Mexican GP: FIA Thursday Press Conference

PART ONE – George RUSSELL (Mercedes), Oliver BEARMAN (Haas), Pierre GASLY (Alpine)

Q: George, we will start with you. Why don't we throw it back, first of all, to last weekend in Austin, just to get some reflections? Toto said after the race that the upgrade package has a very narrow performance window. Just how tricky are you finding it to get it into that window, and why?
GR: Yes, it's been a little bit strange for us since we brought this package to the car. Obviously, we first brought it in Malaysia, and it was a pretty tough weekend for the two of us. Then Kimi had it on in Singapore. Again, not a straightforward weekend. I had it back on in Austin and struggled a lot on my side, and he obviously had a very, very strong race. We are seeing some things in the characteristics that just show that it performed in a very narrow window. So we need to try and widen that. Obviously, from my side, I need to try and focus on getting into that window.

Q: What about here, though? Because it's the first time that we've run these power units at extreme altitude. Do you think that's going to make it a difficult one to navigate?
GR: I think it's going to be very interesting. I think turbo lag is going to be a big factor for a lot of teams this weekend. There's obviously no secret that the likes of Ferrari have a smaller turbo than most, so they probably have quite an advantage in this regard. We're not sure as yet how challenging it will be, but I can definitely foresee it being not straightforward.

Q: And George, looking ahead, how do you view the end of this season? Does 2027 start now for you, in the way that, if we throw it back to 2015, Nico Rosberg won the last three races of that season and went on to win the title the following year? Do you think it's as important for you to have a winning end to this season?
GR: Well, I think it's definitely important for me to try and gain some consistency. A couple of races ago, we were on pole by eight tenths and won the race. Then, last week, I finished in P8, and I've never had a season like this in my career where the performance has fluctuated so much. I know it's in there because you can't deliver performances like that in Baku if you've so-called lost it. It's just that we're struggling to have a high hit rate. We don't know why that is, and as I said, we've never had it. I've never had it personally before in my career. I guess that's probably the priority for me in these last few races.

Q: George, thank you very much for that. Ollie, let's come to you now. Back in Mexico, the scene of that tremendous P4 for you last year. When you reflect on that result, was it your best performance in Formula 1? It was your best result, but was it your best performance?
OB: Yeah, it was definitely my best result, but I wouldn't say it was my best performance. I've had a few races this year where I feel like I've been doing well, but obviously not with the results to back it up. This race here was very strong. Obviously, I benefited from a bit of carnage in the early laps, but I also managed to hold on to the position. We had really good pace, so it was a great weekend, a really fun weekend. The car was also so fun to drive. I remember I kind of jogged my memory by looking back at a few of the onboards over the past few days. It's always fun when the car has good characteristics and you can push it. Racing against the top guys was a lot of fun, too. So, it was a memorable weekend for me, definitely my best result, but definitely my best performance as well in my first season. It's a shame that we're not quite as competitive, but it shows that if you keep at it, anything can happen and these opportunities can show up. I'm not sure I would have held on to P4 on a normal track, but with the altitude here, I was able to, where you struggle to follow the other cars. That definitely benefited me, but you still have to be there. So, it was definitely a good weekend.

Q: Let's talk about opportunities this weekend, then. George has just talked about turbo lag. Do you think you've got at least the right PU in the back of your car this weekend? How hopeful are you?
OB: Yeah, I'm not really sure how that's going to affect us, the altitude, what that's going to do to our PU versus others. I don't know if that's going to make us more competitive or less competitive. I think the only way is to find out tomorrow. I hope that we can be on the good side of that with the high altitude and the lack of airflow. Let's see. Our car is also quite competitive in low speed, so at least in terms of the things that we can control, the car looks to be in a better window for a weekend like this.

Q: And Ollie, let's throw it forward now to 2027. We're still waiting for news on your plans for next year. Just where are you at with all that?
OB: No, I think it's very clear. I want to continue with Haas. That's definitely my goal. There are a few things in the background that we're working on, but it's been very clear that continuing with Haas will be my target, and we're just finalising a few things on that front.

Q: When can we expect news?
OB: I don't know, to be honest. It's not really in my hands, I can tell you that. If it was up to me, it would have already been announced a long time ago. But there are a few bigger-picture things that we're working on.

Q: Ollie, thank you for that. Pierre, let's come to you now. The last time we were at a track with a really long straight, you were on pole. Does that give you some confidence coming into this weekend?
PG: Well, it's a nice comment to hear. I mean, yeah, to some extent, you will see Mexico has some similarities to Monza, but it's also very different, with a lot more low-speed corners and a lot more rides in that first section in the chicane. So, we'll see. Hopefully, we can repeat a very strong performance here.

