PART ONE – Ollie BEARMAN (Haas), Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing), Gabriel BORTOLETO (Kick Sauber)
Q: Max, can we start with you, please? So, back to business, 10 races to go. What’s your mindset coming into the second half of this 2025 season?
Max VERSTAPPEN: Just try to make the best of it. Every single race we can try to see if there are opportunities and try to learn more about the car. Of course, next year will be very different with the car, but I’m still very curious also to understand the current car a bit more and where we can find a bit more performance to make it a bit easier for ourselves.
Q: Any specific goals in terms of the championship?
MV: No. Not really.
Q: Now look, you have an incredible record here at Zandvoort. You’ve had those three wins, the P2 last year. Tell us about the RB21’s competitiveness this weekend. Do you think you’ll be closer to the front than you were in Hungary last time out?
MV: I would hope so! That was not a great weekend for us, so I hope that we can be closer. I don’t think this is going to be our best track in the remainder of the calendar, but then again, there might be some weather coming in as well. So that always creates a bit of chaos, so we just need to see what happens.
Q: Max, when you think of what tracks will suit the car, I remember last year it fluctuated a bit in the second half of the season, didn’t it? Which tracks do you think will suit the car going forward?
MV: I would say, naturally, the more higher-speed corners in a layout should be a bit better for us. The low speed, medium speed is probably a little bit more difficult.
Q: Well, Max, good luck this weekend. Thank you for that. Gabriel, let’s come to you next. Just back from Brazil. How was the break for you?
Gabriel BORTOLETO: Yeah. It was good. After Budapest, I had some time off with family, some relaxation. Went to Brazil, did some karting, some driving. Just had some time off with my family, recharged, and now ready for the rest of the season.
Q: Three points finishes in the last four races. If you look at the stats, it looks like you’re on a bit of a roll now. Would you agree with that?
GB: I mean, obviously, we have improved a lot since the beginning of the year. We brought some upgrades in the car that worked quite well. We know the midfield is super tight. A single half-tenth can put you out of Q3, or even less than this. Like, Budapest was super close. So, I think it depends a lot on your performance in qualifying as well. Hopefully, we can keep up like this. I think it’s six consecutive points finishes for Sauber, and honestly, it’s great to be fighting for something like this now.
Q: And for you, those first points in Formula 1 came in Austria, and it’s been really good since then. Do you see that race as the turning point, or was it a long time coming?
GB: I think we brought some upgrades in the car that improved and put us in a better position to fight for points. It was not from one moment to another. This doesn’t happen suddenly in Formula 1. It’s a process and you learn, you improve, and I feel like this has been coming for quite a bit. Austria was a moment – it’s a track that I really like, the car suited quite well for that track as well, and we had a very good run there. I think you get the confidence of the team, yourself, and we managed to score some good points there and in the next races as well.
Q: Now, you haven’t raced here at Zandvoort since Formula Regional, I think, a few years back. What are your expectations?
GB: I don’t know. It’s difficult to say and what to predict. This weekend can be quite crazy with the weather, as Max said. It’s a track I really like. I raced here once or twice, if I’m not wrong, but I really enjoy racing here. The atmosphere, the crowd – for sure, in Formula 1 it’s going to be crazy with this guy here. So, looking forward to this weekend.
Q: Alright. Good luck to you. And, Ollie, let’s come to you now. How was the break? Have you been out on the bike a lot?
Oliver BEARMAN: Yeah. It was a nice break. It was fun. A lot of training to prepare for the second half of the season. It was also nice to spend time with my family and not think about racing for a few weeks. But quite quickly, I was bored of not being at the racetrack, and I’m happy to be back here in Zandvoort.
Q: I’m guessing you’ve been thinking about P11 quite a lot over the break because you had those four consecutive 11th-place finishes prior to the retirement last time out in Hungary. Is that the car’s performance at the moment, or do you think you can go better here?
OB: No. I think we couldn’t do much more. Since Silverstone, we’ve had a really consistent run of results, consistently just outside of the points, which is a shame. On one side, it’s easy to get frustrated by these results, but at the same time, to have four races where we were like that and very close to the points is also quite promising. It shows that we can be there, but we just need a bit of fine-tuning to make that final step.
