REPORT: Kristoffersson claims victory in Loheac thriller.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

Round eight of the FIA World Rallycross Championship saw 80,000 fans witnessing an action packed final on Sunday, where PSRX Volkswagen Sweden’s Johan Kristoffersson claimed his seventh victory of the season.

It was a double-podium for the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team as Kristoffersson took his joker lap on the second lap of the final and capitalized on his good pace to take the lead in the closing stages to claim victory in his Volkswagen Polo R. He was joined on the podium by his teammate Petter Solberg in third.

“It was a really tough weekend. We were hoping to have made some progress before the weekend on a high grip track which Loheac is. We had a good tyre strategy but unfortunately I lost the start in the semi-final against Mattias (Ekstrom),” explains Kristoffersson. “Until then it was really tough during the whole weekend. I stalled in Q2 and had to fight from the back, and had a great fight with Liam (Doran) in Q1. Only Q4 was really a clean run for me. In the final I knew I had really good tyres, I took the joker in the right moment and from there on it was very tricky to know when Timmy (Hansen) was going to joker. I knew it was going to be very, very tight (with leader Bakkerud). I really pushed everything in turn five on the last lap and it was just enough to come in front of Andreas (Bakkerud). I’m really happy to have Petter on the podium as well, this is really for the team, they have been working very hard.”

EKS Audi Sport’s Andreas Bakkerud started the final on pole position and claimed the Monster Energy Super Charge Award for having the fastest reaction time at the start in his Audi S1.

Bakkerud and Mattias Ekstrom shared the front row for EKS Audi Sport after both drivers won the two semi-finals, Bakkerud then taking the lead and heading his team mate until the pair took their joker laps on lap six and re-joined in second and fourth.

Bakkerud crossed the finish line 0.34 seconds behind Kristoffersson. “I’m disappointed about us having missed a one-two result by such a narrow margin, but am taking a lot of positives home from France,” said Bakkerud. “We had good results in the preliminary races, managed to win our semi-finals and now I’m in second place of the drivers’ standings.” 

Bakkerud’s second place finish moves him up to second in the World RX Drivers’ Championship as Solberg’s third place finish lifted the two-time World RX Drivers’ Champion to third. Solberg and Kristoffersson’s results extended PSRX Volkswagen Sweden’s advantage in the World RX Teams’ Championship standings.

Solberg was delighted with a double-podium for PSRX Volkswagen Sweden. “I’m very pleased, I think for the viewers and spectators there’s been some incredible fights here and nothing really crazy at all. It’s the most proper driving I’ve seen for a long time,” said Solberg. “It’s been a little bit of a tough weekend but we came to the final, tried to be neat and clean. I had good speed after I took the joker, it was very close with Johan out of the joker. We were pushing on, both of us, and at the end of the day Bakkerud came in between, but I’m very pleased.”

Team Peugeot Total’s Timmy Hansen and Sebastien Loeb finished the final fifth and sixth in front of the enthusiastic French crowd.

Kevin Hansen, Team Peugeot Total independent entry and Olsbergs MSE’s Kevin Eriksson finished fourth in the semi-finals as both GC Kompetition drivers, Guerlain Chicherit and Liam Doran made the semi-finals and finished fifth and sixth. Both GRX Taneco drivers, Niclas Gronholm and Timur Timerzyanov also made the top 12 and finished sixth and fifth in semi-final’s one and two respectively.

Team STARD’s Janis Baumanis was first reserve for the semi-finals in 13th, ahead of MJP Racing Team Austria wilds cards, Toomas ‘Topi’ Heikkinen and Andrew Jordan.

2018 Italian GP: Post-Race Press Conference.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA.com

DRIVERS

1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)
2 – Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (Ferrari)
3 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes)

TRACK INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by Paul Di Resta)

Q: Congratulations Lewis, we can see what that means to the team, we can hear it in your voice, that has to be one of your craziest races ever, to beat two Ferraris, outrace them on home soil here at Monza.

