FIA post-race press conference – Las Vegas

1. George Russell (Mercedes), 2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), 3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
World Champion – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Terry Crews and Jenson Button)
Q: There’s no better place to celebrate a big win than Vegas. Any plans tonight?
George RUSSELL: You tell me! I’m sure where you’re going, it’s going to be a good party. So I was planning on flying in a couple of hours, but I’m definitely not getting on that flight. And I’m going to enjoy this evening with all my team. It’s been a dream of a weekend. I don’t know how we’ve been so quick, but I’m just riding this wave right now.
Q: Can you tell us what is special about a night race here in Las Vegas?
GR: Vegas is just a crazy, crazy place. And when you’re driving, you see all of this in the background. I can’t even describe this place. So to get a victory here, pole position, dominant weekend, 1-2 with Lewis as well, we couldn’t have chosen a better place to make this happen.
Q: So George, from the time the lights went out, beautiful start. And we didn’t see you after that. That’s when you know you’ve put on a clinic.
GR: I was just waiting for something to happen. You know, the two races I’ve been on pole before, it’s always been chaos, rain, dry and always something happening, last race in Brazil you know with the red flag. So, I’m like, I feel confident here, I’ve got a good gap but I’m just waiting for something to happen and it didn’t. So I guess luck has turned and yeah just so happy right now.
Q: Congratulations, George. Enjoy Vegas. Lewis, obviously yesterday, it was a tough one to swallow, I’m guessing. You’ve been quick all weekend. But then starting P10, chasing down George at the end, it was fun. We were biting our nails. There was some action out there.
Lewis HAMILTON: That was great. Well, firstly, I’ve got to say a big congratulations to Max, winning the championship, still with several races to go. And if I’d done my job yesterday, it would have been a breeze today. but it’s OK, I had fun coming from the back, coming from 10th and the team did a fantastic job. We don’t know why we were so quick this weekend but that’s the nice. That’s the best the car has ever felt, so I’m grateful to have been a part of getting it to that point.
Q: I do want to ask in regards to the climate in Las Vegas, did that make a difference in your preparation for what you were going to do here?
LH: The climate, it’s just that the race is so late. So you’re going to bed at 5, 6am, waking up and starting your day much later, which is quite difficult. So you don’t get a lot of sun during the day, so that really messes with your rhythm. But otherwise, it’s cold, yeah. And maybe the reason that we did so well is because it’s cold. If we’re in a hot climate, that’s where we struggle the most.
Q: Qatar? Night race?
LH: I mean if the car drives like that in the next couple races then I think we’ll be in a good a good spot to challenge the guys up front. And the championship’s done, so now it’s just all out, fight for the best positions possible.
Q: Enjoy your last two races. It was 10 years to the day yesterday that you won your first championship with Mercedes.
LH: We both looked a lot younger then didn’t we?
Q: Carlos, congratulations. That looked like an interesting race. We didn’t really know what was going on with the tyres. I’m guessing it was just as difficult for you guys, graining on both sets of tyres. The unusual pit entry, not pit entry. How did it end up for you?
Carlos SAINZ: Yeah, it was a bit of a shock, you know, the Mediums. I was expecting to be quite strong on this tyre, but I think it lasted something like eight, nine laps on me. And then from there onwards, it was just a damage limitation race. You know, I was not comfortable with the car, not strong today. I wish I would have been a bit quicker and would have been fighting with George for the win, but we just simply didn’t have it in ourselves today. So we came back with a P3, a podium that is not enough for what we expected, but the maximum that we could do today.
Q: Well, you know, considering that manhole incident last year, did that make you a little nervous about what was going to happen this year for you guys? Are you superstitious?
CS: No, I was hoping that maybe Vegas had something to offer to me after what happened last year. I’ll take a podium for this year as a bit of a vendetta (sic). But, you know, at the same time, yeah, I was looking at every manhole during that race, avoiding them this time. But, yeah, that’s things of the past, now focused on the future. I think this race has delivered, again, a pretty good show and looking forward to come back here in the future.
Q: So, Carlos, it’s great seeing you race with Charles. Obviously, you’re in the same car, you’re going to find the same bit of tarmac. It’s going to happen. But it’s really nice to see that you guys are allowed to fight, and there’s a real fight between you guys.
