|
1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
2 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)
3 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes)
TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by David Coulthard)
Q: Max, well, I don’t know where to start. That was an incredible grand prix
and in the end second place. Give us your thoughts on this race?
Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, it was quite eventful. A lot of things happened that I
don’t fully agree with but it is what it is. At least I tried it on track,
to give it all. I’m not sure that the tyres were lasting to the end. I think
it was good for the beginning of that end of the… the last stint basically,
but yeah I was just lacking a bit of rubber towards the end. But
nevertheless, still second.
Q: We have to talk through, ultimately, where you lost this grand prix. The
instruction came from your team to slow down. Clearly there was a
miscommunication or a misunderstanding with Lewis on track and then there
was contact. Talk us through your point of view on that incident?
MV: I slowed down. I wanted to let him by. So I’m on the right but he didn’t
want to overtake and then we touched so, yeah, I don’t really understand
what happened there.
Q: As to the championship standings, it’s all square going into Abu Dhabi.
MV: Yeah, it all will be decided there. Hopefully, of course, we will have a
good weekend, but let’s see.
Q: Valtteri, your 67th and pretty hard-fought and late-coming podium.
Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, it was not an easy day. There were many obstacles and
obviously with the red flags and everything made it a bit tricky and with
the first red flag being on the hard tyre that was a mistake I think. Some
of the guys with the medium tyre got me but then I got the medium after and
it was OK. I just kept pushing. It wasn’t easy to overtake today but finally
on the last straight I got third.
Q: You have definitely got a healthy glow about your face, which suggests
you were fighting hard all the way. Put us in the cockpit, how was this
first Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
VB: It’s a nice track. It’s a big challenge physically and mentally. Yeah, a
good grand prix and I look forward to coming here next year.
Q: Lewis, your 103rd grand prix win and I think your hardest-fought victory
in Formula 1.
Lewis HAMILTON: I don’t know, I’ve been racing here a long time, but that
was definitely incredibly tough. I tried to be as sensible and as tough as I
could be out there, but also sensible, and with all my race experience over
the years and just keeping the car on track and staying clean. It was
difficult but we persevered as a team. We have had all sorts of things
thrown at us, particularly in this second half of the season, so I’m just
proud of everyone. And also, I am really grateful for the crowd we have had
this weekend. It has been nice to be here.
Q: Lewis, there were so many incidents during that grand prix, so many
restarts, but the one we have to talk about is the contact with Max. Tell us
about it from your point of view?
LH: Yeah, I didn’t quite understand why all of a sudden he hit the brakes
quite heavily and then I ran into the back of him. And then he moved on, so
I didn’t understand exactly what was going on, but then I got a message that
he was going to let us pass, so it was a bit confusing.
Q: We’re all square going into Abu Dhabi. This championship can go either
way.
LH: Well, they have got some raw pace. They have been so quick and it was
very hard to overtake them here. We have done an amazing job with what we
have. Valtteri did a great job today to get the team points as well, so it’s
great points for the team. This is for all the guys and girls back at the
factory.
Q: The emotions were running very high with the team during the race. You
seemed a lot calmer in the cockpit. Some closing thoughts on this victory
and this first Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
LH: Well, it’s been an amazing event. As I said, I have felt very welcome
here. The people have been lovely and the track is phenomenal to drive. Very
difficult, physically and mentally, but we wouldn’t want it any other way,
so onto the next one.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Max, if we can come to you first, what a wild race. Can you just sum it
up from your point of view, please?
MV: Confusing! Third, then starting first, dropped to third, third to first,
five-second penalty, second, finished second, touches… yeah, I don’t know, I
mean, I don’t agree with all the decisions, but I also don’t want to talk
about it too much, because I don’t think we need to talk about it, they
don’t deserve any mentions.
Q: You are going to the stewards to discuss the incident on lap 37 at Turn
1…
MV: At Turn 1?
Q: And the incident after that of course, when you and Lewis made contact…
MV: OK.
Q: Can I ask you about that run to Turn 1. What is your take on what
happened there?
MV: Yeah, so of course he had the run, a bit like Brazil, and of course I
braked late and I think I got a little bit off line at one point I guess and
I had a moment, so I went wide, but he also didn’t make the corner so we
both basically missed the corner and I don’t think it’s fair to then just
say that I get a penalty but, yeah, it is what it is.
Q: What happened after that? Just in terms of the communication with the pit
wall?
MV: Yeah, so then at one point they told me I had to give the position back.
That was I think just before 22. So after 22-23, I went to drive to the
right side and I slowed down and I was braking and downshifting and he just
stayed super close behind me and I don’t really understand why. I was just
trying to let him by. I’m just going slower and slower, pulling the
downshift. We had a… oh I don’t know, a miscommunication or whatever and he
ran into the back of me and that was it.
