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Another day off in Shanghai, before heading for Bahrain. I feel comfortable here: it’s a city that’s full of life and that offers so many things to do. And on top of that, the weather is really lovely today, as you can see in the photo I’ve posted on @alo_oficial. I had lunch in a nice open-air restaurant on the Bund with my physio Fabrizio, my manager Luis and some guys from the team. For once, Formula 1 did not appear on the topics of conversation as we just had a bit of healthy fun. Everyone needs a bit of break, otherwise you’ll struggle to be at your best over the race weekend, don’t you think?
Of course, that doesn’t mean we’re not thinking about the next race, far from it. I am well aware that in Sakhir, we can expect another difficult weekend, which is only natural, partly because of the track characteristics and also because the car is the same one we had in Shanghai. Both the Scuderia and I have a good record in Bahrain: the team has four victories here and I’ve got three, the last of which was also my debut race for the Prancing Horse. But the past counts for nothing in this sport and this weekend will be all about damage limitation for us. The championship is very open and there are a lot of teams that can aspire to victory, but clearly we need to make a leap forward to be more competitive if we want to aspire to coming out on top at the end. We have to take the step forward as soon as possible. I have faith in the team and I know everyone at Maranello is giving their all so that we can reach this objective.
This weekend we will do our best and I hope I can have a race where I spend less time in traffic than I did last Sunday. It was definitely frustrating not being able to get almost a single traffic-free lap because my pace, at least in some phases of the race was not at all bad. However, when I found myself behind Hamilton after the final stop, he had the turn of speed to get past the others, whereas I had to turn somersaults to overtake in rather more difficult places than the very long straight. Not only that, but I also had little hope of defending my position when others used the DRS, as was the case with Maldonaldo. I had passed him, but then he got me back just at the braking point for Turn 14.
I want to congratulate the pit crew: again in China they were the quickest and to do a time of 2”6 up to the green light, not once, but twice, as they recorded that time with both me and Felipe, is really a great time!
Today also sees the start of an important cycle in Real Madrid’s season: in just over a week, it will go up against Bayern Munich twice for the Champions League semi-final and, in between they take on Barca at the Camp Nou in the return match of what is known as “the Clasico.” I hope I can find a Chinese TV channel tonight showing the Munich match: the commentary might be hard to follow, but it’s the picture that matters! Source: Ferrari.com
Here we are in Shanghai for the start of the third race weekend of the year. For sure, arriving here in China as the leader of the Championship is something I would never have expected, at least given the way winter testing went. It means we have done a good job, managing to make use of all the potential at our disposal and making the most of every opportunity. Since I first arrived in Maranello, at the start of 2010, I have seen the team grow a lot in all areas relating to track activity, from strategy to the work in the garage and at the pit stops.
I know I can count on a very strong group, which is very important and there is a great sense of purpose shared by all. We know our car is not at the level we had wanted going into this season, but everyone is reacting very well, everyone is very united, which is what you get with a real team that wants to reach its objectives.
I’m not expecting any surprises in this race, compared to what we saw in Australia and Malaysia. It’s true almost three weeks have gone by, but that does not mean there was enough time to completely turn the car around in such a short time: we will have a few small updates, but nothing particularly significant and on top of that, we can expect that the other teams will also bring some new parts.
Therefore, we won’t change our approach to this Grand Prix: to get a good result, we will need to concentrate on ourselves, trying to be perfect and to exploit every possibility that might come our way over the weekend.
I don’t want to come out with statements that our aim is to finish in this or that position, as these discussions are not worth the time spent on them. We will have to do the maximum and bring home as many points as possible: a bit like ants who start something one day, knowing it will produce something worthwhile in the future.
I’m expecting tomorrow to be a rather busy day, with various promotional and media activities, both at the track and outside it. China is a very important country for Ferrari and for its technical and commercial partners and the Formula 1 Grand Prix represents a unique opportunity, not to be missed.
Finally, if I had to draw a conclusion from what I’ve seen in the last 24 hours, I would say there is a great enthusiasm from the local people, especially the young ones. As you have been able to see on @alo_oficial, yesterday afternoon there was a huge crowd of boys and girls waiting for me at the airport and even outside the hotel. It’s always nice to experience the enthusiasm of the fans, especially so in a country where Formula 1 is not part of its history. It means the spectacle and excitement that our sport provides is still very attractive.Source: Ferrari.com
It was nice to be back in Maranello after Sunday afternoon’s win. In the plane, I was thinking again about the race and I could hardly believe it. Then, once I’d arrived here, I saw the smiles on the faces of all our people and I was very pleased to see how strong is the desire to work to improve the car in the shortest time possible.
During the race, I only began to think the win might be on after the final pit stop. With the intermediates I was trying to gain as much ground as possible but I knew that on a drying track, as the possibility of switching to the dry tyres became a reality, then it could all change. Then, after the stop, I saw that Perez was very quick and he was putting me under a lot of pressure, but I knew that all the same, there was only one dry line which was no more than two metres wide: even if he got right into my slipstream, getting past would not be easy and I was hoping I’d be able to fend him off all the way to the end.
It’s a shame none of my friends bet on me winning in Sepang, or on me leading the championship after the first two races: I think they’d have won an impressive amount! However, my real friends are all very happy and pleased about the win, but no one, including everyone in the team, is under any illusions. The championship has not got off to the sort of start we wanted and there is much much to do. But refusing to give up is a quality that I have always admired about Ferrari, when I was racing against them and also now that I’m part of the team. The next two races will also see us on the defensive and there’s no doubt about that. While we are incapable of being competitive and able to fight consistently for the podium or a win, limiting the damage is the only thing we can do. If the conditions are normal, we must try not to lose too many points compared to the best: let’s hope we can do the same as we did in Australia and Malaysia…
Now, I’ve got a few days here in Italy to undergo a routine medical check-up at the Physiology Centre at Forli where my trainer Fabrizio Borra reigns supreme. I do these medical and physical checks two or three times a year to see what shape I am in and to control every aspect of my body. Then, I’m heading back home to Spain to see the family, so we can spend a few days together. You need a bit of time to relax after such a demanding race as the one in Sepang and then it will be time to put the finishing touches to preparation for another back to back run, this time in China and Bahrain, which means more long journeys and changes of time zones. Imagine, when I left it was still winter and now, after three weeks away, we are right in the middle of spring: it’s a nice change!
