2013 United States qualifying team radio transcript

2013 United States Grand Prix

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Changing track conditions caused headaches for many drivers during qualifying for the United States Grand Prix as the team radio messages from the session reveal.

Nico Hulkenberg said he was shocked by how much his car’s handling had changed but recovered to take a strong fourth on the grid.

It was an all-Red Bull battle for pole position. Mark Webber nearly beat Sebastian Vettel but fell short after making a mistake in the final sector, as he admitted to race engineer Simon Rennie after crossing the line.

Here’s what was being said on the radio during qualifying.

2013 United States Grand Prix qualifying team radio transcript

PhaseTimeFromToMessage
Q117:47Nico HulkenbergMarco SchupbachIs it new brakes?
Q1Marco SchupbachNico HulkenbergNot new, but different.
Q1Nico HulkenbergMarco SchupbachCould’ve told me.
Q114:08Nico HulkenbergMarco SchupbachThe tyres are far from ready.
Q1Marco SchupbachNico HulkenbergCopy. The other car is saying the same. Possibly the same for everyone.
Q1Nico HulkenbergMarco SchupbachAborted lap. Was traffic with a Marussia anyway, but it’s not going anywhere.
Q111.05Nico HulkenbergMarco SchupbachMost drivers found the track conditions challenging as the session began due to the stronger wind.
Wow. Shocking. Shocking how this car’s performed.
Q1Marco SchupbachNico HulkenbergOkay, copy Nico. It seems to be similar for everyone. Hopefully the Medium is better.
Q1Nico HulkenbergMarco SchupbachI think it’s some nasty tail wind in sector one and two.
Q1Marco SchupbachNico HulkenbergCopy Nico. So we have to be careful with cranking up the front wing then.
Q1Nico HulkenbergMarco SchupbachNo, we don’t want to be cranking up the front wing, we want to go down.
Q1Marco SchupbachNico HulkenbergYep. Okay. Agreed.
Q110:37Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonOkay, Lewis, so that’s P1. Half a second to Alonso, P2.
Q110:04Sergio PerezMark TempleI’m struggling with warming up the front tyres. It’s too understeery, the car.
Q1Mark TempleSergio PerezUnderstood. Suggest using the toys to increase front-end.
Q12:20Adrian SutilBrad JoyceHow much ******* traffic? Why can’t we manage the out-lap?
Q1Brad JoyceAdrian SutilWe are. Chilton behind, on timed lap. Chilton behind on a timed lap.
Q100:00Adrian SutilBrad JoyceSutil’s failure later turned out to be a broken brake disc.
I have a technical failure.
Q1Brad JoyceAdrian SutilOkay. Okay. Front-right puncture.
Q1Adrian SutilBrad JoyceI also had traffic in the last sector and in the last corner, I had to pass a car. So I want to have a penalty for that car.
Q100:00Giedo van der GardeJuan Pablo RamirezHow did we do? Good time?
Q1Juan Pablo RamirezGiedo van der GardeP19, Giedo.
Q1Giedo van der GardeJuan Pablo RamirezSo in front of Charles?
Q1Juan Pablo RamirezGiedo van der GardeYes, in front of our group.
Q1Giedo van der GardeJuan Pablo RamirezVery good. Very good. Thanks man. Thanks a lot. Tyres came in better,
Q213:40Ayao KomatsuRomain GrosjeanBox Romain, box.
Q2Romain GrosjeanAyao KomatsuBox, box. But guys, the place you sent out on track was just stupid. Between the Marussia, it cut me off.
Q2Ayao KomatsuRomain GrosjeanOkay, stop in the box.
Q2Ayao KomatsuRomain GrosjeanHey Romain. I know what you’re saying, but in Q1 with everybody out, if you go in the last minute, it’s not always possible mate, honestly. But we’ve got plenty of margin, so it’s fine.
Q2Romain GrosjeanAyao KomatsuYeah, I know. But if I’m stuck behind a Marussia or whatever it is – the stupid Van der Garde is trying to overtake you and go for it, or whatever?óÔé¼?ª
Q2Ayao KomatsuRomain GrosjeanI know, I saw it.
Q212:20Andrea StellaFernando AlonsoThere shouldn’t be anything strange in front of you. So [unintelligable]…seventeen.
Q210:30GianPiero LambiasePaul di RestaRosberg, two seconds behind. Hamilton, five seconds behind him.
Q2Paul di RestaGianPiero LambiaseI’ve backed off!
