FIA post-race press conference – Canada

1. George Russell (Mercedes), 2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Nico Rosberg)

Q: George, what an amazing drive by you and by the team this whole weekend. Was that the best one of your whole career?

George RUSSELL: It’s amazing to be back on the top step. Obviously, last time for us was back in Vegas. I felt last year was a victory lost. And then obviously we got the victory today probably due to the incredible pole yesterday. And obviously, so happy to see Kimi on the podium as well. So amazing day for the team. Thanks to everybody back at the factory who’s been working so hard to get us back fighting for victories. And yeah, it feels good.

Q: Has something fundamental changed on the car, or what’s going on now? Is Mercedes back?

GR: No. It’s a little bit cooler around here. You know, we saw it last year in Canada. I’d love to get our hopes up, but I think the strength of our car is in these cooler conditions and, you know, let’s see going into the coming races, but we’ll just enjoy it for now.

Q: So you’re not quite sure? You don’t think you can maybe keep this going for the next race?

GR: Time will tell. Time will tell. I mean, we won Austria last year, so maybe that’s a good omen. But, you know, we’ll enjoy it for the time being. We did have high expectations coming into this weekend, and it worked out as we thought. So yeah. Good day. Good day.

Q: Max, P2. Was that the maximum, do you think, this weekend?

Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, I think so. It was quite a good race even though I think the two stints we were struggling quite a bit on the tyres. So we were doing quite an aggressive strategy. But luckily in that final stint, we managed to hang in there and actually the pace was a bit better on the bit lower fuel load. So that was good. I think we drove an attacking/defending race—attacking with a strategy, defending of course with the cars behind. But it worked out for us and I think that was the maximum possible for us today.

Q: On a day like today, do you still think about the championship though, because it’s good points you made up – some on Piastri and a lot on Lando?

MV: It’s a long, long season, you know. So you need to go race by race, and we’ll always do the best we can.

Q: Looking forward to your Red Bull home race with all your fans in Austria?

MV: Yeah, for sure. I mean, it’s always a great weekend there. We’ve had a lot of great results, and hopefully, we can have another strong weekend there.

Q: Kimi Antonelli, you are a Formula 1 podium race finisher. You did it! Is that awesome?

Kimi ANTONELLI: I mean, it was so stressful, but super happy. Had a good start, I managed to jump into P3. And yeah, just stayed up there at the front. And the last stint, I pushed a bit too hard behind Max, and I killed a bit the front left. I struggled a bit at the end, but really happy to bring the podium home.

Q: Everybody is chanting your name! You have so many supporters here! We just watched your pass on Piastri, which is what set you up for the podium. Take us through that.

KA: Yeah. I mean, I had a good launch, and I managed to get alongside. And then in the corner, I just tried to carry as much speed as possible. And then when I was alongside him in T2, I knew I would have had the advantage, especially going into T3, and really happy to stick that.

Q: It looks like Mercedes is maybe back. Your car looks awesome. Are we going to see a race win from you next?

KA: I mean, that’s the goal. But yeah, definitely, this track has been good for us. The car has been incredible all weekend. And yeah, hopefully, we can carry the same momentum into the next few races.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: George, off the back of a tough triple header for the team, just how satisfying is this result?

George RUSSELL: Yeah, it’s been great to get the win and, you know, seeing Kimi up here as well on the podium. Really, really pleased for him. And, you know, as a team, we’ve been performing so well this year. Up until the last triple header, we’d maximized every single race weekend, whether, you know, that was the P2 in Bahrain or the other podiums we had. But coming into Canada, we knew we did have the potential to fight for pole and for the race win, and, ultimately, it came down to that quali lap yesterday. There was obviously not much movement in terms of positions shuffling around but really pleased with the job.

Q: Given the hot temperatures today, were you surprised by the pace and the consistency of the car?

