(Mercedes AMG F1 Team)
Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team's championship leader Lewis Hamilton will start tomorrow's inaugural Russian Grand Prix at the Sochi circuit from pole position beating team mate and championship rival Nico Rosberg to P1 by just 0.200s. Hamilton heads into Sunday's race with a ten point advantage over Rosberg. Speaking following the session Hamilton commented:
'It’s an amazing feeling to come to this beautiful place and to race on this track. It’s fun to drive. Today, the laps in practice felt more special. In qualifying it seemed a bit harder to get that special lap but I’m grateful that I was able to improve. I crossed the line and I was just hoping I got it; when they tell you, it’s the biggest relief - a great feeling.
The corners are mostly medium and high speed where you need a lot of downforce, so tomorrow should be a challenge. It’s a long run down to Turn One and we need to be mindful there are opportunities to overtake here. It was great to see such a strong turnout for the first Saturday of running at this new track. Hopefully we can give them a good show tomorrow. '
Nico Rosberg commented by saying:
'That was a very difficult qualifying today; we had to adapt a lot of things. The track is new and so unique: the tyres last very long as the surface is very smooth. Lewis was just quicker today so I need to have a good start tomorrow.
Starting from the front-row is still a good position to begin the race. I guess this will be an exciting Grand Prix; there will be some opportunities to overtake on the straights and I am sure we will see plenty of action on track.'
Mercedes motorsport director Toto Wolff stated:
'It was another big battle between our drivers with Lewis coming out just on top in the end. It was hard fought on every run, with Nico starting out stronger, then Lewis each time able to find a little bit extra on the second and third timed laps. The performance was ramping up as the runs went on and it looked like Valtteri (Bottas) in the Williams was going to spoil our party at the end – he had two purple sectors then made a mistake in the final corners and didn’t improve.
But we have every reason to be happy with a Silver Arrows front row at the end of an unusual qualifying session. We expect the competition from Williams and McLaren to be tough tomorrow, like it should be in Formula 1, so we will need to be on the top of our game in terms of performance and strategy. A special word, too, for Daniil Kvyat: he did a great job to qualify fifth at his home race.'
Mercedes Executive Director, Technical Paddy Lowe stated:
'That was a very tense qualifying session and we went into it knowing that Williams and McLaren would be tough to beat today. Like the other teams, we found ourselves in an unusual situation with tyre usage owing to the new track surface. New tarmac such as this has a layer of tar on top of it, which gets worn down with time but initially makes it very hard to work the tyre enough to get temperature into it.
This is the phenomenon we have encountered this weekend and also saw in Austria earlier this year. As a result, the tyre performance was improving lap by lap – and this meant we ended up electing to make a five timed lap run in Q3 to get the best out of them. Although the shape of the session was atypical, the drivers did their customary excellent job.
Lewis took a deserved pole, topping the times in every part of qualifying, while Nico secured a strong second place under some pressure from Bottas in the Williams. Looking ahead to the race, the tyre behaviour means that a one-stop strategy is feasible – although not necessarily the optimal solution.'
'It’s an amazing feeling to come to this beautiful place and to race on this track. It’s fun to drive. Today, the laps in practice felt more special. In qualifying it seemed a bit harder to get that special lap but I’m grateful that I was able to improve. I crossed the line and I was just hoping I got it; when they tell you, it’s the biggest relief - a great feeling.
The corners are mostly medium and high speed where you need a lot of downforce, so tomorrow should be a challenge. It’s a long run down to Turn One and we need to be mindful there are opportunities to overtake here. It was great to see such a strong turnout for the first Saturday of running at this new track. Hopefully we can give them a good show tomorrow. '
Nico Rosberg commented by saying:
'That was a very difficult qualifying today; we had to adapt a lot of things. The track is new and so unique: the tyres last very long as the surface is very smooth. Lewis was just quicker today so I need to have a good start tomorrow.
Starting from the front-row is still a good position to begin the race. I guess this will be an exciting Grand Prix; there will be some opportunities to overtake on the straights and I am sure we will see plenty of action on track.'
Mercedes motorsport director Toto Wolff stated:
'It was another big battle between our drivers with Lewis coming out just on top in the end. It was hard fought on every run, with Nico starting out stronger, then Lewis each time able to find a little bit extra on the second and third timed laps. The performance was ramping up as the runs went on and it looked like Valtteri (Bottas) in the Williams was going to spoil our party at the end – he had two purple sectors then made a mistake in the final corners and didn’t improve.
But we have every reason to be happy with a Silver Arrows front row at the end of an unusual qualifying session. We expect the competition from Williams and McLaren to be tough tomorrow, like it should be in Formula 1, so we will need to be on the top of our game in terms of performance and strategy. A special word, too, for Daniil Kvyat: he did a great job to qualify fifth at his home race.'
