2016 australian grand prix
DESCRIPTION
Check out our e-Zine from the F1 season opener from Melbourne, Australia.TRANSCRIPT
TheInsideLineIssue 1 / March 2016
Mercedes on top in cracking Australian Grand Prix
Analysis and reaction from the season
opener down under
SkySportshaveextendedtheircontracttobroadcastFormulaOneto2024.Aspartofthisnewdeal,SkywillhavetheexclusiverightstoshowracesliveintheUKandIrelandfrom2019.
Thismeansthatliveraceswillnolongerbeshownonfree-to-airtelevisionbutwillhavehighlightsofqualifying
andtherace.TheBritishGrandPrix,however,willbeshownona“free-to-airbasis”.TwootherprimetimeraceswillbeavailableonthenewSkySportsMixchannel,alongwithotherF1content.
SkywillalsobepioneeringUltraHDbroadcastingofF1,withthesportbeing
broadcastinUHDforthefirsttimein2017.
“Iamdelightedthatwewillcontinuetoworktogether.Sky’scommitmenttothesportandstandardofcoverageissecondtonone,”saidBernieEcclestone.
ImagefromSkySports1
SKY SECURE NEW DEAL FOR EXCLUSIVE LIVE F1 COVERAGE FROM 2019 CHRIS STEVENS
@CSTEVENS_JOURNO
FORMULA 1
AletterfromtheGrandPrixDrivers’Association(GPDA)hasbeensenttoFormulaOne’sowners,stakeholdersandfans.Itvoicestheirconcernsregardingthecurrentrulingofthesportinlightofrecentrulechanges.
Itreads:“Wefellthatsomerecentrulechanges–onboththe
sportandtechnicalside,andincludingsomebusinessdirections–aredisruptive,donotaddressthebiggerissuesoursportisfacingandinsomecasecouldjeopardiseitsfuturesuccess.Weknowthatamongtheleadersofthesport–beittheowners,theirrepresentatives,the
governingbody,theteamsorotherstakeholders–everyindividualactswiththeverybestintentions.
“Therefore,thedrivershavecometotheconclusionthatthedecision-makingprocessinthesportisobsoleteandill-structuredandpreventsprogressbeingmade.2
DRIVERS CALL FOR F1
GOVERNANCE SHAKEUP
FORMULA 1
CHRIS STEVENS@CSTEVENS_JOURNO
Indeed,itcansometimesleadtojusttheopposite,agridlock.Thisreflectsnegativelyonoursport,preventsitbeingfitforthenextgenerationoffansandcompromisesfurtherglobalgrowth.
“WewouldliketorequestandurgetheownersandallstakeholdersofFormula1toconsiderrestructuringitsowngovernance.ThefuturedirectionsanddecisionsofF1,betheyshortorlongterm,sporting,technicalorbusinessorientedshouldbebasedonaclearmasterplan.Suchplanshouldreflectthe
principlesandcorevaluesofFormula1.”
Thesportreceivedheavycriticismafterintroducinganeweliminationqualifyingformatforthisyearthreeweeks’beforethestartofthenewseason.Theideawasscrappedstraight-awaywithafurtherchangetotheformatexpectedforthenextraceinBahrain.But
AlexWurz,ChairmanoftheGPDA,hasstatedthatthereismoretothisletterthanthequalifyingfor-mat.
“Thiswasnotaknee-jerkreactiontothequalifyingexperiment,”hesaid,“Thisstate-
mentwaswell-consideredandplannedbetweenalldriversforquiteawhilenowanddiscussedinMelbourneagainduringthespecialdrivers’briefingtheGPDAheld.
“SincetheGPDA’sexistenceinthe1960sweoperatebymajorityvote,whichworksverywell.Inthiscase,itwasanextremelyclearvoteregardingthedesiretoexpressouropinion.”
HeaderimagefromAutosport.
3
NicoRosbergtookvictoryfortheopeningraceofthe2016FormulaOnesea-soninAustralia.Heleda1-2finishforMercedesasLewisHamiltoncamehomein2ndplace.Sebas-tianVettelcompletedthepodium.Whileitisasimilarresulttotheonewesawin2015,itdefinitelywasnotachievedinthesameman-ner.
VettellooktheleadoffthelineasbothMercedes
boggeddownatthestart.Whiletheywerebusytry-ingnottorunintoeachatturnone,KimiRaikkonensnatched2ndandHamiltonfelldownto6th.ItwasthetwoFerrarisandRosbergleadingthefield.
