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1 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull
Racing)
2 – Fernando ALONSO (Aston Martin)
3 – Pierre GASLY (Alpine)
TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Giedo van der Garde)
Q: Pierre Gasly, P3. Man, I think that must be satisfying, no? What a result
for you and the team, the first podium for you together with Alpine.
Pierre GASLY: All I want to say is, let's go! Yes! I’m feeling so stoked,
honestly. What a race, coming back from the summer break and, you know, it
hasn't been the easiest start of the year, just trying to improve race by
race and it was good to get some time off, come back and straight into it.
We had a third place in Spa in the Sprint, it wasn't exactly like a normal
podium and I'm super pleased for all the guys to get that P3.
Q: When you heard Pérez had a five seconds penalty, I guess you were pushing
flat out in the last few laps?
PG: Yeah, I was pretty upset that I got a five second penalty earlier in the
race and I was like ‘OK, now it's 1-1’, and then, yeah, obviously I tried to
push as hard as I could to stay within five seconds, and managed to do it.
It was a very long race. Very challenging from start to finish and it was
greatly executed from all the guys.
Q: Perfect, enjoy it, man. Fernando, P2. Why is it always you love those
tricky conditions, on the beginning, at the end, it looks like in the rain,
half wet, this is really your thing?
Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, it was a very intense race, obviously at the
beginning with wet conditions we were very, very fast. And we stopped maybe
one lap too late, but the same as the leaders. And yeah, the car was flying
today – very competitive, very easy to drive. In these conditions, you need
a car that you can trust and I did try the car a lot today. So, I did enjoy,
thanks to all the fans. The energy that we live here in Zandvoort is very
unique. It was two years ago when this race came, I thought I will never
experience maybe the Zandvoort podium because I was not in a position to
think about that. And today it’s going to be very special to share the
podium with Max and Pierre now.
Q: That’s nice to hear. Was it hard for you, because there's like a party
going on and you have this wait with the red flag and you have to jump back
in the car you have to concentrate, but the crowd was going mad. I guess it
must be hard to get back in the zone?
FA: Yeah, it is one of those races that is difficult, as you said, to
concentrate, to stay focused for such a long period of time but yeah, as I
said, I think this is a very special race track, with all the fans and the
energy going on, so you feel always very focused. Happy for Max,
congratulations to everyone. I did think about trying a move in the last
restart but then I thought maybe I cannot exit the circuit so I stayed calm
in second.
Q: Enjoy, man. Max Verstappen, for the third time in a row the winner of the
Heineken Dutch Grand Prix. This must feel amazing?
Max VERSTAPPEN: Incredible and also today they didn't make it easy for us I
think with the weather to make all the time the right calls. But yeah,
incredibly proud. I mean, I already had goosebumps when they were playing
the national anthem before the start. And you know, even with all the bad
weather, the rain, the fans were still going at it, so an incredible
atmosphere.
Q: You also now equalled Sebastian Vettel with nine wins in a row. I think
that's mega spectacular. Are you up for the 10th one next week?
MV: I'll think about it next week. I'm first going to enjoy this weekend.
You know it's always tough. The pressure is on to perform and very happy of
course to win here.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Max, what an extraordinary race. So much action, so much tension. How
satisfying was it to deliver the win?
MV: Yeah, it's fantastic. Look at this [shows bags of sweets]. I got this
now. It's the highlight of the day for me. Well, yeah, I mean, the race
itself was very hectic, of course. I mean, lining up and seeing the rain
coming down, yeah, it was tough to make the right calls. I mean, I thought
together with the team, you know, they told me, like, the rain is coming,
but maybe not enough to switch to an Inter or maybe survive for a few laps,
you know, so we decided together to stay out for one more lap, but that at
the end of day was then the wrong call. But it made the race definitely more
fun, because from there onwards I had to pass a few cars, I had to close the
gap up front. But luckily I think within a few laps I closed down like 10
seconds of the gap. So that was very important for the rest of my race. And
when we went on to the slick tyres as well, I think that the tyres were
holding on quite well on the car for my stint and it was very enjoyable to
drive. But then you think you're going to have, let's say, an easy ride
home, and then they tell me 10, 15 laps before the end, there's some rain
coming again. And this time it was not just some rain, it was quite a lot.
So we pit for Inters and within a lap it almost becomes undriveable on an
Inter and we opted to go to an extreme. But the problem we have at the
moment is that the Intermediate is basically too good compared to the
extreme. So even when there's a downpour like that you still actually want
to be on an Inter because it's faster, but at one point there were so many
rivers on the track it just becomes incredibly dangerous. So at the time, I
was a bit, well, not upset, but disappointed with the red flag. But I guess
in hindsight, with so many people on Intermediates it was probably the right
thing to do.
