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Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 1:19 am
by Ed
Spanish Grand Prix Preview

The Season So Far

New rules, biggest change for decades, hurray for slicks, KERS is occurring, adjustable front wing, no testing during the F1 season, money’s too tight to mention, Honda’s saved and reborn as Brawn, three Sebs and one Mark in Red Bull F1 line-up, seven good legs between them, pullrod rear suspension for Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso FOTA? ‘Fota Schmota’ says Bernie, Rubens and Jenson on top in winter testing, the D word finally appears – DIFFUSER! Drivers looking anorexic to fit KERS, take your hat off to budget cap 30 million, but drivers can have gold, silver and bronze medals or the Big Issue, credit crunch fever doom and gloom, Europe to Melbourne 16,000 kilometres, Melbourne at last, unpopular late afternoon start, diffuser protest goes to court, Vettel third on grid, popular Brawn the Virgin winner, Independents Day, rookie Buemi drives like veteran scores points in first race, super soft tyres good for three… corners, point for Bourdais too, ten-place Malaysia grid penalty for three-wheeled Vettel, Trulli penalised for passing Lewis but Liargate is round the corner, Lewis sorry, Ryan goes, Paris looms, Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur 6360 kilometres, Vettel qualifies third again, tropical storm in Sepang in late afternoon, surprise all round, only half points then everyone in the dark, third shortest GP in history, Mark gets off the mark with 1.5 points. What? No race this weekend? Kuala Lumpur to Europe 9751 kilometres, trip to Paris instead for some, double deck diffuser row diffused, Brawn Williams Toyota legal, Newey stays at home drawing, McLaren and Ferrari at bottom of points table, world is upside down, Coulthard reserve driver for both Red Bull teams, Brendon Hartley waits for Superlicence, GPDA tells Bernie no to late afternoon races, farewell to Dennis, China means temporary diffusers everywhere, Red Bull in China shop with Vettel taking team’s first pole ahead of Alonso and Webber, Renault 1-2-3 on grid first time since 96, Sebastian starts behind Safety Car and goes on to win, Webber makes it historic one-two with no KERS and no double diffuser, Super Swiss Seb snatches eighth for another Toro Rosso point, Shanghai to Bahrain 6827 kilometres, dry in desert so sand storm predicted, welcome back Lauda with artificial hip, Vettel gets congratulatory call from Bernie, world stops spinning as McLaren has parties and Red Bull has podiums, first all-Toyota front row in 38-degree heat, Button’s best win fighting off second placed Vettel, Mark’s great drive from back of grid, man breaks world record for holding breath in water tank on grid and we stop to take one before we start the European season with Red Bull Racing second in the Constructors’ Championship and Scuderia Toro Rosso seventh, Bahrain to Europe 4000 kms, next stop Barcelona and five months with no long-haul flights.

Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 1:22 am
by Ed
Spanish Grand Prix - Friday Practice

Car 14 MARK WEBBER
1st Practice P12, 2nd Practice P5

"Another cliff hanging Friday eh? Ha ha. Obviously everyone knows this track very well, so it’s always going to be pretty tight around here, but we had a pretty good P2. P1 wasn’t that great, but P2 was better for us and I got a better feeling for the car. We had a little problem on the last run in P2, but we know what that was about. The guys did a good job today and we’ve got a solid amount of data to go through tonight, so I think we’re in pretty good shape."

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL
1st Practice P13, 2nd Practice P7

“A pretty normal Friday except that at some stage we had a problem with the radio and I think I had some Spanish taxi drivers to talking to me! Other than that it was normal Friday business. We did a lot of laps and tested some new parts, which I think we got an answer on, but to be sure
for tomorrow and Sunday we will compare the data in comparison to our competitors. I’m confident there are areas where I can improve and where we can improve the car, so we have to work hard and come
back stronger tomorrow.”

Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 1:41 am
by Ed
Spanish Grand Prix - Qualifying

Car 15, SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Position 2nd
“I felt very comfortable in the car today. The lap time in Q3 was good, unfortunately not good enough to beat Jenson – last minute he took the pole position away! But second on the grid, on the front row is great, especially as we were struggling a little bit with the car yesterday. The conditions are different to when we were testing here during the winter, but we fixed it and made a good recovery today. We also made an adjustment following this morning’s practice, before qualifying, which seemed to work – so I’m very happy. We only needed one run on the hard tyre in Q1 and one run on the soft tyre in Q2. It was a great job and compliments to the whole crew for their hard work. Some parts arrived quite late, which has meant some long nights for the boys, but they will have some rest later today.”