The past three weeks have been my first on Twitter and I have to say it’s been a very enjoyable experience. It’s something I’d wanted to do for a while and I myself put the work in to get it up and running. Over the past months I had seen that there was a lot of talk about me on the Internet and on social media sites, so I thought it would be better if I was on it myself, don’t you think? It means I can give my own point of view, talk about my life, what I get up to when I’m travelling the world going to the races, trying to put across my real feelings. Nothing technical though, because deep down, Formula 1 is still a sport where discretion when it comes to certain aspects is still important, but it’s a way for me to describe what goes on in the world of someone who does the job I do. For now, it’s great, especially reading all the tweets from my followers and the suggestions they send me: I don’t reply to them, because it would take me all day, but I read all of them and I will try and improve my standard of tweeting. I have to say I was very surprised, first and foremost by the number of followers I had almost immediately. When I put up the first video I had made, I was having a stop off in Doha on the way to Australia and in the airport lounge, I had a bet with my manager and with my physio Edoardo as to how many followers I would have before leaving: I said a thousand, Luis eight hundred and Edoardo six hundred. Well, after four hours, when it was time to take off for Melbourne, the number had reached 39 thousand! Then there’s the level of enthusiasm: there are so many messages, all of them positive and I have to say that it gives me a real boost.Source: Ferrari.com
I’ve been in Kuala Lumpur since Monday already. As my trainer Edoardo Bendinelli has previously explained to you (see The battle with the heat is played out in advance) it’s important to acclimatise quickly to the extreme conditions, especially for us Europeans when we’re in this corner of the globe. Yesterday, for example, I played Golf with Edoardo and my manager Luis: we were the only ones on the course as no one was prepared to venture out in the heat!
This is the longest race in terms of distance, but above all, it’s the most tiring from the physical point of view: it is vital to be as well prepared as possible and, towards the end, that can also make a difference out on track. I’m doing all I can to be ready for this weekend, just as is the team; all the guys here in the garage in Sepang, for whom it is also very draining to work in these conditions and all the people back home in Maranello. In Malaysia, we will once again be racing on the defensive. There’s no other way we can go about it, given that the F2012 is practically identical to what we ran in Australia. We will have to try and adapt it as well as possible, knowing it won’t be easy. There are two points we will have to work on with great attention: finding the right compromise in terms of the aerodynamic balance and the tyre degradation. Sepang has two real straights where, because they are very long, a lack of top speed carries a higher price than in Melbourne, where the two straights on which you could use DRS were reasonably short.
We will have to see how the Pirelli tyres behave in the high temperatures here in Malaysia. Last year, we ended up doing four stops so we will see if the situation is the same this time. We will have the Medium and Hard compounds while last year we ran Soft-Hard. Given that this year, the four types of Pirelli tyre are much more similar to one another in terms of performance over a lap, maybe it will be a different picture.
By the second free practice session on Friday, we should already start to get a more accurate impression. The word “should” applies because every session here, especially the one in the mid-afternoon, can be affected by rain. There is no other place in the world, the Formula 1 world that is, where it can go from sunshine to torrential rain in the space of a few minutes. Not even at Spa is the variability so acute. Those on the pit wall will have to keep their eyes peeled and look at the radar carefully to be ready for any possible change in the weather.
At the moment, the forecast is for a high chance of rain, both for qualifying and the race, but honestly, I don’t have much faith in the forecast. The important thing is to react promptly and grab every opportunity. The only thing you can be absolutely certain of is that it will be hot, very hot…Source: Ferrari.com
This morning I arrived in Melbourne. The journey from Sao Paulo is very long: first you go to Santiago in Chile, then a long hop as far as Auckland in New Zealand, which is the final stop before we arrive in Australia. It’s funny: you lose a day because you cross the International Date Line heading West, and I’ll have to take the journey back the other way to get it back again! Today I had some rest after so many hours in an aeroplane and I tried to adapt quickly to the different time zone. My father is here with me: it’s always nice to have him alongside me at a race weekend. So we’ve arrived at the first grand prix of the year. I can’t wait to get started and I believe that wish is shared with all my fellow drivers. We racers miss competition like crazy and six days of testing are definitely not enough to satisfy our desire to race. I am very curious to see how things will go here in Melbourne. I believe it’s never been as difficult as this year to have a precise picture of the situation based on the winter tests alone: we will begin to learn the truth only in Saturday afternoon’s qualifying when we are all in the same conditions. I already said this last week in Sao Paulo: in my head is the thought that we can fight for the podium but that doesn’t mean that I don’t agree with what Pat Fry said in Barcelona. I know perfectly well that the tests didn’t go as we’d hoped because we had some very ambitious targets in terms of performance. We had some problems getting the best out of the exhaust system we had chosen and we had to go for a makeshift solution. That cost us precious time and obviously also a bit of performance. Only in the last two days could Fernando and I do some true and meaningful work on the set-up of the F2012. I remain convinced that this car has great potential: we must just find the way to get everything from it. We hope to start doing that as soon as this weekend at Albert Park! I like this city. There is a nice climate, hot as I like it: today it was over 30°C, a temperature very similar to Sao Paulo. The fans also have a lot of enthusiasm and it’s always nice to see so many Ferrari flags in the grandstands, which are as packed as this in few other circuits. According to the weather forecast, tomorrow evening it will freshen up a bit and there could be some rain on Thursday but it should stay dry for Saturday and Sunday. At this year’s tests we only had a couple of hours of running on a wet track on my last day at Barcelona so it’s hard to have an exact idea of how the car behaves in those conditions. I’ve never had much luck at Albert Park. I’ve only managed to finish the race in the points three times in my nine appearances at the Australian Grand Prix. One of those was on the third step of the podium two years ago. It would certainly be fantastic to manage that again but I know that it will be difficult. There’s a great field of competitors: it’s not just Red Bull and McLaren who are strong. Other teams from Mercedes to Lotus to Force India and Toro Rosso could have their say. Everything’s there for the taking, from the first laps in qualifying. One way or the other, I can’t wait to get on the track!Source: Ferrari.com
I arrived in Melbourne last night. It’s the longest journey of the year and the prime objective is to adapt as soon as possible to the time difference, as there are no less than ten hours difference between Oviedo and here! I always like coming to this city. The atmosphere is very special, and there is a sense of relaxation and of being laid back that you don’t find so often elsewhere in the world. Australians seem to have found the recipe for the good life. Of course, they have problems like the rest of us and actually it’s hard for us to judge based on a visit that only lasts ten days a year, but that’s the impression I have. Now I can’t wait for this first race weekend to get underway.
