PART TWO – Charles LECLERC (Ferrari), Yuki TSUNODA (Red Bull Racing), George RUSSELL (Mercedes)
Q: Why don’t we start with Charles today. Charles, podiums in three of the last four races. Just how confident are you and Ferrari coming into the British Grand Prix?
Charles LECLERC: Yeah. I mean, first of all, I think we are quite satisfied with the latest tendency. We are improving step by step. We are not fully satisfied yet because obviously the end target is to try and win races. But going into this race, I think it’s a race in the past where we were pretty competitive. Lewis has always been exceptional here as well, so I hope we can have a great weekend and hopefully have a shot for victory. I mean, it’s been a long time since we last fought for victory, so I hope this weekend is the one.
Q: Charles, you say you’re not satisfied yet. This is the halfway point in the season. Can you just sum up what you and Ferrari have achieved so far this year and what you think the second half of the season looks like for you?
CL: Much tougher first part of the season than what we expected. I think when you end up last year like we did fighting for victories, fighting for the World Constructors’ Championship, we started this year hoping that at least we’d start in the same position, which was not the case. We struggled a bit more. But now we are finding our way again with the development. It definitely helped us to do some steps forward. I know that there are more things coming, hopefully as soon as possible, which will help us to close the gap to McLaren, to Red Bull as well. Mercedes seems to be maybe a bit more up and down. But it’s up to us to do a better job than others and try and catch the guys in front.
Q: How will it look like for the second half?
CL: I don’t know. I hope brighter than the first one.
Q: Alright. Thank you for that. Good luck this weekend. Yuki, let’s come to you now. It was a tough one for you in Austria. Let’s start by talking about that. Do you understand the issues that you were having there?
Yuki TSUNODA: The issue in the race was me. The overtake… tried to overtake in a way that probably I could just wait one more lap. It was a bit unnecessary to push flat out that much in that situation. So, the race craft wasn’t ideal for myself. The pace itself, yeah, to be honest, after that… changed the front wing and everything and just, it’s not really probably the best reference I’ll get. But, yeah, it’s still the mostly the session I’m working on really hard so far. Especially the long run is the stint or the session I’m normally struggling at. So we worked so hard last couple of days into here, what we can do better or not. And we’re going to try another couple of stuff that I never thought about. So yeah, I’m looking forward to it, feeling strong. I think in the short run it will just come hopefully soon in terms of the confidence level I want.
Q: Yuki, some observers think that Red Bull is a one-car team. Do you feel you have the full support of everyone at Red Bull Racing?
YT: Definitely, yeah. I mean, I feel definitely the support, especially these days and more than ever, from Christian, Helmut. I went to the south of UK with a physio Red Bull Racing to kind of reset myself, and that was coming from them. They just wanted to have fresh air and everything. So that helps a lot to me to build up my rhythm. Also, we’re going to try a couple of things that I never tried, and they allow me to do quite a lot of things that probably they wouldn’t do in a normal case. So, yeah, definitely.
Q: Okay. Well, best of luck this weekend. Hope it goes well for you, Yuki. Thank you. George, good to see you. Got a new contract yet?
George RUSSELL: No messing around there. No updates since the last time we spoke. Honestly, as I’ve said for the majority of this season, I’m just focused on the driving. Of course, this weekend’s a huge weekend for us. For me, my home race is my favourite race of the year, and that’s where I want to give all my focus and attention to try and win this Grand Prix. We were on pole here last year. We were leading the first third of the race. Temperatures look slightly more favourable for us this weekend. Not as favourable as they were 12 months ago, but much more compared to Austria last week. And we know clearly that’s where we struggled. So, yeah, just excited for that.
Q: Well, I hope the performance is good. But just bringing it back to the contract, the longer this saga goes on, George, do you start to question the team’s loyalty to you?
GR: I mean, there’s a lot of conversations behind the scenes that are not public. And I know where their loyalty lies. It doesn’t need to be public. It doesn’t need to be broadcast to everybody. We’ve obviously spoken a little bit more over the last week because there’s numerous news articles and whatnot out there. But in all honesty, it doesn’t really change anything my side because, as I’ve said before, I feel I’m performing better than ever. And it’s as simple as that really. Performance speaks for everything.
Q: Are you talking to other teams?
