PREVIEW: The RX2 Series Champion will be crowned in Cape Town.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

The RX2 Series champion will be crowned this weekend in the "Mother City" Cape Town.

Olsbergs MSE team-mates Oliver Eriksson and Guillaume De Ridder prepare to duel it out for title glory. Eriksson holds a 14-point advantage following the six rounds – of which he has won three and De Ridder two – and it is the Swede that will arrive in Cape Town with the momentum on his side.

Henrik Krogstad, Vasiliy Gryazin, Ben-Philip Gundersen and Sondre Evjen will do battle for third place in the drivers' standings, while local fans will be able to cheer on Ashley Haigh-Smith, who returns to the scene of his rallycross debut 12 months ago in place of Simon Syversen with Finnish outfit SET Promotion.

PREVIEW: 18 fight for glory under the shadow of Table Mountain.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

The 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship draws to a close in Cape Town this weekend at the Killarney International Raceway.

Following a successful inaugural rallycross event on the African continent last year, all 18 entrants are eager to head into the winter ‘off season’ with momentum on their side by claiming victory in South Africa. 

The key talking point is the fight for the medal places in the World Championship standings, with four drivers disputing second and third overall. Mattias Ekstrom currently holds second place, closely pursued by his teammate Andreas Bakkerud, PSRX Volkswagen Sweden's Petter Solberg and Team Peugeot Total’s Sebastien Loeb. Solberg will take a 15-point penalty for an engine change this weekend, while Loeb is 16 points behind the EKS Audi Sport drivers.

Ekstrom and Bakkerud travel to South Africa with confidence having claimed a double podium last time out at the Estering and five top three finishes between them from the most recent four rounds. 

Two-time World Champion Petter Solberg is desperate to avoid what would be the first winless season of his World RX career; after recovering from a lung disease, the Norwegian has looked increasingly strong, and nearly claimed victory in America. 

Loeb has nothing to lose and can effectively go for broke..

In order to reach the top step of the podium in Cape Town, they all need to get the better of World RX champion Johan Kristoffersson who has claimed ten wins this season, and he is determined to replicate his 2017 Cape Town triumph.

The Swede might return to the ‘Mother City’ as the man with the target on his back, but in World RX, nothing can ever be taken for granted. One of Kristoffersson’s rivals this weekend is likely to be Team Peugeot Total’s Timmy Hansen, his closest competitor at Killarney last season, topping two of the four qualifying rounds and ultimately claiming second in the final, a whisker shy of victory.

Hansen currently in sixth in the points table and after a brace of engine change penalties in Latvia and America, the Swede will be fired-up to finish the season in style.

"I’m obviously really hungry to get a win with the 208 WRX Evo; we’ve been in the final and very close on so many occasions, but just missing that small final ingredient, or bit of luck, to get there," said Timmy Hansen. "It's always important to end the season with a strong result.”

GRX Taneco’s Niclas Gronholm has enjoyed an excellent campaign behind the wheel of his Hyundai i20, as has Kevin Hansen in his Team Peugeot Total 208. Both men have progressed through to the final in two of the last three events.

Team STARD’s Janis Baumanis has been a consistent contender in 2018 and set the pace in Q2 in Cape Town last year. Twelve months on, the Latvian is sure to be fighting for a semi-final place with the second Hyundai of Timur Timerzyanov, Olsbergs MSE duo Kevin Eriksson and Robin Larsson and GC Kompetition’s Guerlain Chicherit and Anton Marklund. 

Seeking to continue his upturn in form over the second half of the year, Gregoire Demoustier returns to Killarney in his Sebastien Loeb Racing Peugeot 208.

The entry list is completed by Timo Scheider and Rene Muennich for ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport and Oliver Bennett in his BMW MINI SX1.

“I can think of nowhere better to conclude another fantastic campaign of first-class rallycross competition than Cape Town, one of the world’s most beautiful cities," said World RX Managing Director for IMG, Paul Bellamy. "Last year, the organisers really rolled out the red carpet for rallycross’ debut on the African continent and the thousands of fans who attended made us feel extremely welcome.”

2018 Gumtree World Rallycross of South Africa - ENTRY LIST

GRX Taneco set their sights on the finals in Cape Town.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

GRX Taneco have set their sights on qualifying both cars for the final at the 2018 Gumtree World Rallycross of South Africa this weekend.

The team can look back on the 2018 season with great satisfaction, claiming eleven semi-final positions and four places in the final in eleven races. 

After a fine performance last time out in Germany, the team hopes to go one step further in the finals in Cape Town. 

World RX of South Africa is raced at the Killarney International Raceway in Cape Town, overlooked by the spectacular Table Mountain. The 60% asphalt/40% dirt track was well received by all the drivers competing in the inaugural edition last year, despite some tricky, dusty dirt portions. The lap record was set by Johan Kristoffersson who covered the 1,067 metres in 40.393 seconds. 

Fourth overall in Spain, Latvia and Germany, Niclas Grönholm has shown that the Hyundai i20 Supercar can compete with the factory teams. In the break between the German round of the championship and the season finale in Cape Town, Niclas has been preparing himself for the 2019 season. 


"We have had a long break since Germany and I have had time to get myself ready physically and mentally, and to think about 2019!," said Grönholm. "So I have been quite busy."

The Finn is looking forward to the season finale in South Africa, but has one target in mind. "The aim is to get through to the final and secure my seventh place in the overall standings," says Grönholm. "Last year, the track was really tricky with the dust causing quite a few problems in the dirt section."

