Everyone loves a winner, but the British love British winner more than anyone else. Thankfully, for them, Lewis Hamilton came up trumps at Silverstone and gave the likes of David Croft and countless others cause for unabated nationalism.
I’m not sure us Aussies would be as bad if Daniel ever wins in Melbourne.
Here’s the transcript from the post-race press conference at the British Grand Prix. We’ll start with a few words from Daniel Ricciardo who explained a one-stop strategy wasn’t his original plan.
“We chose to restart on the prime,” Daniel said. “It didn’t seem like the best thing to do at first because we were really slow at the restart. Valtteri and Fernando got past me pretty easily and pulled away and I was coming on the radio basically saying ‘let’s see if we can try something a little bit different’ as we didn’t really have the pace as we hoped.
“Once we came in for the option, we just ran and pushed pretty much for the whole stint. I didn’t intend on doing a one-stop when I started on that tyre but laps ticked off and we were still able to keep the pace. The team said ‘do you think you could do another 15–20 laps’ and I was like ‘at the moment, yeah, I think we can’, so we stayed out and just held on at the end. It was awesome.
“I think all three of us had a bit of redemption on our plate today. It was a pretty dismal Saturday for us. I think we’re all pretty happy. This is definitely one of my best podiums this year.”
[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
On the weekend Silverstone celebrated its 50th anniversary Lewis Hamilton delighted the home crowd by winning the British Grand Prix. It’s his 27th career win and brings him alongside Sir Jackie Stewart to equal seventh on the all-time list.
In even better news for Lewis he has reduced the championship title race to just four points after teammate Nico Rosberg was forced to retire with gearbox issues. Rosberg led the race up until his Lap 28 retirement. Lewis, though, was only too happy to assume the lead which he held comfortably until the chequered flag.
Valtteri Bottas achieved his best grand prix result by finishing second, improving one step at a time after his third place in Austria. It was an impressive result after starting from P14 and using a one-stop strategy to climb twelve places. Daniel Ricciardo also employed a one-stop tyre strategy to elevate himself from a P8 starting position to finish in third place.
An opening lap crash by Kimi Raikkonen brought out a red flag. Raikkonen ran wide into Turn 5 and when he rejoined the track on Wellington Straight he ran over a bump which caused him to lose control and crash head-on into an armco barrier. The impact spat him back across the track and Felipe Massa, in his 200th grand prix, clipped Raikkonen’s Ferrari while trying to avoid contact.
Both drivers were forced to retire from the race and concerns over Raikkonen’s immediate health were eased when he emerged from his car. He later complained of ankle pain and will be monitored after Ferrari later revealed the impact of the crash was registered at 47G.
Jenson Button finished fourth after also opting for a one-stop strategy. Button was closing in fast on third place as the race drew to an end. Perhaps with another lap or two he may have been able to overtake Ricciardo for P3.
A stoush between Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso provided entertainment as they diced wheel-to-wheel. Both drivers got on the radio to complain about poor standards from the other and in the end Vettel came up trumps finishing in P5, Alonso in P6. Although, Vettel will be sour after he started the race on the front row, while Alonso will feel better about his day after starting form a lowly P16.
The top 10 was rounded out by Kevin Magnussen, Nico Hulkenberg and the Toro Rossos of Daniil Kvyat and Jean-Eric Vergne.
Nico Rosberg will start from pole position after a topsy turvy qualifying at the British Grand Prix. It’s the German’s fourth pole for the year and once again he was lucky to gain a big advantage over his key championship rival and teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Rain was present throughout all three qualifying sessions which meant the times were a bit all over the place. Both Ferrari drivers and both Williams drivers missed progression to Q2, which will add extra spice to the race as they try to charge past slower cars.
But it was the final session which held the main drama. All drivers except Sebastian Vettel set times in the early part of Q3 with the results seeing Lewis Hamilton (1:39.232) on provisional pole ahead of Rosberg.
Midway through the session rain became heavy in parts of the track and drivers sat it out in pit lane waiting as late as they dare before reemerging for a last gasp effort.
Hamilton and Rosberg crossed the line to start their final laps with moments to spare, the provisional pole sitter ahead of his teammate. Rosberg desperate to push for P1 was right on Hamilton’s tail. The first two sectors were slow for Rosberg, but he kept pushing. In the final sector he made up significant time and landed pole position (1:35.766) with a time more than three seconds faster than Hamilton’s who had aborted his final lap.
Other drivers to benefit from pushing right until the end were Vettel (1:37.386) and Jenson Button (1:38.200). Nico Hulkenberg (1:38.329) was the first of the late runners to show there was time to be made up in the final sector and briefly held provisional pole.
In the wash up Hamilton finished in P6 and looked bitterly disappointed with that outcome as he emerged from his car after quali.
