2016 Japanese Grand Prix team radio transcript

2016 Japanese Grand Prix

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All 22 drivers finished the Japanese Grand Prix but for some of them it had been a frustrating day at the wheel.

Carlos Sainz Jnr had a “horrible race” in his Toro Rosso, frustrated by his car’s lack of power with its 2015 Ferrari hardware. He has been out of the points for the last half-a-dozen races as other teams out-developed Toro Rosso.

Another driver facing disappointment when the chequered flag fell was gRomain Grosjean. Both Haas drivers started inside the top ten but neither of them finished there. Grosjean came close but Esteban Gutierrez finished well behind following a run-in with Sainz.

The other main theme of the race on the radios was the growing frustration drivers had with backmarkers. The Ferrari drivers were particularly vocal on the subject, although as always we only get to heard the messages chosen by Formula One Management.

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2016 Japanese Grand Prix team radio transcript

Lap*DriverMessage
PRTo Jolyon Palmer

OK Jo so behind you… Medium, Nasr is on hard, both Manor on softs and Button on hard. And in front of you… and Alonso on soft.
PRFrom Jolyon PalmerCopy that.
PRFrom Sergio PerezRear brakes are really hot.
1To Pascal Wehrlein

Ignore brake warning Pascal.
3From Lewis HamiltonSorry guys.
3To Lewis Hamilton

No stress, Lewis.
3To Lewis Hamilton

So DRS is now enabled, Raikkonen 0.7 ahead. Vettel made it past Perez with ease so maybe Raikkonen will do the same with Hulkenberg.
4To Daniil Kvyat

Update on tyres and balance when you can.
4From Daniil KvyatAll stable at the moment.
6From Romain GrosjeanHe completely pushed me off track braking for turn one.
6To Romain Grosjean

OK understood we will report it.
7From Pascal WehrleinI can go a lot faster.
7To Pascal Wehrlein

OK Pascal you are racing Esteban in front, you are racing him.
7From Jenson ButtonAt the moment I’m struggling to turn these tyres on.
8To Lewis Hamilton

OK Lewis this is looking up, some other cars are now struggling on their tyres, you’ve just seen Raikkonen. Remember need to keep these tyres alive as long as possible. Gap’s now 1.2.
8From Max VerstappenStarting to struggle a bit more with just general grip.
9To Sergio Perez

Checo if we can keep with this soft of pace we are clearing Saubers and Renaults from our pit window.
10From Max VerstappenOK I’m really starting to struggle also with the left-rear.
10To Max Verstappen

OK copy Max.
11To Valtteri Bottas

Is there any more pace in the car? Or is this the max given strategy?
11From Valtteri BottasThere is more pace, the car in front is limiting me. Tyres still OK.
12To Sebastian Vettel

We go to Plan B for prime, box Sebastian.
14To Romain Grosjean

Excellent. Next is Magnussen. Good job.
14To Daniil Kvyat

Back to scenario four, battery is low, no overtake Button. Come on, Danny.
15To Daniel Ricciardo

OK mate nice job.
16From Marcus EricssonI’ve got some rear deg and it’s helping me with the balance.
16To Marcus Ericsson

Exactly, exactly. Pace is good like this, deg is flat, so let’s keep it like that.
16To Nico Hulkenberg

Got Massa ahead holding the group up, he’s a second and a half slower than us.
17To Daniil Kvyat

Keep looking after…
17From Daniil KvyatGuys I don’t know what to do at the moment.
17To Daniil Kvyat

Copy. Keep looking after the tyres.
18From Daniil KvyatGuys, it’s getting quite hot here.
19From Max VerstappenUndersteer a little bit, but also a little bit of oversteer.
20To Jenson Button

Box this lap Jenson, we’re sure.
20From Jenson ButtonBox, box.
20To Daniil Kvyat

Scenario four Danny, scenario four. The battery is full for scenario five.
20From Daniil KvyatYeah but I need to defend? [Censored by FOM] sake.
21From Fernando AlonsoAye, aye, aye. I’ve been preparing the overtake in three laps and now there is yellow flag and no DRS. Unbelievable.
21From Esteban GutierrezWhat the hell was he doing?
21To Esteban Gutierrez

What happened? We’ll report it.
21From Esteban GutierrezHe blocked me completely.
21To Esteban Gutierrez

OK, understood.
21From Nico HulkenbergHulkenberg passed Bottas.
See you later.
23To Jolyon Palmer

OK Jo we need to be careful turn one, defending from Grosjean, only one change of position, please.
23From Jolyon PalmerOK.
23From Romain GrosjeanOh, happened again.
23To Romain Grosjean

We’re shouting to him, dude, we’re shouting it.
24From Jenson ButtonIs Nasr holding the queue up?
24To Jenson Button

Yes, at the moment Nasr is holding the queue up.
24From Max VerstappenStarting to lose the rear a little bit on traction.
24To Max Verstappen

