PART ONE – Esteban OCON (Haas), Franco COLAPINTO (Alpine), Fernando ALONSO (Aston Martin)

Q: Fernando, why don't we start with you? After that brilliant race in Malaysia, and after the season that Aston Martin's had, how important was that result?
Fernando ALONSO: It was obviously still far away from what we want to achieve, but yeah, to win the points and to have a competitive pace in the race, it was encouraging. The whole weekend was a bit better, but still what it is and this year has been painful and still a little bit struggling with the pace and the speed on the straight. So yeah, let's see. I think it's going to be circuit dependent. Probably this weekend we could be a little bit in the mix, some others we will be right at the back. So, we need to maximise the good weekends. Last weekend was a good weekend.

Q: Have you got the car in a better window now? Are you expecting a little bit more consistency over the balance of the rest of the season now?
FA: Not really. As I said, this is circuit dependent. The car was exactly the same, physically the same, set-up the same, power unit the same, everything was the same as Baku five days before Malaysia, and the performance difference was huge. So, it's not about experimenting with the set-up or having the car more in the window or something that we can do on track. Unfortunately, it depends so much on the layout and the straights we have on that weekend. So yeah, as I said, probably this weekend is a good opportunity.

Q: Why do you think Singapore will be another good opportunity?
FA: Less straights.

Q: Final one for me, Fernando. There's been a few rumours in the media about you doing some events other than Formula 1. What can you tell us? Are we going to see you on the Dakar?
FA: I read those rumours, but no, I don't think it's possible physically. It's nearly impossible to fit two demanding programmes like a Formula 1 championship and Dakar.

Q: OK. And any other plans away from Dakar? Are we going to see you doing some GT3 stuff, maybe?
FA: No, GT3 I never tried. I mean, it needs a very big preparation. And yeah, I mean, every one of these challenges, I think because they were good or more or less competitive in the past, people think that they are easy. It requires a lot of preparation, a lot of determination, a lot of luck to succeed. So, when I do the next challenge, I will announce it. It will not be a rumour. It will be myself doing it, and it will be because I think there is enough preparation and enough of a risk to take.

Q: Thank you for that clarification, Fernando. Good luck this weekend. Franco, let's come to you. Slightly frustrating last couple of races for you, so what's your mindset coming into the Singapore Grand Prix?
Franco COLAPINTO: Try to recover. We have had a very quick car lately, so it's not an issue of competitiveness of the car. Last race we had the PU penalty, so of course we started at the back of the grid with that. But the pace was very strong all weekend, and we were quick in low fuel and high fuel. I think it's another opportunity, Singapore, to try and score. It's important that we are in front of the RBs. We need to score more than them. So yeah, we are working hard for it to happen.

Q: Fernando's just spoken about their performance being track-specific. Do you think Alpine can now be competitive on every kind of layout?
FC: I think we've seemed to be much stronger in layouts that didn't suit our car so much in the past. I think we did some good stuff after this upgrade in Zandvoort and Monza. After that, we seem to be a lot stronger. So yeah, hopefully we can be a bit more competitive in every kind of circuit.

Q: Can we talk a little bit about your own progression this year? You've got a healthy chunk of points on the table now, 27. Just in what areas do you feel you've improved the most in 2026?
FC: Well, to have a full season in F1 and to start with a pre-season test, it's already a big difference. Previous years I went straight into the middle of the year with no testing, not really knowing the car, the tyres, many factors that are really important to kind of understand early before you jump in. And this year I had that preparation, as Fernando talked about, how important the preparation and all that side of things is that you don't get to see very often when you just watch races. So, I think that was a big step already to perform better. And then I developed a lot as a driver. My first full season as an F1 driver, you evolve a lot as a driver, as a person, you learn a lot as an athlete. So personally, I went through some tough moments that I learned from and improved.

Q: And it's a Sprint weekend at a street track. How are you going to approach that?
FC: Good, excited. I think Singapore is a track that I always enjoyed driving. It was my third race in F1 here with Williams. So yeah, excited about this race. Night races are fun. So yeah, hopefully we are quick and we can try something.

Q: And just the one practice session before going into the first quali.
FC: Yeah, again, Fernando is the best at that. Probably you'd like a Sprint quali straight away? No! Not even practice! But we don't get that yet. But no, it's definitely fun to have some good action on Friday too.

