Half 1: Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz
Q: Carlos, let’s kick issues off with you. Your final weekend as a Ferrari driver for now. How are you going to look again in your time with the staff?Carlos Sainz: Nicely, positively, nicely, to start with, I believe this weekend goes to be fairly emotional, fairly intense, not solely due to it being the final weekend, but in addition for a way a lot is at stake with the Constructors’ title. On the identical time, it has been a tricky yr typically with rather a lot happening within the background. I believe I’ve to be fairly joyful, fairly pleased with how I dealt with each scenario via the yr and the way I managed to push myself to get to the tip of the yr nonetheless in good condition, in good kind and able to battle for that.
Q: Let’s discuss concerning the Constructors’ Championship. You and Ferrari are 21 factors behind McLaren. How do you see the aggressive order this weekend?CS: I believe it is actually very tight between us, however not solely between Ferrari, McLaren, but in addition Mercedes and Crimson Bull. I believe we’re all inside a few tenths of one another. And relying on the observe, relying on the tyre compound we use, relying on the observe traits, the wind, the situations, one automobile will come out on prime that weekend. And final weekend seemed prefer it was going to be the McLaren. Ultimately, it was Max. the opposite weekend, George, the opposite weekend, me in Mexico, or once more, Max within the moist in Brazil. It is virtually prefer it’s so tight throughout the highest 4 groups that you just can’t decide one earlier than a weekend. And I believe we’re all ready to follow to see who abruptly appears the strongest that weekend.
Q: What would it not imply to you to go away Ferrari as Constructors’ Champion?CS: Would imply every thing to me, actually. It is, I believe, one of the simplest ways to say goodbye to my residence these final 4 years and to the staff that I’ve given my very best to for the final 4 years and I’ve loved each single second with them. And to say goodbye with a Constructors’ title, I believe, can be the right log off, the right goodbye. I’m additionally trustworthy with you saying that it is nonetheless not an extended shot, however it’s a tough one. Being 21 factors behind two of the quickest drivers and one of many quickest groups and recovering these 21 factors in a single weekend requires perfection from our aspect and doubtless not optimum weekend or a nasty weekend from their aspect. It is nonetheless going to be tough, however I’ve seen worse issues in racing occur earlier than, and we’ll give it our greatest shot.
Q: All proper. Carlos, good luck. Thanks for that. Oscar, nicely, let’s kick off concerning the Constructors’ Championship. What’s the temper within the camp at McLaren?Oscar Piastri: I believe nonetheless assured. Like Carlos mentioned, we’re nonetheless in a great spot by way of the lead we’ve. I believe it should be a really tightly fought weekend between in all probability the highest 4 groups, not simply us and Ferrari, which implies that among the different groups can doubtlessly play a job in deciding the championship. So let’s have a look at. We’ll deal with ourselves and try to get probably the most out of our sport our automobile that we’ve and I assume see the place we find yourself. However I believe we’re in a great spot and nonetheless assured.
Q: With a lot at stake, does this race weekend really feel completely different to earlier ones this yr?CS: Sure and no. I believe via among the races within the second half of the season, particularly after we had been beginning to take some factors out of Max, there was type of the urgency to be sure that was nonetheless occurring for the Drivers’ Championship. And I believe, you recognize, now it is clearly the same situation for the Constructors. You understand, Qatar did not finish precisely how we wished as a staff however I believe the boldness remains to be there. And sure, in fact, there’s rather a lot driving on this weekend, it is apparent, however I believe one of the simplest ways of tackling it’s simply how we’ve finished and attempting to get probably the most out of our automobile, as a result of I believe it’s totally early now to start out retaining each eyes on what Ferrari do. We have to maintain at the least one eye, in all probability each for now, on our personal efficiency.
Q: Regardless of what occurs within the Constructors’ Championship, how will you personally look again on 2024?OP: I believe an excellent enchancment from my rookie season. however nonetheless room to go. I believe a number of races firstly of the season, a number of races extra just lately haven’t gone in addition to I’d have favored. And I believe additionally as a staff, there’s some races via the yr that we’d have favored to have executed a bit higher. However I believe, particularly within the center a part of the yr, I used to be very pleased with the extent I used to be acting at and I believe I confirmed some fairly clear progress from final season. I believe primarily in qualifying, I’ve made life too tough for myself this yr. However I believe final yr in lots of the races, I would not have had the instruments to get again via. Whereas this yr, I really feel like I’ve. So I believe on a private be aware, it has been an excellent enchancment. However yeah, nonetheless some room to go.
Q: Alright, Oscar, thanks for that. Better of luck to you this weekend. Lewis, welcome. Your final weekend as a Mercedes driver, how are the feelings?Lewis Hamilton: Fairly calm for the time being. Feeling optimistic and excited simply to provide all of it this weekend. Each second, like via the yr, it has been, you recognize, each single race has been clearly the final time I will race and be in that particular place with the staff and I believe at present, already from just like the briefings that we have had, like, you are sitting there and also you’re realising these are the final moments with the staff, which is… It is exhausting to explain the sensation. It is not the best, in fact, however I believe largely I am simply actually pleased with what we have achieved. And I’ve a lot delight on this staff.
