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DRIVER GROUP 1 – Valtteri
BOTTAS (Alfa Romeo), Charles LECLERC (Ferrari), Carlos SAINZ (Ferrari), Max
VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull), George RUSSELL (Mercedes)
Q: Carlos, please, let’s start with you. Many congratulations, two more
years at Ferrari. Tell us what this new deal means to you and what your
goals are for the next thirty or so months.
Carlos SAINZ: Thank you very much. Very happy, as you can imagine. After
such a good first year with Ferrari. I think it was pretty straightforward
that we wanted to continue together for another few years, and the fact that
I’ve just signed a new contract with the team of my dreams since I was a
kid, and the fact that now, even this team is fighting for more important
things. We are on the way up, and we have a strong car, it’s just a perfect
situation for me. So, I'm very excited for what's coming and I'm looking
forward for the future.
Q: Have you ever spent four years with the same team?
CS: No, never in my life. Longest was two years in McLaren and that's it
really. So, I'm going to double it up this time.
Q: And let's bring it onto this weekend. Now you're racing for Ferrari at
home in a competitive car. Just tell us what that feels like.
CS: It feels amazing. I think that was part of the beauty of announcing the
contract extension here in Imola. Because we felt like it was a perfect
occasion to do it. Ferrari; Imola; full grandstands, I think it’s just the
perfect scenario to try and put together a good weekend. I cannot wait. And
yeah, can't wait to give the fans a good time.
Q: Charles, if we could come to you now. So you and Carlos are teammates for
a few more years, can we just get your reaction to that news?
Charles LECLERC: I'm very happy. I mean, with Carlos, other than being a
great guy, he's also a great driver and I think one of the most important
things is that we feedback the team with the same things, we want the same
things from the car. And this helps the team massively to work in the same
direction for both of us. And it's also an advantage, I think, for both
drivers to have a long-term vision in the team, and that we can work long
term. So, it's great.
Q: Can we get your thoughts on this weekend? Just from a competitive point
of view? Do you see any reason why you can't be battling at the front again
this weekend?
CL: No, we don't see any reasons. I think the last two weekends, we were a
bit pessimistic on the numbers we had. Here. It looks a little bit better.
But let's wait and see. Obviously, it's raining today. Rain hasn't been one
of our strengths in the last few years. So, we need to make sure that we
start the weekend on the right foot and that we develop the car well for
these conditions too.
Q: Max coming to you, please. So, the return of the Sprint this weekend: can
we just get your thoughts on that and how rain today is going to affect your
preparations.
Max VERSTAPPEN: I'm not a fan of the sprint but, I mean, it is what it is.
And, of course, I came to Italy basically for a bit of sun but I don't know
what happens. I mean, it's wet today. And well, I've never driven in the wet
with this car. So, it's going to be interesting to see what's going to
happen in practice and of course also later today with Qualifying. See what
the weather will do. So, quite an important day.
Q: You won here last year: Does the RB18 have the performance to repeat that
this year?
MV: We haven't driven, so I don’t know.
Q: Max, you're confident that you can take that car to any racetrack this
year and be competitive?
MV: I mean, so far we've been competitive at every track. Some a bit better
than, of course, other tracks but yeah, we just have to keep on trying to
improve the car and, of course, finish the races.
Q: Well, what assurances do you have from the team that the reliability
issues are now behind you?
MV: I mean, I know that they always tried their very best and learn from the
problems we had. Just looking forward to the weekend and see what will
happen.
Q: George if we can come to you now. Fourth, fifth and third in the opening
three races this year and you’re now second in the World Championship. Has
that been the maximum of what this car is capable?
George Russell: I think in terms of results, probably. There's obviously
always more performance you can get from every single time you hit the
circuit. I think it's been a reasonable start with the package we've got. I
think we can come away from the first three races thinking we got some good
results with the pace deficit we have to Ferrari and Red Bull. We think
we’re seven-tenths to a second behind them, yet we're sitting P2 in the
Championship. But we know that we won't maintain this position unless we
find more performance. So, you know, we need to keep on pushing.
Q: Do you have reason to believe that you can close that gap this weekend?
Have you got new bits coming Do you think this track will suit the car
better?
GR: No. I mean there's nothing substantial that's going to make a drastic
difference this weekend. We’re constantly trying new bits and pieces but in
terms of an overall result, we are just too far behind to make a substantial
difference in terms of overall results. So, we hope we are going to continue
to close this gap but I still think it's too early in the season for us to
make that deficit close up. We just need to keep going out there this
weekend, another opportunity because it's going to be mixed conditions and
we need to make the most of that.
Q: Valtteri, coming to you. How do you reflect on Melbourne? A bit
bittersweet, I would imagine. Your Q3 run ended, but you got more points.
Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, definitely. I mean Sunday was positive. We again
found out the race pace in the car is not bad and could make up some
positions. But yeah, definitely the weakest point of the last race was the
qualifying: not having just quite enough single lap pace. Maybe also
compromised the setup a bit too much for the race, but yeah, still got some
points. But again, pretty clear on areas where we need to improve and that's
what we've been trying to do ahead of this weekend. Hopefully, we can have
stronger quali. Obviously, the weekend format is different but hopefully we
can be stronger.
Q: As you say, the weekend format is different. Can we just get your
thoughts on the Sprint as well please?
VB: Obviously today, especially with mixed conditions. Having only one
session to set up the car for the whole weekend is gonna be a bit of a
challenge but at least we’ve had few races to understand the car and I think
we've done good preparation for this weekend but it's gonna be interesting,
definitely, with this format and this weather how it goes but we're ready
for it.
Q: An opportunity?
VB: Absolutely
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Mattias Brunner – Speedweek.com) Charles, when you are in the race
simulator, do you actually practice also driving in the wet?
CL: No, not yet. Maybe one day but for now, we don’t have this available yet
on the simulator.
Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing News 365) To all drivers, with a related
question for George specifically. Now we’re back in Europe, we’ve got the
first chance of this new weekend format, so your individual thoughts please.
And George, I believe the GPDA addressed a letter to Formula 1 and the FIA
regarding the format and various other things. Could you elaborate please?
