Italian GP: FIA Thursday Press Conference

PART ONE – Franco COLAPINTO (Alpine), Kimi ANTONELLI (Mercedes), Fernando ALONSO (Aston Martin)

QQ: Fernando, welcome to Monza. It's a place, of course, that you know very well. How hopeful are you coming into this race? Because the last two races in Hungary and Zandvoort, the car has been performing very well. Do you think it'll translate to the long straights here at the Autodromo?
Fernando ALONSO: Let’s see. I think we come to Monza a little bit more cautious about our performance. Last efficiency circuit was Spa, and we were not that fast in Spa. So yeah, we’ll see. We made some changes after Spa on the set-up of the car and how we approach the weekends. So hopefully we can be a little bit better. But I think, you know, on paper, it’s not the same track, Monza, as the last two races.

Q: We're two-thirds of the way through this championship now. You talk about changes to the set-up, but can we focus on the positives? How much better is the car now compared to where it was at the start of the season, and in what areas?
FA: I think it is a lot better than at the start of the season. I think my first point in the championship came in race eight or race nine. So yeah, at the beginning we didn’t have a car to be in the top 10 on Sundays. And now it seems that we are able to fight in the midfield and to score points regularly. In the last nine races, I think I’ve been seven times in Q3, in the top 10. So definitely there is a very different car now. It is better on the aero platform. We didn’t change much mechanically on the set-up. Yes, we are working a little bit weekend to weekend, but I think aerodynamically the car is a lot more stable, a lot easier to drive, and we can put the laps together.

Q: And when you look at the remaining nine races of this championship, where do you see your best opportunities?
FA: I think we have a couple of places that we think are more similar to Budapest and Zandvoort. Maybe Singapore can be one of those, maybe Brazil. But, you know, we’ve been surprised a little bit — sometimes negatively surprised, sometimes positively — so we are not really putting all the hopes in one or two races. We will go every weekend to give our maximum, like this one in Monza, even if it seems difficult. And yeah, we’ll see in Abu Dhabi how many points and which constructor position we have at the end.

Q: Alright. Fernando, best of luck this weekend. Thank you for that. Kimi, let's come to you now. Back at Monza, scene of the announcement last year when you were confirmed as a Mercedes Formula 1 driver. It's been quite a 12 months since then. Can we start just by reflecting on everything that's happened since Monza last year?
Kimi ANTONELLI: Yeah, it happened a lot of things. I have good memories, but also really bad memories here. But yeah, I mean, it’s a really special place, and I think it’s going to be a special weekend because it’s not just my second home race, but obviously, as you said, this is where it all started with the announcement. So that’s why it’s going to be a very special one. But, you know, it’s been very intense ever since. And yeah, so far, it’s gone quite okay.

Q: And when you look at car performance, where do you expect to be coming out this weekend?
KA: It’s always tough to say because the cars now are getting closer and closer. But last year, looking at the result, especially in qualifying, they were up there. So this year, it’s been a bit of the trend that the car where it’s been good last year was also quite good this year. So hopefully it’s going to be the same, but we never know.

Q: And when you're on the simulator, are there similarities between here and Montreal? Of course, Montreal was a great race for the team.
KA: Well, I mean, first of all, it’s a lot lower downforce here, but the first two chicanes are really high braking and then going into a slow corner, similar to Melbourne. But also here you’ve got some quick corners such as the Lesmos, Ascari and Parabolica. So in some way, it’s similar to Montreal in terms of characteristics, but the second half of the lap is a bit different. But hopefully — obviously we’re back on the old suspension, which has given us more confidence — so hopefully we’ll be able to have good pace.

Q: One thing — you talked about this being your second home race. You were quite open after Imola saying that maybe if you'd had that race weekend again, you might have done things differently. There were a lot of demands on your time there. Are you approaching Monza a little differently?
KA: For sure. I will be much more prepared, and I definitely know much better what to expect. I know much better how I need to move around, how I need to behave during the race week in order to be able to be 100% every time I go in the car.

Q: Alright. Kimi, best of luck. Thank you very much for that. Franco, welcome to the press conference. So back at the scene of your Grand Prix debut last year — just how different does it feel coming back to a racetrack for the second time as a Formula 1 driver?
Franco COLAPINTO: Yeah, it’s the first track I actually raced in last year. So from now on, we’ve got another nine races that I know — races that I’ve already been in — which is always very helpful. But just very nice memories. Being back here in Monza after a year of my debut, it does bring a lot of flashbacks and memories back, which is always very nice. To win that surprise call last year, that I was jumping in this weekend, was a dream coming true, and a lot of things happened from there. So yeah, it’s really nice to be back here in Monza. It’s a track that I always like and I really enjoy driving in. It’s full of Tifosi, very passionate people and fans that support us, and it’s a great track to race. So yeah, can’t wait for it.

Q: And do you come here with a lot of confidence? Because last weekend, you finished very close to the points. Do you feel you're making progress with this car now?
FC: Yeah. I feel much more in control, starting to be just more confident with the car, and I’m gaining that feeling that I had last year very quickly. I didn’t have it this year so early on, and I think now the team, my engineers, really helped me to win that back a little bit. We are still working on it really hard because it’s not where we want to be. We are doing a lot of progress with the car, but I think generally it’s been much better. The last two races have been more competitive. We showed that we’re very close to the points. So still a lot of work to be done. This track, it can be quite hard for us with the long straights, but I think if we do well and we take all the opportunities available, we can have a good weekend.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Tom Slafer – DAZN Spain) Question for Fernando. You were mentioning how much better the car is now compared to the beginning of the season. Besides the good results that the team is getting lately, it feels like the team has found its way in the development race with the new floors in Imola and Silverstone, and maybe particularly with the new front wing. Does this make you feel even more optimistic going towards 2026?
FA: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I think to trust the tools that we have in the factory and bring things to the track that actually deliver what was expected from them is obviously a very good thing. We didn’t have that in 2023 and in 2024. So yeah, it’s good to go back to a more normal factory-track kind of correlation and develop the 2026 car next winter knowing that the tools are correct.

Q: (Mara Sangiorgio – Sky Italia) A question to Kimi. Kimi, you told us last week how much you needed a fresh weekend. How do you get rid of bad thoughts like Zandvoort or Monza last year? What’s the way?
KA: Just focusing on myself, just focusing on what I have to do. It’s really easy to get lost and focus too much on the final result. Instead, I think it’s much better — and this I haven’t been doing super well — but just focusing on the things I have to do: driving well, putting things together, and helping the team the best way to find the best balance as well. So I think that’s the main thing — just trying to focus on myself and trying to get every detail right.

Q: (Moritz Steidl – Servus TV) Question to Fernando. It’s a 22nd time in Monza driving. Take us maybe through the years — how much did it change to drive a car in this Temple of Speed?
FA: Yeah, definitely, it did change a lot. I think I drove even different configurations of Monza, not only the current one. But yeah, the way the cars changed makes Monza a little bit different than in the past. The way the downforce behaves now is a little bit safer. I remember the first couple of years in Monza, driving with no rear wing basically, made the car feel like it was floating on the straights, and it seemed like you were not totally in control of it. Now I would not say that it’s easy, but the cars are in control all the time. Obviously, now we have different devices that are making this place safer. That’s for me the biggest difference. In the past, when we used to come to Monza, you felt the danger, you felt the speed, you felt the adrenaline. Now it’s a little bit more difficult to feel that thing. We have the Halo, we have the HANS device, we have different things that I didn’t have the first time I drove here. Everyone is doing tests before coming to F1 in Monza, or at least with very low downforce. Back in the 2000s, there were not these kinds of privileges.