OK copy Max. Still a few laps left to go in this stint, mate. Keep it under controls. Just keep on top of your tools, Max.
26From Felipe NasrI flat-spotted the hard
26To Felipe Nasr

Understood.
26To Kimi Raikkonen

Pit opposite Ricciardo.
26From Kimi RaikkonenPit lane. I don’t know if you meant to come in.
26To Kimi Raikkonen

Yep, good, good.
26To Max Verstappen

For info Max, Massa has done a 24-lap stint on medium with relatively low deg.
27To Fernando Alonso

OK Fernando we need to push now.
27From Fernando AlonsoWith which? With which tyres to push now?
27To Nico Rosberg

And push hard now.
28From Max VerstappenUnbelievable mate, they’re just not moving.
28To Max Verstappen

I know. I think they’ve been given it… Well, they will be given the instruction, so hopefully you get through both of them in one hit.
29From Daniel RicciardoWouldn’t go too much longer on these tyres, though, they’re starting to drop off quite a bit.
30From Sebastian VettelBlue flag, honestly. It’s ridiculous, I mean, it’s ridiculous. Honestly. Lost a second. For nothing. For [censored by FOM] sake.
31From Sebastian VettelBlue flag, make that Sauber go. Make him go! For pity’s sake make him go. I mean, what do you want to know? Suzuka is a quick track, it’s difficult to pass, you lose behind another car. I mean, it’s ridiculus.
31To Sebastian Vettel

Copy that Sebastian. Keep your head down, it’s a long race.
31From Carlos Sainz JnrOK they passed me this is [censored by FOM] horrible. [Censored by FOM].
33To Lewis Hamilton

This is going to be tight with Raikkonen on exit and we’re racing Vettel so we’re just going to need all you got, mate.
33To Romain Grosjean

OK good job dude. Our race with the two Williams ahead is at the end, will be at the end when their tyres are dropping off.
33From Sergio PerezSo why did you give the lap to Nico? Why you box him?
33To Sergio Perez

Checo because you were safe and we need the tyre life.
36To Kimi Raikkonen

Update on compound: Everyone is on primes [hards] around you. The only person in front, Seb on quallies [softs]. The rest of the guys are racing on primes.
37To Jenson Button

Nice work Jenson, great lap, nice work.
38From Sebastian VettelPulling away, he’s pulling away on the straights.
38To Sebastian Vettel

Keep your head down, the race is not over.
38To Carlos Sainz Jnr

OK Carlos which compound you think is the best for the next, hard or soft?
38From Carlos Sainz JnrDo we have to do a lot of overtaking?
38To Carlos Sainz Jnr

Confirm.
38From Carlos Sainz JnrI don’t know, the hard is feeling good but it’s difficult to overtake with this tyre.
38To Carlos Sainz Jnr

Understood.
39To Daniel Ricciardo

Hamilton and Vettel just ahead of him are in a tight battle, might get interesting later.
41To Max Verstappen

We are working on this blue flag situation, mate.
41From Max VerstappenYeah, it’s a joke.
41To Max Verstappen

Yep.
41To Esteban Gutierrez

OK now we can…
41From Esteban GutierrezWhat a [censored by FOM].
41To Esteban Gutierrez

Come on, get back into the rhythm, we need to try to do our best.
42From Sebastian VettelBlue flag, I mean it can’t be true, can it?
42To Kimi Raikkonen

OK so gap to Ricciardo now 11.6 seconds. His last lap in free air was…
42From Kimi RaikkonenYeah fine but I’m losing so much lap time to [censored by FOM] lapped cars.
42To Kimi Raikkonen

Understood.
43From Max VerstappenWhen did they stop giving the blue flags? They are not listening.
43To Sebastian Vettel

Verstappen’s lap times 7.1. Hamilton lap time 6.6…
43From Sebastian VettelBlue flags. I get them always up the hill. Can’t be true.
43From Sebastian VettelBlue flag, come on, blue flag.
44To Max Verstappen

Tyre temps are looking a little bit cold now Max having lost a bit of pace through the blue flags. So start to pick up your pace a bit, that will improve the grip.
44From Max VerstappenI’m trying.
44To Nico Rosberg

So just be aware front tyres are now dropping to the bottom of the window,
46From Kimi RaikkonenCome on, move out of the way. They are seriously slowing me down, the lapped cars.
46To Kimi Raikkonen

Understood Kimi unfortunately there are four or five of them I’m afraid.
46From Kimi RaikkonenYeah when the first one doesn’t pull out of the way it doesn’t help.
46To Kimi Raikkonen

Understood.
46From Kimi RaikkonenCome on I’ve been more than half a lap behind them.
46To Kimi Raikkonen

We’re on it.
46To Kimi Raikkonen

OK we’ve spoken to Charlie, he’s on the case.
46From Kimi RaikkonenYeah I mean one lap it took [censored by FOM] one lap to let me past.
47To Nico Rosberg