GR: Obviously with the GPDA, I’ve only been around for three years, but I
think between all of the drivers we are incredibly united and we’ve got a
constant communication with Formula 1 and FIA to try to improve our sport in
every single aspect. It’s forever developing, forever changing and I don’t
think there’s anything more to elaborate at the moment. I think it’s
important that between the drivers, F1 and the FIA, we’ve all on the same
page and we’re all pushing in the same direction.
CL: On the format, I quite like the Friday, to be honest. Just because a
normal Friday is normally pretty boring: we have FP1, FP2, FP3, lots of
practice. Now, it’s straight to the point so I quite like this. Then, for
the Saturday I believe we could do something better. Either having a
standout race that doesn’t affect Sunday’s race, to have a bit more action
on the Saturday and people taking a bit more risk, but yeah, apart from
that, for the Friday itself, I quite like it.
VB: I agree with Charles. In a way, it’s nice to get going immediately. Like
qualifying already today and everyday there’s a session that is crucial for
the weekend. I have a feeling with the current cars, with definitely being
able to follow closer, I think maybe we have a chance to get a bit more out
of the sprint and hopefully see a bit more action. So, from my side, yeah,
let’s wait and see how it is this weekend, and we discuss later
MV: The format, with the Sprint, it is what it is. Some like it, some don’t.
But I think it’s more about how we are doing the press conferences and the
media activities. I think it was better before, because now, our Thursday is
very long, which officially is not really a day any more but actually for us
is the same – or even more on a Thursday, and even more now on a Friday when
you come in early. Coming in early is not a problem but your whole day is
longer. So, I… with going to more races you would like to have a shorter
weekend – but actually now with more races we are also having longer
weekends, or at least more days that we are actually at the track and doing
stuff. So, yeah, that definitely needs to change.
CS: I agree with Charles on the Sprint idea. It’s something that we are
discussing with FOM and FIA to maybe spice up a bit the Sprint weekend. I
think there is good potential there, and obviously on a standard weekend, I
agree with Max, we are going towards more number of races but for some
reason that maybe we didn’t expect this year, both Thursday and Friday have
become a lot longer for the drivers and the amount of media that we are
facing every day, and the amount of time that we are spending at the track
in meetings and activities has increased a lot, even as we are going towards
a higher number of races. So, we are going to need to find a way to control
this in a more efficient way, let’s say.
Q: (Ronald Vording – Motorsport.com) Question to Max. Usually at the start
of the European season we see a lot of upgrades being introduced. Do you
feel that’s a bit more tricky now with the Sprint format, only one session
ahead of qualifying and also with the weather we are facing today – so a bit
more tricky perhaps, bringing new bits to the car and finding a good balance
straightaway?
MV: It depends on how big your upgrade is. If you are confident in your
package, or what you see in the wind tunnel, for example. It all depends
also a bit how much risk you want to take. I guess that’s different for
every team.
Q: (Joost Nederpelt – NU.NL) Question to all drivers. This new generation of
cars is a lot stiffer and lower to the ground, lower ride-height. So, does
it make then harder to set-up for the rain?
CS: It’s a good question. I think we need to run the cars first in the wet
for the first proper time in a full wet circuit. Being cold, like it is
today, I think it is going to be a good test to see how the new cars are
behaving. How the new Pirelli tyres are behaving and what compromises we are
going to need to take going into wet sessions. In the past, you would barely
change the set-up for the wet. Now, I don’t know if you would. Honestly, I
just don’t know what we will end up doing.
MV: Like Carlos said.
VB: Yeah, we’ll find out today – or learn a lot more today.
Valtteri, do you think visibility might be better with the wake of the cars
doing something different.
VB: It’s a good question as well! I have no idea – we’ll find out today! We
haven’t really run the cars in the wet.
Q: George?
GR: I think it’s going to be interesting with the porpoising issues.
Obviously we’ve seen it’s been pretty violent for a lot of teams and a lot
of drivers and obviously the DRS was removed in Melbourne for safety reasons
to avoid anything happening. Obviously in the wet, over the bumps, whatever
it may be… if we’re porpoising, who knows? I don't know what the long-term
solution is for Formula 1 – if there truly is a solution for removing this
porpoising, or there is not. So, yeah, I don’t know what the long-term
future is: if we’re going to have to just deal with this for the next three
years or so.
Q: Charles?
CL: Yeah, I think FP1 will be very important to see all of these things.
There are a lot of unknowns and it will be a bit clearer for everyone after
FP1. But will be obviously a very important session for the rest of the
weekend.
Q: (Jonathan Noble – motorsport.com) To Max primarily, and anyone else who
wants to answer it. Regarding this Thursday and Friday now being busier for
everybody. What format do you think would work better? Do you do all your
media stuff on Thursday and change Friday’s timetable? Or do you ban
everyone coming to the track on a Thursday and it’s a very strict three-day
weekend?
MV: I think it doesn’t matter if it’s all on Thursday or all on Friday. It’s
more about… we do this, then we go outside, then we have to speak to all the
individual medias… but they all ask the same question, and you’re basically
repeating yourself six or seven times. And you try, of course, to keep it
interesting, to try to word it in a different way – but at the end of the
day you say the same thing, right? So, we see in other sports as well, when
they have a press conference, there are a lot of mics just brought together
and, instead of giving the broadcasters, like two questions each, they all
have, basically, whatever, six, eight, ten questions, just in one go and
they can all broadcast it. So, I think that’s also way more efficient and
nicer for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you have 20 mics lined-up all from
different companies. You get a lot more out of the drivers. We already know
that, if we leave here, we have to go outside and we have to repeat
ourselves at least six to eight times. And it’s just… when you start, it’s
exciting, the first two, when you continue to the other ones, it’s going to
be boring. It’s not nice for them, it’s not nice for us. So, I think we can
be a lot more efficient with that.
Q: (Luke Smith – Autosport) Max, Charles spoke yesterday about your karting
rivalry, said there were points where you guys hated each other, it was
always you and him fighting at the front, back in karting. What are some of
your memories from fighting Charles, and how cool is it to now be back,
fighting potentially for World Championship this year?
