Heavenly return for overnight leader Grönholm.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media.

Niclas Grönholm has made a heavenly comeback in Hell after being sidelined due to appendicitis surgery six weeks ago. 

The Hyundai driver won Q2 Race 4 and added the quickest time to his Q1 victory, to take the overnight top qualifiers position.

"It seems to be going my way today. I had a small clutch issue in the start of Q2, so really lucky not to get a jump start, that’s why I made a huge launch," said Grönholm. "We had good launches and strong pace in both cars (GRX Taneco) today."

The Finn did not know what to expect heading into Norway. 

"It was quite difficult to expect anything, as I said earlier I had a five lap shakedown in Finland before coming here and it felt okay," he said. "So, I knew that coming won't be catastrophe, but didn't expect to be on the top after day one. Its a pleasant surprise!"

"I’m trying to do my best in every qualification, like I said earlier in the semi-final and final anything can happen so we just need to keep our heads down, keep working and try to maintain this speed." 

Grönholm's team-mate Timur Timerzyanov finished in second place in Q2 race 4 and is second in the overnight standings. 

The Russian jokes that his team-mate was quite far ahead of him today. "Actually, his back (cars rear) was quite far from my front in both runs," he said. "In Q2, he was far ahead and I was the only one going for the joker lap from the start line. Actually it was a good tactic, but in fact it was really difficult to drive behind."

"I was blind in some corners and I just had to physically send the car somewhere and see where I am. That was the difficult point of my Q2 (race), but we know that rallycross is a difficult kind of sport." 

"I think all three drivers sitting here, we didn't have huge fights today. We are avoiding it and just doing clean runs," he concludes.

For the second session in a row, Timo Scheider with a strategic master class used the joker lap to secure the race victory (Q1 & Q2 race wins). The German joins the GRX Tanceo drivers in the top three at the end of day one.

"I am mega happy for the ALL-INKL boys, because I guess we deserved a good start to a weekend early in the season, and a better result overall," said Scheider. "Atleast this is a good Saturday. We need two more clean runs to make it to the semis (tomorrow). A podium will mean a lot to me." 

Home town hero Andreas Bakkerud was second fastest in Q1, but after touching the rear of Gronholm at the first corner in Q2, he ran wide and Kevin Abbring slipped through on the inside moving up to second in the race. 

The championship leader had a frustrating day despite making the best start in Q1, the Swede was slowed after contact with Janis Baumanis at turn 1. The contact with Hansen sent the Latvian into a high-speed spin and into Guillaume De Ridder.

Timmy Hansen lost time in Q2 Race 4 when he got stuck behind Bakkerud who ran wide at Turn 1, but opted for an early joker lap strategy, and managed to jump Bakkerud and made an on-track pass on Kevin Abbring who made a mistake and ran wide. Hansen ends day one in 5th overall. 

GC Kompetition's Anton Marklund completed the top six. In the overall classification, just 11 qualifying points separate P8 to P16, leaving everything to play for tomorrow.

OVERNIGHT World RX Standings.

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

'I feed to focus and get back into the zone' - Timmy Hansen.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Timmy Hansen became the first double winner of 2019 at the World RX of Great Britain. The 27-year-old Swede leads the championship by four points from his younger brother Kevin. 

Hansen believes that talks with his younger brother will help reduce the tension as they fight for the championship.

"It’s a close fight with Kevin and I think we were both worried that it might affect our relationship, but we’ve talked about it a lot and we’re probably even closer: just as well as we’re traveling around together this year!”, said Hansen.

As the championship approaches the halfway point, Team Hansen MJP cannot afford to stand still in the race for the championship. 

"I’m looking forward to the weekend; we’ve got a few updates to the Öhlins dampers that Kevin tested in free practice at Silverstone, and this will be a good place to introduce them, as Hell is a bumpy track with a lot of traction needed." 

Despite becoming the first repeat winner of the season, Hansen believes that he needs to get back into the zone. 

"I feel that I’m on a roll now but I need to focus and get myself back into the zone," he said.

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

"My goal is to get back on top" - Kevin Hansen.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Kevin Hansen is determined to make amends for a costly mistake that cost him a place in the finals at the World RX of Great Britain.

The young Swede returns to the track where he challenged for a podium finish 12 months earlier. In the third factory-supported Peugeot, he finished in fourth place ahead of his brother Timmy, and Sebastien Loeb who failed to qualify for the finals. 

"Looking ahead to the race, it’s always got good memories for me: I was the quickest driver in our team there last year, which was very encouraging," he said. 

"I’m second in the drivers’ championship now after Silverstone, so my goal is to get back on top.”

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

PREVIEW: The FIA World Rallycross Championship heads to Hell!

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media

The FIA World Rallycross Championships heads to Hell... The Norwegian Hell or Lånkebanen to be precise.

Hell is a highlight on the World RX calender - the classic rallycross circuit consists of 63 percent asphalt and 37 percent gravel over 1,019 meters of sweeping terrain.


Norway's hopes lay firmly on the shoulders of Monster Energy RX Cartel's Andreas Bakkerud who returns to the scene of World RX's first ever clean sweep in 2016 – the Norwegian won all his four qualifying sessions, the semi-final and final. 

After an event-ending crash with Timmy Hansen in the opening round of 2019 in Abu Dhabi, Bakkerud was third in Barcelona, and second in Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone. 

In Belgium, Bakkerud had “one finger on the trophy” and at the World RX of Great Britain, the Norwegian appeared to be heading for his first win of 2019 but had victory snatched from his grasp due to a temperamental handbrake causing issues in the semi-finals and final.

“Silverstone was four podiums in a row for the Monster RX Cartel, we had both cars in the final at Silverstone but just didn’t get the job done. I almost had it [the win] in my pocket. All I can do is keep on pushing and hopefully the win is nearby,” he said.

"We go to Norway with high expectations. As long as my name is on the entry list, I am there to win."

Bakkerud’s team-mate Liam Doran has also claimed World RX qualifying race wins in Hell  – but is yet to reach the final.