Daniel Ricciardo was in P4 after the first round of laps early in the session but chose not to set another lap and he will line up from P8 on the grid. It’s fair to say Daniel was surprised at how much faster his opponents could go.
“I didn’t expect it to go quicker at the end of the session there, as the rain kept coming,” Ricciardo said. “We really thought the track wouldn’t get quicker, Vettel only went out as he didn’t have a time at that point. We have to learn from it I guess – I’m gobsmacked how much faster the circuit got, it must dry a lot quicker here than I thought. We’ll move forwards from there tomorrow.”
The final grid, which has been affected with a number of penalties, can be seen after the break along with the full text from the post-qualifying press conference.
It’s our turn now to pay respects to Mark Webber’s 12-year Formula 1 career. We’re doing so by offering up a pictorial reminder of Mark’s nine grand prix wins. On the one had his maiden victory at the 2009 German Grand Prix seems like it happened only yesterday. Yet, so much has happened since that great day.
Finally, after years of hard toil, Mark had a winning car under him, but did he have a winning team behind him? The first inkling that some in Red Bull considered him an inconvenience, as Mark once described himself, came in the aftermath of his crash with Sebastian Vettel at the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix. The front wing swap controversy followed soon after at Silverstone, leading to Mark’s “Not bad for a number two driver” comment following what must rank as one of his most satisfying wins.
The most decisive point in Mark’s F1 career came during a rainy 2010 Korean Grand Prix, when he crashed out in pursuit of Sebastian Vettel. Mark was leading the world championship at the time and solid result at Yeongam would have helped maintain his charge towards the title.
Sadly for Mark, on the biggest stage, he made a vital mistake and, despite being in the hunt right to the final race, a failure to capture the championship looked inevitable. Having to watch Vettel steal the title during an excruciating Abu Dhabi Grand Prix would have only rubbed salt into Webber’s festering wounds.
The Vettel juggernaut continued in 2011 and a disappointing season was salvaged to a degree with a win at Brazil, before reaching high points in 2012 with repeat victories at Monaco and Britain. More than 500 days have passed since Mark’s last win, which just highlights the gap between he and Sebastian Vettel, who has won 17 grands prix in that time.
One final blow up between Mark and Sebastian occurred earlier this year during the Malaysian Grand Prix, when Vettel defied team orders and overtook Webber on the way to victory. Perhaps that was the final straw Mark needed before signing a long-term deal to go endurance racing with Porsche.
For many fans Mark’s career is one that lies in the “what could have been” category. Mark himself says he has no regrets and is not too proud to admit his shortcomings. His own self-reflection is one of the aspects that makes him so universally liked in F1. Ironically, and tellingly, Mark’s greatest detractor in the sport has come from within his own garage in the form of Helmut Marko.
For now, though, let’s put all those thoughts behind us and revisit the nine perfect Monday mornings Mark delivered to Australian F1 fans. Thanks Mark! We’re looking forward to many more happy Mondays following your move to Porsche.
[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Mark Webber’s second British Grand Prix victory is still fresh in our minds. It’s probably one of the first races Webber has won where he has been able to strike when a win looked off the cards. In his own words he wasn’t sure he could pass Alonso until he was right on the Ferrari’s gearbox.
“It’s taking a while to sink in this one. I think it was the circumstances of the race—for most of it I was marking off second place,” explained Webber. “Fernando was not quite out of touch and after the last stop, my engineer Ciaron came on the radio saying that Fernando was not doing much on the option tyres. But I know Fernando is a wily old fox, I thought he was looking after the tyres and just waiting to pull the pin and go a little bit.
“But when I got within two seconds I thought maybe he’s in a little bit of trouble and it was real. It was completely game on when I knew the DRS was available, I made the move stick and our hard work paid off for the win. It was a cracking grand prix today; the spectators got to see a good race and I’m pleased for them.â€
After the break we have a large selection of images to help you recount Webber’s ninth GP win. We do wonder what Mark was saying to Sebastian and Fernando on the podium.
Mark Webber has managed to make hay while the sun was shining at Silverstone and won the 2012 British Grand Prix. Webber headed home polesitter Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) and his Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel.
The race itself was quite nondescript and, once again, it was tyre strategy that had as much influence on the result as outright race pace. Following the awful conditions for yesterday’s qualifying the teams weren’t expecting today’s sunny weather. Of course, a dry race start meant drivers were free to choose from either the soft or hard compound slicks.
Alsono and Ferrari played their card early by choosing to start the race on hards, while their competitors behind went for softs. For the most part it looked as though Ferrari had made the right call; Alonso led the majority of the race and was able to rejoin in the lead after making his final stop.
The soft tyres were the slower of the two compounds and Alonso saved them for last, while Webber ran them in his first stint. With 14 laps left to go it was soon apparent that Alonso would be at the mercy of Webber, as his soft tyres lost their grip. And so it came to pass on lap 48 with a sterling move from Webber to take the race lead around the outside of Alonso. From there Webber was able to hold station and win by three seconds.