Q: What about your own relationship with this racetrack? You have a good record here, including that P4 back in, I think it was 2021. Is it a track you excel at?
PG: I don't know. I'm not sure. I mean, honestly, I have no idea. I like the track. Yeah, it's fun. It's challenging from a driving point of view. Low grip. In this low-speed section, you need to find your rhythm. You need to have a good line, good precision. That's it. I think at the moment, I just want to look at one session at a time and try to deliver the best performance I can for the guys and see where it takes us here.

Q: What are your goals for the remainder of this year, both personally and for the team? The P5, I think, what are you, 33 points behind Racing Bulls?
PG: Yeah, it's in the back of our head, obviously. I think objectively, it's a big gap. Looking at the number of points we've scored in the last few weekends, it's definitely going to be a big ask. But that's why I say I don't want to be too focused on the championship. I just want to look at my own performance, keep delivering Q3s whenever we have the pace to do it and translate it into points on Sunday. So personally, I'll try to be in the points every Sunday. Whether it's going to be enough or not, we'll find out at the end of the year. But, yeah, just try to take one session at a time.

Q: Pierre, one final question from me. Ollie and George, this is to you as well, a question to all. Next week is the 70th anniversary of FIA karting. How did karting shape you all as drivers? Can we get some memories from each of you about your karting careers?
PG: Honestly, one of the best times of my life. I mean, when you're a kid, you're just thinking of passion, of feelings, striving. There are no sort of responsibilities to it. You're just trying to get better, and you have this big dream of achieving Formula 1. Funny enough, most of the guys we raced back then are other guys that I see on the racetrack today. At the time, we didn't know it, but it's just pure driving. There's no electronics or anything to focus on except your left pedal, your right pedal, the wheel, your lines, and the challenging days racing on slick tyres in the wet because, well, in Normandy it rains pretty much 300 days a year so there were a lot of these days, the adrenaline it provided me was incredible. I could name many races, European or World Cups, where you have that extra pressure and the sort of adrenaline, the excitement, the fear of delivering because potentially it buys you another year in karting. Just amazing times.
OB: I echo Pierre's comments. I remember just waking up in the dark on those winter mornings, knowing it's going to be freezing cold out there, but you don't care because you're going karting and you're going to really enjoy yourself. It's just pure elation, pure joy. Still sometimes now, I have a few days in a kart every year just to remind myself of why I fell in love with this sport, because it's the closest thing you can get to the ground, first of all. You're just so open. It's incredible. Even the smell. When I come back and do some karting days now, that smell just plays back all those memories in my mind. Even if it's definitely very unhealthy to smell that, I absolutely love it. It’s what I grew up on.
GR: That's definitely going to be a meme with those final comments you just said. For sure, karting is the purest form of racing. I remember waking up and the first thing I'd get changed into would be my race suit, and I'd even put my rib protector on at breakfast. I was just so excited to go racing. I think a dream of mine for the future of karting is to see it become even more accessible to so many more people, because it's no secret that the cost of karting is, I think for all of us, something we were very lucky with. We grew up in a time where it was still expensive, but it was more affordable. Now things are getting slightly out of control. With how big Formula 1 is, I would love to see karting become as accessible as going to your local park to kick a football around, just giving everybody that opportunity to feel the thrill of speed, the air brushing through your race suit and helmet. Yes, there's nothing like it.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Craig Slater – Sky Sports UK) George, have you been able to keep your personal relationship with Kimi on a good footing? It seemed that way from the outside. Has he been respectful of the situations you've found yourself in with some of the technical problems? And, if I could lighten the question a bit, is it harder or easier to compete with someone who seems such a nice guy?
GR: Yeah. I mean, on a personal level, Kimi is obviously a great guy with lots of energy. We've had no reason this year not to continue a good relationship. I think a lot of these rivalries start because of on-track incidents or actions. The truth is he's been at a higher level than me this year, so we've not really been in that situation too often. We've had one or two races, and when it comes to the race itself, we sort of keep ourselves to ourselves and work with our individual engineers to try and get the most out of it.

