Formula 1 News: 2024 USGP at COTA Thursday Press Conference

Six Formula 1 drivers in two groups of three met with the media ahead of this weekend’s USGP at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

Q: Carlos, why don’t we start with you? how was the break? I gather you’ve been comparing yourself on a bike to the world number one? 
Carlos SAINZ Jr.: Comparing, I don’t think it’s the right word. I’ve been suffering next to the world number one, that by the way is in incredible form and an incredible moment for Tadej Pogacar, now that he’s killing it in cycling. And I had the brilliant idea to go on a recovery ride for him. For me, it was the toughest ride of my life. He was on recovery mode after winning the world champs. And yeah, his recovery ride is still my zone five heart rate, zone four, zone five. So it just shows the difference. I mean, we are athletes in our sport. Obviously what we do is special in terms of reflexes and car handling and skills, but what he does on top of a bike is just incredible. And anyone who’s been on a bike before, I cannot imagine how much this guy pushes on a bike.

Q: Sounds like you learned a lot. Tell us about the mood inside Ferrari as we come to Austin. Is the team confident that it can maintain the form that it’s shown on street tracks in recent races?
CS: I think the more tracks that we’ve done since Monza, the more confident we are that the upgrades that we brought to the car start to work pretty much everywhere. But for me, I always said, no, with the last three races, I said, until we don’t go to Austin and we try them in a normal track, we will not be able to measure how much we’ve actually improved in tracks like Zandvoort, Spa, where we last struggled a bit more. So I think this will be the most important test so far for us to see whether all these upgrades that we brought in the past are working in the right direction for more of a normal kind of truck like we see here in Austin.

Q: And can you just clarify, are there any new parts here or is it just consolidation of what you bought before?
CS: Nothing new here is what we brought in Monza. And I think we brought a small upgrade in the front wing for Singapore. But yeah, more than that it’s confirming whether our better pace in the last three races is coming more from going to three tracks that really suited us, like Monza, Baku, and Singapore. or whether it’s also the upgrades having a big effect on whether we were more competitive in those three tracks. And Austin will be able to tell us which one of the two it is.

Q: Carlos, how are you approaching these last six races with Ferrari? Are you all consumed with the challenge ahead at Williams, or are you still focused on what you’ve got to do with your current team?
CS: For me it’s two separate things. I’m really looking forward to next year and the challenge with Williams. First of all, it’s also good to see how much they’ve improved recently and how that car now can get to the points quite often in the last few races. So there’s encouragement, and looking forward to that, obviously. But there’s first a job to finish this year with six races left in a car that can potentially allow me to win a race or score a couple more podiums. And I want to maximize this opportunity to see if I can help the team also finish as far ahead as possible in the Constructors’ Championship and obviously give myself that big present of a nice podium or a win, which is what I’m looking for and what I’m focusing on with the last six races.

Q: Alright, well, good luck with that. Thank you. Esteban, let’s come to you now. First of all, how was the break? Are you feeling refreshed? Any cycling for you?
Esteban OCON: It was good, thank you. Cycling, not as hard probably as Carlos, but, yeah, trained well, rested well, spent time with family and friends and, yeah, ready to go again. I mean, it can sound silly, but, you know, it makes a difference to how ready and how much energy all the team have coming into these last races and we’ll see hopefully how that goes for us.

Q: Well, on track, you’ve had a tough time of it since the summer break. You could do with a change of luck. How do you think it’s going to go this weekend? Do you think Alpine and COTA will be well matched?
EO: Yeah, I mean, it’s been obviously a difficult run of races with the performance of the car. That is very clear. Unfortunately, we maximized the potential in Singapore, but, you know, that wasn’t enough for us to be points scorers. You know, Pierre will have upgrades. I will run the old car this weekend and we should hopefully have the upgrades for the next races onwards. So, yeah, we’re excited to see what that’s going to bring to the performance of the team and hopefully it will be a better position for us to end this season.

Q: Can we throw it even further forward now to next year? Your team for next year, Haas, have recently announced a technical collaboration with Toyota. Can we get your reaction to that news? It must feel like a good time to be joining the team.
EO: Yeah, for sure. Back then, Ayao convinced me with the plan he had. He didn’t specifically talk about that, but he really told me what his plan was to take this team to the next level and help on the things that the team have the chance to improve on. He convinced me back then and it reinforces me to clearly trust him for the future. I think it’s exciting times for the teams ahead.

Q: Esteban, thank you. Kevin, let’s come to you now. How was your break?
Kevin MAGNUSSEN: It was good, thank you.

Q: What did you get up to? Anything you can share?
KM: Not a whole lot, you know, just kind of spent my time at home with the family and lived a normal life for a while. So that was nice. Yeah, refreshing myself for the last few races here.

Q: Well, and you said a moment ago, just off camera, that you’ve done one race in the last seven weeks. So you must be hungry to get back on track?
KM: Yeah, it’s not been a lot of races recently because I had that race ban. So it’s just been that one race in Singapore since Monza. So it feels like a quiet time that I’ve had recently.