This year, we have had even less time than usual to drive the car, given that pre-season testing was shortened even more: six days are definitely not enough to satiate my need to drive! I have said it many times in the past, ours is the only sport where training is banned. Imagine asking Nadal to try out a new racket for just six days or a football player to train just six times before the World Cup! It would be nice to do more testing, but not to the detriment of the races, because nothing beats competition. In fact, after so many kilometres of testing and retesting, finally there’s a whiff of sport in the air. I miss the excitement of qualifying, the thrill of being on the start grid waiting for the lights to go out, the adrenalin rush of the charge to the first corner, in fact I miss everything that makes Formula 1 such an amazing sport. It is always difficult to draw conclusions from testing. Everyone works according to their own programme and you cannot make a true comparison. We definitely still need to improve a lot, working on our understanding of the F2012, adapting my driving style to a new car which, with the loss of aerodynamic downforce at the rear and the new Pirelli tyres, is a bit harder to drive. We know in which direction we need to go in terms of car development and that’s an important step. Sure, we will have to grit our teeth for the first few races, but first of all, we have to see exactly where we are in terms of being competitive and then give our all to bring home as many points as possible in this early stage of the championship. I know the fans always expect to hear me say that we can obtain such and such a result, but the truth is that we cannot say with certainty where we are. We must wait until Saturday evening at six, after qualifying and a bit longer still, until after this first run of races outside Europe.
We have to stay cool and calm and take one step at a time, starting with the race in Melbourne, where we will get an initial impression. Once we know where we stand, then we can set ourselves more precise targets. One thing’s for sure, with the will to win that inhabits everyone at Ferrari and with the history we have behind us, we feel a responsibility to do well: for us, for our fans and for our partners and that goes for all of us. We must all pull together to reach this target.Source: Ferrari.com
I’m already home from the trip to Abu Dhabi which ended on a high note. Yesterday’s second place is definitely a better result than we had expected going into the weekend, but what gave me the most satisfaction was the speed we had for practically the whole race. It was a good battle with Hamilton: at some points he was quicker and at others I was. Usually, at the start of a stint, he was able to pull out a bit of a gap, but then I’d close it in the final part, especially when we were both on the Softs. In the second stint the traffic also added to this sort of elastic movement between us, but it’s hard to say which of us it affected most. Having analysed the data in last night’s debrief, it was also clearly the case that the little problem at the second pit stop did not impact on the final result: I would not have been able to get back out on track ahead of Hamilton, who was immediately quick on the Medium tyres. In fact the ability to get the most out of the tyres right from the very first lap, is one of the areas we need to work on for next year.
Bringing home a trophy from Abu Dhabi was very pleasing for me, but I’ve realised I made a statistical error, when I said that in my collection I have at least one trophy from each of the Grand Prix venues since I’ve raced in Formula 1: I’m missing one from Austria where I raced only twice, in 2001 and 2003, failing to finish on both occasions. The first time was in a Minardi, when the gearbox let me down, the second was when I was with Renault and the engine failed. Well, I’m not sure if the Austrian Grand Prix will ever return to the calendar, but if it did happen, then that would be just an extra reason to try and make it to the podium!
Still on the subject of statistics, yesterday’s podium was the twentieth of my “red” career, which means that I have managed to finish in the top three in over half the races I have driven for Ferrari. This shows that even in a year like this, which has not been so fantastic, in terms of our car’s performance, the average level is still very high. It’s not by chance that over the last eighteen years, the Scuderia has managed to win at least one Grand Prix per season. No other team can say the same and factors like this also influenced my decision to extend my contract with Ferrari for such a long time. I know many of you will think it would have been better if I could have come second in Abu Dhabi a year ago. I know it too, but there’s no point in thinking about what might have been, also because I am sure that the time will come sooner or later when we can obtain the satisfaction that has eluded us so far. I am sure that from now until 2016 there will be many more bottles of champagne for me to hand to the mechanics as I come down the steps from the podium!Source: Ferrari.com
World champion Sebastian Vettel suffered his biggest disappointment of the season at the Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday. In his latest blog, the German explains why he was forced to retire after an unexplained puncture on the first lap ended his race prematurely
by Sebastian Vettel, Nov 13, 2011
A final hello from Abu Dhabi!
We would have wanted a different result today but now it's over there's nothing we can do about it. We don't actually know why I lost the car on the first lap and all I can say is that it happened so fast it was a complete surprise to me too.
