Red Bull racing finally on the pace at Monza
Red Bull Racing has not had a fantastic record at Monza in recent years, with their cars notoriously quick on higher downforce circuits but slower at the low downforce Italian venue. This time around though Vettel won in dominant fashion. Mark Webber meanwhile failed to finish.
Sebastian Vettel, Finish Position: 1st Start Position: 1st:
“It was an emotional win today. This circuit means such a lot to me and is very special. I had my first win here, so when I crossed the line I remembered every single bit of it. The podium is absolutely unbelievable here; when you stand up there you feel blessed, as it doesn’t happen to many people. There are so many people underneath and you can see them all coming, even from Curva Grande – it’s just unbelievable. This circuit has been tough for us for the last two years and so… to come back this year and win! The car was amazing in qualifying yesterday and in the race today it was even better. The start was not that good, Fernando was suddenly there and I didn’t know where he was coming from – it took me a while to see we were three going into Turn 1. I kept second place and then after the restart, I was able to pass Alonso. He didn’t give me much room there, but it was just enough, so it was very enjoyable. It was a great race for us. As it’s 150 years for Italian Unity also, I think it makes it special for every one here, so thank you to all the fans.”
Mark Webber, Finish Position: DNF, Start Position: 5th:
“I didn't get the best start, me and Jenson were together, so I lost a few spots there. I think also Sebastian didn’t either, so there were a few different starts going on. Fernando made a phenomenal one. Then there was the restart after the safety car; I got a good one that time and managed to pass Jenson straight away. Then, on the next lap, I was lining up Felipe, breaking around the outside for turn 1, trying to get the inside line for turn two. I probably wasn't quite far enough to get completely inside, but when I tried to come out of the move the kerbing on the inside is obviously pretty high; as soon as I touched that I unfortunately made contact with Felipe and that was that. I then tried to get back to the pits, trying to lose the minimum time possible, the car wasn't too bad for the first part of the lap, but at some stage the wing got caught underneath, so I couldn’t turn the car or brake. I went straight out of Parabolica and that was the end of my race.”
Christian Horner, Team Principal:
“A phemonenal race today. To win in Monza is a dream come true and it was a really dominant performance by Sebastian today. We had great pit work, strong strategy and Seb made a really brave overtaking move to retake the lead from Fernando after the safety car. Thereafter it was a very controlled and well executed race. Unfortunately Mark’s race came to a premature end after contact with Felipe Massa. The front wing was tucked under the car on the approach to Parabolica, when Mark was trying to get back to the pits as quickly as possible. It prevented him from being on the podium today, but I’m sure he will bounce back in Singapore. It was a great day for the team and a phenomenal result at a circuit which, on paper, wasn’t our best. Very sadly, we lost a team member earlier in the week, Erin Pezzella, a young lady who has been with the team for four years. She lost a very brave fight against cancer and we would like to dedicate this result in her memory today.”
Cyril Dumont, Renault:
“I’m very pleased. To win the race already is something quite fantastic, but for an engine manufacturer to win Monza – well… that’s the race to win – so this victory has a very special taste for us. Also with the new agreement we have announced with Red Bull this weekend. We have worked with them for five seasons now and I think this partnership is something really solid. I think it was good race from Sebastian today, his pace was incredible. Unfortunately Mark’s race was too short; he had shown good enough pace to potentially finish on the podium. I would like to say thank you to all the people working at Renault and Red Bull Racing for this great result today.”
