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1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
2 – Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (Ferrari)
3 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes)
TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Paul Di Resta)
Q: Congratulations Lewis, we can see what that means to the team, we can
hear it in your voice, that has to be one of your craziest races ever, to
beat two Ferraris, outrace them on home soil here at Monza.
Lewis HAMILTON: Well, firstly I want to give it up to Ferrari who put up a
great challenge this weekend. They really did an amazing job and they’ve
really give us such a great fight. Secondly, I just want to say a huge thank
you to these guys and everyone back home, because without their support,
without their continued efforts this wouldn’t be possible today, their
continued belief. Also, here there was a lot of negativity, as there is when
you’re against an opposing team, and I could see so many British flags out
there, they know who they are. I was pointing them out and they inspired me
so much for this race and that’s what I was driving for. In future, the
negativity is really a positive thing for me because I harness it and turn
it from negative to positive. But, as I said, a big thank you to Valtteri
for helping us as well.
Q: Yeah, we could hear it in your voice even when you were doing the parade
lap. You were happy with your starts, you got the job done in the beginning.
You’re not going to go down without a fight. They’ve got a strong package
but you’re going to fight it all the way.
LH: Absolutely. We never give up.
Q: Well done, mate. Kimi, you had the weight of the Italians on your side,
the weight of Ferrari after Sebastian went out but the package just wasn’t
quite quick enough to beat Lewis was it?
Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: I think it was quick enough but unfortunately our rear tyres
went and it was a losing battle since that point. I tried but it was
impossible in the end unfortunately. It’s far from ideal but this is what we
got today and we did our maximum.
Q: You can take the positives from the weekend can’t you? First pole
position in a long time and it shows that the fight is going to go all the
way to try to beat this guy and try and help Sebastian?
KR: Yeah, I mean, for sure we tried, but if you look at the rear tyres, they
gave up before the race ended but at least we take the second place and we
keep fighting.
Q: Great, all the best. Valtteri, a very strong fight with Max Verstappen
down there, how did you see it?
Valtteri BOTTAS: I was really trying to do everything I could to get to the
podium. First, my mission was to try to hold up Kimi for a while, but then I
was trying to end up on the podium. It was hard racing, sometimes not quite
as fair as I was hoping for, so he got a penalty so then I’m on the podium.
Q: Well, I’m sure you can say the atmosphere in this team is going to be
electric tonight and you have to celebrate it, because it was a team effort
and you played a big part in that, you held Räikkönen up for a little while
and got Lewis on top of him?
VB: Yeah, I think as a team we take this result. We got more points than
Ferrari in their home. Obviously they were quicker yesterday in the
qualifying, so we take it but hopefully we can be better next time.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Frédéric Ferret – l’Equipe) A question to Kimi. Would you have pitted
later would you have been blistering? And a question for Lewis: was it
planned to pit later than the 21st lap? A question to both of you about
pitting.
KR: Afterwards you can always fine-tune things, but it’s too late
afterwards. I don’t think we did anything wrong. We just ran out of tyres in
the end, simple as that. I don’t know. I mean, there’s no point to start
thinking right now. This is what we got. Leave it and go forward.
Lewis?
LH: The question was about was it the right time to pit?
We saw your mechanics out in the pit lane a few laps before you came in. Was
the plan always to pit when you did.
LH: No, the strategy was the pit a lot earlier than that, but as you go
through the race… As I said, the communication was really great. I was
pointing out that the tyres, I still had them in good nick. I could see that
Kimi was struggling a little bit and I was able to advance and keep the gap
around a second. I think it was eight tenths of 0.9s or something like that
I was maintaining, and we just kept extending and extending. I was a little
bit surprised that we didn’t stop before Kimi. I thought we would have done
the undercut. Then Kimi came in and I was able to pick up pace. My next few
laps were really quite strong and I was hoping to overcut. I was trying to
make sure that I pushed and extended and made sure that I was then able to
pit. But straight away he came back into my window quite quickly because of
the big tyre difference, so then I had to extend. So we just tried to keep
it going as long as possible and even when they pulled me in I was still a
little bit surprised because the tyres were still good but he was catching
Valtteri. I think it was an important and a very good decision made to pit
at the time I did, so I could close the gap with them and have at least a
few moments behind these guys. And then after that it’s all history.
Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Valtteri, obviously staying out long was one
factor of your race, but another was the contact with Max in Turn 1. What
did you think of him moving in the braking zone like that. And also his
attitude after that, because he made it quite clear over the radio that he
was willing to fight and defend aggressively from you on track even if it
cost him a place to Vettel because of the time penalty?
VB: I think there was a couple of proper overtaking opportunities for me and
the first one, I went inside and he just cut the chicane to stay ahead of
me. The second time – I think there is a very clear rule that once you
defend you choose your line and if another car is there you need to leave a
car’s width and obviously he didn’t, I was there, so we touched and he got a
penalty for that. I think it’s a very simple and clear rule, so he got a
penalty for that.
