FIA post-race press conference - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Reproduced with kind permission of the FIA

1 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren); 2 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari); 3 - Jenson Button (McLaren)

Q: Lewis, describe your feelings after this win. It is one for you mum, hey?
Lewis Hamilton: Yeah, absolutely. It's my mum's birthday this weekend and it is great to be able to win while she's here. I feel fantastic. I think it was one of my best races. I said that to myself as I slowed down, just being able to hold off one of the best drivers in the world throughout the race is something that is very, very tough to do. Just looking after the tyres, just managing the gap. Obviously the team did a fantastic job in the pit-stops, but I'm ecstatic. Really very happy to be back up here. This is great. I can get on my flight tonight and smile.

Q: Fernando, there is a lot of respect between you two at the moment. You had a great start today, fifth up to second, and you almost got close enough to Lewis at the second round of stops.
Fernando Alonso: Yeah, it was a fantastic race for me as well with a very good start and then a good first lap fighting with Jenson. Obviously with the problem with Sebastian (Vettel) we found ourselves second and then we fight all through the race more or less in a distance of three to five seconds with Lewis. Then the last pit-stop we stayed two laps longer than the McLaren and we were close I think. But we had some traffic in the pit entry, behind one HRT, and I think we lost a little bit of ground. But, anyway, with the last stint I think they had a little bit more pace so even if we were able to overtake in the stop it was difficult to win the race so extremely happy with second and enjoy this weekend.

Q: Jenson, a lot of battles with Mark Webber for you but it looked a bit uncomfortable and did you radio in that you had some KERS problems.
Jenson Button: Yeah, I did. I am not sure if my pace was entirely there on the soft tyres anyway. I think it was about lap 13 or 14. I didn't have any KERS basically. I had to fend off Webber and also (Felipe) Massa which is also quite interesting without KERS. Then in the next stint I was told what I could do to try and get KERS back, and at least we got it back, but it lasted for like two laps at a time and I had to keep resetting it. The problem is it is not just when you accelerate, it is when you brake. When you have KERS you have a lot of engine braking from the KERS and when you don't have it you don't have any braking performance. Every time I arrived at a corner I didn't know what I was going to get, either engine braking or not, so it was pretty tricky. But coming home and finishing third I am relatively happy.

Q: Lewis, by your own admission it has been a tough few months. Does this win put you well and truly back on track do you think?
LH: I don't know. It is early days yet but this is definitely the start of something hopefully very good. We've got another great race ahead of us in Brazil and I have just got to put my focus on that and try to keep the momentum, but you know how it goes. Anything can happen. I have just got to keep my mind on the game.

Q: Lewis, what were your thoughts when you saw Sebastian go off?
LH: I didn't know which way it was going to go, so I was just trying to avoid that. I saw immediately that something had happened to his tyre, and that's why he was going sideways. I was just making sure that I didn't collect him as he potentially [could come] across the track. After that, I just saw that I had two very quick drivers behind me and I was just trying to keep the gap. It didn't really enter my mind at all, throughout the race.

Q: As you say you tried to keep the gap; that gap remained incredibly constant up to the first stint, and then a different gap again remained stable up to the second stop.
LH: Yeah, I think it's very rare for us and for me to get the opportunity to be able to maintain a gap, to be able to control the race but today I had the pace, I was able to put in the laps when Fernando went quicker, and whenever he closed the gap, generally was able to keep it the same or pull out a little bit more. There was a point - I can't remember which stint it was - but he was closing the gap. It seemed like he would start a bit slower than me in a stint and then get faster towards the end, so his tyres would last longer but nonetheless, I'm very happy with how it went.

Q: There were one or two penalties for backmarkers; was there a problem with backmarkers more here today than elsewhere?
LH: Just to point out that backmarkers have a tough job, because firstly they're just looking ahead, they're competing for whatever position they're competing for and sometimes you just don't look in your mirrors and sometimes you're probably just not expecting to be lapped or when that's going to happen. I've been in that position before and I think some of them just didn't see because they were fighting the guys in front, but some of them were on their own and just stayed in front. I lost seconds behind certain different people, and I think Rubens overtook me with the DRS; there was nothing I could do about that. I came up back alongside him thinking 'dude, I'm in the lead, we're not racing'. He came and congratulated me afterwards so that's fine.

Q: Fernando, tell us about that fantastic start.
FA: I don't think it was so good. At the start, I think we lost a little bit of ground with Jenson, who was right in front of us in third, and we were fifth. Then we braked and we risked, on the outside of turn one, to overtake Mark, so we gained one position there. We gained one position with Sebastian's accident and then one position with the slipstream with Jenson. I think we've had better starts than today, the start itself.

Q: Again, just to ask you about the gap to Lewis each time; I guess you were pushing as hard as you could.
FA: Yeah, definitely. I think it was a time trial race, like an individual race, not against the time. I was doing like qualifying laps every lap, trying to close the gap, but one tenth up, one tenth down for the whole stint, as you said. I think we were dominated by people who were catching slower cars. When he [Hamilton] had some problems, I would maybe close the gap by like two seconds; when I had a problem, the gap increased by two seconds. We were dominated by how easy [it was to pass] or in which part of the track you caught a slow car.

Q: What are your thoughts about the next race in Brazil?
FA: I'm looking forward to it; it's the last race. To be honest, I already want to have the last the race and to think about 2012 as soon as possible, not to forget this year, because I think the year in general has been quite good for the team and in general, with some good improvements from last year, but obviously we were not able to fight for the championship. We had only one victory this year so definitely next year is a big challenge for us, and a big motivation to do better than 2011. So looking at Brazil, I think the race there will be interesting. The weather is normally a little bit unpredictable, so anything can happen there and hopefully with a possibility to fight on the podium again.

Q: Jenson, a good third place but were your worst fears about DRS confirmed or was it just compounded by the lack of KERS?
JB: Yeah. DRS was actually quite good round here, which was a pity for me. I had a couple of good battles out there during the race but it was a lot more difficult by not having KERS for a lot of the race. We found a way of getting the KERS working again but the problem was it would only last for a couple of laps and then it would stop working and there was no warning to tell me it had stopped working so I would just lose all engine braking. It was pretty tricky, so to get to the end and be on the podium, I am pretty happy with that.

