At present’s press convention with Esteban Ocon, Yuki Tsunoda, George Russell, Max Verstappen, Alex Albon and Charles Leclerc.
Q: Charles, let’s begin with you. Dwelling turf, how assured are you feeling coming into the weekend?Charles Leclerc: I am feeling good. Clearly, it is all the time a really particular feeling, the Monaco week. I believe it’s for all of the drivers, however for me particularly, having grown up right here, it is additional particular, so I am actually trying ahead to it. We have all the time been aggressive right here, so I hope will probably be simply the identical this weekend. Nevertheless, the finality of the weekend has never been the one I wished, which we now have labored on rather a lot. We have finished our preparation in the absolute best manner. I hope that this weekend would be the good one.
Q: Two poles, however a finest race results of fourth. What would a podium at residence imply to you?CL: Not a lot. I imply, second or third just isn’t actually one thing that excites me. So the win is what we have to goal. We have seen in the previous couple of races that Pink Bull, McLaren and ourselves are fairly shut in qualifying. And we all know how essential qualifying is right here. So we’ll should put the whole lot collectively. And if we’re on pole, then that may give us good probabilities to get what we wish, which is the win.
Q: How lifelike is pole for you this weekend?CL: I really feel like in Monaco, you all the time begin a little bit bit from scratch. As a lot as what we have seen in the previous couple of races, I believe it will not be too totally different. There nonetheless will be some surprises. We have seen it in 2021, I believe, with us, the place we have been nowhere however then we acquired to Monaco and our automotive was working very effectively. So we’ll should see after Friday the place we’re in comparison with the others. However I shall be shocked if we’re not within the combine for pole, no less than.
Q: Alright. Better of luck. Thanks, Charles. Alex, coming to you now. Welcome. Whats up. Monaco hasn’t been the most effective observe for Williams lately. Do you suppose the end result shall be any totally different this 12 months?Alex Albon: I might say, typically, the philosophy of the automotive ought to enhance the automotive round this type of observe. So, marginally optimistic. Let’s examine. I believe typically we have made a step ahead in low-speed corners this 12 months. And clearly, Monaco, that’s it.
Q: Speak to us in regards to the problem of Monaco. Which is your favorite part of observe?AA: For me, I might say it is all of Sector 3. I believe it is fairly flowing round there. This sense of simply glancing across the partitions and that is plenty of enjoyable. You begin to contact them a number of instances after which it is nearly how a lot margin is it earlier than a wheel begins coming off. However that half is, no less than for me, probably the most enjoyable. It is extra nearly Saturday although. I believe that is what makes it particular. When you consider qualifying laps and the sensation of, you realize, it isn’t a lot of a Sunday race for the drivers, I might say, it is extra specializing in Saturday and whenever you ship these laps in qualifying, with the adrenaline in your physique, that is fairly cool.
Q: Alright. Stay up for that. Thanks. Better of luck to you. Max, coming to you now. It was an excellent win on Sunday for you at Imola, but it surely wasn’t a clean weekend for you and the workforce. Any considerations that you’ll have related points this weekend?Max Verstappen: It is a fully totally different observe. I believe, trying on the observe format, it is most likely not going to be our greatest observe, simply because our automotive usually struggles a bit over bumps and kerbs. We did work on it a bit in comparison with final 12 months. I believe to this point, on many of the tracks that we have been to, our low-speed efficiency has improved a little bit bit. However I do not suppose that is going to be an easy weekend. However I believe Monaco by no means could be very easy, even when you find yourself presupposed to have the most effective automotive. Monaco is a really difficult observe to get the whole lot to work, get the tyres to work, in a quali lap, for instance, purple flags, there’s all the time plenty of disruption and plenty of issues can go proper, but in addition plenty of issues can go flawed. So yeah, we simply should be on it. In fact, Imola began off actually unhealthy and we managed to show it round. I would not wish to have a weekend like that once more. It is fairly worrying and never good, however we all know that this can be a tougher observe for us, though we now have gained right here previously. It is fairly sophisticated so we’ll see the place we’re at tomorrow.
Q: Charles thinks he will be within the combine for pole place on Saturday. Do you suppose Ferrari and McLaren are going to be difficult you carefully?MV: Yeah, I imply, naturally from outdoors, I believe it is likely one of the tougher tracks for us. Plus, in the previous couple of years, I believe Ferrari has all the time been very, very robust right here. Plus, McLaren recently, the final two races, have actually ramped up in efficiency. So that they for certain are those to observe as effectively. And in Monaco, you may need some surprises. I imply, final 12 months, Esteban did an incredible lap as effectively in qualifying. So these form of issues in Monaco, they’ll occur when somebody feels actually good. and assured, so we’ll see what occurs.