It was a pity because I got off to an amazing start but suddenly I lost all of the air out of the back tyre and my race was over.
I tried to nurse the car back to the pit to see if the guys could do something to save the race, but they saw immediately that it was impossible to continue.
'I tried to nurse the car back... but it was irreparable'
On the way back round, the tyre had fallen off completely – taking part of the suspension with it which was irreparable. It's really sad, but there was nothing we could have done to prevent it.
Some might say that one retirement isn't that bad because we've already won the two championships, but that's not the way we think. We had a really good feeling before the start, the car was in great shape and we had the potential for a great race.
Sadly, we won't find out how we would have got on and it's something we have to accept. All we can do is sit down together, watch the footage and find out what happened so we can understand it. Then we'll concentrate on the last race in Brazil to make sure we can end this season in style and shine once again.
Thank you for all of your support! We'll do better next time!
All the best,
Seb
Source: Red Bull
I have just arrived in Abu Dhabi from Sao Paolo where I spent the time since the last round of the championship in New Delhi. I still have very vivid memories of my first trip to India, even if I see no point in going over what happened in the race itself. The track was very nice, one of the best on the calendar, but above all the people there were very excited about Formula 1. With more and more places in the world appearing to be the same, India was so very different to anything I had seen before. The people were very welcoming and friendly and it was clear that the country has huge potential for growth, but at the same time you still also see a lot of poverty. Despite this, I think India has a definite future in F1 and this year, if not everything was quite ready, we have to make allowances for the fact it was only the first year for the Grand Prix there.
With the Formula 1 season going through to the end of November, this year was the first time in many years that I have not attended the Ferrari World Finals event which took place at Mugello last weekend, but of course I am aware of what our President Montezemolo and Domenicali said about me over there, making it clear once again that I am definitely driving for the Scuderia next season. From my point of view, it is important that I have the full support of the team behind me, which is always very positive. However, at the moment my main focus is on continuing to push as hard as I can for these last two races of the season. I know that next year will be a very important one for the whole team, given that this season did not go as well as expected and it will also be a very important time for me. Within the team, we are already looking to next year, knowing that our pre-season target must be to produce a package that can be competitive from the very first Grand Prix, allowing us to fight for the win at every race. In 2012 we must have a better season than this one.
Now we come to Abu Dhabi, where I only drove for the first time last year, as I missed the first race there in 2009, because of my injury. The facility itself is fantastic and the track is quite interesting. However, one negative point about it was that we did not see much overtaking, but I expect this year with the DRS, it should help to produce a better race this weekend. It’s a unique timetable on Sunday as we start the race in daylight and then go on to race under the lights at night. This doesn’t present any problem, in fact the positive element is that it gets cooler as the race goes on and the track lighting is excellent. For us these last two races are a final chance to get some good results, but also these recent races have been very much part of our preparations for 2012. We have been trying some components that could find their way onto the new car, but also we have been looking at new ideas in terms of how we run the car and how best to adapt the set-up. I think this is very important as part of our preparation for the future, not just from a technical point of view but also how we approach the race weekend.
The race at Yas Marina is also special for Ferrari because of the team’s many close links with Abu Dhabi, which is most obviously seen from the fact we have our own theme park there, just alongside the race track, Ferrari World. Last year I went for a ride on the fantastic rollercoaster they have there, which was an enjoyable and exhilarating experience, so I can’t wait to go again and this time, I’ll take my wife with me!Source: Ferrari.com
I am just arrived in India. This is my very first visit to this country and I am looking forward to discovering a new venue to race, because that is what I do, that’s my profession and I love racing. However, at the moment all my thoughts are with the families and friends of Marco Simoncelli and Dan Wheldon. It seems that when bad things happen, they come all at once. Because of the time difference between Malaysia and Brazil, I found out about the MotoGP accident as soon as I woke up on Sunday morning when I was at home in Sao Paulo. It is unbelievable and I was in a state of shock afterwards. Simoncelli was such a nice guy and one of the characters in the sport of motorcycle racing and a great talent. Coming so soon after the death of Dan Wheldon, who was a friend of mine, these have been really difficult times and it is just unbelievable that these sad events happened just one week apart. Of course, those of us who race, we always know the risk is there, every time you go out on track. When you are racing, you do not think so much about the risks and you always push hard, sometimes too hard. But all the same, it is still a terrible shock when you see something like that and it reminds you the risk is there. I am not qualified to talk about Simoncelli’s accident, because I have no experience of bike racing, but in the case of Dan’s crash, hopefully the only good thing to come out of it could be that it serves as a wake-up call for Indy cars to improve their safety levels, in the same way that what happened in Imola in ’94 led to increased safety in F1. In my opinion, Indy needs to do a lot to improve safety. There is no point in people complaining about it and blaming others, because what is needed now is some calm analysis and then a response from the sport’s organisation. Maybe what Indy needs to start with, given the type of circuit and the number of cars would be to try running cars with enclosed cockpits, but this is just one idea and the whole safety package needs to be looked at completely.
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. All the same, I enjoyed driving at Yeongam, almost discovering the track for the first time given how much rain we had there in 2010.
