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DRIVERS – Esteban GUTIERREZ
(Haas), Carlos SAINZ (Toro Rosso), Kevin MAGNUSSEN (Renault), Jenson BUTTON
(McLaren), Kimi RAIKKONEN (Ferrari), Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)
PRESS CONFERENCE
Kevin, obviously a horrible accident in Spa. How are you and what did you
have to do to get ready for this race?
Kevin MAGNUSSEN: I have just relaxed. Nothing was broken, I wasn’t injured
so just a bit sore in my body and I didn’t need to do anything special. No
special treatments or anything. Yeah, just took a couple of days at home and
ready for the next race.
And what happened?
KM: I spin at the top of Eau Rouge. I hit a bump and lost the rear. I
thought I was going to go left into a spin, but then the car caught grip
again and I went right and into the wall. Yeah, that’s what happened.
Thanks for that. Kimi, coming to you: some strong feelings after the Spa
weekend, especially with regard to Max Verstappen. What would you like to
happen now with regard to the rules of engagement between drivers out on the
track when it comes to attacking and defending?
Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: I think it’s quite clear what they are and obviously
sometimes you feel it’s not correct what happens on circuit but obviously I
think the biggest problem is it’s not always the same. I think as drivers we
always discussed it and it’s a bit up and down and I think that could be
improved. Personally I have nothing against Max. He is doing a good job and
he’s fast. It's not a personal thing but certain things, at least in my
feeling, were not correct if you have to slow down or brake under full speed
but those things are never ending discussions but let’s see what happens.
You’ve also now had a chance to study video of the collision at the start
with Sebastian. Have you discussed it together during the week and what
conclusions did you come to?
KR: Obviously it was an unfortunate thing. Not really an awful lot to
discuss except probably he said sorry and I said OK and you know we go
forward. It wasn’t ideal for us or any of the three to be involved, but
that’s how it goes sometimes. So next time we try to give a bit more room
but it’s done now.
Thank you for that. And your side of that, Seb? Kimi’s said you apologised
to him. You’ve had a good chance to review it, to think it through again,
what are you feelings now in the cold light of day?
Sebastian VETTEL: Not so much to talk about,. It’s clear what happened.
Obviously I thought there was Kimi on the inside but as it turned out there
was three cars. The room that I gave was for Kimi, it was not for three cars
because I think Max had a bad start and was out of that fight, but decided
not to, so in the end we had three cars with not enough room. From my side,
it’s clear. Obviously if I know that – I can’t see much in the mirrors, I
could see that Kimi was there and I was slightly ahead – if I had to do it
again, knowing that, I would give a little bit more room, at least I make I
don’t know about the cars on the inside then, but I think it was a pity for
all three to be involved and not to come out of the corner being able to
race for the podium after that.
OK, moving forward, Italian Grand Prix this weekend, special atmosphere here
as always. You had a great experience here 12 months ago, on the podium, all
that warmth from the tifosi. Is it fair to say, though, that this race comes
at a slightly difficult moment for the team – you haven’t had a podium for a
few races and Red Bull have moved ahead of you in the championship?
SV: No, I think it comes at the right time, I think we need a bit of a boost
and support, so very much looking forward to this weekend. Last weekend was
very positive for us. Obviously the race didn’t unfold the way we expected
or we hoped for but it was very positive in terms of pace. I think we had a
couple of races before the summer break where we were struggling a bit and
we seemed to reconnect to the group ahead again, so I’m pretty confident the
car should be fine here. Obviously it’s a different track and unique in many
ways, but like I said, I think it comes at the right time, with people
supporting us. Already now the couple of hours this day has had it was very
positive with a lot of fans and it’s one of the biggest pleasures for us to
race in front of the home crowd.
OK, thank you very much for that. Coming to you Esteban, you’ve finished
just outside the points four times this season, do you feel that
breakthrough points-scoring finish for Haas is just around the corner?
Esteban GUTIERREZ: Yes, it is and it’s very important to have found the
consistency and the rhythm we have in the last three months, because by
being consistent and being persistent we will go an break through the top
10, which for us is obviously the target in every race from now to the end
of the season. It hasn’t been an easy task, especially with how my season
started, but we have been making very good progress inside the team in many
ways and we can look into the positive sides and keep pushing and keep doing
our best to get there.
Haas obviously has a technical partnership with the home team here this
weekend, Ferrari, a special weekend I’m sure, but how do you see the
collaboration evolving?
