German GP | Race top 3 drivers press conference report
It was a crazy race in Hockenheim under mixed conditions, with Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari), Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso) on top three. Fun fact: the podium was dominated by Helmut Marko’s young program drivers.
Post race press conference was surprisingly relaxed, with all podium finishers actually happy of their position at the end. Max Verstappen had his 7th career victory today, and was asked about how it tasted compared to the others: “It’s always different feeling but this was really good. It was really tricky out there, we stayed focused, we didn’t do too much mistakes. It was crucial today the communications with the team. Yeah, good victory.”
Sebastian Vettel was also quite happy after a disaster Saturday for him and the Scuderia. The German started last to become second under the chequered flag: “It was disappointing yesterday, when everything was ready. The car was ready, I was ready, the team was ready, but we did not qualify. I’m very happy obviously for the team first of all, I think we are pushing very hard, even if we are not where we want to be. But we have to keep believing in ourselves and our day will come”, Vettel said.
Four-time world champion also explained what was the key to get the result today, starting from last on the grid: “Today is very happy day for myself, it was happy for me to see the crowd standing every time I passed a car. Crazy race, a lot of decisions to make, a lot of communications with the pit wall. You have to stay calm, most of the time you’re right, sometimes you’re wrong. But with mixed conditions we were comfortable to make some progress. The safety car at the end helped, as I wasn’t even in top 10.”
Vettel reckoned that this could have been a race to win for Ferrari, but he is also aware that he got the best possible results after a difficult qualifying session: “I know Max finished 1st, so it’s not a victory. But started last, with the race we had, recovering in a very tough race. We could have lose focus or momentum, but it didn’t happen. Tough time for us as Ferrari. We have things we need to do better. But it’s important to keep to moral.”
From P2️⃣0️⃣ to P2️⃣ what a comeback 😍. You rock #Seb5 👊🏼🚀 #essereFerrari🔴#SF90 #GermanGP 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/ioQz83lwQI
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) July 28, 2019
The real outsider of the day was Daniil Kvyat: the Russian driver had an awesome race, giving Toro Rosso their second podium of the history. Former Red Bull driver was incredibly happy to achieve such an important result for the Faenza-based squad: “It was an incredible race for myself obviously, a lot of things going on for everyone. When I chose to go on slick, we had great timing, I thought that’s our moment and I was right. Great feeling on P3 and then P2, I knew I had tyres to arrive at the end of the race. It’s fantastic to be back on the podium, 11 years since last podium for the team with Sebastian”, Kvyat said.
Kvyat also reflected about how his life changed in the last few years, going back from Red Bull to Toro Rosso, then out of Formula 1 and again into Toro Rosso to get back the podium: “It was an incredible feeling. I dedicate that to my girlfriend and my daughter. I had an incredible few years in my life, sometimes with tough times and I thought F1 was over for me. I didn’t think to be back in the podium again, but in life you should never give up, just keep it cool. I think there is no stronger message than a podium.”
To everyone in Toro Rosso, from Faenza to Bicester and to Sakura. This one’s for you! 🏆
— Toro Rosso (@ToroRosso) July 28, 2019
#GermanGP 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/roZzdj4J1W
