The 2013 Canadian Grand Prix was a pretty easy day out for Sebastian Vettel. Indeed those ‘Mounties’ were as close as anyone got to him on race day. We didn’t want you to miss out on the fun, so here’s 86 images from the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve that will bring you as close to Vettel as any of his competitors got.

[Pics: Caterham F1 Team/LAT Photographic; Ferrari; Lotus F1 Team/LAT Photographic; Mercedes AMG; Red Bull/Getty Images; Sahara Force India Formula One Team; Sauber Motorsport AG; Toro Rosso/Getty Images; Vodafone McLaren Mercedes; Williams F1/LAT Photographic]

Mercedes AMG and Pirelli will face the FIA International Tribunal on 20 June over charges of conducting a secret in-season test. The hearing will take place in Paris at 9:30am local time and the decision will be made public as soon as possible.

You can read the full statement from the FIA after the break.

International Tribunal

Mon 10.06.13

The following hearing of the International Tribunal will take place in Paris:

Hearing

Disciplinary procedure against Mercedes and Pirelli (2013 FIA Formula One World Championship)

On 5 June 2013, further to protests lodged during the 2013 Monaco GP by Red Bull Racing and Ferrari Scuderia Team against cars no 9 and 10 (Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team) for having conducted with Pirelli a three day tyre testing using a 2013 car on 15, 16 and 17 May in Barcelona, the President of the FIA, acting as the FIA Prosecuting Body, sent to the President of the International Tribunal a notification of charges against Pirelli and a notification of charges against Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team.

On 5 June 2013, Pirelli and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team have been convened by the President of the International Tribunal to appear before a judging panel of the International Tribunal.

When

09.30 hrs
Thursday, June 20, 2013

Where

FIA Salle du Comité,
8, place de la Concorde,
75008 Paris

Decision

The decision of the International Tribunal will be published as soon as possible after the hearing.

Back whenever it was that the FIA started to interview the drivers on the podium after each race (2012 British Grand Prix) we thought it was a clumsy approach. To be fair, there were some teething problems and it did get better. It’s true, also, that fans at the track probably deserve to hear from the drivers they have paid, in many cases, several hundred dollars to watch.

And yet, when you read the transcript below, you won’t really get too much of a clue that all the while during Eddie Jordan’s interview with Sebastian Vettel the German was being booed while Fernando Alonso was being cheered along.

To be fair, the transcript does read a little odd and Jordan seems to cut-off Vettel. In fact he did cut-off the race winner mid-sentence partly to stop the jeering from the crowd we suspect. It was a bad look all around and perhaps the FIA may have cause to reconsider the practice of on-track interviews.

For now, we expect the status quo will remain, as it probably should, but as much as we dislike Vettel at times, he deserved better than the Canadian crowd gave him.

[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

2013 Canadian Grand Prix – Post Race Press Conference

Transcript of the Post Race Press Conference organised by the FIA for the 2013 Canadian Grand Prix.

Sun 09.06.13, 11:11PM

DRIVERS
1 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)
2 – Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari)
3 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

PODIUM INTERVIEW (Conducted by Eddie Jordan)

Q: [to Vettel] Three World Champions, I’m spoilt for choice here. What a great win, a text book win, pole position, you seemed to win it at ease. Tell me about it.
Sebastian VETTEL: Thank you. Thank you everybody. I think it wasn’t that bad for us, I think. Yeah, great race, I had a very good start, which was important and then I was able to really go with the car and yeah, obviously on the supersoft we saw the tyres were falling apart but I think we were just as good as everybody else. I was able to build a gap and then kept that gap basically the whole race. At some stages we had a full pitstop on hand and it’s a little bit easier then to control the race, control the gaps etcetera. Great race, great job by the team. I had perfect pitstops even though we had some time on hand. And also for North America, I think it’s a great race for Infiniti. All in all, a very important race for us to win. Finally we get it off the list. Very proud of that. The sun came out today. Couldn’t get any better. Racing in front of the crowd here is always…

Q: …I have to ask you about that because it seems quite unbelievable to us that you’ve never won here before, nor indeed has Red Bull. So what does it mean to get the monkey off the back?
SV: Yeah, obviously we’ve had good races before but it didn’t come together to win. Two years ago I was very close. I lost it in the last lap, it was my mistake, so made up for it today. Great feeling, as I said. Great car today by the team and I think we were able to really pull away from the rest of the field, which was most important to then control the race. I could really enjoy every single lap. Difficult at stages through the traffic but as I said, great and …

Q [to Alonso] …When I read your report yesterday when you said that you thought you may have a chance to come from sixth position to hopefully get a win here, I was saying ‘how’s he going to try and do that?’ And you nearly did it. Magic, magic tenacious drive.
Fernando ALONSO: Hello everybody first of all and bonjour. Yesterday obviously we didn’t have a good qualifying, I didn’t put the lap together and also the conditions didn’t help but we knew that the pace in dry conditions of the car on Friday was good, so we had some hopes. Obviously we are fighting with top drivers and I have a very good fight with Mark, with Nico, with Lewis at the end. And it’s not easy. Even if you have a little bit more pace, they are super-talented ones and it was difficult race. But at the end I think the second place has a victory taste because we scored some good points after a very difficult weekend.

Q: You seem to have a lot of fans here Lewis.
Lewis HAMILTON: I have a great time here every year, and thank you for all the support, I have a great time.

Q: I’ve got to ask you, we all were enthralled how clean, how correct and yet how exciting the fight was with Fernando. What did you damage on the car?
LH: I think some small part of my wing came off. It was very, very close, we had a good battle, he was very, very fair and I hope we can get a bit quicker in the next race.

Q: You qualified in front of your team-mate, you raced in front of your team-mate. That must have been a bit of a help after Monaco, I presume. You feel really good about going forward with this team?
LH. Yes, the car’s getting better and the guys are doing a fantastic job, so we just need to keep pushing to close the gaps to these guys.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Well done Sebastian that must be, not a relief necessarily, but you must be very happy first of all to have won here finally and for Red Bull Racing as well. But there were a couple of moments where you very nearly touched the wall and you went wide as well. What happened in those two instances?
SV: Obviously I was pushing very hard at the beginning to get away and open a gap and yeah, I think it’s Canada, you obviously go close to the walls here or there, sometimes a little bit closer than I wanted but fortunately I didn’t brush the walls. I’m really just trying to just open as much of a gap as I can. I felt I had more pace in the beginning of the race, it’s difficult to foresee what’s happening later on, when you swap tyres, also in terms of range – how far we were going to get on each set of tyres. We weren’t sure if it was a one-stop or a two-stop. So all these things you don’t know so it’s good to have a little bit of time on your hands, which was the reason why I pushed very hard in the beginning. Obviously it was clear quickly after the first stint that we had a good gap and controlled it. Obviously it was difficult with the traffic etc, but I think we had a great car and we always had enough pace on hand to react and control the gap. In the end I went straight in turn one. I think I could have saved or caught the car, but I didn’t want to risk a spin. So I decided, should I stay should I go, then I decided to cut the corner, slowed down. Obviously there was traffic again with a backmarker, so I let him by to really make sure I rejoined the track in a safe way, which cost a lot of time. But yeah I was just a bit too late in the first corner heating the brakes.

Well done. Fernando, you had some great battles and it took quite a while to get past Lewis. Was it just the speed coming out of the hairpin? It took quite a while, even with DRS.
FA: I think it was the pace difference was very, very small. With other battles we did maybe I was a little bit more fast, a little bit faster than the people I was catching. With Lewis we were really very close on the pace and there was some moments going out of turn eight to see who had the detection point and then in turn 10 the same thing, at the last chicane, so there was some action there. But it was nice to have these battles, particularly this race with so talented drivers, so intelligent drivers, that, you know, you fight wheel-to-wheel at 315km/h and you feel safe. You feel you are racing and you are competing. It can go your way or it can go the other way, but this is real racing. So, very happy to see this back after Monaco. It’s a little bit different.

