BRITISH GP, updates and results ......
07-08-2007, 07:32 PM
#31
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Hamilton baffled by lack of pace
Sunday 8th July 2007
Lewis Hamilton was at a loss to explain why he lost so much pace during the British GP after failing to deliver the win that the patriotic Silverstone fans craved.
Having started the race from pole position, the British rookie rapidly fell out of contention and finished almost forty seconds behind the victorious Kimi Raikkonen.
"I don't know what happened in the second or third stints. I was very consistent in the third stint but I just didn't have the pace of the Ferraris. Throughout the weekend I've been struggling to get the car balanced," Lewis admitted.
"I think I made a wrong decision with the set-up. I chose a different rear end to Fernando and I think it really caused me problems during the race.
"Even in qualifying we didn't really have the pace we should have had but it was too late by then to change the car. So it was a good lesson."
Hamilton's decline was in sharp contrast to the euphoria twenty-four hours earlier when he claimed a dramatic pole position. The 22-year-old was able to repel Raikkonen until the first round of pit-stops but even during the early stages of the race it was apparent that his McLaren was struggling to match the Ferrari.
"At beginning, I was trying to build up a lead but Kimi was just too quick and towards the end of the first stint, my tyres began to fall away."
Hamilton's chances of victory, though, weren't helped by an error he made during the first pit stop, which he conceded was no one's fault but his own.
"At the first pit stop I made a mistake. I thought the lollipop lifted and I went. It was a mistake which lost me time," he said.
Nevertheless, the McLaren rookie still managed to extend his run of podium finishes and add to his points-tally at the top of the standings. "We've come away with the points, and I'm happy with my ninth podium."
After nine races Hamilton holds a 12-point lead in the race for this year's Drivers' Championship title.
Lewis Hamilton was at a loss to explain why he lost so much pace during the British GP after failing to deliver the win that the patriotic Silverstone fans craved.
Having started the race from pole position, the British rookie rapidly fell out of contention and finished almost forty seconds behind the victorious Kimi Raikkonen.
"I don't know what happened in the second or third stints. I was very consistent in the third stint but I just didn't have the pace of the Ferraris. Throughout the weekend I've been struggling to get the car balanced," Lewis admitted.
"I think I made a wrong decision with the set-up. I chose a different rear end to Fernando and I think it really caused me problems during the race.
"Even in qualifying we didn't really have the pace we should have had but it was too late by then to change the car. So it was a good lesson."
Hamilton's decline was in sharp contrast to the euphoria twenty-four hours earlier when he claimed a dramatic pole position. The 22-year-old was able to repel Raikkonen until the first round of pit-stops but even during the early stages of the race it was apparent that his McLaren was struggling to match the Ferrari.
"At beginning, I was trying to build up a lead but Kimi was just too quick and towards the end of the first stint, my tyres began to fall away."
Hamilton's chances of victory, though, weren't helped by an error he made during the first pit stop, which he conceded was no one's fault but his own.
"At the first pit stop I made a mistake. I thought the lollipop lifted and I went. It was a mistake which lost me time," he said.
Nevertheless, the McLaren rookie still managed to extend his run of podium finishes and add to his points-tally at the top of the standings. "We've come away with the points, and I'm happy with my ninth podium."
After nine races Hamilton holds a 12-point lead in the race for this year's Drivers' Championship title.
07-08-2007, 07:35 PM
#32
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Raikkonen Rains on Lewis`s Parade
Sunday 8th July 2007
Hamiltonmania was quelled at Silverstone as Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso denied the British rookie victory in front of his home crowd.
Despite starting the race from pole position, Hamilton's aspirations of victory were short-lived as he wasn't able to get clear on a lighter fuel load and was leapfrogged by both Raikkonen and Alonso at the first pit-stops.
Raikkonen's superior Ferrari pace disposed of Alonso in the second round of pit-stops allowing him to take his second successiverace win. After stalling on the grid, Felipe Massa finished fifth, failing to get past the stubborn resistance of BMW's Robert Kubica.
Race report
The sun was shining bright through cotton wool clouds and although there was a small chance of a shower it didn't materialise - the ambient temperature was 23C and the track at 45C.
As the cars lined up for the start, attention immediately switched to the waving hands of Felipe Massa in P4 on the grid. He'd stalled his Ferrari and the start would have to be aborted - reduced from 60 laps to 59.
As the grid departed for another warm-up lap, Massa's car was wheeled back to the pitlane. Luckily he didn't find Takuma Sato there, as the Super Aguri had elected to start from his garage rather than the end of the pitlane.
Lewis Hamilton led the cars round for another attempt at the start and this time nobody stalled. Hamilton didn't get jumped by Raikkonen as the red lights went out but felt the need to go defensive into Turn 1, taking a tighter line into Copse and keeping the Ferrari behind him. Both Raikkonen and Massa were starting on the softer (white striped) tyre which would give them an advantage in the opening laps.
Though he was close through the Becketts sweeps, on the run down the Hangar Straight to Stowe corner Raikkonen wasn't close enough to challenge.
Behind them there was little shuffling of the order, though a lot of cars moved up one place thanks to Massa starting from the back.
As the cars crossed the line at the end of Lap 1, the positions were:
Hamilton, Raikkonen, Alonso, Kubica, Kovalainen, Fisichella, Heidfeld, Ralf Schumacher, Webber, Trulli and David Coulthard in 11th place.
Kimi Raikkonen showed his intent by putting in the Fastest Lap on Lap 2 with a 1:22.461, Felipe Massa was already up to 16th place.
The following lap Lewis Hamilton put in the Fastest Lap of 1:22.032 as Massa cruised past Liuzzi for 15th.
Showing that he meant business Hamilton followed this up with a Fastest Lap on Lap 4, a 1:21.896, while Massa hauled his way past Scott Speed for 13th on Lap 5.
Lewis wasn't having everything his own way, though, and Raikkonen was less than a second behind him with Alonso just 2.6 seconds back from the leader.
The major mover was Felipe Massa who took advantage of a clash between David Coulthard and Nico Rosberg on Lap 7 going into Vale, which forced the Williams-Toyota driver onto the grass and allowed Massa to ****** 12th.
Coulthard proved a little more difficult to overtake than Rosberg and despite a lap and a half's active resistance the Ferrari driver was able to power past for 11th place, which became 10th a lap later when Mark Webber retired his Red Bull.
Raikkonen had complained that he couldn't get close to Felipe Massa at Magny Cours because of the disturbed air produced by the leading car, and it looked like a re-run at Silverstone with the Finn holding station at about a second back.
Hamilton tried one more time to lose him on Lap 11 and put in the Fastest Lap of 1:21.675. Raikkonen immediately matched it and went faster on Lap 12 with a 1:21.511, and then reduced that to 1:21.490 on Lap 13.
Such was the Ferrari driver's pace that he began to look for a way past Hamilton and was right on the McLaren's tail down the Hangar Straight forcing the No.2 car to change its line. On Lap 14 Raikkonen was much quicker than Hamilton through Bridge and Priory and looked to be steaming up the inside of the McLaren going into Brooklands. It was never going to work and the crowd held their breath...
Raikkonen got on the brakes quick enough to avoid colliding with Hamilton but if he didn't get past him on the road, it looked like he'd take the lead in the pit-stops.
Hamilton stayed defensive to his pit-stop at the end of Lap 16 and we were able to witness his first mistake of any note in F1. Keen to get away, Hamilton allowed his McLaren to edge forwards before the refuelling was done, reacting to the flip over of the lollypop rather than its lifting to allow him to go.
It lost him a few seconds but that was all. Out in front Kimi Raikkonen had the hammer down and put in a Fastest Lap of 1:20.638 while Alonso set a Personal Best of 1:21.588. With Lewis lapping in the 1:22s, Raikkonen was clearly going to get out in front of the McLaren and when he came in at the end of Lap 18, he'd duly taken the place, despite a 9.1 second stop.
As was suspected, Fernando Alonso had been fuelled longer than Hamilton, and continued to put in 1:21s at the front of the race. When he rejoined the track on Lap 21 he'd stolen enough time on Raikkonen to keep the lead.