Q: And how has progress been for you generally this season, and what are your hopes for the second half of the year?
OB: The first half has been very intense – 14 races. Last year in Formula 2, that was a full season, and now we’ve done that before August. So, it’s a big change compared to what I’ve been used to, but I think the break has come at a good time to help me reset, and I’m looking forward to the second half. There have been some really high moments, but too many mistakes.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Albert Fabrega – ESPN LATAM) Question for Max. This week, Cadillac announced the drivers for next season – the lineup, Valtteri and Checo. Did you talk to Checo, and how do you think he will perform next year?
MV: Yeah. I mean, when I saw the news come out, I sent a message to him. I’m, of course, very happy for him that he got a seat. He’s a great guy, and we always got along very well. So, yeah, I’m happy to see him back on the grid. How he’s going to perform will also depend on how good the car is going to be. It’s a bit difficult to say at the moment, but it’s a new opportunity and I’m sure he’s very excited for it.
Q: (Mariana Becker – TV Bandeirantes) Gabriel, this track has many challenges. Which part of the track intrigues you more? Did you ask Max anything about how to face it?
GB: Yeah, I asked him a few things like I always do, to be honest. So, it’s not specific here, but I think what I am more curious about is the banking with the Formula 1 car – quite a big car – and the banking, it’s a different feeling I have not experienced this year yet. So, I’m looking forward to driving in T3. Last corner should be flat, so shouldn’t be a big thing, but all this section of corners looks interesting. I did some laps in the sim, in the factory and at home as well, so prepared myself and looking forward to the weekend here.
Q: High line or low line through Turn 3?
GB: Well, I think everyone has been doing high line since the beginning. Unless… what do you think? Low line?
MV: Low line is not possible. The apex basically is too flat. They should have banked that as well, then it gives you an opportunity, but they didn’t. Try, yeah. Just send it in. Four cars. Just don’t hit me.
Q: (Tom Slafer – DAZN Spain) Question for Max. Hey Max, there have been a lot of rumours this week regarding the possibility of having Alex Palou as your teammate next year. Regardless of the rumours, it’s been a long time since an IndyCar driver came to Formula 1. Do you think Alex could be that driver?
MV: It’s always so difficult to say. I know Alex already from go-karting times, and I think what he is achieving in IndyCar is incredible. It’s so impressive to see, but it’s impossible to know how people will do in F1 and it’s the same question the other way round – how would you do in Indycar? You have no idea. So, for me, it’s a bit of a waste of time to try to debate that. I’m just so happy to see doing so well in IndyCar and the way he’s been dominating.
Q: (Laurent Dupin – Canal+) Question to Max. When Laurent Mekies joined the team, it was quite quickly before two races. Now he’s had a bit more time to settle down. Did you have time to talk to him before this weekend? Has his approach changed – not more like just an observer but getting more into his new job?
MV: Yeah. I mean, of course he joined quickly and then had two weeks, and then you had a break again. So, it’s not suddenly that a lot of things are changing. But I like the approach that he’s having. And it seems like everyone is very positive about the mood in the team, also, when I see people walk around and when we’re talking. So, yeah, we just need to keep that going. It’s not like, when you put someone in charge, that in two weeks or two months things can drastically change. It takes time.
Q: (Alessa-Luisa Naujoks – RTL) Question to Max. Max, can you give us again some thoughts about the special atmosphere here? Does it give you an extra boost to see these crazy fans?
MV: Yeah. Definitely brings a smile on my face, when I’m driving or even driving out of the pit box. Seeing that amount of orange always is very special. For sure, it’s not only about the driving – it’s quite a bit of a party going on those three days. So…
GB: I think it’s more of a party for you.
MV: Unfortunately, not for me. But, yeah, they always seem to have a great time, and I think that’s also very important when you come to a Grand Prix.
Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Question to you, Max. You come back for the last part of this season in pretty much unfamiliar territory from the last few years in that realistically, you’re not going for a championship this year. How hard is it in terms of motivating yourself to go that extra mile for the last ten races?
MV: It’s not that hard, to be honest. There will be a time that it won’t happen. Unfortunately, that is a bit the case at the moment. But it doesn’t make sense for me to be frustrated or be screaming about it, because it’s just a waste of energy. That’s not what I’m doing. I think we just need to look at the car and the operation and how we can move forward in the future and be better. That’s what we are doing currently.
