PART ONE – Pierre GASLY (Alpine), Nico HÜLKENBERG (Kick Sauber), Oscar PIASTRI (McLaren)
Q: Oscar, perhaps we could start with you, please. Now this could be a monumental weekend for McLaren. They can clinch the Constructors’ Championship this weekend, which would be with seven races still to go. It’s been a phenomenal season. Just how different has it felt on the inside to last year’s title success?
Oscar PIASTRI: I think very different, because this year has just looked very different to last year. I think, you know, last season went down to the final race, and a pretty eventful final race as well. So I think this year, clearly the car has been a step better, the team has been performing very well. So there’s much more of a sense of inevitability about this year, which is an amazing position to be in. It’s a testament to all the hard work from everyone at the team. And, you know, I’m the lucky guy that gets to drive the car at the end of the day. So, yes. A testament to everyone’s hard work and very, very proud of everyone.
Q: Now once the team’s championship is in the bag, the focus internally will go onto the Drivers’ Championship. You’ve had almost a couple of weeks to reflect on what happened at Monza and giving that place back to Lando. Have you had any further thoughts on that when there’s so much at stake?
OP: I mean, naturally, there’s been thoughts, yes. We’ve had good discussions with the team. You know, obviously a highly talked about moment, but yeah, we’ve had a lot of discussions, clarified a lot of things, and we know how we’re going to go racing going forward, which is the most important thing. So, yeah, what’s happened is done, and I’m excited to get racing here.
Q: Any changes going forward? Are you expecting less interference from the pit wall once the Constructors’ is in the bag?
OP: Not necessarily because of the Constructors’ Championship, but I think we’ve again had a lot of discussions about how we want to go racing. A lot of that is to stay for us because, ultimately, if we give out that information, then we become very easy targets to pick off, because everyone knows what we’re going to do. So that’s all very aligned with all of us but it stays in-house.
Q: One further question from me on this. If it had been for the win at Monza, would you still have given the place back?
OP: But it wasn’t, Tom, so, I don’t know. I wasn’t in that scenario. Would it have made it a bit more difficult? Probably, yes. But I don’t know if the outcome would have been different. I’m not planning on finding myself in that position.
Q: Alright. Oscar, best of luck this weekend. Thank you for that. Nico, if we could come to you now, and we’ll throw it back to Monza as well, which was a very, very frustrating Sunday for you. Does the team fully understand why you couldn’t make the start there?
Nico HÜLKENBERG: Yeah, of course we did. Obviously, pretty frustrating and bad at the time. But it is what it is. We found the root cause and obviously put some measures and things in place so that this should not happen again in the future.
Q: Let’s bring it onto this weekend then. Do you think the low-downforce nature of Baku will suit the car, suit the package?
NH: I think in Monza, we were competitive. Obviously here it’s a little bit similar but also different at the same time. But if you look across the last five, six weekends and different tracks, I feel we have a competitive package and car beneath us. Nothing that suggests here should be different. I think we will be competitive within the midfield. It remains very close with tight margins from P10 all the way to the back. You’ve just got to be good and clean in the execution. I feel there are opportunities.
Q: You say the car was competitive in Monza. Do you think you’re competitive across all race tracks now, just looking at the tail end of the season and how you think you’re going to go?
NH: I mean, since Barcelona, I think apart from Zandvoort — Zandvoort was a bit our weaker weekend and track — but everywhere else we have been competitive and I think we have been scoring points everywhere else. So that pretty much confirms or says that, yeah, the package is working on many different tracks.
Q: Nico, thank you for that. Pierre, coming to you now. The last couple of races really have been quite difficult for the team. What are you expecting from this weekend?
Pierre GASLY: Yeah, I mean, I think we are aware that it hasn’t been as good as we would have liked, and the remaining part of the year is probably going to be also pretty difficult for us. So it doesn’t really change our approach into the weekend. Still trying to do the best we can. But for sure, in terms of performance, we seem to be more consistently struggling to make our way into Q2 and getting close to the top 10. So, yeah, we know it’s not going to be an easy task, but still we’re going to give it our best.
Q: And is this racetrack here in Baku the sort of place where that ‘Gasly magic’ can make a difference? Because you have a great record here. You had the podium back in ’21. I think you even said that your run to P12 here last year was actually one of your best races.