Mercedes Executive Director, Technical Paddy Lowe stated:
'That was a very tense qualifying session and we went into it knowing that Williams and McLaren would be tough to beat today. Like the other teams, we found ourselves in an unusual situation with tyre usage owing to the new track surface. New tarmac such as this has a layer of tar on top of it, which gets worn down with time but initially makes it very hard to work the tyre enough to get temperature into it.
This is the phenomenon we have encountered this weekend and also saw in Austria earlier this year. As a result, the tyre performance was improving lap by lap – and this meant we ended up electing to make a five timed lap run in Q3 to get the best out of them. Although the shape of the session was atypical, the drivers did their customary excellent job.
Lewis took a deserved pole, topping the times in every part of qualifying, while Nico secured a strong second place under some pressure from Bottas in the Williams. Looking ahead to the race, the tyre behaviour means that a one-stop strategy is feasible – although not necessarily the optimal solution.'
It was a fantastic session for the Williams Martini Racing Team's Valtteri Bottas who looked on target to claim pole position in the final moments of the session however he ran wide in the final corner and will start the race from third place on the grid as best best of the rest behind the Mercedes 'works' team.
Jenson Button put in a fantastic performance for the McLaren Mercedes team who are in a tight battle with the Sahara Force India F1 Team for fifth place in the Cosntructors championship as they are separated by just one point. The 2009 world champion will start the race from fourth place.
It was a sensational session for Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat as the Russian driver produced his best ever qualifying performance and will start the race from 5th place on the grid. Kevin Magnussen in the second McLaren did a great job to qualify in 6th place for the Sunday's event however following Free Practice Three this morning the team had to change his gearbox and as a result the Dane will start the race from eleventh place.
The resulting penalty moves Infiniti Red Bull Racing Daniel Ricciardo up to sixth place on the grid as he hopes to extend his points advantage over team mate Sebastian Vettel. Speaking following the session, Ricciardo commented:
'It’s tough to get a lap together around here, for a new track it’s really high in grip but at the same time it’s hard to read the grip; it’s not such a natural feeling that it gives us behind the wheel, but it’s fun and a new challenge. We were trying to get the fronts in and get grip out of them and on the last lap I lost the rear. We’re better off than we were yesterday, but I was hoping for more than seventh.'
'It’s tough to get a lap together around here, for a new track it’s really high in grip but at the same time it’s hard to read the grip; it’s not such a natural feeling that it gives us behind the wheel, but it’s fun and a new challenge. We were trying to get the fronts in and get grip out of them and on the last lap I lost the rear. We’re better off than we were yesterday, but I was hoping for more than seventh.'
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso will start the race from seventh place on the grid and will be joined on the fourth row by team mate Kimi Raikkonen. Toro Rosso's Jean Eric Vergne will start the race from 9th place while despite failing to make it into the top ten shoot out reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel will start from tenth place. Speaking following the session, the four time world champion commented:
'I wasn’t comfortable in the car today. It was very difficult, I think we took a step back from this morning and we expected the rear to be a lot stronger and the track to pick up more than it did. The car felt nervous, so I couldn’t take the speed into the corners, I lost the rear many times around the lap and therefore wasn’t quick enough.'
'I wasn’t comfortable in the car today. It was very difficult, I think we took a step back from this morning and we expected the rear to be a lot stronger and the track to pick up more than it did. The car felt nervous, so I couldn’t take the speed into the corners, I lost the rear many times around the lap and therefore wasn’t quick enough.'
Infiniti Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner stated:
'A difficult session for both our divers, finishing what will become sixth and tenth. We seem to have struggled to have one lap pace so far this weekend, hopefully our long runs have looked stronger and we can make some progress from those grid positions tomorrow.'
The Sahara Force India F1 Team's Nico Hulkenberg qualified for tomorrow's race in 12th place but the German will start the event from 17th place has like Magnussen at McLaren he was forced to change the gearbox in his VJM07, Speaking following the session, Nico Hulkenberg commented:
'It’s a very long and challenging lap here, and it's not so easy to put a good lap together. I think we got pretty much what we could from the car because getting the most from the tyres today was a big challenge. If you pushed more initially, you paid the price at the end of the lap, so the secret was to find a balance across the whole lap.
Having the five-place grid penalty tomorrow will be quite costly on this track because I think it’s going to be difficult to overtake – it’s only really possible down the two main straights. Hopefully I can make a clean start and use our race pace to score some points, but there is not that much you can do with the strategy because the tyre degradation is very low.
We expect this race to be very demanding on fuel consumption so maybe that will open up some opportunities.'
'It’s a very long and challenging lap here, and it's not so easy to put a good lap together. I think we got pretty much what we could from the car because getting the most from the tyres today was a big challenge. If you pushed more initially, you paid the price at the end of the lap, so the secret was to find a balance across the whole lap.
Having the five-place grid penalty tomorrow will be quite costly on this track because I think it’s going to be difficult to overtake – it’s only really possible down the two main straights. Hopefully I can make a clean start and use our race pace to score some points, but there is not that much you can do with the strategy because the tyre degradation is very low.
