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PART ONE – Charles LECLERC
(Ferrari), Pierre GASLY (Alpine), Fernando ALONSO (Aston Martin)
Q: Charles, perhaps we could
start with you. Very good to see you. Now, you cut a frustrated figure after
the race in Las Vegas at the weekend. What were your main frustrations?
Charles LECLERC: I don't want to go back to what happened in Vegas. Yeah, I
mean, last two races of the season and we need to do absolutely everything
in order to get that Constructors' Championship. That's all that matters.
And whatever happened in Vegas, we discussed about it and we are all good,
which is the most important thing. I had no doubts about that because we've
always had a really good relationship with Carlos and we've had races where
sometimes things don't go exactly the way we want, but the most important
thing is that we discuss about it and we go forward. It's very clear for
both of us that we just want to win the Constructors’ and it's by working as
a team that we'll achieve that. And I'm sure that there won't be any
problems with it.
Q: Just to clarify, so you and Carlos have cleared the air since then?
CL: Exactly.
Q: Alright. Well, let's talk a little bit more about this battle in the
Constructors' Championship. You are 24 points behind McLaren. There are 103
still on the table. How do you see these next two races in terms of
competitiveness from your point of view?
CL: I think that realistically here, it's going to be a bit more of a
difficult weekend. However, it's a Sprint weekend as well. And if we do
things really right from the first few laps and the car is in the right
place from the first laps in FP1, it can make a big difference and much
bigger than any of the car characteristics we may have seen or anticipate
for the weekend. So I think that on paper it doesn't seem like it's going to
be our strongest track. However, things can still turn our way and we are
super motivated to prove us wrong.
Q: Irrespective of what happens in the Constructors' Championship or indeed
the Drivers' Championship, because you can still finish P2, how will you
look back on the 2024 season?
CL: I think if we compare this one to the previous years, we've done a good
job in maximising the points and minimising the loss in races where we have
struggled as a team. And that's a really positive thing, which I think in
the past wasn't necessarily the case. I think, as a team, we were a lot more
vulnerable to what was happening around the team and it was making us going
a bit up and down, emotionally speaking, and now we are a lot more solid.
That doesn't mean that it's good enough yet because obviously, as a matter
of fact, we've lost the Drivers' Championship last weekend, or even before,
but we are a more solid team and we are going in the right direction. So I
think it's been a positive season and we are going into the right direction.
Q: Alright. Charles, thank you for that. Pierre, let's come to you now.
Disappointing end in Vegas, but let's look at the positives, that brilliant
P3 on the grid. Do you and the team understand where that performance came
from now?
Pierre GASLY: Yeah, it was a pretty nice qualifying. I think, overall, the
last few weekends have been… We've been in a better shape since Austin. We
brought some new parts, we've managed to get to Q3 the last four weekends
and it seems like we found quite a nice flow. I think in Vegas we just made
the best out of the conditions. It was quite tricky, street track, very
cold. Got in a nice place with the car. And when we got to Q3, we had a
single lap, but we really managed to put everything to it. And yeah, it put
us in a great place. So it was a great achievement, especially looking back
at Bahrain, first race of the year, I lined up in 20th, you know. We were
absolutely nowhere. So when you look at all the evolution and development,
it definitely shows we're heading in the right direction and it's definitely
positive.
Q: And what about this weekend? Because it's a quick track, it's a smooth
track and you qualified very well here last year. Are you coming here with a
lot of confidence?
PG: Yeah, I think we can be confident. We are in the fight for sixth in the
championship. We know the target. We know who we're fighting. Haas and
AlphaTauri (sic) are also competitive. They've shown to be in that top ten
most of the last few races. And it's going to be a tight fight, but I expect
an exciting one. So I'm sure we'll be in the mix. And I'm looking forward to
these last two weekends.
Q: And Pierre, you made reference there to the improvements you've made to
the car since Bahrain. But can we get your thoughts on 2024 as a whole from
a team perspective? Because it's been one of transition, isn't it? There's
been staff movements and you're changing teammates and all these things. How
do you reflect on the last 12 months as a whole?
PG: I would say it was a very disappointing start of the season. We expected
it. We had a rough winter, didn't manage to get the car in the place we
wanted to start in Bahrain. But once you get the tools you have at the start
of the year, you've got to work your best way with it. And I must have been
very impressed with the team in the way they've managed to turn things
around. The understanding, spotting where [are] the limitations of the car,
finding solutions to it. And I must say I'm definitely more confident than
ever into going to ‘25 with a clear idea of where we're heading, the changes
we're going to make. I definitely believe the car is going to be in a much
better place to start with. And yeah, it just brings confidence to all of
us. So there have been a lot of changes. I think a lot of positive changes
internally, which are not very obvious from the outside. But I think we're
shaping up a much better team start of ‘25 compared to where we were a
couple of months ago.