In the preparation for the Grand Prix of India, I spent a day on the simulator to get a general impression of the track and I’ve also got the latest version of the 2011 Formula 1computer game that features this circuit, which means I at least have a feel for it and know where the corners are. First impressions are that it is a nice track and it has some similarities to the last venue in Yeongam, in that it has a long straight and many different types of corner from very fast to very slow hairpins with several changes of gradient too. However, that’s where comparisons to Korea end as it should be much hotter this weekend and also because 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. Like I said, it will be my first time in India and I love discovering new places, so I am convinced it will be a very interesting week. The Indian people love sport and I am sure there will be a lot of local interest in the Grand Prix, in Formula 1 and in racing in general. I have enjoyed spending a few days here in Sao Paolo with my family, relaxing and training, but now I am keen to get going again, to discover a new circuit and to see if I can secure a good result with just three races left to go this year.Source: Ferrari.com
Like I said last week, the Singapore Grand Prix is already yesterday’s news and there are no more reasons to talk about a weekend that was far from positive for me. It’s better to concentrate on the next race weekend, Japan, hoping that it starts well and ends without any unpleasant surprises. Just one more thing before I finally turn the page: I’ve been told that there was a bit of a storm over a phrase that my race engineer said during the race. Apart from the fact that I don’t recall what Rob said, I don’t think there’s any value in stirring up trouble now and trying to link this with the subsequent contact with
Hamilton: they are two separate moments and they have nothing to do with each other. I’m sure that Lewis and I will find a way to clear this up and put a lid on this story, as is only correct between two drivers. What happens on the track should remain on the track.
Suzuka is a track I really like and it is up there with Spa in terms of enjoyment, mainly because there are a lot of high speed corners which are very challenging and enjoyable when you get it right. There’s a real mix, as there are also some slow corners in the middle section and the Esses after the first corner, where you need a car to change direction very quickly and where you can make up or lose a lot of time. In the second sector you have the slow hairpin and then Spoon which is very interesting. Everyone talks about the 130R, but to be honest since they altered it on safety grounds it has become a bit like Eau Rouge at Spa, because in a Formula 1 car it is now almost a straight. 2006 was a very good year for me at Suzuka, where I qualified on pole position and finished second: doing that again this coming weekend would be nice, but we have to be realistic about the fact we will be facing the usual tough opponents. As to Ferrari’s chances, we must wait and see until we actually go out on track, because this season we have sometimes been strong on tracks where we had not expected to be competitive and sometimes it was the opposite. By the end of Friday free practice, we should begin to get an idea of our Japanese form. I hope we can be able to fight for the top places, even if, at this point of the season, there is not much more to come in the way of updates in terms of aerodynamics and other developments. While all the drivers like Suzuka, it has often been frustrating to race there, as overtaking is very difficult, but this year with the DRS, KERS and the influence of the Pirelli tyres, I expect that situation to change. I believe the plan is to have two DRS zones which will be a big help.
I am happy to be going to Japan: I have heard that some of the MotoGP riders wanted to boycott their Japanese GP, which takes place at a circuit which is nearer to the Fukushima nuclear plant, but we need to consider that Suzuka is in a completely different part of the country. I have no concerns about going and I think it is good that Formula 1 is going to put on a show in a country that really appreciates our sport. I always love being in Japan and at the track, I will be there to do my job, but I am also hoping to see the people smiling and enjoying themselves. The Japanese fans are among the best in the world: on a Thursday when there is no on-track action, even if it is raining, they will sit in the grandstands to see what is going on in pit lane. You can feel the love they have for the sport and I am looking forward to being there together with them.
At this time of year, I begin to think of the karting event we organise in Florianapolis, Brazil in December and it’s great that many F1 drivers have signed up to take part this year. Most of the organisation is done by my father and brother and another colleague, but I also get involved, inviting people along. It started out as fun and has become a very big event, growing every year. Why do Formula 1 drivers want to spend the first weekend after the season driving a kart? Given that you drive on a small track, the speed is relatively very high, therefore it has a lot in common with F1. It is also an opportunity to race with completely equal equipment, as every driver gets the same brand new chassis and engine and you draw lots for which engine you get for the first race and then even in between the races.
After attending an event for our primary sponsor Philip Morris on Friday in Belgrade, I left for Japan on Monday, spending a few days in Tokyo, which is always a great place to visit and then on to Suzuka very early on Thursday morning, for the first of five remaining chances to end the year with some good results.Source: Ferrari.com
With just one point between him and a second consecutive F1 world champion, Sebastian Vettel is in the mood for a party as Red Bull Racing's dominance of the 2011 Formula One season brought him victory at the Singapore Grand Prix. Here's his latest blog...
by Sebastian Vettel, Sep 26, 2011
What a race, what a track, what a fabulous night! I know I never made a secret of how much I like Singapore, but after this night I like it even more.
We're unbelievably happy with our win and third place and even though we're not champions yet, we will still celebrate. I am very proud of the whole team, each and every one of them did an excellent job.
We always knew that the race tonight would be a tough one, but by the end it was also a very big challenge for every driver. After all we spend about two hours in the car, fighting for every inch, knowing that we weren't allowed to make just one tiny mistake.
The safety car phase added even more tension to the whole day and I am glad that we were able to handle the whole situation as well as we did.
Before I do the party I want to say a quick thank you to our amazing fans across the globe and assure them that we will continue to give our best in the future races to reach our final goal. Today wasn't enough for the title, but we still have a few points to win, now and for the seasons to come!
Talk to you from Japan!
Sebastian
Source: Red Bull
Singapore is a special event for me. It’s one of the races that I like the most for the lively atmosphere and for the characteristics of the circuit. It certainly has much in common with Monaco but the fact that you run at night coupled with the extended length of the track compared to the one in the Principality make this grand prix unique. I have always managed to make the podium in the three previous editions and my objective is to make it four out of four. A third victory to go with those of 2008 and last year would clearly be fantastic but I know that it will be very hard. At Monaco we certainly came very close to victory – without the final red flag I think I would have had an excellent chance to overtake Sebastian – but it’s also true that you can’t always guarantee that things go the same way. What is certain is that we will give everything: I think we have the chance to do well as long as we get the best out of every aspect: tyres, set-up, engine, teamwork, everything has to be at 100%.