Q: OK, thank you for that. Esteban, let's come to you. Can we start on it being a Sprint weekend and just get your thoughts about the Sprint itself being daytime, but of course the Grand Prix being under the floodlights?
Esteban OCON: Yeah, it's going to be interesting. I think it's the first time, obviously, that we are doing a Sprint on such an event. It's a street circuit, which is very difficult to get everything right. We're only going to have a few laps before qualifying, so that's going to be good. I enjoy these types of challenges. I like to go quickly into qualifying. A bit less keen about the race in the heat, let's say. That's going to be quite tough. But yeah, overall, I think it's going to be nice to have two qualifying sessions, two sessions that matter. So yeah, we will see about that.

Q: And do you come to Singapore with a lot of confidence after the work you guys did last weekend? I mean, that start was amazing. You were running P6 for a while.
EO: Yeah, thank you. Yeah, it's been many events now that we are doing a very good job. The car has been healthy on what it should deliver. We've managed to extract the maximum out of the package. Madrid, we were almost in the points. Baku, we were in the points. Malaysia, we should have been in the points. Everything fell after that second stop, unfortunately for us, but we were fighting with the VCARBs at the time. So, we were competitive. It was definitely running well. And the other positive is that we are bringing an upgrade this weekend, on Ollie’s car. If everything works, hopefully I will have it in Austin as well. So, we'll monitor that and see what we can do. But in general, in the last couple of events, we've been performing well, and I'm pretty happy with the job that we are doing. So, we need to capitalise and finish there like we did in Malaysia. We are not going to finish P6 because there were some cars that were quite fast, like Norris, the Ferraris, etc. But we should have been inside the points, definitely.

Q: And Esteban, looking further ahead, looking at your own future, just tell us, how's the job market at the moment? How are things looking?
EO: Yeah, still working on it, still discussing. When I will have more news for you guys, I will announce something, definitely. But at the moment, full focus is on this weekend, keep going with the nice work that we've done in the last couple of events, keep the overtaking going. I think I've done more than 100 overtakes this year, so that's quite good. Obviously, if you start on pole, you don't do any overtakes, but that's not the pace we have. So yeah, let's keep that going and keep fighting.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Nelson Valkenburg – Viaplay) For all three of you, since the first day of testing this year, we've heard drivers complain that they're not completely in control of all the software aspects of the car. Last weekend, we had quite a big software event. What's it like now, now that we're three-quarters through the season? Are you completely on top of the car software-wise, or are there still moments that it catches you out? It's for all three of you.
EO: I think, honestly, compared to testing, things have changed so much. I mean, now we have automatic launch. We see that from lap to lap it's much more consistent than it was. I remember testing, the first time I drove the car, I had no deployment 80% of the laps that I was doing in Barcelona. It was quite complicated, and we didn't really understand why that was happening. Now, when everything runs normally, everything seems to be OK and under control. There are still a few details that we don't expect at times, and especially on a Sprint weekend, that can happen. But no, I mean, of course, you are talking about what happened during that red flag period. This was unexpected for everyone. I started to feel like, yeah, I'm racing because I was just cutting the lines, trying to do fewer metres. I was thinking of maybe upshifting to second, staying on idle, to get more speed compared to the others. Yeah, I mean, that was unexpected. I mean, we resumed OK. I'm sure the FIA is on top of it now, so it should be OK.
FC: I think during the whole year it improved a lot. It was very inconsistent at the start. It was tricky for everyone to understand, but I think, as with any change of regulation, when it comes, and new things and different factors to try and get on top of, it's very tricky. And I think by now every team did big steps in the right direction. Of course, there are many more things to improve and understand, but since where we were at testing, it's immense. So, I think, again, problems and issues we'll still get, and things that we don't know and understand will still happen. But the important thing is we learn from it and get on top of what happened last week, for example.
FA: Yeah, similar comment. Obviously, we didn't test much in the winter, but I think the most important thing is that last week is well understood and will not be repeated. And in our case, last week the car was fine, so we didn't suffer any of the issues. So difficult to comment.

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Question for you, Esteban. I know you touched on this with Tom, but assuming that there isn't a way to continue your F1 journey, where would you like to be driving? Where do you think your talents best suit? Is it single-seaters? Is it sports cars? Is it Dakar?
EO: Formula 1. That's where I deserve to be. If I look at the results and what I've shown in Formula 1, I deserve to be in Formula 1. So of course, there are other categories which are fantastic as well, but I want to be racing in Formula 1 in the next five, seven years. That's where I want to be. So I will keep pushing to be in that position. So yeah, in the near future, that's the only thing I'm looking at so far.

Q: Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) So, if there's no Formula 1 seat next year, you're not going to race next year?
EO: No.