Q: So the foundations are now in place for you to move forward?
PG: Yeah, I mean, there's still big, big work ahead. You know, like looking
at the top four, it still feels like they are in a different league,
especially come race day. But yeah, it will be definitely starting, hoping,
to close that gap and hopefully see us able to fight more consistently in
the top ten and hopefully in the top five on some occasions.
Q: OK, Pierre, thank you for that. Fernando, let's come to you. Talking of
building foundations, something you said before the summer break was that
you wanted to use the second half of 2024 to put the foundations in place
for a better ‘25. Do you feel you've done that?
Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, it goes up and down for everybody. Difficult to be
sure of that, but I think we didn’t manage to improve the car much
throughout the season. So we started quite strong, but we are now in a
position that we're struggling to be in Q3 on some occasions. But yeah, at
the same time, all those difficulties, I think, probably are teaching us a
lot of lessons, which we will apply into next year's car. And that will be
probably the biggest positive aspect of the second part of the year, you
know, that even if we didn't succeed in putting much performance on the car,
I think it's well understood what we are struggling with at the moment. So
that will be applying in 2025.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit more about the struggles? Because you've had
a pretty rough ride of it since Singapore, haven't you?
FA: Yeah, I think even before that, I think Baku and Singapore were just
good Sundays, thanks to a good qualifyings on Saturday, street circuits, we
maximised, I think, the opportunities there. And some of our rivals, you
know, maybe didn't perform to perfection there. So, yeah, I think after the
summer break, we've been struggling a little bit, but the team is still
working flat out to bring upgrades. And as I said, even if not all of them,
you know, succeed to race in the following weekends, I think there is a
clear understanding now of where the path is into next year's car. So yeah,
that's the aim.
Q: You said after the race in Vegas that you were happier with the car on
the Sunday. Does that give you a little bit of confidence coming into this
track, a track where you've actually gone very well at?
FA: Yeah, definitely. I think Vegas was difficult to understand the car and
the low temperatures and to get the grip, the confidence, high speed. The
walls are very close. But then on Sunday, already in the laps to the grid,
the car felt much more alive. And on the race itself, I think we gained some
positions and we were happier. So yeah, I left Vegas thinking that I want to
jump in the car again. and try. So yeah, tomorrow in FP1 I will be happy.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Roldan Rodriguez – DAZN Spain) A question to Fernando. Last week, you
mentioned that nobody has been able to beat Max Verstappen in the title
fight. My question is, would you, if you have the car?
FA: Well, that will be a very nice thing to try, you know, to be in a
position to fight for the World Championship. At the moment, we are not in
that position, and next year probably is going to be difficult. But
hopefully in ‘26, with the new rules, we'll have a better chance to try at
least. And yeah, so far Max has proven, you know, not having weak points,
basically, and he has been always delivering the job on Sundays and scoring,
you know, so many points when the car was good, but so many points when the
car was not good as well. And that's the strength, you know, to win a
championship. And yeah, you always think that if you have a chance, maybe
things could be more difficult for him.
Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Charles, to move forward to the last couple
of races of the season and to work as a team probably requires trust and
faith in your team and your team-mate. What has been said since Vegas to
give you trust and faith in your team and your team-mate?
CL: Nothing special, but at the end, I don't even need that. As I said, we
have a really good relationship with Carlos. And sometimes I have
overstepped the lines, and sometimes he did. And then it only requires a
discussion between us two. And we look ourselves in the eye, and we know
each other since a very long time now. We understand each other very, very
quickly. So I have no doubts. Sometimes we need these kind of things to
reset a little bit and I have no doubts that going into the last race of the
season there won't be any problems or whatsoever because at the end it's in
the benefit for both of us to try and win that constrictors we know that an
opportunity like that doesn't happen very often and we've got to do
absolutely everything on both of our side in order to try and win that. And
we need each other in order to win that because it's not going to be easy.
This weekend is not going to be easy. And by working as a team, we can maybe
achieve that.
Q: (Margot Laffite - Canal+) A question for Fernando. We're doing a footage
on the pleasure, the joy of driving. Could you describe if it's, for you,
directly linked to the performance? No performance, no pleasure in an F1
car? And maybe you can compare also with the lighter cars you drove in the
past.
