Monthly Archives: November 2010

Toyota Motorsport put out a statement earlier today saying that the company had ended its co-operation with Hispania, adding that it “will not resume.”

The team was intending to use a version of the stillborn 201o chassis with a Cosworth engine and Williams gearbox as a shortcut to a respectable package for next season. However, it could only be a temporary solution while Colin Kolles sorted out an alternative chassis for the longer term.

Kolles was bullish about prospects for next year when this blog spoke to him in Abu Dhabi. This morning he was spotted in deep conversation with the Carabante family, the main shareholders in the team.

If the Toyota deal really is dead then the only realistic option the team will have is to use this year’s Dallara-built cars once again.

The Toyota statement said: “Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) confirms that all cooperation with Hispania Racing F1 Team (HRT) has been terminated and will not resume.

“TMG retains all intellectual property rights to its current F1 car and is completely free to pursue other projects and support new customers for its high-performance engineering services.

“TMG regrets that HRT has not met its contractual payment obligations and will pursue all available options to reach a satisfactory conclusion to this matter.”

HRT responded quickly with its own statement, saying that it was surprised by the Toyota news, and was seeking further clarification.

Felipe Massa says that Ferrari has to focus on doing a better job next season rather than worry about what went wrong in Abu Dhabi, where the title slipped from Fernando Alonso’s grasp.

“I think we need to think about next year now, so we need to concentrate,” said Massa after the race. “For sure we’re going hear and read many things, but I think that’s not the most important thing, the most important thing is to concentrate to be strong in 2011.

“We’re going to have a test here with the Pirelli tyres, and I hope we can learn straight away. I think that is the right direction, to concentrate on next year and try to do an even stronger championship than we did this year.”

Like his team mate, Massa pitted in a reaction to Mark Webber’s stop, and as a result he finished a frustrated 10^th.

“We had not an easy race, definitely. We started on the normal way, and then we had a safety car, but we thought it was a bit too early to stop. And then after a while we saw Webber stopping. Then we took the decision to stop to try to pass him, especially on my case. It was not enough, so I came behind him.

“The worst thing is we came behind the guys who stopped before. So that was very difficult and very tough, because it was almost impossible to overtake, especially in my case we had Alguersuari in front his car was doing 316km/h without a tow, and I was doing 312km/h with a tow. So it was almost impossible to overtake.

“With Fernando it was the same, because Petrov was very quick on the straight as well. It was really not an easy race. This penalised everything to the end, because we were not able to pass the guys, we were not able to fight, and it was not a great race.”

Rubens Barrichello has won the battle – if there was one – to retain a seat at Williams next year.

Just a week after getting pole in Brazil, Nico Hulkenberg is leaving the team. The second driver had not been announced but the world will not be surprised if it’s Pastor Maldonado, who tests for the team on Wednesday.

Frank Williams said: “First, I would like to thank Nico for his hard work this year, and before that in preparing himself for Formula One. We are very proud to have supported him as he secured the Formula 3 and GP2 titles and during his debut in Formula One. At Williams we have for many years tried to bring new talent into the sport, and we are convinced that Nico will go on to great things. We wish him well and hope that our paths will cross again in the future.

“We recruited Rubens to Williams knowing that he would bring technical expertise, experience and passion. He has delivered everything we could have hoped for this season and we are delighted to confirm that he will drive for us again in 2011.”

Fernando Alonso says he’s happy with his 2010 season, despite losing the title at the last hurdle.

Intriguingly he cited his position in the all-time victory list – boosted by five wins – as the high point of the year. Michael Schumacher was never one for statistics…

“It was an interesting season, with some ups and downs for everybody,” said Fernando when asked by this blog to summarise the year. “For us it was a very good year, the first year of the relationship with Ferrari. I’d been fighting to be in Q3 for the last two years, and now I’m finally fighting for the World Championship once more, so I’m really happy for this.

“I had five victories this year which put me on the list in front of Niki Lauda, Fangio and some other names which for me are very special, because I never thought to be in that privileged list.