PG: Yeah. I think last year was my best, I mean, driving-wise. You know, we always look at finishing position, but in terms of my drive, on the Sunday, it was probably my best race of the year. Nonetheless, I was still out of the points and probably a lap down. So, yeah, still not great. But we know it, on paper, with that long straight, looking at the performance of the package, even chassis-wise, there are things which need to be improved. It’s all areas. We know at the moment we are not in a position to be fighting for that top 10. We need some other factors to come into play for us to get some chances, but we need to put ourselves in a position to benefit from anything that happens. Hopefully, it can be one of those weekends. Don’t mind some rain if it does happen. But, yeah, we’ll see.
Q: Pierre, you’ve just said it’s going to be a difficult second half of the season for the team, yet you have committed long-term to Alpine. What convinced you to do that?
PG: I mean, we know it, and I’ve backed the team from the first day — start of the year — to fully commit on to 2026. We made some tactical decisions not to develop that car, to stop the development very early on. Probably got affected also by the couple of changes of regulation through the year, which meant we started in an okay place and probably lost performance through the year when others managed to develop a tiny bit more. And looking at the gaps — you’re not talking much — but two, three tenths one way or the other just gets you to the top 10 or completely to the back of the field. Unfortunately, we’re more towards the back. But in terms of decisions, we know why we are in this situation. I think all the efforts we are doing for next year are going to be rewarded in a couple of months. I know the team is working extremely well for the new regulation. So, yeah, I can’t wait to start ’26.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Harry Benjamin – Sky Sports F1) Sorry Oscar, I’m going to follow up as you well know. You say things off the back of Monza are clearer for you, and we have this kind of idea of a list of race scenarios. Are you able to clarify that for us — about what is on that list of race scenarios where we might see what happened in Monza happen again or not?
OP: No. I can’t get into every scenario, no. I think, from Monza, there was another factor outside of the slow pit stop, being the order we pitted in – that was a contributing factor to why we swapped. So, that one I’m quite happy to talk about because it’s happened. But any other scenarios, again, you can’t plan for every single scenario that’s going to happen. But I think we’re very aligned and ultimately, I respect the team’s decisions and trust that they’ll do their best to make the right ones.
Q: (Rachel Brookes – Sky Sports F1) Thanks for that. Oscar, can I ask what Mark Webber said when you got back to hospitality?
OP: Not a lot, really. Yeah, not much. Ultimately, the biggest thing for me from Monza was, it was a weekend where I deserved to finish third. I didn’t deserve to finish second because of the pace I had. I was quick at certain points but not quick enough the whole weekend. And, ultimately, that’s my main takeaway from that — what I’m trying to focus on going forwards. And, you know, Mark is very much on the same page with that. And again, I’ve discussed with the team and with Mark about what happened, and we’re all aligned going forward.
Q: (Margot Laffite – Canal+) A question for Nico and Oscar. Sorry Pierre, but we have already had you in French. We’re talking about the specifics of this Baku track and of course this huge, long straight. Can you talk us through your approach and describe how you defend or attack or even restart after a Safety Car?
OP: It’s a very unique track. Very slow corners, long straights, little runoff — well, there’s runoff, but you’ve got to do a U-turn to come back on. The normal street circuit things, but with much heavier braking zones than normal. The grip level increases a lot through the weekend. It’s a street circuit, but unlike others, you’ve really got to focus a lot on braking because you can win or lose a lot of time there, or break — or not break — a lot of parts on your car. The straight out of Turn 15 is a long time on full throttle with those two high-speed kinks; it takes quite a while, feels like maybe the longest straight of the season.
NH: Tow effects or slipstreams are very powerful and can often be a topic here. If you defend or attack, it really depends on the racing scenario. If you have a train of cars, that brings one dynamic, but if you’re the first car then you’re giving tow to people behind and there’s not much you can defend, to be honest, because you’re going to be vulnerable. It really depends on the situation.
Q: Nico, people talk about this racetrack being unique, but does it have any similarities with other street tracks? Does it feel like Jeddah, or is it more like Monaco in terms of how you approach it?
NH: No. I think it’s a standalone. Feels completely different.
Q: (Tom Slafer – DAZN Spain) Question for all three drivers. I guess you saw the images last week of Max Verstappen debuting at the Nordschleife. It’s something that you, Nico, did a couple of years ago, racing in Le Mans during the Formula 1 season. I don’t know if any of you had thoughts of racing in a different category during a Formula 1 season, and if you did, which car would you like to try?
