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1 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull
Racing)
2 – Sergio PÉREZ (Red Bull Racing)
3 – Carlos SAINZ (Ferrari)
PARC FERMÉ INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Naomi Schiff)
Q: Carlos congratulations. A recovery to start that race fifth, and then
third. It seemed like you really had the pace out there. How much are those
upgrades working for you this weekend?
Carlos SAINZ: Yeah, tricky conditions out there, especially because it’s the
first time that we run with the Inter the whole weekend, so you never know
what to expect from the balance, from the grip on the track, and to do it in
the middle of a race and to experiment in the middle of a race is never
easy, but it looked like we had decent pace. I was struggling a little bit
in the high speed at the beginning of the race. Then I managed to gain a bit
the pace back and I could stay close to Checo, but the Red Bulls were just
too quick for us today.
Q: It seemed like you could maintain that pressure on Checo for quite a long
time during the race but at the end there you both were lapping a little bit
slower than Max at the front. Did you not have the grip you needed on those
Inters at the end?
CS: I think they were maybe a bit quicker, but there was a point in the
middle of the race when we were passing Hülkenberg that maybe I felt a bit
more confident, then the track dried up, I degraded a bit my tyres and then
I couldn't really stay very close to Checo in dirty air. But it's still a
good result, a good day for me today, so we will try and put it together
again tomorrow.
Q: Well done. Six points in the bag and there is another race tomorrow.
Checo, congratulations. Second there today but it seemed like you managed to
get off the line really quickly today?
Sergio PÉREZ: Yeah, it was a good start and then we had a bit of a fight
with Max. I ended up losing a position to Nico. He was very strong in the
first few laps, so it was quite hard to get by him.
Q: It seemed like you went quite hard on your team-mate on the run up to
Turn 2 and then you felt that he blocked you in Turn 3. Can you run us
through that?
SP: Yeah, I think Max was angry that I went into Turn 2 but I didn't see him
there, I just had a very bad Turn 1, so I tried to protect. But once I
realised that he was there I opened up the door and gave the place back into
Turn 2. But it’s all fine. We just spoke about it because the visibility,
although we were one and two it was very bad, the visibility, out there.
Q: What about the pace during the race? It seemed that after that Turn 3
battle, Turn 4 with Hülkenberg you couldn't really seem to close that gap up
any more to Max?
SP: Yeah, I think once I got Nico it was all about managing the tyre to make
sure that we made it to the end, because otherwise it would have been really
easy to miss out, especially with people boxing onto the slicks. I think
once I went by Nico it was just bringing it home.
Q: Tomorrow's another day, congratulations. Max, congratulations, the fans
here are totally behind you. But it seems today you were unstoppable once
again.
Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, the start was ideal, a bit of wheel spin, but you know
after that, after lap one, once we got back in the lead, it was good. I mean
just managing the tyres, knowing that if it wasn't going to rain any more
then, you know, 24 laps on an Intermediate it's quite a lot, but they were
hanging in there. I think, of course, the last five laps the slicks were
quite a bit faster, but I think for us, so far in the lead, it didn't make
sense to pit, you know. We just hung in there with the Inters which worked
well.
Q: Well, it seemed today the only obstacles for you were, potentially, that
start, and then your team-mate on the way up to Turn 3. Can you talk us
through those two incidents?
MV: It was a little bit of a hairy moment out of Turn 1. And of course when
you get forced onto the grass, it's very slippery, but we managed to keep
the car under control and from there we just did our race again.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Max, very well done. In the end it was another dominant performance by
you, but it was very close on that opening lap. Can you talk us through the
battle with Checo?
MV: Yeah, I didn't have a great start and then just had a lot of wheel spin,
oscillations going on and then you just lose out massively. And then out of
Turn 1 had a little moment there, where I had to go with two wheels on the
grass, which was very slippery. But then got back on and braked quite late
into Turn 3. And then it was all like, two or three wide going into Turn 4.