“So in a way happy for all these things. For sure in the year there were some good moments, some bad moments. Maybe the best was Monza, maybe the worst was Monaco, without being able to go in qualifying. I will remember 2010 very well, despite the final result. I think we fought until the last race, maybe with the third quickest car, because we are third in the constructors’ championship.

“So I’m very proud of this, with the job with the team, how we approached the last part of the year. We had engine problems in the first part so we were very limited with engines from race four onwards, and we managed to fight for the championship until the last lap in the last race. So overall I think we did our best.”

He admitted his frustration at losing, although he steered clear of criticising the team for its strategy choice.

“Obviously a sad feeling half an hour after the race, but nothing we can do now. The race didn’t go as we wanted, the start we really hoped the McLarens would overtake Vettel, that would clear things a little bit. But this time Button started very well but not Hamilton.

“The start was not bad. I felt good. Distance wise, we checked now, and it was good. So it was a good start for us. But obviously much better for Button.

“We needed the fourth position at that point. Obviously there was a safety car, so Rosberg and Petrov made a decision to stop, that also was a little bit unexpected. And then Webber stopped very early as well. Then we found ourselves… we had to protect either from Webber or Rosberg. We decided to cover Webber, to exit the pits in front of him, and that in the end was not the right thing maybe.

“But it’s always very easy to see the strategy after the race. In a way nothing we can do or we can change. Someone did a better job than us because they have more points than at the end of the championship, so we congratulate them and next year we try.”

Sebastian Vettel said he was struggling to find the right words when he met the media after his amazing World Championship victory in Abu Dhabi, but that didn’t stop him coming out with some entertaining soundbites.

The German didn’t know until the flag that he had done enough to clinch the title as the team wanted him to focus on winning the race.

“I don’t know what to say,” said Vettel. “I am still a bit empty. I can’t believe it. When I crossed the line I did not know if it was enough or not. All weekend I did not try to focus on the championship as the situation was pretty clear. We had to try to win this race, do our maximum and the rest was up to the others. I did the in-lap and just enjoyed it. Since I am a little kid I follow Formula One.

“Before the race I said to myself ‘look there are so many people coming here to Abu Dhabi to watch the race’. So many people thrilled about this race about to take place, watching the World Championship decision and to find out who is going to win it. Just to be part of that race and part of that fight, to be one of the four, I was feeling extremely proud, happy. I don’t want to sound philosophical but we travel so much all year and we get to see so many places, different people, and I was just feeling extremely happy with myself as I can do something I really love.

“People keep saying we are not doing too bad and I am able to enjoy it. I said to myself ‘no matter what happens it has been a good season’ with all the trouble we had and things slowing us down and taking points away from us. Then crossing that line. I was already thinking… I was tempted to watch the screens but I didn’t as my engineer, the last 10 laps, kept telling me all sorts of things, the gaps and pace. Partly I asked for it, to know where I am. But things I have to watch out for which is fine but I think in none of these 19 races he has been so alive in the last 10 laps.

“I was already thinking ‘what is going on?’ and I was seeing sometimes on the screen Lewis behind the Renault and also I think it was Alonso and Ferrari behind the Renault. But then I just tried to forget and kept driving and focused on myself.”

Vettel admitted he was surprised to become the youngest World Champion, beating Lewis Hamilton by 167 days.

“Yeah, when it comes to records, after Lewis won the championship, I thought to myself, it will be questionable if there will ever be anyone younger than him. And to be fair, he only missed it by only one point the year before. You can argue but records are there to be broken in a way.”

Mark Webber says he tried his hardest to win the 2010 title, and has no regrets about just missing out.

Webber finished third in the World Championship, having been the leader until he crashed out of the Korean GP.

“It was a big day and we had the chance to do something incredibly unique, but in the end it didn’t turn out for us,” said Webber. “Earlier in the race we knew we had to roll the dice and go for it with the strategy, but it left us exposed and Fernando covered us.

“I tried my absolute hardest and we did everything we could, but in the end it wasn’t enough. You’ve got to take your hat off to Sebastian, he’s done a great job all year and to lead the Championship at the last race, he’s got the timing right and I fully congratulate him on the World Championship.

