Miami GP: FIA Thursday Press Conference

PART ONE – Oscar PIASTRI (McLaren), Sergio PÉREZ (Cadillac), Nico HÜLKENBERG (Audi)

QQ: A question to you all first of all. Can we start by getting your reaction to the tweaks to the technical regulations ahead of this Grand Prix? Nico, why don’t we start with you?
Nico HÜLKENBERG: Yeah, I think there was some good work done between FIA, everyone involved and actually some of the drivers as well. Obviously in the spirit of safety, closing speeds, being able to push more in quali laps, opening quali laps, everything a little bit less complicated, more user-friendly, more pushy in quali. So yes, a little bit of a reset for here, I suppose, for everyone to learn again about it on track, how it is in real life. Obviously, everyone has done their simulations and simulator stuff in preparation, but real life may be still slightly different in a way sometimes, so curious to see how it feels and how it goes.
Sergio PÉREZ: Yeah, I think similar. I think it’s definitely something really good to see, seeing the teams, FIA, Formula 1, the drivers, all trying to improve what we currently have. And I think it will be a really good step. I don’t know how much of a difference that will be because we obviously need to race it, but it’s good to see that we are trying to make good changes to improve in all areas and to improve the show and the feeling with the cars, with the qualifying, so it’s a really nice step to see.
Oscar PIASTRI: Yeah, I think the collaboration’s been good and trying to make changes, I think they’re a step in the right direction. How far they go to helping the problems, you’re never going to fix the problems without changing the hardware of the power units, but I think it’s a step in the right direction. How much it helps, we’ll have to wait and see. But certainly, some of the tweaks are a good step forward, which is good to see.

Q: Oscar, why don’t we stay with you. Can we throw it back to yesterday and first of all how much did you enjoy getting behind the wheel of Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 championship-winning McLaren at the Fan Fest?
OP: It was cool. It’s always fun to drive an old car. The noise was pretty special, a bit simpler and just the feeling you get from it is pretty cool. It’s obviously a cool day for us as a team, but driving a naturally aspirated V8 was cool.

Q: And what about this weekend? Andrea Stella has talked about the large number of upgrades McLaren is bringing here. Just what expectations do you have?
OP: I think hopefully we’ll be faster. Obviously, that’s the plan. We’ll have to wait and see where exactly we come out. I think it’s, again, a step in the right direction for us. It’s not going to be enough to challenge Mercedes this weekend, I don’t think, but it’s definitely in the right direction. Obviously, we’re expecting a lot of other teams to bring upgrades as well, so hopefully ours are better than theirs. That’s the plan. But I think the motivation and the confidence in the team at the moment is high. I think we’re on a good trajectory again. And I think Japan was nice to go into the break with a bit of confidence in showing our potential and hopefully we’ve just added to that now. So hopefully it’s a good step forward.

Q: Checo, let’s come back to you. Golf with the world number one yesterday, Scottie Scheffler. How do you stack up?
SP: That was really enjoyable, really good fun. It’s impressive to see the difference from an amateur to the top of the world, basically. And it was really enjoyable, a very enjoyable run – especially walking the whole course. That was quite demanding because normally you are on the buggy and having to walk the whole course, luckily, we started very early in the day, otherwise it would have been quite hectic.

Q: Pre-race training for you. Look, what about the race car? Three races in, just tell us how you feel progress with Cadillac is going?
SP: I think we’re going in the right direction. We are definitely progressing every single race weekend, which is the main thing for us. I think so far this will be our biggest test because we are bringing a big package and obviously everyone is. So, it just depends if it’s bigger than the others and if it all works, then it will give us a lot of confidence on our development tools going forward. So, it’s a very important weekend for us and obviously racing at home for the team, it’s a very important weekend overall.

Q: What does success look like for you this weekend?
SP: Making progress from Suzuka. If we are able to make progress, especially in this race where everyone’s bringing their big upgrades, that will be a very good weekend.

Q: Nico, back to you now. Management changes at Audi. Can we start by talking about the appointment of Allan McNish as the team’s racing director. Give us your reaction to that?
NH: Yeah, I mean, Allan’s been with the brand, with Audi, for I don’t know how long, but a very long time. He’s been with us inside the F1 project and team from the beginning, the get-go. Obviously ex-driver, even F1 experience, a lot of F1 and motor sport experience, so a very fitting role and I look forward to working with him closely together.