Q: (Dániel Horváth– Racingline.hu) Lewis, an epic fight with Kimi. Would you
miss him from the grid if he won’t be with us next year? Would I miss Kimi?
I think it’s always a difficult question to say if you miss someone. I think
the sport would naturally miss him, yeah. I made it no secret that before I
even got to Formula One I was always playing… when I was playing the
Playstation I was always Kimi in the McLaren, imagining that was me. And
then I remember the first car at McLaren which was Kimi’s set-up and the
suspension that he would use, which was… I remember it like it was
yesterday. It was an amazing experience and it was cool because I think our
driving style was kinda similar, which meant that I ended up being quite
comfortable with the set-up that he used back then. So, y’know, he’s had an
incredible career and it’s been a real honour to race against a great Finn
such as him – but he looks like he’s just ice-cold. He’s just got plenty of
years left in him. He’s not seeming to age. I don’t know what it is about
Finnish people. I think it’s the sauna and the ice thing. Yeah.
Q: (Zsolt Godina – F1vilag.hu) Kimi, you said on the podium that ‘maybe next
time.’ do you perhaps have any new information regarding the future? Do you
have more options in F1 for next year other than Ferrari?
KR: There’s always going to be options. In life generally. It depends on
what you want to do. It depends on a lot of things. So, we’ll see in the
future what will happen and that’s about it.
Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Lewis, how would you rate the overtaking
manoeuvre on Kimi? Was it an easy one or did you need a lot of Finnish sisu?
LH: Sisu? Is that fighting spirit? Did I need a lot of it. Well, naturally I
find myself between the Finnish drivers quite a lot but, no, I mean the
battle was awesome. The restart was obviously really good and then, straight
after that, Kimi getting back past me, was… whilst it’s never good losing a
position, it was a great move from him. I left him room, etc., and I was
just hopeful that later on I would have the opportunity to continue the
fight. And, as I said, I was still between 1.1-1.3s behind most of the time.
So, I was definitely hopeful of another opportunity at some stage – but it
isn’t easy to get close, at all – but these cars are definitely getting
better. I do hope that next year’s cars are better than this in terms of
being able to follow. The last manoeuvre he defended on the outside. He
moved to the right and then I thought a little bit too the left but it
didn’t cause me any problems and then it wsa just about late braking into
Turn One and trying to… it was very, very close. Kimi was very, very fair.
Gave me space. It was tooth and nail, whatever you call it, as racing should
be.
Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Congratulations Lewis. Does this feel like one of the
greatest performances of your career, given that it’s in Ferrari’s homeland
and the passing moves that you’ve already mentioned?
LH: I think it’s always very difficult to compare past performances. I
always tell you that I don’t really have the greatest of memories – but
under the sheer pressure that we are under I definitely will consider it to
be quite far up there. And obviously to do it on Ferrari’s home turf as
well, with such a difficult crowd and so much pressure on the team with the
performance that they have, to really be able to pull a little bit more out
of the bag, and really make it stick… but I generally think that this year
I’ve been quite consistent in my delivery. I really been happy with what
I’ve been able to extract from the car and again, just incredibly grateful
and proud of the team for continuing to keep their faith in me, and keep
pushing as they are. Days like this, it’s going to be amazing when I go back
and see my guys in the garage. We’ll have a team photo to celebrate it
probably. And that is a very, very proud moment, to be a part of that. So
many people in these teams now, it’s incredible – and there’s not one single
person – component – that’s more important than another. It’s been great
teamwork and effort.
Q: (Luigi Perna – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Question for Lewis. Lewis,
Sebastian in his team radio said that your move in the second chicane was
silly. What is your answer?
LH: That it worked! I think it was a racing move. It’s pretty much the same
move that Kimi did to me. I don’t really know what to say about that. It was
a racing manoeuvre, it’s what we’re supposed to do out there. We’re supposed
to be racing. I left him space. I was still on track, so… but I’m sure it’s
a comment that was done in the heat of the moemtn. And it’s never a great
feeling when you spin and you’re facing the other cars coming the other way.
And then you get back up and you start from the back and you have to come
through. So, I don’t take anything from it. I know how it is to be in that
emotion. I’m sure he really didn’t mean too much by it.
Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globoesporte.com) To Kimi and then Lewis. Kimi, Lewis’
victory today was a real team victory. Did you receive, you and Sebastian,
any orientation before the start? You, for example, you locked the wheels at
the wheels at the first chicane after the start, which could make a
completely different story of the grand prix. And Lewis, you had incredible
speed in the straight in this race. The reason is the new spec of the power
unit you use in Spa or maybe the aero set-up you choose for Monza.
KR: No, I think we have very clear rules. I don’t see how my front locking
changed the race. Unfortunately, we lock front tyres sometimes under braking
and that’s what happened. Obviously always difficult after the start when
they’re not exactly where they should be. These things happen. It wasn’t a
big deal and I got out of it – so I don’t see how it changed the race
somehow.