Q: (Aldona Marciniak – Eleven Sports) A question to all three of you. Does it change anything for you personally which position you finish in the championship fight? Especially George, because you're P2, but you can be P5. You're all involved in fighting for the championship in your own areas right now.
GR: I think for every driver on the grid, there's only one position that matters, and it's P1. To be best of the rest is not really something you dream of as a kid. Of course, I want to finish as high as possible. I want to win as many races as possible. But what's more important to me is to finish the season with positive momentum rather than necessarily that final order. If I finish second, third, fourth or fifth, I will lose sleep or gain sleep based on the performances, as opposed to that. As long as it's not P1, in this sport it's kind of that or nothing, really.
OB: From my point of view, the only difference is that I'm nowhere near fighting for any of those interesting positions. But on our side, as a team, we're in a fight for P7 in the Constructors' Championship, and that is actually quite a big difference for a team like Haas. The delta in prize money between P7 and P8 is significant. It will affect how fast the car is next year and in the future. So on that side, I don't care where I finish, but I care where the team finishes because that directly impacts how our future looks.
PG: I agree most of the time with George, maybe less so on this one. I think it just depends on what sort of car potential you've got in your hands. As Ollie mentioned, we're in a slightly different battle, where P10 or P9 for us would actually be an amazing result based on the car performance we've got. At the end of the day, because we can't really feel the thrill and excitement of competing for these top positions, to keep the motivation, you need to keep these sort of targets and keep delivering the best performance you can. Obviously, as a driver, I don't get fulfilled by finishing ninth or tenth. But at the same time, if I don't create some sort of motivation from these results that you get throughout the year, you just keep building frustration for 12 months in a row. So, personally, it does matter. I want to get the absolute best, regardless of the position, and feel that at the end of the year, whether that's ninth, tenth, 11th or 12th, this was the absolute best I could give to my team. I think it kind of overshadows the lack of possibilities of fighting up the front. If it were possible, P1 would be the only target, but unfortunately, we're not in that position.

Q: (Davide Camicioli – Sky Italia) For George. What went right for you after the fantastic win in Baku?
GR: If we had the answer, we'd be able to maybe replicate it more often. That's been part of the challenge this year, some of the confusion. I came out of Monaco earlier this year, and it was a very difficult weekend for me. I went to Barcelona and was quickest in every session and put it on pole. Went to Austria. The next race, I was on pole again. Then, a few races later, I was qualifying down in P5 and P6. Baku, on pole by eight tenths. In Malaysia, I qualified, I don't know, I think it was P8, maybe. I feel that in the years gone by, I've had a pretty high hit rate of reaching the potential of the car. Maybe at the end of the season, there were four or five races that I feel were not maximised. I remember 2022, we finished in the top five more than any other driver in the whole season. I think it was 19 from 22 races, and this was the third-best car on the grid. Now this season, we have the best car, and I'm not able to achieve these results. So, yeah, it's quite strange and certainly has us scratching our heads a little bit. It's definitely not through a lack of trying.

Q: (Tim Hauraney – TSN) A question for George. Just to follow up on that, can you describe a little bit what's been the hardest part about driving your particular car and getting the performance from it?
GR: Well, I think there's just a few factors with the cars this year that potentially favour or hinder a certain driving style. I've always been a driver who focuses on the middle to the exit of the corners, which often means I'm on the throttle earlier than most. With these new power units, that means I'm spending more energy, and it's sometimes not the most efficient way to drive for the power unit. Secondly, the tyre pressures this year, especially on the rear, have been very, very high. Pirelli have taken a few PSI margin, especially on the rear axle. Again, that has hindered me a little bit by pushing the exits. The rear tyre can't cope with it as well, and there's been a bit of a hindrance on the power unit side. These two factors have really hampered my natural driving style. I'd say that's probably been the biggest thing this season.

Q: (Diletta Colombo – AutoMoto.it) A question for George. You mentioned before that you're not able to unlock the peak performance of your car. How frustrating is it knowing that you can, feeling like you can do that, but not managing to do it?
GR: I think I've gone past the... Maybe frustration was the word I used earlier in the season, but I'm looking at it very objectively with my team and trying to keep a cool head in solving these issues. I know that if the frustration starts to creep in and we start acting irrationally with changes, there's a very high chance you won't make things better. As I said, these performances are in there. I've lost no faith that we can do it because we've shown that. When I've looked at some other drivers from the past who have had uncompetitive seasons, it's been an uncompetitive year across every single race. That has not been the case for us. We've either been very competitive or not competitive. So we're just really trying to understand what made the good races good and what made the bad races bad.

Q: (Fred Ferret – L’Equipe) Another question for you, George. Tom was referring to Nico Rosberg in 2015. He made a plan to beat Lewis. Do you already have a plan to try to beat Kimi next year? Do you have a mental coach to help you deal with the disappointment of not being the champion and to be ready for next year?
GR: Well, I've been working with sports psychologists for seven years now, and these were through my most successful years in Formula 1. Now, of course, this has been the first year of real struggle. But I think, at least in the approach I have, we're not boxers where you're in a ring fighting directly against somebody else. We're kind of fighting against ourselves, almost like a golfer. A qualifying lap, you're there by yourself, and it's the work and preparation that you've done yourself that makes the difference between a good performance and a bad one. So, I'm not directly looking at my number one competitor, saying, "How am I going to beat this guy?" I'm more looking at myself in the mirror, thinking, "What do I need to do to not have these poor performances? What were the feelings I had from myself and the car during the great performances, so I can replicate that more often?"