GR: I was, to be honest. There wasn’t much tyre overheating even though it was hot. It’s a very smooth tarmac here in Canada. There are quite low speed corners, so the tyres aren’t under much stress. I think we expected a bit more tyre overheating considering the track temperature, but we’re under no illusions that this really suited the strengths of our car the same way as it did last year. But for the majority of the circuits, we know it’s a bit of a challenge, and that’s why this is the first weekend both of us are on the podium. But it’s great to see that when we get that chance, we take it.

Q: You say the rear tyres weren’t under much stress. Were you under much stress having Max in your mirrors for most of it?

GR: No. Not really. To be honest, for the last couple of weeks, obviously, there’s lots of noise going on, after what happened in Spain as well. But from my side, you put it to one side, and you know that if you make a good start, you get into a groove. I knew I had potentially the fastest car today, you’ve got to dial into that and put all of the additional noise to one side. And, of course, it was a bit challenging at points when you had Charles and Lando on the offset strategy, and they were kind of getting in our way. But as soon as I had clear air, I could comfortably pull the gap out. It wasn’t dead easy, but I felt confident in myself and the car. I was keeping a close eye on how Kimi was getting on, and on the TVs, and seeing Lando and Oscar closing down. But, no, it was a good day, and I feel proud of myself, feel proud of the team, especially after this time 12 months ago when it was a victory lost.

Q: Now, George, you’re still without a contract for 2026. Weekends like this must help the negotiations, right?

GR: It doesn’t hurt! It doesn’t hurt at all. But, you know, as I’ve said many times, I’m not concerned at all about next year. I know I’m going to be on the grid next year. I feel that I’m driving better than ever. I still feel I’ve got more in the tank. I feel ready to fight for a world championship, and I think results like today, results like Bahrain this year when we got half a chance of a good result, we’re there to take it. And I’m pretty relaxed. Just enjoying the moment, enjoying my racing, and just taking it week by week.

Q: Max, let’s come to you. Very well done as well. You were close to George throughout. Without the Safety Car at the end, might an opportunity have arisen to go for the win?

MV: No. Not really, to be honest. The first two stints, I was struggling a lot with the tyres. Just too much degradation again. So we drove quite a defensive race, to be honest, because basically two times, Kimi was about to overtake me, and we boxed. So that worked out quite well for me. We did a very aggressive strategy. I think the last pit stop, I was a bit worried if I was going to make it to the end competitively because on the hard tyre in the second stint, I was already struggling as well. So I think just a lighter fuel load helped a bit. But the gap wasn’t that big towards George, and I never really felt like I had the pace to do anything. It was more about just looking in the mirror, trying to maintain that gap, try to look after my tyres to not overstress them. It was not the easiest race, but I think as a team we managed it well. I think we definitely optimised everything we could because, honestly, throughout the whole race, I never really felt like I was actually holding on to second. So, yeah, we did a good job. I mean, the whole weekend, I think the car was reasonable. Strategy-wise, we did the best we could.

Q: Does that give you a lot of confidence going forward?

MV: Well, I hope that we can start every weekend like this in terms of how I feel with the car, but overall, we do need more performance to be quick everywhere. I also think that this weekend was a bit, I won’t say an off weekend, but McLaren wasn’t as strong as normal. And, of course, we benefited a little bit. But if we go to all the other tracks now coming up, we definitely need more performance to even be close to them. This has been a good weekend for us, but we need a lot more to be able to fight with them for the whole season.

Q: Kimi, you’ve done it. Your first podium in Formula 1. What does this third place mean to you?

KA: It meant a lot, especially after a difficult triple header on my side. Definitely took some confidence away, but this was the best way to bounce back.

Q: It was far from easy. There was a lot of pressure, particularly from Oscar Piastri in those closing laps. What were you thinking in those moments as he was getting into your DRS?

KA: I was just hoping for the race to finish, to be honest. I was even looking at the screen counting the laps because it was very stressful. In the last stint, I pushed a bit too hard behind Max and eventually degraded the front left. The last few laps were a struggle, especially seeing Oscar getting closer and closer in the DRS range. At one point, he even tried to attempt the overtake in turn one. It took a lot of effort.

Q: So, what does this do to your confidence going forward? Do you feel you’re in a better place now as a result of this weekend?

