Singapore Grand Prix Race Report – Driver and Team Interviews
What a race!
Singapore is known for being one of the most challenging and exciting races on the Formula 1 calendar – even the safety car has made an appearance in every race.
After 10 years, we finally saw rainfall just before ‘lights out’ guaranteeing a great race ahead however no one could have predicted the start which we saw.
After the chaotic start seeing Vettel, Verstappen and Raikkonen out of the race – followed by Alonso in later laps, Hamilton took advantage of the situation and remained in the lead.
Bringing the car home for his 60th race win with Ricciardo in P2 and his team mate Bottas in P3.
Here’s what the drivers and teams had to say after the Singapore Grand Prix.
You can also check out the Live Singapore Grand Prix post for all the details or check out the full report on the Singapore Crash 2017.
Driver and Team reaction below.
Mercedes – Singapore Grand Prix Race Report – Driver and Team Interviews
Lewis Hamilton – 1st
“What a day – I can’t believe it, I’m so happy!”
“I came in today and I saw that it was raining and I knew that this balances everything out. I love racing in the rain and then everything unfolded in the beginning. Starting on the intermediates, I thought it was going to be much closer pace-wise.”
“These conditions give you the opportunity to really make a difference with your driving. It was the first time for all of us driving here in the rain so it was a massive challenge but I love that when you have to rise to the toughest of challenges – that’s the most exciting part for me.”
“Then it was all about staying focused and not making any mistakes. We came to a track that was potentially our weakest circuit and we leave with a win like this and so many points – that’s a very fortunate scenario for us.”
“Valtteri also did a great job so to have all these constructors’ points is awesome.”
Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas – 3rd
“Today shows that anything is possible – that is racing!”
“I think under normal circumstances it would have been extremely difficult for us to be on the podium but today, everything really came to us and we got very lucky.”
“In the dry, the car was performing better than expected and the pace was very good for Lewis and me, in the wet – I struggled a bit more than him.”
“It’s nice to bring home a trophy after a tricky weekend but all in all, it was nearly a perfect race for us as a team – there are still six races to go so everything is still wide open.”
“We have been struggling quite a bit this weekend so we need to make sure we learn from it for the future.”
Toto Wolff – Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“We woke up this morning talking about little else than damage limitation and we leave Singapore this evening with a bigger lead in both championships.”
“This was one of those days that reminds you what an unbelievable sport motor racing can be. And reminds you, too, that the points are only scored on Sunday.”
“Of course, it goes without saying that we are getting a bit slice of luck today – not only did we avoid the chaos at Turn One but we also escaped without damage to both cars.”
“After that though, we had to make the most of the opportunity that had been presented to us and out race a very fast Red Bull.”
“Lewis did that brilliantly, showing good race pace on both tyres while Valtteri picked his ways back through the field to the podium. So, the emotions tonight are very different to what we felt 24 hours ago but this result doesn’t change a thing in the big picture.”
“For us, if anything this is a stark reminder that there are six more opportunities for the luck to go against us this season just as it happened to Ferrari today – we will celebrate our result this evening but after that, it will be full focus on the next challenges ahead.”
Red Bull Racing – Singapore Grand Prix Race Report – Driver and Team Interviews
Daniel Ricciardo – 2nd
“The rain made it all pretty hectic today. Everyone was in the same boat though and we hadn’t driven in the wet here before so it’s all about switching on early, being aware of the situation and trying to adapt as quick as you can.”
“My start was quite slow off the line, in hindsight – probably a good thing because it allowed the chaos to unfold in front of me.”
“In the first few laps, I felt we were okay in the wet but then I felt like we were being a bit harsh on the tyres and then when we pitted and had fresh tyres – we couldn’t really make the impact on Lewis.”
“The team was asking me to manage the gears through the race and after I learned we had a leak and we were losing oil pressure in the gearbox from early on.”
“Of course, I came here to win and really wanted it but second place is great and I’m not going to complain about it.”
Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen – DNF
“My start was a little bit better than Seb and I think he saw that so he tried to move to the left to squeeze me out of the line a bit but he didn’t know that Kimi was on my other side.”
“I think it wasn’t the smartest move and you can’t make excuses for it – especially when you’re fighting for the world championship.”
“Kimi had a great start and was alongside me very quickly – I didn’t try and defend that as I knew it would be a long race but then he started to squeeze me also, at which point there wasn’t a lot that I could do.”
“The rear wheels are wider than the front so I was locked in that sandwich with no way out – even when I braked.”
“If I made a mistake myself, I would be upset or angry but there was nothing that I could do today.”
“In the end, we all lost out so we are all experiencing some pain rather than someone making a mistake and then being able to carry on.”
“We have to take the positives from the weekend and we were quick in qualifying and the practice sessions with good potential going into the race so we can hold onto this and move on to the next race.”
Christian Horner – Team Principal Red Bull Racing
“It was enormously frustrating to lose Max at the start of the race, in an incident which quite clearly had nothing to do with him.”
“Sebastian moving to the left, Kimi moving to the right and being sandwiched – there was nowhere for him to go.”
“Then, after the re-start, Daniel started to lose an awful lot of gearbox oil which created a lot of problems with oil pressure and we were feeling that it was looking unlikely Daniel would get to the end of the race.”