Lewis, once again on the podium here in Canada. We thought you might be trying to get Fernando back again. Was that a possibility?
LH: Clearly not, because I didn’t get him. He was massively quick and it was very difficult to keep him behind. I tried my best. I got close once he got past me, but he was just generally took quick for me. But you know, it’s still a good result for me considering that these guys are massively quick.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action and National Speedsport News) Lewis, earlier this week you talked to us about your brakes. How were they in this race, maybe the best they’ve been all season?
LH: No. Not really. Generally, again, very similar to other races. Still need to improve and that’s where Fernando was really catching me everywhere.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Fernando, how much has yesterday’s qualifying been hurting you because starting sixth getting to second was a big race. Could you have done better, do you think, if you had started on the first or second row?
FA: I don’t know really. I think you will never know. Qualifying is qualifying and it’s better to be on pole position but I think the last pole position in dry conditions was September 2010 so it’s not the strong point of the team. On Sunday, we normally pick up the pace a little bit about which we are happy because the points are gained on Sunday, but it’s true that at some races, if you start too far behind, it’s difficult to recover, but we will try to improve next time.

Q: (Kate Walker – GP Week) Sebastian, you had a dominant victory today. You’ve won three of seven races so far this season and you’re leading both Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships, but despite all this, you’ve probably been the most vocal critic of the tyres. I was wondering if you had revised your opinions on the rubber, given your performance and your continuing strength.
SV: Well, I think it’s pretty simple. The criticism we had or I expressed was not based on performance. I think it was based on safety and I’m sure if you ask other drivers, maybe they weren’t that strong in the press, maybe they think they have an advantage with this sort of tyre, but we had some occasions this year where the tyre suffered delaminating, the top layer came off for not exactly known reasons, probably debris but you will always have some pieces on the track. I think it’s not possible to have an entirely clean track everywhere and I think that has been the criteria. Every time I complained about balance or the tyres and their behaviour, every time as I said as well that on that day there were other people doing a better job and first of all we had to get to their level to start complaining about performance but obviously when you say something, it’s in fashion, these days to take what you like instead of probably publishing the whole answer.

Q: (Nicolangelo Cioppi – Cittadino Canadese) Sebastian, what happened again on lap 52, I don’t understand exactly?
SV: As I said, I was a little bit too late into the first corner, lost the rear on the way in. I could have stayed on the track but I wasn’t sure. It was quite tight, obviously you have the right hander following immediately and I didn’t want to risk a spin so I decided to cut and make sure. I lost four or five seconds in that corner compared to normal, so I think it was fine. It just seemed to be the safer option to avoid the spin and carry on that way. I was just a little bit too fast. That’s what happens. Fortunately there was no wall so I was lucky.

Q: (Nicolangelo Cioppi – Cittadino Canadese) Fernando, in Monte Carlo we talked to one another and you were very confident for Montreal, and you said to me ‘I’m going to be on the podium.’ Congratulations, and I would like you to say something to the Italian community here because there’s a very very big Italian community.
FA: In Monaco we were not competitive for different reasons. In a way, we were not competitive here on Saturday, maybe for the same reasons, for the conditions that we need to do a better job compared to the others. In some conditions we are not competitive enough, so we need to work on that. And then for the Italian people here in Montreal, I think they support Ferrari all the time, they enjoy Formula One. You see the atmosphere in this race is very very unique, not only here on the track but from the time you land at the airport, you see a very enthusiastic people about this race. You put the TV on, they are talking about the meteo for the Grand Prix. They’re talking about the qualifying, the practice, the shops on the streets are full of flags, Ferrari flags etc, so it’s very nice to race here. We didn’t give them a win today but I think we put on a good show for everybody and hopefully we give a win for them in the next one when they are watching TV.

Q: (Carlos Miguel Gomez – La Gaceta) Fernando, are you worried for the British Grand Prix, with your pace in qualifying because normally it’s cold weather; do you believe you can be OK in Silverstone?
FA: I believe so. I think it’s a different circuit, completely different asphalt, generating a lot of stress in the tyre: Silverstone, Nurburgring compared with very easy tracks on tyres like Monaco, Canada where you are looking for one or two stops. Silverstone will be different, I think. We know that the temperature is not helping us at the moment, but we cannot say anything because there are other people going very fast in those conditions, so it’s up to us to improve. We have some ideas and hopefully at Silverstone we can improve on that.

Q: (Bill Beacon – Canadian Press) Sebastian, after you took the chequered flag, you sounded that you were very pleased to finally win in Montreal. Was that important to you and the team?
SV: Yeah, I think it is important to us, but not because… I wasn’t desperate to win here. I think we’ve had strong results in the past and I wasn’t ashamed coming here having not won this race, so I wasn’t desperate when I got up this morning and thought ‘I have to win, I have to win.’ But I was very pleased because it’s a very nice race. I think Lewis had the privilege to win here three times and I think that in terms of atmosphere – Fernando touched on it – the whole city enjoys the Formula One Grand Prix. We have a lot of spectators. I think it was good today to have sunshine, it was quite bad in terms of weather yesterday, but there were still a lot of fans and obviously today, again, a fantastic atmosphere and to me this race belongs one hundred percent to the calendar, because I think for all of us drivers we enjoy a lot seeing grandstands completely sold out, a lot of enthusiastic people, the whole town living the Grand Prix. I think it’s similar to the Grand Prix in Melbourne in a way which is also not a race track, it’s in the middle of the city as well, so I think we enjoy that, and I think that’s why we were very happy or we are very happy today.

Q: (Jeff Pappone – Globe and Mail) Fernando, when do things started getting desperate? Seb seems to be gaining points at every race now and you’re falling further and further behind. When do you really have to start winning?
FA: I think we are eighty or eight-five points behind. It will be a very critical situation, which is more than three races. In the past – I touched on this in Australia or Malaysia – in the last six or eight years, there were people recovering from more than 30 points on the old points, which is three races so it’s 75 or 80 points. So hopefully we’re going to arrive to that number.

Q: (Jordan Irvine – NextGen Auto) Lewis, Mercedes dominated second position for 63 laps of today’s 70 lap race and then you lost out with seven to go to Fernando. Was there any one thing that you didn’t have that meant to you lost that position with so little time left?
LH: I guess it’s just grip, just lack of grip. The car was fantastic, I’m assuming those guys had even better than that. But generally it’s been really good. I was just lacking a little bit of grip in the lower speed… perhaps the chicane. Fernando seemed to be particularly quick in the lower speed corners.

Q: (Massimo Lopes Pegna– La Gazzetta dello Sport) Sebastian, how important is this win today; beside the win, how important is to gain seven points in the standings and maybe to get quicker to the critical point that Fernando was talking about?
SV: To be honest with you, I care for the win today. Obviously you don’t have to be a genius to know that you get more points than anybody else for that result but as Fernando said, the championship is still long and obviously I was in a different position last year at this time and I was able to catch up quite a lot towards the end. I had very strong races. Fernando was a little bit unlucky here and there and we were able to beat him, so we were able to come back but this was ten races from where we are now so I think there are so many things that can happen at that stage of the championship, I’m happy to stand on the grid and focus on the race, trying to win, and the rest we will see later on if we are still in a strong position. I think there’s enough of you reminding us if we’re not, you are there as well.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Lewis, OK, the last two circuits were not demanding in terms of tyre wear. It looked like Mercedes made a step forward in terms of the tyre wear, that was the weakest point you had. Can you explain this development you’ve made on the car, what happened exactly to make this step forward?
LH: I think it’s just been a work in progress. We haven’t really… we haven’t cured anything, it’s not been a long period of time since Barcelona where there was big trouble. I guess we’ve just been to two tracks where it’s not got high speed corners, so therefore it’s not really been a problem. We’ve worked on a couple of techniques to look after the tyres a bit more, brake cooling and all that kind of stuff has been added as well, which helps.

The Sebastian Vettel–Red Bull dominance of recent years was captured perfectly at the 2013 Canadian Grand Prix, as the three-time world champion converted his 39th career pole position into his 29th career victory.

Vettel wasn’t troubled during the 70 lap race and the 14.4 second margin back to Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) in second place flatters the rest of the field. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) rounded out the top three.

Mark Webber (Red Bull) flirted with the podium positions for much of the race, despite minor front wing damage suffered on lap 37 in a collision with Giedo van der Garde (Caterham). Webber was not pleased with van der Garde’s actions either, slamming the 28-year-old as a “a pay driver with no mirrors”.

“I got a sensational start, but I didn’t have too many places to go,” said Webber.”We lost some time with Nico in the first stint, and the car was getting hot behind him in the slip stream. Once I got in free air, the car was handling much better. Then we had the incident with Giedo van der Garde which caused some front wing damage and made it more difficult; the whole top section of the wing was gone on the left hand side, so it didn’t help from then on. I don’t know what he was doing.

