|
1 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull
Racing)
2 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
3 – Fernando ALONSO (Aston Martin)
TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by David Coulthard)
Q: Fernando, what a Grand Prix. Have you ever experienced the likes?
Fernando ALONSO: Probably not. I mean, we had a roller coaster of emotions
today. And yeah, many things going on at the beginning. But then also at the
end now, you know, the last half an hour it was difficult to understand
what's going on. But the race itself was good for us in terms of pace. I
think Mercedes were very fast and Lewis did an incredible job today, so I
could not match the pace or not get close enough. But we take P3.
Q: Yeah, that's what we were wondering, in the Grand Prix, whether you were
just pacing yourself and saving your tyres, because early on it looked like
it would be a straightforward run to the flag. But all of that changed. And
then of course, I guess your heart was in the mouth at that red flag restart
when you were spun around?
FA: Yeah, I mean, the first red flag did help us, because George and Carlos
came in. So we took those places for free. And the second red flag probably
didn't help, obviously, with the incident there. But then we got lucky again
and we had another opportunity now to just see the chequered flag in P3 and
as I said, P3, P4 for the team is just amazing Sunday.
Q: Well, you’ve started with three races and three podiums, what can the
rest of the season bring you?
FA: I guess a little bit higher up on the podium, because three third
places, let's go for a second place at least.
Q: Lewis, welcome back to the podium. That was a crazy race!
Lewis HAMILTON: It was! I’ve got to say a huge thank you to everyone here in
Australia and Melbourne for having [us]. I've had the best week here, this
week. And the weather has been amazing today and this track, this town
continues to put on a great show. So yeah, it’s very unlucky for George
today and on our side we’ve got to look into… Our reliability has generally
been really good, so that's really unfortunate. But otherwise, to get those
points is really amazing today. I definitely didn't expect to be second. So
I'm super grateful for it.
Q: There's so many questions, because you've been saying you feel a bit
disconnected from the car but yet come race day that pace was good. Maybe
not enough for Red Bull. But you looked ‘fighty’. You really pushed Max into
Turn 3 on that opening start and you looked up for it.
LH: Yeah, I still feel uncomfortable in the car, though. The car… I still
don't feel connected to it. So I'm driving as best I can with that
disconnect. And I'm working as hard as I can to try and create that connect.
But I think it's a long project. But still, considering we've been down on
performance, we’re clearly down on end-of-straight pace compared to the Red
Bulls, for us to be up here fighting with Aston is just amazing at this
point in the season. And we’ve just got to keep on fighting. Big, big thank
you to all the people back to the factory. Let's keep pushing. We can close
that gap. It's going to be tough, but not impossible.
Q: I just want to pick up on a moment when you were on the radio quite early
on the Grand Prix, saying that I don't think the tyres will make it. I
wasn't sure if that was you kind of bluffing to put the opposition off?
LH: No, no. I definitely wasn't bluffing. I think, honestly, I was having to
push a lot to keep… Right at the beginning, obviously, to keep Max behind.
And then Fernando was pushing, you know, they're very, very quick. So I
think ultimately, he was a little bit quicker today behind me, but I just
managed to hold him off. So, for that I'm really grateful and also just…
What a legend. We’ve got a World Champion up ahead. We've got two World
Champions in the top three or three World Champions in the top three. That's
pretty mega.
Q: Indeed, Formula 1 2023 is excellent. Well done on your second place. And
finally, our race winner. Not really straightforward to get that victory,
was it?
Max VERSTAPPEN: No. We had a very poor start and then lap one, I was
careful, because I had a lot to lose and they had a lot to win, you know.
So, yeah, after that I mean I think the pace of the car was quick, you could
see that straightaway. We were always there waiting for the DRS to open up,
to have a chance to pass. But yeah with these red flags… I don't know, the
first one maybe you can do it, but that second one, I don't really
understand it. So, it was a bit of a mess. But yeah, we survived everything.
We had good pace in the car today again, and we won, which of course is the
most important [thing].
Q: The battle with Lewis at that first start, down at Turn 3. There was
maybe a little bit of contact there. It was hard but fair?
MV: From my side, I just tried to avoid a contact. It's quite clear in the
rules what is allowed to do, what you're allowed to do now on the outside.
But clearly it's not followed. But that's OK, you know, we had good pace and
we passed them anyway. But it's something for the next races to take into
account.
Q: OK, well, let's take it a little bit farther into the race and coming
into the second-last corner you decided to go a little trip to the grass.