Q: (Gabriel Martínez – TV Azteca Mexico) George, you've spent years working towards becoming a world champion, and now you're watching your teammate get closer to that dream. Has this season changed the way you define success? What have you learned about yourself through that experience?
GR: I mean, I've probably learned more about myself this year than I would have liked, in all honesty. The highs and lows you go through in sport are immense, and that's because we all care so much about what we're doing. But I remind myself I'm 28 years old. I see Lewis still competing extremely well at 41 and Fernando at 44. Lewis won the majority of his titles in his 30s, and this year is absolutely not going to define my career as a whole. It's not going to break me. If anything, it's going to make me stronger. I've been pretty proud of my resilience and how I've bounced back from very tough moments. Through my lowest points of this season, I've generally bounced back really, really strong. Then I had another bad race after the good one. So maybe it's something I need to analyse as well, because I always perform best after my worst races, which is maybe just a coincidence. Maybe there's something in it. But I've been racing more years of my life than I haven't, and I've had more successful years than relative failures. I don't think any athlete, no matter how great, has every single year of their career performing at their highest level. Unfortunately, this year for me has come at maybe the time when I needed it most, but it's by no means the end of my journey. I've still got a good 12 to 15 years left in me.

Q: (Matthias Marburg – Bild) question for Ollie. You and Kimi go way back. Could you share your favourite moment with him? Did you see it coming that he would be world champion one day?
OB: My first... Well, I never really raced against him. We were racing in similar categories through karting, but I never raced in the same kind of championships that Kimi raced in. We met for the first time on iRacing during lockdown, when we were basically living on simulators. The first race that we had together was in F4. We had a few together there, as he just did the last few in the season. After that, we were teammates in F2. I have a lot of good memories together with him, of course. I maintained a good relationship with him throughout our time as teammates. It was a tough year, to be honest, but we enjoyed it in F2. I think especially in the situation I'm in now, with a car that isn't fast enough to score great points and good results, that season definitely taught me a lot, and I'm sure he would say the same thing. But no, it was very clear that he was quick and a competitive driver, a quick learner as well. So I'm not surprised to see him competitive. His talent is undeniable.

Q: (Luis Mote Nava – Infobae) Pierre, coming back to that 2021 performance here in Mexico, you finished in fourth place. How would you manage to repeat that performance on Sunday?
PG: Want my honest answer? A bit of bowling in Turn 1, and that will be helpful. Objectively, looking at the last few races, if the top four finish, they lock the top eight positions because that gap between the top teams and the midfield is still too big. But hopefully, there can be some surprises this weekend. As we say, it's altitude, and all of that hopefully can play a factor. I think the way I see it, I've got to be the best of the rest. Whatever eventually happens in a race, I want to be in a position to make the best out of any opportunity. So my target will be that.

Q: (Josh Suttill – The Race) A question for Ollie and Pierre. Fernando Alonso stood by comments today that the lower third of the grid is very low quality and that the race craft is poor in the midfield. Obviously, not referring to either of you, but you've got experience in the midfield. Do you agree with that statement?
PG: Well, I'm pleased I'm in the first half, so I've made the cut myself. You have to love Fernando for the statements he makes out there. I have so much respect for the driver he is, and at the same time, he's very vocal. So, I'm not too sure. I haven't seen his race. I'm not too sure what he referred to. But I think I would agree. I will say that the level on the grid is probably one of the highest, considering all the drivers we have now, from what I've seen over maybe nine years. I've seen some wild driving approaches when I joined compared to what I see now. But, yeah, I'm not too sure what he referred to.
OB: Well, luckily, I'm just about in the middle third, not the bottom one, so I get away with it. But no, I think that's a slightly harsh conclusion because I agree with Pierre that the level is very high on this current grid. With the gaps that we face this year, you have to be very opportunistic at times, and that can end in disaster, like it did for me last week with myself and Pierre. So, yeah, I wouldn't say it's a question of quality. It's a question of trying your very best and trying to make something happen, which is very challenging when the top eight positions are pretty much all filled by the top four teams.



