Great Britain preview quotes - HRT, Virgin, Force India & more 06 Jul 2011
After the confines of street tracks in Monaco, Montreal and Valencia, the Formula One calendar moves to the wide and wind-swept open spaces of Silverstone. With a new pit lane and paddock buildings, which have drawn a fair few compliments from those drivers lucky enough to have visited, the teams cannot wait to begin their on-track preparations at what is for many their home race…
Daniel Ricciardo, HRT
2010 Qualifying - n/a, 2010 Race - n/a
“I’m very happy to have my first Formula One race coming up in Silverstone. It means a lot to me. I’m sure, as many of us here, we dream it as kids but don’t really believe that one day it will actually happen! It will be a very special moment for me, perhaps a little emotional too. I am very happy with the deal. I didn’t think I would be racing an F1 car this season so for Red Bull to have found me a seat is awesome and I’m grateful to have this opportunity and the support from both teams. Hopefully it won’t take me too long to adapt to the car, in the past I think I’ve adapted well to new environments and cars so I’m confident that by the end of the weekend I will have made strong progress from the start. My aim is to finish as many races as I can and get the experience under my belt. I think this is most important for me as a young driver, experience is priceless. Of course, I would also love to bring the car and the team further up the grid and have some successful races. For the Silverstone weekend I think my first aim is to finish, physically and mentally this will be a good reward and all part of the learning process. I’ve been following Hispania’s progress this year but it’s hard to really know how a team is going unless you are involved and know the inside and outs. But I am sure they have improved since their debut season last year and this improvement seems like it’s going in the right direction. I think they are doing as well as they could be. I don’t recall any team coming into F1 and proving to be dominant immediately, it takes time. I’ve met Tonio a few times and I think I can learn a lot from him as he is very experienced in F1, he’s a cool guy. I’ve never met so Narain so I can’t say much about him but I’m sure he’s a cool guy too. As for Britain, I love London, I think it’s one of the best cities in the world, there is so much to do, so many cultures and great places to go. I love the circuit because of the high speed nature. I love high speed corners and at Silverstone they all flow very well and you can pick up a great rhythm. The Maggots-Becketts section is my favourite. I had probably my best ever race on this circuit back in June 2008. I was racing Formula Renault Eurocup and I won the race on the last lap with a few corners to go. We were far from the quickest all weekend but pulled something out of the bag in the last race and it was a big underdog performance.”
Vitantonio Liuzzi, HRT
2010 Qualifying - 20th, 2010 Race - 11th
“The passion for motorsport in Britain is huge and really impressive. Last year, after an issue in qualifying, we went from last position to 11th place after a strong race at a track where usually it is not easy to overtake, so that’s a great memory of this race. Silverstone is a great technical circuit that gives a lot of adrenaline to the drivers; I love the first sector which is made up of high speed corners. You really sense something special when racing here because the passion and heart of the British crowd is huge. It will be a difficult race because of the nature of the circuit but we’re progressing with every race and that is important.”
Colin Kolles, HRT team principal
“First of all, I am very proud and happy to conclude the deal with Red Bull Racing and to welcome Daniel to our team. He is one of the greatest talents in motorsport and we hope to give him a lot of mileage in order to prepare him for the future. Silverstone is one of the classics; it is a circuit where you need a very efficient car and where downforce is crucial. We hope to have a reasonable weekend in terms of performance, even though we are lacking a lot of downforce."