KA: Yeah, definitely. I mean, I’m still aware there’s a lot of work to do, especially when it comes to qualifying, trying to be quicker at the beginning of the session. But we’re on a good path. The team is doing a great job. Also, with George, he’s helping me to push myself even further. There’s a really good dynamic in the team. Hopefully, we can carry this momentum into the next few races.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Stu Cowan – Montreal Gazette) Question for George. What’s the added significance of this victory maybe with the fact it comes on Father’s Day?

GR: Yeah. It’s definitely a special moment to win on Father’s Day because, I mean, for all of us, our fathers have been such huge figures in our life and racing career. My father was at a go-kart track today with my eight-year-old nephew, go-karting, and starting journey number three of motorsport after myself and my older brother. And, you know, they got back after probably a six-hour-long drive this evening to watch the Grand Prix and then to win for him, the whole team, it’s really special and it means a lot.

Q: (Ben Hunt – Autosport/Motorsport) Just a question for you, George. Your contractual situation – are you 100% certain that it’s going to be Mercedes next year, or are you talking to other teams as well?

GR: No. I’m not talking with anybody else and any teams who have shown interest, I have been quite open to say my intentions are to stay with Mercedes. That’s always been clear. And I am loyal to Mercedes. They gave me this chance to get into Formula 1. There haven’t been any hard feelings with any of the talks that have been going around, especially around Max. Because, like I said on numerous times, why wouldn’t teams be interested in Max? If every driver had no contracts for next year, Max would be number one for every single team. And that’s understandable. But ultimately, there are two seats for every race team. I knew if I continue to perform as I’m doing, my position would not be under threat whatsoever. So, I feel in a good place. We’re in no rush to do contract negotiations. We want to win together. Especially Kimi and I being team-mates now – we’re getting a result like today, both junior drivers from Mercedes, we’re both doing the job in terms of performance. Why would you want to change something that’s working?

Q: (Ticiano Figueiredo – Diário do Rio Claro) Max, yesterday I asked you how much of your weekend’s performance was due to the car and how much came from the lion unleashed. Today after this race, and especially after what happened between Lando and Oscar in the final laps, I’d like to change my question. How hopeful can we be about witnessing a generation battle – a direct title fight between you and Oscar this year?

MV: A lot needs to happen for that, to be honest. We need to start winning races more often. And how do we do that? By being more competitive. Now, this was a good weekend, but again, not competitive enough. Like I said before, we have our moments where maybe we can win here or there, but we just need to make the car faster. Then we make it a lot easier for ourselves. We’re working hard on it with the team. Of course, bits are coming, but is it going to be enough? I don’t know. It’s small margins in this world that can give you better results every single weekend. But what I think so far, what McLaren has shown this whole season is quite extraordinary and difficult to beat. So now, okay, one weekend is not as good, but they are still by far the favourites. And that’s not going to be something that is easily beaten. But the coming races, we really want to try and improve our car.

Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Congrats on the win, George. Earlier you said you’re ready to fight for a world championship, and you’ve got more in the tank. Do you think there’s an outside chance that could be this year? You’ve obviously taken 12 points out of Oscar today, and Lando didn’t score. So, yeah, do you think you’re in the mix?

GR: I mean, to be honest, I don’t really know how Max and I are so close to those two because they clearly have the most dominant car. I think the two of us have been very consistent and getting the maximum result from our packages week in, week out. But I can’t imagine them to continue throwing away points in the manner they’re doing. Of course, we hope that continues to be the case, but I don’t foresee us getting in the championship fight through pure pace as Lando did last year. We’ll only be there if results like today continue or things like today continue to happen.

Q: (Rodrigo França – Car Magazine, Brazil) Question to Kimi. Congratulations on your podium. How was the feeling on the podium? The cooldown room, the taste of champagne, the view from the podium – was it like you imagined when you were go-karting? And also, could George remind us how his first podium felt?