We expect this race to be very demanding on fuel consumption so maybe that will open up some opportunities.'
As a result of his team mate's penalty, Sergio Perez will start the race from 12th place in the second Force India. The Mexican stated:
'It is disappointing to miss out on a place in Q3 because the gaps were very small. My first lap in Q2 was very good, but in my second run I made a few mistakes which cost me two tenths and a place in the top ten. I think we will be starting pretty much where we expected based on our one-lap pace, so we will aim to move ahead and achieve a better position in the race tomorrow. In terms of strategy, we don't expect big surprises.
I think it will be an interesting race: overtaking won't be easy so the start and the first few laps could have a big influence on the final result. The track is quite difficult and tyre temperatures will be a key element as the race progresses.'
Sahara Force India F1 Team principal and managing director Dr Vijay Mallya stated:
'A place in Q3 was out of reach today but the margins were very close and one or two tenths would have made the difference.
The penalty for Nico is unfortunate and gives us an even bigger challenge tomorrow because of the limited strategy options on a circuit where it appears to be very difficult to overtake. However, it’s a brand new track, we’ve never seen a race here, and there are lots of unknowns that could play a role. So we remain optimistic of converting our starting positions into points and we will give it our all as usual.”
'It is disappointing to miss out on a place in Q3 because the gaps were very small. My first lap in Q2 was very good, but in my second run I made a few mistakes which cost me two tenths and a place in the top ten. I think we will be starting pretty much where we expected based on our one-lap pace, so we will aim to move ahead and achieve a better position in the race tomorrow. In terms of strategy, we don't expect big surprises.
I think it will be an interesting race: overtaking won't be easy so the start and the first few laps could have a big influence on the final result. The track is quite difficult and tyre temperatures will be a key element as the race progresses.'
Sahara Force India F1 Team principal and managing director Dr Vijay Mallya stated:
'A place in Q3 was out of reach today but the margins were very close and one or two tenths would have made the difference.
The penalty for Nico is unfortunate and gives us an even bigger challenge tomorrow because of the limited strategy options on a circuit where it appears to be very difficult to overtake. However, it’s a brand new track, we’ve never seen a race here, and there are lots of unknowns that could play a role. So we remain optimistic of converting our starting positions into points and we will give it our all as usual.”
The Sauber F1 Team will be hoping to challenge for their first world championship points if the season with Esteban Gutierrez starting the race from 13th place while Adrian Sutil will start the race from 14th place.
The Lotus F1 Team's Romain Grosjean will start the race from 15th place on the grid and will be hoping for a good performance from there following a tough weekend last time out in Japan. Speaking following the session the Frenchman stated:
'Today it was a real struggle to find grip which made the car a big handful to drive. Qualifying was really tough because of this. It was a shame as the track is nice to drive and you just need that extra bit of adhesion to be able to push harder.
The layout isn’t as much of a challenge as we thought in some places – T3 for example is easily flat out. The track surface is very smooth so we do have to work to get the tyres up to temperature and this only happens after quite a few laps.'
'Today it was a real struggle to find grip which made the car a big handful to drive. Qualifying was really tough because of this. It was a shame as the track is nice to drive and you just need that extra bit of adhesion to be able to push harder.
The layout isn’t as much of a challenge as we thought in some places – T3 for example is easily flat out. The track surface is very smooth so we do have to work to get the tyres up to temperature and this only happens after quite a few laps.'
The Caterham F1 Team's Marcus Ericsson will start the race from 16th place on the grid with Hulkenberg in 17th. It was a disappointing session for the Williams Martini Racing's Felipe Massa who suffered a suspected power unit issue, as a result the Brazilian will start the race from 18th place on the grid.
Williams Martini Racing's deputy team principal Claire Williams confirmed that she will have to speak to HPP about what caused the issued with Massa's car.
Kamui Kobayashi will start the start the race from 19th place for the Caterham F1 Team while the Lotus F1 Team's Pastor Maldonado will start the race from 20th although as he has a five place grid penalty he may have to start the race from the pit-lane. Speaking following the session, Maldonado stated:
'We had a lot of problems today so very little time on the track. I missed the morning session because of a concern with the Energy Store, which meant we missed the opportunity to see how the track had changed and to make improvements to the car. Out on track the car actually felt okay when we weren’t having issues, but clearly the pace was not there.
We weren’t able to push any harder because there were further issues with the power delivery. Tomorrow we’ll start from the back of the grid so we’ve got it all to do.'
'We had a lot of problems today so very little time on the track. I missed the morning session because of a concern with the Energy Store, which meant we missed the opportunity to see how the track had changed and to make improvements to the car. Out on track the car actually felt okay when we weren’t having issues, but clearly the pace was not there.
We weren’t able to push any harder because there were further issues with the power delivery. Tomorrow we’ll start from the back of the grid so we’ve got it all to do.'
The Marussia F1 Team's Max Chilton will start the race from 21st place.
© Ben Johnston 2014
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