Q: Were you surprised at Mark Webber's tactics?
JB: Yes, very surprised. I don't know if they thought that I had the KERS problem for the rest of the race because when I had the KERS problem I was obviously a lot slower and he was pushing me around for 15 laps. As soon as I sorted the problem out, I would go half a second quicker. I don't know. It was a strange decision to make but they also made a mistake on the first pit stop, I think, which lost them a lot of ground. I think that really hurt him and he wasn't able to really challenge after that.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Frederic Ferret - L'Equipe) Lewis, how do you rate this victory after such a bad time?
LH: I don't know. I've had some interesting victories, some better than others. When I was doing the lap on the way in, I was thinking that this was definitely one of my best, just in terms of my own performance, not making mistakes. I don't feel I've made a single mistake in the race and with the things that have gone, with the pressure that I've been under and with the doubt that has surrounded me, I felt just massively proud to have put that kind of performance together and to have come out on top. I think my fans have been incredibly supportive and so have my family, particularly more so in the recent weeks and so that's made a big difference. And it's my Mum's birthday, so it makes it even better.

Q: (Livio Oricchio - O Estado de Sao Paulo) Fernando, after such a disappointing race here last year, does the performance make it anything special for you?
FA: Well, not really. I don't think that we were thinking about last year when we came here. It doesn't change the feeling of last year when we lost the championship at the last moment to be on the podium today. As I said on Thursday, what makes this podium special is that I think I have 73 podiums now, so 73 trophies in Formula One. I have them from all the circuits that I have raced on in Formula One, so Magny-Cours, Indianapolis - circuits which we are not racing on now and I missed only one at home, and that was Abu Dhabi, because in the three years, I have never been on the podium. So now I have completed all the circuits. So, happy.

Q: (Sudhir Chandran - Chequered Flag, India) Lewis, it seemed like that whole of Abu Dhabi was rooting for this win for you. Could you feel the energy and vibe in the crowd?
LH: Definitely, definitely. When we were doing the parade lap before the race, I could see that there were a lot of fans, particularly from the UK but also from here in Abu Dhabi. I was really surprised to see so much support, but it's great. It's a great spectacle, a great circuit to come to and a great country. Hopefully, it was a good race to watch. Obviously for me it was probably not too exciting to watch me go round, but I don't mind having those races every now and then.

Q: (Naoise Holohan - Manipe F1) Lewis, would it have made the victory any more special if you had beaten Sebastian on track rather than him retiring ?
LH: I don't know really. I will tell you when it happens. I think we were clearly very quick and it would have been very close. Sebastian got a great start - again - and was off. From turn one he got quite a good exit from turn one so he had a pretty good gap already. Every now and then, we need a bit of bad luck to notice the good times, I guess, and I don't remember the last time he had a bit of bad luck.

Q: (Sarah Holt - BBC Sport) Lewis, I just wondered if you felt that this was the first race weekend in a while when you felt like you've been able to get on top of your emotions and for them not to affect you when you've been in the car? Is that what has made the difference today?
LH: I don't know. I definitely think that this weekend I've been clearer in my mind and I've had less weighing on me, less thoughts and issues or whatever problems that I've got. I was just able to drive clearly. I think my qualifying has always been generally good and my practice has always been pretty good but obviously in the last race I had that mistake which was… I was just not thinking straight and this weekend I was able to think straight. I don't know if that's because I had some great support here or what, but it's been a positive feeling all weekend. I felt like I was on it all weekend so I just feel very fortunate to have come out and finish and had the car last and not get into any trouble.

Q: (Michael Schmidt - Auto, Motor und Sport) Lewis, how much could you see of Sebastian's accident. Is it possible that he was maybe too high on the kerb with a full fuel load, which maybe damaged the tyre?
LH: I could see he went through turn two and it looked like his rear tyre failed for whatever reason. He wasn't on the kerb as far as I could see. I only saw it happen after the kerb, so after the apex, but I just saw that his tyre was deflated and the right rear was squashed up on the inside of the floor and everything, so I assumed it was just a tyre failure.

Q: (Kate Walker - Girl Racer) Fernando, could you please tell us what was going through your head in the second pit stop when you followed the HRT into the pits? Did you see possible victory slipping from your sights?
FA: We knew that maybe we could overtake the McLaren at the second stop, because when we saw Lewis pitting, we had the tyres in more or less good condition to push for another two or three laps, so we did some good timed laps, so the team was informing me that we should be OK maybe to exit in front of him or maybe on the limit, very close. But even with that, I knew that with 15 laps remaining, with the medium tyres, it was really difficult to stay in front of Lewis. Definitely, with the traffic on the pit entry, maybe we lost the opportunity to be close at the exit of the pits but I don't think that we lost the victory there. It was extremely difficult to beat the McLaren today.

Q: (Naoise Holohan - Manipe F1) Jenson, you're visiting Ireland next summer for the Dublin F1 street demo on June 3. Are you looking forward to the trip and have you any sightseeing planned? A few pints of Guinness perhaps?
JB: Wow, I normally don't plan that far ahead. I'm glad. I actually did know I was going. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. It's a fun city, I've been there a few times before and always had a good time. Yeah, looking forward to the experience, and hopefully [I'll] have a lot of support there. Looking at all the Tweets that I've had about it, there's a lot of interest so I'm looking forward to it.
LH: Are you going to keep your moustache for that?
JB: I'm not sure actually. My missus likes it so I might just carry it. I've got to shave it off tomorrow or else I might stick it to something so I can put it back on. It takes me a while to grow it.

Abu Dhabi F1 Race - Hamilton victorious after early Vettel exit

All weekend there were signs that Lewis Hamilton's mojo was coming back, and a dominant victory in Abu Dhabi was just what the McLaren driver needed. In celebration, he dedicated it to his mother Carmen, whose birthday it was.

He was helped immeasurably as Sebastian Vettel spun into retirement in the second corner as his right-rear tyre came off the rim of his Red Bull, but it wasn't an easy run to the flag as Ferrari's Fernando Alonso grabbed second place from McLaren's Jenson Button on the opening lap and thereafter kept him honest.