CS: Yeah, and it’s been like that for four years. Charles and I have gone wheel to wheel pretty much every, not every race weekend, but every two or three races because we share the same piece of tarmac. We are both very competitive, very close on pace, and we find ourselves always fighting each other at the same time that we fight the Mercedes, the Red Bulls, and the McLarens. I don’t think we could have finished more than P3 and P4 today, yeah, it’s what it is. We will keep pushing and see if we can keep a good momentum up.
Q: Time for the world champion, Max Verstappen. Listen, first of all, you know, you were my introduction into F1 in Budapest, and I’m hooked forever. And how does this feel, man? I mean, this great accomplishment you’ve done today. Talk to us right now.
Max VESRTAPPEN: Yeah, it’s been a long season. And of course, we started off amazing. It was almost like cruising, but then we had a tough run. But as a team, we kept it together. We kept working on improvements. And yeah, we pulled over the line. I mean, incredibly proud of everyone, what they have done for me. And to stand here as a four-time world champion is of course something that I never thought was possible. So yeah, at the moment, just feeling relieved in a way, but also very proud.
Q: Max, congratulations. You join an illustrious group of F1 drivers that have won four world championships. Is that what you expected at 17-years-old when you first jumped into an F1 car?
MV: Definitely not. I was just happy to be there and dreaming of potential victories or standing on the podium, the normal things that are already very difficult to achieve. Then we just got on to that run after, of course, a tough few years that we kept trying and then we just hit the ground running with a new concept, and like I said, to be standing here as a four-time world champion is just incredible.
Q: It’s amazing to see, and four in a row as well. Mentally, we know how demanding this sport is on you, but you’ve been able to keep your head strong. And this year has not been the easiest either, has it? It seems like it’s been the most competitive year in Formula 1 we’ve seen for many years. How have you been able to keep your head there in the right place through this latter part of the season?
MV: Yeah, for sure. I mean, you know, it was a very challenging season. I think also as a person, at times it’s very challenging and I had to be calm. And I think in a way, of course, I still prefer last season. I enjoyed that a lot. But I think this season, definitely, again, taught me a lot of lessons that I’m very proud of. How we handled it also as a team. So in a way, of course, that makes it also a very, very special and beautiful season.
Q: Yeah, have you got any messages for all your fans around the world and your team? You know, they’ve been with you through thick and thin and supported you.
MV: Yeah, of course, to the fans, you know, always it’s amazing to see them everywhere supporting me. I think they got a bit spoiled last year with all the wins, so they had to wait for it a long time in the middle of the season, but, yeah, incredible sport always, and great to see them again here as well. And, to the team? Yeah, what can I say? I mean, we have been through a lot together and all these highs that we are achieving right now are just very, very special. To do that with all the group of people that we have here at the track and back at the factory that they’re continuously pushing flat out to give me the car to fight for a title and to do that four times in a row is very special.
Q: I know we shouldn’t be thinking about the future, because we’ve got to be living in the moment, but does this keep you just still hungry for the future years in F1, to come back and fight for the fifth one in 2025?
MV: Yeah, I mean, of course, if you look at it to next year right now, I think it’s going to be a proper battle between a lot of cars. But yeah, I’m hungry. Of course, I’m going to enjoy this, but there are still two more races that I want to do well at the same time. And then, of course, we take a little break, and then we try and go at it again next year.
Q: Congratulations, Max. I think it’s officially a dynasty. I hate those words, but I’m going to call it right now. You have set a dynasty right here. It’s amazing.
MV: Thank you very much.
Q: It’s amazing seeing you clinch this fourth title here. And what better place to do it? You’re in Vegas.
MV: Yes, I know. What time is it? I’m very thirsty, so…
Q: Well, Max Verstappen, you are the 2024 Formula One World Champion.
MV: Thank you, guys.
CHAMPION’S PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Max Verstappen, four-time world champion. How does that sound?
MV: Yeah, it sounds very good. Yeah, something that when you grow up racing and you see all these stats of some legendary drivers and you’re like, ‘that’s very impressive and I hope one day that I can even just be on the podium, win a race, maybe win a championship’. It’s already hard enough to win one. Of course, then you also need a bit of luck to be in the right team situation to maybe win more. But yeah, luckily we did that. But I think that was more like the first three championships. Now this year, we hit the ground running well, but then we had a lot of tough races. And that is something I’m very proud of, in those tough races where we were definitely not the fastest car, we kept it together as a team. We worked very hard back at the factory as well, remained calm, most of the times. And we barely made any mistakes. We really maximised or even overperformed in some places. Plus, our opposition also in a few places definitely didn’t grab the points that they should have. And all those things, of course, matter at the end of the day when you fight for a championship.