Timo Glock, Virgin
2010 Qualifying - 19th, 2010 Race - 18th
“It already feels like it’s been a great week for the team and we haven’t even started racing yet. I’m very pleased about everything that is happening right now as I believe we can really start to move forward. We’re very clear about where we need to get to and how we’re going to do it, so I’m feeling very excited for the future of our team. These next two races are going to be pretty crazy - it’s the team’s home race and then my own in Germany just two weeks later, so I should lose a few kilos because of the schedule alone! I’ve had the pleasure of racing in front of the British crowd many times, and for British teams, and it’s a very special feeling to know that everyone is rooting for you regardless of nationality. Last year was pretty special because it was our team’s first home race and its where our fan activities really began with the Stowe event, which was incredible. I hear it’s going to be bigger and better this year, so I’m looking forward to that. Essentially not too much about Silverstone has changed with the modifications - the track is much the same, although we start and finish the lap at a different place. It has always been one of the best circuits on the calendar - a lot of fun with some very challenging corners. There’s usually a bit of English weather to throw into the mix - the cool and windy conditions can be quite unsettling for the cars through the long exposed straights, not to mention the rain which is coming for the weekend. It should be a great event on and off the track.”
Jerome D’Ambrosio, Virgin
2010 Qualifying - n/a, 2010 Race - n/a
“After my own first home race in Belgium next month, this is the race I have been most looking forward to. I live in Oxford now so Silverstone is right on the doorstep and I feel very much ‘at home’ in the team and the area. There are a lot of similarities with the Belgian weather for sure. I’ve raced at Silverstone many times before - it’s a fantastic high-speed track with very quick directional changes and great corners like Becketts and Stowe. There is a lot happening around the team at the moment, which is all very exciting. The announcements this week are great news for all of us and I can’t wait to see how we can develop from here because we have an amazing opportunity for a team that is so young. I hope we can end the week as well as we have started it.”
John Booth, Virgin team principal
“We head to every race with the anticipation of a strong performance but, without doubt, the British Grand Prix is one of the most special events on the calendar for our team and one where we hope to pull out all the stops and put on a great show, both on and off the racetrack. We’ve had an incredible start to the weekend already with the fantastic news of our partnership with McLaren and our new technical base. Coupled with the launch of our exciting new tie-up with Disney. Pixar and the ‘Cars 2’ movie, the good news keeps coming and let’s hope we round the week off with a strong performance on home turf. In addition to having a lot going on inside the Paddock, we pride ourselves on everything we do to take the Formula One show outside the circuit and to the fans. The British fans are always very appreciative because they are passionate followers of the sport and extremely knowledgeable about their subject. For the second year running we have our big ‘Marussia Virgin Racing Weekend’ in the campsite at Stowe School, where the team will be spending almost as much time as they are at the racetrack! Back to the racetrack, we are very excited about operating out of the new pits complex, which I have seen already and which is very impressive indeed. All credit to Silverstone circuit for a first class job in bringing the facility bang up to date to what is now, unquestionably, a world-class racing venue. This is a track that has been modified many times during the years but it hasn’t lost its unique racing atmosphere. On a personal note it brings back very fond memories of my own racing days when I competed here in Formula Ford. It has a very evocative ‘hallowed turf’ feel about it that I don’t think it will ever lose and there really is something very distinctive about the buzz of the British crowd. We’ll be harnessing all our current momentum to ensure we put on the best show we possibly can to thank them for their support.”
Adrian Sutil, Force India
2010 Qualifying - 11th, 2010 Race - 8th
“Silverstone is a great circuit. I like the high-speed section through Copse, Maggots and Becketts, which feels very nice to drive. It’s definitely a place where you feel the performance of an F1 car. And after three street circuits, it will be a nice change to be back at a traditional old-school circuit. They changed the circuit last year and I have to say I enjoy the new layout just as much as the old one. The new turns one and two make up a really quick right-left chicane and it’s taken almost flat in qualifying. I also think that the new layout makes it a bit easier to overtake because the old lap was so quick that it was almost impossible to follow a car closely. Of course it’s also a very busy weekend because our factory is next to the circuit. It gives me a chance to spend quite a bit of time there in the build up to the race to see the people who don’t come to the tracks. We always have a barbecue at the factory over the weekend, which I usually go along to.”