“There were some positives from today, but it would have been nicer to have finished a bit further up the road.”

Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) finished fifth, ahead of Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso) who finished a career-best sixth.

Daniel Ricciardo was well behind his Toro Rosso teammate and could only manage P15. “I got a really good start, making up two positions off the line,” said Ricciardo afterwards. “I felt we could have a good race, but after just four laps, the car was oversteering like crazy and I couldn’t manage the tyres anymore. As the race went on, we tried to improve the car balance and maybe we improved it a bit, but our pace was really slow.

“We didn’t change so much on the car since Friday, so why we were so slow is a mystery to me at the moment.”

Both McLaren drivers finished outside of the points in P11 and P12, ending McLaren’s 64-race run of at least one car scoring championship points.

In awful post-race news it emerged that a marshal was killed in a terrible accident with a crane removing Esteban Gutierrez’s Sauber. The marshal slipped while out of sight of the crane driver and was run over. He was rushed to hospital and passed away last night. Our thoughts are with his family and colleagues.

[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

2013 Canadian Grand Prix final placings

1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing – 70 Laps 1:32:09.143 (25 points)
2. Fernando Alonso Ferrari – +14.4 secs (18 points)
3. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG – +15.9 secs (15 points)
4. Mark Webber Red Bull Racing – +25.7 secs (12 points)
5. Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG – +69.7 secs (10 points)
6. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso – +1 Lap (8 points)
7. Paul di Resta Force India – +1 Lap (6 points)
8. Felipe Massa Ferrari – +1 Lap (4 points)
9. Kimi Räikkönen Lotus – +1 Lap (2 points)
10. Adrian Sutil Force India – +1 Lap (1 point)
11. Sergio Perez McLaren – +1 Lap
12. Jenson Button McLaren – +1 Lap
13. Romain Grosjean Lotus – +1 Lap
14. Valtteri Bottas Williams – +1 Lap
15. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso – +2 Laps
16. Pastor Maldonado Williams – +2 Laps
17. Jules Bianchi Marussia – +2 Laps
18. Charles Pic Caterham – +3 Laps
19. Max Chilton Marussia – +3 Laps
20. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber – +7 Laps

Retired/not classified
Nico Hulkenberg Sauber – Accident (Lap 45)
Giedo van der Garde Caterham – Accident (Lap 43)

Fastest lap
Mark Webber Red Bull Racing – 1:16.182 (Lap 69)

2013 F1 world championship – Drivers (top 10)

1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing – 132
2. Fernando Alonso Ferrari – 96
3. Kimi Räikkönen Lotus – 88
4. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG – 77
5. Mark Webber Red Bull Racing – 69
6. Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG – 57
7. Felipe Massa Ferrari – 49
8. Paul di Resta Force India – 34
9. Romain Grosjean Lotus – 26
10. Jenson Button McLaren – 25

2013 F1 world championship – Constructors

1. Red Bull Racing-Renault – 201
2. Ferrari – 145
3. Mercedes – 134
4. Lotus-Renault – 114
5. Force India-Mercedes – 51
6. McLaren-Mercedes – 37
7. STR-Ferrari – 20
8. Sauber-Ferrari – 5

Rain and a red flag couldn’t stop Sebastian Vettel from claiming his 39th career pole position overnight. The Red Bull driver set the fastest time (1:25.425) at the Canadian Grand Prix and will start ahead of Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes, 1:25.512).

Next is a surprise result for Valtteri Bottas (Williams, 1:25.512), who will start from P3, easily the best qualifying position in his short F1 career. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes, 1:25.512) may have started the last three grands prix from pole, but the best the Monaco Grand Prix winner could manage was fourth.

Mark Webber (Red Bull, 1:25.512) will line up on the third row of the grid in P5, with Fernando Alonso (Ferrari, 1:25.512) alongside from P6.

Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso, 1:27.946) outqualified his teammate Daniel Ricciardo (1:27.946) and it’s the first time this year both made it into Q3. Vergne will start from P7 and Ricciardo qualified tenth but will start from P11 (see below).

Felipe Massa again found trouble in qualifying, following up his crash at Monaco with another barrier-finding moment here in Canada. That brought out a red flag in Q2 with just under two minutes left to run. When the track re-opened all the remaining cars lined up in pit lane to chase entry into Q3.

Several drivers were side-by-side in pit lane, leaving some drivers outside the designated fast lane, which is not strictly allowed. However, only Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) and Daniel Ricciardo were penalised. Both were given two-spot penalties and will now start from P10 and P11 respectively. In a quirk of process both drivers only move back one grid place, as explained by the FIA.

2013 Canadian Grand Prix qualifying

1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing – 1:25.425
2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG – 1:25.512
3. Valtteri Bottas Williams – 1:25.897
4. Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG – 1:26.008
5. Mark Webber Red Bull Racing – 1:26.208
6. Fernando Alonso Ferrari – 1:26.504
7. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso – 1:26.543
8. Adrian Sutil Force India – 1:27.348
9. Kimi Räikkönen Lotus – 1:27.432*
10. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso – 1:27.946*
11. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber – 1:29.435
12. Sergio Perez McLaren – 1:29.761
13. Pastor Maldonado Williams – 1:29.917
14. Jenson Button McLaren – 1:30.068
15. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber – 1:30.315
16. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:23.735 – 1:30.354
17. Paul di Resta Force India – 1:24.908
18. Charles Pic Caterham – 1:25.626
19. Romain Grosjean Lotus – 1:25.716*
20. Jules Bianchi Marussia – 1:26.508
21. Max Chilton Marussia – 1:27.062
22. Giedo van der Garde Caterham – 1:27.110

Q1 107% Time 1:28.080

Note: Grosjean qualified 19th; penalised 10 grid spots for causing collision at previous round. Raikkonen and Ricciardo qualified ninth and tenth respectively; penalised two grid spots each for pit-exit infringements.

2013 Canadian Grand Prix – Post Qualifying Press Conference

Post Qualifying Press Conference organised by the FIA for the 2013 Canadian Grand Prix.

Sat 08.06.13, 11:11PM

DRIVERS
1 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)
2 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
3 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Williams)

TV UNILATERAL

Q: Sebastian, you seemed to be on top of those extraordinary conditions all the way through qualifying. Was that the case?
Sebastian VETTEL: Well it was very, very tricky, especially because you never knew what the conditions were like the next time you were out. So obviously it was intermediate tyres throughout but extremely tricky to adapt, especially in the last qualifying section. We decided to have two runs, we thought the second run will be quicker because we had a new set of tyres left but it started to drizzle, in the last sector in particular, in the last chicane. I went straight on one lap and then the second lap I had a mistake somewhere else, so it turned out that the conditions were best for the first run. So that was a bit of a surprise because obviously you target on a set of new tyres to push a little bit harder. Very happy the first lap was good enough. It was very tight with Lewis. I think at the end everybody was improving in the first two sectors but then the last one was… yeah, those last two corners didn’t allow anyone to go quicker, which surely I didn’t mind but I think it was showing how difficult the whole qualifying session was for everyone. Congratulations to Valtteri, I think he did an extraordinary job putting the Williams on P3 but for us, extremely happy with the result and looking forward to the race tomorrow. I think we had strong pace yesterday so no matter the conditions, we should be in decent shape.

Q: Lewis, is that what cost you right at the end? Was that the rain in the final sector?
Lewis HAMILTON: I don’t know really… no, I was doing a pretty good lap, I think I was six or seven tenths up, even so I went wide. I don’t know whether I would have kept it but all I needed to keep was a tenth or so, a bit unfortunate – but I’m still happy to be here for the team.

Q: Valtteri, congratulations. What does this mean, to be in the top three?
Valtteri BOTTAS: Thank you. Of course it means a lot. It’s way more up in the grid than what we really could ever imagine. It’s been so difficult, the first six races for us and it will be a nice boost for the team. We really got everything quite right today.

