RICCIARDO FINISHES SECOND, KVYAT SIXTH AT THE SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX

September 21, 2015 by Infiniti

DANIEL RICCIARDO, Finish Position: 2nd, Start Position: 2nd

'I think this was our best chance of a win and we got close, so we can be proud of what we did. We have made the most of our opportunities here. At the start Seb just went away and then I was coming back to him and if it hadn't been for the Safety Car, we'd have got pretty close and maybe an undercut would have been possible at the pit stop. Making both stops under the safety car affected our chances, and I think that dictated the race really. In the first stint we were coming on quite strong, with Seb pushing hard to break the DRS gap. But as the laps were ticking down, we were starting to come alive and I was able to lean on the tires a bit more. Then I was frustrated to see the Safety Car come out, but I knew I still had to make one more stop so I had one more chance. But Seb seemed to have learned from the first stint and started easier than in the first one and was able to pull away later. I was able to close on him again, before we had another Safety Car. That was that really because it's hard to overtake here. We got the fastest lap right at the end and we can be proud of that. Moving forward, Suzuka is usually a good track for us, although I don't expect to do as well as there, but we can aim for the top five. It's good to get another podium. I'm really happy for the team. The last few races the chassis has really come alive so thanks to the guys for that.'

DANIIL KVYAT, Finish Position: 6th, Start Position: 4th

'I was unlucky with the timing of the Safety Car as I pitted a lap before it came out. It seemed the Safety Cars didn't like me at all today; it must be something personal! But that's life. That worked against us and it wasn't a good race for me, but we couldn't have done anything else. I lost two places to Mercedes after the first stop and a place to Bottas after the second one. After that, I was always in traffic behind cars that were a tiny bit faster down the straights, which was just enough for me to be unable to pass. On the plus side, we kept it on the track and scored some points. The team did a very good job this weekend and the car worked very well. Eight points is the maximum we could have got with all that bad luck. My time will come. Our car has always worked well in the corners, so our team's result here is not so surprising.'

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal

'A great performance by Daniel today in what was our most competitive weekend of the year. He pushed all the way from start to finish, but he was a bit unlucky with the Safety Cars. Our pace was better during the last part of the stints than the Ferrari, and the Safety Cars came at the right time to give Ferrari and Sebastian a bit of a breather. But nonetheless, a fantastic performance to finish second. Dany was unlucky with the timing of both the Virtual Safety Car and the Safety Car itself, which cost him places to both Rosberg and Bottas through no fault of his own. But a good collection of points for the team as we head into Japan. Congratulations to Sebastian. Both he and Daniel were in a league of their own today.'

MATTHIEU DUBOIS, Renault

'After a very long two hours, we are all glad to see four Renault cars in the points. It was a great second place for Daniel, who kept everything under control as the race took different turns. Unfortunately for Daniil, we pitted twice just seconds before the safety cars and lost out to Mercedes and Bottas in the operation. It is nice to see our hard work is starting to bear fruit from both reliability and performance perspectives, and we are very much looking forward to prove it again next Sunday in Japan.'

PREVIEW

Daniel Ricciardo

Q1: Daniel, it's traditional for a driver to start the Singapore preview by saying it's a bit hot and quite humid.

Ricciardo: Well it is hot! And very humid! I think it's all those tall buildings downtown – the heat doesn't have anywhere to go. It's the most physical challenge of the year. It's the only race of the season where you crack open your visor to let in some cool air and instantly wish you hadn't because it's hotter outside. By the warm-up lap, your chilled drinks bottle is the temperature of a freshly poured cup of tea. It's a tough place to race, but I love the challenge. I think most of the drivers do.

Q2: You're usually a happy camper in Singapore. Do you like the buzz?

Ricciardo: I do. Firstly, I like the track. Street circuits are fun: You're bouncing off the curbs, kissing the walls – it's cool. And the city's great. Good restaurants, good atmosphere, great nightlife. Yeah, my kind of place.

Q3: Do you have time to see any of it? Most days the team are leaving the track at 4 a.m.

Ricciardo: Maybe not on a Friday or Saturday night. It's a pretty crazy schedule. I'll end up chilling by the pool perhaps, when we get back at 4 a.m. before going to bed, but it's not as if we'd have any action on those nights if it were an afternoon race. Sunday's pretty good in Singapore though. The longer the race has been there, the more familiar the city has become with our schedule, and more restaurants and bars are staying open later. It's surprising what you can do at 4 a.m. in Singapore.

Daniil Kvyat

Q1: The Singapore Grand Prix is regularly the longest race of the season in terms of duration, and two of the last three races at Marina Bay have been ended by the clock rather than distance. How tough is such a long race for the drivers?

Kvyat: It's definitely one of the most challenging races of the championship. It's the longest, one of the hottest, one of the most physically demanding races we face, but having said that I do like the track because although it's a street circuit, it's quite a bit quicker than Monaco. As grands prix go, it tends to have more atmosphere than the average.

Q2: What does it feel like to get out of the car at the end of the race?

Kvyat: Last year it was extremely tough because my water bottle didn't work, so it was a very difficult race. But this year I think I'm much better prepared from a physical point of view, so it should be fine. For example, Malaysia this year felt a lot more comfortable than last year and it's similar, so I think I will be OK.

Q3: Do you enjoy the feel of the night race and the city?

Kvyat: The weekend has its own pace. We obviously try to stay on European time, so you're up later, but it's fine. I don't have a problem with switching on to night racing and the schedule. As for the city, it's difficult to find the time to go out in Singapore. When you arrive you do get to go out a bit, to go to the malls and have a look around, but to be honest it's not something you get much of an opportunity to do because once the race weekend starts the schedule makes it pretty difficult.

The Human Challenge in F1: Ole Shack, Singapore GP