The Spaniard led the 41st to 43rd laps after staying out longer than Hamilton in their second stints, but by the flag the Englishman was 8.4s ahead after controlling the race throughout.

Button's chances of making it a McLaren one-two were damaged by a KERS problem that affected him right from the start, and left him prey for a while to Red Bull's Mark Webber, who gambled on a three-stop run after a botched first pit stop. The Australian set a string of fastest laps on a third set of soft Pirellis before dropping back to fourth after a 54th lap stop to switch to the mediums.

Behind them, Ferrari's Felipe Massa was a threat for a long time until he hit debris thrown off Pastor Maldonado's Williams, then spun, but the Brazilian stayed ahead of Nico Rosberg, who did a very long second stint before also pitting late for medium tyres. He was a long way ahead of Mercedes team mate Michael Schumacher, who had Force India's Adrian Sutil only 1.1s behind him by the flag.

Sutil's performance, and that of single-stopping team mate Paul di Resta who followed him home, helped Force India to cement their sixth place overall as a very strong recovery drive from Kamui Kobayashi earned Sauber the final point after both their drivers had been forced to make early pit stops. Sergio Perez in the other Sauber was 11th, just holding off Rubens Barrichello's Williams which started from the very back.

Renault's Vitaly Petrov was 13th ahead of Williams' Pastor Maldonado and Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari. The latter pair made themselves hugely unpopular after blocking Webber and Massa brutally partway through, and the stewards handed them penalties after the race. Maldonado had already received a drive-through penalty for ignoring blue flags, as had Renault's Bruno Senna, who finished 16th. Maldonado and Alguersuari ultimately kept their 14th and 15th place finishes, even with 30 and 20 seconds respectively added to their race times for their misdemeanours.

Heikki Kovalainen had yet another of his feisty races for Lotus, finishing 17th after running 13th at one stage, and he was a lap ahead of team mate Jarno Trulli, Timo Glock's Virgin and Tonio Liuzzi's HRT.

Besides Vettel, Jerome D'Ambrosio retired his Virgin with brake problems, Sebastien Buemi's Toro Rosso stopped as he was fighting hard with Di Resta, and Daniel Ricciardo's HRT broke down towards the end.

Hamilton's win brings him to 227 points, but leaves him still fifth behind Vettel on 374, Button on 255, Alonso on 245 and Webber on 233. It means Hamilton cannot now finish second in the table, nor overhaul team mate Button.

FIA Thursday press conference - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2011

Reproduced with kind permission of the FIA

Drivers - Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso), Paul di Resta (Force India), Timo Glock (Virgin), Heikki Kovalainen (Team Lotus), Vitantonio Liuzzi (HRT) and Vitaly Petrov (Renault).

Q: Tonio, one or two changes in the team. Have you seen differences within the team and how the team has reacted?
Vitantonio Liuzzi: I have to say the team is changing, on-going at the moment, the structure is improving every time and I think there are a lot of changes for next year, plans on-going in the next month. I think the structure improved a lot during the 2011 season, we are focussed on 2012. We want to improve and get better in the field and I feel these changes are going in the right direction for the future. Still nothing completely clear how will be the line-up for next year in terms of the set-up of the team, but I think we are going forward.

Q: Your future? Would you just clarify that? Did you say something has not been decided yet?

VL: No, I was talking about the team, not about me or the other drivers. For me I always said I have a long-term contract with the team. We started with this adventure and we knew that it could not be just a one-year situation if we wanted to improve. The team hired me to help them develop and bring experience in the team and I think everything is going well and everything is looking positive for the future so not much to say about it.

Q: So you are hopeful of staying and going forward?
VL: Yes, I believe so.

Q: Heikki, both drivers have been confirmed for next year. You seem to still be making progress as well with the team. Again, a certain amount of optimism I would have thought?

Heikki Kovalainen: Yeah, absolutely. I think we made more progress than the other two new teams in these last couple of years especially this year. We need to take the next step, but I think the team is making the right kind of moves back at the factory and in terms of the structure of the team to go forward so I am confident and I am optimistic that next year we will move another step forward. It has not been too far away, actually, in the last few races. I have been able to race some of the cars ahead of us so it is not that much we need anymore to join the pack and then the middle of the field and to be ahead of them we need a bigger step. Hopefully over the winter we can make another gain compared to the teams directly ahead of us.

Q: Tell us your view of the way Tony Fernandes works. He seems to be a particularly dynamic guy running goodness knows how many companies. Not only the racing team, Caterham and even Queens Park Rangers.
HK: Yeah, he is an exciting guy. He is not afraid of making decisions and taking an adventure into an unknown. I think that, quite often, is how the good leaders and successful businessmen, how they work. To make a successful business you have quite often got to do something different to what the group of people is doing and he is certainly doing that. This morning was a good example of how Tony operates. I sent him a text regarding Caterham, his car company, and I said we should do that. He just texted me back, ‘Done, tell Riad (Asmat)’ and so, the deal was done. That’s how he works and I believe he meant that. I really enjoyed working with him and it was one of the reasons I joined the team and I have enjoyed these last two years. He is a funny guy.

Q: Timo, do you feel you have done a good job this year overall? Obviously it has been a very difficult at the back of the grid and what are your thoughts on next year as well?
Timo Glock: Yeah, I am happy with my performance in general. I think I got the maximum out of the package we had. I just did my best in qualifying and the race. Sometimes we were a bit unlucky in the race, like in India at the last race. In general, as I said, with the package we got it out most of the time and now we have to keep concentrating on working for next year and make improvements like Lotus did this year and move on.

Q: And looking forward to this race. We have got two DRS zones here. I know there is not a lot overtaking going on at the back, but what are your feelings about two DRS zones here?
TG: I think you are right, you have to ask the guys in front, it is difficult for me to say. But I think it will be good possibilities here to overtake, especially with DRS and it could make the race quite interesting. Let’s see, maybe we can overtake on the back of it as well but the possibilities are much higher here.

