Sunday: Frustration for Vettel and Red Bull

Mark Webber – 4th:

« It was a day with many decisions to make, during the restart or with the tires. My stint with the intermediates, after the red flag, was tricky and I wasn’t very confident. When I went out with the slick tires, I was much more confident, but it was then too late.

Today, hats off to Fernando and Sergio, they made good decisions at the front.

It was a somewhat muddled race and it was good to take a few points. There are a few highlights to take away from this weekend. The team worked very hard, so thanks to them. We know there will be more opportunities in the future.

Sebastian Vettel – 11th:

« The crucial point is that we lost the radio and it makes it very difficult to know what’s happening under these circumstances. Nevertheless, we did our best today and ranked 4th. Losing the race afterwards as I did is very frustrating. Some people should watch where they’re going a bit better.

Today, it was crucial to return at the right time. Without radio, it means that information came more slowly and I couldn’t hear anything from the team at the end.

After the accident, there were issues with the car, but I wanted to see the checkered flag. There were no points for me today.

Before the incident with the HRT, the way the race was unfolding was good for us, I think, so it’s frustrating to lose the race in this way.

Christian Horner, Team Principal:

« Before the race was interrupted, our two drivers had a fairly good start. After the restart, we made the right decision by switching to intermediates on Mark’s car, and then on Sebastian’s the following lap. For Mark, the advantage of being the first car in the pit lane is that the road is clear upon entry, but the downside is that half the grid followed suit, and we had to wait before we could release him. After his stop, Sebastian executed a great maneuver on Rosberg and was trying to close the gap on Hamilton ahead of him. His race was going well.

When the track dried out, we switched to slick tires on Mark’s car and then on Seb’s the following lap. We lost radio contact with him, which meant we could only communicate with him from the pit wall. After his stop, he caught up to an HRT that hit him, causing a puncture. This incident damaged the rear brake ducts, which were overheating, so we wanted to retire for safety reasons. Sebastian didn’t hear us on the radio and continued. Fortunately, his car finished without problems, but the incident with the HRT cost him at least fourth place today. As for Mark, after his last stop, his race pace on soft tires was good and he began gaining ground on Lewis in the final third of the race. He finished in fourth position after a race full of action.