Lewis HAMILTON: Well, firstly I want to give it up to Ferrari who put up a great challenge this weekend. They really did an amazing job and they’ve really give us such a great fight. Secondly, I just want to say a huge thank you to these guys and everyone back home, because without their support, without their continued efforts this wouldn’t be possible today, their continued belief. Also, here there was a lot of negativity, as there is when you’re against an opposing team, and I could see so many British flags out there, they know who they are. I was pointing them out and they inspired me so much for this race and that’s what I was driving for. In future, the negativity is really a positive thing for me because I harness it and turn it from negative to positive. But, as I said, a big thank you to Valtteri for helping us as well.

Q: Yeah, we could hear it in your voice even when you were doing the parade lap. You were happy with your starts, you got the job done in the beginning. You’re not going to go down without a fight. They’ve got a strong package but you’re going to fight it all the way.

LH: Absolutely. We never give up.

Q: Well done, mate. Kimi, you had the weight of the Italians on your side, the weight of Ferrari after Sebastian went out but the package just wasn’t quite quick enough to beat Lewis was it?

Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: I think it was quick enough but unfortunately our rear tyres went and it was a losing battle since that point. I tried but it was impossible in the end unfortunately. It’s far from ideal but this is what we got today and we did our maximum.

Q: You can take the positives from the weekend can’t you? First pole position in a long time and it shows that the fight is going to go all the way to try to beat this guy and try and help Sebastian?

KR: Yeah, I mean, for sure we tried, but if you look at the rear tyres, they gave up before the race ended but at least we take the second place and we keep fighting.

Q: Great, all the best. Valtteri, a very strong fight with Max Verstappen down there, how did you see it?

Valtteri BOTTAS: I was really trying to do everything I could to get to the podium. First, my mission was to try to hold up Kimi for a while, but then I was trying to end up on the podium. It was hard racing, sometimes not quite as fair as I was hoping for, so he got a penalty so then I’m on the podium.

Q: Well, I’m sure you can say the atmosphere in this team is going to be electric tonight and you have to celebrate it, because it was a team effort and you played a big part in that, you held Räikkönen up for a little while and got Lewis on top of him?

VB: Yeah, I think as a team we take this result. We got more points than Ferrari in their home. Obviously they were quicker yesterday in the qualifying, so we take it but hopefully we can be better next time.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Frédéric Ferret – l’Equipe) A question to Kimi. Would you have pitted later would you have been blistering? And a question for Lewis: was it planned to pit later than the 21st lap? A question to both of you about pitting.

KR: Afterwards you can always fine-tune things, but it’s too late afterwards. I don’t think we did anything wrong. We just ran out of tyres in the end, simple as that. I don’t know. I mean, there’s no point to start thinking right now. This is what we got. Leave it and go forward.

Lewis?

LH: The question was about was it the right time to pit?

We saw your mechanics out in the pit lane a few laps before you came in. Was the plan always to pit when you did.

LH: No, the strategy was the pit a lot earlier than that, but as you go through the race… As I said, the communication was really great. I was pointing out that the tyres, I still had them in good nick. I could see that Kimi was struggling a little bit and I was able to advance and keep the gap around a second. I think it was eight tenths of 0.9s or something like that I was maintaining, and we just kept extending and extending. I was a little bit surprised that we didn’t stop before Kimi. I thought we would have done the undercut. Then Kimi came in and I was able to pick up pace. My next few laps were really quite strong and I was hoping to overcut. I was trying to make sure that I pushed and extended and made sure that I was then able to pit. But straight away he came back into my window quite quickly because of the big tyre difference, so then I had to extend. So we just tried to keep it going as long as possible and even when they pulled me in I was still a little bit surprised because the tyres were still good but he was catching Valtteri. I think it was an important and a very good decision made to pit at the time I did, so I could close the gap with them and have at least a few moments behind these guys. And then after that it’s all history.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Valtteri, obviously staying out long was one factor of your race, but another was the contact with Max in Turn 1. What did you think of him moving in the braking zone like that. And also his attitude after that, because he made it quite clear over the radio that he was willing to fight and defend aggressively from you on track even if it cost him a place to Vettel because of the time penalty?