So gap to Verstappen still at five seconds. He’s pushing quite hard because he’s got Lewis close behind him, just be aware.
49From Sebastian VettelBlue flag.
49To Sebastian Vettel

Copy that, he has blue flag.
49From Sebastian VettelYeah but he doesn’t move. Make him move! [Censored by FOM] sake.
50From Kimi RaikkonenCome on ask him to move over. Everybody takes one lap, it’s ridiculous.
50From Kimi RaikkonenCome on give him a penalty then. It’s a joke now.
50To Kimi Raikkonen

Charlie is on it. Charlie is on the case.
50From Kimi RaikkonenCome on it’s two laps now. If this is not a penalise [unclear].
50To Fernando Alonso

We need to let Raikkonen past. Behind him close behind is Sainz and Jenson on 11-lap-old options.
50From Kimi RaikkonenFinally they let us past, it only took two laps.
50To Kimi Raikkonen

Let’s get back in the rhythm. Hopefully Ericsson’s a bit easier. Remember Ricciardo’s got to go through all this as well.
50From Carlos Sainz JnrWhat a [censored by FOM] nightmare. It’s incredible, we can do nothing.
52To Romain Grosjean

Let’s go, last chance, blue flag Rosberg.
53From Lewis HamiltonMax moved under braking.
VLTo Pascal Wehrlein

OK Pascal not really what we wanted. But your pace on that last stint before the blue falgs particularly was very impressive indeed.
VLTo Fernando Alonso

OK Fernando that is the chequered flag, P16. It was a very tough race but you fought all the way to the end like a true amurai.
VLTo Jenson Button

So Jenson we finished 18th. It was always going to be tough starting where we did at this circuit. I think you drove well today. And we have a new engine in the car that will see us through the reat of the year. Well done.
VLFrom Marcus EricssonI think did everything I could there. I think it was a good race. Magnussen undercut us.
VLTo Marcus Ericsson

Exactly. For me that first stop could have been brought a couple of laps earlier because if we’d lost traffic to Ocon…
VLTo Romain Grosjean

Good drive man, sorry you gave it a good go.
VLFrom Romain Grosjean[Censored by FOM] I never had a 11th place that hurt that much. What happened the start was [censored by FOM] but what happened? Honestly, we had the pace to do better. [Censored by FOM] we have bad luck today.
VLTo Romain Grosjean

Yeah man. Palmer made it difficult for us. You did a good drive. Frustrating stuff. You gave it a go at the end, thanks for giving it a go.
VLFrom Romain GrosjeanWell that’s my job. Well done everyone. Sorry we couldn’t do better.
VLTo Esteban Gutierrez

Not the race that we wanted but keep chin up, the result will come.
VLTo Esteban Ocon

Good job Esteban. I know we struggled for pace but I think that’s a good race in the end.
VLTo Jolyon Palmer

OK Jo that’s the chequered flag. P12, good race mate, nice battle with Button. Good race mate. Nice battle with Button.
VLFrom Jolyon PalmerCheers mate. Good race all round I think.
VLTo Jolyon Palmer

Yeah your pace was good.
VLFrom Jolyon PalmerI lost a lot of time with Button, though.
VLTo Jolyon Palmer

Yeah it was difficult but you did well with the battery management.
VLFrom Carlos Sainz JnrYeah what a waste of a race. What a horrible race. All the time behind cars, incredible. Impossible to overtake. I don’t know.
VLTo Nico Rosberg

Woohoo! So won in the land of the rising sun. Really good job Nico.
VLFrom Nico RosbergThanks a lot guys, amazing weekend, and congrats to the win on the constructors’.
VLFrom Jenson ButtonYeah, very tough day. Worse than expected, I must say. Didn’t actually feel that bad but obviously it is at moment around here. But Austin’ll be a big improvement. We know it’ll suit us a lot better. Had some fun at least, good overtaking, so that was fun.

Lap: Refers to lap message was broadcast on. There may be a delay between messages being said and being broadcast. PR = pre-race; FL = formation lap; VL = victory lap.
Message: Repetitive or irrelevant messages omitted. Notes in italics. Highlights in bold.

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Japanese Grand Prix data

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    Keith Collantine
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    4 comments on “2016 Japanese Grand Prix team radio transcript”

    1. Hulkenberg’s pass on Bottas and his radio comment thereafter is gradually making more sense now.
      Three aspects to consider:
      1. Force India is quicker than Williams on track and its not just race circumstances that has helped the former.
      2. NH can pull off bold passes cleanly which is something perhaps Renault was looking for in their lead driver.
      3. VB keeps on being passed now and then.

    2. …And bolded highlights are back. That’s what I’m talking about!
      (Thanks)

      1. You’re welcome!

    3. I’m so relieved that the FIA removed radio message restrictions, and FOM decided to increase the number of messages telecast. Although I’m still conscious that removing blue flag messages will reduce the number of messages by roughly a third! 😁

    Comments are closed.