Last year’s race in South Africa saw Timur Timerzyanov place thirteenth while Niclas Grönholm finished fifteenth. 

Timur is raring to go racing at the Killarney International Raceway. "We’re going to South Africa for only the second year running, so the circuit is quite new for everyone," said .Timerzyanov. 

The Russian hopes that the organizers of the World RX of South Africa have come up with a solution for the brake up in the surface conditions. 

"In 2017, the track was interesting but quickly broke up and the conditions were really tough. I hope the organisers have managed to come up with a solution so that the surface remains stable and the conditions are the same for everyone," says Timerzyanov. 

"The team is ready for one last surge, to finish off with a good performance and pick up as many points as possible."

Timmy and Kevin Hansen are aiming for strong results in Cape Town.

Kevin Hansen leading his older brother Timmy Hansen.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

Team Peugeot Total drivers and brothers Timmy and Kevin Hansen are aiming to secure strong results at the season finale at the Killarney International Raceway this weekend. 

Sebastien Loeb and Timmy Hansen are currently 5th and 6th in the drivers' standings. They both still have the chance to improve their results this weekend. The team’s Junior driver, Kevin Hansen, is fully recovered from his accident at the Estering and is determined to improve on his current 8th position in the standings, having previously shown that he has the speed.

Timmy Hansen was the second best driver at the inaugural World Rallycross championship round in Cape Town last year, securing two wins in the qualifying heats and going on to secure a second place finish behind race winner Johan Kristoffersson.

“South Africa is a lot of fun and I enjoyed racing on the track last year – I finished 2nd–  so I’m looking forward to going back," said Timmy Hansen. "It’s a modern-style circuit with quite a lot of grip on the gravel, where you can find a nice rhythm and let the car flow." 

Timmy has been showing strong pace in his Peugeot 208 WRX EVO this season, but has not had the luck. The Swede was hit with two engine penalties in Latvia and America dropping him out of contention for second place in the drivers' standings.

Hansen is hungrier then ever to claim a win for Team Peugeot Total at the teams last event in the championship.

"I’m obviously really hungry to get a win with the 208 WRX Evo: we’ve been in the final and very close on so many occasions, but just missing that small final ingredient, or bit of luck, to get there," the Swede said. 

Team Peugeot Total took to the track in Portugal with Sebastien Loeb and Timmy Hansen working on improving the car ahead of the season finale. 

The Hansen Family: Kenneth (left), Kevin, Timmy and Susann Hansen (right)
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

"I was glad to participate in 2 more test sessions with Team Peugeot Total in Portugal, so I’m just looking for a strong weekend in South Africa, with no mishaps," said Timmy Hansen. "It's always important to end the season with a strong result, as that fills you with confidence going forward...”

Timmy's younger brother Kevin Hansen suffered a nasty crash in the World Rallycross Championship round in Buxtehude, Germany and is fully recovered and raring to go racing, despite it being an emotional weekend as Team Peugeot Total bow out of the sport.

“For a number of reasons I think South Africa will be a very emotional event for everyone in our team and we’ll be giving it absolutely everything we have: there’s no point holding back," said Kevin Hansen.

Kevin progressed to the final's last year in Cape Town, but never made it to Turn 1 due to mechanical issues with his car. 

"I like the track a lot because there’s a nice rhythm to it, with quite a high average speed, and there are plenty of spectators that give the place a very nice atmosphere," the young Swede said

Hansen is aiming to carry his speed from Germany into the season finale in South Africa, and he has set his sights on a podium finish.

"From my point of view, I’m just going to go absolutely flat-out from the start: we know we have a car that is fast and reliable. In Buxtehude I was absolutely on course for a podium, so I want to try and get that back in South Africa," says Hansen.

"I’ve learned so much from being in a professional factory team like Peugeot, so now my goal is to put that to good use.”

Ekström and Bakkerud to fight for runner-up spot in Cape Town.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media/Audi Sport

EKS Audi Sport drivers, Mattias Ekström and Andreas Bakkerud, are going to battle for second place in the drivers' standings at the season finale in Cape Town. 

The drivers’ title has already been wrapped up by PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver Johan Kristoffersson. The two EKS Audi Sport drivers have the best chance of clinching the remaining podium places this weekend in Cape Town. Just four points separate the teammates before the big showdown at the Killarney International Raceway. Petter Solberg (PSRX Volkswagen Sweden) and Sébastien Loeb (Team Peugeot Total) are in fourth and fifth positions in the drivers' standing with a very slim chance of fighting for second in Cape Town.

“For EKS Audi Sport, after finishing runner-up in the teams’ classification, it would be great to also claim second and third in the drivers’ world championship,” says Mattias Ekström. “The South African premiere last year was a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to the enthusiastic fans and the thrilling battle to finish the championship runner-up.”

Ekström got off to a slow start at the inaugural World RX of South Africa last year, with an 8th and 10th place finish on the opening day of racing. On day two, the Swede came out fighting and secured a second and 8th place finish in the two qualifying heats. He progressed to the semi-finals, and went on to secure second in the 2017 World RX championship. 

“Mattias and I were close together in the standings the whole year,” says Andreas Bakkerud. “Mattias is the best Scandinavian driver of all time in my book. I’m very proud to be on his heels so closely up until the last race. Now I’m getting a fair chance to maybe even defeat my team boss. That says everything about the team spirit at EKS Audi Sport and Mattias. I’m sure he’ll enjoy our duel as much as I will and give his all to finish in front.”

Ekström won his maiden World RX Championship in a Audi S1 EKS RX quattro in 2016 and secured second place in the world championship last year in Cape Town. 

In Bakkerud’s career, a runner-up finish in the World RX would mark his greatest success to date. The Norwegian in third overall celebrated his best World RX season to date in 2016.

Both EKS Audi Sport drivers are ranked among the most successful drivers in the World Rallycross Championship. Ekström’s record reflects ten victories, 21 podium finishes and 38 final participation's. Andreas has won six World RX rounds, clinched 24 podium finishes and participated in 41 finals. In the 2018 season, the two Audi drivers have claimed nine podiums to date for Audi.

Sébastien Loeb: "I’m going for the win"

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

Nine-time FIA World Champion Sébastien Loeb has set a realistic objective of winning the 2018 World Rallycross of South Africa in Team Peugeot Total's final race in the sport.

Sébastien Loeb claimed victory in Mettet, Belgium and put a stop to Johan Kristoffersson's record breaking run of victories and dominance in 2018.

With the aiming of achieving success at the season finale, Team Peugeot Total drivers Sébastien Loeb and Timmy Hansen have been testing in Portugal. 

The Frenchman's first time out on South African soil in 2017 was not an easy one. He ending the qualifying heats in tenth overall, but progressed to the semi-final in where finished fourth after with a puncture and was unable to progress to the finals. His team-mates Timmy Hansen and Kevin Hansen progressed to the finals for the Peugeot squad. 

After a difficult season finale in 2017, Loeb does not really remember the Killarney International Raceway - Rallycross circuit, but will be studying a few videos to remind himself of the circuit. 

“To be honest I don’t remember so much about the actual circuit in South Africa, so I’ll be studying a few videos again to remind myself before we go there; however, I know that it was a very nice place to finish the championship!," said Loeb.

The Peugeot 208 RX Evo Supercars have shown great speed this season, but the team were unable to convert the speed to more victories. Sébastien will head to Cape Town with the approach of winning. 

"I’ll go into this round with the same approach that I’ve always had: I’m going for the win, and I know that’s definitely a realistic objective," says Loeb. "However, we’ve seen before that to win you need to have a completely clean weekend from the start, and especially to make sure that you have a good launch off the line and not get stuck in traffic."

Team Peugeot Total will leave the World Rallycross Championship at the end of the 2018 championship, and the engineers, mechanics and drivers are aiming to finishing the championship on a high.

"Despite Peugeot’s decision to withdraw from the championship, as a team we have been working hard together to make sure that we have everything in place for a strong final weekend," the Frenchman says.

"I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of an RX car!”

Super Swede Kristoffersson targets victory in Cape Town.

PHOTO CREDIT: PSRX Volkswagen Sweden

Two-time FIA World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson sets his sights on a record 11th win of the 2018 season. 

Last year Kristoffersson targeted a 11th podium from 12 events and he achieved the target by clinching a win at the season finale in Cape Town. 

After securing the teams' championship in Buxtehude last time out, Kristoffersson feels less pressure heading into the season finale, but aims to help his team-mate secure second in the championship.

“In some ways it’s actually easier. Last time when we went to Germany Petter and I were thinking to the teams’ championship and we sorted that out there," said Kristoffersson. "Now I will do what I can to help Petter to get the second place, but, really, this is pure racing, pure competition this time."

The Swede heads to Cape Town with a remarkable record of 10 wins this season, and could make it a record breaking 11 wins in a season. 

Sebastien Loeb is the only other driver to have won a race this season (in Belgium).

The fight for second in the FIA World Rallycross Champiopnship heads to Cape Town, South Africa, while Johan aims to have the best race that he can and enjoy the weekend. 

“There’s no overall championship to fight for, we just have to make the best race we can and really enjoy ourselves," the Swede said. "The pressure is definitely not off, it’s never off when you are lined up against five other supercars and you’re all heading for the same piece of racetrack at turn one!"

The unstoppable Swede, Johan Kristoffersson claimed victory at the inaugural World Rallycross of South Africa, and also set the fastest lap - 40.393s. Can he claim victory for the second year in a row? He certainly wants to end this season on a high...

“And, don’t forget, you’re never better than your last result, so the best way to go into the winter and the off-season is on the back of a win and that’s what I’d like to do in Cape Town,” said Kristoffersson.

Solberg to take engine penalty for World RX season finale.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

Two-time World RX Champion Petter Solberg's chance of claiming second in the 2018 FIA World Rallycross championship has faced a major set back after his team was forced to change the engine in his Volkswagen Polo R Supercar following the last round in Buxtehude. 

The engine change comes with a 15-point penalty making his chance of claiming second a very tough task.  

“It won’t be easy at all. Basically if any of the other three drivers (Sébastien Loeb, Andreas Bakkerud or Mattias Ekstrom) makes it to the final then I can’t do anything," said Solberg. "I’m not thinking about any of that, I’m just thinking to my own race – I will do everything I can do and then see what happens on Sunday afternoon."

The Norwegian has not had it easy this season coming close to withdrawing from the championship after being diagnosed with lung disease "Sarkoidose" in 2017. He revealed  that he has had very low energy and at times vision issues. However, following successful treatment throughout the year, Solberg felt much more energized and healthier, and at the American round of the championship, he came within two laps of victory at the first ever World RX of USA, but made a mistake on lap five of the final and finished second behind his teammate.