“I was in with a chance of winning the Championship until the last race, so I must have been doing something right and in the end there are a lot of positives. I feel I have driven very well for most of the season and that’s the most important thing to me. This weekend didn’t turn out and it’s a shame, but it’s a good time to reflect in the next few weeks and look back at the highs and the lows but that’s the way the sport is sometimes.”

 Webber says he will bounce back next year: “There have been quite a few emotions over the last couple of weeks; when you come so close to the top and just miss out, it’s a shame, but I tried my absolute hardest and I have great guys around me. I think two championships for the team is not bad and I’ll be fighting again next season.”

Calm before the storm? Drivers posing 90 minutes before the start

So here they are, the complete 2010 field on show in Abu Dhabi a few minutes ago, including Michael Schumacher, Bruno Senna and Timo Glock, who were all missing from Friday’s photo shoot organised by Bernie Ecclestone.

Intriguingly Webber and Alonso spent some time chatting both before and during the parade, reminding us that they get on well.

BTW, this morning I asked Ecclestone what he thought of Webber and his season. “He’s a Ferrari driver,” said Bernie. ” I think he’s got the character that the Old Man would have liked.”

Now I wonder why he said that…

Jenson Button says that he will not adjust his approach on the first lap tomorrow, despite being in the middle of the title contenders.

Button is behind Alonso and in front of Webber, and clearly if he gets involved in contact with either man, controversy will result.

“I think you have to look at it as a normal race,” said Jenson when asked by this blog about the situation. “As soon as you start changing your style or way of thinking, I think that’s when accidents happen. Plus, we’re out there to score as many points as we can for the constructors’.

“I know the guys around me are looking at the drivers’ championship, but we still want to finish second in the constructors’ championship. And one of us can still win the World Championship.

“I think for them, they’ve got to watch out for us more than the other way round. I’m looking forward to the race, and my aim is to be on the podium, that would be a great way to finish the season, like I did last year.”

Mark Webber struggled to conceal his frustration after qualifying only fifth in Abu Dhabi tonight, leaving himself with a huge task if he is going to get back into the title hunt.

He demonstrated his disappointment when he walked out of the compulstory multinational TV scrum after talking only to the BBC and the German media.

“I’m not wrapped of course, to be fifth on the grid is not very good,” he said after the session. “So it’s disappointing of course. But still a long way to go tomorrow. The fat lady hasn’t sung yet. Would like to have been further up, but couldn’t get the pace. A bit disappointing.

“We need to be there at the end, of course, a lot of things can still happen in the race. Haven’t helped things by our performance today, but we’ve seen races change. The championship isn’t decided today. Would have been nice to be further up. You could be more confident, but at the end of the day we’ll still in the hunt.”

Webber chose to start his crucial final qualifying run with one slow lap before picking up speed for his second, and that might not have been a good choice.

“I just didn’t have the grip that the other guys had. Together with my driving style, lots of different things, they all add up.  Sometimes you’re on pole, sometimes you’re not. It would have been nice to have been on the front row. No one’s interested in a shopping list of excuses, we’ve just got to do the best job we can tomorrow.”

Felipe Massa says Lewis Hamilton is ‘crazy’ if he believes that the Brazilian deliberately tried to take him out in qualifying in Abu Dhabi.

The pair got tangled up in Q2 while on out laps, and Lewis was forced to run over a chicane, knocking down a bollard in the process. Hamilton still managed to set a lap time and get through, but at the time he accused Massa on the radio of ‘trying to take me out.’

“First of all he was completely to the wrong side of the track and didn’t let me by,” said Massa. “And then he tried to push the car over, beyond the corner. I was on the normal line. If he said that, he’s completely crazy.”

Massa’s preparations for his final lap were compromised when he had to get out of the way of Fernando Alonso and allow him a clear track.

“It was not great to be honest on the opening lap, and then I had a problem to prepare my lap, and I couldn’t, so I couldn’t do the lap like I expected. It was a big casino there on the out lap to try to prepare the tyres. I couldn’t prepare to open my lap, so for sure it was supposed to be a lot better than that.”

Massa’s plan for tomorrow is to  “try to overtake as many cars as possible…”