Car 14, MARK WEBBER, Position 5th
“That was a bit disappointing. I would like to have done a slightly better job in Q3 and I could have done it. Q2 was good, but that’s not the most important session. We’re fifth, so let’s see what we can do from there tomorrow. Thanks to the guys at Red Bull, they’ve done another good job this weekend.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal:
“A very exciting qualifying session – ultimately it was really tight between Jenson (Button) and Sebastian. We believe we have a good strategy for tomorrow so we wait with interest for the fuel levels, but the performance in Q1 and Q2 was extremely impressive. Mark’s performance in particular in Q2 was very strong, which is also encouraging for tomorrow.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer Track Support:
“It’s a good result today and the car was very quick in Q1 and Q2. Now, we need to wait to get the weights of the cars to see if we are very happy or just happy! Tomorrow’s race will be tough I think. There was a question mark over where the car would be with all the updates that we bought here, but we are still at the front so we can be positive for the rest of the season.”

Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 2:02 am
by Ed
Spanish Grand Prix - Race

Car 14, MARK WEBBER
(Finish Position 3rd, Start Position: 5th)

“It’s good to be back on the podium. It’s interesting how the team’s mentality has changed – last year we would have been happy to score points and now we want podiums at every race! We’re working incredibly hard and the guys’ eyes are falling out of their heads with all the late nights and long hours. Sebastian had more trouble with traffic today, but the team got us both home with a lot of points, which is fantastic. I had a very long second stint and was much happier with the car than in the first, although the tyres had nothing left for the last ten laps. We planned to be long in the second, as we knew Felipe would be one lap longer and his drive would be the key to my race. We had to unlock ourselves from him and that second stint was the key. I was very happy with the way I drove and the car was fantastic. I expect Monaco will be closer than this, but the way the car performed here, on a circuit that is a tough test on a car, is a good sign for places like Turkey and Silverstone. Red Bull has done a great job and so have Renault.”

Car 15, SEBASTIAN VETTEL
(Finish Position 4th, Start Position: 2nd)

“My start wasn’t the best – by the first corner Rubens (Barrichello) was first and I was fourth, so obviously we lost some positions – most importantly to Massa. I was then stuck behind him for almost all of the race. He was impossible to pass, he did a very good job with no mistakes. It’s obviously disappointing as my car was quick today, but I couldn’t finish on the podium. Still, it’s a strong result for the team and we take away some good points.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER:

“A very good drive from Mark, who claimed his second podium of the season. His strategy worked very well and he put Rubens under a lot of pressure at the end of the race. It was frustrating for Sebastian as unfortunately it was the second race in a row where a KERS car has cost him dearly. Massa stopped on the same lap as Sebastian for his first stop and then, despite us bringing his middle stint very short, they picked the same lap for Massa as well, so he spent 63 laps looking at the back of a Ferrari! As soon as he was released from him, his pace was obvious. We showed again that we have a car that is quick enough to win races, but third and fourth is still a very strong result.”

FABRICE LOM,
Renault, Principal Engineer, Track Support:
“A difficult race and one that, once again, we could have won. We are tested hard by these KERS cars! Massa got in front of Sebastian at the first corner and it ruined his race. Mark had a very solid race and was very quick, he had some free air and finished very close to the Brawns. It’s a good overall result for us, with eleven more points, but it’s still frustrating and we need to focus on a win for the next races.”

Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 1:17 am
by Ed
Monaco Thursday Practice

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL
1st Practice P13, 2nd Practice P6

“We had an engine failure in the morning, which cost us some track time. Things like that are important for the driver, as well as the car, as you need to get into a good rhythm round here. Nonetheless the boys fixed the car, which I think was quite tricky as some of the parts arrived last minute, so it wasn’t easy. But, we still managed to complete quite a few laps and get a lot of data – including a view on the different tyre compounds, so I think we’re in decent shape, but of course we always want to be on top!”

Car 14 MARK WEBBER
1st Practice P10, 2nd Practice 12

“It was a bit of a mixed bag today. We didn’t have a great run, reliability-wise, which was a first this season. There was a vibration in the rear of the car during this morning’s session so we stopped early, but the boys did an amazing job to get the car back out for the afternoon. I think it was a good recovery for us to do as many laps as we did. We didn’t get the ultimate lap time in the second session, as we were running under yellow flags at the end, but the long runs were good and we’ve gathered plenty of data to go through for Saturday. It looks very tight and competitive here, so it should be an exciting race.”