Whenitcametothepitstops,thenewregulationsregardingtyrescameintoplay,asteamscanchoosebetweenthreecompoundsforthisyear.Rosbergwentforthesofttyre,whilst
bothFerrariswereputontothesupersofttyrestheysavedbyonlydoingonerunattheendofqualifyingyesterday.Meanwhile,inanattempttorecoverposi-tions,Hamiltonwasputontothemediums,whichMercedesspentthevastmajorityoftheirtimerun-ningintesting.
Aredflagputahalttopro-ceedingsonlap19,how-ever,foracrashbetweenEstebanGutierrezandFer-4
ROSBERG WINS CRACKING
SEASON OPENER IN AUSTRALIA
2016 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
CHRIS STEVENS@CSTEVENS_JOURNO
nandoAlonso.TheSpaniardwentintothebackoftheHaaswhilstbrakingforturn3,withtheMcLarenhittingthebarrierandrunningintothegraveltrapwhichthenflippedthecartwice.Alonsogotoutofthecarandwalkedawayfromthecrash.
Underredflagconditions,teamsareallowedtochangetheirtyres.OftheMercedesandFerraris,onlyRosbergoptedforthis.Heswappedhissoftsfornewmediumtyres,inanat-tempttogotheendoftheracewithoutanotherstop.
Ontherestart,VettelledthefieldawayfromRaikkonen,whounfortunatelyre-tiredshortlyafterwardswithanairboxfire.Meanwhile,VettelwasunabletopullthegapheneededtostayaheadofRosbergwhenhepitted.SofttyreswentontheFerrari.
Hamiltonalsowasgoingtotheendoftheracewithoutanotherstop,buthespentseverallapsstaringatthebackoftwoToroRossosashewasunabletopassthem.Helosttimetohisteammatebutrecoveredpositionsasthoseaheadofhimpitted.HethenpassedDanielRicciardo’sRedBullfor2nd.
VettelthenbegantocloseupontheMercedes,supposedlygivingusaclosefightforthefinalfewlaps.However,justasVettelgotontothebackoftheHamilton,helockedupintothepenultimatecorner,ranwideandlosthischanceoftaking2ndplace.
DanielRicciardotook4thplaceforRedBull,wholooktohaveamuchstrongerpowerunitastheAustralianhadtopassaWilliamscartwice,whoarenotori-ousforbeingquickonthestraights.Hewentforthesupersofttyreforhisfinalpitstopwhichgavehimthepacetowardstheendoftherace.HefinishedaheadofFelipeMassa,whohadalargelysoloracein5thplace.
5
RomainGrosjeandidhispitstopunderthesafetycarbeforetheredflag,es-sentiallygivinghimafreetyrechangewithoutlosingpositions.Asaresult,hefoundhimselfin6thplaceaheadofalargescrapforthemidfieldbattle.Heheldthematbaytoscore8pointsforHaasontheirdebut,makingthemthefirstbrandnewteam(newteamnotbeinganoverhaulofanolderteam,suchasRedBullorBrawn)toscorepointsontheirdebutsinceToyotain2002.
NicoHulkenbergwas7thhavingselectedthemediumtyresaftertheredflag,asdidValtteriBottaswhowasrecoveringfrom16thonthegridafterreceivinga5-placegridpenaltyforagearboxchange.TheFinnfinished8th.
ThetwoToroRossosroundedoutthepointspositions,withSainzleadingVer-stappen.TheyoungDutchmanlostouttohisteammateafterthefirstpitstopasSainzcameinfirst,somethingwhichVerstappenwasnotpleasedwith,ashemadeperfectlyclearoverteamradio.
TheduowerethenbehindJolyonPalmer’sRenault,andVerstappenfelthecouldpasstheBritmuchquicker.Sainzdidnothavetolethimthrough,butVer-stappencontinuedtorailonteamradiototheteambeforelatertagginghisteammate’sreartyreintothepenultimatecorner.
6
PalmerwasjustoneplaceawayfrompointsfromonhisdebutaheadofteammateKevinMagnussen,whowasrecoveringfromapoorstartwhichsawhimgetapuncture.Theredflagmeanthewasabletounlaphimselfforachanceatfightingforpoints,butitwasnoavail.
SergioPerezfinished13thafterhavingtomanagefront-leftbrakewearto-wardstheendoftherace.JensonButtonwas14thhavingbeenputonthesu-persofttyreaftertheredflag,whichlookedtobethewrongstrategy.Initially,theBritwasmakingupplaces,butbegantolosethemagainasthetyrede-graded.