The Brits form this year has been patchy. He started out with a third-place finish in Abu Dhabi, missed the semi-finals in Barcelona and was sixth in the final in both Belgium and Great Britain after promising much in the preceding qualifying and semi-final rounds. He’s seeking an upturn in fortunes at Hell, a circuit he likes.

“I am looking forward to racing in Hell," said Doran. "It is probably my favourite track in the championship even though my last time racing there [2016] ended with a big crash rolling down the start straight.'

"I have done quite well here in the past and it is one of the few tracks left on the calendar that I have a lot of experience at so definitely looking to get a good result.”

The current world championship leader Timmy Hansen has also claimed a win in 2015 (Hell) and was second to Bakkerud in 2016.

Younger brother Kevin will look to put the disappointment of Great Britain behind him. The Swede crashed out of the semi-final after contact with a barrier in the joker section. The mistake meant that he surrendered the championship lead to his brother. 

Niclas Gronholm will return to action in Norway having sat out the Belgian and British rounds after appendicitis surgery.

The Finn’s absence has seen him slip to 10th in the standings having been second overall after a second place in Abu Dhabi and a fourth place in Barcelona.

“It will be very challenging to come back after a six-week illness, so my expectations are not that high, but I will give my maximum and we'll see where it takes me,” said Gronholm.

Timur Timerzyanov had an indifferent British round following the high of a maiden World RX win in Spa-Francorchamps. 

“After a not so successful event in Silverstone, I’m keen to make my way back to the top this weekend,” the Russian said.

Norway will also see the return of Rokas Baciuska to World RX. The Latvian joins the GCK Academy ranks after being dropped by ESmotorsport-Labas Gas due to contractual issues.

Baciuska will race a third Renault Megane RS RX alongside Cyril Raymond and Guillaume De Ridder. “I’m really excited that I’m able to continue my progression in World Rallycross and that I’ve found such an incredible team to be part of,” he said.

GC Kompetition's Anton Marklund will look to build on his third-place finish at Silverstone on a track which is likely to suit his Renault Megane RS RX. “If we keep on doing the starts like we did in the semi-final and final, we should be quick in Norway,” Marklund said.

“The track has fast sweeping corners and hard braking and it should suit our car’s long wheelbase. I’m going there with a lot of self-confidence and I think we can do a good job there.”

Dutchman Kevin Abbring test driver for ESmotorsport-Labas Gas has been promoted and will race the Skoda Fabia in Norway. 

STARD's Janis Baumanis currently fourth place in the overall standings will be partnered by Jani Paasonen in the second Team STARD Ford Fiesta.

Briton Oliver Bennett reached the semi-final for the first time in 2019 at Silverstone, his first full season as a permanent World RX entrant. It is evidence that modifications to the front suspension of the Xite Racing Mini Cooper since Barcelona are bringing rewards. 

“From our increase in performance round by round and our first semi-final at Silverstone, I’m super excited for Hell,” he said.

“The loose and mixed quarry surface and big elevations suit my driving style a lot and reminds me of the great feeling I had at Spa with similar conditions where the Mini is very strong. Our starts are insane which is important at Hell. I have my eyes on the next semi-final.”

After difficult weekends in Barcelona and Spa-Francorchamps, Timo Scheider made the final at Silverstone where he narrowly missed his first podium of the season. 

Hell awaits Grönholm as he makes World RX return.

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX Taneco

Niclas Grönholm will make a return to the FIA World Rallycross Championship this weekend after being sidelined for the last two races due to appendicitis surgery.

The Finn is excited to make his return but is aware of the challenges that lay ahead of him after recovering from a 6-week illness. 

“Nice to finally be able to race again," said Grönholm.

"It's been a long recovery where everything that can go wrong, went wrong. Setback after setback," he adds. "For sure it will be very challenging to come back after a 6-week illness, so my expectations are not that high, but I will give my maximum and we'll see where it takes me.” 

The Lånkebanen (Hell) is an old-school rallycross track, just over 1km in length and has a 37% of gravel and 63% tarmac.

Timur Timerzyanov, currently fifth in the drivers' standings is looking forward to racing in Norway.

“For me, Hell is the highlight of the World RX season," he said. "It’s a proper rallycross track with elevation changes, challenging gravel and tons of spectators. Action is always great there." 

The Russian is aiming high in Norway after failing to progress to the final in Silverstone after finishing in fifth place. 

"After a not so successful event in Silverstone, I’m keen to make my way back to the top this weekend,” he said.

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

STARD reveals first details on "projekt E" rallycross EV demonstration car.

PHOTO CREDIT: STARD.

Stohl Advanced Research and Development (STARD) official supplier of the IMG's "projekt E" series has released the first details of its state of the art demonstration EV RX Supercar.

The all-electric EV RX Supercar will feature: 4WD, 450 kW (612HP), 1.100 Nm and 240 km/h top speed, and has been named the STARD Ford Fiesta ELECTRX.

The first demonstration car for IMG´s “projekt E” will utilize STARD´s new “REVelution” EV motorsport powertrain kit with 2 propulsed axles (Fr & Rr) with an integrated LSD (Limited Slip Differential) and an electronically controlled Fr/Rr torque distribution.

The powertrain kit is fully flexible and designed to fit any type of road car bodyshells from the B-segment upwards, especially including current and future EV crossovers.

The Austrian firm aims for the "REVelution" kits to produce more performance than the current WRX Supercars, despite the utilization of a very cost effective and user-friendly systems.

Main components of the kit are:
- E Motors & Controllers
- Transmission
- RESS (Rechargeable Energy Storage System = HV Battery Pack)
- Electronics Package
- Wiring Harness
- Charging System

The Ford Fiesta ELECTRX is STARD´s interpretation of a future EV Rallycross supercar being cleaner, faster and especially also cheaper than today´s WRX International Combustion Engines (ICE) machines.

The Fiesta ELECTRX is one of the various cars expected to be run in “projekt E”, which like STARD´s car is meant to be a first step to showcase and demonstrate the all-electric future of Rallycross.

“The STARD Ford Fiesta ELECTRX shall showcase our EV motorsport competence," said Michael Sakowicz, CEO STARD. "It also will be used as a demonstration and testcar for the “projekt E” initiative to which we are the official exclusive technical partner to IMG Motorsports."