FA: Yeah, interesting question. Probably I have to think a little bit
deeper. But no, I don't think that the pleasure of driving is linked to the
performance only. Sometimes you come to a circuit or to even a go-kart
track, and you are alone on track, and you are not fighting anyone. And you
have a lot of joy, and you have a real good day. Sometimes you have a car
that is not really well set up or you have a huge understeer or we all, as I
said now, you jump in a rental car that you just self-steer to the left or
whatever, or it's just not really square, the chassis, and you still have a
lot of fun just fighting against that weakness of the car you know and
trying to make the car turn the same way, left to right, in some corners. So
I think it's just overcoming the challenge sometimes of what the car is able
to do, which produces satisfaction and joy in driving. And I think the
adrenaline and the freedom when you are behind the wheel of choosing what to
do, at what speed you want to approach the corner, when you want to brake,
30 metres later, 30 meters earlier. So all those kind of decisions that you
make by instinct is a sense of freedom that I think increases the joy of
driving whatever car. So I don't think it's related to performance. And then
comparing different eras of Formula 1, for sure, I think the early 2000s
were the best cars to drive. They were very light, very reactive. I think
the feedback that you get from the car when you have less sophisticated
tools is much more pure than what we have now, that is all filtered a little
bit by all the technology we have. So yeah I still think that those cars
were more fun to drive.
Q: (Roldan Rodriguez – DAZN Spain) Charles, you are doing a very good season
and reaching the maximum points in your career. But I want to know how
important it is for you to be second in the championship of drivers.
CL: At the end, I always say the second is the first of the losers. And you
never really are excited about a second or a third or a fourth place.
However, having said that, obviously second place in a year like this would
mean a lot in a way because I think it's not been an easy year. The priority
remains the Constructors’. However, the second place in the Drivers’ would
be a nice bonus. So it's not like I don't care at all. But it will be a good
thing to be finishing second after a year like this.
Q: (Rosanna Tennant – BBC Five Live) A question to you all. Rui Marques, the
race director, will be presiding over F1, F2 and F1 Academy this weekend. In
the past, that workload has been deemed too high. Charlie Whiting stepped
down from all those responsibilities previously. Is there any risk for the
three of you this weekend and other drivers on the grid having somebody in
charge of so much across one weekend?
(CLARIFICATION: The role of F1 Academy Race Director is performed by Silvia
Bellot rather than Rui Marques, as the question suggests)
CL: I find it very, very difficult to judge. I mean, it's not like we
actually know how much work there is for these three categories. I mean, at
least personally, I don't know that. So, yeah, I think it's very, very
difficult to judge whether that is too much or not. I guess he will be the
first one to experience it. But the first race has gone really well. And
he's been super open-minded in listening to us drivers and doing things in
the right way. And that was very positive. But concerning the workload, I
think it's very difficult to judge or to say anything from our side.
PG: I think I fully agree with Charles. As he said, I think the first race
weekend has been very positive, very objective and open for discussion and
very factual as well. So I'm sure whatever comes out of this weekend, if it
doesn't allow him to be at a F1 standard, I'm sure there'll be changes in
the future. So at the minute, yeah, we'll see. But as I say, it's been a
good start and we'll see how it goes the next two weekends.
FA: Yeah, not much to add. Only he knows if it's too much or not. Or
probably he will know after the weekend, not even now.
Q: (Adam Cooper – Adam Cooper F1) For all three of you, the 11th team has
been confirmed for 2026. What are your thoughts in general on having two
extra seats for you guys? And secondly, for Fernando, there's a lot of guys
from your Renault days in that team, Pat Simmons, Rob White, Nick Chester.
What do you think of the potential of that group a few years down the line?
FA: Yeah, I mean, 11th team, 22 drivers, it’s not the first time that we
will be 22 on the grid. It's a complex decision, I guess, for the sport in
general but if they came to that conclusion it's because it's the best for
everybody. I will support always whatever management thing that is the best.
And then for the team personnel, yeah, they have a couple of people that
they were in the Renault days and for sure they will have a huge
contribution right now at the very early part of the project, with a lot of
experience in Formula 1 and in the sport. So, yeah, I wish the best of luck,
you know. A new team is never an easy task, but I think they will be well
prepared and they have the right people. So, yeah, welcome.