Q: (Leonid Kliuev – Grande Prêmio) Question for Max. Bradley Scanes talked quite a lot on the High Performance podcast about the mind games going on in 2021 with Lewis. For instance, he said that when you touched his rear wing in Brazil, that was “measured”, so, intentional. Was that the case? And in general, did you feel any mind games back then?
MV: I can’t really recall that, to be honest. From my side, it didn’t feel like that. So, I can’t really say anything more about it because, for me, it didn’t feel like that or it didn’t happen that way.
Q: (Rodrigo França – Car Magazine) Question to Gabriel with a reaction from Max. Gabriel, when in Brazil you did some karting at Granja Viana, and you made the day for young drivers who want to be in Formula 1. Do you remember this experience in Brazil? And do you remember your time in karting when you met Max Verstappen – and if Max remembers that day?
GB: Yeah. It’s great when you go back to where you started and you see that six or seven-year-old kids driving go-karts. It came to my mind when I was that age. They are so small and driving go-karts and stuff. So, it brought back a bit of memory, and it was very nice to spend some time with them, talk a bit to these young drivers. They had so many questions, and it’s always nice. I remember when I met Max – it was in Adria. He was walking in the paddock there, and there were so many kids trying to go behind him. I thought, “I’m not going to go behind him now – it’s impossible to talk to him.” So, I went back to CRG, the team I was in for karting, and he entered the tent because he was also a driver for them back then. I asked (Giancarlo) Tinini, the boss, if he could ask Max to take a picture with me, and he organised everything. Max was super cool. I asked him some questions. He was very young at the time – I think 17, 18 – just entered F1, and he made my day there. It was very cool to talk to him. I’m not going to say much here because he’s next to me, so I’ll just leave it like this.
MV: Yeah. I remember being there in Adria, because some of my friends were driving. And I knew, of course, the factory team of CRG was there. They’ve done so much for me in the past, so I quickly just went there to say hello to the boss, Giancarlo. And then I saw a very tiny Brazilian rocking up asking for a picture. So, yeah. And we still laugh about it now. Sometimes the picture gets sent, and it’s nice to see. And then, of course, seeing Gabi here now in Formula 1.
Q: (Jack Smith – Motorsport Monday / MotorsportWeek.com) Question for Max. Of course, naturally, you’ll be disappointed that Zandvoort is probably going to be off the F1 calendar in the near future. Do you think it’s important that it’s replaced by a circuit with a lot of heritage like Zandvoort, as opposed to a newer circuit that might find its way onto the calendar?
MV: Yeah. As long as we don’t add another street circuit, then I’m happy. Of course, it’s a shame, but what can you do about it? I’m already very proud that I’ve had a home Grand Prix for a few years. We’re just going to make the best out of it, enjoy it a bit more. Even when F1 is not here, it’s still a great track to drive in any car. So, for sure, I’ll be back. But yeah, let’s see. I have no idea how the calendar will look in two years’ time. So, we’ll have to wait and see.
Q: (Ivo Pakvis – Panorama) Question to all three. Without taking into account your grid position or lap times, are these Formula 1 cars still fun to drive compared to other race cars you’ve driven?
OB: Yeah. I mean, mainly, I’ve only really driven single-seaters in my career in terms of race cars. I’ve done a little bit of GT and prototype driving – but probably just one day in each. Something that I really enjoyed driving was GT. Obviously, everything is a bit slower, but with everything happening slower, it gives you more time to consider things and think about your driving and be really on top of it. So, I think F1 is incredibly fun to drive. At this stage of F1, where we’re right at the limit of the regulations – the last season of these regulations – the cars are very much on the limit in terms of driving. So, from one lap to the next, if the wind changes or you add a little bit of balance to the car, it can go from being perfect to too much, and sometimes it’s difficult then to get the confidence. But these cars are the most fun I’ve ever had driving, so I really enjoy them.
MV: Yeah. No, F1 cars are fun. Some are a bit more fun than others. The faster they go, the more fun. But there are also other cars outside of Formula 1 that are fun – but in a different way. For me, in general, on a weekend like this, the most fun that I have is normally in the car.