Q: Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Thank you. I hope you do race next year.
EO: Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

Q: Esteban, as a follow-up, would you consider a third driver role like you did back in 2019?
EO: Yes, yeah. That will be, if there are no possibilities to race next year, that's what I would do, yeah.

Q: (Kriya Gangiah – SuperSport Africa) This one's for Esteban. Your race engineer, Laura, is one of the only female race engineers in Formula 1. What has your experience been with her this year, and what is it doing for females in motorsport?
EO: Yeah, I think it's pretty crazy to say that she's the first one in that position. That should have happened a long time ago, of course. But I mean, we've been developing with this team together, learning along the way and progressing. And I think the last couple of races we've been doing a super strong job altogether. So proud of the work that we are doing inside this team. It doesn't always pay off, but in our control, in what we can control, we know with Laura and our little garage crew we are doing a good job. And that's what matters.

Q: (Jaesoo Yoon – Coupang Play Korea) Question for all of you. There was so much criticism of this power unit after the formation chaos at Sepang. So if you were the man who could choose the power unit or engine next time, which type of engine do you want on the race car, from V8 to V10 to V12, naturally aspirated, everything?
FC: I think I'd love to drive a V10 or a V8. But of course, again, happy to be in Formula 1, happy to be driving what we are driving now. Of course, we need to learn how to manage it better, how to improve it, how to make it more drivable and more fun to drive especially. But everyone talks so much about all those engines. The sound was already amazing, but I guess the drivability as well. So yeah, hopefully at some point we get to drive one of those.

Q: Fernando, please.
FA: Same.

Q: Fernando, you've driven the V8, the V10, obviously the current power unit from 2014. Do you have a preference among them?
FA: I think the world has changed. So obviously they were fun cars to drive, very light, very loud, but maybe it doesn't fit with today's world, that kind of technology. And we were changing engines when I started. We had an engine for Saturday, 12 laps in quali, and then an engine for Sunday. So is that possible in today's world? Probably not. So yeah, I think we need to be happy and adapt to the world. And maybe the hybrid systems are the way to go. We just need to find the ratio on the combustion and electric part, how much we need to help on the electric side.
EO: I think we're all thinking about V8s, V10s, obviously naturally aspirated. That's probably the best drivability you can get. But with nowadays Formula 1, the amount of power we get, we might be lacking a bit of torque on the bottom end. And that's where the hybrid technology comes into play, and that's where it fills the lack of torque that this engine would have. So I think the best supercars in the market are the ones with a loud engine, like Fernando was saying, filled with a bit of electric. Or you don't go electric at all and you put turbos on it, like two, one small, one big, so you feel the lag at the bottom end. But on a race car, I haven't seen many biturbo winning machines, so it would be quite interesting. But anyway, I think there are so many possibilities on engine sides and possibilities that could be better than what we are now.

Q: (Panagiotis Seitanidis – Ant1 TV) A question for Fernando. After the announcement that you're going to race next year as well, which is a privilege for all of us, I asked a lot of drivers if they would imagine themselves your age being around here. Most of them said no. Time cannot stop you, not having a competitive car cannot stop you, having a family cannot stop you. So what is it about Formula 1? Is it a love affair? Is it a way of life for you?
FA: Yeah, competing. Not only Formula 1. I've been racing also different series, and I will drive different series when I stop F1 as well. So it's just competing, feeling the adrenaline of driving a race car. And yes, it's a way of living, probably.

Q: (Michael Butterworth – Xinhua News Agency) To all three drivers. We've got a very hot weekend ahead. Some of the teams have been reluctant to develop cooling vests because of cost cap constraints. Do you think the FIA should do more to ensure that the drivers have effective cooling systems?
FA: Yes, I don't think it's an FIA duty to push for that. I think the regulation is already there. They declare the temperature already, we have today, I think. So it's up to the teams, the drivers' preferences. You can feel even uncomfortable with the system on or wearing it and driving the car. So it cannot be obliged by anyone. So it's a team-driver choice, and the FIA is just monitoring the situation, probably.
FC: Yeah, I think it's hot, but it's been hot for the history of the sport. So again, I think it's something good to be able to choose, to have it as an option. Personally, I don't like it. I don't feel it's comfortable. I don't like how it feels, and yeah, I just don't wear it. But again, it's good to have the option to wear it or not, depending on what you prefer.
EO: I think it's been a massive performance gain for the physical aspect of things. Of course, it hasn't worked the whole race since we introduced the system. It lasts for like 40 minutes, and then it's just hot fluid that keeps going on because it's so hot in the car. But yeah, I mean, it's already good that we have something, to be honest, because I've raced my whole career before that without. Fernando must have. I've seen videos of him drinking a Coke at the end of the race, exhausted from Bahrain when it was in the day, and nobody said that we should do a cooling system back then. So already to have something is a step better. Of course, you want to make it perfect, you want to make it bulletproof, but yeah, it's up to the teams to do it better if they want to. But I don't think everybody realises how much better it is for an athlete to be at the right temperature to perform, for sure.