So on Lap 22 the order was Alonso, 2.4 seconds ahead of Raikkonen, who was 2.6 seconds in front of Hamilton, who had 13.3 seconds on Kubica, Heidfeld, Fisichella was 6th, Massa up to 7th, Heidfeld, Coulthard (not stopped) and Kovalainen.
Alonso was fuelled lighter during the middle stint and tried to edge out the gap to Raikkonen while he had an advantage. By Lap 24 he had a 4.2 second gap, but by Lap 30 it was still only 4.4.
All the while Hamilton was falling away from the lead, regularly losing 0.3 to 0.4 in the first sector alone. Though he was maintaining the gap to Robert Kubica in 4th place any chance at the win was rapidly going away from him in the middle stint.
The Wurz vs Speed battle delayed Alonso temporarily and the gap fell to 3.7 seconds. Meanwhile Massa was beginning to menace Giancarlo Fisichella for his 6th place. Kimi Raikkonen also incurred delays from backmarkers and on lap 36 the gap from Alonso to Raikkonen was 5.5 seconds. When Fernando pitted at the end of Lap 37 he rejoined behind an intra-Williams battle of Rosberg versus Williams.
In the absence of a Mclaren in front of him Raikkonen once again stepped on the gas:
Lap 40
Raikkonen 1:21.287
Alonso 1:22.975
Lap 41
Raikkonen 1:21.023
Alonso 1:21.966
Lap 42
Raikkonen 1:20.998
Alonso: 1:21.993
Raikkonen pitted at the end of Lap 43 and he'd already given himself a comfortable enough cushion to get out in front of Alonso.
On Lap 44, the gap to Alonso was 3.2 seconds and apart from the very leisurely final lap from Kimi, the World Champion would not get as close again.
Massa had jumped ahead of Fisichella and Heidfeld in their final pit-stops and so the positions on Lap 46 with everyone fuelled to the finish were:
Raikkonen 4.4 seconds ahead of Alonso, who was 27.9 in front of Hamilton in P3. Robert Kubica was in fourth place only 1.7 in front of Massa, followed by Heidfeld, Kovalainen and Fisichella in 8th place.
The only battle to be played out was for fourth place and such was Felipe Massa's rapid overahaul of Kubica's BMW it seemed that the Brazilian would soon be back in his starting position (P4). On Lap 48 the gap was just 0.3 seconds with 11 laps to find a way through.
For 11 laps Massa tried to find a suitable place on the Northamptonshire track and despite having a couple of looks into Abbey, the Ferrari never made it past.
At the front, Raikkonen cruised to the chequered flag and his second successive victory. Alonso followed home in second place with Hamilton a very distant third. Kubica managed to defend to the line and clung on to 4th place, with Massa 5th, Heidfeld 6th, Kovalainen 7th and Fisichella 8th making it the top four teams in the top eight places.
Parking the car in parc ferme Raikkonen looked unsusually animated. Apart from taking first place, he'd overtaken Felipe Massa in his team-mate battle. Though he could have imagined a win before he started the race - a six-point thumping of Massa hadn't looked at all likely.
Alonso will have been cheered to establish such a large gap over his team-mate, while a resigned Lewis Hamilton had to be content with his smallest trophy of the season, but a record 9th-successive podium for a rookie.
The McLaren team had used the harder tyre for two stints out of three whereas Ron Dennis's verdict after the flag was that it should have been one stint out of three.
It had been a strategy battle Mclaren had lost, but they will have been cheered to score the same constructor points as Ferrari. Tjough they will not be looking forward to the European GP at the Nurburgring which provides the same kind of balance of corners as Silverstone. And over which Raikkonen assuredly rained on Hamilton's parade.
FH
Results
1 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:21:43.074
2 F. Alonso McLaren + 2.400
3 L. Hamilton McLaren + 39.300
4 R. Kubica BMW + 53.300
5 F. Massa Ferrari + 54.000
6 N. Heidfeld BMW + 56.300
7 H. Kovalainen Renault + 1 laps
8 G. Fisichella Renault + 1 laps
9 R. Barrichello Honda + 1 laps
10 J. Button Honda + 1 laps
11 D. Coulthard Red Bull + 1 laps
12 N. Rosberg Williams + 1 laps
13 A. Wurz Williams + 1 laps
14 T. Sato Super Aguri + 2 laps
15 C. Albers Spyker F1 + 2 laps
Did not finish
16 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 6 laps
17 J. Trulli Toyota + 16 laps
18 A. Davidson Super Aguri + 24 laps
19 S. Speed Scuderia Toro Rosso + 30 laps
20 R. Schumacher Toyota + 37 laps
21 A. Sutil Spyker F1 + 43 laps
22 M. Webber Red Bull + 51 laps
Hamiltonmania was quelled at Silverstone as Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso denied the British rookie victory in front of his home crowd.
Despite starting the race from pole position, Hamilton's aspirations of victory were short-lived as he wasn't able to get clear on a lighter fuel load and was leapfrogged by both Raikkonen and Alonso at the first pit-stops.
Raikkonen's superior Ferrari pace disposed of Alonso in the second round of pit-stops allowing him to take his second successiverace win. After stalling on the grid, Felipe Massa finished fifth, failing to get past the stubborn resistance of BMW's Robert Kubica.
Race report
The sun was shining bright through cotton wool clouds and although there was a small chance of a shower it didn't materialise - the ambient temperature was 23C and the track at 45C.
As the cars lined up for the start, attention immediately switched to the waving hands of Felipe Massa in P4 on the grid. He'd stalled his Ferrari and the start would have to be aborted - reduced from 60 laps to 59.
As the grid departed for another warm-up lap, Massa's car was wheeled back to the pitlane. Luckily he didn't find Takuma Sato there, as the Super Aguri had elected to start from his garage rather than the end of the pitlane.
Lewis Hamilton led the cars round for another attempt at the start and this time nobody stalled. Hamilton didn't get jumped by Raikkonen as the red lights went out but felt the need to go defensive into Turn 1, taking a tighter line into Copse and keeping the Ferrari behind him. Both Raikkonen and Massa were starting on the softer (white striped) tyre which would give them an advantage in the opening laps.
Though he was close through the Becketts sweeps, on the run down the Hangar Straight to Stowe corner Raikkonen wasn't close enough to challenge.
Behind them there was little shuffling of the order, though a lot of cars moved up one place thanks to Massa starting from the back.
As the cars crossed the line at the end of Lap 1, the positions were:
Hamilton, Raikkonen, Alonso, Kubica, Kovalainen, Fisichella, Heidfeld, Ralf Schumacher, Webber, Trulli and David Coulthard in 11th place.
Kimi Raikkonen showed his intent by putting in the Fastest Lap on Lap 2 with a 1:22.461, Felipe Massa was already up to 16th place.
The following lap Lewis Hamilton put in the Fastest Lap of 1:22.032 as Massa cruised past Liuzzi for 15th.
Showing that he meant business Hamilton followed this up with a Fastest Lap on Lap 4, a 1:21.896, while Massa hauled his way past Scott Speed for 13th on Lap 5.
Lewis wasn't having everything his own way, though, and Raikkonen was less than a second behind him with Alonso just 2.6 seconds back from the leader.
The major mover was Felipe Massa who took advantage of a clash between David Coulthard and Nico Rosberg on Lap 7 going into Vale, which forced the Williams-Toyota driver onto the grass and allowed Massa to ****** 12th.
Coulthard proved a little more difficult to overtake than Rosberg and despite a lap and a half's active resistance the Ferrari driver was able to power past for 11th place, which became 10th a lap later when Mark Webber retired his Red Bull.
Raikkonen had complained that he couldn't get close to Felipe Massa at Magny Cours because of the disturbed air produced by the leading car, and it looked like a re-run at Silverstone with the Finn holding station at about a second back.
Hamilton tried one more time to lose him on Lap 11 and put in the Fastest Lap of 1:21.675. Raikkonen immediately matched it and went faster on Lap 12 with a 1:21.511, and then reduced that to 1:21.490 on Lap 13.
Such was the Ferrari driver's pace that he began to look for a way past Hamilton and was right on the McLaren's tail down the Hangar Straight forcing the No.2 car to change its line. On Lap 14 Raikkonen was much quicker than Hamilton through Bridge and Priory and looked to be steaming up the inside of the McLaren going into Brooklands. It was never going to work and the crowd held their breath...