The plan is to demonstrate, showcase and test what can be done with EV powertrains in Rallycross throughout as early as 2020. "projekt E" will be just the start into a bigger long term and comprehensive electric future of Rallycross which of course we aim to influence may be even more with our Ford Fiesta ELECTRX, than we have done with our 1st all-electric RX car back in 2016”

“The plan is to make the first step and explore the great possibilities for EV powertrains in Rallycross," says Sakowicz. "Of course this makes only sense when it is done in close consideration of the entire WRX environment including the FIA, Private Teams, Manufacturers, Promoters, Organizers, and even sponsors, especially taking into account also their future plans." 

The all-electric Rallycross ''projekt E" series is scheduled to start in 2020.

2019 Canadian GP: FIA Post-Race Press Conference.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA.com

1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
2 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)
3 – Charles LECLERC (Ferrrari)

TRACK INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by Martin Brundle)

Q: So, Lewis congratulations. We have to congratulate all three drivers on the podium that was a sensational race, a brutal race as well. Obviously I’ve immediately got to talk about the incident between you and Sebastian at the exit of Turn 4 there.

Lewis HAMILTON: Well, firstly I just want to say a big thank you to my team, because I wouldn’t be standing here today without the incredible effort from everyone. We had a problem this morning with the engine, with my crash on Friday. If they hadn’t been so diligent I wouldn’t have been able to race today as I have. So a big thank you to them. Naturally, it’s absolutely not the way I wanted to win. I was pushing to the end to try to get past, but obviously I forced him into an error, he went a bit wide, but then I obviously had a run on that corner and we nearly collided. It was unfortunate but this is motor racing.

Q: Sebastian has gone straight to the stewards’ office to talk to them about it; he’s not here at the moment. Obviously he feels he was just busy collecting the car up and trying not to crash and he had no other option coming off the grass.

LH: That’s to his opinion of course, you know for me I took the corner normally. When you come back on the track you’re not supposed to go straight back to the racing line, you’re supposed to come on safely and I assume that’s why they…

Q: As you say, you had a tricky day, you know, with the car. Even when you were on the grid they were working like made on your brakes.

LH: Yeah, absolutely. It was just so hot here, you know. The Canadian weather is just so hardcore for us here. Very hard on the brakes. Physically, I’m just destroyed just trying to hold onto Seb. The Ferraris were just so quick this weekend, so I’m really grateful that I was able to be there within the race. Nonetheless, this is good points still for the team.

Q: And finally, do you think you could have overtaken if you had to in those final few laps?

LH: Not towards the end I don’t think. I think we were all struggling with brake temperature towards the end. My tyres were good at that point where he made the mistake, I was as close as I was ever going to be. But then obviously I got that blocking and the gap opened up again. It was just very, very hard all the way through. It’s very, very hard to follow here. This is such a great track. And if it wasn’t for these fans it probably wouldn’t be as great as it is. So a big thank you to everyone that’s come today.

Q: Congratulations. Charles, you nearly took second place on the last lap.

Charles LECLERC: Yeah, it was close. I’m pretty happy about the performance, my own performance today. I think we were very quick. It’s a bit of a shame that yesterday I did some mistakes in qualifying. I need to work on my qualifying to get better on them. The race pace was very, very strong, so it’s a good sign for the future. I’m disappointed obviously for the team, we have all worked extremely hard to be there. I don’t know what happened for Seb, but the team definitely deserved a victory today so it’s a shame but we will come back stronger and we will keep pushing as we did in the first few races and hopefully the victory will come soon.

Q: Relentless pace from you but the team stopped you quite late and you just feel off the leading two.

CL: Yes, there was definitely a reason behind that. Obviously it was quite difficult to challenge the two in front at the beginning so we just tried to go long, hoping for a safety car that never came but yeah we will see.

Q: Sebastian, we missed you in parc fermé. Nine times you two have won a world championship. You are two of the finest drivers that ever graced a Formula 1 circuit but clearly you feel you’ve had a great victory stolen away from you today.

Sebastian VETTEL: Well, I think first of all I really enjoyed the race, I really enjoyed the crowd to be honest, every lap seeing them cheering me on, especially around the hairpin. It was very intense, I think Lewis was a bit quicker throughout the race but we were able to stay ahead. For the rest I think I’ve said enough. You should ask the people what they think. I think we had a great show. Lewis showed some good respect. Yeah, ask the people.

Q: Lewis, you’ve had a race taken away from you in similar circumstances, in Spa, so you know the pain. Does this leave a bad feeling between you two great champions?

LH: Well, all I can say is I didn’t make the decision, firstly, so I don’t know what they’re booing at. Maybe it’s the decision.

SV: The people shouldn’t boo at Lewis, because I think he saw what was going on and I don’t think there was any intention to be in his, harm’s way. I had trouble in staying on track. But the people shouldn’t boo at Lewis. If anything, they should boo at these funny decisions.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: What a difference 24 hours makes: complete euphoria of yesterday and the frustration of today. Can you just talk us through the incident at Turns Three and Four. What caused you to run wide on entry and is there anything you could have done differently when you were re-joining the track?

SV: Well, I lost the rear of the car, so obviously it wasn’t voluntarily going sailing across the track, not knowing how and in which fashion and so on I will be rejoining. I think it is pretty clear I was on the limit. I was pushing very hard throughout the entire race and… yeah. Obviously I was going through the grass and I think it’s quite commonly known that the grass isn’t very grippy. So – you agree? – and then I was coming back on track and just trying to, y’know, make sure I have the car under control. Once I regained control, made sure it was sort-of alright, I looked in the mirrors, and saw Lewis right behind me. As you said, yesterday we had the euphoria and the enthusiasm of a great day. I feel, in a way, the same today. I think we had a great race, the team did fantastic and, yeah, obviously I’m not happy with the decision the stewards took. I think you can understand. It feels a bit weird to sit here, not having won the race even though you crossed the line first. And as I said, I don’t think I have done anything wrong; I don’t feel I could have done anything different. I don’t know, actually, what the problem was. So… yeah. Not much more to say, I think, from my point of view. I think all the people out there, they probably agree with me.