FelipeNasrwas15thaheadofPascalWehrleinwhocompletedthefield.HisteammateRioHaryantoretiredduringtheredflagperiodwithamechanicalproblem.
DaniilKvyat’sweekendwentfrombadtoworse.AfternotmakingitoutofQ1yesterday,hethendidnotmakeittothegrid,inabizarrelysimilarscenarioto
12monthsago.TheRussiancametoahaltjustasthegridwasbeingformed.HesteppedoutofthecarandacceptedthathisRedBullwasn’tgoinganywhereinahurry.
7
RomainGrosjean’ssixthplacefinishscored8pointsforthenewHaasteam,makingthemthefirstnewentrantstoscoreontheirdebutracesinceMikaSalointheToyotabackin2002.
“Itfeelslikestandingonthetopstepofpodium,”Gros-jeansaid,“It’sbeenanamazingraceandweek-end.Foralltheguys,theworktheyhavebeendo-ing,somuchwork,since
dayoneItoldtheguysthecarhashugepotential–butweneededagoodre-sulttoseeifthatwastrue.
“Wehaveplentyofareaswecanimprovebutthisre-sultisahugemoraleandconfidenceboost.”
Grosjean’sracewasmadewhenhepittedunderthesafetycar,essentiallygiv-inghimafreepitstop.Hewasthenabletomaintain
thepositionuntilthechequ-eredflag.
HaashaveenteredFor-mulaOnewithastrongtechnicalpartnershipwithFerrari,whichhasputtheminastrongerpositionthanothernewteamssuchasManorandCaterhamwhentheyfirstenteredthesportbackin2010.Pointsthisearlyisanindicatorofwhatshouldbeaverystrongyearfortheteam.
8
HAAS FIRST NEW TEAM TO SCORE ON DEBUT SINCE 2002
2016 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
CHRIS STEVENS@CSTEVENS_JOURNO
IMAGE FROM CRASH.NET
Renaultwerealreadysur-prisedbyhavingtwocarsinQ2yesterday.Todaytheyshouldbeevenhap-pierastheycametowithinjustoneplaceofscoringpoints,makingforanim-pressiveinitialreturntoF1fortheteam.
JolyonPalmerfinished11thafteranincredibledis-playofracecraftonhisGrandPrixdebut.TheBritwasaggressiveatthestartandwasmakingupplacesbeforehewaspushedwidebyFernandoAlonsoatturn6whichsawhimlosethosepositions.
Beingontherightstrategy,however,meanthequicklymadethemupbeforecom-ingunderpressureagainlaterintherace.HebattledValtteriBottasandwentsidebysidewiththeFinnthroughturns3and4,be-
foreBottasmadeaboldmovearoundtheoutsideofturn9.PalmermanagedtofendofthetwoToroRossosforsometimebe-foretheyfoundawaythrough,againwithcleanandrespectfulracing.
“Ithinktheteamhasdoneanincrediblejobthisweek-endtoqualifyinQ2andthenfinishingtheraceineleventhandtwelfth;it’sthemaximumwecouldex-pecttoachieve,”hesaid,“It’sagoodstart,wewere
soclosetoscoringpoints,andwecanmoveforwardfromhere.Theraceitselfwasbusybutgoodfun;Iabsolutelylovedbeingwheeltowheelagainafterayearoutofracing.Itwasgreattobebackinthefrayanditallwentprettysmoothlyforme.Happydays.”
KevinMagnussenfinishedin12thdespitereceivingapunctureontheopeninglap.Again,agoodstrategy
9
2016 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
CHRIS STEVENS@CSTEVENS_JOURNO
STRONG RETURN FOR RENAULT IN AUSTRALIA
aftertheredflagperiodhelpedhimgainpositions.
“Wehaveareallygoodcar;thepaceisstrong,asisthebaselineset-up,”hesaid,“It’ssomethingwecancontinuetoworkfromandevolvetogainmoreperformance.TodaywasprettytoughatthestartasIwasreallyguttedaboutthepuncture.Idon’tthinkIhadanycontactsoitwasreallyunfortunate.
“Youneverwanttoseearedflagincident,andit’sapositivestatementthatFernandocouldwalkawayfromthatdramaticcrash,buttherestartdidbenefitus.OurpaceaftertherestartwasverypromisingsoI’mexcitedforthenextraces.”