Posted: Sun May 24, 2009 1:29 am
by Ed
Monaco Qualifying

Car 15, SEBASTIAN VETTEL, Position 4th

“As I came out of Rascasse, Nakajima was almost stopped on the circuit and, you know, if you want to get everything right here in qualifying you have to have a clear lap. That wasn’t the case on the last half of my lap when I was stuck in traffic – when that happens you lose downforce and start to slide, so it’s anything but qualifying! It was a shame today as the car was good and we could have done better – but there are 78 laps to go, so let’s see what happens tomorrow.”

Car 14, MARK WEBBER, Position 8th

“That wasn’t too bad, we knew it was going to be very tight, but we have a reasonable strategy for tomorrow. There are some different ideas going round about what tyres everyone will start the race on, as the hard and soft tyres have different characteristics in race conditions. I’m reasonably happy with what I did today, maybe we could have done a different strategy in Q3 – it was my idea to do one run, but maybe we should have done two.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal:

“A frustrating final Q3, when unfortunately Nakajima cost Sebastian some time – he seemed extraordinarily slow despite Sebastian giving him plenty of room before starting his final lap. Mark managed to save a set of tyres with a very good time in Q2, but in Q3 he was unfortunately at the wrong end of a tenth of a second, but we believe we have a good strategy for tomorrow.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal

Engineer Track Support: “It’s a bit of a frustrating result – fourth and eighth is not what we expected coming here. It’s a bit far from the front row where we know we need to be in Monaco so the start will be difficult. But, let’s see tomorrow – it will be a tough day and let’s hope it will be better than our qualifying today!”

Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 2:12 am
by Ed
Monaco Grand Prix - Race

Car 14, MARK WEBBER, (Finish Position 5th, Start Position: 8th)
“We’re pretty happy with fifth to be honest, to get a few points after a challenging qualifying session is pretty good. There were a few more people that came in on the act this weekend, so for us to still come away with a few points is good for us in the Constructors’ Championship. The guys worked like hell this weekend to fit a lot of new parts so it was important for us to get some points. At other venues we’ll be stronger again.”

Car 15, SEBASTIAN VETTEL, (Finish Position DNF, Start Position: 4th)
“Not much to tell – I was braking maybe a little bit too late, locked the rears, lost the car and hit the wall. Of course we lost a lot of time already in the first stint, being on the soft tyres. We were confident that they would work for the first short stint, but they didn't. Of course it’s disappointing, but sometimes this happens. In Monaco, you make a little mistake and you pay the price.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER: “A good drive from Mark today. He lost quite a bit of time in the first stint behind Kovalainen and thereafter managed to close in on the Ferraris – although unfortunately not quite enough to jump them at the final stop. Therefore fifth was the optimal finish he could achieve today. Sebastian was on an aggressive strategy from yesterday. Starting on the option tyres, they sustained high degradation almost immediately, which backed up a lot of the field. As a result we called his first pit stop reasonably early to get him onto the better tyre, but unfortunately a couple of laps later he went off at Ste. Devote. All the guys in the team have put in exceptional hours this weekend and four points for their efforts isn’t really a just reward.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer, Track Support: “A typical Monaco race, which was long and difficult. We took a gamble with Sebastian’s tyre choice and went for the super soft tyres at the beginning, but it didn’t pay off. He then had an off, which ended his race. Mark had a very strong drive, but starting eighth he couldn’t hope for a better result than fifth. He was very quick at the end, very competitive. So, it was a bad overall result here, but I think we have some positive things to take away from this weekend.”

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 6:39 pm
by Ed
Turkish Grand Prix Preview

Christian Horner, Team Principal:
“In Istanbul, the RB5 will essentially be in the same specification as in Monaco, with a few minor aero updates. Istanbul Park is a fast and flowing track with the particularly challenging Turn 8 and a relatively slow final section – it therefore has some similarities to Barcelona.
“This is an important race in the Championship and our target is to challenge the Brawns who have had a remarkable run so far. It was also clear at the last two races that Ferrari have made a significant step forward and I think we can expect them to play a key role this weekend, especially as it’s a race they’ve won for the past three years.
“The high-speed Turkish track represents a completely different challenge to Monaco and it should be better suited to the strengths of our car. Mark was competitive at this circuit last year and Sebastian made his F1 debut in Turkey in 2007, as a ‘Friday-driver’ for BMW, topping the time sheet in both sessions.
“It will be important for us to achieve a strong result and our objective has to be to reduce the gap to the Championship leaders. We’ve been competitive at all the circuits so far this season, even though at a couple of races our performance has been compromised by cars equipped with KERS.
“Management of the softer tyres in the inevitably high Turkish temperatures will also be a key factor, as indeed it has been at most of the races so far. It will be important not to abuse the tyres in the high-speed turns and this could play a key role in the final result. We look forward to the weekend, it should be a really interesting race.”