“This has been a tough season for me, in and out of the car. In the middle of the year, just to be thinking of fighting for the silver medal was a bit like a dream for me. I’m happy to be competing," says the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver.   

"And now we can come to one of the best tracks of the year in a fantastic place with a big crowd and a great atmosphere."

If Solberg can finish second in the World RX Drivers’ Championship it will be a Hat Trick for the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team, which has also already won the World RX Teams’ Championship.

World RX Supercars to parade through the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

It’s understandable if you can’t wait for the Gumtree World Rallycross of South Africa to hit the Killarney Raceway in Cape Town on the 24th and 25th of November. The lineup is on another level, with motoring legends set to battle it out with past and present World Champions, and the weekend packed with enough activities to make the most ardent adrenalin junkie totally exhausted. Tickets are getting scarcer and scarcer so, unless you want yourself and the whole family to miss out on some truly unbelievable motoring action, make sure you grab a few, if you haven’t already.

And if you really can’t wait for the weekend, then you can start getting your kicks on the Thursday before, when the World Rallycross Parade blazes through the streets of normally sleepy Cape Town on the 22nd of November. A convoy of RX Supercars – that we all know can accelerate faster than their Formula 1 counterparts – will proceed from the back of Table Bay Hotel to the Amphitheatre, next to the Big Wheel, in the V&A Waterfront. It all gets going at 11:00, and it’s going to be a sight to behold: metal glistening in the warm summer sun, engines roaring through the streets, rubber burning, tyres screeching.

But it doesn’t end there. At the Waterfront there’ll be a meet and greet with the drivers, a chance for you to get up close and personal with these motoring masters. Petter Solberg will be there, as well as French legend Sebastien Loeb, Mattias Ekstrom, Kevin and Timmy Hansen, Andreas Bakkerud, our very own Ashley Haigh-Smith to mention a few. So if you’ve always wanted a super-quick signature scrawled on some intimate part of your body, be sure to bring a permanent marker.

“The parade will contain all the energy, excitement and power that’s going to set the track alight on Saturday and Sunday and, against the majestic natural backdrop that is Cape Town, it is not to be missed," said Claire Cobbledick, General Manger of Gumtree. "We urge all fans to be there.”

So there you have it. Why wait for the weekend when the weekend is raring to get going a few days early? It’s all part of the magic that is World Rallycross…and it refuses to stop!

Gumtree World Rallycross of South Africa
Killarney International Raceway

Saturday, 24th November 2018 – Sunday 25th November 2018

Tickets: R220 – R750. Kids under 12 are free

Hospitality tickets from R2500

Tickets: www.ticketpros.co.za

For more information go to www.fiaworldrallycross.com

#WorldRXSA

Facebook: WorldRXSA

South African Ashley Haigh-Smith joins the RX2 fray for season finale

Ashley Haigh-Smith
PHOTO CREDIT: RX2 Series Media

The RX2 International Series has today unveiled a 16-strong entry list for its 2018 season finale in Cape Town next weekend (24/25 November), with the addition of South Africa's very own talent Ashley Haigh-Smith.

Although best known for his rallying exploits, having competed in the FIA Junior World Rally Championship – the only South African driver to have done so – and made history as the youngest-ever South African S1600 Champion, Haigh-Smith does have some rallycross experience under his belt. He made his debut in the discipline in last season’s inaugural World RX of South Africa at Killarney International Raceway with Olsbergs MSE.

Twelve months on, the 26-year-old – a Capetonian born-and-bred – is set to return to the fray, but this time in RX2, World RX’s official feeder series. Having caught the rallycross bug, he has struck a deal with Finnish outfit SET Promotion to take the place of Simon Syversen, who has stepped aside to focus his preparations on 2019.

“I can’t wait to get back out on-track for the RX2 season finale in Cape Town,” said Haigh-Smith. “Last year’s event was epic, and it was a real honour to be a part of it. I’m really looking forward to representing South African motorsport and going head-to-head with the current cream of the RX2 crop – there are some extremely talented drivers in the field so it will certainly be a tough challenge, but I love a challenge!"

“I need to thank Andreas Eriksson from Olsbergs MSE for the support he has shown me and especially Ian Davies for putting me in contact with Jussi Pinomäki from SET Promotion, who I am looking forward to working with next weekend. I’m passionate about proving that South African drivers can truly excel on the international stage, so hopefully I can go out there and really give the home fans something to cheer about!”

“It’s fantastic to have Ashley joining SET for the final round of RX2 in South Africa,” said SET Promotion Team Principal, Pinomäki. “The opportunity for him to drive with us came about because Simon has decided to skip the event as he focusses on his programme for 2019.  

“The fact that Ashley has already raced at Killarney in World RX will help him to get up-to-speed more quickly than if everything was new to him. Our two regular RX2 drivers Sami-Matti Trogen and Jami Kalliomäki will go to Cape Town having shown good pace this season, and we will use that experience to help Ashley at his home event. If last year is anything to go by, he will receive huge support from the fans.”

The 2018 Gumtree World Rallycross of South Africa driver line-up confirmed.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

Its official: The Gumtree World Rallycross of South Africa, on the 24th and 25th of November at the Killarney International Raceway in Cape Town, is the only place to be if you’re a speed freak and confirmed is the final list of drivers who will be battling it out on the tarmac, a lineup that includes past and present legends. So seriously, if you don’t have tickets, then get them soon…they’re selling almost as fast as the Supercar and RX2 vehicles that will be roaring all weekend. Make sure you get for the whole family. Kids under 12 are free, and there’s loads of off-track entertainment, like the majestic Silver Falcons Air Show and the Monster Energy Rig. It seriously doesn’t get any better than this, or bigger, or faster. 

