Canadian Grand Prix – driver and team reactions

Sebastian Vettel secured his third race win of the 2018 Formula 1 season at the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.

It was a straight-forward victory for the Ferrari driver, who led from start to finish to move back to the top of the drivers’ standings.

Valtteri Bottas from Mercedes and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen joined Vettel on the podium.

Here’s what the drivers and teams said after the race:

 

Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari – 1st):

“This win is very important for our tifosi and for our team, today is a special day. 40 years ago Gilles won here, then 14 years ago it was Michael and I was thinking of that today. At the start I tried to build up a margin, I was happy with my first lap and then the safety car came out and I had to start over again. During my last 10 laps I prayed that my car would not develop a problem until the end! Points are always important but today this win means a lot and not just in terms of Championship. The season is still so long and there are many races ahead. The main thing is that our car is strong and stays like that, so that we can fight.”

 

Maurizio Arrivabene (Ferrari – Team Principal):

“Without a doubt, today’s win is down to a very good car and a great drive from Seb. The team, both at the track and back in Maranello, has worked hard and methodically, preparing the car, which right from Saturday’s qualifying proved to be very quick. The tyres responded very well to the strategies we devised. It’s a shame that Kimi’s mistake in qualifying affected his whole race. There is still a long way to go in the championship and we have to continue giving it our all.”

 

Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes – 2nd):

“We tried everything we could, but I don’t think we had a chance to really fight for the win today. I had an exciting start to the race, when I was defending second place as hard as I could. I was on the outside in Turn 1, trying to carry a lot of speed to be on the inside line for Turn 2. I went wheel to wheel with Max, we fought hard, but it was all fair and I was just happy that I managed to stay ahead of him. After that I was trying to put pressure on Sebastian, but didn’t have enough pace. The Ferrari was controlling the race and we just weren’t quick enough today. I backed off late in the race to save some fuel which is why Max got so close. We were the only top team that didn’t bring a new engine for this race, everyone else had an improved power unit. Hopefully the introduction of our new engine in France will help us in the fight with Ferrari and Red Bull.”

2nd today 🏆

Ferrari was just quicker today unfortunately. We will keep pushing on @MercedesAMGF1 💪🏼

French GP in two weeks 🏁#VB77 #F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/GtkjYfAZ2i

— Valtteri Bottas (@ValtteriBottas) June 10, 2018

 

Max Verstappen (Red Bull – 3rd):

“The whole weekend we were very competitive and in the race, with the tyres we had, I think we maximised our strategy and we were very happy with the result. Every single weekend you go in you try to win and here practice has been good, Qualifying has been positive and the race went well too. Of course we’re very pleased with that and to come away with a podium and challenging for second at the end at this track, which is not ideal for us, is really positive. Seb was very fast today and I could quickly feel that we were just lacking top speed. The tyres were holding on really well at the end when I was challenging Valtteri because he was fuel saving which shows our car was working well and for sure we have a very competitive car at the moment. I don’t think we can challenge for victories on every track, it just depends on how long the straights are but for now I am looking forward to the upcoming races.”

 

Toto Wolff (Mercedes – Team Principal):

“This has been a tricky weekend for us, with Ferrari showing they had the quickest car in qualifying and in the race. We came to Montreal expecting to perform strongly and today’s result is a further lesson to us that the historic patterns of performance between the teams are not holding true this year. It is very hard to see a trend from circuit to circuit, and the race results are being decided by tight margins – which team makes the fewest mistakes, develops its chassis and power unit most effectively, finds the right balance between performance and reliability, and puts together their race weekend cleanly from Friday onwards. It has been a tough weekend for us – tougher than we expected – and this result is a wake-up call for everybody in the team. We now need to reflect in the right way, understand where we can find more performance and respond in Paul Ricard in two weeks’ time.”