Q: Where you aware of where Lewis was as you were rejoining?

SV: No! How? I’ve got two hands and I had them on the steering wheel, trying to keep the car under my control. So, I don’t know… I think we are pretty good at multi-tasking, driving these cars – but if it is required to drive… to catch the car once you come back from the grass or off the track, maybe one-handed, use the other hand to pull off a tear-off and maybe hit the radio button to talk to the team at the same time, I don’t qualify, I can’t do that. I had, as I said, my hands full, trying to keep the car somewhere in my control. Obviously I knew that Lewis was behind somewhere because he was, like, a second behind, but when I looked in the mirror he was right there. So I was obviously then racing him down to Turn Six.

Q: And the race pace of your car. What positives can you take away?

SV: Yeah, I think overall it’s been a positive weekend and I think a very positive result. Obviously we’re both sitting up here. as I said, on my side, it feels a bit weird but I think the pace was good. I think it was clear to see that Mercedes probably was faster throughout the race but yeah, we managed to fight them off.

Q: Charles, coming to you. You seem much happier with the car today than during qualifying yesterday?

CL: yeah, I was quite a lot happier today. I think race pace was quite strong, so, on that I was very happy. The start was quite tricky with Lewis but I decided to not take any risks. So then, yeah, it was quite a boring race from then-on, trying to manage the tyres in the first eight-nine laps and from then on I started to push. I could feel that we were quite good and, on the second stint, the car felt great. We were very quick. I could feel I was catching a little bit in front. The team asked me to pit to do the fastest lap, and I asked to continue because I could see that the gap was closing. I knew it will be quite difficult to catch them but if there was an opportunity I wanted to be there, so I didn’t give up. At the end, it didn't pay off. We do third, it’s a good result home, but the team definitely deserved more after such a great weekend. Also, Seb, disappointed for the team and Seb. I think the first position was in our hands and it's a shame it slipped away the way it did. So hopefully we’ll have other good races in the future.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Christian Menath – motorsport-magazin.com) Sorry Seb to jump in that again, could you just talk us through when you realised you lost it. Did you think about… was it only that you wanted to catch the car or did you also think about to get back the fastest possible way – and did you lift or did you stay in the throttle?

SV: Look, I think it was clear what happened. I mean, what’s the point of going through split-seconds for an hour now? With all the respect, there’s nothing to add from what I said. You lose the car, I don’t do that voluntarily because the outcome is unpredictable. Once I manage to catch the car, obviously I realise that I couldn’t stay on track, couldn’t keep the car on track, slowed down, had to slow down, go over the grass really cautiously, lost a lot of time. Managed to get back on track with dirty tyres, and once I regained, sort of, control, being somewhere on the track, I had to check my mirrors and Lewis was right behind me, just to see where he is, not to, I don’t know, be in his way or whatever. So, that’s what happened. I’m not the first guy in the world of racing that had a mistake on corner entry and had to catch the car going through the grass, gravel or whatever.

Q: (Michelangelo Choppi – La Voce Euro Canada) What do you have to say about the race today? You do everything you can do to win the race. After you have five seconds penalty. What do you think personally, for the Italian community here who support Ferrari all these days. What do you have to say personally. And for Charles Leclerc, what is the difference between racing with Alfa Romeo last year and this year with the Ferrari here in Montreal? Thank you.

SV: Well, I think we have tremendous support here, it’s crazy. In the morning I commute by bike so I see the people when they queue to get onto the island. It’s crazy. The atmosphere is fantastic. There’s so much support for Ferrari. Obviously a great Ferrari fanbase but I think a great atmosphere in general. During the race I really enjoyed it. Obviously it was very intense, when you have Lewis behind you, pushing you so hard – but I really enjoyed it and halfway through the race I was thinking ‘this is a good day, this is why I’m doing this’. So, I really enjoyed looking up at the grandstands in the hairpin – you have a bit of time while you wait for the car to turn – and the people are going wild and I really enjoyed that. Still, it’s very special. It’s a special position for us to be in. Drivers’ Parade, having the cheer from the people, sitting on the grid, people shouting. Obviously I think I share the people’s opinion after the race as well. It feels a bit funny – but certainly grateful for all the support we get.

And Charles?

CL: On my side it’s just different, of course. You approach the race weekend a little bit differently. Because obviously now I have the car to fight for wins and podiums which, last year, the approach was a bit different: podiums and wins were not on the cards, more points. And the support, as Seb mentioned, is just amazing. A lot more than what I would have expected, and a lot more than last year. Since the beginning of the season really, every race we come to there’s a lot of support and this has changed a lot from last year. So it’s great.

Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Sebastian, will you be appealing the decision, or will Ferrari be appealing the decision. And do you feel any sympathy towards Lewis being booed – given that he didn’t really do anything do anything wrong.

SV: I said, nothing to do with Lewis. I obviously understand that the people weren’t happy, as I wasn’t happy myself with these sort of decisions – but nothing to do with Lewis. It’s just not nice when people boo you, so that’s why I jumped in. I’m sorry that I interrupted his answer but I jumped in and said ‘don’t boo him, he’s done nothing wrong’. If anything he drove a great race, put me under a lot of pressure and I really, really enjoyed that. I think we share great respect amongst each other. Nothing to do with him.

Q: Quick question for Lewis. Congratulations, by the way, win number 78, your fifth of the season. We’re talking about the incident. Can you just tell us what you had to do to avoid Sebastian as he came back on the track?