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE: ticketpros.co.za/portal/web/index.php/event/e70af636-c059-8ee2-c734-5a07fef5649b

And so, without further ado, meet the stars that will be coming out to play in Cape Town.

The current FIA World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson, who drives a factory-developed Volkswagen Polo Supercar for PSRX Volkswagen Sweden, leads the pack. The Swede currently tops the 2018 Championship standings, intent on defending his 2017 title. Compatriots Robin Larsson of Olsbergs MSE, Mattias Ekström of EKS Audi Sport, Timmy Hansen of Team Peugeot Total and his brother Kevin of Team Peugeot Total are also in the mix, ensuring that Sweden maintain a strong presence on the Cape track.

Sebastien Loeb of Team Peugeot Total is the world’s most successful rally driver, claiming nine World Rally Championships. The Frenchman will be looking to add to the six podiums he took in 2017, but he’ll have stiff competition at Killarney from Latvian champion Janis Baumanis of Team Stard and the highly experienced Russian Timur Timerzyanov of the GRX Taneco Team. All three are currently neck-and-neck in this year’s top ten.

Kristoffersson’s team-mate, Norwegian Petter Solberg [double World RX champion] will also be here, as will fellow countryman Andreas Bakkerud of EKS Audi Sport and the rising young Finn Niclas Grönholm of GRX Taneco Team. Making up the rest of the pack are GC Kompetition drivers Guerlain Chicherit and Anton Marklund, ALL-INKL.COM Munnich 77 drivers Timo Schedier and Rene Munnich, Gregoire Demoustier of Sebastien Loeb Racing, Oliver Bennett of Oliver Bennett and Kevin Eriksson of Olsbergs MSE.

That’s quite a list…and it’s going to be quite a weekend. Wait, make that a long weekend! Because on Thursday the 22nd of November the World Rallycross Parade makes its way from the back of the Table Bay Hotel to the Amphitheatre at the V&A Waterfront where drivers, including Kristoffersson, Loeb and Solberg, will be signing autographs at a special meet and greet. It’s the perfect way to get in the mood for a perfect weekend of non-stop, all-out, full-throttle action. Make sure you and the family are there!

The 2018 Gumtree World Rallycross of South Africa - ENTRY LIST
LIST provided by FIA World Rallycross Media.

2018 Brazilian GP: FIA Post-Race Press Conference.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA.com

1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes) 2 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing) 3 – Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (Ferrari)

TRACK INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by Paul Di Resta)

Q: Max, can you tell us what happened?

Max VERSTAPPEN: I don't know what to say, I mean, you do everything well, you go through the field, we had a great car, and then by such an idiot you get taken out while he is being lapped. I have no words.

Q: What a fight it was. I don’t think anyone quite expected that after yesterday. I mean, the moves you were making early on, very bold into Turn 1, pushing your way through and using everything you had.

MV: I think it was better than expected today. The car was working brilliantly today. The team also gave me the right strategy, we could be going quite well on the supersoft, so we did quite a long stint. But, yeah, I don’t know what to say. Still I’m happy with second, but we should have won today.

Q: Yeah, like you say, it was almost back-to-back victories, does it give you confidence going into next year that something is going to come of this machine?

MV: Well, we should have more power, so we’ll be even better.

Q: All the best. Kimi, late pressure from Daniel coming in, but a good race from you?

Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: Yeah, it was good. Not easy, but there was some battling, so it was fun. Obviously we hoped for better but not the easiest.

Q: Ferrari’s tyres choice didn't look like it worked out in the end, these guys looked very strong at the beginning, certainly Max on the supersoft. Do you think that was wrong?

KR: I don’t know. My tyre was good, but it was difficult to pass and it took too long to pass. You cannot replay on other tyres, so we don’t know.

Q: Lewis, that’s 2018 Constructors’ champion as well. And you can see what that means to Toto Wolff – the barriers have fallen over twice here in Parc Ferme, which is unusual. Lewis, what does that mean to the team?

Lewis HAMILTON: Honestly, these guys have worked so hard the last six years and it’s been an incredible journey for them. This is what everyone works for the whole year, you know. Everyone wakes up and goes to work every day and tries to bring the best out of themselves and they really pull together as a unit. I’ve always told you how much of an honour it is to drive for them, and this was the best style we could do it, because we were struggling. We had problems with the engine. Also he passed us like we were a sitting duck at one stage, but obviously they made a mistake and that brought us back into contention. I’m just so proud of everyone. Everyone back home, thank you so much for your continued efforts. For all our partners, for all our sponsors, who without we would not be here, powering along to a win in Brazil. So, God bless you, thank you.

Q: What goes through your mind when you see Verstappen spin? Did you know he was going to be back on a charge and coming strong?

LH: I saw it happen and it wasn’t something that… I wasn’t surprised by it or anything like that. I saw them racing but they weren’t racing for the same position. In my mind, I would have been in a different frame of mind. Fortunately he was able to keep going, no one got hurt, and they kept going, it’s a racing incident I guess. Max is that go-getter guy and every now and then it bites you. But I’m really, really proud; I don’t care about anyone else.

