Google+ Jack Leslie F1: 2015 Brazilian Grand Prix Driver Reaction

15 November 2015

2015 Brazilian Grand Prix Driver Reaction

Nico Rosberg took a controlled victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix, beating team-mate Lewis Hamilton by almost eight seconds.
© Mercedes AMG Petronas
Sebastian Vettel was third for Ferrari. Here's what some of the 2015 grid had to say after the penultimate round of the season.

Nico Rosberg:
"Wow - another great win in front of another great crowd! I'm so happy with that one - especially at this great circuit with all this history, which makes it extra fun. It was a perfect weekend for me. I was able to control the race the whole time and won with a comfortable margin to Lewis in the end.
"The team made a good decision to switch to a three-stop race as we saw that Lewis' tyres went off very quickly. I look forward now to Abu Dhabi where I'll be pushing to end the season on a high. It's good to have secured P2 in the Championship in front of Sebastian today - but that's never really been my ambition. I want to be first, so I need to raise my game as this year it wasn't high enough."
Daniel Ricciardo:
"In the first few laps we made up some positions and did what we could and then we went for an aggressive first stop. When we put the primes on, we didn’t really have the tyre life we thought we would so we still had to do a three stop race, running at a pretty similar pace to the cars around us.
"Parts of the race were a little bit boring, although I had a nice battle with Sergio for a few laps, which was encouraging. I had to get around him twice and that kept me excited for a while. Clearly my grid penalty didn’t help today, but Abu Dhabi’s next and that has always been a good circuit for us. I enjoy it a lot so for the last race of the season we’ll hopefully finish strong and in the points."
© Williams Martini Racing
Valtteri Bottas:
"The start was the most exciting part of the race for me as I gained a few places. After that I just had to maintain the tyres and make them work on a two-stop strategy. We were missing pace today so we need to have a look at why and improve for Abu Dhabi. I am so proud of the team to get P3 in the constructors’.
"We are competing against teams that are much bigger than us, and in some cases beating them, which is really cool. The guys at the track and in the factory have done really well this year, so a massive thank you must go to them and also to Mercedes HPP for a really strong power unit. We want to win though, so next year we must continue to make that step forward."
Sebastian Vettel:
"It was a good race! We were close as we had never been before, which is a massive achievement, considering that Mercedes was pushing all the way, as they had nothing to lose. For sure it is not the most exciting race when you are a little bit alone, but it is still a very nice track, enjoyable on every single lap. It’s not easy to get everything right, looking after the tires but still trying to go to the limit. Overall I’m very happy.
"We know Mercedes have a very strong engine and Power Unit, a very strong car, and that both drivers are doing a good job. So that made their package very difficult to beat, but if you look at our Power Unit, the Motoristi have done a miracle this year and the same goes for the car. Also, let’s not forget there was a lot of changes in the team, and that usually takes time to digest.
"We got into the right rythm straight away, achieving some podiums and winning already the second race of the season, and I think we improved more than anyone else. Now in the winter there is a chance to make a big step but that is also true for the other teams. Our target has to be, again, to make the bigger step compared to everyone. I am told I had more podium finishes than any other Ferrari driver at his first season with the Scuderia: so I hope I can turn all of these 13 podiums into victories next year!"
© McLaren
Fernando Alonso:
"Finishing the race today was our first priority after having suffered retirements on recent Sunday afternoons, so it’s good news that both cars saw the chequered flag and we collected some good data, especially for next year and especially for the chassis, to see which is the best way to go to keep moving forward.
"The chassis has already improved a lot in terms of aerodynamics, and corner speed is good; but we are still missing power. Unfortunately, the car was not working 100% at the beginning of the race. It sometimes felt strange to drive, with different power in different gears, so I was having to try to avoid the odd gear from time to time.
"I think the reason for that was that after qualifying we fitted a brand-new engine and we didn’t have any laps in which to set it up. Anyway, we have just one more 2015 grand prix to go now. I can’t wait to start working 100 percent on 2016."
Nico Hulkenberg:
"I’m very happy with sixth place and with scoring the points that helped the team secure fifth place in the championship, which is great news. It’s the best result in our history and shows the progress we have made over the years. This fifth place is a result of all the hard work from everybody in the team and we should feel very proud of what we have achieved together.
"The race today was fun, although I didn’t have the best start and got some wheel spin, which dropped me behind Bottas and Kvyat. Fortunately I was able to get one of those places back with an aggressive early pit stop, but that forced me to do two very long stints on the medium tyres, which was the main challenge of the day. We made it work, though, managing the tyres and delivering the two-stop strategy. I’m now looking forward to Abu Dhabi and ending the season on another high note."
Romain Grosjean:
"It was a fun race, and I enjoyed going through the field with some nice overtaking manoeuvres with our aggressive race strategy. It was quite hard to follow the cars but we had good power to overtake into turn 1.
"It has been an emotional weekend so it is good to be back in the points. The next race will be my last one with the team and taking the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi will be very special but I will give my best to bring a good result."
© Red Bull Content Pool
Max Verstappen:
"It was a very enjoyable race! Of course, you always want to score more points, but we have to be realistic and a P10 was the maximum we could do today. On the straights we were slow and it’s very difficult to defend position with a Lotus or a Force India unfortunately, but to add another point is always good.
"I enjoyed it out there this afternoon – I managed to do some good overtakes, especially at Turn 1! There were some good battles, I was attacking but behind they were also doing the same to me, so I had no rest but it was good fun! I’m happy to finish in the top ten once again."
Alexander Rossi:
"Wow, that was a tough race. My first stint wasn’t so bad, but in the second and third stints the balance was terrible and I was losing so much time with understeer. Will getting past was inevitable and I was pretty resigned to that fact. It’s a shame, because the early part of the weekend was stronger for me.
"I would have liked my final F1 round of 2015 to have a better outcome, but I look back at the five races I’ve had since Japan and I’m pretty happy overall. It’s been a totally positive experience and I know I’ve given it everything I’ve got. So now we wait and see what the future brings, but I want to thank the team for this incredible opportunity to show what I can do and I hope I’ve done that."
Felipe Nasr:
"It has been a very special weekend – not just on race day, but over the entire weekend. I felt a lot of energy from the fans, from my family, who were here supporting me, and from everyone else. I cannot wait to come back next year, and hopefully we can come back in a more competitive way.
"Talking about the race today, it was a tough one for us. The beginning of the race was pretty good, I managed to make up positions at the start, but after that we just couldn’t keep the other cars behind us. It’s one of those days where you fight, but didn’t get the rewards."

No comments: