Dutch GP: FIA Thursday Press Conference

PART ONE – Arvid LINDBLAD (Racing Bulls), Sergio PÉREZ (Cadillac), Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull)

Q: Max, perhaps we could start with you. Hope the summer was good to you. First, though, can we talk about the big news of the day? Four more years at Red Bull Racing. Congratulations. Was it an easy decision for you?
Max VERSTAPPEN: Yes, I mean, it wasn't really too stressful. I think it was the right call. I feel really good within the team and, yeah, we have a lot of belief that, you know, we can, let's say, get back to the top in the coming years.

Q: You were unsure about your future earlier in the season. What's changed?
MV: Well, it was mainly about actually continuing in Formula 1. But, yeah, the rules are slowly getting a bit better and, let's say, I'm willing to live with it. And hopefully, you know, by 2030 it opens up another opportunity, potentially with V8 engines coming in, to look again.

Q: Okay, let's talk about Zandvoort now. This is the last Dutch Grand Prix for the moment. What aspect of this weekend, your home race, are you looking forward to most?
MV: I mean, seeing the fans next to the track, I think, is always very special. They're very close in places, so it's really nice. And then besides that, of course, yeah, just driving the layout. I mean, it's a really cool track.

Q: Final one from me. It's unfortunate for Isack to be missing this race. Can you give us your thoughts on Liam returning to the team? What are you expecting from him?
MV: Yeah, I mean, I also got the news only on Tuesday, so, yeah, I hope, of course, that he can recover quickly with the rest. And then, yeah, for Liam to jump in, I mean, it doesn't help that it's a Sprint weekend, but I saw him quickly at the simulator as well, so I hope that, yeah, he can get all the preparation that is possible in and, yeah, that it's going to be, let's say, hopefully a more straightforward weekend.

Q: Okay, Max, thank you for that. I'm sure there'll be more questions for you in a minute. Checo, if we could come to you now. Hope you had a good break. Can we start by getting your reaction to the news that Graeme Lowdon has been replaced by Marcin Budkowski as Cadillac team principal?
Sergio PÉREZ: Yeah, obviously, I think Graeme has done a tremendous part in bringing Cadillac to where it is now, together with GM and Dan [Towriss]. And, yeah, I think he's part of the history of the team and I wish him well on whatever comes next. And I think on Marcin, I think it's really exciting at the same time, you know, when you have a new leader and see his new perspective. I haven't been spending much time with him, but I think it was time to change and I think it shows that, although it's only our first year, Cadillac is really willing to move forward this team as quickly as possible. And we hope that with the new leadership that can come soon.

Q: Is there one area that you would like Marcin to focus on?
SP: Well, I think being a new team, there's a lot of areas. You know, I think as a leader you can look at all these different departments with your experience and guide them. You know, it's what we are all expecting from Marcin, that he will guide us onto the next level, and we are all really excited about it.

Q: And we've just heard about Max committing to Red Bull Racing. What can you tell us about your future? 2027, more Cadillac?
SP: Well, from my side it was already clear when I came here. It was a two-year deal. But obviously I want this. I see this as my project and I want to be part of Cadillac for the long term, because when you start something from scratch it requires a lot of time. So, I'm really happy here and I look forward to continuing for the long term here. I think there will be some discussions later on and we'll see what happens.

Q: All right, Checo, thank you for that. And Arvid, if we could come to you now. Hope you've had a good break. Can we talk about new teammates? With Liam stepping up to Red Bull Racing, you're going to be partnered by Yuki Tsunoda. How do you view that challenge?
Arvid LINDBLAD: What challenge, of having a new teammate?

Q: Yeah, and Yuki specifically.
AL: Yeah, I mean, Yuki, for sure it's going to be an interesting weekend for him. You know, these cars are very different and it's going to be a Sprint weekend, not the easiest track, so for sure I'll try to help him, where I can, to get up to speed. But I think, you know, yeah, I don't know him super well. We haven't really crossed paths before, but we've always been friendly, so it should be a nice weekend together.

Q: And was there a discussion at all about you taking the seat at Red Bull Racing alongside Max for this weekend?
AL: I don't know. I was given the news on Tuesday, so I don't know.

Q: Okay, let's talk about your performance now. You had a great run coming into the summer break. Did you want the break or did you just want to continue racing?
AL: Honestly, I mean, I was quite happy just to keep going. I've been enjoying myself the last few races before the break and I had good momentum, so I would have been happy to do a few more. But at the same time, it still has been quite a busy start to the year, so it's always nice to have a break. But I feel well, sort of recharged now, and I'm really looking forward to tackling this weekend.

Q: Well, and in terms of performance, what are your hopes for here at Zandvoort?
AL: I think it should be similar to what we've been doing in the recent events. You know, the car is good. The team have done really, really well to bring performance to it. It seems pretty robust on all different types of tracks. We're competitive, so I think hopefully more of the same.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Craig Slater – Sky Sports) Max, I think in your briefing earlier you said you're more likely to retire than join another team. Can I take it that it never got to the stage where your management presented any firm offers from other teams to you? And going on from that, what about Red Bull senior management, the likes of Oliver Mintzlaff? What sort of role did they play in convincing you that they had the same ambitions for the team as the likes of, obviously, Helmut Marko had previously?
Max VERSTAPPEN: Yes, well, it was just very open, transparent discussions. I get on very well with Laurent, Oliver, the shareholders in general. They're all, like… For me, this feels like one big family. So, I'm just very happy to be a part of that. And, of course, over the last few months you talk about the team moving forward, the coming years, plans, ideas. It's always been communicated to me in a very open way, and that's what I like. And I like what they are trying to achieve, and that's why I also want to be part of it in the future.

Q: No other teams?
MV: It doesn't matter.

Q: It doesn't matter, does it?
MV: Well, not to me.

Q: (Panagiotis Seitanidis – Ant1 TV Greece) Again for Max. You elaborated a bit about it, but at the end of this calendar it will be 15 years with you within the same team. It's like a marriage, longer than many marriages nowadays. What is the secret ingredient that there is in this relationship? Even though people come and go, you're still here.
MV: Practising for my own marriage, just seeing how long I can eke that out in racing terms and then try and triple that, at least, in marriage. Come on. Yeah, I mean, I always said already back in the day when Dietrich was still alive, I said to him, "My goal and target would be, of course, to race for Red Bull forever." So we're on the good way.

Q: (Harry Benjamin – Sky Sports F1) A question for Max. It sounds like the V8 engine possibility is a big factor for you. Obviously, it's still only a possibility. If that doesn't happen in the future, is Red Bull where you end your career?
MV: Yes. I mean, I have no idea what will happen in 2031, but yes, for sure. It's probably more about where the sport will go at that time.

Q: (Mate Ujvari – MTVA) Question to Max. First of all, congratulations for your new contract. I'm not sure you had to write it or not in your contract, but do you still have plans to try yourself outside of Formula 1 and do you have the same freedom?
MV: Yes, for me that was definitely something that I want to keep doing. But, of course, it depends a bit on the F1 calendar, what will be possible also next year.

Q: Is there one race you have in mind?
MV: All the big endurance ones. 24-hour races in general, they would be, yeah, cool to drive in.

Q: (Mahlambi Nqobile – Supersport) Max, your Red Bull extension until 2030 has been announced ahead of the final Dutch Grand Prix. What does it mean to make such a significant commitment to your future here in Zandvoort in front of your most loyal fans?
MV: I mean, knowing that it's, of course, the final race here, I want to try and keep, let's say, a positive vibe going, just trying to enjoy the weekend in the best way possible. Plus, of course, to have the extension news, I think for the team as well and in general, yes, very positive, everything.

Q: (Raphael Sampt – Servus TV) A question for Max. Max, you just said it, it's going to be the last Dutch Grand Prix for the foreseeable future. Not even just because it's your home race, but as it's an old-school classic track, what will we miss out on in the upcoming years?
MV: I think, yeah, just the history around here, big amount of fans in general that love motorsport. And, yeah, the track, it's a cool layout. It's definitely very rewarding if you get it right. Like you said before, it's proper old-school driving. It's definitely one of the best tracks on the calendar compared to some tracks that we go to now that are, some of them, and I'm not going to name names, but they lack a bit of character. So, yeah, it's definitely going to be missed, for sure. It's always been really fun to drive. Even if I would not be Dutch, you know, to drive here would have been always amazing. And, of course, for me being Dutch, it made it that extra bit special.

