Formula 1 News

2010 Hungarian GP, race: Driver quotes 

Jenson Button: “The weekend started really well: we showed good pace in free practice and I was looking forward to qualifying. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out, and I started 11th on the grid. I got a good start off the line, but I went four abreast into Turn One, and got stuck on the outside, losing about four or five places. So, from that position, finishing eighth wasn’t too bad. I lost a lot of points, and for the team to take home only four points today is disappointing, but there isn’t a very big points gap covering the top four drivers – I’m only 14 points behind the championship leader, after all – so it’s still all to play for. It’s been a tough weekend, but we’ll come back fighting. We’re a very positive and strong team, and we’ve been in difficult situations before, so we can definitely jump back from this – hopefully as soon as Spa-Francorchamps at the end of this month.”

Lewis Hamilton: “I was accelerating out of Turn One when I felt a sudden vibration and then a loss of drive. I initially thought it was a driveshaft failure, but it now appears that it was a gearbox problem. Actually, I may have had an issue with the gearbox from the very beginning of the race, when I initially feared I had a brake-related vibration. Whatever, it’s a bit of a shame because, as always, the guys had worked very, very hard all weekend, and I think we’d done more than enough in the race to get up to the front and score some decent points. It’s a pity to have a fault at this stage in the year, but that’s racing – when you push the car to the limit, these things can happen. We’ll learn from this, though, and we’ll just have to work even harder to make sure we don’t have any further problems this year, and that we can catch back up to the front-runners – which I’m certain we’ll be able to do.”

Heikki Kovalainen: “A great day for the team, and a great job from everyone to get us home in 14th and 15th. I think that was the maximum we could have hoped for, so we’re all really pleased. Despite starting behind Timo we were confident we could overtake him, and that’s how it panned out. My own race was fairly straightforward. I dropped a few places at the start but when the safety car came in I was brought straight in to pit and it worked out well as I jumped a couple of guys ahead. From then I was controlling my pace to the end, and making sure I didn’t make any mistakes. We head into the break very satisfied with how we performed today, and that’s great for the whole team.”

Jarno Trulli: “It’s a great day for the team. All weekend I’ve been strong, and today’s two car finish shows how hard the team’s been working. I made a very good start and managed to gain three places, and once I got ahead of Timo it was pretty comfortable staying in front. I lost out to Heikki in the strategy call during the safety car period, but that was in the best interests of the team, and as we are again ahead of our nearest rivals, we’ve achieved what we set out to today.”

Sebastien Buemi: “My start was not great, but not too bad. On the way down to the first corner Michael (Schumacher) pushed me over to the left side and I had to go on the brakes, or I would have gone off the track and I don’t think it was very fair on his part. Then I had to try and fight back as I was behind a Lotus, although I was able to overtake Trulli quite easily. After the Safety Car period, I found myself behind Michael. I should have passed him when he came out of the pits on the Prime tyre, but I was not quick enough and I was unable to get ahead of him, spending most of the race in that position. Maybe if I had managed that, the point for tenth might have been within our reach. Then, towards the end of the race, I had some tyre degradation so I could no longer keep up with him. It was always going to be difficult to score points, but all the same finishing twelfth is rather disappointing.”

Jaime Alguersuari: “A very short race for me and I am not sure what the problem was, as I saw no alarms on my dash. I felt that I was beginning to lose torque and power and the pit wall told me to stop the car at the side of the track. I saw a lot of smoke and I realised I was losing some fluid, so I tried to stay off the racing line so as not to cause problems for the others. It was not the best way to celebrate the first anniversary of my Formula 1 debut.”

Timo Glock: “I had a great start but I took the wrong line into the first corner, going round the outside when the inside would have worked out better and I lost several places. When the Safety Car came out I had to queue behind Lucas in the pits because he was first in. After the Safety Car I was behind Kovalainen and then Trulli pitted later and came out straight in front of me and we had a bit of a battle into turn one. Then I just tried to follow Lotus but with all the blue flags I couldn’t help but drop back and ended up finishing 16th. However, we finished the race with both cars and had an otherwise strong weekend and I think everyone is ready to enjoy the summer break now. Thanks to everyone in the team for all their hard work so far and I’m sure we can look forward to some good results in the rest of the season. I’m having a week’s holiday and the rest of the break will be taken up with training, so that we all come back ready for action again in Spa.”