Last year a wonderful success arrived at the end of an extraordinary weekend. There was a long, nearly two-hour duel between myself and Sebastian, which was raced with the image of his car almost permanently in my mirrors. To win a race like that is thrilling, producing very strong emotions. Speaking of the German driver, I’ve been told that some people have written that I said a bad word to him in the immediate post-race at Monza when we were talking about the pass that happened when the safety car came in: it’s incredible to see how far the made-up stories of certain people can travel! Not only did I never say the word in question to him but we chatted about the episode in a very good way, as was clear to everyone during the FIA Press Conference a few minutes later.
Monza didn’t give us the victory that we wanted but we did earn a place on the podium – what an emotion to stand up there again wearing the red overalls and to hear the tifosi scream my name! That allowed me to pass one important statistical landmark, that of 1,000 championship points (now I’m on 1,001 – only Michael has more). Of course since the new points system was introduced you go forward in this classification much quicker than before but to see four figures next to my name gave me a lot of pleasure.
I arrived in Singapore today at lunchtime. A shower, a bit of rest in the hotel without sleeping – I want to try and remain on the European timetable – and then a quick trip to the circuit, which is less than 100 metres from the hotel. I like going to the track on Wednesday afternoon at the flyaway races, to see how the team is organised from a logistical point of view. Today I then had the chance to do a bicycle tour of the track together with the special personality that is Emilio Botin, the president of the Santander bank, one of our main sponsors. It’s good to see with how much enthusiasm, passion and interest Don Emilio follows us: despite his thousands of commitments, he knows everything about the life of the team and is very curious, a true tifoso! Tomorrow the official engagements start. As ever, Thursday is predominantly dedicated to meetings with the team and to activities with our partners but there are also the first meetings with the engineers. From Friday we begin on the track: we hope to repeat the weekend of 2010 and thus to present another victory to the Prancing Horse and to all our fans. That is our target, one that will remain for all the coming races. Source: Ferrari.com
Looking back briefly to the last Grand Prix at Monza, I must say there was a fantastic atmosphere throughout the weekend, especially so if you are a Ferrari driver, but unfortunately in a season where the lucky breaks do not seem to have come our way, that trend continued in Italy. It was a shame not to be able to give the tifosi the result they wanted, even if it’s been clear this year that we need more than just a bit of luck in order to win. My Italian Grand Prix was more or less over when Webber pushed me into a spin: I fought my way back up the field to sixth at the end. The car was producing a good enough pace to fight with the guys in front, but once you lose 20 seconds with an incident, your race is over. Monza is always a busy weekend if you wear the red race suit, but it was enjoyable racing in front of the home crowd. I went to the factory in Maranello on the Monday after the Grand Prix and spent Tuesday in the simulator, followed by a PR event on the Wednesday. Since then, I’ve been back home in Monaco apart from the weekend, when we went to a very special event, the wedding of our Team Principal, Stefano Domenicali, which was a very happy occasion.
Not so long ago, once the Monza weekend was finished, it meant the end of the championship was in sight. This year, that might well be the case mathematically it terms of who will take the titles, but there is still a lot of racing to go, as we are about to set off for the final part. It will be a very busy time, with no less than six races in ten weeks, including one brand new venue in the shape of India. For Scuderia Ferrari, our aim between now and the finale at my home event in Sao Paolo is to win some races. The next round in Singapore has some similarities to Monaco, so that might well suit us and our package quite well, with the cars running in maximum downforce configuration. After that, it’s the back-to-back races in Japan and Korea where even if the tracks are very different, the downforce levels are very similar, followed by India which will be a step into the dark for everyone in the paddock. The last two are in Abu Dhabi, followed by the finale at my home race at Interlagos. There is plenty of variety in these six weekends and hopefully we can good results in all of them. We have to remember however, that at this point in the season, the team’s main focus has to be on the 2012 car, so in terms of new developments, apart from components already planned to be introduced for these races, the pace of development on the 150 Italia will now be reduced.
For Singapore, Pirelli is supplying the Soft and Supersoft compounds, which definitely suit the characteristics of our car better than the harder tyres and if we had a free choice, these would definitely be the ones we would go for. But tyre choice is only one element of the car package and we will have to work hard if we are going to make the most of any advantage we might have at this race. It’s true our car was okay at the Monaco street circuit, so we can go to Singapore in reasonably optimistic frame of mind. We have been to Singapore three times now, so we know what to expect and the fact the race takes place at night is no longer a concern. The track is very well lit and visibility is not a problem. Rather than the light, it is the heat that makes this a tough event, one of the toughest races on the calendar. It is very hot and humid, even with the race beginning at 8 in the evening and the Singapore race is the longest of the season: I think last year it lasted a couple of minutes less than the full two hours, which is not so easy to deal with physically. I have taken that into consideration and have been training hard for this weekend.
With six races a long way from Europe, all the flying we have to do can be a bit much, but I accept as part of the job. It gives you some time to think about work and life in general. It’s also a good opportunity to catch up with films you want to see, because with our busy schedule it’s hard to find time to go to the movies or watch them at home. I plan to relax, think about many things and catch up with sleep which I have no problem doing on a plane. The best thing is that no one can telephone you on a flight! In the world we live in today, it’s impossible to be without your mobile phone but in the plane, it’s just you on your own, with your thoughts.Source: Ferrari.com
Monza holds special memories for Sebastian Vettel even if it has not been a particularly happy hunting ground in recent years for Red Bull Racing...
by Sebastian Vettel, Sep 9, 2011
If I had to write down everything I love about Italy, this would be the longest blog ever! Fact is, I love nearly everything about this country. It has an amazing track, some beautiful surroundings and very nice people.
My Italian isn’t fluent, but I can handle small conversations, including the most important thing: ordering food!
Every time I return to Monza I relive my first victory back in 2008. It's great to have such a nice place linked to one of the most important events in my life and it's true that it feels almost like yesterday.
Maybe I feel like that because I haven't changed that much since then. I still know a lot of the guys from Toro Rosso and feel just like I did back then.