Q: (Rodrigo França – Car Magazine, Brazil) Question to Max. Max, you started in Formula 1 as a teenager, 17 years old. How much being part of a good racing community with other drivers, such as Team Redline, helped you in your career?
MV: It definitely kept me also sharp off-track, preparing maybe in different ways that hadn't really been done before. But at the same time, it was also a hobby for me where I wanted to grow in, let's say, the sim racing community, to show that there are possibilities also for sim drivers to get into the real world. So that was also a bit the project behind that, besides becoming, let's say, one of the strongest teams in the sim racing community. But for me, I think driving, adapting to different kind of cars outside of Formula 1, it always helps. So, when you drive these kinds of cars then for the first time in real life, I think it just helps a lot with how you process all the things already, just driving out of the pits and starting first few laps. And that's why I also enjoy driving in other races than only Formula 1, doing these endurance events. Yeah, I enjoy them a lot.

Q: (Pepijn van der Hulst – RacingNews365) It's a question to Max. In Hungary you gave a lot of feedback about the downshifting again after saying earlier this year that you're quite sensitive to it. Could you maybe explain a little bit what, well, not optimal downshifting does to the car behaviour?
MV: Yes, I mean, it can either kick or push the car forward, or it locks the rear axle, which has a big influence on the car balance or tyre degradation. And that's what you always try to optimise. And, I mean, I have to say, many times it goes well, but I always report it when I think it can be better.

Q: (Leonid Kliuev – GrandePremio.br) Question for Arvid. Any explanation from the team on why they promoted, just for this weekend, Liam and not you? And also, did they ask you to give Yuki some tips?
AL: To be honest, it's my first time here to Zandvoort. You know, it's a Sprint weekend. I'm only halfway through my rookie year, so I think it was, let's say, a more logical decision to go with Liam. It would have been a bit more of a risk with me. Obviously, as a driver, I would have liked it. You know, I would have liked the opportunity. But at the same time, I understand completely why they did what they did. And I'm very focused now on my own weekend and trying to do as best as I can.

Q: (Anno Hecker – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) Question to Max. Congrats so far. Is there any exit clause in your new contract?
MV: I mean, I've never disclosed anything in my contract. Yeah, that stays the same.

Q: Come on, tell us.
MV: You're reporting here for me now, Checo? I'll tell you after, on a dinner or whatever.
SP: Can I go now?

Q: (Afke Boven – NOS) Sergio, how big is the loss of Zandvoort on the calendar?
SP: I think it's a great race. We all enjoy it a lot, the circuit itself and obviously the atmosphere. You know, since Friday it's flat out and you can see that the Dutch fans are having a lot of fun. So, yeah, I think it's going to be a big loss for Formula 1. I hope soon we can come back because it's a great circuit.

Q: (Sam Shephard – Autosport) Max, your GT team won a few weeks ago. How proud are you of that result and how much satisfaction does that give you away from Formula 1?
MV: Yes, I mean, this year has been, I would say, quite unlucky. I think most race weekends were very quick, but, yes, for a lot of different kind of reasons or freak accidents, we never really got the rewards for it. So when you then finally see that result, the work that goes in from all the people, mechanics to engineers to drivers as well, really wanting to win, and then they finally get that win, was, yeah, a great moment. It was actually probably the first, yeah, like one of the first days of my holiday, so I had a good drink on that after that. So very proud of everyone. And that's just the start. Want more. Immediately after, they were like, "Okay, we want to win more." So it's nice to see that immediately, also in the first year with the car, immediately we're competitive. And winning is always very satisfying.

Q: Checo, just one more for you before we go. The new chapter starts with Marcin, obviously. As we embark on the second half of this season, what do you want to see from Cadillac?
SP: I think we all want to see progress on the different departments that we have. I think there's a lot of progress we can do, just not on performance-wise, strategy, how we prepare our races, how we read our races after we've done them, all the different procedures. Having a lot of improvement will be really beneficial towards the end of the year and, obviously, to start next year a lot stronger as a team. And I think under the new leadership of Marcin, we're all looking forward to it.