Q: Now, Haas has new parts here this weekend. It seems that medium downforce tracks suit your car as well. So do you enter this weekend with quite a lot of confidence?
KM: I think this year we’ve been pretty strong at most circuits. There has been a little bit more of a competitive edge at medium downforce tracks. This one is kind of close to high downforce, so we’re not so sure what we’re going to run. It’s not a bad track for us, I think. There’s some upgrades on the car and we’re excited to see if they’re going to be good again. I think this year we’ve brought a few upgrades that have been working, so that’s been a really good trend. We’re in a tight fight with RB for P6 in the Constructors’ and we’re very motivated to take that battle to them and see if we can. If we can beat them, you know, Williams are not that far behind us as well. So there’s, you know, we’re focused both in front and behind. So it’s pretty interesting.

Q: Who do you think has the faster car, you or VCARB? Because as you say, you are only three points behind them in the Constructors’ Championship.
KM: Recently, we’ve had a slightly faster car, at least in the races. And, you know, maybe they’ve been a bit faster in qualifying. We’ve been a bit stronger in the races. So, yeah, with the upgrades this week, hopefully we can take a small step there and be that much faster in qualifying as well. Yeah, I hope so.

Q: Kevin, final one from me. I was talking to Esteban about the technical collaboration with Toyota. It comes in with immediate effect, so do you think you’re going to see the positives from that before the end of this season?
KM: I don’t think so. I think it’s a longer-term thing, but I do think it’s very positive for Haas and I think a very good way to expand the operation and a very needed step, I think. I think what Haas has achieved in those years already has been quite impressive. If you actually know the operation and how small it is, it’s kind of impressive what we have been able to achieve. But there has always been a feeling of potential for more. I think this is a good step to move further into that direction. I think it’s going to be interesting to see where they go.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR 

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) A question to all three drivers. Whilst you can’t always compete for a race win on the track, you can always compete for a fastest lap and an extra point if you finish in the top ten. that goes with it. But it seems the fun sponges have decided we’re not going to have an extra point in the future, and they’ve taken that away. Do you, as drivers, agree with that or would you have liked an extra point for a fastest lap to have remained as part of your weekend tally should you get it?
CS: I always was of the opinion that it was a not-needed point in the points system of Formula 1, mainly because of how it is achieved. Right now, that point goes to the one that has a free pit stop one lap to the end of the race. So it’s not showing who is the fastest guy in the race, and he deserves one point for being the fastest guy. It’s a point that goes to the guy that by chance or by luck or by race situation has a free pit stop at some point of the race. It’s not always the case. Not always, but in a lot of occasions, most of the times.

Q: Would you like to see a point awarded for something else? Maybe pole position?
CS: Yeah, I agree. Pole position is something that, at least in Formula 1, is given a lot of value. Qualifying is something that media people keep a lot of importance to know. And obviously, as drivers in qualifying, we like being the fastest because it shows you’ve maybe have done the cleanest lap. You’ve taken maybe more risks. You’ve put everything on the line to go on pole. And a point for that in a tight field makes sense. In a field where only one car is going to get all the pole positions makes less sense. But in the ideal scenario of a tight field and one guy going for it in qualifying and getting that pole position, I think it could make more sense than the fastest lap of the race.
EO: I join Carlos. I think for us drivers, being on pole is something very important to us and I think to all of you guys. it’s something that we put a lot of effort on and that is very rewarding. On the race, we race to win. You don’t necessarily race to be fastest on one lap. I never thought that this is a good thing, to have one point, for the race. But for pole position, it would be much more rewarding and that’s something I would prefer.
KM: Not a whole lot to add from the perspective of a midfield team. I think it’s something that very rarely is on our mind. If we’re in top 10, even if you’re P6, P7, it’s very rare that you will have a pit stop gap to go with what Carly says. For us, it’s never been relevant.

Q: (Mara Sangiorgio – Sky Sport Italy) Carlos, you said that the goal for Ferrari here is to maximize the package you brought already, but do you think that we will see changes in terms of value with the updated packages from now on, considering everyone? And sincerely, how much do you believe in the Constructors’ for your team?
CS: I think a lot of our belief in the Constructors’ title will come over the next couple of races because I think if from here to the end all the races would be Singapores, Bakus and Monzas, we would believe that we can do it. If in Austin, Mexico, Brazil that are more standard tracks, we see ourselves falling back a bit and being not so performing, like we were in Zandvoort or Spa, then obviously our belief goes down. So it’s a lot trying to assess. We are coming back to normal tracks with long, combined corners, high-speed corners. Let’s see where we are now in these kind of tracks and see if we can still fight like we did in Singapore and Baku and Monza. I think the others have taken this three-week break opportunity to bring upgrades to the car. Obviously, we haven’t stood still and we still try to improve every single area, but it sounds like there’s going to be a couple of teams maybe bringing the last upgrade and it could change a bit the pecking order. That’s why I think it’s important to reassess from now on.

