2015 Australia Grand Prix - Ferrari News, Articles & Quotes

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Vettel: Third on debut feels like a win

Sebastian Vettel says third on his Ferrari debut felt like a victory in Australia.

In the battle for final spot on the podium Vettel managed to leapfrog Massa by pitting two laps earlier than the Williams, with a little help from former Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo holding up the Brazilian. From that point on he was comfortable in third and kicked off his Ferrari career with a spot on the podium behind the dominant Mercedes pair.

"I think it was a great race for us," Vettel said. "Of course it's not a victory but for us today it feels like a victory, it's a great relief after a horrible season last year to know in general the car is working. People have done a great job both on engine and chassis side so big compliments to Maranello. I have secretly been a fan, now officially I can be a fan and since the day I arrived there is something magic about the place and I feel very happy."

Vettel admitted it was special to see the Ferrari flags on the formation lap.

"I'm over the moon in many ways. It was great on the parade lap to see the flags, I think they've been there before but I didn't pay much attention obviously! The support has been great this weekend. It's really an honour to sit in the red car and when your head is down and you race and try to push every race you don't really notice the colour so much. But certainly when the chequered flag came out it was great to see and a great feeling, a great reward for the team."

At the start, Vettel and his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen came close to touching and the Finn was relegated back through the field after contact from behind. Vettel is not entirely sure what happened at Turn 1.

"I think he had a better start for sure. I got a little bit back under braking and then was side-by-side with him, I don't think it was great for him as he lost a bit. I saw immediately I couldn't make the corner as tight as I wanted to which made him lose a couple of positions. But I understand we didn't touch and I didn't feel anything."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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Raikkonen: Ferrari not too far from Mercedes

Kimi Raikkonen believes Ferrari has the pace to get closer to Mercedes going forward after a bruising Australian Grand Prix that prevented him from harnessing the pace of his car.

The Finn was left playing catch up after being clipped by Carlos Sainz at the first corner – which in turn caused him to make contact with the Sauber of Felipe Nasr alongside him -, an incident which left him with damage to the floor and the front-wing.

Despite this, Raikkonen worked his way up to fifth place and was poised to go in pursuit of Felipe Massa ahead when he was forced to retire immediately after his second pit stop due to a problem with the left-rear wheel.

“It is disappointing not to finish,” he said. “Without the issues and damage we had in the car, we could have caught up with the Williams after the pit-stop.

“We had the speed for a podium, even with the issues we went through after the start, we could still challenge the Williams at the end of the race, but it didn't happen. Too many things didn't go our way today.”

Despite the early exit, Raikkonen was otherwise pleased with his race pace in Melbourne, going as far to say that Ferrari isn't as far from Mercedes at it looks.

“I'm not very happy right now, but I still believe in the race we are not too far away from Mercedes. Obviously it depends on the race and what they do, we just had too many things not go our way today.

“I am sure we can be up there and fight at the front, so obviously we need to improve in qualifying as they are ahead of us by some margin.”

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Car went into anti-stall at start – Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen says he lost ground at the start of the Australian Grand Prix because his Ferrari’s engine went into anti-stall mode following contact with a rival.

However he does not believe it was caused by contact with his team mate Sebastian Vettel.

“No I think it was somebody behind, somebody else from behind me. I don’t think it was between us,” he told reporters after the race.

“I got hit from behind in the start and went into anti-stall because of that. And then on the next corner I got hit from the side so I was quite surprised that the car was in one piece, I think we got some damage but not too badly.”

Raikkonen was making his way back through the field when he was delayed by a slow left-rear tyre change at his first pit stop. On his next visit to the pits the same corner caused a problem: the wheel wasn’t fitted properly, forcing him to retire.

“We had good speed but obviously both pit stops we had an issue and then unfortunately that stopped us,” Raikkonen added.

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Ferrari delighted with Vettel podium

Sebastian Vettel labeled his podium finish on his Ferrari debut in the Australian Grand Prix as “a very big honour”.

Vettel defeated the Mercedes-powered Williams of Felipe Massa in a race-long tussle over third place, but finished 34 seconds behind the Mercedes of race winner Lewis Hamilton.

“I’m very happy,” he said. “Obviously it’s a great start to the season for us after a very good winter already. The team has worked phenomenally hard, and we can be very proud of this result.”

Ferrari technical director James Allison also believes this is a sign of Ferrari’s big step forward over the winter after a major backroom overhaul.

“In the whole of last year we got one podium,” said Allison. “It’s the first race, and we’ve got a podium, and that’s going to make you happy on any level.

“We are aware as anyone that the gap to the front is big, and we’ll do our best to chase it down during the year. It’s an interesting year this one, because we’ve got a lot more development possibility with the engine and stuff, so we’ll see where that takes us.

On the subject of Kimi Raikkonen, who exited the race after a botched pitstop with a loose rear-left wheel, Allison added: “Kimi was pretty decent in pace terms as well, although we’re very fed up with what happened in the pitstop.

“We don’t know what the problem was until we see the car.”