And then we all settled in. And yeah, we knew… I think everyone knew that 24
laps on an Intermediate when the track is drying is quite long. So it was
all about just trying to look after the tyres while trying to drive fast as
well. But that's not always the easiest. But yeah, I could extend the gap
and look after my tyres quite well. And then in the last few laps I had a
few cars around me with slick tyres also, you know, passing and fighting and
I just had to stay alert. But I think the race itself went very well.
Q: Max, we haven't seen you and Checo fight wheel-to-wheel for a few races.
Do you feel Checo overstepped the mark in any way?
MV: It’s not about that. I think, you know, we just spoke about it. Because
when the moment happens, of course, you don't know why it gets to that. But
then after the race, we talked about it and it's all good.
Q: Now, as you said, 24 laps on the Intermediate tyre is tough. Just how
tough was it to keep the tyres alive?
MV: Yeah, I mean, you can just see already now, the Inters on the car are
quite destroyed. But I mean, it's quite normal, right? The track is also
drying quite a lot. So just trying to be smooth. It's hard to explain, you
know, when the track is drying a lot there's not a lot you can do, but
you're just hoping that they are hanging in there. I mean, of course, some
people came through the field on slick tyres. But for us, I don't think that
was an option, really. I mean, we were quite far in the lead and you don't
want to risk anything on an out lap or whatever. So for us, it was better to
just stay on the Inter and drive to the end.
Q: Max, if we have similar conditions in the grand prix tomorrow, what did
you learn today that might help you tomorrow?
MV: That we’re quick! It should be alright then.
Q: Checo, great job by you, you made a great start, but just talk us through
the opening lap, from your point of view please?
SP: Yeah, I had a good start and went a bit deep into Turn 1 so at the exit,
I’m just trying to protect my line, didn’t realise that Max was pretty much
alongside me, and that he was into the grass. The visibility was quite poor,
although it wasn’t raining that much on those first laps. Although I was
leading, it was quite hard to see behind, and when I realised Max was there,
it was just a little bit too late. And that was it. We spoke about it after
the race and yeah, it was just a bit of a shame that I lost the place to
Nico, but other than that, I think we got the maximum points for the team
and that’s pretty much it.
Q: How was the car today? Do you feel happier with it than you have done for
quite a while now?
SP: Well, already yesterday, if it were not for the track limits, I think I
would have qualified a lot higher than I did, so yesterday I got caught out
with it unfortunately – but I think this weekend has been more solid than
the last few.
Q: You’ve had a tough time since Miami. Just how good is everything that’s
happened this weekend for your confidence?
SP: I mean, I haven’t lost it, you know, you don’t go from winning races to
all of a sudden being a very bad driver. I think people in the sport forget
the amount of detail we are operating at. When you don’t have everything
together, then you see a big difference. But yeah, I know that I’ve had a
rough period. Many drivers have had that but it seems to be even bigger when
a Red Bull driver has it.
Q: Just talking of a rough period, you’re sounding quite rough still, bit
nasally, how are you in yourself?
SP: Yeah, I’m not that good. Just recovering. It’s going to be a tough race
tomorrow.
Q: Carlos, it seems that you’ve been really comfortable in your car all day,
right from that first stunning lap in SQ1.
CS: yeah, obviously happy to be here, third, especially given how the day
started, that I couldn’t even do the laps at the beginning of Q1, that I had
to do a bit of a crazy lap at the end of Q1 to go though only on one
push-lap in mixed conditions. And since then, really I’ve felt really
comfortable in the car. Also did a couple of good laps in Q3 on used tyres,
on Medium tyres. Today just flowed nicely through the Sprint, did a decent
start and then kept my pace, followed Checo, was trying some laps to get
closer but like always, the dirty air and the graining with the Inters,
didn’t allow me to put any more pressure than what I did – but at least the
pace was good and I had a very good day.
Q: Had you got past Nico Hülkenberg a little bit earlier, do you think that
may have changed your race?
