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  • 2019 Mexican Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference

    2019 Mexican Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference

    DRIVERS – Antonio GIOVINAZZI (Alfa Romeo), Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari), Sergio PÉREZ (Racing Point), Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes), Alexander ALBON (Red Bull Racing)

     

    PRESS CONFERENCE

     

    Q: Sergio, home race coming up. How has the build up been? I think you’ve been busy running marathons, a taxi service, all sorts of things?

    SERGIO PÉREZ: A little one – 8km. Yeah, it’s been a busy one. Basically I’ve been doing everything, every single stuff out there. It’s a pretty special weekend for me. I think it’s the best grand prix on the calendar, but very special for me. Yeah, I’m just looking forward to it. If there’s a weekend I want to be perfect and do very well, it’s this weekend.

    Q: Well if you do very well, you might record the 100th points finish of your career this weekend. What would it mean for you to do that in front of your home crowd?

    SP: It would be very special. More than that I look forward to giving them a great race. I think last year we were doing a very good race but then we ran out of brakes, so I think in the past we’ve been a bit unlucky in a couple of races – one in 2015 with the safety car that came at the wrong moment – so I hope this weekend… we are in a good run, so hopefully we can do a good one this weekend.

    Q: Thanks very much and good luck Checo. Alex, Suzuka two weeks ago was a tremendous weekend for you, culminating in fourth place, the best result of your Formula 1 career to date. Did you change anything going into the Japanese Grand Prix or was it more of a reflection of the general progress you’ve been making?

    ALEXANDER ALBON: I think it was more of a reflection. I don’t think anything special went on before Japan. Just getting more comfortable every time. Japan was just a really good track; I love it. I just enjoyed it and it suited me a bit better. It was a good weekend.

    Q: You say you’re getting comfortable all the time. How different is the Red Bull to drive compared to the Toro Rosso you did the first half of the season in?

    AA: Yeah, I’d say they have their differences, obviously. But it’s like every car. I think you’ve got to learn its little tricks and everything like that. Spending that time with Toro Rosso you kind of develop a bit of a driving style towards it and changing teams you’ve got to almost start blank again and work again, so it does take time but it’s very normal for every time you change to a new car.

    Q: Your team-mate has won this grand prix for the last couple of years. How confident are you coming into the weekend that you can get your first podium?

    AA: We’ll see. Maybe we’re not as favorites as we were in previous years. We do have our success here but the Ferraris are looking very strong as always, so we’ll see. On my side, just focus on myself. A podium would be nice, obviously, but not too focused on that at the minute. We’ll see.

    Q: Thank you Alex, good luck this weekend. Antonio, you’re enjoying a good run at the moment, you’ve outqualified Kimi Räikkönen for the last three races. A question that’s quite similar to the one I asked Alex: have you changed anything in your approach to qualifying in particular?

    Antonio GIOVINAZZI: No, I don’t think so. I think already in the first part of the season I was really close to Kimi, always really there. Second part, yeah, the confidence was coming better and better. But I don’t think it’s something we need to talk about – I was in front of Kimi three times. I’m just really happy that my confidence is coming better and better. The speed is better. I think we are struggling a little bit on race pace now. I hope we can find the right way this weekend and come back [into the] points, so we miss from two races already, so we need to get back there.

    Q: How confident are you of finding the right way, because both Alfas were in Q3 here last year and raced well, so do you think you are going to have a better weekend than you have had at the last couple?

    AG: I hope so. We had an intensive week last weekend and we tried to find something in the car, because I think the car is fast, because in qualifying we are there, almost close to Q3, but in the race we are struggling a lot, so I think we need to find just the last detail and then try to be back in the points soon.

    Q: You’re doing a great job at the minute, what have the team told you about next year?

    AG: Nothing yet. I think I just need to focus on my job and try to continue like that and then we’ll see for next year.

    Q: Are you confident?

    AG: Yes, I need to be confident. I think the second part of the season was quite strong from my side. I need to just keep pushing like that and then we’ll see.

    Q: Good luck, thank you Antonio. Sebastian, tremendous pole position by you in Japan a couple of weeks ago. How much did you enjoy that moment and how much did you need that moment for your own peace of mind?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Not so much. Obviously we had both quali and the race on Sunday, so there was not so much time to enjoy. I think there was nothing wrong before. Obviously, qualifying, maybe some events before that didn’t really go my way but yeah, I enjoyed Suzuka more than that particularly qualifying session. Obviously it was a good day, a near perfect day, the race should have been a little bit better but yeah…

    Q: This weekend, are Ferrari favourites coming into this Mexican Grand Prix?

    SV: I don’t know. So-so. Obviously people look at the track and they look at the straight line but I think that, yeah, we have obviously been strong on the straight lines in recent races but there are a couple of corners plus here it’s not one of the tracks where efficiency matters so much. We do have quite an efficient car but maybe we can’t use that to our advantage, so we’ll see how we manage around the ‘cornery’ sections, because some of these type of corners have been our weakness, so we’ll see.

    Q: OK, good luck with that. Lewis, we talked about Checo’s busy build-up to this weekend and I see that you have been in the boxing ring with Julio Chávez. Tell us about it?

    Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, I was with Puma yesterday at an event. We had a great turnout. It’s crazy; I started boxing when I was eight. Obviously I was much younger and I wouldn’t say In was particular ever great at it, but it was really quite an honour to be in the ring with such a legend.

    Q: Did he teach you anything?

    LH: Yeah, yeah, he gave me a few pointers. He said I had a heavy hand, so I don’t know…

    SP: Ready for the fight!

    Q: Let’s talk about the fight this weekend then. It’s been six races since you last had a pole position. How confident are you of breaking that run this weekend?

    LH: Oh, I don’t think a lot has changed. We’re going to go into this weekend knowing that Ferrari are massively quick usually on the straights and obviously straights are a powerful element of this circuit, so I don’t know when we’ll be getting another pole – unless it rains, which can change everything. But as you’ve seen in previous races it’s not necessarily all about qualifying nowadays. It’s about making sure you’ve got the car ready for the race, so we’ll still give it everything. This is a race that bodes well for the Red Bulls and the Ferraris in the past, but we’ve made a lot of improvements in our understanding of the car and how we use it, so maybe this weekend maybe we’ll a better chance than we have in the past.

    Q: Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, you will clinch the world championship if you beat Valtteri Bottas by 14 points. What would it mean to you to win it here in Mexico for the third consecutive season?

    LH: Well, I don’t remember if in a season I’ve finished 14 points ahead of Valtteri at any point, and if it has it may have been one race maybe. So I anticipate that it will be a difficult weekend. Valtteri has been strong all year and obviously won the last race so I expect him to be strong this weekend too. It doesn’t matter where it’s done, as long as you get it done, and that’s what I’m trying to do. But I’m fully aware that there are still plenty of points on the table and I’ve got to deliver over these next four races.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

     

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) For Lewis: you’ve never been afraid to use your profile on social media to raise issues you have outside F1, what you think about the world etc, so you made people take notice in between Japan and here with your comments about the state of the planet and what people can do. I think that led to a few people questioning whether it’s valid to raise concerns about the planet if you’re part of the F1 circus, with all the travelling and stuff. I think even Fernando Alonso was quoted as saying it’s not something you can comment on really, because it’s not fair. I just wondered how you balance using your personal profile to raise stuff like that with the role you have in F1? A second part: Jean-Eric Vergne, the Formula E champion, said Formula E would be a natural move for you, given your eco-friendly status and what the championship is trying to do. Are you interested in doing Formula E after Formula 1?

    LH: I have no interest whatsoever to do Formula E, so that’s not something I currently plan to do beyond. And then, lots of people have had opinions about how I utilise my social media, but ultimately it’s my platform and we all have a voice, everyone here and around the world, and it’s how you choose to… how you want to use it. Personally, it’s not the easiest, because yes, we are travelling around the world, we are racing Formula 1 cars and our carbon footprint for sure is higher than the average homeowner who lives in the same city, but that doesn’t mean that you should be afraid to speak out about things that can be a positive change and I’m always looking at things, and how I can improve the effect that I’m having on the world. I guess it’s something that over time I have become more and more aware of and it takes a while. It’s not a quick-fix thing. It takes time to understand the implications and I think it’s just about education and I’m just trying to highlight areas. Whether people choose to look into those, that’s up to them, but I’d feel like I wasn’t doing anything positive if I didn’t mention it.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines / racefans.net) I had a very similar question to Lewis, so obviously it’s been answers. So, to the other drivers there, how do you feel about the environmental factors that Lewis has raised on social media. Are you also sort of active about the environment?

    SV: Yeah. I’m not following Lewis. I’m not active on social media but I think the point is very clear. I think you would be ignorant if you wouldn’t look at it and obviously, as Lewis mentioned, it’s very difficult, in a way, to us to get acceptance from outside, because we don’t have the smallest footprint because the races happen around the world. We do have to travel, so it’s part of our jobs. But I think in general, Formula 1 should do more. It’s a worldwide operating platform. I think we should send a much stronger message regarding this subject and I think personally – this is free to everyone – but I think everybody can do something, contribute a little bit and if the whole world would act like that, it would make a huge difference. I think it’s inevitable that change is coming and hopefully rather sooner than later.

    Antonio?

    AG: I completely agree with Seb, what he says. So nothing to add.

    Checo?

    SP: Yeah, I think it’s very important that we raise our voices. A lot of people hear us – especially for someone like Lewis. It’s very important. I see the messages that he sends often on his social media are good. A lot of people are following him, so if we can impact the world, if we can help a bit, I think we are obliged to do so. I don’t see anything wrong with that.

    Alex?

    AA: Not to much to add to that. I think what Lewis said was really good and… yeah, just because we’re in Formula 1 doesn’t mean we can’t care about the environment.

    Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Lewis, just on those Instagram posts. In one of them you said you feel like giving up on everything and shutting down completely. I was just wondering what provoked you to say that and how your frame of mind is going into this weekend.

    LH: Well, I’m only human so, like everyone you have up and down days. I think that’s really what I’ve been trying to convey really, because I think it’s very difficult for people who are watching on social media to be able to relate to certain individuals who live in a celebrity world. A lot of people don’t realise that they’re also humans and they also have feelings and have the ups and downs. Some people do care, some people care less, or whatever. And… I don’t know. It was not the best feeling at the moment but I’ve got great people around me, I’ve had a lot of support from fans, I’ve had a lot of support from around my family. There’s a lot going on in my life at the moment and, I don’t know, I think I was just… well, anyway, coming into this weekend I feel very positive, back to doing what I love doing and… yeah, I think it’s just always trying to stay positive, which is not always easy but I think I’ve done really well in the past to stay positive for the majority of the time – but I think there’s a lot that goes on in our lives and I think it’s important to also be open. And the whole thing’s in… so I’m always very open, very transparent with my feelings, whether people like it or not but I’m super-focused still on these four races and what I can do to get the job done, as the team have done such a great job and I continue. I’ve got lots and lots of positive plans for the future for positive change.

    Q: (Christian Nimmervoll – motorsport-total.com) Following up on the environmental issue, are you guys political. And the question is to all drivers – and I’m not asking if you have sentiments for any political party or anything – but do you support a party, not telling us who it is probably, do you care, do you follow the news, would you say you are political persons.

    AA: No, not so much. Is that OK?

    LH: I don’t think I’m particularly political. I watch the news as much as I can. I find it very interesting to watch what is happening around the world. I think it’s a scary time for all of us. There’s so much talk in all the different governments around the world and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of solutions, or they don’t seem to be coming up with a lot of solutions, so it definitely is a bit worrying but there’s not a lot that we can do individually except for just try to be better within our own bubble. And if you have a platform, try to project some positivity – but I’m not supportive of any particular party.

    Checo?

    SP: Nothing more to add to what Lewis said.

    SV: I think it’s not so much about knowing which party you want to support. I think, when you talk about the environment, supporting the planet. So, I think politics in a way have failed in the past, and at the moment we have seen, or we see in different areas that is critical and hopefully they will manage to get their act together and succeed in trying to find solutions that will help our planet and will help other problems that we have amongst ourselves, as in human beings, to try and improve the situation. In that regard I’m a supporter of the planet and, again, as I said earlier, I think change is coming. So I think it’s up to us to embrace it rather than ignore it before probably it’s too late.

    AG: Nothing too much to add.

    Q: (Rebecca Clancy – The Times) Lewis, sorry to come back to the Instagram post. It’s already been mentioned about the criticism you received on the back of some of it. I just wondered how you deal with that, because obviously you’re trying to put out a positive message and people then come back with their own views on that. Does it ever get to you and how do you get over it?

    LH: I don’t normally spend a lot of time reading comments but of course I’m aware of that people have their own opinions and some people are going to be with it, some people are going to be against it. And that’s just the name of the game. I generally try not to let that kind of thing get to me. I think it’s important for all of us in life to feel good and feel like you’re doing something positive regardless of those that try to knock it down, the stuff that you do do that is positive. And yeah… just staying true to your values and that’s what I’ve been trying to do. And, as I said, I’ve got great people around me who are constantly lifting me up. So, there’s no… I’m fortunately not alone. I’ve got a lot of great people around me who, within my team, within my closest friends and family. Not all my family’s vegan but it doesn’t matter. They are also trying to make positive change in the decisions they make in their lives and I think that’s great.

    Q: (Fernando Alonso – motorlat.com) Sebastian, right now we talk about the things that help Ferrari with the motor upgrades but you already said that you have to focus on the slow corners. You as a team are thinking in balance all the performance in the track or what is the way you will approach this weekend?

    SV: Well, obviously for this weekend here it’s quite straightforward. Normally you think about the downforce choice you make – so trying to find the right balance whereas here obviously you put the maximum downforce on the car that you can, because of the difference in altitude and the air being thinner, so, as I said previously, the efficiency around this track is not so important. And yeah, to focus on the low speed corners in particular around here, other than trying to put every single bit of downforce on the car that you have, is trying to find the right set-up, finding the right balance, in terms of obviously extracting grip – but on the other hand, finding the right handling, the confidence in the car, looking after the tyres, getting the tyres in the window and all these small things. They do make a big difference for one lap in quali – but also then how you treat the tyres, especially throughout the race.

    Q: (Giles Richards – The Guardian) Lewis, you are very close to taking your sixth title, largely because you’ve had a such a strong season. Would you just consider how you got to this position? Are you able to identify what has been the most difficult challenges you’ve had to overcome, to be in such a strong position now?

    LH: I think every season you’re looking at it… obviously we got to the beginning of the year and people thought we were talking ourselves down and not showing our true performance. In actual fact it was reality. Ferrari had a good car at the beginning, perhaps it just wasn’t working that great earlier on in the season. I think our focus is just always trying to… the biggest challenges are always trying to understand these tyres. I think everyone has been on that case each year and there’s quite a different dynamic to them this season. So if you look at qualifying, for example, I think that’s an area which has probably been my weakest, even though I feel like I’ve been doing good laps but they’ve not been as good as others. I think the races have obviously been stronger and continued, I guess, on from last year but been very, very strong this season. But then I guess it’s also just been the balance of everything you’re doing outside of the sport, the obstacles you come across in the build-up to the races and just remaining consistent. Punching out these performances each weekend in, weekend out for us guys it’s such a hard task and I think people underestimate and undervalue how hard that is. Perhaps other athletes would understand because they go to competition after competition but it’s really hard because people turn on the TV and see a few hours of our weekend but there’s a massive amount of work that goes on obviously in the background, which you guys will know, obviously and I think it’s really just trying to continue to make… keep the team motivated, steering them in the right direction – because they can easily go in the wrong direction quite often with these cars nowadays.

    Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) Sorry to go back to the environmental stuff Lewis. You mentioned that your post came as a result of a down, a period that you mentioned highs and lows. Was there a particular moment that you can share with us which was the trigger for putting that statement out? And just as a follow-up; what sort of changes have you made to your day-to-day life to help the environment? I know there’s the diet but diet aside is there anything else which you’re doing which you can tell us?

    LH: I was watching a documentary and it was just sad to see the things that we are kind of not aware of. Again, it just inspired me to want to do more and reach out to those who perhaps don’t know some of the things that are happening. In terms of the things that I’m doing in my life, I’m trying to make sure that by the end of the year I’m carbon neutral at the end of the year. I don’t allow anyone in my office but also within my household to buy any plastics. I want everything recyclable down to deodorant, down to toothbrush, all these kind of things so I’m trying to make as much change as I can in my personal space. I told you I sold my plane over a year ago. I fly a lot less now, I’m trying to fly less through the year and mostly flying commercial so that’s been a big change in my habits. I’ve avoided trips as well, if I didn’t need to do it, been in the UK, for example, with family and going up to Bedfordshire and kind of stayed at Soho House for example, with the family instead of going on holiday. What else? Obviously I’ve changed my diet which is quite a drastic difference. I’m also pushing for… so for example I have a new smart electric hybrid at home – it’s not hybrid, it’s electric. I’ve sold several of my cars, some of them I don’t really want to sell because I still love them and I’ve worked hard for them and I don’t drive them a lot if I’m honest. And also, all the cars that I have, so Mercedes, I’m very fortunate that I get quite a few cars around the world, so I have three Mercedes in the States for example. Send them back and get new QCs. I have a Maybach in London for example. I think they’re bring the hybrid out at the end of next year for the Maybachs. However, right now that doesn’t really suit what I’m fighting for so I need to change that also for either an EQC or one of the hybrids they have. I’m constantly making changes. It’s not a quick fix. It’s not something you do over a short period of time, but I feel (Indistinct) that I’m making those changes  and I’m encouraging people around me to also… my friends are seeing me doing those and also being more conscious and also looking to do those kind of things. I work with the team who are also really pushing to be carbon neutral, also changing things in their canteen because there’s a lot of plastics which you will see here, for example, we have mostly just water which are biodegradable bottles. I’m working with Mercedes on the future plan with them, for example. Car manufacturers have all leather interiors. There’s no reason why we cannot have for the leather for the suede so I’m pushing to be a part of that change with Mercedes Benz. And what’s the last one? There’s one more. Oh yes, and obviously I work with Tommy Hilfiger, nearly 70 per cent of all the clothes that I’ve done are sustainable and either recycled fabrics of leather, faux suede and the goal is to have that 100 percent and I’m looking at some point that to be 100 per cent sustainable, hopefully in the next year or two. That’s also encouraged Tommy Hilfiger, who work in quite a damaging business or industry to also look into that and push that direction. I don’t know much more I can do at the moment. I still love racing and I want to continue with that. If you look at our sport, it’s shifted from… we use a third less fuel now, there is more I think that Formula One can do and I think they are putting plans together but I think we have to push all the industries, you have to push Formula One to do more and I think that they’re giving us a proposal later on, I think today, of the plans that they have in place and we’ll do whatever we can to support that.

    Q: (Yhacbec López – Motorlat) Seb, Ferrari has not won here, the Mexican Grand Prix, since 1990 so is this the biggest chance since F1 came back in 2015 to win the Mexican Grand Prix finally?

    SV: I don’t know. I think we can answer on Sunday. If yes, then hopefully we can make it happen; if no then we obviously come back again next year. Yeah, I can’t predict what’s going to happen. I feel confident, I think we have a strong package. There’s part of the track that should be in our favour. Other parts might be a bit more difficult but we will see how it works out. The weather could be a bit of a difficult role this weekend so we will see what happens.

    Q: (Arturo Escalona – Compania Periodistica ESTO) I would like to know your opinion about three more years of the Mexican Grand Prix? 

    SP: Well, those were great news for our country, for Formula One. I think Formula One is looking to have more races like Mexico. We don’t have that many where we go there and the fans are cheering – not just for me but for everyone up there. It’s just something that’s extremely good to have and you see places like Monza, England, those unique places that are, for us, very special so for me especially, it was extremely good to hear that the Mexican Grand Prix is for another three years, especially as it has grown so much in the past. Now can you say Formula One is very big in Mexico so I hope it carries on not just three years, more than that.

    LH: Oh great. I love coming to Mexico so it’s good for me. I think Mexico City is… Mexico in general has such a beautiful culture, the people have always been so warm and welcoming. I’ve got friends from when I lived in Switzerland who are still my dear friends today. And also I spend a lot of time in Colorado for example, a lot of the Mexicans are out there skiing with us. But this Grand Prix, it’s very very unique, obviously with the high altitude that we have here, it always put a huge demand on the drivers but also the cars. I didn’t think when we came here for the first time that we would have such a big turn-out consistently each year. I think it’s getting bigger each time they come and the atmosphere is really created by the people that come here, the people who come and support us. I see no reason for this Grand Prix to ever stop. The only thing I hope is that we can try to make sure that when we do come to these Grands Prix and we leave, we will leave a positive (indistinct) on the city in some way, shape or form, whether it’s working with certain foundations. Because I know there’s a lot of people in need within the city and within the country so I think there’s more we can do.

    SV: Yeah, I think it’s great to continue going to a Grand Prix where there’s passion for racing. I think that since we’ve come back – I don’t know how it was when Ferrari last won in 1990, how it was before, but certainly since we’ve been coming back since 2015 it’s been very positive, lots of people, full grandstands. It’s not the case everywhere we go so we should be very happy about the fact that we are allowed to come back.

    AG: Of course it will be my first time here but I did two FP1 in ’17 and ’18. The track is really nice to drive and we always see a really good race here. Also like the other say, the passion here is quite high, so really happy to continue to race here.

    AA: Yeah, first time here so excited. I’ve loved the food already: spicy and excited. Coming into the stadium is supposed to be really special so I’m excited to see that on Sunday.

  • 2018 Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    2018 Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    WORLD CHAMPION

    Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    TOP THREE DRIVERS

    1 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)

    2 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

    3 – Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (Ferrari)

     

    TRACK INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by David Coulthard)

     

    Q: Max, Mexico loves you; you must love Mexico – your second straight win here.

    Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, amazing. The start was the key. To be honest with you, I didn’t sleep very well last night, so I was really determined to win today and luckily we did that. Yeah, amazing job by the team as well. We had the right tyres available and the car was working brilliantly.

     

    Q: You didn’t sleep well but you made up for it with that great drive. We saw your team-mate pull out with some issue. We heard you on the radio saying “what do I need to do, do I turn it down?” Nervous moments for you towards the end.