Q: Christian Horner believes this has been your most impressive season to date. Do you agree with him?
MV: I think so, too. I mean, last year, I had a dominant car, but I always felt that not everyone appreciated what we achieved as a team, winning 10 in a row. Of course, our car was dominant, but it wasn’t as dominant, I think, as people thought it was. That’s for sure my best season [2023]. I will always look back at, because even in places where maybe we didn’t have the perfect set-up, we were still capable, because in the race, our car was always quite strong, to win races. But I’m also very proud of this season because for most of the season, I would say for 70% of the season, we didn’t have the fastest car, but actually we still extended our lead. So that is definitely something that I’m very proud of.
Q: You say for 70% of the season you didn’t have the fastest car, but did you ever doubt that you’d win the title?
MV: You always have to believe in yourself, but at the end of the day, it’s a lot of people that have to come together and a lot of things that have to come together with the car, especially in the middle of the season where we had a lot of issues where we didn’t really understand what was going on. But then I’m also very happy and I’m proud of how the team reacted, responded, and turned it around a bit. At one point, it seemed like we were a little bit lost, but at least now it feels like it’s all a bit more normal. Of course, here in Vegas, I feel like it’s a very one-off event where it’s very cold and the track layout is also quite special. But in general, I do think that since Austin, we have turned it around a little bit and we’re a bit more in that fight again. And yeah, all credit to the team for that. Of course, I know that it’s been quite a tough season for us overall, also the constructors, but at least we still won one championship.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) I just wanted to get a word on Lando Norris and how you found him as a title contender this year. I know you said always believing in yourself, but what has it been like going up against him for the championship?
MV: Yeah, I mean, we have a lot of incredible young talent in the sport and Lando is definitely one of them. And of course, at times, he made it very difficult for me. We simply didn’t have an answer in many races where they were just clearly faster. So that made it, of course, difficult. But to win a championship, you need to be consistent. Sometimes you try to overperform. It doesn’t happen every weekend, but sometimes you can. And that’s what we did. But of course, McLaren at the moment, you know, they’re extremely strong. And of course, you know, Lando, I know him, of course, for a long time already. So also to race a friend of yours to the title is always a little bit different. But I think we have a lot of respect for each other. And yeah, well, I’m sure that we’ll have many more battles to come.
Q: (Tom Cary – Daily Telegraph) Congratulations, Max. You mentioned how proud you were of this title. You say it’s your best one. Obviously, when you had the dominant car at the start of the season, you won four of the first five races. The team were under huge scrutiny at that time. How difficult was that? And how proud are you of the way you handled that and managed to get through that period with those wins?
MV: Yeah, I mean, the beginning was quite, let’s say, a bit messy, but I think I’m quite calm in those situations. I think it’s very difficult to disturb me with anything. I’m very focused on the racing side of things. And I know that when I sit in the car, I forget about everything, even positive, negative stuff. And I just focus on what’s ahead of me, and that’s performance, and drive the car as fast as I can.
Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Congrats, Max. Obviously, four titles. Lewis and Michael have got seven. Is that something that’s now on your mind, that you think that you could possibly catch those or even get to eight?
MV: You need to have that momentum as well. You need to have the right team to be able to achieve that for a long period of time. It’s not something that I set out to do. Of course, if it happens, it happens. But I’m already very proud to win four. I mean, at the end of the day, winning one or seven, it’s the same thing, right? But, of course, if you can repeat it a few times, that is very nice. And, of course, I know that if we have that opportunity again, I mean, even with not the fastest car, we still won it, so I always know that when I sit in the car, I’m going to give it everything I have. And of course, over the last few years, I also grew as a driver and you definitely become more all around. So in a way, of course, also very excited to see what we can do next year. It’s very unknown at the moment, of course, how competitive we are going to be. But for now, I’m just going to enjoy the moment.
Q: How are you going to celebrate?
MV: Well, I ran out of beer. So yeah, I don’t know, maybe another one. And then maybe I switch to something else. I don’t need to drive anymore. So the slogan, don’t drink and drive, works very well. I don’t need to do that anymore.