Q: I’ve got one last question for you. Big credit to you, that’s 49 wins in the turbo-hybrid era of Formula 1. That’s 50% of all the races. A lot of that’s owed to you, isn’t it?

LH: I keep telling you, I’m just a chink in the chain. They give me the tools and I try to do the best I can with it. I’m proud that I’m able to sometimes bring a little bit more than is needed or that it’s capable of, but that’s what I live for.

PRESS CONFERENCE

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Max, I can only imagine the frustration, the emotions at the end of the race for you. Can you just explain what happened between you and Esteban after the race? We saw your altercation. Did he do anything to antagonise you and will you try and speak to him at once when emotions have settled down later on?

MV: I don’t really have a lot to comment on that, except that he was being a pussy.

Q: (Rodrigo Franca – Revista VIP) From a drivers’ point of view, how do you see the future of Formula One to attract a young audience as self-driving cars and electric cars are being developed so quickly? And if you see a future better between Formula E and Formula One?

LH: It’s a difficult one because I’m conflicted. The gasses that we emit with our cars are not particularly helpful for the climate and for the world, so on one side that’s a concern for me but on the other side, as a racing fan, I’m a petrol head and I will always be a petrol head. There will never be a time when I’m an electric head. I hope, at least, in my period of time, it’s always going to be a fuelled car with at least some sort of V-shaped engine, with some sort of sound. I think it’s great what Formula E are doing and it’s a great start, it’s great to see all the top brands  - Audi, BMW, Mercedes – are all getting heavily invested because, particularly on the roads – just coming here, for example – you see the traffic every single day, there are thousands and thousands of cars on the road. There’s the same in every country you go to so the sooner we can get rid of the majority of those cars and then turn them into hybrids, then I think that would be a massive difference, but there are a lot of other things we can do around the world with businesses to help with those emissions. But I don’t think you are ever going to compare Formula One and Formula E. Maybe in five, ten years maybe, but the technology that we have, it’s quite far advanced compared to what they would be having and they’re slower than Formula Ford at the moment so they’ve got a long way to catch the speed of a Formula One car. I don’t know if that’s their target but I think it’s really impressive. I’ve been watching their cars on social media and they look pretty cool, so I wish them all the best and looking forward to seeing it progress.

MV: I think the boss clearly said of Formula E already that they don’t want to compete or be seen competing against Formula One so I guess that says enough. It’s just a different category. It seems like it’s getting more interesting, of course, with all the big car manufacturers joining in but at the moment I’m happy where I am and I will probably be one of the last people in the world to try and buy the last barrels of oil.

KR: Nothing to add, really. Formula E looks nice but…

Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globoesporte.com) Max, you have more of an opportunity to talk about the incident with Ocon in a more extended way. Do you think that just one stop and go of ten seconds, against the work of 900 people in your team, that this punishment is enough?

MV: I think at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter what penalty he gets. I already have the penalty of not winning the race so even if you disqualify him, give him two drive-throughs or whatever, it’s not going to make a difference to our race. I don’t know what the right penalty would be but, like I said, of course they have the right to unlap themselves but you have to be careful. I think that has always been the case.

Q: Max, can you just tell us how badly damaged your car was after the incident with Ocon?

MV: So, you know all the cut-outs you have on the side of the floor, that whole area, so I guess that’s this wide(about 15-20cms) that was completely gone so it was pretty bad. I lost a lot of downforce. I had to lock a lot of tools on the steering wheel but that was still not enough. But still the car was quick. We could have been much faster, for sure.

Q: (Dario Coronel – Gran Premioweb) Lewis, today your celebration was very emotional. Why?

LH: I think it was probably an explosion of the last race in Mexico winning the World Championship… I didn’t really feel the celebration there because I knew that we still had another championship to win and I really needed to remain focused for the team and I really came here, to build up to here, just really focused on making sure that I could deliver for them. Naturally the will to want to win is so high for everyone and the stakes are high. Ultimately, you could make mistakes and all these different things but we didn’t or I didn’t on the track, for example, so to come in and see my guys who I’ve come along this great journey with and we’ve had a lot of success but we’ve still remained fierce and competitive and I think our relationship is better than it’s ever been so just that bond, it was just a great great moment, plus it was a really hard race. I was constantly, like, talking to the car: ‘come on, keep going, keep going’ because we had this engine problem and I knew I could see  Max just in my mirrors so I was doing qualifying laps every lap to keep him behind, which is how racing should be really anyway. Unfortunately that’s not the case a lot of the time this year but… We’ve just won the World Championship for the fifth time so that’s real history in the making for the team and if I was to stop today, for example, Mercedes would always remember this day and that I was a part of it, and that’s cool.

Q: (Arjan Schouten – AD) Max, over the last days, you’ve told us a lot of times that this is not a circuit for Red Bull, winning was not an option. Ending 1.6s from the winner, with a spin, what does that say about your chances in Abu Dhabi in two weeks?

MV: I don’t know, because this was much better than expected to be honest. I expected to be good in the race but not this good. We will have to wait and see.

Q: (Mattheus Sacramento – ESPN Brazil) Max, there was a similar incident – not exactly the same – but in 2001 in Brazil with Jos Verstappen and Montoya. You’re too young, I’m not sure if you ever heard of it. Montoya was in first place and Jos was 16th I guess and they had a crash. I just wanted to know if you knew that or if that came back to your mind in some ways, that impacts the way you saw Ocon?