    MV: Yeah, of course, it was a shame to lose Daniel. I think we could have had a one-two, or at least two cars on the podium and of course then afterwards you want to make sure yours doesn’t retire.

     

    Q: A bit of a party tonight?

    MV: I’m going home, so really happy about that.

     

    Q: Well done, congratulations. Sebastian, congratulations on your podium, your first podium here, but I guess this is a reflective moment as we see Lewis Hamilton celebrating his championship. You pushed him hard all year but in the end it just didn’t work out.

    Sebastian VETTEL: No. Yeah, obviously not an easy day, but well deserved, congrats to him and his team, they did a superb job all year, so I think we need to stand there, accept that and say congratulations. Obviously I would loved to hang in there in a little bit longer, but it wasn’t the case.

     

    Q: You had the car at various points this year; you had some fantastic victories, where do you think championship started to slip away?

    SV: Oh David, I don’t know if I answer that question now. Let me say congratulations to Lewis.

     

    Q: Beautiful moment here between two great champions. We’re going to hear from our five-time world champion. Lewis, beautiful moment there, great respect between you two guys, you are a five-time world champion. You’ve had some time to think about it. That was a tough race, but you’ve just equalled Fangio and it’s only Michael Schumacher with more world titles.

    Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, it’s a very strange feeling right now, but I think I firstly want to say a big thank you to all the fans here, really for making the Mexico Grand Prix as special as it is. So a big, big thank you there. Secondly I want to say a big thank you to my team. You know, Bonno said on the radio it wasn’t won here, it was won through a lot of hard work throughout the races. I’m so grateful for all the hard work back home. To Petronas, Epson, to Bose, everyone that has been part of it and ultimately to Mercedes. I’ve been with Mercedes since I was 13, so to complete this when Fangio had done it with Mercedes, you know, it’s just an incredible feeling and very, very surreal at the moment.

     

    Q: Do you want to talk about the difficult race you had this afternoon with the tyres or do you just want to keep talking about this amazing achievement? Where does this rate with your other four titles?

    LH: It was a horrible race! I got a great start and really was working my way up. I really don’t know what happened after that. We were struggling, both Valtteri and I, but I was just trying to hold, just trying to bring the car home. Honestly, I’m just so grateful to God today, to my family back home – I love you, thank you for all the support. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for all the hard work my dad did, all my family. Yeah, a humbling experience.

     

    Q: Enjoy the moment. And then finally, Kimi Räikkönen. Congratulations. One stop. That would prove quite tricky for you, but was that the best strategy for your car this afternoon.

    Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: Yeah, I think from where we started. I think the tyres lasted pretty OK, obviously not the fastest anymore, but there were times that was the best in the position were were.

     

    Q: This trip to the Americas has been quite consistent for you though, winning last time out in Austin, third place here.

    KR: Yeah, I mean it’s good. Obviously we always want to more, but I cannot complain too much. We have two more races to go and we’ll try to do better.

     

    PRESS CONFERENCE – TOP THREE DRIVERS

     

    Q: (Francisco Alcala – Global Com Group) What did you say to Lewis after the race?

    SV: I’m not a big sharing person. I congratulated him, I think he drove superbly all year and was the better one of us two. So I told him well deserved and to enjoy it – number five is something incredible. Mainly congratulated him and asked him to keep pushing for next year, I need him at his best to fight him again

     

    Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-Magazin.com) A question for Seb. If I remember correctly last year, after the championship was decided here, you were really down, and today again, even if it was for us all a bit expected it was going to happen. Can you explain why you are down when the championship is decided?

    SV: It’s a horrible moment. You put a lot of work in and OK, I get your point that you saw it coming. I did pay attention in maths so I could make the numbers, but still, you hang in there as long as you can. I’ve had three times now in my life that sort of disappointment, where you realise that you can’t win the championship any more and those are not happy days. You reflect not on one moment but the whole year: the work that goes in, the effort that goes in from the end of the last year until now and yeah, I think we had our chances. We used most of them, some we did not. But in the end we were not good enough.

     

    Q: (Arjan Schouten – AD Sportswereld) A question for Max, about your frustration yesterday. Was that only because of missing the pole or was it also because of missing the record from Sebastian?

    MV: No, the frustration was that I didn’t have an optimum package to fight for pole, because we had the same problem as in the second practice, so I never felt comfortable because of the problems and that’s why I was frustrated. In qualifying everything needs to come together and you try to optimise everything and clearly it was not optimised. I’m not there to be second or third. I want to win; I want to be on pole. At the end of the day the record for me is not a big deal, because the points and stuff are always on Sunday and that’s the most important thing.

     

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Max, a win today is another peak in a brilliant run for you from Canada onwards. What would you say is the main difference with you now as a driver compared with the start of the year and how fine a line is it between maybe overtaking or being caught in scrapes and the level of performance you’re at now?

    MV: The difference is I just listen to myself. I do my own thing, even if there are a lot of things written, I really don’t care. My dad always told me in go-karting, back in the day, if I was maybe overdriving or something, he would always tell me “Max, even if you think you are not going fast enough, it’s still fast enough”. So basically, for my feeling, I just backed it out a little bit and that seems to make me a bit faster.

     

    Q: (Jens Nagler – Bild) A question for Seb. Is this a moment to let sink in the disappointment or is it already the first moment to bounce back?

    SV: No. I don’t want to make a big deal about today. As with the question before, you could see it sort of coming, but for sure it’s different. I focus on my own, I focus on my car. It’s what you work for the whole year and when you are not anymore in control, it’s obviously not a great moment but I think it’s normal as well to have that moment of disappointment and that you are a bit down but I think I will be as strong as I can be in two weeks’ time heading to Brazil. Because that’s what my team deserves and that’s what all the guys at home in Maranello deserve and all on top all the people that have supported me, Kimi, myself and the whole team, all the tifosi all year. Maybe for now I’m not the happiest guy, but in two weeks’ time I’m allowed to step into the car that I always dreamt of driving, so plenty of things to be happy about.

     

    Q: (Julien Billotte – AutoHebdo) Question to both Ferrari drivers. You’re still in for the Constructors’ Championship. Could it help you make up for the loss of the drivers title?

    KR: I was hoping nobody was asking! Obviously that’s our aim, as it has been all year – but I don’t know what the points are and we can only do our best and hopefully we’ll say in the fight and can catch up. Two races to go, so we’ll do our best.

     

    SV: Yeah, as I said, I think in two weeks time we have the possibility to show once again what we can do and obviously we race for the team and as long we keep on catching, that’s good. We need some more points but I think last weekend was good for us, this weekend was good for us – so hopefully we can continue the last two races like that.

     

    Q: (Luis Vasconcelos – Formula Press) Kimi – you answered one question, might as well answer two – you lost a position to Sainz in the beginning, that sort of compromised you a bit and you lost contact, and your first stint wasn’t very good and then you have just the one stop race. How was it from your point of view?

    KR: Yeah, I think on the start, the initial start was OK, I was following Seb and then somehow that side of the road slowed down in the middle of the straight. I went on the other side but obviously I was behind Seb going through the first corner, and didn’t really want to get involved. I lost one place and got it back the next time around on the straight, so it wasn’t a big deal. It was tricky with them. I think I had more speed than the Mercedes in front of me, but tried to get past but just didn’t have enough of a good run on the straight and then yeah, my tyres basically gave up. The front tyres. It was tricky. We were planning to come in but yeah, then Mercedes came and we decided to do the opposite. Yeah, I knew that we were going to go for one stop from that point and I think the tyres, the second set was very good but obviously we needed to look after then a bit too, to make it to the end. Not an awful lot happened after that. Obviously I caught up with the Mercedes, past him, locked up at the same time and went straight and then obviously I think it was Ricciardo had some issue and stopped. Good end result, not the most exciting race but that’s how it goes.

     

    Q: (Arturo Lopez Escalona – El Sol de Mexico) Question for Max, what represents for you to win here at the Mexican Grand Prix for the second year?

    MV: What it means. It’s of course great. We knew last year we were strong and then coming into this event we had the same hopes – but of course it’s never easy to win a race. Yeah, of course, very happy to win it for the second time in a row, and yeah, it’s a special track with the fans, they’re very passionate and the stadium section as well. I think anywhere if you win a race it’s always positive.

     

    Q: (Jaap de Groot – De Telegraaf) For Max. You just said you were mainly disappointed yesterday because the car didn’t deliver in the way you wanted…

    MV: …no, the car did. The engine didn’t.

     

    OK. But today, how were you balancing between the doubt and the focus to win. I notice you were fine-tuning the state of the tyres and the engine constantly.

    MV: The only option was to win today for me. That was in my head and, of course, that’s why I was very disappointed yesterday but we made it up today, so of course I’m very happy with that.

     

    Q: (Louis Dekker – NOS) Also for Max. Does this make… this victory also a bit a Renault victory, a revenge? Because it’s better than yesterday. The engine also gave you the victory?

    MV: How do you know it’s better?

     

    I don’t know, I’m asking.

     

    MV: No.

     

    Q: (Fernando Alonso – Motorlat) We here that maybe the tyres are not giving enough chances to have open races. I see this weekend all words about the perfect point in the degradation and everything. Max or Sebastian, tell us this could be a constant thing in the next races?

    MV: I think it was a bit unexpected how the tyres behaved. Maybe with the hyper, yes but with the ultra, I think nobody really expected it to be like this. We came into this event with a few different tyre strategies but normally you always end up on the same tyres, more or less, for the race. But very quickly, in the weekend I think that we saw that the supersoft was quite a strong tyre and luckily I had two. I didn’t use any in practice, I just saved them for the race in case we needed it and clearly we needed it. So, it’s a bit of a guess.

     

    Q: (Carlos Alberto Velazquez – Reforma) Max, is the second time you win here. You’re the fourth driver that makes that accomplishment. What does the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez give you to have such success – and will you be prepared next year to come here and run for the Championship maybe?

    MV: That’s a very far ahead thought so I don’t want to speak about that yet – but what’s good for us, at this track, it’s a lot about mechanical grip and the aero is a little bit less important but also the top speed is not that important compared to other tracks, so we are not losing out that much on the straight, and yeah, it suits our car much better. We make up a lot of time through the corners. That makes us competitive. I enjoy driving here but I don’t really think this track is a particular favourite of mine in terms of my driving style or whatever. Of course, when your car works well, you can have a good result.

     

    Q: (Alfredo Lopez Ledesma – MomentoGP) Question for Seb. This 2018 has been your most difficult year in Formula One?

    SV: Maybe. I don’t know. I need to think about it but in some regards, definitely yes. Yes it was definitely different to other years but nevertheless I think we shouldn’t neglect the fact that we had a very strong package, we were able to win races, we’re not in contention any more for the Drivers’ Championship but we can fight for the Constructors’. So, even if it has been a difficult year, I think still it’s been a good year for us as a team. We’re still improving – but certainly there were also things that became apparent, needs addressing, needs fixing in order to do that final step that we are looking for.

     

    Q: (Victor Macin Serrano – ESPN) Question for Seb. Germany or Monza? Which moment is, in your opinion, is the defining moment of the season?

    SV: None of the two, to be honest. For me it was more Singapore. I think, yeah, from Singapore onwards we just didn’t have the pace to keep up with Mercedes for a couple of races and then obviously some other things happened on top that didn’t help and we couldn’t score the points due to mistakes that we did, mistakes that I did. So it didn’t help. I can’t be too hard on myself with what happened in Germany because it’s not like… I’ve done much bigger mistakes this year but obviously it was the most costly one. Unfortunately it’s part of racing: when you push you might be sometimes pushing a little bit too hard. I chose the wrong corner as well. But anyway, it’s behind me and I’m not really thinking about that too much. I consider it part of racing and it happens to others as well. So, but yeah, seeing that struggled in the last couple of weeks, just for pace and speed was probably more defining than that.

     

    QUESTIONS TO LEWIS HAMILTON

    Q: (Henry Bonilla – F1Latam.com) Lewis, once again, here in Mexico, in Latin America. What are you feeling?

    LH: Right now, it just doesn’t feel real. I feel like I’m going to wake up in a matter of moments. It’s been such a difficult year and such a great battle but a lot of work, like a lot of word and to try and raise the bar this year has been such a huge challenge and naturally… you know I’ve trained myself this year, I prepare myself mentally, don’t believe in mind coaches and all those kind of things and so, I really work hard to make sure I’ve got the right energy, the right balance in my life and this year, working on all these different aspects to enable myself to perform better. I think I had a great year last year and I was thinking to myself how can I raise the bar, how can I squeeze some more out of myself? And honestly, you never know what the formula is and there is no secret formula but somehow I managed to find that balance and that flow and I’ve had some of my best races of my career and I think that’s ultimately why I’m sitting here. But it doesn’t even register at the moment, being number five. Just getting my first was amazing and the third was incredible. People are mentioning Fangio so I think right it’s just kind of… it’s very very humbling as well because I’m conflicted emotionally, right now, because I’ve had this tough race which I wanted to win, got a great start and then it went from good to bad but we still finished fourth. It’s not a bad finish and ultimately it’s what we needed but in my mind, we’ve still got a team championship to win and today we lost some points to Ferrari and I really want to deliver for the team, so I’ve still got two races to win.

     

    Q: (Fernando Alonso – Motorlat) The question…

    LH: Your name is Fernando Alonso.

    Q: (Fernando Alonso – Motorlat) Yeah. A little longer but I shortened it.

    LH: I never thought Fernando would be asking me questions!

    Q: (Fernando Alonso – Motorlat) A pleasure for myself.

    LH: Can you drive?

    Q: (Fernando Alonso – Motorlat) Not that fast but I think I can drive. I have been in conference in Valencia in the test and you said you played many games and you are training like you said before, but you delivered this like one of your best years in formula One. What do you think is your best skill that you have developed this year?

    LH: Honestly, it was all round. I’ve obviously had the ability since I was very young. Since I’ve been in Formula One I’ve had the ability to drive like I do today but naturally I think every year you are always trying to raise the bar and when I say raise the bar, you’re trying to work on all areas, how you prepared, how you get yourself in the right mindset, how you deliver in the car with your feel. How you learn to balance the car and risk versus reward. How you communicate with the guys who you work closely with, to extract the best from them. All those areas are so important, even things like… I’ve got certain people who work very closely to me, I’ve got make sure I keep… how do I keep their spirits up, how do I keep them driven? If they seem me at a weekend and they know that I’m here to win – which, you know, sometimes you can arrive in a bad head space, we’re only human – but if you can try and focus on doing that each weekend it can really make a big difference to your weekend, so there are so many areas and I think for me, just being… the most personally in the car, I’ve been the most centred this year, been the healthiest I’ve ever been and I’ve had more energy than I’ve ever had. Part of that, I’m sure, is being on a vegan diet. It’s been fantastic and I’m so happy that I went that way. I wish I went there a long long time ago.

     

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Lewis, there have been lots of time this year when Ferrari and Seb probably had the faster package overall. You’ve won a lot of races but arguably they may be should have. The battle was so to and fro for the first half of the year. The fact that you’ve wrapped it up comprehensively with two races to go, how much of a surprise is that and how does that feel?

    LH: Yeah, absolutely. Through the year there were a lot of testing times for us. Even on weekends where we didn’t have the package and we were on the back foot but then came away with that belief within the team, still, that we could come away with something good, we’d come away with wins, even though we weren’t the quickest. It took some special laps, it took some special moments in the car and I honestly could just re-live those moments all the time. Some of those experiences I had in the car were really magical. I truly believed that we could win this championship but it has been the toughest battle that we’ve had collectively as a team. So much work has gone on in the background. These guys in the garage have just been flawless every single weekend, with our pit stops, with our decision-making in the background, strategy and set-up. That’s been key to… ultimately, for me, I feel like I can drive anything and I feel I can take the car to places that nobody else can. But to do that, you have to get the car in the right place and so that means ultimately you’ve got to work with the team, to help unleash what’s great within them so that you can unleash the greatness in yourself.

     

    Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) Could you identify a turning point, perhaps, this season, whether it was the German Grand Prix  and winning that, and following it up with that qualifying lap in Budapest? Was it round that sort of time?

    LH: What was before Hockenheim? Silverstone? Before that? Austria. France was good. There have been so many races that I don’t remember them all. I think naturally at the beginning of the year, we started out great in the first race and then we had that fall back and then we had some testing races after that. Then we had that DNF when I think we were leading the Grand Prix or at least one-two or whatever it was in Austria and then we the difficult collision at Silverstone but came back. I think when I came back at Silverstone, firstly being on your home circuit is always something so special and when you see that crowd that really lifts you up, they just… Ever since my first Grand Prix there but most importantly, the second one, 2008, I could see the guys in the grandstand. That’s probably the first time I started noticing people standing up and cheering me on. And that has never faded, all these years being going to the British Grand Prix. So coming back from last to second, for me, in my mind, was like OK, I think that might have been quite a confidence boost, but then of course we went on to some great races after that. Budapest, obviously, going into the break, it’s great going into the break with a win, particularly when we knew that we weren’t quickest at that point of the season. And we knew that that was more a confidence blow to the other team. And then Hockenheim, Monza… I think we just went from strength to strength after that and we just kept taking a step up. But look, we’re still here in Mexico and it was a tough race for us today and the Ferraris were quickest than us again. I think undenyingly, we’ve been very very close on performance through the year and I think it’s still arguable whether or not we’ve had the perfect package but I think, as a team, we’ve operated better than any other.

     

    Q: (Rebecca Clancy – The Times) What are your plans now, how will you celebrate, what happens between here and Brazil?

    LH: You know it’s going to sound really boring – which it is, probably – because I just feel very content right now. I just feel very happy. Jeez, I’m looking forward to going to sleep, honestly, but I’m really trying to cherish this moment because I know this moment will only last for a period of time and then you’re moving on to the next thing. Time is just so precious, this is a precious moment for me so I’m just to absorb it and really cherish it. I still have work to do. I’ve still got to get back to the factory and rally the troops next week to figure out how we can come back and win these next races. I have no idea why I struggled so much in these last two and we all feel the pain of not winning those races and we still have the Constructors championship to win, which I know will mean even more to all the guys back at the factory. So that’s the focus. But right now, I think tonight, I’ll leave this beautiful country, Mexico and Mexico City has always been good to me and the people here… the food has been great, the hospitality has been exceptional so I always enjoy my time here and looking forward to coming back. I’m probably going to come back some time in January to train and surf and enjoy myself but until then, I think… I’m looking forward to seeing my dogs, I’m going to go and see my dogs tonight, the unconditional love of a pet is something quite special. I think I’ve got a lot of friends around me so I’m sure we’ll come together and really try to embrace the moment but yeah, as I’ve said, I’ve still got races I want to win so a little bit conflicted.

     

    Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) There are lots of people, who now you’ve got your fifth title will say you’re the greatest of all time or you’re up there, given that you’ve won so many races, so many poles, five championships. You’ve never resorted to any dirty tactics. Do you think you’re Formula One’s GOAT (greatest of all time)?

    LH: No, I think, honestly I would prefer that term but I do when I look at other people that I admire who are doing great in whatever field they’re working in.  Right now, I’ve still got things to achieve, there are so many targets, so many things ahead. Now I can tick off, I can strike out one of the things that I put on my list of the year. It’s always at the top: win the World title, do everything for that. I think it’s impossible to say whether or not… firstly I could never ever personally classify myself as the best. Obviously, within myself, I know of my abilities and where I stand but ultimately… My Dad always told me, since I was eight years old, he said ‘do your talking on the track.’ So I just try to let my results and the results from the things that I do outside of my sport, hopefully, also contribute to that, so that people can hopefully create a decent opinion. But there’s still Michael’s… Michael’s still quite far ahead in race wins so you can have to say he is still the GOAT. Fangio, I think, is the godfather and always will be, from a driver’s perspective. To do what he did at that time when everything was so dangerous… my respect is so high for him. I feel very honoured to have my name alongside his, that’s for sure and naturally just every proud to have the Hamilton name up there. If I stopped today, the Hamilton name will always be there. If you could see how tough it was for us from the beginning and even this year, you know, there’s still fighting with those obstacles and still coming stronger and stronger each year. I feel like I’m still driving with that fierce fire that I had when I was eight years old which I love. So I’ll keep going until that goes, which I don’t think it’s ever going to go but I will just… my bodyclock will run out at some stage.

     

    Q: (Luke Smith – Crash.net) Lewis, following on from that, how much of your outside activities from Formula One this year really empowered you and helped you on track this year? You seem to be in a very very happy place right now.

    LH: Definitely, definitely. It’s been a special year in the sense of… I think for everyone and I guess I can only really talk for myself but I think being able to tap into your creativity is only a positive, there’s no negatives about that. Naturally people will have opinions for and against things that you do but one thing for me is that all of you will know – and I don’t do everything perfectly  and I don’t always say the right things – but one thing I do do is I do me. Only I can live my life the way I live it and it can’t be steered by anyone else and I try to do the right things in order to be my best. Having these opportunities to do these other things, tapping into a different part of the mind, naturally doing these things outside a race and it has nothing to do with being a racing driver, but I think it’s keeping the brain stimulated and knowledge is power, so naturally when you’re learning new things, when you’re experiencing new things you’re gaining knowledge as you travel the world and I only see that as a positive so I try and be a sponge and absorb from people like Tommy, who has built an incredible brand. Ultimately, on my list, there’s a new dream there, to do something like he’s done within that business. So we will see how it is ten years from now.

     

    Q: (Arturo Lopez – El Sol de Mexico) What does it represent to you to be Formula One World Champion? And here in Mexico?

    LH: I couldn’t have bet and told you it would have happened here in Mexico. It’s been strange because the first race I didn’t win, I think I came second and then I had a win in 2016 here which felt incredible. Did I win last year? No, we didn’t win last year, we finished eighth last year which was disastrous but what it’s proved to be, it’s such a difficult Grand Prix for so many reasons. One is the altitude, one is the traffic – you could easily miss the race with the traffic that’s here! You’ve got some good drivers here in the city, that’s for sure. But I always have such a great stay here, it’s been such a peaceful stay. I’ve been really really well looked after. It’s interesting, I was just outside doing the TV pen and everyone was smiley but the Mexicans were, like, bubbly and there’s a different spirit, there’s a great spirit within the culture of the Mexican people, as you can hear with the music. They’re celebrating and partying outside. I appreciate that and I respect that and look forward to coming back, hopefully, for many more years.