Q: (Ronald Vording – Motorsport.com) A question to Franco. The gap to Racing Bulls is now 22 points, but Flavio said last week that in terms of the package and the pure speed, you guys still have everything you need to turn that around. Do you agree with that, that the package is good enough for fifth? And secondly, Singapore has not always been great for Alpine in the past, but this year you've turned around at multiple tracks. How much confidence does that give you?
FC: I think everything is possible, looking at this year, with how many things are happening in the races and how it can change from one weekend to another in terms of points scored by a team. It's again not over until it's over. Until the last race, we'll keep fighting for it, and I think we definitely have the speed to achieve it. So we will try. Of course, it's a lot of points now, but again, it's not over. We are on a push for it. The car is stronger, and I think in this kind of track, of course, in the past we were never really competitive. This year we are looking stronger. Tracks like Madrid, Malaysia even, we were not super confident on it, and we showed that we had a lot of pace. So yeah, again, I think we should see tomorrow where we are at in P1. But I think definitely we shouldn't be in a bad place, and hopefully we can fight for good points.

Q: (Laurine Schlingerlund – Nu.nl) Question for all drivers. What do you think of racing in the evening, and do you think there should even be more night races?
FA: I think it doesn't change much to us. The circuit is well illuminated. I think it depends on the times in Europe or US or wherever the viewers are preferring the race. And I don't know, I think I have no preference for night or day, and there is no big difference to us.

Q: So you wouldn't like to see more night races?
FA: No, probably no. Probably better day, yeah, because it's a long day until the race comes. You wake up in the morning, it's a long day, and then you cannot fly home after the race. It's way too late. So actually, it should be early morning, the race, and we have lunch at home. I would definitely do it during the morning, six, seven a.m. Perfect.
FC: I think night races are special, and there are a few weekends in the year that we race at night. It makes a little bit of a difference to the show. Very hot races like Singapore, I think maybe it helps to not have the sun there, and it gets a bit cooler. These very hot races, probably Singapore in the day will be much harder as well for the drivers. And again, it's a race that historically has been in the evening, and it's been nice. And under the lights, again, very illuminated, so it feels that you are driving in the day when you're on track. So that doesn't change for us too much, but maybe for the show a little bit.
EO: It's cool to race at night, I think, because it's quite hot in the day. Obviously, it helps things on this kind of circuit. Like Jeddah, for example, would be very hot in the day. Here, Bahrain, all these tracks, it's nice to have a bit more car performance in the evening. I enjoy that. And also, I sleep 12 hours a night, so it feels like there is more time for me to do that on races like here. I woke up at 1.40 today, p.m. So yeah, it's good for my schedule.

Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) One for Fernando, please. So Sepang's return to the calendar was welcomed by the drivers, obviously a great racing circuit. Do you feel F1 has got a good balance at the moment between truly great racetracks and, say, the more event-focused races? And what, to you, makes a great F1 track?
FA: For me, I've said a few times I prefer the traditional circuits. I don't know why, maybe causality or not, they provide better racing. And you can push the car more to the limit. I think racing in Japan or Zandvoort, Monza, Barcelona, I think you make some progress through the weekend to find the limits of what the car can do. Some of the street circuits, you just drive 95% because the track evolution, how it changes throughout the weekend, you push only in quali, and then the race is again going back to 80%, stay away from the walls, and just very few overtaking opportunities that you cannot afford on a traditional circuit. So I normally prefer those ones.

Q: (Schuchang Zhuo – Lianhe Zaobao) Question for Fernando. The air quality in Singapore has been considered unhealthy. Now, you've been racing in Singapore for many years. In your experience, does the haze affect the cars and the drivers? Thank you.
FA: No, the cars, I don't think so. The drivers, we are obviously well prepared. It's going to be a tough race, but it should not be a problem. It's just the heat more than anything, the humidity, that will make us struggle a little bit in the race, lose a lot of water, and we will have to work on that since probably Friday. And it's not only that you drink a little bit on Sunday morning and you are OK to race. I think you need to start on Friday. So this is a tough sport.