GR: No.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Tom Slafer – DAZN, Spain) Question for George considering this topic. It feels like it’s been your best season in Formula 1 or one of the highest level seasons you’ve had in Formula 1. Do you feel it’s a little bit unfair that you’re in the middle of all these rumours?
GR: I mean, that’s for you to judge. For me, I feel quite thick-skinned, and I don’t really read much news or listen to rumours. I just focus on the facts, and I focus on the driving. I said it at the beginning of this year, you can have a contract, but if you don’t perform, you’re out. And if you do perform, everything sorts itself out. So, yeah, from my side, not really much more to add really and just focus on the driving as I’ve been for this whole year.
Q: (Mara Sangiorgio – Sky Sports, Italy) A question to George. You said no news about your renewal and no other option. But George, maybe knowing that your team is also speaking with another driver or other drivers, is it right for you to check out other options beside Mercedes for yourself?
GR: I mean, every team has two seats available, and it’s normal that every team is considering what the future holds. And I don’t take that personally because I made it clear from the beginning. I’m happy to be team-mates with anybody. So of course there’s lots of conversations, lots of rumours, and all of these are being pointed towards me. But from my side, that isn’t really going to be the case. I want to continue with Mercedes into the future. The fact is, Toto has never let me down. He’s always given me his word, but he’s also got to do what’s right for his team, which includes me. But it also includes the thousands of people who work for Mercedes. For me, it’s nothing to worry about because I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere. And whoever my teammate will be, it doesn’t concern me either. So, just focus on the driving.
Q: (David Croft– (Sky Sports) Still with you, George, but I’ll change the subject. There might be a candidate coming forward to seek election for FIA President. As the man who heads up the GPDA, do you welcome a competition to Mohammed Ben Sulayem for the FIA presidential elections later this year?
GR: I think in life, competition is always good because it brings out the best in people. It’s something we’ve been vocal about in the past. It’s probably got a little bit too much airtime in the past. Things have seemingly been moving in a better direction, which I think is just good news for everybody involved in the sport. But at the end of the day, if there are two people fighting for one position, you bring your A-game. It’s a bit like a driver’s contract, I guess!
Q: (Tim Hauraney – TSN) Question for George. Bringing it back to the contract, sorry, I had to ask you. But does Mercedes provide you with the best opportunity to win a Drivers’ Championship?
GR: I think so. I think going into next year, there are so many unknowns. So many unknowns with the car, so many unknowns with the engine, with the fuel. And I think for us, from both sides, our best opportunity of winning is to continue as we are. We’re performing, I feel, at the racetrack at a very high level. I feel I’m performing at a high level. I’ve been working with the team now. Will be going into my fifth year next year. And I think for all of us, you know, Lando, Charles, drivers who have been with their teams for so long, when you’re going into such a fresh start, I think consistency gives you your best shot.
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) George, question for you, not about your contract. Silverstone is obviously such a spiritual home for F1, a very special weekend. For you, what’s your earliest memory of coming to this race or driving here, and just how important has this track been to your career and your progression?
GR: Yeah. My very first memory is a real clear one. It was the race start of the 2009 Grand Prix. I was sat on the outside of Copse, which was Turn 1 back then. I just remember the noise and the speed, just sort of giving me goosebumps. I was racing in cadets at the time, and I knew that one day that’s where I want to be. Then it’s where I did my first race, my first win, my first ever test in an F1 car was here as well, so a lot of memories.
Q: (Niharik Ghorpade – Sportskeeda) A question for Yuki. Given that Red Bull can be at times pressuring on the drivers, and now that you have had about eight races at least in that RB21, do you think it takes almost a season for the second driver to adapt with that car, or that a second driver who’s not Max would need more time in that car to match Max?
YT: Yeah. I mean, I don’t know. It depends on the driver, but also at the same time, I didn’t see yet so far the driver who probably got used to it in that car straight away. So that’s probably the fact, but at the same time, I feel I’m in the right direction, at least on the short runs. Yeah, I missed out probably Q1 in Austria, but at the same time, gap was pretty small. Also in terms of the whole package, I know there’s something to come as well into this year compared to Max. So once I get full package, I still have good confidence that I can be in a level that they want. That’s what I’m working hard on. In terms of the long run is exactly the place that I’m still probably struggling at, but I’ll find a way. I saw a couple of driving styles that I can try that I never tried in my career in Formula 1. It’s just the learning stuff. Is it true that in terms of confidence, when the condition changes every session, maybe I’m taking a little bit more time compared to where I used to have at VCARB where for example, I knew exactly how the car was going to drive in each set-up, I can go flat out from the first push. But maybe in the Red Bull, I had to build up, which for me is the right approach. I don’t think it’s a wrong approach, but just takes a bit of time. I don’t know if it’s going to take a whole season or not, but at least it’s positive that I’m going in the right direction.