MV: Yeah, it's good. I mean, we basically grew up, through go-karting from,
I think, 12 years old. And of course, we were very similar in age. So, we
already had, of course, a lot of go-karting battles, but also, we made our
way through Formula 1 and not, of course, only the two of us, a lot of
drivers we know including of course George, Carlos, we already saw each
other at the go-karting tracks, and now we're all here in F1, basically
fighting with top teams. And yeah, it's really nice to see that and I hope,
of course, it can continue for a long time.
Q: (Claire Cottingham – Racefans.net) Questions you, Max. Obviously, it's
been a couple of retirements that the team. How confident are you that the
team have sorted out those niggles and what reassurances have they given
you? Thank you.
MV: I mean, it's been different issues. So, we have been solving them but,
of course, time will tell if it’s working or not. I mean, it's difficult to
say at the moment, but I know that the team always does their very best in
solving all the issues. They are a bit unexpected, because testing actually
was very smooth for us before we started the first race of the season. So
yeah, well, we'll find out this weekend.
Q: (Ian Parkes – New York Times) To both Charles and Max. Charles, you
obviously spoke about the karting rivalry yesterday. You mentioned at one
point – jokingly of course – how much you hated one another because of the
way things have gone, and Max, obviously just following on, how is the
rivalry changed now? When do you recall the respect maturing between the
pair of you from those karting days and how do you feel now going into this
season now you're back, battling at the front again against one another?
Thank you.
CL: I think it's a very different situation. We have matured a lot, we are
much older even though we are still 25 years old, which is still quite
young, but at this time there were episodes which make us hate each other,
I'm pretty sure, in some occasions, but then you grow up. Obviously, we've
both achieved one of our dreams, which was to arrive in Formula 1. And at
that time, it was it was just a dream. Everything looked impossible. So
it's, it's great now to be fighting in Formula 1. And there's a lot of
respect for each other. So yes, it has changed for sure.
MV: Like Charles said, I mean, we've matured a lot! And we're both in
Formula 1. We're we are two top teams and are fighting for race wins. What
happened in go-karting, you can laugh about it now. Yeah, good times!
GR: Charles isn’t laughing!
MV: He’s laughing now! You made him laugh, George.
Q: (Adam Cooper – motorsport.com) For all of you. Have you had a chance to
try Miami in the sim? Any thoughts on it? What kind of race we're going to
see there?
CL: I don't even know how it looks like, to be honest. And I haven't tried
it on the sim yet.
GR: I've done three laps when I was there for an event last year on a local
sim but I actually forgot by now! So, no. We'll do that next week.
VB: I did last week. Proper running there in the sim. And actually, was nice
to see, that it seems to be a really good track for overtaking. Like, I
think the way the track has been planned, I think, from my side, it looks
positive. It should be good ood racing. Yeah, pretty long straights and a
couple of really good overtaking opportunities. So, let's see how it is done
in real life but to me on paper, it looks good. And I'm sure as an event
it’s going to be pretty amazing.
MV: I haven't driven it on the on the simulator yet. But I mean, at the end
of the day, it also doesn't matter how to track looks like, as long as we’re
quick, that's what I care about.
CS: Having run it but look forward to doing it in the sim, I think next
week, and have a first look.
Q: (Umberto Zapelloni - Il Foglio) Question for Charles, two days ago, you
test… you made some laps with the older Ferrari of Gilles in Fiorano. Which
are your feelings about that car, and your thoughts about Gilles?
CL: Gilles was a legend for Ferrari and for Formula 1. For the personality
he had outside the car, and for changing the way people perceive him
whenever he was in the car, with so much passion, aggressivity and obviously
the fight with… so yeah, it's it was a lot of emotion to be driving his car.
And the cars back then was crazy. I mean, we keep speaking about safety. But
I think for us drivers until you actually drive one of those cars… you can
feel what they were going through while driving. I mean, it's unbelievable.
And yeah, it was a very playful car. Very oversteer-y car but very fun to
drive and I really really enjoyed it
How hard did you push?
CL: Not very hard, because they kept the same tyres as the one they had on
the car for the last few years in the museum! So it was like wood! But, but
it was fun.
Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing News 365) When Ayrton Senna was asked who the
best driver and his opinion was, he identified a karting driver, Terry
Fullerton, who didn't make it beyond karting, basically. From your karting
careers, who do you think was the best driver who didn't make it into
Formula 1?
CS: It is difficult. Is a very difficult question. There's so much talent
out there that could have made it to Formula 1 but in the end Formula 1 is
20 guys and there's never going to be space for all the talent out there. I
don't know I've raced against so many good drivers that is so difficult to
put one of them. I feel like if I say one maybe… I'm friends with all of
them, and maybe one is going to tell me ‘how you didn’t mention me!’ you
know what I mean? I'm good friends with a lot of people that are that I
raced against in the lower categories, and I have obviously three to five
guys that I think they would have done a very good job in Formula 1 but they
couldn't make it. I mentioned one now, then the other one maybe might tell
me no. Maybe I can tell you in private.
MV: For me, it’s more about that karting is not Formula 1. So, if you are
very good and go-karting, there is no guarantee that you will be good in
Formula 1. Of course, a lot of good racing drivers in, all different kinds
of categories. Not only of course, Formula 1, but there were a lot of good
go-karting drivers who jumped into a racing car and actually didn't live up
to their potential. And also, the other way around. Some drivers who were
not that amazing in go-karting but were actually really good in cars. So
yeah, it's very difficult to say that, when this guy was really quick in
go-karting, he would have made it to Formula 1. There is just no guarantee.
CS: I agree with Max, it was more lower categories instead of karting.
VB: Yeah, similar lines to Max. It's really such a steep learning curve
throughout your career. And obviously, some drivers develop earlier, some
might develop a bit later. And the ones who keep working, keep learning,
eventually they might get there. But yeah, it is sad in a way that there's
so much talent always… almost like wasted and not having the opportunity to
get to Formula 1. In my karting days in Finland, there was so many promising
drivers, but zero financial support. And yeah, it's a shame and it's not a
fair sport, for sure. And also, you need to be right place at the right
time. But best go-kart driver I ever saw on track the same time, was a guy
called Jussi Kohtala. He actually runs a go kart team nowadays. He was
amazing – but he never had the chance to even go to junior formula.