CS: No, I think that I passed him on the first lap that I could really, the
first lap… once Checo passed him, I passed him the lap after. He was very
quick, Nico at the beginning, and then I guess he degraded the tyres a bit
more than us. But then, yeah, around the time I passed Nico, is when I had
my tyres in the best operating window and I had quite a lot of pace – but
Checo was just a bit too far and we couldn’t catch up. But in general, was a
solid race, was very easy to put a foot wrong out there today, first time on
the Inters all weekend – so you never know what grip you are going to have.
Q: Also, the first time you’ve gone 24 consecutive laps with the upgraded
car. How was the feeling? What can you tell us?
CS: Not bad, not bad. Obviously Max was very far ahead but we also had to do
the first part of the race behind Nico. I don’t know. I don’t know how it
will be tomorrow with the degradation, with the pace. I hope the car feels
as good as it’s felt in Qualifying, which would mean it would be a good race
to try and finish in the podium with two cars tomorrow.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) Same question to the two Red Bull drivers
please. You’ve talked about Turn 1 and Turn 2, heading up the hill. Could
you please talk us through what happened at Turns 3 and 4? It looked like in
both cases you were quite far away from the apex. Checo, you were off into
run-off at Turn 2. Were you both satisfied everything was done correctly in
those two corners?
MV: I mean, it’s wet, so you cannot drive on the normal line anyway because
there’s less grip there. That’s why also Turn 3, 4 especially, at the
outside, in the beginning, had more grip, so that’s where you want to be
with the car anyway. And then, of course, when it dries up, you start to
move more and more to the inside.
SP: Yeah, nothing really to add. I think we’ve spoken about it. First lap,
it’s always tricky in these conditions. So yeah, there is no issues.
Q: (Edd Straw – The Race) For Max and Checo on a similar topic. Obviously
the result’s great today but are you absolutely 100% that everything that
happened in those battles was just purely circumstantial – or is there
something to learn for the future – because obviously there were other cars
around that could take advantage of that situation? Fine today: on another
day, it might have compromised the result.
MV: It might have. But it didn’t. And yeah… we don’t need to make this a big
story, you know? It’s what happens sometimes. We talk about it, we clear it,
and that’s fine. That’s how human beings work sometimes. You question, you
answer, solve it, done. Don’t need to write a whole article about it. I
hope. Or maybe you can – to get the clicks! If you want.
SP: The race was too boring so this might be the story!
MV: ‘Opinion’, you know. And then get people to answer.
Q: Checo, a few thoughts from you on this topic?
SP: Make a big article about it!
Q: (Ben Hunt - The Sun) Max, obviously sad news from Spa. I know you
tweeted, I just wanted to get some more words from you on that incident,
tragedy there?
MV: Yeah, incredibly sad. I didn't know him, of course, personally. Of
course, he was a Dutch racing driver, up-and-coming racing driver as well,
who had the same dreams as we had when we were at that age, wanting to get
to Formula 1 or whatever. And yeah, it's incredibly sad for the whole
family, everyone involved, the team, MP Motorsport. I know quite a lot of
people there. Again, we have to look into these kinds of situations. It's
easy to blame the track, but I think also looking at how wet it was and
these kinds of things. Yeah, definitely there are things that we have to
look at for the future, what we can do better to protect drivers, because I
think today it was unnecessary, clearly.
Q: (Zsolt Godina – F1Vilag.hu) How difficult was it to decide on which tyres
you will start the race? Did you have any discussions with your teams, 10
minutes before the formation lap to start on slicks?
MV: Well, when I drove to the grid it was only really the last three corners
and Turn 1 but it kept on raining, so it was quite clear for me at least to
start on the Inter. When I heard there was a car on slicks, I was like ‘good
luck!’. It was very slippery for sure in the beginning, so I think for us it
was quite straightforward to put the inters on.