PG: I mean, it's exciting. It's going to be my first time to race with 22
cars in F1. So, yeah, more rivals, probably more action, more racing. So,
yeah, exciting, exciting times. And as Fernando said, I think it's been a
long topic for quite a long time. So I'm sure if they came to that
conclusion, definitely means it's the best for the sport. So, yeah, excited
about it.
CL: Yeah, very similar reply. It's the first time in my career that I'll be
22 on the grid in F1, and that's exciting. I also think that there are lots
of young drivers waiting for a place in Formula 1, in order to get there,
and that will obviously give more opportunities to very talented young
drivers that are dreaming to get into Formula 1. So for that, this is a good
thing, and yeah, cool to have two more cars on the grid.
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Pierre, a question for you. Red Bull have
been struggling to replace Max Verstappen's teammate for quite a few years.
Of course, you were in that position once. Are you surprised that Yuki
hasn't been seriously considered for that seat? You know Red Bull well. You
know Yuki well. He's been performing this year. Do you think that they
should give him a shot?
PG: It's a tough question. I think performance-wise, he deserves a chance.
He seems to have improved a lot from the moment he came. He's been
performing pretty strongly, I would say, this season and also last year.
He’s beaten his teammate. From this point of view, I think, yeah, looking at
the programme, the Red Bull programme, it will make sense to give him a
shot. But, you know, at the end, ultimately, we know there is not only
performance that comes down to that decision. It's a top team. And, yeah, it
depends on what Christian and Helmut wants to do with it. Personally, yeah,
I'd like to see him and see what he does there. But I know it's not that
easy. And if you ask me performance-wise, yeah, I think he deserved a
chance.
Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) Fernando, just going back to your earlier
answer about the satisfaction and joy that can be derived from working on a
car and improving it. How much satisfaction and joy have you been able to
get this season, given it's been so challenging for Aston?
FA: Yeah, it has been challenging, but I still enjoyed a lot this year,
especially at the beginning, obviously, when the car was a little bit
faster. But even now, you know, with the difficulties we face sometimes,
we're still trying to analyse and get some lessons into the next year's car
and into the future. And yeah, when you start the season strong and then you
finish with a little bit more struggles, you have the sense of, you know,
you finish so you had a so-so season. And when you do the opposite, it's a
very different feeling when you finish strong. But the points are counting
after Abu Dhabi. And I think we have a high chance to finish fifth in the
Constructors’ Championship, which is not what we want to be. But I have the
feeling that, you know, there is a perception that there are a lot of teams
that they did better than Aston Martin this year and they are well behind
us. As I said, you know, it depends if you start strong or you finish weak
or vice versa. But, you know, we are not where we want to be. But there are
only four teams happier than us, not nine.
Q: (Erwin Jaeggi – Motorsport.com) A question for Charles. After winning the
title in Vegas, Max said that he also would have become champion driving a
Ferrari. What do you make of that statement? Thank you.
CL: I mean, Max is a very special driver. And I think what makes him very
special is also the confidence that he has. However, I think it's very
difficult to say something like that not knowing actually what the car is
like. Yeah, he's an incredible driver. No doubts whether he will have made
it or not. I don't know. I don't know how the Red Bull is. I don't know how
the McLaren is. And he doesn't know how the Ferrari is. So it's maybe a bit
of a stretch to say something like that. But yeah, nothing to add.
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Charles, a question on your relationship with
Carlos. You guys obviously struck a pretty good working relationship over
the last few years. A lot of memes on social media about C squared and
things like that. How much are you going to miss Carlos as a person at
Ferrari?
CL: I've said it many times. On one hand, it's not like I'm going to miss
him like crazy because he will still be in the paddock, maybe 20 metres
away. So as I've said it for Fréd, Carlos isn't my girlfriend either. And so
I really like Carlos, but I'm sure we'll spend still a lot of time together.
And as I was saying earlier, we have a really good relationship that will
stay there even after our relationship within Ferrari. Yeah, we won't be
working any more together, but we'll still spend time together. But he is a
good person and we get along very, very well. And yeah, that, as I said
earlier, helps us to work together very well.
Q: Charles, do you expect the dynamic between you and Lewis to be different
next year?
CL: No, I don't think so. We have a very good relationship too. It's a
different kind of relationship because I haven't spent that much time with
Lewis yet, but I have obviously so much respect for Lewis and what he has
achieved. And we have had a very good relationship. We don't have quite the
same age, but we still share a lot of interest outside racing. So, no, I'm
sure it won't be any different.
Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) Another question to Fernando, please, just
following up on what you were saying there about the perception of the team.
