“I’m excited about how the end of the season went and next year – it can come any moment, it could start tomorrow if it were up to me, no problem”. I am happy and I have to doff my hat to the team who have done such a great job and passed my expectations. At the beginning of the season he was always this tiny little bit ahead, so it’s good to turn that around.
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The race had hinged on the start and on strategy and he lost both. “They have surpassed our own expectations and we have truly shown that Mercedes-Benz is the best team in the world and I am proud to be a part of it”.
Hamilton was disappointed to miss out on the victory, but drew comfort from the fact he had already clinched the title in Austin.
Horner, who last week called for a shake-up to the rules in a bid to make the sport more competitive, said: “I think the regulations are extremely stable for next year and obviously Mercedes will inevitably carry on the dominance, such is their margin”. So, there is still an opportunity – even it is particularly hard to follow through the first sector.
“It was great work from the boys”.
“Of course, it’s too late but I don’t look back”.
Meanwhile, Raikkonen was “best of the rest” and third in his Ferrari, 11.2s off Hamilton, and 19.4s off Rosberg.
“I think we have to do an intelligent list over the next couple of weeks and try to analyse why”.
Hamilton had at one stage wanted to try getting through to the finish without that final pit call but had been told by his engineers it would be impossible. “Maybe we’ll see each other in the Amber Lounge (post-race party) afterwards”. Nico Hulkenberg finished seventh in the second Force India.
Wolff said the discussion had centred on whether Hamilton’s team-mate Rosberg had “stepped up his game, or has the vehicle come towards him development wise, or has Lewis just taken it more easily unconsciously, for sure not consciously”. I wouldn’t be standing here as World Champion without them. The auto is being developed all the time and after Singapore, we took some learnings on board, and developed it in a different direction. “Or, has Lewis taken it a bit easy, sub-consciously perhaps, after winning the championship?” said Wolff.
“We were criticised that we were too much remote controlling last time around and this time there were two strategies that could have worked”. During the lap the vehicle suddenly shut down. Valterri Bottas was going well with his Williams, but was charged with a five second penalty, when his team made an unsafe release of his vehicle, shaving the back end of McLaren’s Jenson Button and ripping off half of the Finn’s front wing.
“As a team we didn’t do the right decision today and that has a big effect”. We thank you in advance.
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Ricciardo started fifth but could not hold off Vettel.
