2018 Russian GP: FIA Drivers' Press Conference.

DRIVERS – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes), Marcus Ericsson (Sauber), Sergey SIROTKIN (Williams), Charles LECLERC (Sauber)

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Marcus, Sauber announced this week that Antonio Giovinazzi will be racing next season but you’re going to be remaining with the team in 2019, so just give us your reaction to the news about what’s happening next year.

Marcus ERICSSON: Yeah, it’s obviously disappointing to be not racing. It’s all you want to do; you want to race. It’s not good news for me, obviously. Still, I’m happy to be able to continue my relationship with the team but then yeah, let’s see. I want to race still, so I’m looking at different options on how to keep doing that and looking at everything really, what I can do, in what series and what it could be – but it’s still a bit early. It’s quite fresh, this news, so I need to look at my options. Overall, of course, I would like to stay.

Q: You said on social media ‘it’s not the end of the story – just the start of a new chapter’ but does it feel like it’s the end of the Formula One chapter, in your eyes?

ME: No. My goal is still to come back into Formula One. I think for 2019 that’s not going to happen but hopefully after that there will be possibilities to come back. That’s still the goal, to come back to Formula One.

Q: Sergey, moving onto you next. You raced here in what was GP2 but this will be your first Russian Grand Prix as a Formula One driver – so it must be a special weekend for you.

Sergey SIROTKIN: It is. It’s going to be special, for sure. Obviously being here almost every year, since F1 came here, I raced here in GP2 but it’s all quite different form being here as a race Formula One Driver. I can feel it already now, it’s a lot of attention, a lot of support, which is very nice to feel as a driver, it’s very nice to feel especially in the situation we are this year. I mean, it’s a lot more activity, it’s a bit of… y’know… I would say it’s a bit more difficult to manage all of that but I mean, I try to get the best from it, I try to get energy from it and keep going. So, it is a pleasure to be here and race in front of the home crowd.

Q: That’s the specifics of this weekend – but more generally, do you know what you’ll be doing in 2019 yet?

SS: I definitely know what I want to be doing. I’m not sure I can guarantee something right here, right now, but, I mean, I think it’s quite obvious, with the way everything is developing, I think it’s quite obvious what I want and it’s something that should happen quite soon. Yeah, I have no guarantees right now, right here, but at the same time I’m not too much worried about the future, let’s say.

Q: Valtteri, this will be Sergey’s first grand prix here in Formula One and this was the scene of your first Formula One victory for Mercedes last year – so does it bring back special memories, returning to Sochi?

Valtteri BOTTAS: Definitely. You never forget the first time. It was a good memory and it will be nice to be back here. Strong track normally. I’ve had pretty decent races so in that way it’s a nice approach to the weekend.

Q: You had more wins after this win here during last season but 2017 was the last time you won a grand prix. How do you go about turning that around this weekend?

VB: No wins for me this year yet but there’s still a bit of the season left and I come here with only one thing on my mind and that is being on the pole and winning the race.

Q: Charles, you’ve a few weeks now to digest where you’ll be racing next year, and you called it a dream come true, to be moving teams. Can we ask, in those dreams, have you started thinking about your first grand prix victory yet?

Charles LECLERC: No, not yet, it’s still very far away. First of all, I have to finish this season on a high, which is for now the main importance to me. There are still six races to go, so I’ll first try to focus on that. Obviously, it’s a dream come true to be racing for Ferrari next year – but I’m trying to take it out of my mind to focus fully on the end of this season.

Q: Focussing on that then, what is it you want to do with Sauber in these final six races. What are the things you still need to learn and work on ahead of your move?

CL: I think you can always improve. To learn, I still think I can learn in everything. So there is still a lot to learn. The target for the end of the season is to try to keep our form. It’s not going to be easy, because, as the team already mentioned, we started to focus, or the team started to focus, on next year’s car and I believe some of the other teams are still pushing a little bit to gain some positions in the championship – so it’s not an easy situation to be in, but we will try to keep our form.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Question for Marcus. The confirmation that you would be reserve driver obviously followed pretty immediately after Sauber confirmed its driver lineup. So, it’s not like you had to face speculation in public about what you would be doing or if you would drive for another team. So, how much notice did you get have? How aware were you that was coming? And did you have much opportunity to look at maybe Williams for next year or staying in F1 in a race role?

ME: I think when Kimi signed, I think that was bad news for me. I was still hoping but then obviously over the past weekend I got the information that Antonio had signed for the other car. And then yeah, my management were looking around a little bit but we decided to continue with Sauber and the relationship there, which we think is important. And then yeah, we go from there basically.

Q: (Andrey Kirsanov – Sputnik News Agency) My question is to Sergey Sirotkin, to our champion. As you know, the last edition of Formula 1 in Singapore, Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes, he won this edition. So what are your expectations for this edition in Sochi, how are you preparing and who are your main rivals in this time?

SS: Tricky question because everybody speaks that we are coming here to Sochi and that it should be a special event and so on and so on, but at the end of the day, in terms of preparation, how you build up your weekend, how you prepare yourself and how you do all your work with the team, it doesn’t really change much at all. It doesn’t matter if you go to Sochi or you go wherever else, every time you try to do your job, you try to do it as good as you can. If I could do anything better than I could I would do it a long time ago, I wouldn’t wait for here. So, I wouldn’t say there is anything different. I wouldn’t say anything different in terms of our opponents or whatever. So yeah, again we just try to do the best from where we are and maximise the situation and I’m afraid that’s it.

And your main rivals?

SS: It’s exactly the same as any other single race. First of all I think we should look at ourselves because I think it’s that type of track where we can have surprises, in both ways, in a good way and in bad way, and depending on that it will put us either closer or further away from the teams we want to be fighting with, so it’s quite difficult to say. But there’s not much movement around the field now anyway, so I would say nothing is going to be much different from what we saw in, let’s say, the recent three, four or five races.

Q: (Valery Kartashev – Racing News Agency) My question is to everybody. In Singapore, Lewis Hamilton said his passion for music and the fashion industry helps him to stay motivated, so my question is: do you have something outside Formula 1 that helps you to stay motivated and recharge the batteries?

VB: Yeah, I think everyone definitely has some things they have time to do between the races. I think for me personally it’s been always… I love sports. It’s a way of staying healthy and a way of getting rid of stress that we can experience with this sport. If I have free time, which I didn’t really have since the last race, but if I have, it’s nice to see the family, friends that you don’t normally get to see. Personally, I love nature, so sometimes a proper escape to hiking or some mountains or something is nice.