Q2GianPiero LambiasePaul di RestaOkay?óÔé¼?ª get back in front of him! Good job.
Q27:05Nico RosbergTony RossVery hard to hear
Okay, so we need to try something different. When [I try to do that DRS thing, I make a mistake.]
Q2Tony RossNico RosbergYeah, you’re going to have to come off the RFA [DRS] before turn one massively Nico. Otherwise you’ll just be plowing straight on.
Q2Nico RosbergTony RossIf I’m not going to be able to brake, there’s no point in doing it.
Q2Tony RossNico RosbergThat’s why we’re saying, you do need to do it Nico.
Q200:00Romain GrosjeanAyao KomatsuThe traffic was stupid in those last laps.
Q2Ayao KomatsuRomain GrosjeanDid you get held up on that lap with Di Resta?
Q2Romain GrosjeanAyao KomatsuYeah, for sure I lost a bit of time there.
Q2Ayao KomatsuRomain GrosjeanOkay. Did you get held up with Hamilton as well?
Q2Romain GrosjeanAyao KomatsuHard to hear
Hamilton was ???? We went together.
Q200:00Felipe MassaRob SmedleyItalian?
[unintelligable]
Q200:00Tony RossNico RosbergOkay Nico, so we’re out of that. P14 at the moment.
Q2Nico RosbergTony RossJust got massive oversteer this time in the first sector. I also had my ‘magic’ on, I don’t know if that was causing any problems? But yeah, just very, very difficult.
Q2Tony RossNico RosbergYeah, copy that.
Q200:00Marco MatassaDaniel RicciardoP11 confirmed. Good job, thank you very much.
Q2Daniel RicciardoMarco MatassaOkay. Understood.
Q2Marco MatassaDaniel RicciardoSo how was the car?
Q2Daniel RicciardoMarco MatassaErm?óÔé¼?ª difficult. Difficult. It was quite unbalanced as it was all session. It varied a lot between the corners.
Q200:00GianPiero LambiasePaul di RestaOkay, that’s P12 for us Paul. Just knocked out by half a tenth. What was up with that set?
Q2Paul di RestaGianPiero LambiaseLewis was too slow for me. He came out of the first corner full pelt and when you said he was in sync with me, so I took the chance to get out of his way and he just cruised round. Didn’t get the tyres in. Far too slow for me to do anything. I need to get by him, but I think it’s the traffic’s fault. It’s just a nightmare.
Q38:00Mark SladeHeikki KovalainenNo more KERS please Kim- Heikki. Do not use any KERS now. Wait until the exit of the last corner.
Q3Heikki KovalainenMark SladeYeah, okay.
Q34:14Ayao KomatsuRomain GrosjeanOkay Romain, do you want higher front tyre pressures for the next run or not?
Q3Romain GrosjeanAyao KomatsuI have not a clue. I don’t know what is the problem. There is a problem at the front.
Q3Ayao KomatsuRomain GrosjeanOkay, copy that.
Q3Romain GrosjeanAyao KomatsuI need one turn up on the front wing, please.
Q3Ayao KomatsuRomain GrosjeanOkay mate. Front tyre pressures are a little bit lower than the target, so I’ve put some in to achieve the target and we’ll do the front wing for you.
Q300:00Guillaume RocquelinSebastian VettelP1. Attaboy! Shake ‘n’ bake, baby. Shake ‘n’ bake.
Q3Sebastian VettelGuillaume RocquelinBaaaaaaoooh! Baaaaaoooh YES! Yes boys. Good job. Nice work. Shake ‘n’ bake.
Q3Christian HornerSebastian VettelWell done, Sebby. Great job. Great job. Well done.
Q3Sebastian VettelChristian HornerHappy birthday. Nice to get the one-two. Great job guys.
Q3Christian HornerMark WebberWell done Mark that was a good effort. It was all there. Well done.
Q3Simon RennieMark WebberOkay mate, we finished P2 in the end. Good job. Vettel one tenth clear of us. Next car behind was Grosjean, seven tenths behind us. Good job mate.
Q3Mark WebberSimon RennieSorry mate I ****** the last corner up.
Q3Ayao KomatsuRomain GrosjeanYeah we are P3. P3. Good job.
Q3Romain GrosjeanAyao KomatsuYEE-HA! Yee-ha! Come on mate! Good job.
Q3Ayao KomatsuRomain GrosjeanWell done. Well done.
Q3Romain GrosjeanAyao KomatsuMy God, the high speed was interesting!
Q3Ayao KomatsuRomain Grosjean[laughing] Good to hear!
Q3Andrea StellaFernando Alonsorolling his ‘r’s
Okay, rrrrrrrrrrrevs off, charge zero. To be where we are for sure you put a lot of yourself into this performance, so well done from all of us.

