2014 Australian Grand Prix: The Race in Radio Messages

What better way to relive the past Grand Prix than a transcription of the most striking radio messages. Motors Inside offers them to you, based on data from the site F1Fanatic.co.uk.

Formation lap 1

Max Chilton stalls on the starting grid: « OK, it cut off as soon as [the engine] started. » The others set off, it’s then that Sebastian Vettel detects a problem: « OK, I’m sure you’re aware, big loss of power when I rev up. »

Training session 2

After the placement on the grid, it was the turn of Jules Bianchi’s Marussia not to start, just before the 20 cars were launched: « Engine stopped. Engine stopped. I’m on the grid, stopped, » indicates the Frenchman, before his race engineer, Paul Davison, gives him a basic but oh-so-helpful: « OK, wave your arms in the air, mate. Wave your arms in the air ».

Guillaume Rocquelin informs Vettel that the race is shortened by one lap, but from the side of the four-time world champion, the concern is still palpable:

« OK, is it normal if I don’t have power?

– Ouais Sebastian, “torque-2” c’est pas de MGU-K. “Torque-2” pas de MGU-K ».

Departure

At the first corner, Kamui Kobayashi’s Caterham spears into Felipe Massa’s Williams after a missed braking: Sorry guys. Sorry guys. Really sorry… sorry guys, apologizes the Japanese driver, who will be judged not responsible for the collision by the stewards.

On Vettel’s side, the hybrid block is struggling: « The engine is not working properly. I am going to be overtaken, you are aware of that. » Then, on the second lap, he angrily shouts at his pit crew:

« Do something! I have no power, the internal combustion engine is working less than normal and no MGU-K! No MGU-K!

– Compris.

– C’est ridicule les gars ! »

Tower 2

After a missed takeoff, Lewis Hamilton seems to be in trouble and fails to fend off Magnussen and then Hülkenberg. He receives a first order: « We have to retire. We need to save the engine », before moments later receiving a counter-order: « OK Lewis, stay on track. Keep going. » However, the Brit realizes he cannot do anything more, and his team decides not to proceed further:

It seems that there is no power.

– Compris. C’est le problème que nous voyons. On en discute ici. […] OK Lewis. Donc confirmé: box, box, box. Nous allons abandonner. »

Round 4

Vettel is still on track, in 16th position, and he notices a very slight improvement: « OK, there seems to be a little bit of “K” now. A slight improvement. It starts at the exit of the corners […] But still, very little power. » Finally, Guillaume Rocquelin calls him back: « Sebastian, come into the garage please. Stop and shut off the engine. We think there’s a problem with the engine, there are no points to save. Engine off, please. »

Turn 8 to 11

Valtteri Bottas is the star of the early part of the race. Battling with Kimi Räikkönen, he overtakes him on the outside in turn 3 and takes 6th place: « That’s awesome, Valtteri! Good job, » his race engineer, Jonathan Eddolls, tells him.

But a few laps later, as he closes in on Fernando Alonso, the Finn makes a mistake in his trajectory and hits the wall, resulting in a puncture: « Puncture. So pit. So puncture button, pit » he is ordered.

The safety car is deployed. Jenson Button narrowly makes it into the pits. Curious but clear-headed, he asks his pit: « What are the lap times of the leaders? Obviously, not the Mercedes, but the others. » Dave Robson informs him « Kevin’s last lap: 1:35.6 ».

Lap 12 to 15 (safety car)

The safety car thus initiates the first round of pit stops. It’s time for small adjustments: « I need a little more [downforce] on the front wing, I’m experiencing graining at the front, » warns Kimi Räikkönen.

Daniel Ricciardo is informed of everything: « No one stayed on track. Everyone pitted. […] You were the second fastest car [before the SC]. Bottas was the same but he retired… or he pitted. Damaged wheel, that’s why there was a tire on the track. »

Mark Temple, Kevin Magnussen’s race engineer, reminds the young Dane of the basics: « OK Kevin, just a reminder, once the Safety Car comes in, you can race from the safety car line. Watch the lights on the SC; when they go out, it will come in on that lap. You might know before us. »

Button, who took advantage of the safety car to climb to 6th place, questions fuel consumption:

How are we doing with the fuel? I think we managed very well.

– Ouais Jenson, tu as fais du bon boulot et évidemment on économise plus actuellement. Donc, il y aura encore un peu plus à faire avant la fin, mais on est bien. On peut attaquer dès le restart.

– Est-ce que la Force India est rapide ?

– C’est Hülkenberg. Pareil que toi, peut-être un peu plus lent. On est en bonne position, on peut l’avoir. »

Tour 18 (the race resumes)

Marcus Ericsson, who hasn’t pitted, is 15th ahead of Esteban Gutierrez’s Sauber, and complains: “Why do I get blue flags all the time? At every corner, I get blue flags!” Angel Baena, on the pit wall, tells him: “Ignore them! You’re racing against all the cars!”

Tower 20

Simon Rennie informs Daniel Ricciardo: « OK, you don’t need to save fuel. »

Tour 21

Bottas suffers a DRS issue and will have to activate it by feel.

« Driver default 58″, OK? This will allow you to use DRS anyway. You just need to use it when you think you are within one second of the car in front. So it’s up to you to decide.

– Yep.