VB: I think there was a couple of proper overtaking opportunities for me and the first one, I went inside and he just cut the chicane to stay ahead of me. The second time – I think there is a very clear rule that once you defend you choose your line and if another car is there you need to leave a car’s width and obviously he didn’t, I was there, so we touched and he got a penalty for that. I think it’s a very simple and clear rule, so he got a penalty for that.

Q: (Dániel Horváth– Racingline.hu)  Lewis, an epic fight with Kimi. Would you miss him from the grid if he won’t be with us next year? 

LH: Would I miss Kimi? I think it’s always a difficult question to say if you miss someone. I think the sport would naturally miss him, yeah. I made it no secret that before I even got to Formula One I was always playing… when I was playing the Playstation I was always Kimi in the McLaren, imagining that was me. And then I remember the first car at McLaren which was Kimi’s set-up and the suspension that he would use, which was… I remember it like it was yesterday. It was an amazing experience and it was cool because I think our driving style was kinda similar, which meant that I ended up being quite comfortable with the set-up that he used back then. So, y’know, he’s had an incredible career and it’s been a real honour to race against a great Finn such as him – but he looks like he’s just ice-cold. He’s just got plenty of years left in him. He’s not seeming to age. I don’t know what it is about Finnish people. I think it’s the sauna and the ice thing. Yeah.

Q: (Zsolt Godina – F1vilag.hu) Kimi, you said on the podium that ‘maybe next time.’ do you perhaps have any new information regarding the future? Do you have more options in F1 for next year other than Ferrari?

KR: There’s always going to be options. In life generally. It depends on what you want to do. It depends on a lot of things. So, we’ll see in the future what will happen and that’s about it.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Lewis, how would you rate the overtaking manoeuvre on Kimi? Was it an easy one or did you need a lot of Finnish sisu?

LH: Sisu? Is that fighting spirit? Did I need a lot of it. Well, naturally I find myself between the Finnish drivers quite a lot but, no, I mean the battle was awesome. The restart was obviously really good and then, straight after that, Kimi getting back past me, was… whilst it’s never good losing a position, it was a great move from him. I left him room, etc., and I was just hopeful that later on I would have the opportunity to continue the fight. And, as I said, I was still between 1.1-1.3s behind most of the time. So, I was definitely hopeful of another opportunity at some stage – but it isn’t easy to get close, at all – but these cars are definitely getting better. I do hope that next year’s cars are better than this in terms of being able to follow. The last manoeuvre he defended on the outside. He moved to the right and then I thought a little bit too the left but it didn’t cause me any problems and then it wsa just about late braking into Turn One and trying to… it was very, very close. Kimi was very, very fair. Gave me space. It was tooth and nail, whatever you call it, as racing should be.

Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Congratulations Lewis. Does this feel like one of the greatest performances of your career, given that it’s in Ferrari’s homeland and the passing moves that you’ve already mentioned?

LH: I think it’s always very difficult to compare past performances. I always tell you that I don’t really have the greatest of memories – but under the sheer pressure that we are under I definitely will consider it to be quite far up there. And obviously to do it on Ferrari’s home turf as well, with such a difficult crowd and so much pressure on the team with the performance that they have, to really be able to pull a little bit more out of the bag, and really make it stick… but I generally think that this year I’ve been quite consistent in my delivery. I really been happy with what I’ve been able to extract from the car and again, just incredibly grateful and proud of the team for continuing to keep their faith in me, and keep pushing as they are. Days like this, it’s going to be amazing when I go back and see my guys in the garage. We’ll have a team photo to celebrate it probably. And that is a very, very proud moment, to be a part of that. So many people in these teams now, it’s incredible – and there’s not one single person – component – that’s more important than another. It’s been great teamwork and effort.

Q: (Luigi Perna – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Question for Lewis. Lewis, Sebastian in his team radio said that your move in the second chicane was silly. What is your answer?