Q: Sebastian, as you say, no points today. What chances tomorrow? As you said, you don’t really fear any of the conditions. Are you worried about rain or not?
SV: Well, I don’t know if there’s anybody who can give a precise forecast for every corner. As we saw today, it was really tricky in some places, then drier than expected in other places and the next lap was completely different. So, yeah, a bit difficult to foresee how the weather is behaving tomorrow – but the forecast, I think, looks a little bit friendlier than today. So at this stage – the last thing I heard at least – we expect dry conditions. But we’ll see. It doesn’t really matter. We have a couple of tyres left, surely lots of slick tyres but also in the rain we should be in decent shape. I think it could be an interesting race with mixed conditions tomorrow. So, a long one, 70 laps here and a lot of things that can happen in every single lap.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Sebastian, well done again. Another consideration is, have you got any Intermediates left? You were saying you might have a couple of tyres left. If it is wet tomorrow, have you got any Intermediates left?
SV: No, we don’t have a new set left but obviously it was only a very short run in the last qualifying. I think the sets we used, one was completely new and the other just scrubbed, so yeah, I think it’s tricky. Everyone used up their intermediates to qualify as high up as possible but the bottom line is I think we’re in good shape regarding tyres for both dry – obviously, just like everyone else – and rain conditions.

Q: It did seem to be an extraordinary session. You had mass starts in the pitlane. It was amazing!
SV: Yeah. I wasn’t part of that group and actually I did a mistake there because I was too late getting out in Q2 after the red flag, after Felipe had the crash. Yeah, I didn’t want to join the train and get stuck but obviously we left a little bit too late and I didn’t get to do a timed lap at all. Fortunately I made it through to Q3. The time we set before was good enough – but we didn’t get a run in and we were supposed to, so yeah, I messed up the timing a little bit there but fortunately it didn’t cost us anything.

Q: Lewis, did it all go according to plan? Maybe you felt you could have been on pole.
LH: Pole was definitely there, so it’s a bit unfortunate but that’s the way it goes.

Q: Did everything go according to plan?
LH: No.

Q: Is that what makes you a little unhappy then?
LH: …

Q: What are the chances tomorrow? What do you feel about the weather tomorrow?
LH: I’ve not really seen what the weather’s going to be like tomorrow. I was told that it’s going to be dry – or maybe raining in the morning and drying out for the race. But, as Sebastian said, it’s changing and it’s going to be good fun. It should be interesting as it has been for the last few years. It’s been very tricky – but I hope it’s dry.

Q: Valtteri, what do you want tomorrow? More rain?
VB: Definitely! I think the fact is in the dry the car doesn’t belong to P3 at the moment, so yeah, of course some rain would help us like it did in the qualifying. Because I think we found, for the Inter tyres especially, a quite good way of how to really work the tyre, the right temperatures and everything – so I hope so.

Q: You did a good job in Monaco keeping it out of the wall – a lot of rookies might have ended up in the wall. You’ve done the same thing here. You’ve been a pretty safe pair of hands as far as I can see. Do you feel that? Are you happy with your performances?
VB: I think you can never be totally happy with the situation we are in. I still have zero points and there’s still a lot to learn. When I look back there’s so many things you always could have done better. It’s been OK but it could be always better.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Valterri, congratulations. Would you have ever dreamed to be on the second row and also could you please describe your lap?
VB: Thank you. I don’t think we expected to be on the first or second row. I think everyone in our team was hoping for rain because there’s always a chance if you get the timing right, get everything right, you can maybe finish a bit higher than where the car is sometimes. But yes, the race is tomorrow. If it’s dry, for sure it’s going to be difficult, it’s not going to be easy, so let’s see.

Q: (Kate Walker – GP Week) Valterri, we’ve seen that you’re ten places ahead of your teammate. Is this because you like the track, you like the conditions? You’re both in the same car.
VB: I think today was very tricky and it was a lot about the tyre getting a good lap, just at the right time, when the track is in the best condition, having good track position, everything, so it’s not as simple in this weather, so that’s why there can even be ten places between teammates.

Q: (Stefan Barbé – L’Equipe) If it’s dry tomorrow, do you think you had enough time yesterday to evaluate the tyres for long run pace in the afternoon?
LH: We did a long run like everyone else, so we have a good understanding what the tyres and the car feels like in the dry and obviously we’ve had the rain and the wet so we should be set for tomorrow.

SV: I think it was good that practice two yesterday was dry so it allowed everyone to get a read on both soft tyre and the harder or the medium tyre, supersoft and medium.

VB: I think everyone has plenty of dry tyres so we’ll see.

Q: (Massimo lopes Pegna– La Gazzetta dello Sport) Sebastian, are you surprised to see Ferrari so far behind you?
SV: I don’t know where they are but obviously I saw Felipe losing the car into turn three so I’m aware that he’s not very high up. He obviously didn’t take part in Q3. For Fernando, I don’t know where he starts but I think generally – as Valterri touched on – it was quite tricky today and when you were not on the circuit at the right time, then you can be faster than everybody else, for example, but it’s not happening. I think we’ve all experienced it to some extent today. Some, obviously… on average, I think us three up here, we got away with it and mostly used the track in the best condition but you can never really say that you have always been out when it was absolutely at its best, and that makes a big difference. We’re talking easily half a second, a second, two seconds per lap.

Q: (Bill Beacon – Canadian Press) Lewis, you’ve won here three times, conditions are a lot stranger this time around; how confident are you that you can have a fourth victory here?
LH: Well, it’s good to be on the front row, that makes it a little bit… brings up the chances a little bit but it’s going to be a tough race tomorrow. Obviously Sebastian’s very quick, even the Ferraris are very quick on the long runs so I guess it really depends on the conditions and at the end of the day I’ve got to do the job. As you know, I love it here so, there’s a great crowd even though the weather was not so great today. I’m sure there will be even more people tomorrow so let’s hope we can put on a good show for them.

Mercedes has knocked off Audi at the Nürburgring once again. First, Mercedes took Audi’s crown at the Nürburgring 24 hour race, now the three-pointed star has set a new lap record for an electric-powered production vehicle around the Nordschleife.

At the wheel of an SLS AMG Electric Drive Markus Hofbauer lapped the 20.832km north loop in 7 minutes 56.234 seconds. That’s comfortably quicker than the previous mark of 8 minutes 9 seconds held by the Audi R8 e-tron.

There’s no video of the lap at this stage, but Ola Källenius, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG, isn’t missing his chance to brag about the achievement.

“Mercedes-AMG impressively shows the potential of the SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive with this new record on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Mercedes-AMG is the first vehicle manufacturer to have circled the Nordschleife in under eight minutes with an electrically-powered series production vehicle. This record run is further proof for our constant innovative vigour,” Källenius proclaimed.

This record is the perfect way to kick off the sales launch of the electric SLS AMG, which boasts key figures of 751hp (552kW)/1000Nm. Power comes from four motors, one placed at each wheel. Weighing 45kg each the motors can be controlled individually by the AMG Torque Dynamics system. The 100km/h sprint can be done in only 3.9 seconds and Mercedes claims a range of 250km if you behave.

While Mercedes can lay claim to producing the fastest electric-powered production vehicle around the Green Hell, they’re still some way off the outright electric record, which is currently held by the Toyota TMG EV P002 (7 minutes 22.329 seconds).

Mercedes-AMG establishes lap record in the “Grüne Hölle”

• SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive masters Nordschleife in 7:56.234 minutes

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive has lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife (“north loop”) in a record time of 7:56.234 minutes. Therefore, the electric AMG super sports car is at the same time the first electrically-powered series production vehicle to have mastered the legendary race track in under eight minutes. The record time of the SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive has been certified so, two weeks after the first overall win for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, another member of the SLS AMG family has impressively demonstrated its potential on the most difficult race track in the world.

“Mercedes-AMG impressively shows the potential of the SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive with this new record on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Mercedes-AMG is the first vehicle manufacturer to have circled the Nordschleife in under eight minutes with an electrically-powered series production vehicle. This record run is further proof for our constant innovative vigour,” said Ola Källenius, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.

“For the first time, an electrically-powered series production vehicle has lapped the Nürburgring Nordscheife in under eight minutes. The record for the SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive in 7:56.234 minutes on the Nordschleife shows the special position of our innovative and unique drive solution. With the extremely efficient battery technology deriving from Formula 1, four electric motors positioned close to the wheels, the individual wheel torques ‘AMG Torque Dynamics’, the SLS eSound and our ambitious ‘AMG Lightweight Performance’ design strategy, the SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive generates a breathtaking sensation unlike any other model out on the road,” according to Tobias Moers, Head of Overall Vehicle Development and member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.

The SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive, with which Mercedes-AMG set the record on the 20.832 km long race track in the Eifel, corresponds to the series version, which celebrates its launch in June 2013. The strongest current AMG high-performance car has four electrical motors with a total output of 751 hp and maximum torque of 1,000 Nm.

The gullwing car is therefore advancing to become the strongest and fastest electrically-powered series production vehicle in the world. The SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive accelerates from zero to 62 mph in a mere 3.9 seconds and can reach a top speed of 155mph (electronically limited).

A new dimension of driving performance – the AMG brand pledge is fulfilled to remarkable effect by the outstanding performance dynamics, which come courtesy of AMG Torque Dynamics and are made possible by the wheel-selective all-wheel drive. The most “electrifying” gullwing model ever has been developed in-house by Mercedes-AMG GmbH. The extremely powerful high-voltage battery for the SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive is the result of the collaboration between Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth in the UK and is setting the pace in energy density, power density and efficiency. Here, the British Formula 1 experts were able to draw on their extensive experience with KERS hybrid concepts.

The car’s agile response to movements of the accelerator pedal and the linear power output are a source of pure delight: unlike with a combustion engine, the build-up of torque is instantaneous with electric motors – maximum torque is effectively available from standstill. The spontaneous torque build-up and immense power delivery without any interruption in traction on the one hand are combined with completely vibration-free motor running characteristics on the other.

An overview of the most important data:

SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive

• Max. output: 751 hp
• Torque: 1,000 Nm
• 0-62 mph: 3.9 s
• Top speed: 155 mph*
• Range: 155 miles (according to NEDC)
• Battery energy content: 60 kWh
• Battery voltage: 400 volts
• CO2 emissions: 0 g/km

*Electronically limited

All-wheel drive with AMG Torque Dynamics offers new-found freedom

Four motors, four wheels – the intelligent and permanent all-wheel drive of the SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive guarantees driving dynamics of the highest calibre, while at the same time providing the best possible active safety. Optimum traction of the four driven wheels is therefore ensured, whatever the weather conditions. According to the developers, the term “AMG Torque Dynamics” refers to individual control of the electric motors, something which enables completely new levels of freedom to be achieved. The AMG Torque Dynamics feature is permanently active and allows for selective distribution of power to each individual wheel. The intelligent distribution of drive torque has a beneficial effect on driving dynamics, handling, driving safety and ride comfort. Each individual wheel can be both electrically driven and electrically braked in accordance with the specific driving situation, thus helping to:

• optimise the vehicle’s cornering properties
  
• reduce the tendency to oversteer/understeer
  
• increase the yaw damping of the basic vehicle
  
• reduce the steering effort and steering angle required
  
• increase traction
  
• and minimise ESP® and ASR intervention

The AMG Torque Dynamics feature boasts a high degree of variability and individuality by offering three different driving modes:

• Comfort (C): comfortable, forgiving driving characteristics
  
• Sport (S): sporty, balanced driving characteristics
  
• Sport plus (S+): sporty, very agile driving characteristics

Manufaktur hand finishing at company headquarters in Affalterbach

Mercedes-AMG has installed a dedicated Manufaktur hand-finishing section for electric vehicles at its headquarters in Affalterbach for final assembly of the SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive. The electrically powered gullwing model is assembled and readied for operation at a total of seven different stations. The entire logistics process is based in Affalterbach, too.

Production of parts such as the exterior and interior initially takes place at the Mercedes-Benz production facility in Sindelfingen. In Affalterbach, highly trained workers take charge of assembling the axles, electric motors, transmissions and cooling system components. Particular care is taken with the installation of all high-voltage components, such as the liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery, the accompanying cables, inverter and control units, and the onboard charger. Needless to say, the utmost standards of safety are applied during all work on high-voltage components. The operational check and extensive final inspection at the end ensure that the manufacturing and product quality offered by the SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive is of the very highest order.

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive celebrates its sales launch in June 2013.

The FIA has handed down its findings over the Pirelli tyre test controversy and Mercedes continues to find itself in hot water. They’ve been ordered to face the FIA International Tribunal because their test undertaken with Pirelli “may constitute a breach of the applicable FIA rules”.

Ferarri, who was also asked to explain its own secret test with Pirelli, has been cleared of any wrongdoing on account of using a 2011-spec car.

You can read the full statement from the FIA after the break.

The International Tribunal consists of a 12-person panel which, according to official statutes, “operates totally independently from the other bodies of the FIA and the members of the FIA.”

In regards to the penalties the International Tribunal can impose, Autosport has an article on the matter which reads in part:

The IT’s punishments are limited to fines, bans or the alternative sanctions laid out in the International Sporting Code (ISC).

The ISC says available sanctions are listed in the order of severity: reprimand, fines, obligation to accomplish some work of public interest, time penalty, exclusion, suspension or disqualification.

Pirelli and Mercedes

Wed 05.06.13

The Monaco Grand Prix Stewards raised in their report to the FIA an issue concerning a tyre testing session carried out by Pirelli with the participation of Team Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 in Barcelona on 15-17 May 2013[1].

The FIA requested clarifications from Pirelli and Team Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 in this respect.

The FIA also asked questions to Scuderia Ferrari Team, which took part in a tyre testing with Pirelli in Barcelona on 23-24 April 2013.

The FIA requested all the other F1 Teams to provide the FIA with information they may have regarding any tests carried out by Pirelli during the 2013 season.

In the light of all the replies received and in view of the information gathered during this inquiry, the President of the FIA, acting as the FIA prosecuting body, has decided:

• To close the case as regard to Scuderia Ferrari Team considering that its participation in a tyre testing organized by Pirelli in Barcelona on 23-24 April 2013 using for this purpose a 2011 car is not deemed to contravene the applicable FIA rules.
• To bring the case concerning the tyre testing session carried out by Pirelli and Team Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 in Barcelona on 15-17 May 2013 before the FIA International Tribunal because it results from the inquiry that the conditions of this testing may constitute a breach of the applicable FIA rules.

The FIA International Tribunal is called upon to make a decision in compliance with the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules.

[1] The Stewards’ report follows the protests made by Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari Team on the occasion of the Monaco Grand Prix against Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 concerning its participation in the Barcelona tests (15-17 May 2013).

Adam Cooper has garnered more information on the Pirelli-Mercedes “secret” tyre test. We suggest you take a read. Here’s a snippet to start with:

“Some people have described the test as secret,” said Hembery on Friday. “Well, I don’t think we would have won any James Bond prizes, because we booked the circuit in our name, two days after an F1 race.”
…
So why the excessive security measures? Why stop members of the public from observing from outside the venue, never mind wandering around the spectator areas, enjoying the chance to see the car that was on pole a few days before?

[Source: Adam Cooper F1 | Pic: Mercedes AMG]

Overnight the FIA issued the following statement in regards to the secret Formula 1 Pirelli tyre tests:

The FIA has asked Team Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 and Scuderia Ferrari Team which have taken part in tyre tests in the 2013 season to reply to a disciplinary inquiry in pursuance of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules.

This follows the Stewards’ Report from the Monaco Grand Prix and represents supplementary information required by the FIA in the light of the replies received from Pirelli, who were asked for clarifications on Tuesday May 28th.

Mercedes we all knew about, they have allegedly used a 2013-spec car in their test with Pirelli and, in theory, that’s a clear cut breach of the sporting regulations.

Ferrari, however, will be very surprised, we suspect, to be asked to explain their participation with Pirelli. It’s been reported they used a 2011-spec car provided by their Corse Clienti program, which is independent from the F1 team.

Using a two-year-old car has been understood by the teams to be acceptable. Although, the regulations define acceptable cars as being “substantially different” from the 2013 specifications. It would seem then that the concern for Ferrari will be: is the 2011 F150 Italia different enough from the 2013 F138?

Lawyers at 10 paces everyone!

The Williams F1 Team has announced today that their “long-term” deal with Renault will not extend into 2014. Instead they have signed a new “long-term” deal with Mercedes-Benz.

“I’m delighted to announce our new association with Mercedes-Benz for the 2014 Formula One season and beyond,” Team Principal Sir Frank Williams said. “Mercedes-Benz has been one of the sport’s most successful engine suppliers and we believe that they will have an extremely competitive engine package.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Renault for their continued hard work since we renewed our engine partnership at the beginning of the 2012 season. We have enjoyed a strong relationship that has resulted in much success over the years, including powering us to winning ways once again last year at the Spanish Grand Prix.”