Q: And Max the car seemed competitive in all conditions.
MV: Yeah, it was quick on the Intermediates and quick on the Soft tyres as
well.
Q: Now, what were the most stressful moments in that race? And how worried
were you by Fernando, just ahead of that mini-Sprint at the end?
MV: Yeah, I think the first laps on the slicks were quite stressful. You
don't want to immediately go off the track. And also knowing how much grip
there is still out there on the tyres, with the amount of water coming down,
was not easy. And of course the final restart, you know, with seven laps
ago, six laps to go or whatever, I knew that my first lap the whole weekend
already has not been the best with warm-up, so I knew that I had to survive
that first lap. And yeah, Fernando was pushing very hard behind and I could
see him close in my mirrors. But once I had the temperature in my tyres it
was all well balanced again.
Q: And you've equalled Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine in a row and the
team's unbeaten run this season continues. Can we get your thoughts on that?
MV: Yeah, it was probably one of the more difficult races to win again. But
yeah, nine in a row was something I never even thought about. So yeah, very
happy with that. But I think I'm in general very happy to win here in front
of my own crowd.
Q: Max, very well done to you. Thank you. I'm sure there'll be some more
questions in a minute. Fernando, coming to you now. What a race, your
seventh podium of the season. You seem to have incredible pace in all
conditions as well?
Fernando ALONSO: Yes, today the car was really working really well. And
yeah, I felt confident driving. I had trust in the car, which obviously in
these conditions you need that level of trust in how much you push. And
yeah, the car was fast in dry, it was fast on Inters and probably our most
competitive part was at the beginning of the race when it was just a few
drops of rain but we still were on the slick Tire. And yeah, quickly we
switched to the Inters, so we could not capitalise on that. But we still
made some moves – in Turn 3 at the start, on Alex and George, and also on
Lando on lap two. So yeah, I was quite happy with the race and it was one of
those Sundays where you feel connected with the car, you feel in sync with
the car, and everything you do, the car is just answering perfectly.
Q: You were running some upgrades here. Do you think you've got back to
where you were earlier in the season? Or is it too early to say after a race
like that?
FA: I think it's too early to say. I think that the car is better than the
previous events that's for sure. I felt the car was, as I said, easier to
drive. We were more competitive. We've been in the top five in every session
this weekend. It was not only in the race where we were fast. I think we
felt competitive since Friday. But Monza next week is a completely different
layout, minimum downforce there and drag. And let's see if we can still be
competitive.
Q: You said on the radio, ‘we will win one soon’, maybe there. One final one
from me, Fernando, just give us your thoughts going into that mini-Sprint at
the end? Were you thinking about winning or were you thinking of just
defending second?
FA: I was thinking about trying. So I was not conservative, let's say! I
thought about what to do, a lot, in the red flag period. So I thought, what
were the possibilities, obviously, the move into Turn 2 was something that
was in my head, also into Turn 1. I discussed it with the team as well. That
was my feeling, that I wanted to try today. But obviously, I don't want to
compromise any big points for the team, because second was very important as
well. But they were happy with me to try. I think they have the trust in me
as well and in whatever I decide. So yeah, at the restart, I tried in Turn 4
launching the lap, trying to be flat in the banking with the cold tyres,
which is a little bit risky, and tried to be side-by-side at least into Turn
1 but I was not that close. So after that I tried some different lines –
inside, outside – the opposite of Max for the first lap, in case one of the
lines was very grippy or much grippier than he is. And yeah, it was close,
but not enough.
Q: Very well done to you, thank you. Pierre, third in the sprint at Spa and
then third in the Dutch Grand Prix at the very next race. Feels like you're
on a roll?
PG: Yeah. Yeah, it looks like that. Yeah, I mean, it was extremely tricky
today, as Fernando and Max said. All the conditions were pretty much thrown
at us from the start. We ended up on slicks in the dry, in damp conditions,
then feeding the Inters on the wet, but then on a drying track. So it was
all about adapting yourself to the conditions and really playing with the
limits. But after the summer break, I was really excited to get back in the
car and today was probably the most fun I've had all season. Very exciting
to be fighting for these positions. And yeah, they were important goals to
make but the whole team executed a very strong race. And I'm pleased,
because we haven't been very fortunate since the start of the year, kind of
involved in some unfortunate situations on many occasions, which goes to
some points and which kind of built some frustration but you’ve got to keep
your head down and always trying to improve what you can on yourself, and
today it paid off. So yeah, big congrats to the guys and a great way to
restart the second part of the year,
Q: Your jump up the order today was made right at the beginning of the race,
but you stayed there. Did the pace of the car surprise you in the dry?
