13/09/2023
NEWS STORY
Yuki Tsunoda: "Monza did not go well, but on the positive side, up until race day, we showed good pace, showing we made some progress in the last couple of races. I've had a very busy schedule since then, starting with a trip to Venice for the premiere of "Whatever it Takes", a film about our team and how it has evolved over the years. It was only my second ever trip to Venice, which is such a unique place. The film was very interesting and offered a behind-the-scenes look at things that I didn't know that much about. It showcases how the team has changed and the passion involved. It was a good documentary!
"After that, I headed to Germany to be part of a Red Bull event at the old Nurburgring, the Nordschleife circuit, which included Sebastian Vettel driving one of his old Red Bull Racing cars. I was driving a Honda NSX GT3 car, my first time ever in this type of race car and my first time at this track, so everything was new for me! It was very challenging, with lots of blind corners and crests, so it's difficult to know whether it's flat or not. I can't imagine what it must have been like to actually race the old F1 cars there.
"Now we head to Asia and a double-header, starting with the Singapore street circuit. I enjoy driving the track and got through to Q3 last year in tricky conditions when we couldn't use slicks until the final part, as the track was wet at the start. With a street circuit - Singapore is a "real" street track because every part of it is a public road - the condition of the track surface always changes from year to year and session to session. You have to build up gradually and do as many laps as possible to gain confidence in the car. FP1 will be about assessing track conditions and getting a first idea of how the car behaves to see if it's suiting the track. We'll build from there, to be at 100% in time for qualifying. For this year, the track has been changed a little bit, especially in Sector 3, where some corners have been cut, providing more opportunity for overtaking."
Liam Lawson: "I definitely felt more comfortable in Monza than in Zandvoort, even if there's still a lot to learn. When you get more comfortable in these kinds of cars, it can make quite a big difference. Having done two races now, I'm also getting a better understanding of the difference between the tyre compounds, which is so important. I'd say Monza was pretty successful, even if it was disappointing to finish so close to the points. I think if I had had a better start, perhaps things could have been different, but it's something that I will learn from, and I'm just excited moving forward.
"I was in Singapore last year as a reserve driver. When I was a kid, it was my favourite circuit. I think because it was a night race and just looked really cool. I used to play it on the Formula 1 games all the time. My dad actually used to promise me every year that he would take me to the Singapore Grand Prix, and in the end, we never went, but he's going to be coming to the Grand Prix this weekend, so actually I'm taking him!
"I know this is a very tough race physically, and when you get thrown into F1 in this situation, even with all the training in the world, it's still such a tough adjustment. It's going to be extremely difficult, but we've been training for it and doing everything we can to prepare for that. Last year, I experienced the nighttime routine. It's cool, to be honest, to go through a weekend like that. It's a bit different to normal. Obviously, the biggest adjustment will be getting used to the track, as I've only driven it on the sim, and street circuits are probably the hardest to replicate. They take confidence, and when you're new to the track, or even my situation being new to Formula 1, having that confidence early in the weekend is pretty tricky. I'll be aiming to build up as many laps as we can, a bit like Monza, to be honest. That was the target there, and it will be a similar sort of thing. Generally, I like street circuits, for example, I absolutely love Monaco, so I'm expecting to enjoy Singapore too."
Daniel Ricciardo will be present with the team in Singapore only for engineering purposes. Therefore, he won't be available for any media and/or PR activities.