Q: And in terms of this weekend, Audi, like everyone else, bringing parts to the car. What are your expectations, what are your hopes?
NH: Yeah, I mean, we’re coming obviously off that break into a Sprint weekend. Sprints are always demanding, hectic, but the hopes are to be competitive, to squeeze out a couple of points here and there wherever possible and just to maximise the whole weekend.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Rachel Brookes – Sky Sports F1) This is to all three of you, really. I just wondered what the WhatsApp chat was like after the rule tweaks were announced and are you guys happy with them and happy you’re being listened to?
OP: There were a lot of ideas after Suzuka, and I think clearly after Ollie’s crash it’s pretty obvious that something needed to change. I think it’s been good that they’ve listened and made changes. As I said before, really there’s only so much you can do, and I think what we’ve tried to change within our control has been good and has been sensible and I think well thought out. So yeah, that’s been a positive. But we’ll have to wait and see how it pans out. In the simulator running I did, some things are a bit better, some things are really not very different, so we’ll have to wait and see just how it turns out on track. But from a safety point of view, I think the changes with the boost button are sensible and in the right direction. Hopefully you can’t eliminate the instances of people having 350 kilowatts more than another car at all times, but hopefully it reduces the amount of times that happens.
SP: Yeah, obviously what happened in Suzuka was very scary and from a safety point of view there was urgency to change things. And for me it’s very good to see that we are open for changes in all areas: drivers, teams, FIA, Formula 1. So that’s good. And like Oscar says, we really need to see how are those changes once we are in race conditions, qualifying conditions, because it’s very difficult with these rules to predict anything. So, the best thing of it is that we are open to it and if there are more changes needed after this weekend, I would expect to… There is also a big gap before Canada, so probably we can do even more changes if needed.

Q: (Mara Sangiorgio – Sky Sports, Italy) Oscar, is there the feeling that we are facing a second restart and who, in your opinion, has the feeling to fight for a World Championship in this season?
OP: I mean, I wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s a second start of the season. I think clearly a lot of people are going to have upgrades and better cars, but from a rule changes point of view, it’s really not going to change the order of things very much. In the grand scheme of things, they’re very small changes. But it’s going to be interesting to see what the development is like for everybody. Clearly Mercedes are very strong at the moment, so hopefully we can close the gap. I think the championship is far from over at this point, but we…. Well, everyone, but us, McLaren, need to find performance pretty quickly to get ourselves in that fight. So yeah, we know we’ve got things here this weekend and more things to come in the near future and hopefully it’ll be enough to at least put us in the fight.

Q: (Panagiotis Seitanidis – ANT1 TV) A question for all three. Following up what Oscar said, we have a long season ahead. How much do you feel that the dynamics can change between teams until we reach the end of the season in December? How different can things be?
NH: Dynamics? What do you mean?

Q: (Panagiotis Seitanidis – ANT1 TV) I mean the level of performance of every team and the position it is.
NH: Yeah, I mean, we’re still early doors in the season and I think the development potential is still very large at this point in time. So, there’s definitely big possibility that we see some bigger swings later in the season. Like always, like every year, it’ll come down to who works more efficiently and better and makes the updates work and stick.
SP: Yep, I think we will have a very good idea this weekend. Everyone is bringing a big package, so we will see which teams are the most efficient developing their cars. So, we will have a very good idea here.

Q: (Kriya Gangiah – SuperSport Africa) There’s been a lot of talk on social media and concerns about the weather going into this weekend, specifically on Sunday. How are you guys feeling about that and how does that change with all the packages that you guys are bringing to your cars?
OP: It’ll be interesting. I don’t think many of us have driven these cars in the rain before, maybe a couple of people in Barcelona at the shakedown. But I think they’re going to be challenging cars to drive in the rain just because of some of the quirks that they have. And obviously the weather, normally if it rains in Miami, it does it properly, so we’ll wait and see. But it’ll be interesting one way or another.
SP: I understand that there is a meeting later on with the FIA to double-check the scenario for Sunday because apparently, it’s looking really bad. So, we’ll see if there are any changes on the schedule for the weekend.