PG: I mean, we knew we were starting outside the points and there was this
rain coming. Took a good start and out of that last corner, I saw the rain,
I could see the intensity, and I saw the opportunity and the reward. So I
called it straightaway. I wanted to box, also to benefit from a slightly
drier track to warm up the tyres on that first lap. And it really worked out
well. So it put us in a strong position, fourth place straightaway. Then
there were 71 laps to go. So still a pretty long day at the office. But it
felt great. We managed to pull away from the Ferrari, we had a five second
penalty, which wasn't great and put us back behind Carlos, which we had to
overtake after that. But all in all, there's some very good pace and good
calls from the team and good strategy. So I'm happy to start this second
part of the season in that way.
Q: And was it difficult to stay within five seconds of Perez at the end?
PG: It's never easy to stay within five seconds of a Red Bull, that's for
sure. But you know, I mean, I saw the opportunity, I knew what was on the
table and yeah, just gave everything I had out there. And actually, I
expected to struggle a bit more with a warm-up initially, but the conditions
were not too bad. So, it was yeah, pretty much a couple of qualifying laps
at the end, which were really rewarding and I can feel what he was feeling:
I went through it a couple laps before with these five seconds penalties. So
yeah, I just tried to get everything I could.
Q: And how much confidence does this result give you going into Monza next
weekend?
PG: I think it does give some confidence. I think it's definitely coming
more together with a team. It’s obviously this sort-of adaptation part,
since the start of the year, trying to learn from each-other. Last weekend
in Spa we had a good top-three finish in the Sprint in Intermediate
conditions, like in the wet. Again today, we managed to make the best out of
these conditions. There is a clear trend that the car seems to work a bit
better in the wet. Now we’ve got to improve and keep working because we’re
still slightly further back in the dry. But there were definitely some good
signs of pace today and we need to go from there.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Christian Menath – motorsport-magazin.com) Question for you Max. Will
you agree that it’s mostly about risk management for you at the moment, and
how is it working with the risk management for you? Is it coming naturally
or are you thinking about things like Fernando just explained?
MV: Yeah. Especially in the beginning. And also, when you have this kind of
tricky race, for sure, it was a lot about risk management. I mean, when I
compare it to a few years ago, where I'm not fighting for the championship,
I'm driving completely different for sure. But that's fine. I mean, even
while driving like this, I know that they have a car, which is capable of a
lot. So that probably helps to, to be a little bit more in control, I guess.
Q: (Scott Mitchell-Malm – The Race) Max, some people underestimate how hard
it can be when, even if you've got the fastest car, to keep winning. Is this
kind of race the ultimate example of just how hard it can be to keep a win
streak going in? How satisfying is it to win a grand prix this complicated?
MV: Yeah, absolutely, I mean, even if you have the best – and I think there
have been more dominant cars in the past than what we have at the moment and
they haven’t been able to do so, to win nine in a row, whatever, the
consecutive wins we have as a team. So yeah, it is hard and especially like
today, it’s easy to make a wrong call or even drop it yourself in the gravel
or whatever. So, yeah, it’s never that straightforward unfortunately.
Q: (Jesús Balseiro – Diario AS) A question to Fernando. What do you do on
Turn 3, first lap. How did you overtake Albon and Russell through the inside
on that special corner?
FA: It was FP1 or FP2 it was wet and in one of the out-laps I let a few cars
go on the normal racing line and I found a lot of grip on the inside
casually, by just letting people go. So, I kept in my head, all the time,
all the weekend, in case it was wet. I was ready to try again and, to be
honest, when we were on the grid, and the red lights were on for the start
of the race, there were a lot of drops in the visor. So, that's the worst
feeling you can have. Because you are ready to start the race on a slick
tyre, and on your visor, you see that it’s raining, So, you have no idea of
the grip that you will find in Turn 1 braking, or Turn 3. So, I thought
everyone will be a little bit cautious in Turn 3 with the grip level, and
also just outside Turn 3 there is paint in the Aramco, so you have to be a
little bit cautious there. So I thought about the inside line, it could work
and yeah, we overtook those two cars. Definitely, that should be the
overtake of the month, again. I hope.
Q: (Ronald Vording – motorsport.com) It’s a twofold question to Max. You
talked about laps on the Intermediate, when you closed down Checo. At one
point you were over four seconds quicker than him. Just how special were
those laps behind the wheel, and how many risks did you take there? And
secondly, if you compare this Zandvoort win to the previous two, how much
more tricky and maybe also how much more rewarding, is this one?
MV: I mean, I knew I had good pace on the Intermediates and I knew that when
I had to push, the whole weekend already, you know we were quick. So, it was
more about just keeping them alive for whenever you would need them, if
there was more rain coming or whatever. So, in the beginning, I think, it
was pretty good. But yeah, to compare the wins, I think all of them have
been different. So, this one definitely was definitely the hardest one to
make all them the right calls to the end.