Q: Paul, you are probably better prepared for this circuit than any of the ones we have been to so far as you did about 110 laps in a Force India this time last year.
Paul di Resta: Yeah, I think coming here obviously having a bit of experience isn’t negative having done the Pirelli test last year. But, really, it is all about the work you carry out on Friday and Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon in this case. We want to try and maintain position in the Constructors’ Championship and our performance has been very close to Toro Rosso and Sauber and Renault if we get it right and really that’s our focus at the moment.

Q: So it is quite tight between all you guys. You still feel there is potential for change there?
PdR: Yeah, I don’t think you can really give up on any approach. I think you have got to be fairly aggressive. Already this year we saw it change a lot. We are in a strong position at the moment but we are very focussed on trying to get our performance level and equally bring new updates if we can. Really just to try and maintain that. These guys seem to be very strong in the race and really me and Adrian (Sutil) are doing our upmost to try and grab as many points as we can and race against these guys.

Q: Given that no announcement has been made about the drivers, although that has been brought forward, I am sure you put pressure on yourselves anyway. But does that put more pressure on you?
PdR: I suppose it does in a way. I have always said you always want to know as quick as you can but you have to respect Mr (Vijay) Mallya’s decision and really he has said he is going to change. But, at the moment, I have a contract for the year so I am focussed on doing the remaining two races, which we should be, and really the future will take care of itself hopefully.

Q: Sebastien, we only have to look at the last few races to realise the team has made a lot of progress. So you feel, probably, in a position where you can fightback?

Sebastien Buemi: Yes, now we have got the same amount of points as Sauber so it is already good for us. We are 10 points behind Force India. It was a shame what happened in India, but still I think we can continue to fight and, like you said, the car is really quick now. We have a good qualifying pace. We were both in Q3 in India and then, also in the race, we are normally quite quick as well so hopefully we can finish in the points and be in front of Sauber by the end of the weekend. Then for the last race we will see what we can do.

Q: The problem in India, does that have consequences for the rest of the year? Are you going to have to use a ninth engine perhaps?
SB: No, we were not planning to use this engine anymore so it is not going to be a problem at all.

Q: And your thoughts about the future, for next year?
SB: I don’t think too much about it right now. Let’s say I try to get the maximum out of myself and the car in the remaining two races and then we will have enough time to speak about next year. I believe we have got to be concentrated. We have a good chance to achieve a very good result for the team so I think it is really important to dedicate ourselves completely to this before thinking about anything else.

Q: Vitaly, we remember you last year with your red shadow. Would it have been very different with DRS?
Vitaly Petrov: Definitely, and with new Pirelli tyres.

Q: It would have been very different, would it?
VP: I think we need to forget already what’s happened last year here. I know I did a good race by myself to improve and to show the team I could stay for next year. It was not to use tactics for Fernando (Alonso), and with the lack of overtaking here he couldn’t do anything.

Q: There have been a few changes in the team this year; is that something that affects you most recently?
VP: I don’t think anything changes for me. I think it will be better for the team. It’s like football; when a new coach joins a team, what he does first of all is look at the team and watches where the players are playing. Then he puts the people in the right places, where they should be playing. Then teams become more competitive and play stronger. This is actually what we try to do inside the team. The team principal tries to change some people, to move them around and try to profit from this.

Q: What’s the situation for next year, your future?
VP: For me, everything is clear. I have a contract for next year, I don’t need to be worried, so I just try to do my job, try to gather a lot of information for next year for us in these last two races. I and the team are fully concentrated on the team for next year also so I’m quite clear.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Alex Popov - RTR) Heikki, does the change of name to Caterham mean that your business car will be very fast but not very comfortable?
HK: I’ve been waiting for the Caterham already this year. They haven’t sent me one yet but I’m sure I will get one soon. I’m quite looking forward to taking one to Finland; I have a fantastic road leading up to my log cabin house, so I’m going to test it there, I think, when there’s a little bit of snow banks around, on studded tyres.

Q: Will you have to build your company car yourself?
HK: No, I don’t think so. I have a good car crew; they will do it for me.

Q: (Alex Popov - RTR) Heikki as a Finnish driver, your main target may be the Williams team next year?
HK: For next year, the target ahead of us doesn’t change - whoever is driving in different teams. Obviously you’re referring to Kimi at Williams; I have no idea whether that is happening or not. What’s going on there… it doesn’t matter who is driving the cars in front of us. We are targeting the cars ahead of us, joining that group and hopefully sometimes being ahead of more than one team if we have a good day. That’s all I can say. If Kimi decides to come back, I think the main difference for me will be that the parties after the races will be a little bit better.

Q: (Michael Stauble - SRG/DRS) After 17 races with DRS, how would you rate it, has it improved the racing in your opinion?
VP: I think that it’s definitely a big step forward. I think we will keep this for many years, five or ten years. I think it’s a good chance for us to overtake and good for you to write something about overtaking, so I think it’s a good step.
SB: I think it’s definitely a positive. We’ve seen a lot more overtaking; we’ve even seen some overtaking in Monaco. It’s definitely good. Sometimes it feels like the DRS zone is not long enough but I definitely think it’s going to help a lot this weekend.

Q: From a lapping point of view, is it better that the people who are lapping have DRS? Is that better from your point of view?
TG: In general, it’s not that big a difference for us. In general, it’s quite difficult overall, in the race, to keep out of the (way of the) top five, especially if you have a safety car and we are in the middle of the pack and it’s just a big mess. DRS doesn’t make a big difference for lapping cars.
HK: The only difference I see is that maybe sometimes they give us a big tow in a straight line when they go past, so it’s definitely better for us.

Q: (Livio Oricchio - O Estado de Sao Paulo) Sebastian, is the increased performance from your car related to the development of the blown diffuser?
SB: Yes, I think it’s mainly because of that, but in general I think we improved the car very well from mid-season to the end now. I think we’re now improving the car race after race and this is why we can actually catch up the other guys. We were maybe a little bit too slow developing the car in the middle of the year, but now I think we’re doing a good job. It’s only the second year that the team is building the car, so it takes a bit of time to get into the rhythm but I think we’ve definitely got a lot of lap time through the blown diffuser.