ME: Yeah, I’m a bit the same like Valtteri. I enjoy sports in general. I recently opened a paddle centre, so I play quite a lot of that with my friend. I enjoy that a lot. And then, I’m an ice hockey freak, so I watch a lot of ice hockey.

CL: First of all, what motivates me is the results. To me, it’s just trying to work as hard as possible to get the best result possible then on track. Then what relaxes me is just staying with the family and friends in Monaco. Nothing special to be honest.

SS: I would repeat what Valtteri says. I mean most of my life is anyway dedicated to the cars, so anything related to that – I’m never really going far away from it. Again, some type of training. I do like also to stay with the family, to go to see some nature, to be as switched off as possible at certain points from racing. So nothing really much unusual I would say.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globoesporte.com) To all drivers, I start with Valtteri. You started third position and you became first before… at the end of the straight you got a good two from Sebastian, overtook him. And we saw this year also, Sebastian starting behind Lewis in Spa, the same situation; he overtook him after the starting grid and a long straight. Circuits like this, it’s interesting to maybe start from second position or even third rather than pole position?

VB: Yeah, it is tricky one here. It is an extremely long run into Turn 2. Last year I missed the pole by, I think, less than one tenth, which maybe in the end was good, I got a nice tow. But you also need a good start for that. I think still you would like to be on pole because from pole if you get a good start there is… I think if you look at the past, 2015 and 2016, who started on pole could keep the first place into Turn 2. It is a tricky one. Now I think there is a bit of resurfacing done, which affects position one and two. Normally when there is new tarmac it means there is more grip so potentially you would like to be in the first two places.

Marcus, you’ve raced here before, is this a circuit you can make big gains at into Turn 2?

ME: Yeah, I think when it’s a long run into the first braking zone, it’s obviously important with a good start but then you need to look for a good tow, especially these days with the heavy downforce cars, it can make a difference. But as Valtteri says, you still need a good start, to get the momentum on the people around you. But it definitely opens up a bit of a mixture of positions, because it’s such a long run, you know. Some other tracks, like Singapore, even if you do it a good start it’s difficult to make up from it, but here it can really make a difference and you can gain quite a lot of positions.

Charles, it will be the first time you race here, so is this something you look at when you come to a new circuit?

CL: Yeah, you do, but it’s quite difficult to speak when you don’t know the track. Starts haven’t been my strong point this year; I think I struggled quite a bit. But to know there’s a long straight will for sure help overtakes after the start, but apart from that I don’t really know what to say. I don’t know this track so…

Sergey, did you have a similar experience in GP2?

SS: I don’t really remember how it was in GP2, but for sure this kind of track, the speed you approach Turn 2 for the braking and the speed you actually want to brake down to for the apex, it’s quite a big offset, so you can still do something. But again, it all should start with a good launch initially. Without that, it doesn't matter how long is the straight you won’t really be able to do much.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) In Singapore we had blue flags as a topic in the race and afterwards. It seems to have split opinion on their merit in Formula One. What are your respective thoughts on blue flags? Should they be dropped or do they still have a place? Could it be implemented differently? What do you think?

SS: Firstly, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced it as the leading car, obviously, so I can imagine that for the leaders it’s as painful as it is for us. It’s one story when you’re just finishing your race and you’re not really fighting but there are some other occasions when we’re still fighting for positions and for us it’s quite painful to find a good safe way for ourselves, first of all, to let the leading cars pass by. Honestly, I don’t think I have the best experienced to comment if I wish to keep that or if I wish to get rid of it but yeah…

CL: Well, in Singapore first of all, I would like to thank Sergey because if my strategy worked that well it’s thanks to him also.

SS: It was a pleasure.

CL: I think if it’s done well, it’s the right thing to have in Formula One but then in Singapore it was a bit of a mess, I think. At one point, the marshals were waving yellow flags at me for several laps but I had nobody behind or more than one second or quite a lot more, actually. If it’s done properly I think it should stay but we just need to fix this issue for next year in Singapore.

ME: I think it’s always difficult with the blue flags and there are always arguments between the top cars compared to the guys they are lapping and it’s always two opinions there. I think we’ve tried 1.5 seconds, we’ve been down to one second and now I think it’s 1.2s. It’s difficult to find the perfect solution. I think it changes from track to track. In my opinion I think 1.2s is a good compromise. It’s never going to be perfect, but I think it’s just part of the sport, part of the race and I think as it is now I think is the best solution in my opinion, that’s the most fair for both the top and the guys who are getting lapped as well. I can also understand the frustration in the case of Valtteri in Singapore, obviously, because it’s a track where it’s very difficult to get close enough but at the same the guys who they are lapping are also having a race and fighting for points so it is a very difficult subject but I think where it is now is a good compromise.

VB: Well yes, first of all I’m definitely happy to keep the blue flags. I’ve been on both sides, really. I’ve been blue-flagged many times as well. I think honestly, as Marcus says, it really depends on different tracks. Sometimes this new 1.2s rule is good and sometimes it’s a bit tricky to get close enough to trigger the blue flags, like what happened to me in Singapore but it is also going to be a compromise, it’s never going to be perfect. In the end, for all the lead cars lapping, it is the same. Sometimes you get more luck with it, sometimes more unlucky and that’s how it goes. For now it’s fine.

Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Sergey, what are your thoughts on the recent success of Russian drivers you met before, in two years’ time in the Formula One paddock? Is it a question of growing motor racing culture in your country or the chance to have big companies to support you?

SS: I think it’s a good question. I think it’s a bit of both generally,  the racing getting more and more popular which obviously gives more chances, initially, for the drivers first of all, more like a base and I think we will see it even more in the future. Same for the companies: there are more and more companies and different organisations and so on starting to be interested in supporting the racing, whatever it could be. It could be drivers’ sponsorship, it could be like that here. Many companies supporting the track activity here in Sochi or other things similar in Moscow or whatever. Yeah, there’s definitely a lot more movement around this sport nowadays than there’s been, even when I started so it’s a good way to keep going and to improve it. I think it’s still just beginning and I think what’s going on on the base what we have today is going to come in quite a few years and I think it will be quite an impressive improvement.

Kristoffersson has 17 reasons to remain focused in America.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media.

Seventeen is the magical number heading into the World RX of USA, because seventeen points would be enough for defending FIA World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson to claim a successful title defense in America. 

The Swede is a master at claiming the top qualifying spot, so one more of those and a semi-final start would hand Johan the title. 

If the title defense was enough, Kristoffersson claimed the 2018 TCR Scandinavia Touring Car Championship title, last weekend with victory in race one and fifth place in race two at the series’ final round at Mantorp Park. 