Q: (Ben Waterworth – The Roar) Max, many congratulations. Can you compare the emotions of crossing the line to win this fourth championship with the first three? I mean, you know, compared to those first three wins, I mean, how do you look at those emotions today?
MV: Yeah, I mean, every championship has actually been very different in emotions. It will never top the emotions of the first one because that is what you set out to do and that’s your ultimate dream and goal to win one. So that was mass civilization, but then you know, the season has been very different to the second one and last year’s one. And that’s, I think, very beautiful, because if they’re all fairly similar, that’s not as exciting. And honestly, when I crossed the line, I was just very relieved. I was like, it’s over. It’s been a tough run of races, and I’m very happy that it rained in Brazil.
Q: (Ian Parkes – New York Times) Max, you’ve just said it’s been a very tough run of races. I know you’re trying to soak this all in, and congratulations, by the way. But at this stage, what confidence do you have in the team to give you a car to fight for that fifth title next season?
MV: Well, what I know is that the team doesn’t give up. There are a lot of very competent people and I really enjoy working with them. I know it’s been tough for them as well. You know, there was a lot of pressure on them this year. And when you come out of a season like last year, where basically we broke every record and then at one point, you know, you start to struggle with the car and you don’t really seem to understand what is going on or what is going wrong. It’s important to remain calm and try to fix it. Every person in the team has their own emotions that you have to deal with. So in a way, it’s also people management because everyone reacts a little bit different to good results or bad results. But that’s something that I enjoy as well because everyone has their own character, but we all have to work together to the same end goal. I’m very proud of how everyone stuck together in those very tough races where we came out a bit lost. Then we got back at the factory, there were a lot of analysis going on. Just the response from that, I think when we went to Austin, after really understanding our issues from, let’s say, Monza, to see already an upturn in performance and a lot of ideas for next year. A few things we couldn’t change anymore this year, so that is something for next year, and I just hope that that makes the car more driveable, in general, of course, more competitive. But I also, of course, know that the other ones are not sitting still, so next year is going to be, I think, a big battle. But like I said before, even when you’re not the quickest, if you just keep maximising those results, a lot is possible.
Q: (Ben Hunt – Autosport) Max, you mentioned the messy times earlier, the difficult bits where, you know, there’s lots of interest from Mercedes and Toto kept talking about you. And I just want to get your opinion on that now. And was there any moment where you thought that you may be leaving Red Bull for Mercedes or another team or indeed quitting altogether?
MV: To be honest, I think in your life, every year there are always thoughts going through your head from, how long do I still want to do this? Where do I want to do this? How do I want to do this? There are things in your private life that happen, of course, in your racing life. There are always things that you have to deal with and think about. But that’s fine. I mean, I think in general quite relaxed about these things because it’s very important to split your private life and racing life. But it’s fine to have these thoughts in your head about what you want to do. But at the same time, I’m also not someone that makes very drastic decisions at the same time. And I’m just very happy where I’m at at the moment. I’m very loyal to the team. I appreciate, of course, what they have done for me from picking me up out of F3 and giving me an F1 seat and then going through all these emotions over all the years with these key people in the team. So, when there are tough times, it’s very easy to say goodbye or forget about it or ignore it. But I think it’s actually way more important to actually face them and go through it together and deal with it and just try to just move on from there and focus back, of course, on the performance side of things and have fun out there. That’s at the end of the most important. If you’re not having fun, then there’s no point to continue.
Q: (Sahil Kapur – NBC) Max, congratulations on the championship. Could you talk us, from your perspective, through the highs and lows of the season? High points, not including today, of course.
MV: I mean, most of the highs, I think, were in the beginning of the season where we were still competitive and winning races. And it seemed like a little bit of a repeat of last year in the beginning. And then the lows, I would say, I mean, tough times are definitely the ones in the middle where we were struggling for pace, not making the podiums even. But we always maximised our results. We just kept it together in a way. I mean, to be honest with you, when I look back at this season, probably in 20 years’ time, when I’m retired, Las Vegas ’24, as a race, is not going to be in my top 10. But it’s still very special to win it here. And just looking back at that season that we had. I would say there were quite a few lows, but in a way, they also taught me a lot about myself, the team, how we kept it together. And that’s what I’m also very proud of, how we handled it all and still came out on top.
Q: (Ronald Vording – Motorsport.com) You said it told me a lot about myself. So what did it tell you? You said staying calm was key, but has that been difficult at any moment with a lot happening off track in the beginning, then feeling a bit lost with the car development around Monza maybe? So has it mentally been more difficult than the previous ones?