Q: (Alex Popov - RTR) Vitaly, you mentioned the football team but which one of the team would you prefer to be your team-mate next year, stay with Bruno or maybe change or maybe Robert will be back: your personal preference?
VP: I think that if you had asked me this question last year, I would definitely have chosen the most experienced guy, because when Robert was with me in the team, I learned quite a lot from him, so I analysed the date, watched the video, listened to how he talked to the engineers and what he… At the moment, now, for me, it doesn’t matter, to be honest. I already know how to improve the team in general, to set up and how to work with my team, so this is why for next year or for this year, it doesn’t matter at all.

Q: (Gaetan Vigneron - RTBF) Timo, what is your opinion about your team-mate for next year? Is it important for you to have the same one because it’s better to improve the team or is it better to have a new one or it doesn’t matter to you personally?
TG: In general, I think it doesn’t matter to me; it’s a decision to be made by the team. Sure, on the other hand, if both drivers remain, then you have more consistency in the team but on the other hand, it doesn’t matter to me, as I said. We have a long road in front of us so it’s up to the team to decide.

Q: (Muthyalu Satyanarayan - Gulf News) Most of you have grown up and raced in your early careers in Europe. Now, two or three years back, we had Abu Dhabi and now India, so how is this experience with venues shifting to this part of the world, Middle East and Asia? What’s the experience of racing in these new venues?
HK: I have a good answer for this one. I much prefer to be at these kind of warm races because the golf courses are fantastic. I would happily stay near Bangkok and just race from there; the golf courses are great. I arrived here on Monday already and I’ve played four rounds of golf already, so I’m happy for this direction.
VP: It’s a good answer!
VL: Maybe it’s much colder in Europe but I prefer the European races. For sure, we have a different kind of circuit here in Asia, it’s completely different, much more modern, beautiful circuits but I still love the historical circuits like Spa, Monza and the European races.
SB: I think it’s good to try some new circuits, some new countries to visit. I think it’s definitely a positive to come to these races and I think what we experience here is completely different. It’s the best infrastructure in the world and it’s definitely quite nice to be racing here, starting the race when it’s still daylight and then we finish in the dark. I definitely think it’s a positive.
PdiR: Yeah, I think it’s always a good experience, but I think the questioner talked about drivers as well and I think given where junior categories are in Europe compared to Asia, it’s not quite there yet but I think that is just generally through time and I think it builds up, the whole experience, how popular racing will get. Given how many people there are in India, I’m sure that with the first Indian Grand Prix, that will generate interest and for the future, you never know where that might lead to.

Q: (Alex Popov - RTR) Sebastian, as I understand it, you used to live in Bahrain, do you still live there?
SB: No, I’ve lived in Monaco for two years but part of my family lives in Bahrain and that’s why I moved there three years ago.

Q: (Alex Popov - RTR) Is all OK there now; do we have a chance to go back for the race next year?
SB: I hope so. Bahrain is a nice circuit and I enjoy being there but first of all it has to be safe but I didn’t hear anything bad for a few months now.

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix preview quotes - Pirelli, Renault, Force India & more

The Formula One paddock heads west again next weekend for the 2011 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the penultimate round of the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship. With its spectacular setting and unique twilight race, the Yas Marina Circuit is one of the most popular on the calendar, as the teams and drivers explain…

Paul Hembery, Pirelli's motorsport director
"At this point in the season, our emphasis is obviously on refining our tyre choices for next year, which is why we are seeing some new tyres during free practice here and the young driver test. With very limited opportunities for testing during the season, this is important for us to collect information as we develop our strategy for 2012, which will feature tyres that are a bit different from this year's range. We're very familiar with the Yas Marina circuit as a testing venue so we're confident that the tyre choice we have made for the race should suit the characteristics of the track. Abu Dhabi is an absolutely fantastic facility with some good overtaking opportunities, so we're very pleased to be celebrating our first anniversary there."

Bruno Senna, Renault
2010 Qualifying - n/a, 2010 Race - n/a
"Abu Dhabi and Brazil were probably my best two races last season, where I didn't experience any problems. I know the Yas Marina Circuit well; the track clicked with me. I really took to driving there and I think it suited me well. I really do feel we could have a strong race weekend if we put everything together, despite the fact that our car does not seem to like slow corners that much. It is going to be a long race and I think some of the other teams have a little bit of an advantage, but we are going to be pushing and will do our utmost to stay ahead of our rivals.

"We need to be realistic but also put in a massive effort to extract the maximum possible from the weekend. In terms of managing our expectations, fortunately we always wait until Friday to know what to expect in terms of results, and we believe that we can do a good job again in Abu Dhabi. It is a very tight group; we need to get everything 100 percent right to be in front of them. We are at the business end of the season now and, make no mistake, we will be putting in every ounce of effort to secure some pride for the team."

Vitaly Petrov, Renault
2010 Qualifying - 10th, 2010 Race - 6th

"Abu Dhabi has a good atmosphere. It is a good track with a lot of spectators - even Russians - who come to watch the race. I do in fact quite like the track. It has smooth tarmac which might mean we start the weekend in slightly dirty conditions; we shall see how prevalent this is when we get to the track. I am naturally inclined to say I don't know if the circuit will suit our car. When we arrive and are able to observe how the tyres are working, we will know where we are placed relative to our rivals. I hope we show signs of speed, like we have at time during the past three races. The concern is we have not exploited the potential the car has shown at the crucial times. Of course, that is always the fine line between a successful outing on track or a less successful one. Overall, I am confident it can be a good race weekend."

Eric Boullier, Renault team principal
"Abu Dhabi is a very, very popular event and racing spectacle. To give you an example: we are absolutely jammed to the rafters in terms of the number of guests we have, and the interest we have received. It arrived on the calendar back in 2009 and since then it has acted as an extremely important race for the annual F1 circus. It brings motorsport to the United Arab Emirates in a big way. As I've said before, for the sport to be global it needs to plant its flag in many different parts of the world. Formula One has done that in Abu Dhabi and the race has been a massive success in the two years it has taken place as we saw at last year's season finale in which our very own Vitaly was heavily involved. From a team side of things, we expect to use the Abu Dhabi race weekend as an opportunity to secure our fifth place in the championship, and to secure as many points as possible."