– Donc, assure quand tu utilises le DRS Valtteri, on ne veut pas de problèmes. Il y a un souci avec le matériel. »

Tower 26 and 27

The degradation of the tires begins in this second stint, particularly the front left. Daniel Ricciardo indicates to his pit: « A bit of degradation on the front-left tire. It’s the only limiting factor for now. »

Same observation for Nico Rosberg: « The tires are degrading a bit more than expected for now. I have graining on the front-left. The rear tires are struggling a bit too. » At McLaren, they also warn Magnussen: « Take care of the front-left in turn 13. »

Tour 28 to 30

Marcus Ericsson, then 16th, has to stop the car: « Stop the car, stop the car! Oil pressure. […] Man, it was a good race from you. Very well done Marcus, up to that point. »

Same thing for Pastor Maldonado, just after his second pit stop while he was in 15th position: « Stop the car. Stop the car please, Pastor. Stop the car. We have an MGU-K that is not working anymore, so stop the car. »

Tower 32

Jenson Button once again kicks off the pit stop sequence for the leaders. The strategy is to pit earlier than the others to overtake them (the famous “undercut”): « OK Jenson […] put yourself in first gear before stopping and then brake. These are medium tires and we are “fuel-zero”: we are going to push to get past these guys [the other drivers] ». The strategy succeeds as Button comes out ahead of Alonso and Hülkenberg to take fourth position.

Tour 37 and 38

The tire change is underway and the leading drivers are on medium tires. This is notably the case for Valtteri Bottas who just passed Räikkönen. The Williams driver is in 7th position behind Vergne and Hülkenberg, and Jonathan Eddolls informs him: « So, all the cars ahead are on mediums, older mediums than ours. So, we should be able to catch them. 20 laps to go. » A few moments later, the engineer slightly holds back his driver: « Some cars ahead are experiencing quite a bit of degradation after the first two laps with the mediums. So, don’t kill them too early, take care of them. »

Jean-Eric Vergne is informed by Xevi Pujolar: « OK JEV, so you’re fighting everyone around you until the end of the race now. Take care of the tires for the moment. »

Tour 39

The battle for the podium is on between Ricciardo, Magnussen, and Button. « OK Daniel, Magnussen has come out behind you. We’re going to the end. Turns 5 and 14 are where you need to take care of the tires, » says Rennie on the pit wall.

For Button, the opponent is clear: his teammate. « OK Jenson, the car in front is Kevin’s. We are racing against Kevin for the third position. Fuel is good. »

If Magnussen has not yet come back into the slipstream of the Red Bull, Ricciardo receives permission to do everything to defend his position: « You can use the overtaking button to defend yourself. »

Tour 41

Far ahead, Nico Rosberg wants to put all the odds in his favor to finish the Grand Prix:

« Is there nothing else I can do for reliability?

– Nous sommes complètement heureux de ce que tu fais, Nico. Donc reste juste loin des vibreurs, » lui répond Tony Ross.

Tour 45

Romain Grosjean now has to abandon his Lotus E22 at the side of the track. His race engineer, Ayao Komatsu, gives him the same order that was received by Maldonado:

« OK, stop the car please. Stop the car. We’ve lost the MGU-K. Stop the car and switch to P1, please.

– OK, j’arrête la voiture. C’est sécurisé ?

– La voiture est sécurisée Romain, donc mets-toi en P0, s’il te plait. »

Tour 46

Bottas is in Vergne’s exhausts: « Mode 8 will increase the load a bit, and then we’ll use mode 5 to overtake. » After a mistake by the Frenchman in the last corner, the Finn attacks Nico Hülkenberg: « Yeah, great job Valtteri! Keep this mode 5 to overtake Hülkenberg. So stay on mode 8. »

The German is warned by radio that his turn is coming: « OK Nico. So, Bottas has passed the Toro Rosso, so I expect you to be attacked by Bottas soon. » It will be in the 51st lap that Williams takes the advantage over Force India.

Tour 48 and 50

On the McLaren side, the instruction is given: Ricciardo is in trouble, they inform the two drivers. Magnussen is ordered to attack the Australian.

On the Ferrari side, Andrea Stella informs Fernando Alonso of the situation: « You are eight-tenths faster than the three cars in front of you [Ricciardo, Magnussen, and Button]. Ricciardo, I think, is holding everyone up so he might be in trouble. He is 10 seconds ahead of you. »

Tour 53

Magnussen is, this time, in a position to activate the DRS to overtake Ricciardo. On the pit wall, the Red Bull team remains calm: « OK Daniel, you’re doing a good job. The fuel is good. » The Australian picks up the pace to ward off the threat. Magnussen is instructed to save fuel to attack again in the final laps: « OK Kevin, “G6 yellow” for two laps. We keep G3 for the last two laps. »

Tour 54

Jean-Eric Vergne makes a mistake while braking and gets overtaken by Räikkönen. On the radio, the Frenchman is asked not to block: « OK JEV. Daniil, behind, is faster than you, don’t hold him up! »

Checkered flag

Nico Rosberg wins quite easily, Tony Ross congratulates him: « It’s done! Well done, Nico! Well done. Great job », before the driver in turn expresses his joy: « Woo! Come on, guys! Great job! What a car you’ve given me! It was sensational all weekend. »

Daniel Ricciardo sports his legendary smile, even through his helmet: « Thanks, guys. [laughs] Everything is a bit blurry right now. It’s… it’s really cool. [laughs] Wow! » Rennie shares the sentiment: « It’s brilliant, mate. I think we can see your smile from here. Great job. »