Q: Was there much damage to your car?
MV: I haven’t checked my car. When I jumped out.
Q: How did it feel?
MV: It felt alright – but I think also, well, I was on the Medium tyres and
I think just the last few laps the Hard tyres may be a little bit better.
Q: I was going to ask you about that decision to go on the Medium tyre. It
got you into the lead of the race at the start, didn’t it, but then do you
think you would have been able to hold on, had there not been all the
incidents? If you’d been leading with Lewis second, do you think you had the
pace?
MV: It was a virtual safety car, so you don’t really lose time, you know, I
think it was actually alright, yeah. It was just difficult. They were very
quick, and, you know, especially when you have good pace, and then around
here when you’re all the time in the tow, the clipping becomes a bit less
and you can stay in the DRS, you get more energy, so it’s quite efficient.
Q: Final one from me Max. You’re level on points going into the final race
of the season in Abu Dhabi – a race that you dominated last year. How
confident are you?
MV: Yeah, let’s see. It’s very important to have a good Saturday, the car is
working well, get the long runs in, and then we’ll see what happens – but of
course it’s exciting. Basically, we start again like we started the season.
Q: Valtteri, coming to you now, well done, a great race by you as well.
First up, that was very tight with Esteban Ocon at the end. How satisfying
was it to pip him right on the line.
VB: Thank you. I mean, definitely it was an exciting finish, and it was
really close, obviously. It was, to be honest. It was harder to get by him
today than I thought it would be. He actually was driving really well and
they were quite fast, and also before that I was stuck behind Daniel for a
long time, which made me consume my tyres quite a lot, so actually my
front-right tyre was pretty finished, so that made it even more tricky but
yeah, once I dropped to fifth on the first restart, I knew that it was going
to be all about being patient and eventually getting there, whatever is
going to be possible. It was a bit closer than I thought, but made it.
Q: What about that battle with Daniel Ricciardo? Felt like history repeating
itself again after Mexico?
VB: Yeah. We obviously didn’t collide this time, so that’s a bonus. It was
good racing. It was a tough race today, you know, pretty intense, like the
qualifying yesterday, so… but yeah, I enjoyed it.
Q: And you’re now 18 points clear of Sergio Pérez in the Drivers’
Championship [sic. Bottas is 28 points ahead of Pérez]. Happy with that
amount of daylight with just one race to go?
VB: Is it more? Did I secure third? I think I secured third place. But I
don’t know. Anyways, it was a good day as a team, for the Constructors’, and
obviously for Lewis and it’s going to be exciting for them to be battling in
Abu Dhabi, and obviously I tried to do my part, but… yeah.
VIDEO CONFERENCE
Q: (Mark Mann-Bryans – PA) It’s a question for Max. Going to one of those
incidents you had with Lewis during the race, he came over the radio and
called you “f***ing crazy” and said you were brake testing him. How do you
respond to that?
MV: Not really. Like I said, emotions were running high at the time, so it
is what it is.
Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) Question to Max please. Max, you pulled
off a brilliant overtake against Lewis and Ocon at one of the restarts but
twice you were off, cutting Turn 2, ordered to give the positions back. Do
you think some of your moves were over the line today – or were they within
the racing rules the FIA outlined after Brazil? Thank you.
MV: I don't agree with the decisions but, like I said before, I also don’t
want to waste too much time on it because we don’t need to make headlines
out of it. They don't deserve that.
Q: (Laurence Edmondson – ESPN) Another question for Max. After the race you
said that Formula 1 is more about penalties than racing. What exactly did
you mean by that – and are you now concerned, in some way, that this title
might be decided by penalties rather than racing?
MV: Oh, it’s not only this race, but in general lately, the trend in F1.
Yeah, that’s not how I grew up watching Formula 1 but I mean, again, like I
said also after the race, it is what it is and we just have to deal with it
and move on.
Q: Lewis Hamilton, win number 103. Many congratulations Lewis. That was a
wild race. Can you just start by summing it all up from your point of view
please?
LH: It was amazing. It was an incredibly difficult race. What a great
circuit we have here. It’s very difficult to follow through Six, Seven,
Eight, Nine. To then be close to be in the DRS area, through the next DRS
areas, and then Turn 22 is pretty hectic but such a thrill to drive. I like
to think we approached…. We approached it with a cool head today, as a team,
and I think the key for us was just staying calm. It was clear that others
around us were willing to take it to all sorts of levels in order to
overtake, so I just tried to keep it on the track and stay out of trouble,
which meant avoiding incidents if I could, and I’m really, really grateful
that I still had a wing at the end. And then I just took a lot of risk at
the end with the bit of damage that I had to get that extra point, as we
continue to fight, no matter what we’ve experienced as a team, and I think
probably all of us, no matter what we face, we just keep pushing, never give
up, and I think that’s been the mentality of our team. I think today I’ve
seen a passion and excitement within my team that, I think, in 10 years I
don’t think I’ve seen that, which is amazing.