James Allison, Renault technical director
"Our car performs relatively better in high speed corners at tracks which place a fair burden on the front tyres. Yas Marina is biased towards lower speed corners which place a larger emphasis on rear tyre and traction performance. Our engine allocation is fine. The Renault Sport units have performed flawlessly this year and we are able to perform both of the final races with no restrictions on our strategy whatsoever."
Adrian Sutil, Force India
2010 Qualifying - 13th, 2010 Race - 13th

"It was a difficult race for us last year, but I think this year it should be much better. There are long straights and hairpins, and it's a track where low-speed corner performance counts. That should suit our car so I think we'll be okay."

Paul Di Resta, Force India
2010 Qualifying - n/a, 2010 Race - n/a
"I did half a day at the (Abu Dhabi) young driver test and then a full day for the Pirelli tyre test last year. So I've learned the layout and have a feel for the place. Before we get there I'll have another half day in the simulator to get back up to speed.

"It's a very technical circuit with a lot of tight, low-speed corners and you need to be very precise with the car. There's very little high-speed stuff, apart from the esses after turn one, but they are taken pretty much flat anyway. There are definitely some similarities with Singapore so that's a reason to be optimistic because the lack of high-speed corners seems to suit our package. As ever, we have to see how the teams around us perform."

Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India chairman and team principal
"We hope to do well in Abu Dhabi, particularly because we think the car is suited to the track. Let's see."

Rubens Barrichello, Williams
2010 Qualifying - 7th, 2010 Race - 12th
"Abu Dhabi is a great race and although some people say that overtaking was not easy there the last two years, this year with DRS I think we will have some really good racing. The track is very exciting for drivers. Turns 2 and 3 make a very special combination of high speed corners with the last part of the track a very tricky sequence of low speed and technical corners. I enjoy going to Abu Dhabi and I'm looking to score some more points before heading to the last race of the season in Brazil."

Pastor Maldonado, Williams
2010 Qualifying - n/a, 2010 Race - n/a
"The Yas Marina Circuit has a very interesting combination of corners, mostly slow speed with one fast section right at the start of the lap. It is quite a long lap and tyre degradation is usually quite high. Although it is a fairly new track, the team has lots of data from both the races and test here last year. I enjoyed the Young Driver test there in 2010 as well as racing in GP2, so I also know the track. Abu Dhabi is a really nice place to visit with great fans."

Mark Gillan, Williams chief operations engineer
"Early preparation for the 55-lap Abu Dhabi race has gone well. The Yas Marina Circuit is a medium aerodynamic efficiency track, with a real mix of long straights and relatively tight, low mean speed corners, which in turn puts a great deal of energy through the braking system. We are expecting low 30 degrees Celsius ambient temperatures with track temperatures rising into the low 40 degrees so we will have to run a relatively 'open' cooling package. Fuel consumption at the race is medium to high, but the actual fuel effect on lap-time is average. Pirelli are bringing their medium and soft tyres to this race, with these tyres being last used together at the Japanese Grand Prix."

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
2010 Qualifying - 1st, 2010 Race - 1st
"The track in Abu Dhabi is special - this will be our third Grand Prix there. The race starts at dusk and finishes at night, which means we have to drive with special helmet visors because of the different light conditions. The other factor is that we drive anti-clockwise. The track's a bit like Singapore from the speed, but the asphalt is smoother. There are two special features - one is the passage under the Yas Hotel, where else can you actually drive under your room! The second is the pit-lane exit, which is also special. It's partly underground and it feels like you're coming out of an underground parking garage when you drive through it."

Mark Webber, Red Bull
2010 Qualifying - 5th, 2010 Race - 8th
"I'm really looking forward to getting to Abu Dhabi. Although it's not one of the most challenging venues of the season, with every real corner being second and third gear, it's always a great spectacle. It's a twilight race, so it looks amazing on TV. It's another great opportunity for the team to get a very good result as the season comes to a close. The sun is always shining and the conditions are always beautiful, so that's something to look forward to."

Timo Glock, Virgin
2010 Qualifying - 21st, 2010 Race - DNF
"The season is coming to an end but there are still two quite spectacular races ahead of us. We now head to another Hermann Tilke designed track, the Yas Marina Circuit, which I enjoy a lot. I have to say that this circuit reminds me of different F1 tracks: the temperature is very similar to Bahrain, the track surface is like Hungary or Korea and in terms of lateral forces it is very close to Valencia. It features a very long straight between Turns 7 and 8. The only fast corners are Turns 2 and 3, which are taken at full throttle, so given the fact that many of the turns are low speed, the set-up is similar to how we would run at another medium-downforce track like Interlagos. I hope we can seal the season with two positive results."

Jerome d'Ambrosio, Virgin
2010 Qualifying - n/a, 2010 Race - n/a
"I'm really looking forward to the race weekend ahead in Abu Dhabi. I have good memories of this track as this is where I tested with the team a year ago before getting the drive for this season. A lot has happened since then and I'm glad to be returning again.

"The Yas Marina Circuit is a fantastic facility and has some interesting features like the pitlane - a tight tunnel that takes you under Turn 1 and rejoins the circuit on the inside of the second corner; the marina, or the section around the colour-changing Yas Hotel. It's a very attractive circuit where we race in the fading light, so in a way it also reminds me a bit of Singapore, another of my favourite tracks. I hope to continue achieving positive results at the last two races of the season."

John Booth, Virgin team principal
"We head to Abu Dhabi looking forward to the last two races of the 2011 calendar. It's going to be an interesting and busy couple of weeks ahead as straight after the race we will remain at the Yas Marina Circuit for the Young Driver Test before heading to Brazil for the season finale.

"One of the most demanding aspects of the weekend is that the race and qualifying are held at sundown so the track is cooling rapidly. This means that the car balance and tyre grip levels are changing throughout the stints and one of the challenges of the weekend will be to keep adjusting wing angles and tyre pressures to keep everything consistent. As with Turkey, Singapore, Korea and Brazil, the Yas Marina Circuit also runs in an anti-clockwise direction, giving the drivers the additional physical challenge to their neck muscles, even though they do extra training to compensate for that.

"Having not had the best of luck in India, we hope to get back to our usual two-car finish again in Abu Dhabi as every little bit counts in terms of carrying information through to the 2012 car development programme."