PG: I wouldn’t mind right now for the end of the year trying different cars. But I think, in general, as a motor sport fan and lover, if you have the opportunity or the environment to make these things happen, for sure it’s something that must be very exciting. I think it depends a little bit on the focus and the time you have available for these sorts of things. But in the future, clearly, I want to probably try different tracks, different categories just for pure excitement — just for your own pleasure.
Q: Nico?
NH: Yeah. Just, you know, honourable how much he loves racing — how much time he puts into it. Formula 1, sim stuff, GT — he’s just such a passionate racer, fully committed to it, 24/7, lives and breathes it. I kind of admire it. I did it. I had a taste of it in 2015 — slightly different, of course — but if I would want to do that now, I’m not so sure. It was fun back then. But, yeah, just hats off to Max.
Q: Nico, how much of a distraction from Formula 1 was that sports car programme in 2015?
NH: It was very refreshing. A refreshing distraction. It’s a different racing environment. I dipped into it, had a few tests and then two race weekends and events. So, it was not super consuming for the whole year – it was a couple of months. But it’s always nice to explore other things. There’s always things you pick up. It’s not always one-to-one — things you learn and can apply in Formula 1. But if I look back on that year, obviously doing Le Mans was very successful, and at the same time, it didn’t hurt my F1 on-track performance. Quite the opposite, I think. So, yeah, it was quite fun.
Q: Oscar, your thoughts?
OP: Yeah. Maybe in the future. I think, right now, I’m quite happy with where I am. But potentially in the future. I think the biggest thing for me would just be giving that opportunity the respect it deserves. Racing at Le Mans, or Nürburgring, or whatever it might be — it wouldn’t be the wisest to just jump straight into a race. You’d want to do some laps beforehand. At the moment, time in the Formula 1 season is hard to come by. So probably not in the near future.
Q: (Lucas Osztovics – ORF Austria) Oscar, McLaren can win the Constructors’ Championship this weekend. And with seven race weekends to go after this one, it would be the earliest ever. What does it mean to you, to the team, and does it change something in the approach for the weekend?
OP: No. It doesn’t change anything in the approach. But I think it’s just, again, a testament to all the hard work from the team. It’s a pretty remarkable position that we’re in — to even be talking about clinching the Constructors’ Championship this early. So it’s just a very proud moment for everybody, myself included. And, yeah, just excited to get back in the car and drive all of their hard work.
Q: (Harry Benjamin – Sky Sports F1) Question for Pierre. Pierre, you’ve experienced challenging times in your career, especially at Red Bull, and you rebuilt and came back stronger. I just wonder if you had any perspective or advice that you could share that might help Yuki out? We obviously know he’s having a tough time at the moment. There’s a lot of pressure there. What can you share that might give us a bit of insight from your perspective?
PG: I think every single situation is quite specific, and we all manage or process it in different ways. It kind of depends how you are as an individual, as an athlete — what might work for you, what may not work for you, and the sort of support and environment you need around you. These are things I talk with Yuki about very openly. We have a good relationship. Ultimately, he needs to work out what’s the best way of focusing on the performance — because at the end of the day, the only thing that matters in a competitive sport is the performance you put out there. You’ve got to figure out what limitations you’re facing and what your best chances are of displaying your skills in the best possible way. I think that’s the main thing — cutting the noise. There’s always going to be a lot of talk, a lot of noise around, and you need to find a way that it just doesn’t get to your head. At the end of the day, you’ve just got to wake up every day thinking, “How am I going to get better at what I’m doing?” Whether you go through better times or challenging times, that’s the only question that will push you forward. Hopefully, that’s what he manages to do until the end of the year.
Q: (Jon Noble – The Race) To Oscar, going back to the Monza situation — knowing what you know now about the decision-making process and what’s been clarified with the team going forwards — in repeat circumstances, would you still be asked to pull over for Lando, or is that situation now off the table?
OP: I think in exactly the same scenario, then yes, I would expect it to be the same. But I think the likelihood that you’re going to have the exact same scenario is virtually impossible. So, you know, every scenario is going to look different. There was, again, another factor that was ultimately deemed to be the reason for the swap, and I respect that decision. So it’s impossible to know, but if the situation was the same — exactly the same — then I expect it to be repeated.