Q: Can I ask you extra about that? As a result of once you look again at your 12 years with Mercedes, all 246 races, what is going on to be your abiding reminiscence?LH: I believe it is the grins, after we’ve had the success. I believe it is these moments. Like I keep in mind one explicit engineer, for instance, I keep in mind our first win in Australia in 2014, I believe it was Australia, and I simply keep in mind him being in tears after we had been on the rostrum. It is these moments that I take with me. It is the feelings that we had in Silverstone this yr. It is all the nice bits. Naturally, you largely keep in mind the nice bits. And I believe it is simply the… I am simply extremely proud, but in addition simply so grateful to each single particular person, each which might be right here on the observe, but in addition again on the manufacturing unit which have simply labored tirelessly and, you recognize, been supporting me for all these years from day one.
Q: Lewis, how completely different does this second really feel to once you left McLaren on the finish of 2012?LH: If I am trustworthy, I do not actually keep in mind the… Clearly, I keep in mind assembly Niki. And I keep in mind making the choice. However I do not actually keep in mind the ultimate days, if I am actually trustworthy. I do not actually know. I’ve bought a extremely unhealthy reminiscence, as you recognize. It positively wasn’t as painful and tough as this yr has been by way of the feelings. And I believe as a result of it was on the finish of the yr, it was a lot faster and there wasn’t sufficient time for it to actually settle in for anybody, I believe, throughout the staff. Yeah, this one is way more emotional as a result of I have been with the staff so lengthy and we have been via a lot collectively.
Questions From The Flooring
Q: (Craig Slater – Sky Sports activities) A query for Lewis. You type of alluded to it there, Lewis. It has been an extended goodbye. You knew from the beginning of the yr you would be leaving. So did the staff… I believe Toto mentioned he anticipated possibly a bumpy highway. Did it get awkward at any level, now we’re on the finish of that highway? And was it the important thing relationships enduring which enabled it to… It is seemed on the floor as if it has been OK all year long by way of retaining a type of steadiness throughout the staff and never having any type of fallouts or friction? LH: I imply, the primary assembly with Toto in the beginning of the yr was awkward, in fact. So it was awkward from the get-go, to the day after after I took among the staff paintballing. They usually had simply came upon. So I imply, there’s been a great deal of moments via the yr… Yeah, I bought plenty of pictures from individuals, yeah, a great deal of bruises. Yeah, individuals went in on me that day! I believe in the end I anticipated it might be tough, however massively underestimated how tough it might be. And it was straining on the connection very early on, took time for individuals to get previous it. After which only for my very own self, it has been a really emotional yr for me. And I believe I’ve not been at my greatest in dealing with and coping with these feelings. And I believe this yr, and so a lot of you’ve been right here my complete profession, so a few of you, I believe, you’ve got all seen the worst of me and seen the very best of me and I am not going to apologise for both as a result of I am solely human and I do not all the time get it proper, and I’d positively would say this yr’s been one of many worst by way of dealing with that from my aspect, which I will work on attempting to be higher at. However I hope the nice and the highs far outweigh the negatives and the way I’ve dealt with it or behaved. And as I mentioned, I simply keep in mind the nice occasions, you recognize. I’ve constructed some unimaginable relationships. We have gone via. Should you think about, once you’re going once you’re going via a season along with so many individuals, you recognize, not solely on these race weekends the place you are driving the highs and lows collectively, however of their private lives, via marriages, via divorces, via lack of members of the family, via most cancers, via all kinds. You are going via these journeys with these individuals. So it is a actually lovely journey you go on collectively. And being that it was so lengthy, the feelings run so deep.
Q: (Nelson Valkenburg – Viaplay) We began this week with the information that we’ll lose the Dutch Grand Prix after 2026. Plenty of you’ve pushed at Zandvoort rather a lot – I do know Lewis, specifically, in 2005, successful the Masters of F3. However a query for all three of you. Ought to a observe like Zandvoort be capable to keep on the calendar or given the monetary difficulties they’ve, is it a logical query now that they depart?CS: I believe it is a very delicate matter. You understand, I do not perceive absolutely the entire image of why Zandvoort could or could not keep longer than the 2026 season. I believe as a complete, the game has positively moved in direction of having extra races exterior of Europe than in Europe. Most likely for financial and clearly political and financial causes for the game. In a super world, For my part, the Components 1 season ought to have round 20 races. Out of these 20 races, I strongly imagine six to eight of them ought to be in Europe as a result of that is the place the game comes from. And all the others ought to stay rotational. If Zandvoort can’t maintain the finances to run a Components 1 race when another races can, it doesn’t suggest I believe Zandvoort ought to utterly disappear from the calendar, however possibly come again each two or three years again to a calendar to provide all of the Dutch followers and all of the supporter of Max the chance to look at Max dwell, you recognize, and the identical would apply to Spain, the identical would apply to the UK if that is ever the case. So, yeah, discover methods to, even when these old style circuits, European circuits that possibly haven’t got the large budgets that exterior of Europe, they’ve these budgets, nonetheless discover a approach to give them the chance to maintain coming again to a calendar at times. I do not know if it is doable or not, however in my ultimate F1 calendar situation, I’d try to match that in.
