FIA post-race press conference – Emilia-Romagna

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2. Lando Norris (McLaren), 3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by David Coulthard)

Q: Oscar, it was a brilliant Saturday, not such a strong Sunday. You’ve got to take us right to the beginning. It looked like you had the corner and, in the end, Max swept around the outside.

Oscar PIASTRI: Yeah, just braked too early. And, yeah, I mean, it was a good move by Max as well. So, disappointing, obviously, but I think we made a few wrong calls after that anyway. Not our best Sunday. Definitely a lot of things to look at and review from that one. But, yeah, well done to Max and Red Bull. It was a good move but also, they had pace today. We’ll look back at that one and see what we can do a bit better.

Q: The rest of the race was obviously decided by first Virtual Safety Car, the luck of the draw when you make your stop, and then the full course Safety Car. Put us in the cockpit for those particular events and restarts.

OP: Yeah, it was tricky. Obviously, the VSC was perfectly timed for Max and Lando. I’d obviously used both my hard tyres at that point, so made the last restart pretty tricky. I tried my best to hang on to second, but, yeah, just had nowhere near enough grip. So, third it is.

Q: Just on that overtake from your team-mate, always difficult when two cars are going into a tight apex. Just enough room for him there. But when you’re on those older tyres, it was pretty close with your front axle.

OP: Yeah, it was tricky. I tried my best to hang on, but just didn’t have the grip. I tried my best and it was inevitable. I think it was inevitable that he was going to get past, but I wasn’t going to give up without a fight.

Q: Well, congratulations. Still a podium.

OP: Thank you very much.

Q: We have our second-place finisher here, Lando Norris. Well, it was an interesting Grand Prix. You started fourth, so that looked like it was going to make it a long afternoon for you. But as the race went on, it came to you, and we saw that brilliant battle in the end with your team-mate.

Lando NORRIS: Yeah, it was a long race from that perspective. Not easy to overtake, but we did what we could. I think Max drove a good race. They were quick today—probably a bit quicker. We couldn’t keep up, and we had a good little battle at the end between Oscar and myself, which is always tense, but always good fun. But a good race. From us as a team, second and third is great. Of course, we would love to be up there fighting against Max, but they were too good for us today.

Q: We saw some great wheel-to-wheel action with you having a go around the outside at the second chicane of the Mercedes. Just explain to us, when you commit to those sort of overtakes, you’re putting a lot of trust in the guy on the inside.

LN: Yeah, I mean, it’s with George, and I could tell he was struggling with the tyres a lot. It’s just a situation you got to take advantage of. I mean, it’s always risky. You never want to take too much risk, but we’re also racing. And he’s a fair racer. He’s a good racer. So, some good moves today.

Q: Well, congratulations on that result. By the way, you smell spectacular. I don’t know what McLaren cologne you have.

LN: [laughs] Thanks!

Q: As we come to our victor. Well Max, when the lights went out, it looked like you were staring down the barrel of coming out of the first corner in third place. You had Oscar who made a very good start and we had George right up his gearbox. But somehow, you had the commitment to go around the outside. Relive that moment.

Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah. The start itself wasn’t particularly great, but then I was still on the outside line—or basically the normal line—and I was like, “Well, I’m just going to try and send it around the outside.” And it worked really well. That, of course, then unleashed our pace, because once we were in the lead, the car was good. I could look after my tyres and we had very good pace on it today. So, again, massive improvement from Friday, and I’m very, very pleased with that. Then that VSC was quite handy to pit. And even then, even on the Hard compound, I think our pace was very strong. But then, of course, there was a Safety Car, so the field was all back together. But even then, on the restart, I think we managed it all really well and, yeah, brought it home. Incredibly proud of everyone. It’s been a very important week for us. The car has performed really well. And also, I think the whole execution of the race—when to pit, the pit stops themselves—they were all very good.

Q: So, it’s the 400th Grand Prix for the team. Your 65th victory, which, congratulations. That’s an incredible statistic. We’re into this triple header here. Well, you started it with also doing a bit of running last weekend as well. It seems that you just want to be on track at all times.

MV: Yeah. I mean, I like driving. I like racing in Formula 1. I like racing any kind of car. And, of course, next week is a completely different kind of track in Monaco. You know, that’s also going to be very challenging. But for the moment, I just want to enjoy today and really take it in.

Q: Well, we do want you to do that. But maybe just a quick word to the fans here at this Grand Prix. It’s a historic racetrack, one that gave us a great Grand Prix.

MV: Yeah, I mean, it’s always fantastic to be in Italy. Proper passion for motorsports. So, yeah, it’s fantastic to see all these fans out here the whole weekend. So, yeah, thank you very much for coming and supporting all the drivers.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Max, very well done. The perfect race for you. Brilliant move on Oscar at Turn 1 after which there was no looking back.

MV: Yeah, the initial start wasn’t that amazing, but then Turn 2, luckily, worked out quite
well for me. So I was, of course, happy to be in the lead, but I was still not entirely sure how quick we were going to be because, of course, I was also in the lead in Miami, but we did not have a great pace there. So, I just tried to follow a bit my rhythm. I do think the car felt a bit nicer, a bit more controlled to drive now also in the long run, and that helped me, I think, also then look after the tyres probably a bit more than normal. So, yeah, overall, quite surprising, but, of course, very happy with what we showed today. Just hope that we can, you know, show this kind of performance a bit more often.

Q: Can you give us a few more details on that lap one, Turn 1 move for the lead? You just said that your initial start wasn’t great. At what point in the corner did you realize you got the job done?

MV: I think it’s a bit like I started to carry a bit more speed to the apex. And then at one point, you have that kind of momentum swing then going into Turn 3. And then, of course, I knew that I was ahead, but it all goes so fast. And you have to be really precise, you know, to try and not go too far offline. But, yeah, luckily, the grip was alright there.

Q: Any dramas at all after that?

MV: It’s bumpy. So, yeah, my back is pretty hurting.

Q: You pitted under the VSC on lap 29. How much longer could you have gone on the medium tyre, do you think?

MV: Not a lot. I mean, they were getting quite destroyed. It was already quite hard to be consistent in those last few laps. So, it wouldn’t have been long before I think I was in.

Q: And was a one-stop race possible?

MV: Yeah, for sure. I mean, that’s why we just kept on going. I think Lando and I would have done a one-stop.

Q: You mentioned at the start you hope that this sort of performance can continue going forward. Just how confident are you? Do you think it’s track specific? And just give us a little preview of Monaco as well.

MV: I do think again, you know, this track has quite a few high-speed corners, which I think our car likes. I also think we took a step forward with the setup of the car, which helps. Monaco is, of course, very, very different. So, let’s see how we are going to perform there. You know, last year was very difficult for us. I don’t expect it to be a lot easier this time around because there’s, of course, a lot of low speed, but we’ll see. I mean, it’s just one race on the calendar, where you try to do the best you can. Even after that, there’s a lot of races left, but, of course, you can clearly see that once we go to high-speed tracks and corners, then we are more competitive.

Q: Okay Max, great race, well done. Thank you very much for that. Lando, let’s come to you now. Your fourth podium here at Imola. How does this P2 compare to your pre-race expectations?

LN: I mean, it’s probably the best result I thought we could really achieve today. I probably just didn’t expect the Red Bull to be quite as quick as they were. I’m happy with second. From fourth, it was a good race. But, yeah, Max was too fast today. It was a fun one.

Q: You said it was a fun one. We saw you carve your way through the field. At what areas of the track was the MCL39 especially strong today?

LN: I don’t know. It didn’t really feel great anywhere, to be honest. It didn’t feel wonderful to drive. But sometimes it doesn’t, and you’re just quick. So it’s a little bit difficult to say. It’s just a very bumpy track. A lot of these high-speed corners, where we seem to maybe struggle a bit comparing to the Red Bulls. That’s where we’ve suffered the whole season so far, the high-speed corners. So we have to work in that area, and maybe that’s proved to hurt us a little bit more this weekend. But we said it from the beginning that we have to keep working hard. Max has outqualified us several times, and their pace just converted today onto Sunday. Sometimes they’ve been ahead, but their pace on Sunday has not been too strong. They’ve maybe worked on some things, and their pace was better today. That’s the price we pay for not being quick enough.

Q: No high-speed corners in Monaco next week. How much confidence do you have going to the principality?

LN: I’ve not even thought of it yet, to be honest. So, yeah, normal amount. Whatever that is.

Q: Prior to the restart on lap 54, was there any discussion over the radio about how you and Oscar would take the fight to Max in those final laps?

LN: No.

Q: No discussion of team orders. You were on the fresher tyres after all.

LN: Yep. No. There’s nothing.

Q: Tell us about the move on Oscar then.

LN: Yeah. I mean, it was a good battle between us. I was just on the fresher tyres, so I was always going to have that slight advantage on him. And, yeah, just with the DRS, I managed to have a good last couple corners. I knew that was going to be probably my, not my one chance, but you saw once I passed him how easy it was to pull away. It was clear he was just struggling with the tyres, which I think everyone did quite a lot of today. It was a close one. I don’t know how close we got into Turn 1, but we’re both racing, we both want to beat one another, and it was good that we could race close like that today.

Q: Did you touch?

LN: I don’t know. Like I said, I don’t know how close we got.

Q: Alright, Lando. Very well done. Thank you very much for that. Oscar, let’s come to you now. Really good fight back to the podium, but what is your overriding emotion following the race?