Raikkonen got on the brakes quick enough to avoid colliding with Hamilton but if he didn't get past him on the road, it looked like he'd take the lead in the pit-stops.
Hamilton stayed defensive to his pit-stop at the end of Lap 16 and we were able to witness his first mistake of any note in F1. Keen to get away, Hamilton allowed his McLaren to edge forwards before the refuelling was done, reacting to the flip over of the lollypop rather than its lifting to allow him to go.
It lost him a few seconds but that was all. Out in front Kimi Raikkonen had the hammer down and put in a Fastest Lap of 1:20.638 while Alonso set a Personal Best of 1:21.588. With Lewis lapping in the 1:22s, Raikkonen was clearly going to get out in front of the McLaren and when he came in at the end of Lap 18, he'd duly taken the place, despite a 9.1 second stop.
As was suspected, Fernando Alonso had been fuelled longer than Hamilton, and continued to put in 1:21s at the front of the race. When he rejoined the track on Lap 21 he'd stolen enough time on Raikkonen to keep the lead.
So on Lap 22 the order was Alonso, 2.4 seconds ahead of Raikkonen, who was 2.6 seconds in front of Hamilton, who had 13.3 seconds on Kubica, Heidfeld, Fisichella was 6th, Massa up to 7th, Heidfeld, Coulthard (not stopped) and Kovalainen.
Alonso was fuelled lighter during the middle stint and tried to edge out the gap to Raikkonen while he had an advantage. By Lap 24 he had a 4.2 second gap, but by Lap 30 it was still only 4.4.
All the while Hamilton was falling away from the lead, regularly losing 0.3 to 0.4 in the first sector alone. Though he was maintaining the gap to Robert Kubica in 4th place any chance at the win was rapidly going away from him in the middle stint.
The Wurz vs Speed battle delayed Alonso temporarily and the gap fell to 3.7 seconds. Meanwhile Massa was beginning to menace Giancarlo Fisichella for his 6th place. Kimi Raikkonen also incurred delays from backmarkers and on lap 36 the gap from Alonso to Raikkonen was 5.5 seconds. When Fernando pitted at the end of Lap 37 he rejoined behind an intra-Williams battle of Rosberg versus Williams.
In the absence of a Mclaren in front of him Raikkonen once again stepped on the gas:
Lap 40
Raikkonen 1:21.287
Alonso 1:22.975
Lap 41
Raikkonen 1:21.023
Alonso 1:21.966
Lap 42
Raikkonen 1:20.998
Alonso: 1:21.993
Raikkonen pitted at the end of Lap 43 and he'd already given himself a comfortable enough cushion to get out in front of Alonso.
On Lap 44, the gap to Alonso was 3.2 seconds and apart from the very leisurely final lap from Kimi, the World Champion would not get as close again.
Massa had jumped ahead of Fisichella and Heidfeld in their final pit-stops and so the positions on Lap 46 with everyone fuelled to the finish were:
Raikkonen 4.4 seconds ahead of Alonso, who was 27.9 in front of Hamilton in P3. Robert Kubica was in fourth place only 1.7 in front of Massa, followed by Heidfeld, Kovalainen and Fisichella in 8th place.
The only battle to be played out was for fourth place and such was Felipe Massa's rapid overahaul of Kubica's BMW it seemed that the Brazilian would soon be back in his starting position (P4). On Lap 48 the gap was just 0.3 seconds with 11 laps to find a way through.
For 11 laps Massa tried to find a suitable place on the Northamptonshire track and despite having a couple of looks into Abbey, the Ferrari never made it past.
At the front, Raikkonen cruised to the chequered flag and his second successive victory. Alonso followed home in second place with Hamilton a very distant third. Kubica managed to defend to the line and clung on to 4th place, with Massa 5th, Heidfeld 6th, Kovalainen 7th and Fisichella 8th making it the top four teams in the top eight places.
Parking the car in parc ferme Raikkonen looked unsusually animated. Apart from taking first place, he'd overtaken Felipe Massa in his team-mate battle. Though he could have imagined a win before he started the race - a six-point thumping of Massa hadn't looked at all likely.
Alonso will have been cheered to establish such a large gap over his team-mate, while a resigned Lewis Hamilton had to be content with his smallest trophy of the season, but a record 9th-successive podium for a rookie.
The McLaren team had used the harder tyre for two stints out of three whereas Ron Dennis's verdict after the flag was that it should have been one stint out of three.
It had been a strategy battle Mclaren had lost, but they will have been cheered to score the same constructor points as Ferrari. Tjough they will not be looking forward to the European GP at the Nurburgring which provides the same kind of balance of corners as Silverstone. And over which Raikkonen assuredly rained on Hamilton's parade.
FH
Results
1 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:21:43.074
2 F. Alonso McLaren + 2.400
3 L. Hamilton McLaren + 39.300
4 R. Kubica BMW + 53.300
5 F. Massa Ferrari + 54.000
6 N. Heidfeld BMW + 56.300
7 H. Kovalainen Renault + 1 laps
8 G. Fisichella Renault + 1 laps
9 R. Barrichello Honda + 1 laps
10 J. Button Honda + 1 laps
11 D. Coulthard Red Bull + 1 laps
12 N. Rosberg Williams + 1 laps
13 A. Wurz Williams + 1 laps
14 T. Sato Super Aguri + 2 laps
15 C. Albers Spyker F1 + 2 laps
Did not finish
16 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 6 laps
17 J. Trulli Toyota + 16 laps
18 A. Davidson Super Aguri + 24 laps
19 S. Speed Scuderia Toro Rosso + 30 laps
20 R. Schumacher Toyota + 37 laps
21 A. Sutil Spyker F1 + 43 laps
22 M. Webber Red Bull + 51 laps
07-08-2007, 07:38 PM
#33
Formula One Spin Doctor
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Alonso: `Ferrari were too quick`
Fernando Alonso has admitted that McLaren were no match for Ferrari at Silverstone.
Denying that his pit-stop strategy was a costly handicap, Alonso bemoaned a lack of pace after finishing second in the British GP behind Kimi Raikkonen.
"We took a gamble and you never know what would happen," the Spaniard said of the team's decision to short-fuel his McLaren at the first round of pit-stops. "But today Ferrari were a little too quick and second place was the maximum."
According to the World Champion, Ferrari's advantage amounted to "two or three tenths a lap in the same conditions."
"I am happy with second place," Fernando declared. "It is better to win but it was not possible today."
Denying that his pit-stop strategy was a costly handicap, Alonso bemoaned a lack of pace after finishing second in the British GP behind Kimi Raikkonen.
"We took a gamble and you never know what would happen," the Spaniard said of the team's decision to short-fuel his McLaren at the first round of pit-stops. "But today Ferrari were a little too quick and second place was the maximum."
According to the World Champion, Ferrari's advantage amounted to "two or three tenths a lap in the same conditions."
"I am happy with second place," Fernando declared. "It is better to win but it was not possible today."
07-08-2007, 07:41 PM
#34
Formula One Spin Doctor
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Press Conference , Sunday BGP 2007
Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton reflected on the British GP in the post-race press conference...
Q: Kimi, a fantastic win for you, effectively won in the middle phase of the race, those six laps after Fernando had made his pit stop. You seemed to have a relatively free track in terms of traffic and you took the lead.
Kimi Raikkonen: Yeah, we had a little bit of traffic but I think we had a good car all day - all weekend, actually. At the beginning of the race I was just trying to save some fuel and look after my tyres and car and then once Lewis pitted I tried to push and gain some time on him and that went well. And then Fernando did a very short stop, so we knew that we were going to run longer in the second stop so I just tried to push as hard as we could once he came in and it was enough. After that, it was pretty easy.
Q: Let's talk about that first phase of the race: Lewis took the lead, you seemed to match him, fastest lap for fastest lap for the first few laps of the race and then it looked as if you could put pressure on Lewis.
KR: Yeah, like I said, we just saved fuel and then once we knew that we had enough I was able to close the gap pretty easily and try to overtake him, but then we were expecting him to stop a bit earlier, so I didn't want to risk too much. I think it worked out pretty well.