EG: I think it’s an important part for the team of course. It is something
that gives a lot of confidence right from the beginning to have the support
and obviously the relationship is important for the whole team. So I think
that’s going to keep going and it’s going to keep going forward in the way
that it has to be done, properly considering the regulations that have to be
well respected but the relationship is there and it’s going to continue
forward in the next years.
Thank you very much for that. Carlos, coming to you, 22 years old today,
happy birthday. A little bit of a frustrating race for you last weekend
going out with a puncture and presumably it’s not a great moment as well for
the championship for you, as it seems that the lack of updates now on the
power unit is beginning to cost in terms of performance. What are your
feelings about the rest of the races this season?
Carlos SAINZ: Yeah, we are not going through our best moments at the
moments. Yeah, since Hockenheim and the last race in Spa it looks like it’s
taking us a lot more effort to get close to the top ten. Spa was kind of
expected; Hockenheim not so much, but we are definitely not where we want to
be. In theory we think were prepared for the performance drop-off of the
engine in the second half of the season but it has been maybe a bit more
than expected, so now there is a lot work going on in Toro Rosso, a lot of
analysis, a lot of testing coming up in free practice to try to turn around
this bit of a bump we are going through. I still have full confidence. Spa –
it would have been nice to see what we could have achieved after being P7 at
the start, but it’s how it is sometimes.
Just looking at your record this year: when you’ve finished you’ve scored
points in all but two of those races. So, from a personal point of view,
comparing last season with this one, do you feel pleased with the progress
you’re making?
CS: I think I have to be very pleased, because last year I went through very
difficult moments with the reliability and I kept telling the people ‘wait,
because the moment I stop having these issues I will be able to show what I
am more capable of in Formula One’. And that first half of the season was
also to prove myself and to prove also that when I don’t have so many
problems I can score some points. This consistency has allowed me to create
a lot of points in the first half of the season… that will be probably be
very difficult to keep for the second half!
Thank you. Coming to you Jenson, obviously the power unit upgrades in Spa
seemed to work pretty well, and rival team engineers tell me your corner
speeds were very impressive in Spa as well, so it seems that it’s all
starting to come together for McLaren?
Jenson BUTTON: Well, yeah, I only did four corners, but I think they all
look fantastic, so very happy with them! No, seriously, as a whole we
probably did better in Spa than most people expected. I think we were
probably running a little bit more downforce than other people as well. But
if you look at Fernando, if you forget the first few laps, if you look at
the actual pace of the car, Fernando was actually good in the race. It’s
promising coming here, you know these are two reasonably difficult circuits
for us, but we’ve definitely made good progress. Honda have done a great job
of bringing the upgrade to Spa and it’s good to see progress pretty much
every race we have with Honda and also with the car, so yeah, I think it’s
progressing well.
What about yourself? When do you expect to announce your plans, what you’re
going to do next?
JB: That’s progressing well as well. So, progress is the name of the game?
So it’s good.
Before we move on to the floor, just a few moments ago Felipe Massa
announced that he is retiring from Formula One. Just some thoughts from each
of you maybe about him, his contribution as a driver and as a colleague.
Kimi, you were a team-mate of his, so maybe you could start?
KR: Obviously it’s a big shame, but this is his choice in the end. We had a
good relationship when we were in the same team and obviously he has had
some difficult moments in F1, with the accident, but he’s been strong always
and he’s a very nice guy. So, life goes on, and I’m sure he made the right
choice for himself, so hopefully he has a good end to his F1 career.
Kevin?
KM: He’s had a long career. I don’t think I’ve seen Formula One when he
wasn’t racing, so he’s had a long career. He’s had a good one. As Kimi said,
if he feels it’s the right time then good luck to him and not much more.
Sebastian?
SV: He’s a really nice guy, really funny. It’s a shame to see that he quits
because he will be missed. Obviously I wish him all the best for whatever he
decides to do in the future. I think apart from the talent and speed he has
on the track, as I said, he’s a great guy and very easy-going and he will be
missed.
Esteban?
EG: Well I think it was quite a wise decision to make – which is probably
not an easy one to make for everyone’s career. I have great memories for
when he accepted my call and invited me for dinner back in 2008, when I was
racing Formula BMW. At that time, that meant a lot for me. Now, I wish him
the best. He has made an incredible career and he has to be proud of that.
Jenson?
JB: I’ve raced with Felipe since he started in Formula One, I think it’s
about 15 years we’ve been racing together, so yeah, it’s always a strange
feeling when someone retires from the sport that’s achieved so much, so many
victories, and being so close as well to a world championship. But we all
have our own reasons. I think it’s a brave decision but he’s chosen to
retire so it’s definitely the right one.
And finally, Carlos.
CS: From my personal side I remember meeting him for the first time in 2005.
