Read what the drivers had to say after the Singapore Grand Prix
Ferrari
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Force India
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HRT
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Lotus
Heikki Kovalainen - 16th "I'm really pleased with the performance today and we should all be happy as it was a great race from the whole team. The pitstop strategy worked out well for us and the boys worked brilliantly to get me out quickly each time, helping me make sure I could stay ahead of Petrov at each stop. The car felt balanced throughout the whole race and the tyres worked well so I was able to pull away from Petrov and ended up finishing strongly in 16th. It's also good that the upgrade we've brought here has helped us take a small step forward and I think we'll see more from that in Suzuka where it will come more into its own. After a race like today I can't wait to get back in the car, so we leave Singapore feeling pretty good about the last few races of the season."
Jarno Trulli - DNF "I had another really good start and was ahead of both Renaults and the Toro Rosso. They were pushing me but the car felt great and I was able to keep ahead of them pretty comfortably, coming out of the first stop still ahead and feeling good on the second set of tyres. Then Jaime hit my left rear and I had to come which was pretty disappointing - it's just bad luck really, but that meant I had to try and fight back which I did my best to do until the gearbox problem meant I had to pull over. I'm pleased for the team that we were able to fight from the start and I think it's a good sign that we could do so well in the race, but now we move on to Japan and I hope we can keep pushing on there."
Mike Gascoyne, chief technical officer "Mixed reactions from me because that was possibly our strongest race performance, particularly early on, but it obviously did not end for Jarno as we would have wanted. Jarno drove a very good first stint and by switching the strategy and stopping Heikki early we were able to control the cars behind us that we were racing at that point. When we pitted Jarno we got him back out in front of the cars he was racing but unfortunately Alguersuari hit him, causing a left rear puncture and ruining his race. He kept pushing when we got him back out but finally he had to stop with a gearbox problem. Heikki drove a very strong race and it was good to beat one of the Renaults on pace today, both on track and in the pitstops. It is a shame we could not get both cars to the finish, but this was still a very good performance from the whole team."
Tony Fernandes, team principal "For me that is probably the best race we have had in our short life in Formula One so far. Heikki drove an outstanding race and was able to keep pace with a lot of the cars around him, and pull away from the cars behind, and he made the most of the new package we brought here to finish very well. Jarno again suffered from bad luck and maybe the strategy we gave him was not the best, but we called it as we saw it and I am sure we will learn from how his race worked out. I am delighted for everyone back at the factory to see their hard work on the upgrade work out well on track, and I think we can look forward to a strong end to the season, knowing we can fight with established teams around us when the opportunities arise."
McLaren
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Mercedes
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Red Bull
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Renault
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Sauber
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Toro Rosso
Sebastien Buemi - 12th "I think twelfth was pretty much the maximum I could have hoped for today. If one analyses the weekend overall, I would say we did not have enough downforce, reflected in the fact we had a very good top speed down the straights, but were not fast enough through the corners. But of course, it is always easy to say these things and be wise in hindsight. Degradation was quite high and we opted for three tyre stops. I expect that, with the car we have, we should be much more competitive at a track like Suzuka, so I am looking forward to going to Japan for the next round. Before that, we must analyse the data from this race very carefully, to see how we can improve for future races at this type of track."
Jaime Alguersuari - DNF "We already knew on Saturday what sort of race we would have today and although ready to do my best, I was not expecting much from this evening. I had a lot of oversteer after the first few laps onwards. With a couple of laps to go I crashed into the barriers and that was my race over. Looking at my performance and that of my team-mate, who was on a different strategy to me - I was on a two stop - I don't think points would have been on the agenda for us this weekend. As for the drive-through, I am not really sure why I got it, as I only made very light contact with Trulli."
Franz Tost, team principal "This was not our weekend, as we were behind right from the start, after experiencing difficulties in Friday free practice. Qualifying was therefore difficult and, starting 14th and 16th, having got both cars through to Q2, clearly we were going to have a tough race on a street circuit. This evening, we did the best we could, even though we were simply not quick enough. Sebastien got the most out of the package we gave him for today. As for Jaime, I still do not understand why he was given a drive-through penalty, which completely compromised his race and ruined the strategy we had planned for him. We must now look to improve on this front before tackling a very different type of circuit, as we head to the next race at Suzuka in Japan."
Virgin
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Williams
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