Echoing the season as a whole, the last FIA GT Series meeting of 2013 did everything it could to bring Sébastien Loeb Racing to its knees. Despite adversity and a unique city circuit, the Alsacian team showed once again its tenacity and its unwavering quest for good results.
In addition to a podium finish to end a season marked by several victories and remarkable performances, both for Sébastien Loeb and Alvaro Parente as well as Mike Parisy and Andi Zuber, the Baku meeting highlights all of the work done by the technical team who won the Pit Stop Challenge.
Quotes.
Sébastien Loeb, McLaren MP4-12C #9 : « It’s good to finish with another podium result, even if it doesn’t have quite the same taste when it comes after a stewards’ decision. Alvaro had clearly passed into second place before the contact. In the end, we were returned our second place finish after starting from the 14th position ! I was able to sneak by at the start of the second race and we made a huge comeback. In the first race, I was pushed and afterwards the car was difficult to drive. I was able to hold off attempts to pass me but not more than that. The team made a small mistake on the grid, which cost us a penalty, which we will learn from. That said, the guys did a great job in the pits. They worked really hard and it’s a just reward that they won the Pit Stop Challenge.
« More generally, I came to the FIA GT Series to discover racing in groups on circuits before going to WTCC. At the start of the season I was left yearning for more, but in the second half of the season I’ve learned a lot. Like here at Baku where the experience was good for me, with a lot of battling for position in a group setting. That’s what I came for and it will serve me well in 2014.
« Globally, I think the team did a good job this year. We were sometimes unlucky, and there were a few errors as well. We’ve seen points where we can improve upon, correct and refine. In terms of outright performance, we were there, the driving squads and the McLaren MP4-12C. The final outcome is rather positive. We can’t forget that this was our first year racing at this level, with this car. We learned a lot and we will debrief well in order to come back even stronger next year. »
Alvaro Parente, McLaren MP4-12C #9 : « We were given back our podium finish by the stewards. I don’t know who made the contact, but I know that I had passed into second place and was braking heading into the chicane. We were fighting for the win. Perhaps if I had not committed a small error when coming out of the pits with cold tyres, we could have done a bit better…It’s a rather frustrating season that’s coming to a close, with tyre punctures, contact with other competitors…but we were fight for first place right from the start of the season. It was a good experience, a good result and in the end, a good season with a good team.»
Andreas Zuber, McLaren MP4-12C #10 : « Sad weekend ! We had a good qualifying session and our top five position left us hoping for a podium or better. We had a lot of hope. Unfortunately, just before the qualifying race, we suffered a mechanical failure, which kept us from racing. By not taking part in that race, we logically had to start the championship race from the last row.
In the first moments of the race, there was confusion all around me, so I took a very cautious start but then upped the tempo to start a comeback. But that would last only three laps, as I was hit by Niki Mayr- Melnhof who missed his braking point. He came to me afterward to apologise but the harm was already done.
I felt very confident in a very good car this weekend. Sébastien Loeb Racing once again did a remarkable job but we were unable to capitalise. We were however always up there with the best. ».
Qualifying race.
With a fifth place qualifying time, the No.10 McLaren MP4-12C driven by Mike Parisy preceeded the sister Sébastien Loeb Racing entry, in the hands of Alvaro Parente. Although ideally placed, Parisy would be unable to take the start due to a mechanical issue in the pits. This left the No.9 McLaren to fly the Sébastien Loeb Racing colours solo.
As usual, Alvaro has a perfect start and takes the fifth position. Immediately on the hunt to overtake the No.4 BMW, the Portugese driver must also hold off advances from two of his competitors behind him. Unable to overtake the BMW to take the advantage, Alvaro falls to Kevin Estre’s pressures but remains in contact until the first pit stop.
Now behind the wheel of the McLaren, Sébastien Loeb returns to the action in 13th place and fighting for position in the heart of a group composed of Serguei Afanasiev, Alexander Sims and Nick Catsburg. The appearance of the Safety Car to remove a competitor from turn nine only put the proceedings on pause. Once the Safety Car’s return to the pits, the contest returned to a fever pitch. All of the multiple World Champion’s car mastery is needed to stay on the track as he is pushed by Caca Bueno and Sergueï Afanasiev, but is able to keep both control and position. The race is then interrupted by a red flag before a final run of 10 minutes.
At the restart, Sébastien Loeb picks off Sergueï Afanasiev and takes sixth position in the qualifying race, which he would conserve until the chequered flag.
Championship race
It was a fantastic start from Sébastien Loeb in 14th position after being penalised 30 seconds for an infraction committed on the starting grid of the first race. As a result, the World Rally champion erases the penalty and makes a comeback to sixth place, conserving his chances to reach the final podium !
As for the sister car, despite confusion at the start, Andreas Zuber reaches 15th place by the third lap after starting from the last row. The Austrian’s comeback continues but in the next lap, his race is stopped after a kamikaze braking maneuver from Niki Mayr-Melnhof in the final chicane. With damage, the No.10 McLaren is stopped on the track, forcing the Safety Car to make an appearance on track until the 33rd minute of the race. As the sole remaining representative of his team, Sébastien continues his efforts until he is forced to hand the car over to teammate Alvaro Parente at the end of the pit window.
The strategy works perfectly, helped by the lighting quick work done by the team in the pits. The Portugese driver returns to the action in third place behind the Mercedes of Alan Day and Audi of Laurens Vandoor. Alvaro, after going straight on in a corner that cost him a few seconds, returns to battle with the front two cars at the speed of a missile ! At this pace, the No.9 Sébastien Loeb Racing McLaren could fight for the win again, battling with the Mercedes in the final minutes of the race. Alvaro chooses to make his move in the first chicane, and under braking slips into second place !
His challengers return the favour by coming in contact with the No.9 McLaren, which crosses the finish line in fourth place. After the race, Sébastien et Alvaro are returned their rightful second place after a penalty is handed to the two other competitors.