TEAM REPRESENTATIVES
Flavio BRIATORE (Alpine), Frédéric VASSEUR (Ferrari), Andrea STELLA (McLaren)

Q: Can we start with some breaking news from the International Court of Appeal today, the headline being that Pierre Gasly has lost his third place at the Monaco Grand Prix. Flavio, perhaps we could start with you and get your reaction to that, please?
Flavio BRIATORE: This is very unfair. But you know, we accept the decision, but what is very strange was four judges in the panel. One of the judges act like a prosecutor. This is not a big problem. The problem is he’s very linked with the McLaren company, because we have a nice picture of this guy at a speech for McLaren in 2018 in MSO, Beverly Hills. He has a foundation, it’s called One Drop foundation, and McLaren gave two, three McLaren cars. This was quite unfair. One of the judges was linked with a team which was processing us.

Q: Well, Andrea, perhaps we could bring you in on this and get your reaction as well, please?
Andrea STELLA: My reaction is about the decision of the International Court of Appeal. If we want to talk about that, then I’m happy to comment. We have just released also a statement. If you want to talk about this kind of allegations, then I think that’s not convenient.

Q: Well, let’s start with the former, just on the decision.
AS: Yeah, it’s a decision that definitely we welcome. It’s very important. It’s important because, first of all, it adds clarity in relation to the application of Article 1.1.1 of the International Sporting Code of the FIA, which is foundational – foundational for anything that derives from there. We appealed because we wanted to make sure that this clarity was sought. We had concerns, which were beyond the fact that we might have lost two championship points. Probably these two championship points are not going to make any difference. We were concerned about the application of sporting equality and fairness, and this is important. And this is not only important for McLaren. In fact, not only Red Bull applied, but all teams were present in the hearing because this was a very important moment, I would say, in terms of clarification as to how we apply the rules, as to how we apply consistency, and also, in the specific case, consistency is related to the methodologies that are valid through a race weekend.

Q: Thank you. Flavio, do you want to come back in?
Flavio BRIATORE: Very nice talking about the point one, one, P2, three, P, P, P, but what is unfair is some judge was linked with McLaren. This is unfair. The judge normally needs to be independent, completely. And this judge, the name is, it’s kind of an Italian name, but he’s American, Filippo Marchino. Filippo Marchino is a judge, he was very nasty during the hearing, was acting as a prosecutor. And after, we found out what is the reason why so nasty, this guy. He is very linked with McLaren. This I notice. So whatever Stella said, for the sport, for this, first I think someone, where you have the judgement, the judge needs to be independent. And not somebody doing the speech for McLaren and somebody using the McLaren car in the charity. This is the point. After that, the point one, one, three, two, four, five, I don’t care. I care… I’m very surprised this guy have the link with McLaren.

Q: Okay, thank you. Fred, can we just bring you in now? Ferrari not directly involved in this case, but it would be interesting to get your reaction to it as well.
Frédéric VASSEUR: Well, first, I think it was not an easy case to judge. I can understand the frustration from everybody. For the rest of the discussion, I will let Andrea and Flavio discuss together. But no, I think it was not easy. We paid the penalty in Monaco also with Lewis and a little bit with Charles. But I can understand the frustration because we didn’t have the feeling to speed into the pit lane. For the rest, it’s their discussion.

Q: Okay. Fred, if we just stay with you now. Ferrari running the PU upgrade this weekend. FP1 seemed to go very well. Do you think you’ve got enough to challenge for the victory on Sunday?
FV: It’s never a shortcut with you! Yes, FP1 went well, but we were also P1, P2 last year and we know how it ended. It means that we have to stay calm. We didn’t compensate at all the delta with the Mercedes engine. We’re still a long way on the engine side. The development, you have much more inertia. It means that it’s step by step and it will be a long process. But a small step is a small step, and it’s important when you see the fight on track and how tight it is on the grid. Sometimes a hundredth of a second is making a huge difference.