(Inaudible question)
KR: Like I said, we know what we can do, and what not.
Lewis – your thoughts on the straight line speed.
LH: Well, there’s a big difference. There’s a big tow-effect here. Naturally
Kimi was out in front on his own. So he’s got a disadvantage in the fact
that he’s driving into clean air and I’m in the dirty air and he’s pulling
me along. So, that was really it, basically. You saw in qualifying,
everyone’s using the tow. It’s worth a lot of time. It’s up to three-tenths,
or something, on each straight. Something like that. And then, it was just
about being able to follow through the corners and positioning your car so
you can still get a good exit – because the car in front always gets max
downforce. Once I got past Kimi, it’s night-and-day different how it handles
through the corners – because I’ve got clean air in front of me, as opposed
to being behind, and you’re fighting the dirty air and different patches of
air hits you, air pockets you hit down the straight where the car speeds up
and slows down, speeds up, and I guess that’s the turbulence that you’re
facing. So, that was really it. But the engine was great today, for sure.
They brought an engine upgrade, as did we, but they were quite similar
steps, I would say, coming into Spa and then here.
Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, have you ever bigger support as you
got today when leading for Ferrari?
KR: I have to say… obviously you cannot hear the crowd. In the end, when we
get our trophies, you can see how many people (there are). You see at the
end, when you look down the main straight, there’s a lot of support from the
tifosi. Unfortunately we didn’t get the maximum, the best result today for
all of us but this is how it goes and I’m sure they were cheering as much as
we were trying. It was very nice to see.
Q: (Francesca Galbiati – Quattroruote) Lewis, five victories for you here in
Monza, like Schumacher. What’s your feeling about that?
LH: That’s cool. As I said, I have such a bad memory I didn’t even realise
that I’d had that many here. It feels like the first, if I’m really honest,
being the way the race went, it was one of the most exciting of victories
that I’ve had, that I can remember. And as I was saying, it’s such a great
place to win but to know that I’m up there with Michael… it is always a real
privilege and an honour to be mentioned in the same sentence as a great like
him, someone I watched and supported as a youngster growing up.
Q: (Stefan Burgstaller - Kronen Zeitung) Lewis, was this is a victory for
Niki Lauda?
LH: Was the victory for Niki Lauda? The victory was for the whole team,
really. And I know Niki… I’ve been in touch with Niki’s wife quite often and
she sends me updates all the time. He’s still fighting with his fighting
spirit and the messages that I get are really encouraging. He’s here with
us. Honestly, I hadn’t thought of dedicating it to anyone in particular but
there is someone that I have in mind but I’d rather not mention it. I’ll get
to tell the family afterwards.
Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) Booing on the podium, is that acceptable at Formula
One races? We see it at football matches but is it OK for F1 fans to boo you
on the podium?
VB: I think every fan has their own right to tell their opinion for
different drivers, different teams. Everyone can say whatever they like,
they can support whoever they like. For sure they can do it. Of course, when
you get the boos, it’s not as nice as someone shouting your name but as
Lewis mentioned, for sports people who have the right mindset, we can turn
some negative experiences into strengths, so in the end, if you handle it
right, you can really use that as a source of energy.
LH: I think it’s acceptable. It’s done in every sport. If I’m really honest,
I don’t understand it because I’ve never… I’ve been to football games, I’ve
been to NFL games, I’ve been to basketball games and rugby games. I’ve never
booed an opposing team even if it was against my team. And none of my
friends do either so I don’t get the psyche of it. It happens in all sports.
It definitely happens in football and probably here more than I’ve noticed
in others but it is the way it is. For me, as Valtteri says, it is easy in
the arena that we’re in, it is very very easy to allow it to get to you, to
allow it to have an impact on your life and have you think about it, all
these different things. But it is also quite easy to harness it and use it
and that gave me so much motivation today. I welcome it. If they want to
continue to do it, that just empowers me.
Q: Does it offend you?
LH: It doesn’t offend me, no. No. There’s nothing to get offended by. I
don’t really think too much about it. I just keep smiling. I know I’ve got
those individuals who are out there who travel the world to support me. I
know they’re there. Really really proud of them, because obviously when
you’re in a big crowd, when you’re in a big sea of red and there’s the
booing and then there’s you with the one flag which there is out there, you
know you notice there’s one guy standing there with a flag or there’s a kid
waving it and you can imagine being surrounded by that, feeling the heat on
him, because all eyes are on him or her, maybe. I really just appreciate
that and respect it so much, so I really really do try like on the podium
and on the parade lap and when I was driving round, I really try to point
out… it’s hard to point to a big crowd and them know that you’re pointing at
them but I try to point out and know that I acknowledge them and appreciate
them.
KR: I think everybody as the right to do what they feel like but I don’t
think it’s very nice. I don’t think it should happen but obviously it’s not
my decision. It happens and that’s how life is but it’s not very nice. |
