F1weekly podcast # 492
Photo: f1photos.org
Sebastian Vettel in full control wins the Australia GP.
Hamilton nurses his MP4/26 to the checkered flag in P2.
Petrov with an outstanding drive for Renault.
Sergio Perez impresses everyone finishing in seventh.
Stay tuned for the race recap with Clark and Steve.
Vitaly Petrov, P3, R31-03
I’m delighted to be here on the podium, especially after the winter that we had as a team, which was very tough. Even during testing we didn’t really know where we were compared with the others, but we continued adding new parts to the car this weekend, and they worked pretty well. I made a great start today, which was probably the key for my race because it got me ahead of Alonso and Button, and I was able to run in some clean air and push hard, as well as looking after my tyres. Our two-stop strategy was clearly the right decision and we made it work. I have to say a big thanks to everyone in the team for working so hard and for supporting my over the winter. This result is for all of us and I’m totally ecstatic.
photo: lotusrenaultgp.com
Nick Heidfeld, P14, R31-01
Today was a tough race. I’m obviously disappointed not to finish in the points, but it just wasn’t possible, especially after I got hit on the first lap. It’s a shame because I had made such a good start from 18th to 12th by the first corner. The damage to the car was quite severe, mostly to the right hand bodywork, sidepod and engine cover. So it wasn’t a strong race for me at all. But, I’m pleased for the team and Vitaly that we have this excellent result today. It shows that we have a competitive car and that we can fight hard this year.
Eric Boullier, Team Principal and Managing Director
The podium today is a huge relief and a big reward for all the work which has been done by all the team, and obviously I am very happy. It shows that the decision we took to be aggressive with the design of the car was the right call, and it’s something we can build on going forward. The performance of Vitaly was very strong and it shows that we can deliver strong results this season. In fact, I have no doubt that both our drivers can be fighting towards the front at the next race and that we can build on the competitiveness we have shown this weekend.
James Allison, Technical Director
I’m utterly delighted for everyone in the team because it has not been easy getting here. I would be lying if I said I thought we’d earn a podium like we did today, but Vitaly’s place looked very good in qualifying and we knew we were competitive. We thought we were in with a shout of a good fight with the Ferraris, and we did exactly that. Going forward we will have more aero updates for the car in Malaysia, which are worth a few extra tenths. It should allow us to build on our strong showing today.
Riccardo Penteado, LRGP Engine Support Leader, Renault Sport F1
A fantastic result for Lotus Renault GP today and a dream start to the season. Vitaly drove a great race, under lots of pressure from former world champion Fernando Alonso, but he didn’t make a single mistake and showed that the car has a huge amount of potential. He drove every lap like a qualifying lap and therefore we were a bit tight on the fuel towards the end of the race, but both he and the team managed the economy very well and finally it worked out how we wanted, in fact even better, with a podium. Nick’s race was compromised by some damage to the car. From the engine side we’re obviously very pleased with how it’s gone today and are already looking forward to Malaysia.’
• Did you know?
Despite the fact it wasn’t seen on television, the entire right hand side of Nick’s sidepod was ripped off during contact on the opening lap of the race.
The Australian Grand Prix
Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia;
58 laps; 307.574km;
REVISED RESULTS AND STANDINGS
Classified:
Pos Driver Team
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
3. Petrov Renault
4. Alonso Ferrari
5. Webber Red Bull-Renault
6. Button McLaren-Mercedes
7. Massa Ferrari
8. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari
9. Sutil Force India-Mercedes
10. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes
11. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari
12. Heidfeld Renault
13. Trulli Lotus-Renault
14. D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth
[audio:http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/mp3.f1weekly.com/podcasts/03-27-11f1weekly492.mp3]