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
2010 Qualifying - 2nd, 2010 Race - 2nd
"I have some fantastic memories of the Yas Marina Circuit. I started from pole position there in 2009, and I led the race until I was forced to stop because of a brake issue. Last year, I finished second and set the fastest lap, so we head there looking to convert all that potential into a race win.

"I think we've got every reason to be confident for Abu Dhabi. This circuit should really suit the characteristics of our car - we should be able to capitalise on the layout to maximise the benefit of DRS and KERS, both of which are very strong on our car.

"Red Bull and Sebastian (Vettel) may have clinched both championships, but I'm still determined to end the season on a winning high. I've won two Grands Prix this year, and I'd love to double that by the end of the year! It would also be a great reward for everybody at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes."

Jenson Button, McLaren
2010 Qualifying - 4th, 2010 Race - 3rd
"Abu Dhabi has special memories for me because it was my first race after I'd won the world championship in 2009, so it made racing that weekend a really fun and enjoyable experience - I remember I had a fantastic battle with Mark (Webber) and finished third.

"The Yas Marina circuit looks and feels spectacular and futuristic: it's a unique place - the way the circuit changes from dusk to darkness is incredible, and must be an amazing experience for the spectators. The way it's built, the grandstands are almost on top the action so everyone gets a great view.

"It's usually been quite difficult to overtake here, especially last year, but I think that DRS will change all that. The back straight is one of the longest in Formula One so I expect to see a lot of action there. It would be great to see the new rules turn this circuit into a place where overtaking is more common and more exciting.

"Our car should suit this circuit so I'm very optimistic. We saw at the last grand prix that even though we didn't have the ultimate speed to catch and pass Sebastian, we made him work hard for the win. Tactically, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes ran a first-class race: I got all the right calls from the pit wall and the pit crew did a fantastic job. The championship may not be at stake any more but we're still aiming to win races and put on a tremendous show."

Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal
"The Indian Grand Prix two weeks ago was a unique achievement for Formula One, and next weekend's race in Abu Dhabi will be another pinnacle for the sport at probably the most futuristic and impressive circuit on the calendar.

"Jenson was quick and incredibly consistent in India, putting us in a position where we could be a little bit adventurous with the tyre strategy and put the leader under greater pressure. I know Lewis was disappointed with the outcome of his own race but that will not affect his preparations for the next challenge. He has an extremely impressive track record in Abu Dhabi, starting from pole position in 2009 and setting the fastest lap on his way to the podium in 2010, so I'm very confident that he'll shine this weekend.

"At Vodafone McLaren Mercedes we approach every Grand Prix with one aim: to win it. So while we can never be entirely happy with finishing second, as we did in India, we can be satisfied that we maximised the technical package we had and look at ways to go one better for the next race.

"Even though we've secured second place in the constructors' championship, and Jenson has a very healthy margin in second place in the drivers' championship, the season isn't over for us by any means. We're continuing to bring new developments to our car and we'll be fighting every bit as hard as we did at the first race in Australia back in March."

Vitantonio Liuzzi, HRT
2010 Qualifying - 16th, 2010 Race - DNF
"After lending my car to Narain (Karthikeyan) for the Indian Grand Prix, I'm really looking forward to getting back into the action in Abu Dhabi. I'm positive coming into it because in India the car appeared to suit the track well and our pace was good in comparison to our rivals. Abu Dhabi is a special track because there is a lot of stop and go so we need to work on braking and traction. There are not many high speed corners and, overall, it is quite a tricky track because you have to work a lot over the kerbs. It is a circuit that I like and one where I have performed well in the past. We will face another tough weekend in Abu Dhabi but I am sure that we will put up a good fight."

Daniel Ricciardo, HRT
2010 Qualifying - n/a, 2010 Race - n/a
"I've never raced in Abu Dhabi but have driven there last year in the young driver test with Red Bull so I'll be expecting it to be quite a bit different this time round, especially with the Pirelli tyres. India would have been another successful race had it not been for the problem we encountered so I'm hoping to experience a good weekend again in Abu Dhabi. I enjoyed driving on this circuit last year and I'm definitely looking forward to racing there this year where I'll be looking for a good result. There are only two races left in the season son I'm going to give it everything to achieve the best result possible."

Colin Kolles, HRT team principal
"We had quite an encouraging weekend in India, showing a much better pace than our direct rivals, and we are looking forward to Abu Dhabi to round it off. However, we have to keep our feet on the ground, focus on ourselves and do our job properly. If we do, I am sure we can hope for a good result at the Yas Marina Circuit. The event was fantastic last year, a really impressive facility with great atmosphere. For the first time, Daniel will drive at a racetrack that he has already been before with a Formula 1 as he was one of the young drivers participating in the post-race test. He actually had an impressive performance and, although this time will be a different situation, I am confident that this can allow him to kick the weekend off from a better position. Tonio will be back in the car this weekend and he is highly motivated. I am sure that we will see an interesting Grand Prix. The team's performance has improved throughout the season and the last races have been particularly positive for us. We certainly are in a much better position than we were eight months ago and I hope that we will continue this way until the end."

Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber
2010 Qualifying - 12th, 2010 Race - 14th
"Abu Dhabi is the track where I scored my first three Formula One championship points when I came sixth back in 2009. It was only my second Grand Prix, and for sure I will never forget that. I also like the fact it is a twilight race. This makes it even more exciting for the spectators and also very demanding for us. The challenge doesn't really come from the changing light, but the track temperature drops significantly when the sun sets. This makes it quite difficult to adapt during the race. I also like the track layout and I think it is an exciting event and race for everybody."

Sergio Perez, Sauber
2010 Qualifying - n/a, 2010 Race - n/a
"I have only the best memories of Abu Dhabi. There last year I had my first Formula One test, which obviously meant a lot to me. Also last year it was there where I competed in GP2 for the last time, and I won the race on Saturday by a good margin of over 20 seconds. Now I'm coming back with almost one year's experience in F1, and time goes by very quickly. I like the dry heat in the desert and it will be interesting to have the first experience with a race which starts in daylight and finishes in the dark. I am very much looking forward to that event and, as always, I'm absolutely determined to make the most out of it and score as many points as possible."