MV: Yeah, I think I did the city a favour. I just cut the grass a bit more
so they don't need to do that anymore in that area. So yeah, I don't know. I
locked up a bit and didn’t want to flat-spot the tyre completely, so I ran a
bit wide but we had a good margin.
Q: And in the end, you had to wait a little bit there before you could do
that final lap to get your 37th victory in Formula 1.
MV: Yeah, I mean, it's great to win here. My first win [here] as well. It's
been a while for the team as well. But yeah, very, very happy. But also,
it's still great to see that the fans are having a good time even now. You
know, they had a long wait, for the whole day. I'd like to say a big thank
you to them as well, you know, for sticking around.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: It was a long afternoon's work, just how do you reflect on everything
that went on out there?
MV: I mean, of course, very happy to win the race. But I think the race
itself towards the end was a bit of a mess with all the calls. Yeah, I don't
think we needed that second red flag. I think that could have been done with
a Virtual Safety Car or a Safety Car at worst. [To the others drivers] but
yeah, OK… short. You see, he wants to leave. You need to go? But yeah, we'll
talk about it. I think it left a lot of drivers confused, why we needed a
red flag. Okay, well talk in Baku!
Q: Max, just in all of your racing career. Have you ever experienced a race
like that one?
MV: Yes. I don’t know, today was quite messy, yeah.
Q: Well, let's talk about your starts. Can we go in chronological order –
that first start in particular?
MV: Yeah, the first one was not good. Just didn't really get well off the
line. And I think, actually it just got better and better, my starts. So at
least that's an improvement!
Q: And the run on that opening lap down to Turn 3 with Lewis. You touched on
it a little bit earlier with David Coulthard. Do you feel Lewis overstepped
the mark?
MV: I think I was also quite careful. I think I could have been a little bit
more aggressive. But on the other hand, I didn't want to have any damage on
my car, because I knew that we had a quick car, right? So even losing one or
two spots was not the end of the world.
Q: Final one for me. I'm sure there'll be plenty from the floor. But do you
feel these guys were closer to you this weekend in terms of pace?
MV: I think it was also the nature of the track, with the very low deg. So,
I think that all made it a bit closer. The warm-up was also quite tricky.
Some teams probably nailed it a bit better than others. So yeah, difficult
to say. I think we need to go to a few more tracks to have a full
understanding.
Q: OK, very well done. Lewis, coming to you now. You seemed elated after
that one. Just how unexpected was this result?
LH: It was very unexpected. Obviously just coming into the weekend, but
obviously, also getting a second and third and qualifying yesterday really
blew us all away and a huge boost of energy throughout the team. So that
meant today we had a shot at, you know, trying to at least overtake Max for
a second. And so, we both got ahead, which was amazing. To have a Mercedes
one-two for a second. And obviously he came sailing by at one stage, but it
was a really entertaining race and I had a really good battle with Fernando,
which was awesome.
Q: Can we touch on that overtaking move with Max. Just talk us through the
rundown to Turn 3.
LH: I thought it was pretty decent. I mean, he braked early and I braked
late and I was fully up the inside and I think we both left space for each
other. I didn't run him off the road and he didn't turn in on me. So we
didn't touch and that’s racing.
Q: All right, you touched on that battle with Fernando. It was real cat and
mouse all afternoon between the two of you. Who do you feel had the faster
car this afternoon, you or him?
LH: I think Fernando's a little bit quicker this afternoon. I mean, he was
in my tow, so I think we were probably slightly quicker on the straight and
he was quicker through all the corners. So I think we definitely have some
performance to find. It definitely wasn’t easy keeping him at bay, and
keeping them out of the DRS zone. But it was really quite interesting, just
to see where we were, where we were lacking, and where we were good. And so
there's lots of positives to take from today but we do naturally need to add
on some performance. I mean, they've been ahead the past two races but for
us to somehow still finish ahead is pretty awesome. So I'll definitely take
it.
Q: Fernando, coming to you now. Third race of the season, third podium for
you. How satisfied are you?
FA: Yeah, very. I mean, incredible. And also for the team, third and fourth,
27 points out of this Sunday, I think. It really made me feel happy for the
boys and girls in the team. And yeah, the race was not easy. For sure. I
think at the beginning obviously we got lucky with the first red flag
because George, and Carlos pitted, so we benefit from that, and then yeah,
in terms of pace we were very close to Lewis, also through the race – but
every time that I tried to get close, yes he seemed to pick up the pace. I
try to put some pressure but, you know, he had an incredible race, no
mistakes at all, as you probably expect from him, a champion. But only one
lock-up, I think, Turn 13, in 58 laps. So I was trying to put pressure but
nothing happened. So yeah, I will take P3.
Q: What state were your tyres in, because had this been a conventional end
to the grand prix, how do you think it would have played out?
FA: They were good.
Q: And he’s just said that he thought you had the faster car this afternoon.
Would you agree?
FA: Probably. I think when you do 50 laps within two seconds of the car in
front, it’s normally you have a little bit more. If you have a little bit of
clean air, probably you can get two or three tenths out of that lap time.
But in the other end, I could not get any closer than that. So, I think we
were very similar.
Q: Can you just talk us through the moment when you and Carlos touched at
Turn 1 please. What's your view on what happened?
FA: Yeah, I mean, obviously I didn't know who touched me in that moment. I
just felt in Lap One of the first start, someone touched me in Turn 3. And
then in the last restart, Carlos apparently touched me in Turn 1. Yeah, I
mean probably only Jeddah I had the normal start. In Bahrain also in Turn 4,
Lance touched me, into T4, so, I'm very attractive out there! But our car is
strong enough. So you know, it doesn't matter if they keep touching us.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) Question to Max please. Obviously had
everything under control, it seemed, once you've got past Lewis and pulled
away – but there was that one off at Turn 13. Could just explain what
happened there? And also, can you just talk us through the final restart
before everything really kicked off behind you, when Lewis was alongside
you. How did that go for you? Thanks.
MV: Yeah, just a tiny lock-up and they want to flat spot the tyres, so I ran
a bit wide, cut the grass a bit, saved Melbourne a bit of money to cut the
grass there. But I don’t think Lewis was alongside me. I think my start was
a little bit better than what I had before, so I was happy about that
because the tyres were really, really cold. And then, of course, after Turn
1, I saw there were massive gaps behind me, so I thought already there was
something going on, and then I saw the replays and it was just a lot of
chaos behind. So yeah, how it goes sometimes.
Q: (Jesús Balseiro – Diario AS) Question to Fernando. After you’ve seen the
incident with Carlos at the end, and what do you think of it? What do you
think of the penalty?
FA: Yeah, I mean, probably the penalty is too harsh, I think because on Lap
One, it is very difficult always to judge what the grip level, and I think
we don't go intentionally into another car, you know? Because we know that
we risk also our car and our final position, so sometimes you ended up in
places that you wish you were not there in that moment. And it's just part
of racing, but I didn't see the replay properly, but for me, it feels to
hard.
Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) Question to Lewis and to Fernando please.
You changed tyres after the very first red flag and it looks like you were
going to go to the end without stopping. How difficult was it balancing
keeping those tyres alive whilst also chasing each other and it looking like
the pressure was on? Thanks.
LH: Yeah, I think I had a lot more tyre than I thought that I did at the
end. There was a moment where I thought the tyre was opening up and Fernando
was applying pressure, then backing off and I had decent pace and then
closing the gap again. He had two or three charges which I had to then
really up the ante and try to match him, which was which was tough. I was
able to be around a tenth or so off him, or sometimes ahead. But definitely,
with 18 laps to go, I was thinking jeez, I don't know if these tyres are
going go all the way. But then he had a moment where he backed off and I was
able to save a bit and then got into a good rhythm and I was able to just
keep that gap exactly the same for those last 10 laps or whatever. So was
just counting it down, just hoping, hoping that it would just stick with it.
And yeah, he was very, very consistent from what I could tell, didn't make
any mistakes. Fernando doesn't make a lot of mistakes. So, it needed to be a
good job.
FA: Yeah, similar comments. I think, at the beginning of the second race,
let's say, there were some doubts that the tyre could make that distance,
because we missed FP2 long runs and everything. But I agree that at the end
of the race, the tyres were better than expected. They could keep going.
Q: (Fred Ferret – L’Equipe) Lewis and Fernando, when you go into a restart
in a race like that, do you fear losing position? Or are you happy to try to
be the first at the first corner?
LH: I was always trying to get to first, even when I was third. And then
obviously up alongside Max at the end, I really was hoping for a better
start than I got. We both got pretty much similar getaways and then he had a
better second phase. And then it's just not to lose out to Fernando you
know, he's having good starts as well. So it's all very, very close and all
within a meter or so by the time you get to Turn 1. Initially, I was trying
to get ahead and then otherwise we're just at the end not wanting to lose a
position to the Aston.