Q: (Josh Suttill – The Race) Oscar, over the radio at the time, you said that a slow pit stop was part of racing and “I don’t really get what’s changed here.” Do you still stand by that statement, or do you now understand — having talked to the team — what changed?
OP: No, I’d still stand by it. And that is kind of a decision we’ve made — that a slow pit stop is part of racing. Obviously, in the car at the time, the context wasn’t there about what else had happened in terms of the pit stop sequencing. So, again, it was decided that there was another factor for the reasoning in swapping. So again, every situation is going to look a bit different.
Q: (Ronald Vording – Motorsport.com) It’s another one to Oscar, I’m afraid. Even though you said that everyone in the team is on the same page, and that it felt within the rules of engagement, are you surprised with some of the, let’s say, external negativity that came up after Monza? Maybe fans feeling that, even though it’s just between the two of you, it’s too much orchestrated from the pit wall? And linked to that, do you still feel like you have enough freedom in this title fight?
OP: Yes, I do. Again, ultimately, I think my biggest takeaway from Monza was that on pace and my own performance that weekend, I didn’t deserve to finish higher than third — regardless of what else happened in the race. The decision that we made as a team — there’s no right answer to that decision. If we had done the opposite, then you’d have the opposite half of the fans saying that was wrong, and vice versa. So ultimately, there’s no correct decision in that. Am I surprised? Not really. Obviously, it was a big moment from the race, and I feel like a lot of fans are quite quick to jump on things that are deemed controversial. So, I’m not that surprised. But I do think we have enough freedom to control our own destiny in the championship.
Q: (Soyara Sägesser – Soyara Sägesser) I have a question for all of you. Baku has fast straights and tight streets. Is it for you more a love or a hate race? And can you rank it from 1 to 24?
OP: It went up my list after last year a little bit. It’s a very unique track, definitely. Is it my favourite to drive? Probably not. But it is unique — with the castle section, the long straights. Yes, there are a lot of corners that are more or less the same, but there are definitely unique features of the track which are quite interesting. One to 24? I don’t know… probably somewhere in the middle. Not right at the bottom, but not at the top either.
Q: Nico?
NH: Yeah, kind of similar answer, to be honest. I think Turns 1 to 3 is really the unique style — with the super high speed and then you approach a 90-degree corner. It feels a little bit like you’re driving into a wall. I mean, there is runoff, but at 330, 340 km/h, the road gets a lot narrower, and that makes a lot of this track. Then, Sector 2 and 3 are actually quite fun, twisty, and obviously, past the castle and all that — it’s challenging, but fun. So yeah, similar to Oscar — not my favourite, but still fun.
PG: They said it all. The same. Very much in the middle.
Q: (Josh Suttill – The Race) A question to all three of you. There’s talk about increasing the number of Sprints to 12 for 2027, and also talk about making some of them reverse-grid races. What do you think about those talks? Nico?
NH: I mean, I’m personally a fan of Sprint races. I don’t mind them. I think it depends a bit on the selection of which tracks — some are more suited than others. Reverse grid stuff… honestly, I don’t know. That’s a bit mixed feelings — and how they would want to do that. It’s a challenge F1 faces. The sport is popular, obviously you always want to enhance and improve the entertainment side, but you also need to cover and keep a balance with the performance side. For us as a sport, we’re looking for ultimate performance. And to find the right balance is not easy. We also need our practice time, and we look for perfection and ultimate performance. So there’s definitely a balance to be had, but always open for change.
Q: Pierre?
PG: Yeah, I would not mind the reverse grid for this year (laughs). That’s what I think – first we’ve got to look at the performance in the coming year, and then I’ll have a more precise answer. But I fully agree with Nico. We’ve got to keep some DNA of the sport. The formats we have at the moment — in my opinion — are very good. From a driver’s point of view, you have three sessions, you’re able to work on the car. Engineering-wise, it’s good — session to session — to optimise and perfect the car for quali. And then you have one main race, which is the main event. I agree it’s good to try, but at the same time, I’m more towards saying we’ve got a great product, great formats, fans like it. I’d be happy to leave it as it is. But I’m sure we’ll experience it, and maybe I’ll change my mind in the future. But for now, I’m more towards the current format.
Q: Oscar?