KA: Well, it was much better than what I imagined. Hearing the crowd while walking onto the podium, I had massive goosebumps. That is definitely a moment I will remember for a very long time. It gives you a boost – results like this and this feeling, you can’t buy this feeling. It’s an amazing feeling and you just want more. I think the goal now is to try to keep the same momentum and try to achieve more podiums, and hopefully maybe the first win – you never know in the future.

Q: George, memories of your first podium?

GR: My first podium obviously came in Belgium 2021, which was a bit of a unique race and very stressful for many different reasons, because scoring points for us as a team was far more important than the result itself. But it’s a day you remember forever. I remember that day in Spa. I’m sure many people remember that day in Spa. I’m really happy to see Kimi here because it’s a lot of hard work. As he said, the triple header was tough for both of us for different reasons. But to come back – he showed a really solid race, had good race pace. That’s what we need to do as a team to continue getting these points and try to finish P2 in the constructors’.

Q: (Daniel Valente – The Score) Question for Kimi and Max. Now we have the third youngest and the youngest podium finishers in F1 history here. So Kimi, how has Max helped inspire your journey? And Max, what exceptional qualities have you seen in Kimi?

KA: Racing in F1 with the 19 other best drivers on the grid gives you a lot of motivation. Having the chance to race at your best and show what you’re capable of is a great boost. Of course, seeing what Max has done over the years, especially in his rookie years, was quite astonishing. So definitely he’s a model who I get inspired by. But at the end, racing against the best is a great chance. And having someone like George as a team-mate really helps you improve. It’s also down to George this result because he has helped me during this first part of the season to develop and push myself even further.

MV: For me, it’s not a surprise. I knew Kimi coming up through the karting ranks – people were already saying great things. So I was keeping an eye on him. I think what’s impressive is he’s naturally quick. What I like is his level-headed, calm approach. Those are great qualities to have. I was never in doubt that the podium would come this year. He had a few unlucky races – one of them in the sprint was also my fault with the pit stop. But it was just a matter of time. I’m very happy that it happened for him. It gives you more confidence. It’s a nice boost. And it will only get better. You’re in your rookie season – there’s so many things that will come at you. You learn from the weaker races, you learn from the good ones. In the coming years, for sure, we’ll see a lot more of Kimi.

Q: (Vittorio Giordano – Cittadino Canadese) For Kimi. Congratulations on your first podium. It’s been 16 years since we saw an Italian driver on the podium. Last time was Jarno Trulli in 2009. What’s your feeling about that and this achievement, in Montreal where there is a huge Italian community – 1.5 million Canadians of Italian origin?

KA: It’s obviously a great feeling to be the next Italian on the podium after such a long time. Now the next goal is to win, to bring Italy back on top. This result was needed. It’s also for all the Italian Tifosi out there. Imola was an incredible weekend for me in terms of support. It didn’t go as well as I wanted, but seeing so much support already early on is great. So, this result is also for them.

Q: (Georgia Kolev – TSN) Question for George. Congrats on the win today. If you could choose a song to represent your win today, what would it be?

GR: Oh my god! A song to represent my win – wow! That is such a great question, but I’m just going to embarrass myself with whatever I say here. Let me get back to you.

MV: Check your Spotify playlist.

GR: It’s going to be a bit too much Taylor Swift if you look at my Spotify playlist.

Q: (Tom Carey – Telegraph) George, apologies if you answered this earlier – I missed the start. But are you going for a swim now? I think I saw a video of you earlier saying that you would if you won.

GR: That took you long enough. For sure. So, we have this crazy German who’s living in Los Angeles who has rejoined us this weekend. He’s a friend of Valtteri’s and is probably an inspiration for Valtteri’s nude calendars and the mullet and all of this stuff. He’s in the room with us today, and he’s the one who said, “If I win, we need to jump in the lake.” So yeah, thanks for the reminder.

MV: You should do the calendar.

GR: Well, I’m considering the calendar. You know? If I don’t have a contract next year, I need to bring the calendar out to bring the income in. So yeah, maybe. Is it clean? Could somebody let me know? He’s shaking his head. Is it clean or not? Oh god!