GR: I think similar comments to all of the guys next to me, I think, it is
so difficult to make that step from karting, and every single year you
progress, the budgets are just getting larger and larger and larger. And
sometimes that talent is diluted. And I think as a sport, we need to find a
way to make sure that we have the very best talent and progression through
the ranks. But I mean, for me when I did my first year in European karting,
you know, the guys who were winning and who were at the front, was Max,
Charles. And Alex Albon, was winning the years before us as well. And here
we are together in Formula 1. So, you know, there's been some exceptional
drivers we've all come up against, but I think the drivers who I would rank
at the top are all the ones who are sat alongside me at the moment.
CL: In karting, it's a question that I asked myself when I was younger. You
arrive to all the races and you ask yourself, how many of us will one day be
in Formula 1? The many names that I thought about are now in Formula 1 –
most of them here - but then there are three of them, where I remember
thinking that they will get Formula 1, and at the end for luck, and also for
different reasons, they didn't make it. Dennis Olson, Ben Barnicoat and
Nicklas Nielsen. But they all still in racing, I think, and they are doing
very, very well. But it also shows that even when you have, I think, most of
the things you get to Formula 1, sometimes there's also the luck that plays
into it: to be at the right place at the right time. And all of these plays
a part in it. I'm pretty sure, I've forgot some names too from back then. I
definitely remember being young and asking myself who of us will be in
Formula 1. It’s great to see that so many of us now are.
DRIVER GROUP 2 – Alex ALBON (Williams), Sebastian VETTEL ( Aston Martin),
Zhou GUANYU (Alfa Romeo), Alex ALBON (Williams), Kevin MAGNUSSEN (Haas)
Q: Pierre, if we could start with you, please. Home race for the team, the
factory just 15 kilometres away. What's possible for you and the guys and
girls at AlphaTauri this weekend?
Pierre GASLY: Well, everything's possible. Especially looking at the weather
forecast. I think it should be a pretty interesting weekend. So now the, the
energy is really high in the in the garage and in everybody. Everybody
inside the team is very excited about that race, obviously being our real
home race of the season. And also myself, I must say it's been quite a while
since we drove in these conditions, conditions that I really enjoy. So
excited to get out there.
Q: And you've always gone well, here you qualified fifth last year finished
the race seventh. What's the secret to a good lap of this Imola circuit?
PG: A good car? That's I think that's the secret of Formula 1. No, I mean,
it's been generally always been very good for us. And I must say it's a
track I personally like, very technical, quite challenging, very high speed.
Quite old school as well. And I've always enjoyed driving here. The past few
years, the guy was really good so hopefully we have another strong weekend.
But yeah, I'm confident we can get some good points.
Q: The weather is going to mix things up. Does the sprint require a
different approach from you in the cockpit?
PG: Imola, we approach it as a normal race. There is no need to approach it
in a different way. Obviously, this year's going to be more important than
it was last year. Last year, it felt like it was mainly a race between the
between the Mercedes and the Red Bulls, whereas this year, we have a real
thing to gain from it. So I think we'll just approach it as any other race
and try to set ourselves in the best spot possible for Sunday.
Q: Sebastian, if we could come to you. Let's start by talking about Italy.
What kind of reception do you get these days from the tifosi? Once a Ferrari
driver, always a Ferrari driver?
Sebastian VETTEL: Well, the weekend is just starting. So obviously… You
know, yesterday, we walked the track but it was wet, but there was still
some fans around. It's nice to come here and this year in particular to know
that there will be people in the grandstands. It's a great track a lot of
memories growing up as a child watching the races here but it felt a bit
dull for the last two years without any people. So I'm looking forward to
having the tifosi back obviously, you know, great memories, and very special
to be here and to race here.
Q: Now, it was a difficult weekend for Aston Martin in Australia, can we
just get your assessment of the car and the team at the moment?
SV: Well the car is not quick, not quick enough, we know that, in comparison
to the opposition. There's still a lot of work to do. When it comes to the
team and the effort that is going in, I would say the spirit is unbroken.
Doesn't feel great when you come out of the session and you're not where you
think you could have been or where you wanted to be. But we know that a lot
of stuff is coming and we will see in the next few weeks and months whether
it's going in the in the right direction. But as I said, the atmosphere is
good. We take it on the chin and try to move forward.
Q: Kevin, coming to you now, Melbourne was a little bit of a disappointment
by the standards of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Do you and the team understand
what the problems were last time out?
Kevin MAGNUSSEN: I'd say partly. We started the weekend with the car not
really in the right spot, if you want. And we were a little bit slow to
react and then in qualifying we improved the car, but I messed up the first
lap, and there was a red flag and I didn't get any good lap in Q1 so I was
out of Q1. So then it was an uphill battle from there. In the race we were
pretty fast. But you know, we went for a strategy where you know, if there
was safety car around the first of the medium runners that would kind of
ruin our race, and it did. So, you know, it was one of those weekends. And,
you know, there's no reason to be down from it. We have a good car and I'm
sure we will show that here as well.
Q: And this is your first sprint weekend. Does it require a different
approach? What's the plan going forward this weekend?
KM: I would say pretty similar approach, except you’ve got to commit to your
set-up and stuff after FP1. Then qualifying, parc fermé and you can’t change
the car. So it's a little more condensed and a little more, I would say,
pressure in FP1 to hit the ground running, but you know, this weekend, it's
going be wet today, so it's going to be more about just finding a good
rhythm and trying to have a good qualifying the wet and then, it should be
alright from there
Q: And is the team viewing this as something of a home race as well?
KM: Yeah, they do. I mean, there's a lot of Italians in Haas, and, you know,
a big part of the team is based in Italy. So there's a bit of a home
feeling, but we have we have a few home races over the season.
Q: Zhou, let's come to you now. So 11th in the last two races, that must get
frustrating after a while?
Zhou GUANYU: Well, yeah, last race we missed by 0.3 to Alex, so it was
hurting a little bit. But nevertheless, I think if we look in a positive way
at it, I think after all three races, the worst position was P11, so we'll
take that. And yeah, the last two races being up and down and in terms of
experience, I definitely gained quite a lot, especially in Melbourne. It was
a completely new circuit for me, for the first time. And so I tried to get
into the rhythm from P1 to P3, then in order to push through in qualifying
and the race. But again, this weekend is something like Kevin said, it will
be my first ever sprint race weekend. So it'll be another different kind of
challenge coming ahead, and especially with the weather. So as a team,
definitely, you know, we're working in the right path. And we're building up
the confidence for myself, and also the team that we are gradually gaining
more speed on track. So that's always something positive to see.