LH: That it worked! I think it was a racing move. It’s pretty much the same move that Kimi did to me. I don’t really know what to say about that. It was a racing manoeuvre, it’s what we’re supposed to do out there. We’re supposed to be racing. I left him space. I was still on track, so… but I’m sure it’s a comment that was done in the heat of the moemtn. And it’s never a great feeling when you spin and you’re facing the other cars coming the other way. And then you get back up and you start from the back and you have to come through. So, I don’t take anything from it. I know how it is to be in that emotion. I’m sure he really didn’t mean too much by it.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globoesporte.com) To Kimi and then Lewis. Kimi, Lewis’ victory today was a real team victory. Did you receive, you and Sebastian, any orientation before the start? You, for example, you locked the wheels at the wheels at the first chicane after the start, which could make a completely different story of the grand prix. And Lewis, you had incredible speed in the straight in this race. The reason is the new spec of the power unit you use in Spa or maybe the aero set-up you choose for Monza.

KR: No, I think we have very clear rules. I don’t see how my front locking changed the race. Unfortunately, we lock front tyres sometimes under braking and that’s what happened. Obviously always difficult after the start when they’re not exactly where they should be. These things happen. It wasn’t a big deal and I got out of it – so I don’t see how it changed the race somehow.

(Inaudible question)

KR: Like I said, we know what we can do, and what not.

Lewis – your thoughts on the straight line speed.

LH: Well, there’s a big difference. There’s a big tow-effect here. Naturally Kimi was out in front on his own. So he’s got a disadvantage in the fact that he’s driving into clean air and I’m in the dirty air and he’s pulling me along. So, that was really it, basically. You saw in qualifying, everyone’s using the tow. It’s worth a lot of time. It’s up to three-tenths, or something, on each straight. Something like that. And then, it was just about being able to follow through the corners and positioning your car so you can still get a good exit – because the car in front always gets max downforce. Once I got past Kimi, it’s night-and-day different how it handles through the corners – because I’ve got clean air in front of me, as opposed to being behind, and you’re fighting the dirty air and different patches of air hits you, air pockets you hit down the straight where the car speeds up and slows down, speeds up, and I guess that’s the turbulence that you’re facing. So, that was really it. But the engine was great today, for sure. They brought an engine upgrade, as did we, but they were quite similar steps, I would say, coming into Spa and then here.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, have you ever bigger support as you got today when leading for Ferrari?

KR: I have to say… obviously you cannot hear the crowd. In the end, when we get our trophies, you can see how many people (there are). You see at the end, when you look down the main straight, there’s a lot of support from the tifosi. Unfortunately we didn’t get the maximum, the best result today for all of us but this is how it goes and I’m sure they were cheering as much as we were trying. It was very nice to see.

Q: (Francesca Galbiati – Quattroruote) Lewis, five victories for you here in Monza, like Schumacher. What’s your feeling about that?

LH: That’s cool. As I said, I have such a bad memory I didn’t even realise that I’d had that many here. It feels like the first, if I’m really honest, being the way the race went, it was one of the most exciting of victories that I’ve had, that I can remember. And as I was saying, it’s such a great place to win but to know that I’m up there with Michael… it is always a real privilege and an honour to be mentioned in the same sentence as a great like him, someone I watched and supported as a youngster growing up.

Q: (Stefan Burgstaller - Kronen Zeitung) Lewis, was this is a victory for Niki Lauda?

LH: Was the victory for Niki Lauda? The victory was for the whole team, really. And I know Niki… I’ve been in touch with Niki’s wife quite often and she sends me updates all the time. He’s still fighting with his fighting spirit and the messages that I get are really encouraging. He’s here with us. Honestly, I hadn’t thought of dedicating it to anyone in particular but there is someone that I have in mind but I’d rather not mention it. I’ll get to tell the family afterwards.

Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) Booing on the podium, is that acceptable at Formula One races? We see it at football matches but is it OK for F1 fans to boo you on the podium?

VB: I think every fan has their own right to tell their opinion for different drivers, different teams. Everyone can say whatever they like, they can support whoever they like. For sure they can do it. Of course, when you get the boos, it’s not as nice as someone shouting your name but as Lewis mentioned, for sports people who have the right mindset, we can turn some negative experiences into strengths, so in the end, if you handle it right, you can really use that as a source of energy.