GB: I mean, it’s the best car I’ve ever driven in my life. I think I agree with what he said – the faster they go, the more fun they are. They’re very cool to drive. I love it.
Q: (Erwin Jaeggi – Motorsport.com) Question for Ollie and Max. You’ve both driven for Van Amersfoort Racing in the past. The team is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. How do you reflect on your time there, and what’s your favourite memory from driving for Van Amersfoort Racing?
OB: Yeah, I did a season of F4 with them. It was a very good year for myself, and it was really fun to spend it with the team. Actually, I was pretty much living in Holland that year because of COVID. So that meant lots of chocolate sprinkles and toast – I don’t know the name of it, but that was my staple diet, basically.
MV: Hagelslag.
OB: Yeah – Hagelslag! It’s the chocolate sprinkles they have here. That was probably my favourite memory of that year. Honestly, it’s a great team – lots of really hardworking people. Just to see Fritz still there working hard after all those years is really impressive.
MV: Yeah. I mean, for me, I think how the deal already came together was quite late going into that season. Basically, there were no expectations because I think the years before, there were not a lot of amazing memories in F3. And then we had a very memorable season altogether, competing against all the big teams out there. Honestly, of course, there were hectic moments, but overall so many positive and great memories – winning six races in a row, for example, in such a competitive field. I enjoyed it. Also, even on the radio I still talked in Dutch. That’s something very rare. It was great. I enjoyed it, coming straight from go-karting into such a great car to drive. And then with the team – they had the history with my dad, and some of the guys were still involved. For me, it was a great time before going straight into Formula 1.
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Max, another question about Checo. You raced with him arguably at the peak of his career – winning races, playing a role in the Constructors’ title wins. How much did the back end of last season undersell what Checo can do? And do you think that coming back to F1, he’s got a chance to maybe prove a point and get back to his old best?
MV: Yeah. I mean, it’s a fresh start now. I think it’s not about one half of a season – that doesn’t define what you can do. I think he’s also quite easy in that. Some people maybe dwell on it a bit more, but for Checo, it’s a new start. You’re excited – new cars, completely new cars also.
He has shown a lot of great things, even before he got to Red Bull, and during the Red Bull times. So just go in there, enjoy it again, and have a good time.
Q: (Leonid Kliuev – Grande Prêmio) Question for Ollie and Gabi. For you as young drivers, is it a little bit bittersweet to see Valtteri and Checo joining next year and not, for instance, Felipe Drugovich or Mick Schumacher – younger blood? What do you think? Is it a little bit bittersweet?
GB: Look, I think it’s a big company. They have their goals and a lot of people deciding these types of things. It’s not up to me to judge anyone’s decision. Obviously, Felipe is a great friend of mine, and I really feel like he deserved a chance to be in Formula One. It’s not over yet – maybe one day he gets his shot. He’s a Formula 2 champion, so I believe everyone that wins F2 should have a chance in Formula One. Felipe is a great guy, and I feel like he deserved it. But again, it’s a big company – they have their reasons to decide things, and things like this happen. So, yeah, that’s my point of view.
OB: Yeah. I mean, largely agree. The first thing is, from their point of view, it makes sense to go with two guys who are known quantities within the sport. Taking a rookie is, of course, a bigger risk than taking two guys with a lot of experience. But I do think there are a lot of people not on this grid who have a huge amount of talent and should have the opportunity to show what they can do. Felipe is one of them. At the top of every category, there are a lot of great IndyCar drivers who would do a good job here. But that decision makes sense. I mean, if I was at the top of an F1 team starting out from nothing, I would do the same, I think.
Q: (Diletta Colombo – AutoMoto.it) A question for Max. You’ve worked closely with Checo for a few years. What added value does he bring to a team like Cadillac, in your opinion?
MV: He has driven for a lot of different teams, so he knows a lot about how teams work. Every single team works a little differently. That’s already a very interesting trait – it’s nice to understand what people are good at or where some teams are worse. That’s how it goes. Also, the behaviour of cars – he’s been in a lot of different regulations, a lot of different rule sets – some things were allowed, some were not, got banned, things like that. So, yeah, to have that general understanding of how a great car is, how a car is that’s not fantastic – I think it’s very valuable for them to start with. He has worked with many big teams, so hopefully that will push them forward in the beginning, because it’s never easy to jump into Formula One and be competitive straight away. But we’ll see how that goes.