LH: Well, to me it’s a bit of an empty feeling today, which is kind-of crazy because we’re in this beautiful country. It’s been ultimately a really great race between two different teams and it ends with a bit of a kind of negative. From what I remember, I came through the corner, I was quicker at that point and I was really just trying to apply pressure to Seb. One, to try and get close enough, but two to push him into an error. It’s not too often you’re able to push a four-time World Champion into making an error but it came and at the time I was like ‘OK, great, this is my opportunity.’ So I continued the corner as normal. Came around, and was on the line. The gap just closed, it looked like we were going to crash so I just had to brake and come off the gas to avoid a collision. Fortunately we did avoid it. But obviously that was one kind-of window. And then the gap opened up because I did brake to avoid it. And even when I heard there was a penalty I just kept pushing because I was like ‘maybe we can still have that race’. It’s such a hard race to follow; the temperatures are so high; it’s the heaviest-duty track for the cars. It’s very, very physical for the car and also for the driver. It’s so easy to make a mistake, so I was really just trying to get as close as I could. The Ferrari is ultimately this weekend so strong. They were so quick on the straights. They definitely have another power mode that we currently don’t have. So, all of a sudden they turn up the power and he pulls away massively on the straight, even if I have DRS open. But I really… just trying to focus on the positive, in a sense, that my team worked so hard this morning to get… I nearly didn’t start the race because we had an engine problem. So, the guys have really had their work cut-out this weekend because I crashed the car on Friday – which is rare for me – and then had a good Saturday and then, this morning had that problem. To take the engine apart and rebuild it, was very, very easy to make mistakes and so, I just wanted to deliver them the best race I could possibly deliver. I didn’t feel I did anything wrong today. I just gave it my all. So, there’s nothing more I could really ask.

Q: (Maxime Sarrasin – 98.5FM) Question for Lewis. What happened, we understood it was your seventh win in Montreal, you equalised the record of Michael Schumacher here. So, what are your thoughts about that? Having equalised the record from him?

LH: I have not really thought about it, if I’m really honest. As I was saying earlier, it does kind of feel like a deflated win, naturally. Hopefully by 2021 they redesign the rules better, that enables us to race better than we can currently today. But, this has always been a great hunting ground for me. It’s been a place that I really have loved, and have always felt like I’ve been really accepted and supported here. There’s a lot of Ferrari fans in Canada but nonetheless I still appreciate them. And we get such a great crowd here, y’know. It’s in the top three of the best races of the year, arguably for me. The British Grand Prix is obviously is great for me because I’ve got my home crowd, which is even bigger than this place because it’s a bigger space. When the weather’s great, like today, it’s just one of the most beautiful weekends of the year. So, often have family come out here. I won my first grand prix here, lots of poles, and it’s just been a place that I’ve thoroughly loved driving. So, that’s never going to change. As I said, I felt a little bit odd, being booed – but it’s not like the first time I’ve been booed. I’m used to it – and I forgive.

Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Sebastian, do you plan to go to talk to the stewards afterwards and Lewis, can you summarise what was your feeling in Spa in 2008 when the same happened to you?

SV: I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know what’s the procedure now. I was just thinking that I really love my racing. I’m a purist, I love going back and looking at the old times, the old cars, the old drivers. It’s an honour when you have the chance to meet them and talk to them; they’re heroes in a way. So I really love that but I just wish I was maybe as good, doing what I do, but being in their time rather than today. I think it’s not just about that decision today, there’s other decisions. Just hear the wording when people come on the radio, that we have now. We have an official language, I think it’s all wrong. I think we should be able to say what we think but we’re not so in this regard I disagree with where the sport is now. You have all this wording ‘I gained an advantage, I didn’t gain an advantage, I avoided a collision’. I just think it’s wrong, you know, it’s not really what we’re doing in the car. It’s racing, it’s common sense. If there’s a hazard on track, obviously you slow down because it’s quite unnatural to keep the pedal to the floor and run into the car and then say, ‘ah, it’s wrong that the car was there.’ I think Lewis… obviously as I said, I rejoined the track and then Lewis obviously had to react. I don’t know how close it was or close he was. Once I looked in the mirror he was sort of there but for me that’s racing and I think a lot of the people that I just mentioned earlier, the old Formula One drivers and people in the grandstands and so on, would agree that this is just part of racing but nowadays it’s just… I don’t like it, we all sound a bit like lawyers and using the official language. I think it just gives no edge to people and no edge to the sport. Ultimately it’s not the sport that I fell in love with when I was watching. Obviously it hurts me today because it impacts on my race result but I think this more of a bigger criteria. Tomorrow, when I wake up, I won’t be disappointed. I think Lewis and myself we share great respect and I think we’ve achieved so much in the sport, I think we’re both very very blessed to be in that position so one win up, one win down, I don’t think it’s a game-changer if you’ve been around for such a long time, but as I said, I’m not happy about all this complaining and stuff that we see so many times.

LH: Well, I second what Seb said in the sense of the respect that we’ve always had between us. We’ve had a lot of years racing together and there’s probably no one that I enjoy racing with on the track more than he. I always relish opportunities to battle like we’ve had today and the previous years and they’re really really memories that I will always cherish and I hope there are many more, so stick around.

I don’t think you can relate it necessarily to 2008 because 2008 I made an error. Obviously I overtook someone off track and then had to let them past and then overtook them again but back then, my team asked Charlie – who was a steward clearly – whether the overtake was OK and Charlie came back and said it was totally fine but if he had come back and told us at the time that it wasn’t OK, I would have let him back past and overtook him again. But the rest of that race was crazy, you know. I went off, he overtook me and then he spun and then I overtook him again and then he crashed and then I won the race – and I still got penalised at the end so it was a lot different, but I do understand what it’s like to naturally lose a race. It’s definitely not the way you want to win a race, it’s not the way you want to lose a race also, especially when you’ve driven so well.

Q: (Mike Doodson - ) It’s an apology because it’s more about the same incident but none of us have driven cars with a thousand horsepower at the speed that you do. Obviously you didn’t have many options, you didn’t have much time to make them. If you had lifted off, would it have been dangerous, would the car have spun because the grass was so slippery? What would have been the reaction of the car?

SV: I lifted off, of course, I lost time. I don’t think it was faster that way, I think you agree. Yes, as I said, I was busy enough to keep it somewhere under control so of course, once I’d lost the rear, already I lost the corner, then I lift off and I just sort of stayed somehow in control over the grass and then came back, so I wasn’t flooring it.  If I would have done that I would have crashed. So the priority at that point is just to survive, it’s not look around or going on the power or being fast or whatever.