I would absolutely love to be on the top step on Sunday and I will do everything it takes to get there.
But it's not going to be easy. After all, Monza hasn't been our best circuit in the last two years. We'll have to wait until the first practice session to see where we are.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Seb
Source: Red Bull
Since the Belgian Grand Prix, I spent some time at the factory having meetings and working on the simulator and apart from that, I have been at home in Monaco. On Wednesday, I head back to Maranello for some promotional work and the World Premiere of the new 458 Spider, before taking the short drive down to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix. I’m sure I don’t have to add that this is a weekend I am really looking forward to. I first raced in Italy way back in 2000, the year I was competing in Formula Renault. Italy definitely feels like my country, starting with the fact that I have Italian roots, going back to my grandfather who was born in the south of the Italy. My family has always had a very Italian tradition at home in Brazil, so it was a natural thing for me to move to Italy to pursue my career and my dream of being a Formula 1 driver. I remember everyone said that you need to go and race in England, because if you don’t do that then you will not get to Formula 1. But I took a different direction, having a career in Italy. It seems to have worked because not only did I become a Formula 1 driver, I became a Ferrari Formula 1 driver! Italy is therefore a very important country for me and I love to go there, especially to race. It is a big part of my life and combined with the fact that this weekend is the home race for the whole team, clearly the Monza weekend is something really special for me.
I can still remember my first race at Monza: I was competing in Formula Renault and had two races, one on Saturday in the Italian series and the other on Sunday in the European championship and I won them both. In fact, it was not my first ever race in Italy, which actually took place at Mugello and I’m pleased to say I won that one too. When I first came to Italy, I lived quite close to Monza, in a place called Erba. I lived there for a year, as I had a place just opposite the workshop of the team I raced for, living in the house that belonged to my team boss. So this weekend is very much a second home race and one where I usually meet plenty of people from my racing past in the Monza paddock.
Back to 2011 and of course this is a very important weekend for us. Not in the sense of it being a last chance for us this year or anything like that, but because we really want to produce a great result for ourselves, for the team and most of all for the fans. Spa was not fantastic for us and the cold weather accentuated our tyre problems, but this weekend, we have the same tyre compounds but hopefully much hotter weather. We will need a car with good top speed. Like all the teams, we will have a low downforce set-up unique to Monza, with small wings and in free practice you need to make sure the car is well balanced with good traction to pull out of the slow chicanes and that it is able to deal with jumping the kerbs, which is vital for a quick lap time, especially in qualifying.
As for the race, I think we will see a lot of overtaking, because of the high speed nature of the track and the fact we will have two zones where we can use the DRS. I’m not saying it will be an advantage to be lying second coming into Parabolica on the last lap to overtake the car in front, because if you have a good car, it’s probably a better strategy to pass before then and pull out a gap that is bigger than one second. However, if you are fighting right down to the last lap, that could be the case, which would make for a very exciting race. At this point of the season, it is not difficult to predict that Scuderia Ferrari, McLaren and of course Red Bull Racing will be the main contenders. However, Mercedes have shown they have possibly the best top speed on the straight out of all of us and as that is so important at this circuit, they could also have some influence on the final result.
Monza is our last weekend of racing in Europe this year and, because this season has not gone so well for us, it will be even more important to do our job perfectly and try and get the result that we and all the tifosi want and deserve. For my part, I can’t wait to drive through those historic gates of the Monza park on Thursday morning, then start driving on Friday, leading up to trying to improve on my third place from last year. Standing on that incredible podium which hangs over the pit lane, looking down at the crowd, is a great experience and I want to do it again on Sunday. Source: Ferrari.com
I am now back in Europe having spent all of the break since the Hungarian Grand Prix at home with my family in Sao Paolo. On the Monday after Budapest I went to Maranello for a day working on the simulator and from there I flew to Brazil. What did I do in these few weeks? To be honest, very little, just enjoying catching up with friends and family members that I don't see so often when I am based in Monaco for much of the season. It's winter in Brazil right now, so it did not feel like the time to take a real holiday going somewhere special. With all the travelling we do for work, staying in hotels around the world, for me, staying at home was the best holiday anyway.
Even at home, I did manage a day at the race track, at the Interlagos circuit and it was a very different feeling to being at a grand prix. We have a championship supported by Fiat here in Brazil, which has one category for single-seaters, one for touring cars and a third for motorbikes and I had an enjoyable time doing a day's testing in the touring car. It took me back to the last time I raced cars that had a roof, when I raced Alfa Romeos in 2001!
With everyone starting back at work in Maranello at the beginning of the week, I have already been on the phone talking with Stefano (Domenicali) and with my race engineer Rob (Smedley) just to catch up with the latest news about their holidays and more importantly to find out how preparations are going for this weekend in Spa. Of course, even if no work has been permitted because of the agreement between the FOTA member teams for the past two weeks, work was already carried out before the break to prepare for the next two races in Belgium and in Italy and we will be bringing some aero updates to Spa, including new wings to try out. Everything seems to be going in the direction we expected, so I hope we can have a good weekend. Like most drivers, I love driving at Spa and I have some good memories of winning there in 2008, finishing second the year before that, while last year I was just off the podium in fourth spot. I will be aiming for a repeat of 2008! I have been following the discussion regarding the use of DRS at the Eau Rouge corner and I think banning its use there for the whole weekend is the right decision: as racing drivers, we would always try and use DRS there and that could lead to an accident, because of the particular nature of the corner. So, just as was the case in the tunnel in Monaco, I think this is the best solution. I see there has also been talk about re-introducing some testing during the F1 season and I have to say I would be in favour of this. All drivers and teams want to be as well prepared as possible for each race and, as the top level of motorsport, some testing during the year should be allowed. Of course, we will never return to the way it used to be, with testing almost every day in between races, which was incredibly expensive. Maybe, we could do what they sometimes do in MotoGP and stay on at some circuits on the Monday after a race, which would reduce costs.