Paul Di Resta, Force India
2010 Qualifying - n/a, 2010 Race - n/a
“Coming to Silverstone as a Formula One driver will feel very special. It’s going to be one of the highlights of the season and a very busy weekend. Silverstone is not a track where I’ve raced at much in the past. My only race to date has been on the national circuit in a Formula Renault. So when I drove in free practice last year it was my first experience of the full Grand Prix circuit. It’s a great lap and a place where you can really feel a Formula 1 car excel through the quick corners. And this year, with the new layout, there’s a high-speed end of the lap so it will be interesting to see how the tyres hold on in qualifying. I remember last year that the atmosphere was just incredible. The British fans love Formula One, the grandstands are always packed and the whole place feels alive. I can’t wait to feel that buzz again this year. My target is to hopefully make the top ten in qualifying. We’ve been there or thereabouts for the last few races and we need to be there if we want to fight for points.”
Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India chairman and team principal
“We arrive at Silverstone off the back of one of our strongest performances of the year in Valencia. The car was competitive in practice, we qualified in the top ten and finished in the points. It was proof that all our hard work to improve the car is starting to pay off. In fact, the progress we have made since Monaco has given us the reassurance that we are moving in the right direction. For this weekend we will look to repeat the high of Valencia. The car continues to evolve and we will also have to see what happens with the changes to the regulations regarding blown floors. It is something that will have an impact on all the teams and we will need to assess that. But our motivation is high and we are ready to build on our momentum.The British Grand Prix is always a very important weekend for Force India. Our factory is just a stone’s throw from the Silverstone circuit and there is always great support for our team and drivers. Although India will be our proper home Grand Prix, Silverstone has always been a home away from home for us and I’m thoroughly looking forward to it.”
Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus
2010 Qualifying - 18th, 2010 Race - 17th
“Silverstone is our second home race and it’s one of the great drivers’ tracks so it’s always a race I look forward to. There’s obviously a huge amount of history around the whole place and the whole team is looking forward to getting back to another track where there will be big support for us in the stands over the whole weekend. The track itself is a good challenge from inside the cockpit. The first sector is very quick – Copse is taken at over 280km/h and then as you come into Maggots and Becketts where it’s all about staying committed and keeping the car balanced through the whole section, right until the flat-out run up to Stowe. Overtaking was always pretty tricky at Silverstone but the way the tyres are behaving this year and with DRS I think we’ll see a busy race, particularly with the compounds Pirelli are bringing. Whatever happens it’ll be a great weekend!”
Jarno Trulli, Lotus
2010 Qualifying - 21st, 2010 Race - 16th
"The British Grand Prix is one of the classic races and one where I have always had a lot of support. Throughout my career the British fans have been very kind to me and since joining Team Lotus the support in the UK has been ever better, so it’s great to be heading back there in the green and yellow for the second year. There are a few obvious changes this time around - we have the Pirelli tyres which have made our strategic decisions critical all season, and with the probable performance differential between the soft and the hard tyres I think qualifying could be pretty tight. Managing the degradation of both compounds will be important all weekend, and if there is a big gap in lap times between them that could play into our hands - we’ll see. The effect of DRS will also create more overtaking on Sunday than we’ve had for a long time, so hopefully we can take advantage of that and keep taking the battle to the cars ahead.”
Tony Fernandes, Lotus team principal
“Back to the UK and our other home race. This is a big race for us, both in terms of track performance where we want to keep bringing down the gap to the midfield, and because we will see the GE and Caterham logos on the cars and across the whole team for the first time. Being able to race with two such important additions to the team is a very big step forward for us - our partnership with GE is a clear sign that one of the most important members of the global business community shares our vision for the future of our team, and the plans for Caterham will start being revealed very soon. The long-term strategy for the Caterham Group is taking shape and we are all very excited about the direction we are taking, as I am sure our fans and our partners will be too.”