PART TWO – Lando NORRIS (McLaren), Gabriel BORTOLETO (Audi), Liam LAWSON (Racing Bulls)

Q: Let's start with the man on the left, if we could. Lando, how are you? Can we start by talking about something you said after the race on Sunday? You said, "Review, learn and improve." That was your message on Sunday night. What were the main learnings from that Grand Prix in Malaysia?
Lando NORRIS: Oh, there were a fair few, both from my side, from us as a team, obviously from what happened in the race, but also just general things from a car point of view and what we need to do a better job in, and how can we get back to the same level as we were in the previous few, Budapest, Zandvoort, Madrid. So, the team have been working very hard. We've all worked very hard to understand what we could learn from last weekend, what we can and need to do better. The exact things, specifics of it, I don't need to go into, but there was a good amount. There were some obvious ones, such as the straight-line speed and the issues I've been having with the car, which are obvious ones, and obviously more technical ones from how can we unlock more potential from the car to get back to the performance that we had previously. So that's a tricky one to do, but there's a lot of stuff and the team have been pretty flat out. So that's a good thing.

Q: Is it track-specific, the problems at Sepang?
LN: Well, Baku, we weren't necessarily too quick either. So, I wouldn't say just a Malaysia thing. There's certainly some aspects of Malaysia with the roughness of the tarmac that we think did play a part. So, it's a good thing for us to see this weekend if some of the performance that we were missing there does come back. And Singapore is a track I've enjoyed and we've been pretty good here over the last few years. So yeah, certainly a little bit of it is track layout, and the last couple of tracks have not been to the same strengths as what we've seen in Madrid and some of the other races. But all in all, we've still been underperforming to the level we need to and we want to be. So yeah, we still need to do a better job, no matter what.

Q: You say you like it here. You have an incredible record, as you say, the win, a couple of podiums, finished in the points every time you've come here. What is it about this racetrack?
LN: I mean, it's just a fun place to come to. I know that doesn't have the biggest effect on, obviously, the driving. It's just a track, from a driving style point of view, where certain things you just feel very comfortable with and you can click with very quickly. Generally, the car has always performed pretty good here too. So, I don't know what in particular. It's just a fun circuit, it's challenging. You have to adapt a lot from a driving style point of view, I think, with the bumps and the cornering layout. So just all in all, it's a tough track, but one I enjoy.

Q: And do you welcome it being a Sprint weekend this year?
LN: Yes, I think this kind of track, I mean, I don't know from a Sprint race if it's going to be the best Sprint race you'll ever see. I don't think it is. But in terms of just FP1, qualifying and the challenge of getting up to speed quickly on a street circuit with these cars is a big, big challenge. So, from that bit, I look forward to it.

Q: All right, Lando, thanks very much for that. Gabi, let's come to you now. Can we start by talking about the Sprint format this weekend? Get your thoughts on it. Just the one practice session before quali.
Gabriel BORTOLETO: Well, that's going to be interesting for everyone, especially with the new regs. A lot of things to fix normally after FP1, especially on the power unit side. I guess it's to everyone that Sprint races always make things a bit more special and different, especially this season. So let's see how it goes.

Q: And what about the upgrades on the Audi? Now you've had them on the car for a couple of races, what conclusions have you reached?
GB: Well, we concluded it worked. It worked pretty OK, like we expected. We know where we are lacking, we have this clear for us, and looks like we have been quite strong in the corners in the last few races. So yeah, it's going all right.

Q: Whereabouts is the car better since Baku?
GB: Entry, mid, exit of all the corners! I think we made a good step a bit everywhere. I think there were a lot of doubts after Baku, because we had a tough weekend, about the package and if it worked or not. And I think now we can finally put a dot on this and say that we are sure that it worked as expected and that things are working in the right way. Baku was just an exception as a weekend. And obviously, I think everyone else did steps as well. It's not the same like at the beginning of the year when probably we had maybe a tiny bit more advantage in the corners. Right now, I guess we still have a bit, but it's not as much as it was before. But our package worked quite OK and the midfield is getting tighter, like the front as well. So, it's interesting.

Q: Another street circuit here. Do you think the car will perform better here than it did in Baku?
GB: I guess so, yeah. I would expect. I think problems that we faced in Baku shouldn't happen here, in my opinion.

Q: OK, look, finally from me. It's a busy weekend for Audi off track. I mean, you've got obviously new colours.
GB: You like the livery?
Q: I like the livery a lot, yes. But I want to know more about this ice cream, though. There is the Gabico ice cream. Can you tell us more? What flavour is it?
GB: I have an ice cream now, yes. You can try. You go to the hospitality of Audi, there is there. Yeah, it's vanilla and figo. I know there's a lot of people that liked it. Unfortunately, there's a Brazilian journalist that prefers my team-mate's one, but it's OK. I don't take it personally. But it's quite OK. Everyone should try, if you can. I think it's a very good one. But I think we are more excited about the racing side here than an ice cream.

