Vettel, Button and Alonso think of Wheldon and Simoncelli

Despite the euphoria of victory, Sebastian Vettel had a grave expression when the anthems played on the first podium of the Indian Grand Prix. The reason, obvious, lies in the emotion that has gripped the world of motorsports over the past two weeks with the passing of Dan Wheldon during the IndyCar race in Las Vegas, and Marco Simoncelli at the Malaysian Grand Prix. On the podium, the drivers had a singular thought for them and thus took the opportunity during the post-race FIA press conference to pay their final tribute: “To be honest, my emotions are a bit mixed,” confided Sebastian Vettel, on his own accord. “On one hand, I am very, very happy: it’s the first Indian Grand Prix, I am very proud to be the first winner and I think we can also be proud as a team. But on the other hand, these last few weeks, we have lost two of our comrades. I didn’t know Dan Wheldon, but he was a great name in motorsport. I got to know Marco Simoncelli this year […]. We owe respect to these two guys who lost their lives. Our thoughts are with them, especially with their families. We should never forget these two young and very dedicated drivers.”

Earlier in the day, all the drivers gathered on the starting grid to observe a minute of silence. During the press conference, Jenson Button, with his right arm covered by a black armband in a sign of mourning, expressed his wish for this race to be dedicated to the two deceased drivers: « As Seb said, it’s a tough weekend for everyone. The last two weekends have been very, very difficult, we’ve experienced two losses, so it’s hard, especially regarding Dan. I knew Dan when he was very young, in the promotional formulas, he was the guy to beat, so it’s very sad, and I think we could dedicate this first race in India to Dan and obviously to Marco, another incredibly talented driver. »

Fernando Alonso, who displayed the motorcycle racer’s number 58 on his helmet and the initials of the IndyCar driver, shares the emotions of his two teammates and calls to move forward: « As Sebastian and Jenson have said, our emotions are mixed this weekend after these sad weeks for motorsports, with these two accidents. I think we all raced for them today and tried to move forward, remembering these two fantastic individuals. »

Moving forward, indeed, is the key phrase for drivers who are aware of the risks they face, starting with Sebastian Vettel: « We are ready to take certain risks when we get into the car, but we obviously pray every time that nothing happens, though sometimes you get a wake-up call and that’s the last thing we want to see. So, as I said, my emotions are mixed, and our thoughts are with them at this moment. »