OP: I think adding more Sprints is not necessarily a bad idea. I don’t think we need or want it to be every weekend. I think reverse grids…. It might sound obvious from where I’m sat, but it’s a bad idea. I think also just from a purely sporting and competitive side of things… I think the last thing we want as a sport is things being decided — or critical results happening — because of reverse grid races and stuff like that. In F2 and F3, I think it works because it’s not necessarily the person that wins… in Formula 1, there’s nothing more than winning the championship. In F2 and F3, you’re kind of showcasing yourself as to why you should get into F1, and I think that’s a way of showcasing certain things. And at the end of the day, the people that will put you in F1 know whether you’ve done a good job or not, regardless of the results. In Formula 1, you don’t have that next step. So, OK for more Sprints, but I don’t think reverse grids is a good idea.
Q: (Adam Cooper – Adam Cooper F1) For all three of you. Carlos won his right of review case last week. I just wondered what you thought of that decision, and would it maybe encourage you to push your teams to follow that route next time there’s a penalty that you’re not happy with?
OP: I think, ultimately, the right decision was made. And I think it’s only a good thing that the FIA and Stewards were able to make that case. So I think that’s only a good thing for the sport.
NH: I think it just depends. Every case, every incident is different, and you have to decide whether it’s worth looking at or not. I think in this particular one, it was. So, good.
PG: (Thumbs up.)
Gallery5BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – SEPTEMBER 18: Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren speaks in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on September 18, 2025 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
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BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – SEPTEMBER 18: Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren speaks in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on September 18, 2025 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
PART TWO – Liam LAWSON (Racing Bulls), Lance STROLL (Aston Martin), Kimi ANTONELLI (Mercedes)
Q: Kimi, please can we start with you? Let’s take it back to Monza. You qualified close to George, you finished in the points, and Toto Wolff described your weekend afterwards as “underwhelming.” What did you make of his comments?
Kimi ANTONELLI: Well, I think I pretty much understand his comment. You know, me and Toto are always very open with each other, and we talk to each other quite openly. I think it was mainly about the race. Qualifying was actually pretty good, despite the off in FP2. But then in the race, especially on the Hard tyre, I struggled a little bit. Also, I made a mistake at the start. So I think it was mainly related to the race, which I agree wasn’t the best. But I took it positively – as fuel to do even better for this race weekend.
Q: Tell us more about this weekend. What do you need to do here to keep the boss happy?
KA: First of all, just trying to have clean sessions. In Monza I went off in FP2 super early and ended up not doing long runs. I went completely blind into the race, didn’t get to feel the car on high fuel at all. It was a bit difficult because I had to learn in the moment, and on the Hard I just struggled to find my rhythm, so that was not ideal. But the speed in qualifying was much better in Monza, so hopefully we can carry this into this weekend as well. The main goal is just to have clean sessions and get as many laps as possible in the bag and then deliver the job in quali and in the race.
Q: You finished on the podium here in the F2 Feature Race last year. Is it a track you enjoy driving on?
KA: Yeah, it’s a tricky track. Quite bumpy in some of the braking zones, which makes them pretty tricky. But it’s a good track. Track grip was quite low last year, so let’s see how it’s going to be this year. It’s tricky, but it’s enjoyable to drive.
Q: And where are the team’s expectations coming into Baku? Do you feel in recent races that you’ve lost a bit of ground to some of the guys in front?
KA: For sure many teams are bringing quite a lot of upgrades, which makes our life a bit harder because we’re not bringing so much to the car as we’re also focusing on next year. That makes us have to be even more precise and perfect in some ways. As a driver you just need to maximise everything, because the gap is so close now that every mistake you make punishes you in a big way. So on my side I need to try to do everything right to maximize the result. About this weekend, it’s tough to say because, you know, last year in the race, looking back at the plots, the pace was actually pretty OK. Hopefully, this weekend we’ll be fast. But this year, on tracks where we were meant to be fast, we weren’t so fast, and tracks where we struggled a bit more the previous year, we were fast this year. We’ll see in the moment.
Q: Lance, let’s come to you now. I don’t know if you have favourite tracks, but if you did, is Baku one of them? Four points finishes in seven goes here, including that first podium back in 2017?