Q: Different tyre combinations for all three of you in terms of the Bridgestone hard and soft compound; what was it like from your point of view in terms of the car balance and indeed, any other events in the Grand Prix?
KR: I think it was good. Both tyres seemed to work very well. It didn't make any difference really. The hard one was very good at the end but then we didn't need to push any more. So far everything worked well.
Q: And the British Grand Prix is always a special event for any racing driver; your thoughts on your closing lap and the slow-down lap, the Lewis Hamilton crowd out there but you spoilt the day for them.
KR: Yeah, it was a very nice feeling to win the race of course. We've been close here a few times, but something has always happened and we haven't been able to win. Now, finally, we got the win and it's one of the nicest races really so it's very nice, a nice feeling and it was a good day.
Q: Fernando, it looked like a great bit of strategy for a while there. You got great track position as you started to hit the traffic in that second stint, but of course it was a short fuel stop that enabled you to do that. What was going through your mind at that point?
Fernando Alonso: Well, I think it was not the plan to do that. We changed the strategy, thinking that we should be able to maintain the lead even at the second stop, so we short-fuelled in the first pit stop and we started the second stint ahead of Kimi but I was not able to open up a gap that was big enough to maintain the lead. I think it was the right thing to do. We took the gamble and... you never know what is going to happen, but, as you said, a little bit of traffic, especially when I began my third stint, so after the second stop those six laps for which Kimi had more fuel than me, I was not able to do a normal pace. I think the Ferrari was a little bit too quick today and at the end, I don't think the result would change too much. I think second place was the maximum today.
Q: Where do you think the difference was between McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari today in terms of performance, in terms of speed on the lap?
FA: We would like to know that. I don't know. Maybe we lack two or three tenths a lap in the same conditions with the same fuel loads and I think all weekend it's been like that so the race was no surprise. Ferrari were a little bit too quick. To win the race, maybe the only chance was to start on pole position and open up a gap or something like that and it was not the case, so I think it was the maximum.
Q: Can you tell us about that incident with Alexander Wurz and Scott Speed when you were lapping them?
FA: Yeah, I had some difficulties today lapping people and the blue flags were not perfectly OK but sometimes they helped me, when Kimi was behind them and he was not able to overtake them as well. At the end of the race, I think it's quite equal and quite balanced, the downsides and the upsides. I'm happy with second place, it's better to win but today I don't think it was possible.
Q: Lewis, well done on that ninth consecutive podium finish. You led from the pole, looked fantastic for a while and then... you take over now!
Lewis Hamilton: Yeah, well, we had an interesting race. It started off quite well, we got a good start which was the key. At the beginning I was just trying to pull a gap from Kimi but he was obviously extremely quick and towards the end of my stint, my tyres were falling away and I was struggling to keep up the pace, and Kimi started to be able to put pressure on me.
However, when we did the pit stop, I made a mistake in the pit stop. I didn't hesitate but I thought that the lollipop was lifted and I went. I don't know how many seconds I lost through that but it was a mistake of mine which lost me quite a bit of valuable time, and then I just had to try and push but I just struggled with the balance.
Throughout the whole weekend, I've been struggling to perfect the balance and driving around the issues that I had with the car. But obviously qualifying went well and we just lacked, I think, in the race, and I don't know what happened in the last two stints. The last stint was a bit better, I was very consistent but we just didn't really have the pace of the Ferraris.
Q: As we said, there were three different tyre combinations between the three of you, you finishing on the softer of the Bridgestones, the other guys at that point were on the harder of the two. How significant do you think the tyre choice was today?
LH: I think it played quite a big role, especially at the beginning with Kimi being able to keep up with me, the softer tyre being perhaps slightly faster. We wanted to start with the softer tyre but we thought it was too much of a gamble due to the tyres going off too quickly so we started with the prime, but I thought that the last stint was perhaps the best for me, in terms of the stability of the car.
We came away with the points, it's my ninth podium so I'm very, very happy for that and happy for the team to get the points from me and Fernando so it was good.
Q: What was the slow-down lap in front of the crowd like for you?
LH: It was good. I must say thank you to all the fans, they've been tremendous this weekend. Without their support it would have been a much harder race. I knew they were with me all the way and we have to wait and see. Hopefully next time, next year here we will give it another shot.
Q: Kimi, two great wins in a row now for Ferrari and for you. It looks as if you have the edge, but the championship is not over yet.
KR: Hopefully. You never know. It's going to be a long season still. We seem to have good speed right now but I also think it depends a lot on the circuit conditions and the places where we go. But I'm pretty happy now with the car, all weekend being good. I just made a mistake yesterday which made our life much more difficult than it should have been in the race.
But in the end, we came out with a win, so that's the main thing. The guys did a great job in the pit stops, being able to stay ahead of the other guys. I think we've had a pretty good weekend and we try to improve the car again and go and try to do the same next week, or the next race.
Press Conference
Q: Kimi, two in a row, two wins, how significant are these two wins?
KR: Of course they're important. We gained some points on the other guys, also in the team championship. I'm not sure we gained today but anyhow, it's important, for sure. We seem to have got the car a bit better for me now and everything seems to go a bit more easily. It's definitely nicer now than it was after the first few races but I think it's still a long season. Right now it's looking good but everything can change again at the next race. We just keep pushing.
Q: Different tyre choices; you were really challenging Lewis in the opening stint on the softer tyre. Very often people complain about graining when they're very close behind another car. Did you have that?
KR: No, nothing. Not at all, not even on the second set. The tyres worked very well today, also the last set, the hard one, was very good at the end, but I didn't need to push at all so even just driving slowly it seemed to give you a good lap time. I think both sets were very good today.
Q: On lap 14 you got very close to Lewis in the Complex.
KR: Yeah, I know. He was slowing down a bit so we tried to put some pressure on him and then I got very close to him. I had a little chance to overtake but I think it would have been a bit too close. There would have been a little bit of touching so it was better to wait than take the risk. Then we were expecting to stop a little bit later, so we were able to pull out a big enough gap.
Q: And did you just ease off at the end, because the margin was just coming down and down and down?
KR: I don't think we pushed at all for the last ten laps. We just kept the gap to Alonso and then just backed off.
Q: Fernando, you were talking about backmarkers, at half distance you were coming up behind another battle. Was that one of the problems?
FA: I don't think that one was a problem. I think Kimi caught those guys two laps later, so I think at the end of the day, it doesn't change anything. I think maybe the only ones that were probably not a help for sure was after the second stop.
When I left the pits, three cars together were passing just in front of me: two Williams and one Toro Rosso and I spent the first two laps after the second stop overtaking them. Kimi had six laps more fuel, two of them I was overtaking people, so I lost a little bit of time but I think the result wouldn't have been changed.
Q: Even so, you must have been pretty pleased coming out in the lead after the first round of stops having been third.
FA: Yes, I think I was able to keep the pace in the first stint. They were two or three seconds in front of me but never more than that. I had four laps more fuel than them and I was struggling a little bit, but I knew that when they started pitting, I was right behind them so I knew that this extra three or four laps was maybe enough to be leading the race after my first stop.
And obviously we chose a very short second stint which is even better to be first after the stop. And then in the middle stint, I knew that I had to open a gap, maybe eight, ten second gap, to be able to win the race, and I was only five seconds ahead so when I pitted the second time, I knew already that maybe it was not enough. I think the middle stint, with a lighter car, I was only able to open a gap of three seconds or something like that, and I should be able to open more so we were maybe not quick enough.
Q: Lewis, similarly the middle stint was your problem stint.
LH: Yeah, it was. The first stint was reasonably competitive and I think Kimi was obviously putting a lot of pressure on me. I was trying to build up a gap. I knew I had to have a three to five second gap which I wasn't able to build. In that middle stint, I started to grain my tyres after the first lap due to understeer and it just continued and it got harder and harder to maintain the pace.
Just seeing these guys pull away was obviously extremely tough for me but I just had to try to maintain it and keep on working hard and hope that there was an opportunity for me where maybe they would make a mistake or maybe the tyres would clean up and I would catch up but it didn't happen and I just had to come away with some points.
Q: It must be a new experience being 36 seconds down on the guy in front; do you feel yourself lucky to be on the podium?