LH: I think it’s acceptable. It’s done in every sport. If I’m really honest, I don’t understand it because I’ve never… I’ve been to football games, I’ve been to NFL games, I’ve been to basketball games and rugby games. I’ve never booed an opposing team even if it was against my team. And none of my friends do either so I don’t get the psyche of it. It happens in all sports. It definitely happens in football and probably here more than I’ve noticed in others but it is the way it is. For me, as Valtteri says, it is easy in the arena that we’re in, it is very very easy to allow it to get to you, to allow it to have an impact on your life and have you think about it, all these different things. But it is also quite easy to harness it and use it and that gave me so much motivation today. I welcome it. If they want to continue to do it, that just empowers me.

Q: Does it offend you?

LH: It doesn’t offend me, no. No. There’s nothing to get offended by. I don’t really think too much about it. I just keep smiling. I know I’ve got those individuals who are out there who travel the world to support me. I know they’re there. Really really proud of them, because obviously when you’re in a big crowd, when you’re in a big sea of red and there’s the booing and then there’s you with the one flag which there is out there, you know you notice there’s one guy standing there with a flag or there’s a kid waving it and you can imagine being surrounded by that, feeling the heat on him, because all eyes are on him or her, maybe. I really just appreciate that and respect it so much, so I really really do try like on the podium and on the parade lap and when I was driving round, I really try to point out… it’s hard to point to a big crowd and them know that you’re pointing at them but I try to point out and know that I acknowledge them and appreciate them.

KR: I think everybody as the right to do what they feel like but I don’t think it’s very nice. I don’t think it should happen but obviously it’s not my decision. It happens and that’s how life is but it’s not very nice.

2018 Italian GP: FIA Post-Qualifying Press Conference

DRIVERS
1 – Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN (Ferrari)
2 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)
3 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Paul Di Resta)

Q: Kimi, we’ve just witnessed history, the fastest ever lap Formula 1 of Monza. How does it feel to get Ferrari a front-row lock-out?

Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN: Obviously it’s great for tomorrow, but it’s only half the job done and I think it couldn't be a better place to be on pole position. It’s our home grand prix, it’s in front of all the tifosi, so hopefully tomorrow everything goes smoothly and we end up in the same positions.

Q: Well, you’ve given these guys something to cheer about. Ultimately, they are the strong point Ferrari, aren’t they?

KR: They are, always. It doesn’t matter where we go around the world, but obviously here at our home grand prix it’s full of great tifosi. So hopefully tomorrow is as good as today.

Q: Well all the best for that. Sebastian, second best today, but I don’t think the race is lost and these guys will be supporting you tomorrow?

Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, it’s unbelievable to see the amount of support around the track, so grazie a tutti. It’s a good result for the team. Not entirely happy with my last run, but yeah, I think Kimi was just a little bit too fast in the end.

Q: We heard you on the radio saying ‘we’ll discuss it after’. Do you think that slipstream got off you made the difference?

SV: It is always like this in Monza and I think for him it was in a sweet spot. I think my last run was OK. My lap wasn’t very good, so yeah, I think we can have a look but for now it’s good to have both cars on the front row.

Q: Well, have fun tomorrow. Lewis, you almost did it. An extraordinary lap at the beginning of the session but the Ferraris are showing to be very strong?

Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, congratulations to Ferrari, they did a solid job today. We have it everything we could. It’s obviously incredibly close between us but they’ve had the upper hand all weekend. We gave it everything we could today and we’ll give more tomorrow.

Q: How hard are you working at the moment, Lewis, to make the difference and how hard are you going to work tonight to try to beat them tomorrow?

LH: Always… everyone in the team is working as hard as they can to make the difference. It’s incredibly close, as I said, as you can see, which is great for the sport. It’s great to see so many fans here, regardless if they’re all Ferrari fans, it’s still great.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Kimi, it all came together for you at the end in Q3. Just talk us through that final lap and what it feels like to be back on top here at Monza, of all places?

KR: If you need to choose, for our team it’s probably the best place to taker the pole position. Obviously we’ve been close a few times but it never really went right in the end. It’s been a bit tricky, the second chicane, the whole day. The last run was pretty decent, let’s put it this way, enough for pole position. Obviously there were a lot of games – who is going first, getting tows and this and that. But in the end, there was a train of cars and that’s enough. The car’s been working well; obviously conditions have been a little tricky but nevertheless I don’t think we’ve changed the car at all since the first runs really. It all seems to be running pretty smoothly so far, so hopefully tomorrow it’s a similar situation.

