Helio Castroneves Quotes (53 Quotes)

It was very weird. There were some wet spots. I put rain tires, dry tires, rain tires. I kept on going back and forth. It was very hard to find balance. Toward the end I felt comfortable.

You have to be smart. He went from hero to zero, getting the pole position and doing what he did.

Every time you go out on the track, which is very technical and unique, you learn something different. This place, if you keep practicing, keep running and learning every corner, you'll be consistently fast.

The way I see it, we're pushing each other. Sharing information is good because it's going to make both cars better. I think our team and the way it works is the right chemistry and the right combination, and we're looking to keep doing the right thing.

Motor racing is going to miss a phenomenal race driver and I'm going to miss a good friend. I think I will learn a lot with Sam. He is an experienced driver even though he is young. He's been fast at a lot of tracks where we haven't done well so I hope to learn from him.

Some drivers might be twisting their nose or don't like the idea. The way I see it, it's good for everybody.

It was a tough run and we tried really hard. The track changed a little bit from the morning to the afternoon which was a little bit to our favour. We tried something in the beginning of the top-six qualifying and it didn't work, and we had to stop right away. We used the tyres up and the track was better. At the end of the day, I don't think we would have been able to catch Ryan. He did a good job. Now we look forward to the race tomorrow and hopefully will do well.

You aren't going to be able to pass by going past the guy and keep going so it will take quite a while to set up a pass. I will follow him closely and wait for him to make a mistake before I can make the pass. I have a very good car for that. I will also be saving fuel and pick up positions in the pits so I have so many things on my side.

In a long race, if I'm worried about fatigue, my concentration is the first thing to go.

Everybody has a destiny. That's the only thing I would tell him. He's there for a reason. He should just do the job he was hired to do.

It's awesome starting up front. We were fast in practice, but I know everybody will pick it up as well tomorrow.

I don't know what to do anymore. It was a great race. He did a hell of a job. Hopefully in the season we'll have more fun like that.

Every time you're out there at this place, you're always learning. Obviously, we want to be on top of the charts, but right now you need to be smart, take advantage of this day and put it in your pocket.

Everything is going the way we are planning but until the checkered flag, you can't count on it. Today, we are extremely happy. That's what we need to be thinking about and enjoy this moment.

We had some trouble with the engine electronics this afternoon. I still think we're in good shape.

She moved inside a little bit early, but she did a great job to get back again and not get in trouble with officials.

I don't know, ... If I pass Lap 22 or 23, I'm probably going to answer that later. But so far, I just know to Lap 20.

Yeah. You know, we're not here to rub it in or make a statement. It's shows that for the past two years we've worked very hard.

Until then, I was driving conservative and just trying to save fuel.

All the drivers know the risks and the dangers, but we're here because we love what we do. It's not the first time it's happened and, unfortunately, it probably won't be the last time.

The last time we were here, we were backing off and cutting back in power and you could feel it. But everybody's the same out there.

Actually, I have to ask you What's the weather going to be like tomorrow

I think it will be important to make sure I'm in the best condition possible for this weekend. At the beginning of the season, I began preparing for the road courses by lifting more weights and trying to improve my conditioning. I've found that the combination of swimming and then running really adds a new dimension to my overall performance as I have built my stamina significantly over the past several months.

Even when I was in the lead, I was getting too close to the wall, trying to make up time. I drove like I stole it.

I can't believe it. To lose (a race) that close, I don't what to feel, to be honest right now. Should I be happy Should I be sad I don't know. It's a weird feeling to finish second in this kind of situation, so close. We got ourselves back a little bit into the championship, and moved up into fifth. Let's keep moving. We gave it all we had, but we just couldn't push ahead on the final lap. Being realistic, Dan (Wheldon) is probably going to win the championship, but it would be a great goal to have two Marlboro Team Penske cars finish in the top five in points.