LH: I wouldn't say it's luck. Obviously we worked extremely hard this weekend. I think we made a wrong decision, or I made a wrong decision with the set-up. I chose a different rear end to Fernando and I think it really caused me problems during the race. Even in qualifying we didn't really have the pace that I should have had, but it was too late by then to change the car.
It's a good lesson, we've come away with a ninth podium position, most consistent driver here, I think, and I have to be happy with that, and we have to look forward and hope to do better in the next race.
Questions From The Floor
Q: (Heikki Kulta - Turun Sanomat) Kimi do you now have a better feeling going into the second part of the season compared with 2005 when you were chasing Fernando?
KR: No, I think it is a different story completely. A different kind of year, different kind of rules and everything. I have a good feeling but like I said every race can be completely different so I'm not too much thinking that. If we can repeat our times from today then for sure we have a good chance every weekend as long as we get everything working well.
Q: (Anne Giuntini - L'Equipe) To Lewis: you said you had a different rear end to Fernando. Do you usually have the same type of set-up?
LH: Yeah, we usually have a very similar car. But it was slightly different this weekend. Normally it is not exactly the same but near enough the same.
Q: (Sal Zanca - Associated Press) Kimi and Fernando. Did the better car or the better strategy win the race?
KR: I don't know really. It doesn't make any difference any more. We were first, they were second. We had a good speed but I think to look in qualifying Fernando was a very similar speed so if you put the two cars on the same fuel loads it could have been very close.
FA: A difficult question again. Who knows? As Kimi said, in qualifying we were closer, or maybe I was slightly quicker forgetting the fuel loads that we saw today. And in the race they were slightly quicker. Maybe starting in front of them was just enough to win the race or maybe not.
Q: (Ian Parkes - The Press Association) As euphoric as you were yesterday after being pole at your home Grand Prix how acute is the disappointment, if any, at not winning it today?
LH: Obviously, it is not the best result for us. Being on pole I felt quite strongly that we could have had a better result. However, to come to your first home Grand Prix and still get a podium after difficulties on your second and last stint... I have to look on the bright side you know. We still have nine podiums in a row and I don't know if that has ever been done, but I'm very happy with that.
Q: (Marco Evangelisti - Corriere dello Sport) Kimi, did you shout in the radio after all?
KR: Still no. It is not what I do.
Q: (Trevor Huggins - Reuters) Question for Lewis. Given the edge that the Ferraris seem to have today and you said yourself that you made a couple of mistakes along the way. Do you think, realistically, if Massa hadn't stalled on the grid you would have finished fourth?
LH: Probably.
Q: (Trevor Huggins - Reuters) So it is down to that that you were able to keep this run of podium finishes going then?
LH: Take it how you want.
Q: (Sean McGreevy - Motoring and Leisure) Congratulations on another podium finish Lewis. How are you dealing with being a role-model and the responsibilities that come with that? And who is your role-model?
LH: I don't particularly have a role-model anymore because I'm 22 years-old. But my brother inspires me because he has always got a smile on his face no matter what. I think you can learn a lot from that. As I always say, whatever he does - he can't play football like the rest of us, he can't play any type of sport like the rest of us - he still gives it 110% even though it is that tough. I think you can learn so much from that so he inspires me.
Q: How would you judge the first half of the season?
KR: For sure we would like to be in a better position in the championship but we expected to have a few difficult times and we have so far. But at least it is going in the right direction. So maybe we can have a strong end of the year.
FA: Same comment as Kimi. It can be better than this at the moment. I have had two seventh places at Canada and Magny-Cours and probably that was not in the plan. But the championship is very long, the second half will be better and everything is more or less ok.
LH: I think I have had a wicked season so far. I've got no complaints to make.
Q: (Michael Schmidt - Auto Motor und Sport) Fernando, everybody among the top four had a different tyre strategy today. With hindsight would you say that if you had a different choice of tyres from stint to stint it would have been a different story?
FA: I don't think so. For us the soft tyre works a little bit better for qualifying maybe. We felt it was quite bad for the race. We were quite worried about the graining so we were planning to put the soft tyre in for the shorter stint of the race.
At the beginning the last part of the race was planned to be the shorter stint but we changed the strategy to overtake Kimi in the first pit stop. Then we made a very short middle stint so we fitted the soft tyres there because we really believed that with high fuel loads the soft tyre was a problem for us.
Q: (Andrew Benson - F1 Racing) Fernando you have obviously had some difficulties adapting to a new team this year, there has been the tyre thing as well. But you looked really competitive this weekend, do you feel you are getting on top of it now?
FA: I think in Canada I was very, very quick all weekend. In Indianapolis I was the quickest in the race. In Magny-Cours I was third quickest after the two Ferraris. So it has been the last four or five races that I was quite happy with the car and quite quick all weekend.
This one confirms again that I still learn, I have confidence and I have the speed to be there. Sometimes you can do it sometimes not. Of course we need a little bit more consistency and a better approach to the races from the team, it will be better.
Q: (Livio Oricchio - O Estado de Sao Paulo) Kimi, you are now in front of your teammate in an important period in the championship. How do you analyse it? Is it easy for you?
KR: We want to be ahead of everybody so if a guy I race against is in my team ok, but if not I race against all the rest. I am not looking for him [Felipe Massa] really. I'm looking at how we can improve and how we can analyse. If you only race against your teammate it is not probably the right thing to do. Like I said this is a perfect result, this is what we aim for and if we repeat this we will be ahead of everybody.
Q: (Juha Paatalo - Financial Times Germany) Kimi, you were quite critical on yourself when mentioning the mistake of yesterday in qualifying. How angry were you after that happened?
KR: I wasn't happy because I know that this can damage our race. I expected that we would be quick in the race. I really thought we should have started in pole position, so after my mistake I was not happy at all. But luckily enough we could recover from it and still win the race. But for sure I made life much more difficult today than it should have been.
Q: (Bob McKenzie - The Daily Express) Lewis, was there a point in the race when it became clear - when you thought 'damn this isn't going to be my day, I'm not going to win it.' Do you recall thinking that at some point?
LH: No not really. I never give up, I just keep on pushing because you never know what is going to happen. They [the leaders] could have come together, they could have got caught by back-markers. Sometimes I could see people ahead and I didn't know if it was them or whoever. I thought maybe they would be getting close to back-markers and I thought 'this is my opportunity to keep pushing because you might get close.' You never know what is going to happen so I find you never give up, you just keep on pushing. The team are telling you to turn the engine down at some point so you are getting slower but then you try to push to compensate for the engine. But otherwise I kept going.
Q: (Jerome Bourret - L'Equipe) Lewis, you made your first mistake of the season, was it because you felt more under pressure than usual or not?
LH: No and I don't think it was my first mistake of the season. I've made other mistakes, just ones you haven't seen.
Q: (Ian Parkes - The Press Association) Lewis with these last two third places and a bit of a gap to Kimi what do you think is required now to go on and win the title?
LH: I think I need to step up my game which I intend to do. As a team we need to push as always but try to push even more if we can. You know for me as a driver I'm still learning, I still have time to find in myself through experience and I think we are going to a few tracks that I know so it should really make the weekend a bit easier but it doesn't.
I've been here before but I've struggled in terms of pace. Making sure we get the car set up right, making sure we keep on moving forward with the car and ideally beat the Ferraris.
Q: (Jaime Rodriguez - El Mundo) Fernando, did you think that your second stop was going to be later?
FA: No, the team tell me always which lap I will stop so I knew it would be that lap. It was the only way to leave the pits after the first stop in front of Kimi. To short-fuel and to lead the race in the middle part. If we put more fuel in to stop later then maybe I would be second in the middle part of the race and second in the last part so it was the only possibility.
Q: (George Nolte - Bild am Sonntag) Lewis could you describe your first pit stop again?
LH: I think the entry to the pit lane was good. I got to my box and the rear of the car dropped down. I selected first gear, I was ready to go - I thought I saw the lollipop move a little bit but I was maybe wrong - and I let the clutch out to early. You try to be as quick as you can when the lollipop goes up, I tried to anticipate it and I was too early.
Q: Kimi, a fantastic win for you, effectively won in the middle phase of the race, those six laps after Fernando had made his pit stop. You seemed to have a relatively free track in terms of traffic and you took the lead.
