ADPARA>Although its drivers finished short of winning the title, Red Bull Racing-Renault sums up its 2009 Formula One season as "fantastic", with Germany's Sebastian Vettel and Australia's Mark Webber having made a leap from the season before by finishing in second and fourth in the final standings. The two drivers scored a combined 153.5 points to push the team from seventh in 2008 to second place behind eventual Jenson Button's Brawn-Mercedes. In a recent written interview with The Jakarta Post's Musthofid, both Vettel and Webber are looking forward to next season's challenges, confident that the team has built a strong base for their championship aspiration. The following are excerpts from the interview, which also includes comments from team principal Christian Horner.
How do you sum up this season's race?
SV: Fantastic. To win lots of races and finish second in the drivers' championship is excellent. And I am happy about this result. But still we did make some mistakes, which we have to analyze over the winter in order to be better next year.
MW: I've been very happy with my performance this year and also with that of my team. I was very nervous at the start of the year that things were going to be challenging following my accident, but the team was very patient with me. If you'd asked me at the beginning of the year if I would be happy to finish the season with eight podiums, two wins, three fastest laps and a pole position - I would have taken them! It's been a very rewarding season.
CH: Second is a fantastic achievement for the team. In many respects the team is still very young and it's only our fifth season in Formula One. To have achieved 16 podiums, six wins, five pole positions and six fastest laps, including four one-two finishes, as well as in excess of 150 points is a massive achievement. We were championship contenders right up until the penultimate race. However, the championship ultimately wasn't lost in Brazil and you have to show respect to the season that Jenson and Brawn had.
Does the team give you equal chances in the run for the championship?
SV: There is no number-one driver at Red Bull Racing. Mark Webber and I are treated equally and always given identical equipment.
MW: Yes. The team has been very fair, I must say, in the way they have treated Sebastian and I this year.
Are you happy with the pit team performance?
SV: Yes. Very happy with how the year went, although there are a few small details we can improve on for the future.
MW: Overall, Red Bull can be incredibly proud of what they have done, my boys in the garage worked so hard all year and do a very good job. We have a good base to go forward for next year.
You have won two series. Why do you think you were unable to keep up this performance? What were the reasons for this?
MW: You have to be in the right team with the right car. Look at Lewis (Hamilton) for example. He was World Champion in 2008, but was being lapped at the start of this year. I'm now in the right team with the right car.
Do you think you could have been better than fourth in the final standings?
MW: There was a point in the middle of the championship where I started to think so, yes - as I was second in the standings. But then we didn't score so well at the races immediately after the August break. I think we did what we could in Monza, Valencia and Spa. It was only Japan where we weren't able to take part in qualifying, where I felt we had a wasted opportunity. My car had the potential to get a very good result there.
What do you expect the team to do to help you push to title contention?
SV: As long as the whole team carries on working hard like it has done this year then that is all a driver can ask of a team. Results also depend on your opponents.
MW: We will be aiming to win the World Championship. We know other teams are catching us and everyone will be working hard over the winter, but we have a good baseline to start from, so I feel good.
CH: There's no room for complacency in this sport. We've beaten some formidable opponents this year, but they're not going to be sleeping. We'll learn lessons from this year and I think, as the team has developed, it's only got stronger. I'm convinced it can continue to evolve and, with continuity in our lineup, we're perfectly placed to build on this year's campaign.
After winning in Japan, you struggled in Brazil which "helped" Button take the championship sooner than people might have expected. What made you unable to carry on winning that might have brought the championship to a decider in Abu Dhabi?
SV: I don't think winning the title in the penultimate race was "sooner than people might have expected!" Jenson had a big points lead from the early races. He drove very well in Brazil and had the most points, so he deserved to be champion.
SV: Brawn had an advantage at the start of the year, but there is no reason to think they cannot also be challengers to keep the title next year.
SV: They were the first to exploit the double diffuser, giving them an advantage in the first few races, so they built up a very big points lead while the other teams had to catch up on the technical front.
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