Contrasting debuts for Leclerc and Sirotkin, double DNF disaster for Haas and more engine woes for Honda. Sauber Charles Leclerc: “I am very happy about my day. The start was not ideal – I had to catch up with the competitors ahead of me and slowly work my way forward. We maximised our potential and had a consistently good pace. I was able to overtake some of the cars, which was fun. Overall, it has been a positive weekend. We have made good progress since Friday and are at a good starting point. I have learned a lot and feel confident going into the next round in Bahrain.” Marcus Ericsson: “It was a disappointing race for me after the good job done during the race weekend. I had a solid start and the car felt really good – really strong and I was ready for the fight. Unfortunately, on lap six I had a hydraulic issue on my car and I had to retire from the race. Now, the team will analyse all the data. We were in the fight and this is positive so … [Read more...] about Race quotes: Sauber, Williams, Toro Rosso, Haas
Haas
First blood Ferrari; heartbreak for Haas
An opportunistic victory for Sebastian Vettel, despair for Haas and the Honda engine blows up…again. It’s the start of the 2018 season… It’s Sunday, race day Down Under, and time to wake up and climb out of the covers, cars included… A ‘happy’ Fernando Alonso walking into 2018 believing that this year there’ll be “more in attacking mode” from McLaren and new engine partner Renault. Class photo time… Hopefully not a sign of things to come for Vettel and Ferrari… The Formula 1 2018 season then officially got underway… Kevin Magnussen got the jump on Max Verstappen at the start, before a costly spin saw the Dutchman lose valuable places. But delight for Haas soon turned to despair as both drivers were forced to retire soon after their pit-stops. Grosjean’s stoppage brought out the VSC and then the Safety Car, in between those, Vettel got ahead of his major rival Hamilton. It set up a tense, tight finish … [Read more...] about First blood Ferrari; heartbreak for Haas
From joy to absolutely misery for Haas
Haas’ Australian GP joy turned to misery on Sunday as Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean retired within two laps of each other. Haas qualified fifth and sixth for Sunday’s 58-lap Australian Grand Prix and looked on course for a strong points-finish. However, it all came to naught. Magnussen was the first of the team-mates to pit only to park his VF18 moments later with what he billed as a “suspension” issue. It wasn’t, it was a loose wheel. “Very tough one to swallow for the whole team,” said Magnussen. “Being in such a good position with both cars, it is just so heartbreaking to finish like that. “We’ll get on top again and fight back.” Two laps later Grosjean pitted only to pull over corners later, this time it was the front left that was loose. Grosjean said: “Today I had great pace, I’m sure I could have stayed with the frontrunners. “We will analyse things and come back stronger. “Right now … [Read more...] about From joy to absolutely misery for Haas
Haas ‘proud’ of best-ever qualifying performance
Haas have continued to make a good impression at the start of the season with Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean both qualifying inside the top 10 at Albert Park. Magnussen and Grosjean qualified in P6 and P7 respectively for the relatively young American outfit, starting their third season in Formula 1, but both drivers will move up a place each due to a three-place grid penalty for Daniel Ricciardo, who moves down to P8. It is the best-ever qualifying performance from Haas, and Magnussen is beaming with pride over the team's display. “It's a great way to start,” said Magnussen. “We have a good package here this weekend. “We were anxious to see after Barcelona how it would be on a different track – different conditions, different temperature etc – and again the car delivered. It was very, very good – very consistent and fast. “I’m incredibly proud of the team for the job they've done over the winter,” he … [Read more...] about Haas ‘proud’ of best-ever qualifying performance
Qualy quotes: Haas, Renault, McLaren, Force India
Haas produced their best-ever qualifying performance, but Force India found themselves alarmingly off the pace. Haas Kevin Magnussen: “The car was nice to drive in qualifying. It was just there, and performing. I was able to push brake points – get off the brakes earlier and earlier with every lap. It wasn’t doing anything unexpected, which was really nice. I’m looking forward to tomorrow starting in P5. We have some quick guys behind us, and we’ll have to do well to keep it that way. We’ll be doing all we can to get a good result. We need a solid start to the season and we need to capitalise on today’s qualifying result.” Romain Grosjean: “Everyone’s very happy and it reflects the hard work from everyone on the team. Our result confirmed a little bit what we saw in winter testing. I can push the car as much as I want, which obviously makes me very happy. It was a good job by Kevin (Magnussen) as well – getting … [Read more...] about Qualy quotes: Haas, Renault, McLaren, Force India