Kimi Raikkonen: Yeah, we had a little bit of traffic but I think we had a good car all day - all weekend, actually. At the beginning of the race I was just trying to save some fuel and look after my tyres and car and then once Lewis pitted I tried to push and gain some time on him and that went well. And then Fernando did a very short stop, so we knew that we were going to run longer in the second stop so I just tried to push as hard as we could once he came in and it was enough. After that, it was pretty easy.
Q: Let's talk about that first phase of the race: Lewis took the lead, you seemed to match him, fastest lap for fastest lap for the first few laps of the race and then it looked as if you could put pressure on Lewis.
KR: Yeah, like I said, we just saved fuel and then once we knew that we had enough I was able to close the gap pretty easily and try to overtake him, but then we were expecting him to stop a bit earlier, so I didn't want to risk too much. I think it worked out pretty well.
Q: Different tyre combinations for all three of you in terms of the Bridgestone hard and soft compound; what was it like from your point of view in terms of the car balance and indeed, any other events in the Grand Prix?
KR: I think it was good. Both tyres seemed to work very well. It didn't make any difference really. The hard one was very good at the end but then we didn't need to push any more. So far everything worked well.
Q: And the British Grand Prix is always a special event for any racing driver; your thoughts on your closing lap and the slow-down lap, the Lewis Hamilton crowd out there but you spoilt the day for them.
KR: Yeah, it was a very nice feeling to win the race of course. We've been close here a few times, but something has always happened and we haven't been able to win. Now, finally, we got the win and it's one of the nicest races really so it's very nice, a nice feeling and it was a good day.
Q: Fernando, it looked like a great bit of strategy for a while there. You got great track position as you started to hit the traffic in that second stint, but of course it was a short fuel stop that enabled you to do that. What was going through your mind at that point?
Fernando Alonso: Well, I think it was not the plan to do that. We changed the strategy, thinking that we should be able to maintain the lead even at the second stop, so we short-fuelled in the first pit stop and we started the second stint ahead of Kimi but I was not able to open up a gap that was big enough to maintain the lead. I think it was the right thing to do. We took the gamble and... you never know what is going to happen, but, as you said, a little bit of traffic, especially when I began my third stint, so after the second stop those six laps for which Kimi had more fuel than me, I was not able to do a normal pace. I think the Ferrari was a little bit too quick today and at the end, I don't think the result would change too much. I think second place was the maximum today.
Q: Where do you think the difference was between McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari today in terms of performance, in terms of speed on the lap?
FA: We would like to know that. I don't know. Maybe we lack two or three tenths a lap in the same conditions with the same fuel loads and I think all weekend it's been like that so the race was no surprise. Ferrari were a little bit too quick. To win the race, maybe the only chance was to start on pole position and open up a gap or something like that and it was not the case, so I think it was the maximum.
Q: Can you tell us about that incident with Alexander Wurz and Scott Speed when you were lapping them?
FA: Yeah, I had some difficulties today lapping people and the blue flags were not perfectly OK but sometimes they helped me, when Kimi was behind them and he was not able to overtake them as well. At the end of the race, I think it's quite equal and quite balanced, the downsides and the upsides. I'm happy with second place, it's better to win but today I don't think it was possible.
Q: Lewis, well done on that ninth consecutive podium finish. You led from the pole, looked fantastic for a while and then... you take over now!
Lewis Hamilton: Yeah, well, we had an interesting race. It started off quite well, we got a good start which was the key. At the beginning I was just trying to pull a gap from Kimi but he was obviously extremely quick and towards the end of my stint, my tyres were falling away and I was struggling to keep up the pace, and Kimi started to be able to put pressure on me.
However, when we did the pit stop, I made a mistake in the pit stop. I didn't hesitate but I thought that the lollipop was lifted and I went. I don't know how many seconds I lost through that but it was a mistake of mine which lost me quite a bit of valuable time, and then I just had to try and push but I just struggled with the balance.
Throughout the whole weekend, I've been struggling to perfect the balance and driving around the issues that I had with the car. But obviously qualifying went well and we just lacked, I think, in the race, and I don't know what happened in the last two stints. The last stint was a bit better, I was very consistent but we just didn't really have the pace of the Ferraris.
Q: As we said, there were three different tyre combinations between the three of you, you finishing on the softer of the Bridgestones, the other guys at that point were on the harder of the two. How significant do you think the tyre choice was today?
LH: I think it played quite a big role, especially at the beginning with Kimi being able to keep up with me, the softer tyre being perhaps slightly faster. We wanted to start with the softer tyre but we thought it was too much of a gamble due to the tyres going off too quickly so we started with the prime, but I thought that the last stint was perhaps the best for me, in terms of the stability of the car.
We came away with the points, it's my ninth podium so I'm very, very happy for that and happy for the team to get the points from me and Fernando so it was good.
Q: What was the slow-down lap in front of the crowd like for you?
LH: It was good. I must say thank you to all the fans, they've been tremendous this weekend. Without their support it would have been a much harder race. I knew they were with me all the way and we have to wait and see. Hopefully next time, next year here we will give it another shot.
Q: Kimi, two great wins in a row now for Ferrari and for you. It looks as if you have the edge, but the championship is not over yet.
KR: Hopefully. You never know. It's going to be a long season still. We seem to have good speed right now but I also think it depends a lot on the circuit conditions and the places where we go. But I'm pretty happy now with the car, all weekend being good. I just made a mistake yesterday which made our life much more difficult than it should have been in the race.
But in the end, we came out with a win, so that's the main thing. The guys did a great job in the pit stops, being able to stay ahead of the other guys. I think we've had a pretty good weekend and we try to improve the car again and go and try to do the same next week, or the next race.
Press Conference
Q: Kimi, two in a row, two wins, how significant are these two wins?
KR: Of course they're important. We gained some points on the other guys, also in the team championship. I'm not sure we gained today but anyhow, it's important, for sure. We seem to have got the car a bit better for me now and everything seems to go a bit more easily. It's definitely nicer now than it was after the first few races but I think it's still a long season. Right now it's looking good but everything can change again at the next race. We just keep pushing.
Q: Different tyre choices; you were really challenging Lewis in the opening stint on the softer tyre. Very often people complain about graining when they're very close behind another car. Did you have that?
KR: No, nothing. Not at all, not even on the second set. The tyres worked very well today, also the last set, the hard one, was very good at the end, but I didn't need to push at all so even just driving slowly it seemed to give you a good lap time. I think both sets were very good today.
Q: On lap 14 you got very close to Lewis in the Complex.
KR: Yeah, I know. He was slowing down a bit so we tried to put some pressure on him and then I got very close to him. I had a little chance to overtake but I think it would have been a bit too close. There would have been a little bit of touching so it was better to wait than take the risk. Then we were expecting to stop a little bit later, so we were able to pull out a big enough gap.
Q: And did you just ease off at the end, because the margin was just coming down and down and down?
KR: I don't think we pushed at all for the last ten laps. We just kept the gap to Alonso and then just backed off.
Q: Fernando, you were talking about backmarkers, at half distance you were coming up behind another battle. Was that one of the problems?
FA: I don't think that one was a problem. I think Kimi caught those guys two laps later, so I think at the end of the day, it doesn't change anything. I think maybe the only ones that were probably not a help for sure was after the second stop.
When I left the pits, three cars together were passing just in front of me: two Williams and one Toro Rosso and I spent the first two laps after the second stop overtaking them. Kimi had six laps more fuel, two of them I was overtaking people, so I lost a little bit of time but I think the result wouldn't have been changed.
Q: Even so, you must have been pretty pleased coming out in the lead after the first round of stops having been third.
FA: Yes, I think I was able to keep the pace in the first stint. They were two or three seconds in front of me but never more than that. I had four laps more fuel than them and I was struggling a little bit, but I knew that when they started pitting, I was right behind them so I knew that this extra three or four laps was maybe enough to be leading the race after my first stop.
And obviously we chose a very short second stint which is even better to be first after the stop. And then in the middle stint, I knew that I had to open a gap, maybe eight, ten second gap, to be able to win the race, and I was only five seconds ahead so when I pitted the second time, I knew already that maybe it was not enough. I think the middle stint, with a lighter car, I was only able to open a gap of three seconds or something like that, and I should be able to open more so we were maybe not quick enough.