OP: I think, obviously, slight disappointment, probably. It’s never a great day when you start first and finish third. So, yeah, just not a great day. I think Turn 1 was not ideal. I think in the end, our stop timing wasn’t… I think the race panned out differently to how we expected at the start of the first stint. So then the timing of the VSC and the safety car, the race was very tough from very early on. Honestly, given people had fresher tyres at the end, hanging on to a podium is not a bad result. And you’re going have tough days in the championship, and this is clearly one of them. So as long as we learn the lessons, then that’s all I can ask.

Q: One more question about Turn 1. Did Max surprise you?

OP: Yeah. I mean, I thought I had it pretty under control, and it was a good move from Max. So, yeah, I’ll learn for next time clearly. But at that point, I wasn’t overly concerned to not be in the lead, but then our pace just wasn’t as strong as I expected. So that compounded that first corner.

Q: You were one of the first drivers to pit on lap 13. Was it a clear two-stop for you at that stage?

OP: Not clear, but I think a lot of people around were struggling. I was starting to struggle a bit. We kind of discussed it a bit, I guess, but it’s something we still need to go through more clearly. Because I think, yeah, maybe we reacted a bit too quickly. But, yeah, we’ll have a look.

Q: Final one from me. Podium at Monaco last year. Just how much do you relish the challenge of the principality?

OP: It’s a circuit I enjoy. Last year was a really good weekend for me, so hopefully we can go one better this year. That would be nice, but it’s going to be interesting to see how these — well, it’s the same tyres as this weekend — but how they perform in a very different environment like Monaco. And then obviously a two-stop race. So, yeah, let’s see. But I think confident that we’ll be quick and try and go again.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Fred Ferret – l’Equipe) Question to Oscar first: Would you make a different move on the first corner now that you know how Max attacked you? And question to Max: Do you think that now with the car you have, a fair battle with McLaren for the championship?

OP: Yes. I definitely would have done something different. I would have braked ten metres later probably. Yeah. That’s all. Live and learn.

MV: I think it’s very track specific. I mean, every time that we have been really competitive, it’s been high-speed tracks, high-speed corners. We still have work to do, but I do think it’s been a very positive weekend for us. Of course, we brought upgrades. I think they worked. Friday was very difficult still, but then I think we found a better set-up for Saturday. And I just hope that we can use that a bit more often because it definitely brought the car in a better window. Now, that was here. Monaco again — like I said, at the moment, I’m not really… I mean, I love driving in Monaco, but it’s not been our strongest track with the car that we have. But we’ll see what we can do. And then we go to Barcelona — normally, a lot of high-speed corners, which is great. A lot of tyre deg as well, which again will be crucial to master. And I don’t know, of course, how that is going to work for us at the moment. But, for now, just very happy with this weekend, and we just go from there.

Q: (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) A question for Max. You’ve won this race now the last four times it’s been here, but it’s probably going off the calendar. You’re also going to be losing Barcelona, Zandvoort — who knows about Spa? Some of your favourite tracks. Just some thoughts about that, and this run of success at Imola particularly and not having it again.

MV: Yeah. I don’t know. I mean, I love driving here, but at the end of the day, you’re still bound to what you get, right, with your car. Now I think the last few years our car has always been working really well here. Of course, before I got here this weekend, I didn’t really have a lot of hope that we could actually win a race here. But then I think from yesterday onwards, the car was more competitive over one lap and luckily also today. So, yeah. I definitely enjoy driving here, but at the same time, the car has to work as well, you know, to be able to do this. Losing these kind of tracks is a shame. I get it from F1’s side of things, of course — the new tracks that we are going to. So, yeah, you have to see it from a sportive side and a financial side, right? If you want to grow the business and make it more popular, I get it. For me, of course, personally, when I just speak about the enjoyment of driving, it’s these kind of tracks that made me fall in love with racing in general — in go-karting even, because you have the same thing in karting where some tracks are more special than others.

And then, of course, when you started watching Formula 1, there were always these few tracks where you just… I don’t know, you look at the speeds, you look at how difficult they are to master. The history of the sport at certain tracks. You know, it’s all very special and gives you a bit more emotion to things. So, yeah, it’s definitely a shame for me personally, but what can I do about it?

Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Max, apologies if you addressed this — I was a bit late. But that Turn 1 move from the outside looked like a very, very special overtake from the inside. Could you talk through the commitment you had into that corner? And when you made that move, did it feel like a particularly special pass?

MV: Yeah. I mean, I was quite far back. At the time before braking, I was basically in P3. But, of course, I was on the normal braking line, but I still had to come from far. And as soon as I braked late and then came off the brakes, I felt like, okay, there might be a move on. So, I just carried the speed in. And, luckily, it basically was sticking. It’s not an easy move to make, but luckily, everything went well.