Q: (Henry Payne – Detroit News) Question for you, Checo. First Grand Prix on US soil for Cadillac. Can you talk about how the atmosphere here is different and also big Latin, Mexican community here, is that exciting for you? Thanks.
SP: Yeah, it is very exciting being here, racing for an American team. And having all the Latin support here in Miami, it’s always very special. So, to me it’s one of the best races of the year and you can feel the difference in atmosphere driving for an American team. The lead-up to here, we have basically new colours for this weekend, so yeah, it is our first race here at home. We are enjoying it a lot, to be honest, and the fans have been amazing.
Q: (Sahil Kapur – NBC) A big-picture question for all three of you. What’s your favourite and least favourite thing about this new era of F1 regulations and racing?
OP: I still get to call myself an F1 driver. That’s always a cool thing to say. The least favourite thing? It’s hard to see any negative. I don’t know. In all seriousness, driving a car from 2008 yesterday and seeing some of the cool cars from the past, I think trying to recapture some of those things would be very cool for the future. As to the product, I think clearly, we’re making changes to try and improve it.
SP: I was very happy that as a young boy I played a lot of Mario Kart, so I have a lot of preparation going on in this new era.
NH: Well, it’s just that they are quite different and sometimes that can be exciting as well, having to relearn things and then trying to get your head around and try to get an edge on the competition. But the least things, I think, they were quite complex in a way, especially how to prepare the energy for a quali lap. All that kind of thing was tough, and small things had a very big consequence. I think some of that should be addressed now with the adjustments that we’re doing, so hopefully that will become all a bit cleaner and easier.

Q: Nico, are you enjoying the lighter cars this year?
NH: To be honest, it’s 30 kilos. I don’t know if you really feel it, lighter. Obviously, the proportions are a bit different, so it just feels different altogether. Maybe they are a bit more nimble in low speed, but I think it depends also on the car you’re in.

Q: (Tobias Grüner – Auto Motor und Sport) Question for Nico. You did a filming day in Monza recently, practiced some starts. Did you learn anything? Are there signs that you can get off the line a little bit better in the next races?
NH: Yeah, filming day was useful, I think. We have work to do in that area. We are aware of that and therefore the break was good, obviously, to really do a deep dive on this, analyse and try and understand and come up with solutions and proposals. Obviously, we’ve worked on this in the background quite a lot and have some ideas for here which we’ll try and then hopefully they will work.

Q: (Stuart Codling – Autosport) Just to follow up on Nico’s response to a previous question in terms of not really being able to feel 30 kilograms less in the car, one for all of you. Would you care to put a figure on how much weight would have to be lost before you felt a meaningful difference and whether that’s actually technically achievable?
OP: I mean, I don’t know what weight the car I drove yesterday was, but realistically to make a big difference the number needs to be probably 50 plus, probably closer to 100, in all honesty. The cars are still very heavy. I think if we could get it back into a figure starting with six, in the 600s somewhere, that would probably be good. We’re never going to get back to 500s or high 500s. I think the only way you can get there is taking out the battery and making the engines simpler, but I don’t think you necessarily need to do that. The cars last year we had in high-speed corners were probably some of the best we’ve ever had. Granted, I know mine was probably the best of the lot, but I think you can achieve some of that realistically…. I don’t know the numbers of the weight of the engine and stuff, but if we had a simpler engine then you could easily take out quite a bit of weight, I think. But whether that’s actually beneficial for the sport is a completely different question.

Q: 605 kilos yesterday. That was the minimum weight in 2008. Checo, your thoughts?
SP: I agree with Oscar.

Q: (Ian Parkes – RacingNews365) Oscar, as you’ve mentioned coming into this weekend, the changes that have been implemented are only small and only a fundamental change to the hardware is going to be something that will make a significant difference. In all the discussions that the drivers have had with the FIA so far, have they offered any indication that more significant changes might be forthcoming, not necessarily this season but certainly from 2027 when we know they could be implemented from then?
OP: No, nothing that I’ve heard of. I think at the moment there are a lot of options on the table, I would imagine, and the discussions are at a far higher level than drivers. It’s talking about team bosses and bosses of the biggest car manufacturers in the world, so it’s certainly above my level. But I think, as we’ve said, as a sport, where the automotive industry was when these rules were conceived versus where it is now, they’re two very different places. And I think everyone understands the limitations of what we have and is trying to adapt it to make things better for everybody. Some of those things we can tweak, like we have done. Some of those things you need to change in the medium term. Some of the things need a complete overhaul probably. But I think everyone’s aware of where we are at least, and we can make changes from there. But at the moment I don’t have any news on what next year might look like or a timeline on that.