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:42 pm
by Ed
Turkish Grand Prix - Friday Practice

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL
1st Practice P4, 2nd Practice P5

“I felt a vibration during the second session, so stopped the car as it didn’t look very good. We didn’t know what the exact problem was, but when we got the car back it turned out it was the engine. We made some changes to the car between the two practice sessions, which meant we were a few minutes late starting the second practice. It wouldn’t have been a problem but then, as it turned out, I was only able to complete three laps in the afternoon due to the vibration in the car. I’ll be relying on Mark’s data from today – having one car running on Friday isn’t ideal.”

Car 14 MARK WEBBER
1st Practice P15, 2nd Practice P9

“It’s not the easiest circuit in the world to stay on the track – a few people were having excursions here and there, but being dusty off line, it’s very easy to run out of talent here. It was a pretty good day for us and we’ve got lots of information to go through tonight. As usual we did the tyre comparison. Turn 8’s a special corner here, very unique, but there are many other corners out there too that we have to get right. We’re looking forward to trying to stay on the track tomorrow and on Sunday.”

Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 12:22 am
by Julian Mayo
Ed wrote:Turkish Grand Prix - Friday Practice

Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL
1st Practice P4, 2nd Practice P5

“I felt a vibration during the second session, so stopped the car as it didn’t look very good. We didn’t know what the exact problem was, but when we got the car back it turned out it was the engine. We made some changes to the car between the two practice sessions, which meant we were a few minutes late starting the second practice. It wouldn’t have been a problem but then, as it turned out, I was only able to complete three laps in the afternoon due to the vibration in the car. I’ll be relying on Mark’s data from today – having one car running on Friday isn’t ideal.”

Car 14 MARK WEBBER
1st Practice P15, 2nd Practice P9

“It’s not the easiest circuit in the world to stay on the track – a few people were having excursions here and there, but being dusty off line, it’s very easy to run out of talent here. It was a pretty good day for us and we’ve got lots of information to go through tonight. As usual we did the tyre comparison. Turn 8’s a special corner here, very unique, but there are many other corners out there too that we have to get right. We’re looking forward to trying to stay on the track tomorrow and on Sunday.”
This track is made for Alonso, Kimi, and Webber,

Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 12:20 am
by Ed
Car 15, SEBASTIAN VETTEL, POLE POSITION:

“We have a good car here and a good chance for the race. I expected to face more difficulties in qualifying today, I mean it wasn’t easy, but we made it to pole. We now have the best position to start from and it’s definitely an advantage to be on the clean side of the track in terms of grip level. This is just the half-way point though, the main task comes tomorrow. It’s a long race here, very tough and very hot so it won’t be easy for the cars or the drivers – but it should be exciting. I’m looking forward to it.”

Car 14, MARK WEBBER, Position 4th

“That was a good qualifying session for us, I’m happy with how Q3 went and it’s put us in a reasonable position for the start of the race. We’re also on the right-hand side of the grid, which is good. I don’t think I could have finished much further up. I’m happy with the performance of the car, it worked well today and I’m aiming for a podium tomorrow. The team did a good job today.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal:
“A good team performance; both drivers delivered very good qualifying laps hitting their target times and it puts us in a strong position for tomorrow’s race. It was a good recovery for Sebastian who lost track time yesterday. Once again the Brawns are extremely quick here, but Ferrari and Toyota are also a challenge so it should be an interesting race tomorrow.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal
Engineer Track Support: “A superb result and a pole position! As in China, it seems that Sebastian is very good in the face of adversity – he did a very small number of laps yesterday due to an engine failure, but today he gets pole position, so thank you to him. Mark was very strong and his final lap in Q3 was impressive given his fuel load. He has a good start position and, as the Ferraris are not right behind us with their KERS, I think we can aim for a good result tomorrow.”