Looks like we won’t see the rebirth of the Renault Clio Williams after all. And Williams-Renaults racing McLaren-Hondas would have rekindled fond memories for those of us over 35 too. Life marches on.

Indeed the new engines, which we must call power units, on account of their greater reliance on Energy Recovery Systems, will take Formula 1 in a new direction next year. It will be fascinating to see how they sound, how they perform and how reliable they are.

The Williams F1 Team and Mercedes-Benz announce long-term engine partnership

Brixworth, May 30, 2013

The Williams F1 Team (Ticker: WGF1) and Mercedes-Benz are pleased to announce the signature of a long-term engine partnership from the 2014 Formula One World Championship season onwards.

Under the terms of the agreement, Williams will be supplied with a Mercedes-Benz Power Unit (Internal Combustion Engine plus Energy Recovery System) by Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP) based in Brixworth, UK. Williams will continue to manufacture its own transmission.

The 2014 regulations will set the sport’s engineers the challenge of completing a 300 km race distance on a fuel load of just 100 kg. To do so, teams will switch from naturally aspirated 2.4 litre V8 engines to 1.6 litre V6 turbocharged hybrid Power Units. To achieve power outputs comparable to current levels from the new Power Unit will require a 30% increase in energy efficiency.

This step forward will be largely achieved through an Energy Recovery System (ERS) that will be able to deploy ten times more energy than the current KERS. The new ERS will recover energy from both the exhaust turbine and the rear axle, as well as deploying energy back to both.

These new technical developments will offer significantly greater opportunities for technology transfer from Formula One to real-world applications in areas such as battery technology, turbocharging, energy recovery and combustion efficiency.

Speaking about the new engine partnership, Williams F1 Team Founder and Team Principal Sir Frank Williams said; “I’m delighted to announce our new association with Mercedes-Benz for the 2014 Formula One season and beyond. Mercedes-Benz has been one of the sport’s most successful engine suppliers and we believe that they will have an extremely competitive engine package. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Renault for their continued hard work since we renewed our engine partnership at the beginning of the 2012 season. We have enjoyed a strong relationship that has resulted in much success over the years, including powering us to winning ways once again last year at the Spanish Grand Prix.”

Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal, said “The announcement of this partnership is exciting news for Williams. Securing the right engine supply partnership is a key milestone in the implementation of our strategy for long term success. We are also pleased to conclude this agreement early in the season and we very much look forward to working with Mercedes AMG HPP in developing our 2014 race car.”

Andy Cowell, Managing Director of Mercedes AMG HPP, commented: “It is a very proud moment for everybody at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains to announce the start of this new partnership with the Williams F1 Team. Williams is one of the sport’s iconic names and we are very excited to be working together towards a successful future under the new regulations. A further positive is that this new agreement provides Mercedes-Benz with the long-term stability of supplying our works team and at least two partners from the 2015 season onwards, following the conclusion of our relationship with McLaren at the end of next season.”

Toto Wolff, Executive Director of MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, concluded: “The proud heritage of Williams and the company’s commitment to technological excellence make it a perfect long-term partner for Mercedes-Benz under the new powertrain regulations. It is a win-win situation for both HPP and Williams, which will ensure HPP is able to supply at least three teams on a long-term basis under the new regulations and could open interesting new perspectives for technology transfer. We look forward to enjoying much success together over the coming years.”

When we saw how Mercedes-Benz squandered the opportunity of running an F1 car around the Nordschleife we were pretty unhappy. Michael Schumacher barely got out of first gear it seemed.

In this new video, showing Michael’s lap from a worm’s eye view, we can tell that, at times, he did give the Mercedes F1 W02 a bit of a squirt now and then. But he also spent too much time dawdling along. Oh well.

As you can see Nico Rosberg was pretty happy to have won the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix. And who can blame him. It’s one thing to win the race for yourself, but to do so 30 years after your old man achieved the same thing is very special. Well done him and well done Keke.

The existence of the Monaco Grand Prix really is an anachronism in the 21st century, but we hope it never goes. Watching the cars fly through turns 13 and 14 is perhaps the best example of the directness of F1 cars we see all year. And the dramatic elevation changes on such a short track, although flattened out on TV screens, also makes for one of the most spectacular circuits all year.

In our latest F1 in pictures gallery we have exactly 100 images from the glitz and glamour enjoyed by all in Monte Carlo.

[Pics: Caterham F1 Team/LAT Photographic; Ferrari; Lotus F1 Team/LAT Photographic; Mercedes AMG; Red Bull/Getty Images; Sahara Force India Formula One Team; Sauber Motorsport AG; Toro Rosso/Getty Images; Vodafone McLaren Mercedes; Williams F1/LAT Photographic]

Nico Rosberg’s victory at the Monaco Grand Prix could be in doubt after stewards referred the protest about their secret test with Pirelli to the FIA.

The FIA has subsequently released a statement and we think it will make for concerning reading in the Mercedes AMG garage.

“At the beginning of May, the FIA was asked by Pirelli if it was possible for it to carry out some tyre development testing with a team, using a current car,” the FIA statement begins. “Within the contract Pirelli has with the FIA as single supplier, there is provision for them to carry out up to 1000km of testing with any team—provided every team is offered the opportunity to do so.”

Trouble is the FIA says they haven’t had any correspondence to suggest anyone other than Mercedes was invited to the test by Pirelli. Furthermore they suggest they would be within their rights to escalate the matter to the International Tribunal.

“The Tribunal may decide to inflict penalties that would supercede any penalty the stewards of the meeting may have issued. Such procedure would be followed in pursuance of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules,” the FIA said.

In that context, these comments from Ross Brawn, Mercedes AMG Team Princicpal, made before the three-hour stewards hearing was over, probably weren’t the smartest things to say: “Pirelli has been asking teams to help them out for 12 months and people haven’t been supporting them.

“There are lots of communications between Pirelli and teams asking them to do 1000km for them, and we obviously had an issue in Bahrain with Lewis [Hamilton] which we were quite anxious about—and we made the effort to help them. Nobody else seems to have done that.”

Hmm, Ross, that’s probably because nobody else had strung together three pole positions at the time only to suffer poor race results due to tyre degradation issues.

You can read the full FIA statement after the break.

[Source: Formula1.com | Pic: Mercedes AMG]

FIA statement regarding Mercedes protest

“At the beginning of May, the FIA was asked by Pirelli if it was possible for it to carry out some tyre development testing with a team, using a current car. Within the contract Pirelli has with the FIA as single supplier, there is provision for them to carry out up to 1000km of testing with any team – provided every team is offered the opportunity to do so.

“Pirelli and Mercedes-AMG were advised by the FIA that such a development test could be possible if carried out by Pirelli, as opposed to the team that would provide the car and driver, and that such tests would be conditional upon every team being given the same opportunity to test in order to ensure full sporting equity.

“Following this communication, the FIA received no further information about a possible test from Pirelli or from Mercedes-AMG. Furthermore, the FIA received no confirmation that all teams had been given an opportunity to take part in this test.

“In addition, with regard to the application of the sport’s rules, including principles of sporting equity, it should be remembered that the International Sporting Code provides that on the basis of a report of the stewards of the meeting, or on its own initiative, the prosecuting body of the FIA may bring a matter before the International Tribunal.

“The Tribunal may decide to inflict penalties that would supercede any penalty the stewards of the meeting may have issued. Such procedure would be followed in pursuance of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules.”

We’re sure Nico Rosberg is still smiling after his strong win at the Monaco Grand Prix overnight. You can read what he had to say after the race, along with the words from Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, in the post-race press conference below.

Actually, Mark’s final comment in regard to the Mercedes secret tyre test controversy is worth reading.

Speaking about his crash with Romain Grosjean, Daniel Ricciardo said: “I could see that Grosjean had got a good run out of the tunnel and that he was close, so I defended my line and the next thing I knew he was over the back of me. I haven’t seen it on a TV yet, but at the moment I believe it was a misjudgement on his part and a costly one that was quite dangerous, even if we are both okay.”

The race stewards said that Romain can have a 10-place grid penalty for the next race. And Grosjean won’t win himself many friends in our neck of the woods by blaming Daniel for underperforming in qualifying and the race.

