Formula 1 News: 2024 USGP Post-Race Press Conference
The top-3 finishers in the 2024 USGP at the Circuit of the Americas, met with the media after the race – won by Charles Leclerc.
DRIVERS
1 – Charles LECLERC (Ferrari)
2 – Carlos SAINZ (Ferrari)
3 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)
USGP TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Jenson Button)
Q: Max, what a fight you had there with Lando, your championship rival here in 2024. Can you give us a bit more information of how it was for you?
Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, for me, of course, it was quite a difficult race. I never really had the pace to attack. So a bit different compared to yesterday. Yeah, just understeering a lot, struggling under braking. So that made the defending quite difficult because every time if someone wanted to go for a move, I couldn’t really brake that late. But yeah, it was a tough battle. I tried everything I could, of course, to keep him behind. And of course, at the end, to be on the podium is still, I think, for us, a great result.
Q: I think everyone’s going to ask you how it was with Lando into Turn 12 at the end of the back straight. Obviously, he ran wide, made the move, but it looked like you also ran off the circuit a little bit.
MV: Yeah, you know, I have my opinion, but I don’t need to say it here. I let the Stewards do their thing, and for us, it was, again, a race that we learned a lot, and we’ll just analyse that.
Q: Well done. Carlos, wow. I mean, you’ve had one pretty awesome weekend in terms of we saw you fighting yesterday in the Sprint race. You had the bit between your teeth. It’s your first podium in eight races, but there must be a little bit of disappointment there knowing that you could have had that win.
Carlos SAINZ: Yeah, for sure. I mean, obviously, first of all, congratulations to the whole team, to Charles, for an amazing result, a result that puts us exactly where we want to be in the fight for the Constructors’ now. So extremely happy for everyone in Ferrari right now. At the same time, obviously, I knew a lot of the race was going to be decided at the start. I knew Lando and Max were going to go hard at it into Turn 1, and unfortunately, I got the worst of it, and I couldn’t get that lead. and even though the pace from there on was really good and I was all weekend really fast, track position is key and I had to settle for P2, which anyway was a good race.
Q: There’s obviously a shift in the performance of the Ferrari this year. How is it to drive? And it seems that you guys are really good on tires now.
CS: Tire management? Yeah, it’s definitely the strength of the car this year. How long we can go on stints and how little deg we have is something that I really enjoy and something that has made me enjoy racing a lot more this year than what I did last year. Last year, we spent all of the races defending, losing position. This year, it looks like we just can go on attack mode, don’t think too much about tires, and just push and overtake, which is fun, and I’m enjoying it a lot, and I hope it stays like that until the end of the year.
Q: Congrats, Carlos, thank you. Charles, You put on a clinic today. That was an amazing victory. You must feel very proud.
Charles LECLERC: Yeah, thank you. Very happy. I mean, it hasn’t been an easy weekend until now. I’ve been struggling a little bit with the feeling with the car, but I had the confidence that in the race the feeling was better, and it was the case. So we’ve seen it yesterday in the Sprint race. We were a bit not scared, but we thought that the others would improve a lot more today, but we still had the upper hand. So really happy with today. 1-2 for the team. We couldn’t have dreamed for better.
Q: Talk to us about Turn 1, start of the race?
CL: Well, it was a pretty good Turn 1. That’s exactly what I wanted to do and we’ve had a really good launch. I knew that it was going to be very tight into Turn 1. Yesterday I was a little bit the victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and today I gained from it and that obviously helped quite a lot our first stint because we had mega pace, and then in the second stint, it was all about managing behind. But we did a great job. I mean, the pace of the car today and this weekend overall was really, really good in the race. And that’s mostly thanks to the engineers. They’ve been working like crazy in the last few months to bring the upgrades that we’ve had in Singapore and in the last few races, and it seems to be paying off. So, yeah, the whole team is working super well. Pit stops were really good. Everything worked out well, so we’re really, really happy.
CL: Yeah, it’s been 18 years, would you believe, since Ferrari have had a 1-2 here in the US. So you must be very proud of the whole team?