MV: You know, so for me personally, you know, I don’t really ever think about the mental side because for me, that’s not really. Yeah, I mean, for me, when I sit in the car, I just try to go flat out, do everything I can. And when I come home, I want to focus on other stuff. But at times, of course, it’s quite frustrating when you’ve had such a run of results last year. You come into this year and it’s, again, going quite well. Of course, I always thought to myself already after last year, like don’t expect another year like that. It’s very rare that those things happen. But then at one point, you know, the car was also just really difficult to drive. And then it was about just working together with the team, because when you have these tough moments, it can also be very demotivating. You know, like whatever, you know, I give up on this. But then those moments are actually very important to keep it together and actually work harder and try to understand what is going on. Because even those moments you give up, you are going to give up the championship as well.
Q: (Lawrence Edmondson – ESPN) Congratulations, Max. Just focusing on those tougher times, was there ever a point that you felt that Lando actually had a better chance of winning this championship and that he had become the favourite?
MV: Well, I would say from Miami onwards, most of the time we were not the quickest anymore. And Miami is still very early on in the season. So, you know, 50 points, 60 points, they can very easily be overturned if you keep maximising results and not do anything crazy. So, I mean, I’ve experienced that myself, being 30, 40 points down. I think in ‘22. Anything is possible, so I had that always in the back of my mind, but at the same time, it’s just focus on what I could control within the team and just give it everything every single weekend.
TOP 3 PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: George, what a brilliant pole position for you yesterday and a seamless victory today. It’s been quite a weekend.
GR: Yeah, absolutely. It’s been a real surprise seeing how strong our pace has been and securing the pole yesterday I was so pleased with. And then I think we won the race in stint one. To be honest, stint one was exceptional. And I knew from there on in the only way we would probably lose the victory is if I grained the tyres and opened them up. So it was just a case of managing my pace, managing in the right corners and bringing it home.
Q: And having completed this race distance, do you have a greater understanding of why the car has been so good this weekend?
GR: Yeah, I think so. It’s no secret that we struggle on the bumpy circuits and we have to lift the car quite a lot. We’ve got to make it much softer. And then we’re in a downforce window where we don’t have any. And it’s not that we just suddenly forget how to set the car up. It’s just certain circuits require us to put the car in a window it doesn’t like to be. And on tracks like this where it’s relatively smooth, we can get the car quite low, quite stiff, with little or no bumps around the track, we fly.
Q: So what does this mean for the final two, looking ahead?
GR: I think we’ve got a good shot in Qatar, to be honest. Going into this triple header, I had my sights set on Qatar, even to the point that I wanted to take my freshest engine out and put an old engine in for Vegas, to save my best engine for Qatar. And I’m kind of glad we didn’t do that now.
Q: Quick oner, where’s the party tonight? There was a bit of radio chat.
GR: I don’t know, to be honest. I mean, I don’t party that often. I don’t know where I need to go, but I’ll be going somewhere. This guy walking in will probably have a better idea than me. So where’s the party?
LH: I have no clue, man!
Q: George, final one. Can we get a quick word from you on the job that Max Verstappen has done this year as well?
GR: Yeah, exceptional. I mean, he had a dominant car at the start of the year and he got the wind when he needed to and then genuinely thought he probably wasn’t going to win this championship. And he delivered week in, week out, and got the best result the car was capable of and his rivals didn’t. And, you know, I thought it was going to go right to the wire. And, yeah, he won three (sic) races to go. So, you know, huge congrats to him. We just got to make sure that we get ourselves in that fight. And give him a harder time. Because it’s about time, I think we feel ready to try and take that challenge to the front.
Q: George, very well done today. Thank you very much. Lewis, let’s come to you. What a charge by you today. You had so much pace. How much did you enjoy it, first of all?
LH: I had a great time. When you’re progressing and moving forward, it’s always a great feeling. It felt very much like my old days at Rye House, starting at the back and coming through, so it was great.
Q: Was this the best the car has been this year? Better than Silverstone even?
LH: Honestly, I don’t really remember it. Best of recent [times], of course. We got a really good balance in the car today. It felt a lot better than it was yesterday, particularly Q3 yesterday, but yeah, just phenomenal for the team.
Q: Without that difficult Q3 yesterday, how different might today have been for you?