Q: Alright, better of luck to you. Thanks, Max. George, coming to you now. Plenty of optimistic feedback popping out of Mercedes after the race on Sunday at Imola. The place is the automotive higher after this newest raft of upgrades?George Russell: Yeah, the automotive is unquestionably extra balanced via the lap now. We have been struggling rather a lot initially of the 12 months, balancing the high- to low-speed corners. And I believe we now have made progress. whenever you take a look at the hole to Pink Bull, whenever you take a look at the hole to the remainder of the midfield, we now have moved ahead. However I do suppose it is honest to say Ferrari and McLaren have moved ahead on the similar fee. So we have to carry on working, bringing these upgrades to the automotive. And the entire workforce are working flat out proper now to deliver these upgrades as fast as potential.
Q: You completed fifth right here for the final two years. Do you have got the efficiency to complete greater than that on advantage?GR: I believe as the fellows have been saying, Monaco is so difficult. There are such a lot of disruptions all through the entire weekend and also you simply want to seek out that candy spot. The observe’s evolving a lot, it is getting sooner and sooner, typically as much as three seconds faster in qualifying than it’s in a follow one. So even in case you have a great Friday, you might want to be able to adapt transferring into Saturday. And, you realize, we noticed right now. I used to be kind of within the engineering assembly and it was brilliant blue sunshine and I got here out and it was pouring down with rain. So that might add some spice to issues.
Q: However do you suppose the low-speed efficiency of the automotive will show you how to?GR: I believe we have identified all season that we battle to stability high- to low-speed. We will both get it fairly aggressive in low-speed and we battle at excessive pace or vice versa. So we hope that with comparatively constant nook speeds at this circuit, that we must be barely extra aggressive.
Q: Alright. Better of luck to you. Thanks. Yuki, coming to you, issues are going effectively for you. You have scored factors in 4 of the final 5 races. How do you assess your efficiency to this point this 12 months?Yuki Tsunoda: Yeah, feeling good for certain. The workforce additionally helped me for certain. The automotive efficiency this 12 months, could be very constant, simple to adapt as effectively. So typically, initially already from FP1, we now have good tempo. So yeah, very glad, as a workforce, as effectively to maintain with the ability to extract efficiency [like in] earlier races and to this point having fun with as effectively.
Q: Q3 right here final 12 months. How assured are you of a repeat this time round?YT: Yeah, I believe I am feeling extra optimistic in comparison with most likely, yeah, earlier than Imola or no matter. However really, Imola, we had a little bit of a shock with the quantity of efficiency we had within the race week. It may be reverse as effectively, so we by no means know. However, yeah, I had a great reminiscence final 12 months, so I am feeling extra assured for certain in comparison with the primary 12 months in Monaco. And, yeah, if the workforce can carry out effectively, as a lot as Imola, that may be nice.
Q: Good luck to you, Esteban, coming to you. Speaking of excellent reminiscences of final 12 months, you had a wonderful Monaco Grand Prix, did not you? Ending on the rostrum, simply what likelihood to repeat? How assured are you coming into this weekend?Esteban Ocon: For certain, final 12 months was a fantastic reminiscence. However I believe we’ll preserve match to the bottom for this 12 months. I believe we have had a troublesome begin of the season the place we have struggled to get into the highest 10 very a lot. We solely acquired one level as a workforce. So for us, it should be essential to try to maximise the whole lot this 12 months, try to construct on the arrogance, try to see if we are able to enhance the weaknesses out of the automotive and yeah, see the place that leads up till qualifying. However no, we do not count on to be on the rostrum this weekend.
Q: You stated in Imola that the one-lap tempo has improved. So do you see Monaco as your finest likelihood of the season to this point to attain factors?EO: I believe it has improved, however we began very far. We began on the final row this season and we find yourself being now often into Q2 and near the highest ten. So there are enhancements, however they’re small enhancements that we’re doing each time. Sure, I really feel at this observe you may often extract a little bit bit extra, you realize, when it comes to driving, getting near the wall, taking dangers. That often pays in your favour in the event you do a great lap. However in the mean time, you realize, we battle with the automotive and we have to see the place we’ll find yourself when it comes to outcome.
Questions From The Ground
Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports activities F1) Max, to you. Now, there was a time, bear in mind the previous days, once we felt that you possibly can flip up with three wheels and go and win a race. However issues appear to have modified round a little bit bit. The competitors appears to have gotten stronger and this weekend might be probably the most aggressive we have seen this season. Do you’re feeling that? And do you’re feeling that is a pattern that may proceed into future races after Monaco?MV: Yeah, I imply, I believe after Miami, it was fairly clear once we went into Imola, it had all closed up fairly a bit, though Imola was most likely additionally not our best weekend. However for certain, Monaco is all the time like that anyway. And it’ll rely now who will put extra efficiency on the automotive, discover the absolute best set-up on the automotive. However, for certain, issues have closed up which makes, I believe from our facet, makes it after all essential to try to be at our highest, 100%. I do know that isn’t all the time a really lifelike chance, however you all the time attempt to get to a sure level and perhaps the previous couple of races we’ve not been working at that however, yeah, each single weekend we attempt once more and attempt to discover the absolute best set-up within the automotive. However for certain, you may see it is undoubtedly closing up.