     

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, Racefans.net) Lewis, obviously matching Fangio’s record is a massive achievement but he did it with a variety of different teams, whereas you’ve done all your five with Mercedes power. Michael had two teams to get to seven. Could you imagine doing it with any team other than Mercedes?

    LH: Well, naturally I did it with McLaren which was obviously a different team so I have one it with two different teams. Michael had five with one team? He had two with Renault and then five with Ferrari, right? Renault, Benetton. So ultimately we’ve both done it with two teams, just he’s had two different power units. Three? What was the third one? (Voice off: Ford, Renault, Ferrari) At the moment, it’s very very difficult to imagine, envisage myself anywhere else. This is my family, this is where I grew up but I said the same thing when I was at McLaren. I think one of the reasons I wanted to move was to go somewhere else and see if you could do something special somewhere else. I knew I could but I needed to prove it to everyone else. Right now, I don’t feel like I need to go and be in another team to win a title in another team but you can never say never.

     

    Q: (Victor Macin Serrano – ESPN) Can you share with us, what you told to Sebastian Vettel after the race?

    LH: I didn’t really say anything to him. He came over and, the one thing he said was, ‘just don’t let off – I need you fighting with me next year’ – which I respect, naturally. I think for me, I just said, thank you so much for being such a strong competitor this year. But it happens so fast so I don’t remember everything we said but ultimately it was a true showing of great sportsmanship and respect between us, as I think has been there all year long. So, I think that’s great to have in multiple world champions, two competitors who’ve gone head-to-head. It’s been a hard year. He’s fought so well this year and I know he drove fantastically well today and I know he’d going to go from strength to strength so I I’ve got to keep… stay on my toes and make sure I keep trying to come back with a good blow in the future.

     

    Q: (Lawrence Barretto – F1.com) Congratulations Lewis. You’ve obviously competed against many guys for the world title. Where does Sebastian rank – or how does he compare as a rival?

    LH: Y’know, it’s very difficult to… it’s never a great thing to try to compare people because everyone’s unique in their own way. If you try to do that, then naturally that becomes headlines and it can be taken negatively. He is a deserving four-times World Champion and this year, the pressure he would be under in Ferrari who’ve not won a championship for many, many years… it’s a lot to ride on one’s shoulders. I think this year he’s… even though he’s had some difficult times, he’s still bounced back, like today, and that’s the true showing of a champion. I’ve been very fortunate to race against a lot of drivers and it’s all small percentages that separate us all. And that’s the great thing about this sport.

     

    Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Lewis, congratulations. Same sort of question. Do you think that Michael is beatable with seven titles and 91 victories?

    LH: It honestly feels… I’ve not really put any thought towards getting to that number – just becaue I’ve been trying to focus on getting this one. And even this morning, I woke up very relaxed but I didn’t know whether or not it was going to happen today. Lots of things could have happened. Engine could have blown up. Seb could have won the race. We could have gone to the next one. You could see it’s getting tough for us, these last few races. It’s not been great for us, so I was just really not trying to take anything for granted. So, the way I’ve always approached it, is I’ve just been really thankful for the ones you have. I’ve very, very fortunate to be up here now, obviously with more than most people have, and I don’t take that for granted. Whether or not I’m going to have the chance to win more, who knows – but I’m going to give it everything to do so – but I think just one step at a time. The 91 wins that he has, for example, that’s a lot of wins. But naturally… I don’t know how much I’m away? I guess 20 away now, aren’t I? There’s still a long way to go but I’m here for a few more years, so I’m hoping that I can at least get close. But even so, Michael was just such a genius in how he implemented himself into Ferrari and what he did with that team and yeah, I will always be a fan of him.

     

    Q: (Masahiro Owari – Formula Owari Masahiro) Last year and this year you are fighting the same driver and deciding the championship at the same Mexico Grand Prix. What is the biggest difference between last year and this year?

    LH: I think we had some strong races last year but I really wanted to, personally wanted to see how I could raise the bar, because each year you have to expect your opponents are going to do the same. Ferrari really picked up the pace this year and ultimately I think we’ve always… most of the time we’ve been trailing them slightly. Even if it’s only by a tenth or two, and do I’ve had to try and bring something extra, to dig so deep to another level, so that I could pull those performances out where we weren’t quickest but we won the race. Whether it’s through mental preparation or strength or whether it’s just a unified great job from the team. Strategy, all these different things. I think ultimately on the drivers’ side I am very, very happy and, within myself, I’m very proud of how I’ve delivered – but I’m really, really proud of how everyone around me has also raised their bar, raised their game. That’s been key.

     

    Q: (Jonathan McEvoy – Daily Mail) Lewis, it would be a great honour for any sportsman to go to the palace to be knighted. How would you feel if it ‘arise Sir Lewis’. Does that sound good.

    LH: Well, firstly welcome back. I think it’s the first time we’ve spoken for years. So firstly, let me acknowledge that I’ve seen some of the stories that you’ve written this year and I just want to say thank you for it, and I appreciate the great work that you’ve done. Y’know, we had some difficult years for sure. In terms of… honestly that is really not something that is on my mind, and not something I’m even contemplating. I’ve been very fortunately and very grateful to have met the Queen on a couple of occasions, which I’m just grateful for. I’m very proud, I don’t know if you notice that sometimes, when I’m on the podium I look back and see the Union Jack and I’m very proud to raise that flag, and which I’ll continue to do so. And hopefully try to make more and more Brits proud. And yeah, at the moment, A German has the most titles but I think I’m quite grateful and quite proud of the ones that we have as Brits and yeah, going to continue to try to raise the game.

     

    Q: (Rosa Torres  – The Paddock Magazine) Congratulations. Of course every championship is different – but which one was your favourite and also how to you compare this championship with the others?

    LH: I don’t have the greatest memory, so remembering what happened in every single year and what happened in every single year is… it’s always been different. Winning the first world title in Brazil, and the last corner, I mean, that was something I wouldn’t… that was so special in its own way. They’ve all required different bits of input. They’ve all required different manoeuvrability, different agility, different approaches, so they’ve all been unique, and I’ve been faced with different things. Stuff behind the scenes which no-one will never know about, just like for all of you sitting here, I’m sure there’s so many thing that you go through that no-one around you would really understand – but those challenges, I would say the biggest forces outside are the ones that can really impact. I would say this year, for me, from memory, this feels the proudest. This is definitely the proudest moment because there’s been a year when we’ve not had the fastest car at the majority of the races. And yet we’ve come away with more wins that I could have hoped for, more pole positions, and… ah jeez, I love driving and I’ve really enjoyed driving this year even more, and I think each year, being that I’m getting older and I’m getting to really enjoy more my work, the things I do. I worry about things less. I’m able to let things go quicker and move forwards and grow faster. I think that just comes with being old – which I’m sure many of you would know what that’s like.

     

    Q: (Yesme Cortez – El Economista) How would you like to be defined in the future?

    LH: How would I like to be defined in the future? I have so many things that I want to do, so many things. The racing is at the core of everything that I do and naturally I am always going to be remembered as a racing driver, but this great sport and this great opportunity that I have had has created a great foundation and an opportunity for me to do other things. I’ve always been one to want to have some positive impact; I don’t want to be just taking, taking, taking. I want to be doing some positive things for the future. So, if I want to be remembered for anything it’s by… whether it’s helping some kids getting through school, getting through difficult times. Whether it’s building a school, whether it’s encouraging education, whether it’s just helping people get through difficult times. It’s kind of difficult to put it into words but naturally I don’t want my time on earth to mean nothing. I’m sure that you all feel that way. You all want to know that your time was spent well and you didn’t squander it. And that’s my goal.

     

    Q: (Maria Jimenez – Record) Felicidades, Lewis. I think that throughout your career you have said how hard it has been to get you to a racing career for you and for your family, and now you are a role model for the new generation – a five-time world champion. What does that mean for you, and what responsibility do you think you have to this new generation of drivers as a five-time world champion?

    LH: It’s been a long, long journey and one that I’m really proud of and it’s not been perfect along the way. There have been many pitfalls and many mistakes made. But that’s ultimately enabled me to be where I am today. But it’s awesome to see young kids. I invited this one young female racing driver from Mexico this weekend. I had her come when she didn’t have tickets to come. It’s crazy for me to see this little sparkle in these young people’s eyes, who look at me as I once looked at several of the drivers when I was young – when I had the chance to meet Mika, when I had the chance to meet David, and Damon Hill and Nigel, and all these guys, and I was this kid, I imagine with this sparkle, saying “one day, I want to do what you guys do”. It’s a very, very humbling experience and it’s a beautiful privilege to have. I just want to keep on driving hard and keep encouraging kids. I really do still feel that within Formula 1, with the FIA, for example, hopefully I’m going to meet with Jean at some stage, because I feel there is some positive impact that we can have on young kids that are at school for example. Because a lot of kids that are racing don’t have an education, don’t get an education. I would say it’s over 50% probably. I’m just guessing there, but parents take the kids out of school to focus on trying to get that ultimate and then when it doesn’t happen you fall flat on your back. If I have any impact on this sport – obviously winning a championship is a great thing – but hopefully I can work on that with Jean, so that with these kids, even if they don’t make it to Formula 1, or as another racing driver, they can be an engineer. There are thousands of people within these teams, there are so many opportunities within all these organisations, so that’s something I want to get involved in. But it is really cool when I see these young… at this point in my career I feel like I have the most respect I’ve ever had from my peers and my respect for them has never wavered and that’s a great position to be in.

     

    Q: (Oliver Brown – The Telegraph) Lewis, many congratulations. Five is a monumental feat and I was touched by how on track you mentioned your father. In the emotions of the moment, how much do you think of him – he’s clearly watching – and of the struggles the two of you once faced and how impossible a dream this once seemed?

    LH: It’s a good question. You know, this has actually been a really difficult weekend, because my grandfather died on Friday, was it Friday… Thursday morning. Naturally, when someone passes away, it brings the whole family together, but he was the godfather of the family and so it just brought… my dad and me were already quite close, but it naturally brought us a little bit closer and I will always remember and I never will forget the things that he did in order for me to be here today and for our family to thrive. I really do aspire to be like him, as a strong, black man and as a father and as a human being for doing what he did in the difficult times the little that he had. I think that’s testament to where we are. I think all that work that he put in, my grandfather would be so proud of him, so proud of us and grateful that the Hamilton is there and established and will now go down in history, which is kind of crazy to think. Honestly, at the centre of who I am, I always remember driving around Rye House and my dad was the only father that would go out on the track and he would go and stand, when I was eight years old, he would go and stand where the quickest kid was sitting, and at the time it was a kid called Nicky Richardson. As an eight-year-old I looked up to Nicky. He was so quick and I was like “I’ve got to be better than him somehow”. My dad would go and stand where he was braking and he would move several metres down and say “this is where you have to brake”. No other father was doing that. I would go around and try to brake at that point and I would spin off and crash and spin off and crash. Eventually I could do it and that’s been at the core of… I’ve always been known as a late braker. Today, I didn’t utilise that, because I didn’t need to. Those core moments, those special moments are what I fight with today and are at the core of who I am.

     

    Q: (Francisco Alcala – Global Com Group) Lewis, first of all congratulations. I think it’s really amazing you have won your fifth championship. How thankful or what do you think about Valtteri right now as he had some involvement in order for you to get the championship today and maybe not in Brazil?

    LH: Absolutely. One of the most difficult moments of the year was in Russia for me. Being at the core of me I want to win the race, by winning the race. Being let by in Russia was a horrible feeling for, I would say. I think everyone in the team felt it. I think also for Valtteri it was not a great feeling. He just came up to me now, and we have such a huge respect for each other. I see how hard he works, he sees how hard I work, we don’t play games in between to try to throw off the guy. In actual fact, we work together. There are times were I’ve figured something out in my set-up and I’ll tell me and there are times that I can talk to him and be open. It’s the greatest partnership in terms of respect and teamwork from drivers that I’m sure has ever existed in Formula 1 probably. This year definitely there have been times when he has been fundamental in us winning races. Ultimately, the team don’t care which driver wins, so there are scenarios where he could have been up ahead and I’m the second driver and I needed to play my role. My goal, in my mind, was “OK, I’ve got to make sure I’m always ahead”. If it comes to a point that you need someone to support, it’s Valtteri. This year, he started out really strong and then he had some really difficult races. I think Baku, for example, was a huge hit for him. He deserved that win and then he got that tyre blow up. Yes, I’m very, very grateful to him as a team-mate and for the help that he has given me in achieving this incredible dream so a big, big thank you to him.

  • 2018 Mexico Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    2018 Mexico Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing)

    2 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)

    3 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

     

    TRACK INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by David Coulthard)

     

    Q: Daniel, where did that come from? You left that right until the last minute. We didn’t know you had that pace. Where did you find that lap?

    Daniel RICCIARDO: I knew it was there somewhere. We hadn’t had the cleanest run through practice and I just knew putting the laps together would be crucial, as always, but I knew the pace was in the car, Max showed that all weekend from start to finish, so I just knew it was putting together a clean lap at the end. I still wasn’t convinced, it wasn’t the cleanest, but yeah, once I heard I got pole… I gotta relax a little, I’m tripping major nutsack right now.

     

    Q: Well, you’ve shown that you’re not just a Monte Carlo specialist. It’s your first pole at a circuit other than that, so great emotion?

    DR: Yeah, that one makes it special as well. Obviously Monaco is the only place I’ve ever done this, so to do it here… I believe it was super close with Max, I heard a few hundredths or thousandths so a big shout to the team, it’s a one-two. I don’t know the last time Red Bull got a one-two in qualifying, so it’s pretty cool.

     

    Q: Well, it’s the first time in the hybrid turbo era you’ve had a one-two, so congratulations on being part of that and good luck tomorrow. Max, I know you’re going to be disappointed with that. You’ve been the fastest man all the way through the various practice sessions and in the end Daniel pulled the lap, so tell us about that final lap for you? Where did it slip away?

    Max VERSTAPPEN: The whole qualifying was crap. Again, the same problems as FP2. Engine braking not like I want to, just rear-locking the car. We tried to make the best of it. I thought it was going to be enough with the problems we had but it’s still good to be second, so we’ll see tomorrow.

     

    Q: Well, we can feel your disappointment. You’re clearly not happy with the way everything is operating. Can you fix those problems for tomorrow?

    MV: I’m not sure, but I’ll drive around them.

     

    Q: OK Max, sorry you didn’t quite manage to get your pole. Lewis, you look a happy man. It’s not pole position but your main competitor in the championship is a bit further down. Third the best you had in the car today, or were there other tweaks that would have allowed you to take it to the Red Bulls?

    Lewis HAMILTON: No, really, really happy with it. Honestly, we had a difficult day yesterday and it was a big improvement today. Honestly, yesterday we were much, much further back, so I wasn’t expecting to be up as high as we got, but the team did a great job last night in analysing and moving forwards today. That’s as good as I could get, but I’m really happy for Daniel, he’s done a great job, so congratulations to him and yeah of course, being behind the Red Bulls is not a bad thing.

     

    Q: For the start, it’s a long run to that first corner, you’ve got motivate Bulls in front of you and you’ve got a championship to win, so are you going to be taking a slightly more cautious approach to the start of this grand prix?

    LH: Well, you saw what happened last year, with the red car behind. I don’t know, I think it really depends how we get away. But third place is a nice place to start, you get a good tow from the guys up ahead, so naturally I’ll be fighting to try to gain a position but of course I’ll be aware of the Bulls ahead.

     

    PRESS CONFERENCE

     

    Q: Daniel, it’s been a while since you last won in Monaco, describe your emotions right now?

    DR: I’m holding a lot in. I let a bit out once I heard I get pole. But yeah, I held a lot in, I’ve got to save some energy for tomorrow. But just super happy. It’s been a while since pole. It’s been a while since we had a pretty good weekend in general and we’ve been quick all weekend, from the start. And from the team’s point of view to get a one-two in qualifying is awesome. Obviously we have to finish the job tomorrow, but to confirm that pace in qualifying is really good. Obviously Max led the way through the practices. I knew there was a bit more in it and we just squeezed it out at the very end. It was a good fight. Just happy. Happy to put together a good run.

     

    Q: Were you surprised by your pace in that final run?

    DR: I don’t know if I would say surprised. I knew the pace was there it was just a matter of putting it together. To be honest, the first sector wasn’t that good, so I was surprised to have probably got the pole after that, but I saw the second and third sector were strong and that’s where I made the difference. But I wasn’t convinced after the first sector that I was on for pole, put it that way. I knew the previous lap wasn’t particularly clean and I was able to get a bit more out of it. It was fun, it was very close, but it felt good. Qualifying can be exciting sometimes and today it proved that.

     

    Q: Definitely exciting. Well done Daniel. Max, we’ve just heard that Daniel’s first sector on that last run wasn’t what he thought was brilliant. Just talk us through your final run in Q3, because you were on pole after the first runs?

    MV: It was just not good. I was struggling the whole qualifying, with the same problems I had in FP2, when I had a lot of rear locking, on the down-shifting and when I come off throttle. Somehow the behaviour was not correct. So we couldn’t do anything throughout qualifying, so I just had to lock a lot of tools, go forward on the brake balance to try and stabilise the whole car. It’s not how you want to do qualifying, normally you go more aggressive and be more aggressive on all the tools. That’s it.

     

    Q: How will those issues affect your race pace tomorrow?

    MV: We’ll find out. At the moment I don’t know.

     

    Q: Lewis, you said it was a difficult day for you and the team yesterday – so, thoughts after that?

    LH: This is a great day for us. Considering how bad yesterday was for us, and so I really want to say a big thank you to everyone who’s back at the factory who’ve been working hard overnight and also the guys here, to rectify the issues we’ve had and get the car back into a sweeter spot. Congratulations to Daniel. These guys were just too quick. They were in a league of their own in general up until qualifying and even in qualifying. If you look at his middle sector, there was no way I could get that. To be as close as I am, I’m really quite happy with that, and to be on third, it’s not a bad start.

     

    Q: Do you think you’ve got the pace to be able to beat them tomorrow?

    LH: I don’t think so. I think these guys do generally have the better pace. On tracks like this, for whatever reason, I guess the Renault engines working really well but more so the higher downforce level that they usually are able to achieve is definitely helping for sure. But I guess the race pace was not so bad yesterday but those guys again were in their own league in that section. We have improved the car so I’m hoping tomorrow we can still give it a fight and if we’re able to gain any ground at the beginning, then game on!

     

    Q: Big day potentially for you tomorrow Lewis, are you looking forward to it?

    LH: Yeah. Obviously last year we didn’t have a great race, and I’m hoping for a better race tomorrow. It’s a great place to be and a great place to race – even though overtaking’s probably not going to be really particularly possible – but we’re on a similar strategy so it’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

     

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Question for the two Red Bull drivers. Daniel, you mentioned that the first sector wasn’t that good. How good were the second and third sectors? How good did the rest of that lap feel? And Max, you mentioned the problem that you had. Given that you had that problem through qualifying and before, did you feel vulnerable going into the final runs and was there anything else on that final lap that meant you didn’t improve.

    DR: I think it’s hard to know around here. Even though we’ve got a hypersoft, it’s still quite a slick surface, so it never really feels like you’ve got a massive amount of grip, I think in general, so it’s actually hard to know really how good it feels or quick that sector is. I could just tell relative to my previous lap time, you have the live running lap times. I knew the fast stuff, kind of from Turn Seven to 11, I knew I… I felt like I nailed that, so that gave me a good impression that that part, I didn’t think I could get much more there – but the last sector, it’s so hard to tell. Particularly the hairpin, Turn 13, it’s… you feel you… to keep it tight, you feel like you go in too slow, so you’re like ‘ah, I could have gone in deeper’ – but then when you go in deeper you kinda lose on the exit. I knew it was a cleaner lap than my previous, put it that way. So, I knew I was putting myself in with a shot but I really wasn’t sure if it was good enough.

     

    MV: Let’s say it like this, I was still surprised that I was first in Q3, because I didn’t feel good at all. Like I said before, it’s really difficult to anticipate those things. I was driving around the issues – but in qualifying, that’s not what you want.

     

    Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-magazin.com) Question for the two Red Bull drivers. Usually, qualifying isn’t your strength. Race pace, you don’t have the disadvantage of the engine modes and you’re usually much better on the tyre wear than the other cars. Is there anything that can stop you? And do you expect a race just between both of you – and are there any special rules for that?

    DR: I think it’s probably too early to say it’s just going to be a race between each other – as nice as that would be. You never know on Sunday. It’s a long run down as well to Turn One, and even in general, once you get going, tyre wear’s been pretty significant here this weekend. So, I think if you are a quicker car, I think you can still overtake. Hopefully we are the quicker car all day. So yeah, I would say we’re in a good position, for sure, but we’ll keep it chilled for now and just do what we’ve got to do tomorrow.

     

    MV: Yeah, we’re in a good position.

     

    Q: (Francisco Alcalà – Global Com Group) Question for Lewis. Considering the position you’re start and Seb is starting fourth, does it cross your mind to play it safe at the beginning of the race?

    LH: Not really. Everyone’s going to be barrelling into Turn One to gain, so it’s a very, very fine line. If you go easy, you can get hit. If you go too aggressive, you can hit or still get hit. You’ve got to race it like normal and go in for the win. That’s what I’m going to be doing. I mean, that’s what we’re here to do, is to race.

     

    Q: (Pedro Torre – Top Class Magazine) Being in Mexico City at high altitude, how do you feel your performance will be tomorrow, the physical performance including the height and the possibility of rain tomorrow?

    LH: Well, rain is a great thing, even though that means they will still be very quick because they’ve got a little bit more downforce but that will maybe make it a little bit more exciting. Physically? It’s not a problem, it’s not a track where you have a lot of G-force, for example. There is just the braking zones but it’s not a particularly fast track. There’s not a lot of fast corners. That whole middle sector is so slow: turn one, two, three is super slow. Four, five,  six and then seven, eight, nine is physically very very easy but it is a long race and staying focused, not making mistakes, is still key so it’s not easy but I don’t see anybody going to be struggling physically because we train to quite a high level.