Q: (Craig Slater – Sky Sports) A question to all three. F1 boss Stefano Domenicali has talked about maybe young fans having shorter attention spans, and maybe we need more Sprints or maybe even Grand Prix should be reduced in length. What do you think about that? Who’d like to start? Go on, Kimi.
KA: It’s a tough one. I think personally, Sprint weekends are fun because you have a lot of activity. You have to be on point straight away because you have one practice, then qualifying, and then you go into a Sprint race. But I think shorter races — I don’t think it would really work, because already now with long races, we do one-stop strategy with the tyres we have. They would have to implement so many more rules for a shorter race in terms of pit stops and so on, because I don’t think it would change so much. I think also with the longer race, probably you have more time to build your race. But yeah, I don’t really know. I can’t really give a clear answer on this, but that’s my thought. But Sprint weekends are fun, so that wouldn’t be bad — having more of them.
FC: Yeah, I think they are just doing a great job. Stefano did a great job in bringing the sport to where it is now. He’s a great leader, and I really appreciate the effort that everyone is doing to try to make it better for the fans, for everyone here. It’s getting bigger and bigger, Formula 1. If it’s from someone, it’s thanks to them and the effort. I can’t comment too much on that — there are a lot of new things happening in the sport and they are bringing a lot of new people to it. I think we are all very grateful for the effort they have been doing in the past to make the sport better and to bring it to where it is now. I just enjoy driving. So if we keep driving and keep doing a lot of laps, I’m happy with that. It doesn’t really matter what session it is.
FA: Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, I will be on the other side — I will be in front of the TV when that happens. So I don’t know. I don’t think it’s a problem with the sport. So probably it’s not needed to change, but Stefano knows better than anyone. So if he thinks that it’s needed, we are in good hands with him in this kind of decision. But I don’t know. Also, football matches are a little bit long. When I sit in front of the TV, I’m not watching the 90 minutes fully concentrated. I go to the kitchen, come back — there’s always some moments of distraction, and no one is talking about having 60-minute football matches or something like that. So it’s a problem of society and the kids, but not the sport. So probably it’s not needed, the change.

Q: And Fernando, if you did shorten the Grand Prix — with all your experience — what would we lose, if anything?
FA: I think, as Kimi said, probably you need to do your own race and you need to find your way into the race to go back to your natural position at the end of the race if you execute it well. If it’s too short, like in some of the Sprint races, if you start with a bad qualifying or whatever, there is not time to execute anything. It’s difficult to follow — all the cars have the same tyre age, there’s no possibility to recover places. So the longer race gives you that possibility, that freedom on the strategy. But yeah, as I said, it’s a difficult topic. Probably refuelling would be the best thing — I’ve said many times. I know this is totally the opposite direction of how it’s going. But when you can choose your fuel load and have different strategies, that changes completely the way the race unfolds and that creates an incredible, attractive strategy and races.

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Sadly there wasn’t much overtaking in the refuelling days but we can talk about that another time. Question to Kimi. If a rookie year is all about learning, what did you learn from Imola that you have changed for this — so that when you say you’re better prepared for this, your second race, you'll do differently?
KA: Well, definitely when I said I’ll be more prepared — obviously, it was my first home race and there was a lot going on, especially outside the track. I think also on my side, I didn’t manage energy the best way, and just going back in the car and not feeling 100%, also focus-wise. So I feel like on that side I will know much better how to react and how to behave. I think that’s going to be the main learning — also trying to manage the energy the best way possible during the whole weekend. Because, obviously, you start the weekend and then as you go, as you arrive to Sunday, of course you have a bit less energy overall. But the most important is that you arrive with the most amount of energy. I remember being in Imola and already from the Saturday I was pretty tired. So yeah, definitely that was a good learning and I don’t want that to happen again.

Q: (Panagiotis Seitanidis – Antenna TV Greece) A question for Kimi. Obviously, you are the home hero and whole Italy cheers for you. But when you were in Santorini this summer, everybody was sending me pictures — “Oh, Kimi’s here, Kimi’s there.” How do you cope with this sudden stardom of F1 even in places where there is no race and you don’t have your team kit? And secondly, what did you like about our country?
KA: Well, first of all, I love Greece. I went already a couple of times and I think it’s a really great place to spend summer — whether with family, with a girlfriend, or with friends. I think it’s really nice, the place, first of all, because it allows you to disconnect and to relax. And the other question — you kind of expect it a little bit, especially when you’re racing at the peak of the sport. But it’s obviously super nice to see that there are already a lot of fans supporting you. I just try to embrace this as well — getting the positive energy from them. Of course, sometimes you need to maybe say no, but in that occasion, on holiday, I was happy with that. I was just trying to get the positive energy from them, and it’s always nice to have these kinds of things.

Q: (Ian Parkes – RacingNews365.com) Question for you, Fernando. You've been involved in many a great title tussle over the years — some you've won, some you've lost. When you're in the position that Lando and Oscar are in right now, what's the ideal mindset to take, particularly when you know, given that it's strictly between those two, that any mistake or any incident — as Lando unfortunately suffered on Sunday — can prove incredibly costly?
FA: Yeah. I mean, nothing you can do on the external factors. You just need to deliver the job every weekend as they do. They are doing incredibly well. They have a very strong car, but they keep delivering always, even on the difficult weekends. Lando was unlucky in Zandvoort, but still many races to go. So you just focus on winning every weekend if you can. And if you do that, you will be champion. And accepting that sometimes you will be second or third, and try to keep the next one alive.

Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Franco, after one year in Formula 1, which are the aspects in which you feel more comfortable? And which are the ones where you still have to try hard?
FC: Yeah, I think that one year ago everything was new, and everything was tricky to get used to it so quickly. Now I’ve got a lot more experience, a lot more time. I think that step of suddenly having to work with 20 engineers, or 30 engineers, in the factory — and in F2 you only had one person really to talk to and get all that information out. Here, it is a really big team. It’s a lot of people putting a lot of effort to make that car go quick. It's more than a thousand people in the factory making that car to put it out on track. And I think that’s the best thing I’ve learned — to work well with everyone and with the team, and to understand that for it to go well, it needs to be really strong from the base. And I think working with the team constantly really brings a big help to make the car go quick and do what you want it to do. That’s really important.

Q: (Ludo van Denderen – GPBlog.com) Fernando, with your company, you signed René Ramos last week as one of your drivers to be managed. What do you expect from him, and do you see a future for him in Formula 1?
FA: Well, I mean, at that age, you never know what the future will bring. Every driver that we take in aged 14 — obviously, we try to help as much as we can to follow their dreams. But ultimately, I think you want to be a professional driver. When you are in karting and in junior formulas, you normally have to invest money, and everything is expensive. You need to keep deciding which programme you do the following year depending a little bit on the budget as well. So if we can manage to have drivers that are professional and get paid to perform the job in the future, that's already the first goal. To get to F1, obviously, that’s the dream of all the young drivers. And the problem in Formula 1 is that there are only 22 [seats]. That’s the only filter that you need to go through eventually. But he has the talent. He has been extremely fast in karting, attracted the attention of many Formula 4 teams, and he’s doing very well in single-seaters. So for sure, he’s one of the most promising drivers we have in the academy.

Q: (Leonid Kliuev – GrandePremio.com.br) Question for all three. In Zandvoort, Carlos was quite vocal about the stewards' decision on the collision with Liam. Did you guys talk about it in the drivers’ WhatsApp group? And are you now unsure what’s allowed and what’s not?
KA: I mean, not really. I was already busy with my stuff and with what I did. So I didn’t really have to look at it.
FC: No. I don’t really know. I think he said he wanted a meeting with the stewards after, so we should ask him. We’re not in that meeting, so I don’t know.
FA: Yeah, same. No. I didn’t know anything further.

Q: (Jake Boxall-Legge – Autosport) A question for Franco, please. Franco, you said after Zandvoort that your team didn’t maybe maximise the chances to get you into the points. I think it was about you and PS switching positions. Did you get clarification after the race on that incident? Are you happy with how it was handled in retrospect?
FC: Yeah. I think it was a really good weekend. In general, I was really happy with how it went. We did find a lot of performance, and in the race I think we did a good job on the strategy. The team did a good job as well. I think everything was very clear. We did swap positions and everything was good on that. We were just very close to the points, and it was a bit of a pity we didn’t score, but I’m sure it will come soon.

Q: A question for Kimi. After what happened in Zandvoort, do you think it’s best for you that there is another race straight away, even if that comes with the extra pressure of being on home soil?
KA: Yeah. For sure. I think in the race I was having good momentum. The pace was strong, and especially on that hard tire I felt pretty well. I was able to catch, lap by lap, the group in front. And then of course, the contact happened, which obviously was not ideal. In the moment I felt like going for it, also because it was probably my only chance. So yeah, just a shame — obviously it wasn’t me. But of course it’s always nice to have a back-to-back race because, despite what happened, I can still carry this momentum into this race weekend, especially after seeing that the pace overall was better. So hopefully we can keep working, keep improving, and then deliver a great result this weekend.