Lucas di Grassi: “I had a very good first lap and I was running just behind Trulli and in front of Kovalainen. When the Safety Car came out we decided to pit. It was the perfect strategy move as it put me ahead of the new team cars, but unfortunately there was a problem with one of the wheels and I had to come in again on the next lap for another stop. This put me a lap down and my race was effectively over, so all I could do was push the car to the limit and in doing so I was able to secure the fastest lap of the new teams. This just underlines how far our car has progressed but I am disappointed that I wasn’t able to get more from the race today. Now we have the summer break and I’m heading home to Brazil to spend some time with my family and friends. I’d like to thank the team for all their hard work so far and I hope they have a good rest and we can all come back and take the fight to Lotus in the last seven races.”

Sakon Yamamoto: “I am happy for the team which achieved its target of a two-car finish. We decided to have a different tyre strategy as we started on prime tyres. This was good because we could get different data, which we can use in preparation for the next races. We are going to have a summer break in which I’d like to have a good preparation for the following races.”

Bruno Senna: “Our performance was better than in yesterday’s qualifying. It was a difficult race and to compete with the other teams was very difficult. But in the end, both cars finished the race and I want to thank the team, who did a good job. Now, we are all looking forward to the summer break and to compete again in the next races.”

Adrian Sutil: “Things were going pretty well to begin with – I made up two positions at the start and was running behind the Sauber of de la Rosa. I was actually quicker than him but just couldn’t find a way past as making an opportunity is very hard on this track. Then the safety car came out and I got called into the pits. I was driving into my area when suddenly the Renault came out in front of me. There wasn’t anything I could do, they released him into my path and I just crashed into him and my car was damaged too badly to continue. It was definitely unsafe from their part. A real shame it’s my first DNF since Australia and it’s even more disappointing as it for sure wasn’t our issue.”

Tonio Liuzzi: “A tough race, as starting from that far behind it’s difficult to make up positions, but we showed a good pace and were close to the points. We lost a piece of the front wing at the first corner, which caused a lot of understeer, and then I had to come in for a change eventually, which dropped me back behind the field. With the soft tyres we were fast but then lost a lot of time behind the Toro Rosso, who was actually struggling much more than me. Even so I just couldn’t find a way to overtake. I tried hard until the last lap but there was just no chance. It’s been a difficult weekend, missing out on the points, but we confirmed we are competitive and always have the potential to score points. We also have some tracks coming up that should suit us better and I hope that from Spa onwards we should show a much more positive trend.”

Nico Hulkenberg: “I am very happy with today’s outcome. It was a great effort from the team and the factory. We were in the right place to take advantage of the Safety Car, but even so, the car had good pace today and I didn’t make any mistakes. It was good to collect decent points and have the luck running with us. The result is a good way to go into the break and sets up the second half of the season well for me and the team.”

Rubens Barrichello: “We had a car that in terms of performance was capable of finishing P5 or thereabouts, but taking the chance to start on primes always left us liable to a Safety Car. It came too early to box for the option tyre, so I had to stay out until we found a window that would allow me to attack for points. I had to work pretty hard for the point in a fight that wasn’t fair or clean, but I will let others be the judge of that. All I am clear about is that I am a racer and in such situations, I never back off.”

Pedro de la Rosa: “I am extremely happy and I am especially happy for the team who deserved a good result for all the hard work in developing the car so much further. After the start is was difficult for me but then the safety car came out at a good time and the team did a good job calling me in. My pit stop went very well and afterwards it was more or less about keeping position. My car was okay during the race although I can see several things that we can learn from. We came here and did not expect too much on this slow circuit and now we have finished with both cars in the points for the first time this year.”

Kamui Kobayashi: “I think I had a good recovery from my bad qualifying. I could only try my best today. My start was good and then after the safety car period it was important that I overtook Michael Schumacher because otherwise Rubens Barrichello would have caught me before the end. I am so pleased for the team that we brought both cars into the points for the first time this season. I think we can now all be happy going into our summer holidays which is a very nice feeling.”

Mark Webber: “Not an easy Grand Prix today. We knew the start was crucial, especially at a venue like this where it’s difficult to overtake. I knew I would be on the back foot fighting with Sebastian and Fernando at the start. I settled into the first stint, but then it was a chess game as to how we would jump Ferrari. The safety car opened up the race and we went off strategy and did something completely different to Fernando. When the safety car came out and I was told to stay out I hoped Fernando would go in to pit. When I saw him go in I knew we had a chance to do something good. I then settled down on the soft tyre and worked on getting a twenty-second lead to Fernando. After I came in for my pit-stop I was able to control the race. It’s a nice way to celebrate my 150th race and a great day for us as a team on our 100th race weekend. This result is a credit to the team, they made a good call on the strategy and the car was bomb proof. The next race is Spa, which is a beautiful circuit. I’m looking forward to that race, but it will be nice to have a few days off in the break beforehand.”