Would you agree that the success of early 2023 raised expectations too much,
given where the team is on in its journey? There are key facilities that are
still being built at the factory, the wind tunnel, not online, for example.
So what do you make of how people see Aston and where it is from your
perspective in reality?
FA: No, I don't think that the expectations were too high. We did a very
strong campaign in 2023, and people were expecting us to fight for bigger
things, or at least to be at the level that we were at the beginning of this
year. And this is normal. This is Formula 1, and we want to be there as
well. You know, we didn't succeed, you know, the second part of the year. We
are aware of that. But we are not ashamed of that. You know, we are working
towards fighting for the championship in the future and the second part of
the year we didn't maybe bring to the circuit what we thought that it was in
the pipeline. But at the same time, we have finished, as you said, some of
the facilities in Silverstone, with building two and three of the factory,
the wind tunnel will be soon operating. And we have Adrian Newey on board,
so. It was not a bad 2024.
Q: (Carlos Miguel – Diario Marca) Question for Fernando. I read about the
car of next season, that the idea of Aston is to come back to a car in slow
corners, like the ‘23 car. It's true that? And what do you know about this
‘25 Aston? The numbers are good? What do you think?
FA: I don't know much. I don't know exactly what will be the characteristics
of the car. As I said before, all the learnings that we are taking into this
year's, you know, the struggles, I think are well in place into next year's
project. So, you know, all the things that we didn't succeed this year, I
think they are better for next year. I don't think that the car will be the
base of 2023. I don't think so. I think it's just a completely new project
for ‘25 which hopefully delivers better results than the current car. But we
are aware of also the gap with the top four teams. They are in a little bit
in another league. So, you know, I think there is a lot of work to do, but
there's still four months or three months and a half until the first race
and first proper test. So I think we have plenty of time and we have the
right people. We have the right facilities and we have the good learnings of
this year. So, you know, I'm confident to start the season strong and to
have a good 2025.
PART TWO – Sergio PÉREZ (Red Bull Racing), Zhou GUANYU (Kick Sauber),
Alex ALBON (Williams)
Q: Alex, you're closest. Now, it's been a tough couple of races for
Williams. Just how tough?
Alex ALBON: Yeah, not smooth for sure. I think being especially tough more
for the mechanics and for the people at the factory. Obviously, we had a few
crashes, not always our fault, but in the end, they add up. And testament to
everyone who's worked so hard to get them back, we still got two cars that
are at the track that are more than capable to score points and back to
fighting fit, at least the cars are. It's been tough, but everyone's been
very strong, very optimistic, and I think that's Williams. I think
everyone's very optimistic.
Q: What about the competitiveness of the car? Because you haven't scored
points since Baku. Do you feel it's slipped off a bit?
AA: But also, I don't think I've finished a race since Baku! I think maybe I
have. I honestly... Austin? Did I finish Austin? I finished Austin with a
broken floor, so it's almost like we haven't really done anything.
Q: But even in terms of qualifying pace?
AA: I mean, Mexico, we were P8. Brazil, we were P2 until the incident, P3
until the incident. Vegas, we got caught out by Safety Cars. So I really
think it's nowhere near as bad as maybe it looks like on the outside. I
think we've just had a tough run and that happens. It's not normal to have
it consecutive, as much as it has happened for us so far this year, at least
in this last part of the year. But yeah, it's just how it is, unfortunately.
Q: It's an interesting thing. When you look back at 2024, it seems to be one
of unfulfilled promise in a way for Williams. The car is better than the
results would show. Is that your abiding memory of this season?
AA: Yes, partly. I think that last year we finished P7 in the Constructors'
Championship and I wouldn't say we were always the seventh quickest car. I
think we really took advantage and made the most of what we had. This year
feels in some ways the opposite, I would agree. I think that we've been on
the back foot since race one. I think we didn't quite have the... I think
it's a known story now, the car wasn't on weight and we were on the back
foot from the beginning and then we missed out on capitalising when we
should have. Teams like Alpine, they're on their third, fourth upgrade now.
We did one major one, I would say, this year, and let's say where we are now
is kind of expected in terms of pace. but I think we've just missed out a
little bit. All for good reasons, though. I really think that a lot of the
reasons why we've been on the back foot is just because we've made so many
big changes back at Grove, which are going to help us definitely in the
future, but possibly a little bit of short-term pain for now.
Q: One of the changes for the future is a new team-mate in Carlos Sainz.
Just tell us how much contact you've had with Carlos, and what can he expect
at Williams?