PART TWO – Lando NORRIS (McLaren), Nico HÜLKENBERG (Audi), George RUSSELL (Mercedes)

Q: George, perhaps we could start with you and start with some congratulations on your engagement. Carmen said yes.
George RUSSELL: Yes! Yeah, no, it was very special. It was a really, really nice time to do it and, you know, a lot of thought went into it. It was a really interesting process, sort of designing the ring and doing all of that. And I thought, you know, when I came to the moment, I could actually get my words out. I suddenly got really nervous when I was on one knee. But no, it was great, so thank you.

Q: And were you able to switch off from Formula 1 completely during the break?
GR: Yeah, fully, to be honest. You know, especially coming into the second half of the season now, it's going to be very intense for us. Also, just really making the most of those two weeks. And obviously I had that on my mind for the first 10 days of the break, so that was great.

Q: Look, what about where we're at now? Do you see this as turning the page? How important is this weekend at Zandvoort just to get things started on the right foot?
GR: Yeah, I mean, I think every race weekend now is going to be very important. You want to build that momentum. Obviously, we've got a number of triple-headers coming into the last part of the year. We're only just at the halfway point. So, yeah, just continue to keep working. There was a good phase in the middle of the first half and then the last three races were tough for different reasons. But just looking forward to starting again and trying to get back into a good groove.

Q: Do you think that requires you doing anything differently in the cockpit?
GR: I think we'll see. You know, I don't want to overthink it too much. I just want to sort of trust in my ability and drive a little bit more instinctively. And maybe that's what I hadn't been doing before the break. And I think, yeah, just going in with an open mind and see where it takes me.

Q: So, the championship. You're 59 points behind your teammate. How do you approach the title fight now?
GR: Not really thinking about it. Just taking it race by race. I know I need to improve the performance if I want to be in the fight, so that's the main priority. If the performance improves, then the points reduce, and it's as simple as that, really.

Q: Okay, George, congratulations again. Good luck with that. Nico, if we could come to you now. I hope the break was good. Belated happy birthday for yesterday as well. Let's talk performance. You scored your first points of the year last time out in Hungary. How confident are you of getting on a point-scoring run now?
Nico HÜLKENBERG: Well, we'll see. But it was obviously good to get that done. You know, we've battled through some difficult moments at the start of the season, but, yeah, kept together and I think we have a competitive, good package now to fight the midfield. I expect a tight, tough battle with the Racing Bulls, with the Alpines, maybe some other teams sometimes. But, yeah, the ambition, the goal, is to obviously score frequently, more consistently. But I'm generally happy with the progress we've made this year and I feel we've grown as a team in many areas, done some big improvements already. Obviously, there's always more and more things to work on, more things to improve, but the trend and the trajectory is positive, in the right direction.

Q: You say it's a good package. Just how much potential does this car have?
NH: Yes, it's got potential. Look, everyone is pushing, everyone is developing, bringing updates. And obviously we're a new team on the power unit side, everything from scratch. We're also only two cars, whereas many others have obviously multiple cars that they supply, so it may take a bit more time. But we definitely have, you know, a lot more potential and room for improvement there, we know that. Many of these topics are a bit more long-term and quite focused already on next year as well.

Q: What type of circuit suits the car best at the moment?
NH: I think we're quite good aerodynamically. I think here, on paper, and Budapest are not bad tracks for us. But to be honest, if you look back now, the last five, six venues, we've been always competitive, at least with one car. So, there's no specific track, really.

Q: And you mentioned a moment ago about the improvements you've made in the team. Can I ask you about your role in the team? Do you feel that you are more than just a racing driver for Audi? Do you get consulted on bigger-picture stuff?
NH: Yeah, I think both drivers, you know, are always important in giving direction, to give the important feedback where it's crucial, where to focus on, and to give direction for the team. You know, I think that's the case in every team. It's no exception for us. So, you know, both Gabi and I are working hard and trying to contribute and do as much as we can to help move forward.

Q: Okay, Nico, thank you for that. Lando, if we could come to you now. How was the break for you?
Lando NORRIS: It was good. It was nice. Yeah, I just spent the whole time with my friends, travelling quite a bit, doing different things. So, yeah, well needed for sure.