PART TWO – Lando NORRIS (McLaren), Alex ALBON (Williams), Isack HADJAR (Racing Bulls)
Q: Lando, good to see you. Has the handicap come down during the summer break? How was it?
Lando NORRIS: No. It’s gone up a lot prior to Wentworth. It has come down a bit – not as much as I would like – but I had a good time away with my friends, playing some golf and doing different things. So, a good break.
Q: You’ve won three of the last four races. The gap to Oscar Piastri in the championship is down to nine points. Are you starting the second half of this season in a good place?
LN: I felt good before. I feel good now. I went through some harder times at the beginning of the year – there were some tricky moments – but we worked on quite a bit, me from my side and the team from their side, to improve and get a bit back on track. We did that, so it was nice to see some of those results come back my way. But, there always was, still is, and always will be more things to improve on and try and get stronger at. That’s what Formula 1 is, really, at the end of the day. I feel good, ready to go again – ready for a long, tricky, challenging second part of the season, but all for good reasons.
Q: Any change in approach from you? Is it still going to be race by race, or is it all about the championship now?
LN: I mean, of course it’s about the championship, but we do that race by race. Everyone has their own way of saying that and doing it. But everyone takes it race by race, really. We want to win, of course. I always want to get maximum points and make my life easy, but it’s never that simple. We still have good competition, even in Budapest. The Ferraris were extremely quick, and George was not too far away. We still expect good battles and good competition. But as everyone knows, we expect a good battle between us as teammates – between Oscar and myself – and that’s the one I’m most looking forward to.
Q: You dominated here at Zandvoort last year. Are you expecting a similar level of performance from the car this year?
LN: I mean, of course. We’ve, as a team, been stronger this year, but I feel like other people have caught up a little bit in the last couple of races. What made us very strong here last year, other people have caught up on, but we’ve also improved in other places. So, I don’t expect to win by 20 seconds or something, but… I would love it if that was the case! I’ll try and achieve a similar thing. But I don’t think we expect any race to go easily now. We always come into races wanting to win, expecting a one-two, and that’s our aim and target every weekend. But we never get complacent and think it’s going to be an easy one. We always expect a good challenge. If we don’t and we’re further ahead, then that’s just a bonus.
Q: Thank you, Lando. Alex, let’s come to you now. We talked about golf handicaps with Lando. Any progress from you during the summer break?
Alex ALBON: No. I didn’t play at all. I still think I would beat Lando, though! Yeah, it was good fun. I was doing a training camp – went hiking, went swimming. It was nice.
Q: Let’s talk about this place. You have a great record at Zandvoort. You qualified fourth a couple of years ago, eighth last year until the disqualification. What is it about you specifically, but also Williams and this racetrack?
AA: It’s an interesting track for us. It’s a bit of a bogey track because it doesn’t necessarily suit our car, but every year we come here, it seems to go okay. Still in question why that is. I think the wind here is generally from one place, and that one place is quite beneficial for our car. There’s always weather changing around here, and we tend to do well in races where there’s wet-slicks, transitional kind of conditions. So that helps. And I do also think this is a bit of a confidence track. The more laps you do around here – it’s so narrow – and we’ve just come after the summer break, so there’s a bit of rust in there. But if you can get up to speed and into the rhythm of the circuit early, you can have a good weekend.
Q: Looking at the bigger picture, what are your goals for the second half of this season?
AA: Our clear goal would be to try to maintain fifth in the Constructors’ Championship. I think it’s possible, but it’s clear that others have caught up – if not maybe even overtaken us – in terms of raw speed. I don’t think that’s going to be the case every weekend. I think it’s going to change race by race, but we definitely have a tough task ahead of us. Haas have made a great step as well, which has put themselves within target of us. So, we’re going to be elbows out for the rest of the season.
Q: Thank you for that. Isack, let’s come to you now. Have you come back to work feeling refreshed and recharged?
Isack HADJAR: I feel in great shape. I made sure I trained hard that last week of holidays to make sure I could still fit in my seat. So, yeah, I feel good.
