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F1: the lighter side of Belgium

By LJ Hutchins

CalendarFriday, September 5th, 2008

 
 

For some reason the pre-race publicity for the Belgian Grand Prix has thrown up a bumper crop of funny quotes. We can only speculate that everyone connected with F1 is on a carbohydrate high from the waffles and the French fries.

Anyway, who knew that Belgium could be so amusing? Here’s a laugh-worthy list for you to enjoy – do use the comments section of this post to point us in the direction of any undiscovered gems:

  • “The revised iteration has been kind to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes” – we think they mean they like the changes to the circuit.
  • “David Coulthard, Mika H0×00e4kkinen and Kimi R0×00e4ikk0×00f6nen” – we know that McLaren’s Finns r0×0r but this, spotted over at Motorsport.com, is a whole new vocabulary…
  • “We have seen already this season that our car can perform rather better in the wet than the dry and I for one would certainly not object to an inclement weekend” – Ross Brawn, always a nicely-spoken gent.
  • “Even before I first came here, which was back in 2002 for a Formula Renault race, I played it on my computer – it was always one of the best tracks.” – Lewis Hamilton, reminding us that he’s just a wee lad really.
  • “Spa will provide the perfect stage for another compelling Grand Prix” – let’s hope this statement from Williams isn’t the jinx that has the cars processing round in qualifying order while fans pop off to put the kettle on.
  • “Compression is absolutely no problem physically, but it’s nevertheless a very special sensation” – BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld, describing why Eau Rouge is always stimulating.
  • “Not a big deal” – the laconic Raikkonen on Eau Rouge. No stimulation for him, then.
  • “I hope that one day I can add a win here to my list of achievements” – Renault’s Fernando Alonso in grimly realistic mood about his chances this weekend.
  • “We must be doing something right, but I don’t know what” – Toro Rosso’s technical director Giorgio Ascanelli. If he doesn’t know – who does?
  • “There has been a problem but it is not the first time and it is not the end of the life” – Kimi Raikkonen at the Thursday press conference denying rumours that Ferrari shoots underperforming employees.
  • “I think when we are about to retire, we are looking for more interesting races as well because we will be in a position to watch the races” – back in the knife drawer with you, Sebastian Vettel, and your references to DC’s remarks about pit stops making races boring.
  • “I preferred the old Bus Stop, where the second exit was just flat and you were jumping towards the guardrail. That was cool!” – thrill-seeker Alex Wurz on how things just ain’t like they used to be.
  • “It’s true that Michael [Schumacher] was the king of Spa, so maybe I should call him tonight and ask him for some tips” – Felipe Massa outlines his race strategy.
  • “German folk songs are my favourite” – a terrible admission from Sebastian Vettel.
  • “You wouldn’t know, so it doesn’t matter what I say” – Kimi Raikkonen, when asked about the Finnish music on his iPod. What, no Lordi?
  • And finally: “We need to go there and attack the weekend, we need both our drivers to be on top of their game, aiming to finish in the points” – a deadly-serious Christian Horner, currently Red Bull Racing team principal, lays out the conditions under which he gets to keep his job.

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This entry was posted on Friday, September 5th, 2008 at 1:13 pm and is filed under F1. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Author: LJ Hutchins. Supports McLaren, kind of. Thinks James May gets a rough deal off the other two. Drives a Subaru Impreza but regrets its lack of bright blue paint and gold wheels. Is very nearly old enough to know better but probably never will. Is a supporter member of the BWRDC. LJ has written 1119 articles for us.

 

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