James Key, Sauber technical director
"Abu Dhabi was a memorable race last year when the championship was won there. One factor in that race was overtaking was difficult. That's something we have to bear in mind this year, although DRS should support overtaking. But certainly it will be an interesting race where the strategy could play a role. We go there with the soft and medium tyres, which is the same combination we had in Suzuka. The track itself has got three very distinct sectors. The first one is a short sector with medium to high speed corners. The second is dominated by a couple of chicanes and two long straights, so there low drag and efficiency are important. The third sector requires high downforce for the slow to medium speed corners. Therefore getting the downforce level right and balance it for this track is an important part of Friday's work. The car will be the same specification we had in India. We have, however, several new approaches to some of the mechanical set-up, coming off the back of a difficult qualifying in India, where we just couldn't get the tyres to work. We think Abu Dhabi will be better for this, but nevertheless we looked into this in detail and we will go with some fresh ideas to make sure we've got everything covered if tyres are the problem. In the race in India we got back to where we should be competition wise, and we clearly also need to be at that level in qualifying in Abu Dhabi."

Michael Schumacher, Mercedes
2010 Qualifying - 8th, 2010 Race - DNF
"The season's ending is coming up with some quite spectacular races; after the debut in India last weekend, we are now heading to the equally impressive Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi next week. The twilight race here certainly delivers a very unique atmosphere and challenge, and I truly enjoyed driving in those conditions last year when I was doing so for the first time. I hope that we can carry on our good team performance next weekend, at the home race for Aabar, and I look forward to scoring more points."

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
2010 Qualifying - 9th, 2010 Race - 4th
"The Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi is another great Hermann Tilke-designed track which I like very much. It's a fantastic setting with the track winding around the harbour and the hotel, and there is always a great atmosphere there with so many fans. I have good memories from last year's race and racing later in the day makes an interesting change to the usual race weekend format. I felt very comfortable in my car over the Indian Grand Prix weekend, and I'm planning to build on the result there in Abu Dhabi. I hope that we can get closer to the fastest teams for the last couple of races this season, and we are pushing very hard to achieve that."

Ross Brawn, Mercedes team principal
"As well as being the penultimate race of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be the final 'home' race of the year for the Mercedes GP Petronas team. Our shareholder and partner Aabar Investments is based in Abu Dhabi, so it will be a busy and exciting race weekend for us, with special events taking place at the race track and in the city. The Yas Marina Circuit is without doubt one of the most visually impressive Formula One facilities to have been built in recent years. The race has very quickly established itself as a wonderful, sell-out weekend, loved by drivers, teams, fans and guests alike. We are looking forward to our visit, and of course the added challenge of the later start and 'twilight' race. On the back of a two-car points finish, and a very good team performance, at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, we will be working towards a similar result in Abu Dhabi. It would be a very great pleasure to achieve this at Aabar's home race."

Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"After a very successful premiere in India, Formula One's third visit to Abu Dhabi will highlight another of our sport's proudest success stories of recent years. The facilities and welcome at the Yas Marina Circuit are second-to-none and embody the commitment to excellence that defines the country's relationship with our sport. The circuit features relatively few high-speed corners, so mechanical grip and traction are at a premium, while the powertrain is also highly stressed: the percentage of the lap spent at wide open throttle, as well as the total number of gearshifts in the race, are both well above the season average. Our target in Abu Dhabi is to build upon our recent form, which has seen at least one of our drivers finish among the top six in four of the last six races. This is the maximum we can currently achieve, given that the six cars of the three top teams are generally producing better lap times than our current technical package. Like Germany, Great Britain and Malaysia, Abu Dhabi is one of our 'home' Grands Prix, where we will recognise the exemplary support and commitment of our partner and shareholder Aabar and mark an important milestone in our racing year."

Lotus confirm Rossi for Abu Dhabi young driver test

American driver Alexander Rossi is set for a busy end to his 2011 season. Not only will he compete for Caterham Team AirAsia in the GP2 Finale at next weekend's 2011 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he will then take part in the subsequent Formula One young driver test for the team's F1 counterparts, Lotus.

Rossi, a veteran of series including Formula BMW, GP2 Asia and GP3, finished third in this year's Formula Renault 3.5 championship. The 20 year-old from California will now get the chance to spend a full day in Lotus's Renault-powered F1 car during the Yas Marina session, which takes place from November 15-17.

"I am very excited to announce I will be competing in Abu Dhabi with Caterham Team AirAsia and will have the chance to put more F1 miles on my CV with Team Lotus," said Rossi. "For the F1 test I will be looking to learn as much as possible, do the best job I can and soak up every minute, in and out of the car."

Team principal Riad Asmat added: "We are very excited to have Alexander Rossi back on board for the Abu Dhabi GP2 race and the subsequent F1 test. We want to give him the chance to experience the pressure of an F1 environment so the young driver test is the natural place to give him that chance. We are all looking forward to both events and I am sure he will perform to the best of his ability whenever he is on track."

Rossi has some previous Formula One testing experience, having driven for Sauber at Jerez in Spain back in 2009.

Vergne to star for Red Bull at young driver test

Red Bull have revealed on Tuesday that Jean-Eric Vergne is to take charge of their championship-winning RB7 at the forthcoming Abu Dhabi young driver test. Vergne recently sampled Jaime Alguersuari's Toro Rosso STR06 during the opening Friday practice session in Korea.

"I'm really looking forward to driving the RB7 in Abu Dhabi," said the Frenchman. "I know the track already and have had some track time in a Formula One car this year, which will help.

"I'm extremely happy that Red Bull Racing has given me this opportunity, it will be a massive experience for me and to be driving the best Formula One car is something quite amazing. I will make the best out of the three days, it will be an important three days and I'm looking forward to it."

The 21 year-old, who has been a member of Red Bull's young driver programme since 2007, finished this year's Formula Renault 3.5 series as runner up. In 2010 he won the British Formula Three championship after taking 13 wins and 20 pole positions and in 2009 finished runner-up in the European Formula Renault 2.0 series.

The Abu Dhabi young driver test takes place on November 15-17 in the week following the 2011 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.