Q: Lewis, similarly the middle stint was your problem stint.
LH: Yeah, it was. The first stint was reasonably competitive and I think Kimi was obviously putting a lot of pressure on me. I was trying to build up a gap. I knew I had to have a three to five second gap which I wasn't able to build. In that middle stint, I started to grain my tyres after the first lap due to understeer and it just continued and it got harder and harder to maintain the pace.
Just seeing these guys pull away was obviously extremely tough for me but I just had to try to maintain it and keep on working hard and hope that there was an opportunity for me where maybe they would make a mistake or maybe the tyres would clean up and I would catch up but it didn't happen and I just had to come away with some points.
Q: It must be a new experience being 36 seconds down on the guy in front; do you feel yourself lucky to be on the podium?
LH: I wouldn't say it's luck. Obviously we worked extremely hard this weekend. I think we made a wrong decision, or I made a wrong decision with the set-up. I chose a different rear end to Fernando and I think it really caused me problems during the race. Even in qualifying we didn't really have the pace that I should have had, but it was too late by then to change the car.
It's a good lesson, we've come away with a ninth podium position, most consistent driver here, I think, and I have to be happy with that, and we have to look forward and hope to do better in the next race.
Questions From The Floor
Q: (Heikki Kulta - Turun Sanomat) Kimi do you now have a better feeling going into the second part of the season compared with 2005 when you were chasing Fernando?
KR: No, I think it is a different story completely. A different kind of year, different kind of rules and everything. I have a good feeling but like I said every race can be completely different so I'm not too much thinking that. If we can repeat our times from today then for sure we have a good chance every weekend as long as we get everything working well.
Q: (Anne Giuntini - L'Equipe) To Lewis: you said you had a different rear end to Fernando. Do you usually have the same type of set-up?
LH: Yeah, we usually have a very similar car. But it was slightly different this weekend. Normally it is not exactly the same but near enough the same.
Q: (Sal Zanca - Associated Press) Kimi and Fernando. Did the better car or the better strategy win the race?
KR: I don't know really. It doesn't make any difference any more. We were first, they were second. We had a good speed but I think to look in qualifying Fernando was a very similar speed so if you put the two cars on the same fuel loads it could have been very close.
FA: A difficult question again. Who knows? As Kimi said, in qualifying we were closer, or maybe I was slightly quicker forgetting the fuel loads that we saw today. And in the race they were slightly quicker. Maybe starting in front of them was just enough to win the race or maybe not.
Q: (Ian Parkes - The Press Association) As euphoric as you were yesterday after being pole at your home Grand Prix how acute is the disappointment, if any, at not winning it today?
LH: Obviously, it is not the best result for us. Being on pole I felt quite strongly that we could have had a better result. However, to come to your first home Grand Prix and still get a podium after difficulties on your second and last stint... I have to look on the bright side you know. We still have nine podiums in a row and I don't know if that has ever been done, but I'm very happy with that.
Q: (Marco Evangelisti - Corriere dello Sport) Kimi, did you shout in the radio after all?
KR: Still no. It is not what I do.
Q: (Trevor Huggins - Reuters) Question for Lewis. Given the edge that the Ferraris seem to have today and you said yourself that you made a couple of mistakes along the way. Do you think, realistically, if Massa hadn't stalled on the grid you would have finished fourth?
LH: Probably.
Q: (Trevor Huggins - Reuters) So it is down to that that you were able to keep this run of podium finishes going then?
LH: Take it how you want.
Q: (Sean McGreevy - Motoring and Leisure) Congratulations on another podium finish Lewis. How are you dealing with being a role-model and the responsibilities that come with that? And who is your role-model?
LH: I don't particularly have a role-model anymore because I'm 22 years-old. But my brother inspires me because he has always got a smile on his face no matter what. I think you can learn a lot from that. As I always say, whatever he does - he can't play football like the rest of us, he can't play any type of sport like the rest of us - he still gives it 110% even though it is that tough. I think you can learn so much from that so he inspires me.
Q: How would you judge the first half of the season?
KR: For sure we would like to be in a better position in the championship but we expected to have a few difficult times and we have so far. But at least it is going in the right direction. So maybe we can have a strong end of the year.
FA: Same comment as Kimi. It can be better than this at the moment. I have had two seventh places at Canada and Magny-Cours and probably that was not in the plan. But the championship is very long, the second half will be better and everything is more or less ok.
LH: I think I have had a wicked season so far. I've got no complaints to make.
Q: (Michael Schmidt - Auto Motor und Sport) Fernando, everybody among the top four had a different tyre strategy today. With hindsight would you say that if you had a different choice of tyres from stint to stint it would have been a different story?
FA: I don't think so. For us the soft tyre works a little bit better for qualifying maybe. We felt it was quite bad for the race. We were quite worried about the graining so we were planning to put the soft tyre in for the shorter stint of the race.
At the beginning the last part of the race was planned to be the shorter stint but we changed the strategy to overtake Kimi in the first pit stop. Then we made a very short middle stint so we fitted the soft tyres there because we really believed that with high fuel loads the soft tyre was a problem for us.
Q: (Andrew Benson - F1 Racing) Fernando you have obviously had some difficulties adapting to a new team this year, there has been the tyre thing as well. But you looked really competitive this weekend, do you feel you are getting on top of it now?
FA: I think in Canada I was very, very quick all weekend. In Indianapolis I was the quickest in the race. In Magny-Cours I was third quickest after the two Ferraris. So it has been the last four or five races that I was quite happy with the car and quite quick all weekend.
This one confirms again that I still learn, I have confidence and I have the speed to be there. Sometimes you can do it sometimes not. Of course we need a little bit more consistency and a better approach to the races from the team, it will be better.
Q: (Livio Oricchio - O Estado de Sao Paulo) Kimi, you are now in front of your teammate in an important period in the championship. How do you analyse it? Is it easy for you?
KR: We want to be ahead of everybody so if a guy I race against is in my team ok, but if not I race against all the rest. I am not looking for him [Felipe Massa] really. I'm looking at how we can improve and how we can analyse. If you only race against your teammate it is not probably the right thing to do. Like I said this is a perfect result, this is what we aim for and if we repeat this we will be ahead of everybody.
Q: (Juha Paatalo - Financial Times Germany) Kimi, you were quite critical on yourself when mentioning the mistake of yesterday in qualifying. How angry were you after that happened?
KR: I wasn't happy because I know that this can damage our race. I expected that we would be quick in the race. I really thought we should have started in pole position, so after my mistake I was not happy at all. But luckily enough we could recover from it and still win the race. But for sure I made life much more difficult today than it should have been.
Q: (Bob McKenzie - The Daily Express) Lewis, was there a point in the race when it became clear - when you thought 'damn this isn't going to be my day, I'm not going to win it.' Do you recall thinking that at some point?
LH: No not really. I never give up, I just keep on pushing because you never know what is going to happen. They [the leaders] could have come together, they could have got caught by back-markers. Sometimes I could see people ahead and I didn't know if it was them or whoever. I thought maybe they would be getting close to back-markers and I thought 'this is my opportunity to keep pushing because you might get close.' You never know what is going to happen so I find you never give up, you just keep on pushing. The team are telling you to turn the engine down at some point so you are getting slower but then you try to push to compensate for the engine. But otherwise I kept going.
Q: (Jerome Bourret - L'Equipe) Lewis, you made your first mistake of the season, was it because you felt more under pressure than usual or not?
LH: No and I don't think it was my first mistake of the season. I've made other mistakes, just ones you haven't seen.
Q: (Ian Parkes - The Press Association) Lewis with these last two third places and a bit of a gap to Kimi what do you think is required now to go on and win the title?
LH: I think I need to step up my game which I intend to do. As a team we need to push as always but try to push even more if we can. You know for me as a driver I'm still learning, I still have time to find in myself through experience and I think we are going to a few tracks that I know so it should really make the weekend a bit easier but it doesn't.
I've been here before but I've struggled in terms of pace. Making sure we get the car set up right, making sure we keep on moving forward with the car and ideally beat the Ferraris.
Q: (Jaime Rodriguez - El Mundo) Fernando, did you think that your second stop was going to be later?
