Skip to main content

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Recommended for you

F1 Austrian GP: Russell beats Antonelli to top spot in final practice

Formula 1
Austrian GP
F1 Austrian GP: Russell beats Antonelli to top spot in final practice

How Ferrari and Red Bull triggered the FIA’s rethink over Mercedes’ F1 diffuser

Feature
Formula 1
Austrian GP
How Ferrari and Red Bull triggered the FIA’s rethink over Mercedes’ F1 diffuser

MotoGP Dutch GP: Martin tops Aprilia 1-2-3-4 in qualifying

MotoGP
Dutch GP
MotoGP Dutch GP: Martin tops Aprilia 1-2-3-4 in qualifying

Road vs race track: Why the 2031 engine debate remains a complicated puzzle

Formula 1
Austrian GP
Road vs race track: Why the 2031 engine debate remains a complicated puzzle

Why everyone suddenly wants a piece of Alpine

Feature
Formula 1
Why everyone suddenly wants a piece of Alpine

WRC Acropolis Rally Greece: FIA investigating dangerous rock incident

WRC
Rally Greece
WRC Acropolis Rally Greece: FIA investigating dangerous rock incident

What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Austrian GP

Feature
Formula 1
Austrian GP
What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Austrian GP

LIVE: F1 Austrian GP updates - Russell pinches top spot from Antonelli at the end of FP3

Formula 1
Austrian GP
LIVE: F1 Austrian GP updates - Russell pinches top spot from Antonelli at the end of FP3

Japanese GP: Sauber Sunday quotes

Kamui Kobayashi - 3rd: "It hasn't sunk in yet, it is hard to believe - I achieved my first podium in Suzuka! It was a fantastic race and we have been working really hard to get to this point since we were lacking pace on Friday. But the Sauber F1 Team did a great job to recover from there. Starting from third obviously helped a lot and also the long run I did on Friday made me very confident for the race. The team has built a great car this year. You can tell this from the podium finishes my team-mate has had. At times I was close to that as well but I never had the luck. It means so much to me that it finally worked out. Maybe from now on things will be easier. I had a very long last stint today and Jenson (Button) changed for fresh tyres later. My rear tyres where really bad in the end and I had a lot of oversteer. But regardless of this I had to push to defend my podium place. Only during the final lap did I allow myself to really think I can keep him behind me, because then the best overtaking opportunity at the end of the straight was over, and then I saw all the fans and the raised hands. It meant a lot to me and I want to thank the Japanese fans."

Sergio Perez - DNF: "I feel very sorry for the team. It worked well when I got passed Lewis Hamilton for the first time on lap six, but then it didn't when I tried it again. Lewis went quite late to the inside and I had only room on the outside. But it certainly was my mistake. The race didn't start too well for me either when Romain Grosjean caused a mess and I lost positions."

Monisha Kaltenborn, CEO: "I can't express how happy I am! A podium finish for Kamui in his home country is simply incredible. He did an outstanding race today, particularly in the final part when he was under huge pressure from Jenson Button. He didn't make the smallest mistake and defended his third position in great style. Sergio was also in a position to score a great result, but unfortunately his attack on Lewis Hamilton didn't work out. Great compliments to the team which made progress during the whole weekend and finally delivered a great and very emotional result."

Giampaolo Dall'Ara, Head of Track Engineering: "What an exciting race, particularly the final laps! However, I think we were in control of things. We did the second pit stop earlier than initially planned, because Kamui's tyres had gone off. We had to make this compromise not to lose too much time in the middle stint and, at the same time, not to have a very long final stint. This was not easy for Kamui to handle, but he did a great job keeping Jenson Button at a distance while at the same time managing the tyres. Just the last two laps were more thrilling than we had hoped for, but in the end it all worked out fine. Kamui's race was absolutely brilliant. At the first pit stop we lost a position to Felipe Massa, but otherwise we would have lost one to Jenson. Sergio was on the same pace as Kamui, but in the end he could not benefit from that."

Previous article Japanese GP: Force India Sunday quotes
Next article Korean GP: McLaren preview quotes

Top Comments