    DR: I agree. I think it’s such a long straight, even if it was physical, you’ve got so long to recover each lap. For whatever reason, as Lewis says, it’s just a lot of slow corners which normally for us in F1, the high speed stuff is what fatigues you, when you’ve got high Gs and constant corner after corner. Even though a little part of that middle sector is fast, for whatever reason it doesn’t feel like we’re under much load, I guess, because there’s just a general low level of grip here with the altitude. But sleeping you feel it, going to bed, you feel breathing is bit heavier. I’m just making it up! You’re looking at me funny! I’m just trying to add something for your story.

     

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Lewis, you mentioned it’s a great day for you guys after the turnaround. How much changed on your car, how different was the car today and given you’ve avoided having to use the hypersofts for the start tomorrow, how much does that change your chances for the race?

    LH: Honestly, it’s night and day difference. Yesterday we really were struggling. FP1 was OK but then once we got to FP2 it was not fun to drive, that’s for sure, and there were several different problems on the whole car, mechanical side, aero side, mostly mechanical side and a little bit aero and a little bit on the engine side of things. So big changes and improvements were made overnight and to come back in today and put us in contention all of a sudden – we didn’t think yesterday with that performance that we would be able to qualify on an ultra so that would have been a massive disadvantage for us tomorrow if we had to start on the hyper for example. As soon as we got into qualifying, I knew straight away the way the car’s feeling, I was like, OK we’re in a much stronger position to fight for position. I’m just glad that I was able to do the job, improve on my second run. Qualifying was pretty good for me.

     

    Q: (Alfredo Lopez Ledesma – MomentoGP) Lewis, my question is in 2015 and 2017 there have been problems in turn one. Will you be aggressive tomorrow to be in front of these guys or must you wait?

    LH: I’ve just kind of answered that question earlier so… It really depends what position I’m in. If I get a good tow from these guys and there’s an opportunity to overtake I’m going to take it. If there’s not, then I’m going to try and hold position. I’ve been racing a long long time so it’s very rare that I make rash decisions and silly decisions when it comes to those scenarios but I’ve not really given it any thought, to be honest, but I’m hoping to get a good start tomorrow and we’re racing together. I think Daniel did a great job. These guys are going to be quick tomorrow so gaining position would be hopeful but also I don’t mind those guys being where they are because that takes points away from both me and Sebastian so that’s OK.

     

    Q: (Christian Menath  – Motorsport-magazin.com) Daniel, did you experience any similar problems that Max had with rear locking during any part of the weekend?

    DR: I don’t think so. To be honest I don’t know the extent but I know, I think yesterday afternoon, Max commented in the briefing after the session but yeah, nothing, I don’t think, to what he felt.

     

    Q: (Louis Dekker – NOS) Daniel and Max, will you be giving Christian Horner a heart attack by fighting like you did in Baku?

    DR: No one wants to fight like Baku so hopefully no heart attacks tomorrow. Heart attacks of celebration and joy.

    MV: I don’t even think about Baku any more.

    DR: All done Baku.

  • 2018 Formula 1: Mexican Grand Prix

    2018 Formula 1: Mexican Grand Prix

    DRIVERS – Sergio PÉREZ (Racing Point Force India), Carlos SAINZ (Renault), Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (Ferrari), Pierre GASLY (Toro Rosso), Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Sergio, it’s your home race this weekend?

    Sergio PÉREZ: It’s amazing. Since the first year we’ve had the Mexican Grand Prix it’s been big. We’ve seen in other countries that sometimes it backs away, but it doesn’t happen. Here the people, the media, everyone is so excited about this weekend. It’s been great, you know. The amount of support that I’ve received during the weekend is amazing and I think, once again, we’re going to have an amazing grand prix.

    Q: You’ve finished in the points every year since the race returned. How confident are you of a repeat this weekend?

    SP: That’s the minimum target, you know, to score the points here, but I hope that this weekend I do my best result through them. I think we should be string. We should be fighting to be best of the rest. Renault was very strong last weekend but I think we should be there and hopefully we score a lot of points for the team.

    Q: Pierre, if we could come to you please. Looking back at Austin last weekend, you ran some aerodynamic upgrades on the car, then took them off just before qualifying. Are you going to be using them here, what can you tell us about that?

    Pierre GASLY: Yeah, in Austin it wasn’t ideal with the weather conditions, so we a new package that we could not run until P3 and yeah, basically, we need more mileage, more running with this one to really understand how to use the package and extract the full potential, so we took it off before the qualifying. This weekend we are going to run it again. We’ve got only one part, so this time Brendan is going to get it on the car and hopefully we can learn a bit more about how to use it.

    Q: Looking ahead to 2019, it’s very clear what Red Bull Racing are going to get as far as you’re concerned but what about Honda, especially in light of recent upgrades they have introduced?

    PG: I think things look really promising. They are working really hard. We saw in Suzuka, we went to all the factories and you can see the dedication and commitment from the people. There is a big opportunity ahead of Honda. They’re going to be in a relationship with Red Bull. They have been struggling in the last few years but next year we are going to be in a position to fight for the top positions. They really want to make the best out of this situation. I think the progress they’ve made over the last few weeks with that new spec is really encouraging and they are still working on next year’s engine, trying to extract even more performance. For sure we need to give them time, for sure it’s super difficult to catch up with Mercedes and Ferrari but slowly they are catching up and I’m really confident they will keep improving and I’m really excited to see what they can do ahead of next year.

    Q: Thank you. Carlos, let’s start by looking back at Austin last weekend. It was Renault’s biggest single-race score of the season. Was that track specific or are you confident that you can repeat that this weekend here in Mexico?

    Carlos SAINZ: Let’s say that after some three or four races the team decided to do a bit of a rethink on how we approach weekends and how we can maybe score some better results and Austin was a great example of a good team effort but at the same time a track that was suiting us better – a lot more low-speed corner that our car works well on; a bit less power sensitive, that obviously in qualifying we feel it, so a combination of hard work but also a track that was suiting us better made us score a very strong result, which we needed for that fourth place in the championship. I think Mexico is another great opportunity to score a double points finish. It’s still less power sensitive; it’s quite a lot of low-speed corners, so it could present some good opportunities, but we need to stay as focused and as determined as we were in Austin for sure.

    Q: Let’s throw it forward to 2019. How are you preparations with McLaren coming along? Have you had any contact, or does that not happen until January 1st? 

    CS: Of course there has been some contact. There has been some organisation of how to plan the winter, but nothing to do with performance or… engineering talking, let’s put it like that. I think I’m fully committed to this project, to the Renault, until the end of the year – until, really, Sunday afternoon after Abu Dhabi – and I think my results in the second half of the season are proving it. We are scoring a lot of points, I think it’s 17 points since Hungary, and finally my season is starting to come together. I’m very pleased, very happy with how things are going here and I really want to finish my season with Renault, my time with Renault, on a high, like we are doing now.

    Q: Thank you Carlos. Max, I’d also like to look at Austin with you. Tremendous race by you; 18th to second. We saw you overtake more cars than any other race you’ve done. How do you reflect on last weekend? Was it one of the best races of your career?

    Max VERSTAPPEN: It was definitely a good one but it’s difficult to choose if it’s going to be the best. I also don’t want to really look at it like that. It’s always important to try to score the most points as possible, especially when you start at the back. I think we didn’t expect to really fight for the podium but looking at the year before as well, we were really competitive in the race and again it showed this time out as well. Doing the opposite strategy I think seemed to be working well and to be at the end of the race fighting for victory was very nice. And of course to hang on to second in the last few laps was challenging with the tyres I had, but also a lot of fun.

    Q: Well you won this grand prix last year and the RB14 is clearly performing well. Of the three remaining races this season, do you think this is your best chance of another victory?

    MV: This is definitely the best chance for us. We’ll try to set up the car in the best way possible and we’ll find out how we’re going to perform. I don’t think in qualifying we have a chance but in the race we anyway seem to be working a lot better, so I expect this to be better than Austin.

    Q: Thank you Max. Kimi, thank you for waiting. Great to see you back on the top step of the podium last weekend in Austin. Can you just tell us with the benefit of hindsight how much you enjoyed that race and everything that came after – and did you send a cap home for Robin?

    Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: No, it’s for the wife but I’ll bring it with me after this race. It was a great result obviously and a good race and we had to fight for it quite a bit, so I think it didn’t come easy. But I think it’s good for us and good for everybody. I think it was an exciting race. What else to say? We were happy. Hopefully this weekend we will be strong. The end result we’ll see on Sunday, but we’ll do our best.

    Q: This has been your best season since rejoining Ferrari in 2014. It’s also your last season with Ferrari, so how will you reflect on 2018?

    KR: I don’t know. Obviously we’ve gone through it and I don’t see much point to look afterwards at what we did. It’s not going to change anything and we’ll see where we finish. It’s not what we want in the end result, but we did our best and we’ll finish maybe third, maybe fourth, maybe somewhere behind that. It’s not ideal. But it could be worse.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Fernando Alonso – Motorlat) It’s a question to everyone. How do you think about the relationship between the experience and the young? Because here we have this mix of drivers, with Kimi like the most experienced, and Pierre like the rookie. But all of you have an opinion and how is the age working for your growing in the results you have with your team. What are your thoughts about that?

    Q: Well, Kimi, you recently turned 39 and you’ve just won a grand prix, so how is age helping you?

    KR: I don’t know if it’s helping or harming but it seems to be working still OK. I guess a certain amount of experience helps, that’s for sure. But I think in this sport it’s not probably that necessary to have a massive amount, because you can do a lot of things on simulators. We are doing basically the same tracks. If it’s 5 kilometres, or four, or whatever it is, we are all going to learn it. It’s not like 10 million miles will help more than the shorter distances. In rally it helps a lot more, the experience, but I think for me it’s helpful. I feel better, for sure, than when I started, in the first year. But I guess there is a certain points when it doesn’t make such a big difference anymore.

    Q: Max, you’ve achieved a lot at a very young age. How difficult was it for you when you first came into Formula 1?

    MV: Well, for me, I think it’s still the more experience I get, the faster I’ll become, so I haven’t stopped learning.

    Pierre?

    PG: I think, for sure, age is probably not that important – maturity is the main thing. For sure, the experience is useful. I’m only in my first complete season and I don’t know how I’m going to be after five years, but I can feel already the difference now, compared to a year ago when I came in Malaysia for my first race, so you just get more confidence, you know how things work. Probably after four or five years things become a bit more automatic. I’ll see that in the future.

    Q: Checo?

    SP: I think experience helps in how you can direct a team, how you can build it around you, how much progress you can make with your car, with the set-up. I think experience really helps and makes a difference. I think it’s definitely a good bonus. As Kimi said as well, you get to a point where nothing really changes. Your speed and a bit of experience always helps as well.

    And Carlos?

    CS: Yeah, I agree with Checo there, that experience helps you a lot to get to know yourself, how to extract the maximum potential of yourself, within a team and within a car, within a set-up. With more experience, the faster you get, as Max said. But at the same time it gives me a lot of tranquility to see that a guy that is 39 years old can win in Formula 1. There’s a lot of time ahead for many of us and seeing Kimi winning last weekend also showed that Formula 1 is one of those sports where you can be successful at a later age.

    Q: (Lawrence Barretto – F1.com) Kimi, can you just talk us through the 24 hours after your victory? How did you celebrate? What did you say to your family and to your little boy when you had a chance to talk to him?

    KR: They were very happy when we talked. We had a small party. It takes a long time to recover these days, so that part is definitely not the nice part – but the first part is always fun. Not really much, just a few friends and that’s about it.

    Q: (Janne Palomaki – Iltalehti) Kimi, your victory last Sunday was received in Finland with overwhelming joy and collective euphoria. Even some political leaders joined in congratulating you. How did it make you feel – and were there any especially surprising congratulations for you?

    KR: I haven’t really looked that much on the news so obviously I don’t know who has. I’m happy if people are happy. The main thing is that I feel good, what I’m doing. The rest, some nice, some not, and that’s absolutely fine. Yeah, I think obviously it’s great. I don’t think we always have the biggest support from Finland. So, I don’t know, when we get it, we’ll take it – but, like I said, I don’t know exactly if somebody congratulated. Not many people have my number so it’s not going to be that direct. Like I said, I don’t read too much stuff on the ‘net, so… I’m more than happy and will take all the good wishes on board. We go forward and see what we can do.

    Q: (Jim Vertuno – AP) Checo, Formula One is back in Latin America. You’ve been the only Latin American driver now on the grid for a couple of seasons and it’s been a long time since there’s been a champion. What do you see as the future for Latin American drivers in F1? Is there one – and what sort of obstacles do you think they face right now?

    SP: Well, I think being in Formula One for whatever nationality or any driver is very hard, y’know? To reach Formula One and to maintain in Formula One is very hard. As you say, it’s only me at the moment and it’s just hard. I see some others coming through, through the series but the journey to reach Formula One is very hard – especially for the Latin Americans. Because we are the ones that have to go to Europe at a very young age, sacrifice a lot more than the European drivers, in a way. It’s very hard – but there are some coming through. We’ll see whether they reach it or not – but it’s just how Formula One is. It’s very hard to reach it.

    Q: (Rik Spekenbrink – AD Sportswereld) Question for Max Verstappen. You return here as the last winner. You were in that situation only once in Spain last year. Does it change something in your approach, in self-confidence, in your love for a circuit – or is it just business as usual.

    MV: It’s the same.

    Q: (Alfredo Lopez Ledesma – MomentoGP) My question is for Max. Christian Horner told yesterday that the Honda engines was 0.6 faster than the Renault unit at Austin. Do you really think that Red Bull-Honda will be a real challenge for the championship next year?

    MV: It is, of course, difficult to say, because we still need to develop a very strong car. So, we’ll find out next year. I think initially we may be not strong enough to really fight for a victory but I think throughout the season we’ll definitely catch up. That’s how we’re planning. So hopefully it will work out like that.

    Q: (Carlos Alberto Velazquez – Reforma) Question for Kimi. In the last three races here in Mexico there has been three different winners. It’s time to you and Ferrari to win. Do you feel that this weekend as confident as in Austin to make all the Ferrari Mexican fans happy this weekend?

    KR: For sure as a team we’ll give our best – but we cannot guarantee anything. Right now we’ll work as normal from Friday to Sunday and then at the end of the race we’ll see what we get out from it. But we’ll do our maximum and hopefully we’ll be up there fighting for the victory.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, Racefans.net) Sergio, over the five years that you’ve been at Force India, you’ve been able to establish yourself as a major player for the team, both through results and although through your commercial partners etc., But for next year, your team-mate is highly likely to be the son of the team owner. How do you think that will affect the team dynamic?

    SP: I don’t think it will change. At the end of the day, the interests of all the team, even the team buyer, the team owner is that the team is very successful. So, for that you need both cars to be at 100 per cent and for the team to develop as quickly as possible. So, for that you really need full performance. So, I think if that happens, he’s coming in to a great team with great people, engineers, where he’s going to grow a lot. I see great things for the team. I think we have all the guidance, we just need the budget and I think we can be a massive surprise next year.

    Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) To all the drivers, except Kimi. Do you think you would have won the Championship if you had been driving for Ferrari this year?

    MV: I’m not driving for Ferrari so I’d prefer not to comment.

    Pierre, anything to add?

    PG: Similar. It’s difficult to say something about a car you’ve never tried – but probably with my experience it would have been difficult.

    Checo?

    SP: Very, very hard to know. Certainly I would have been a lot closer!

    Carlos?

    CS: Impossible to say. Nothing. I don’t know. If I try the car I’ll let you know. Impossible to say.

    Q: (Louis Dekker – NOS) Max and Kimi, do you think this circuit is a true Mercedes circuit or can all three teams fight for victory? And does it make your life easier that Lewis doesn’t need a win?

    KR: I think that if you look at the past years, all three teams being up there, and then it really depends on the small things whoever came out on top. It’s impossible… it’s pointless to start guessing right now who’s going to be up there, or if one team is going to be better than another. We don’t know. If we look at previous races it can go either way. I don’t know if it’s going to be any easier if he only needs three points to get the championship but who knows?

    MV: I don’t know. It will be close between them in qualifying and I think we will be a little bit behind but in the race we definitely have a chance, I think. And about Lewis, I think as a driver you always want to win so I don’t think that changes a lot.

    Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Carlos, Kimi and Pierre: you guys are all switching teams for next season. The Abu Dhabi test, after the race, is an opportunity to get first experience of that new team. Have you thought about driving for your new team in Abu Dhabi and do you believe that that will happen?

    CS: Yeah, as you said, it’s a good opportunity to try this year’s car – obviously not next year’s car which is not the same. I’m focussing on these three races. I think my management and company are looking into whether it’s possible or not but at the moment it’s not decided yet or nothing has been clarified.

    Q: Kimi, any decisions about you and Sauber?

    KR: We’ll see. I think we’re quite open to any decisions.

    PG: At the moment it’s not really decided so we’ll see what happens in the next four weeks but it will be a good opportunity to start working with the team ahead of next year.

    Q: (Jaap de Groot – De Telegraaf) Max, could you tell us what the positive and negative effects are of racing at altitude, technical and physical?

    MV: I think the engines will be a little bit closer because it’s just a bit more difficult for them to breath. Downforce-wise you lose a lot of performance and then it’s more about mechanical grip and stuff because even with the biggest wing here you have less downforce than in Monza and I think our car is very good mechanically, anyway, also aerodynamically. Of course, that’s less of a factor so that’s why I think we are normally more competitive on this track than others, even though there is a super long straight in the track, so I think that just explains a lot. Physically it’s not a big deal because it’s so low grip.

    Q: (Francisco Alcalà – Global Com Group) What are your thoughts about Fernando Alonso leaving this season and will you miss him at the end of it?

    PG: Of course. Fernando is a legend of Formula One. I used to watch him before I even started karting, when I was eight years old. For me he’s always been a guy I’ve looked at when I was young. He’s been on top. He won championships with a French team and I remember he was big news, all over the magazines back in France. He’s a fantastic driver, for sure it’s a shame to lose a character like him but he probably has other challenges ahead of him and I’m sure we will keep hearing great things about his future.

    MV: Yeah, I think Fernando is a winner and he wants to win races so he didn’t see that happening in the near future and of course he has already tried for a few years so I think I can understand why he’s leaving. Probably some new advantage where he can probably win again. I think that will motivate him very much and then we will see what happens in the future, if he comes back or not.

    KR: We have had some good battles over the years. It’s how it is, unfortunately, and the fact is that we’re all going to stop at some point. We always know that’s coming and us older ones have to go at some point. That’s how it goes and I’m sure he will find some exciting racing for him and who knows what happens in the future.

    SP: Yeah, as Kimi says, at some point we are all going to stop so I think for Fernando the time came. He’s had a tremendous career, he’s a tremendous character, a great guy, one of the guys I get on with so we will definitely miss him but you never know, maybe he comes back in the future, maybe he doesn’t but he’s definitely one of the legends of the sport.

    CS: The fact that he’s leaving I think is a big loss for Formula One, to not have one of the best drivers or the best driver in motor sport on the grid at the moment is a big loss so I think it is something for Formula One and everyone to consider why one of the best drivers is leaving and why we cannot have a bit more competitive grid where many drivers can fight for wins or for podiums. I think it’s a thing to consider and something to think about for the future.

    Q: How much of an influence did he have on you becoming a Formula One driver?

    CS: Obviously the biggest influence on anyone. I followed Formula One, I met him back in 2005, I also remember meeting Kimi back then. Since then, I really decided that I wanted to become a Formula One driver and gave it all to get here. I managed to compete against him for the last four years which have been a dream come true and of course we will miss him.

    Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) To all drivers, although Kimi, you might chose not to answer it: are you a bit surprised by the mistakes that Sebastian Vettel has made this year and do you think that he has thrown this championship away, given the commanding lead he had at the early stages of the season?

    CS: Well, I think it’s always difficult to judge the performance of any other driver and car because you don’t know what they are going through. Of course, there have been some mistakes that we’ve all seen but I think it’s very easy to judge it from the outside and not know what is clearly going on in there. I really respect Sebastian, I think he’s a four time World Champion for a meaning (reason) because he deserves to be a four time World Champion and he will come back eventually. I think he might have gone through a tough moment but I think he will be back.

    SP: Yeah, similar to Carlos. I think Sebastian is a fantastic driver. It’s very hard to judge the performance of someone when you’re not in the team and you don’t know exactly what’s going on. So it makes no sense for me to say. Obviously we have seen some mistakes. Probably at the end he was just desperate, trying to achieve what was probably not possible but he’s a four time World Champion for that reason so he has a great team and he will be back to fight again and he has a great opportunity to fight Lewis. Mercedes also have a fantastic car so it was very hard for him.

    KR: Well the first thing is that sometimes it happens and he pushes and pushes and sometimes he gets it wrong and unfortunately it happened to him a few times. I think we’ve all gone through it, it’s part of the game.

    MV: I can only look at myself. I think it makes no sense to comment on another driver so I don’t want to piss anyone off.

    PG: I think it’s part of racing. You’re always driving at the limit. I think he probably over-performed with the car he had at the beginning of the season. A couple of times he managed to win races which probably they probably didn’t have the potential to win and then of course, expectations were really high. He did a couple of mistakes in the second part of the season. I think he’s the only one who could answer why. When you’re fighting for the championship, you’re so much on the limit all the time, trying to achieve things, as Sergio said, was probably not achievable with the car he had a couple of times and then things happen. They all say he’s a four time World Champion, I think he knows how to manage a championship. It’s not the first time he’s in this position but he’s the only one who could answer that question.

  • 2017 Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    2017 Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    DRIVERS: 1 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull) 2 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes) 3 – Kimi RAIKKONEN (Ferrari) 9 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes, Champion)

    PARC FERMÉ INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by David Coulthard)

    Q: Lewis, you’re a four-time world champion?

    Lewis Hamilton: Viva Mexico!

    Q: Lewis we can see some battle scars on your car, you had to fight hard for this one, almost as hard as I’m fighting to get you to say something. Lewis, it wasn’t the way you wanted to win the world championship, but you won this world championship. Tell us about the race and tell us about the emotion.

    LH: I just want to say a big thank you to everyone that came out to support us. I hope we gave them a great race today. The Mexican fans are, I think, the best I’ve seen around the world. Honestly, you don’t get to see this everywhere. We’ve got great fans around the world, but this is… you guys really create this atmosphere, so big thank you. I did everything I could. I had a good start. I don’t really know what happened at Turn 3, but I gave him plenty of room. I tried my hardest to come back. Just a big thank you to my family, to my team – Mercedes have been incredible for the past five years and I’m so proud to be a part of it.

