20/10/2024
NEWS STORY
Track Interviews - Conducted by James Hinchcliffe
Our second-place starter for tomorrow's US Grand Prix, Max Verstappen. Max, it all came down to that first run a little mistake, it looked like, in Turn 19. Do you think that's maybe where the difference was?
Max Verstappen: Yeah, on the first lap in Q3, I lost quite a bit of time there. So, yeah, that's unfortunate. But then, I knew that we had another run, but unfortunately I couldn't finish the lap. Otherwise, I think we had a really good shot. But that's how it goes. We're still on the front row at least. The potential was there, you know, to be first so that's very good.
You've got to be confident still going into the Grand Prix tomorrow after a very good performance today in qualifying. What did you guys learn in that Sprint race that you can apply to be even stronger tomorrow?
MV: Yeah, it seemed that we were competitive, so we made some minor changes on the car which felt again nice and I hope that that will be also positive for tomorrow.
Alright, best of luck. Congratulations. Front-row start for Max Verstappen. Sprint race winner earlier today. Carlos Sainz will line up P3 for Ferrari. Big wave to the crowd, Carlos. A very competitive weekend so far for Ferrari. Competitive session for you as well. You said after the Sprint race, if you could just start a little bit higher than you did in the Sprint, you had a good shot at the win. P3 is a little bit higher. How are you feeling for tomorrow?
Carlos Sainz: Yeah, I mean, that was the target, to do a step in qualifying compared to yesterday. Yesterday we were P5, today we are P3, so we've done a good step in the right direction. A bit gutted for that last lap because I was three tenths up on my lap, the 32.6, going into Turn 16, with only two corners left. But yeah, easy to say now. Anyway, I think we've done some good progress and we should be in the fight tomorrow if we get a clean start and then with the two guys in front, it should be a fun one.
With the track temperature changing so much throughout the qualifying, did you have to adjust the way you prepare the tyres on your prep laps or was it pretty standard across the entire session?
CS: Yeah, I always kept an eye on it because it's something where we've struggled recently in our team to put the tyres in the right window for qualifying. We seem to be always quick in the race, but on qualifying we have some ups and downs and it was my main point of focus during the whole quali. And yeah, it seems like we got it right, especially that last lap before the yellow flag. It seemed like we got them in the right spot because we suddenly found a lot of lap time going into the first two sectors.
Well, you had a lot of practice today learning how to pass in the Sprint race, so best of luck tomorrow. Only a few positions to go.
CS: We'll try and keep it up. Thank you.
And now your pole sitter for the US Grand Prix, Lando Norris. What a run. It was three poles in the last four races coming in here. Make it four out of the last five. Just talk us through the lap and that first run that got it done.
Lando Norris: It was a beautiful lap. I was not going to go much quicker than what I did. You know when you just do a lap, well you know... When you just do a lap and you think, 'damn, it's going to be tough to beat that'. But I put everything out on the line. And it's what we needed to do. We've been on the back foot pretty much the whole weekend. We've not had the pace of the Ferraris or the Red Bulls. So I had to do something. And today, I did that. So yeah, a cool lap and a nice way to start the race tomorrow.
Now, take us through the mindset of a driver coming out of a Sprint race and only having just a few hours to kind of regroup, reset, and get back into that qualifying mindset. Is that a big challenge for you guys?
LN: It is. Around here it is, because it's a lot faster. And this is one of the tracks where inside you're like, 'damn, this is fast'. And it's exciting. And it just gives you a good feeling. It's bumpy and it's fast, especially Sector 1, so it puts a smile on your face. And definitely ending quickest puts a bigger smile on your face too. So a tough day, a tough weekend for us. But we changed quite a bit. I think we reviewed everything we could and we made the improvements we needed to make. Maybe we weren't the quickest car out there today. Carlos said he was going to go quicker. Max was going to go quicker. So I'm lucky and I'll take it.
Yeah, it was all about getting it done when you had the opportunity today, but now let's switch focus to tomorrow. In the Sprint race, great start to get up into P2, but it seemed like you guys were battling a little bit more tyre degradation than Max in the Ferraris. What kind of changes have you made, and are you confident you've addressed that issue for tomorrow?
LN: Sure. It's tough. I mean, I'll do my homework. We already made some changes to hopefully improve that direction. But time will tell. So we'll work hard. We've done a good job so far. Box number one ticked. But tomorrow's going to be a tough race.
Press Conference
Many congratulations, Lando. That was a tremendous first lap in Q3. Just how good was it?
LN: It was the best of probably my career, I think. Yeah, it was just a very nice lap. I kind of set the bar too high because on my second lap, I was like, 'guys, I don't think I'm going to improve much here'. So yeah, I mean, I got everything out of the car. We changed a good amount from the Sprint race into quali today now and definitely took a step forward. But man, I was still struggling a lot. So I just knew I had to risk a little bit more and give it that little extra. And it just came together perfectly. But it was definitely not a lap I could have repeated. So I'm very happy because I really wasn't expecting to be here today.
You say you risked a bit more. Where did you find the time, which sectors?