I think I was 10-11 years old. He was really kind to me and was my hero
Formula One driver. He was very funny, very kind to me and since then I’ve
had lots of respect for him. Five minutes before coming here I went to give
him a hug, wish him all the best and I’m sure he’ll have a good life from
now on.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto Motor) This is for anyone who cares to comment on
Max Verstappen’s driving but especially to the Ferrari guys. Sebastian, you
said last weekend you were not a fan of punishing drivers because of how
they drive. Have you maybe talked to Max about it and what do you think is
the way to go to make him understand that he’s sometimes overstepping the
limit. And Kimi, could you please clarify, when you overtook Max on lap 12,
I think, when you both went off because he outbraked you after you left him
on the straight. Who was it who asked you to let him pass again.
KR: Obviously I asked from the team if I have to give the position back or
not and they asked the FIA or Charlie and the answer was that I have. I
haven’t seen where he went or if he stayed on the circuit or not and… kind
of stayed on the circuit, much more than me, so obviously that was a pretty
easy decision from my side.
Sebastian?
SV: Not sure I remember all of it but haven’t spoken to him yet. I think the
thing that we’ve spoken about before and has come up again in Spa was the
bit that is the moving under braking which obviously, as the lead car, is
the wrong thing to do. The following car can react but there are situations
where you can’t react any more and it will end up in a crash which has been
something that we’ve talked about. I think he understood when we spoke about
it so we obviously need to maybe have another chat. But as I said in Spa,
I’m not a big fan of running to the stewards and complain there. I think
it’s much better if we do it face to face. Unfortunately we haven’t done
that yet but I’m sure we will.
Q: (Nadia Enevoldsen – bmf1.dk) I have a question for Vettel. In 2008 you
won your first grand prix here where you were the youngest driver ever – can
you win on Sunday and if so will the feeling be even better than this
feeling from 2008?
SV: I think we should have a good weekend. I think Spa was a good step to
come back and obviously this race means a lot to us, means a lot to me. Not
only… I mean of course because being one of the Ferrari drivers driving on
home soil is… with all the tifosi coming and supporting is great – but it
also means a lot to me because it’s the place, as you mentioned, where I won
my first race. I think the first race win is always something that will
stand out and something that you don’t forget. Obviously I’ve been very
lucky in the last couple of years to have some more wins but for sure, after
last year’s experience here, being on the podium in the red suit, I probably
realized that, yeah, people don’t hate me as much as I thought after the
last couple of years with Red Bull! Very much looking forward to the race on
Sunday and that’s definitely something that would be a dream coming true to
win here dressed in red. We’re working very hard for that.
Q: (Ralph Woodall - L’Equipe) Question for Kevin. After such a big crash how
to you feel about going back in the car? Are you apprehensive? What are your
expectations for the weekend?
KM: After a crash like that it’s clear that the car is very safe and there’s
not too much to worry about. I’m going to be flat-out again and pushing as
hard as I can. I think in terms of expectations for this race, we had a
stronger weekend in Spa and were a little bit surprised by our pace in
qualifying especially. On this track the setup is not too different, the
setup is very similar, so hopefully it will show that we are still on that
level.
Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, you have never won in Italy and have
had three podiums here. How would you describe your relationship with the
Monza circuit?
KR: I enjoy the circuit, usually it’s always a great weekend, even before I
raced for Ferrari. I had some good memories and some not-so-good memories
from here. It’s never been straightforward weekends of races for me. But
it’s a great place to come and, for racing, it’s quite a special place. The
circuit layout and obviously the history what is in the place, plus being
part of Ferrari, we have amazing support and obviously our home race so
hopefully this weekend goes well. We feel we have a good chance so hopefully
we make all the right things and… choose right things when it comes and get
the best out of it. But I enjoy to come here and race.
Q: (Daniel Johnson – The Telegraph) Question for Seb, couple of things. Why
do you think this season hasn’t gone how you guys would have hoped. What
reasons do you have in your mind for that, that you haven’t met the targets
you set yourselves. Second to that, you moved to Ferrari to win the
championship. How much patience do you have with the team to get it right?
Are you going to be here until you win?
SV: Maybe I start with the second one. I don’t feel old so I think I’ve got
some time. I’m not a patient person, I’m pretty much the opposite, which I
think goes hand-in-hand with your first question. It’s very simple: we were
not quick enough up to that point. We didn’t therefore collect as much
points as we wanted to. Obviously if you’re a lot quicker then you’re in a
much better position to win races, you score more points and you get nicer
questions. That’s usually how it goes. I’ve been on the other side as well.