“Daniel seemed to be really struggling with his rear tyres and they looked to have a lot of graining,” said Grosjean. “I’d been following him for almost all of the 61 laps but I was caught out by him braking early in the middle of the circuit and there was nowhere for me to go.

“It’s a frustrating end to the weekend, but the real damage was done in qualifying when I didn’t get through to Q3. That was Daniel again who I was held up by, but it certainly wasn’t my intention to end my race in the back of his car!”

[Pic: Getty Images/Red Bull]

2013 Monaco Grand Prix – Post Race Press Conference

Post Race Press Conference organised by the FIA for the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix.

Sun 26.05.13, 7:07PM

DRIVERS
1 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)
2 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)
3 – Mark WEBBER (Red Bull Racing)

TV UNILATERAL

Q: Nico, you controlled the race from pole position but you had to deal with two safety cars, a red flag, a lot of mental resets no doubt, but describe your feelings right now, you’re a Monaco Grand Prix winner?
Nico ROSBERG: Yeah, amazing! This is my home, I’ve grown up here lived all my life here, I’ve gone to school here. So now to win at home is very special; a very special day for me. The whole weekend really went perfectly, qualifying [everything]. The start was very close. I had a terrible start! I was close to Sebastian and then with Lewis also, but then that worked out well. After that I could control the pace. The car was really good, the tyres held on ok, so that was really the key to the victory. So massive thanks to the team for having improved from Barcelona and I’m just ecstatic

Q: Sebastian, podium for you today, I guess you must be delighted that you’ve extended your championship lead?
Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, I think overall I’m very happy and pleased with the result. We know that it’s very difficult to overtake here. I think first of all congratulations to Nico, he did a very good job, a very controlled race. I think he had the pace and the tyres to respond whenever we tried to get a little bit closer, yeah. The start of the race… fantastic start but no room. I think I could have gone past both Mercedes but didn’t have the room, had to lift. Then Mark came and it was tight into the first corner. And after that I was a bit surprised by the slow pace in the opening laps. Usually you expect two silver arrows in front of you and there were two buses today going for a cruise – at least in the first couple of laps. But obviously the strategy was clear and they did a very good job. We were lucky on the strategy point of view. The team did a fantastic job to get past Lewis, so yeah. After that, with the restart: pretty difficult. Warm-up was very, very tricky. I saw Lewis was all over Mark behind me, so I think we can happy with the result. Great achievement from the team again. We seem to like this place the last couple of years so very happy. Congratulations, thank you, thanks to our partners as well. Thanks to Infinity, they are pushing an awful lot in the last couple of months to help us and I think it goes without saying, thanks to Renault as well, two cars out of three on the podium again powered by Renault – in ‘Little France’ in a way, so it’s sort of a home grand prix for them so congratulations as well. Overall, as I said, pretty happy.

Q: Mark, fourth in the opening stint but obviously the safety car at the first stop gave you and the team the opportunity to jump ahead of Hamilton. Important moment for you?
Mark WEBBER: Yes. First of all, congratulations to Nico. It’s a very special place to win at so, yeah, he had a seamless weekend and that’s what you need to do here. It’s never easy when you’re leading, you still have to pull it off. So, well done to Nico and Mercedes. For us, we knew it was a little against us starting on the second row but got an absolutely incredible start – and sod’s law it’s the shortest run to the first corner so, I think Seb and I had nowhere to go really so we were lifting. It’s looking like Nico and Lewis had pretty tricky ones, so we’ll try to save some of those starts for future reference. And then after that it was just basically saving tyres and making the one-stop work. It was completely predictable that if the race was going to stack up then the two-stop was not really an option to come back into traffic. So we had to go very long, all the drivers were nursing the cars very aggressively and as you say, it was nice to get Lewis. Obviously it’s never nice to lose positions around the stop so I’m sure he’s not too pleased with it but in the end we’ll take that position. It was difficult to get the restarts going on the primes but in general just really driving around, saving the tyres and waiting for the chequered flag.

Q: Nico, first son of a former Monaco Grand Prix winner to repeat the feat. Congratulations. 30 years on from your father Keke’s victory here at Monaco. Did that add a certain extra-special something to this win today.
NR: It is special to hear that, yes but honestly that’s not what I was thinking about when I was crossing the finishing line, definitely not. Just extremely happy to win this race. Also, we’ve had again such a difficult time behind us. In the last couple of races pole position and dropping back so much. There was always that a little bit in the back of my mind today in the race: ‘I hope that it’s going to last and I’ll be able to pull it off today and not drop back again.’ Because it’s not nice when you’re starting in front and dropping back. And then today the team gave me a great car. It’s really fantastic to see how they’ve been able to improve in such a short space of time. Little improvement here and there but on this track – this track suited us anyway – and so it was enough to make it happen.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Nico, what was it like to be in control of a race but then have to mentally reset each time? There was nothing straightforward about the way that race unfolded for you today.
NR: No, definitely not. It wasn’t very nice y’know? Because I was in a great rhythm on those prime tyres, trying to nurse them towards the end and then all of a sudden a race stoppage. It’s never nice to get out of that rhythm y’know? Because especially around Monaco it’s so easy to have a quick concentration error and then you’re in the tyre barrier and it’s the end of the race. So, it was really important today to remain concentrated and that didn’t make it easy, all those safety cars and the red flag and everything – but fortunately in the end it all worked out.

Q: Did you think at any point about the school runs you used to do down these roads and the fact that you were actually going to be winning a race on the roads you used to go to school on?
NR: No! There was a lot of thoughts going through my mind, definitely, but not about the roads to school. Various things. Even, to be honest, winning Monaco in a silver arrow. I was thinking about that and that’s very special to me.

Q: Sebastian, you hinted in your answer in the unilateral that the Mercedes were slower in the opening stint than you expected them to be. You said it was fair play to them but you could tell they were driving to a tactic today.
SV: Yes, definitely. I think we could see that the field didn’t spread out, so as I said, they did what worked best for them. Obviously Lewis lost a couple of positions with the safety car – I’m sure he’s not too pleased about that – but we took that, no question. Yeah, I think it was very marginal on one stop. I think the red flag helped all of us to put a fresh set of tyres on to save that ten, eleven laps, total race distance. It was clear what they were doing a couple of laps after the start. They were going quite slow and trying to obviously make the one stop happen. And fair play, they were in the lead, around here it’s very tricky to pass. Every time I tried to get a little bit closer with Lewis… in the beginning with Lewis it was quite close, yeah they reacted, they had the pace, so they could afford to go slow and then if they had to, they had the pace to pick it up again. In that regard, not the most exciting race because you just wait for the chequered flag. It’s still a lot of laps, looking after the tyres wasn’t straightforward for us today – so overall, happy with the result we got.

Q: Obviously when the safety car came out that caught Lewis out, the Mercedes had just completed a lap. Where exactly were you when you got the message to come into the pits.
SV: The safety car wasn’t out yet. Obviously it was a very, very good call from the team. Initially we wanted to pit a lap earlier but then we aborted that. Obviously there was a yellow and in the end I think we were just a little bit lucky. So we decided to pit and when I changed tyres and went back out, at the same moment the safety car came – which probably helped us a little bit. I don’t know if Lewis had a problem with the stop or if it was just down to the fact that the safety car came at the wrong time for him. But, yeah, it was nice. At some stage I was hoping that it might be enough to get Nico as well but he obviously was in the lead by quite a bit at that time, before we came in.

Q: Mark, there were quite a lot of incidents today, obviously a couple of safety cars, red flags. Some drivers were making passes today but did it feel very touch-and-go, very marginal out there to you?
MW: To make moves? Yeah, I think so. Especially when you’re with the guys I was with today, very experienced and they know what they need to do and where to put the car so, unless you had a big discrepancy in tyre performance, like I did after my pitstop – I had to clear Nico Hülkenberg pretty quick and try to make that undercut work a little bit – but in general after that, as the guys have touched upon, it was measured, controlled aggression, if you like, trying to nurse the tyres as best you can. It became very, very obvious early in the grand prix that the tyres were going pretty well. Obviously the pace wasn’t electric and, fair enough, that’s how… you can do that if you’re at the front of the race, as I did last year, so you can do that. And when the options were starting to go that far – the supersoft – the one-stop started to become viable for everybody and that’s why it probably wasn’t a super-exciting race today for the fans. But even if it was two-stops, it would probably have just been a bit more action around the pitstops and obviously not much on circuit because that’s the sort of track it is.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Ralf Bach – Der Spiegel) Nico, the two secret test days that you had in Barcelona. How helpful were those days for you?
NR: That you have to ask, you have to ask Pirelli about all this, about this issue. I’m not going to comment. I’m not going to comment on that. You have to ask Pirelli.