Q: (Roldan Rodriguez – DAZN Spain)  A question to Carlos. As we arrive into the last six races of the championship and the last six races for you in Ferrari, do you feel something special inside to try to win these last races? As we know, in Williams it’s going to be more difficult?
CS: Nothing special, apart from obviously a lot of motivation to try to achieve it. Nothing would make me happier than achieving something like that before the end of the year. I’m going to give it my absolute best. If it comes, great, and I’ll be for sure celebrating. And if it doesn’t, you know, I don’t believe it will be my last chance of fighting for wins or podiums in Formula 1, so I’ll remain working hard to try to get myself in a position, even if it’s with Williams or future ahead, to put myself in a position to win another race because that’s what I’m hungry for and that’s what I believe I can do and that’s what I’ve proven that I can do in Ferrari. So, yeah, it doesn’t end there.

Q: (Diego Mejia – Fox Sports Mexico) Question for Esteban. You’ve had a long career with Team Renault, before Lotus, and now with Alpine. They won’t be carrying on with their own engine program in the future. What do you think about that, and what message does it send for the future of Alpine?
EO: Yeah, as a driver for the team, it’s difficult to comment about this. But as a French fan of the sport and as a French driver, everything I can say is that it’s a sad situation. It’s very sad for French motorsport. But yeah, there’s nothing more I can say.

Q: (Albert Fabrega – ESPN Latam) Carlos, before signing with Williams, you said you talked a lot with James about the plans of the team, the upgrades they were planning to bring to every single race by the end of the season. They brought significant and relevant upgrades, and they are performing and becoming Q3 and points during every single race. How important is it for you to see that, taking into account that next year you will be driving for them?
CS: On one side, it’s very important because obviously during those conversations with James, we did talk a lot about this year, how much they were going to improve and which position they were going to be on for 2025. And so far, he’s been a man of his word and his kind of expectations, which with upgrades in Formula 1, you never know. But because you saw it clearly this year that bringing three tenths to the car doesn’t always mean three tenths on paper. Yeah, he’s been a man of his word in this sense, and the team seems to be taking their steps in the right direction. At the same time, this news that I was receiving from him and these promises, because they were not promises, they were expectations of the car getting quicker through the season and into next year, didn’t affect that much my decision. As I said, my decision was a lot more based on the people and the feeling that I was getting from talking to the management, talking to the owners and the feeling that I was getting from the whole organization and not so much about the short-term performance gains that they were getting. And definitely what convinced me more than the downforce they were going to add or where the team was going to be in six months, one year time, was the people and the professionalism and the vision of the project that they had. And this was the main differentiator to me.

Q: (Tim Hauraney – TSN) Question for Carlos. Could you just explain a little bit more how that ride came about with Pogacar? And did he drop you at all on your ride? 
CS: So it came along because we’re neighbors in Monaco. And we’ve gone a couple of times In Monaco, we call them coffee rides, which is an easy ride. We just get the bike, do 30, 40 k’s to a coffee place, have a coffee and come back. And that is normally the ride where the day doesn’t push. So that’s when cycling losers like me, that we think we’re fit and we think we’re strong, can join him, potentially join him to go for a coffee ride. But the reality is that during that coffee ride or that recovery ride, you’re also dying by trying to follow him. or stay on his wheel. He does the favor of not dropping you because he doesn’t want to… We’re having conversation, even though a conversation at 170, 180 beats per minute, while he’s at 110, is not the most exciting conversation because you cannot talk much. And I think he can tell.

Q: (Panagiotis Seitanidis – Antenna TV Greece) I don’t know if we have time for all three to answer, but whoever you want. You weren’t racing back then, but from the six cars of Indy 2005, now we have three races in the US, huge audience. Do you feel that Formula 1 has conquered the United States? And how important is that for the sport, for your teams, for your sponsors, and for you as drivers to be so popular in US?
KM: Well, I think for us as an American team, it’s been quite significant. Having the sport grow so much in the US the last couple of years has helped us. But I think it’s helped everyone in the whole sport. It’s a very important demographic for any sport to break through. And I think Formula 1 has done that. A big thanks to Netflix, I think. That was kind of how a big part of those US new fans got into it, I think, with COVID hitting and F1 being the first live sport or the first sport to go live during COVID and Drive to Survive, the first season coming out at the same time and everything was like the perfect storm. So I think it’s something that is noticeable for us and something very good for the sport.
EO: Yeah, I remember coming here in 2016 and not seeing, obviously, the grandstand being full, seeing some holes at the hill in Turn 1. Now it’s very, very different. It’s insane the amount of support that we receive when we come to the States. You know, it’s quite special to me because I always wanted, in a way, to be able to visit the States as a kid. And, you know, being able to go now to Miami, Las Vegas, coming here in Texas for that many years, it’s honestly really, really cool. So, yeah, I think it’s a big, big difference compared to when I started in F1. And, yeah, looking forward to see how it’s going to evolve in a couple of years.

Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) Question to Kevin, please. Slightly random considering your current setting here in America, but just looking ahead seven days, the race in Mexico, I just wondered if you could please explain the challenge of racing there. It’s quite a unique setting, way higher in terms of altitude than anywhere else, and that can considerably affect how F1 cars perform. You obviously had quite a considerable accident as a result of brakes overheating last year. So yeah, how hard is that challenge, please?
KM: It’s a big challenge in terms of cooling the car. It’s an odd race because we run with basically the most downforce we can, and the cars have about the same downforce as we do in Mansa, despite the big wings. And cooling the brakes and the engine and the gearbox is very tricky there, so it’s a pretty inefficient race aerodynamically for the cars and things are harder to control. As a consequence I had that rear suspension failure because of hot rear brakes last year. I think physically you feel it too, it’s just thin air, you’re breathing more and you do notice it. It’s not really a huge issue as such, it’s just something you notice. It’s not a very physical race and it’s very rarely hot up there, so for a driver it’s not really a big challenge, more for the cars.

Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) For Esteban and Carlos, Fernando is about to approach 400 races in Formula 1, which is a big landmark. Esteban, you worked with him. Carlos obviously know him very well. What makes Fernando so good and just so able to continue his career so long? And could either of you see yourselves doing another 200, 250 Grand Prix and reaching that kind of landmark?
EO: Yeah, what an impressive career. That’s all I can say. Fernando breathes racing, eats racing, wakes up racing. When he has free time, he just goes go-karting. He just wants to drive and race all the time. I’ve talked about it for him, what motivates him. He just says he doesn’t know really what else to do. It’s been his life and he just enjoys racing all the time. He has nothing to prove anymore to anyone. He’s one of the best ever, clearly. He’s won in most of the categories that he’s done. I really had a lot of learning when I was racing alongside him on a lot of different topics, inside the track, outside the track, how he raced, how he thinks outside the box. And that’s clearly the things that I remember the most how he’s aware strategy-wise of how things are turning out for him and where he needs to go while he’s racing. That’s not an easy thing to do. And yeah, well done on that 400 races. If I will be doing that many races, to be fair, I don’t think so. I don’t think any drivers anytime soon are going to be reaching that many races ever because he’s still going and he’s going to be still going for many years, I think. But yeah, what a career.
CS: Yeah, well, first of all, only words of admiration towards Fernando and what he has achieved. It is crazy to me to think when I was growing up, nine, ten years old, he was already in F1. And now that I turned 30 myself, he’s still in Formula 1. So, yeah. Quite crazy. and obviously he’s still here because he wants it and he has so much talent and speed still at his age that he can allow himself to keep choosing about what to do with his future and with his life, which in a competitive field of 19 other very hungry younger drivers, that says a lot from him. From my side, I have a very good example at home with my dad, still winning Dakars at 61, 62, so I know what it takes to have at home someone that is still hungry and very motivated about what he does and my dad is a perfect example. So I can see why Fernando has a very similar approach to things because you can tell they are made of racing. They cannot live without racing. My dad wakes up every day thinking about his dampers in the Dakar and his tires and his team, he calls his engineer every single day. And he’s 62. He could be at home chilling, playing golf with me. He still decides to catch three planes to get to Morocco in the middle of the night, to test, for 24 hours, a car in the middle of the desert, and staying in not very good hotels, you know, and he still loves it. And so, yeah, I will see how I feel. I think Formula 1 calendars now are very demanding and this is going to be a very hot topic for the drivers to decide on their future, especially if you want to have kind of a stable family life when you turn 35, 40 and you start thinking about kids, etc. And this will be the main deciding factor in individual people choosing whether to take the 24 to 25 race calendar or not. So it will also depend a lot on that factor. Whether I’m there or not, I have no clue right now. But I do see myself, after 200 races in 10 years, racing for another 200, another 10 years. This I can say yes. But I don’t know how it will plan out.

PART TWO – Alex ALBON (Williams), Liam LAWSON (RB), Lando NORRIS (McLaren)

Q: Liam, let’s start with you. Welcome back to the FIA Press Conference. Good to see you again. Now, how has the past month been for you since it was announced that you were going to replace Daniel Ricciardo? Full of anticipation, I would imagine.
Liam LAWSON: Yeah, it’s just been busy, I would say. It was strange to have a gap at this point of the year, I think. Obviously, the gap for me was filled up with quite a lot of stuff. So yeah, it’s just preparing as much as possible. It’s a difficult time to come into the season. Obviously, Sprint weekend this weekend, new track, end of the season. So yeah, just trying to be as ready as possible.

Q: You talk about preparations. How useful was that Pirelli test at Mugello last week for you?
LL: It was useful. It was useful for my neck, honestly. We did just long runs, basically. So, yeah, it was good to do, honestly. As much as I would have rather go out and do some short runs and push, it was good to do longer runs and basically just get ready for the longer races in Formula 1.

Q: Liam, so how are you approaching these six races to end the season? What goals have you set yourself?
LL: I think it’s not as simple as like a position or, like, this is where I want to be. I think it’s scoring points mainly for myself because that’s what it’s going to be or what the team’s going to judge me on, how I perform. And the best way to do that is score points. Also for the team, fighting for P6 in the championship as well. So yeah, basically trying to get to the points as soon as possible for me is the goal.