Q: Thanks for that. Andrea, if we can come to you now, just talk about performance. You’ve had a very quick race car the last couple of weekends. Just how confident are you coming to Monza that you can make it a hat-trick of wins?
AS: I think it’s an interesting racetrack for us to check the progress of the MCL40, because if we think about Hungary and Zandvoort, we know that the characteristics are very different to Monza. There’s a much bigger premium to the speed you can carry in the corners. There’s long corners. Here it’s very much about the speed you can develop in the straights and the balance between the grip you have in the corners and the aerodynamic resistance as well. I think if we focus for a second on drag, we know that not necessarily this is a point of strength of our car. So, we have some question marks in terms of our potential. We are adding some upgrades to our car, trying to address this element of the aerodynamic resistance, but we will see overall where we are, I think, only once we are in qualifying. But definitely an interesting weekend to assess our car.

Q: Thank you, Andrea. And Flavio, back to you. Can we just talk briefly about Franco? You announced he’s staying with the team for 2027 last week. Clearly, he’s taken a big step this year, but are there still some areas in which you’d like to see him improve some more?
FB: Well, you know, what is more important in the team now is the consistency. For 2027, we believe the best was to keep the line-up, two drivers we have. Franco was improving this year. He’s much, much better than the year before. He’s still very young. It’s the second season, basically the first full season in Formula 1. I believe it was the right move to keep the two drivers we have. Franco is very, very happy to stay in the team and the relationship between Franco and Pierre is super for the moment, because you never know what’s going on. But consistency is the first fact we want to keep in the team.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Ted Kravitz – Sky Sports UK) Flavio, just to pick up on what you’re saying. The gentleman you’re referring to was not named the president of the hearing, that was Mr Grech. Can you just say that you, and neither, as is listed, did your legal representatives suggest any objections at the time to this gentleman?
FB: We don’t know that. [Unclear] FIA know as well. We have no idea this guy was linked with McLaren. We go to the hearing with McLaren and we see it was very funny because this judge was not a judge, he was a prosecutor. It was four judges. This one was really a prosecutor against the FIA, against to us, against to FOM. I mean, after that we found out, after the meeting, logically, not before, we found out this guy was linked with the McLaren team. This is what I think. So. it’s quite unfair if some of the judges is linked with one of the teams that is fighting with us.

Q: (Ted Kravitz – Sky Sports UK) Okay, but it’s quite a serious allegation and obviously Mr Marchino is not here to defend himself.
FB: Like Stella said, we accept the decision. We accept everything. I mean, it’s quite strange to have one guy in the panel linked to the team.

Q: (Ted Kravitz – Sky Sports UK) My question was actually: is the team considering further judicial review based on what you’re saying today?
FB: No, we’ve been thinking about it. Just pass the weekend and after that we think about it. For the moment, I don’t know.

Q: (Craig Slater – Sky Sports) Just to Andrea, I understand that this is difficult territory we’re getting into with regard to who was sitting in judgement on this case, but would you at least reject any notion that McLaren had any agency in terms of who was appointed to oversee this case? Further to that, what else needs to happen now to avoid F1 getting in this situation again?
Andrea STELLA: I find that this conference going in this direction is quite insulting for McLaren, for the reputation of a team that deserves a lot of respect. And if anybody makes these kind of allegations – which seem quite serious – they are going to have to take the responsibility for what they are saying in a public forum. The hearing, the whole International Court of Appeal, was conducted to the highest standards and we should not question this phase like it’s been done.

Q: (Mara Sangiogio – Sky Sports Italy) I change totally topic, maybe easier. A question to Fred and Andrea. Is Monza a sliding door moment for your championship, or can only Mercedes lose it?
AS: It could be a sliding door. Let’s see. I think, like I said before, for us it’s very interesting to see how can we compete in a circuit that is very demanding in terms of straight-line speed, because we know that that’s not the strength of our car. I think if we can do well here in Monza, if we can fight for podiums here, then who knows? The championship may be open. We know that we have lost a lot of points in the first part, not only for performance but also for reliability. This can happen to anybody, so we have to still stay there and make sure that every single weekend we do our best.
FV: I think that Monza is a special one. A special one also compared to the previous Monza because, for once, we are used to come to Monza with perhaps 100 points of downforce less than the other tracks, and it’s not the case this season. It means that it’s a different approach, different exercise for the team, for the drivers. But it’s not the end of the championship. We have still, after this one, 500 points to score until the end. And for sure everybody would prefer to win in Monza, and I’m the first, but it’s not the end of the championship in any case.

Q: (Sandra Baumgartner – Sky Sports Germany) Also another topic. This goes to Flavio and Andrea. As you are Italians, you know how passionate Tifosi are, and we have a young driver, a young Italian driver, and all the hopes of the country are on his shoulders. So, with all your experience, which kind of advice would you give him to handle this situation?
AS: Interesting question. I would give him the wrong advice because we are chasing him! I care about Andrea Kimi, first of all, because he’s an asset for Formula 1. He’s doing so well. Deservedly, he’s leading the Drivers’ Championship and, honestly, every time I hear from him, I see him, his stance, to me it looks like he’s growing day by day. So, he knows very well what to do. I’m sure he will keep this attitude, this speed, this consistency that he has expressed so far in the championship, and it will be a very difficult one to chase.
FB: I think the same as Stella. In this moment in Italy you have two big names – [Janick] Sinner and Kimi. I think Kimi takes away the fans from Ferrari as well, little by little, because really it’s incredible what he is performing this year. He’s performing incredible. No mistake, very strong, very clear and still very, very young. And like Stella said, it’s good for Formula One and it’s very good for Italy as well, because to have the potential champion like Kimi is good for the sport, it’s good for the country. And we are lucky we have two super guys, Sinner and Kimi. Sinner is coming tomorrow anyway. Sinner and Kimi, top, top, top for the fans, for everybody.

Q: (Adam Cooper – Adam Cooper F1) Can I ask all three of you, what are your expectations for Madrid? How important is it for the sport to have another race in a major city, and how tricky is that track going to be given what we saw in the F3 testing?
FV: Yeah, the track was mega green when we went there. Yes, I think it will be a tricky one. It will be a tricky one for everybody, perhaps a bit difficult to overtake. It was a bit bumpy when they did the test with the F3 last week. For me, it’s a little bit like Jeddah, high-speed corners between the walls and so on. And a new track is always a challenge. We are going there with zero data and it’s exciting for me to have also a new venue on the calendar and a new track. We have to take it like this and it’s a good challenge.
FB: At least Fred knows the circuit. We don’t know nothing. Fred is the only one between us three who knows the circuit and it’s very exciting to go to Madrid. I think it’s a super move from Stefano to go to Madrid because it’s the place to be in this moment. And very happy. After that, bumpy or not, we will see. You need to tell us what it is.
AS: Yeah, and I would add that it’s a very different circuit to any other circuit. With these walls, it can be similar to Jeddah, but there’s many more corners and many more high-speed chicanes. It’s tricky and hopefully it will be just cleaner sessions compared to those that I understand have been the case for the testing that happened there. There were several contacts with the walls and they were all pretty hard, so hopefully we will have cleaner sessions when we have Formula 1 running there.

Q: (Umberto Zapelloni – Il Giornale) A question for Fred. Fred, we know the importance of the slipstream here in Monza. Yesterday, Charles told us that this is the weekend of Lewis to have the choice. You will ask him to help Lewis in qualifying tomorrow?
FV: No, it’s just that Lewis will decide which car is going first, but he won’t do the— It’s not like this that you do the slipstream. You can have the slipstream when you have only one car fighting for the quali, like Kimi and Russell, or with Red Bull if they are taking the penalty, like Hadjar did in Spa. In this case you can do a full slipstream. In our case, just by definition, you have one car in front of the other and it will be Charles in front.

Q: (Thomas Maher – PlanetF1.com) A question for Andrea, but if Fred or Flavio want to weigh in as well. On the back of the ICA decision, the FIA has said that it intends to review judicial processes such as the Right of Review. Externally it looks like this is quite a robust process, but where do you feel there are grounds for improvement, and where would you see grounds to make this system more robust?
AS: I think in the statement of the FIA it’s highlighted how this was a case that will bring some positive outcome, because it will give the drive to review some of the ways in which regulations are enforced. I think there’s a couple of points. I think one is certainly in the declaration of the FIA. First of all, the Stewards, they do a difficult job. They have to make decisions within a limited time frame. We know as competitors what it means when time is a variable, when pressure is up. The Stewards won’t be different. It won’t be different for them. So, I think there’s a point related to the decisions of the Stewards and to the job they do. Actually, we’ve been in discussion before with the FIA in relation to that, and we’ve always been very supportive of giving the stewards the best conditions to succeed in their work. The second topic is, in my view, the Right of Review. I think we need to consider the conditions in which a Right of Review should be received and should go ahead, and when that is not the case. And there is a third point, it’s also very well described in the 29 pages of the decision, which has to do with the consistency in the application of a methodology used for measurements. There are many things we measure: the speed in pit lane; likewise, we use scales to measure car weight. So, there are many measurements that happen, and I think there’s an interesting topic related to the consistency of this sort of measurement. For me, these are the three things that I would suggest are reviewed.
FB: Very quickly, because first already was the decision in Monaco, from the same people, because the Stewards, the nice Stewards Stella is talking about, is the same. Everything was done the same. I accept everything. What I don’t accept is when you have the judge, the panel, we need somebody independent. Only this. Our big question is why somebody involved with McLaren was part of the panel in this case. Simple as that.
FV: I’m not sure that I want to go on this field, but to come back on the Right of Review, I think it’s not an appeal. The right of review is that when you have new evidence, because quite often when you are going to the Stewards 30 minutes after the end of the session, we didn’t have time to look after the data, but the same for the Stewards. And to reopen the case the week after, when you have access to new evidence from video, from data and so on, I think the process is quite robust. It’s working pretty well. This case, honestly, I was a little bit on both sides because I can understand the frustration when you are not overshooting the limit to get the penalty, and I can understand also the fact that if someone served the penalty, it has to be for everybody. Now, I think this case, it happened once. I hope that it won’t happen again, but the process is quite robust.

Q: (Diletta Colombo – AutoMoto.it) A question for Fred. There is a lot of focus on the new engine specification. Could there be some margin to unlock execution-wise?
FV: See that, execution, I’m a bit harsh with ourselves. We missed a lot of points this season on execution, but probably less than our competitors. It’s a new season, everything is new. Tyres are new. For the strategy it’s more difficult. Reliability for sure is an issue for everybody. The pit stop, I think for everybody, was also a bit more difficult on some occasions. We have 11 teams, the pit boxes are a bit smaller also, and we have to take this into consideration. But my job is to focus on myself, not to focus on the other ones, and I’m pushing my team to do a better job. But it’s not there that we are losing compared to the others. We are losing points on ourselves.

Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Flavio, just to clarify, when you say that the judge is involved with McLaren, could you explain what you mean by involved?
FB: I just said everything. We accept the result of the hearing. What was very disappointing is to find out one of the judges has a very good relationship with McLaren – working relationship, kind of. Only that, nothing... I think so the panel should be completely independent and you don’t need somebody linked with some team, especially the team involved with us in this situation. Only that, nothing… Now we see. We’re thinking about what can we do next.

Q: (Jon Noble – The Race) Fred and Andrea, in terms of the championship battle going forward, Toto suggested after the last race that McLaren (sic) doesn’t have the money for extra developments, it’s quite tight on cost cap. What’s your headroom like looking forward over the remainder of the season to keep developments coming? And do you think Toto and Mercedes are actually restricted and limited to what’s coming, or could they be saving a lot for the end of the season?
AS: I guess you meant Mercedes because you said McLaren. I’m not sure what Toto referred to now, if you refer to Mercedes or to McLaren! I can talk about McLaren. I think in the way we have approached our expenditures into 2026, we tried to stay consistent with the fact that we always knew that it was going to be a battle of development, and there’s no point to say it’s going to be a battle of development if you don’t have the budget to actually realise the upgrades. So, we have conducted our work onto the launch car and we have also selected the projects that we were going to make sure that we had budget to fund the upgrades that came in Hungary, came in Zandvoort, came here, and there will be a little bit more for the rest of the season. There’s also an extra budget allowed by the power unit regulations for 2027, so I think this is also what Mercedes will be using, as I understand that they will bring some upgrades. Obviously, every team operates according to a different model and also there’s a different scale for teams. McLaren, in my understanding, may have just a smaller scale than Mercedes and therefore some less costs, for instance from a labour point of view, which we can then divert into spending on upgrades.
FV: Yes, I don’t want to make any comments on the budget cap of Toto. I don’t appreciate when someone is speaking about my budget without any clue. I won’t make any comment on the others. But what I know is that we will continue to develop until the last race with the same pace and we will have a buffer with the cost cap.