Q: And what about this weekend? You won the Sprint Race here in F2 in 2022. Just how much confidence do you have coming into the weekend?
IH: To be honest, it was a red-flagged race, so we didn’t get to drive much, I remember. I didn’t get points for that win.
Q: It was that race that race, wasn’t it?
IH: It was that race.
Q: But you were at the front?
IH: Yeah. It’s a track I know. I’ve been here in FRECA, in F4, in F2 – so I’ve been here a couple of times. It’s not a track I really love, to be honest with you, but it doesn’t matter. I try and be as fast.
Q: You’ve had a hugely impressive start to your Formula 1 career, but we haven’t seen you in the points since Spain. What more do you need from the car to get back into the top 10?
IH: Nothing really, because Liam scored eight points in the last two races. So, the car is definitely working well. It’s just about not making mistakes when you don’t want them. I feel like raw pace in the last two race weekends was very strong for me. There’s been a bit of reliability involved, but still, I need to do a better job. Raw speed is definitely here, so I’m not worried.
Q: And let’s extrapolate that further. What are your goals for the remainder of the year?
IH: Honestly, still the same – keep exploring, keep trying things. I’m not really here to play it safe and just try and score points. I’m trying my stuff and learning as much as I can. If that means mistakes, it’s normal – I’m a rookie. But I’m trying my own things and I’m enjoying it.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) A question to all three, but I’ll start with you, Lando. Tom mentioned you’ve won three of the last four races. You’ve all had good runs in your career and you’ve all had bad runs. Is momentum a thing in sport? Does what happened in the last race really affect you going into the next race, or is it just a statistic and it doesn’t affect how you race next time out?
LN: That’s, it’s… I think that’s really down to personal – probably why you’re asking all three of us. It’s a personal preference. I would tend to say I don’t go with it. I don’t use it. I don’t really say I have it or whatever. For me, I find it quite easy to set back races one at a time. Even if it’s a good race, yeah, you try and feel good and feel confident. So, I think the momentum side – the deeper meaning – is just: does it give you some confidence? Does it give you more knowledge? Does it put you in a better mindset? Maybe. If all of that comes under that word, then maybe I would agree with it. But just the fact of having two good races doesn’t mean I’m going to have a third good one. Especially when you’re racing the best drivers in the world, when you’re in a sport where everyone’s in different cars, with so many variables – I think there are fewer variables in other sports. When there’s so much variability, it’s hard to just classify things as momentum. Normally, there’s always a much bigger reason behind things. So, yeah, a tricky answer. I never say I have good momentum or believe in that kind of thing. But does it give you more confidence and set you up for the next weekend in a better mindset? Then yes, under that bracket, I would say yes.
AA: Yeah. I think Lando answered it well. There’s no black and white answer. It’s very grey. Every weekend’s a different track, different set-up, some circuits suit you, some don’t. The car suiting the track, the driver suiting the track – so many outsourced components that make up a weekend. It’s very hard to find that consistency to say, “I’m in a good swing of things right now.” The one thing I’d say is, for me, the whole year feels like a kind of momentum, to me. The first time I drove the car this year, I knew the car was going to be good – it felt good to drive – and you can carry that throughout the whole year. There are situations where you get an upgrade that suits you more and that’s your good spell to finish the year strong, you might say, or it can go the other way and it works against your style. So, yeah, it’s very situational.
IH: Yeah, I think it’s just statistics really – momentum. I’ve never thought like, “Well, I’m sat in my car, I’ve got momentum on my side.” To me, it doesn’t really matter.
Q: (Mate Ujvari– MTVA) Isack, we all know that if you’re a member of the Red Bull family, basically anything can happen. Can you tell us anything about your future, especially 2026? Do you know already what’s going to happen with you?
IH: I mean, I don’t know myself, so I can’t help you. Sorry.
Q: (Laurent Dupin – Canal+) Question to Lando. All points count in a championship battle, but when you look back, do you sometimes have regrets? Are you stressed that points lost somewhere earlier in the calendar might be decisive in the end?