Q: (Pino Asaro – Corriera Italiano) Seb, take us back to your state of mind as soon as you got out of the car? We saw you on the monitor, followed you into the Ferrari hospitality. What you going through? We’re all asking questions, are you going to race control, can you please take us back to that particular moment?

LH: By the way, I stopped at the end, I thought your car broke down. I stopped to pick you up.

SV: I thought maybe, OK. No, I wasn’t looking. I parked the car in parc ferme, a different parc ferme, the one that is not for the top three and then went to get weighed and then at that point didn’t really want to join anything that was obviously happening after that. I wasn’t very heated up, obviously angry and disappointed but I think everybody understands why but I think it’s a matter of respect to show to Lewis and Charles and also the representative for Mercedes on the podium, to be part of the podium. Certainly it wasn’t the place where I wanted to be because at that point you just want to get out but yeah, also sitting here is not of my free will but I have to be here.

Q: (Pino Asaro – Corriera Italiano) And the question for Charles: you almost came within five seconds of Seb. Did you lift off, the last lap or two, to make sure that Seb at least would finish second?

CL: I was not aware at all so no. I pushed but I didn’t know what was going on in front, I didn’t know Seb had a penalty. I was just pushing in case something happened in front, to be there if I had an opportunity but I was not aware of the five seconds penalty so no, I only did my own race.

Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Lewis, being the racer as you, if you were sitting in the stewards’ room would you investigate such an incident, or would you give a penalty then finally?

LH: Well, the good thing is I’m not in the stewards’ room so I’m not there, so it’s a hypothetical question.

Q: (Rebecca Clancy – The Times) Sebastian, you talked about wanting to race in the old days and obviously you’ve been around for a while. Do races like today, decisions like today make you question your future in the sport?

SV: Well, I don’t know. Not ready, what time is it now? I’m not ready for this kind of question. I don’t know, I just feel that nowadays we look at so many things that maybe we didn’t look at in the past because nobody was really making a fuss. Now, obviously it’s worth making a fuss for everything because you have these decisions. I sympathise in a way with the stewards. I’ve said many times when I’ve been in there that they are sitting in front of a piece of paper and they’re watching the race and they also came back to me and say we agree but look, we have to do these kind of things so I think just the way we are doing these things now is just wrong but it’s our times, we have regulations for everything. We need to have this jacket when… I don’t know, it’s clear there’s a hole when walking down a pedestrian walk and there is a hole in the street because they’re doing construction work and there needs to be a be guy who guides to the other side of the road, otherwise it’s the construction company’s fault that you fell into the hole and broke a leg, but I think you’re just an idiot if you walk into that hole and break you leg but that’s a little bit how my theory is nowadays. The approaches are drifting apart.

Q: (Abhishek Aggarwal – IndiainF1.com) Sebastian, when the stewards came with the official verdict there were still 15 laps to go and I think you were two seconds ahead of Lewis. Did you think there was possibly some chance or something else to do to get three more seconds of advantage?

SV: Yes, at some point I was three seconds in front but I was pretty sure that he was controlling the pace. Obviously once that happened it felt like he reduced pressure because there was no point. Then at some point it felt like maybe he doubted the decision and was putting pressure back on but also…

LH: I wasn’t backing off because of that. You just started going really quick, and I was like, shoot, he’s going to pull five seconds so I was struggling with the tyres when you suddenly picked up pace and then I was like I’ve got to do everything to try and keep up.

SV: Yeah, so I was trying to get this five seconds but I had a sequence of good laps, maybe that was in hand with when Lewis was struggling but then I was struggling more towards the end, plus we had to save fuel also to make it so not the easiest race to manage but I think we managed to stay ahead which makes me very happy and proud. I think the credit really goes to the team, hard work and this track looked a bit more competitive for us so despite what happened today, we’re looking forward to try and improve our car. There’s still work to do. I think Mercedes and Lewis were a bit faster in the race we’re still catching up but I think it was a good race overall for us.

Q: (Audas Ruszinov – Hungarian media) Lewis, your history in the winning circle started here in 2007. Would you take a moment to look back and compare the 2007 Lewis Hamilton to the person you are today? What was the most appreciated things of value which Formula One has taught you, as a driver, as a person, which you appreciated the most in the last 12 years?

LH: That’s a good question. Well naturally I was 22-years old, pretty much a kid still and for me, personally, I feel like I’ve matured a lot later. I was thrown in at the deep end of this incredible circus and sport. One thing I was prepared for was to race but I wasn’t prepared for the whole circus that comes along with it. I don’t know if I could say what the sport’s taught me. Naturally, through all these different experiences I’ve learned a lot about who I am, how to adapt to the different situations that surround me. I’ve done everything through trial and error. I’ve made a lot of mistakes over these years. Many of you here have been with me through that journey and definitely seen those mistakes, the good and the bad so there’s not really much that the media or you guys don’t know about me in terms of my character. I’m not perfect but I’ve grown a huge amount with the sport and the sport’s given my life meaning so I’m forever grateful to it and naturally today, I’m 34-years old, I’m a grown man and still love driving, still driving with the same heart that I did, I think, when I was 22 but just much more level head on my shoulders, a much wiser head of my shoulders which has enabled me to drive with the style and the skill that I had before but just finesse it a lot better. But also we get to travel the world, we get to see different cultures and all these different beautiful countries and people and I think what I’ve really really learned is really to enjoy… firstly not to take notice of what people think of you because every is going to have an opinion and then just, as long as you like yourself, know you’ve got great people around you who do love you, like your family most importantly, then all you’ve got to do is just enjoy what you do and do the best you can, because our days are limited, as I always say. I try to make sure I… like I can go to bed tonight and know that I gave everything this weekend and I’ll come back stronger at the next race and hope not to make mistakes on the Friday for example.

FIA Post-Qualifying Press Conference: 2019 Canadian GP.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA.com

DRIVERS
1 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)
2 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
3 – Charles LECLERC (Ferrari)

TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Jenson Button)

Q: Seb, well that was sublime. It’s lovely to watch.

Sebastian VETTEL: It’s better to drive, I tell you…

Q: That’s your first pole position in 17 grands prix. Can you believe it? I can’t believe it!