Q: (Carlo Platella – FormulaPassion.it) Question for Franco and Kimi. About the possible increase in the number of sprint races — do you think that it will make life for rookies more difficult, considering they will have less time in practice to learn and experiment?
KA: I think yeah. I mean, it obviously depends on the track. If it’s a new track, it’s a bit tougher for rookies because they have to get up to speed — like we had to do in a couple of occasions this year, such as China, Miami, and Austin as well with Sprint. So sometimes it’s tough. But if you have the confidence, you’re able to build up into the session and find your rhythm pretty quick. Compared to more experienced drivers, it can be a bit of a disadvantage because you don’t know the detail of the track, where you can make most of the time and where you can lose the most. But overall, if you’re able to get up to speed quickly, and especially if you have the confidence, you can still deliver a good result even with one practice.
FC: I think we are used to two weekends — it's very short, very small amount of laps before quali — and you need to be very quick on top of it. It’s always tricky when you don’t know the track. I had that last year. I think Austin and Qatar were Sprints. I didn’t know the track, so it’s tricky, but I still had a good result there in Sprint Quali in Austin. So it’s not — I think if you prep well nowadays, the simulator also helps a lot. So yeah, if you can be on top of it and do a good prep, it really helps. We are used to not having a lot of laps in practice, so it’s not too bad, I think.


PART TWO – Carlos SAINZ (Williams), Lewis HAMILTON (Ferrari), Yuki TSUNODA (Red Bull Racing)


Q: Lewis, let's start with you. Amazing scenes yesterday in central Milan. You've experienced a lot in your Formula 1 career. Just how was it seeing so many people cheering you on?
Lewis HAMILTON: Well, good afternoon, everyone. Yeah, yesterday was such a unique experience. I think already from yesterday morning, I got to Maranello. And when you walk in and then see the Ferrari logo, I still have to pinch myself. It’s really so unique. There are people outside the factory always. I’ve never seen fans outside of a factory before in any of my years, and you see that every single time. There’s just such a positive energy, clearly so much love for this brand and what it means to people. To be in Milan, really in the heart of it all yesterday and seeing the fans and just how passionate they were… wow. It was intense but very, very positive. I really tried to harness all that good energy that they gave us.

Q: And have you stopped and thought just for a moment what it would be like to stand on this unique podium here at Monza as a Ferrari driver?
LH: Honestly, I haven’t, simply because I’ve been on the podium plenty of times here, so I know what it’s like to be up there. I’ve seen how it’s been for other Ferrari drivers, and anything I try to imagine will be far from what that feeling could be. But always, just coming here for anyone, no matter what team you drive for, it’s an incredible experience. Being in this park, at this historic circuit, and then seeing the whole Tifosi throughout the pit straight. But also when you do the parade lap, the fans are very close, so it feels like they’re right with you in the car. It’s pretty cool.

Q: Let’s just talk about performance. How do you think it’s going to play out this weekend with the car?
LH: I don’t know. I mean, I’m still obviously in my first year with the team, and so every weekend is the first time driving this car at that track. The approach is different from my previous experiences. When you go to different places, the set-up’s different. So it’s always new, which I’m enjoying at the moment. I think Ferrari’s journey has gone pretty well in the past years. Obviously, they won here last year with a great strategy and a great drive from Charles. I’m really keen to see how the car works here. We’re definitely learning from weekend to weekend, loads of positives to take from the last, so I think we just have to keep building on that.

Q: Yuki, talking of positives, back in the points at Zandvoort last weekend. Do you feel you’re really starting to make progress with the RB21 now?
Yuki TSUNODA: Yeah. Good afternoon. I think I had progress since day one of being in this car. I wouldn’t say the first few races it showed in the results, but at least in how I felt. I was fully convinced I was in the right direction, just step by step. Jumping into the middle of the season is not easy. A lot of things changed also within the Red Bull team as well. So I gave my all every race. But I knew, especially in the last few races, it’s been getting closer and closer. It’s all about putting it all together, especially as the whole field is very, very tight. Every millisecond from Q1, Q2, Q3 counts a lot. It’s a race [Zandvoort], I was able to put it all together. One of the best weekends I had in terms of progress and the quality throughout the weekend. It was not easy with the safety cars and everything, but I was able to squeeze out points, which I’m pretty happy with.

Q: Monza hasn’t been kind to you in the past, has it? Do you come here this weekend with renewed confidence?
YT: I mean, I reset every year. Although, like you said, three out of four times I had DNFs with a lot of troubles. So I hope I don’t have that this year. I still enjoy this track a lot. Very challenging in terms of confidence. When you have confidence, you know you can do a quick lap, and also for the race it’s quite a raceable track compared to others. So yeah, I’m still looking forward to it.

