Quotes of the Week
"I'm also bemused that those who sit in judgment have no understanding of what it is like to sit in an F1 car. They have no experience of what you can and can't do in race situations, what you are and what you are not aware of on the circuit. In the 20 years I've been involved in F1 as a driver and spectator I don't think I've seen so many penalties in one season. It's political correctness gone mad. An important point is being missed: these guys are racing tooth and nail. Things happen when racing at 200mph. The drivers are gladiators in cars. It's what they get paid for, what they enjoy. I understand the concern about safety but this is getting ridiculous. We might as well dig two grooves around each circuit, put two cars side by side like a Scalextric set and let someone control the action from the pits. The authorities are losing the plot." Mark Blundell, Formula 1 ITV Analyst, former Formula 1, Sports Car and CART driver
10/13/08
"The team managers I spoke to after the race all said that FIA race director Charlie Whiting had briefed them in Singapore and again in Fuji that the car exiting the pits has right of way. If the teams cannot believe the race director, what hope have the rest of us and the wider public got? The FIA styles itself as the referee in this sport, but surely it cannot afford to keep sending out such mixed messages." James Allen, ITV, Formula 1 commentator
10/12/08
"It’s still difficult to believe what we have done today! Winning in Singapore was unexpected, but we benefited from special conditions. Today we won again on a circuit that was not supposed to suit us. The team has really done a remarkable job to fight back this season and we are now the third strongest team. It’s unbelievable and I am extremely happy this evening." Fernando Alonso, 2 times World Drivers Champion, Renault, winner of the Japanese Grand Prix
"I did everything I could not to run into him, and he just squeezed and turned and behaved like I didn't exist, like I wasn't there. What am I supposed to do, evaporate? It's just a little bit of respect. You give each other room and then everything goes right; if you don't, for sure it's going to be an incident. You've got everything to lose and nothing to win. He was going to pit in three laps. I was ahead of him, and he was going to finish behind us anyway. Why would you even think about doing something like that? I don't understand." Sebastien Bourdais, Formula 1 driver, Scuderia Toro Rosso, slammed Felipe Massa after he saw a solid points finish ruined by a post-race 25-second penalty at the Japanese Grand Prix. Massa benefited from Bourdais' penalty by being bumped up to seventh and is now five points behind championship leader Lewis Hamilton of McLaren with two races remaining.
“The pressure on the modern world to address the causes of climate change is continually increasing and Formula One is not exempt from this. The FIA and the teams recognize that it is our responsibility to be involved in change for the good and to accelerate these changes through the technology and competition of F1. At Honda, we strongly support the engineering challenge that the introduction of environmental technologies such as KERS provides. Honda has been developing more efficient and lower emission products for decades and the application of fuel efficient and alternative fuel technologies has been intrinsic to our automotive product development." Ross Brawn, Team Principal, Honda Racing Team F1
"I don't care what the other guys think. I represent my team, myself, my family, my country and I do it the best way I can. At the end of the day there are always going to be people you are beating who aren't particularly happy about things, but that's motor racing. You should race. I don't really understand what he [Robert Kubica] is saying. It doesn't appeal to me." Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1 driver, McLaren Mercedes, commenting on statements made by his Formula 1 rivals about Hamilton's over-aggressive driving tactics
"I think he [Robert Kubica] should focus on his own driving. He should be mindful of the fact that his objective should be to raise his own game and do the best job he can. He should keep those opinions [regarding Lewis Hamilton's driving tactics] to himself." Ron Dennis, Team Principal, McLaren Mercedes F1 team
"Sorry we won't see either of your charming faces [Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley] anyplace in North America next year. I know you guys have much bigger fish to fry in today's fast-changing world than messing around in the United States, least of all Canada. I mean, if any country is less relevant than the United States to the forward thinkers of F1, it must be Canada. Surely, the great white north is too milquetoast, too remote, too much a part of yesterday's world. After all, would you run an F1 race in Sweden or Finland? Of course not." Gordon Kirby, Motorsports Journalist, commenting on the cancellation of the Canadian Grand Prix
"To me, Fuji is a crap circuit. It's a horrible, boring place in the middle of nowhere. The weather is usually horrible and it's just the worst possible place to have a grand prix. You have to say that Fuji does not add to Formula One." Eddie Irvine, former Formula 1 driver and 1999 championship runner-up
"Will the imprint of Carl Edward's butt on the hood of Harvick's car create an aerodynamic advantage?" David Grayson, NASCAR Journalist, commenting about the incident after the Talladega race when Kevin Harvick shoved Carl Edwards onto the hood of Harvick's car