mercedes was very strong, so we probably do have a little bit of an advantage at the time, but we have to work hard and focus on what is happening now to maintain the good performance and then we go race by race. There may be times when we will struggle as well and we won’t be able to win. We might only get fourth or fifth but we have to make sure we finish fourth or fifth then, and not put the car in the wall or finish eighth or out of the points. I think that’s how it should work.