Q: Alright. Well, very, very good luck with that. Thank you. Alex, why don’t we come to you next? The tonne is up. 100 races in Formula 1. Many congratulations. Lots of memories, I’m sure. Is there one race or two races that… stand out?
Alex ALBON: Not really. The first race. The first race is always a big moment. And then my first podium is always nice. But yeah, it’s strange. I feel like 100 races. when we do so many races a year now, it doesn’t actually take a lot. It’s four years now in Formula 1, four and a half. It’s gone by very quickly. I think somebody told me that I’ve overtaken Sir Jackie Stewart, which is a pretty strange feeling.

Q: He was 99 races. Well, let’s bring it on to the here and now. You finished in the points at Austin last year. How hopeful are you coming into this weekend?
AA: We’ve had a good run of races. I do feel like we’ve made a step since our upgrade. We’re still not totally happy with where the car is, and we know that there’s more understanding to happen and more to come with that. So we had a good amount of time to go through the data the last few weeks just to see where we can go quicker. I do think we’re going to need that bit more performance to score more points. But we’re on a good trend right now. I feel like the momentum is with us. So, yeah, I don’t see why we can’t score points in the next remaining races and especially this weekend.

Q: And where are the team’s goals in the Constructors’ Championship now? I mean, Liam’s talked about the need for him to get in the points. Do you think VCARB in P6 is a realistic goal for Williams?
AA: Anything’s possible, but I think if you look at where the top four teams are at right now, we are fighting for, the best case, P9, P10, and unfortunately the gap from, especially RB, at the beginning of the year, the gap they grew to us, if you’re only scoring one or two points a weekend, you’re never going to be able to catch up. So we need something to happen, you know, one of those crazy races, which, to be fair to you, Mexico, Brazil, the weather and the starts can always create something. It’s never out of the question, but we’re going to need a little bit more.

Q: That brings us on to my final question to you, which was going to be about Franco Colapinto. He was very generous about you when he was in the press conference in Baku. And I just wanted to ask you, he’s clearly very quick. And how useful is it for you and the team to have someone like him pushing both elements along?
AA: Definitely. It helps in many ways, obviously, for me to have a benchmark, but also in terms of strategy. We can do things. Especially in the midfield, where it’s so tight, you are actually quite reliant on strategy to score points. The midfield battle is split by pretty much a tenth and a half, two tenths across everyone. There’s a very big trend this year where one driver goes short and one driver goes long in the first stint. When you can have a driver who’s able to be there and to do maybe the opposite or try and pull another driver in front away from whatever situation we may need, it becomes really useful.

Q: Thank you very much for that. Good luck this weekend. Lando, I’ll bring it on to you now. Can I ask you about the break, first of all, the long break, the four weeks that we’ve had since Singapore? How did you use that time? Was it a frustrating time? You just wanted to keep the momentum going from the last race? Or did you use it for a time for reflection or improving the car? Just tell us a little bit about what you’ve been doing.
Lando NORRIS: A little bit of everything, honestly. I mean, after Singapore, I just wanted to keep going. We were in a good rhythm. I think we still are in a good rhythm and have been for quite a while. So a little bit of that. But everyone needs a break. And it’s not just for me, but for my whole team, the whole team around me, everyone back in the factory. It’s nice to kind of regroup and put our heads down again. Yeah, a mixture of things. Obviously, getting ready for the next few races and the end of the season, but also getting some time to relax and spending some time with my friends.

Q: Now, this is a very different racetrack to Singapore, obviously. Do you enter this weekend with the same level of confidence that you did in Singapore?
LN: Yeah, I think so. Probably more, I would say. If you look at where we were last year here, relative with the car that we had, comparing to where we were in Singapore, I think this was a better weekend for us. We led the first half of the race. I know some things were mixed up because of different scenarios, It was a good weekend. And again, some of the things have changed again on this track, with the new surfaces and some of the layout has changed a little bit. So always questions for us to go and answer. But with how we performed last year, with how we’re performing over the last, you know, three, four, five races, I think we’re confident everywhere that we should be towards the top.

Q: I did want to ask just about the unknowns that you touched on there, the resurfacing, the new curbs. We’ve got a Sprint weekend as well. Do you see all of that as an opportunity for you and McLaren or does it make you a little bit more wary?
LN: I mean, I have no idea if it’s going to be a good thing or a bad thing. I don’t think anyone does. So I think we probably all treat it as opportunities until we know something different. But it’s also a Sprint race where many things can happen and it’s difficult to sometimes hit the ground running. And we saw that last year with people not getting the set-ups right and certain things like that. So again, certain things have changed for what happened last year in that scenario. But no, I think everyone’s going to see these races as opportunities and we do too. So that’s a good thing.