Q: Kimi, you got quite a reception on your slow down lap as well?

KR: I don’t hear them. Obviously we know that we have a lot of fans, a lot of tifosi here, so I think being one and two is great but like I said it’s only half job done, so tomorrow is another important part, so hopefully we can give them another great result.

Q: Sebastian, coming to you, it was so close at the top and in the end you just missed out. Was it at the second chicane? Can you just talk us through what happened at the end there?
SV: Yeah, my last lap I wasn’t happy with it and I think it was the only chance I had to get a shot at pole. So, well done to Kimi. I think he had a very, very good lap, and did a great job, so it’s great to have the cars in one and two.

Q: And Sebastian, can we just get your thoughts on the emotions. This is Ferrari’s 60th front row lock-out, and to do it here at Monza, were you feeling the passion of the tifosi as well?

SV: Every time you go out you see them go crazy, whether it’s practice or now in qualifying. That’s very nice to see. Obviously, I’m not entirely happy with the end of my qualifying but probably that’s the emotion that is dominating now – but I think it’s great. It’s unbelievable before qualifying to see the flags. Around the main straight, the banners they put up and the huge Ferrari logo. I think, yeah, it says ‘passion’ on the banner and I think that’s exactly what the people have. A lot of joy, the whole weekend, screaming us forward. And they’re pushing us. So, it’s great to get the job done and get the cars on the front row.

Q: Lewis, just a tenth and a half from the man on your right. What are your thoughts after that qualifying session?

LH: It was a fantastic qualifying session. Congratulations to Kimi. They knew that had the pace this weekend. It was going to take something quite special with the lap to catch them but it’s generally been that kind of distance between them all weekend. Of course, we were hopeful that we might be able to give them a run for their money which, obviously the first qualifying lap was pretty good – but the second one was… it was still good but it could always be better. It was just amazing how intense it was – and that’s how racing should be. So, I really enjoyed it thoroughly, to be honest.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Kimi, you mentioned the near-misses you’ve had in qualifying this year. How important was it to end that here and was it a relief in any way to get that monkey off your back?

KR: Not really. It’s not my first one. If this would be the first one then of course it’s different but we keep trying always and sometimes it works out, sometimes not. It’s not as easy as it probably looks on TV, looking on the screens. Yeah. Today, I think the whole weekend has been working pretty well with everything. The conditions have been changing a little bit but nevertheless I was close. After the practice, we knew that there was three cars, one of them was going to get it and today it was me. Happy about it but it doesn’t really change anything. Tomorrow is always the main job to done.

Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-magazin.com) Question for Seb. Can you talk us through that last lap? What exactly was not perfect? Was it the timing, that you didn’t get the perfect tow or was there a bit of a mistake at some point? What was it?

SV: No. To be honest it was not a tidy lap. I think the other laps were actually better, so… yeah… I lost a bit in the first chicane, the second chicane, the Lesmos, pretty much a bit everywhere. I think the last sector was OK but also not fantastic. It was just not a good lap and not good enough. Obviously lucky to get second instead of third but… yeah. Just not good enough.

Q: (Dániel Horváth – Racingline.hu)  Lewis, do you think you need to work harder than ever to beat the Ferraris this year – and does this close competition make you more motivated?

LH: Firstly, I am! Yes, is your answer to that. And the close competition I think is great. It’s great for the sport, it’s pushing us all, I’m sure within their team and with our team it’s pushing us to limits that we didn’t even know we could go to – so, that’s what the sport is about.

Q: (Joe van Burik – Autocar.nl) To follow up on that question to the Ferrari drivers. Exactly one year ago you seemed to be in a similar position looking at the championship standings. Are you confident you can keep up the momentum now going to the end of the season or has anything changed compared to last year?