Q: (Rodrigo França – Car Magazine Brazil) Question to Oscar and Sergio. In the last 30 years only European drivers have won the F1 championship, with Jacques Villeneuve being the last one [from outside Europe] in ’96. What are the main challenges for a non-European driver to get a successful career in Formula 1?
SP: Well, I think the lead-up to Formula 1 is definitely easier for a European driver because they’re based in Europe. Being out of Europe, you are the one that has to come in here at a very young age and there are other issues involved in that. And then once you reach Formula 1, I feel like everyone has the same opportunities. And as you know, in Formula 1 it depends so much how it goes and the moment that you are in your career with your team. If you are at the right time, at the right place, then you will be very successful. I think, to me, we’ve had very successful drivers not being Europeans in the sport, so I think the main difference will be the lead-up to Formula 1. Once you’re here, it really depends on being there at the right time, at the right moment, which is very difficult even for a European. But they dominate the sport in that regard because there are so many of them.
OP: Yeah, the same things. The lead-up to F1, moving to Europe as a kid, that’s probably the biggest challenge. I think once you’re here, then in some ways you have some unique things, me and Checo, for example, being the only ones from our country on the grid. There are obviously positives that come from that. But definitely the lead-up into F1 is a little bit more challenging. There are a few more tough decisions to make. But once you’re there, it’s the same challenge for everyone of being in the right place at the right time and trying to show you’re the best.

Q: (Leonid Kliuev – Grande Premio) Stefano said recently, “Formula 1 has not got any problems. Formula 1 is in great shape,” referring, first of all, to fan experience. Question to all three. Do you agree?
SP: Yes, I agree. I mean, we are all very lucky to be in this place with the sport, how well it’s doing. And definitely when you go to all these different races, you see that the fans are so passionate about the sport. So, it’s something great to see and I think we have to take advantage of the moment and make sure that we try to improve our product as much as possible altogether.
OP: I mean, I think there’s opportunities with the cars to improve them, but as a sport we’re in a healthy place. So yeah, I don’t think there’s any problems necessarily, but are there areas for opportunity? Definitely yes.

Q: (Christoffer Linden – Auto Motor & Sport) How involved do you think the drivers should be in shaping the regulations?
OP: Honestly, probably very little. I think we should be involved to an extent on things like safety, mainly safety. But if you give the drivers the best cars, best tyres, the best engines, the best everything, the racing is probably not going to be that entertaining. So, there’s a line somewhere. I think having some level of involvement from us is important, especially on things like safety, because we’re the ones at the end of the day that know the situations the best that we’re going to be in. So, I think that aspect is important. But from a pure driving, as drivers we’re always going to be complaining about something. I think some of those concerns have been very valid, especially this year. But from a safety, that’s the biggest region. From an entertainment side of things, I think our input should be considered but not solely taken.
SP: Yeah, I think definitely from a safety point of view, we are the ones that are experiencing everything onboard. And I think once the rules are set, like they are now, we can give a lot of input into how to make them better, easier. I think we are finding, all the drivers, a really good balance in trying to help our sport and that’s really nice to see amongst all of us. So, I think we can really give good input once the rules are set.
NH: Yeah, I agree with what these guys said. Drivers historically haven’t been involved, but often, coming to new regulations, I think we can judge pretty well and pre-empt what’s coming and what kind of situations would be created with that. I feel obviously there has been more collaboration and talk this year, which is good and positive. That’s it.

Q: (Henry Payne – Detroit News) Again, question for all three of you. Three Grands Prix here in the United States. I assume Circuit of The Americas is your favourite track of the three but compare Las Vegas and Miami in terms of street courses. Thank you.
NH: They’re just very different. Obviously, Vegas is very high speed, low downforce, high-speed long straights. They feel completely different. It’s both street circuits but not even street circuits with a bit of run-off, not everywhere, but they don’t feel like 100% street circuits. Both unique, both very special in their own ways.
SP: I think they’re all very different. They’re very different weathers as well, the atmospheres are very different, but they’re all very special. I really like all of them and I enjoy them, and the atmospheres are one of the best.
OP: Yeah, they’re all very unique. I think Vegas, very slippery, low-downforce circuit. Here is obviously very slow and tight and technical. So, they all have a cool atmosphere, all quite different, as we’ve said, but unique challenges at all.