Q: And how do you see this battle with Max Verstappen over these last six races? Fifty-two points the gap. They’ve got some upgrades on their car this weekend in Austin. Do you think you’re going to have a good read on your chances in the World Championship this weekend?
LN: I think we’ve seen it for the last five, six weekends. I know people ask every weekend if this is a weekend that’s going to change something. It can go my way. It can go Max’s way. So I keep focused on doing what I’m doing. I’ve been doing a good job. I’m happy with how things have gone. Like I said, I’ve not been happy with always the final result for different reasons. But I’m happy with what we’re doing as a team and how we’re working together. And I’m confident if we just keep our heads down and keep pushing, we can do it and we can close the gap. It’s not easy. I need more than just me first and Max second. But I can’t change that. So I just need to focus on myself and leave the rest to everyone else.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Question for Lando. We arrive in Austin and there’s nothing like a good technical skullduggery story and a team believed to have a device that can alter the ride height at the front of the car, and Red Bull have said, yes, we have got that device on our car. The fact that the FIA have found a way to make sure that a device like that could not be now used, does that give you an advantage in the title run between now and Abu Dhabi, the fact that Red Bull may be having their wings clipped technically, shall we say, to allow you and Max to then go and fight it out on the track? 
LN: I mean, it’s one thing having it on your car. It’s another thing on how much you exploit it and use it, which we have no idea on. If it has been helping them, if they’ve been utilizing it in the way people think they have, then maybe it will shift in our direction. But, I mean, when you talk about things like that, it’s not going to gain them… They’re not going to have got several pole positions or wins just because of such a device. I don’t think it really will change anything in the scheme of things. But when we look at maybe certain qualifyings and we look at the gap in certain races this year, when it’s been split by hundredths of a second in qualifying or even thousandths, then you might say, ‘OK, well, maybe this has helped in that direction or this direction’. But I think it’s good that the FIA are doing such a thing. There’s a difference between black and white stuff like this, and there’s a difference between Formula 1 and pushing the boundaries and creating new things and innovating within the space that you’re allowed to innovate. And I think that’s what we as McLaren have done a very good job in. But we’re sure not to go any further than that.

Q: (Panagiotis Seitanidis – Antenna TV Greece) A question for Lando. The FIA changed the rules about the awarding one point to the fastest lap next season. If it comes down to losing the championship by that one point that Daniel took away from you from Singapore, Would that be bittersweet or something? 
LN: No. I wouldn’t look at that as the reason. I’d probably put the blame down to other things this season that could have been better, rather than Daniel in his final race getting a fastest lap. It might come down to that in the end of the year. And if that’s the case, then so be it. But I don’t think that’s… People have done that for years. I know it’s just odd timing and people are quick to jump on things, but it depends if it’s… The circumstance of how it happened, I guess, is a unique one. Daniel knew it was his last race. And I wouldn’t say it’s a nice way to go out, because I don’t think any way to go out is a nice one. But yeah, if it wasn’t and it was just him going for fastest lap, then it’s a bit more of a question mark and something, I think, we probably would have questioned more as a team. And I know they’re changing the rules for next year and these kind of things. But if it was a repetitive thing, if it was to happen again this weekend or next weekend, then I think that’s where we would probably classify it or question it in a much deeper manner. But considering how things were and, I don’t know. I don’t want to just say I accept it because it was his final race because it’s got nothing to do for his championship or their championship. You know, it was something to take away from me, but I would never blame Daniel. I would never blame them. But if it’s done with intent to do such a thing, then it’s obviously not what we agree with. And I don’t think something that Formula 1 would agree with either. So the answer is no, I wouldn’t blame it on this. It would be down to other reasons.

Q: And Lando, just your thoughts on the removal of the fastest point for fastest lap next year? 
LN: I have no idea. I don’t know why they’ve done it.

Q: Do you welcome it? Do you think it’s a good thing, bad thing?
LN: I kind of liked how it is now. I mean, you know, there’s an opportunity to go for something else. Sometimes you pay the price for risking such a thing, and it’s always been a risk in certain scenarios. if your pit stop goes wrong, you know, different reasons. The thing is, if it’s such a case, then it’s like we had in Singapore or something like that. that’s repetitive, then I think it’s the correct thing to do. But I don’t know. I don’t feel like they should change it just because of people questioning it after Singapore. So I don’t know. It’s got nothing to do with me. It was all a team manager thing. So yeah, it’s got nothing to do with us.

