Indian GP - Post-qualifying press conference - Pt.1

TV Unilaterals:

Q:
Sebastian, it seems to have just been a seamless weekend for you. It seems to have all gone perfectly so far.

Sebastian Vettel:
Yeah - so far it's a brilliant weekend. The car has run basically very, very well since yesterday morning. We didn't have to change a lot and through qualifying it just got better when the track ramped up. New tyres again, new tyres again and yeah, the car was amazing. It's a great circuit, I really like the flow of the track, especially around the middle sector with all the high-speed corners - but for sure it's not a secret if your car behaves the way you want to through there then for sure you're going to enjoy that a lot. So, I think we did that today. Great result - also for the team. Obviously Mark is on a different strategy so we'll see what the race brings tomorrow.

Q:
Your third pole position here, you've led every lap so far, you must start favourite to win the race tomorrow - and take the ultimate prize.

Sebastian Vettel:
Yeah - I'm trying not to think about it. Obviously it's difficult when every second person in the paddock asks you the same question. But I think we've done pretty well in the past, focussing on every single step and I don't see a reason why to change things for tomorrow or the next couple of races. So, yeah, we're in a good position. I think we worked hard to be there and yeah, tomorrow is a long race, as I touched on, with strategy I think it will be tricky to always do the right thing - but there's a lot of laps so I think we have a quick package and should be in good shape tomorrow.

Q:
Nico, you said yesterday it was a tough day. Obviously a lot of progress made.

Nico Rosberg:
Yeah, and to be honest we're - I'm - completely on a knife's edge. Really pushing the limits this weekend, just trying to extract that little tenth more out of the car. Trying different things, new ways, new setups and until now it works. So I'm very pleased with that. Qualifying in second is better than I hoped for - because of Mark being on another strategy, so for the moment it's looking OK. The race is still going to be tough because it's very different circumstances here with the Option tyre really struggling at the beginning of the race tomorrow and then Prime will be OK but also the balance of the car is all very different. So, we'll see.

Q:
The strategy really is what it's down to. Is that preferable for you drivers? Is that something you enjoy?

Nico Rosberg:
Well, I'm very interested in it, yeah, but it's so complex that you really rely on the pit wall to do their job - but of course I prepare for it well before the race and look into it and also discuss what my preference is and all of those things.

Q:
Lewis, third on the grid and obviously great that the two Mercedes are second and third - best of the rest as it were - behind Sebastian. What are your feelings?

Lewis Hamilton:
It's been a tough weekend. It's been a tough weekend for us and incredible... congratulations to Sebastian, it's obvious that that's some serious pace that they have, especially with Webber on the Primes just behind us. But we've been pushing, as Nico said, as hard as we can. We really want to get a great result this weekend. Strategy is going to play a huge part but I was a little bit surprised to be where we are but generally, bit by bit, adjusting the set-up and everything, we got a reasonable balance and hopefully tomorrow we can push together to try and stay ahead of the rest.

Q:
Any traffic issues out there?

Lewis Hamilton:
I did have through eight and nine. I did have someone in front of me - I'm not really sure who it was, I was so focussed on the road. It didn't help (To Vettel: "It might have been you!"). I think it may have been one of the Red Bulls, but I probably didn't lose too much time. Yeah, anyways, look forward to tomorrow.

Q:
Sebastian, did you consider the same strategy as Mark?

Sebastian Vettel:
Well, I have to start on the different tyre so obviously the strategy is different. It's all difficult now, as Nico touched on, obviously. It's very interesting, surely not easy. I think in the end if everybody does his bit then it probably doesn't matter too much. Surely the race will different in the beginning if you start on the opposite tyre. So for us three I think it's the same thing but then obviously I think Mark is the first car on Primes - with a different strategy.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q:
Sebastian: 43rd pole position, as I said, you've got an amazing record around here. What is it about this circuit?

Sebastian Vettel:
I don't know. I really like this circuit, especially the middle sector. I think it's very challenging with all the fast, or high-speed corners. It really depends, obviously, if the car does what you want. I think that's what all of us enjoy and in particular you get to enjoy that around these couple of corners. So, yeah, the car's been strong since Friday morning, since yesterday morning. We didn't have to adjust that much. Of course you always trim a little bit - in the right direction hopefully. But, yeah, we've been very strong on both compounds, so a good result, and also a good result for the team with Mark sitting in fourth, right behind those two guys.

Q:
Interesting with that strategy certainly. I wondered if you'd considered that or how much of a threat that strategy is?

Sebastian Vettel:
Which one?

Q:
With the medium tyre.

Sebastian Vettel:
Well, difficult to say now. Obviously we decided to go for what I did together, and Mark decided to go for the opposite. So, yeah, what turns out to be the right strategy, we'll find out tomorrow. But I'm sure the race is long and you will have plenty of time to make up. In the end I think the strategies shouldn't determine the result that much. We're got very good pace, the car, as I said, behaves well around here, so we'll see what we can do tomorrow.

Q:
Have you solved the problem - if there was a problem - about the start from Japan?

Sebastian Vettel:
Well, we just got surprised by how low the grip was, I think. Yeah, obviously, both then, I think we've been a bit too aggressive, too much wheel-slip and the guys behind us had a better start. So, for sure, we'll try to do better tomorrow - but quite confident. I think the starts we had before that were pretty good. Korea, I had a very good start, so I think we know how to do it, we just need to get it all right.

Q:
Nico, easily your best qualifying here, your previous best was seventh a couple of years ago - so you must be very pleased with that.

Nico Rosberg:
I am, yeah, definitely. Coming here I knew it was going to be trying to be best of the rest and managed to do that really well today with second place. And even getting Mark because he's on a different strategy. So, yeah, I'm pleased with that. It's really been a tough weekend because we really just pushed the limits, completely on everything, to try to extract that tenth or two more out of the car. I think up to now it's been successful. It's been very, very difficult, on a knife's edge all the time but for now it's worked, it seems. We're a step forward from where we were in recent races and that's good to see. But still a long race tomorrow.

Q:
Question for both you and Lewis really. Did you consider going the medium tyre route?

Nico Rosberg:
Well of course it's always a consideration. It was a consideration for tomorrow but we decided that soft tyre was the best way to go.

Q:
Do you feel it was a bit of gamble to go that way?

Nico Rosberg:
No, not a gamble. It was the best thing to do from my point of view.

Q:
To go on the mediums would have been a gamble?

Nico Rosberg:
Not really a gamble either because that strategy is also a good one, yeah? But we just through our one was better.

Q:
Lewis, basically happy with third or do you think you could have pipped Nico?

Lewis Hamilton:
It doesn't really matter at the end of the day. Nico did a great job, he's been strong all weekend and on my side, I've struggled a little bit through this weekend. I struggled a little bit with something different on the car this weekend which Nico had had experience of seeing maybe in the past. I came to grips with it really quite quickly at the end and I'm really happy with the result and the lap time that I was able to get. There's always a little bit of time everywhere but we'll try and push these guys as hard as we can in the race obviously. They're in another world but we'll try to stay ahead of the rest.