Press Conference Report Post Grand Prix

Here is the written report of the questions and comments from the three drivers present on the podium of the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel, 1st

Mark Webber, 2nd

Nico Rosberg, 3rd

Question: Sebastian, a well-orchestrated victory today with an excellent start, all in all comfortable, even though it’s difficult to speak of comfort in the Malaysian furnace.

Sebastian Vettel: Well, it wasn’t comfortable. I immediately realized that I had a good start and managed to pass Nico, who was next to me, and then Mark, which allowed me to take the lead immediately. So it was a long sprint to the first corner, and I clearly had an advantage over Mark, then I seized my chance by delaying my braking and went for it, but Mark exited the second corner better, catching up with me, and we both pushed, but I kept the advantage in turn three, which was very slippery. We’re here to fight, but you have to keep the notion of respect in mind, and I think that was the case between the two of us. If Mark had been in my situation, I’m sure he would have done the same thing. After that, it was just a matter of getting ahead of our competitors. I could see Mark; we had more or less the same pace. I think he was a bit faster at the beginning, while I was trying to save my tires.

This tire management was the right strategy, so before the pit stop I was able to pull away a bit, the second stint was very long. It’s extremely hot here, and I couldn’t stop sweating. Fortunately, I didn’t run out of drinks in the car. I tried not to push too hard at the start of the race, but it was very hot and physical, and at a certain point, I hoped for rain, just to get a bit of coolness. What a day. Yesterday was extremely difficult with the weather conditions. Today we stayed dry the whole time, and that’s a good thing, plus we had a magnificent car. The main thing was to keep a certain rhythm, to monitor the tires. Bridgestone did a good job in bringing two tire compounds that worked well. It’s a very good result for us, especially for me after those two races where we couldn’t finish where we wanted to be. To get back to the basics, thank you to the team. It’s really crucial at this time not to panic and to stay relaxed. It’s a long season, but arriving here Sunday afternoon after winning the race is the best result we can achieve. Plus, we achieve the 1st-2nd double, which is a big plus for the team. We score a large number of points, and I’m very, very happy.

Question: Mark, we heard the radio call in the seventh lap regarding the tires. At the pit stop, you lost 2.5 seconds. Is that what kept you from catching up to Sebastian today?

Mark Webber: We know that nowadays, with strategy and the way races unfold, the first part of the race is crucial, just like the first sector. As Seb said, I had a bit of wheel spin at the start, and in the first corner Seb took advantage of the slipstream behind me. I really didn’t know where Nico was. I didn’t know where to position myself, either go completely inside or stay in the middle, so I braked late and we were both on the limit in the first turn. I was a bit better out of the second corner and then the battle continued to four. We had a discussion with Christian Horner at the start of the race, he told us, “boys, be wise,” that’s what we did.

The spirit and chemistry in our team are impressive. We fight very hard, as you saw today. It was a good battle between Seb and me. The result could have been different. But in the end, he managed to make the effort at a crucial stage of the race and he deserves the victory. A one-two finish as a team is sensational for us. The cars worked very well. It’s a nice comeback for us after some difficult races where we couldn’t finish in our place. Overall, when a race weekend comes, you never know how things will turn out, which is why you would sign up immediately for this kind of result, but after this weekend, I would have preferred to finish one position higher. But it’s still an excellent result for the team and for everyone it was a good weekend. Congratulations to Red Bull and Renault because obviously the engines were fantastic.

Question: Nico, you watched the Red Bulls pull away. You drove a solo race with your first podium for you with Mercedes.

Nico Rosberg: It’s a fantastic result for us. I’m very happy. The start is not our strong point, and today that was the case for me. I wanted it a bit too much, so I slipped slightly and lost some time. From then on, once I was third, I knew it would be difficult to follow the Red Bulls, but I was a bit in trouble in the first stint with the “option” tires. I don’t know why, we need to analyze that, and (Robert) Kubica stayed very close to me, which wasn’t expected. But as soon as I pitted to switch to the “prime” tires, I immediately felt very comfortable.

It is true that there was concern with (Lewis) Hamilton because I didn’t know how he was going to behave on the track after his pit stop. I expected him to be very fast, but apparently he couldn’t overtake the cars behind me. It’s a fantastic result for us here because it’s one of our home Grand Prix since we have Petronas as a sponsor. We had a lot of support here and it’s a great coincidence that the first podium comes right here. I really want to thank the whole team for all the hard work done since the winter. They have worked hours and hours, so it’s a fair reward with this podium. We need to progress because we are not yet where we want to be, but it’s a step in the right direction.