CS: Yeah, very, very happy. And now we are still targeting the title. It’s a long way to go, but it’s a good start to this triple header.
USGP PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Charles, it was some race by you and Ferrari. Can you start by just summing up how good this victory feels?
CL: It feels really good as every victory feels special for its own reason and obviously from the start I felt really good with the car. I was quite confident from yesterday because even though there were quite a lot of fights yesterday the car felt great and we knew that we had a good race pace. We were a little bit more skeptical about qualifying but P4 was. It was good. I mean, we were in that fall of P1. And then after that start, when I got out of Turn 1 into first, I knew that it was all about trying to use the pace of the car that we had yesterday and trying to take care of those tires. And the car felt great. So from that moment onwards, it was a bit of a lonely race, but it’s a good kind of lonely. And I hope we can reproduce that in the future.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit more about Turn 1, lap one, from your point of view?
CL: I mean, I knew that Max and Lando would be very aggressive towards each other. I mean, they are fighting for the championship. I got a good start. I saw that Max was going towards the inside as well as Lando and I was like, ‘I’m just going to prepare the exit of the corner’, which was obviously a winning bet. And from that moment onwards, then I could focus on my own race.
Q: Let’s talk a little bit about the pace of the Ferrari now. You were quick all weekend. Just how much can you achieve between now and the end of the season?
CL: I wish I could tell you exactly, but it’s always difficult because we rely on very small gaps that could make a big difference. So it’s very difficult to predict where we will be in the next few races. However, we’ve said since two or three races in Monza, in Baku, in Singapore, we brought a few upgrades and we were always waiting for Austin because it was going to be the real test for those upgrades. And he seems to be working all good. So that is positive for the future. It doesn’t mean that we’ll be having every Sunday the way it’s been today, but it means that we are working in the right direction and that can only be positive. So I hope we can reproduce these kind of results more often.
Q: You’re working in the right direction, but is there one particular area that the car is better here?
CL: Quite a few. I think like five, six races ago, we were struggling a little bit with bouncing and that doesn’t seem to be the issue anymore. So for sure that went in the right direction again.
Q: What about the Constructors’ Championship? Ferrari are just eight points behind Red Bull, 48 now behind McLaren. Is anything possible?
CL: I mean, we’ve got to target winning the Constructors’ title. It’s an optimistic goal, but that’s what we are here for. So, yeah, we’ll do the math at the end of the season. Until then, I think the best thing we can do is to focus on ourselves, on our own performance, just like we did this weekend. It’s been a really good weekend for the team and for the Constructors’ title. And we’ll try and reproduce that as often as possible. And hopefully at the end of the year, when we do the math, we will have won the Constructors’ title.
Q: Alright. Very well done today. Thank you, Charles. Carlos, let’s come to you. A brilliant weekend as well. Tell us what this Ferrari 1-2 means for you, first of all?
CS: Well, first of all, congrats to the whole team. Congrats to Charles for a great win. And yeah, I think everyone needs to be very happy and very proud of this weekend and yeah, of how we’ve recovered from a tricky middle part of the season to suddenly put ourselves in a position to dominate the race like we did today and to be clearly the fastest car on track come race day. I’m very happy to see this and I hope it repeats itself from here until the end of the year because it would be really nice to get another win before the end of the season.
Q: Your race didn’t seem quite as straightforward as Charles. At one point you reported no power early in the race. What was the issue? Did it hold you back?
CS: Yeah, it wasn’t the easiest of starts. First, well, getting a bit blocked with the Max and Lando going at it for the championship into Turn 1. Then I was attacking Max, in his DRS, trying to put as much pressure as possible. And then for a lap, I had some sort of issue that meant that I had very little power at the exit of the corners. That made me lose a couple of seconds, and most importantly, the DRS with Max. And then you are in that 1.5, two-second, three-second gap, that is the worst for tires and car balance, which meant I just had to settle until the pit stop windows. And then, yeah, we managed to get the undercut. Yeah, we boxed really early for that Hard tire, but from then on, I felt really comfortable, very confident, and we were very quick again. So, yeah, a bit gutted that we were so quick all weekend and we obviously didn’t end up getting the win, but at the same time, Charles did a great job and a great start to put himself in the position to win it.