SP: Yeah, when we went to the grid, it was obviously a lot better. I went on
the Inter and it was raining pretty much only into Turn 9 and 10. So I think
the slick was definitely coming into play but as soon as it started raining
harder there was no chance for this slick and the grip was extremely low as
well at the start of the race. There was more water than I thought.
CS: Yeah once I saw how much it was raining on the grid and how wet it was
on the main straight even getting off the line honestly would have been… You
would have been sitting duck so I guess it was pretty easy to judge the
starting tyre. Obviously the main question was going to be what's going to
happen within 10 laps, 15 laps and if the track was going to dry quick
enough for a slick.
Q: (Carlos Platella – FormulaPassion.it) Carlos, you said that you struggled
a little bit in the high-speed section today, do you think it’s still a sign
of the aero problems, the same problem for Ferrari?
CS: No, I think it was a pure balance thing that we elected to drive on the
car today. In the wet we've been struggling sometimes with Intermediate
tyres to protect the front tyres. I elected to just run a very aggressive
balance and probably overdid it and I was oversteering a lot in the
high-speed corners due to this, which is not ideal. It takes away a bit of
confidence. So yeah, first time on the Inter in the whole weekend so you
never know where to put the balance and probably overstepped it. But it's
not a negative sign at all. I think we should guide ourselves by the balance
in the dry when we optimise the car and when we did that it looks like we
picked up some decent speed in the high-speed corners this weekend.
Q: (Carlos Miguel Gomez – Marca) Carlos, this morning you had a very harsh
moment with the brake-by-wire problem. Was that the most difficult moments
of season, that tension? And the second question is about this podium. Is
this a real sign that Ferrari is in a good way?
CS: Yeah, this morning wasn’t easy. When you are in the middle of a
Qualifying out lap and you realise you've lost the brakes and then you're in
the garage and you see the clock counting down then you see obviously all
your rivals getting their laps in on a drying track, which is normally what
do you need to do to gain confidence, I was pretty much thinking the day was
a bit over, because I thought I was going to get out-Qualified in Q1 and all
that. But then I did an out lap and I just closed my eyes and went for it. I
did probably one of the craziest laps of my career, because I had one timed
lap only and the track was drying and I didn't know where the grip was and I
just sent it and went P1 and yeah, I actually enjoyed it. Still, thinking
about it, it was quite crazy, but so to be up here, P3 today after how the
day started and how it went, it was a very good feeling. And I do believe we
are on the right track. Hopefully this starts to be the beginning of the
turnaround but the end of the turnaround is still far away, you saw it today
with how far ahead Max was. But I want to believe this is the beginning of
the turnaround. Let's see tomorrow.
Q: (Jesus Balseiro – Diario AS) Carlos, this is the first top three for you
this year. How much are you, the driver, responsible for being back here?
Also, when you see your team-mate was suffering a bit today with these
tricky conditions? How much is the car? How much is because of the car is
improving with some upgrades?
CS: I felt comfortable all weekend. I did, as I said, some really good laps
this morning and this put me on a very good state of mind and very good
feeling with a car today after making some progress from yesterday.
Honestly, I think this year I've been quite close to what the car is capable
of doing. I know there's been a lot of P5s, and a lot of jokes going around
that I can only finish P5 for so many consecutive races, but I honestly
believe there's not much more we need this year in the first few races but I
hope tomorrow there's more than a P5 on the cards and I can also maximise it
and get the second top three on the first proper top three of the season.
Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) Max, just to take you back to an incident
in qualifying earlier today at the end of Q1 with Lewis Hamilton. He got in
your way when you were finishing your fast lap at the final corner. You then
overtook him when you finished that fast lap and you both seemed to back off
coming out of Turn 1. Could you please explain what happened there from your
point of view?
MV: Yeah, he blocked me into the last corner, so I had to brake more and I
lost like three tenths, so that wasn't ideal, I think not correct. There was
still a few seconds on the clock so I wasn't sure that my lap time was going
to be safe so I wanted to continue but yeah, ran out of time, space, with
the two cars like that, which was a bit of a shame. |