FA: Yes, similar comments. For us, it's just an opportunity, so yeah, I was
pretty sure that I could be second, to be honest, in the last start, because
we've been very good, very strong on the starts and it was good again, I was
side-by-side into Turn 1. But then yeah, you also sometimes realise that
there are a lot of risks as well, every time there is this kind of restart,
and maybe you end up with a DNF, which was very close for me this time.
Q: Max, how were you feeling prior to that final start?
MV: Yeah, I mean I had a terrible first one so I was actually not really
looking forward to it. But luckily we seem to improve it a bit afterwards.
But I think it was a bit more difficult because of how cold the tyres were
so you also didn't really know what you're going to get off the line.
Q: (Pedro Fermin Flores – TheGodFlores) Max, did you know that at the last
time there were some discussions about your position inside the box of the
grid in the 'real' start? Your tyres were finally on the limit on the line?
How did you do it, because you have the magnificent sun of Australia in
front of you? How did you did it, to put the tyres inside?
MV: To be honest with you I think I braked a bit late and then I lost my
reference a bit but then I looked and I was like I still have a little bit
more space. I actually moved a bit forwards and yeah, it was really on the
limit. But on the limit is on the limit, it’s not over the limit. Yeah, the
sun was also quite difficult at the end, the visibility especially into Turn
1, Turn 3 was quite tough.
Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Max, at the end, you said the end of the race was a
mess and left drivers confused. Obviously this question is to you but to
Lewis and Fernando as well. Do you think there needs to be a rethink of the
rulebook to ensure that there's more clarity and also that the race doesn't
end behind the Safety Car and there's obviously some fans as well saying
that this drama has been created for F1’s new Netflix audience. So, just
wondering if that's something you guys…?
MV: I think it's quite clear, I just didn't understand why we needed a red
flag. I think if you would have had a Safety Car and then just had a normal
rolling start we wouldn't have had all these shunts and then you have a
normal finish. So they created the problems themselves at the end of the
day.
Q: (Andrew Benson - BBC Sport) I'm going to ask about that as well, guys.
You could argue this is a problem that Formula 1 has created for itself, and
Fernando, you were quite outspoken in the car about it. Do you think Formula
1 should be approaching races like this trying to get a green-flag finish?
Do you think red flags should be thrown in these conditions? And also, what
did you feel about the first red flag too?
FA: You never know. I was surprised with all the red flags, to be honest,
because the first one, I think, was [because of] a Williams in Turn 6, but
we went through there one lap, I think, behind the Safety Car and there was
a little bit of gravel, but nothing really too bad on track. But we never
know in the car what's going on on the track itself. So apparently, maybe
one barrier was not properly fit there, so I think the FIA has more
information than us. So if there is a red flag, it has to be for a reason.
We will ask probably in Baku what was the reason for the second? I know
there was a piece of tyre debris in the first straight but the car itself
was on the inside of Turn 4 so it felt quite safe there. And the safety car
is for those kind of reasons so yeah, for us, maybe it was a different
opinion. But as I said the FIA are the only ones that have all the cards on
the table so in those kinds of situations, we trust them, and we try to keep
them going.
Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) Fernando, question for you: looking at the
weekend, overall, this is your third third in a row, but the first time
you're behind a car that isn't a Red Bull. Why do you think that was? The
battle with Mercedes overall this weekend? And do you think it's going to
fluctuate between the two teams going forwards?
FA: No more three Red Bulls on the podium, if Checo was here! But no, I
think Mercedes they've been also strong in Jeddah, to be honest. I think all
the race on Sunday, I was within one tenth of George, fighting to get this
extra five seconds or whatever at the end so it was very, very close. It
seems that qualifying is quite important now, because race pace is very
similar and I think now we enter into a part of the season that is going to
be very interesting: which team is developing the car faster? I think the
first three races being away from Europe, it’s difficult to bring upgrades
and things like that. But from now on, maybe we see the level of the teams
changing a little bit, race-by-race, depending on who brings an upgrade that
is good enough. I don't know, for us, it's all happy days at the moment. We
never expected to be on the podium, maybe even throughout the season and in
three races we have three. So everything that comes now is a plus and as I
said today, third and fourth is a lot of points so we take every opportunity
and we need to learn and we need to grow as a team also maybe now off-track
because we are racing against Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, teams that are
used to this kind of pace of development and things like that. And maybe we
are just in a learning process. So we take this 2023 in a very humble manner
and let’s see how it's going. |