We're not here to make a statement. It's good the results are showing up at the track. The last few years we've been working extremely hard. Toyota worked hard with us, and unfortunately, Honda was always at the top of the game. Right now things are more balanced, so we are very happy those two years paid off.

It would be good karma.

Obviously, we are extremely disappointed. I thought we were finally going to finish. I'm not sure what happened to the car.

I don't know what to do anymore. I just wanted to make him earn it on the outside.

Unfortunately, I think we made the wrong choice on our race setup, and the Marlboro Team Penske car had a tremendous push in Turns 3 and 4. Those corners were my biggest problem. I could barely touch the throttle going through there. The team made front wing adjustments on both of our pits stops, but it didn't really help. All considering, I'm pretty happy with a fourth-place finish.

If this was NASCAR and we had bumpers I'd have won. I thought the finish line was a little bit ahead of me. Then they said, 'It's over.' Really It would have been exciting, one more lap.

They have to worry about finishing ahead of me. I have to just finish ahead of them. At this point of the season, you don't think what might happen or keep track of the points you just go for it, and that is what we are planning right now.

Once you do it, you have to keep it going. You have to understand, he (Stewart) is not the one who started that. When he's in the mood to do it, he might do it. I have fun with it, and obviously it would be a thrill to climb this fence here and celebrate with the fans.

It was a bad move on Ryan's part, you know. He had a great car, he was fast. Both of us were fast. Danica was trying -- she noticed that we were really fast and she was trying to give us a way. I don't know what the heck he was thinking. He just decided to pass everybody in one corner and he ended up taking everybody out. It's just ridiculous. He's a good driver. He's fast, but there was definitely no patience at all.

The way boxers are ready to attack is the same way we must be ready to attack the steering wheel.

When everyone jokes about (taking chances), there's a little bit of truth to it, ... Hopefully people have learned from what happened (at Sonoma).

The banana is good for retaining water, and the sugar brings me up. It's going to look like oatmeal when it's done, but it tastes much better.

I feel better because you basically have to drive the car. At some of the other tracks, you're just along for the ride. I guess, especially at the short ovals, we've been working extremely hard and our best chance of seeing victory and running really, really fast is at those tracks. I'm very happy to see both cars sitting on the front row.

I can't believe it. I actually thought I had won the race. I tried very hard. Based on previous races with Dan, there was no way I was going to give him much room, but he beat me anyway. I guess it was not meant to be.

I was just trying to get the side draft. We were trying to get so slow. I wasn't sure if Sam was trying to pass or push. I didn't know which way he was going. I really thought the finish line was ahead of me. I was thinking, 'Look It's right up there' And they were telling me on the radio that the race was over.

I don't think we ever touched. At the beginning, I think he was trying to know what I was doing and tried to see what my car was capable of doing. I respect him a lot after this race, not that I didn't respect him before. He definitely drove like a champion.

I need my blood to calm down.

Close to the end, when I saw Sam coming, I tried to make a move. I tried to take advantage of the momentum, put me side by side with Dan. But it just was not enough. If we would be like NASCAR and have bumpers, I'm sure we would have won the race by now.

It's a track where everyone can go flat easy. It's a track where equipment sometimes takes over for the driving. But that's for speed. The draft is very important here and we have been learning what it takes, so hopefully we will be able to learn from tha

I was really going so fast, getting this close to the wall. They told me, 'Go for it. Go like hell.' I drove it like I stole it.

People might see an opportunity, but I hope people are more patient a little bit, ... This is the last road course, but there is nothing I can do. It's out of my control.

Sam is a truly competitive driver. Yes, I want to beat him and he wants to beat me. But at the end of the day, we want both cars up there and we want to make the boss happy.

This is a good way to improve your concentration.

I know what's going on, but for me it's very comfortable having my dad, my sister taking care of things. It's an investment. I know I'm not going to race forever.

It's hard to lose a colleague, a person who is doing the same job you're doing. But we're all here, and all the drivers know the risk and the danger of the sport. We are here because we love what we do.