Q: Alright, Gabi, good luck. Thank you very much. And Liam, thanks for waiting. Let's come to you now. Can we start by just throwing it back to Sepang? That start, up seven places, battling with Max Verstappen. Just how sweet a moment was that for you?
Liam LAWSON: I mean, it wasn't expected, definitely, from where I was starting. But yeah, I just didn't have any wheelspin on the initial drop. And I think, in the wet, that's what makes the biggest difference. If you have wheelspin, it's very hard to get going. So yeah, just everyone kept sort of going back past me, and I didn't expect to be fighting Max in Turn 1. But yeah, it put us in a really good position because I think, regardless of how our speed was, it was good through the race, but it just put us in obviously great track position. And from there we had quite a smooth race.

Q: And how much have you been able to improve your starts this year? That's kind of what it emphasised, right?
LL: Yeah, I mean, the wet's very specific. And in general, we've had, I'd say, OK starts, not the best, honestly. So there's always improvement there. But yeah, for now I'd obviously love it to rain every weekend to have starts like that. But it helped as well, obviously, there were a couple of guys on slicks as well in front of me. So yeah, obviously big credit to the team because they put me on the right set of tyres.

Q: Now you've had a couple of races back with Racing Bulls, what are the main differences between the car you're driving now and Red Bull's RB22?
LL: I mean, other than the power unit, pretty much everything, honestly. It's very different to drive. So, it was definitely a little bit of an adjustment to go back. But then the car is different, but also the way you sort of, just the way the steering is, for example, is a bit more personal to me and my car. So yeah, it was an adjustment for sure, but there's honestly strengths and weaknesses from both, to be honest. It's quite interesting to drive both, and you could honestly argue that if you put them together, you'd have a pretty fast race car.

Q: Final one for me. Look, you scored your first F1 points here in Singapore in 2023. Just give us your thoughts on racing here and it being a Sprint weekend as well.
LL: I like it. I mean, it's a really good track. And with Sprint weekends, you just get sort of two shots at everything. So yeah, I'm excited. I think we normally start, at least recently, we've started the weekends quite strong as well. And then now I feel like everybody else has sort of caught up, so some of that gets taken away. Obviously, hopefully we can start strong here, but it's just a sick track. Yeah, really, really cool. It's a night race, obviously, as well. So I'm excited.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Question for you, Lando. Last two races pretty frustrating, just two points, not great. Team, though, say they've found the issue and they've fixed a few components and everything should be OK with the fuel system. So this weekend, hopeful, back to normal or not?
LN: Yeah, hopeful. Need to get on track first and see how much better it is. It's obviously also a circuit where straights are not the highest priority and not as detrimental as the last few weekends. But nevertheless, you always want to go down the straights as quick as what you should be able to. And it's always tough when you come out of corners better and end up going slower. So, it's been a frustrating two weekends trying to figure out what the issue's been and why there's just been a constant lack of straight-line speed and performance. And especially in this kind of battle we've been in, the last two qualifyings it's been two or three positions. So, it's cost me quite a lot. At the same time, there's obviously things I can do better as well. But confident that the team have done a good job. They put a lot of work into trying to figure out things and hopeful that it'll be better this weekend. But honestly, I have to get out on track and see first.

Q: (Panagiotis Seitanidis – Ant1 TV) Another one for Lando, if I may. The spotlight is always on you drivers, but what you can do is most of the time limited to what the car can do. Although you're a world champion already, I feel that this season you're driving the best, you do the best drives you ever did. How does it feel to have the audience not knowing that you did a great drive because you finished fourth, but you feel that you have done an excellent job?
LN: There's not a lot you can do about that, honestly. It's the same with everything in life. You're kind of just judged off of the visual performance, especially from TV, more than what your, I think especially in Formula 1, honestly, more than just what your own performance has been, because the car might not be as quick on one weekend compared to another. So, I guess you just hope that people understand that. I guess I hope that you guys and girls understand that. You know, everyone in F1 is in F1 for a reason, and just because the car is not as good doesn't mean that another driver is worse or better, and vice versa. So, it's always difficult from that point of view. And yes, there's a lot of races this year I feel like I've driven better and been able to extract more. And I'm not saying that last year I did a bad job. It's just I'm talking about being able to extract 99% versus 99.5%, and it's just those last little things. The three qualifyings I've been on pole have been by, I think, under half a tenth every time. Like, two hundredths, three hundredths, we're talking just very, very small margins. But those three pole positions gave me chances to win three races. If I was not on pole position, unlikely I would have won any other races. So, that's just how quickly a little margin can change the whole outlook on something. But yeah, I mean, the end of last year, the second half of last year, I think some of my performance was just as good as this year. I think this year I have to drive the car in a different way, and I've had to adapt a lot to how you have to drive this year's car. And I think there's just two skill levels to it. There's the general skill level of just extracting performance out of the car itself, and there's also extracting performance out of the power unit and the driving and the tyres and all of this, this kind of extra little level. And I think that's what I've done a very good job on this year and been able to understand quite quickly. But I'm not fussed if people on the outside see it as good or not. I think it's more important that, for me and my team, I'm satisfied. And my job every weekend is to extract the maximum out of myself. If I can do that, I'm happy. I'd be happier if it was for a win, but you have to realise your goals in Formula 1 are not always winning the race outright. A win for us this weekend could be a P5 or a P3. So, I think you have to acknowledge what the maximum performance for your own team is in your own car, and that's all you can really be happy with at the end of the day.