Lance STROLL: Yeah, good memories for sure. It’s a place I always enjoy coming back to. Like Kimi said, it’s a challenging track. It has some tricky braking zones, so just finding the limit in the braking zones is always a challenge coming here. But it’s fun. You’ve got to get close to the walls, and it’s one of those places that’s fun to drive when it all comes together.
Q: And what are you expecting from the car here? I look at Hungary and Zandvoort—you were very competitive at both, in the points at both—yet you were less competitive last time out in Monza. What does that mean for Baku?
LS: I don’t know. We’ll see. It’s very tight in the midfield. There’s not a lot in it between the teams. So we’ll see how we go this week.
Q: The general trend for Aston since you introduced the upgrade at Imola has been upwards. How do you view the rest of this season in terms of where you think you’re going to be particularly strong?
LS: I don’t know. We’ll see. We’ve had some weekends the car has been competitive and some weekends we’ve struggled a bit more. Just keep going and see how it goes.
Q: Give us a track—do you think you’ll be particularly good in Singapore, for example?
LS: I think it looks that way. It looks like we’re better on the higher-downforce tracks. In places with longer straights, more efficiency, I think we tend to struggle a little bit more, but we saw in Monza that the car was still competitive. Fernando was on for some points before he had the suspension failure. So yeah, we’ll see how we go this week.
Q: And, Liam, let’s come to you now. Your car has been consistently quick pretty much everywhere. How bullish are you feeling coming into this weekend?
Liam LAWSON: Yeah, it’s been pretty good, so I’m excited. I think Monza was not a true show of form, to be honest. It definitely wasn’t our strongest track if we compare it to others, probably similar to Lance. I think the higher-downforce tracks we have done a little bit better at. So it’ll be interesting here. Obviously, it’s very low grip, especially at the start of the weekend. It’s always quite a green track to build up to. And obviously, a new track as well that I haven’t done in Formula 1 before. But I think the consistency has been good. We’re just always chasing the small margins.
Q: What about the quali pace? Explain Monza to us, because the car was quick there, yet quali didn’t really work out. What were the issues?
LL: We didn’t really have any issues. We just went for an aggressive run plan that didn’t work out in the end. You can always look back—obviously we look back on every weekend, and hindsight’s a great thing. Looking back, we probably should have done an extra run there. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves for the last run, I got a little bit of traffic, and I went off and didn’t do a lap. It’s not that the speed wasn’t there; we just didn’t do a proper lap. And in this season when it’s so close and overtaking is so tough, qualifying is very important.
Q: A lot has been made in recent days about the impact that Laurent Mekies is having at Red Bull Racing. Can I ask you about the impact that Alan Permane is having on Racing Bulls?
LL: Obviously, they both worked together through the start of this year and for the last couple of years. They’re a very strong team together, and with Laurent going to Red Bull and Alan taking over, I think his procedure and process are very similar to Laurent’s, honestly. They both come from engineering backgrounds—very, very smart guys—and very good at pushing the team, especially on the engineering side, to have a quick car. I think that’s what we’ve had this year. It’s what we’ve kept pushing through with the last few races as well with Alan. They’ve both been very, very good.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Rachel Brookes – Sky Sports F1) Liam, there are rumours about Isack Hadjar possibly stepping into that Red Bull seat next year. Your advice for him if that is the case—or for anyone taking up that seat?
LL: Honestly, from the outside we all look in and see… It’s a very tough place to be. For me it’s hard to look back on and have a proper comparison, just because it was just the two races, but I think: just to prepare well. I tried to do everything I could. Obviously we can always do things better, when we look back on it. I would say ignore everything that’s being said. I think it’s maybe overtalked how difficult it is. At the end of the day, we’re all racing drivers—we have to have enough self-confidence to be in the sport. We don’t come here thinking other people are better than us; otherwise, we wouldn’t be here. I think to just have faith in yourself. He’s done a good job this year. If that’s the case, just focus on the job, prepare the best you can, and don’t listen to everything that’s said about what it’s going to be like. Nobody actually knows, only the guys that have done it.
Q: (Harry Benjamin – Sky Sports F1) A follow-up for Liam: you recently said that in light of what happened to you at the start of the year, your F1 World Championship dreams have shifted. Where do you see the future going now for yourself, and when do you think you’ll know where you’ll be next year?