Sebastian Vettel: “During the race, I didn’t understand why I got the drive-through penalty, but I understood after the race what happened. The start was fine; we knew it was a long run to the first corner and Fernando got the tow, but we were able to defend and had a good first stint. When the safety car came out, it was a late call for my pit-stop, so I only just managed to come in. After that it should have been straightforward, as we knew we had the pace advantage. I was sleeping at the re-start, I had lost the radio and was waiting for an instruction of when the safety car would come in. I didn’t see the lights in my car. Mark was close to the safety car, so I thought we had another lap. But then I saw the safety car come in and I was caught out. I lost a lot of momentum and then I got the drive-through. I am disappointed, as I hoped to win today. I was third, so it was a good result for the team, but I am disappointed.”

Vitaly Petrov: “I feel wonderful because we did everything almost perfect today. I made a good start and managed to pass Rosberg and Hamilton into the first corner, which was our target. After that, I didn’t try and block Lewis too much because I had a problem with my tyre warm-up. I lost a lot of grip and I was fighting the car. I decided to let him through rather than risk losing more positions. The points today are very important for us because Mercedes didn’t score any. Also, I have a lot of friends and family here today so I’m pleased I could give them a good result.”

Robert Kubica: “I had managed a pretty good start from the dirty side of the track, but I wasn’t really able to gain any positions. Then I was stuck behind Rosberg for the first stint until the safety car came out and we made the pit stop. That’s when I had the accident with Sutil. I saw the lollipop go up and I started to go but unfortunately we collided, which forced us to retire because of the damage to the front suspension. It would have been nice to have at least finished the race because there are so many Polish fans here and looking at how the race evolved, we could probably have got a good result.”

Fernando Alonso: “This is a very important result. Luck owed us a lot and today it made a first payment, or at least a partial one. I got a great start, first of all managing to get past Webber and then getting alongside Vettel going into the first corner, but I was not able to complete that move. Then, we did not have the speed to stay with the leader and so I had to think mainly about defending my position. When the Safety Car came in, there were a few tense moments, when it was vital not to make any mistakes, keeping my speed on the limit. After that, it was not easy fighting off Vettel for over thirty laps: his car was definitely quicker than mine, but luckily this track does not offer up any places for overtaking, apart from the first corner. Clearly, we have to improve our car if we want to be in with a chance of fighting for the title: here the Red Bulls were unbeatable and although McLaren struggled today, they will be very strong again in Spa and Monza, where there are long straights that suit their car. We will have some updates in Belgium: we hope they will allow us to close the gap to the best. It was important to finish this very tough month of July in the best way possible: the break is coming at just the right time. The final part of the championship will be very interesting, with five drivers all within 20 points.”

Felipe Massa: “This is my best result at this Grand Prix and I am happy that it comes one year after my accident. All things considered, this was a positive result. At the start, I did not have much grip, but I expected that, given I was on the dirty side of the track. Today, against rivals who were really flying we did the most we could. I think the decision to pit when the race was under the Safety Car was the right one: we could not have done the same as Webber, staying out for such a long time on the soft tyres. It’s true that with the double pit-stop, I lost a place to Hamilton, but then for once, luck was on my side and I got the place back. A week ago in Hockenheim and at the start of the season in Bahrain, we were the quickest, but apart from that, the Red Bulls have always been strongest. We have to continue to push on the development front to catch up: in four weeks times in Spa, we will see where we are compared to them. My championship definitely does not stop here: it has been a very special week for me and this has been a positive weekend for me and the team.”

Michael Schumacher: “Today’s race was probably was one of the toughest that I have had so far. It was pretty edgy to drive the car on the limit so I had to fight my way through the race, and at the end, it was like walking on ice. Regarding the overtaking manoeuvre with Rubens, I indicated pretty early that I would move towards the inside and not simply give up the line, and there was just enough space for him to pass me without touching each other. It was a hard fight, and this is what we are here for, but I accept that the FIA stewards saw it as too hard. I look forward to the break now and to coming back out of it stronger in Spa.”

Nico Rosberg: “It was a disappointing end to a difficult weekend today. I didn’t have a good start because I was on the dirty side and I was struggling to find the pace to keep up with Petrov, so it would have been tough to make up much ground. We needed to have a good pit stop to stay ahead of Kubica but unfortunately we had the problem with the right rear wheel. It’s disappointing to have my first retirement of the season but these things happen and we will learn from the experience. After I heard that my tyre hit big Nige, one of my old Williams truckies, I was more concerned about my tyre than him! But seriously, it’s great that he doesn’t have any serious injures and I’m sorry for the incident. We’ll come back in Spa ready to do better.”