“However, we managed to nurse the gearbox of the car incredibly well – for three-quarters of the Grand Prix and though able to hold off any threat from behind from Valtteri – unfortunately couldn’t attack Lewis ahead.”
“It’s been another second place for us in Singapore but a strong podium to take away considering how things were looking after the first 15 laps.”
Ferrari – Singapore Grand Prix Race Report – Driver and Team Interviews
Sebastian Vettel – DNF
“I had an average start and then moved slightly to the left trying to defend my position from Max.”
“I then got bumped on one side as Kimi’s car hit me. I’m not sure what happened.”
“I span at Turn 3 but that’s because the car was damaged already.”
“Today, we were on the wrong side of the track which doesn’t help – there is nothing we can do now, for sure it is bitter and it’s a pit that we couldn’t show our race pace today.”
“We have other races ahead of us and I’m sure there will be more opportunities for us.”
Kimi Raikkonen
Kimi Raikkonen – DNF
“At the start I had a very good jump and then I got hit. That was the end of our race.”
“I don’t think I could have done any differently to avoid it from doing a bad start and not being there.”
‘It’s a pity and one of those things which you pay a big price for. Whatever the cause or the issue, it doesn’t change the end result unfortunately – we go to the next races ready to fight and do our best.”
Maurizio Arrivabene – Team Principal
“That was very disappointing and it was not the result that we were expecting.”
“It doesn’t mean that the battle is over – it has just become more difficult. We are very disappointed for our fans but we will be back.”
“We proved that we have an excellent car and two great drivers. All of us, those here in Singapore today and this working back at Maranello – we all have the Prancing Horse stamped on our hearts and we guarantee that we will be fighting right to the final corner of the very last Grand Prix of the year.”
McLaren – Singapore Grand Prix Race Report – Driver and Team Interviews
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso – DNF
“My start was brilliant – the car did an amazing launch and I managed to gain several positions up to third place.”
“After that, we were in the wrong place at the wrong time – I wasn’t aware of what was happening on the inside. All I know is that at Turn One some cars crashed and hit us.”
“In that situation – you are just a passenger and there is nothing that you can do.”
“Unfortunately, that hit was too much for our car – from the cockpit you don’t understand how much damage there is but the car didn’t feel great. I had a lot of oversteer so I asked the team what was the damage but they were not sure because they’d lost the telemetry.”
“At the end, we had some electrical problems – we had to stop. These things sometimes happen in motor racing and unfortunately, it happened to us today.”
“We had so much hope for this race and in wet conditions, we are very strong so the disappointment is ever bigger.”
“Despite my disappointment this evening, it’s actually been a positive and fun weekend – the team has done an outstanding job and I’ll be hoping for better luck in Sepang in a fortnights’ time.”
Stoffel Vandoorne
Stoffel Vandoorne – 7th
“That was definitely an eventful race!”
“To race under the rain at the beginning was definitely not easy so my main focus was just to stay out of trouble – which we managed to do.”
“From that point on, I just managed my own race.”
“I think seventh place was really the best it was going to get for me today, sixth place was perhaps on the cards at one point but it didn’t really work out after my second pit-stop.”
“After that I just focused on getting everything I could from the car and maximising the performance.”
“Getting a couple of points means we finish our weekend on a high!”
Williams – Singapore Grand Prix Race Report – Driver and Team Interviews
Lance Stroll – 8th
“I think it was as fantastic race. It was raining at the beginning so to capitalise on the start and overtake and really overcome through the field due to others making mistakes was tricky.”
“Then after that, we ran a steady race – we kept cool and I made one mistake, letting Vandoorne by.”
“I locked up into Turn 7 and he got past but all-in-all a fantastic result and four points for the team.”
Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa – 11th
“I’m disappointed with my race. First of all, I started on the wrong tyres which was my decision but I think int hat moment, you never know what is going to happen.”
“Many cars decided the same as me and others went different – it was my mistake.”
“I was nowhere on the track and I was very slow. When the safety car was out I asked to stop but the team decided to stay out – they were saying that maybe the track would dry.”
“I was so slow and my race finished – I’m disappointed for my race but not for the team because Lance managed to score some points – at the end, it could have been worse and looking at where we started this was not so bad for the team but a disaster for me.”
Sauber – Singapore Grand Prix Race Report – Driver and Team Interviews
Marcus Ericsson
Marcus Ericsson – DNF
“It was a difficult race for me today and especially due to the weather conditions we had to work with here in Singapore.”
“I had an OK pace in the beginning and was able to keep up with my direct competition however, I then lost time and went over the limit.”
“Unfortunately, that caused me to spin out of the race – overall, a disappointment.”
Pascal Wehrlein
Pascal Wehrlein – 12th
“It was quite a chaotic race for me. As the track slowly started to dry, we decided to stay out on wet tyres and wait for the opportunity to change to a set of dry tyres.”
“As soon as the track conditions would allow.”
“The track did not dry up as quickly as we had anticipated and the change to the intermediate tyres was too late. Later on during the race, I lost more and more time due to many consecutive blue flags.”
The Formula 1 Girl 🙂
xx
Photos – Kym Illman F1