PART TWO – Carlos SAINZ (Williams), Kimi ANTONELLI (Mercedes), Isack HADJAR (Red Bull Racing)

Q: A question to you all just to kick things off. Can we get each of your reaction to the tweaks to the regulations ahead of this race? Carlos, perhaps we could start with you?
Carlos SAINZ: Well, just simply happy that there was a reaction from FIA, FOM, drivers, teams. We all sat down together and tried to obviously improve the situation. I don’t believe we will come up with a magic bullet here that will suddenly change everything, but I think all the changes are sensible and hopefully going to make things a bit more enjoyable from our part. So yeah, just happy to see we’re collaborating, working together to make the sport better and more enjoyable. And whether it will make a big difference or not, we will obviously have the next few races to analyse, adapt and see if we need to do further changes.
Kimi ANTONELLI: Yeah, I think obviously as Carlos said, it’s not that with this change, all of a sudden everything’s going to be a lot better, but I think it’s a good first step in the right direction. Of course, we’ll see how much we can push this further, these changes, but obviously we’re trying to work collectively for the sport as well. But I think it’s a good first step in the right direction and we’ll see what the next one will be.
Isack HADJAR: I mean, it’s good that after only three races we’ve been able to have a change, so this early is very positive. It shows that they’re working hard and listening to us to improve the situation. I don’t think it’s the most representative track. I don’t think it’s a challenging track for the power units we have. I think it’s going to look good, but on some other tracks it’s definitely going to be harder. But let’s see tomorrow how it feels inside the car and we’ll know more.

Q: Isack, while you’ve got the mic, let’s stay with you. You say, “Let’s see how it feels tomorrow.” The team is bringing a lot of upgrades to the car this weekend. How does it feel on the sim? What are your expectations for here in Miami?
IH: I don’t expect to be fighting for podium this weekend. Naturally, we’re not the only team bringing updates. Obviously we’re bringing something a lot stronger, we believe, but I don’t think it’s going to solve all our issues. But yeah, I hope we can be easing into Q3, by example, because we’ve been fighting very hard to get there so far. That would be a step forward. And I also haven’t driven, like the other guys, in five weeks, so with only one session going into Sprint Qualifying, it’s going to feel quite awkward at the start. But yeah, let’s see.

Q: And final one on how you’re settling in at Red Bull. How have the first three races gone? Do you feel?
IH: Honestly, transitioning to Red Bull’s been pretty easy. I didn’t feel really like it was changing teams because of the environment I’ve been in the last five years, working with Red Bull people. I’ve had a few FP1 outings, so it’s not like I rocked up to a new team with brand new procedures. It’s the same steering wheel, for example, so it’s not such a big switch, that’s for sure. But it’s been going well. I’ve been delivering the most I can with what I had underneath me. Unfortunately, we’re not where we want to be, but I feel very comfortable delivering the best and I feel fine.

Q: Kimi, let’s come back to you now. Back to the scene of your Sprint pole here last year. Just how excited are you for the weekend ahead, both to be back at the track but also with what the team’s bringing to the car this weekend?
KA: Yes, it’s very exciting to be back in a place where I got my first Sprint pole last year. Of course it’s going to be different this year, again different cars, so we’ll see how that goes. It’s going to be a very interesting weekend for us. We’re not really bringing anything, to be fair, just very small things, whilst other teams are bringing big upgrades, such as Ferrari and McLaren. Also Red Bull, they’re bringing an upgrade. So, let’s see how we’re going to do. For sure they’re going to get closer, and we might have to fight quite a bit more this weekend. But yeah, we’ll do our best, we’re going to keep our head down. And on my side I’m going to try to maximise the performance in the car and going to try to do my best, and then we’ll see what the result will be.

Q: Good luck with that. And Carlos, back to you. How different will your car be this weekend compared to the one you drove in Japan last time out?
CS: Certainly, we brought quite a few upgrades to the car. It will be different, but it’s not so much how different it looks, it’s how much performance these changes add to the car. And in those terms, given that everyone seems to be bringing quite a lot, I don’t think our position will change massively, but hopefully it’s the start of our road to recovery during the year. My feeling is that although it will be a good step, a healthy step for the team, when you look at it relatively, if the others bring also big upgrades, we’re not going to be able to move up very much. So, let’s see, hopefully a first step, and then I think we’re going to need to wait until later in the season to bring the bigger steps.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Rachel Brookes – Sky Sports F1) Kimi, this one’s to you. In Japan, Toto said he’d like you to go and do some practice starts during the break. I wanted to know if you’ve managed to get many in? And I know the tweak to the rules is for safety, but is there any element of it that might help your starts?
KA: Well, I think my issue is more fundamental, so I think it’s not that this tweak is going to help me massively. We have been doing some practice starts, of course, in the break. We’ve been working with the team to try and recognise what’s the issue and we seem to have found it. Now we’re trying to obviously think about a solution as soon as possible and then obviously we know where to work on for the solution. So, it’s not going to be that straightforward because it needs a change on the clutch paddle and a little bit on hand positioning as well, so definitely it’s not going to be as straightforward. But we are doing our best to find that solution as soon as possible in order to be able to do decent starts. But definitely we recognised that my issue was much more fundamental. Now we’ll see in Miami if we can do a step forward and then obviously we have another break after Miami, so more time to work on and to find that solution.

