FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE L'automobile Press
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FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE L'AUTOMOBILE Press Information 2016 British Grand Prix Saturday Post Qualifying Press Conference Transcript 09.07.2016 DRIVERS 1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes) 2 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes) 3 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing) TV UNILATERAL Lewis, great lap, you were just watching it on the screens before you took your seat, so tell us about how you felt about it, as I say your fourth British pole? But a little bit of pressure there for that final run having had your previous time deleted, so how do you feel about that? Lewis HAMILTON: Well firstly I want to say how amazing and grateful I am for all the fans that are here this weekend. From Thursday until today, just the biggest crowd that I think I’ve ever seen. The energy and the wave that they send is just mesmerising. So big thank you to everyone that is out there for the positive energy. Not the cleanest qualifying session. I think we had really good pace… Q1 I ran wide a bit wide at Turn Three and lost about four tenths there. And then after that I had really good pace. The penultimate lap was a very good lap but unfortunately it was taken away. I touched the kerb but it pulled me further. It didn't feel like I was going to be running wide but the car bottomed and kind of bounced just outside the line. A lot of pressure for that last lap. I was just sitting in the garage and I knew that I couldn't let the guys down as on the first lap I had. The second lap wasn’t as good but I was obviously making sure I was cautious, making sure I got that lap in. I’m grateful that I did and really again thank you to my team who have done an amazing job to have the performance we have this weekend, it’s outstanding I have to ask you this after Austria and the discussions among the team. All clear between you going into the race – at the start and for the rest of the race? LH: Yeah, I didn’t think there was anything that needed to be cleared up anyway. We just get on with our job, there’s a long way to go and I will try to not to be in that position again and I can’t speak for him, but I’m sure Nico will do the same. Nico, just picking up on that, all clear for you in terms of the rules of engagement, shall we say? Nico ROSBERG: Very clear. OK. Just looking at both of your cars on the overhead shots on the qualifying laps, particularly on the high-speed change of direction, it looks absolutely, incredibly stuck to the ground. Tell us what it’s like to drive, from the cockpit, and also where do you feel that couple of tenths got away from you today relative to Lewis? NR: For sure, yes, they’ve given us an incredible car out there today. It’s just a pleasure to drive that, especially, as you say, through the high-speed. It’s like on rails, it’s just feels awesome and that’s like the most spectacular area for us racing drivers is the high-speed corners with the F1 cars. That felt very special out there today. Then, just wasn’t the best day out there for me. Congrats to Lewis who did a good job here and that’s it. But you know, tomorrow still all to play for and definitely still pushing. Thank you. Coming to you Max, first time you’ve out-qualified your team-mate at Red Bull, Daniel Ricciardo. Your race performances this season we know all about, but qualifying has been that bit you just needed to find. Today you found it, right? Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, I think in general I have been a bit unlucky the last two qualifyings but in the end the race pace was always very promising and it all went well, so I wasn’t too worried. Today I think was especially a very good qualifying, I really enjoyed it. The car was performing as it should be. I think we were very strong compared to other competitors behind us, so I can be very happy with P3, because those guys [Mercedes] in qualifying seemed like they had a turbo button or something, but I think P3 was definitely the best possible result for us today. Very well done. Coming back to our pole sitter, Lewis, you won here the last couple of years, tomorrow you go for a hat-trick of British Grand Prix victories. I know that you’re not that interested in the stats and the history but the last time that was done was by Jim Clark back in the 1960s. As you say, huge crowd here tomorrow to cheer you on, so a little added motivation there if you needed, not that you do really. LH: Fortunately the fans give me more than enough motivation. Tomorrow, as always, is going to be a very tough race and it’s important that we do our due diligence tonight and tomorrow morning and understand the strategy, the tyres. Yeah, I’m going to give it everything I’ve got. My long run pace yesterday was really strong. I think I’ve got the car in a real nice place, you know balance for both qualifying and the race. So, we shall see, but we’ve obviously started on the right foot and I can’t wait to see everyone tomorrow. Q: Lewis, you mentioned track limits in your first answer in the unilateral there. During the qualifying session as yourself and a number of drivers had times deleted, Nigel Mansell who is one of the stewards tweeted ‘zero tolerance on this. We spelled it out to the drivers in the drivers’ briefing.’ Clearly it’s very fine margins here. I wonder, Copse, was that a particularly difficult one to keep it within the white lines? LH: Copse and Stowe are difficult ones, being that one of the great characteristics of this circuit is that it’s gusty and it’s constantly shifting. One lap you go into Copse and you’ve got a massive headwind, another time it’s a crosswind. And so each time you go in, you don’t know until you get mid-corner, so you try to approach it the same each time. I ran… going in it was looking quite good, I noticed that when I got on power it was going to be on the edge and then it bottomed on the actual kerb and jumped over the other side of the line. I knew it was the case. I was expecting it. Obvioiusly when you don’t have a banker it puts a lot of pressure on that next lap but fortunately I had a pretty good margin at the time to Nico and I knew that I could improve… well I felt that I could improve, so going out and doing another lap, at some points I was up – I think in the first sector I was up a tenth maybe and then I lost it. Towards the end of the lap, trying to make sure I stayed within the lines, being a little bit cautious whilst being quick, I was able to do it. I think the stewards did a great job so that’s not an issue for me. Q: Nico, obviously one of your opportunities tomorrow is the start. It’s a slightly unusual start here isn’t it, at Silverstone, with a very fast first curve and then a series of corners that sort things out. Just tell us a little about your thoughts on this particular start at Silverstone. NR: Yeah, it’s good. Going through those flat out corners right at the start – because they’re not flat-out with the heavy fuel and on cold tyres after the start. It’s quite a mission and it’s good fun and a good opportunity into Turn Three to attack. So, we’ll see. Q: Max, one of the things from practice yesterday from practice was that, again, your long run performance looked quite promising. After the way you managed to get the tyres to last in Austria and in Barcelona as well, do you feel like you have a few aces up your sleeve going into tomorrow’s grand prix? MV: I think it I can keep position I will be very happy because I think Mercedes is a bit too strong for us – but we’ll try to keep up. Like you said, long run was good so hopefully we can do the same or even better tomorrow in the race and score some good points for the team and catch up with Ferrari in the championship. QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Nico, I would like to know if the problems you have yesterday, did it affect in any way the qualifying today? NR: No, no. No. Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) To Lewis and Nico. Lewis, after everything what happened with you and Nico and also what Toto Wolff told us, are you going to the race with a different approach? Will you keep it in mind before the start? LH: Tomorrow we’re going to race. We’re going to race as we always do. Of course what we have been told before this weekend we are aware of and conscious of, so it will be at the back of our minds for sure – but that does not mean that we can’t continue to drive hard as we have done.