Q: (Kate Walker – GP Week) Nico, we often hear drivers say that the most exciting race to win other than their home Grand Prix is Monaco. Obviously this is both for you. Could you please give us a bit of a sense of the elation and euphoria you must be feeling? What was it like doing that slowing down lap?
NR: Unbelievable. If there’s maybe a childhood dream… when I was quite young, watching the race, always. First memories were of Ayrton Senna with his yellow helmet, red and white winning, a childhood dream to one day win the Grand Prix of Monaco, because it is my home and that’s the most special race for me to win, so the feeling was just incredible, it was unreal. That’s what’s so special about the sport: these emotions that you then get and that makes up for all the difficult moments that have gone before, those great moments of joy and winning. Amazing.

Q: (Vincent Marre – Sport Zeitung) Nico, now that everything is going well, I would like to rate the percentage of your chances of winning the title?
NR: I haven’t thought about that at all yet, because just two weeks we ago were seventy seconds away in the race and even today, tyre degradation was still an issue. I think we were in a better position, much better definitely, but it’s also a different track, very different track, different circumstances. I had the possibility of taking it easy and dictating the pace initially to save tyres, so we shouldn’t get over-excited now, for the next couple of races. We still have a bit of an issue with our race pace and that’s still what we need to work on, and also the development race. Everybody’s pushing forward, flat out, and we need to make sure to keep up with that as we have been doing at the moment, which is great to see, because that was one of our weaknesses last year, we dropped away mid-season. For now it’s going really well, so thanks to everybody back in the factory, doing a really cool job. But we have to wait and see. I’m definitely not thinking about the championship, I’m just thinking about today, winning Monaco.

Q: (Jussi Jakala – YLE) Nico, do you think this was maybe the final seal to get rid of the status of being Keke’s son, so that you have achieved everything by your own skills now?
NR: Don’t know, that’s for you to judge. I don’t think about that in that sense so you need to judge that for yourself. I can’t comment on that.

Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action/National Speedsport News) Mark, before the red flag, Lewis got right up alongside you at Rascasse. What happened, did he maybe catch you by surprise there?
MW: No, I was probably just saving my tyres a bit too much and yeah, he was going for a little bit of a surge also, I think. They were probably a little bit more comfortable on the primes in certain performance areas of the circuit and also the car characteristics, so, yeah, he was a little bit more comfortable on that section of the track. I was also just… we knew we had a long way to go in the race and also I had four or five laps less on my tyres, because I did the undercut on these guys. I had to give him room. I think experience helps in those scenarios. I thought he might tap me… I could just see him in the mirror. I thought ‘mmm, he’s in there somewhere’ but I had to give him the room and then thank God we got round Rascasse together somehow. I think that was probably not that straightforward. Not possible for GP2 drivers but us boys managed to pull it off which we should be able to so it was a rewarding little battle.

Q: (Bob McKenzie – Daily Express) Nico, referring back to that previous question about your father; have you at times, when you were younger or when you came into Formula One, did you feel any pressure from the fact that your father was so well known, being a World Champion, that sort of thing?
NR: I’ve always felt very fortunate to have had my father… what he achieved and everything… to have his support and extra pressure? It’s a normality for me you know, having my father World Champion. I grew up with that, started racing like that, so it’s not something where I feel any extra pressure because for me that’s normal.

Q: (Jacqueline Magnay – News LTD Australia) Mark, I’m just wondering whether you have an opinion on this secret tyre testing, whether it had any impact, and whether you think there was any advantage to Mercedes having done the testing?
MW: That’s a fair question. I think we were probably a little bit surprised that it happened. I don’t think it probably had a huge bearing on today’s result. I think their car was always going to perform pretty well round here, to be fair, but yeah, you can’t unlearn what went on at the test obviously, so we need to see how the test came about and whether it’s within the rules or not. I’m sure Mercedes thought it was OK, so that’s why they did it, so time will tell. But I don’t think it affected today’s result.

Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Nico, what was the most difficult thing for your victory today, getting the pole yesterday, starting after the safety car, or the last lap with the emotion?
NR: Qualifying was difficult because of the conditions. The start was very difficult because I had a bad start. Those were the two keys. Once those two things were done, from then on it was OK. There were still some challenges with the safety car, because the tyres were very cold on those prime tyres, for example so there were other challenges but the main ones were qualifying and the start.

Nico Rosberg (Mercedes AMG) has won his second Formula 1 race by taking victory in an incident-packed Monaco Grand Prix. In a nice bit of symmetry it’s 30 years since his father, Keke, won at Monaco, making them the first father-son pairing to win the iconic race.

Rosberg, starting from pole, drove a considered race that included two safety car periods and a temporary red flag. On each of the restarts Nico was able to maintain his lead and restore his gap back to second place.

The minor places were filled by the Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. Vettel was unable to launch a serious attack on Rosberg and had to content himself with the fastest lap set on lap 77 of 78. Webber, too, had an incident free race, although he did have to defend his position from Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes AMG).

The first safety car period came to be after Felipe Massa put his Ferrari into the wall at Sainte Devote, in a repeat of his free practice 3 crash. It was quite a heavy impact, but he emerged from his car okay before being taken to hospital for checks.

Contact between Max Chilton (Marussia) and Pastor Maldonado (Williams) caused the red flag. Maldonado crashed heavily forcing the air barrier in front of the armco out on to the track and a temporary halt to the race was the only course of action that could be taken.

Daniel Ricciardo’s race was ruined when Romain Grosjean drove his Lotus over the top the Australian’s Toro Rosso on the exit from the tunnel. The subsequent damage forced both cars out of the race and brought out the second safety car period.

Sebastian Vettel extended his lead in the drivers’ championship thanks to poor results from Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari). Indeed, Alonso was well off his game being picked off by Sergio Perez (McLaren), Adrian Sutil (Force India) and Jenson Button (McLaren).

Having grown up in Monaco as a boy Nico Rosberg was delighted to have won his ‘home’ race. However, for now, the victory will remain under a cloud pending the result of the protest that has been lodged by Red Bull and Ferrari after the secret test Mercedes conducted with Pirelli last week.

2013 Monaco Grand Prix final placings

1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes – 78 Laps (25 pts)
2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing – +3.8 secs (18 pts)
3. Mark Webber Red Bull Racing – +6.3 secs (15 pts)
4. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes – +13.8 secs (12 pts)
5. Adrian Sutil Force India – +21.4 secs (10 pts)
6. Jenson Button McLaren – +23.1 secs (8 pts)
7. Fernando Alonso Ferrari – +26.7 secs (6 pts)
8. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso – +27.2 secs (4 pts)
9. Paul di Resta Force India – +27.6 secs (2 pts)
10. Kimi Räikkönen Lotus – +36.5 secs (1 pt)
11. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber – +42.5 secs
12. Valtteri Bottas Williams – +42.6 secs
13. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber – +43.2 secs
14. Max Chilton Marussia – +49.8 secs
15. Giedo van der Garde Caterham – +62.5 secs
16. Sergio Perez McLaren – +6 Laps

Retired/not classified
Romain Grosjean Lotus – +15 Laps
Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso – +17 Laps
Jules Bianchi Marussia – +20 Laps
Pastor Maldonado Williams – +34 Laps
Felipe Massa Ferrari – +50 Laps
Charles Pic Caterham – +71 Laps

Fastest lap
Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing – 1:16.577 (Lap 77)

2013 F1 world championship – Drivers (top 10)

1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing – 107
2. Kimi Räikkönen Lotus – 86
3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari – 78
4. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG – 62
5. Mark Webber Red Bull Racing – 57
6. Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG – 47
7. Felipe Massa Ferrari – 45
8. Paul di Resta Force India – 28
9. Romain Grosjean Lotus – 26
10. Jenson Button McLaren – 25

2013 F1 world championship – Constructors

1. Red Bull Racing-Renault – 164
2. Ferrari – 123
3. Lotus-Renault – 112
4. Mercedes – 109
5. Force India-Mercedes – 44
6. McLaren-Mercedes – 37
7. STR-Ferrari – 12
8. Sauber-Ferrari – 5