Q: (Mara Sangiorgio – Sky Sport F1 Italy) Kimi, from what we understand, Toto demands respect from you and George. What does this mean? If there is an opportunity to attack, do you attack each other or do you have to wait for a green light from the garage?
KA: No, I think the team has been very clear with us since the first race in Australia. They said, “You can race each other, but obviously with respect”, not trying to do any stupid things between each other, because at the end of the day, we race each other, we want to win, we want to be the best, but at the same time we want the best for the team as well. So obviously me and George are very well aware that we can race each other, but with respect and without trying to do any stupid things. So obviously the team has given us the green light because they want to give both of us the same amount of opportunities. So, they said, “Just race, but you can race each other, but just be clean.”

Q: (Mariana Becker – TV Globo) Isack, with this unexpected pause in the championship, I know that you all work out to be fit and you work at the simulator, you study, but what do you do to maintain the motivation to be still with a warrior’s will to fight in a month, just not being on the track?
IH: I think just the fact of being away from the racetracks for five weeks, it starts to be itching me a lot. To be honest, I’ve been willing to come back and drive. Obviously, I miss the driving part, but I miss the competition aspect even more. So yeah, I just want to get back to it. This long wait is enough for me to be in that mindset and trying to get back to competing.

Q: (Margot Laffite – Canal+) Question for Kimi. Doriane Pin drove a Formula 1 car a few days ago. You were there to witness that. Can you talk us through the atmosphere in the team and also how the team experienced that, please?
KA: Yeah, I think it was an incredible day for Doriane and I was really happy to witness it because I remember very well my first F1 test, my first time in an F1 car, how special it felt. So obviously I was very happy for her. I think the day went super well. She did a lot of laps and she was able to extract more and more from the car after every lap. It was great to watch and obviously there was a really good atmosphere in the team because they were all very happy for her and for the opportunity. So definitely a very special day and she was also able to enjoy it a lot because it’s not so straightforward and I can understand there might be some stress or you’re a bit nervous, but she was able to really enjoy the day, which was very important. It was a really good day to witness.

Q: (Tom Slafer – DAZN, Spain) Carlos, you were talking about the upgrades for the weekend. Are these new parts visible? Are we going to distinguish them from the car that raced in Japan? And are they all focused on the weight reduction or some pure performance, let’s say, as well?
CS: Yeah, some of them should be visible and then others will be focused on weight. But the weight is a tougher job that will take again almost the whole year to get all the extra weight we have in this car to get it out of the way. So, it’s going to be more small steps, but hopefully later in the season we will have bigger steps. And yeah, up until then it will be a combination of aero, weight, just trying to improve the situation. But as I said before, I think the bigger steps are going to come later in the year.
Q: (Panagiotis Seitanidis – ANT1 TV) A question for Kimi. Italy is a powerhouse in Formula 1 and the people didn’t really realise until China that we didn’t have an Italian winner for 20 years and until Japan that we didn’t have a repeat Italian winner for 73 years, the last champion Alberto Ascari from Italy. Do you feel the burden on your shoulders that you have the whole nation behind you in doing appreciated things?
KA: Well, I’m aware of what’s happening, but I’m not trying to focus too much on that or worry. At the end, it’s still a very long season, a lot of races left. And I know on my side I just need to keep raising the bar. I have a super-strong team-mate, George, who is super quick, very complete. And then the competitors will get closer and closer. So, on my side, I know that the road is still very long and that, as I said before, I need to keep raising the bar and keep delivering and keep focusing on the process and trying to maximise every time the performance. Because of course now, a month ago, it was a really good moment with China and Japan back to back, but now we’re back at it again and it’s kind of like a new start. And on my side, I got to be ready because, as I said before, it’s not going to be easy and it’s going to be important to try and keep or increase the level.

Q: (Kriya Gangiah – SuperSport Africa) Carlos, first of all, looking very smooth in your new Miami kit there. I see you’ve played a lot of golf over the break. How is your golf game? What handicap do you play off?
CS: Very Miami style, maybe not my day-to-day style for sure, but something that I probably will only wear this weekend. The golf? Long story short, before the break I was struggling a lot. I went from, I think, a six handicap to an 11 handicap because I’m playing less in the winter. Then we got the break and even though I spent a lot of hours in the simulator and in the team, in the factory, trying to help the situation, I also tried to invest a bit of time on recovering my golf swing that used to be a five handicap. And I think I managed to go down maybe from 11 to down to seven again and road to recovery before the summer break that I will have to beat my dad because recently he’s been beating me quite hard. And being beaten by your dad, 63 years old, doesn’t feel good. And yeah, I need to wake up.