PART TWO – Charles LECLERC (Ferrari), Alex ALBON (Williams), Sergio PÉREZ (Cadillac)

Q: Checo, if we could start with you. It feels like there is a lot to celebrate with you this week. Where to start? How about the new contract? Three more years at least with Cadillac. That's a big commitment on both sides. What made you commit for so long?
Sergio PÉREZ: I'm really enjoying working with this team, with this project starting from zero. It's a massive challenge that I'm facing. I've never been part of something new. Normally, when you come to a team, everything is structured, and the driver can influence very little in the team organisation. Here, I feel like there is so much I can do other than just driving as fast as possible. Having full support from GM and TWG, I really believe that this is the right place for me. This is where I want to end my career on a high with the project. That's why I feel like I've got this final period of my career that I want to do the maximum with them.

Q: So, a lot of races ahead of you still, but a lot of races behind you as well, because you're celebrating 300 Grands Prix this weekend. Only six drivers in history have started more Grands Prix than you. What does this total say about you and your career?
SP: Well, it's something that obviously makes me feel extremely proud. Nowadays, with the number of races that we end up doing, within a few years, people are going to be hitting 500 or 600 in their careers. But anyway, it's a really special moment in my career, and also to celebrate it here in front of all Mexico is something really unique and special. It speaks for itself. I think when you come to Formula 1, it's really hard to make it, but to stay for a long period and to be successful, to have a successful career, requires much more than just driving fast. That's something I learned at a very young age.

Q: Tell us a little bit more about that. What message would you give the 21-year-old Checo who made his debut back in 2011?
SP: To relax a bit and enjoy it more. When you come to Formula 1, there is so much pressure on your shoulders year after year, race after race, that sometimes you forget that the most important thing is to enjoy the journey. Things go so fast in Formula 1 that you're always thinking about the next race, the next contract, the next podium, and you always forget that the most important thing is to enjoy it because it goes really, really fast. That's the message I would give.

Q: All right, Checo, I hope it goes well for you this weekend. Thank you. Alex, let's come to you next. Can we start by throwing it back to Austin and your race-long battle with Fernando Alonso, after which he made some negative comments about you and the standard of driving in the bottom third of the grid? I just wanted to get your reaction to that.
Alex ALBON: Firstly, I would say that I hugely respect Fernando. I think he's a great driver, and I've looked up to him a lot growing up as a kid. I think we're all in our own little fight at the back. I don't think it's so much about the level of the drivers. Obviously, last year we had a great season, and this year we're at the back, I think, the group of us, including Checo. But if anything, I would say the grid's the strongest it's been for a while. Obviously, post-race comments are always a little bit more in the heat of the moment, so you can take them with a pinch of salt.

Q: Did you feel that your battle with him was a little bit more feisty than normal?
AA: No, I thought it was a good battle. I thought we had a good scrap, so clearly he didn't think the same thing. It was a race-long battle. Even the incident itself, I thought, was quite 50-50 in terms of where the cars were on track.

Q: A quick word on performance. I just wanted to ask how tough it is for you and Carlos at the moment with where the car is.
AA: It is hard to see. I think even in Austin, it's a surprise to us in some way that cars are still being upgraded and still moving forward. We're obviously a lot more focused on next year's car. With these remaining races, it's more about exploring the car and what we can learn for next year. There are a lot more test items in FP1, for example, just to try to get up to speed and give anything back to the factory that we can. That's the mindset we need to have to start next year as well as we can. Yes, it is painful, but hopefully next year we can look back at this.

Q: Thank you, Alex. Good luck this weekend. Charles, if we could come to you. For a lot of people, Ferrari are favourites this weekend. What are your thoughts on that? Who are the favourites?
Charles LECLERC: I don't know. Honestly, I think it's getting very close, and we have good momentum. With Singapore and Austin as well, we've maximised our potential, and I was relatively happy with the pace we've shown. Whether we are the favourites for this weekend, I don't fully agree. I think Mercedes remain the favourites wherever we go. Red Bull are very, very strong as well recently. But if we maximise everything we have, then I hope it can be a great weekend for us. As we've seen, I think the optimisation of our package is what will eventually make the most difference. It's so difficult to put everything in the right window coming into qualifying that, if we manage to do so, I think we've got a chance here.

Q: Tell us more about qualifying, because last weekend the car was, or seemed, very fast in pretty much every session except qualifying. Do you understand why? And are there moves now to make changes for this weekend to ensure there's not a repeat?
CL: I mean, we've got a strong car, but it's a car that is very sensitive whenever we get off the optimum window. We've paid the price a little bit recently in Q3, particularly when the track temperatures are going down. Then we just struggle a bit more compared to the others to keep everything in the right window. That's what happened in Austin, unfortunately, in the lap that counted the most out of Friday and Saturday. Eventually, we lost a front row because of that. It's a limitation we know about and that we're focused on. Whether we have the solution in the short term, I'm not sure. But at least it's a point of focus and something we'll make sure to try to get as right as possible coming into Saturday here.