Despite the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden drivers record breaking run of success, he is trying to remain focused on the job at hand.

"You know I say all the time that I’m not thinking too much to the championship and really just focusing on the races that are right in front of me," says Kristoffersson. 

"Honestly, I try not to think too much about what could happen, what might happen if this happens or that happens. But then when you are in the gym or sitting on an aeroplane for a long time, then your mind wanders a little bit and, of course, you think a bit to this thing."

Kristoffersson heads into the weekend with a 73 point advantage, but admits that he will not change his approach, despite being on the cusp of claiming his second title. “What won’t change is my approach. OK, I have some gap (73 points) to the guy in second, so I can maybe afford to take some more risks with the races," the Swede said. "But I want to drive clean, stay out of trouble and do what we have to do."

Three questions for Mercedes-AMG Petronas boss Toto Wolff.

Toto Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport lead the Constructors' Championship by 37 points, Lewis leads by 40 points in the Drivers' standing. How does this change the approach for the rest of the season? 
"It's obviously better to have a lead than to not have it, but there are six races remaining and plenty of points to score, so it doesn't give us any comfort. We will continue to concentrate on every single session, trying to optimise the car in every possible area - and we will go for the race win. There is no naïve optimism about our situation within the team: our mind-set is very positive, we are energised, the factories are buzzing and we're excited for the fight that we will certainly have in the next six races." 

What are the chances of seeing Esteban and George in a Formula One cockpit next year? 
"There are many good drivers who merit a drive in Formula One, both young ones and more experienced ones, but at the moment cockpits are a limited commodity. Both Esteban and George certainly deserve to be in Formula One; we are still working on options and will carefully decide what's best for them. If that means having to play the long game, then we will continue to prepare and develop them." 

Valtteri currently holds P4 with only a very slim chance of fighting for the Drivers' Championship. What does that mean for a driver? 
"For every racing driver, that's a very difficult situation to be in because everything you dream about and everything you work for is winning the World Championship. When you realise you're not in the hunt any more, that's very difficult to handle. But Valtteri has shown that he has the speed, the talent and the work ethic to win in a Mercedes. He has always been a team player and that is one of his greatest character traits. Valtteri could have won races this year, but the odds were against him. However luck isn't just a one-way street; and I know that Valtteri has every ingredient it needs to win at this level. He just needs to keep working hard to improve and trust that the tables will turn for him." 

Content Supplied By - Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport 

Solberg keen to go racing at the Circuit of the Americas.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media.

FIA World Champion, Petter Solberg is raring to go racing on American soil. 

Solberg attended the official launch at the Circuit of the Americas early this year, and had the chance of driving the circuit.  

“I was out there for the launch earlier this year and the track looked really good," said Solberg. "It’s going to be a fast one, which is what the drivers really like and it looked like a real challenge with some interesting corners – hopefully some good places to overtake."

The Circuit of the Americas track is 806m in length, with a mix of 63% asphalt and 37% gravel.

Petter and son Oliver [Solberg] will be visiting Houston to see NASA’s Johnson Space Centre, ahead of the World RX weekend. 

The Norwegian is ready to go racing on the new track in Texas. “There’s always something special about a new track and a new venue, but being there at the first time for the championship and the team to compete in America will be a nice experience," says Solberg. 

"As well as the track layout, I think we should be in for a good atmosphere with the fans as well – it’s nice to be there to introduce America to World Rallycross."

GRX Taneco targets the final at the World RX of America

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX Taneco.

GRX Taneco are feeling positive about their achievements heading into the final stages of the World RX season. This is the first time that the Hyundai i20 Supercars have been entered for a full season while still undergoing development. 

The team has qualified for the semi-finals each time, and are constantly improving, having claimed a place in the final on three occasions and clinched a worthy fourth place in Latvia. 

The World RX of USA is a new step on the learning curve for the Finnish team. Held at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas, the tenth round of the season is a highlight on the calendar, and all competitors will have set the bar high. 

“This is a brand new race for all of us, so we’re all on an equal footing. It is also set to be a tough race for the drivers and their cars," said Grönholm. "The circuit is a short 812 metres so we can expect it to be very closely fought with some fierce tussles."

The narrow track is 60% asphalt and 40% dirt, and covers just 812 metres. Temperatures are expected to be high, adding to the difficulty for the drivers and the cars in a race where resilience and consistency will be key to success.  

“The American race is a new challenge for all of us. It’s a very short, narrow, slippery track. Temperatures are going to be high so it’s going to be a very demanding weekend," said Timerzyanov.

Fourth in the Latvian round, Niclas Grönholm is keener than ever to make it onto the podium at the World RX of America. "It promises to be a thrilling weekend and after our performance in Latvia, we feel confident and raring to go," the Finn says. "We’re aiming for another place in the final.”

Timur Timerzyanov reached the semis in Latvia and currently sits ninth in the standings. He is hoping to bag a place in the final this weekend.

"After the contact in the semi-final in Latvia, there was quite a bit of damage to the #7 and the team has been working flat out to get the car ready on time," says Timerzyanov. :"So that’s one more reason to give it our all and reap the rewards from our efforts.”

Ekström believes that COTA should suit their EKS Audi Supercar.

PHOTO CREDIT: Audi Sport

This weekend, EKS Audi Sport heads to Austin (Texas) for the first FIA World Rallycross Championship (World RX) round in the United States.

Mattias Ekström knows the Circuit of the Americas primarily as a race track for Formula One and MotoGP events. “So far, I’ve only seen the rallycross track during a Facebook Live Session of the American championship. It appears to be very compact and should suit our small car well. In addition, there seem to be a number of cool jumps,” says Ekström.

In 2010, Ekström raced as a guest in the American NASCAR series twice. Last weekend, he competed in the Nitro World Games in Salt Lake City, in where took second place.

His teammate, Andreas Bakkerud, has contested a rallycross race at the Circuit of the Americas before. “That was in 2014, as part of the X Games,” says Bakkerud. “It was extremely hot and we had unusually high grip at the start. For all the drivers and teams, developing the best strategy at the start will be a new challenge. I’m looking forward to new fans and a couple of barbecue steaks – after all, Texas is famous for them.”

The Circuit of The Americas, World RX circuit is the shortest on the calendar with a length of 812 meters is located in the stadium area of the Formula One circuit between Turns 12 and 15, and features a spectacular jump. 

Mattias Ekström and Andreas Bakkerud intend to defend positions two and three in the drivers’ world championship at Austin.