Q: How was the pro-am yesterday?
CS: The pro-am? I had a horrible first couple of holes. I wasn’t playing with my own clubs and I had to adapt, or at least as a typical golfer excuse, that we all have an excuse at golf. And then I started doing better, started chipping well, putting well. And by the end of the day I was playing well and then I had to leave early to a marketing event. Weird how many we have. And I had to abandon my teammates to go to a marketing event, but we were having a lot of fun.

Q: (Ian Parkes – RacingNews365) Question for you, Kimi. Back-to-back wins, youngest leader of the Drivers’ World Championship now in F1 history. Obviously quite clearly you’re now a world title contender this season, even though it’s only three races and yes, there’s still a long way to go. But I was just wondering, given that situation and given the different mental pressure that that situation brings, what work, if any, you can do personally and what work, if any, you can do with the team to try and mitigate that over the course of the season?
KA: You mean the championship fight?

Q: (Ian Parkes – RacingNews365) Yeah, with the mental pressure that that obviously brings over the course of the year.
KA: Yeah, for sure there will be a lot of pressure in case the opportunity comes. But of course now we’re in a really good position and obviously the goal is to maintain this position until the end of the year. But for sure it’s going to be a tough fight because, first of all, as I said before, I have a very strong team-mate who is up there and is always there, delivering the performance, so for sure it’s going to be very tough on that end. And then, as I said, Ferrari, they’re close; McLaren, definitely we’ll see this weekend much better their true pace; Red Bull, they will definitely get closer. So I think on my side, I’m just going to try to focus race by race, not trying to think about the end result or championship, just trying to stay as much as possible into the moment, present into the moment, just trying to do my best and focus on the process. And I’ve got a really good team behind me, also a really good group of people. Together with Bono, working really well, and he’s always there trying to keep me grounded, first of all, and also trying to guide me in this kind of situation because obviously he has a lot of experience. So yeah, I think I’m very well aware that it’s not going to be easy and that the pressure is going to be high, but I’m also aware that if I just focus on my things without worrying too much about the rest, then we can do great things together.

Q: (Jon Noble – The Race) To all of you. The forecast is for rain on Sunday, which means that the first possibility to drive in the wet in competitive conditions could be the first lap of the race. How extreme is that challenge going to be with these cars? And do you think there should be any extra protocols put in place to give you a bit more time to get to grips of it on Sunday?
CS: Yeah, it is obviously, I think, at the back of everyone’s heads, what’s going to happen when it’s wet. I’ve always been a bit of an advocate for the 350 kilowatts not being needed and I hope that we could find a way to maybe reduce it down to 250 or 300 for the race. As we saw last year, on the straights, no, a lot of standing water here. It’s a super-flat track, the water stays on the surface and whether that’s going to be safe enough or not, with the walls close to you and the visibility that we have with these cars, it is certainly going to be a concern. But yeah, I hope that we can take all the appropriate actions for it. We can have a good show, a good race. I think all drivers want to drive in the wet. Wet races are a lot of fun. Me, the first one, you guys know I love the wet. But hopefully with the right system and tools in place to make it safe. And also, there’s this lightning risk that I don’t know what will happen with. There are a few things, like the SLM in the wet only at the front, that I really don’t understand why we have that if it doesn’t reduce the drag much. So yeah, a few things to analyse, to put together, if Sunday is going to be wet, maybe to discuss in drivers’ briefing so we can have all clear in our heads what we should expect and what we should go racing with.
KA: Yeah, I drove the car when we did the shakedown in Silverstone in the wet and definitely it was very tricky. Although now with the changes, they clipped the power to 250 kilowatts for the wet and no boost, so that’s already a step forward in that regard. And definitely I think it’s going to be tricky because there will be a lot of unknown, and obviously we’re also going to be racing if the wet weather presents. But I think also another big topic is that we will need to increase tyre blanket [temperatures] for the wet because I think as they are now, probably they will be a bit too low for the conditions. So yeah, it’s going to be interesting to see, tricky, but let’s see. If it’s thunderstorms, like they say, we probably also won’t get under way for quite a bit of time. So, let’s see how that goes. But definitely it’s going to be very interesting because there’s so much unknown in the wet at the moment, especially no one really used the inter tyres, so we don’t know how it’s going to feel, how much grip there will be, especially with the new regulation. And I think also one thing with this year’s cars, it’s a bit harder to build temperature with the tyres, so in the wet they might be tricky and that’s why we probably would need to increase tyre blanket [temps] in order to make it a bit better and a bit easier on that side. But yeah, let’s see what’s going to happen.
IH: Yeah, I mean they’ve said it pretty much, covered everything. I think on the safety point of view, it’s important that at least in these conditions, if it’s raining very hard, visibility is poor, we don’t want to see big closing speeds. But with the changes made, it should be all good. And then obviously purely grip-wise, I completely agree with Kimi. Also, I experienced myself quite a bit of mileage in the rain so far and it’s been very tricky with the inter tyres to put any temperature. Once there’s quite a lot of water, it feels like the wet is immediately the tyre you want to race on because it’s very hard to put any temp. So let’s see how it goes. Of course, it’s not ideal to have a first race straight away in the rain. You would like to have a read maybe even in qualifying, but going straight away to rain would be fun.