Q: Can we talk about the battle for P2 in the Drivers' Championship? Just nine points separate you in P5 from George Russell in P2. How hungry are you for that P2? Does it make a huge difference to you where you finish in that order?
CL: It doesn't mean that much. But I think, as everybody knows, P2 is better than P3, and P3 is better than P4. So, we'll just try to maximise whatever we can. What matters most to me is to maximise every race, race after race, and target some wins before the end of the season. If we manage to do so, then P2 will be the natural end to the championship. But if not, then we'll struggle to finish P2. I'm not obsessed with finishing P2 in the Drivers' Championship.

Q: Charles, a final one from me, and Alex and Checo, this includes you as well. Next week is the seventieth anniversary of FIA karting. How did karting shape each of you as drivers? Can you give us some memories of your time karting?
CL: Massively. I think, in terms of driving, it's a very different kind of driving, but that's where you learn all the basics, which is to start working with the team, start thinking about the set-up, overtaking, the way you've got to approach a race and, eventually, also how to deal with pressure when it matters most in qualifying – and a few incidents! It's cool as well to see, when I look at the grid today, that many of us were fighting back in karting 15 or 20 years ago. It's very special to find all of us now in Formula One and fighting for much bigger things. The passion is still the same, and the motivation to win is still the same. These were the best days. There wasn't much marketing or media, just racing, and I think that's what we enjoyed most. These were great times.
AA: Same as Charles. I think we raced together, not that much, but we did when we were growing up. These are the fundamentals of what we do. There was less politics and less of everything going on, and it was pure, which I think we all enjoyed. I still go karting when I can in my free time. I just enjoy being out there on track, so it brings back a lot of fond memories. I think maybe now it's getting a little bit expensive, and we need to focus on that point, especially for the younger generation. But no, it's a great sport. Hopefully, I don't know, I want to do some more karting races in the future.
SP: For me, it was a very enjoyable time. I mainly did karting in Mexico and in the US, and I have great memories. I could never afford to do karting in Europe. My dad couldn't afford it, so for me it was mainly Mexico, driving all around Mexico with my dad, my brother and my mechanic. They were the best days, definitely. Pure racing. I really miss those days. Like Alex says, I think as a sport, we really need to look at the cost of karting nowadays because it's becoming unaffordable for most families already in karting, never mind the junior series. That's something that we as a sport have to look a lot deeper into.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Craig Slater – Sky Sports UK) A question for Alex. You talk about Fernando speaking in the heat of the moment. I can tell you he has rather doubled down on those remarks today. When asked about the lower level of the grid, he said it's simply a very low level of driving, and he said, "I still find it difficult to understand what was the opportunity that Alex saw in the moment." Are you disappointed that he hasn't dealt with this personally in a private conversation or within the drivers' meeting? And perhaps to Checo, Alex has had his say on this. What would you say about Fernando's comments, given that there are a lot of experienced drivers at the lower end of the grid? Would you contest what Fernando said?
AA: I'll leave it for Alex and Fernando to sort it out. I mean, I'll double down on what I said as well. I have huge respect for Fernando. I looked up to him a lot growing up as a kid. Obviously, it's not nice to hear those comments in many ways. You're racing someone that you looked up to, but at the same time, I don't agree. It's as simple as that. I think the level is strong up and down the grid. Ten or fifteen years ago, the back half of the grid wasn't the way it is now. You don't have pay drivers anymore. So, yeah, it is what it is. Hopefully, we don't cross paths in the race this weekend.

Q: Checo, can we get your thoughts on that?
SP: No, I think obviously, in the heat of the moment, we all say things that we don't mean or don't feel. Of course, I think the level at the back is as high as at the front. If we swapped cars with the guys at the front, we'd have very similar results, or vice versa. This is the only issue with Formula 1: you are as good as your car and your team. So, I think the level is really high, and when you look at the names at the back, it's really, really high.

Q: (Davide Camicioli – Sky Italia) A question for Charles. In the final part of the season, do you want to win a few races to prepare for the new season in 2027 and fight for the title? Is it possible?
CL: Of course. This is always the target, to try and win as many races as possible. Obviously, being closer and closer to the end of the season, it's also important for us to finish on a high because it's not the same feeling when you finish a season on a high as when things are falling apart a little bit more. I feel like we're in good momentum at the moment. Whether winning will be on the table, we'll have to see because we're definitely up against very strong opponents. It's not every weekend that we've got the pace to win a race. Actually, it's been the case less often than it was earlier this year. But, yes, we'll try our best and see what's possible.