Q: (Kevin Scheuren – motorsport-total.com) Question to Pierre please. You
had a nice wheel-to-wheel battle with Max in the early stages of the race,
where it seemed he pushed you a little bit wide in Turn 3. Can you talk us
through that moment from your perspective? Especially concerning how
stewards may note such a situation – and in other situations they don’t note
it and investigate it.
PG:
I think I've I finished more than five seconds behind Max, so it doesn't
really matter to me, depends how much Fernando pays me, then we can discuss
how much you're willing to give! Yeah, it was a wheel-to-wheel battle and, I
mean, Max knew that if you'll push me slightly wider on the paint in the
wet, if I put a wheel on there, then I'll just understeer wide. It was on
the limit. Yeah, if I’ll be in his position, and you’ve got to pass a car,
you’ll play with the limit and that's why you will try. So I’m not too fussy
about it. Yeah, it's just racing. And yeah, close racing.
Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC) One for Max and one for Fernando. Max, since Miami
you’ve moved on to another level compared to Checo and everybody else. Has
anything in particular happened? Can you explain why that is? And Fernando,
what do you make of what Max has achieved so far this year? Do you think
he's operating on a level separate from anyone else? Or do you think you or
Lewis, for example, could challenge him if you were in the same car?
MV: Yeah, I think I learned a lot from the race in Baku, how to do some
things with the car, how to set it up. Of course, I didn't win that race in
Baku but actually I really tried a lot of stuff and different tools in the
car. That's why throughout the race it was a little bit inconsistent, but at
one point, I got into a good rhythm with what I found. But then I damaged my
tyres a bit too much. But it was like ‘OK, that's quite interesting for the
next races’. And I basically implemented that and it has helped me on every
track.
FA: Yeah, it is underestimated sometimes what Max is achieving. I agree with
the comment and the question that your colleague made before. I think to win
in such a dominant matter in any of the professional sports, it is so
complicated. So to be at the same level of him, obviously, we have a lot of
self-confidence, drivers in general. So I do believe that I can do good as
well as well. I don’t know about Lewis, but me, yes! And Lewis as well, and
everyone, I think you need to enter in a mood, in a state that you are, as I
said before, connected with a car. I think days like today, I felt that I
was at my best and have been giving 100% of what I felt and my abilities on
a racing car, but maybe in Spa I was not at that level or in Austria or
something like that. So you always feel that there is room to improve and
you are not 100% happy with yourself, as I am today. And I think Max is
achieving that 100% more often than us at the moment, than any of the
drivers, so that's why he's dominating.
Q: (Jake Boxall-Legge – Autosport) Max, when the second downpour started to
come towards the very end of the race, I think you were asked if you wanted
to come in and you decided to ask the team to delay your stop a lap. Could
you explain your thought process there? Were you just sort of a little bit
scared of burning up the Inters too early or did you just feel already quite
good?
MV: Yeah, I mean, that lap was definitely too dry in the back, but it
started raining, like, on the main street, for example. Then I went again
and I came again through Sector 2 and it was still dry. But I don't know, of
course, what's going on the main straight or Turn 1 and apparently it was
really coming down. So then the team told me ‘no, no, you have to come in
this lap’. So, it's a bit of feeling, I think, also, from both sides, you
know. Sometimes it can be a little bit more up to you , sometimes a bit more
up to the team. And at the end of the day, you have to trust each other in
making the right call. And I was very happy that they called me in that the
second time around.
Q: (Ed Spencer – Total-motorsport.com) A question to Pierre. Pierre, today
you ended a podium drought of over two years. How sweet does it feel
considering that the first half of the season was fairly tricky?
PG: Well, it's obviously very satisfying when you get a reward for the work
that we're all putting in in the team. I think objectively, you’ve got to
look at the package that you’ve got. And obviously last year, with
AlphaTauri we were nowhere near a podium finish at any point. We just didn't
have the speed. I think this year we came close in Monaco, running in third
position and it was clearly a missed opportunity, with the, sort of, extra
stop, which wasn't necessary. But no, it's a sort of season where you’ve
just got to keep trying, just keep trying again and again and there’s going
to be a point where things are going to click and today it did, and it was
probably the most challenging race of the year. There were a lot of
obstacles. There were many moments where we could have got it wrong. But as
a team, we just tried to maximise that and that's why I'm really pleased and
I'm really proud of the team, because we haven't been really fortunate but
you’ve got to keep trying and keep looking at yourself and seeing the areas
where you can improve. And that's what we've been doing. The top three in
Spa didn't feel the same. Obviously, it was a third place, but it's a Sprint
and I didn't get to go on the podium. But clearly, this one feels a lot
better. And I hope we can build up from there with the guys. |
