Italian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Renault

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - RENAULT SPORT FORMULA 1 TEAM

Kevin Magnussen - "I'm feeling okay. It was a big crash (at Spa) and I was sore but fortunately had nothing worse than a bruised ankle. I've had some more checks in Denmark and am working with my physio to keep fit. I feel I'm ready to race in Monza. The FIA will of course have the final word but I really want to and I'm confident that by then it will be fine.

I think that the fact it has so much history makes it a special event. The track is unique as well, with very long straights and slow corners. It does have some high speed corners that are a challenge too, so it's just really cool. Added to that you have one of the best atmospheres of the season. In all honesty it's not been the best track for me but it has been ok. I have had podiums in nearly everything I've driven but never won there, so clearly we need to fix that!"

Jolyon Palmer - "It's a very special track, and one I absolutely love. There is so much history there; so many races have been held at Monza and lots of great drivers have won, particularly back in the old days when you needed to be quick and incredibly brave. Then there is the passion of the crowd – you can hear the fans when you drive round. The track itself is very old school and it's fun to drive. We take off a lot of down force so parts are flat out and there can be a lot of overtaking. It's good fun.

I won and took pole in GP2 plus I've won twice in F2, so it's been a good one for me. I really enjoy racing at Monza and I think it's actually one of my best tracks. I did FP1 last year as well so I've driven it in an F1 car, which is good experience, so I'm really looking forward to getting there and out in the car.

We go to Monza knowing it will be tough as it does not suit the characteristics of the car too much. However we also thought Spa was going to be tough and it was better than expected, particularly in qualifying. We need to approach it fresh, confident that at each race we are moving forward and in the fight now and see how we do."

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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Belgian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Force India

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SAHARA FORCE INDIA F1 TEAM

Nico Hulkenberg - "It's nice to get back to action after a month without racing. Holidays are fun – you spend time with your friends, take your mind off work and recharge your batteries – but nothing beats the thrill of a Formula One car. So it's great to be back, and I can't think of a better place to return to racing than Belgium.

Spa is one of the best tracks out there. It may sound like a cliche, but it really is great fun to drive it - it's up there with Suzuka. It's got great flow, lots of challenging and ballsy corners, high speeds and changes of elevation. It's just a great place. Everyone talks about Eau Rouge, but my favourite corner in Spa is Pouhon – the very quick downhill double-left hander. Eau Rouge and Raidillon are legendary, but they're not the challenge they used to be.

For all the excitement on track, Belgium is one of the quietest weekends off it. It's the opposite of some of the “lifestyle” events like Barcelona, Budapest or Montreal – but it's a nice change to have some more relaxed events. Hopefully we will be able to pick up where we left off in Germany and continue showing our points-scoring form."

Sergio Perez - "The summer break was a great opportunity to relax, especially as this season is quite long and the races don't leave us too much time to recover. It was nice to spend some time in Mexico, with my family, my dogs and my friends: it's always great to go home and I can't wait to be back there later in the year when we come racing in Mexico City.

Spa is one of the most historical tracks; one of those kids dream about, with legendary corners like Eau Rouge. You never get a boring race there. There are many fast corners and you pay a price for all mistakes because it's an old-school track with not much run-off. It's one of the circuits where the driver can make a difference and bravery is rewarded. I have got some great memories from Spa: I won there in GP2 and I had a battle for the lead against Hamilton on the first lap last year.

The key to being fast around Spa is having a good rhythm and enough down force to be quick in the corners without losing too much on the straights. You want to be able to attack and defend in sector one, but not have too little wing to be struggling in the twisty parts of sector two. It's a fine balance you need to strike and it can make or break your weekend.

We have been really strong in the last few races before the break and hopefully we can keep this form in the second part of the season. Being in the battle for fourth place in the championship gives us a lot of motivation and we approach every weekend knowing we can be strong. I am enjoying my driving and working with the team, and I think we have everything in place to be competitive this weekend."

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk

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New Ownership For Sauber

SAUBER SECURES FUTURE WITH NEW OWNERSHIP

    Swiss company Longbow Finance has taken ownership of the Sauber group in a move that they hope will secure the team’s future in Formula One.

    President of the board of directors, Peter Sauber will retire from all functions, and is succeeded as by Pascal Picci, the president and CEO of Longbow Finance.

    “As a Swiss company, we are pleased with having secured the future of a Swiss presence in a highly specialised and innovative industry,” Picci said.

    Sauber have been struggling with money problems for years, and the results have reflected that struggle. The team is yet to score a point this season, and finished eighth last year.

    Longbow Finance plan to not only keep the team afloat, but to “create the basis for a competitive and successful future” of the team.

    There will be a change behind the scenes to try and bring in the results, though both the name and team principal, Monisha Kaltenborn, will remain the same.

    Kaltenborn is optimistic about the deal.

    “We are convinced that Longbow Finance S.A is the perfect partner to again make the team competitive and successful in Formula One,” she said. “At the same time, the new structure will allow us to finally further expand our third party business in which we commercialise our know-how.”

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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British GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “(Another point this weekend) would be very nice but let’s be clear - this is a different race track and a different weekend. At the last Grand Prix we seemed to have improved a few things things that were holding us back. We didn’t suffer with tyre degradation as much as we have previously and our pace was strong - we were able to race for more than 40 laps on a single set of soft tyres, which is a measure of just how well we got the car working that weekend. That doesn’t automatically translate to the next circuit, or even the one after that, but if you can say you did everything right and got the maximum possible from the car we have, then that’s a good result.”

Rio Haryanto - “It will be a fantastic occasion; I can’t wait. There’s a real buzz about the team at the moment after the first point and that’s incredible to see and feel. It’s really important to me that we put on the best show possible this weekend for everybody who has worked so hard and contributed to that result in Austria.”

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk

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