LH: It doesn’t really matter, really, does it? At the end of the day, George did a great job, did everything he was supposed to do and I’m happy for him and I’m just grateful I could get back up there to support the team with a 1-2.
Q: And do you share George’s optimism that you might be able to carry this pace to Qatar next weekend?
LH: I have no idea. I mean, I don’t think anyone in the team knows why we were as quick as we were this weekend. And everyone will be happy about it. But I think often in the hotter conditions, we struggle more. When we go into two, maybe Qatar is not so bad because it’s a little bit cooler there. And the track is very smooth. So maybe we’ll not be too bad at that track. I think we were OK there last year. Abu Dhabi, maybe less so. But we’ll see.
Q: Alright, Lewis, final one. Can we get a quick word from you on the job that Max has done this year?
LH: He’s done a fantastic job. He’s not made any mistakes and he’s delivered every time and every point he’s supposed to. And him and his team have done the best job, again, fourth year in a row. And it definitely got exciting at one point. I think they will be hard to beat next year because they probably started earlier than everyone else developing next year’s car as well. But yeah, really happy for him.
Q: Thank you very much. Carlos, coming to you now, your eighth podium of the season, but it looked like there were a few challenges out there. How did it play out for you today?
CS: Yeah, more challenges, more things going on than maybe what we expected. At the same time, I think today Mercedes was just the quicker car, the quicker package. I think George and Lewis drove a very good race. At the same time that us, we just struggled too much with graining, more than what we were anticipating. And yeah, it meant that we couldn’t push on the tyres. We were having to save so much that we couldn’t use the pace of the car. And yeah, we were just simply not fast enough. So yeah, not our day.
Q: Can we talk about pit stops and the radio traffic that there was at half distance? It seemed you wanted a pit, but the team weren’t ready for you. What happened?
CS: We just simply didn’t execute in general. We just didn’t execute a very good race. I think we stayed out one lap too late on Mediums, two laps too late on Hards. And by the time I was going to pit, we had this messy radio communication in the pit entry, which probably made me lose that lap that I was completely grained and I had to let pass Charles plus the two or three seconds that I lost in the pit entry. That means a lot of race time that maybe would have meant we could have ended up fighting Lewis. But yeah, it just shows that in this sport, you need to do things perfectly week in, week out. We’ve been doing things really well in strategy and on race management all year around. But today wasn’t our day. We just didn’t do things well and we will have to learn from it and make sure we come back in Qatar stronger.
Q: Well, let’s talk about Qatar. The battle in the Constructors’ Championships now, 24 points between Ferrari and McLaren. How do you see it playing out over the next two races?
CS: We just need to go into that trying to maximise whatever we have. I think over the last few weekends we’ve done a good job. I think today the maximum, yesterday the maximum was a P2 in quali, today the maximum was a P3 in the race. In Qatar, the maximum might be a P5 or a P6 because in that car, with this car in a track like Qatar, I expect to struggle and I expect McLaren and Mercedes to be very strong. probably also even Red Bull, given that they were strong also in quali in Austin. So yeah, I think it’s going to be a very challenging weekend for us. That’s why today it was important for us to get maximum number of points available, and we kind of did that for the pace that we had.
Q: And final one, can we get a word from you on Max Verstappen, please?
CS: Yeah, congrats. I think he’s driven for four years now at an incredibly high level. I think this year he just dominated whenever he had a dominant car and then he didn’t do mistakes and maximize the points that he could get with a less so performing car and just did whatever he had to do in every race. And yeah, congrats because he clearly deserves it.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Carlos, Charles seemed pretty upset about what happened in the race between the two of you in position swapping. Could you give your side of it and how you feel things played out?
CS: Yeah, I think he grained the Medium tyres and I managed to get ahead before the pit stop on Mediums. Then I did grain my Hards and he was coming quick behind me and me anticipating what was going to be a situation, because Lewis was straight behind Charles at the time, and I was pretty sure the team was going to ask me to let Charles by because he was quicker at the time. As I was on grained tyres, I asked the team two or three times to box me, to get me out of the way, and get me a new set of Hards to make sure that I wasn’t losing a lot of race time by having to let Charles by and then having to fight Lewis at the same time. For some reason we didn’t box and I ended up having to let Charles by a lap later than was planned and losing a lot of race time. And by the time I was going to box, then we didn’t even box. So I guess he’s not happy, but I’m also not happy with the way things were handled at the time. And yeah, I think no one’s happy today in the team because we all expected a bit more. I’m on the podium, so at least I got that for the team. But at the same time, I don’t think we could have finished much better than P3 and P4 today.