Q: Melbourne was a new track, how much easier is it for you to be coming
back to a place you know?
ZG: Yes, definitely. It's easier, but it's not that much easier. Just
because this weather forecast this weekend is going to be quite tricky – wet
Friday, maybe dry [Sprint] and then who knows on Sundays. For me to be the
first time driving this car in the rain, I have no experience and I don't
have any expectations yet for how it will feel. But I think from P1, we have
to be in a rhythm reasonably quick or quicker than the last few races, so
then that can pass in a good window for qualifying. But yeah, like Kevin
said, after P1 you pretty much have to do the car set-up for the whole
weekend. So that puts extra pressure on drivers but also for the teams.
Q: Alex, coming to you now a tremendous race to 10th place last time out in
Melbourne, you've scored 198 points in your Formula 1 career, what did that
single point in Australia mean to you?
Alex ALBON: It was special. It was among the best points scoring races I've
had in Formula 1. So it did mean a lot. And obviously, for the team as well.
We didn't have the best start to the year. But to get away with a point
already this early on in the season, yeah, it meant a lot.
Q: And what about the pace of the car generally? Are you going to have to
continue doing something a bit different strategy-wise to score more points?
AA: I mean, we have to see but of course, we are struggling to get into Q2
at the moment. And when you are starting at the back, you do need to be
opportunistic in your strategy and it did work what we did and I think
that's credit to the team because you know, when you're in that position,
you can go for opportunities and strategies that people won’t take risks
for. And so you know, we will keep that mindset for sure going into the
future. I think we also have the car to be able to do that kind of stuff. We
were quick on those C2 tyres and that put us in a position where we could
afford to do something like that.
Q: And come on, first sprint weekend we better get your thoughts on that.?
AA: It’s interesting. These guys have already touched upon it but we don't
have much time to get used to… to get into qualifying. The track is complete
us and most drivers, I imagine, haven't driven the car in the wet yet. At
least [they have] on an artificially wet track. So we're going to be getting
up to speed as quickly as possible. And in free practice you don't have much
time before qualifying. So you want to push but obviously a costly crash
won't do you any favours so it's treading the line.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Luke Smith - Autosport) We've got the new race weekend format this year
where we've got a lot of media activity on a Friday morning. You guys have
been in pretty early this morning. Thursdays still seem quite busy, though.
Max Verstappen has been quite clear in his criticism about the current
format. What are your thoughts on it? Should we go back to the old format?
Or do you like the new weekends?
AA: I think we should consider it [going back]. We’ve done what we've done
to reduce the load on everyone. But at the same time, it seems that we've
created more load. And it does seem on Fridays, especially right now, we
would love to be talking with engineers and getting ready for a very busy
weekend. But instead we have media duties, which is fine. But then on
Thursday we were also pretty busy. And it hasn't really changed Thursdays.
So I think, for us, we will have a discussion and see where we can improve
things. I think it benefits everyone as well for it to happen.
ZG: Yeah, obviously, I haven't experienced the old one, but I was there as
like a test driver for the other team in the past. But it seems to be like
was the new format, it didn't really increase our time to be spending with
the engineers. It's just more that we do more media activity, so that we
don't get to finish on Thursday earlier. I think if anything we finish the
same time but then we start Friday, the same or earlier than before. I think
Max already mentioned. So I think it's something that we can take into
consideration. Maybe try to, you know, do some changes. That would be nice.
KM: Well, if the reason for the change was to make the weekend shorter that
certain certainly hasn’t worked. But, you know, for me, that's okay. My
problem with it is that you go through a lot of interviews in a weekend. And
it's hard because you're answering the exact same question. So although it's
about the subject that you're very excited about, that wears off, through
Thursday and then into Friday, and you know, it becomes a bit hard to be
authentic at the end, when you've answered the same question 30 times. But
you know, it's not really up to me.
SV: I think Kevin hit the nail on the head. So the incentive was to make it
shorter, it hasn't worked. So I think we need to improve. We can improve.
The main thing is you want us to be excited if you have the same questions
for an hour, it's not going to be. I think we've been all been to the TV and
basically our excitement is not at its peak. I don't know I think we need to
find a better way.
PG: I totally agree with all the comments.
Q: (Mathias Brunner – Speedweek) Sebastian, how do you tackle this weekend
when you know that today is wet and Saturday and Sunday in all likelihood
will be dry?
SV: Maybe not. I don't know. There's still hope! No, I think it's going to
be busy today and very intense because you have very short time, it's wet.
It was touched on earlier. Alex said we didn't drive these cars in the wet
yet. So we have zero experience on these tyres as well. Lots of things to
come today and we have to adapt quickly. So I think today is very exciting.
From where we are, I think the rain helps us, or potentially can help us to
mix things up. So that's exciting about today. Then for tomorrow, hopefully
we find ourselves in a place higher up than usual and we have a great
weekend from there. I think you're right, it's going to be dry tomorrow and
most likely Sunday. It's not the easiest track to overtake. We will see with
the rules change how it impacts on this track this year. But yeah, for now,
I think we are busy with today.
Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing News 365) Sebastian, could you elaborate on the
letter the GPDA sent to the FIA into Formula 1 regarding amongst other
things, the weekend format? I believe there were various factors that you
had raised?
SV: Yeah, I think at this stage I'd prefer to not disclose any details. I
mean, no big secrets, but obviously, it's fairly normal, you know, if I
remember the last couple of years, there's always been some points, various
natures – weekend format, safety, the tracks, calendar, lots of things that
we addressed. And, you know, we've always been in contact with both FIA and
FOM. And it's no different this year, from our side, we've been sending a
couple of things filled with questions and on some things we are still
waiting for an answer. So maybe it's a busy period for the FIA. But yeah, I
think the subject, there are no big secrets. But the first attempt is always
to keep it sort of disclosed (sic). And then yeah, we'll see what happens
with it.