PREVIEW: World RX to break new ground at the Circuit of The Americas.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

The FIA World Rallycross Championship will break new ground this weekend, with Texas’ Circuit of The Americas set to host the first-ever World RX of USA.

Fifteen permanent competitors will take to the track, going door-to-door around the new permanent rallycross circuit that incorporates part of COTA’s Formula 1 layout. The field is headed by defending World Champion Johan Kristoffersson, who will clinch his second consecutive Drivers’ title this weekend should he score 17 points or more.

In World RX, however, nothing can ever be taken for granted, with myriad twists, turns and unexpected dramas all part-and-parcel of what is renowned as one of the world’s most thrilling championships.

Whilst PSRX Volkswagen Sweden’s Kristoffersson has unquestionably been the class of the field this year, his rivals – a number of them World Champions in other high-profile series – are redoubling their efforts to halt his charge.

Just six points blanket second to fifth in the classification after nine of the 12 rounds, and the drivers filling those spots – Mattias Ekstrom, Sebastien Loeb, Andreas Bakkerud and Petter Solberg – are some of the biggest names in international motorsport.

EKS Audi Sport’s Ekstrom and Team Peugeot Total ace Loeb arrive in the USA buoyed by top three finishes last time out in Latvia, and both have title-winning pedigree in other high-profile series. Ekstrom has made the final in every round bar one this season – meaning the Swede is always a threat – while Loeb has tallied six podiums from nine starts this year, a statistic beaten only by Kristoffersson.

Bakkerud (EKS Audi Sport) and Solberg (PSRX Volkswagen Sweden) are guaranteed crowd-pleasers, big personalities and famous rivalry invariably amongst the highlights of World RX events. Both are more than capable of winning – with 16 prior victories between them – and both will be fired-up to break their 2018 duck and etch their name in history as the very first winner of World RX of USA.

“It’s going to be a fast one, which is what us drivers really like and it looked like a real challenge with some interesting corners – hopefully some good places to overtake," said Solberg. "There’s always something special about a new track and a new venue, but being the first time for the championship and the team to compete in America will be a great experience. As well as the track layout, I think we should be in for a good atmosphere with the fans as well.”

Timmy Hansen sits sixth in the sister Team Peugeot Total 208 WRX, but a strong result at COTA would vault the Swede firmly into the thick of the second-place scrap, which is set to run right to the end of the campaign.

Beyond the top six in the standings, Niclas Gronholm has been quietly impressive behind the wheel of GRX Taneco Team’s Hyundai i20, currently leading the non-manufacturer battle in seventh position overall. The young Finn has reached the final on three occasions already this season, and came within barely half-a-second of mounting the podium in Riga – motivation to go at least one spot better in the ‘Lone Star State’.

Kevin Hansen in a third Peugeot 208 WRX is next up, the young Swede rivalling his more experienced team-mates on occasion as he continues to prove himself on the World Championship stage, while former Euro RX Supercar Champion Timur Timerzyanov in the second Hyundai can never be ruled out of springing a surprise.

GC Kompetition will field owner/driver Guerlain Chicherit, as 2017 Euro RX Supercar Champion Anton Marklund rejoins the World Championship fray in the sister Renault Megane RS RX, more than three months on from his last appearance. The Swede narrowly pipped Cyril Raymond to the runner-up laurels in the 2018 Euro RX tussle in Latvia, and will be keen to stake his claim to a full-time return to the highest level.

Swedish duo Robin Larsson and Kevin Eriksson are eager to bounce back from a disappointing outing in Riga in Olsbergs MSE’s brace of Ford Fiestas, while Team STARD’s Janis Baumanis and Gregoire Demoustier (Sebastien Loeb Racing) complete the entries.

ENTRY LIST PROVIDED by FIA World Rallycross Media

Kristoffersson re-writes the history books in Latvia.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

Super Swede Kristoffersson has re-written the history books having beaten his own record for the number of victories in a year. The defending World RX champion has claimed eight wins from nine races. 


The Swede's latest victory was crafted from an exceptional race weekend where he showed the kind of pace and determination of a world champion. And it’s a race win that takes him – and PSRX Volkswagen Sweden – another step closer towards another title. 

The unstoppable Swede recalls fond memories of claiming his maiden FIA World Rallycross Championship in Latvia last year. “I had some great memories of winning my first world championship here last year and it was nice to be back again," said Kristoffersson. "We did our testing here in the middle of the year, but to see the grandstands full again was really bringing back the memories of last year – it made me want another world championship!"

Kristoffersson beat Frenchman Sebastien Loeb by just 0.009 seconds in Q1, claiming the fastest time and slotted into P1 in the standings. "Q1 was crucial here – it was so tight, but beating Loeb by nine-thousandths of a second was vital to get pole for Q2," explained Kristofferson. "That helped shape the whole weekend."

By claiming pole position for Q2, the Swede was able to keep out of trouble at Turn 1. Turn 1 claimed quite a few victims, including his teammate Petter Solberg in semi-final one.

"Turn one here is so important, we saw a lot of chaos here and I tried my best to keep out of it and succeeded thankfully," says the Swede. "From pole it is, of course, much easier to brake late and keep position."

The semi-final seemed fairly easy for the defending champion, but he reveals that it was not as easy as, it might have appeared. “In the semis, the first couple of laps were actually quite messy and I made a few mistakes; I was more cautious as I knew my pace was good," says Kristoffersson. 

After a messy semi-final, Johan made a few changes to improve the Volkswagen Polo R Supercar for the final. "We had a great launch off the line, the car was fantastic and I felt comfortable pushing," the PSRX Volkswagen driver said. 

"I have to thank the team for their hard work to improve our starts which was so important here, it's worked well and really made this victory possible."

Solberg touched by support after revealing medical condition.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media.

PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver and team owner, Petter Solberg was back in Riga for the first time since being involved in a heavy crash last year. The triple FIA world champion admitted he’d been touched by the support he received after revealing his medical condition ahead of the Latvian round. 

But, for the third World RX of Latvia in succession, he failed to emerge with the result he’d hoped for – a collision on lap one of the semi-final lead to him not qualifying for the final.

“I don’t believe in bad luck but that’s three times in a row now in Latvia..." said Solberg. "I feel like I had good pace all weekend but just never had the chance to show it. I was stuck in traffic a lot, some really tough battles but it meant I lost so much time and couldn’t get the results I needed to get a front-row spot for the semi-finals."