But yeah, I’m pretty confident we’ll have better days again and we have our
home race ahead of us. Sounded pretty negative but I think actually it’s a
lot of positives to look forward to. I think it will be amazing in terms of
support. It’s great to come here, the place means a lot to us, to myself and
I think we have a good chance to fight for a good and strong podium – maybe
even more. We will see. I think it’s clear that all of us inside the team,
we are not very patient, we have very high expectations which I think we’ve
expressed many times at the beginning of the year. We want to fight for the
championship but, as I said, as a net result so far we haven’t been
competitive and quick enough – yet. We are trying our utmost to improve it.
There’s a lot of things happening on the track, even more things happening
back in Maranello at the factory to work on that and change that. People are
fired up – even if it still takes a little bit.
Q: (Fulvio Solms – Corriere dello Sport) Question is for Seb and Kimi. You
have a very good relationship, that’s clear and that’s OK but wouldn’t you
like to live every race with a really stressing weekend, fighting each other
with a winning car like Lewis and Nico at Mercedes?
SV: I don’t understand the question… the first part you say we get along and
the second part you ask if we… wouldn’t like to get along basically! Oh, of
course, if both of us could choose we’d love to drive the car that is more
competitive and is a bit easier to win races – but I don’t think it would
change anything in the relationship. Obviously we’re driving the same car,
as you saw on Sunday we’re fighting for the same bit of tarmac, sometimes
things go wrong which, obviously, is bad when it happens, but it happens. So
in that moment, or after, nothing you can do but overall, I think that’s
what we’re working for. Us and the whole team. To have that winning car and
fight for the championship.
Kimi?
KR: We race as hard as we can against each other, we try to beat each other
every time and what would it change? We all want the team to be fighting for
wins and fighting for the championship with both cars. I don’t see what…
nothing would change. We still try to beat each other but we can still be
friends. Would be just better for all of us.
Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) To all drivers. It looks like each
group of [stewards] have their own interpretation of the rules. For example,
what we saw in Spa, in other circumstances, probably Max would be punished,
as Alonso also, when he left the pits, concerning with Perez. Do you believe
that with the same group of [stewards] it would be clear, the rules would be
more clear, you know exactly what you can and can’t do?
CS: I full agree on that point. Since I have been in Formula One the
consistency on the penalties has been not good enough. Sometimes you run
people wide on the track and you get a 10-second penalty, like I did in
Russia, or a five-second penalty, I don’t remember. Then you do it again in
Spain, like I did but you don’t get anything. Some other drivers get the
same or not. I would say it’s just not consistent enough ajnd I think we all
agree on that.
JB: yeah, I agree. I think we all understand that the consistency is the
most important thing, but it’s also very difficult to get that because you
are not going to get the same stewards at every race, so it’s a tricky one.
EG: Yes, I agree with the two guys here. Consistency has not been great.
It’s something that has been the case in the last few years, some strange
things happen from time to time but yeah, probably having more consistency
would be a bit more fair for everybody.
Kimi, you spoke about this earlier on in your earlier answers, anything more
to add?
KR: No, not really. I think it’s been discussed many times in our drivers’
meetings but obviously it’s still not anybody’s fault.
Kevin?
KM: I agree with the rest of the guys. It would be better to have the same
guys but I don’t know if it’s possible.
Sebastian, is it possible to solve it?
SV: I think it’s tricky one. We had a permanent steward and we shied away
from it because we felt it wasn’t good. It’s actually something I wouldn’t
like to do – I wouldn’t like to be a steward. We ended up developing too
many regulations and therefore taking every scenario as a different one we
ended up with every scenario being treated differently. I think it’s
actually impossible to consistent, 100 per cent consistent, in that regard.
I think the problem is that, as I said, we try to regulate too much. I think
it would be much better if it was more in our hands and you leave us to deal
with. Obviously there are limits, you can’t just take somebody off the track
and there have been some issues that deserve to be talked about recently or
in the past, whatever. I think it would be much better if you leave us to
deal with it and I think it would also enhance the amount of respect amongst
drivers, just to talk about it, and if you’re angry sometimes just out of
the car and hit the other guy! Well, we’re not allowed to do that anymore.
In many regards we have too many things and too many people with opinions
that… I don’t know, do you say you have ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’?
Amongst those lines so…
Q: (Ralf Bach – Auto Bild Motorsport) Sebastian, you said something before
about nice questions. So what is a nice question for you in the current
situation with Ferrari?
