“His car is on fire”: 2017 British GP qualifying team radio highlights

2017 British Grand Prix

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Kimi Raikkonen pointed out one of his rival’s brakes had caught fire during qualifying. Here’s the best messages from today’s sessions.

Third practice

Rain started to fall during the final hour of practice.

To Vandoorne: “These are new brakes.”

Alonso: “One pass or an installation?”
“Just an install, coming back into the pits.”

Kvyat: “It’s obviously very cold but it’s not drizzle anywhere.”

Hamilton: “There was a lot of de-rates there.”
“OK, copy.”

Raikkonen: “It’s started to rain.”

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Qualifying

The rain returned as qualifying began.

“How’s conditions?”
Raikkonen: “Rainy.”

Verstappen: “It’s raining more.”
“Understand Max. Rain has eased at the pit wall.”
Verstappen: “Yeah there’s a lot more at the back.”

The first part of qualifying was interrupted by a red flag when Daniel Ricciardo stopped on the track. Several drivers found they were already wearing out their intermediate tyres.

Verstappen: “My left-front is destroyed and the first sector is very slippery. The second sector is also not great.”

To Raikkonen: “So we’re expecting around three more minutes of rain Kimi.”

Bravely, Fernando Alonso gambled on slick tyres at the end of Q1. He began his final lap with hundredths of a second to spare, but set the quickest time of the session.

Alonso: “I think it’s OK for dries.”

“Alonso: “Can you tell me which is the last lap to stop and one timed lap?”
“We can go once past and then we would have to come in.”

“Alonso still to finish a lap.”
Raikkonen: “His car is on fire. The right-rear brake is completely on fire.”
“On Ocon?”

Wehrlein: “I had no tyres left in the dry. Probably was a bit too dry.”
“OK, understood.”

Stroll: “I couldn’t improve on my last lap.”

For the second part of qualifying all the drivers switched to slicks. But grip levels remained poor.

To Bottas: “Little bit of rain in turn seven to nine, just be aware of that.”

To Kvyat: “Everyone on dry tyres.”

To Kvyat: “Tyres on the low side. Same for everyone.”

Hulkenberg: “Let me know in turn nine [Copse] how other cars get on. It’s the wettest part.”
“No issues turn nine.”

Massa: “Corner nine [Copse] is damp, it’s very easy to go off there, I almost went off.”

Vettel: “What the hell is Perez doing? It’s the second time now. He needs to watch his mirrors. Austria was the same thing.”

To Perez: “Maximum attack on the out lap if you think there’s a chance of getting timed lap one as we’re out at the moment.”

Despite his starring role in Q1, Alonso failed to make the cut for Q3.

Alonso: “Wow.”
“Yeah sorry about that traffic, that was a pretty chaotic lap. We are P13 that’s good.”

Romain Grosjean fumed at being held up by Hamilton in Q3. Hamilton was later cleared of impeding the Haas driver.

“OK Romain so you lost three-tenths from that.”
Grosjean: “Yes.”
We’ve reported it.”
Grosjean: “There was no one in front and obviously I was on a fast lap, so…”

To Vandoorne: “Great job, ahead of Grosjean for now, I’ll keep you updated.”

To Hamilton: “Nice work Lewis, looks like pole position mate, well done.”

Vettel: “What was that on the out lap? That was a [censored by FOM] spot to be. Absolutely [censored by FOM] spot, the opening of the lap was nowhere. I was way too close to the cars ahead.”

To Bottas: “Vettel unfortunately pipped you by two-hundredths. So P4.”

2017 British Grand Prix

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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2 comments on ““His car is on fire”: 2017 British GP qualifying team radio highlights”

  1. Vettel needs some counselling. Nice way to talk to your team, whom you cost a victory by losing your cool last race. By the way, loving the subheadings here. Is this new? In the past, to be honest, the sea-of-text aspect of the transcript has made me just not bother with it.

  2. One of the gems of FP3:
    RB to Max: “There are yellows in turn 7”
    Max: “Yeah that’s because of me” (giggles)

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