    Q: You’ve had time to think about this championship, does it mean than the previous three, now that you are in an elite club of only five men that have achieved that amazing record?

    LH: Honestly, it doesn’t feel real, man. Obviously that’s not the kind of race that I want, when you’re 40 seconds behind or something. But you know, I never gave up and that’s really what’s important, what’s in my heart. I kept going right to the end. I’m grateful for today and I just want to lift it up to my family and to God and, as I said, my team.

    Q: Congratulations, Lewis Hamilton, our four-time world champion. Max, meanwhile, you won your third grand prix. Impeccable start to that race, that’s really what made that opportunity. You won by a massive gap, you must be delighted?

    Max Verstappen: Yeah, of course the start was very crucial, I went around the outside, so that worked out well. From there on I was just basically looking after the tyres and the car, which just performed brilliant in the race. Of course, a big thanks Red Bull, because of course without them this was not possible. After last week, this is a perfect race.

    Q: You don’t even have a sweat on your brow, just how good was that race, controlling it out from the front?

    MV: Yeah, I was cruising. It was great.

    Q: And the start, that was crucial. It was oh, so close. Behind you, you had multiple world champions all touching each other.

    MV: yeah, that was good to see for me, and from there on I just pulled away.

    Q: Great stuff, Max, enjoy that victory. Valtteri, 20th podium, steady race, but it didn’t really look like you had the car under you this afternoon, so what’s going on in the cockpit?

    Valtteri Bottas: Well, first of all, I would say big congrats to Lewis and massive congratulations to our team for winning both titles. It’s been really nice to be part of it. And thank you Mexico. Red Bull was just too quick today. We tried everything we could, but we just couldn’t match them and this was the result

    Q: Kimi, you’re a model of consistency, this is your 90th podium. I know you don’t really care about that, because you’re all about victories but again the start compromised you and then it was just a question of damage limitation?

    Kimi Raikkonen: Yeah, actually the initial start wasn’t too bad but then all the guys… I was next to, I think it was Valtteri… but all the guys behind me got a massive tow and I was kind of left alone, and then the people behind me managed to tow past me. It was a disaster after that. But I just had some patience and once the guys in front of us stopped we had enough speed to improve but obviously not a lot happened after that.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Max, the third win of your career, and your second win in the last four races. It seemed it was crucial on that run down to the first corner and what you managed to get done there. Just talk us through the opening 20 seconds of the race.

    MV: Yeah, so initially, I don’t know, with the pre-start limiter I was a bit too high and I almost touched the limit so my start was not great, but then actually because of that I was in a good position, because then I had a good slipstream from Sebastian. I went on the outside and I was like ‘I’m going to try around the outside and see what happens”. I just saw we had a little bit of a touch into Turn 2 but luckily nothing happened there. From there onwards I could do my own race. I was pulling away every single lap. The car had a great balance, I could look after the tyres and, yeah, I managed to bring it home like that. Very happy. I knew that the car was good but I didn’t know that it was going to be this good in the race.

    Q: Any nervous moments? You were the only Renault-powered runner still going at the end of the grand prix?

    MV: Well, I think Pierre was also still going, but I could see a lot of cars blowing up and retiring, so I was definitely a bit worried but we looked after our engine and everything seemed to work pretty well.

    Q: Well done to you Max. Valtteri, turning to you, you end a three-race streak without a podium, so how good was the Mercedes car in Mexico this afternoon?

    VB: Well, in summary, I think it was not good enough. We couldn’t keep up with Red Bull, with Max. We couldn’t fight for the win today, which is unfortunate. Of course it was a pretty straightforward race, there were no safety cars or anything like that to help us, to give us any opportunity. Handling-wise, it was all not too bad, but just missing grip, sliding a bit around, lacking grip in the corners. I think that’s where Red Bull is still at an advantage in places like this. But I really need to say at this point, massive congrats to Lewis for the world title. I think he really deserves it. And also big congrats for the team, winning both titles this year. Of course, for me it’s unfortunate it’s not me winning the drivers but it is good for Lewis and I’m happy for him.

    Q: Kimi, Valtteri says the Mercedes wasn’t good enough here in Mexico, how was the performance of the Ferrari?

    KR: I don’t know really! It’s hard to say, because I was on my own most of the race. Again, in the beginning I was stuck behind a Force India and I couldn’t get past, but once he went to do his pit stop I had decent speed, but it was quite a handful the handling, it wasn’t the nicest. But I don’t really know as I was on my own since that point. The guys in front of me were so far [away], and behind there was not really anything. It’s hard to say. It wasn’t too bad but I kind of expected it after a difficult day yesterday. I think the biggest issue was not being very strong in the start. The initial start wasn’t too bad but then I was side by side with Valtteri and then everybody in the front formed one line and I was outside of it and behind me guys were towing me and I was left kind of alone and then I had a pretty disastrous first two corners. Anyhow, it was what it was.

    Q: Can we just a few words from you on the achievement of Lewis Hamilton, now a four-time world champion?

    KR: I think you have to go and talk to him.

    Q: We will do, but the achievement?

    KR: Well, it’s great for him, a lot of wins, a lot of championships. Good, but what can I say? I think…

    MV: Basically, you don’t care, right?

    KR: No, I don’t! Can we be happy about it? In a way yes, but…

    MV: I think we’d prefer to be in that position, right?

    KR: You can be happy for him but inside, you know, you…

    Max, anything you can add about Hamilton’s championship? I appreciate you have won the grand prix and your time will come I’m sure, but just your thoughts on Hamilton please.

    MV: Well, I think in general this year he has been the strongest and also the car was the most reliable between Ferrari and Mercedes and if you combine those two things you can achieve great things and that’s of course a world championship.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action and Speedsport) Max, your teammate retired with some technical problems. Did the team tell your or warn you about anything that might happen?

    MV: No, but I saw on the TV screen that he retired and then I saw another Toro Rosso in front of me on fire and I was like “Oh, my God, don’t let this happen to me”. So we turned down the engine quite a lot and everything seemed to be fine. Luckily, I have quite a new engine, so maybe that helped out quite well, but then again Daniel was with a very new engine as well, so I don’t know. I had my bad luck in the beginning of the year, so I’m very happy that this time nothing happened to me.

    Q: (Mariana Jiménez – Record) Max, after what happened last weekend in Austin, what does it mean to have this result here for Red Bull and for you and how did it feel to celebrate your victory here in Mexico?

    MV: After last week I was very fired up and very motivated to do well, so that’s why I was yesterday I think I was giving it everything. Of course I missed out on pole, but I was very determined to win this race and I gave it all in the start, in Turn 1 and it feels great. Of course it makes it very special also here in Mexico with a lot of fans. They are very passionate about Formula One and it’s a great podium to be on, which last year I think I should have been on already but I missed out at the very last moment but luckily now no penalties

    Q: (Erwin Jaeggi – Motorsport.com) Max, do you think Red Bull can fight for poles and victories at every track now?

    MV: Poles, it’s difficult to say, because we don’t have this power mode in Q3, but our car in the race has improved a lot, even in qualifying. I think we still miss out a little bit to really be comfortably fighting for pole position but if we have a track where we can overtake then I’m sure we can fight for victories, otherwise you don’t win a race like this.

    Q: (Jaap de Groot – De Telegraaf) Max, can you tell me a little bit about how you were in curves one, two and three. You knew that was probably the crucial part of the race, so you just said. Can you go into more details?

    MV: So, I was in the two of Sebastian and then I went to the left and then I saw Lewis, I think it was, also pulling to the left. So I was just hoping that I had enough top speed and luckily it was alright. And then, under braking, I was on the outside so he can brake a bit deeper into the corner and yeah it worked out quite well, it was on the limit, because it’s quite slippery on the outside but then in the next corner you are on the inside. I just saw on the video that we did touch a bit but I didn’t really feel anything, so it was a very light brush, but it was very crucial for the race, for sure.

    Q: (Luis Vasconcelos – Formula Press) Valtteri you had a grandstand view of what happened in Turns 1, 2 and 3. How did you see it and did it affect your race at all, or just helped? For Kimi, once you were on your own, you sort of kept the pace with Valtteri, but were you just keeping the pace or was that as fast as the Ferrari could do today?

    VB: Yeah, for me in the start I was going in the second row of cars into Turn 1 on the inside. Lewis was a bit ahead, so he managed to get ahead of me, so there was a bit of a train immediately after Turn 1, but then Turn 2 things started to happen and I could see a couple of cars, I think Sebastian and Max side by side, so personally I decided to go for a good exit out of Turn 3 for Turn 4. I cut the inside line, and for me that was worth it and at the same time I was cutting inside I could see on the outside of Turn 3 some carbon bits and that was it, it all happens quite quickly. After that there was not much action for me in the race. We had to save quite a bit the brakes, the power unit, everything, so it was a bit of a shame. But still, even though full power and flat out we could not have matched Max.

    KR: Obviously we were far from anybody and if we really wanted to go faster, for sure we could go a bit but we were so far away that it really didn’t make any sense, we really didn’t have the speed to catch up 20 seconds, so what can you do? You just end up bringing it home and you try next time.

    Q: (Juan Pablo Garcia Noriega – Capital Motor) Kimi, you were closer this season to Mercedes. What is the biggest challenge for 2018?

    KR: Obviously I think it’s the same for everybody. We try to improve, we try to do things better and make a faster car. Overall we made quite a big step from last year. I think it’s small details that made a difference this year, but for sure the aim is always to improve and make things better and you know we are not the only one, everyone is going to do the same and to be honest we are only going to see in the first race next year where everybody is, and who has made what. In testing you get some idea but we have still two races to go and we do them as well as we can and start preparing for next year.

    QUESTIONS TO LEWIS HAMILTON

    Q: Lewis, many congratulations. This is number four, just give us some of your emotions. What does it mean to you?

    LH: Well, firstly, everyone, thank you so much for the warm welcome. It’s been a long journey with all you guys, these past ten years. For the all the stories, positive or negative I appreciate all the support from all of you. Yeah, it’s very difficult to come from a race, one which you, firstly, have not won, which was your target – but I feel still great – but then to be surrounded by so many people. Obviously there’s a lot of emotions. I would love to start by thanking my team. Mercedes signed me when I was 13, alongside McLaren and obviously I had exceptional years with McLaren. Very, very special time there, and will always have a special place in my heart. Meeting Ron when I was 10, telling him that one day I wanted to be a world champion in his car, and him giving me that opportunity, wherever he is today I hope he knows how grateful I am for that. And then moving to this team which was obviously such a… people through it was a big risk, and gamble, but I had every belief in my heart, one hundred percent belief in my heart, that it was the right thing to do. Even if in the beginning it may have been difficult, I knew at some stage we would have this kind of success. It’s really weird how I had that. And then just to see the team grow. It’s trickled down from the top, with great bosses, great board members who support the team one hundred per cent. So to everyone back in Stuttgart, a big, big thank you. The guys back at Brackley and Brixworth, those guys. I mean, when you go there and see what’s happening, see all these great creative minds working day and night to do something firstly, that they love, that they’ve worked for years, obviously going through school and university, and then to see this beautiful piece of art come together in December and January, and I’m one of two people that get to go out and test drive it, it’s the greatest feeling in the world. I think the FIA and Formula One did such a great job this year with this car. Whilst it’s difficult to overtake, it’s still an awesome car to drive. Formula One cars should be faster than anything out there. And yeah, this week I’ve just been reminiscing a lot about where I came from, y’know? Growing up in Stevenage, dreaming of one day being in Formula One. And where I am now is way beyond my imagination. I think dream big is definitely something we should all do – but to be four-time world champion… four definitely feels a lot better than three, and four is my number, obviously, so yeah. And I’ve got such great support all around the world and I want to say a big thank you to all the fans. A lot of fans here in Mexico, some Brits, some Mexicans. I love coming out to Mexico, so to do this on Mexican soil, particularly to shine this kind of positive light on the country, since it’s going through a very difficult time over the past months. I hope this shines some positivity on everyone. Through the race I was just thinking to myself, ‘Still I Rise, just don’t give up’. To never give up. I was going back to when my Dad put me in the boxing ring when I was young and this kid beat the crap out of me. My nose was bleeding and I didn’t want to go back in, and it felt very, very similar to Turn Three today. I got the puncture. Could have easily resorted to giving up, making mistakes, but I felt, I remembered that moment and I was like ‘I’m not going to give up, I’m going to keep pushing, even if I’m 40 seconds behind, I’m still going to give it everything, so that when I cross the line I can be proud of myself.’ And I definitely am.

    Q: (Ysef Harding – Xiro Xone News) Lewis, one of our great American sports journalists Howard Cosell always told Muhammad Ali how much he respected him inside and outside the ring, the history that he was making, and I’d like to say that to you. I appreciate being in this business and it’s a joy watching you do what you do on track and making the history that you’d made to this generation. Now to my question. Has this come full circle for you, given how you’ve come up, the history that you’ve made, being that you’ve had to struggle through what your family have gone through, has it bought it full circle winning your fourth world championship.

    LH: Definitely. In life, in the heat of the moment, when you’re going through difficult times, or even good times, you wonder how much further to push. Do you stop, do you turn around, do you turn left or right and go a different direction? I think it’s just that when you eventually get there you realise it was all worth it. The way I’ve prepared this year, contrary to what people may think, training on your own, no-one can train on their own, that’s what people would say, travelling around the world the way I do, all these different things, but just doing it your own way and finding your own way I think, it’s a day like today, when you win a championship, in front of so many people, it just solidifies your belief in yourself and your families belief in you, and what they stand for. So, I’m proud of all my family and it’s crazy to think that I’m continuing to stamp the Hamilton name in the history books. Beyond my time there will be kids that will know the name and that’s probably what I’m most proud of. My Dad did… I can’t even tell you what my Dad did to help me get where I am today. No matter how many wins I get, no matter how successful I am, I can never pay that back, but I just try and grab it with both hands, the opportunity that they’ve provided me and know also that there’s a lot of kids, a lot of people around the world, that are watching me, whether it’s for inspiration or for guidance, and so I’m trying to be the brightest light I can to shine that in their direction.

    Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) Lewis Hamilton, four times world champion, congratulations. You said four’s your magic number. Does that mean there’s not a number five?

    LH: Actually 44’s my magic number but I’d be here a long time to get 44 championships! Four is a part of it. I like four. Jeez… I wonder what the people at my school are thinking, when I was growing up, there’s a couple of teachers that said “you’re never going to amount to anything,” so I wonder what they’re thinking now when they watch me today? For sure, they’re probably watching. Or at least they’ll read the news tomorrow. I wonder what they’re thinking? I wonder if they’re thinking ‘I helped that young lad,’ or are they thinking ‘you know what, I regret what I said and I’ve grown from it.’ I hope that’s really the case. I hope they’ve grown though it. I hope that whoever’s kids they are teaching today, they’re encouraging them, rather than pulling them down. But yeah, four is a great number. I want number five now. I’m going to stick with four, enjoy number four but I think, y’know, you just take one step at a time. It’s really about embracing, firstly what you love, the people that you work with, your family. It’s really about not listening to people who try to tell you what to do. It’s about you finding your centre and your core. Because we’re all different and we’re all unique in our own way, we’re all bright stars. There’s no-one in this room that’s not a star. If you feel that the person next to you is a brighter star, it doesn’t mean you can’t be as bright as them. If anything, you should use that as inspiration, to shine even brighter. I hope my winning the fourth time, world champion from Stevenage, I hope that’s a testimony to show that you really can do something from nowhere. I hope one day I’m able to help find the next me because he’s somewhere out there.

    Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Congratulations Lewis, well done. Just going back to the race, you said on the team radio, or you asked on the team radio whether Sebastian had deliberately crashed into you. Do you think that he did hit you on purpose? Do you think it was a bit of desperation from Seb, and would you like to speak to him about it?

    LH: I’m going to take the negativity, swing it back and send you positivity dude. It doesn’t even matter what happened. Today Still I Rise was on the top of my mind, and you get knocked down and you get back up and you keep pushing as hard as you can. Dude, I was 40s behind today and I don’t know how it looked from outside. It didn’t feel great – but I just never gave up, I just kept pushing. I knew that I couldn’t win the race, clearly, but I was ‘you know what, I’m going to have the best race I can possibly have from wherever I am. It took forever to catch one guy, and then eventually catch them and so hard to get past – but I enjoyed every battle. I tried to use all my skill. Turn One, I didn’t give up. You guys are always wondering if I’m going to take the step back and not push, and I think I was balanced with my aggression in Turns One, Two and Three, I don’t think I was too aggressive, didn’t lock-up, I didn’t make any mistakes and that is something I’m really happy with – ‘cos naturally under the pressure, I could have done too much or too little. I was, of course, surprised to be hit and yeah, I left a lot of room so to wonder why the dude behind, that I was fighting, touched me, of course it was on top, y’know, we’re great drivers, he’s a four-time World Champion, it’s quite easy not to hit each other – but in the midst of things it can also be quite easy to touch. So, I don’t really care and I don’t feel like analysing it. I’ve enjoyed racing against Sebastian and to race against a four time world champion, and even today, to have the battle with Fernando, I was like ‘this is one tough mofo’. Back and forth, back and forth, I’m like… Formula One, just wait ‘til this guy gets a good engine, because the car was great through other sections, and I really hope for McLaren, who I’ve already told you has a special place in my heart, I really hope next year is a better year for them. I hope they have a stronger engine a stronger car, and Fernando’s a tough bugger – a tough cookie, I prefer that word – and I enjoyed the little battle I had with him and I hope we get to have many more like that.

    Q: (Rebecca Clancy – The Times) Lewis, congratulations, you’re now the most successful British driver ever, you stand alone on four championships, is that something you’re able to get your head around? What does that mean to you?

    LH: I think at the moment it’s too far out of reach. It’s like I’m in space. It just really doesn’t… it’s not registering at the moment. That often happens when you win a championship. Of course there’s all the energy from all the people around you and you’re riding on Cloud Nine but it’s really hard to it’s really hard to… it takes a while for it to really, truly sink in. But when I think about everything that’s gone on this year, the past two years, and everything that’s had to be put in place to produce the results we have today, y’know, I don’t sit here… while I’m sitting here on my own, there’s over a thousand people who backed me up, who lift me up, who create the machine in which I’m able to exploit my talents, my abilities and for that I’m just so grateful. I wonder how many people in here thought it was the worst move to Mercedes? Of course it’s been years already before you’ve changed your opinion – but isn’t it cool. Isn’t it cool to see someone take a risk like I did and it to come out the way it has? I’m really, really happy about it and proud of all the people that have helped me achieve it and looking forward to the future.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Congratulations. This battle was hard-fought this year against Ferrari and your car was up and down. Sometimes you didn’t have the best car in the field. Overall, would you say, from a sporting point of view, that was your most valuable championship? Did you have to give more than in the other three?

    LH: I think every one has been difficult, different in its own way. Of course, if you look back to 2015, consistency was good and obviously it came in a different way. Still, I think individually, it felt challenging on a personal level – but I think this year is a championship of whcih I’ve been hoping for, a little bit like 2008, where you’re fighting another team, fighting this historic team, which Michael raced for and won championships in. Ferrari is… the red car… red’s my favourite colour so it’s such a beautiful car to see on the track – but to fight it with a silver sword is, y’know, it’s like the master sword, you want to say. I’m really proud of that and to be able to battle someone else who is a four time world champion, a proven world champion, who’s got great skill and a team also that knows how to win championships, to extract the most from my guys, to compete with that. That’s how every championship needs to be, and I hope there’s more championships like this one where we have this tough battle. I think every single year there’s going to be things that are… reliability is always a challenge, which has been exceptional, thanks to the team but fighting the other teams is what we want to see. I think what Formula One wants to see. I remember growing up watching Formula One and that’s what I wanted to see. So I’m sorry if the last couple of years weren’t the greatest for you but I hope this year was more exciting.

    Q: (Inaudible) Toto told us that you asked the team if there was any possibility of Sebastian arriving second and the team said to you, “no”. From this moment, did you react in a different way. You were on track, it’s looks like the moment you were trying to overtake Alonso and Magnussen.

    LH: I don’t know how it is for you guys watching this race. It’s a great race as a spectacle but it’s a very, very challenging race because, one, obviously we’re very high so we’ve got maximum downforce, very small drag, so overtaking is very difficult. Following is, I mean is so difficult, almost impossible to follow another car, we almost need special wings or tyres for this race because a one-stop is boring, so I hope they make some changes. We need specific Mexico tyres, so that we can have more than one stop, and, I don’t know, somehow adapt the configuration or have a different strategy that can create overtaking, because there’s so many people that come to watch this race. It’s one of the most attended grands prix that we have and the energy is spectacular, so… what did you say? What was the question again?

    Did you react differently Lewis, once the team had told you…

    LH: Oh, no. I could see the TV screens, I could see where I was and, damn, it sucked being 12th. It took forever to get 11th and I was seeing… he was not as unfortunate as I was to get a puncture and be 40 seconds behind, he was at least able to remain in the fight so he had a much better opportunity and obviously drove fantastically well in the race after Turn Three. But I could see he’s climbing and I’m thinking, ‘Jeez, I know he has to finish second, I knew that Max was 70 seconds up the road, so I don’t know. I just try to keep a gauge of what’s happening up ahead. I was thinking ‘do I have to get eighth to win it? But all I could think of was trying to get up as high as I could. I’d look back, I’d look at the laps and think ‘maybe I could have pushed a little harder here and there’ but at the time my soft tyre had to go to the end, and it wasn’t feeling good, so I was just trying to look after it initially, that’s why I didn’t have great pace. Then we had the pitstop and I still went in 26 seconds behind, came out 30 seconds behind and I’m like ‘what the hell?’ But y’know, this is one of those things that are sent to test me and, as I said, that giving up factor is very, very easy to do. It’s always easy to take the easy route, just back off, turn the engine down, not push, hope for the best. But I kept racing and that’s what I live for. That’s what I started out karting, when I had a crap go-kart, when I first started, I started last and I made my way through, and that’s what I tried to do today.