Q: (Nelson Valkenburg – Viaplay) For all three of you. Last week, due to Canadian reporting, we were alerted to another championship: who's the most foul-mouthed in the car? Ollie Bearman leads this championship with the most swearing, apparently. But I'm asking all three of you, where do you think you rank, and how important is it just to let go sometimes?
LL: What was the question? Where do I think I sit? Do you know, Nelson? You have the ranking? I mean, I've been told off in the past for it, so I feel like I've been a lot better this year. I feel like I've been quite calm in general recently. I don't know, I feel like I'm in the middle, I would say, in the average. Back in the points? I'm taking some points. I'm taking some points in a bad way. Where am I? I came out seventh. OK. Wow, that's not as good as I thought.

Q: OK, all right, Gabi, where do you think you are?
GB: I don't know. P11? I don't swear, because the team told me to close the radio when I do that, so it's perfect.

Q: Lando, where do you think you are?
LN: I think I'm all right. Like P15?

Q: Yeah, around 15, 16.
LN: I'm well behaved. I think if you had non-radio-open swearing, I'm up there. I'm good at that. I'll be P1, I reckon.

Q: (Kriya Gangiah – SuperSport Africa) This one's for Lando. Sprint race is during the day, main race is at night. How much changes for you from the one to the other?
LN: Well, five o'clock in the afternoon? Yeah, I've not even thought of that, honestly. I didn't even know, so thanks for letting me know. I don't think it changes too much, honestly, because it's not like it gets a lot colder or warmer depending on the time. It's just always pretty hot here. Not so much, I think, in other places. Bahrain, for example, it can be quite the opposite. During the day it's horrible in terms of the effect the temperature has, and in the evenings the track gets a lot quicker, the car works better, all of those things. So there is a big effect. Here I think it's quite a bit smaller and it's just more consistent. So honestly, I'm going to go with I don't think there's too much of a difference between it. It's just visually things look different, but that's really the main thing.

Q: (Rodrigo França – Car Magazine, Brazil) Question to all. Do you like the different routine here in Singapore, going to bed like three or four a.m. and then waking up one p.m., arriving later in the paddock? Do you like it?
GB: I quite enjoy it, yes. I did a lot of number exercises during the nights with Lando recently, and we have been playing a few games to keep it awake. So yeah, going to bed three a.m., waking up at one p.m., for me it was OK.
LN: I enjoy it. Yeah, I like Singapore. I mean, every night I played padel for like three, three and a half hours. So I enjoy that. I feel like there's more time in the day. I don't think that's the case necessarily, but it feels like there is anyway. And it's just a good amount of things to do. It's a cool little city to be in, and there's some great people that you get to meet along the way. So I think I do like it, yeah, but I wouldn't want it everywhere. But it also makes it easier to go back home now because we're basically in the same time zone.
LL: Yep. Yeah, I agree. Somehow, I just feel like there's more time in these weekends. I feel like we have time in the morning and then we have a little time at night as well. So I don't know, I feel like it's somehow, I don't know, we technically spend the same amount of time at the track, but yeah.