Q: Now, on track, you won the most recent race in Hungary. Just how much confidence does that result give you coming here to Zandvoort?
LN: I mean, for myself, for the whole team, quite a bit. I'm always, yeah, I'm never the guy who gets too far ahead of myself. So, you know, I'm not going to come in here thinking that we should just win the race again. But our goals are set high, so we want to believe we can. I think, with the new parts we had, with the new floor we had in Budapest, we just need to understand if it's just brought performance everywhere, every track, every type of surface, all types of corners, whether it was more specific to there. So, I think we're still patient with understanding how much performance that really brought us. But it was clear we took a step forward and that's a good sign. We still want to believe we can be very competitive here.

Q: And you think the layout of this racetrack will suit you?
LN: I mean, in some ways it's not too different to Budapest, but it's also different in different ways: with the wind conditions, obviously much colder. So, we have to just wait and see. I think it was clear what the weaknesses are of the car, what was better with the car, but the performance we had on Sunday especially was probably almost a better performance than we had at any point last year. So I think it still shows that we can kind of ebb and flow and still be a little bit more inconsistent than we were at times last season. We're still trying to understand everything perfectly with the car. But it's a track that I've enjoyed, I've always liked, and we performed well here as a team in the past. I'm hoping this weekend is the same again.

Q: Now, George has given us his thoughts on the championship. Can you give us yours? You're less than 100 points behind Antonelli, which is closer than Max was to Oscar at this stage last year. What are your thoughts on retaining the world title now?
LN: Less than 100? Yeah, honestly, I only ever think of it when you guys talk about it, when you ask questions about it. I've not thought about it once this season, especially after the first couple races, and there's just no point thinking about it for a long time just yet. I didn't think about it in Budapest and it worked out well, so I just continue to do the same.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Craig Slater – Sky Sports) Question to Lando and George. Max has re-signed, Max Verstappen, with Red Bull. You've both been with one team a long time, or a driver programme a long time. Just wondering, in your case, Lando, whether there was ever any realistic prospect of Max joining McLaren. There were some talks. And for you, George, was it ever an irritation, the constant narrative, which is over now, of Max to Mercedes?
GR: Yeah, I mean, similar to what Lando mentioned before about it's only really a topic for us when you're sat in front of you guys in the press and you want to ask these questions and understand what's going on. It was always very clear from within Mercedes what the reality was over these past couple of years. And, you know, maybe those conversations were slightly more public than the conversations his team were having with the likes of McLaren or Ferrari or whoever else it may have been. So that's just the nature of the sport. Drivers talk with different teams, teams talk with different drivers. Everyone has to just see what their cards are. But, yeah, my seat never felt under threat, and I felt 100% security with Toto and the team, and that obviously now continues.
LN: Yeah, I never heard much more than what you guys did. So, I mean, I welcome anyone to be my team-mate. Of course, a guy who's won as many world championships as he has, a guy who is as talented as him, would always be cool to have as a team-mate one day. But I know Oscar's my team-mate for quite a while, yes. So, I know nothing is changing.

Q: (Mara Sangiorgio – Sky Sports Italy) George, you were talking about the standings and championship before, but considering that your team want to win both titles this year, will you be ready to accept any team order at some point, maybe help your team-mate?
GR: Not even a consideration at the moment. You know, it's not even halfway through and we need to just keep on pushing as a team. We're behind the curve of development. Our rivals have definitely brought their upgrades before us and I think it'll be very interesting when we bring our upgrades, when they will be, how that impacts our performance. And I'm hoping that will, you know, push us more to the results we were seeing more consistently at the start of the year. Of course, we've continued to perform very strongly. However, the teams like McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari have been really, really close and given a really good fight recently. So, you know, at the moment it's just business as usual.

Q: (Kriya Gangiah – SuperSport Africa) Lando, first of all, tan looks good, definitely wearing it very well. Second, obviously you've got some good, some bad memories here in Zandvoort. How disappointed are you that we're not going to be seeing it on the calendar anymore?
LN: I guess, yeah, pretty disappointed because I like just the event itself, the fans. Although most of them are here for one driver, it's still always just a fun event, good atmosphere, good passion, and that's what you want. You know, I prefer going to smaller races where the fans are more exciting and the event is better than a different place where you just have less of that. So, this is definitely up there and a lot better than a lot of the races we have on the calendar even currently. So, it's a shame, but it's also not our choice. I think if it was a driver's choice, we would probably like to keep it in, for many people, I think, in my opinion. But, yeah, it's not my opinion that matters. So, a shame, and hopefully it comes back one day.