So now we come to the final eight races of the season, which means there is still a lot of racing ahead of us and I agree with Domenicali that, as a team, we should simply try and win as many races as possible and score plenty of points, without looking too closely at the championship situation. Certainly from a personal point of view, my most immediate aim is to try and record my first victory of this year. It's not going to be an easy few months, but we are certainly not going to give up. There is always a special atmosphere at Spa and I'm not just referring to the weather. It is one of those tracks where you get a sense of history and this weekend, one of my former team-mates has a historic moment of his own as Michael Schumacher will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of his first ever Formula 1 race, which took place in Belgium in 1991. Apart from all his other achievements, this is another great one and I am sure he is proud of it. I definitely like the idea of also spending twenty years in F1, but I'm not sure if I can do it! I've enjoyed relaxing during this break, which was very welcome after a busy time up to Hungary, but now I am fully rested and eager to go racing once again, because all of us at Ferrari is keen to prove to our fans that we can do better in these final eight races than we did in the first eleven.
Source: Ferrari.com
Holiday over, it’s time to get back to the race track. This two week break has been very useful for me in terms of recharging my batteries after a really busy July. It was nice to spend some time at home, with family and friends. I didn’t do anything special, although I did tackle a little tour of Asturias by bicycle: it’s now become something of a tradition among my group of friends and this year we were joined by some of the guys from the team, including our sporting director, Massimo Rivola. It was good fun as well as being a useful way to do some training in preparation for the final part of the season. You know how much I love cycling and so it was great to share it with friends and I was pleased to discover people within Ferrari who share this interest. Who won? I did, but only because I’m fitter!
I arrived in Belgium this afternoon as I had an event to attend for my personal sponsor, Silestone and this evening I will get to Spa. I can’t wait to be back on track to continue with this run of positive results which goes back to Valencia. We will have some new parts on the 150º Italia which we hope will allow us to improve our performance a bit more. I am well aware that the championship situation is what it is, but that does not mean we have thrown in the towel. We always set out trying to win every race and, as I’ve been saying for a while now, we will do the maths at the end. These past weeks, I have spoken a few times to Stefano [Domenicali] and I could tell he is very motivated: I like that sort of spirit as it’s mine too.
It will be important to bring home some good results because the team has put in so much effort to get back on terms after a difficult start: all our guys and the fans deserve it.
Tomorrow is the start of what is a very special weekend for one driver who has played his part in the history of Formula 1 and Ferrari in particular: Michael Schumacher. It’s not for me to say he is the greatest of all time as usually, it is the numbers that do the talking: seven world titles, 91 wins, these are incredible records. I hold Michael in very high esteem and I feel honoured to have raced alongside him. When I came to Maranello, I realised even more how close are the ties that bind him to Ferrari and that is why I was particularly pleased with what Stefano had to say at the Wrooom Summer event, immediately before this break. I don’t know if in 2021 I will still be in Formula 1, it’s hard to say and this is a further confirmation of what an extraordinary career Michael has had. For my part, I want to take this opportunity to send him my very best wishes for this incredible landmark: twenty years is really an amazing achievement!
Source: Ferrari.com
Formula One world champion, Sebastian Vettel, finished a wet and wild Hungarian Grand Prix in second place to ensure that he goes into the summer break with a commanding overall lead of 85 points in the driver's championship. Here are Seb's thoughts in his latest blog...
by Sebastian Vettel on Aug 1, 2011
Szia!
It wouldn't be accurate to say that we're satisfied with our second place, but I guess that it's okay in the end. It just bothers me to know that it could have been better.
The race itself was just unbelievably hard and the conditions didn't make it a lot easier, especially at the start. The first laps felt as if I was driving on ice, which was a bit hard to cope with. Luckily that got better towards the end of the race, but it still had an impact on our performance.
'The first laps felt as if I was driving on ice'
I guess the car hasn't reached its maximum right now and that is something we have to work on after our summer break. After all, we don't want to rely on our current points, but to continue to win as many races as possible!
Though I'm a bit sad that the next race is four weeks away, I know that every one of us needs this break right now. The team deserves to go home and relax to come back with even more energy and enthusiasm. I'll also get away for a few weeks and try to get some sun. After the last few weeks, I've definitely had enough of the non-stop rain.
But before I leave, I want to use my blog to send out a last big 'Thank you!' to everyone who has made this season so amazing. My team on the track and at home in the factory did a great job and also the fans blew me away wherever we were. So, thank you guys! I'll talk to you again from Belgium!
Seb
Source: Red Bull
Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel put the disappointment of last week firmly behind him by grabbing pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday
by Sebastian Vettel on Jul 31, 2011
What an amazing result! Especially after the not so perfect days of last week – the pole position is something really special for us. I just feel really comfortable here and I guess that's one of the most important things. Once the feeling is right, everything comes in time.
After Friday night's hard work it just went better right from the start on Saturday. We thought that we could do well in qualifying, but being on pole made our day even better. Sure, it was really tough at times, especially with the McLarens on form, but right now we're just happy that we did a great job today.
'The pole position is something really special for us'
Today's pole is kind of a reward for the team's hard work – some of them stayed until the early hours of the morning. I'm just incredibly glad to have them and very proud of their performance.
Besides the tyres, we should also be aware of the constantly changing wind conditions. The winds are really strong and sometimes you kind of get a push from behind or from the sides. Luckily we have a lot of flags beside the track so we can be sure of the winds.
I know that my official home race was last week, but this one in Hungary has a similar feeling because of the closeness to Austria. There are a lot of fans who come to the track and support us with their signs and flags. We're really lucky to have them and we'll be even more motivated tomorrow!
Talk to you later!
Seb
Source: Red Bull