AA: Truthfully, not too much. I wish I could say more, but I think,
obviously, once Abu Dhabi happens, firstly, I'll be very keen to hear his
feedback on the car during the test, see where his head’s at compared to
Ferrari. I think, obviously, he'll have a very fresh mind of driving the
Ferrari and then coming into Williams of where are our strengths? Where are
our weaknesses? And yeah, I think that's honestly one of the things that I'm
looking forward to most with Carlos joining is I remember my time at Red
Bull and when I came to Williams and obviously there's a lot of things on
your mind, things you want to try to improve for the team. And at the same
time, I've spent now three years at Williams, and it's nice to almost have
someone a little bit fresher than me. And coming from a team like Ferrari,
I'm sure he'll bring a lot to the table. And of course, I know he will push
me. I think he's having a very strong year this year as well. But it will be
a good challenge.
Q: Alex, thank you for that. Zhou, let's come to you. Great to see you back
in Q2 at the weekend. Was it track specific or do you think the upgrades are
really making a difference?
Zhou GUANYU: For me, I think it's more about the upgrades. These upgrades, I
think, we wanted for a while now. And, obviously, finally to have that for
both cars for the first time in a while as well in Vegas, that was a pretty
good step on the team. And, yeah, it's clearly, we saw in terms of numbers,
it's probably the biggest one we had this season for all this new stuff we
had. And it's clearly worked like we hoped. Is it enough or not? We will
find out a little bit more this weekend and also Abu Dhabi. But I think it's
clearly a very positive step in the right direction. Tried them in FP2 had a
good comparison from P1 and everything just seems to be working in the right
direction. and yeah had a good weekend I think after a very difficult last
couple of weeks.
Q: How close do you feel to points now? Or do you think you're still going
to need a little bit of luck to get that point?
ZG: I think for us at this stage, we need a little bit of luck because I
think, like one of the Racing Bulls and also both Haas look very strong this
year. And then there's several teams, you know, like Alpine and Williams,
they can be always there. So it's very difficult compared to last year,
because last year you have like some teams has always been up there and some
other teams have been struggling more than the others. But this year seems
to be the midfield is very consistent in a positive way that for us it's
difficult to do the catch up. But I think we're there, you know, where if we
put a car or both cars in Q2, then everything still can be happening for the
race. But I think we do need a bit of luck. And then purely on just car
performance, I think we are not yet had a quick enough car for top 10, but
we can be there like we did last week.
Q: I've got high hopes after what you did here last year from the back to
P9. Does that give you a little bit of confidence coming into this race?
ZG: Yeah, I mean, I liked it. I enjoy this track layout, you know. I like
more high-speed tracks, and then this track is a lot of medium high-speed
corners, which goes a little bit towards my favourites. But last year was
good. But I remember, you know, as good as the results we had here, but it's
all about how intense, how demanding the whole race was. That's all I can
remember, left off from Qatar. But, yeah. You know we try to focus on what
we are doing this year. It’s a completely different concept of the car, so
things can be definitely pan out a little bit differently, but we keep the
hopes high. I think we saw very positive steps in the previous weekend and
then we try to keep that momentum up and then hopefully that I can find more
rhythm than what I did over the last few weeks and just continue to be, you
know, getting better together as a team.
Q: Zhou, when you look back at 2024, what comes to mind? I mean, when you
finished P11 in Bahrain at the first race, did you have any idea that you
were going to have the kind of season that you have had?
ZG: For sure not. I mean, I was thinking that was a very good start point,
but I didn't expect that's actually the best result we had. Yeah, we're
facing a lot of unexpected challenges for the season. I think it's very
difficult for every single, I think, members in the team because, like I
always mentioned, the first part of the season, the first five, six races, I
think me and Valtteri, we had several occasions that we can be quite good at
points, and then we had this pit stop issue, which got massively delayed
until we fixed that into the European races, unfortunately. And since there
we didn't really have the performance in the car to be fighting back in the
points like we did in the previous few weekends. So it's been very tough, I
guess. As a driver, you cannot pay the end result because of that season
that everything can be very possible for the future. So, yeah, right now,
like I always said, it's a relief, but I still want to finish this journey
together with the team in the best way as possible. I think it's been a very
family feeling together with Sauber over the last two and a half years and
to this point. And then, yeah, let's see what the future is. But right now,
I'm just trying to enjoy as much as I could with the next coming races.
Q: Checo let's come to you. Now, you said after the race in Vegas that you
feel close to turning things around. Vegas in particular, where do you feel
the car made improvement?