Q: (Christian Nimmervoll – motorsport-total.com). Seb it's most likely going
to take three to four years to see the effects of what's happening at the
factory right now. That's probably going to require a new contract on your
end. Have you made up your mind about this, to be there to reap the rewards?
SV: Well, it's a no brainer. My contract ended ends at the end of this
season. Obviously, it's not the year that everyone in the team hoped for, at
least the start of the season, but I think it would be bad to write it off
already. It's only race three, it's new regulations, there are so many
things we are currently struggling with when it comes to performance with
our car, extracting the performance… I think others have the same or similar
problems. So lots of things that we can still understand and learn and the
next weeks and months will be very important to set the direction for this
year, but also for learning and knowing what to do in the next three, four
years, whatever you mentioned [as the] horizon. So I feel that it would be
wrong to write this season off, absolutely wrong. It's just started. I only
had one race and didn't even finish that race. So plenty of things we can
still improve and learn, and then in a couple of weeks and months, I think
we are in a better place to judge where we really are. Because the spirit is
good the team is you know willing to very willing to be at the front at the
minute we're not it's not a secret. But lots of work going in.
Q: And Sebastian, your long-term future with the team?
SV: As I said, I don't know. No secrets, it will depend on obviously how
this year goes and then take it from there.
Q: (Adam Cooper – motorsport.com) For all of you, just wondering if you've
done Miami in the sim yet or if not maybe you've seen videos or pictures, if
you've got any thoughts on the track and what kind of race we might have
there?
PG: Well, I've tried it and I must say it looks pretty awesome. I really
liked the layout. Quite a lot of high-speed content, quite challenging,
unusual type of corners, extremely long corners, very long straights. I
think we should have some pretty good American entertainment, good
entertainment the whole weekend, so very excited about it and the location
is unique. So very hyped about the weekend.
SV: I haven't seen much yet. Had to go in the sim, it will come. But yeah, I
think it's great to explore new venues and obviously it's an exciting city.
KM: I haven't driven anything thing in the sim, but looking forward to going
there.
ZG: For me the same. I haven't actually tried the track it. But of course
going to the first time to Miami is quite nice. I think the atmosphere that
weekend will be very fun.
AA: Same here haven't driven it yet. So looks like Red Bull only are the
only ones who have it. But yeah. let’s see.
Q: (Claire Cottingham – racefans.net) Sebastian, again, just regarding your
future and things. There were some reports that Christian Horner had spoken
to you about coming to join Red Bull, I just wondered how, how true they
were. They don't look that true. And if you had any thoughts about what your
future would be, if it wasn't Aston Martin?
SV: I haven’t spoken with Christian for a while. I don't know. So, not true.
I don't know, I mean, time will tell. At the minute I think the focus is on
the now and on a mountain ahead of us that we try to climb, and we won't
climb it in the day, we won’t climate in the month, but we will choose the
path that we climb, which will determine the next three to four years. So
that's why I feel it's really important to focus on that. And it takes all
the attention. And then, I don't know, one day there will be a day for all
of us where this journey ends and some other journey will start, whatever
that might be. I am I'm not sure… I definitely won’t sit on the other side,
in terms of asking questions to drivers. I don't think that will be my
strength.
PG: You would be a painful journalist as well. Yeah, no, don't do that to
us.
SV: Remind me if I even get close! . So yeah, I don't know. Lots of things.
I mean, obviously I've thought about it before, before signing the current
contract. But yeah, plenty of ideas. But who knows.
Q: (Carlo Platella – Formula Passion) To all the drivers. I don't know if
any of you have seen the new Formula E qualifying format, with a tournament
based on head-to-head duels to define the starting order. Do you think this
could fit to Formula 1 instead of sprint race? Thank you.
AA: I think it would be quite boring for the ones who are at the back every
time. You might get a lot of the same cars constantly in what is it? The top
eight? And I think Formula E is a little bit more unpredictable in that
sense, you can have a bit more one-on-ones with different teams and
different drivers, but F1 is a little bit more routine in that way. I don't
think I don't think it would add anything. But I mean, it's maybe up to
these guys, I don't know.
ZG: Yeah, I saw it. I watched it for the first time. I don't want to watch
it again. Because it was so long! I don't know how you guys felt? I felt it
was very long, you know, just to see who was on pole, because you have two
cars, two cars, always fighting for just going through to the next stage. So
I think it won't work, like Alex said, there’s too much car performance
difference here. So it wouldn't be fair to anyone anyway.
Q: (Christian Nimmervoll – motorsport-total.com) Seb, following up on your
future, you said it's probably going to depend on this year. What's required
for you to make up your mind taking out another two, three years of your
life to stay with the team?
SV: In all honesty, I had an amazing 15 years or so looking back, and I was
in a position to you know, win championships, win a lot of races, fight for
positions, get a lot of podiums, and obviously, you know, the taste was
great. It's not a secret that if you're not in a position to be there that
it's a different taste. You need to find a different sort of motivation. But
yeah, I think ultimately, I'm willing to be tasting the same again. That's
the nature of the sport. For some of the guys in the room it's a little bit
different because they're still very early in their careers and they didn't
have a team or car yet where they were able to show what they can do. So
it's different, clearly a different position but that is, I think, one of
the big deciders. But, you know, the team is growing, there's a lot of
things it looks very promising. The answer is time will tell. But those will
be the key things that I will be looking at to see how promising is it
looking in the future? And how soon, because obviously, you know, I'm not
really old, I think physically I have a lot of years left, it's not a
problem at all. But, yeah, I think that's ultimately the goal to win and
fight for podiums and victories, which currently, we're far away from. But,
as I said, there's plenty of work, so that that's also very exciting, to
know where we are now and to take the little steps and define the path for
the future.
Q: (Andrew Benson - BBC) Just for everybody. I know it's late. But on the
new rules, is it easier to raise closer together this year? I know it's
easier to follow, but it is easier to actually race closer? How much of that
might be due to the increased DRS effect rather than the car philosophy
itself? And do the tyres actually allow you to push closer to the limit for
much longer as they were intended to do? Thanks.