    Q: (Mike Doodson – GP Plus) Lewis, let’s not beat about the bush here, because we journalists just love a personal feud between drivers. We got one last year with you and your teammate. This year, we were expecting really good fireworks between you and Seb but instead of which, you sit together in press conferences and you really seem to like each other’s company, in spite of the fact that you’re constantly knocking bits off each other out on the track.

    LH: You sound pissed off, man!

    Q: (Mike Doodson – GP Plus) Tell us about Seb; what so special and enjoyable about him?

    LH: You do sound upset. I’m kidding. Look, we’re not 20-year olds, we’re grown men now so I think if you watch tennis, you watch the great players, the great golfers, great athletes in the world and the mind is everything. The mind is what is in control, not the things that surround it. Naturally you’re having a battle with the guy behind. There’s that famous saying, in the art of war, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I watch Sebastian, I know what he’s achieved in the past years, I know how consistent he’s been, I know where his strengths and weaknesses are. I know where the strengths and weaknesses of his car are. I do think it’s still very very important… if you look at Nadal and… when they came to… the composure that they have through a game, and then also how they present themselves after a win or a lose. I think stars and athletes like that really set an example and I try to follow that, really, take a lot of inspiration from that. I think there’s times probably he hates me more than I have any of that feeling… but I try not to contain any negativity in my life, no matter what is written, no matter what people say, I’ve managed to build this kind of barrier to bounce off negativity because I think love conquers all and positivity conquers all. So whilst you do want that feud after Baku and all of that, and even today, which seems a little bit odd, at the beginning of the race, it doesn’t matter. I think what matters is… as I said, it’s how you get up. I do hope that many of you here, whether or not you’re British, obviously Mercedes is German, so hopefully some of the Germans can still feel grateful but I hope the Brits, I hope you guys… this is not just my win, it’s our win, for all of us, wherever. I’ve got a cap here, it’s got a US flag on it. I hope everyone can really enjoy this year and some of the great battles we’ve all had and I’m not going to try and give even more controversy next year. I hope that we just give you more raw racing, you know? That’s what the sport needs, that’s what we’re struggling towards. I hope today was exciting. The little battles I had… I had so much fun. The one with Fernando was… I was like, really Dude? Come one. It was cool. What’s a shame is that Formula One cars, in particular here, overtaking is so difficult and so… there’s got to be some way of creating that battle without creating a deficit in engine power or something. There’s got to be some other way to have more fight back. We had this great race today and that’s the only battle I really remember that I’ve enjoyed as much.

    Q: (Stuart Codling – F1 Racing) Lewis, throughout this year and possibly even more so in the second half of the year you seem to have been able to get more out of what is quite a difficult car than your teammate. What have you found within yourself to do that and why is it such a difficult car to extract this performance from?

    LH: It’s obviously got great qualities but generally the philosophy of how a car has been designed… over the years it’s got some of the same traits of the previous years but being this year bigger tyres, longer car, it’s exaggerated some of those things and in a year when the losses are even greater than the previous year… I’m sure you’ve heard on the radio some of these things we’ve talked about and some of the things we’ve talked about in the car, and the loss of downforce which we don’t see on the other cars. It’s been a great year of course, because we’ve really sat down in these debriefs, places like after Malaysia, when we sat down and had the longest debrief with the guys. What’s amazing is to have guys who really listen to every single thing – feedback – you give back about the car. They’re just wanting more information. These engineers, they love that stuff: more numbers, more information the better. So me and Valtteri have really been working hard to give the best feedback. These guys come from Harvard and Cambridge and Oxford so they’re on another level to us drivers so to be able to convey what you’re feeling is not the easiest. But I’m proud of its flaws because she’s not been perfect. Whilst people have written that we’ve had the best car, I don’t believe we’ve had the best car. I think we’ve been the best team, we’ve done the best job but there have been times when we’ve not had the best car, particularly on race weekends we’ve done a great job. And times when we’ve – Singapore for example – like we’re not going to do so well this weekend but we’ve come out with more than we had hoped for. And really that’s what it’s been about. I think next year – hopefully it’s not too late – but I hope we will improve on some of the fundamental issues we have on this year’s car, but then others will come out of woodwork. I think on my side of things, the operational side, working with my engineers, I’ve had the same engineers for some time. Bono (Pete Bonnington) has been with me from the beginning and his and their commitment… you don’t get to see what happens back in the office but they’re constantly analysing, just wanting to give the driver the best package. I couldn’t have done it without these guys. My guys in the garage, my mechanics, who take the car apart every single week and put the car back together. Do you know how many pieces there are for that car? There are so many components, they’re faultless in what they do. I have so much respect for that because I’ve taken things apart and put them back the wrong way. I’m sure some of you guys have. So it’s really exceptional to see people talented like that doing great things. And then when you get in the car, you know that you’ve got that belief in you and you deliver as they deliver. It’s the greatest feeling.

    I’m really enjoying giving you long answers.

    Q: (Chris Medland – Racer) Lewis, you referenced the fact that Seb was a four time World Champion and people often compare World Champions from different eras but is there almost an added edge and enjoyment that the two of you are going head to head for fourth, fifth and maybe more World titles at this moment in time?

    LH: Definitely. Definitely. It’s kind of cool to be in this battle with him. He got 50 poles yesterday and I’m kind of like, I don’t want to give him any more poles because he gets closer to me. That’s inspiration to keep pushing it, you know? Then the same with wins, same with championships and so then I see him sign for another three years with Ferrari and I’m like, Ferrari are not going to like me for the next couple of years. But it’s OK, because we’re going to make it as hard as it can possibly be for them to win championships but I really am looking forward to that battle with them. They’ve been such a great team this year, it’s been great to see Ferrari back on form and as I said, I really hope others join that battle. Red Bull have been great today, big congratulations to Max, he’s really the brightest young star that we’ve seen for some time and I was hoping today to have a bit of a battle with him but it wasn’t meant to be. But there will be many more to come and I hope that in his early era that I can be a good force and a good battle for him.

    Q: (Christoph Becker – Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung) Lewis, picking up on that question; you just said you remembered Michael (Schumacher) racing in the red car and you said a couple of days ago that you’re not sure how much longer you want to be racing; you said a couple of years. In this moment, today, at this emotional day, if you listen to your inner voice or to your gut feeling, is there something that says: you know what, I can catch those other records that he holds? I can get to 92 GP victories, I can get to seven or eight World Championships, and I want to do that.

    LH: I think, first and foremost, we all know how exceptional Michael was and his records have lasted for so long and he will always… there’s one particular record which is going to be very hard for anyone to catch. Each year I don’t set a goal to make records. I have a goal of somehow… improving certain areas where you feel you could be better. I love racing, I love the… I’m different. I love my different qualities, compared to the others. That doesn’t mean they’re better or worse, I’m grateful for the qualities and the abilities I have in the car. It is very very crazy to think that I’ve matched certain records from people; weekend in, weekend out, someone tells me of a new record that I’ve crept up on, but there potentially many many more years to go. I do look at my life… I travel so much, there’s so much that I do, it’s a lot sacrifices. People talk about Michael’s singlemindedness about his job but to stand out in the world today, it’s a lot harder, I think, to stand out today in this world, because it’s all been done before, so to do something different as a Formula One driver, not only be the greatest you can be as a racing driver but also do other things, prepare your afterlife to be just as great, not as good because Formula One is just the pinnacle of the sport. You arrive on the biggest wave and afterwards there are going to be much smaller waves but that doesn’t mean you still can’t do great things. So doing something different that helps you stand out, that really highlights your individuality I think is really important and that’s really something I’m working on, so I’ll continue to race while I love it. As I’ve said, I’ve enjoyed it this year more than ever. I do think about Jeez, it would be so nice at some stage just to live in one place, a lot more socialising, walking your dogs every day or surfing, whatever it is, but staying in one place for a period of time. But then I’m thinking there’s a lot of life to live beyond forty, there’s a lot to go and so the balance is: I can’t come back to Formula One, so there’s going to be a point in which OK, I’ve had enough. I’ve already been blessed and had such a wonderful time here in these ten years. Hopefully I have my place here and I’m going to continue to – whilst I’m at my best – continue to try and… and I want to go out on top so that’s my goal. Obviously each year, I could do the easy thing like obviously Nico did which is just stop and retreat with these four titles, but I think there’s more in me, I think there’s more to come, more of a challenge, as there’s harder times ahead and I like that, I love that, that’s challenging.

    Q: (Rafael Bolaños – Televisa Deportes) If you can reflect on your career, how can you compare yourself with your idol, with Ayrton?

    LH: I don’t myself ever really compare myself to Ayrton. I think it’s very hard to compare oneself to previous eras, you know? The cars are always different. What I would say is that ultimately us racing drivers, what we’re great at is getting in a car and exploiting its strengths and weaknesses and putting it to the limit. All the drivers back to Fangio, no matter what vehicle you put them in, whether it’s a car, jetski, whatever, we will take it to the limit because we have this certain sense of awareness and higher limits than others, I guess. I do feel very proud to be in and amongst those legendary drivers and we’re in a different era where safety is so much further ahead but technology also is too. The challenge Ayrton would have faced in his time is a lot different today, mentally, maybe less physically challenged but mentally more with all the electronics that you have to control. It’s not one era that is more difficult than another, they’re just unique in their own way. I really do think that these great drivers, Ayrton would have continued to win more if he was fortunate enough to have more life to live. That bright life of his was cut short. I’ve always said it, since I got the first championship, I kind of liked the idea that I’m carrying a baton on and seeing how far we can push it. He inspired me as a kid, arrived at home on the weekend, he’d be the one I would be looking out for. And even when he was gone, I still came back and watched his videos like it was just yesterday he was racing.

    Q: (Carlos Jalife – Fast Mag) Keeping a little bit the idea of the last question, can you compare your four mounts, the McLaren, the W05, the W06 and the W08, and tell us which would be your favourite? You don’t name them like Sebastian does but which would be your favourite mount among the four cars that have given you the title?

    LH: The reason I don’t name my car is because it’s not the same car you’re driving throughout the year. We have four, five, six chassis so it keeps changing, so you would have to have four, five different names and that’s a pain in the backside. So I don’t name the car. But you still obviously have a close connection with the car that you’re in, that keeps you safe. Each one is different. Obviously when I got to Formula One, 2006, so I don’t know what chassis that was, the MP4/22 is it, something like that? That was a different car, at the time I thought it was the most physically demanding thing that I had ever come across. And then obviously body then becomes accustomed to it but then we had bigger wings, then we went to lesser downforce, the grip was poor, I think ’14, ’15, the car was still good but today I think is definitely the best allround car in terms of its size, the tyre size, it looks a lot like the olden days. When you watched the old legendary cars go round today the cool thing you see is the sound, the big tyres that they have, I love that and it’s a lot closer to what you dream Formula One being like. I think this, for me, is definitely the best car I’ve driven but I’ve had the privilege of driving different cars. I drove Ayrton’s car from 1989 which is cool because they had the stick shift, you know? I really wish we had that here. Imagine that battle I had with Fernando, having to take my hand off the steering wheel. That would have been awesome. But it’s not meant to be in this world of technology but I hope Formula One grows from here and I hope to be in that period of time where hopefully it grows into a better series than it already is.

    Q: (Ramón Treviño – El Universal Autopistas) Going back to the race, was there any time when you were 16th or 12th when you thought I’m World Champion and you think I have Brazil to be the World Champion?

    LH: No, neither of those really ever come to mind. I honestly didn’t know that… I hadn’t calculated what I needed to or where Sebastian had… obviously at some stage they said that he had to finish second so then I’m like OK, I guess if I finish where I am that’s enough but for me that’s not enough. Backing off in a race is never fun, that’s why you see me battling Fernando at the end. I gave it everything, I took risks… a little bit more risk with him than I really needed to but hey man, it could be my last race so I was like I’m going to give it everything. I was pushing right to finish line and that’s something I love. I had no tyres left. So there was never a moment that I thought to myself we’ll wait to Brazil. I think there was a moment for sure when it did dawn upon me which I may have to… I was like, it doesn’t… we touched in turn three, it’s OK, I’ve got two more races and it’s not going to happen again, because I’ll put myself on pole and make sure I’m ahead, so it’s not close enough. But no, I just thought, keep going, keep giving it everything and keep rising.

    Q: (Bradley Lord – Mercedes AMG F1.com) Would you like to come and celebrate with your teammates and do a great big photo?

    LH: I would love to. I’m enjoying sitting here guys… Thank you.

  • 2017 Mexico Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    2017 Mexico Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

    2 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)

    3 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    TRACK INTERVIEWS
    (Conducted by Damon Hill)

    Sebastian, what a great lap, tell us all about it?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, it was quite a lap I have to say, I’m really, really happy. It’s very difficult here. It’s very slippery and difficult to get everything in one lap. I had a little bit in the first sector and I managed to get that right, so I had a good start. Then I had a bit of a moment in I think Turn 6. I nearly lost it there, I had to go down to first gear, but I didn’t lose any time and then I knew in the last sector if I just kept it clean across the line it should be enough and it was, so really, really happy.

    You’ve had to work really hard, I think Ferrari have really been working all weekend trying to get close. Is the car the racecar you want to have tomorrow?

    SV: Yeah, yesterday wasn’t that good for us in all honesty, but I think overnight we improved, we had a lot of things we worked on and changed and they all worked. So for now I’m really happy. For tomorrow, we’ll see what happens, but the race pace should be good.

    Max, what a tremendous effort. We really thought you had pole there. I expect you thought you had it too. Great performance, great qualifying, tell us about your laps?

    Max VERSTAPPEN: I’m super annoyed. I don’t know. Actually in Q3 it just got a bit more difficult, couldn’t really get the tyres to work. Of course, yeah, second is good, but not in the way I want.

    Well, I’m thinking you probably feel like you deserve a podium don’t you?

    MV: Well, deserve is a big word but I gave it my all today in qualifying but it was just not enough. I really wanted that pole position but at least we have a decent starting position.

    Well, we’ve seen what you can do today, what a terrific effort. Thank you very much for showing us what your talent is all about. Lewis, you tried everything today, but maybe the Mercedes is not the car for this track today. What’s going on there?

    Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, I mean those guys did a great job, they’re obviously very quick. I gave it everything I could, honestly I think the last lap could have been a couple of tenths quicker but still I wouldn’t have been able to match these guys.

    As far as the championship goes, you’re not concerned with where Ferrari is, where Seb is, they’ve done everything they need to do?

    LH: We’re still in the running for the win I think. We’ll see what happens with Max, but I’m hoping that I get to at least have a battle with one of them.

    Big day tomorrow, wishing you all the best for tomorrow. Seb, what needs to happen? You’ve got a slender chance left now for the world championship. You just have to go down that empty track and take the race for yourself do you?

    SV: I mean we have to maximise every session, whether it’s practice or qualifying. Obviously today is really important and tomorrow we see. You know yourself, it’s not as much in my control as I would like it to be, so it depends on what Lewis is doing, but for us we go all out. We attack and see what we can do. We deserve a good result, Ferrari deserves a good result so let’s see what we can do tomorrow.

     

     

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Well, Sebastian it looked like a great lap, but let’s start by talking about 50 pole positions. What does that number mean to you?

    SV: It sounds like a lot. I guess it is a lot. I don’t know really what to say. It’s a big number. I’m very, very happy with today. Before qualifying I didn’t look at it that way, so I was surprised myself to hear just now. I think every session you try to get the best. Quali has obviously been tough for us, and really rewarding when it worked, just like today. So really, really happy with the session that we had, with the lap I had at the end. So I think at the moment, right now, that probably means more than the raw number, but for sure overall it’s a great achievement.

    And how confident were you of getting pole position in Q3 given the pace of the man sitting on your right?

    SV: Yeah, he was very quick in Q2. I don’t know where he pulled that one from, so we had to stretch, I think, all of us. It’s very difficult around here because there is not much running I believe. The altitude has a different affect on the asphalt in terms of ageing, so it’s very slippery for all of us, very easy to do a mistake, very difficult to find that limit, to understand where exactly it is, where you can push, where you can’t, where you have to be careful. And then he foes four tenths quicker than everybody else, it’s a bit “how do I do that?” But I knew if I get the first sector together then I’ll have a better chance and yeah, it worked just in the end, so I was really happy with my first sector, so I was really happy with my first sector. And then I was able to build on that. Had a moment in six, where I nearly lost the car, but managed to go through without any time loss. From there I felt really comfortable and again able to push to the end. Obviously when I saw how much I was up crossing the line, I knew it would be close, but it should be enough. But I didn’t know what the others are doing; I guess the track improved a bit. When I heard it was enough, then, yeah, it’s like an explosion in the car. I had one yesterday with the extinguisher but today was a real one, so I’m really happy.

    Q: Coming to you Max, Sebastian has just been eulogising about your pace in Q2, so how frustrated are you that you’re not the man sitting in the middle this afternoon?

    MV: I mean you always try to go for pole position and Q2 was looking really good but somehow in Q3 I couldn’t switch the tyres on and, yeah, I couldn’t go faster, simple as that. On this track, it’s really slippery and for me the front tyres were not working, so just a bit of understeer and, on this track, you need to turn the car very quickly in the very low-speed corners and that was not happening in Q3, so I couldn’t improve. Yeah, of course, I mean second is still a good place but I think, yeah, especially after Q2 I was hoping for more.

    Q: Is there anything you might have done differently, with hindsight in Q3?

    MV: It’s difficult to say. Basically, we did exactly the same thing as in Q2 but both sets, they didn’t really switch on as well as I had in Q2. Somehow also the last sector was a bit more difficult. So yeah, really difficult to understand but sometimes you have that in qualifying, that you put a new set on and somehow it’s a bit more tricky.

    Q: Lewis, can you just talk us through that session from your point of view – because the gap between yourself and pole is unusually big.

    LH: Well, firstly, congratulations to Sebastian with the Number 50. I tried to deny him it but it wasn’t to be this weekend. Yeah, I think it was a difficult session in general. I think it’s been a difficult weekend, I would say, overall. As Max was saying, it’s very slippery here. I think some of the issues we have with the car are a little bit highlighted here. Perhaps not as big as places like Singapore but a little bit more here. I gave it everything I could. I think the gap really is a couple of tenths more. My last lap I was two-tenths up and I didn’t finish it, but still that’s a significant gap. I think they just did a great job. I think their car was working a little bit better this weekend, and yeah, we’re still there in the fight. I think our long run pace is definitely better than our qualifying pace.

    Q: I was going to say, you did a very long run in practice. How confident are you of your race pace?

    LH: As I said, the race pace is good, so not worried about that – but you can’t overtake here, you need a big delta to overtake, I think it’s over a second delta to the car in front, as far as I’m aware – 1.3s or something – so positioning is important but there’s a long way down to Turn One. So, we should have some fun tomorrow.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Rodrigo Amozurrutia de Anzorena – Récord) Sebastian, will it be special for you to win the race where maybe Lewis will get the World Championship.

    SV: Well, I don’t think we need to debate what’s the bigger cup. For us, it’s pretty straightforward. I don’t think it’s much point looking at what others are doing, what Lewis is doing. I think the position we are in, we need to try and maximise everything we can and then, depends on him. It’s pretty straightforward, I would say but for sure this is a very nice race, a very nice atmosphere and I think tomorrow there will be even more people than today and yeah, last year I think we were fighting for the podium and weren’t sure who was supposed to be there, so this year I hope that y’know.

    MV: I’m used to it, I’ve had practice…

    SV: … so when we get to the podium, we end up there and deserve it.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globoesporte.com) Max, what influence the new engine of Renault engine you use already in Austin, this qualifying? And Lewis, maybe you have some problem in the power unit. Are you worried concerning the race?

    MV: A tickle difference. But y’know, every step is positive so I think they can learn a lot for next year, which is positive already, in terms of reliability, so it’s always good to already have that right now.

    And Lewis, any engine dramas for you? We did hear you in practice on the radio.

    LH: It’s not something I’m thinking too much about but it has not been a clean weekend in terms of the power unit, so we’ll see what happens.

    Q: (Rik Spekenbrink – Ad Sportwereld) Question for Max. What do you make of the incident with Bottas?

    MV: Which incident? I was on the inside, he was just doing his line and he locked up, so there was no incident.

    We heard there was some investigation

    MV: That can be. But for me, there is no incident.

    Q: (Mariana Jiménez – Record) Lewis, you said the race pace is better for tomorrow than the qualifying but what could stop you from winning tomorrow and would you like to get your fourth title, even though you don’t win tomorrow?

    LH: Yeah, I mean that’s obviously the goal. Pole position was obviously the goal today but it just wasn’t meant to be. Honestly it was so close through practice and I think it’s the first time it’s been so close between five or six of us which is exciting and put us all under pressure but as I said, a lot of very good qualifying sessions I’ve had this year… it wasn’t at the top of those. But I think, as I said, overtaking here is very difficult but the start’s going to be fun. I’m hoping I’m able to move forwards there if possible and then after that it’s a one stop strategy here so it’s really how you look after your tyres’ degradation but there’s not really much degradation if any. I think in the race it’s going to be very very tough but I hope that I will remain at least close if I’m not where I want to be in turn one but yeah, winning here would be…. If you’ve seen the crowd today it’s such a spectacle from above. I saw the camera from the helicopter, it looks incredible. There’s a lot of energy in the crowd so to do it on Mexican soil would be pretty neat.

    Q: (Jim Vertuno – Associated Press) For all three of you: at one point in different points of the race last year you all had issues, adventures around that first turn. How do you think the kerbs and the changes there are going to affect how aggressive you can be off the start between the three of you?

    SV: Well, you don’t want to go there, simple as that. I know that last year we had a bit of discussion here and there but personally I don’t like… we might as well put a wall. I think for the guys it’s probably the same. We all try to get the corner, every time we go round. Obviously sometimes we don’t but it is what it is.

    MV: I do think this year it’s normally a little bit easier. We don’t arrive as fast and we have more downforce compared to last year so the locking is a little bit less of an issue but of course turn one, if you really want to go for it, you can always brake a bit too late but I think those kerbs really stop you from like braking ridiculously late, for sure.

    LH: I don’t really have much more to say, it’s the same.

    Q: (Ysef Harding – Xiro Xone News) Max, you’ve often shown that you’re a young man without fear, you don’t care if it’s a red car, silver car and you’ve often said that these guys have everything to lose and you don’t. Are you planning to take advantage of that tomorrow?