MV: Well, I think that was completely different but yeah, that happens. I don’t know what you want me to say, it’s always bad when you get taken out from the lead.

2018 Brazilian GP: Post-Qualifying Press Conference

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA.com

DRIVERS 1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes) 2 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari) 3 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes)

TRACK INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by Paul Di Resta)

Q: Lewis, another pole position, you 10th pole position of the year. What have you got to say?

Lewis HAMILTON: That was a tough qualifying session. Obviously the weather was going up and down and we didn’t really know what to expect. Obviously Ferrari are incredibly quick this weekend a lot of work went on in the background with my engineers to make sure we got the car to be best place we could. I’m just really happy to be here in Brazil, you know, knowing I’ve got Senna’s design on the back of my helmet, so I mean… I didn’t know I had the pole, the last lap wasn’t that great, if I’m honest, I had a bit of understeer in a few places but I was so grateful when I heard I got pole.

Q: This place means so much to you. You can see the tribute you do to Ayrton every year and the Brazilian fans love you as well?

LH: I just appreciate so much the love that I get here. It’s been a crazy journey with the Brazilian fans. Obviously the first year I came here I was fighting against Felipe and I was almost the enemy when I left but over the years it’s really grown to I think adore each other. There’s a huge amount of respect I have for them and I love the country so it works hand in hand.

Q: What can we expect tomorrow. Obviously Ferrari are doing a different tyres strategy. I think you guys were going to do it but the rain compromised Q2, can you still dominate this race?

LH: I don’t know, we’ll see. You’ve seen how quick the Ferrari’s are. I mean, they had a lot more blistering yesterday than we did on the supersoft tyre. I don’t know if it’s correct but we wanted to be on the soft and things kind of swung us the wrong way. Right or wrong we will see tomorrow but hopefully still, with the choice we have, I’ll make the best of it.

Q: Enjoy tonight, at least you’ve got that four-metre head start tomorrow. Sebastian, coming very close there – P2. A different tyre strategy as we just discussed with Lewis. Are you happy with today?

Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, I think it was good fun. In the end I had a tiny lock-up in Turn 8. I got a good start to the second attempt in Q3 and I thought I’d go for it, but it was a little bit too much, so I lost some time and didn’t improve. It was very close, so it was a fun session.

Q: I don’t know if you are aware but you have been called to the stewards for the scale incident. What do you have to say about that?

SV: I think it’s better if I don’t say anything… They shouldn’t call us, because when the conditions are changing like that I think it’s unfair if somebody gets called in and yeah, I wanted them to hurry up.

Q: How difficult is it for a driver and an engineer to read the conditions when it’s coming like that. Is it more the driver’s feel or do you have to stick to the weather systems on the computer?

SV: It’s a difficult one. Inside the garage we don’t really see much, you can’t see out. You have to trust the laps you did before. You have to trust the communication you are having with the pit wall on the conditions, what you see other cars are doing. But when it’s like this it can be anything, so I think in the end we all got lucky that we got more or less the same conditions for everyone, so as long as that’s the case then it’s fine.

Q: Well, I hope you put on a good show like you did in Mexico, show that fighting spirit. Valtteri, third today, not far away, but I guess you can’t be happy with that?

Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, not far away but here the margins are small. I knew this weekend I did have the pace to be on pole. I think it was there for me to grab but I couldn't take it today. I was more than two tenths up in the second run but lost everything in the last corner on the back straight without any tow, so it was quite disappointing.

Q: When you see the rain falling what do you feel as a driver? Do you keep pushing or is there a bit of trepidation?

VB: Yeah, it really depends on the situation but once the rain really started to come down luckily we already had a good lap on the board, so there was no need to take risks. But sometimes you need to go for it and try.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Lewis, that looked like an exciting session in tricky conditions. Just what were the conditions like?

LH: Well, the track was actually really good. There’s a lot of grip here and it’s a fantastic circuit. They don’t generally make circuits like this anymore. You’ve got the different… it’s quite hilly, but it’s a real challenge, even though it’s quite short. It’s very technical – but the grip felt quite good and obviously, the rain was popping in every now and then – but it was just spitting. It was difficult to really tell whether it was going to be slippery in the next corner or not – because when you’re travelling at the speeds we go at, on your visor, because you’re driving through all the rain, it looks like it’s raining more than it is. So, that was definitely tricky – but I think everyone did quite a good job with it – and luckily it held off so we could push at the end when the track was good

Q: You mentioned the speeds you’re doing here at Interlagos. Valtteri’s pole position last year was a new track record – you have taken more than a second off that time. Just how quick does it feel around here now?

LH: With the new tyres, with the soft tyres, supersoft tyres and the updates that we have to our car… it’s a smaller circuit, shorter circuit, so therefore the difference usually… for example our car is a lot quicker than it was last year at this point – but it doesn’t show as much. At other circuits it’s three seconds-plus. Around here a second is still quite a lot. So, it does feel great though, around here. Into Six and Seven it’s a little lift through there basically and flat though… there’s no other corners where you’re flat out, or anything like that but you definitely do feel… the grip is what you feel, it’s just amazing. It’s better than ever.

Q: Sebastian, coming onto you, less than a tenth of a second behind pole position. How are you feeling after that session?