 

Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull – 4th):

“It was actually a pretty good day and I don’t think I could have done much more.  I know it’s fourth but I’m actually happy. Starting sixth I didn’t know how much to expect on this track as the reality is that it’s not that easy to overtake around here anymore. I’m really happy with what I did and what the team did. We went for the hypersoft knowing it was more aggressive and we knew we had to maximise the tyre at the beginning of the race which is what we did. We got Kimi on the start and then a nice overcut on Lewis, so I think we did everything we could. It wasn’t the smoothest weekend on my side of the garage, we had the upgraded engine but we had a few issues trying to get it calibrated, I think that’s the right word, even during the race it wasn’t that easy at times to manage tyres and wheel slip, so for that I think we did the best we could. The good thing is that Max’s engine seemed to be running well, so we have that as a reference moving to France. It’s probably the first time in a while that we have gained really good team points so it’s a good weekend from that perspective and also good for Max.”

 

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes – 5th):

“It was a tough day in the office today, but I’m just very grateful that I finished today’s race and score some points. From the start I was down on power and my engine was overheating. I couldn’t get the temperatures down, so I just thought it was going to fail. Every single lap I was waiting for the power to just drop away and disappear – but it kept going. I could have lost a lot more points today; fifth is not the strongest result, but it could have been a lot worse. Ferrari have been doing a slightly better job and brought a better package, but we are very close. The guys are working really hard, but each and every one of us can always do better and improve. We will just keep our heads down, keep pushing and stay positive.”

 

Christian Horner (Red Bull – Team Principal):

“Third and fourth represents a great team result today. Max drove a very strong race finishing within a tenth of a second from Valtteri. Starting on the hypersoft he nearly managed to get ahead of him off the line but unfortunately didn’t quite make it. Thereafter his pace and management of the race was very, very strong, so we are really happy with what he has achieved today and all week in Montreal. Daniel was the only car in the top six who made any progress, passing Kimi on the first lap and managing to pull off the overcut on Lewis, after a great stop from the guys in the pit crew. To achieve P3 and P4 at this type of circuit, including the fastest lap of the race once again, is a strong performance delivering valuable points to the team.”

Great work all weekend from the lads 💪🇨🇦 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/mnMGcUz4Oz

— Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) June 10, 2018

 

Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari – 6th):

“Yesterday’s mistake in qualifying did not put ourselves in a good position for the race. Overtaking was very difficult here; I tried to get ahead of Hamilton after my pit stop, but it did not work out. Then It was even difficult to get close enough to him to open the DRS. It was a surprise, because on this track you would expect to see overtaking and fights, instead it was a similar story to two weeks ago in Monaco. The race was boring and not much happened. We decided to stay out a little bit longer on our first set of tyres and I don’t think that cost us any position: it was our only option to try something different.”

 

Nico Hulkenberg (Renault – 7th):

“We executed the race well today and it was a good effort from everyone. Ten points in the Constructors’ Championship is positive for us and we’ve extended our lead in fourth ahead of our rivals. It was a close battle today, I lost a position at the start, but I managed to get the overcut on Ocon by going two laps longer, as he was holding me up a little bit on that first stint. From then, it was about managing the tyres, which was quite tough as degradation was kicking in towards the end.”

 

Carlos Sainz (Renault – 8th):

“It was a good day for the team and ten points for the Constructors’ Championship. It’s another step forward and we had a good race pace compared to the rest of the midfield. We wanted to bring both cars home in the points and we’ll certainly enjoy the result even though it was a largely quiet race for us! The team did a solid job yesterday and again today to jump the Force India. We thought we were going to have a lot more degradation and in the end we came back with good tyre management.”

 

Esteban Ocon (Force India – 9th):

“It’s good to pick up more points, but we had the potential to score even more today. I had a fantastic first lap and got ahead of Hulkenberg, which was the target, and I was running well in seventh place. Then we had a small issue at the pit stop, which cost us a couple of seconds, and it dropped me down behind both of the Renaults. From there I tried my best to fight back and I came close to catching Sainz in the final few laps, but it wasn’t possible to overtake, especially after he cut the track and gained some time on the final lap when I was about to overtake him. It’s a shame because the strategy should have worked really well. I will focus on the positives because it’s been a strong performance by the team this weekend. We can be satisfied with what we have done here. The pace has been competitive, but we need to keep pushing.”