    MV: You’re always careful. I think everybody here in the paddock wants to win races so if you see that opportunity of course you go for it but I think you always respect your competitor.

    Q: (Frank – Woestenburg De Telegraaf) Max, you’ve been here a couple of days. The altitude, is that a factor for you?

    MV: Personally not, because it’s actually quite nice because you don’t sweat as much but of course for the car it’s a lot of downforce loss, I think it’s even less than Monza so yes, it’s a bit more tricky and then also with the track I think in general being a bit slippery, then with a lot of loss of downforce compared to normal tracks yeah, that’s a bit more difficult but personally or like physically it’s all good.

    Q: (Carlos Alberto Velázquez – Reforma News) Lewis, have you thought how you will celebrate tomorrow if you win your fourth championship here in Mexico?

    LH: I haven’t and I won’t think of it until I achieve it.

  • 2017 Mexico Grand Prix: Friday Free Practice Round Up

    2017 Mexico Grand Prix: Friday Free Practice Round Up

    It was a mixed Friday for the Mexican Grand Prix practice with Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas the fastest in the first free practice session and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo fastest in the second session.

    Free Practice 1

    Free Practice 1 got off to an easy start with cool track and ambient temperatures with the early runners kicking up a lot of dust from the track surface. It did not take long for the dust to get hoovered up and it was back to business.

    Valtteri Bottas took the honours in Free Practice 1 for the Mexican Grand Prix finishing quickest ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Bottas’ session best time of 1:17.824 was 0.466s faster than Hamilton’s best of 1:18.290.

    Both Mercedes drivers set their times on the ultra soft tyre.

    Red Bull and Ferrari look to be hiding some pace as both teams only ventured out with the soft and super soft tyres. The latter only running the super soft tyres.

    Verstappen was 3rd fastest just over half a second of the benchmark time but had his session cut short after Red Bull decided to make a setup change with 20mins left in the session.

    Ricciardo was not far off Verstappen’s pace in the second Red Bull in 4th.

    The two Ferrari’s of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were 5ht and 6th respectively a bit off the pace but just about within the delta time between the super softs and ultra softs.

    Home town hero Sergio Perez finished his session 7th fastest for Force India with a best time of 1:19.240. The same cannot be said for Alfonso Celis who took the place of Esteban Ocon in the Force India. The rookie made contact with the call at Turn 16 coming out of the stadium section. The rear of the car stepped out and spun him, rear wing first, into the barrier. The red flags were brought out to recover the stricken Force India.

    Fernando Alonso showed some good pace finishing 8th fastest ahead of the Williams of Felipe Massa. His team mate Stoffel Vandoorne suffered engine issues with Honda having to replace another power unit after starting FP1 with a new power unit. Vandoorne managed to only complete 3 installation laps.

    Nico Hulkenberg in the Renault rounded out the top 10.

    Brendon Hartley did not have a smooth running session. He ran into some engine trouble halfway into the session. He restarted the engine and returned to the pits and spent the rest of the session in the garage. He finished the session 18th.

    Free Practice 2

    The session got underway in considerably warmer conditions. The track, however, was still quite slippery and caught out a few drivers.

    Daniel Ricciardo topped the session with a time of 1:17.801 on his ultra soft tyre run. Lewis Hamilton was 2nd fastest 0.131s off the pace with a 1:17.932. Verstappen in the second Red Bull just just a few hundredths off Hamilton’s time with a 1:17.964.

    Verstappen’s session did come to an early end however, after an issue with the engine was detected. Verstappen fans need not worry as the engine that was used is not his race engine and he should be fine for the race.

    The Ferrari pair improving on their pace from FP1 and running the ultra soft tyres this session were 4th and 5th fastest with Vettel leading Raikkonen. 6th fastest was the second Mercedes with Valtteri Bottas.

    The top 6 finishers were all covered within half a second.

    Alonso continued with his good form showing that the pace in FP1 was not just a one off.

    Perez was 8th fastest with Nico Hulkenberg in 9th splitting the Force India’s with Esteban Ocon in 10th.

    Few drivers were caught out by the track conditions throughout the session which compromised the running of some. Hamilton was caught out at Turn 11 and flat spotted his set of super softs. That brought an end to his super soft running after just a few laps.

    Romain Grosjean spun coming out of Turn 17 a few minutes after the session got underway. The resultant flat spot caused his rear left tyre to delaminate throwing up bit of carbon fibre and Pirelli rubber all over the track on the straight to Turn 1. The red flags were immediately brought out to allow the marshals to clear the track. Grosjean meanwhile made it back to the pits.

    Vettel had an unusual problem with his fire extinguisher in the car. He was heard over the radio saying that he felt his feet getting very cold and then he felt burning on his lower extremities. He made it back to the pits and when he got out of the car it was clear that the fire extinguisher had gone off in his car. A clean set of overalls and he was back on track a few minutes later.

    Red Bull have looked the most comfortable around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez so far. Their long run pace looks very good while Mercedes are not that far behind. The Mercedes seems a bit kinder to their tyres.

    While Ferrari’s race pace was not that far off Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel feels that it could be better and that they still have a lot of work to do before Free Practice 3 and qualifying tomorrow.

     

    Photo Credit: Red Bull Racing Formula One Team

  • 2017 Mexico Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference – Part 2

    2017 Mexico Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference – Part 2

    PART TWO: DRIVERS: Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari), Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes), Pierre GASLY (Toro Rosso)

     

    Q: Pierre, welcome back to Formula One, Before we talk about this weekend in Mexico, tell us about last weekend and how frustrating it must have been to go all the way to Japan, where you were hoping to wrap-up the Super Formula title but didn’t get to race.

    Pierre GASLY: Yeah, really strange last weekend in Japan. I went there really excited, really motivated to fight for the title and, in the end with the Typhoon coming in, in the country they cancelled both races, so really weird to finish the weekend on the Saturday night but in the end I keep really good memories from my season in Super Formula. I really enjoyed it out there. It was great finishing second in my rookie year but of course I would have liked to really fight for the title until the end.

     

    Q: Let’s talk about Toro Rosso now. You’ve completed two races for the team in Malaysia and Japan. Can you tell us about those experiences? How did you find the car? How did you find Formula One?

    PG: It was amazing. Of course starting in Formula One is always a special moment and for me, Malaysia was crazy. I really enjoyed it, and a lot of things to learn with the team, to come at the end of the year like this is never easy but I really tried to make the best out of it. Yeah, I just feel more comfortable in the car, lap after lap. So, I guess it’s going to get better race after race, but yeah, you know, I’m trying my best to make sure we have good races and I’m really looking forward to the next couple of race weekends.

     

    Q: New team-mate this week. I think that makes you the senior driver in the team.

    PG: yeah, exactly. A bit weird after only two race weekend. We’re both new, it’s exciting to be in this position. For me it’s a great opportunity and I’m really looking forward to it.

     

    Q: Valtteri, coming to you, Mercedes sealed the Constructors’ Championship in Austin. Just how proud of that achievement are you and of the contribution you made.

    Valtteri BOTTAS: Definitely really proud. It’s amazing feeling, being part of a championship winning team, and also the feeling you get that you’ve been part of it, you’ve done something right. We’ve done this as a team. No other team has done it with such a big regulation change, again winning the title. It’s such a strong team and I’m a really proud member of it.

     

    Q: Hard car to drive, hard team-mate. Have you been able to pinpoint where you’ve been losing out to Lewis Hamilton since the summer break?

    VB: Yes, I’ve been able to pinpoint quite well and there’s been some races where I’ve definitely struggled more than the others. Some have been quite positive. I think there was a lot of positive things, even to take from the last race, even though the end result was far away optimal – but yeah, it’s all about details, as always in this sport. Some things with the driving style, some things with setting up the car, which I’m getting, learning all the time. That’s why I really believe that I can get to a good level again before the end of the year.

     

    Q: Do you feel that Lewis has raised his game since the summer break?

    VB: I think so. I think he’s been really on it all year but especially after the summer break. He’s been consistently getting everything out of the car and being able to set it up right for each track, for each condition. That comes from experience but also hard work and he definitely deserves all the credit for his results this year.

     

    Q: Sebastian, you’ve won four titles, you’ve come close on other occasions. Now, of course it’s not over until it’s over this year but how do you reflect on 2017. Is there a little bit of you that feels this is the one that got away?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Well, first of all it’s not over, though obviously it’s not in our hands as much as we’d like it to be but overall I think it’s been a very good year. Obviously, nobody expected us to be that strong to start with, nobody expected us to be that strong midway through the season, towards the end of the season, so I think there’s a lot of positives. The pity really is that, y’know, there were a couple of races where we just weren’t there to fight. We didn’t have a chance to fight. I would have loved to have been on three wheels, even in the race but with a chance to fight. They obviously got away from us and we were just sitting on the sidelines. That was bitter but in the end, made a big difference. Nevertheless, we are now where we are and, as I said, we still have a chance. We want to win the last three races and I think we can. So that’s our goal. And then we see what happens. Overall, I think the team has done incredible to be where we are now. Which, again, nobody expected. We’ve proven probably everybody wrong. There was a lot of talk in the winter, I remember, for sure about Mercedes, who were the favourites going in, but a lot of talk about Red Bull, other people, but no so much about Ferrari. It was good, obviously, to start off strong and keep going that way.

     

    Q: So what’s the team got to do to go one place better? You’re a man of huge experience. Do you think it’s more of the same and just hone a little bit or do you think there needs to be some changes back in Maranello?

    SV: No, I think, y’know, we had things breaking and so on but that’s part of racing. I think overall  I know and I feel there’s still a lot we can do, and we have to do better. But we know where to tackle, I think we know our weaknesses. Some things may happen quick, some things will take some time but if we get those things sorted I think we will end up being a much stronger team, able to build a much stronger car and a stronger package, stronger engine, so that’s the things that we need to keep working on. We keep growing as a team, growing the culture, that allows us to build a strong package, a strong car, a strong engine. That’s where we’ve made massive steps in the last three years and where we have to continue to make those steps.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

     

    Q: (Rafael Bolaños – Televisa) Seb, do you think in the future you will be willing to get as a team-mate another top driver for example, like Daniel Ricciardo, that you raced against in Red Bull?

    SV: Yeah, I don’t mind. I like Daniel. Obviously for next year things are sorted, and then, y’know, things can change quick. Things cannot change that quick, it depends always on what’s going on but yeah, in the end it’s not my choice, it’s the team’s choice and in the end if you’re not prepared to race whoever it is, then what’s the point of racing? That’s the way I think. I don’t know what happens but to be honest it’s not what I’m thinking about now because it’s still quite far away.

     

    Q: (Manuel Franco – Diario As) For all three: Fernando Alonso will be in the Daytona 24 hours next year. What is your opinion about that and would you like to compete in a similar race in the future, out of Formula One, like Daytona, Le Mans?

    VB: I never really thought about much elsewhere. I’m loving driving Formula One, competing with all the best drivers around and with such cool cars, so at the moment I’m just focusing on this, so no thoughts on the other categories at the moment. Of course it’s good for Fernando if he can do it and if he wants to do it, why not?

    PG: Exactly, for me at the moment my only target is on F1 and that’s the only thing I’m excited about at the moment but yeah, I’m still 21, I still have many years ahead of me. I think Fernando looks to like America at the moment so if he’s happy about it then it’s going to be a great experience for him. That’s about it.

    SV: Well, all the best. I don’t even know which cars they really race there; I think it’s GT3 mostly in Daytona. LMP2. The way I look at it, in the past, if you look back a long way, not the last twenty years probably, but a long way, drivers used to race a lot more in different cars which I generally find pretty cool. The fact that they had to adapt to different cars, work with different people, with different mechanics, setting up the cars differently but mostly drive and adapt. Obviously where the sport has gone has been very very professional, there’s not that much time to do many other things, if you commit properly to Formula One but overall we are racing drivers and I quite like the idea to drive more in different cars. I don’t know if that will ever change in the future but if they had different categories in the same weekend where Formula One drivers were… I don’t know, with the Procar series many years ago, for example, with the BMW M1s, where they did a race before the Grand Prix. Stuff like that I think would be cool but for sure you can see the difficulties these days in terms of the paperwork and all that. But for raw racing, it’s very nice to race different cars, why not, every weekend.

     

    Q: Max Verstappen told us in the first session that he’d like to do Daytona with his father, Jos. Is there anyone you’d like to race with, Sebastian?

    SV: Well if I raced with my father I’d probably compete in a hillclimb race and he would probably show me my limits, still, but yeah, I think there’s a lot of different categories. Even if you go back, down in a way, the level of competition is very high in karting. That would be really cool to do more of that and then there are so many cars to explore. The question is obviously who pays for it but yeah, I think overall it would be nice to explore a lot more and drive different cars.

     

    Q: (Carlo Felipe – Fast Mag) Last year, Valtteri, you almost broke the record for straightline speed in Formula One. You came within a tenth of a kilometre short of Montoya’s record at Monza. Do you think this year, with the faster cars, you can break that record? Well, you or any of the twenty drivers?

    VB: Honestly, I doubt it a little bit because the cars are definitely faster around the lap but they are not quicker on a straightline, they are quite a bit slower on a straightline than years before, so I doubt it.

     

    Q: (Jack Lopez – Moment GP) Valtteri you seem to have had some problems in the last races against the rhythm of Lewis. Can you say why? Obviously, he’s so fast but you know, in the first part of the season, you always were there, but in the second part, it seems like some lack of pace or something. Can you tell us what?

    VB: I think… when we started this press conference, I already listed quite a few things that I think Lewis has been really on it in the second half. I’ve been struggling to find the optimal set-up many times, sometimes going in the wrong direction, myself. Some tracks, with this car we have, the way it needs to be driven has been arguing with my natural driving style so I’ve had to change some things with my driving style and that doesn’t happen overnight. If you think about it, if you need to change your golf swing, you just can’t do it like that and be natural about it and not to think about it too much. So yeah, there are multiple things: how to manage the tyres, preparing for qualifying laps and especially during the race I’ve been struggling a little bit more with overheating the tyres. But we have been working on every single issue we’ve spotted, always managed to improve those, step by step, been getting stronger. I think my pace in the last race was actually very similar to Lewis before I struggled in the second stint with… various reasons for that so that was positive. So like I said, aim to continue the hard work and to continue to get better and better and quicker and hopefully can finish the season strongly.

     

    Q: Has the momentum swing within the garage affected your relationship with Lewis?

    VB: No. Not at all.

     

    Q: (Marius Salvini – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Sebastian, the last two times here have been difficult races for you. Do you think there is a particular reason for that, maybe about the track or something else?

    SV: Not really. I think two years ago I crashed. Last year, obviously we had that fight for the podium and then podium, no podium so… Generally I think we’ve been quick. I like the track, it’s obviously not easy to get everything right. The cars, despite maximum downforce, are quite difficult to drive and a bit – in a way – similar to Monza but you’ve got more corners, different nature of corners. But we will see. But I hope for a smooth race this time without any issues and hopefully at the end a deserved podium.

     

    Q: (Simon Lazenby – Sky Sports) Sebastian, in the past, when championships have got away from Ferrari, the poor old team principal seems to be the one that gets it in the neck. If this one gets away from you guys, would you like to see Mr Arrivabene stay in that position? Is continuity in that position really important to you guys? And what are his strengths, as a team principal, that you’ve enjoyed this year?

    SV: Absolutely. What are his strengths? Look at the results. Look at where Ferrari was after 2014, how competitive Ferrari was in 2014 and how – sorry to say – what miserable shape it was. The spirit was down so I think he’s the key person responsible for bringing most of that back and to make the team grow, to open things up, to change things that have been set like that for 20 years before that, just because they used to be like that. So I think he has a very innovative and creative way of thinking. So I think he’s the right man, he’s a very strong leader, I think he’s well respected – I know he’s well respected by all the people, no matter… I don’t know… if you look at a hierarchical way, no matter which level of the company, so absolutely I’m a fan. As I said, the most important thing is that if you look at the result, it’s coming. Obviously this year we would like it to be a bit different, especially towards the end but these things happen, we’re still growing and we set ourselves the target at the very beginning to grow and to do something new, something different and we’re still on that journey. Obviously the expectations are always high, you finish second in the championship, the year after you want to win, you don’t manage to do that but I think where we’ve gone, ’15 to ’16, especially through ’16 and then for ’17, things are going and heading the right way and he’s a key person in that.

     

    Q: (Christoph Becker – Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung) Valtteri, just to stick to the point of the relationship with Lewis; Toto and Lewis have both markedly talked about the atmosphere in the team and how much it has improved since last year, so my question to you is have you been too nice and if your answer is No, then can you elaborate a little bit why it is important to have such a good relationship with your teammate?

    VB: I think, personally, maybe it’s important to have a good relationship with your teammate, such that you can work well as a team, that you don’t need to hide anything within the team, that you have two cars, two drivers producing data and producing points that can be improved. Obviously always it’s better the closer the teammates are, you can always pick up things better and better. And also everyone is having more fun when the spirit is good. Obviously I have no idea how it’s been before with the team. I only joined in January but since January everything has been very good and to work as two teammates together I think just pushing the team forward together for a long term that will bring results.

     

    Q: (Ysef Harding – Xiro Xone News) To go back last week to what the new owners have been doing, especially all season with some of the changes that have been made, we saw that at the US Grand Prix with the intros for the drivers. Generally some sports have an end-of-season event like an all-star game. Would you guys be up for something like that, like an all-star kart race, get all of you together in the same karts, everyone get a chance to really show and shine and just have fun at the end of the season?

    SV: It’s called Race of Champions, so I think we have something in place. I like it, I join it every year that I can and we race in different cars. Obviously it’s mostly fun and the track is a different track, it’s in a stadium and there’s a lot of show as well but overall I think it’s a great idea as well. I don’t know why other people are not joining, I think mostly because they prefer to spend their holidays somewhere else. I think it would be great to meet up for a race in the same car and just race for fun.

    On the Austin thing, it’s not my cup of tea to be honest but I think for the people if they enjoyed it then that was obviously nice.

    VB: I think it was a good idea. I think if they’re planning when it’s going to be important so everyone can make it but yeah, good idea. I kind of like the direction things have been taken within Formula One now, a bit more relaxed, like the thing in Austin before the race. Of course for us it was a bit more extra things to do before the race and a bit more busy than normal, less time to focus on our performance with the engineers and so on but if people like it then it’s good.

     

    Q: Pierre, you weren’t in Austin but what was your take on what we saw there before the start and would you like to see an all-stars race?

    PG: Yeah, I think in Austin it was pretty cool. I wasn’t there but from what I heard from close people they seem to have liked it so it’s different than what it was before but if the people liked it then that was the main thing. It’s a pretty cool show and I will be happy if I can discover it properly. Yeah, on the kind of Race of Champions or stuff like this I think it’s a really cool idea, at least to give me the proper chance to race with Seb and Valtteri because of the same equipment and yeah, I think it’s cool, as a driver you want to be able to fight with the same cars, same karts, stuff like this, so I think it would be really cool. I have never been to the Race of Champions but always watched it and it’s a really great event with drivers coming from different series, more or less the best drivers of all these series and yeah, it’s really exciting and really cool, so if we can make something like this in Formula One I will be more than happy.

  • 2017 Mexico Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference – Part 1

    2017 Mexico Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference – Part 1

    PART ONE: DRIVERS – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing), Sergio PÉREZ (Force India), Pascal WEHRLEIN (Sauber)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Sergio, if we can start with you, you’re the home town hero this weekend, just tell us how it feels to be racing in Mexico again?

    Sergio PÉREZ: It feels great. It’s a race that I’m waiting the whole season for. It comes really late in the calendar, but it comes at the right time. Just the atmosphere, the energy I get from the fans is something that is extremely amazing. So much support; from the moment I arrive to the moment I leave it’s flat out and yeah, so much looking forward to give the very best to all my fans in the track and off the track, to give the very best to them.

     

    Looking back to Austin last weekend, it was another strong race from Force India. You weren’t allowed to overtake your team-mate there but we hear that you will be free to race here in Mexico. Is that true and what can we expect from you guys this weekend?

    SP: Yeah, well in Austin and in Japan, for example, we knew that the priority was to secure fourth place in the Constructors’, which we are very close to doing so. So that’s the main priority. Then I think we have to gain the trust back; to show the bosses that we can race without any trouble. That’s the main priority. I think here we should be quite strong actually. We have a couple of upgrades on the car and I think the track should suit the car quite well, so definitely looking forward and to finish our season, which has been good, on a high.

     

    And free to race?

    SP: That I haven’t heard. You’ve heard it first. But probably yes, we should be able to race here.

     

    Pascal, there’s a lot of talk about 2018 in the F1 paddock at the moment. You’ve become one of the key players in that game of musical chairs. How close are you to signing a deal?

    Pascal WEHRLEIN: No news yet on this side but I hope… there are some discussions going on for next year and I hope we can fix something soon.

     

    Do you have a headline when you expect to hear something?

    PW: I have no deadline, no. The last two years it was always quite late. I just hope we can find something and sign a contract for next year and I would be happy.

     

    Your name has been linked to Williams, but are you hedging your bets, are you looking outside Formula One as well as inside?

    PW: I’m not looking outside yet.

     

    Well, good luck in that. Max, obviously you are here to discuss events in Austin last weekend. Having had a few days to reflect on what happened, what are your thoughts now?

    Max VERSTAPPEN: The thoughts are pretty similar, but I think in general it was a great race. I really enjoyed that. The pace of the car was great again. That’s now three times in a row we were really competitive and I just hope to continue that way here in Mexico.

     

    It got pretty heated after the race. Do you regret any of the comments that you made or any of the language you used?

    MV: Well, I think after a race the emotions run high, especially you have been taken off a podium, which I think I deserved, because I think the punishment was not correct, because everybody was running off the track in Turn 19, 8 and 9. Even in Turn 6 when you were behind someone you were cutting the inside, a lot of cars were doing it. And then also the fans, I think they loved it. It was a great move and then they tell you that you are gaining an advantage while overtaking someone. Well, if I was really gaining an advantage I would do it every single lap, which you are not, so I don’t think it’s gaining an advantage. Like I said, a lot of other people did it as well, they were cutting the inside of the corners, and then I’m the only getting penalised, is of course, I think, not correct. And then I think it’s quite normal that I get angry. Of course I could have used a few different words but at the end of the day I still think the decision is not correct.