LL: Hopefully in the next few races. It’s obviously hard to know. We’re all chasing the dream. The first goal is getting into F1, but we’re all here to try and win. I spent a long time, especially joining (Red Bull) as a junior at 17, just looking at how to get to Red Bull Racing—that was where I saw my future. Maybe… Not that I forgot why I do it, but that was so much of the goal. It’s easier now to sit back and realize the goal has always been winning and getting to the top, and it doesn’t need to be specific to where that is.
Q: (Margot Laffite – Canal+) A question for all three of you. We’re focusing on the little rituals or habits drivers can have. Some fear it like it’s a trap, some carry them through their career. Your feelings about that? Anything you’ve kept from your first pole, podium, or strong result?
KA: I do experience that. I always try to keep the same routine—my daily routine at the track—because it’s something I’ve done since I started, especially in cars, in F4. Of course, now it needs a bit of adjustment because the day is busier, so I had to adjust my normal routine. But I try to keep the same habits and keep things simple. Sometimes it’s good to do a step back and return to basics, because sometimes that’s the most helpful thing. As a driver and as a person, not only on the racetrack but in my whole life, those little hobbies I’ve had for many years—I try to keep them because they make me feel comfortable and they relax me in difficult moments.
LS: The lucky socks and the lucky underwear, all that stuff…. I think I’ve been in Formula 1 nine years now, so you lose the underwear, you lose the socks, and those little things disappear. Like Kimi said, we all have our routine—warming up and getting in the zone before the race. I have my routine and my warm-up, and that’s about it.
LL: For me, I try to be as simple as possible. If I had too many rituals that I would try to keep consistent, there’d be a day I’d forget one and it would play on my mind. The only thing I’ve always done is get in the car from the left—and that’s because when you’re a kid in karts the engine’s on the right, so you always get in from the left. I’ve always done that—so I’d be screwed if I ever drove a GT car that was the opposite! Otherwise, it’s similar procedures: warm-ups are similar every weekend, I listen to a lot of music—though that even changes. I try not to do too much of the same thing, to be honest.
Q: (Shana Lutgert – F1Maximaal.nl) On GT cars—question for Liam. Looking back at your DTM history and racing at the Nürburgring that year, any thoughts on Max taking on this adventure at the Nordschleife and racing GT cars?
LL: It’s something—especially that track itself… I’ve never done it in a race car, I’ve only done in a road car. I raced the GP circuit in DTM, but me and Alex Albon took a couple of rental cars, jumped on a WhatsApp call, and raced each other around the Nordschleife, which was pretty fun. It’s an amazing track—there’s not really anything else like it in the world, and it’s very original, which makes it special. In general, Max likes racing—he’s very clear about that. He loves racing on his sim, and when he gets a break it seems he’s going to another track to test or drive other cars, which for him is pretty cool. In those kinds of cars as well, I loved my season in DTM. The racing is very close, it’s exciting. As drivers, you get a lot closer to each other and it feels a lot closer. It’s very difficult to do that in Formula 1. So it’s exciting.
Q: Lance, you’ve done Daytona back in the day. Your thoughts on Max in a tin-top at the Nürburgring?
LS: Yeah, it’s cool. For us drivers, it’s fun to change discipline and challenge ourselves in different ways. It’s fun to feel different cars and experience different kinds of racing. My experience from endurance racing was a lot of fun sharing the car – aside from waking up at 3am with half an hour’s sleep and jumping in and going for three hours. It’s a grind for sure, but it’s cool. It’s fun to change up discipline and try out different stuff.
Q: Kimi, is this something we could see you do in years to come?
KA: I do drive quite a lot of GT cars because of my dad—he has the racing team—so I do end up driving GT quite a lot as well. Even though it’s a different car, it’s still really good training to prove your skills—you have to adapt to a different car. Obviously GTs have very different behaviour compared to a Formula 1 car. When I go into GT, I try to challenge myself and get up to speed as quickly as possible. I also did a race two years ago with a GT, which was a different experience but quite fun. So maybe in the future, why not?
Q: (Jon Noble – The Race) Kimi, what has Toto told you in terms of a new approach from you this weekend, what he wants to see done differently? He talked after Monza of getting rid of ballast, freeing you up to be a bit freer into race weekends. How have those conversations gone?