Q: And how important is a good result for you at the minute? Do you feel you’re still having to impress the team, impress your new boss, Laurent Mekies?
YT: Yeah. That’s what I’m trying to do every race. You always need results as much as possible. I try to exceed expectations and just keep doing what I’m doing. I don’t think I have to change much. Since Laurent joined, actually, my results haven’t been too bad. Obviously, whether it’s enough or not, that’s not for me to decide. But I just keep pushing.

Q: Carlos, let’s come to you now. You have a good record here. I think back to that pole position a couple of years ago. Williams also goes well here historically. Just what sort of opportunities does Monza present you guys?
Carlos SAINZ: Yeah, it’s a track that I love coming to. I think it’s one of the best racetracks in the world. Having all the Tifosi there makes it more enjoyable. I just do well here for some reason. Maybe the big brakings or just feeling the car a bit more loose, with a low downforce package, I always feel more comfortable. It looks like it’s been a good track for Williams in the past, so hopefully we can get a good result.
Q: James Vowles said after the summer break that the next three races – Zandvoort, Monza, Baku – are a great opportunity for Williams. Can you explain to us why your car can be so competitive on three such different race tracks?
CS: Well, it just completely depends on the type of corner. We have a car that does very well in straight line braking and 90-degree corners. We don’t like spending too much time in a combined situations of entry and exit. We struggle very much with through-corner balance limitation, which hurts us in long corners. Even though at this track we should be better, there’s still Parabolica or Lesmo 1 where, compared to the competition, we’re going to be down. Those are pretty important corners. But even like that, we believe we can still do good lap times in the straights and in tight short corners like Turn 1–2, Turn 3–4. We have good ride, we have good braking capacity. So yeah, it’s an interesting car. I’m discovering a lot of new things this year, having to adapt my driving style a lot to different limitations that I wasn’t used to in the past. It’s a process I’m enjoying, but also one that is making me more complete as a driver. Maybe it’s not the nicest car to drive in some areas, but it definitely has very good qualities in others, and you just need to know how to maximise them.



QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR


Q: (Moritz Steidl – Servus TV) Question to Lewis. I remember that when you joined Mercedes, Niki Lauda convinced you. Niki’s first title with Ferrari was 50 years ago this Sunday. When you decided to come to Ferrari, how much was Niki in the back of your mind?
LH: Well, firstly, I have so much love for Niki. But Niki didn’t convince me to join Mercedes. It was more Ross, really, back then. When we sat together in my mum’s kitchen, he told me where the team was going and what they were doing. Niki was definitely a part of it, but it was mostly that meeting that really pulled me in. Niki and I had an amazing relationship. When I joined Ferrari, I hadn’t even thought of Niki having driven at Ferrari. It was literally just because, as a kid, I watched Michael and was a big fan of the team. I always looked at the reaction from the crowd every time Ferrari was on the podium – the passion was like no other team. I wanted to feel what that was like.
Now having joined the team and learning more about the history, it’s amazing this weekend, because I got to celebrate Niki at Mercedes, I got to celebrate winning championships with him, and now to be able to come to Ferrari and celebrate him here too. His legacy continues to live on. I know what he would be saying to me nowadays, and he’s always in the back of my mind that thought. When I didn’t do well, he would do this and he’d tell me to “give them hell” – but he would always say the word ‘arseholes’! I never understood it at first. I’d say “what do you mean? Do you mean give them hell?” and he would say no “give them arseholes!”. But he was just such a fighter.

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) In the spirit of Niki, you’ve got to go out there and give it hell on Sunday. The chase for the first Ferrari podium continues, and you’ve got a five-place grid penalty. Is a podium still realistic? And also, is there frustration that an infringement that happened thirty minutes before the start of the race wasn’t dealt with at Zandvoort and carries over into this weekend?
LH: Of course. I don’t know how the other drivers felt about the decisions from the last race, but when I landed back home and saw I got this penalty, I was really shocked. But it is what it is. It’s obviously not black and white. If you look at the report, I did lift, but to their liking, not enough. To get the penalty and penalty points is pretty hardcore. But I learn from it. There’s no point whinging about it. I’ll move forward. It’s going to be challenging this weekend. Qualifying is already so close between us all. Just getting into Q3 is tough, getting into the top five is very tough. And then on top of that, to be set back five places is not great when you’re going into your first Monza GP with Ferrari. But it gives me more to fight for, and I’m very motivated to make up those places regardless.