     

    So the sentiment four days on is still the same?

    MV: Absolutely.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

     

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) Max, you said there is the same marshal that penalised you, I think it was here in marshal. Who is this marshal please… Sorry he’s a steward?

    MV: I don’t want to name any names.

     

    Q: (Helmut Uhl – Bild) Max, how did you digest the disappointment? What did you do the last days?

    MV: I had an event on Monday and then I just stayed around Houston, because that’s where I had to be and played FIFA. I mean, at the end of the day I still had a great day. Of course I was not happy that they take away my podium, but you also have to look at the positives and that was that it was a great race, for sure. I’m still a happy person, because the speed was good.

     

    Q: (Rik Spekenbrink – Algemeen Dagblad) Max, besides you drove a perfect race, there was also some criticism in the Netherlands, maybe for the first time. What do you make of that? What do you think of that? 

    MV: As I said, I could have different words, for sure. But, like I also said, I was angry at the time, because I think it was not correct and I already said all the reasons why I think it was not correct. So you also have to understand a bit my point of it, but of course the words were not correct. But I can’t change that right now. It was not meant for anyone. I was not trying to offend anyone. Otherwise I would have named them by name if I was trying to offend someone.

     

    Q: (Manuel Franco – Diario As) My question is about Fernando Alonso. He will be competing in the 24 Hours of Daytona next year. What’s your opinion about that and would you compete in a similar race outside Formula One?

    SP: I think it’s good experience. Obviously, Fernando is wanting to experience that route a lot, with Indy, the 24 Hours and probably he might think of Le Mans. I think it’s a great, you know. I think it’s a great experience. It’s one of those races that you would like to do at some point. I went there actually last year to see my brother. He did the race the 24 Hours in Daytona, and it’s an amazing race and an amazing venue. It’s one race that I definitely want to do at some point in my career.

    PW: I’ve never followed it so far, but I have only heard positive things about it so probably I will follow it next year.

    MV: Of course the first priority is to stay as long as possible in F1, but if I like it then maybe I will do it, but I only want to do it with my dad. I think after F1 to get the same sensation is really hard, so I try to do that as long as possible.

     

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com ) Max, sorry to come back to the subject but looking at the video your first reaction, looks like to avoid an impact with Kimi, then you look for the run-off area. Is that correct?

    MV: Yeah, of course. I think at one point he realised that I was trying to overtake him, so he tried to close the door, so you have avoid it. Then, of course, the Austin track gives a lot of possibility to run on the inside, like you could see the whole weekend. So, yeah, first was to try to avoid an accident and then to try and overtake him.

     

    Q: (Ysef Harding – Xiro Xone News) Sergio, it’s great to be home obviously. We know that you’ve helped put together a lot of money to help repair what’s been going on here in Mexico City following the tragedy of the earthquakes. I was wondering what you would have to say to some of your fans and your people who are watching this weekend who are looking to come to race and out behind what has happened recently?

    SP: Yeah, it has been a very tough couple of months for my country in general, not just Mexico City, but other cities. What happened was horrible. But it was amazing to see, so united Mexico, but not only Mexico, the whole world, how everyone supported Mexico was pretty special. I think that’s one of the reasons that this race is going to very special for the fans. I really hope that the fans that come here will have an amazing time and the ones watching at home, hopefully I give them an amazing race and a lot of happiness that they really deserve to have.

     

    Q: (Carlos Jalife – Fast Mag) Max, I was wondering, the pass was deemed illegal, although everybody liked it in Austin, but what can be done, what deterrent can be used so that this doesn’t happen again – for all the drivers. Obviously, there should be some self-discipline, but as this was lacking from everyone, should they use bananas, like they do in the first chicane in Monza? What would be your ideas about using a deterrent to avoid drivers using the extra metres?

    MV: It’s not self-discipline, I think we know quite well what to do and what not to do. But they never told us anything. Already from lap one in practice one, everyone was running wide. It was all fine. Then, of course, if it’s not mentioned, they never tell us anything, then of course we try to go as quick as we can. I think there is a very simple solution. Let’s put grass on the inside, or gravel or whatever, that you cannot cut over the kerbs. For example, in Suzuka I don’t think we have those issues, do we? So it’s quite clear.

    SP: I totally agree with Max. Nothing was being said before we didn’t have any guidance on that. That incident was very particular. Yeah, it’s definitely something that we need to definitely have a guidance on what is allowed and not allowed.

     

    Would you like to see grass on the inside as well, as Max has just suggested?

    SP: Yeah, in general I think the tracks have become very boring. If you go off you have 100 metres to go wide. I’m not saying you should put a wall, but I think definitely there should be a lot more gravel and if the driver makes a mistake he should pay more for it.

     

    Pascal?

    PW: Yeah, I’m not a big fan of bug runaways or sausage kerbs. Me, I would also prefer gravel or grass, it makes it much easier.

     

    Q: (Simon Lazenby – Sky Sports) Max, I think a few people in the paddock were quite surprised that you decided to take yourself out of the conversation, if you like, with Mercedes and Ferrari, and extend your future with Red Bull until the end of 2020? Can you tell me whether there was interest from both of those parties and why you decided to commit so early?

    MV: Well, I don’t speak about those things normally, but I feel good at the team and the improvements we made this year I think they have been the most of the whole grid, especially in the last few races, we have been really competitive. And also I think how we are going to start this next year will be better than how we started this year. I believe in the team and what is also very important is that you have people around you who really support you. They are good friends to you as well, and there is just a really good atmosphere in the team, so why would I give that up? At the end of the day, if we can sort out the horsepower deficit then I’m sure we can win races.

     

    Max, you talk about the atmosphere in the team, would you like to see Daniel Ricciardo stay in the team?

    MV: That would be good, yes, because the relationship is really good. And also in the team there is not like two sides, it’s like one big side. Everybody can be happy for each other if somebody has a good result, so I think that’s also very important.

     

    Q: (Jim Vertuno – Associated Press) Sergio, how would you describe your relationship with your team-mate at this point in the season? And do you suspect that given your popularity here that Mexican fans will be cheering for you and against him this weekend?

    SP: I think we obviously had a bad relationship since Baku and especially we hit a very low point in Belgium. But afterwards we had a good conversation between us only, no one was involved there in the team. I think since that point everything has changed you know, the atmosphere, not only between us, also the engineers and everyone, is really good. Having both sides working together has made a big difference. And especially going into next year it’s really important. It’s a massive challenge. We have to work together for the benefit of the team. It’s very important that in a team that both drivers are united. Obviously, you want to beat each other but it’s important to have that respect. I think that respect is in place now. It’s something that makes me happy and the atmosphere is good. I don’t think the fans will be bad to Esteban. Obviously they will support me a lot here but I see no reason why they should be bad to him. If anything, every  event we have done so far they have been very good to him, not only to him but to everybody else. They really like the sport and at the end of the day it’s just a sport and it’s how it should be.

     

    Q: (Luigi Perna – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Question for Max. Max, how much is it important for you to have the freedom to express your opinion, to be yourself, to have your own personality in Formula One?

    MV: I think it’s very important but that’s the way I am. I’m not going to hold back or lie. I’m just straightforward.

     

    Q: (Rik Spekenbrink – Ad Sportwereld) Again for Max, you said you were hoping teams would gather around and talk about this issue, so maybe things could change by being discussed. Did that happen, as far as you know?

    MV: I think not for the moment, but it will happen, yeah.

     

    Q: (Rachel Brookes – Sky Sports) Checo, how happy were you to hear that Max was staying with Red Bull until 2020, with the possibility of a Mercedes or Ferrari seat opening up in 2019. And have you spoken to either team? Does that interest you?

    SP: Well, going that far forward doesn’t really change anything.

    MV: I did it for Checo!

    SP: As a special favour for me? I hope that works in my advantage. No, seriously, it doesn’t change anything, it’s too far away. Let’s see how the season starts next year and we’ll see what opportunity comes up in the future. I expect there will be some changes next year. A lot of movement, so it’s good Max is staying there. I hope he stays a lot longer!

     

    Q: Pascal, we should probably throw that to you as well, you’re a Mercedes junior driver. The ramifications of Max staying at Red Bull. Do you think they could play to your advantage as well?

    PW: In my case we need to fix next year first and then think about 2019.

     

    Q: (Rafael Bolaños – Televisa) Checo, based on what you have done for the team in the past years, do you think you deserve to be the number one driver in the team?

    SP: No, I think it’s fair that there is no number one driver in the team. I think both drivers in any team should be treated equally, with the updates you get etc. At the end of the day the number one driver is always the one that scores the most points or can deliver the most for the team. And that’s my priority, to try to deliver the most for the team but, at the same time, help with the development, work together with Esteban to help the team, and move forwards – because considering the tight budget we have, and we’re fighting forces like Red Bull or Ferrari, it’s really difficult for us. We really have to work, all of us together, to try to move the team forwards, and I’m trying to improve that.

     

    Q: (Ysef Harding – Xiro Xone News) To all three drivers. Last week there was a lot of talk on social media about the intro of last week’s race and how spectacular it was. It was very American. There were a lot of mixed view on that intro. I would like to get your take on what you guys thought of that intro. And for Sergio, do you think something like that could work here in Mexico?

    SP: I think if there’s a race that doesn’t need anything like that it’s especially Mexico. Mexico has been the greatest grand prix for the last two years and I believe that it will be the same. Personally, I like it for the sport. Having all the time the same… I think probably every race should have their own signature – because when you go to China or Brazil it’s the same: you have the same Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Everything is very similar. I think those things definitely help the sport. Personally, sitting there and waiting so long is not the best thing, especially before the race – but I think it was good for the sport and is good that some races think on something like this.

     

    Pascal, your thoughts?

    PW: I really liked it. Probably not for every race – it would be a bit too much – but, for example, some special races, I think, like Monaco, Singapore, something like this. I think it would be very nice.

     

    And Max.

    MV: Yeah, I think it was a good thing to do, but of course it was very American, so it will not work on every single track. We just need to see where it’s going to work – or not. Some fine tuning is always good but I think for the first time it was actually pretty well done.

     

    Q: (Septime Meunier – AFP) How would you rate Exxon Mobil’s work this season for Red Bull?

    MV: It’s been great, I think they have given us the biggest engine upgrade, so that’s always very, very positive. There are a lot of things still coming so I am looking forward to that.

  • 2016 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    2016 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    2 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

    3 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by Juan Pablo Montoya)

    Q: Hello México! Lewis, hell of a day, win number 51, how was it today?

    Lewis HAMILTON: It was amazing because of all these people – Viva México! This is honestly the best crowd we get anywhere. In our home country it’s always a great thing, but I don’t know, these guys… I guess this stadium helps, but they turn up and they have such passion for the sport, it’s great to see.

    Q: Great, how is Mexico?

    LH: I love it here. I’ve had tacos every night and I’m super light, so maybe I need to have tacos every day for the rest of my life.

    Q: Congratulations again. Nico, long weekend for you but you still came out second. What do you feel about the championship?

    Nico ROSBERG: Que tal México? Los mejores del mundo! Muchas gracias, muchas gracias. It’s been a good day. Lewis has been too fast this weekend, so I just have to accept second place. We’ve had some massive battles out there. At the start I got shunted and then with Max later on and everything, so it’s OK to be second.

    Q: Perfect. Sebastian, a lot of people got really excited there at then end there; talk us through it?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Well I was using a lot of sign language and using a lot of your language I think. Probably looking back I felt like you when you got angry in the car. No, you have to understand the adrenalin was pumping, I put him under pressure, which was difficult enough, our tyres both were pretty old and then obviously, yeah, he left the track and didn’t move, so you can understand why I really was annoyed. But what a turnaround. I was really disappointed when I crossed the line and then all of a sudden I was told to come up here and being here in front of the crowd is fantastic.

    Q: There you go, great day. So Lewis, the championship, what are you thinking?

    LH: Well, Nico is doing a great job to pull in the position that he has to finish. I’m really grateful to the team, they did a fantastic job. It’s great for us to have another 1-2 this weekend, and it’s my first time here to win in Mexico. I don’t know where my sombrero is but I do love it here and can’t wait to come back next year.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Lewis, for several reasons that was a bit of a landmark victory for you. It’s your 51st victory, meaning you now tie with Alain Prost for second on the all-time list. It’s also Mercedes 17th victory of the season, meaning they become the first constructor to achieve that record. Your thoughts on those two please.

    LH: Well, the most important one is the team one. That’s just incredible. Fantastic. Over half of the victories I’ve had have been with this team. It’s a true showing of just how incredible the group of people we have and how well we work together and for the third year in a row proved that we are the best team. So, very proud and, as I always say, really proud to be a part of it. That was the plan, coming here to this team, being hopefully a part of that growth and success. I couldn’t have dreamt it to be any better than it is.

    Q: From your races’ point of view it looked to be quite uneventful – perhaps apart from Turn One of the first lap. Could you talk us through that?

    LH: Yeah, basically on the formation lap I had a glazed front right brake. I couldn’t wake it up. So, I had 500°C in the left front and 150-200°C in the right front. So I’m on the grid…

    SV: How do you know?

    LH: They told me. So, I went into Turn One and the right front eventually woke up and just locked. I was carrying such speed. I was lucky I didn’t go in the wall or something. And after that I had just the biggest vibration. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to make it in the first stint. Honestly I thought I had to stop, the vibration was so big I would barely see, to be honest. It was really nice when I got some new, fresh tyres, and it was much smoother.

    Q: Coming on to you Nico, it seems that you and Max Verstappen rubbed wheels quite regularly today, can you talk us through the two incidents with him, on lap one and again towards the end of the race on lap 49.

    NR: Yeah, it’s a bit on the limit but it’s good racing I guess, so good, I’m sure it was enjoyable to watch on TV. From in the car it was pretty exciting stuff and I’m very happy that I managed to come out on top every time and finish second.

    Q: Do you feel that Max was a little bit too aggressive with you?

    NR: As I say, it’s on the limit and it’s not for me to judge after that. I haven’t even seen it really. But I think it’s good racing.

    Q: And any other dramas for you during the race or just a controlled race to second place?

    NR: No, apart from that everything was OK, yeah. Just Lewis was a little bit too quick today and the whole weekend. So he did a great job and I have to live with second place this weekend.

    Q: Coming on to you Sebastian. Talk us through those last few laps with both Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.

    SV: I don’t think there’s much to add. I think it’s pretty clear I was quicker. I was closing the gap, got into DRS and put him under a lot of pressure and he made a mistake, which I think was clear he should have moved. He didn’t move. Obviously that battle, that fight, being stuck behind him, losing time, fighting with him allowed Daniel to close in. He was on a superior tyre. I think there was one incident into Turn Four which I need to look at again to be honest. I obviously knew that Daniel is quite jumpy and sometimes a bit optimistic with these kind of situations, which partly fair enough, we’re racing and for him it’s a podium to grasp. Obviously he came back and is now having the advantage on a better tyre. So I need to have a look at that again. It was very close, we made contact. I was pretty lucky. I thought initially I have a puncture. But obviously lost out to Max again and had to close again and couldn’t put him under serious pressure again before the race ended but I think it was pretty clear that he had to give the position back. As far as I learned on the radio he was told, he ignored that. You can understand that adrenaline was pumping and I was very angry. I think when Maurizio came on the radio I calmed down and tried to finish my race.

    Q: You drove a very long first stint. Is there a sense of what might have been had you qualified better yesterday?

    SV: Well, it doesn’t matter now. Yesterday was a disappointing day. Today we turned it around. And we used the benefit of being on the harder – as in soft – tyre, not on the supersoft for the first stint. I was disappointed that I lost a position to Felipe. I made contact in Turn Two, right after the start. I wasn’t sure if I have a puncture. I don’t know what it is about Mexico, I always think I have a puncture because last year I got one. But yeah, turned out not to be a problem. I don’t think there was any damage to the car so very lucky. Then I really struggled behind the Williams to get past. They were very, very quick down the straights. Really difficult. He pitted and then I just said “OK, let’s try and go,” and it worked really well. We were opening the gap to the leaders, with Lewis right behind. Had free air and could just unleash the pace the car had. For sure, if we start higher up then I think we sail to third without any problem at least. Probably even in a position to put them under pressure but, I don’t know. I think the pace was very good. We sensed it right from Friday onwards. So of course it’s a bit of a shame. But then again, we did a very good job today so, finally, I’m quite happy.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globo Esporte.com) Nico, I know you don’t much like these questions but one win in Interlagos next race you will be world champion. Could you make a comment please.

    NR: I hadn’t thought of it that way now, but yeah, if you say that, I can see that. Sounds good. At the moment I’m more thinking about the missed chance to win the race here today. But of course, from tomorrow on I’ll look forward. But I’ll stick to my plan of just going there and trying to win – which satisfies both things!

    Q: (Carlos Alberto – Reforma) For the three of you. Is there something to improve at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez? It’s the second time you raced here. Is there something to improve?

    Lewis, let’s start with you

    LH: I would say that we should bring a much, much softer tyre here. One stop, I don’t know if that’s exciting for the fans but more stops, maybe a tyre that, for once, doesn’t go as far. The medium tyre we could do the whole race with. So, I don’t know, maybe that would enable us to have more battles, more struggles out there as today was generally very easy on those tyres. So it makes the race a lot easier.

    Nico, any thoughts?

    NR: Well, for one we as Formula One can be really, really thankful because the Mexicans have embraced our sport in an incredible way. A huge, huge crowd coming here and the atmosphere amazing out there. Really so cool to see. And yeah, just a big thank you. And for what can be improved, don’t know, I can’t think of much. I think the race was… seemed to be pretty exciting. With lots of stuff going on, so… nothing.

    And Sebastian, from your point of view?

    SV: Well, I think we owe a big thank you to the fans. It’s a very special feeling to stand on that podium. You feel very, very special to see… it’s unreal that amount of people that come… already Friday there’s a lot of people but on Sunday it peaks. Drivers parade, yeah, it’s so loud because the people are just celebrating this event and the Formula One to be here. It’s one of the days that, on the day, obviously the race turned out for me to be quite eventful but I think, yeah probably at the age of 60-65 when you sort-of get a bit fat and lazy, sit in your chair at home, it’s these days I think you look back to…

    LH: What the hell are you talking about?

    SV: Well, it’s just how I feel! Is those days you look back to, the incredible atmosphere, the people celebrating our sport, what we love, I think you feel very, very special.

    And anything to improve?

    SV: Yeah, the traffic! But I think the mayor is probably very busy trying to sort that out so I have no suggestions on that front. It’s find, it’s part of Mexico.

    Q: (Jorge Mendoza – La Prensa de San Antonio) Nico, I know you were expecting a win from this weekend. Is there anything you did differently from your last race in 2015, regarding mental preparation, nutrition preparation, everything it takes to prepare for the race?

    NR: Well, first of all, expecting to win? No. I was going for the win, yeah. Expecting is a big word but it didn’t work out. Lewis just did a better job this weekend and apart from that, compared to last year, I’m generally feeling very good this year. I’ve had a great season which I’m happy about. The only thing that I can think of is that in my private life I’m very very happy, because I have a lovely family with a daughter who is a year and two months old and that’s very very special and I think that carries over into the sport, because when you arrive with a smile on your face it makes a difference.

    Q: (Seff Harding – Xero Xone News) Nico, to go back to your comments earlier this week when you said that you are just here to win races and not please everyone. You may possibly win this championship two weeks from now. Who are you winning this championship for, because fans – especially American fans – want to find a champion that they can connect to?

    NR: I’m really sorry, that’s going a bit too far down the road. At the moment, that’s not something that I have got into.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Sebastian, your former team was arguing that you moved under braking when you defended your position against Daniel. Did you?

    SV: As I said, I want to look into it again. I knew that when I saw my exit out of turn three which wasn’t great because I was fighting Max into the first two corners and yeah, he obviously tried to trick me a bit. Maybe I could have done better to have a better exit, braking testing me a bit into turn one and then turn two, but nevertheless I didn’t get the best exit so I knew it would be tight with Daniel and I know Daniel in these situations: he’s jumping into the gap even if he doesn’t make the rest of the corner. I think I knew exactly the situation – or in my head – the situation in Barcelona came up where he dived down the inside last minute. I gave him enough room but in fact he didn’t make the first corner. But obviously today’s not Barcelona. He was obviously upset about it and he told me to look at it again. I will do that but yeah, I think I gave him just enough room, it was very late. I think both of us just about made the corner. Obviously it’s never ideal if you make contact because our cars are not built to make contact. I initially thought I had a puncture, I don’t know if he had any damage, he certainly lost a bit of time after that so, as I said, I want to look into it again.

    Q: (Jens Nagler – Bild) Sebastian, we heard you saying on team radio ‘he is a beep, that’s what he is.’ Would you be so kind and fill in the missing word? And the second question is do you intend to talk to Max about giving up the position?

    SV: No to the first question, I will not answer. Second question, I don’t think there’s anything to say.

    Q: (Ben Hunt –  The Sun) Sebastian, just one for you I’m afraid, your message to Charlie (Whiting – race director). Do you wish to apologise for that message? I know it was in the heat of the moment but you obviously used a bit of a crude word.

    SV: Well, I think it was very clear. Obviously I was very emotional so in fact I’ve already asked to go and see him so I think, yeah… when you’re in the car, emotions are… I was full of adrenalin, you can imagine because I don’t think it was right what Max did. I was told that they were looking into it for three laps and I was sort of getting upset as you can imagine.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Lewis, Max Verstappen got a five second penalty because he was short-cutting the first corner, gaining an advantage, that was what race control said. Did you gain an advantage on the first lap when you short-cut the corner?

    LH: Well, I had a completely flat-spotted tyre so that definitely wasn’t an advantage but I think I was still in the lead going in so I was in the lead coming out, so that’s not… I don’t believe so.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) Any event or punishment is up to the FIA concerning Max Verstappen, but you were there, fighting with him. What comment do you make concerning Max, is he too aggressive, because he’s too young, he will learn? Your  comment please.

    LH: I didn’t see it. It doesn’t affect me so not really.

    NR: Nothing to add. I made some comments already before. I’m going to leave it at that.

    SV: Nothing to add.