Renault’sRacingDirectorFredVasseursaid:“Todaywasveryencouragingfortheteamasweshowedgoodracepaceandagoodbasetobuildon.Weneedtotakealookatourqualifyingpacetogetusfurtherupthegridandhopefullystarttogetsomegoodresultsasitwouldhavebeenmuchbettertoscorepointstoday!BothKevinandJolyondidaverygoodjob,itwasashametohaveKevinsufferfromapuncturebuttherestoftheafternoonwentwell,especiallyforafirstrace.”
10
FerrariwererunningfirstandsecondwhentheredflagscameoutforFer-nandoAlonso’scrashatturn3.TheMaranellosquadwereusingthesetofsupersofttyrestheysavedbyonlydoingoneruninQ3yesterdayduringthemiddlestint,butdidnotchangethemwhiletheracewassuspended,unlikeracewinnerNicoRosbergwhoswitchedfromthesoftstothemediums.
Theteam’saim,therefore,wasforVetteltocreateagaptoRosbergbeforehehadtopitagain.However,theGermanwasunabletodosoand,beforelong,theSilverArrowbegantocloseuponVettelasFer-rarirealisedtheirstrategywouldnotwinthemtherace.
Hestilldidhaveachanceattaking2ndplacefromLewisHamilton,butVettelranonthegrassatthepe-
nultimatecornerwhilsttry-ingtopasstheworldcham-pion.
“Iobviouslyhadagreatstart,IwasveryhappytoseethatIhadabetterstartthanthetwocarsinfrontofme,remindingmeofHungarylastyearanditworkedout.ItwasgreattoseethatKimimadeitaswell,sowegotfirstandsecondandfromtherewedictatedthepace,”Vettelsaid.11
RED FLAG COSTS FERRARI CHANCE AT VICTORY
2016 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
CHRIS STEVENS@CSTEVENS_JOURNO
IMAGE FROM CRASH.NET
“Theredflagdidn’thelpus,buttobefairthemostimportantthingwasthatFernandoandEstebanwerealright.Itwastherightdecisiontostoptherace.FirsttimeIwentthroughIsawthedebrisonthetrack.
“Naturallytheexpectationsarehigherwhenyouhadastrongseasonlastyearandyouwantedtoclosethegap.Yesterdaywewereabitfurtherawayandtodaywewerecloser.Ingeneralitwasagreatrace,Iwasracingflatoutuntiltotheend,Ididn’twanttogoontothegrassbutIdidthelawnmower!SoIdon’thavetodoitnextweekwhenIgohome,butforsurewewouldhavelikedmorefromtoday.”
TeamPrincipalMaurizioArrivabenesaid:“OurpacewasgoodinthefirstpartoftheGrandPrix,beforetheracewasred-flagged,butweshouldn’tuseitasanexcuse.Thisonlyshowthatyoushouldn’tcountyourchickensbeforethey’rehatched.
“Today’sraceshouldserveasalessontoustopushevenharder,withevenmorehumilityanddedication,startingalreadyatthenextraceinBahrain.”
12
MaxVerstappenhadthemosttoloseinthemidfieldstartingfrom5thafterafantasticqualifyingperform-ance.AdifficultracesawtheDutchmanfallto10th,thestoryofwhichbeganwhentheteampittedhisteammateCarlosSainzbe-forehim. Verstappenthencameintothepitstofindanunpreparedpitcrew
whowerenotexpectinghisarrival.ThisputSainzahead.
LaterwhenthepaircameupbehindJolyonPalmer,VerstappenfelthewouldbeabletopasstheRenaultmuchmorequickly.Heaskedtheteamifhecouldattack,andwasgiventheallclear.ItseemsthoughthatVerstappenandhisen-
gineerwerehavingtwodif-ferentconversations,asSainzwasmerelywarnedthatifhedidn’tpassPal-merquicklythentheywouldswappositions.
Sainz,withthataddeden-couragement,shortlyover-tooktheBrit,butVerstap-penstillfelthisteammateshouldhavelethim
13
“FRUSTRATING” RACE FOR VERSTAPPEN
2016 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
CHRIS STEVENS@CSTEVENS_JOURNO
through.Hedescribedthesituationasa“joke”overteamradio.
Verstappenlaterlockedupintothepe-nultimatecornerandclippedtherearwheelofhisteammate.LuckilySainzmanagedtoescapewithminimaltimelost,butVerstappenwentspinningaround,thoughhedidn’tloseanyplacesfromit.