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 2:14 am
by Ed
Turkish Grand Prix - Race

Car 14, MARK WEBBER, (Finish Position 2nd, Start Position: 4th)

“A good race. I knew I had to hang in there for as long as possible in the first stint. It worked out pretty well and I managed to go a lap longer and save fuel, which helped me gain some time. I knew Sebastian’s strategy and that I was in with a sniff of getting a podium finish. Both Sebastian and I knew that first place was gone and it was about who would finish behind Jenson – he was on another planet! The second stint was therefore crucial, I had to push really hard. When you’re on a different strategy, the other guy is almost invisible until after the pit stops, but it turned out well for us and my engineer kept me updated with what was happening. I did enough in the middle stint to be able to jump Sebastian at the pit stops. Then, at the end we turned the engine down and brought the car home.”

Car 15, SEBASTIAN VETTEL, (Finish Position 3rd, Start Position: 1st)

“The start worked out okay, I was ahead but then I nearly lost the car in Turn 9 and 10 on the first lap. It was my mistake, it was extremely difficult there and I nearly did the same on the second lap. It was quite tricky, but I think without that there wouldn’t have a big difference, as Jenson was too quick today. After that I thought the strategy might swap to a two-stop plan, but it didn’t. I got caught behind Jenson who was heavier in the second stint and that allowed Mark to get ahead. Nonetheless, a good result for the team and I think we can be satisfied
with second and third.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER: “A good team result today and second and third gives us more points for the Constructors’ Championship. Mark drove a very strong race today with not a single mistake and did a good job to finish second. Unfortunately for Sebastian, after a good start and having led on the first lap, he made a small mistake which allowed Jenson to pass.
Our only chance to then have a go at Jenson was a three-stop strategy, which is what we elected to do. It relied on us overtaking Jenson in the second stint, but unfortunately Sebastian didn’t manage that today and the time lost was the difference between second and third.”

FABRICE LOM, Renault, Principal Engineer, Track Support: “A mixed feeling again. It’s a very good team result, we are second and third and have got fourteen points – which is four more than Brawn received today. It was a very strong race from Mark and a good race from Sebastian, but Jenson was just too quick for us. He deserved the win, he was quicker and he won – there is nothing more to add!”

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 10:28 pm
by Ed
Press Release

Following the FIA’s publication of the entry list for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, Red Bull Racing would like to make it clear that its entry was submitted as a conditional entry, consistent with those of all other FOTA members.

Red Bull Racing remains committed to FOTA and fully endorses all its principles.

Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:24 pm
by Ed
BRITISH GRAND PRIXVIEW

GOODBYE SILVERSTONE GRAND PRIX

To commemorate the last Silverstone GP, we asked: What’s your favourite memory?

ADRIAN NEWEY:
The 1973 Silverstone GP was my first F1 race. I went with my parents and we had tickets for the Woodcote stand. I remember my father went to get us a burger each; I dropped mine through the grandstands so I ran down to recover it from the dirt below. The race started and when Jackie Stewart came round he was miles in the lead at the end of the first lap. But then, Jody Scheckter lost it right in front of us and caused a pile up of around 12 cars. I was only a young lad and it looked horrendous, I thought people must have been killed – but miraculously there was only a broken leg and everyone climbed out of their cars. It was a very dramatic way to be introduced to the sport and it definitely gave me a bug for racing. They red flagged the race and it was re-started; amazingly Jackie didn’t win despite his dominant lead, I think he spun off, although that’s stretching my memory! I was about 13 or 14 at the time.
It’s sad that this might be the last Silverstone GP; it has a lot of memories for me. We had some good outings there during my time with Leyton House and then with Williams. In 1991, Nigel Mansell won in Silverstone with my first Williams – it was right in the middle of ‘Mansell Fever’, so you had all the Sun readers turning up to cheer Nigel on. We’ve had a few good races since and lots of happy memories.
Silverstone is the circuit where the British Grand Prix should be held, it seems a great shame that politics have conspired that it won’t be the case in the near future.

MARK WEBBER:
A great memory from Silverstone was being on the front row of the grid for Red Bull last year. The race didn’t turn out as planned, but qualifying on Saturday was very rewarding. The Red Bull Racing factory is very close to Silverstone and there were so many people there supporting us that to start the race on the front row was great, it was a very special day. I don’t think this will be the last Silverstone GP.
Donington is a beautiful bike track and Silverstone is a fantastic car track, so I think they should leave them as they are – I think we’ll be back.