It’s the Australian’s second win in 2012, following his victory in Monte Carlo, and the ninth of his career. Today’s win is also Webber’s second at Silverstone, adding to his “not bad for a number two driver” race in 2010.
We didn’t see much of Daniel Ricciardo today, but he did what he needed to do and out qualified his Toro Rosso teammate, Jean-Eric Vergne, and then finished ahead of him in the race, even if it was only by a bit over two seconds.
Fernando Alonso continues to lead the drivers’ championship, albeit with his margin cut by 7pts thanks to Webber’s win. The Aussie remains second in the title race and is building some momentum. While Sebatsian Vettel’s third place has moved him into third in the championship as well.
Final placings and updated championship positions are listed below. We’ll have a bumper pictorial of Webber’s win for you in the next 24–48 hours.
With victory at Silverstone overnight Mark Webber became the first driver to win three races in 2010. And, following that qualifying wing-swap controversy with teammate Sebastian Vettel, what a satisfying win it was too.
Webber was determined to take the lead by the first corner and after the race he explained, “It was pretty straightforward. I made a good start. I was very keen to make it my corner and it worked out well for me, so it was good.”
The Australian was still firm in his views when asked in the post-race press conference about the situation from qualifying, “Yesterday was a really unique situation. It was the first time that the team had really had one component. Honestly I would never have signed a contract again for next year if I believed that that was the way it was going to be going forward. That’s why I was disappointed yesterday and was honest with you guys. Let’s see how it goes in the future but I just keep doing what I do and hopefully it’s enough.”
The complete transcript from the press-conference is now available at Formula1.com. Also, selected team and driver quotes recorded after the race, including words from Vettel, can be read as well.
After the jump a set of Red Bull Racing images captured from race day and qualifying are available. Images from other teams to follow soon.
UPDATE: SMH.com.au brings us some amazing allegations of intra-team rivalry at Red Bull Racing: “Webber’s mechanics were said to have removed the ‘old’ front wing that Webber had been forced to race with and waved it at Vettel’s side of the garage.”
UPDATE II: New pics from McLaren, Mercedes GP, Williams, Sauber, Force India, Toro Rosso, Renault and Ferrari added below.
Mark Webber has won his third Grand Prix of the 2010 Formula One season at Silverstone this evening. Webber started from second on the grid, behind his Red Bull Racing teammate Sebastian Vettel, but was able to edge ahead of Vettel into the first corner.
Through the next series of corners Vettel ran wide and picked up a puncture after minor contact with Lewis Hamilton. This setback which sent Vettel to the back of the field. From there it was a masterful race from Webber who maintained the lead for the rest of the race.
Lewis Hamilton finished second and was able to pressure the Australian in the in the first part of the race when both drivers were on the softer compound tyres. Hamilton came into change tyres before Webber, but Red Bull Racing got Webber in and out safely on the next lap and back out ahead of Hamilton. Once on the harder prime tyres Webber was supreme and the only way Hamilton could close the gap was thanks to a safety car period to clear some debris from the track.
After the restart Webber once again pulled away and established a comfortable lead. As the race drew to an inevitable end Webber slowed his pace and coasted to victory just 1.3 seconds ahead of Hamilton. Nico Rosberg finished in third place. Vettel, for his misfortune at the start of the race, managed to make the most of the safety car period to fight back into the points finishing in seventh position.
You may remember news from last July that Silverstone is to be stripped of its Formula One rights after the 2009 British Grand Prix. From 2010 the race is set to be held at Donington Park, after a new 10-year deal was struck with Bernie Ecclestone. However, the North West Leicestershire complex needs a radical revamp to bring it up to modern day requirements. The last Grand Prix held at the circuit was in 1993, won on a rain soaked afternoon by Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna in a McLaren.
The rubber stamp for the new works has just been granted and the £100M (AU$215M) project is about to begin. There are just 17 months to go until the 2010 British Grand Prix.
Owner of Donington Park, Simon Gillett, is raring to go, “It starts in earnest now, and time to start focusing on 2010 and delivering the best grand prix in the world. That is what I’ve always said we would deliver, and that is what we are going to do.”
Interestingly, part of the deal with Gillett and his local district council is to create a sucessful traffic management plan to allow for easy access for fans. The current site is not well served by public transport and this is something that will need to be resolved. If Gillett fails to appease the council they have the power to impose an injunction thereby stopping the race.
Gillett plans to implement various park’n’ride initiatives in the Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire areas to bring racegoers to Donington Park. He will also limit the amount of on site parking available.
As with most decisions made in F1 these days there seems to be a fair amount of backroom politics going on, so it will be interesting to see how smoothly this development runs over the next 17 months.
Source: TimesOnline