Google+ Jack Leslie F1: 2016 Spanish Grand Prix Driver Reaction

15 May 2016

2016 Spanish Grand Prix Driver Reaction

Max Verstappen stormed to a stunning maiden Formula 1 victory at the Spanish Grand Prix, holding off Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari.
© Octane Photographic
Sebastian Vettel completed the podium, after the two Mercedes drivers collided on the opening lap. Here's what some of the 2016 grid had to say afterwards.

Lewis Hamilton
"I had a decent start from pole but got slipstreamed on the way to the first corner and lost the lead. Coming out of turn three, I was catching Nico really quickly and went for the gap on the right - I had part of my car alongside but then had to take to the grass.
"The gap was there and, if you're a racing driver, you go for that gap. We saw what happened after that. I'm hurt and disappointed for the team most of all because we lost 43 points today.
© Octane Photographic
 "We're all here working together towards the same result and the team give me the opportunity to race with the work they do. When I came to a stop in the gravel trap, all I could think about was how gutted I was for the team - that's where I feel the pain. But we will move on together and come back stronger in Monaco."
Kimi Raikkonen
"I had a poor start, with massive wheel spin when I released the clutch. I managed to recover some places in the first few corners and then I caught up with Max pretty easily. The car was ok and the speed was good, but once you are following another car for many laps this doesn’t help the tires and I was missing a bit of grip and downforce.
"It was a struggle to follow him close, I never really had a good run on him out of the last corner because he was really fast there. It’s a bit disappointing when you get that close and you don’t win, but after a difficult weekend we have to be somehow happy for this result.
"As a team we keep working as hard as we can and try to get the wins, we keep fighting and when we have difficult weekends likes this one, we have to keep the fight alive and be up there to score points. Max really deserves this win, for me he’s not a surprise. He was doing a very good job already last year and today in a better car he was able to win."
Valterri Bottas
"I think we got the maximum today and I’m pleased to get decent points. We know our car wasn’t quick enough this weekend, but we had a good result, so that’s positive. Of course we would like to battle for the podiums and wins, but it wasn’t possible this weekend.
"We need to keep pushing on the development and we need more pace on these type of tracks. We knew that if something happened we could gain a couple of places, otherwise it was always going to be tricky, but this is racing. A lot of things can happen and this time we took a small advantage from it."
© Octane Photographic
Max Versteppen
"It’s a very special feeling. Of course I didn’t expect to win; after the Mercedes pair crashed then you’re targeting a podium, but in the end to come out on top, it’s incredible. To hear the Dutch national anthem for the first time in Formula 1, I have to think about my dad for sure and I heard he was crying, so yeah it’s unbelievable. He invested a lot of time in me and this achievement is also because of him.
"I wasn’t nervous during the race, I was just trying to focus and drive the best I could. We focused a lot on keeping the tyres alive because at my last stop I still had to do 32 laps until the end, but it worked out well! With five laps to the end I saw Kimi was dropping off a bit, he tried a few times and of course it kills your tyres and from there I just like ‘okay, focus on the tyres now and bring it home’.
"I will for sure remember this and at the moment it’s just a great feeling. It’s amazing, I have no words for it. It was very good company on the podium, I mean Kimi even raced against my dad, so it’s very funny! I was celebrating a lot on the in lap and I got a bit of cramp, but that’s part of it!"
Sergio Perez
"It was a very good race and I think we managed to get the maximum result we could hope to achieve today. We were able to keep some very fast cars behind us and we capitalised on the accident on the first lap [between Hamilton and Rosberg] to bring home a good amount of points. I had to fend off Felipe [Massa] in the last three laps: I was on very old tyres and he was closing in on me, but I managed to defend my position.
"This was pretty much the only action I had all afternoon; the rest of my race was quite lonely, which helped me look after the tyres and allowed me to defend in the final few laps. We had a good strategy that helped us leapfrog the Haas and brought us this good result on a track that has never been our strongest."
Jolyon Palmer
"I think that was probably the best race I’ve done in terms of pace and performance. The car was feeling okay, we were battling tyre degradation a bit but it was managable. It’s a bit disappointing not to finish in the points but for myself, I’m happy. More performance should be coming from the upgrades we have in store so I’m looking forward to Monaco."
© Octane Photographic
Carlos Sainz Jr.
"What a fantastic race! We finally put a whole weekend together – we had a productive Friday, were fast in Quali and had good pace in the race today – and I’m a very happy man! P6 is an amazing result for me and the team, and to achieve this at my home race makes it even better. The start to the race was great, I think I did one of the best race starts of my life to be honest, running in a podium position and battling with Ferrari… Those first laps were really nice!
"I felt comfortable during the rest of the race, the team did a very good job with the pit-stops and I had a big smile on my face when I crossed the line in sixth position. I’d like to thank all the fans that have shown their support all weekend here in Barcelona, especially to those who came to my grandstand at Turn 12, they really gave me an extra boost. I’d also like to congratulate Max on his win today, I’m very happy for him and the Red Bull family – I think it’s great that Red Bull brings young talent into Formula 1 and we keep succeeding, proving them right."
Marcus Ericsson
"I am happy with my race today. We went for a good strategy from my point of view. I am also satisfied with my driving, as I did not make mistakes and had a good pace at the same time. I would say it was one of my best races in Formula 1 so far.
"We all know that we are still struggling with our car to keep up with other teams, but today I was able to beat one of our main competitors. Without updates on the car, I think we can be satisfied with this result today. We will keep pushing for Monaco."
Jenson Button
"It’s a shame that Fernando retired, because we were having a good battle out there. I had a great start – it must’ve been the best getaway out there. But it wasn’t a very easy race for me. There was no grip at all out there – and, whatever we did, we struggled.
"But, equally, the leaders weren’t very quick at the end, which made it really difficult for me to manage the situation because Dany [Kvyat] was right behind Seb [Vettel] and Ricci Bobby [Daniel Ricciardo], and he was on fresh rubber.
"Fortunately, I was just quick enough to stay ahead of those cars, and he couldn’t jump me. We knew it was going to be difficult to score points here, so this result wasn’t too bad."
© Octane Photographic
Pascal Wehrlein
"We got both cars to the finish, which was good, but otherwise there isn’t much more to say today; our race was pretty much as we expected. The upgrades are positive but they didn’t influence the overall result at this track with the way the race panned out.
"We also suffered from quite high tyre degradation again, so there is still some way to go to keep improving the car. I think the next couple of races will be a little better for us and of course Monaco is a track I’ve been most looking forward to. My first race there will be something very special so we’ll keep working hard and looking forward."
Romain Grosjean
"I had a very good start, a very good first lap. I managed to get into the top-10 and was fighting there. Then my front wing decided to go, for some reason. We came back to the pits, fitted a new nose, got some tires, but then the brakes went.
"The car wasn’t having a good day. We really need to find out what’s going on because we reverted back on most of the setup, and we’re still very much struggling with the balance. Testing this week is going to be very important for us."

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