The Norwegian lined up on the second row of the grid in semi-final one, and after an incident at Turn 1, he finished in fourth place. “In turn one in the semi I felt a hard hit from behind and was pushed into the wall," explained Solberg. "At that point getting into the final was basically impossible, but our speed in those last five laps was really good and showed what could have been."

Ahead of the Latvian round, Solberg revealed that he was diagnosed with a condition in where his body produces too much iron. The medical condition was only discovered after doctors performed tests, following his crash in Latvia last year. 

“It was a tough decision whether or not to talk about what happened for the last year, but I wanted people to know why I had not really been myself," said Solberg. "Honestly, the support I got has been more than I could ever imagine and I have to say a big, big thank you to everybody for these messages."

World RX and Mettet part ways with immediate effect.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

After five years of successful hosting the FIA World Rallycross Championship at the Mettet's Circuit Jules Tacheny, the promoter IMG and RUMESM have today ended their agreement to host the World RX of Belgium.

The World RX event at Mettet has enjoyed much success, having been a mainstay on the World RX calendar since the series’ inaugural season back in 2014. However all parties have amicably agreed to part ways with immediate effect.

“We are very proud that Mettet’s Circuit Jules Tacheny was able to host the FIA World Rallycross Championship for five years, thanks to an excellent working relationship with IMG,” said Freddy Tacheny, Chairman of RUMESM.

The World RX of Belgium has seen four different race winners over the five years: Toomas Heikkinen, Mattias Ekstrom, Johan Kristoffersson and Sebastian Loeb. 

“The RUMESM and Mettet have been brilliant hosts but both parties agree that the time is right to part ways," said Paul Bellamy, Senior Vice President, Motorsports at IMG. "We wish the RUMESM and Mettet every success in the future.”

The full 2019 World RX calendar will be announced in due course.

Loeb claims another podium finish but urges Peugeot Total to improve.

PHOTO CREDIT: Peugeot Sport/Red Bull Content Pool

Sébastien Loeb claimed another podium for Team Peugeot Total, with a third place in Latvia, his 3rd straight podium finish in Riga and 6th of the 2018 FIA World Rallycross season. 

The Frenchman was the second-best points-scorer of the weekend, while Team Peugeot Total scored more points than any other team. 

On Saturday, Loeb did not get off to a clean start, and ended the day in sixth place overall. He came back fighting on Sunday securing second place in both Q3 and Q4. 

“The weekend went quite well: we made a good start right from Q1, then we struggled a bit more in Q2, hitting a barrier, which cost us some time," said Loeb. "Q3 and Q4 were especially good: I think we have a solid pace but the problem we have is that the 3 manufacturers here have nearly the same speed, so it’s very hard to make a difference on the track."

The Frenchman believes that there is still a lot of work to be done with race starts, due to its inconsistency. "Quite often I lose a place by the 1st corner, and that’s actually what happened in the Final," says Loeb. 

In order to be able to challenge for race win, the Frenchman firmly believes that Team Peugeot Total needs to find small improvements. 

"We just need to find a little bit more to be challenging for the victory and that’s going to be our objective between now and the end of the season," he explains. "There aren’t any miracles in this sport, but you just have to work hard to understand how to improve.”

The Hansen brothers are pleased with the Latvia RX result.

PHOTO CREDIT: Peugeot Sport. 

The 9th round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship in Latvia was extremely closely-fought: to the extent that the winning margin in one of the Qualifying races (Q1) was just 0.009 seconds – or 23 centimetres.

In the end, Team Peugeot Total secured three positions in the Latvian final, and Sebastien Loeb went on to secure a podium finish. 

The final didn’t entirely go to plan for brothers Timmy Hansen and Kevin Hansen, who finished 5th and 6th respectively, although it was still a strong team showing, with a useful points haul. 

Despite his fifth place finish in Riga, Timmy Hansen was relatively happy with how his weekend shaped up. “I’m happy with the result of this weekend overall and I think 5th is a fair reflection of what I deserved," says Timmy Hansen.

"My start wasn’t perfect in the Final and I was probably missing a bit to be challenging at the very top, but overall the speed was very, very good and we’ve seen some good progress; especially when we ended up with 3 Peugeot's in the Final," the Swede explained.

Since its introduction, the Peugeot 208 WRX Evo has been competitive, but the team are consistently working to find improvements, in order to achieve their ultimate goal of claiming race wins. 

Hansen believes that with more work, Team Peugeot Total can become race winning contenders: "If we carry on working in this way, I think we can definitely achieve our goals."

Timmy Hansen's younger brother, and Team Peugeot Total's independent World RX entrant, Kevin Hansen claimed a spot in the final and finished in 6th place. The young Swede is happy to have qualified for the final. “I’m actually more than happy: I’m really delighted," said Kevin Hansen. "I got through to the Final, for the 4th time this year, and I raced well all weekend." 

Kevin Hansen was particularly happy with how Team Peugeot Total reacted to setbacks on Saturday. "It was looking really tough but with the help of the team, we dug deep and were able to fight back: it’s really an extraordinary group of people here who never give up," explained Hansen. "From my perspective, I feel that I’m learning more all the time with this car and that we’re continuing the learning curve that we embarked on."

"I’m eager to make more progress now!”

Niclas Grönholm claims an impressive fourth place in Latvia.

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX Taneco

GRX Taneco have strengthened its fourth place in the FIA World RX team standings, with an impressive fourth place from Niclas Grönholm in Riga.

On the first day, Niclas Grönholm and Timur Timerzyanov were placed in the top 10 in the two qualifying sessions. Grönholm even secured the sixth-fastest time in Q2.
“Every time, the first two bends were a bit hairy,” Grönholm explained. “It was tough, but we came out of it well and secured a good position quite quickly to qualify for the semi-finals.”

On Sunday, Grönholm again got into the top 10, while Timerzyanov found himself under pressure in the last qualifying slot before Q4. In a final push, the Finn finished seventh in the intermediate rankings, while the Russian squeezed into the semi-finals in eleventh place.

The second semi-final saw the two GRX Taneco drivers up against Johan Kristoffersson, Mattias Ekström and Petter Solberg. Lying fourth and fifth after the first turn, the two drivers opted for different strategies as Timerzyanov went for the joker lap at the start of the race, while Grönholm chose to continue posting respectable lap times. Penalised by a last-lap spin, Timerzyanov finished the semi-final in sixth place. His teammate, meanwhile, clinched third and a golden ticket for the final in the process!

“We knew that something had to happen in the semi-final for us to have a chance of qualifying,” says Grönholm. “For once, the first turn went in our favour and our strategy was effective once again.”