P9 today, we lost some time in the pit stop but we win and loose together as a team😉!
P9 aujourd’hui, on a perdu du temps au pit stop mais on reviendra plus fort ensemble😉!#EO31 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/eCH2CmA9fQ

— Esteban Ocon (@OconEsteban) June 10, 2018

 

Charles Leclerc (Alfa Romeo Sauber – 10th):

“It was a good race today. I am very happy with the result – it has now been four races that we have been doing a great job, and have been improving consistently. I am proud of the team and the work that everyone has done. It was exciting to discover this track in Montreal, and I enjoyed driving here very much. Now we have to take what we have learned here and look to continue on this positive path for the next couple of races.”

 

Romain Grosjean (Haas – 12th):

“We didn’t really know quite how long we could go. We had been planning to go long, but not as long as that. The tires were holding quite nicely. There was only a bit of front degradation. I was happy with the pace. I was easily managing keeping up with the Renault in front and the Force India behind. If qualifying had been as I was expecting with a P7, it would’ve been a P7 today, for sure. Anyway, we tried to come back, but our strategy didn’t quite work. When we came out of the pit we had a lot of blue flags and so on. I couldn’t really come back through the field. We did our best. The car is fast and I enjoyed driving it.”

 

Fernando Alonso (McLaren – DNF):

“The race was fun at the beginning, especially after the restart, when we overtook three cars in two corners. Sergio [Perez] was on the grass sideways and came back onto the track, so it was difficult to anticipate what line he would have taken. Then halfway through the race, I felt a loss of power and was told to retire. It’s sad, frustrating and I’m disappointed with this result. We weren’t competitive this weekend. We need to find more performance in the car and a way to become competitive. Reliability is also important, as we saw at the beginning of the year how many points we scored and how many we’ve lost now in the last two races, by retiring today and retiring in Monaco when we were running in seventh position. There are a few areas of the car that we need to keep working on and improving, and we’ll see what happens in the next couple of months.”

 

Frederic Vasseur (Alfa Romeo Sauber – Team Principal):

“Overall it was a good weekend for us. We had one car in Q2 again – it was the fourth time in a row for us. The race today was also good. Charles managed to stay ahead of his competitors and fight his way forward, scoring a point for the team again. Marcus did a good job as well, but unfortunately got stuck behind another car after his pit stop. The team did a good job with a very fast pit stop again. Everything is coming together and looking positive, and good steps are being made as a team. We have to stay focused and continue working in this direction for the upcoming races.”

 

Lance Stroll (Williams – DNF):

“First of all I am really disappointed for the fans. I have had a great welcome here for my home race and I wanted to put on a good show for them. I had a good start, gained a few positions and got both McLarens, but I had some contact when I overtook them.  Then I was side by side with Brendon going into turn five. The car got loose on me, I corrected it but there was not much room for both of us, and by the time I had corrected it we had touched. It is not ideal, but that is racing, things like that happen on the first lap as we are close and side by side, so that is how it goes sometimes.”

 

Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso – 11th):

“Overall, I think it was a really good race for me. We managed to make up many positions after starting from the back row, but it’s always tough when you finish so close to the points! I was pretty close to Charles a couple of times, then I damaged my front tyres so in the end it became difficult to pass. The new power unit seems to work well, we overtook multiple cars on the straight, so it looks promising for the upcoming races. Honda worked very hard to bring the upgrade to Canada and they did a fantastic job! Now we need to put everything together and find some consistency, because the next race is my home Grand Prix in Le Castellet – I’m really excited to go racing there!”