Q: (Tim Hauraney – TSN) Question for Charles. Checo and Alex have already given their opinions on it, but for yourself, what is the level of this grid? Where do you see it, and why?
CL: I think it's very high, very, very high. Just like I was saying earlier, most of the grid grew up together in karting. Alex was up there and was actually a driver I was looking up to. He was always one or two categories above me, but he was exceptional. There were some drivers who were definitely standing out and who have been standing out throughout all the junior categories. Today, I'm sure the level of the grid is super, super high, whether it's at the back, in the middle or at the front. The only thing that changes is obviously the race car that we're driving, but the standards are very high.

Q: (Jan Olejniczak – Eleven Poland) A question for Checo. Colton Herta will drive again in FP1 tomorrow to collect the missing points for a Super Licence. How is he doing inside the team, and would you like to see him in Cadillac next year?
SP: Well, I think he's doing a good job. He's bringing good feedback to the team and good information, which is all we need from him. Obviously, doing FP1s is always very difficult to show your speed or the level you're at. But now I think he's having more time in the car and in the simulator, so we're starting to see more of his speed. Obviously, it's not my decision, but I think it will be down to Marcin to decide who they want in the car. I'm also working really well with Valtteri. I think he's been very unfortunate in a few races. In Austin, he showed very strong pace, so there isn't an easy decision for the team.

Q: Checo, you were saying you have an expanded role that goes beyond just being a racing driver at Cadillac. Are you going to be consulted as to who your teammate will be in 2027?
SP: No, not at all. I don't want to, either, because that's not my decision. That's why we have someone like Marcin, who will be looking at all the data and information, and he will ultimately make that decision based on what he thinks is best for the future of the team. Obviously, we're in a period where we need to evolve extremely quickly. The next three or four months are really crucial in our preparation. So, yeah, I think it's down to him.

Q: (Gabriel Ruiz Morones – Animal MX) A question for Checo. You renewed your contract with Cadillac for the next three years. Is that an indicator that Cadillac is going in the right direction? And how much room is there for performance improvement at Cadillac next year?
SP: Well, I obviously know what's in the works. The amount of work that's been put in behind the scenes, the amount of commitment we have from our team bosses and team owners. Cadillac is a team that's in Formula 1 not just to be here. It's a brand that doesn't need Formula 1; it's already very, very big. They're here because they want to succeed in the sport, and they're putting all the resources in place. When I was at the factory a few months ago, I've never seen a factory with that level of technology and infrastructure among all the teams I've been with. The level of investment and commitment they're putting in is extremely high.

Q: (Carolina Figueroa Hernández – Por Esto!) My question is for Checo. How do you prepare to avoid the physical impact of the altitude in this race in Mexico City?
SP: Well, I think we all get here early. The first or second day, a lot of people feel bad or have secondary symptoms. But once we get to the car, obviously, it's not a very demanding circuit because we go so slowly. There isn't a lot of high speed, and with the altitude, we lose a lot of downforce. We're losing around 100 points or something like that with the altitude, so we end up going quite slowly. We have very long straights. I think if the circuit were more physically challenging, it would be really, really tough. But I think we're lucky in that regard.

Q: (Ana Sofia Alcalá – El Heraldo de México) To the three of you, what would you say to the younger version of yourself who was amazed by all of this and started karting? What would you say to your younger self right now?
CL: I don't know. I'm always a little bit split on that question. I don't think I would tell him much. I feel like it's a good thing to enjoy the process and the journey and just learn along the way. I don't feel like I would be the same person if I hadn't gone through the same struggles or the same good days. It's part of the process. Maybe just keep enjoying it no matter what happens. That's probably the only thing I'll say. Whether it goes very well or very badly, just enjoy it and don't forget how much you love what you do and how lucky you are, at the end of the day, to be doing what you've always dreamed of doing. Apart from that, I think the process is very important in the person I've become today, so I wouldn't tell him much more than that.
AA: Very similar to Charles. I think maybe one thing I look back on in my career is that, even as a person, I was very shy as a kid, and still am to some extent, but especially when I was growing up. I think you need to take confidence and take moments of opportunity in terms of getting your face out there. Racing has got more expensive, and if you can get yourself in front of potential sponsors, if you can talk to potential Formula 1 teams and junior teams, there is no harm in ‘no’. Now I've got to that point where I can do that, but back then, I almost wish I had been a little bit more courageous in that regard.
SP: I agree with what has been said. I think it's really important, first of all, to enjoy the journey and also realise that when you look up at Formula 1 drivers, we're just normal human beings who started there. The only difference is that we didn't give up and we maximised our opportunities. As Alex says, it's really important. Everyone can drive very fast and can be very quick, but it's the whole package around you. You have to be good at talking to your sponsors, talking to your team, motivating the people around you and building the right package around yourself. That's so important for your career.

Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) For the three of you, you're due to go to Qatar and Abu Dhabi in a few weeks' time to conclude the season. MotoGP is going there next week, and a lot of the riders have been looking for assurances before heading there. I know there's full trust in Formula One about the decisions taken, but what kind of conversations are going on between you, the GPDA, F1 and your teams about the situation out there?
CL: Well, I think nobody knows at the moment. It can change from one day to another. Things can ramp up. At the moment, it looks like the right thing from what we've seen in MotoGP, but I just think these things can change day to day. We're not the ones taking the decisions. The people who take the decisions will obviously have full responsibility for them, so it's not really for us to say much on it.
AA: No, I think generally speaking, we do have to wait and see. There are still quite a few weeks ahead of us, so it is obviously a sensitive area. Looking at the MotoGP side of things, I think the riders are doing the right things in getting the insurance assurances they're asking for. I haven't been following the MotoGP side completely, if I'm honest, so I'm not a person to be too knowledgeable about that. But, yes, not much more to add. It's definitely something that I think will come up in the talks. We haven't necessarily talked about it too much through the GPDA, but it's definitely one of the topics that are probably on the list of things we need to discuss. We'll see what happens.

Q: (Jack Smith – Motorsport Monday) A question for you, Checo. You've talked about being very committed to the Cadillac project. If these next couple of years with Cadillac are the last of your Formula One career, what would realistically be the objective for you to look back on in retirement and say that you did a good job in helping elevate the team up the grid?
SP: Well, Formula 1 is all about results, I feel. We've got three years ahead of us where we really need to give it our all and see where we end up. At the moment, we're the last team, so it would be really nice to look at it in three years' time and say, "Look how far we came together." That would make me extremely proud. Obviously, that means strong results on track. I don't want to say winning a race or making podiums or something like that, but I really want to see that we became one of the big teams in Formula 1. Then I'll be very happy.

Q: (Josh Suttill – The Race) A question for Checo. Could you talk a bit about the driving experience of the show car? Obviously, that was quite a unique show car.
SP: Yeah, it was really, really enjoyable, to be honest. Normally, when you do show runs, you're always very worried about the cooling of the car. This one was really, really good at it. I could do endless donuts with it, so it was really enjoyable. People were super happy, and that was the biggest thing, to see the people enjoying it so much. It was a very special moment, I think, also for Cadillac to present themselves as a project to the Mexican fans.

Q: (Nestor Hernandez Molina – Infobae) I have a question for Checo Perez. How do you feel that this weekend you'll be racing your 300th Grand Prix in Mexico?
SP: I mean, it's crazy to make it to 300, but also that it happens in Mexico. A lot of things have happened, missing one year, missing a few races, cancelling others. It's really special for me to make it here in front of all my fans. I think it means a lot to reach that level in my career, but also to be able to celebrate in front of my whole country. I definitely feel like I have the best crowd in the world. When you look at the results, we're basically the last team, and the hype here is as big as when I was winning and fighting for victories here. I think it's incredible, and I'm really looking forward to Sunday. The parade will be very special for me.

Q: (Diletta Colombo – AutoMoto.it) A question for Charles. You mentioned before the limitations of your car in qualifying. Do you think that could be at least partially compensated for by execution?
CL: Yeah, but it remains a weakness because even if we execute perfectly, we're maybe a bit more prone to going outside the working window and paying the price for it. Of course, it definitely puts even more emphasis on the preparation and execution coming into qualifying, particularly. However, everybody is trying to execute as well as possible, and everybody is doing a great job. So if you've got a more edgy car, then it's still a price you pay. It's not something that you can neutralise completely, I guess.

Q: (Gabriel Martínez – TV Azteca) A question for Checo. After yesterday, thousands of people came out to celebrate you, even though Cadillac hasn't scored points this season. Has this support made you realise that your legacy goes far beyond the race results?
SP: Yeah, definitely. It's a really good point. I honestly never imagined this amount of support because, results-wise, in the past there was a lot of hype because I could win races and fight for podiums. Here, people know that it's not going to be the case. We're really far back, and the atmosphere and the hype are probably the biggest I've seen in all my years. When I did a roadshow, I think we were all just very happy to see each other because I miss them a lot. Last year, I wasn't here, and this year will be very, very special in that regard because missing out on one year was really painful. So, yeah, it will be super special to see all the crowd this year.