Timerzyanov was frustrated after not progressing any further: “The result is a bit disappointing as I have lost ground on my teammate and the other drivers ahead of me in the championship. We need to find solutions to get nearer the front of the field. I am already looking forward to the United States. It will be a very different track and we’ll see how it pans out.”

In the final, Grönholm emerged from the first turn in third position behind Johan Kristoffersson and Mattias Ekström and ahead of the three Peugeot 208s. Under attack from Timmy Hansen and Sébastien Loeb, Niclas managed to hold off Hansen, but Loeb on the joker lap emerging just ahead of Grönholm.

“I wasn’t under any pressure,” Niclas concluded. “I drove far more cleanly than at any other stage of the weekend and managed to get into a good groove."

Mattias Ekström claims a podium finish for EKS Audi Sport in Riga.

PHOTO CREDIT: Audi Sport 

EKS Audi Sport claim their sixth podium finish in the 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship season. At the ninth round of the season in Riga, Mattias Ekström finished second, only 2.3 seconds behind the racer winner and championship leader Johan Kristoffersson.

Ekström had a smooth road to second place in Riga: by being placed third in the intermediate results. The Swede qualified for the semi-final where he clinched a place in the final after finishing second behind Kristoffersson. In the crucial final, Ekström was again only once again beaten by Kristoffersson and thus claimed the sixth podium finish for EKS Audi Sport in the 2018 season.

“I’m pleased about the solid weekend, we had several good preliminary races and made great starts,” said Ekström. “But I obviously want to win races – and we were very close again here. There are several world championship rounds still ahead of us and we’ll be fighting just as hard.” 

In the drivers’ classification, Ekström moved up to second place ahead of his team mate Andreas Bakkerud, while EKS Audi Sport maintains second place in the teams’ classification.

Nico Müller, contested his first wild card race of the season in Latvia, also qualified for the semi-finals. However, Müller and Bakkerud were both out of luck: in a collision at the start. 

“As a result, my front suspension was damaged,” reported the Swiss driver. As a consequence, both drivers missed making the cut for the final. “It was one of the hardest weekends that I’ve had this season,” said Bakkerud. “I fought at the beginning with my pace and to find the right set-up. In the semi-final I made a good start, but I got squeezed by the two Peugeots in the first corner and my race was destroyed as a result.”

REPORT: Record breaking Kristoffersson extends World RX points lead with Latvia RX win.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media.

PSRX Volkwagen Sweden’s Johan Kristoffersson has extended his lead in the FIA World Rallycross Championship by winning round nine at the Neste World RX of Latvia.

Kristoffersson continued his record breaking run claiming maximum points, a sixth straight top qualifiers position (a new record) and a record eighth win of the season at the wheel of his Volkswagen Polo R in Riga. 

Three manufacturers were represented on the Latvia RX podium with EKS Audi Sport’s Mattias Ekstrom finishing as runner-up and Team Peugeot Total’s Sebastien Loeb completing the podium..

Ekstrom also claimed the Monster Energy Supercharge Award for having the fastest reaction time at the start of the final as he moved to second in the race behind Kristoffersson at the first corner.

In the battle for position at turn one, GRX Taneco’s Niclas Gronholm climbed to third. The Finnish driver had a strong race in his Hyundai i20, in which he challenged Loeb for a place on the podium until the chequered flag, equalling his best result of the season so-far from round one at Catalunya-Barcelona.

All three Team Peugeot Total drivers; Loeb, Timmy and Kevin Hansen started the final and the Hansen brothers ran fifth and sixth after the start. Timmy passed Kevin for fifth on lap one, the pair finishing in the same positions at the end of the six laps.

“Mattias (Ekstrom) had a slightly better launch than me in the semi-final but I just braked as late as I could to take the lead and from there on we had a race for the first three laps. I did some mistakes to be honest and after that I was a little but more cautious,” said Kristoffersson. “In the final I had a great launch, we did some small changes on the car between the semi-final and final, it was actually a little bit better so the last one and a half laps of the final reminded me of last year’s win here.” 

Ekstrom was happy with a strong weekend in Riga to finish second in the final. “I’m pleased about the solid weekend, we had several good preliminary races and made great starts,”  said Ekstrom. “But I obviously want to win races – and we were very close again here. There are several World Championship rounds still ahead of us and we’ll be fighting just as hard.”

Sebastien Loeb finished on the podium at the circuit where he won his first World RX final in 2016. “The weekend went quite well. We had a very good Q1, then I struggled a bit in Q2 – I hit a tyre barrier in the fight in the first corner, then after that I had a problem with my front-left suspension so lost quite a bit of time," said Loeb. "Finally, Q3 and Q4 were good today. I think we have good pace, the problem for us is that the three manufacturers have nearly the same pace, it’s very difficult to make a difference on the track. I’m happy to be back on the podium for sure.”

Petter Solberg finished fourth in semi-final one and Andreas Bakkerud was fourth in semi-final two. Both GC Kompetition drivers, Guerlain Chicherit and Liam Doran challenged for a place in the final and finished fifth in their respective semi-finals, but both GRX Taneco’s Timur Timerzyanov and EKS Audi Sport’s Nico Muller were unable to finish their semi-finals after contact. ALL-INKL.COM Munnich Motorsport’s Timo Scheider was first reserve for the semi-finals in 13th, ahead of Latvian star Janis Baumanis.

2018 Singapore GP: FIA Post-Race Press Conference.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA.com

DRIVERS
1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
2 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)
3 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

TRACK INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by David Coulthard)

Q: Congratulations Lewis, you are a serial winner. That’s your 69th victory.

Lewis HAMILTON: I’m spent. That was a tough race. But I have such great support here. We had a great start. The team have just never given up faith and belief in me and in Valtteri and in our ability, and it is a blessing. It was a long race. That felt like the longest race of my life, so I’m glad it’s over. Max put up a good fight as well, but what a day, what a weekend. I feel super blessed.

Q: My knees can’t take this, can we stand? A man of a certain age. It got interesting around lap 38, there was a little bit of traffic there and they were in their own battle. You had to go defensive with Max, tell us about that moment?

LH: Yeah, I was a little bit unlucky with the traffic. These guys were moving around, it was quite difficult to follow. I think Max was a little bit luckier getting by some of the guys in terms of what point on the track and the guys weren’t letting me by. Jeez, it was definitely close and my heart was definitely in my mouth for a minute but once I got clear of them I was able to put the pedal down and pull away.

Q: This has been an incredible September in your life, in all of the Septembers you’ve lived. You’ve won the Italian Grand Prix, you’ve been off launching fashion lines, you’ve come here and you’ve now taken the lead to 40 points over Sebastian Vettel. It doesn’t get much better.