SV: Well, he’s bloody good in qualifying, hard to crack. Yeah, I’m full of adrenaline, to be honest. You know, with the feeling in the car, when it just keeps coming and you feel the grip and you go for it. That was one of those laps. So, really, really, really nice, and I really enjoyed it. So yeah, very happy, very happy for the team. The last weeks, the last 17 races! No, the last weeks have been quite tough.

Q: Obviously the big day is tomorrow. How did the long run pace go yesterday? It looked tricky for everyone – but do you think you’ve got the race pace to really back-up what you’ve just done today?

SV: It was awful! Today the car was a lot better. We take that into tomorrow. Obviously we also avoid the red tyre, the soft tyre, in the race tomorrow because we managed to go through with the yellow tyre, with the medium. So yeah, good day, the car felt good and I think we can carry that into the race. These guys will be very quick over the distance, but we’ll try to win it.

Q: Lewis, congratulations, I’m sure you’re a little bit disappointed. Having pole taken away from you by a small margin around a circuit that you are just exceptional on – but as Seb just said, racing could be a little bit different for them tomorrow. They struggled quite a lot on tyres, whereas you guys looked fantastic on your long runs.

Lewis HAMILTON: Honestly, I don’t know for whatever reason but I don’t particularly feel disappointment. I think we gave it everything we could. They were just quicker. Particularly that last sector: they were killing us. I think there’s something like four-tenths or five-tenths on the straight – but I did everything I could and we did everything we could. I think the timing was right, our procedures were perfect, so thoroughly happy with the job. Obviously we had P1 for a second – but we knew they were quick. But this is good. This is how racing should be. I’m glad that I was able to split the Ferraris and yeah, tomorrow, it’s going to be interesting. The weather’s fantastic. We’ve got a great group of fans sat here so hopefully we can put on a good show tomorrow.

Q: Charles, first of all, lovely to meet you properly. All weekend, you’ve been on it, you’ve been pushing Seb all the way in every session. It wasn’t quite there in Q3. What would you put that down to?

Charles LECLERC: I don’t really know to be honest. I struggled with the car, I think with the set-up maybe. I felt quite good with Q1 but then I didn’t felly follow the track, when the track was getting better, so I need to work on that, on the set-up and try to have the right set up for the final Q3 time. I struggled today in Q3 – but congratulations to Seb. He completely deserves it and hopefully we’ll have a better race on my side tomorrow.

Q: Tomorrow is going to be an exciting race. I watched your long-run pace on the medium tyre, which looked very strong – so does that give you some confidence going into the race tomorrow?

CL: Yeah, definitely. We were quite strong on the long-run pace and hopefully tomorrow is the same and we can have a good battle from there.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Sebastian, many congratulations, it’s been a while. How much of a shot in the arm is this result for you and the team?

SC: A shot in the arm? Is that how…. I don’t know the saying. I translates really weirdly to German, like a mistake! Yeah, it feels much better than a short in the arm! Obviously a great day. As you said, it’s been a while and mostly for the team I think the last couple of races have been quite tough. So coming here and showing a stronger form than we had in the last races is positive. Obviously we knew that the track in a way would suit us, but still, you know, we have to do the job and the car felt better and better throughout qualifying. Not easy with the interruption with the red flag. Yeah, I’m still full of adrenaline. I’m really happy; I really enjoyed it. I wish I could do it again just for the fun of it. I had to pace myself in the first two corners because getting the tyres to grip up wasn’t straightforward but after that it was just a joy. The car was shouting ‘keep going, keep going!’ and yeah, really enjoyed it. I wasn’t quite sure if Lewis is improving. Normally he’s pretty handsome or p[retty good around here…

LH: Thanks!

SV: Pretty handy is what I wanted to say, but there you go, handsome as well. Look at him! Yeah, so I wasn’t sure it was enough but then they screamed on the radio ‘pole position’ and yeah, just amazing. I really enjoyed it. Obviously it’s only part of the job and the main thing will be tomorrow. It will be a very long race and difficult to fight and keep them off but from where we start I think it looks like a god race.

Q: What were your expectations coming into this weekend?

SV: I didn’t really have any to be honest. In the last qualifying sessions in particular we lost ground, so I was hoping that we could be quicker and closer, because the gap was quite big. I think we had so many sessions where it was looking good. At the last races as well, if you take Baku, if you take Monaco, where Charles was very fast on Saturday morning. But then in qualifying, Mercedes, and particularly Lewis, always seemed to be able to step up and we couldn’t keep up. So I didn’t really expect that much so I really just wanted to enjoy it and make sure my laps were alright and that was the case. If you then get pole then obviously all the better.

Q: Lewis, how surprised were you by the pace of the man on your left?

LH: Not surprised. I think obviously all weekend they’ve had really great pace and for a large part of it they were six tenths up on the straights. So we fought so hard throughout the weekend to make improvements. I’m actually really happy for Seb, he clearly did a really great lap. My first lap was really good and it felt great for a second to be on pole, particularly as I missed all of P2 yesterday, so quite far behind starting today but it’s been a real solid day from us. Obviously the last sector – I think you can now start writing that they have the party mode. I don’t know who said we had the party mode in the beginning. End-of-straight speed was particularly where we lost out in the last sector but nonetheless hopefully the race will be close. It’s great to be able to split the Ferraris, so hopefully we’ll have a close battle tomorrow.

Q: You apologised to the team over the radio on your slow down lap. Were you referring to anything in particular or was it just frustration?

LH: It wasn’t frustration it’s just, you know, the team rely on me. It was a good lap but it was not good enough obviously. I had two really solid laps, no mistakes and I’m generally really happy with the job I did, but of course you can go back to the drawing board and say there’s always going to be a little bit more time in it but I don’t think I had two-and-a-half tenths, what they had or whatever it was. We just have to keep pushing, keep fighting. We’re still in a strong position. But I think this is great for racing anyway. I think this is what we and what the fans want, to see us so close. If you looks at the top 15 or something there was around a second between us all. That’s really great to see. Everyone’s so close at this track and hopefully that provides good racing tomorrow.