Q: (Craig Slater – Sky Sports) Another one for Lewis. Aside from the penalty and how the race ended, you take a lot of positives from the weekend. Has something clicked with you in the car? Can you see the hard work paying off? Was that the best you felt in it?
LH: Definitely in the race. Throughout the weekend, the approach we had was spot on. I felt it was one of our strongest, if not the strongest, and smoothest weekends up until Sunday. Sunday was disappointing and unfortunate, not the result we want. It’s unusual for me because I don’t really make a lot of mistakes in races like that. The great thing is the team remained really positive, incredibly supportive every weekend. They lift your spirits. Then in the following days, they deep-dived into trying to understand what led to it. It wasn’t a lack of concentration. There were several things that contributed: for example, we had a downgraded upshift, which locked the rear wheels and spat the rear end out. Also, it was spitting and so I was maybe 10 millimetres or 10 centimetres wider than the previous lap. So a combination of things. Either way, it’s not great, but I learn from it and move forward. If I apply that same approach this weekend and the following races, I feel positive about the direction we’re going.

Q: (Panagiotis Seitanidis – Antenna TV Greece) A question for Lewis and Yuki. Since you are together, I don’t know if you are aware of it or if you have talked about it, but during the summer break you were in the same period on the same Greek island. Am I correct?
LH: Yeah. But I think it was a different island, maybe next to each other. I wish I knew so we could have met up. Greece is beautiful. In my past few summers, I like to go to places that are not so busy. Obviously, I went to a relatively busy part of Greece, which is Mykonos, which is definitely way too busy for me. But as I started to travel further south to some of the other islands, it’s breathtaking. It’s definitely my new favourite place to go. At the end of my trip, I was discovering new places, and I was like, I wish I came here first. There’s still a lot more for me to see. I loved how private it was. The culture looks really beautiful, the buildings, the little towns, and the food is incredible. I can’t wait till next summer to go back.
YT: Well, yeah, I didn’t know also that Lewis was at the other side of the island, next to each other. Same, like, you know, you want the beach, the seas are always beautiful. The food is incredibly fresh, especially the seafood. I enjoyed it a lot, especially for training as well. It’s consistently nice weather, and it’s warm, but at the same time you feel some nice breeze consistently. For me it’s the best place to do that. And most of the islands are not that big, so if you do cycling you can do a whole loop and see most of the places from that island. Yeah, it’s really cool.

Q: (Margot Laffite – Canal+) Question for Lewis. How do you deal with the mixed emotions you’ve gone through during the whole adventure of Ferrari between the love you received from the Tifosi and also the doubts you have expressed until now?
LH: Yeah. It’s been an emotional roller coaster. Did I expect it to be as volatile in terms of feeling? No. But that’s life. Even though we had a difficult Sunday, we’re coming out on the brighter end of the tunnel. I read something recently saying there’s no point stressing about tomorrow because it often puts shade on the present. So I’m really trying not to worry about tomorrow. I’m trying to be present and enjoy every moment because this half of the season has gone by really quick. It’s my first half a season with this team, and there’s obviously a long way to go. I don’t want to miss any of these special moments. For example, yesterday, my first Monza in Ferrari red. When I leave the garage tomorrow, it’s going to be incredibly special coming onto this circuit. I reflect on when I was a kid watching Michael winning here. Now I get to have that experience of being on the receiving end of the Tifosi. I want to give them absolutely everything this weekend to get the best result for them because the passion and the support they’ve given me and this team is like nothing I’ve ever seen.

Q: (Rui Chagas – DAZN Portugal). Assuming that you will get to Q3, as we all hope, you and Charles, and he needs a tow, have you guys discussed that?
LH: A tow? Yeah. For pole, let’s say? No. I know that Ferrari used to do it many years ago. I remember when I started at least, I noticed Kimi and Felipe used to do that often. I’ve never really… it can be beneficial, but in my past it felt like there was more risk, and often one person had to be sacrificed for it. So I’m not sure whether they will do that this weekend. It’s not been discussed.
But if it meant getting Charles there, then I would be happy to play that role.

Q: Carlos has Ferrari done that in the recent past?
CS: Not recently. No. We were just going for normal train tows, no specific teammate strategy.