LH: Definitely not. I mean they put up a good fight this weekend and I’m not really quite sure where their pace disappeared to, but as I said, I’m just grateful for everyone’s hard work, and the fans here. A lot of British flags come out Singapore, so thank you guys, love you, team LH all the way.

Q: Enjoy the moment, congratulations, fantastic moment. Max, come and join me up here. A brilliant result.

Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, it was not bad. A shame from the first lap, but you can clearly see we miss top speed. But from there on the team had a great strategy so we could get back into second. Basically we did our own race, tried to follow Lewis a little bit and at the end we knew second was going to be result so you just bring it home.

Q: We saw you have a little stumble as you were coming out of the pit box, it looked like you were between gears, you were in second and then you went down to first. Even with that you still managed to get out in front of Seb.

MV: It was not a perfect getaway, but also behind the safety car it was almost bogging down, false neutrals, so a lot of problems but still, very happy with second.

Q: Well done, Max, great result. Seb, congratulations, but I’m a little bit confused. You were quick all through free practice on a track you’ve been exceptional on in the past, it just didn’t seem that you were in the fight today. Any ideas?

Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, it’s true. I think overall we were not fast enough. We didn’t have the pace in the race. But also I think we tried to be aggressive in the beginning and obviously it didn’t work out. After that I think I had a different race from the other guys, on a different tyre, and I wasn’t very convinced that we could make it to the end, but pitting wasn’t an option because you lose too much time in the pit stop. So we just focused on making it home.

Q: The hopes of the tifosi rest with you. Have you got some light at the end of the tunnel? Lewis has started to open that gap up and time’s running out. How optimistic are you for the future races?

SV: It doesn’t help. Obviously I’m mostly thinking about today’s race. I think today with the way we raced we didn’t have a chance. There might be something extra in the fact that maybe we were not quick enough but I think I said before the weekend we can only beat ourselves and we didn’t get everything out of the package.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-Magazin.com) Seb, you said it was pretty obvious what you have tried with the ultrasoft. But could you explain that a little bit, because even if you had jumped Lewis with the ultrasoft you would probably have been on the worse tyre for the rest of the race?

SV: Well, I mean, obviously the first stint was a cruise for most of it, and then Lewis was picking up the pace. Overall, if you see the gap in the end it is clear that we were not fast enough today in the race. We need to understand why. Obviously it’s largely due to how we decided to race, on which tyres, for how many laps etc. With what we did we tried to get to first position but Lewis was too quick and then… once you are ahead you can control the pace around here but we never got ahead, so it’s a bit pointless to answer.

Q: (Edd Straw – Autosport) Sebastian, you said you and the team didn’t get everything out of the car this weekend. Can you just talk through the progression over the weekend, where you went in the wrong direction? And just in general, do you think the team is not necessarily making the right calls and doing the right things with the way they play the weekend to maximise your chances?

SV: No, I will always defend the team. I think the decision we took in the race, the decisions to try to be aggressive, if it works it’s great, today it didn't work. Obviously it didn’t work by quite a bit and we need to look into that. But I believe we saw something and that’s why we go for it. Obviously inside the car it’s difficult to be on top of everything because you cannot see where you come out etc. We were aggressive in trying to get ahead, taking into account that we have to go through traffic, which in the end bit us also, to lose the second place. If it doesn’t work it is always easy to criticise but I will always defend what we did. Overall, we had a very strong package, both Kimi and myself, I think we looked very competitive throughout practice but in the end if you look at the race result we finished third and fifth. Like yesterday, probably not where the speed of our car belongs so that’s what I mean by saying we didn’t get everything out of ourselves.

Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Lewis, you said earlier that you didn't expect to leave here adding ten extra points to your championship lead – so how big a boost is it to your title chances, winning here again, given that we always seem to think this is a Ferrari circuit?

LH: Well, we’re really just taking it one race at a time, knowing that Ferrari have had quite good pace for the last few races. Generally, whilst we’ve finished on front foot, we start on the back foot, kinda thing, each weekend – but with a mentality that, if we do a good enough job, maybe we’ll come out ahead. Right this second it definitely feels… it was a tough race. It was a hardcore race. The cars are much quicker than usual, and obviously that moment we had with the backmarkers and the crazy day we had yesterday, with the crazy week that I’ve had… the last two weeks have just been intense. So, I’m looking forward to a couple of days off, these following days – but, of course it feels great but I’ve been here a long, long time so I don’t let… I know I can’t get ahead of myself; we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We have to continue to remain humble and just keep working as hard as we can. So, right now, I just feel, job done. I’m really happy with it. Still lots of points available but with this performance, and this focus that we have as a team, I truly believe that we can deliver impactful weekends like this for the rest of the season. So that’s the goal.

Q: (Laurence Edmondson – ESPN) Question for Seb. Looking at the weekend as a whole, how costly were those lost laps in FP2, in understanding the tyres and putting together the race strategy?

SV: Not at all. I mean, I’ve done enough laps around here. Obviously, it’s never great if you miss out but I think Friday and Saturday morning we were first in practice, so I don’t think that made a big difference. And also, late on in the season, you know enough about tyres and you can read from other people, so I think we got all the information and the fact that I think today we made it until the end with the most laps on the tyre you probably least expect to go that far, shows that we didn’t have any problems with the tyres. But obviously, you know we had to manage our race differently than the other guys.

Q: (Julien Billotte – AutoHebdo) Question for Seb again. Did you guys pit earlier than expected because you misheard what Lewis reported on his tyre at the start of the race, in the early phase of the race?

SV: What did he report?

He said “I’ve got a lot left in my tyres,” and your engineer reported the opposite – which you didn’t believe actually. So did you pit earlier than expected?

SV: I did not believe it, I said it’s not true – because we were going quite slowly in the beginning, and I think a couple of laps after that, Lewis decided to push, so obviously, when your tyres are fresh you can choose the pace a little bit here and not be under threat because the corners that matter, you still have very good exits and it’s difficult to get close. So yeah, in the end I think we were fine in the first stint. We probably dropped back a little bit too much, so I think, overall, we did not have exactly the pace that we wanted – but also, if you are the first car it is always easier because you have nobody in front, you manage your tyres and then, at some point, you decide to go. Whereas if you are behind, you always need to be sort-of ready. If you drop back too much then you’re too far away, so it’s natural that, being behind, you lose quite a lot. Even if you go slower, being behind, you damage your tyres more than being in front, going slower. So, it was not a big surprise but that’s how the game is played here, and he did it very well, and they executed well. For us, we tried to do something, it didn’t work full stop and from their obviously we were more on the back foot and defence. So, we had a different race after that point.

Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) Question to Sebastian. After starting the season so well, still got the fastest car, is there a sense now that you might be losing your grip on this championship?

SV: Well, Lewis said he didn't expect to come here gaining ten points, we probably didn’t come here expecting to lose ten points – but, having had the race that we had, I think there’s a full justification for losing those ten points and we take it. Obviously, there is still a long way to go and a lot of points to score. I never believed that we had the fastest car by a big margin, as people said. I know that we have a very good car. I think we started the season well and then we were about half a second behind in qualifying and it was crucial to get back, which we manage to – and then we had a bit of a rough time but overall I think the speed is there but I think it’s a match in qualifying as much as in the race. Today, if anything, I think we were a little bit slower, which we need to have a look and understand – but also it’s difficult to draw the conclusion because our race, my race was very different. I was on the oldest tyres and probably on the tyre that was not supposed to last that long. You would probably like to go out and do the same stint on the same tyres, just to be able to compare – but that’s not the race that we had today. So, you know, that’s what it was this weekend. Russia, I think, has been getting better the last years for us, so it should suit our car as well. I don’t think we have any tracks to fear that are coming. I think our car is working pretty much everywhere and that’s a strength of our car, so no need to be afraid of what’s coming.

Q: (Jerome Pugmire – Associated Press) Sebastian, earlier you said you need to look as to why you were third and fifth and yesterday you had some questions about what happened in qualifying. Why is it that you can’t put your finger on what’s going wrong at the moment for Ferrari?

SV: I think first of all we’re not playing a silly game, we’re quite serious and it’s quite tough competition, so the level of competition is very high and if you have the slightest mistake obviously there are people there who are usually there to benefit from it. I think today, you know the race that we had showed that Max was there straightaway to benefit. Maybe sometimes you are lucky and it’s not showing as crucial but today it caught us and what we tried didn’t work and also caught us out so it didn’t help but I’m happy to try, I’m happy to try being aggressive to try and win. That was the ambition and especially on a track where it’s difficult to pass you need to try and figure something out. Yeah, but overall I think it’s not the result that we wanted and it’s a disappointment because we came here thinking that we are very strong. I think we were but not strong enough, not as strong as we probably wanted to be in terms of raw race pace. Yesterday, I still believe we could have had a better day but it’s history so - same as today – we need to look forward. There are a couple of differences that are standing out about yesterday, about today, things that we can learn from the others, because they simply did a better job if they finish ahead of us by half a minute, so clearly they did some things better than us.

Q: (Daan de Geus – Formula 1 Magazine NL) Max…

MV: They are like the Finnish, you know…

Q: (Daan de Geus – Formula 1 Magazine NL) Max, you and Red Bull earmarked this as the best opportunity of the second half of the season. How important is it to deliver with a good result, and does it change your expectations heading into these last six races?

MV: No. I mean. Yeah. Well, it’s quite straightforward. This race was better for us than Monza, for example, so I think we maximised the result with the problems we had with the engine which was a shame, because I was very happy the safety car was gone because I was almost stalling on the track so even my pit stop was not great. Yeah, looking forward to now… I don’t know which track will come up as maybe good again. Maybe Mexico a little bit but we lose a lot on the straight, so I’m not expecting it to be like last year but you never know. You always have to be positive I guess and try to be there if something happens.

Q: (Joost Nederpelt – NU.NL) Max, was there any point in this race – pace-wise – where you thought you could win this race?

MV: Laps to the grid, I think. No, you can’t pass, it’s impossible. You could see that once in the first stint when we were all going quite slowly, even if you wanted to push a bit more you can’t get close so you’re just following a train. Yeah, you just have to do your own race, try to look after the tyres and that’s what we did, that’s why we could do the overcut which of course was great and once I was in second again, I know I would just try to follow Lewis to the end and bring it home.

Q: (Edd Straw – Autosport) Sebastian and Max, you had two battles, one on the first lap…

LH: Do you have a question for me?

Q: (Edd Straw – Autosport) You were just too good.

MV: Oh thanks, mate!

Q: (Edd Straw – Autosport) Sebastian and Max, you had two battles, one on the first lap and one after the pit stop. Could you just talk through those battles and if you could have done anything differently to reverse them? Could you have stayed there first time Max and Seb could you have got ahead second time?

MV: They were fine. I was a disappointed the first one and I guess Seb was a bit disappointed the second one.

SV: That’s a good summary. I had a very good start, I tried in turn one but Max was covering the inside and from there I tried to line things up for the next corner which was successful and I got a bit of a tow from Lewis down the straight so that worked well. The pits it was tight so I lost it again, it was a pity, obviously.

Q: (Kate Walker – New York Times) Lewis, the perceived wisdom for most of this season is that you’ve got the second best car on the grid but you have also got the biggest advantage in the championship. Where are you finding these performances where you are able to outstrip both your car and your competitors’ equipment?

LH: Good question, thank you, I appreciate it. It’s hard up here because it’s like an anti-climax. Naturally it was a hard race but we need to keep the energy up because this is a special moment for me and for the team. Was it an exciting race, or not really for you guys? That’s probably why. I definitely heard a couple of people snoring here. Honestly, it’s just great teamwork, very very diligent engineering. The guys obviously back at the car, we’re constantly learning about the car and refining it but we’re bring out upgrades every now and then but it’s pretty much the same times as they (Ferrari) bring theirs. But it’s more understanding the tyres, it’s more getting more comfortable with hitting the nail on the head with the balance of the car and really just eking out each little bit and each weekend we’re got incredible communications. The debriefs are really really solid, there’s a lot of direction that comes from the debriefs. I give quite long debriefs nowadays and we work to the point that we leave no stone unturned, there’s not a single stone unturned each weekend that we arrive and so it’s a real collective, it’s just the strongest the team has ever been in terms of how we communicate. We’ve got great people in the team, both at the factory and here and it’s a real privilege to work with everyone and also we’re all so comfortable with each other and there’s a huge confidence within the organisation. And in terms of my driving, as I said, I have these others things that I do outside which are stimulating. I know there were questions at the beginning of the week whether it is distracting and naturally you come here and if I put one foot wrong, people are going to point to the things that I do outside as a result of it. You can see, it doesn’t affect my performance and if anything those things they add to the performance really. Healthwise, I’m super healthy. As I said, I went on a plant-based diet last year - here, actually, I started here last year - and it’s been the best year of my life physically.