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Nico Rosberg hopes Ferrari can catch Mercedes in F1

Nico Rosberg hopes Ferrari can join Mercedes' battle at the front of the Formula 1 field after Sebastian Vettel followed him and Lewis Hamilton home in the Australian Grand Prix.

Hamilton and Rosberg finished half a minute clear of the pack in Melbourne, but Ferrari newcomer Vettel defeated Felipe Massa's Williams to secure the remaining podium spot.

"For the next couple of races, we will be leading the way and we will try and keep it that way," said Rosberg.

"But it would be good if they can come a bit closer, so long as they don't come too close," said Rosberg of Ferrari.

Asked by Vettel if he was "being serious?" Rosberg said it would be better for F1 if Ferrari was able to pressure Mercedes.

"I hope you can give us a challenge because it's important for the sport and the fans," he replied to Vettel.

"A part of me thinks about the show because I want to give people a great time at home.

"If you do come a bit closer, that would be awesome."

Hamilton also expects Ferrari to be a bigger factor as 2015 goes on.

"Sebastian must have done a good job to get to where he is today," said the race winner.

"I have not seen the times but I think the Ferraris have taken a huge step forward.

"Clearly they have made one of the biggest steps, so we cannot back off.

"I anticipate we might have a good fight with them at some stage this year."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/118071?

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Kimi Raikkonen escaped a penalty after the Australian Grand Prix following the problem that forced him into retirement from the season opener.

The Finn had to pull out of the race due to a problem with his rear left wheel after his second pitstop.

Ferrari was under investigation for unsafe release, but the stewards deemed the team's telemetry showed the car was not in an unsafe condition.

The stewards also said Ferrari had retired the car as soon as it realised there was a problem with the wheel.

"We had an issue and the wheel didn't go fully as it should, so it came loose," said Raikkonen.

"I got hit by Sainz on the rear wheel, and the floor got damaged at the rear. I then got hit by the Sauber quite heavily so it damaged the front wing."

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Raikkonen: Ferrari not too far from Mercedes

Kimi Raikkonen believes Ferrari has the pace to get closer to Mercedes going forward after a bruising Australian Grand Prix that prevented him from harnessing the pace of his car.

The Finn was left playing catch up after being clipped by Carlos Sainz at the first corner – which in turn caused him to make contact with the Sauber of Felipe Nasr alongside him -, an incident which left him with damage to the floor and the front-wing.

Despite this, Raikkonen worked his way up to fifth place and was poised to go in pursuit of Felipe Massa ahead when he was forced to retire immediately after his second pit stop due to a problem with the left-rear wheel.

“It is disappointing not to finish,” he said. “Without the issues and damage we had in the car, we could have caught up with the Williams after the pit-stop.

“We had the speed for a podium, even with the issues we went through after the start, we could still challenge the Williams at the end of the race, but it didn't happen. Too many things didn't go our way today.”

Despite the early exit, Raikkonen was otherwise pleased with his race pace in Melbourne, going as far to say that Ferrari isn't as far from Mercedes at it looks.

“I'm not very happy right now, but I still believe in the race we are not too far away from Mercedes. Obviously it depends on the race and what they do, we just had too many things not go our way today.

“I am sure we can be up there and fight at the front, so obviously we need to improve in qualifying as they are ahead of us by some margin.”

I agree with Kimi, the main problem remains the Q pace. During the race we obviously are behind but closer...maybe .5 to .9 behind Mercs depending on the circuit (compared to the 1.5 in Q). I think further aero development will certainly allow us to reduce the gap

[PURE PASSION]

Woowww the news , the results and the feedback from the drivers , are so good that im afraid thatits not true and im dreaming and im gona wake up in a worse reality!!!!!!!!!!!

[wickedf1]

Thank you for the pieces of news!

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Vettel mocks Rosberg in Melbourne

Sebastian Vettel's delight at finishing third on his Ferrari debut led to him mocking Nico Rosberg following the Australian Grand Prix.

In the post race press conference, Rosberg was asked about the gap to the rest of the field and said he would like to be able to battle with Ferrari despite having finished half a minute clear. Vettel then interrupted his fellow German to poke fun at his answer, asking if her really meant what he was saying.

Below is the full transcript of how the situation unfolded...

NR: I hope we can have a good fight. That would be awesome. I think the next couple of races we’re going to be leading the way for sure, and we’re going to try and keep it that way, but we know it would be good if they can come a bit closer, as long as they don’t come too close…

SV: Be honest. Do you really hope so? Seriously? You finished 30 seconds ahead of us and you hope it’s going to be closer? So you hope you slow down? Is that what you’re saying?

NR: I hope that you can give us a challenge! Because it’s important for the sport and for the fans. And I do think about the show. Half of me – or a part of me – thinks about the show because I want to give people a great time at home watching on TV or at the track. If you do come a bit closer, that would be awesome for everybody.

SV: First suggestion, if you don’t mind, I think your garage becomes public for Malaysia and everyone can have a look. No? I’m joking.

NR: You can come if you want, we can invite you…

SV: OK, thank you for the invite, I’ll come.