Q: And Lewis, the incident on lap 37, going into Turn 1 where Max was given
a five-second penalty, can we just get your reflections on what happened
there?
LH: Yeah. I was just reminiscing about 2008 in Spa, in my first championship
winning year, when I was fighting Kimi into the last corner of the Spa
chicane and he ran me wide and I went across the chicane and I had to let
him back past but then I overtook him straight away and I remember Charlie
Whiting telling the team that it was OK and then finishing the race – Kimi
obviously didn’t finish the race – but then getting a, I think it was a
10-second or whatever it was, 20s (cross talk) yeah, OK, yeah, and then
finishing third. At this point of the… obviously I knew that Max had
overtaken two of us by going over Turn 2 which at the beginning of the race
we were told that that wasn’t allowed, but I hadn’t yet had the information
yet that he would be backing off, so all of a sudden he started slowing down
into 27 where the DRS zone is but it wasn’t quite clear to me, it was a bit
confusing and then all of a sudden, he slowed down at a real… at a rapid
pace and that’s when I had to avoid going completely up the backside of him.
Yeah, I felt grateful that I obviously didn’t take us both out. For me, I
need to be finishing both races and get all these points and it’s obviously
tough to do so in these circumstances, but yeah, I managed to keep the car
in one piece.
Q: (Scott Mitchell – The Race) To both Lewis and Max: earlier this season,
you were avoiding any collisions and you both insisted you could race hard
but fair. That’s changed and there have now been several flashpoints. Is
this inevitable with such an intense battle or do you believe that
something’s changed in how you’re racing that’s caused it?
LH: I don’t think I’ve changed the way that I race. I think we’re seeing
multiple incidents this year where even with Brazil we’re supposed to do our
racing on track in between the white lines and the rules haven’t been clear
from the stewards, that those things have been allowed, so that’s continued.
From my understanding, I know that I can’t overtake someone and go off track
and then keep the position but I think that’s well known between all us
drivers but it doesn’t apply to one of us, I guess.
MV: Well, I find it interesting that I am the one who gets the penalty when
both of us ran outside of the white lines. In Brazil it was fine and now
suddenly I get a penalty for it. Well, you could clearly see both didn’t
make the corner, but it’s fine. I mean I also don’t really spend too much
time on it. We have to move forward. We’re equal on points on now and I
think that’s really exciting, of course, for the whole championship and
Formula 1 in general but I said it earlier on my in-lap, I think lately
we’re talking more about white lines and penalties than actually proper
Formula 1 racing and that’s, I think, a little bit of a shame.
Q: (Michael Milewski – Bild) Lewis, when we had our interview on Thursday,
you said that this was not the most intense or the hardest championship
fight you’ve had in your career in F1. Did that change today?
LH: It’s definitely an incredibly intense year and time. I think I was just
saying because I’ve raced for 28 years. I’ve had so many intense battles
through karting, through single-seaters and this is one of them. Of course
this is the pinnacle of the sport so everything’s heightened, everything’s
at the absolute max and so much weighs on it, so yeah, but I think it’s
great for the sport. I think it’s great for the fans. I think they’re
enjoying it more than ever. I’m enjoying it as a racing driver. Yup.
Q: (Mark Mann-Bryans – PA) Lewis, during the race, after one of the
incidents, you came over the radio and called Max a ‘f***ing crazy guy’ and
that you were being brake tested by him. Do you feel that he drove
dangerously and were you at any point worried that you might be put out of
the race and lose the championship, the chance to take the title fight to
Abu Dhabi?
LH: I definitely feel that there were scenarios where that was the case.
This is not the first time that I’ve had to avoid a collision and yeah,
that’s how I felt at the moment, but you know sometimes you say things in
the heat of the moment and you go back and rewatch things and then you maybe
feel differently but in the moment that’s how it felt. But I really just
tried to recompose myself and chase down and keep fighting.
Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC Sport) Lewis, when you ran into the back of Max when
he slowed down, why did you not just go past him if he was slowing in front
of you?
LH: It really wasn’t clear. So, there are two scenarios. There’s one that it
wasn’t clear, two I didn’t get the information, and then it became apparent
that he was trying to let me past, which was what he, I guess, had been
asked to do but before the DRS zone. So then it would have meant he would
just DRS back past me coming through the last corner, followed me and then
DRS-ed me into turn one. So that was the tactic, but I think that really the
worst part was the steep, heavy braking that then happened at one point,
which then I had to really… that’s where we collided. That was the dangerous
part. |
