Vettel gets maximum out of Abu Dhabi race
Despite the problems for the Red Bull Racing Team yesterday after the qualifying session, Sebastian Vettel managed to get the maximum out of the Abu Dhabi GP race. Vettel finished the race in 3rd position after starting from the pit lane. Team mate Mark Webber was less lucky as he was forced to retire after a collision.
Sebastian Vettel: “It was a good race for us today, a big chance for Ferrari and Fernando, but we didn’t allow it. I enjoyed it a lot today, more than anything. I damaged the front wing pretty early with Bruno, which was not ideal, but we were able to carry on and not lose too much. Then, during the safety car, maybe I didn’t pay enough attention. Daniel was slowing down, just as I was warming the tyres and I got surprised. I had to move to the right and hit the DRS board, which damaged the front wing. It was the worst time to have to pit from P13 and start again at the back of the field, then I had to do it all over again, passing everyone from the back. In the end, to finish third on the podium is just fantastic.”
Mark Webber: “Nothing really worked out for us today. I think we were strong, but we never got free air and it’s difficult here with traffic; we saw quite a few incidents where people were trying to pass. Ultimately, in the incident that ended my race, I tried to go down the inside when the cars ahead made contact, I thought there was an opportunity, but then Grosjean made contact with my car and that was the end for us. Whatever we tried today, it just wasn’t working out.”
Christian Horner, Team Principal: “After the problems of yesterday, it was a remarkable comeback from Sebastian to finish on the podium. We elected to start from the pit lane, so we could make some set up changes to the car. After a promising start, despite picking up some damage to the front wing after an incident with Bruno Senna, Sebastian had another incident under the first safety car when Daniel Ricciardo caught him unawares and he finished off the front wing on the DRS marker. That necessitated a nose change and a change to our strategy. Seb was at the back of the field and once again had to work his way through. He drove an unbelievable race today and his final move on Jenson was quite exceptional. To go from pit lane to podium was something we could only dream of before the race. For Mark, unfortunately after not a great start, he got involved in an incident with Maldonado that spun him around and cost him time, just as he was looking to come back at Fernando Alonso. He recovered well and we made our stop, which was the fastest of the day and got him ahead of Maldonado who he was racing at that stage. Then, as he was closing down on the cars ahead, an incident with Perez, Grosjean and Di Resta left him with no where to go and unfortunately he was a victim of their actions. Nonetheless we leave with important points for the Constructors’ and Drivers’ titles today and everything still to play for in two weeks time.”
Cyril Dumont, Renault: “A fantastic result for Sebastian, but bad luck for Mark who had been having a strong race until his accident. It was a great team effort to keep us well in the hunt for both titles. Starting twice from effectively last position means you have everything to do, but everyone involved judged it right and we can look forward to even better next time out in Austin.”