LN: I mean, it was just a bit everywhere, honestly. But of course, the high speed is a little bit where we struggle a touch compared to the Red Bulls, especially, you know. Max has been extremely quick in the first sector and the high speed. So trying to limit that a little bit more was a good start. And then just the braking. The final sector, you know, from 12 to 16. As soon as one part goes wrong, it can all fall away quite quickly. And again, just hooked everything up, probably the first time all weekend and probably the last. But yeah, it just came together perfectly. So it was a very, very good lap. I'd probably say quite confidently the best of my career.
Well, it certainly looked a good lap. Let's throw it ahead to the Grand Prix. Tyres were an issue for you in the sprint earlier today. How much of a concern is that ahead of the Grand Prix?
LN: I mean, quite a big one. I don't want to do it again. We'll see. I don't think it was as bad as what it was. I think certain events led to such a thing. I think we improved the car quite a bit. We were definitely not contending anywhere close to pole yesterday. And today we kind of did. I think we're still a bit off, but we're in a good position. I think actually our pace relative to Max over yesterday and today is probably a bit more similar. I probably expected the Ferraris and Mercedes to be a bit quicker today, but maybe they just got a bit more out of the car earlier on in the weekend and we've been able to just take a bigger step forward between the Sprint and now. So maybe we've caught up a bit, but it's going to be a tough race. I mean, Ferrari were very quick in the race today with the degradation. Max is Max. I always said that Max is Max and they're going to be fast. So I'm excited. I think it's going to be a good battle and probably a good one to watch.
Alright. Looking forward to it. Very well done today. Thank you, Lando. Max, let's come to you now. A case of what might have been for you. Just how much time do you think you could have found on that second lap?
MV: Yeah, I mean, I was a good amount up, but already my first lap in Q3, I missed Turn 19. So I don't know what happened there. I just turned in, probably a bit late, tried to carry a bit more speed. But then, of course, when you're late, you end up really wide. So I had to downshift one more time. So I lost quite a bit of lap time there. That would have already been enough for pole. So I knew that the second lap, you know, there was time to find, for free, but never really got to that corner. So, I mean, that happens, you know, in qualifying, it's not always in your control. I think in general, though, for us, this whole weekend so far has been a lot more positive. We could at least fight for pole and that has been a while.
So just to summarise, frustrated not to be on pole, but happy with the performance of the car?
MV: I'm overall happy. I'm not frustrated. I mean, this just happens in qualifying.
Let's throw it forward to the race then. This is the same front row as we had in Singapore last time out, but are you feeling a lot more confident ahead of the race?
MV: I mean, I felt quite decent today. We made a few changes on the car and hopefully that will help again for the race. And then hopefully we can try and do the same.
Do you think tyres are going to be the main talking point in the Grand Prix tomorrow?
MV: Always.
OK. Max, thank you for that. Carlos, let's come to you. Seems like your second Q3 lap was cut short for you as well. A case of what might have been?
CS: Yeah, definitely, obviously everyone can say the same, no? Lando deserves to be on pole. Max deserves to be second. I deserve to be third because they did a better job in the first run. But that second lap, I don't know what changed, if it was a lower track temp or what but the car came alive and we were coming with a very fast lap. To be in the ballpark with these two guys, whether to beat them or not, I don't know but, yeah, to be in the ballpark, it's a bit of a shame. But we trust that we can hopefully get them tomorrow in the race pace because, yeah, the sprint was strong and the car even in qualifying took a step compared to yesterday. So, happy with the progress made so far.
How confident are you feeling ahead of the Grand Prix?
CS: Relatively. I mean, the race is going to be very long. We're going to top up the fuel. So what we might have seen in the last stint of the race might not be the same as the hundred and something kilos that we put on the car going into Sunday. But one good thing is that we had a good reference from the Sprint. Obviously, these guys haven't stood still and they would have improved that front graining that a lot of people were struggling with in the Sprint. And I think the field is going to be very close tomorrow and it should be an exciting race between a few cars.
Questions From The Floor
(Alex Kalinauckas - Autosport) Lando, just on the lap that got you pole. Turn 19 looked a dramatic snap from the Tv coverage. What was like in the car? Was that one of the areas where you were really having to risk?
LN: Yes, I mean, I was just pushing everywhere, but yesterday in quali... I probably did what Max did in his first [run]. As soon as you miss the apex, you have to give up the corner because you're going to go off. It's basically a guarantee. It's a hard one to get right. You have to time it perfectly. Turn in too early, hit the kerb. Too late, you miss it and you're off. But it's a corner, again, where in general we've been a bit down to Red Bull. Red Bull are very quick in these faster corners. And as one of them, I just had to risk that a little bit more. It was close, it was on the edge. But it's what I needed today. Quite simple. I think the gap was 0.03, I think, to Max. And without some of these little bits where maybe some people didn't use all of the track on that kind of thing, today I had to and I needed to, and it got me pole. My performance engineer will be very happy with me.
(Tim Hauraney - TSN) Question for Max. Max, you've looked strong here all weekend long, like Lando had mentioned. The car looks good in the fast stuff as well. Where has the car improved the most since Singapore?
