Google+ Jack Leslie F1: 2015 Mexican Grand Prix: Driver Reaction

2 November 2015

2015 Mexican Grand Prix: Driver Reaction

Nico Rosberg stormed to his fourth win of the 2015 F1 season at the Mexican Grand Prix, beating his team-mate Lewis Hamilton by two seconds.
© Mercedes AMG Petronas
Valtteri Bottas was third for Williams. It was a decent return to the sport's schedule for Mexico, with a great crowd and atmosphere. Here's what some of the grid had to say after the race.

Nico Rosberg:
"That was the best podium of my life! Thousands and thousands of people singing your name after winning on a great track... it's unbelievable. In that moment you feel like a rock star on stage and I enjoyed every second. Thank you so much to all the Mexican fans who made my win here so special. And thanks also to Bernie and the organisers who worked hard to set up this amazing event.
"It was a perfect weekend for me. I had a good Qualifying and was able to control the race from the front, responding each time Lewis came closer. It was tricky because there was really no grip on the rears - especially after the Safety Car, with cold tyres. But in the end I felt comfortable.
© Mercedes AMG Petronas
 "The performance this weekend is down to great teamwork with my engineers, as we found a great setup for the special conditions here, so a big thank you to them. Now I look forward to the race in Brazil. It´s always great to come with a win to the next race, so hopefully I can carry this form to Interlagos."
Daniel Ricciardo:
"It was a bit of a frustrating race. During the first stint with the options we weren’t really quick enough. With the prime I thought I had really good pace, but once I caught the Williams I couldn’t pass them. We lost a lot of time there and in hindsight, when the Safety Car came out, I would have liked to put the primes on as I felt I was a lot more competitive with them than with the options. 
"Maybe it would have given us a better chance of getting to the podium. I wouldn’t say we were all that quick today, but to get both cars in the top 5 is okay. Sure we both want more but we’ll see what happens in Brazil. The whole weekend has been awesome and this Grand Prix has set the bar even higher. 
"The stadium is great and the fans are awesome. It’s nice to come to a new place, especially when it puts on a show like this. The Drivers’ Parade was awesome too. I had goose bumps. It was very exciting to see so many fans cheering for us. As for the incident with Sebastian, I was on the inside and he took the apex, so I had nowhere else to go."
Valtteri Bottas:
"I’m very pleased with the result today. Every decision from the team on strategy was right, so I’m really delighted with what we achieved as a team. It feels so good, after so much bad luck recently and so much hard work, to get the reward. 
"It was a great feeling on the podium, that was very special. Regarding the incident with one of the Ferraris, it was unlucky that it was me and him again but of course I didn’t want it to end up like that."
Sebastian Vettel:
"Today I had a bad start, and obviously after the contact with Daniel I was very angry, but in the end I think no one is to blame. He clearly could not avoid hitting me being too fast for the line he had chosen, but these things happen. That’s racing, even if of course it’s painful if it happens in the first corner and you have to drive all the way back.
"So the race was pretty much lost at that time. I was hoping for a safety car earlier on, but it didn’t happen. I tried to catch up, but the two mistakes didn’t help. The last one obviously ended my race and I am not proud of it. The car in general was good, we were quick, the pace was promising and we were very close to Mercedes, probably we hadn’t been that close for a while. I tried everything to force it and come back. And trying too hard is probably the right explanation for my mistake."
© McLaren
Fernando Alonso:
"We had an MGU-H rotation speed problem – it was something we spotted last night, and unfortunately confirmed it this morning. We didn’t have enough time to replace it, so we were left with two options: to race or not to race. We went for the first option, and tried to do as much as we could, out of respect for the amazing fans here in Mexico. I really wanted to go to the grid, take the start, and then just see what happened.
"It was only one lap, but, even so, I enjoyed it. At least we tried; it’s always best to try than to give up. It’s been a two long weeks away from home, with zero points scored. It’s been hugely rewarding to witness the crowds here in Mexico City though – they’ve been one of the best crowds of the season, brilliant all weekend. Now, we need to put this experience behind us and look ahead to the final two races of the season."
Sergio Perez:
"What a week this has been here in Mexico. The atmosphere has been amazing and there were so many special moments. The race today was probably one of the most difficult of my career because I was very unlucky with the timing of the safety car, which really didn’t help my one-stop strategy.
"We chose not to pit when it came out because we thought there was a chance to jump Nico [Hulkenberg] and Felipe [Massa], but in reality that didn’t happen. Then the team told me that the cars behind had all pitted and fitted new tyres, so I was a bit worried because I knew the final fifteen laps would be very difficult.
"To stay ahead of them and finish in eighth place is probably one of my best performances in Formula 1 and I’m very happy I could score points in front of my home crowd. I am very lucky to have this huge support from my country and I will remember this weekend forever. I think everybody has enjoyed the energy of the crowd and this must surely be one of the most popular races on the calendar now."
Romain Grosjean:
"It was great to see so many people here today; they are huge F1 fans and so knowledgeable. It was a pleasure to race in front of them, especially in the awesome stadium area where everyone was so passionate. It’s good to score, even if it was only one point. It was a long race and not easy as there was a lot to manage.
"The car was good on medium tyres, less so on softs. The safety car meant it was too risky not to come in and that meant finishing the race on the soft compound. This weekend was all about finding the grip and the track was definitely improving massively throughout the race. I think next year will be even more fun to drive once the grip has improved."
© Red Bull Content Pool
Max Verstappen:
"I had a good start and to be running in P6 during my first stint was great, but we had some heating issues, which definitely cost us a lot of lap time unfortunately. 
"But we need to focus on the positives, I think P9 is the best we could do today and I’m happy to have scored some more points, closing the gap to Lotus a bit more. The atmosphere here has been amazing during all of the weekend - the fans here are really into racing and are so enthusiastic, it’s just amazing to see."
Alexander Rossi:
“I got a great start and a good run down to the first corner. I was pleased to keep three world champions behind me for a time, however brief. Things started out well, but a few laps in I was really struggling with the car on those tyres, so I was losing a very worrying amount of time.
"Thankfully, the next two stints - on the prime, then back on the option - were much better and I was really happy to be back in the fight. I was substantially quicker than the other car, so I closed the gap pretty quickly and was able to retake the place ahead.
"So 25% of the race was difficult, but the other 75% was fantastic and more than made up for it. A couple of boxes ticked - finishing ahead and getting both cars to the finish here after a good race-long battle. The Mexico Grand Prix will definitely go down as one of my favourite races now. The crowd have been sensational and the race result is the icing on the cake. Off to Brazil now; I can’t wait."
Felipe Nasr:
"It was a tough race. I was not able to finish the race due to brake issues. I did my best to manage them, but they got to a critical point. I had to stop the car in Turn 13. It is a shame, not only for myself, but also for the team as we all loose together. We need to find a solution for this issue."

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