Q: Charles, coming on to you. It seemed that the performance dropped away a little bit as the session went on. How was it for you?

CL: Yeah, definitely – and this is a point I need to work on, to try to set up the car, especially for Q3. In Q1, the car felt quite good – then Q2 a bit worse and then Q3 it slipped away and I also did some mistakes. So, yeah, I need to understand from where it comes to just try to anticipate the track evolution and have the car at its best in Q3. But yeah, it’s my fault and I need to work on that to make it better.

Q: How did the 25 minute red flag affect you and your flow and approach to Q3?

CL: This, I guess, is the same for everyone at the end. But no, it didn't affect me. We just had to wait, so we had a bit more time to look at data and then we went back on track

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Seb, we heard your emotional reaction over the radio as you celebrated pole, and obviously can see that you’re still buzzing now. How was that feeling when you found out you were on P1. Was it just excitement, or relief, or anything compared to how it’s been at the start of the season. And Lewis, you’re also in very good spirits despite obviously missing out on pole. You talked before about wanting to have more competition. Would you prefer it if – and obviously you’d want it the other way around – would you prefer if you could have Ferrari this competitive at other races as well?

SV: To be honest, just excited. I think, y’know, this is one of the tracks where you need to dare going very close to the walls in many places. It’s very bumpy, it’s very rough and, if you get it right, it feels great. So, I think I got it quite right and yeah, then you finish the lap and you’re full of adrenaline. Obviously I saw that I was a big chunk down and improving when I crossed the line. Then I was looking up and I didn’t know who was coming behind, and then I heard them screaming ‘pole position’, so, it was just pure joy. Mixed with the adrenaline. I don’t know, I’m not a singer but I was screaming quite hard.

Lewis?

LH: I didn’t say congratulations, so congratulations – though I did say it downstairs. As I said, I think this is fantastic for the sport. I love to fight with another team and today it was just so close. I had no idea where we were going to be; at some stages they were ahead of us and we were swapping all the way. I hope this is a turning point for them and this is going to be very close from now on and we get to have a really serious battle throughout the season. That’s be fantastic.

Q: (Christian Menath – motorsport-magazin.com) Question for both Ferrari drivers. Yesterday, apart from the ultimate lap time it didn’t look too great for you. You were good in the last sector, where top speed is key – but in the other two sectors I think Mercedes were faster. Today, you were faster in every sector. Is it just because the track ramped up – or did you find something overnight? Change something dramatic in your set-up?

SV: I think yesterday was difficult to judge because not everybody had a smooth session. I mean, Lewis, for most of the session, didn’t take part. So, practice is always difficult. The key is that we were able to improve the car, on the one hand, I think the track ramping up also helped us in that regard, so yeah, I don’t know how quick we were relative to the others in the sectors. What mattered, obviously, is that when we crossed the line, that we were faster. Quite pleased with how the car worked today.

Charles, anything to add?

CL: No.

Q: (Yhacbel Lopez – Motorlat) To the Ferrari drivers: this pole could be a turnaround of the season for Ferrari?

SV: Well, I don’t know, I’m not a fortune teller. I can’t look in the future so I don’t know. The last races were in Abu Dhabi. Maybe you come to Abu Dhabi and ask again whether this was the turning point. I hope I can give you a yes then but I don’t know. It’s a long way, long season, lots of different tracks, different challenges. I think we know still that we have to catch up. This track maybe favours us a bit more. We had more top speed in all the tracks so far. This is a track where top speed is a bit more relevant, not too many corners so we will see. The team is certainly pushing very hard, the whole of Maranello is throwing everything at it that they can to try and give us a better car and make better races to come.

CL: He’s saying everything I want to say so nothing to add, really.

SV: You start next time.

Q: (Omar Alvarez – Graining.es) My question is…

SV: Your website is called graining? Like raining or graining.

Q: (Omar Alvarez – Graining.es) Graining.

SV: You’re sponsored by Pirelli or…?

Q: (Omar Alvarez – Graining.es) Yes, and my question is precisely about that. Are you expecting the tyres for tomorrow, your sets are going to be working as well as today?

SV: I’m quite happy that we managed to qualify in Q2 on the medium compound so we should be a bit better off tomorrow because the soft was quite poor yesterday with lots of graining so we will see, we will see how it goes tomorrow. It’s still a long race, a lot of laps.

LH: More about graining. They only write about graining, right?

Q: (Les Kiser – speedcity Sirius XM) I was going to ask about the life expectancy of the tyres. You looked very confident through those laps, even when they were sliding it was like you were up on things, on your toes and you were managing it. Will you be able to do that through the entire lifespan of those tyres?

SV: No, you won’t, because there’s always a peak of the tyre, especially on that soft compound. It obviously gives you the highest grip but doesn’t last particularly long, but as I said, for tomorrow obviously we are able to start on the medium tyre and then hopefully go a lot longer so we will see what to do after that. Usually it’s not so nice when you get graining so hopefully we can stay away from that.

Q: (Michelangelo Choppi – La Voce Euro Canada USA) Sebastian and Lewis, do you think you can start from the position and you can win like last year and make a big victory for the ninety years of Scuderia Ferrari? And for Lewis, do you think if you start in second place you can try to do something at the beginning and try to win the race tomorrow?

SV: For sure. Obviously there’s a reason why we were able to put the car on pole position today. Looking forward to tomorrow, it will be a very very close battle. We know our strengths, we know our weaknesses. Obviously we are very quick down the straights, let’s assume not so easy to pass but we will see. It’s a long race, we know that in terms of pace it will be very very close and we need a perfect race tomorrow to fight for the win.

LH: Well, it’s a very, very short distance down to turn one so it’s not the easiest to make places up but it’s a long, long race, so 70 laps is a long way to go. Of course, whatever opportunity comes we will try to capitalise on it but yeah, the race is very long, probably a one stop so looking after the tyres is going to be really key. It’s very hard to follow here, even though there’s mainly straights, they are very quick on the straights so I don’t know how following Seb is going to be tomorrow – if I’m in that position, but I just hope that we are able to be close and have a real race throughout the race.