Q: Can I bring Nico and George in on this as well? The last race at Zandvoort for now. Your thoughts on the loss of this race?
NH: Yeah, very similar. I mean, I've raced here a lot in junior times and, you know, the atmosphere is a bit like in a club and it's like a real festival kind of character thing. And loved it here the last couple of years. So, yeah, going to miss it.
GR: Yeah, it's a great track, a lot of character, so it may not be missed.

Q: (Pangiotis Seitanidis – Ant1 TV Greece) A question for Lando. Lando, you said you needed so much this break and, from what you were saying also in Hungary, it seemed that you needed it more than any of the previous years. Was it just because of the results? Because I guess you did some very good drives and the car wasn't helping you. That's the first part. And the second part is that one of the places you visited was again Greece. Where did you go? What did you like about the country?
LN: Yeah, I mean, a break's always good. Honestly, the breaks are more important for the team than they are for myself. The drivers have generally more time than the team do in terms of days off and things, so I think we're the lucky ones. But I believe that as a team, we want time. Time is still what we need the most of currently. And I think we've proved that over the last couple months in the progression of us. And if we can use that, it's definitely on our side because I'm confident we can continue to improve and outperform our competitors in development and results in the long term. So, I think time is a good thing for all of us and that's certainly what we had a little bit of. But also for me, because I enjoy just my life outside of Formula 1. You know, Formula 1's the main thing of my life, but I also enjoy just being with my friends and enjoying things outside. So, it was beautiful. Yep, I did quite a bit. It was almost one week in Greece, so just travelled around from Athens all the way to Kefalonia, which is beautiful. There's a lot of beautiful little places, beautiful coves to go swim. And when you're with a good group of friends, then I think there's not many places better in the world. So, very enjoyable.

Q: (Raphael Sampt – ServusTV) Question for Lando. Lando, coming here as the winner of Budapest, you said you still need to figure some things out as a team, obviously. But what factors are there that make you feel positive that you can put on a fight with Ferrari and Mercedes, especially in the second half of the season?
LN: What are the factors? McLaren is the team I'm with. That's the biggest factor. The people we have, what we've achieved over the last few years and the leadership we have within the team, from, I guess, part of it from myself, but also from Andrea, from Zak, the team leaders within McLaren. Just everyone's in a very, very good mindset at the minute and in the mindset you need and you have to have to fight against the best in the world, in terms of all the teams and drivers, and to fight for world championships. So, my team give me plenty of reassurance. And also, if I drive as well as I did in Budapest, and I have done for a lot of this season, then I'm very confident in myself too.

Q: (Mate Ujvari – MTVA) Question to George. George, first of all, congratulations for that. Yes, 10 years ago I had the same experience, so I know only one word, what it could mean to us. And, you know, after that I had the feeling that I could do anything, I could be Superman or something like this. So do you have the same feeling right now? Do you think it could be a game-changer for you? Because we all know how important for you, and for even us, to have, you know, a solid and stable background.
GR: Yeah, I hope it brings a couple of tenths. Even Lando will be getting engaged if it brings a couple of tenths. So, no, it's, yeah, personal life is so important, I think, for all of us. We live such a hectic life. I think the people we live it with is, you know, such a key part of that and riding those emotions with you. And, obviously, I've been with Carmen for a really long time and, you know, I don't think it changes a huge amount because she's been such an important person in my life for so long. So it was just more, you know, making that next step that we needed to do.

Q: (Leonid Kliuev – GrandePremio.br) Question for all three. Dutch weather almost prevented you from coming here. I heard a tornado threat for today. So how do you like it so far? And on a more serious note, are there any safety concerns when it comes to driving here in the rain? Anything to discuss in the drivers' briefing?
GR: Yeah, I mean, driving in the wet usually is a lot of good fun and something we all enjoy. Obviously, there has been some chat this year of, you know, no wet running. The drivers who have done the tests have struggled a bit with the tyres. I don't think it's really anything to do with the more power or less downforce of this year's cars. So that's just how it's going to be, same for everybody. And, yeah, I'm sure it should be okay.
NH: Well, no safety concerns. I mean, it's known, you know, it's very gusty, windy around here, which is already challenging sometimes in the dry. Personally, I've never driven my car in the wet yet, so, you know, we'll learn as we go, kind of scenario. But, you know, take it as it comes.
LN: Same as Nico. Not driven in the wet, so no idea. But, yeah, it'll be the same boat for everyone, I guess. So, I'm excited, but I don't think it should be any concern for the rest of the weekend anyway.