Q: (Diletta Colombo – Automoto.it) Question for Charles. Do you think that the upgrades still in the pipeline are going to help you close the gap to McLaren?
CL: I’ll be worried if I didn’t think that way because obviously we are doing everything in order to close that gap as much as possible. We are going to try and bring upgrades as soon as possible that will tackle some of the weaknesses we have. I’m sure it will close the gap. Whether it will close completely the gap, I don’t think so. It’s a significant advantage that they have at the moment, and it’s not down to only one upgrade or one part of the car. I think it’s a multitude of upgrades in order to get to the level. But little by little, at least if we are close enough to put them under pressure, I hope that we can force them into a bit more mistakes because at the moment, they’ve got too much margin for us to be putting any kind of pressure.
Q: (Carlo Platella – FormulaPassion.it). Charles, you said that the first part of the season was more difficult than expected. Looking also at 2023, Ferrari finished the year on a high then started to struggle the season after. Do you think this is just a coincidence or there is an explanation behind this pattern?
CL: I can definitely say that the two reasons of why we did a step back are definitely not related at all. But again, I felt like we learned from our mistakes. I just hope that at one point, we manage to build a strong car from the start and have a very strong season from start to finish, which hasn’t really been the case so far. But yeah, we’re working in the right direction. I just hope that we don’t end up finding another issue in few months. But this you never know. Especially with those cars, I think it’s not only us in this situation, but many teams are in this situation where it’s very difficult to find your way because you always tend to find another barrier along the development line. So, yeah, we’re working well, and I just hope that we find our way now.
Q: (Jake Nichol – RacingNews365.com) Question for George on the contract, I’m afraid. Do you have a deadline for when you need to know what next year will bring for you? Or have you spoken with Toto about that at all?
GR: I mean, there’s not really any deadline in place, to be honest. Obviously, naturally, you try and have stuff done before the summer break. From my side, Mercedes manage me as well, so it’s not really a deadline in my hands as such. So, yeah, not really. And I’m not even thinking about it right now. Obviously, there’s a lot of questions about it. But the more we speak, the less we speak about it, nothing really changes. It’ll happen when the time is right. I expect probably in the next couple of weeks, probably something to happen. But, yeah, we’ll need to wait and see.
Q: (Leonid Kliuev – Grande Premio, Brazil) Question for Yuki. Dr Marko indicated numerous times that Red Bull won’t switch you with anyone for the seat. Does it help to have that kind of support and to be relatively sure that the seat is yours for this year?
YT: Yes, rather than him saying probably going switch in two races or whatever, for sure. But like I said, him and Christian are very supportive. He was not obviously happy with my race in Austria, but at the same time, he’s still willing to continuously help or support me. He still trusts my talent and the speed, so I just have to prove on track that I can do it. Helmut is just a direct guy. Some races if you do bad, he just tells me what was wrong and what was right. It’s a kind of pressure that he gives me. Sometimes brings me into the level that I never think about or extracts from me some performance. It’s just the way that he works since when I was a junior, and yeah, I appreciate the amount of support I’m getting so far.
Q: (Brian Van Hinthum – GP Fans) Question to Yuki as well. Earlier this weekend, Zak Brown said that without Max, Red Bull would be behind Racing Bulls in the pecking order. I can understand that’s quite harsh to hear for you. Would you like to react on that?
YT: Well, it’s the truth that probably we’d be behind. But he was saying that probably that [unclear]. I don’t know. I mean, the performances at this point I’m getting, probably we’ll be behind. But at the same time, I was not in the off-season tests there, so I don’t know. But VCARB so far, yeah, definitely performing well. I’ve shown good performance first two races. Probably if everything goes well with Australia, China was a bit hectic, and if the strategy, everything goes well, I was probably scoring a lot of points. So it’s good that they’re performing. But at the same time now, I’m fully focused on Red Bull, and it’s a car that definitely you can make it work. I just need, I guess, my opinion, just need more time, build the understanding, work hard to understand, work hard with the engineer as well. I just have to get his point more.