Mike Gascoyne, Lotus chief technical officer
“I think all the signs are that Silverstone will be a good race for us. It’s one of our two home Grand Prix so it is a chance to race in front of our families and friends and after we slipped a little in Valencia it gives us the opportunity to get back to the level of performance that we know we can extract from this year’s car. I do not think the rule changes we will see at Silverstone will have a great effect on the grid order but we have been making preparations for this weekend both in the wind tunnel and in some of the work we have been doing at the straight-line test we are running in the UK on Monday and Tuesday this week, so we know what to expect.”
Nick Heidfeld, Renault
2010 Qualifying - n/a, 2010 Race - n/a
“First of all, we will need to see how Pirelli’s choice of tyres (soft and hard) will affect the race - so that’s going to be an interesting aspect. I’ve not actually driven the new track here yet, so that will be exciting for me. I’ve driven at Silverstone plenty of times before but last year I didn’t, and I know that since then they have changed the layout. I think Silverstone will suit our car a lot better because at the other high speed circuits this year we have been relatively strong. And, with the new regulation changes it’s going to be exciting; some people think nothing will change, some think that we will see changes but it is all just guesswork. A number of people think we will be one of the teams most badly hit (by the changes), but I doubt it. Let’s see who’s right!
“It’s always nice to drive at a new track but, on the other hand, if you look at the layout of the old track it was a great track to drive at. On the old circuit there was Bridge Corner, which was quite special; a lot of people involved in racing would say this was quite a unique section but it has gone now. I’m not sure what the new circuit will be like, the first part is the same with a lot of high speed corners such as Stowe. Silverstone is very different to a lot of other places - it’s a unique place that’s for sure.”
Vitaly Petrov, Renault
2010 Qualifying - 15th, 2010 Race - 13th
“Silverstone is an interesting track and it has a new pit lane which we will use for the first time. The circuit has good high speed corners, and it’s the first GP of the season where we’ll have high speed corners like these, so we’ll have to see how the tyres will behave. I have good memories of Silverstone; I won there in GP2 in 2006 so it always makes it enjoyable to come back to a track where I’ve done well in the past. The typical British weather also means that rain or sunshine will be pretty unpredictable - but that makes the charm of Silverstone!
“We will take the baseline set up we had at Silverstone last year and build on that. Of course, we will have to take the tyres into account. The first sector is quite high speed that requires one type of set up but the car would almost need a different set up for the second and third sectors with slower corners were more traction is required. Basically the car will need to respond to the different demands of the circuit. As usual we will make the most of the free practice sessions to get ready for the race.
“We need to concentrate on making fewer mistakes and to try to continue to work hard to improve our performance and our strategies. Of course, as it is our home Grand Prix and I would love us to have a good result but we have to work towards giving ourselves the best chances to do so.”
Eric Boullier, Renault team principal
“I think it’s important as an English company, and as an English F1 team, to do well at your home race because there’s more local attention. It’s also a tough fight because most teams on the grid are English as well, so it makes it even more exciting. The Silverstone track layout is very good, and we’ve seen many overtaking manoeuvres here in the past so we can expect a strong show and a spectacular race. Obviously we are looking forward to seeing the new complex, which should make this event an even greater success. Considering the races in Monaco and Valencia and our performance there, we can definitely expect the high speed corners to suit our car much better.
“[The new engine mapping regulations are] a complicated issue and difficult to state their exact impact just yet. What’s certain is that we need to anticipate the changes to the regulations in the best way we can. It will definitely affect every single team, and it’s up to us and our engineers to cope better than our competitors with the changes.”
James Allison, Renault technical director
“After three races with only slow speed corners it will be interesting to get back on to a circuit with several challenging high and medium speed corners. As has been extensively discussed, the changes to the engine management rules will make it tricky to know exactly how the car will stack up relative to our competitors, but I am hopeful that we will adapt quickly to the challenge. Another possible area of interest is that we may face a situation, like in Barcelona, where it is better to stay in the garage than it is to use any of the Option tyres in qualifying.”