PG: Well, personally, I do feel it is it is an improvement compared to last
year on all aspects. So I'm pretty happy so far with what we've seen. I do
believe we can raise closer to each other. Tyres are slightly less sensitive
compared to last year. Can we do better than what we have? Maybe… And
probably. But it's clearly a step in the right direction. So racing-wise, I
must say it has been more enjoyable, closer racing, more battles. And yeah,
it's just been more fun on my side. I think the targets were matched and
yeah, if in the future we can make another step in that direction. I think
that will be amazing for all people involved in the sport.
SV: I don't have that much experience yet. But, you know, it's very easy to
judge straightaway. I think also testing, I think you can follow closer,
there is less drag effect as well. We do rely on the DRS probably more than
in the past, to some extent. The interesting bit would be to take the DRS
off and see how the racing really is, if you are able to overtake a lot
better than, let's say, in the past. I would be a bit… I'm only a bit
cautious for the DRS, because it was brought in as an assistance to help
overtaking but now it feels a bit like it's the only thing that allows you
to overtake at times. So ideally, we have set of regulation that allows us
to follow and race without DRS. You know, DRS hasn't been there for 70
years. It was brought in 10 years ago to help, as an experiment. And yeah, I
think an overtake should always be an effort and not dictated by you being
in the zone and you get the DRS. The race in Jeddah, where you had the
leaders braking for the DRS line to try and be the second one to cross that
line, that's a different type of racing. So I don't I don't think we should
go that way. So we will see. We're still early in the in the project.
Definitely you can follow closer. Overtaking is still hard, but it should be
an effort and it should be a reward when you manage to overtake.
DRIVER GROUP 3 – Daniel RICCIARDO (McLaren), Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes),
Lance STROLL (Aston Martin)
Q: Let's kick things off Daniel, if we can start with you please? Are you
still on a high after Melbourne. Of your eight home grands prix, was that
the most memorable?
Daniel RICCIARDO: It was, it was pretty awesome, I think. Yeah, the
atmosphere and everything. It was, was a smooth weekend on track. You know,
the result was good. It's not one I'll parade or anything. But of course
just to have a strong weekend was nice from a team perspective as well,
when, you know, it wasn't looking like that after race one. So, that was
cool. But yeah, it was more just the atmosphere. It was it was nuts. I mean,
everyone that was there got to experience it. And even getting out of the
car after the race, where you park in the pits and all the fans are there
along the fence. And you see all drivers given them all high fives and
stuff, it felt it felt pretty cool. It was a nice atmosphere for sure.
Q: And it looks like the car was better there. Was that track specific? Or
have you made a little bit of a breakthrough with it?
DR: I think mostly track specific. You know, we're certainly trying to learn
more about the car. And we are learning more about it each time we're on the
track. And yeah, a few little bits and pieces here and there. But it was
just probably the nature of the circuit, you know, it worked to our
strengths. What that means this weekend? I honestly don't know yet.
Especially if it is wet. There's been very limited wet running this year. A
few of us got to do it in testing in Barcelona, I think that was all, so
yeah, probably a bit a bit unknown at the moment.
Q: You've had a good run here in 2020. finishing on the podium. Where have
you set your expectations this time?
DR: Ha! Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I would love that feeling again. And
yeah, that was also Lewis’ first shoey as well, so that was a pretty
memorable moment for both of us. So, I would I would definitely invite that
again, that opportunity, but we'll see. I'll push. Hopefully, that means a
good result. But I couldn't tell you at the moment where I'm expecting to
end up.
Q: Well, Lewis, how memorable was that shoey?
Lewis HAMILTON: Scarred me for life! I’ll never get over the fact that I had
some of your toe jam. That's pretty bad. But no, it was pretty good,
obviously an amazing experience to be on the podium with Daniel and this is
a great race here. So much great history.
Q: Can we talk bigger picture? Total Wolf says your chances of winning the
world championship this year are at about 20%? Would you agree with him?
LH: I mean, I'm not a mathematician so I don't really know what the
percentage chances Are. But it's definitely tough. It's a tall order. That's
for sure.
Q: But still very much in your sights?
LH: Yeah, I mean, there's a long, long way to go. You've seen in the
previous year you've seen how much happens in in a season. Still so many
races to go. There's still time for us to turn this around. There's still
time for us to fix this car and extract the full potential and that's what I
know that all the team are working flat out to try to achieve.
Q: And what can we expect from the car this weekend? Do you think you can
make a step forward with it here?
LH: I'm hoping that we… Every time I get in the car I'm hoping that it's
going to be feel better. Ultimately, it's fundamentally is still the same
car. I know that everyone at factory has been working very hard over Easter
to try and bring even the smallest bits of improvement to the car. So we
don't have any anything that's groundbreaking, that's going to change our
result, but we hope that we do move slightly forward this weekend.
Q: And Lewis, just before we move on, can we talk football? Chelsea Football
Club. Do you fancy it?
LH: Fancy what?
Q: Do you fancy buying the club? Playing for the club?
LH: Being an owner? Yeah, I do, very much.
Q: Is there any truth to the stories?
LH: Yeah. I mean, look, I've been a football fan since I was a kid. I played
football from probably from the age of four until I was 17. I was in teams
every year. I played in the school team every year through my childhood.
I've been to numerous games. When I was young… Around the corner from where
I lived, I used to play football with all the kids and a couple of my close
friends at the time, I really wanted to fit in. I was the only kid of colour
there. But I know that the kids all supported someone different. One was
Tottenham and one was Man U, and I remember switching between these teams
when I was younger and getting home and my sister punching me several times
in the arm, my sister Sam, basically beating me saying ‘you have to support
Arsenal’. So I remember at five or six years old that I then became a
supporter of Arsenal. But my Uncle Terry is a big Blues fan. I've been to so
many games with him to watch Arsenal and Chelsea play. And ultimately I'm a
sporting fan. It is the biggest sport in the world. And Chelsea is the one
of the biggest clubs in the world, and most successful. And when I heard
about this opportunity, I was like, ‘wow, this is this is one of the
greatest opportunities to be a part of something so great’.
Q: Good luck with that. Thank you very much. Esteban, let's come to you now.
It's been a great start to the season for you with three consecutive points
finishes. How do you sum up? Is this what you were expecting coming into
Bahrain?