Sergio PÉREZ: I think in Vegas mainly the main issue we had was qualifying.
We were out in Q1. Straight away after qualifying we understood why. We saw
it, it was very clear in the data. But then we were on the back foot and
then going on to the race, with the degradation that we had, we were not
expecting it to be so severe, especially in the beginning. So we went for
the Hard tyre. which I also degraded the Hard tyre and that meant that I had
to spend quite a lot of the race on the Medium, so it compromised the race a
lot, but we did have some good pace during the race.
Q: Checo, when you say you're making improvements, is that to the set-up or
are you making improvements to the way you're able to drive around the
issues?
SP: I think with the set-up we are coming closer. Already in a couple of
weekends, São Paulo, probably in Vegas we didn't have the pace that we had
in São Paulo, but I think there are some promising signs that things are
coming. We were not so competitive in Vegas in terms of team order, but I
believe that here should be a good track for us.
Q: Checo, look, this is the last time you're going to be in the FIA press
conference this year. So can I just get a bit of a reflection from you now
on this 2024 season?
SP: Yeah, obviously, it's been one of my best starts of the year, you know,
with four races. consecutively on the podium. Things were looking great. But
as soon as we came back to Europe, I think our season took a U-turn. Other
teams improved and found a lot of performance. On our side, we got a bit
lost with the car, I'll say. And then there were a lot of weekends where
things were just not coming in, a lot of weekends have been too difficult
just in regards that we are looking at all the areas, exploring all the
areas, and at the end of the day there is only so much you can do on a
weekend that we end up losing a lot of points and the season turned out to
be quite a lot more difficult. But I think it's how it is in Formula 1.
Sometimes things don't go your way. We’re still here and and optimistic that
we can turn things around as a team, especially for next year.
Q: Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently this
year, particularly when we got back to Europe after those four podiums in
the opening five races?
SP: I think it's hard to say, actually, because the way the car changed
meant that we had to drive quite differently, and it took me a lot longer to
adapt. And actually, as a team, to understand what the car was doing, it
took us a lot of races, because sometimes it's not so clear to spot issues
on the data and then to drive around them. So I think I was a lot more
sensitive to it with my driving style than, for example, Max was. You know,
for Max, things didn't change that much. But for me, it changed severely. So
it's hard to say what we could have done differently. I think spotting the
problems early will have helped quite a lot our season.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Roldán Rodríguez – DAZN Spain) Checo, you have been 14 years in Formula
1. You are a race winner. A few months ago, you were fighting against Max
Verstappen and beating him as well in some circuits. How can you explain now
to the new Formula 1 fans what is going on now this year struggling that
much?
SP: Yeah, I think it's very difficult for people to understand that they're
not part of the team or are not on a daily basis. From one race to another,
let's say you are so far away. I think when you are not able to extract 100%
out of your car, it's irrelevant how good your car is. And this is what
happened. You know, I haven't been able to extract 100% out of my car
because of the difficulties I've had in the last few months with it. And I
think that's the main issue. You know, I think you go through periods and I
think as a team, we are understanding and we're working really hard to make
sure that we can fix them.
Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) I know the stats aren't good, Checo, but
what you're saying here today makes me feel that in your mind, the stats are
misleading because of what you have or haven't been able to do with the car.
Are you saying that there's absolutely no question that you shouldn't be
driving next season and that you have a contract and you should be with Red
Bull and they should look beyond the stats, as it were, and maybe at the
data a bit more?
SP: I mean, at the end of the day, the team has all the information. There
is so much I can say here. At the end of the day, the team has all the
information. And there's a reason why we extended my contract during the
year. At the end of the day, the team has everything, and we exactly know
where we are in terms of performance, in terms of issues, difficulties that
we've had. We are a team and we know exactly internally where everything
stands, so we're working really hard as a team to come through and get back
into a much better season than the one that we just had.
Q: (Diego Mejia – Fox Sports Mexico) Question to Checo. You've seen Max from
up close much closer than any other driver this year. Is there any aspect
you think Max has stepped up a gear relative to previous seasons?
SP: I think Max has done his best season I've seen from him in these four
years. I think the way he pushed the team, out of the car, how hard he
worked during this year, especially there were a lot of periods during the
year where we looked really far and he would push the team in all the areas,
in all the aspects. Max has done very big steps out of the car. I think his
talent and his speed has been there since day one, but out of the car, how
he reads the races, how he works with the team, how he pushes the team, I
think is the biggest step that he has done in these past years.