Rubens Barrichello, Williams
2010 Qualifying - 8th, 2010 Race - 5th
“Silverstone remains one of my favourite races. I love going there and it is also important for the team as it is their home event. The circuit organisers have made some changes this year which could prove interesting at the start of practice. We all know what every corner is called, but drivers tend to use numbers rather than names over the radio. They’ve moved the start/finish straight, so we’ll have to remember that Abbey, which we used to refer to as Turn 11, is now Turn 1! I’m sure it won’t be a problem though as I think Silverstone has done a phenomenal job and I’m looking forward to getting there to see the new pit complex. As a team, we have a tough job ahead of us this weekend. At the last race we didn't run the revised exhaust, but post race I think it would have been stronger, so we'll be testing that at Silverstone. It’s going to be important for us to get the new bits on the car and get to work with them straightaway to see an improvement in performance.”
Pastor Maldonado, Williams
2010 Qualifying - n/a, 2010 Race - n/a
“I think that Silverstone is an amazing track. It has a great history, it’s fast and the new part of the circuit is a good addition. I have always enjoyed racing at Silverstone since my first visit back in 2007. I also have good memories of it as I have had some great races there, including winning in both 2009 and 2010 in GP2. My favourite corner is Becketts as it is really quick through there. We’ll be working hard to improve the car for this race and once again aim to fight for points.”
Sam Michael, Williams technical director
“Although there were some significant changes to the circuit layout recently,
Silverstone remains a great track for drivers. There is also a new pit complex in a different location which will be somewhat strange having been in the same pit area for so many years! Silverstone is a high speed, fast corner track where aero is dominant. We have a new front wing and some diffuser modifications to test for this race. Significantly, blowing the diffuser during braking is no longer allowed, so we'll be working with the new software through Friday’s practice sessions to re‐tune our set‐up. That doesn't mean that we won't run a blown diffuser, as the gains are still there when exiting the corner on throttle, but we'll evaluate two different types of diffusers before we decide which direction to take for qualifying and the race.”
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
2010 Qualifying - 4th, 2010 Race - 2nd
“My victory at Silverstone in 2008 was one of the sweetest and most satisfying moments of my entire Formula One career - and it’s a memory that I always carry with me. Standing on the top step of the podium, and looking across at the sea of flags and faces in the grandstands opposite was simply incredible. For this year, of course, we head to a very new Silverstone – and while much has changed around the circuit and in the paddock, I’m sure that all those thousands of fans will be just as passionate as ever - it’s one of the greatest things about the Santander British Grand Prix. Going into this race, we’re facing some very stiff new interpretations of the regulations; while they’ll affect all teams, it will be interesting to see if the competitive order is changed as a result. It’s going to be a busy weekend for our engineers as they adapt – as always, they’ll do a fantastic job to ensure we stay competitive. I’m really looking forward to Silverstone: it’s one of the best circuits in the world, and I really think that the arrival of DRS and KERS Hybrid will make this one of the best and most exciting British Grands Prix ever.”
Jenson Button, McLaren
2010 Qualifying - 14th, 2010 Race - 4th
“My best finish at Silverstone is fourth, which I earned in 2004 and last year, after a great charge through the field after a disappointing performance in qualifying. Although it’s a place that’s not been too kind to me, I’m really looking forward to this year’s race: we raced on the new layout last year, but this will be the first time we’ve experienced the new circuit as it’s really meant to be. With a new startline, a new first corner and an all-new pit and paddock complex, the new facilities should be fantastic, and I think they’ll confirm Silverstone as one of the best circuits in the world. Still, it’s going to be strange sitting on the grid with the prospect of going flat into Abbey as the first corner! As always, we’ll see once again that the British fans are some of the most passionate, knowledgeable and loyal in the whole world. It would mean everything to me to be able to win my home grand prix - that would be my dream come true. Whatever happens, it will be a great weekend.”
Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal
“This will be an exciting time for teams and fans alike as we head to an all-new Silverstone for the Santander British Grand Prix. Silverstone has been the spiritual home of Formula One in Great Britain since the birth of the world championship back in 1950, and it’s hugely rewarding to see that, not only has the circuit gone from strength to strength, but that it’s still leading the way. The new track layout, which we raced for the first time last year, and the superb new pit and paddock facilities, will confirm Silverstone as one of the greatest racetracks in the world and cement it as the home of British motor racing.This weekend will also be exciting for different reasons, with new restrictions placed on off-throttle exhaust blowing and the anticipated effect that may have on the competitive order. As always, our engineers have been committed and resourceful in managing this mid-season change, and I’m optimistic that we’ll remain competitive and will hopefully be able to provide the many thousands of home fans with a good result next weekend. It’s important that grand prix racing continues to change while simultaneously respecting its past: I think the advent of a new rules package at Formula One’s spiritual home is the perfect reflection of a sport that has managed to capture and thrill generations throughout the ages. As our home race, I sincerely hope this will be a great Santander British Grand Prix!”
Michael Schumacher, Mercedes
2010 Qualifying - 10th, 2010 Race - 9th
"Silverstone is one of our home races where we will be backed by everybody from the factories in Brackley and Brixworth, and therefore we would love to do well and thank them for their hard work. However, with all the changes we have this season, it is difficult for me to judge how the track will suit our car. As always, we will probably only know more after the Friday practice sessions. We are in the process of developing further upgrades and new solutions which I am confident will help us to make a step forward again. The message for all of us is to put our heads down and work our way through, and as we are all sharing this attitude, I am sure we will get there."
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
2010 Qualifying - 5th, 2010 Race - 3rd
"Silverstone is a very cool track. I'm really looking forward to all the fast corners, especially from Copse through Becketts to Stowe. I finished third last year and I hope to have another good result, especially because so many of the people working at Brackley and Brixworth will be there with their families. This is the first of our two home Grands Prix in July, so I want to give a good performance in front of our people. We will have a few new updates, and I'm curious to see how this will affect my car. Hopefully we can close the gap to the top a little bit."
Ross Brawn, Mercedes team principal
"Silverstone is always a special weekend for our team, with the home of the British Grand Prix being located so close to our factory in Brackley and to Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines in Brixworth. It's a great opportunity for our staff and their families to see the cars in action so close to home. Having visited the new pit and paddock complex earlier this year, combined with the layout changes implemented in 2010, I believe Silverstone is now really a venue to be proud of. We are very much looking forward to competing there next weekend. We have been working very hard on developments for the car to improve our competitive position, and I would like to take the opportunity to thank the team for the commitment they have shown. We look forward to having a positive weekend at one of our home races."
Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"As one of the original rounds of the Formula One calendar since 1950, the British Grand Prix is a true classic race. The circuit at Silverstone has moved with the times and, after a new layout last year, 2011 will see the start-finish line move to its third location in the circuit's history, as well as the introduction of a modern pits complex. In spite of these changes, though, the circuit has retained its essential high-speed character and the drivers universally love it. In dry conditions, 11 corners are taken above 200 km/h while during the impressive sequence between Copse and Stowe, the cars never drop below 195 km/h. It is a circuit that rewards efficient aerodynamic performance, while slow speed grip is also important through the new section of the circuit, making this a wide-ranging challenge for the car. Looking to our team's performance, we know that we are currently not in a position to challenge the top three teams in Valencia and we cannot expect that situation to turn around at Silverstone. However, a lot of hard work is being done to improve our technical package and we all will focus on achieving a decent result."
Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber
2010 Qualifying - 12th, 2010 Race - 6th
“Silverstone is a high speed track, so I expect us to be good at the British Grand Prix and in a position to fight for points. For me personally Silverstone is my favourite circuit of all, because I really love such high speed corners and also the crowd is very enthusiastic there. Last year it was there where I achieved my best result of the season when I finished sixth in the race. The weather is always difficult to predict, but it doesn’t worry me after we proved in Canada we can adapt to any track conditions.”