Q: (Tom Cary – Daily Telegraph) Lewis after what happened in Brazil and the disappointment there and you spoke earlier this week about how you know how difficult that was and how you just wanted to get away from it all, how important was it to have a weekend like this where the car was really firing and you produced a drive the way you did? I know you disappointed not to have taken part, obviously yesterday, but a good performance today.
LH: Yeah, great, great performance. It’s not that I didn’t think I could do it. So, yeah, I’ve had many races like this, but I’m generally happy to have had the recovery. You know, it’s a new day and I just tried to approach it with a positive mindset. and you know to be able to have a car underneath me today, and be able to push and overtake people was such a great feeling. That was honestly one of the most enjoyable races. Yeah, if I’d started pole and just led the way, wouldn’t have felt as much fun, for sure. Of course, winning a Grand Prix is always a great thing, but when whoever it is faces adversity and has to battle through, it just feels so much better when you do succeed.
Q: (Ben Waterworth – The Roar) Just a question for all three. With such a short turnaround between now and Qatar next week, what can you each do to acclimatise from the quite chilly conditions here in Vegas to obviously the quite extreme heat in Qatar? with such a short turnaround?
GR: I mean, there’s not really anything you can do in these days. Preparation needed to happen beforehand. And it’s going to be a challenge for everyone, but we’re all in the same boat. So no one’s going to be on peak condition personally, but it’s just about limiting the losses.
Q: Depends how big the party is tonight. Lewis, please?
LH: Not really much more to add to that. Not a huge amount… Just get there as soon as you can.
CS: Same, I think, as George said. It is down to the fitness that you’ve accumulated during the first part of the year and keeping yourself fit and healthy. It will be quite a shock to the body, but if you’re fit, you’re healthy, and you’ve managed to keep yourself warm here, don’t get any colds, take melatonin whenever you have to take melatonin, and go to sleep whenever you have to go to sleep, it should get it done. But I agree that no one will be in peak form in Qatar.
Q: (Ben Hunt – Autosport) Two questions. First one: George, can you just confirm if you jumped in the fountain or not? I see you’ve got wet clothes.
GR: No, I really wanted to do it, but I was so cold after the race, I thought, like, I’m going to get super ill and this time last year I actually caught pneumonia and I was ill all the way into mid-February after Vegas and Abu Dhabi. So I was like, you know, in the moment I really wanted to do it, but then I was thinking back to the struggles I had this time 12 months ago because it’s such a toll on the body. It’s from all the champagne, to be honest, why I was soaking wet.
Q: (Ben Hunt – Autosport) To follow that up then, can I just get your three thoughts on the Las Vegas Grand Prix? Timing’s obviously very hard. George, you mentioned having a snooze before qualifying. But could you sum it up for us, what you think, what you’d like to change, or whether it needs changing? Obviously, coming at such a crucial point in the year, you mentioned fatigue. That’s a big part of it.
GR: I mean, obviously, it’s not great timing at all for the people who are here in the moment. But we’re 20 drivers, let’s say 4,000 people who do all the F1 races collectively. And there’s tens of millions of people who watch at home. So I’d probably say having it back-to-back with Qatar is the biggest challenge. If we have a week off afterwards, I’d say that’s probably the only thing realistically that would help.
LH: I think it’s great. I mean the race is amazing, so really happy to… Yeah for sure the back-to-back is not the easiest. It’s massively challenging for everyone here, and particularly for the people that work in the garages that are on their feet taking the car to pieces now, packing it up and shipping it over, and they won’t get a lot of rest. So for them, it’s definitely the hardest, but they love it, and I don’t even think if you were to ask them to change it, they would do this 10 times over. But the actual race is absolutely fantastic. It’s such a great event. They’ve really, really done a mega job this year. So I can’t wait to come back next year.