Q: (Ian Parkes – RacingNews365.com) Question for you, Carlos. Reflecting on your incident at Zandvoort, and I’m sure you’ve had another look back at it, do you remain equally as shocked at the penalty now as Lewis did about his penalty? In particular, and given the words of Liam Lawson that the stewards basically applied the letter of the law with regards to the regulations and the way they stand. And if you are still shocked, what’s the way forward with regard to that regulation? And do you still plan to talk to the stewards, if possible?
CS: Yeah. I did get the chance to go and speak to them after the race. There was a misunderstanding while I was in the TV pen where I thought I would not be able to go. But in the end, I had the opportunity to go and sit with them for 15 minutes to analyse the incident. It was very clear to me that as soon as they got all the evidence right and they looked at the places they needed to take the right decision, it was clear to me that I think they realised probably the decision taken wasn’t the best one. Now we are trying to see if we can come up with enough evidence to change the outcome of the penalty, because I still firmly believe it was a very poor penalty I received and a bad judgment, which can happen as long as you have the capacity to revisit it. If there’s been a misunderstanding or a lack of evidence or analysis, then there is still time to reanalyse it, reopen it, and change it. I do believe they had a very difficult Sunday looking back at it. They had a very busy afternoon, and maybe it was overwhelming because of the amount of stuff that happened in the race. But I still firmly believe what I thought after the race. Now in a cooler-headed state, I still believe the penalty was not acceptable, and I made it very clear.

Q: (Jon Noble – The Race) Another one for Carlos, just as a follow-up. How do you judge the process and the dynamics between drivers and the FIA when it comes to these controversial topics? Is it working? Are they listening? Are they open to making changes when these flashpoints happen?
CS: It’s very tough. I keep, especially after the race, trying to do my best to control my emotions. But there are moments where it’s very difficult to control them and it’s very difficult to understand certain things. I’ve always said it, and I will always support the idea, that in F1 we should have fixed stewards. The regulations are already incredibly complex, it would be very useful to always have the same people judging and applying them, because then you know what you’re dealing with. My belief is that’s the way forward. I’m not speaking for the GPDA or anyone here. That’s my individual belief. I think they have an incredibly difficult job, and sometimes they also have restricted time. I think what happened in my case in Zandvoort was a consequence of trying to rush a decision without looking deep enough in the analysis. If you just apply the rule in the rulebook, you could understand why they would want to penalise me. The moment you analyse the onboard footage and go into detail, you can clearly see why I should have never got a penalty. But the opposite can be applied for the incident Lewis. Maybe in the Lewis incident, the decision process took too long, and he’s now having to suffer a penalty in Monza when he did nothing wrong here. He had half an hour during the race to pay a penalty for his infringement. That shows how difficult the process is, how difficult everything is to handle, and why there’s always improvements to be made and it needs to be a collaboration between drivers, FIA, GPDA, to try and find better solutions. Zandvoort exposed why we are not at the right level yet for such a difficult but incredible sport to watch.

Q: (Alejandro Alonso López – Diariomotor.com) Question to Lewis. You have been around for a while. You experienced success and tough moments as well. Would you say this is still the toughest season of your career so far, with all the expectations for you joining Ferrari? How have you been dealing with that, and what have you learned?
LH: I don’t remember every single season, to be honest, so I don’t really want to compare it to others. I’m sure there have been plenty of seasons that have felt difficult. I remember 2009 was difficult. I remember 2010, 2011 wasn’t great. 2012 was a pivotal moment for me. Obviously 2022, 2023. So there’s been plenty of others that were just different. I was in a different place in my life. This one, really living the dream, moving to race with Ferrari. Of course, I had the whole of last year to think about it and try to prepare, but there are still things you couldn’t foresee. There’s been a lot of adjustment both from my side and the team’s side. They’ve really moved heaven and earth to accommodate me. Obviously, there are cultural differences. Fred made a comment that perhaps they underestimated me joining the team and the year we’ve been faced with in terms of the problems with the car. So yeah, a combination of all those things. But honestly, the harder it is, the better it can make you. This year has been tough for everyone in the team, but it prepares us for better days. We’ll be stronger having gone through this tough first six months. I’m really excited and motivated for a positive uphill battle from here, and I feel like I’ve got the best people around me to do that.