SV: Pretty good. I think it was fun. I think the track was good, as Lewis said, and obviously very close. I had a good start to my final attempt but yeah, tried a little bit too hard probably, going into Turn Eight in the middle sector and locked the front and then lost a little bit the rhythm. Tried something special in the last corner, didn’t work so… yeah. All in all pretty happy. I think we got the car where it is happiest, and the balance was good in qualifying throughout, so we’ll see. We’ll start with a different tyre tomorrow. Maybe that can make a difference.

Q: Just to elaborate on that point about the tyres, do you think that’ll be the crucial point in the race?

SV: Hmmm… might be. I mean, I think it’s the tyre that probably most of us probably wanted to start on but then with the conditions it was a bit tricky. Yeah, in the end it wasn't really wet but there was some rain around the track, so yeah, happy that we got it done and now we start with a different tyre, so let’s see.

Q: Valtteri, fastest in Q2, you’re less than a tenth off pole position but starting third tomorrow. Just sum-up the session for us.

VB: I think the gap is a bit more than one-tenth but obviously, it’s a bit disappointing one red car got in-between us and the pace I had this weekend so far felt like I could definitely fight for the pole position, and I think it was there for me to grab it. But in the second run I was more than two-tenths up on my best lap but somehow Turn 12, just lost a little bit and then I think I was the first car out in the last run so I had no tow on the back straight and just kept losing time on the uphill. And I saw that it was not going to be an improvement, so for sure that’s disappointing but yeah, it was a strong qualifying for us as a team and another great pole for Lewis – but yeah, I think for tomorrow, we’ll see how our decision to go with the supersoft is going to… what’s going to happen.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Seb, could you just talk through the weighbridge incident please, just from your perspective – and are you now worried about getting a grid penalty for tomorrow’s race?

SV: No, I don’t want to talk through. I think it’s pretty clear what happened, so. I think we do qualifying, we should talk about qualifying.

Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-Magazin.com) Lewis, there was a situation between you and Sergey in Q2, I think. Can you talk us through that situation? It looked pretty scary from outside.

LH: Yeah, basically everyone was on an ‘out’ lap – me, Sergey and everyone in front of me – and when you’re on your ‘out’ lap, towards the end of the lap Valtteri was up ahead of me so he was backing off to get his gap so I had to make sure I kept a gap with him. As far as I was aware, no one behind was on a lap so I was making sure I had the gap but then all of a sudden, out of the last corner – sorry, out of turn 11 - I saw a car coming at high speed so I was like ‘oh my God, is that someone on a lap?’ so I went to move to the left and that’s where he decided to go but he wasn’t on a lap, so I don’t really know what his thinking was really, with it, because respectfully, between all the drivers, we all do respect… you know, I could have easily tried to overtake Valtteri or Valtteri whoever was in front of him. We all know to keep our space by that point so it was generally quite a disrespectful move in the sense of where it was dangerous between us both because I was not expecting it to happen that way, and so I was actually trying to get out of his way but he ended up going inside but then he got to the corner and then slowed up to  utilise the gap but then also I don’t know whether to slow my lap up or not. It was kind of strange. It was completely unnecessary because we had a space behind, behind him there was a bit of a space so ultimately his lap and my lap weren’t great from that so hopefully he can learn from it.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Valtteri, you talked about having a moment at turn 12, what happened on the lap? The car snap away or was it just not as quick?

VB: No, I didn’t really have a moment, I just lost a few hundredths there, I think. I think at the beginning of the lap it was getting very good, then the middle of the lap was average and lost a tiny bit in the last corner, but the main time loss, I think it was more than a tenth,  was just up the hill, just losing time on the straight. No drama, but definitely not a perfect lap but I think with a perfect lap pole would have been possible.

Q: (Michael Schmidt -  Auto Motor und Sport) Seb, in Q2 you were almost as fast as the Mercedes on the soft tyre, so the harder tyre, have you been surprised that there wasn’t a bigger gap with the supersoft?

SV: Yes, the lap felt really good, the tyre felt really good. You go into the weekend, you have an estimation of what’s the difference between the tyres and then you do your Friday running and you might correct it but I was definitely surprised, the tyre felt really good. I don’t think it was much slower. Yeah, but it didn’t feel… usually we were expecting something like three or four tenths but it felt really good. I was surprised when I crossed the line in Q2 because I also kept some margin for the rain so could have gone faster on that tyre easily. So if it’s that good tomorrow, then happy days!

Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-Magazin.com) You’re starting on different tyre compounds. Lewis has been quite outspoken in Austin, I think, when you started on the harder compound, that it was quite a disadvantage there. What do you expect just from starting on different tyre compounds?

LH: I was told that there’s not a huge difference, but there’s always a difference of some sort. It will definitely be a little bit interesting. It’s not a massive run down to turn one but Ferrari are very good at their starts in general normally. However, we are actually quite even in terms of the overall year performance with Ferrari. We’re actually quite equal with them, so we’ve both had a similar amount of good starts so I’m excited to just have a battle, you know.  But making that tyre last I think is going to be the interesting scenario but it is what it is. We’ll give it all we can tomorrow.

SV: Again, we have an estimation of what the penalty might be with the harder compound at the start but it’s a very short way to turn one so we’ll see. I have quite good memories from P2, starting P2 here so we will see. I think it depends a lot more on the job that you do at the start, to get everything right then a little bit of difference on the tyres.

Q: Are there similar grip levels on both sides of the track?

SV: I think so. The last years it was pretty even so, yeah. Usually the right side or the odd side here is a bit cleaner but I’m sure that with the other races across the weekend it should be fine, there should be plenty of rubber.

VB: Nothing to add.