Phase/time: Refers to point at which message was broadcast. There may be a delay between messages being said and being broadcast.
Message: Repetitive or irrelevant messages omitted. Notes in italics. Highlights in bold.

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Image © Sauber

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16 comments on “2013 United States qualifying team radio transcript”

  1. lol mark getting mixed up with his drivers

  2. The guys from the BBC didn’t get the Shake N’ Bake reference from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) a movie about Nascar.

    1. Thanks for that didn’t know what the hell they were on about !

  3. OK For all you guys out there who are not old farts in the USA, I believe shake and bake refers to a product we used to have to prepare chicken easily in the 70s. the commercial went something like.” Chicken is so easy, just shake and bake for an easy and quick meal for the entire family” It is a term we racers used to say job well done, or to imply follow the tried and true preparation and the results are easy. Or in this case, Red Bull prep like we always do, and the results are automatic and easy.

    1. that makes a lot of sense . Looks like they pick up catchphrases wherever they go . Ichiban , Now this . Pity Seb couldn’t learn something in Hindi . Maybe next year …oops I forgot .

  4. No more KERS please Kim- Heikki. Do not use any KERS now. Wait until the exit of the last corner.

    Oh Mark :P

  5. mark :Please Kimi
    Kimi: yes yes….(inaudible)

    I will miss that this weekend :(

  6. I’d quite like to know what ‘magic’ Rosberg had on.

  7. Andrea Stella trying to get on Alonso’s good side for 4 consecutive years :)

  8. The weather in Austin is a bit warmer and less windy today, so far.

  9. HUL needs a better relationship with his race engineer.

    1. @rcrc They seem to be doing just fine in terms of what matters: results.

      This is a bit like the monumental over-reaction to the Raikkonen/Permane messages in India we saw from some people. There’s no need for niceties, pleases and thankyous in this kind of competitive situation in a professional sport. It’s ‘do this’, ‘don’t do that’, ‘why haven’t you done that?’.

      Hulkenberg doesn’t need his race engineer worrying that he might have raised his voice or used a naughty word. He needs his race engineer making sure to tell him when his brakes have been changed. A point which those who went ballistic about Permane telling Raikkonen to ‘get out of the way’ singularly failed to grasp.

      1. There’s no need for niceties, pleases and thankyous in this kind of competitive situation in a professional sport. It’s ‘do this’, ‘don’t do that’, ‘why haven’t you done that?’.

        I think I remember you saying the exact opposite in Abu Dhabi last year.

    2. Drivers have the right to get a little angry when things go wrong while they are doing 350 kmph , pulling 3-4 G every odd corner and pushing to the limit .

      1. They’re not doing 350kmh. Not since V8 is used anyway.

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