LN: I mean, could I at times have made better decisions? I think so. If I had that thought a little bit more in my head at the time… probably the main one was China Sprint qualifying. I think my lap was good enough for pole until the final hairpin where I locked up. If I had that thought just before braking – “It’s a long season, don’t try and be a hero” – I wouldn’t have finished it like that. I lost eight points there. Canada – if I could rerun that and just be a little bit smarter and not take so much risk, could I have not lost quite a few points there? Yes. I don’t know. But I’m also the guy that – I wouldn’t say I regret those moments. Do I wish it changed? Do I wish it was better? Do I wish I could do it again? Yeah. But at the same time, I don’t regret making those decisions at the time, because that’s me, that’s life, and that’s the way it goes. Sometimes it goes your way and you get lucky, sometimes it doesn’t and you don’t make the best decisions. But those are also the times you learn the most and help yourself more for the future. So, no – I live my life not by regretting what I’ve, more trying to learn and improving from it.
Q: (Jon Noble – The Race) Question to Lando. McLaren’s been quite clear all season that it’s open racing between you and Oscar – free to battle, free to split strategies. Obviously, that helped you win in Hungary, but does open the door to potential controversy. Has there been any discussion since Hungary about keeping that policy in place or possibly locking down strategies to avoid problems further down the road?
LN: No, I think at the minute, things haven’t really changed. Budapest was a bit of an outlier. My decision to go onto the one-stop was more… you’d have to be pretty daft if I was to box after everyone else ahead of me had boxed – just to follow suit and do nothing different. You don’t even need to be smart to know to do something different. It was more to get ahead of George – to give myself an opportunity to be ahead of him – not necessarily to win the race at that point. So, it was pretty amazing that it turned out that way and it was a perfect result. I didn’t make that decision thinking, “OK, this is my race and I can try and win it now.” Maybe it wasn’t a perfect harmonic race between us as a team because it didn’t fall exactly into the place with what we normally go by, but at the same time it’s an example of what can happen in racing sometimes. I think we both want, as drivers, things not to be overly strict. We don’t want to be told not to race. We’re here as individuals to race and prove who can do a better job. So of course there were discussions, there have been reviews – every race we make tweaks to things. We have a good understanding as a team. That happened after Budapest. No major changes. But we still have a Constructors’ to win, and that’s the priority at this point.
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Alex, a question for you. Checo Pérez and Valtteri Bottas are returning to the grid next year after a year away. You experienced a year on the sidelines working in the background with Red Bull. How tricky is it getting back up to speed after a year out? And how beneficial was what you were doing during your year away?
AA: I would say one of the benefits of my year – and I think also to Checo’s and Valtteri’s – is the regulation reset. You don’t have the drivers carrying all the experience from the last few years of the car’s regulations, so it’s a bit more of a level playing field once you return. I don’t know how involved they were in terms of keeping sharp – training, driving, and so on. I remember during my year, I was doing some Pirelli tests and a lot of simulator work, which definitely helped. I think we’re in slightly different positions because they have a lot more experience and can probably get away with not doing as much. My year was a bit more about learning and making sure I was as prepared as possible for my Williams seat. I don’t think with their experience they’ll have missed out too much – they’ll fall back into the swing of things pretty quickly.
Q: (Jack Smith – Motorsport Monday / MotorsportWeek.com) Question for Lando. Given that it’s highly likely that you and Oscar are going to be world championship contenders, how might that affect how you race others on track? Are the risks when racing someone like Charles or Max more calculated now, knowing that a mistake could cost you decisive points?
LN: Certainly. But that’s something that, probably for a while, we’ve already been doing. As much as we want to win races and get into second or third at times – and maybe at some points we could’ve taken more risks – I think both, for a little while now, we’ve understood the risk element a bit more for a while now. I think we know when we need to take a risk – in qualifying and things like that – and we also know that during a race, maybe for one more point, you might not risk anything. But for the win? Then you would risk more. It also depends who you’re racing. That’s a really important factor. That’s part of being a racing driver: you’ve got to understand who you can take risks with, who you can’t, and when to take those risks. I think that’s a general thing, but it’s also something I think you have to understand a little bit more when you are fighting for a championship. Like from the earlier question – if I could go back and change what I did in China and not take that risk, I would probably do it. So, I probably wasn’t quite on top of everything and as thoughtful as I needed to be so early on, Round 2 of a championship season. But like I said, I’ve learned from that and I make better decisions now.