SV: No, I think what I said was that obviously if you keep winning races and
doing a good job people don’t ask you what’s wrong because clearly
everything is fine. If you’re not winning, then obviously everybody is
curious why you’re not winning. I think there’s always a reason and
obviously, as I said, the more competitive you are the less then you have to
deal with that sort of question, which is not a problem but it’s just a
little boring if every weekend it’s the same question. You give the answer,
you thought you’ve answered their question and then it comes up again and
again and again. I think we’ve all been there so it’s part of the deal.
Q: (Barna Zsoldos – Nemzeti Sport) To the Ferrari drivers: you were quite
unhappy with Max’s driving in Spa but he said that you should be ashamed for
causing a collision and destroying his race. Sebastian, you are 29, Kimi
you’re almost 37. Looking at the fact that he’s just a teenager, does this
make his comments and actions even more annoying for you?
SV: Well, I think it’s nothing. I don’t think we have anything to be ashamed
about, first of all, and secondly, I think as I tried in the answer before,
it’s a question of respect. I think we’re all here to race, we love what we
do, we share one great passion which dictates a very very big part of our
lives. It’s something we all have in common. We might get along, we might
not get along but that’s not really that important, but I think we should
always have respect for each other.
KR: Everybody is allowed to say what they feel like. Like I said before,
I’ve nothing personally against him. It’s just certain things in my view
that are not correct. I’ve no interest to call Max into it but obviously if
somebody says during the race that he does something because of what
happened in the first corner, that it’s payback, I don’t think it’s the
correct sport to start doing purposely paying back something that has
happened. It can end up in a very bad way. Yes, people make mistakes,
everybody has made it and it will happen to probably all of us and you just
have to accept it but it’s not the place to start acting silly in a way and
paying back for something that has happened.
Q: (Ralph Woodall – L’Equipe) Jenson, would you be interested in going to
Williams or is your priority elsewhere, staying with McLaren? Now you know
there’s a seat.
JB: I would love to make this really exciting because yeah, but I’ve got
nothing else to say on what I’m doing next year or my future. Sorry to say.
Q: (Jens Nagler – Sport Bild) Sebastian and Kimi, the two of you obviously
made contact at the start in Belgium and you did in China earlier in the
year as well, even if in both cases another driver was involved. I can
imagine you will be quite keen to avoid a repeat of making contact with each
other here in Monza. I don’t imagine as racing drivers you will admit to
going a little more cautiously but will you be doing any extra homework,
looking maybe at tapes of earlier races to avoid making contact with each
other?
SV: You answered the question yourself there. I don’t think we have to
explain anything.
KR: Nothing to add, not really.
Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Carlos Sainz, I want to know what changed in
the team after the change-over between Daniel and Max?
CS: Not much. My teammate has changed but my approach and my attitude to
work, to Formula One, is exactly the same. The team, internally, had a bit
of a reshuffle but it was all in a good direction. I think we can be happier
with the first half of the season of Toro Rosso. We will see how the second
half goes but it’s going to be tough for us. We need to make sure we put
everything in our hands to keep McLaren in our sights. I think it’s going to
be very difficult because they’re already ahead but it’s going to be tough
but we’re going to try our best.
Q: (Peter Varkas – Auto Motor) Jenson, last year you often said that you
felt like a sitting duck while trying to defend, because of the engine
deficit. From the cockpit, how much easier has it become to defend against
other people this year and is it fair to say that Monza will be one of the
toughest tests of the Honda progress?
JB: Yeah, especially here and Spa, it limits your strategy massively or it
has done in the past, it really does because you can’t hold people up on the
straights but it’s very different now, very different situation I think in
terms of the power unit itself. We’ve moved on a lot but also with the
deployment; I think we’ve probably got the best deployment out there. I’m
much happier coming here, especially after... the whole weekend of Spa was
positive, the feeling of the car, the feeling of the power unit. We still
know there’s a long way to go with it before we’re properly competitive but
it’s great to see progress at almost every Grand Prix we go to, whether it’s
a qualifying map becoming a race map or something completely new. The guys
back at Woking as well, at the MTC, bringing new parts to almost every race
and I think that’s probably more than most teams out there so we’re still
pushing and obviously a lot of the stuff that we do that we are putting on
the car is stuff that will help next year’s car as well, so yeah, it’s good
to feel that progress and it’s so much more enjoyable to drive when you’re
inside the top ten and fighting even further forward. It’s a really nice
feeling, considering where we were last year which was very difficult, so
big big progress but you always want more. When you finish sixth or seventh,
it’s a good job for where we are right now but you’re still sixth or
seventh, it’s not winning the race. When you’re used to winning – quite a
while ago now – but you still want to get back there and it’s obviously the
aim for the team. |