 

Sergio Perez (Force India  – 14th):

“I am very disappointed to come away from this race with no points. The start was good, although I didn’t make up any places, but the restart after the Safety Car was even better and I managed to pass Carlos [Sainz]. I was very surprised when he hit me because I gave him more than enough room and I was ahead: that wasn’t good enough and that’s why I asked for a penalty on the radio. I was able to save the car [from crashing] but by then my race was compromised. We tried something different with the strategy – going for a two-stopper – but it wasn’t enough to get back in the points. Overtaking was impossible, with these cars you can’t follow another car and pass them unless you have a big advantage. It’s a shame because I feel we had the pace to be mixing with the Renaults and we should have scored some good points.”

 

Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso – DNF):

“I’m really disappointed for Toro Rosso and Honda, because we’ve been quite strong all weekend with a good update from the power unit. I think we definitely had the pace to challenge for points today. I had a good start, similar to the drivers around me, but I got left a bit on the outside of Turn 2 which lost me a position. I got a good run on Lance out of Turn 4 on the outside, but he lost the car which put us both into the wall. It’s very disappointing as there was room to make the overtake, and I was looking forward to a strong race. It’s a frustrating way to end the Canadian Grand Prix as I’ve been really happy with my performance all weekend. I was delayed getting back to the circuit because I was flown to the hospital for precautionary checks. However, I’m definitely fit, healthy, and ready for the next race.”

 

Marcus Ericsson (Alfa Romeo Sauber – 15th):

“It was quite a difficult race for me. In the first half of the race, I struggled behind other cars and lost quite a bit of time. The second half was decent; we did a good job getting the tyres to last until the end of the race, which is a positive. The result is disappointing, and we have to work on improving in qualifying, as that is where I still have room for improvement at the moment. I am confident that we will find a way to improve in that area, and look forward to the next races.”

 

Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren – 16th):

“I think we were extremely unlucky from the start today. We had a good launch off the grid, but with the accident that happened there was so much debris to find our way through into Turn Five, and it was impossible to avoid it. We had a front-right puncture, and we basically ran out of tyres already before we even really started the race, so it was a difficult day. A big piece of debris went under the car so we were forced to pit on the first lap and then lost a lot of time in the pit-stop as well. Before we even got into the race it was already over. On a personal note, on my side it’s been very positive in terms of the progression we’ve made over the past couple of races. The disappointing thing here was our qualifying performance for the team as a whole. We knew that before coming here and unfortunately it got confirmed. We’ve got a lot of work ahead.”

 

Kevin Magnussen (Haas – 13th):

“Not a brilliant weekend for us. We were thinking that P11 in qualifying was a good result. We thought that would be an advantage for the race – being on a different tire from the top-10. It didn’t really turn out to be that way. I didn’t get a great first lap. I was overtaken by one of the Saubers. They had a really good start, and then a couple of laps after I had a Force India that spun and I couldn’t get on the inside, so I was on the outside and got done by Fernando (Alonso) on the inside. Things just didn’t go our way today. It’s a shame. I think the car was pretty good, especially on the supersoft, the pace was good. I think we just didn’t get it right today.”

 

Franz Tost (Toro Rosso – Team Principal):

“This was not our race weekend, our problems started in qualifying with a change of power unit on Pierre’s car, and as a result he had to start from the back of the grid. Pierre drove a good race today, but unfortunately he was not in the position to score points and finished 11^th in the end. After having a good start to the weekend, it’s a shame Brendon retired on the first lap of the race after he was pushed into the wall by Stroll. I think we can get more out of our package than we were able to show today, and I’m confident that we can have a better performance in the upcoming race weekend in France.”

 

Sergey Sirotkin (Williams – 17th):

“It was a difficult race. The start was particularly tough in the beginning with the prime tyres compared to the much softer compounds of everybody else. Still, I was able to gain some positions at the start. However, with the safety car and an extremely poor warm up with the harder compound of tyre, it was impossible to keep up with the pace. We were the slowest car of the day and we have done our best to finish the race despite the issues we’ve had. That’s where we are and we have to be honest with that.”