Q: (Ronald Vording – Motorsport.com) A question to Gabi. Nico said this morning that the really hot and humid conditions don't necessarily favour the Audi power unit. Do you feel that's one of the main limitations? And if so, how confident are you that the people in Neuburg can fix that for next year?
GB: Yes, it's, I would say, one of, right now, especially in the last races, our biggest limitation. And if I trust them? Absolutely. I think they can fix it. Again, these people have built the best engines in other series that they have taken part in the past, and I have no doubts they're going to do the same in Formula 1. We just need to give them time. We cannot believe that we would arrive in Formula 1 in the first year and build the best thing ever made. It would make the others look... Yeah, I would swear right now, so I would go up in the ranking, but you understood what I was going to say. So we need to have patience. I believe in the people that are there in Neuburg, and I believe they're going to make something great because I think what we already have for our first season is something decent. We just need to make some steps to improve drivability, the situations of the climatization that you were mentioning right now. So yeah, that's it.

Q: (Jaesoo Yoon – Coupang Play) I have a question for all of you. There is always a chance of rain in Singapore. Now, I have asked the same question to Lando three years ago, and he said he is quick in damp and he is also quick in dry. Do you remember?
LN: Yeah.

Q: (Jaesoo Yoon – Coupang Play) All of you, which condition do you prefer, wet or dry?
LN: I think when you're on the right tyre, the wet's good. But I was leading the pack of the slick runners last weekend. Yeah, it was pretty cool. We were having our own little race. I don't know, I prefer dry, honestly, at the end of the day. I prefer the dry. I've still not really driven this car in the wet yet, especially on the inter tyres. So I don't mind, but it's a challenge. Every now and then a wet race is good fun, especially if it's kind of wet and dries out and you have this changeover, which we seem to have quite often in Formula 1. So I like both. I prefer the dry. It's just better.

Q: Lando, just before we go to Gabi, how challenging do you think the Marina Bay Circuit would be if it was a proper wet race?
LN: Am I on slicks or inters?

Q: Inters.
LN: I don't know. I've not really been on them yet. It will be tough. I mean, street circuits, all street circuits are nasty when it's raining, especially because you have the white lines and the zebra crossings. All these different things make it a big challenge, and you just have no room for error. So I mean, Monaco, remember the wet race we did in Monaco? It's horrible how aware you have to be of everything and how easy it is to make a mistake. So probably one of the biggest challenges you can have are street circuits in the wet.

Q: Thanks. Gabi, Liam?
GB: Wet. I think we haven't driven in the wet yet this year. I think I had a touch on the inters last race, but it was a bit like a drying track. But it was still a tiny bit wet at the beginning, and the pace was quite nice, to be honest. So I enjoyed driving around, overtaking Lando on the slicks. It was quite enjoyable, and some other guys. But the dry one is also, I would rather probably a dry Singapore, if I'm honest. This circuit is amazing, a quali lap in the dry, it's super cool. In the wet it's a little bit different. But I think for a long circuit that is not a street circuit, maybe in the wet there are certain tracks that can make it even more special. I will not go into details which tracks because we need to think a little bit and we don't have that much time. But yeah.
LL: Yeah, I mean, I think here specifically it would be definitely interesting. I just think it'd be cool to have more wet races through the year because we haven't really raced in the wet at all since last year.

Q: (Jin Weng – Tencent) I have a question for Lando. So this is the final Sprint race of this season, and you've been so consistent in this format this season, finishing on the podium in four out of five Sprints this year. So what has made you so strong in Sprint, and are you confident about keeping that streak going this weekend?
LN: Yes, I think so. I still have faith that we can have some good races this season and we can still be competitive. Street circuit, I don't know. I don't know why, sorry, Sprint races. I think a little bit of it is just the fact you don't have much time to get up to speed, and I think that's something I can think can be one of my strengths, is to find the limits with not much time. I think in the end we're all probably good enough after three sessions to get within a few hundredths of each other, or a tenth, two tenths. I think it's a bigger challenge to get up to pace and figure out everything within one session. And I think that's something I've always enjoyed, that challenge, and I think it's something I'm able to make a bit of a difference in and be able to capitalise on. So I hope this weekend's the same.

Q: (Bharat Sharma – Press Trust of India) Question for Lando. Lando, the Indian government recently formed a task force for reviving the race in India. Considering your massive fan base, would you fancy going there and racing?
LN: Yeah, I've driven, I used to drive it on the sim, on the game. I've never driven the track in real life there, if it's the same track that you went to. Yeah, and it was a very cool track, I think. So I would love to. I know I have a lot of fans from India, and I remember having Jehan as my teammate, an Indian driver, for many, many years and one of my best friends. And I've still never been to India, so I would love to go to experience it, first of all, but also to go and race there because I'm sure, and I know, that the fans out there love the sport. They love Formula 1 and they love sport in general. And I know cricket and things like that are massive out there. So I think it'll be great for Formula 1, and I certainly look forward to it happening.