Q: Was there any point in the race when you thought the win was on?
CS: Not really. If I’m honest with you, as soon as I saw Charles in P1, then I saw that Max couldn’t keep up with Charles. So probably by the time… I knew that if I couldn’t pass Max in the first three laps, it was going to be game over because then Charles and I were always very close in pace. Maybe there’s one race or two where he’s one or two tenths quicker in race day, another race where I’m maybe a bit quicker. But yeah, it just means that track position around any Formula 1 track is key. And after that start, and especially having a car in between us and not being able to pass Max within the first five laps, I knew it was going to be very, very tough. Then, honestly, with a Hard tire, yes, I caught back some time, but I was just more pushing to see my pace and to see how good I was feeling this weekend because I was enjoying a lot driving the car this weekend and I knew I was quick.
Q: Charles says the team must aim at the Constructors’ Championship now. With that in mind, which circuits do you think will suit the Ferrari going forward? What about Mexico next weekend?
CS: Yeah, if I would have to bet, I would say Mexico and Vegas are good tracks based on last year. I’m basing myself a bit on last year. This year everything seems a bit different. But yeah, and then I think Qatar is going to be a bit our bogey track, if I would have to bet again my money and then Abu Dhabi I’m not sure. I’m not sure what we can achieve in Abu Dhabi, but let’s see. I just hope this pace shows itself again before the end of the season and gives me another chance of going at it.
Q: Alright. Very well done to you as well. Max, let’s come to you now. Great job. You had to work hard for this podium. Can we start by talking about the pace of the car? You’ve now done a 56 lap race. Are you happy with the step forward that the RB20 has taken this weekend?
MV: I think today wasn’t the best race for us compared to yesterday, for example. Just struggling for balance, for grip. Couldn’t really brake, rotate the car. So yeah, quite quickly onwards, I realised that we’re not going to win the race. But just tried to do my own race. I think we did the best strategy we could as a team. And then it was just surviving to the end. And then, of course, Lando arrived. We had some really good battles, honestly. It was really a lot of fun. But yeah, overall, it was still quite a tough race for me.
Q: What about the first stint? If I could just reference a radio message that GP mentioned to you. He talked about there being an issue that they would sort of the pit stop. What was that?
MV: No clue. I didn’t ask. I just drove.
Q: And it was a very short pit stop, so it seemed like it didn’t hold you back?
MV: Yeah, I didn’t ask yet, so I don’t know.
Q: Alright. Can we just elaborate a little bit on the battle with Lando? Two significant moments in the race. Turn 1, first of all. Turn 1, lap one. Talk us through that?
MV: There was a gap on the inside, so I went for it. That corner is very wide, so it gives you a lot of opportunity of going very wide or try to go really tight. I chose for that option, and I still came out second! Started second, came out second out of Turn 1. This time, of course, it was Charles in front. I think it worked out quite well for me because Charles was anyway faster, so he just pulled away. From there, I just tried to do my own race.
Q: And then in the latter stages, when Lando was gaining on you on fresher tires, how confident were you of staying ahead?
MV: I just tried to do the best I could, to be honest. My balance wasn’t great. I was just not really… I was not able to attack the corners. So, yeah, he was putting a lot of pressure. But around here, it’s quite a cool track to defend. There are a lot of possibilities. So, yeah, it makes it good for racing.
Q: And what about the moment, Turn 12, four laps to go? Can you just talk us through the moment he came around the outside?
MV: Yeah, I think it’s quite clear: you can’t overtake outside of the white line. I mean, I got done for it also here in, I think, 2017 or whatever it was. So I lost my podium like that. So I just remained calm, tried to do the best I could after that to bring the car to the end because it was not easy with the tires and the situation that I was in. But yeah, overall, I still really enjoyed that battle that we had.