DAVID COULTHARD:
Before I started racing in 1990, I remember standing at Stowe corner listening to a V12 Ferrari coming out of the morning mist through Maggotts on to Hangar Straight. You could hear it before you could see it and, in those days, the engines all sounded very different: a V12 against a V8, so, of course, you knew it was a Ferrari coming and it was a shiver-down-your-spine moment that I have never forgotten.
In terms of my own racing career, winning at Silverstone back-to-back and in 2000 was pretty special – also it’ll be another 992 years before someone can win it in two millennia, so that’s one record that should stay for a while! I think that Silverstone is a high-speed, get stuck in, challenging race track and given the free choice I’d rather race at Silverstone than Donington.

CHRISTIAN HORNER:
One of the best memories I have of Silverstone came soon after I’d passed my driving test. I took my Volkswagen Beetle up to the Silverstone F1 tyre testing that they used to do there. It was June, 1991. I managed to sneak under the fence and got into the pit lane, so I was really close to the cars and drivers. It was the first time I’d ever seen Ayrton Senna in the flesh – I remember he’d just had an accident on a jet ski and had several stitches in the back of his head. I instigated a conversation with him, which he probably thought was completely irrelevant, but I was keen to talk with him. I also spent a considerable amount of time admiring the Williams which must have been one of Adrian’s first cars – I was an aspiring go-karter at the time. I’ve enjoyed many good races there as a driver and also, as a team owner, we won the support race there (Formula 3000) three years in succession. We’ve had some good fun on Sunday evenings there too, so a lot of good memories. Hopefully it won’t be too long before it comes back.

SEBASTIAN VETTEL:
This will only be my second Silverstone GP – so not as many memories for me as some of the other guys. I think it’s a shame that Silverstone will no longer be on the calendar. It’s a circuit with a great tradition and a lot of fast turns, which makes it really interesting for the fans attending the race as well as the drivers. Silverstone is only a short drive from our factory in Milton Keynes and nearly the entire Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Technology workforce will be at the track cheering for me and Mark – so the atmosphere will be very special.

IAN MORGAN:
I will never forget standing in the Woodcote grandstand with my dad at Silverstone in 1985. We were watching qualifying and Keke Rosberg was driving for Williams. What I saw was the most amazing thing. When Keke came round the old chicane at Woodcote on his first run he was completely sideways, the whole crowd just went silent. He got pole, but had it taken off him so he went out for his next run and got it back again. He was just so much quicker than anyone else; the way that the whole crowd went silent as he approached us was something I’d never experienced before. It was incredible and definitely cemented my decision to get into this business.
I grew up in this area and my first grand prix visit was in 1973, so I’ve been to Silverstone many, many times and have a lot of memories. It’s sad to lose what is clearly the home of British motor racing, but whether it will actually be the last ever remains to be seen. I think we’ll be back.

Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 8:03 am
by Ed
Car 15 SEBASTIAN VETTEL
1st Practice P1, 2nd Practice P1

“Overall I think it was a good day for both of us. I don’t know what happened to Mark at the end of the second session, but otherwise it was a smooth run through the programme. We were able to do a lot of laps and collect a lot of data. The new parts that we brought here seem to be working well, which is a good sign, but on a Friday it’s always difficult to know how quick we really are. I think we’ve made a step forward though and, just like our team slogan Red Bull Gives You Wings, I think they helped us today for our performance on track.”

Car 14 MARK WEBBER
1st Practice P2, 2nd Practice P2

“It’s been a pretty good day for us; we’ve tried a few new bits here, which seem to be going pretty well. We’ve tried both sets of tyres and need to go through all the data tonight. My second session ended a little early as I hit a kerb on Turn five, which caused the car’s electronics to stop. Silverstone is a spectacular circuit and always has been – it’s phenomenal to drive it in a Formula One car. I was lucky enough to talk to some of the fans when I stopped on the track and they said the car was looking incredible, so it’s nice to see that they’re enjoying what we’re doing.”

STATISTICS
SEBASTIAN VETTEL
First Practice Session
Position: 1, Best Time: 1:19.400, Laps: 20, Chassis No. 4
Second Practice Session Position: 1, Best Time: 1:19.456, Laps: 39, Chassis No. 4

MARK WEBBER
First Practice Session
Position: 2, Best Time: 1:19.682, Laps: 19, Chassis No. 2
Second Practice Session
Position: 2, Best Time 1:19.597, Laps: 35, Chassis No. 2