KA: In Monza, why he felt the race was underwhelming—which I agree with—is because, especially on the Hard, I made a lot of driving mistakes. As I said before, I was struggling to find my rhythm and I was trying different things, but I ended up making a few mistakes. For sure, he doesn’t want that to happen again, because in the race I lost a lot of time. The conversation was pretty clear: he just wants me to have a clean weekend to regain the momentum I had. For example, in the first seven races of the season, because the European season has been quite tough, and now I’m really looking forward to the last part of the season again out of Europe—it’s always a bit more calm and I have a bit more time for myself. I’m really looking forward to clean weekends and getting back the momentum, and that’s what the team wants.
Q: (Rodrigo França – Car Magazine Brazil) Question to the three drivers: there is a possibility for 2027 to have more Sprint races. Do you guys like Sprint races, and would you prefer being on the podium in a Grand Prix or winning a Sprint race?
KA: I think Sprint weekends are quite exciting because as a driver it’s a challenge—one free practice and then straight into qualifying. The challenge is to get to the limit and understand how much you can push. In just one free practice you have to gather so much information—both for qualifying and for the race. Even though you have the Sprint afterwards, you still try to do some learning on that side as well. It’s quite intense, very challenging, and it’s good. They’re exciting. The weekend is very active you only have only one free practice and then either qualifying or Sprint, and then the main race. It’s good fun—I’ve been enjoying the Sprint weekends this year, so I wouldn’t mind having more of those in the future. And to your last question, I’d like to be on both, to be honest—not only one of them.
LS: I like the Sprint weekends. Every time you get in the car there’s something to fight for, and it makes the weekends very exciting for the teams, the drivers, and the fans—there’s a lot more action over the three days. I liked how we used to do it a couple of years ago when they closed parc fermé after the first FP, because we often saw teams get it right or wrong and it would mix up the grid a lot. Whereas now, on a regular weekend and even opening up parc fermé again, you see a lot of teams get the set-up dialled in for quali and the race, and then everyone kind of finishes in pace order. When we have less time to work on the cars, you sometimes see teams get it right, teams get it wrong, and it mixes it up—makes it exciting. I’d like to see more Sprint events. And even for the main events, having three practice sessions gives everyone a lot of time to make decisions and get the car working perfectly. It’d be interesting to have a little less time and see what everyone can do. Podium or Sprint win? I’ve got to agree with Kimi—it’s nice to always be on the podium.
LL: I agree. Having more Sprint weekends is more exciting. As Lance said, with Sprints nearly every time you get in the car you’re competing—P1 is still a practice session, but it’s in preparation for qualifying, and you have to get everything done as quickly as possible. That’s exciting. You have two chances to race as well; as drivers, we love to race, and it can be quite exciting across the whole weekend, so I wouldn’t mind seeing more. Podium or Sprint win? Why not both?
Q: Liam, would you like to see Sprints. Every weekend, or do you think you need a bit of both?
LL: I don’t know. For a start, maybe more. I don’t know if it’s ready for a whole season like that, but at least more would be a good start, I think. Maybe less practice or something like that can be good as well.
Q: (Josh Suttill – The Race ) Liam, to follow up on what you said earlier about next year: are you talking to teams outside of the Red Bull family to explore your options for next year, or will that only happen after a decision is made?
LL: As drivers, the main thing for us is to be in Formula 1, so we’re focused on securing a seat. Honestly, that’s my goal at the moment. In terms of other teams, I think pretty much everyone is either locked in or has a pretty good idea of what they’re doing next year anyway. Right now, it’s mostly talks with Red Bull and trying to secure a seat where I am at the moment. Beyond that, I think it’s at a point where most of them (other seats) are pretty much gone, I would say.
Q: (Jon Noble – The Race) To Liam as well—going back to the Dutch GP, the Stewards changed their mind over your incident with Carlos Sainz because they said you’d had that momentary loss of control. In the Stewards’ hearing you said that was quite normal for restarts on cold tyres. Were you surprised by the decision last weekend?
LL: Honestly, every incident is going to be slightly different in its own way. You have regulations, written as they are, and we’re always trying to maximise them and race to them as much as we can. I think we all probably agree that sometimes they’re not always right or we feel they can be slightly better, but it’s very hard to write a clear set of regulations in Formula 1 when every single scenario is different. For me, it didn’t make a difference—it was a racing incident. If you look at it on TV, that’s what it looks like, I would say as well. I have no problem with it, that’s for sure.