Q: Checo, do you feel Max has been supportive of you this year?
SP: I think we're working as a team. I think especially the last few months,
we've had similar issues with the car, so we're pushing in similar
directions to try and improve the car. And at the end of the day, we are
working as a team. Like I say, you know, the team knows exactly what we've
done, where we are, and I think we're working well together.
Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) So just finally, are you a Red Bull driver
or a driver for Red Bull? If the team, if Christian Horner decides you're
not the driver he wants for the senior team next year, does your contract
say you could drive for RB? or is it the Red Bull team or nothing and will
you be holding the team to that contract if that decision's made?
SP: I don't speak. I've been 14 years in the sport and I don't speak about
my contracts publicly. So I will not comment on that. I know exactly where I
am and I will not speak about it publicly.
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Checo, just to follow up on that, you say you
know exactly where you are. Can you say with 100% confidence that you'll be
driving for Red Bull Racing in 2025?
SP: Yeah, exactly.
Q: (Erwin Jaeggi – Motorsport.com) A question for all three. Now, you
probably won't need it this weekend, but the FIA is working on a cooling
device which pumps cooled air around the overall. Have you maybe had a
chance to try this? And what do you think of this idea?
AA: I think Franco tried it in Brazil, but it was quite cold in Brazil. So
it didn't work. I think it made him too cold, actually. So he asked to take
it off before FP1. So in that sense, it must work. But I think it's great
that they're taking initiatives to try to help us. Obviously, as you said,
it's maybe not that hot this weekend, but it's still going to be physical.
And so, yeah, I mean, in hot races, hot climates, especially with all the
travel we're doing and the toll it's taking on our bodies, if there's any
extra support we can get, then I think we would definitely take them. Last
year was very not comfortable, I think, for the drivers that did race. And
yeah, I think all good steps.
ZG: Yeah, actually, we haven't actually tried anything yet. So I wouldn't
really give much opinion on that. But I think I'm more than happy, of
course, to have this cooling just to help. I think races like Singapore
every single year has been very difficult for drivers, losing a lot of
water. And I think that will just only help us. So yeah, let's see.
SP: Yeah, I think there has been a few occasions in my career where things
have gone quite to the limit. And I think the speeds that we're traveling,
you don't want to see someone collapsing in the car or something like that.
So I think it's a really, really good thing, a very good initiative. I
haven't tried it. I haven't seen the system. So I don't know if it works.
But yeah, hopefully we can do something for those sort of races like the one
we had last year here.
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Zhou, we've had confirmation that F1 is
looking to expand the grid to 11 teams in 2026 with General Motors and
Cadillac. For a driver like you who's looking to try and find a way back
into F1 in the next couple of years, how good is that? to see there's
another two seats available? And have you had any talks yet with the GM
Cadillac guys?
ZG: Yeah, I mean, I'm fully aware of, you know, that GM and also Cadillac
joined the grid. I think it's very good for the sport in general because,
you know, a lot of people are always talking about having probably not
enough seats for the people, the young drivers available. Clearly, I think
we have a lot of young drivers for next year. And then, I think from my
position, it's a great opportunity and a great chance for next season that
I'm not having a seat. So I can probably think about what the future will be
and try to have an opportunity there. So I'm aware of that. But everything
was just only announced this week. We need to still go through a bit more
further details on that. But for me, my priority is trying to, like I always
said, having another chance of coming back on the grid. So for me, I don't
really have where I go, but if there's a chance to grab, I will absolutely
take it. So let's see how the future is.
Q: Zhou, ‘26 would be GM, which leaves next year. How important is it for
you to keep racing in 2025? Would you look at another series? Would you look
at WEC or IndyCar?
ZG: Actually, you know, next year for me, I kind of decided not to take
another series, just because I feel like with so many doors that could be
potentially open, not just during next year, but also the year after, I want
to make sure if there's a chance for me in case, you know, to be stepping
back into seat for one race or not, but I'll be fully here to do so. So
that's very important. But I also do feel like, we talk about, you know, you
want to keep the momentum of racing going on. But if you take this one year
off, I think you'll be OK on that. I think more than one year, then you
start to have a little bit of losing this momentum. So for me, I think I'll
be just making sure, I mean, in the next chapter, in a very happy place,
that I can you know be fully aware that having a possibility to return here
on the grid because I think this year didn't really show my full potential
yet. I want to have definitely another chance if there's an occasion on
that. So let's see. |