FA: No, the team tell me always which lap I will stop so I knew it would be that lap. It was the only way to leave the pits after the first stop in front of Kimi. To short-fuel and to lead the race in the middle part. If we put more fuel in to stop later then maybe I would be second in the middle part of the race and second in the last part so it was the only possibility.
Q: (George Nolte - Bild am Sonntag) Lewis could you describe your first pit stop again?
LH: I think the entry to the pit lane was good. I got to my box and the rear of the car dropped down. I selected first gear, I was ready to go - I thought I saw the lollipop move a little bit but I was maybe wrong - and I let the clutch out to early. You try to be as quick as you can when the lollipop goes up, I tried to anticipate it and I was too early.
Last edited by A.Wayne; 07-08-2007 at 09:45 PM.
07-08-2007, 07:43 PM
#35
Formula One Spin Doctor
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Fastest laps: Ferrari half a second quicker
Ferrari's speed advantage over McLaren in the British GP amounted to half a second.
Whereas both Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa were able to lap Silverstone within the 1min 20second mark, neither Fernando Alonso nor home favourite Lewis Hamilton registered a time below 1min 21seconds.
Of the Ferrari duo, Raikkonen was the quicker by two tenths of a second.
Despite being out-driven in the race by his BMW team-mate Robert Kubica, Nick Heidfled took fifth place in the timesheets - although his best lap time was still more than a second adrift of Kimi's 1:20.638.
Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella was seventh-quickest, comfortably ahead of Toyota's Ralf Schumacher and colleague Heikki Kovalainen.
Times:
1) Kimi Raikkönen Ferrari 17 1:20.638
2) Felipe Massa Ferrari 17 1:20.858
3) Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 35 1:21.117
4) Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 11 1:21.675
5) Nick Heidfeld BMW 17 1:21.991
6) Robert Kubica BMW 14 1:22.105
7) Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 13 1:22.136
8) Ralf Schumacher Toyota 12 1:22.510
9) Heikki Kovalainen Renault 11 1:22.552
10) Alexander Wurz Williams-Toyota 57 1:22.693
11) Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 49 1:22.896
12) David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 40 1:23.118
13) Rubens Barrichello Honda 28 131:23.387
14) Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 42 1:23.413
15) Scott Speed STR-Ferrari 19 1:23.570
16) Jenson Button Honda 29 1:23.581
17) Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Ferrari 46 1:23.628
18) Jarno Trulli Toyota 17 1:23.708
19) Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 6 1:23.767
20) Anthony Davidson Super Aguri-Honda 26 1:24.144
21) Christijan Albers Spyker-Ferrari 56 1:24.390
22) Adrian Sutil Spyker-Ferrari 16 1:25.015
Whereas both Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa were able to lap Silverstone within the 1min 20second mark, neither Fernando Alonso nor home favourite Lewis Hamilton registered a time below 1min 21seconds.
Of the Ferrari duo, Raikkonen was the quicker by two tenths of a second.
Despite being out-driven in the race by his BMW team-mate Robert Kubica, Nick Heidfled took fifth place in the timesheets - although his best lap time was still more than a second adrift of Kimi's 1:20.638.
Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella was seventh-quickest, comfortably ahead of Toyota's Ralf Schumacher and colleague Heikki Kovalainen.
Times:
1) Kimi Raikkönen Ferrari 17 1:20.638
2) Felipe Massa Ferrari 17 1:20.858
3) Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 35 1:21.117
4) Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 11 1:21.675
5) Nick Heidfeld BMW 17 1:21.991
6) Robert Kubica BMW 14 1:22.105
7) Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 13 1:22.136
8) Ralf Schumacher Toyota 12 1:22.510
9) Heikki Kovalainen Renault 11 1:22.552
10) Alexander Wurz Williams-Toyota 57 1:22.693
11) Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 49 1:22.896
12) David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 40 1:23.118
13) Rubens Barrichello Honda 28 131:23.387
14) Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 42 1:23.413
15) Scott Speed STR-Ferrari 19 1:23.570
16) Jenson Button Honda 29 1:23.581
17) Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Ferrari 46 1:23.628
18) Jarno Trulli Toyota 17 1:23.708
19) Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 6 1:23.767
20) Anthony Davidson Super Aguri-Honda 26 1:24.144
21) Christijan Albers Spyker-Ferrari 56 1:24.390
22) Adrian Sutil Spyker-Ferrari 16 1:25.015
Last edited by A.Wayne; 07-08-2007 at 08:13 PM.
07-08-2007, 08:21 PM
#37
Formula One Spin Doctor
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Dennis refuses to admit McLaren lacked pace
To the utter disdain of the Planet-F1 Forum, Ron Dennis has claimed that Lewis Hamilton was unable to challenge for victory in the British GP because McLaren turned down his engine. 
Rather than accept that his team did not have the pace to challenge Ferrari, Dennis highlighted 'strategic' consideration in his post-race summary.
Speaking to ITV, the McLaren boss announced: "From a very early point we knew that third was the best we could do with Lewis [Hamilton], and then we just saved the engine. Unfortunately, this is strategic racing.
"Fernando also turned the engine down after the final stop of Kimi."
Dennis also blamed the team's tyre choice as he sought to downplay the size of Ferrari's advantage.
"Probably the option tyre was the better tyre to race on, despite what it looked like yesterday," Dennis said. "So all in all we probably made the wrong choice of tyre."
Rather than accept that his team did not have the pace to challenge Ferrari, Dennis highlighted 'strategic' consideration in his post-race summary.
Speaking to ITV, the McLaren boss announced: "From a very early point we knew that third was the best we could do with Lewis [Hamilton], and then we just saved the engine. Unfortunately, this is strategic racing.
"Fernando also turned the engine down after the final stop of Kimi."
Dennis also blamed the team's tyre choice as he sought to downplay the size of Ferrari's advantage.
"Probably the option tyre was the better tyre to race on, despite what it looked like yesterday," Dennis said. "So all in all we probably made the wrong choice of tyre."
07-08-2007, 09:07 PM
#38
Drifting
Originally Posted by A.Wayne
Winners British gp 2007
07-08-2007, 09:10 PM
#39
Race Director
Well at least Hamilton was once again on the podeum! I was very impressed with how Masa charged up through the field.
What do you all think is the aero effect of those plastic hubcaps on the Ferrari's? How do they work?
What do you all think is the aero effect of those plastic hubcaps on the Ferrari's? How do they work?
07-08-2007, 11:08 PM
#40
Nordschleife Master
Originally Posted by mdrums
Well at least Hamilton was once again on the podeum! I was very impressed with how Masa charged up through the field.
What do you all think is the aero effect of those plastic hubcaps on the Ferrari's? How do they work?
What do you all think is the aero effect of those plastic hubcaps on the Ferrari's? How do they work?
I think they help clean up airflow around the outside of the wheel/tire assy, thereby reducing drag and allowing them to go faster.
It does appear that they would reduce the amount of cooling to the brake system. I think they chose to use them at silverstone because it appeared to be pretty easy on brakes, so they didn't need much cooling capacity.
07-09-2007, 01:08 AM
#43
Burning Brakes
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Originally Posted by adrial
It does appear that they would reduce the amount of cooling to the brake system. I think they chose to use them at silverstone because it appeared to be pretty easy on brakes, so they didn't need much cooling capacity.
They're not that different than the classic BBS Wheel Fans (which I also have for my car), which do wonders for keeping the brakes cool. When I have them on, I never experience any brake fade at the track.
The only problem I have with them on my car is that they tend to trap brake dust between the wheel and the fan and cause huge issues with the wheel's finish.
$0.02
07-09-2007, 01:13 AM
#44
Formula One Spin Doctor
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Originally Posted by mdrums
Well at least Hamilton was once again on the podeum! I was very impressed with how Masa charged up through the field.
What do you all think is the aero effect of those plastic hubcaps on the Ferrari's? How do they work?
What do you all think is the aero effect of those plastic hubcaps on the Ferrari's? How do they work?
07-09-2007, 01:15 AM
#45
Drifting
OT: But have to ask without creating a thread….
What are the drivers looking at on the monitors while sitting in the car while in the garage???
The TV cameras are careful to not telecast it!
What are the drivers looking at on the monitors while sitting in the car while in the garage???
The TV cameras are careful to not telecast it!