“Quiteafrustratingafternoon,”Verstappensaidaftertherace,“WehadagreatstarttotheraceandwereabletokeeptheMercedesbehind.Thefirstpit-stopwasalsogood.WehadgreatpaceandIdidn’thavepressurefrombe-hind,butaftertheredflagwehadabitofamiscommunicationforthesecondstopanditgotverydifficult.
“WehaveafantasticcarandtofinishP10hereisnotwhereweshouldbe.I’mverydisappointedasthiswasagreatopportunityforustogetaverygoodre-sult.Nowwejustneedtofocusonthenextraceandtryandscoremorepointsthantoday.”
Bycontrast,Sainz’sracewasfarcalmer.However,heshareshisteammate’sdissatisfactionattheteam’soverallresult.ToroRossoleaveMelbournewith3points.
“I’mnotentirelyhappywithtoday’sresultbecauseIthinkwecould’vescoredmorepointswiththecarwehave,butIdideverythingIcouldtofinishashighupaspossible…TofinishinP9isfrustrating,”hesaid.
“Theracewasabitofachaos,soitwasdifficulttogetitallright.Aftertheredflagthingsgotinterestingandeventhoughit’snottheeasiestoftrackstoover-take,Iwasabletodosomegoodmoves–someofthemwerequitetough!
“IdidmyraceandIthinkweputonagoodshow.IenjoyeditouttherebutIthinkwedeservedtoenduphigherupinsteadofgoingbackwardsafterqualify-inginP7yesterday.”
14
TotoWolffrevealedaftertheAustralianGrandPrixthatracewinnerNicoRosbergwasverynearlyretiredfromtheraceduetorisingbraketempera-turescausedbydebriscaughtinthebrakecaliper.
“Managingtyresandtemperaturesbecameabigchallenge,”Wolffexplained,“withdebriscausinganoverheatingbrakecaliperthatalmostforcedustoretireNicoat
onestage.ThankfullythatwasnotthecaseandheledLewishomeforahard-fought1-2.”
Rosbergchangedstrategyduringtheredflagperiod;theonlyoneoftheMercedesorFerraristodoso.Heswitchedfromthesofttyrestothemediums,whichwouldcarryhimtotheendoftherace.HetooktheleadoftheracewhenSebastianVettelaheadofhimonthe
supersoftspittedonlap35.
“Aperfectresulttostarttheyear,agreatjobfromthedriverstomanageandrecovertherace,fantasticworkonthepitwalltogivethemtherightstrategytodosoandanincredibleteameffortfromeverybodyatthefactoriestogetushere.
15
DEBRIS IN BRAKES ALMOST CAUSED ROSBERG TO RETIRE, WOLFF REVEALS
2016 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
CHRIS STEVENS@CSTEVENS_JOURNO
LewisHamiltonwasonaperfectrunofbeingfastestineverysessiononFridayandSaturday,anditlookedlikeitwouldbeasimilarstoryfortherace.How-ever,apoorstartfortheworldchampionmeanthewasonthebackfootfortheentiretyoftherace.Allthingsconsidered,hewashappytosalvagesecondplace.
“I’dhadaperfectweekendineverywayupuntilthelightswentoutandfeltcon-fidentheadingintothe
race,”hesaid,“Igotabitofwheelspinoffthelinethengotpushedwideatthefirstcorner,sofromthereitwasjustaboutre-covering.ButthesethingshappenandI’mgratefulforthewayIwasabletofightbackthrough.P2isn’tbadintermsofdamagelimita-tionafterastartlikethat.”
ItwashisteammateNicoRosbergwhopushedHamil-tonwideintothefirstcor-ner,astheGermanwasgoingtightontheinsideandlockeduphisbrakes.
Therewasminisculecon-tactbetweenHamilton’sfrontwingandRosberg’sleft-reartyre,whichtheGermansaidhewasun-awareofuntilhewatchedthestartback.
ThisdroppedHamiltonbe-hindDanielRicciardo,FelipeMassaandMaxVerstap-pen,whohewasunabletoovertake.Mercedesex-tendedthefirststintonthesupersoftstoputhimonthemediumsforthere-mainderoftheraceandsavethemselvesapitstop.Followingtheredflagpe-riodforFernandoAlonso’scrash,Hamiltonpickeduptheplacesasthoseaheadofpitted.
“IspentalongtimestuckbehindoneoftheToroRos-sosandtherewasn’talotIcoulddoaboutitashewasonaquickertyre.I
16
2016 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
DAMAGE LIMITATION FOR HAMILTON AFTER POOR START
couldjustseetheotherspullingaway,sothesafetycardefinitelyhelpedbybunchingusallupagain.