Esteban OCON: Yeah, it's been a good start to the season. For sure, to be
three times in the points out of three races is a strong start to the season
for sure, and probably the best part of my career so far. So, that's very
good. I think we have a competitive car, a car that's capable of qualifying
quite high up, as we've seen in Jeddah. It's going to be up to us now to put
it all together. And you know, we are pushing the developments very much
with the factory trying to get some parts in as early as we can, because we
are not far off the front. So that's very encouraging. And that makes the
show even better for everyone. You know, it's very tight, it's closer than
it was last year. And I think that's good for everybody.
Q: You've got a new floor here this weekend. What do you expect from it?
EO: Yeah, so Fernando will run the new floor this weekend. So, as I said,
great that we bring all these little updates as soon as we can. Fernando
will be testing that over this weekend and if everything works as it should
I will have that in Miami.
Q: And just a final question for me on overtaking. We've got just one DRTS
zone here at Imola. Do you expect to see lots of overtaking on Sunday? And
Saturday?
EO: It's always pretty difficult to overtake here. But I think what made it
tricky in the last couple years was the last two corners, you know,
following closely was difficult, I think we discussed it and it should be
quite a lot easier and you should exit the corner quite a lot closer than
before. But yeah, I mean, we've seen the conditions, how it is today. That
brings, of course, a lot of opportunities and there could be a high chance
that we are going to go straight into qualifying, so yeah, they are going to
be some opportunities to take.
Q: Mick, coming to you. Do you expect your car to be more competitive here
than it was in Melbourne?
MS: Well, I hope so. I think that obviously Melbourne didn't really reflect
the performance that we have generally. I think it was a difficult Friday
that kind of led things to be more difficult than they were actually. So
hopefully we'll be back in a position where we can fight and also be
consistently with the midfield guys and on top of the midfield.
Q: Do you feel the sprint gives you more opportunities?
MS: We'll have to wait and see. I think we haven't had that many weekends.
And surely last year was kind of difficult with the car. So we'll see how it
is this year with a more performing car and if it's coming our way or not.
Q: And with the points going down to eighth in the Sprint, does it require a
change of approach from you in the cockpit?
MS: I guess not directly. It's just a matter of driving fast and trying to
be in that top eight and then obviously have a good weekend overall.
Q: Lance, thank you for waiting coming to you. It's been a difficult start
to the season for you and the team. Where are your expectation levels coming
into this race?
Lancer STROLL: I'm looking forward to it. You know, it's a great track,
somewhere I've always enjoyed coming to even before Formula 1. And yeah, the
weather looks like it will be interesting today and, you know, maybe for the
rest of the weekend, so yeah, looking forward to racing here.
Q: Do you guys understand the issues with your car?
LS: Yeah, we definitely know our limitations and the things we have to work
on. So it's figuring out how we can improve some of those issues going
forward. And yeah, get further up the field.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) Lewis, even you've explained very well how an
Arsenal fan gets to be involved with Chelsea. I just wondered if you could
explain how Serena gets involved. Did you discuss it with her? Were you both
approached? Or how did that link up happen?
LH: We did speak about it. We spoke multiple times. Serena and I are very
close. So we're constantly in touch. You know, she's a phenomenal athlete
and woman. We spoke about it, she asked me what my thoughts were on it. And
I told her that I'll be I'm going to be a part of it. And she was excited to
join.
Q: (Rebecca Clancy – The Times) Lewis, sorry, just to go on about the
Chelsea bid. How did it actually happen from your side? Were you approached?
Where did it all start? Where did the talks begin?
LH: Well, naturally, I heard about it in the news about… Everyone's
obviously aware of it. And yeah, we were contacted and so Martin took time
to speak to me on the phone and explain his and his team's goals if they
were to win the bid, which was incredibly exciting, and it was very much
aligned with my values and again, it's … As a kid I remember I remember
collecting all the stickers. I don't know if you remember, when you go down
to the store and get those books and you had to then trade cards. I remember
filling all those up as a kid and trading them for pennies, trading them for
sweets with other kids, for the most valuable cards. And when I was younger
I was trying I was trying to be the best player I could be and actually play
for a team. So I was trying to try out for Stevenage Borough when I was
younger, but then I ended up following the racing space, but I could have
only ever dreamed of being part of a team and a natural, integral part of a
team, so that's for me the most exciting thing.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Christian Nimmervoll – motorsport-total.com) Lewis if you manage to win
number eight this year or next year, does that change the chances of you
signing a new contract or doesn't it affect it at all?
LH: That's firstly a really tall order. And that's not something that's
immediately at the forefront of my mind. I think we're all sent these
challenges through our through our journeys and through our lives and this
is one that I'm really enjoying. I'm really enjoying spending more time with
the team, deeper dives into engineering, into aero characteristics,
development of the simulator and the simulation tools. I think it's enabled
me to become even more involved in development which is exciting. I think I
still feel fresh and still feel young, to be honest, even though I'm around
all these youngsters here. So, I don't think that's going to be the deciding
factor whether I continue or not. I plan to be here.
Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing News 365) Lewis, again on the Chelsea Football
Club thing, if you don't mind. Given the controversial ownership at the
moment, given the fact that when Roman Abramovich purchased the team back in
2010 (sic), there were suggestions that the Kremlin was actually involved.
And then given your human rights interest, is it something savoury about the
deal, dealing with these sort of people?
LH: Well, I mean, firstly, we’re trying to acquire a team and move it
forward. This is a team, this is all about the community. That's what really
makes a football team. It's the people in and around it. They've done and
been quite leading in the work in D&I and becoming more diverse and
progressive. So, it's not that we're associating ourselves with previous
owners. Our goal is to continue some of the work that they've already done
and have even more of an impact and engage more with the community.
Q: (Matt Kew – Autosport) A question for Lewis again. Having won the final
race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, having to wait for Austin, seeing how
that's grown. And now we're on the eve of the Miami Grand Prix. Just how
pleased are you personally to see F1 finally crack in America in a big way?
LH: Yeah, I mean, growing up knowing how amazing the sport is and seeing
that there was still quite a disconnect between the US and the rest of the
world in terms of the passion for this sport, it's really amazing to see
that we've cracked it and there's a growing love in the States. There are
massive sporting fans out there. And I mean, Miami is going to be an
experience for all of us,
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