MV: I mean, first of all, Singapore has never been a good track for us. All the low-speed corners and the bumps. Our car just doesn't really work on that. So it's a very different track layout. Plus, I think we made the car more stable. So you can attack corners a bit better. And that then also helps, I think, the tyres out a bit. So I think that has been the main improvement.
Check out our Saturday gallery from COTA here.
(Luke Smith - The Athletic) Lando, just before your first lap in Q3, Will was on the radio. He gave you a message to trust the car. Was it just about finding that little extra bit of confidence? And it's quite rare to hear him coming on the radio like that for a lap to gee you up.
LN: Yeah, it's a very rare thing. He knows I don't like that kind of stuff normally. It's just because I said after, I think, Q2, I was just not confident at all in the car. I was bouncing everywhere. And I just lacked confidence at that point to put a good lap together. And I've been struggling in Turn 1, been struggling in Turn 12. But we were there or thereabouts. It was more just let's get a good lap in and be there. So that's what I did. Whether or not what I did was because of Will's comments, I'd probably say no, otherwise I'll boost his ego too much. But, yeah, it was just that I probably needed it a little bit just because I was struggling a lot with the car and we've been a bit off this weekend and I just... A little kick never hurts sometimes.
(Andrew Benson - BBC Sport) Lando, you said you've not had the pace of the Ferraris and Red Bulls this weekend. You've been so quick for so long. Why do you think that is then this weekend?
LN: It's a good question. I don't have an easy answer, honestly, for it. People would probably hate me for saying it, but I don't think... We've definitely had the best car for, for several races and quite a few races this year over the last two, three months, but definitely not every race. Singapore was, I think we can say quite confidently, we were the best. Baku, just the race before that, I think even though Oscar won, I think he won because he drove better than the others. And I think Red Bull and Ferrari were both quicker once again. People might not agree with that. That's our version of events. That's what we think as a team. That's what we believe. So if we just go back two races ago, we were not the quickest car. We were last weekend in Singapore, or last time out in Singapore, and perceptions change because of certain things. When you're in the team and you actually know where you stand, where you are relatively to other teams, I can confidently say these things and say where I believe we are and where we're not. Sometimes I'm wrong, but even like today, I don't think we're... My lap was very good. I could not have gone one and a half tenths quicker or probably gone any quicker than the lap I did today, which shows we're not as fast, but exactly knowing where we're struggling a bit more is tough. There's different reasons. A bit of the bottoming and the ride in the high speed, that's where we struggle comparing to the Red Bulls. And comparing to the Ferraris, their slow speed is incredible. And I think even if we go back to Singapore, where we dominated, Ferrari were very quick the whole weekend until qualifying. They made some mistakes. I think the final stint, Charles was the quickest car on the track on the Hard tyre. So it's just you need to know information before you can make certain comments. And I think it's just been very close and closer than people think, even though we've dominated a few weekends. And this is one where we're just not quite as quick and maybe the others have taken a couple of steps forward and it's a little bit different. I don't have any exact answer. I'm just driving the car. But this is my feeling and kind of our feeling as a team.
(Taylor Powling - Motorsport Week) Question for Carlos. The battle with your team-mate in the sprint earlier today arguably cost you or your team-mate the chance to chase down Max. Looking ahead tomorrow, will you be looking to have those discussions with the team about how you can work together to pressure the guys ahead?
CS: Well, first of all, I don't agree with your comment. I think it's a Sprint, and I think everyone races hard from the beginning to the end. And regarding the second one, obviously, yes, the main race is a much longer race where I think everyone tends to play a bit longer game with tyre management and everything. And everyone applies all the lessons learned from the Sprint. So everyone knows how to manage the tires better, where to manage them, et cetera, and all. So, yeah, it will be a matter of putting ourselves in a position to try and win again. And again, like everything else, a lot is dictated by the start, by the first lap, and you never know where you're going to end there. So you cannot go into a race with a super clear plan in your head because normally that plan after one corner changes completely because of that start or that Turn 1. So let's see. I'm confident that if we do a good job together, for sure we can fight with these two guys, whether we can beat them starting behind them, that's another thing. It's never easy to overtake in Formula 1 and never easy to, especially the McLaren and Red Bull.
(Alex Kalinauckas - Autosport) Another question for Carlos, please. Just how encouraged are you and the team by the pace of the car this weekend, given it's a very different track type compared to the street tracks, whereas Lando said in the slow corners you're usually very strong?
CS: For me, that's the biggest positive so far of the weekend, the fact that in a normal track... The last normal track was, let's say, more Zandvoort, Spa, and there we were clear two to four tenths off from a McLaren or a Mercedes. And this weekend, it seems like maybe in quali we don't have the edge to fight for them. Although that last lap in quali, something happened to the car and with my lap that I was really coming on a quick one, even for qualifying. But the reality is that this weekend we're in the fight. And I couldn't say the same of Zandvoort and Spa, the last normal tracks we've been to. So yeah, good positive progress. It is true that last year we were on pole here with Charles. So the car must have some good traits for this, especially those twisty sections in Sector 2 and 3. Sector 1, we're still a clear two tenths, three tenths down to Max and Lando, but we then recover in low speed. So there's some good traits of this car that we have to maximise tomorrow.