“Iwasalreadyonaone-stopstrategyand,tobehonest,Idon’tknowwhyeveryoneelsedidn’tdothesameonthemedium.I’mhappytheydidn’t,asIprobablywouldhavefinishedalotfurtherback.”
HamiltoncameunderlatepressurefromSebastianVettelastheGermanwasusingsofttyresforhisfinalstint.However,hestruggledtofindawaypastandultimatelylockedupintothepenultimatecornerandranwideontothegrass,securingtheplaceforHamilton.
“Theteamdidagreatjobtohelpuspullitbackandthere’sstill20racestogo,soI’mfeelingprettychilled.I’vehadfarworsestartstotheseason,soI’lltakethattodayandheadintothenextonelookingup.”
17
JensonButtonwasunabletoscorepointsintheAus-tralianGrandPrix,havingexpectedtomoveforwardfromhisqualifyingpositionof13th.TheBritblamedapoorchoiceinstrategyforthemissedopportunity.
“Mycarwasn’ttoobad,butIthinkwemadesomeimperfectstrategiccallsthisafternoon,”hesaid,“Also,theredflaghurtusbecausewe’dalreadymadeourfirststop.Then,aftertherestart,weran
theSupersoft–whichlastedabout10laps–andthenfittedtheBack-Up,whicheveryoneelsehadbeenonsincetherestart.Aroundhere,youcancatchupbutyoucan’teas-
18
POOR STRATEGY HURTS BUTTON’S RACE
2016 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
CHRIS STEVENS@CSTEVENS_JOURNO
ilyovertake,soweendedupatthebackofthequeueaftermakingourstop.”
IronicallyitwasButton’steammateFernandoAlonso’scrashwhichcompro-misedhisrace,astheredflagwaswavedtoclearthedebris,makingtyrechoicedifficult.McLaren’schoiceofsupersoftsfortherestartprovedtobeapoorone.Nevertheless,theteamareconfidentinthecar’space.
“Allinall,despitethefactthatwescorednopointshereinMelbournetoday,we’requietlyencouragedbytheprogresswe’vemadeoverthewinter,”EricBoulliersaid,“andwefirmlybelievethat,givenalessconfusedqualifyingses-sionandanincident-freerace,we’llbeinapositiontoscorepointsinGrandsPrixtocome.”
19
DanielRicciardofinishedin4thplaceintheAustralianGrandPrix.TheRedBulldriveroptedforthesofttyresaftertheredflagperiod,buttheywouldnotreachtheendoftherace.Anotherstop,thistimeforsupersofts,sawtheAustralianthenre-coverthepositionhelosttoFelipeMassa’sWilliams.
“Todaywasfunforme,itwassogoodtobebackracing,”Ricciardosaid,“Icameonthera-diomorethanonceex-pressingmyjoytojustbeingouttherecompet-ing.Thatjoywasem-phasizedbyhavingagoodcarunderneathme.
“Atthestartwewereabletopickcarsoff.Wehadgoodpacewithhigh
fuelontheOptionanditwasfuntobeabletopasscars,Iwasenjoy-ingthatasalways.IwassittinginapodiumspottowardstheendandIwashopingthetyreswouldlastbutIknewtheyweren’tgoingtoholdandIwouldhavetopitagain.ButfourthisstillagoodresultandI’mhappywe’renotthatfar
20
RICCIARDO HAPPY WITH FOURTH PLACE FINISH
2016 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
CHRIS STEVENS@CSTEVENS_JOURNO
offMercedesandFerrari.”
TheteamshowedsignsofimprovedstraightlinespeedwiththeirnewTagHeuer-brandedengine.Ricciardowasnotonlyabletostayclosetocarsonthestraights,buthemadegoodpassesonmultipleMercedes-poweredcars,includingtheWilliamswhichisknownforitsstraightlinespeed.
“AgreatdrivefromDanielathishomerace,hedroveacompetitiveracefromstarttofinish.Itwasalwaysalongshotforapodiumbuthedideverythingpossibletoday.It’sencouragingtoseethepaceofthecarinracetrim,”saidTeamPrincipalChristianHorner.
“It’sashamethatDany[Kvyat]wasn’tabletostarttheracetoday,heseemstobecursedhereinMelbourne.HeunfortunatelyhadaCU-Hfailureonthepowerunit,buthe’llbebackinBahrain.”
21
UP NEXT...
22
BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX1-3 APRILBAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT