1 – Kimi ANTONELLI (Mercedes)
2 – George RUSSELL (Mercedes)
3 – Lewis HAMILTON (Ferrari)

PARC FERMÉ INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Jolyon Palmer)

Q: We’re down here with Formula 1’s youngest ever Grand Prix pole sitter, Kimi Antonelli, congratulations. You’ve just beaten Sebastian Vettel’s record. How was it out there?
Kimi ANTONELLI: Yeah, it was a pretty clean session, so really happy. Of course, unfortunately, George had issue in Q3. It would have been cool to see him with two sets. But yeah, I think it was a really good session, a clean one, no mistakes, and I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow.

Q: And how could you keep it calm? Were you aware of what was happening on George’s car, or were you just so focused on yourself there?
KA: Well, I saw he had the issue, but I just tried to keep my focus, to stay calm and try to deliver a good lap, which it was, at the end.

Q: And a record-breaking lap. Well done, Kimi.
KA: Thank you.

Q: George, speaking of the issues, I mean, that was a difficult session. It looked like already in Q2 it wasn’t straightforward, but you got out of there in the end. You managed to get a front row out of it.
George RUSSELL: Yeah, definitely damage limitation. I mean, in Q2 the front wing broke. We were wrapping our heads around that. Then obviously went out in Q3, stopped on track, car wasn’t restarting, couldn’t change gear. And then, just really happy to be standing here because, you know, starting the last lap I had no battery, no tyre temp, no nothing. So, the team have done a really great job to get us into this position. It could have been much worse, so very glad. And well done to this guy, first pole as well.

Q: Well, you’ve been formidable so far this season. Are you guys going to put on a fight, a bit of a show out front for us tomorrow?
GR: Yeah, I mean, obviously we need to take care of the guys in red as well. They were super-fast off the line, so I’m sure Lewis is going to be pretty dicey at the beginning of the race. But I think for us, to try and keep it clean, have a good race, try and put on a good race for the fans, and see what we can do.

Q: Well done George, which brings me nicely to Lewis in the top three. You love it here in China. I know it’s been a great circuit for you in the past, and that was a big laugh at the end. I saw the moment you had on the first one in Q3, but you put it together when it mattered.
Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, it was actually a really tough qualifying, a bit harder this one with the wind. It’s so gusty today, so putting the laps together was challenging. And Charles put in great laps, these guys were putting in great laps, so I’m really, really happy to be up here and grateful to be up here with these guys. They’ve been rapid so far this season, but we did some good work, the engineers did some great work over the break, and we managed to get a little bit closer to these guys. So that’s a real positive and we’ll take that forwards.

Q: And the gap was really coming down as well, as you said. Have you got some powder still dry for the race tomorrow, for a fight?
LH: It’s still going to be a challenge, but I’m sure we’ll have some fun. I’m looking forward to it. We learned a lot in the Sprint race, so let’s hope tomorrow is not as windy as this, and our goal is to try and break the gap between these guys somehow.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: In third place, Lewis Hamilton, in second place, George Russell, and becoming the youngest pole sitter in Formula One history, our pole man, Kimi Antonelli. Kimi, you’ve done it, your first Grand Prix pole in Formula One. Just how sweet is this moment for you?
KA: Yeah, it was a good session, a clean one. Of course, George had an issue in Q3, so probably could have been a different story, but I’m happy with the lap I did, to be fair, and really happy to be starting on pole for my first time.

Q: How does it feel to be a record breaker?
KA: I don’t know. I feel, yeah, I mean, I’m very happy, I’m very happy because at the end, you know, it’s just the beginning, so obviously there’s a lot more to come. And yeah, really looking forward to tomorrow and, you know, the car is feeling really good, the car is strong, so yeah, a lot to play for tomorrow, but yeah, just super happy with today.

Q: You say the car is strong. Just talk us through how you were able to improve it during the session. Lap times just got better and better, didn’t they?
KA: Yeah, I mean definitely I got into a nice rhythm. I struggled a little bit with the balance throughout qualifying, but yeah, I mean tomorrow the wind is going to change massively again, so it should be better. But yeah, it was nice because for the first time in a qualifying session I was able to find lap time every time I was going on track.

Q: Now you say you’re looking forward to tomorrow. What lessons did you learn in the Sprint this morning that will help you in the Grand Prix on Sunday?
KA: Well, definitely graining is going to be a big factor. It’s going to be a bit colder tomorrow, so it could be even worse for graining. So yeah, just need to stay on top of that, trying to manage that front left. First of all, have a good start because I didn’t have a good one so far, and yeah, then just try to set the pace.

Q: Are you concerned about the pace of the Ferrari in the opening laps?
KA: Well, they certainly look very strong, especially also on cold tyres. They look like they’ve got good pace, but of course also the start is a very strong point of theirs. So yeah, just going to try to have a clean start and then we’ll see from there.

Q: Alright, very well done today. Thank you for that. George, let’s come to you now. It was a torrid session for you, wasn’t it? Just tell us what was going through your mind at the start of Q3.
George RUSSELL: Yeah, firstly congrats to Kimi, but I think, yeah, he did a really great job. On our side it was just a crazy session. From the end of Q2, the front wing broke and the team weren’t sure if it had broken or not. I was pretty convinced it had and there was a bit of stress around that and changing the front wing. Then as soon as I went out on the track, I could tell something wasn’t right, stopping on the track, trying to restart the car. It didn’t restart, then it started later, got back in, couldn’t shift gears, and then obviously we just made it on track with seconds to spare. So really, really happy to be sat here right now because I could easily have been down in P10 without a time on the board.

Q: Well, given everything you’ve just described, just how good was that one and only lap in Q3?
GR: It was as good as I could have achieved, but, you know, I had no battery starting my lap and my tyres were cold. But as I said, I’m very grateful to be sat here right now. It was more a case of getting a time on the board. I knew Kimi’s been really strong and things were far from optimised my side, so it was more a case of get the car across the line and make sure I’m starting in a sensible position. P2 was much better than I expected. As I said, when I started the lap with no battery and no tyre temperature, I was expecting to be further down the order. So, as I said, just really glad to be here.

Q: Looking at the race, the early laps in Melbourne and in the Sprint here were frenetic. Do you think the Grand Prix is going to be any different?
GR: I hope so for us, to be honest. But it has been great opening few laps for the last two races. We know Ferrari are quick off the line and we’ve got them in P3 and P4, which is the first time of the season, and Lewis was obviously great at the beginning of the race this morning, so I am sure it’s not going to be straightforward.

Q: Alright, well very well done to you. Lewis, let’s come to you. We have a strong Lewis and a strong Ferrari this weekend. Just how pleased are you with that performance in qualifying, first of all?
LH: Firstly, I have to say a big congratulations to this big lad here, to Kimi. It’s an amazing achievement to come into… Well, he took my seat! And he hit it hard from the get-go, so it’s really great to see him progressing and he really deserves it. And a great record. It’s going to take a while for someone to ever get close to that one. And then yeah, my session, it was a very tricky session for me. It wasn’t actually as good as Sprint quali, not as smooth, lots of snaps. I think with the wind it was really tricky with the balance that I had, so I need to look into that. So, there was quite a lot of mistakes. I had a big snap on the first Q3 lap and was quite a bit down, and then the last lap was okay. I think it definitely could have been quite a bit better if I’d been able to get into rhythm. So, I think there’s a couple of tenths missing probably, but I’m just grateful to be up here.

Q: Even without those couple of tenths, you’ve halved the deficit to Mercedes compared to race one. How much satisfaction does that give you?
LH: Well, I mean, I don’t know. It’s hard to know what that is. Maybe they didn’t turn the mode they had on, I don’t know, so we’ll take it with a pinch of salt. But I do think over the break we progressed with some changes that we made, some things we learned in the Sprint race. So, I’m grateful that we are getting a little bit closer, but whether or not that’s real true pace, we’ll see obviously when we get to the next race in terms of qualifying. But yeah, we’re hunting, we’re chasing, and I know everyone is geared up to just do everything they can to close that gap.

Q: You’re chasing. Do you think you can beat these guys tomorrow?
LH: I think it’s highly unlikely that we will be able to beat them in the race. I mean, in our statistics they’ve got some between four and six tenths race pace. Whether or not we saw that in the first race or not, I think in clear air they’re just above us at the moment. So, I don’t know, maybe with strategy, maybe something can happen, maybe with the start, maybe there’s a way. I definitely need to make sure I don’t kill my tyres trying to either keep up with them or keep one behind. I need to drive better tomorrow.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Ronald Vording – Motorsport.com) It’s a question to Kimi. First of all, congrats. After Melbourne Toto said you have to learn it the hard way with everything what was going on in Melbourne, and also the Sprint was quite eventful for you this morning, so how difficult is it in moments like that to get the balance right, so on the one side trusting in the quick car you have underneath you and on the other hand, of course, not wanting to lose out too much to George early on in the season? So how difficult is it to balance in moments like that?
KA: Yeah, it’s not easy because definitely Melbourne was a shame, to have that hard hit, and then it put me a bit on a back foot into qualifying and then the race. But it’s hard because you know you have such a great opportunity, you know, having such a quick car, and you don’t want to miss the opportunity, so you go for it. But in my case, I’m still learning how to improve the risk-reward ratio, especially in sessions that the result doesn’t really count, such as FP3 for example. So, it’s about finding the right balance in order to then be able to keep the momentum going. And also, it’s about, in every situation, being able to put things together, even in a qualifying session, having a clean run from Q1 all the way to Q3. I’m still trying to find my way to see how I can achieve that because still at the moment I feel like maybe I do a good Q1 and Q2, then maybe Q3 is not good enough. So, I just need to find some improvements in there.

Q: (Ticiano Figueiredo – Diário do Rio Claro) Lewis, you were a rookie going against a driver like Alonso when you entered Formula 1 in a flying McLaren, and Kimi, even though he’s not a rookie, seems to be living a very similar situation in a flying Mercedes. I was wondering what advice would you give him to beat George, especially when this battle mattered to you and Charles?
LH: I don’t know, different scenarios but maybe some similarities. I was obviously a rookie against a two-time world champion at the time who’d been in it a long, long, long time. I don’t think he needs any advice – he’s just qualified pole. So, there’s really nothing I can pass down to him. He’s got all the wisdom I think he needs, and I think it’s just important to just enjoy it, you know, and just continue to do what you’re doing, keep your head down and keep pushing and just not give up, which clearly is not the way he works. I’m sure he will do great.

Q: (Ronald Vording – Motorsport.com) It’s for George, but the others can add if they want to. Both the Sprint and the main race in Melbourne and the Sprint this morning showed a similar pattern with what some in the paddock called ‘yo-yo racing’ in the early stages, and then until you broke free it kind of settled down. How much of that do you think is everyone getting their head around the energy deployment and how much of that is inherent to the DNA of these regs and therefore here to stay the whole season?
GR: I’ve got to be honest, we’re not actually sure to be honest at this stage. There is still lots of learning to be had and I guess I think both in Melbourne and this morning in the Sprint I probably could have done things very slightly differently to have maintained that lead earlier on. But clearly with the overtake mode, the driver behind can use the boost button up to I think 330 kilometres an hour, where the guy in the front can only use it to 290 kilometres an hour. It seems to work quite well. It isn’t DRS, but it works in a similar pattern for the speed delta. So, I think it’s been quite interesting, quite fun, and I think some even with diehards maybe aren’t disliking it as much as they did maybe a week ago, but we just still need to give it a chance.

Q: (Reilly Sullivan – FHM Australia) This is sort of open to everyone. There’s a lot of discussion at the moment about perhaps opening up more Sprint races next year, even doubling it. Is this something that drivers welcome, or is there a sweet spot with the Sprint races and spreading them throughout the season?
KA: Well, I think Sprint races on one side are a very good challenge for the drivers because you need to get up to speed quickly, obviously only one session. For the team maybe it’s not the best format because engineers like to look at data and improve the car and everything, but I think it is a cool format. I mean, there’s a lot of action throughout the whole weekend, obviously with two qualifying sessions, one short race and one long race. And as I said before, it’s a very good sign for the drivers because you need to get up to speed and try to be on point straight away. So yeah, I don’t think it’s a bad format actually. I kind of like it.
LH: I mean, I love the Sprint weekends personally. I’ve obviously been here a long time, so I remember where we’d have the normal weekend just 18 or 20 or 24 times through the year and it was a little bit dull, and I like that we switched between the two. I think that since we’ve had the Sprint, we haven’t evolved it, and we should look at what’s the next step. Maybe there’s a third type that we have through a season, whether you have more qualifying or, I don’t know, I’ve not really thought about it, but is there another option, you know. Particularly for places when we go to Monaco, which is a beautiful, beautiful place, the most beautiful place for us to go to, but the most boring race because it’s the same normal format. I don’t know if there could be a different format for that weekend to really be able to extract more from the amazing place that it is, the Principality. So I don’t know, I think we need to brainstorm rather than just make more Sprints.
GR: Yeah, I enjoy it to be honest. I enjoy it. I don’t think you’d want it every single weekend, but yeah, doubling it, I don’t think we’re against. The races in the past were quite processional, but obviously what we saw this morning was pretty fun, and I think these new cars, regardless if you’ve got high tyre deg or low tyre deg, can offer quite good racing. So yeah, intrigued for the next one.

Q: (Jing Xuan Teng – AFP) I have a question for the three of you. How are you feeling about the possible cancellation of upcoming races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to the ongoing war?
KA: Well, obviously my thoughts, and I think it’s the same for Lewis and George, are with the ones that are suffering from this situation. Of course, it’s not good to see what’s happening and hopefully it will be good again soon. But for sure Formula One, you know, they will handle the situation, Formula 1 and the FIA, they will handle the situation the best way possible in order to guarantee to everyone safety. So, let’s see what’s going to happen. Probably they know already, but let’s wait and see in F1. But I’m sure they will do the right thing.

Q: (Ronald Vording – Motorsport.com) It’s one for Lewis this time. Charles said a couple of times that you guys are closer to Mercedes in race trim than over a single lap. How much do you feel is down to Mercedes optimizing the deployment more over a qualifying lap? How much is Ferrari having made massive gains in terms of race pace, especially compared to last year, even though it’s a completely new set of regulations?
LH: I mean, there’s no relation to last year, so it’s just optimizing in qualifying. Whether they have more energy or more crank power, we don’t know. It’s impossible to know, but they’re just very quick when it comes to qualifying particularly. But we are working to improve in that region, and then in the race it gets a little bit closer. I don’t know why, but I’m grateful that it is a little bit closer in the race. It’s not close enough. Definitely feeling thirsty on power when we’re behind them. It’s really, really hard to keep up and you could tell they just have more grunt, they’re just pulling for longer. That’s why I died this morning. I was just trying to make it up through the corners, but it just wasn’t making any difference, so just killing my tyres.