Q: (Ivor Pakvis – Panorama) Question to Lando. Could you say something about the role Andrea Stella has played in building up the team and maintaining its current level of success?
LN: I’ve said this in a lot of interviews when people ask about Andrea, but for me, Andrea has been the most important part of everything. I mean, I’m biased… I’ve had a few different team principals over the years, but for me… I don’t want to say I’m biased, but I am, but I do genuinely believe that Andrea is the most switched-on, humanly understanding, genuine person and the best team principal you can have. He’s also one of only three I’ve ever worked with, but I’ve been with McLaren for a good amount of years and seen a lot of changes happen – a lot of people come and go. But actually, one of the biggest differences now isn’t that we changed the whole team. 99% of the team is the same as we had three years prior. But it’s the person in charge: Andrea. It’s his ability to understand people, to put them together, to know how they work, how to get the most out of every single person. I think he has a better understanding of this than anyone I’ve ever met, even inside of racing, outside of racing. I think he’s one of the smartest people on that side of things. I think that’s what you need to run a team of a couple thousand people is someone who understands how to get the most out of every individual and how to bring everyone together at the same time. So, yep… hands down – I don’t want to seem like I like him too much – but for me, Andrea has been … there are lots of important pieces in our success, but I put a lot of it down to Andrea. I’ll thank Andrea for the rest of my life after the season we’ve had this year, because most of it is down to him.
Q: (Leonid Kliuev – Grande Prêmio) Question to Lando. Jolyon Palmer said you’re in the championship contention partly because of luck – particularly due to your strategic gamble in Hungary. Do you agree with that assessment?
LN: I mean, I did roll the dice. Yes. I’ve certainly had a little bit of luck. I’ve also been unlucky. But that’s life. I can’t choose those things. I’m lucky that I’ve been with McLaren for the last seven years. I could not have been with them for five of those, so I’ve also made good decisions. I like to believe, I back myself, I’ve made good decisions along the way and especially this year. I’ve improved as a driver this year. I’ve had a car that I found a lot trickier to drive – just as much as everyone complains when they have a car that doesn’t suit them or drive as well as what they like – and I made some good steps forward to come back and have some good races. I would not have won in Budapest if I didn’t improve on those things myself, and that was not luck. That was hard work, a lot of dedication with my engineers and my team, both at the track and away from it. So yes, I’ve had a little bit of luck here and there – everyone needs a bit in their life – but so has probably every other driver at some races. I’ve also made good decisions, kept myself out of trouble, stuck by the rules. All of these things are part of being a racing driver, and at times they’ve earned me points. So that’s also down to me doing a good job.
Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – The Athletic) Same question to Alex and Lando, please. How have you found this race over the years – the spread-out paddock, the walk or a buggy ride, etc? Does it affect your weekend preparation? And how do you like having a race on the beach by the North Sea?
AA: Not too much. It’s similar in Spa as well. In our motorhome or in our tree house, the trucks by the garages leave our driver kit and equipment there. At Williams, we don’t have a designated room – it’s a room, but it’s got a glass door, so not great when you’re getting changed. But that’s pretty much it.
LN: It doesn’t change too much, honestly. We are the furthest one away, so I do a lot of walking and scootering every time. I don’t mind – it doesn’t change too much. Sometimes the weather here throws some curveballs, like we had a couple of years ago, and maybe this year too. So, it’s never as much of a predictable weekend as you would like. From the side of walking from the paddock to here, it’s actually a good opportunity for fans to be there and get closer to us than at some other places. I don’t mind these things. I’m not a driver that gets too fussed about…. like, I get in my zone when I put my helmet on. Before then, I can be pretty chill, have a good conversation with anyone. My zone is putting my helmet on. For other they’re putting on their headphones on. I’ve tried that a few times. I don’t really have a preference. I’m quite easygoing. I don’t mind scootering past people, crashing into them.
Q: (Diletta Colombo – AutoMoto.it) Final question – to Isack. You mentioned the uncertainty around your future. How difficult is it to tune out the noise and concentrate on your job on track?
IH: To be honest, it’s nothing really new to me. The road to F1 was more than uncertain as well. So, I’m used to not really knowing what I’m going to do next. I’m used to living in the present and giving my maximum. So, yeah, I’m not worried. I’m just focused.
ENDS