Q: (Holly Cain – Palm Beach Post) Kimi, I just wondered if you could talk a little bit. You’ve had quite a lot of downtime as the World Championship leader and how that’s been, what the reception has been back home, hearing from a lot of friends, girlfriends, whatever it may be. How has the last month or so been for you?
KA: Girlfriend? Not really, no. It’s been obviously a very long break and an unusual break because when you get such a long period so early into the season, it kind of feels a bit awkward because you’re just getting into the rhythm of the calendar and then all of a sudden you stop. It kind of felt a bit weird, but I’ve been trying to make the best out of the break. Definitely I’ve been spending time with my friends, obviously with family. Also, I’ve spent quite a bit of time in my new house, so it was nice as well to make good use of it. So definitely I’ve been trying to make the best out of it. Also, I’ve been doing some driving. I did some GT3, I did one day in karting. Obviously also then we did the Pirelli test, so still able to get some mileage in. But of course it felt very long, this break, and that’s why it’s so good to be back. But yeah, been making the best out of it, also a lot of simulator.

Q: (Sahil Kapur – NBC) A question for all three of you. Big picture, what is your favourite and least favourite thing about racing in this new era of F1?
KA: Well, I can’t complain too much, to be fair. I think one positive thing that is common with all of us drivers is, on the chassis side, having a lighter car. We’re talking about 30 kilos and you can feel quite a bit of difference. Also, the car is a bit smaller, a bit shorter, also the width is a bit smaller, which just makes the car more agile, which is nice. And I think the more we can push that, the better it is, of course still respecting the FIA safety standards. But I think that was a really good step forward and the car just feels more alive. You can play more with it, more predictable as well. So I think on that side it’s a very positive. Of course, on the PU, it’s such a big change that obviously now we’re trying to work a way forward to try and make it feel more natural. But I think definitely the chassis side has been a very good step forward. I think on the PU side, of course, it depends on the track. There are tracks where it feels good, tracks where they’re very energy-demanding that it feels a bit more unnatural. But I think we’ll get to a good point. I’ve seen some stages, but I think overall I’m happy with the package, so cannot complain too much.
IH: Yeah, I would have talked enough, I think, on the negatives, but on the positive, definitely I think chasing cars has been a bit better this year, or quite a step better. Following, it makes it a bit easier. Also with smaller cars, to position yourself attacking someone, space awareness is a bit easier. Last year it was very long and it feels a bit better to have smaller cars to play with. To overtake, slow-speed corners feels better, so all this is definitely a step forward. But especially the following, I think last year was basically very tricky to sit behind the car and just wait and be in the DRS train. I think this has been easier to get the overtake done.
CS: My car is not that much lighter than last year, so I didn’t feel that step. But I would say it’s still a very good chassis in terms of aero to drive. I think it’s one of my favourite aeros we’ve had in Formula 1 and I’ve been through quite a few by now in 10 years. And going back to softer suspensions also makes quite a big difference for driver comfort and visibility without the bouncing. I think that’s something positive. The following is better. And then a personal thing that I enjoy but I shouldn’t enjoy at the same time because I don’t feel it’s so pure is you need to think quite a lot while driving. You need to keep looking at your state of charge, think a bit out of the box of how you’re going to do this quali lap or this race lap to overtake. I enjoy having the time to think, but in reality F1 should be flat-out racing, so I have countered feelings and thoughts about that.