Sergio Perez, Sauber
2010 Qualifying - n/a, 2010 Race - n/a
“Silverstone is a circuit I have always been good at since my Formula 3 times. I won there twice in F3 and once in GP2. There is a very special atmosphere about this race and I like it a lot. Also I used to live in Oxford, for three years actually, so it was my home race for a while and I still have lots of friends there. It will be something special for me to be there the first time to take part in the British Grand Prix and, of course, I want to do well there. I especially like Copse corner as well as Maggots, Becketts, Chapel with the quick changes of direction. I also think the circuit should suit our car well.”
James Key, Sauber technical director
“It’s always good to get back at Silverstone. It’s a great circuit and a favorite for the teams and drivers with its many high speed corners and high lateral g levels. Based on the experience last year, the new layout looks better for overtaking. So it will be interesting to see how the DRS works for Silverstone. We expect that the tyres will be key again this weekend. We have the soft and the hard tyre compound. We have to be careful with the hard tyre, because it does require a lot of warm up, although Silverstone should be as a circuit better depending on ambient conditions. With the soft tyre we are happy, it should be right as an option tyre for this circuit. Silverstone is typically quite heavy on tyres with the amount of loadings they get, and the surface of the track is quite rough and abrasive. For the car we’ve looked a lot in detail at where we seemed to suffer some performance issues particularly during the last two events in qualifying. We have some new directions to take in Silverstone although the track is very different from the last two we’ve been to. We’ll be working closely on the tyres and on the set up of the car in order to extract its full potential on a single qualifying lap. We will have some developments around the diffuser and a new rear wing to test.”
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
2010 Qualifying - 1st, 2010 Race - 7th
“Silverstone is one of my favourite tracks and not just because it’s 30 kilometre from our factory in Milton Keynes. The fans in Britain are special. They support their own people of course, but they really know so much about our sport and are really fair when it’s about acknowledging performance and achievement. This year the start and finish have been moved, so let’s see what effect that will have. The extreme corner combinations on the track make it a real pleasure for the drivers. There are fast corners and often we have to react to the tricky weather conditions. Copse, Maggots, Becketts and Chapel are four of the best corners in Formula One.”
Mark Webber, Red Bull
2010 Qualifying - 2nd, 2010 Race - 1st
“The British Grand Prix is obviously one of the highlights of the calendar as Silverstone is an extremely prestigious venue. There has been a lot of work done there in the past year including the new pit complex which looks great. As proved in previous seasons, the characteristics of the circuit have suited us well. The test will remain if it’s the same this time around. I’m looking to get a top result for everyone down the road at the base in Milton Keynes.”
Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s motorsport director
“Silverstone always produces some exciting races and there’s a fantastic atmosphere to the whole event, which is why they call it the ‘home of British motorsport’. Our tyre nomination for this race will give the teams the durability they need to cope with the demands of the circuit, thanks to the hard tyre, and also the speed with which they can demonstrate their pure performance, with the soft tyre. How they use that combination will of course be the basis of the strategy: the teams that feel they have a significant performance advantage might choose to do a series of sprints on the PZero Yellow soft tyre, whereas other teams could conclude that they might be better off staying out for longer on the PZero Silver hard tyre. The choice of strategy will naturally have an effect on qualifying as well as the race, so on Saturday we should already have a clear idea about what the teams are doing. Whichever tactic the teams choose, whether it’s multi-stopping or longer endurance runs, they should all end up fairly close together by the end of the race, which has been one of the most intriguing elements of Formula One so far this year. But of course it’s very hard to make accurate predictions, as Silverstone is one of the many circuits that we have never tested on. In Britain it can rain at any given moment too, which clearly throws all forms of strategy out of the window.”
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