CS: Yeah, I think it’s been a step forward compared to last year. I feel like last year, F1, if anything, was trying a bit too hard to put on too much of a show. It got a bit too much away from Formula 1 and too much into Vegas style. And I feel like this year we’ve just been just more normal doing our own thing. And it’s been a success. It just shows the Formula 1 product works and you don’t need to try too hard. And yeah, I’d bring the race a couple hours earlier if I could. I think it would help everyone in the paddock, everyone that does the job in this sport, I think, would put everyone in a healthier, better mood through the weekend. So a couple of hours early race and timings and not a back-to-back with Qatar. That’s what I would ask everyone as the next step. For the rest, great circuit to put on a good race, great for overtaking, challenging track. I wouldn’t change anything, just those two details. And I think everything will be better.
Q: (Sahil Kapur – NBC) Question for all three. There are a number of young new drivers coming into F1 next year. Of course, George will be teaming up with one of them. What’s your advice for them? Things to do, not to do in the early days?
GR: Enjoy it, to be honest. It’s such a special moment. Get into Formula 1, it’s… For all of us it’s like every step of your journey, you’re climbing a ladder. And when you reach F1, that’s a huge step and huge pride. And sort of cherish those moments. The driving, to be honest, is probably the easiest part of the job. It’s everything else that comes with Formula 1. There’s a lot more attention versus F2. It’s a big leap in that regard. But just enjoy it.
LH: I don’t know. Don’t do absolutely everything everyone tells you to do. Ask lots of questions. Take your time. Don’t let the negativity get to you because, you know, people are so negative nowadays judging you non-stop. So stay off social media and keep your family and your closest friends close to you because they are the only ones that are your true friends and they’re going to be there for you when they go and get stuff.
CS: Lewis’ comments and George’s are spot on.
Q: (Sam Johnston – Sky Sports) Lando in recent weeks has kind of admitted some feelings of inferiority towards going up against Max. I was wondering if you guys were in similar machinery, let’s say, next year in the kind of way Lando and Max have been for most of this season. Do you feel Max is operating at a level above or you’re all confident you could take him on and duel him in a fight for the title next year?
GR: Yeah, definitely. Nobody’s unbeatable. And you go through these phases where teams and drivers together are dominating and people think if I went up alongside them, I wouldn’t be able to compete with them. And you’ve got to have belief in yourself. I think, you know, the three of us here all believe in ourself. And for me personally, you know, when I teamed up with Lewis, Lewis is the greatest of all time. And, you know, Max is right up there with Lewis. So, Yeah, I absolutely believe in myself that we could fight him in equal machinery.
Q: Do you feel Max is unbeatable, Lewis, going into next season?
LH: It really depends whether they have a second-and-a-half advantage at the first race again like they did this year.
CS: As much as I think Max has done an incredible job this year, it just shows the second half of the season, eight drivers within a tenth of each other. We could all beat him week in, week out. He was extremely good, you know, at dominating with a dominant car and extremely good at not making mistakes the second half of the season. And that’s what’s given him, for me, driver of the year and the championship. But the second half of the season just shows that when we are all in equal, more of an equal machinery, we can all go up against each other and make each other’s life difficult. And everyone starts making mistakes when they’re under pressure and everyone starts complaining about their car and everyone starts complaining in the media about their car. And, you know, it’s all about pressure management and not having that margin. Whenever you don’t have a two, three tenths margin on your nearest rival or your teammate, suddenly a pressure ramps up and everyone is human.
Q: (Ian Parkes – New York Times) Lewis, one of the bits of advice you just gave there to the young drivers was to not be weighed down by adverse criticism. I’m just wondering why you said that. I’m just wondering whether you perhaps feel that you might have been adversely criticised this season, given the struggles.
LH: It’s not about this year. We’re talking about youngsters. We’re talking about 18-year-olds. And I remember when I was 22 and you’re thrown in a deep end. You’ve been given training as a young driver through the younger series, but you’re not most of them. Probably don’t have a PR person. The team will have a PR person, but they’re not looking out for you. They’re looking out for the team. And so you’re thrown in the deep end and you’re trying to be nice and people take advantage of you. And so my guidance, like if I had a young driver and I was looking after him, I would put a lot of support around him so that people can get to him. And the socials and media and stuff would not be able to affect that young individual’s mindset. And I think that protecting that is really important. because then I think it’s really about giving people, firstly, them getting the opportunity and not knocking them down when they make mistakes. Which one of you or anyone here, 18 years old, 19 years old, has not made mistakes? And it’s just that when you do it in the spotlight, it’s really, really, really tough. And so we should be lifting these people up and giving them not just one chance, two chances, just continue to support them and just not slating them because that’s just not nice.