NR: Friday Malaysia, OK.

SV: Engineers’ room? Debrief, I’ll be there.

Rosberg later hit back at Vettel in similar fashion after the four-time world champion said he was disappointed his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen failed to finish the race.

SV: Kimi didn’t finish, which is a shame. We could have scored a lot more points today.

NR: ... that you find it a shame that your teammate didn’t finish?

SV: Yes. I don’t know how much you like each other but Kimi and myself we get along, so I think it is a shame.

NR: I though as a racing driver you might like it that you have a couple of points advantage over him now. I don’t want to get you off the foot there, sorry. Oops. Look at him, look at him go...

SV: I can see your point. No, no. I can see that at the moment, where we are, we want to make sure we catch you guys and to do that we both need to score. Yes, I honestly think so and I honestly didn’t want to see the second car not finishing today.

NR: Because I’m ready for it now, you caught me a bit off guard before but now I’m ready for it!

http://en.f1i.com/news/6931-vettel-m...elbourne.html?

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Australian Grand Prix Melbourne, 15th March 2015 - Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel: “They did not play the Italian anthem on the podium, but we can be very pleased with this weekend. It’s a shame that a small mistake prevented Kimi from finishing the race but, in general, it was a very “clean” weekend. The most important thing is we have a good car, a real platform from which to carry on working. So thank you and congratulations also to the people who have worked hard in Maranello, as well as those here in Australia. Without them, this result would not have been possible. The start was not the best, there was too much wheelspin and when I tried to hold the inside line, my tyres were still too cold. We had a great race strategy, which allowed us to jump the Williams, which had a good top speed, at our one pit stop. Now we must confirm our performance in the coming races and then, one step at a time, let’s hope we can begin to close on the Mercedes. The gap is still big, but of all the teams, I think ours is the one that has improved the most over the winter. For a long time, I’ve dreamed of driving for Ferrari and it’s happened at the right time. I drank the champagne on the podium and I kept some for the guys in the team, because they told me they like it a lot… Thanks also to the fans. We have a great car, not just for qualifying but also for the race. Let’s hope we can get on the podium again and maybe even get a few wins!”

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Australian Grand Prix Melbourne, 15th March 2015 - Kimi Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen: “Shortly after the start, someone hit me from behind. Then I felt another contact on my right side, but I don’t think it was Sebastian’s car. The impact activated the anti-stall system and did some damage to the floor of the car. We were very quick in the race, able to catch the Williams and to fight for the podium: but then there were problems at both pit stops. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I know I lost something in terms of downforce. However, my team-mate’s podium is a great result for the team. Already in qualifying, despite my mistake on the quick lap, we knew we had a good car. And in the race, the gap to the Mercedes seemed less than on Saturday. It’s simply that, today, everything happened to me.”

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Australian Grand Prix Melbourne, 15th March 2015 - Maurizio Arrivabene

Maurizio Arrivabene: “I’m only half happy today, because the real joy comes when you win. I am happy about the podium and for Seb, but above all I am pleased for the team, because this is a good starting point, although it’s definitely not the end of the road. I am sorry for Kimi, because everyone could see how strong he was in the race. But at the second pit stop, there was a problem with a wheelnut on which the threads had already been crossed during the first one. We realised there was a possible problem and we decided to stop the car immediately, because safety is the number one priority. Looking to Malaysia, we will keep our feet on the ground, because the Albert Park is a rather unusual track. If the second Williams had also been racing today, there would have been a clearer picture of the opposition we face. But now we have realised we can do well, we must begin to stop thinking about being “second best” and start aiming higher.”

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Massa concedes Ferrari faster than Williams

Felipe Massa conceded Ferrari is faster than Williams after losing out to Sebastian Vettel in their fight for a podium finish in the Australian Grand Prix.

The Brazilian lost time behind Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and was passed by Vettel for third on lap 20, eventually finishing in fourth position less than four seconds behind.

Williams driver Massa said Ferrari had the quicker car, but he reckons he could have kept Vettel behind if not for the time lost behind Ricciardo.

"It's true that Ferrari had a little bit of an advantage on the pace - maybe a couple of tenths, it's difficult to be sure about it - but maybe they had a little bit better pace," said Massa.

"But being in front was the best I could do to fight because it's not an easy track to overtake.

"So to lose the position like that is not nice, it's a bit disappointing but it's just the first one, we're still in the fight.

"We know that they are better, they are more competitive so the championship is not easy. We are in the fight but it's always good to start with more points."

Big engine progress

The Williams driver believes Ferrari has made huge progress on the engine side, as proved by the fact that both the Ferrari-powered Saubers had a strong weekend.

"Yeah, 100%," he said when asked if Ferrari's engine had improved. "Who finished fifth? Sauber. From where they were last year and not having any money to put in the car.

"It's a team that doesn't invest so much in the team and they just improved a lot which I think is coming from a different part.

"Surprise? No, because I saw in the tests and I saw here on Friday. So it's not a surprised; Mercedes is for sure even better than everyone expected."