Q: (Keith Collantine – RaceFans.net) Question to all three. A lot of people expected that in this final year of the regulations, the field would close up a lot, and as we saw last year, we’d see a lot of competition between the big four teams, but each of your three teams really has dropped back from McLaren. What’s your interpretation for why that’s happened? Why do you think you’ve fallen back relative to them? Who’d like to start? George?
GR: If we knew, we wouldn’t have fallen back, to be honest. We don’t really know exactly why. They seem very good on the tyres. They seem very good in hot races. Clearly, their updates are working as they expect. And I think when you find yourself on the right tracks of this development slope, the rewards are endless, and they’ve clearly found that perfect path. Like Charles was saying before, these cars, these regs are not easy. I think we’re all looking forward to a change of regs. It’s not going to be easy next year, but the cars do seem a little bit more conventional. But then obviously we’re going to have the challenges with the PU and the batteries, so that’s a secondary factor.
CL: I mean, I agree with everything that George said. I wish I knew what made McLaren so fast this year. For sure, they’ve done a significant step forward, something that I don’t think many of us expected, exactly for the reasons you mentioned because when you get to the last year of those regulations, everything tends to converge a little bit. But this year they just did a big step forward. I doubt that it’s coming from one thing. It never comes from only one thing. I think it’s just many different things that they are doing better than others, which makes a big difference at the end. But it is true that one of the characteristics that significantly improved since last year is hot weather. I think I remember there was an FP3 in Bahrain this year where I’m still wondering how did Oscar do that lap time in that heat, which was very impressive. There are these kinds of laps that you look and you say, you’re just a bit lost for words and you don’t really understand where the performance comes from. So they found something, especially whenever it’s warm and on tyres, that we’re still trying to figure out.
YT: I didn’t drive last year in Red Bull, so yeah.
Q: (Edd Straw – The Race) Another one for you, George. If you don’t get a Mercedes deal for next year for whatever reason, how confident are you in the contingency plans and alternatives that you would have, not just to seat in F1, but one that’s in line with your ambitions and status?
GR: Yeah. Pretty confident, to be honest. Because I think what I’ve proven so far is plenty enough and not really much more to say. Any teams who did reach out in the past, I said, look, I am loyal to Mercedes. That’s where my future lies. Ultimately, Mercedes are my managers, so it has to be dealt through Mercedes in the first place. But there hasn’t been a lack of interest, let’s say. But I’ve been focused on my side. I am loyal to Mercedes. At the end of the day, everything will work itself out. And the likelihood I’m not at Mercedes next year, I think is exceptionally low.
Q: (Jack Smith – Motorsport Monday/Motorsport Week) A question for Charles. You said recently that you’ve tried the 2026 car in the simulator and you weren’t a fan because of the way the car drives. Assuming that there’ll be more runs in that simulator soon, how difficult is it from a driver’s perspective to balance that whilst still racing a 2025 car?
CL: Oh, it’s so different that for sure I don’t confuse which car I’m driving. But to put back into context my comments that I did, it wasn’t really specific to our team, which I’ve seen did headlines saying that we are struggling or whatsoever. I was just meaning that the new direction for us drivers is a little bit less attractive and a little bit less nice to drive overall. But it’s the way it is. I still find the motivation in the challenge of making these new regs as fast as possible. If we are competitive, I’m sure that I will start to like it a lot more. If not, then I’ll probably hate it a lot. But I hope it won’t be the case.
Q: (Jérôme Porier – Le Monde) After Suzuka, Fred Vasseur said that this championship could be a championship for qualifications. Now since the beginning of the season, eight times the poleman won the race on Sunday. So we are exactly at half season. What do you think about that?
CL: I mean, I kind of agree. It’s a big shame because we are very slow in qualifying. I wish it was the other way around, but I also think that it makes it look that way because McLaren is very often on pole position this year, and they are the fastest car by quite some margin in most of the tracks. So then they end up also winning on the Sunday, which makes sense. So, yeah. I don’t know. I mean, he has a point for sure. Numbers say so. I just hope looking at ourselves that we’re going to improve our qualifying in order to be a bit more in the mix for victories.