Q: (Roldan Rodriguez – DAZN Spain) A question to Lando. With the amazing performance that McLaren is having and you as a driver, but still 52 points to the world championship, do you feel in the team that if you don’t win this championship, it’s a failure? Or it’s just that the atmosphere has been a good year anyway? 
LN: I think it’s still been a good year, like it’s still been a year I’ve enjoyed. It’s tough because you never know… There’s always things, no matter what year you’re in, that you think, you know, you could have done this a bit better, you could have done that better. And even with where I am now, there’s already things I go, ‘damn, if only I did this or that’, I’m not going to say where, but different scenarios. when if I lose a championship by a couple of points that I can easily look at and go, I made probably a wrong decision here and I could have lost it. If I win it by one point, I’m sure there’ll be things that Max says, which is like, ‘oh, I probably lost it here as well’. So it’s easy to come up with excuses and reasons for things. If I finish second, it’s because Red Bull and Max have done a better job. That’s my only answer for it. We started a very long way behind in the beginning of the year. I think everyone thought Max was going to have an easy win in the championship. Red Bull were going to have another easy win in the championship. For that not to be the case after the gap that they had after round one, and it not even to come from Ferrari as the main contender, but from us, a team that was probably fourth at the start of the year, I think it’s still a year to be proud of. But as the season goes on, you always re-evaluate where do we stand now and what are our new expectations. And our expectations now and actually for a while have been we’re a top team and we’re fighting for wins and we’re fighting for a Constructors’ Championship and we’re fighting for a Drivers’ Championship. Just as much as it can go wrong it can also go well like it has done for us and we’re fighting against the best of the best and it’s been a fun year. But I think no matter what it’s still been a successful season. But yeah, i’m sure I’ll be happier with a win than if it was for second.

Q: (Tim Hauraney – TSN) Another question for Lando. You had said that you come into race weekends and you focus on yourself. But on the other side of that, how aware are you of what Max is doing throughout the race weekends? Is that something you really pay attention to or not at all?
LN: You pay attention to every driver. Yeah, I mean, that’s my job is to look at onboards and look at data, but it’s got nothing to do with me. You know, if Max qualifies first, fifth or 10th, it doesn’t change what I have to do. My job is still to try and win and get the most points I can for myself, whether that includes trying to get a fastest lap, I did that a few times this year and it could be that those few times I have got them can help me in the championship at the end of the year. Honestly, not a lot. I mean, he’s my contender. He’s the guy I need to beat. So when he’s just ahead of me, then I know, just like in Baku, that one position swing, me going one forward and him going one back, can make a big difference in a championship. And you just want that rhythm, you know, you want that rhythm of me gaining points on him and never kind of a hold. And that’s how things have gone the last few weeks. But, no, I just focus on myself, like I said before, and Max finishes wherever he finishes.

Q: (Albert Fabregas – ESPN) A question for Alex. Alex, are you surprised of how quick Franco has been performing on the last three races, and how he has adapted to the Formula 2, the car, and the team in only three races?
AA: I’m impressed. I wouldn’t say surprised. I think he was quick already in the test he did at Silverstone this year and he’s just taken it very comfortably. It looks like he’s not tense about it. He’s relaxed, which is the best thing you can be when you’re being put into a Formula 1 car in the middle of the season. So, yeah, not surprised, but pleasantly impressed.

Q: (Margot Laffite – Canal+) A question for Liam, and I would like to have an answer also from Lando, please. Liam, we’re doing a footage on the young drivers taking the power in Formula 1. We want to explain why young drivers, why rookies like you or like Ollie Bearman, Franco Colapinto, arrive in Formula 1 and are straightaway very performant. We want to explain that to people who might not know very well Formula 1 to avoid the fact that they might think that Formula 1 is easy. And for Lando to bounce behind, is it no longer a risk for a Formula 1 team to hire a young driver?
LL: I think we can’t really test much. I know many years ago that you could test pretty much whenever you liked, you know, had test cars and things like that. Although that would be very, very cool. Obviously that’s not the way the sport is right now. And that’s why simulator driving and the work we do behind the scenes with data and just preparing for an event, it’s mostly simulator work, I would say. And every team has their own simulator that they develop and that they try and work with. And it’s about basically trying to make it as obviously realistic as possible. So we spend a long time as a reserve driver, even going through Formula 3 and Formula 2, we get introduced to the Formula 1 work and preparing for a Formula 1 race. And I think that’s why the access we have now, it’s getting a lot closer every year. And I think that’s why it’s becoming, let’s say, easier or more closer for us to be able to step in. It’s still a challenge for sure. It’s still very different. But yeah, I think it’s just the work that we do behind the scenes. There’s a lot of it probably that maybe people don’t see.
LN: Is it a risk? I think it’s still a risk, for sure. I think what you’re seeing is very talented drivers come through. I feel like I’m older when I say it, but, you know, like Liam, like Oscar, like Franco, I think you’re going to see plenty of drivers come in and do a good job and perform and qualify well and things like that. I think that’s what comes more natural to drivers. But I think when you look at Formula 1, Formula 1 is not just about one weekend or two weekends or three weekends. It’s about 24 and it’s about a whole season and it’s about developing the car over seasons. And I think you’ll see, and I think there are plenty of drivers that can come in and drive a Formula 1 car quickly. And I think that’s the easier part of it, is coming in and just driving a car quickly. This is what we’re born to do, is what we live doing, is driving as quickly as we can. And I think the easier part of that is coming in and driving a car quickly. The tough part is the longer part of everything. It’s the 24 races. not crashing your car every weekend, not making those silly mistakes, helping your team, being a team leader, not just looking at this season, but looking ahead to next year and on knowing when to make sacrifices for following years. There’s plenty of things which make a driver a more complete driver rather than someone who can just come in and perform on one weekend. And I’m not taking anything away at all from those guys. Like when you see Franco come in and do the job he’s done in the middle of a season, it’s pretty impressive. And I think everyone acknowledges that, but it’s another job to do that every single weekend, not making mistakes, not crashing the car, especially now in a cost cap championship, it’s even trickier to push and find those limits. So you have those pros and cons, but being a Formula 1 driver is not about just driving a car quickly, which I think a lot of people can do, but it’s about doing that on top of doing that every single race, every single qualifying, working together as a team. I think that’s what makes a good driver in general, not just a quick driver. So you have those two sides, but I’m still impressed. And I think it’s still impressive to see the rates of how quick you can get these young drivers in now. And not talking as I’m old, but these young drivers like Franco come in and perform at the level that they have done so quickly. So it’s down to different reasons, but also simulators and things like that and preparation you can do nowadays is more advanced than what it was several years ago.