Q: And Max, there were a lot of five-second penalties today issued at Turn 12, cars going around the outside. Is there a solution going forward? Perhaps a gravel trap, as was introduced in Austria earlier this year? Would that work?
MV: I mean, it might help, but we have to deal with bikes as well that race here. They don’t like the gravel, so then you have to remove it again. Track days, people spinning off, of course, on track days. You have amateur drivers, professional drivers. It does cost a lot of money when you have to do that, and not every track can do that throughout the year. Yes, it would work, but on the other hand, I’m not sure how sustainable that is for the season.
Q: Okay, look, final one from me. Just how satisfying is it to have extended your championship lead this weekend?
MV: That is definitely the positive. I did hope for a little bit more performance today, so that’s what we have to analyze, why today we were just not that good. I think everyone was a little bit better or at least the same as yesterday, and it felt like we were definitely worse. So I need to understand why that was because I don’t know at the moment.
USGP QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Fillip Cleeren – Motorsport.com) For Max, please. As you say, Lando overtook you off the track, but obviously McLaren will argue that you also went off, so you kind of forced him to. Do you sympathize with that position?
MV: No, I don’t. I mean, they complain about a lot lately anyway, but it’s very clear in the rules. Outside the white line, you cannot pass. I’ve been done for it as well in the past.
Q: (Ben Waterworth – Raw Sports Australia) For Charles, you obviously talk about the Constructors’ Championship being a target for Ferrari for yourself. 79 points behind Max with five rounds to go. A bit of a long shot, but if Max and Lando keep fighting the way they are, do you kind of look at a sneaky chance of the Drivers’ Championship at all?
CL: I mean, never say never. Let’s say that for the Constrictors, if we do everything perfect until the end of the season, no matter what McLaren does, if we do better than them, I think we can still clinch that title. With the drivers, I see it a bit in a different way. Even if we do everything perfect, I feel like it will require a little bit of luck inside that to try and get that title, and we cannot really rely on luck. So the Drivers’ seems to be quite unlikely, but again, I’ll believe in it until it’s mathematically impossible. But trickier.
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) For Charles and Carlos. I don’t know if you’ve seen the incident between Max and Lando, but could I get your thoughts on it and the racing rules? Do you feel they’re clear in Formula 1, what you can and can’t do in battle?
CL: I haven’t seen any of it. I mean, I just saw the Turn 1, which I think was fine. I mean, it’s hard racing, and everybody will try something like that anyway. So nothing to comment there, but I haven’t seen any of the rest.
CS: Yeah, I haven’t analyzed it either.
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) And clarity on racing rules? Do you feel it’s clear what you can and can’t do in battle?
CS: I think some things are. Others are still a bit blurry to me, let’s put it like that. I think there was an example yesterday with Oscar’s overtake. That for me was completely fine and very similar to anything that we’ve done between each other on the sprint. And I felt like the penalty on Oscar yesterday was really, really harsh and didn’t go along with some guidelines that I thought were the way they were. So yeah, that penalty surprised me yesterday. About today, I have no clue because I haven’t seen, I haven’t gone five seconds by five seconds penalty to see. So let’s see.
CL: Yeah, I agree with Carlos on Oscar’s penalty yesterday. I also thought it was a bit too harsh. However, on the rules, I think they are clear. Sometimes the interpretation of the rule can be a little bit different because it will be impossible to have a rule book that takes every single scenario. Every scenario is different, has its particularity, and you’ve got to analyze it in a different way and interpret the rules in some ways for particular scenarios, which is what the FIA is trying to do best. However, sometimes we disagree, and I think on the one of yesterday, it’s something that we’ll probably talk of in the next driver briefing.
Q: (Matthieu Piccon – Motorsinside.com) A question for Charles. We heard you during the race talking about plan A, B, and C. Was it always a goal to do a one-stopper, or did you address based on the gap you had on Max?