Q: (Ludo van Denderen – GPBlog.com) George, congratulations with the marriage. When there's going to be a baby?
GR: Straight in, straight in. Yeah, not anytime too soon, I don't think. Not that I'm aware of. But, yeah, sometime in the future, for sure.

Q: (Rodrigo França – Car Magazine Brazil) Question to Lando. Lando, you had a very painful DNF here last year. How did you transform this moment of frustration into your path to become a Formula 1 World Champion?
LN: Well, I think the timing was more a coincidence of then the results that followed, because by this time I'd started to do a lot more work off-track with, I guess, different people and start my support from an off-track perspective a lot more. And it was more a coincidence that that work had started to take effect probably coming into this weekend, and then especially post-Zandvoort race weekend. So, it wasn't necessarily the DNF and then the situation I was in that I think really changed my mentality or anything. It was work had already started by that point. It's just you hadn't really seen much of the progress or the effect from it in terms of mentality and all of those things, and an approach, and just trying to have more faith in myself and my ability. Kind of what George said at the very beginning. Like, I think we all want to believe that we're the best and we can go out and drive the cars quickly. And at too many moments, I think, last year prior to this, I probably doubted myself in ways I just, I don't think are bad, because sometimes, for me, it forces me to work harder and work more. And it's never as bad as I think what people say on the outside. But just too many times I think I doubted myself. And post this weekend, last season, the work I had off-track, the work I was doing on-track, all just started to come together. And I think you then started to see the effect of, yep, just hard work from me as a driver in every aspect. So, yeah, it was an important weekend. Not an important one because of the result, but an important weekend that it allowed me just to kind of go out and maybe race a little bit more freely and qualify and just drive more freely. And when I can get into that rhythm, then I know I'm very, very strong.

Q: (Pepijn van der Hulst – RacingNews365) Question to Lando. McLaren obviously did a step with the upgrade package in Hungary, but where do you feel are the key areas to improve in the second half of the season with the trajectory McLaren is on?
LN: I mean, there's a variation of types of corners, maybe different conditions. Street circuits is probably still my biggest question mark at the minute. The car is so, so difficult to drive still. Of course, it can be incredibly quick, like we saw last time out, but certainly not just put a car on the track and it's fast. You have to understand how to drive it in every single corner, in every condition, every phase of tyre life. And that's something I feel like I started to understand very, very well over the last month or two, but it's still incredibly difficult. So I would just love it to be a little bit easier. And I think then, when you go to street tracks and places where there's less margin to kind of explore and try things, then we can be better there. But the street tracks are, and, you know, if you look back to Monaco, it was a pretty horrible race for us. So certain places like that and various corner types that I think we're not strong enough in. But like I said, I think that the pace advantage that we had on Sunday last time out was a bigger pace advantage than I had at any point last year. I just hope that translates to the rest of the year.

Q: George, can I bring you in on this? How do you and Mercedes view the threat from McLaren?
GR: Well, I think we've all just been very surprised at the steepness of the development from all of the teams, to be honest. Every time a team has brought an upgrade, it seemed that there's been a direct translation into, you know, positive results in that given race weekend. And we had it when we brought an upgrade to Montreal. We took a step. Then everybody else was bringing their upgrades in the following races and they took a step and they were fighting with us. So, yeah, very impressive to see what McLaren achieved in Budapest. I expect them to be as competitive probably here in Zandvoort, sort of similar corners, high-deg circuit. And I think this next block for us, until we bring an upgrade, may be slightly more challenging. And then I'm hoping that upgrade for us will push us in front once more.