Q: (Dan Lawrence – Motorsport Week) A question to Alex. You’ll be joined by Carlos next year. If Franco doesn’t find a F1 drive anywhere else, he’ll be a reserve at Williams. You have Academy driver Luke Browning, who’s had a really strong F3 campaign and a strong debut in F2. With all the other work going on behind the scenes at Williams, it looks like you’ve got this really talented crop of drivers, yourself included. Is it exciting to have this talented crop of drivers to help lead the team forward? 
AA: Yeah, I’d say so. I mean, in the end, we’re not really too focused on it as drivers. We just focus more on ourselves and our own performances. Where it’s useful is the feedback. It’s the work being done in the simulator, as Lando and Liam’s been talking about, you know, to have that experience, to have quick drivers, smart drivers who can lead some of the development of the car, that’s where it becomes really, really handy. We have a very strong line-up now, even in the simulator work that we do, including drivers like Zak (O’Sullivan). There’s a good path now, I think, especially if you look at where the Williams Academy is growing. It’s been done really well as well in terms of psychology, physicality, there’s a big process being done behind the scenes. And I think you’re seeing the benefits and the work that’s being done.

Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Liam, a question for you. I know you said there’s not any points targets or anything like that for you going into these final six races, but what indications have you got from, be it Helmut or anyone else at Red Bull, about what you can do in this final stint to look at maybe the senior Red Bull team next year?
LL: I mean, I think that’s very far ahead, honestly. The target or the goal that’s been set out is the same as it’s always been since I was 17 and joined the program. It’s all performance-based and that’s basically how they’ll be looking at it. Obviously, Yuki’s done a very good job the last couple of years and especially this year and he’s the benchmark for them to compare me against. He’s the only one in the same car as me. So I’ll be directly compared with him. And I guess the goal or the expectation from them is for me to compete alongside him. So in terms of where that sets me out for next year or in the future, I have absolutely no idea. But that’s the target that’s been set out.

Q: (Dan Lawrence – Motorsport Week) Question for Lando. Are you relishing being the championship chaser? Is it bringing a renewed focus and renewed energy every Grand Prix weekend? And also, on top of that, I guess dreaming of being an F1 champion as a child to be in a situation in the present now after all these years in F1 where you’re fighting for a title, is that something that you sort of pinch yourself thinking about that every day? 
LN: I mean, the second part first. I think I’m always going to find it odd. Maybe it takes a few more years to settle in, but I still feel like it wasn’t that long ago that I was watching it on TV and I was watching Fernando, Lewis, Jenson, all of these guys. And now that’s me in that position, so I still find that odd, but extremely cool at the same time and still lucky and honored to be in the position that I’m in, especially with McLaren in Formula 1. And 100%, that fighting for a championship brings a lot more focus because… I think it switched a long time ago, honestly. I think it switched probably closer towards Miami time. I think that’s how early we kind of realized this could be a year that things can start to go quite well for us. It was obvious by then that more focus, more work needs to be done in every area possible. Some of it came after, you know. I think we’ve seen plenty of times, probably races we kind of regret not winning. Probably Silverstone being the main one that I think didn’t go our way it should have done. And I think we look back on that with a bit of regret that we didn’t end up in better positions than where we ended up in. I think almost since Silverstone, probably more so, there was quite a renewed focus from everyone. And not just including me, or not just me, but including mechanics, engineers, everyone back in the factory, because it became more and more real, a little bit with time, that we’re back in a position that we’ve worked very, very hard to be in, which is fighting for the championship and fighting for both the Constructors’ and for a Drivers’ championship. I’m loving it. It’s definitely more enjoyable. It’s always going to be more enjoyable when you’re fighting for wins and you’re fighting for a championship. But I’m still relaxed. There’s more pressure and a few more nerves, but I’m honestly still very relaxed and pretty chilled about the whole thing. I’m sure it’s going to get pretty more stressful and the later into the season you go, the trickier it gets, for sure. But I’m happy. I’m in a comfortable place. I’m focused on myself. And, yeah, I’m enjoying the whole moment.