CL: Yeah, we adjusted it. However, at one point, like at lap 15 or 16, we had quite a good gap. So we had the freedom to basically copy whatever Max was doing a lap later, because it’s not like he could undercut us. So when you are in this situation, it’s quite a lot less stressful because you’ve just got to copy what the driver behind you does and we had the gap to do so. So then it was more about mirroring what everybody was doing behind more than actually come up with a different strategy at that time.
Q: (Nate Saunders – ESPN) Question for the Ferrari guys. Ravin [Jain] was on the podium with you today. Strategy was kind of seen as a bit of a weak point a couple of years ago. Seems to have really taken a step forward with him. Can you just explain what he’s been able to do in that role to kind of, I guess, just increase the confidence in those calls? And yeah, just the changes he’s made since he’s taken over?
CL: I mean, he’s incredible. I have really a lot of trust in Ravin. He’s done an excellent job. He’s pretty young, too, for a position like that. But he’s always super, super calm. And that’s really needed. And yeah, he also manages the emotion super well, which maybe in the past was probably one of our weaknesses, speaking of strategy. This has changed a lot with Ravin. And again, he’s doing a really, really good job. So I think, yeah, we have a very strong track team at the moment.
CS: Yeah, I think full credit for Ravin and all the strategy team for the progress that’s been made in Ferrari over the last couple of years. I think it’s been important to see progress in that side. And there’s been a lot of work being done behind the scenes. And obviously, Ravin has played a fundamental role in that work. Like I’ve said many times, having a good car on race day always helps to make the strategy work. And I feel like this year, compared to last year, we have a very strong car on race day. The best example is today. A car that allows you to be the first one to box and still extend the Hard tire and still be quick on the Hard tire and not and not be because of being the first one to box, then degrading more than the others. That is something that I’ve struggled in the past, especially last year, a lot with that. And yeah, Singapore, I remember boxing in lap 14 of a 70-lap race or a 60-lap race and still making it to the end. With any other car or with any other year that we’ve had, were degradation and the car was weaker in the race, this wouldn’t be possible. So making bold strategy moves on race day wouldn’t be as easy and you would look more crazy by doing them. And this year, having a car that degrades less the tires and makes you more competitive on race day also allows you more flexibility and better opportunities to play with the strategy.
Q: (Taylor Powling – Motorsport Monday) Question for Charles. Congratulations on the win. You mentioned in the first that you didn’t want to be put under pressure once you came out of the pits. How much apprehension was there about a repeat of Baku?
CL: I mean, apprehension wasn’t that big because I could see the gap and the gap was like 10 seconds. So I knew that it was a lot. I knew that Carlos had stopped quite a bit before. Then I learned that Max stopped as well. So for me, there wasn’t a lot of reasons for me to go still longer than that, because that will only bring them closer to me when I got out the box. And when you have cold tires, you don’t want to have pressure from behind because you just want to bring the tires nicely up to temperature. So I do want to find myself in that scenario. So I made it clear to the team. But I think there was at no moment there was any scary thoughts or whatsoever. The gap was plenty.
Q: (Kevin Lyttle – The Austin American Statesman) When you guys left here last year, so much of the story was about the bumpy track. How do you rate it this year after the changes that were made?
CL: I think there’s been a massive step forward in the parts where it’s been resurfaced. I still think, though, that the first sector is, apart from Turn 1, that has also been resurfaced, Turn 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 there’s still quite a bit of work to be done because it’s still extremely bumpy. But apart from that, on the resurfaced parts, it’s a lot better.
CS: Yeah, much better in general. I think bumps are always going to be in Austin. And it’s part of the track character, which drivers accept. And I think it makes the track a bit different compared to others. But there are certain bumps that will need to get work done every year, like the one in 3, 4, and 5. And sometimes I think it’s Turn 19 and breaking into Turn 12 sometimes can get quite bumpy. But if the circuit keeps working at it, just to make sure they don’t go crazy jumpy, then I think we’re in a good place. But I don’t mind a certain level of bumpiness to a track.
MV: I agree. Yeah, I trust he said something very good. It’s just high speed. You don’t want it to be super bumpy. It’s dangerous.