Q: (Louis Dekker – NOS) Question for all drivers, if I'm allowed. Max, after all the criticism on Formula 1, will stay for four more years. Are you surprised?
NH: No, I'm not surprised. I think ultimately he loves racing, he loves the competition, you know, and it's still the pinnacle of motorsport, of racing. You know, and obviously he does all the other things that he's doing that he loves, but this is, I guess, the main gig. So, no, not surprised.
GR: Yeah, I think, like Nico said, this is still the pinnacle. This is the top of all motorsport. And I think everything else is fun to dabble into and try, and it gives you an appreciation for those championships, but then it also gives you an appreciation of the greatness of Formula 1. And you can't really get this thrill of competing against the best drivers, best teams in the world, we're at the best circuits with the best fans, anywhere else. So, yeah, not majorly surprised.
LN: No, I think they both covered it. At the end of the day, you never really know with Max, but I think he wants to prove that he's, you know, for as long as he's racing, that he's the best driver in the world. And I think there's no other place to do that bar Formula 1.

Q: (Fabrice Bosset – L'Équipe) It's a question for George. After two difficult weekends in Silverstone and Spa, Mercedes explained your deficit of performance by a software issue. Was it fixed in Hungary and what is the explanation of your results there?
GR: Yeah, it was fixed in Hungary. It was just a challenging weekend. I think from FP1 onwards the car wasn't in a great place. We had a number of issues with the chassis and I think that was, you know, just a tough race weekend. And I think that is always to be expected at some point. When I actually look at the performance, that was probably, from our side, the first real tough weekend in about six Grands Prix when we had, let's say, a clean weekend. Nevertheless, I still think there was an opportunity on Sunday to get a decent result, maybe fight for the podium. However, we had another issue with the race start. So just looking forward to this fresh start in the second half of the year. There's no guarantees the performance is going to be better. I'm working very hard on-track, off-track, to try and find that rhythm that I've had for so long and that I had at the beginning of the season.

Q: (James Ellingworth – Associated Press) Question to George and Lando. As two drivers in that title picture, when you look ahead at the second half of the season, potentially a bit of uncertainty in the calendar, you've got a new venue in Madrid, you've got Malaysia coming back, you've got potentially a lack of clarity over where and when the season ends. How does that affect your preparations and would you wish for greater clarity sooner rather than later?
LN: No, it doesn't change anything, honestly. No. I'm not even thinking of what I'm going to do on Monday yet, so, yeah, I'm not fussed. You know, I just trust the process of FIA, Formula 1, to make sure we go to places that are safe for everyone, not just us as drivers, but obviously for you guys, for fans, everyone. Otherwise, I'm not bothered. I'm excited, actually, to go to Malaysia. Never been before, but I've seen, obviously, many races there, and to go to Madrid for the first time too. So I'm excited for them. But, yeah, lack of clarity at the minute doesn't change anything. It kind of, I guess we'll see later, depending on performance of us and others. If we can continue to improve our performance and outperform others, then I wish for a full 24-race season. But otherwise, I'm not too fussed.
GR: Yeah, same as Lando. It doesn't really change much. Very excited to race in Malaysia for the first time. I drove Madrid on the simulator for the first time as well this week, and that was a pretty cool experience, unique circuit. So looking forward to those two. And then, yes, as Lando said, I prefer more races than less. That's the only thing I would wish for. But it's out of our control, it's out of Formula 1's control as well, so it is what it is.

Q: (Noa de Ruijter – Formula 1 Magazine.nl) A question for Lando. This year the collaboration with LEGO and its various other brands has really ramped up, and I was just wondering what you think of collaborations like that and how it brings in a whole new younger audience.
LN: I think it's very good. LEGO must be one of the biggest things in the world. I feel like probably most people have, you know, when you're a kid or something, wanted to build whatever you like. And I think the fact that Formula 1 is coming to it more is an amazing thing for our sport. But, yeah, even the little things, some that we don't necessarily even have stuff to do with, but the more collaborations, the more exposure, the better for, I guess, fans in general. But, you know, what we want in Formula 1 is still more diversity. We still want, I guess, more females to enter the sport. A lot of that starts at a very young age, and you can certainly say that LEGO and some of the things that Formula 1 have, or people and partners that Formula 1 have gone on board with, certainly help some of these things. I wouldn't say it's a direct push, but they're certainly helping, and that's a good thing. That's what we want for our sport. So, good fun, and especially when you get to do some of the events that we've done, whether it's drive the LEGO cars in Miami last year or whatever. Yeah, it's just a fun thing to do every now and then.