RICCIARDO FINISHES 10TH, KVYAT 12TH AT THE 2015 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX

June 29, 2015 by Infiniti

Quotes and news from the 2015 Austrian Grand Prix Race

DANIEL RICCIARDO, Finish Position: 10th, Start Position: 18th

'I was pleased with the car during the race. I was trying to push as much as I could towards the end to catch Perez, but the boys behind me were fighting for the podium and I had to respect that. I was really happy with the option tire; the balance of the car worked well. To finish tenth is a good result from where we started today. I'm staying on here for a day's testing this week, and I hope that despite the bad weather forecast we'll be able to get some useful work done before the next round in Silverstone.'

DANIIL KVYAT, Finish Position: 12th, Start Position: 15th

'It was a very tough race today. The front wing was damaged on the first lap, and from then on my race was massively compromised. The bodywork damage affected the grip for the entire race, which made the car difficult to drive. I think points were possible today if it hadn't been for the damage, so that's disappointing.'

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal

'From the grid position that Daniel started from today, it was a strong drive from him to score a point. He effectively ran the race in reverse; running the slower tire at the beginning of the race, and then fitting the softer tire at the stop. Dany after a great start, with what was happening ahead of him, unfortunately made contact with the back of Perez. That caused significant damage to the underside of the car, and from there the goal was to make it to the end of the race.'

THIERRY SALVI, Renault

'The results were pretty much as expected this weekend. We decided with the team to introduce the fifth ICE for both drivers, knowing we would have to take the penalties. We knew that they would make the race hard work and it was, but both drivers never gave up and at least Daniel could score some points. Now we have got the penalties out the way and have the latest spec of ICE on the car, we have got a bit of breathing space to deal with the power unit elements for the next races. Silverstone should suit us better.'

AUSTRIA GP – QUALIFYING

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DANIIL KVYAT, Position: 8*, (3rd Practice – 14, 1:11.139)

'We did all we could today with the tricky conditions we had. We got the most out of the car and the session that we could, which is positive. Starting from where we will be starting, it will be a difficult race for us, but if we can get a few points, that will be a good result for the team. We still have a lot of work to do, because qualifying around seventh and eighth is not where we want to be.'

DANIEL RICCIARDO, Position: 14*, (3rd Practice – 16, 1:11.819)

'It was an unlucky Q2 for us. We lost some temperature in the brakes, and I was losing time that I couldn't make up in the high-speed straights. We made a compromise with the set up this weekend to accommodate the penalty we would be facing; we sacrificed some downforce for some straight-line speed. The grid position doesn't change much for us with the penalty. We'll try and do what we can in the race tomorrow.'

CHRISTIAN HORNER

'Our first thoughts today are with the victims of the terrible tragedy in Graz and their relatives. As to our performance on the track our focus was very much on a race set up. Dany did a good job to qualify eighth. He probably could have been a bit quicker, but the yellow flag for the Mercedes incident meant there was no DRS allowed. It was a difficult session for Daniel, who had some issues on the downshift that we need to look into. It's going to be a challenging race for us tomorrow, but we'll do the best we can.'

* Penalties to be applied

AUSTRIA GP – FRIDAY PRACTICE

DANIIL KVYAT

First Practice Session: Position: 6, Best Time: 1:11.642, Laps: 31

Second Practice Session: Position: 12, Best Time: 1:10.686, Laps: 48

'It's been a relatively normal Friday for us, and we know there are a few things we can work on now. If we do our homework overnight, hopefully we can find some improvements for tomorrow. Even with the penalties, we have to keep pushing, as anything can happen in the race. This track is not easy for us but we will try our best.'

DANIEL RICCIARDO

First Practice Session: Position: 7, Best Time: 1:11.724, Laps: 29

Second Practice Session: Position: 17, Best Time: 1:11.676, Laps: 38

'The track conditions were tricky today. I think it was a combination of low temperatures and the smooth surface which made it difficult to generate tire temperature. We didn't manage to put it all together for the short runs, and I didn't improve on the option because of a mistake in the last corner. But we'll get on top of it tomorrow and hopefully get into the top eight on the grid. We were prepared to take the penalty here, so we'll be starting further back, but hopefully we can have some fun overtaking. We've had a tough season so far, but everyone is really motivated and determined to keep pushing.'

PREVIEW

Daniel Ricciardo

Q1: Like the majority of the field, last year you were an Austrian GP noob. What did you make of the circuit?

Ricciardo: Not one of our strongest, but good nonetheless. It's short. There aren't a lot of corners, but the corners that there are good. There are a couple of proper quick turns and plenty to catch you out. It's a fast track. You can have a good scrap as well. I finished the race in a really good tussle with The Hulk. Good stuff.

Q2: Which are the signature corners?

Ricciardo: Turn One is pretty cool as it climbs up the hill. It looks tight but actually it isn't. It's pretty quick, about third gear, and it opens up nicely. Turn Two is interesting as you climb a lot into what's quite a tight right-hander, going uphill and off-camber. The second-last corner as well: That's quick too. It's quite flowing. There's two tight corners but the rest are quick – third gear and up.

Q3: What impressed you most about the event?

Ricciardo: The buzz. With everyone camping around the track, the atmosphere was like going to a festival – everyone sitting out in the sun, drinking beer, listening to music, up in the mountains. Yeah, I could go for a bit of that – massive crowd of course, and genuinely supportive of the event – not just the Red Bull teams but the entire grid. It was really noticeable on the drivers' parade, which was by far the most lively of the whole year.

Q4: You were the only driver to truly embrace the promotional lederhosen in 2014. Can you describe the experience?

Ricciardo: I was rather cautious so gave them a test run early in the week before rocking up in them on race day to maximize my Austrian Grand Prix experience. They're surprisingly comfortable – a bit stiff at first but they come in after a while and develop a bit of give. I'm not saying they're the thing for a 20-hour flight to Perth, but I reckon Oktoberfest, with a couple of beers, yeah, you'd be OK for a day.

Daniil Kvyat

Q1: Austria returned to the calendar last year for the first time in over a decade, and the general feeling was that it was a great weekend. Did you like racing there?

Kvyat: First of all, I really enjoy the track. It's a really good circuit. I already knew the track well, as I had raced there before in junior series, so I was really looking forward to going back.

Q2: What series had you raced there previously?

Kvyat: I raced there in Formula Renault and also in Formula 3. Dany won both races at the circuit during his 2012 Formula Renault 2.0 Alps campaign and was on pole and finished second in all three FIA European Formula 3 Championship races at the track in 2013. It's great fun to drive – actually I think one of the best circuits on the calendar. It's fast. It flows well. The lap is pretty busy. It's a good circuit and I have good memories of it.

Q3: It is, of course, Red Bull Racing's home race so, there is a huge amount of attention on the team locally. Are you up for that?

Kvyat: It should be OK. I was at Toro Rosso last year, so we didn't have too much pressure from a media point of view – certainly not as much as the Red Bull Racing guys – so it was pretty easy from my point of view. But it's a good atmosphere, and the team's home race is obviously important. However, I don't think you can let it distract you. It's just racing in the end, and I'll try to enjoy the weekend as much as possible.

Q4: For a lot of F1 people, last year's race seems to have a really nice relaxed feel to it. Was it the same for you?

Kvyat: Yeah, definitely. Last year we stayed about 45 minutes away in a small village, which was actually really nice. It was very quiet – very peaceful, but maybe not the easiest place to get to. This year I think we're staying somewhere a little closer to the track, somewhere a little more efficient in terms of getting to the circuit.