KR: A lot of things have changed since a year ago but I think the aim is always the same. It doesn’t matter which team you are in, which year it is. Obviously, we want to win. It’s simple as that. What will happen at the end of the season and the end of the championship, nobody knows. We can only do our best as a team and, yeah, work as hard as we can. Is that enough? Time will tell. That’s the aim. I will not start guessing what will happen.

Sebastian, anything to add?

SV: No.

Q: (Rebecca Clancy – The Times) To Sebastian. It sounded like your initial radio message after you crossed the line on your final lap, as it you thought you had got pole position – and then you were told it was P2, and said “Oh, we’ll speak after,” is there anything in particular you’re going to speak about. And, secondly, will there be any conversations about team orders before tomorrow’s race?

SV: No, I don’t think anything related to that. Clearly I wasn’t happy – but I don’t tell you why.

Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Kimi, it’s very difficult to tell from your emotions, but was that the greatest feeling you have ever had after qualifying? Putting Ferrari on pole?

KR: I think I have 17 times before a similar story. This is a special place, for sure, to get the pole position in our home Grand Prix, in front of all the fans. But it isn’t any different to the other ones, in many ways. It’s good today, hopefully tomorrow is another good day.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – Globoesporte.com) Lewis, one tenth slower in qualifying, what can you imagine in race conditions?

LH: It’s pretty much the same. They’ve had the same pace… that gap has generally been the same over the sessions. The long run pace yesterday was very good but of course we’re hopeful that we’ve improved the car overnight, last night, so maybe in the long runs we’ll be better tomorrow. We shall see.

Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC Sport) To the Ferrari drivers: Sebastian, why weren’t you in a position to get a tow from Kimi, rather than the other way around? What did you mean by ‘we’ll talk about it later’? And is Kimi going to be allowed to win tomorrow?

SV: Well, first question, because we have an order that changes every weekend and this weekend it was Kimi to go second. Simple. Second question? I don’t tell you. That’s the same question as I had before. Sorry. And the third one was ‘is Kimi allowed to win’? Well, if he’s starting from pole, I guess he’s allowed to win. It’s a long race. Obviously he wants to win, I want to win. Hopefully one of us will win.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Lewis, the gap between you and Valtteri has been pretty big all weekend and it was the same in qualifying. So when you’re that close to the Ferraris, how hard are you having to work in the car? Is the car working well here or are you having to basically put it to the very edge?

LH: I am putting it to the edge but of course the car’s actually been feeling really good this weekend. Most of our time is lost on the straights, if not all our time, generally. I can’t really explain why that is but there are areas that we lose on the straights and that has been different, but we’ve all been in tows during that sessions so I will have to look at the lap. Sebastian was just behind me so he had a good tow from me. I had a good tow from Valtteri and it obviously cascaded down. Here the tow effect is huge for everyone and getting the gap right is important. But at the end of the day Kimi did the job. I don’t think I could have gone any quicker. I’m sure you can always look at the data and see there’s a little bit more but of course I’m pushing the car as hard as I can and I’m really happy with the performance, really, this weekend. We just need that little bit more.

Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) To the Ferrari drivers, having to fight your teammate at the first corner, does it change your mindset compared to the Mercedes?

SV: Yeah, I guess, a little bit. Obviously you are still always trying to get out ahead, no matter who you’re racing but for sure you try to avoid contact but then again, as I said, you try to avoid that anyway. It’s not like there’s another car and you say yeah, I’m happy to make contact. With our cars you can’t really afford to touch or be touched.

KR: No different than any other race really. Obviously we know, as a team, we can race but we obviously need to be careful with each other but I don’t see how it changes to anybody. I don’t think anybody will purposely take a stupid amount of risk to damage somebody else’s car and your’s at the same time. Same story.

2018 Italian GP: FIA Team Members Press Conference

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA.com

TEAM REPRESENTATIVES – Ben AGATHANGELOU (Haas), Mattia BINOTTO (Ferrari), Aldo COSTA (Mercedes), Simone RESTA (Sauber)

Ben, if we could start with you, great to have you with us. Very rainy and wet this morning. We know you were running your new floor because Romain Grosjean told us yesterday. Were you able to get to grips with it?

Ben AGATHANGELOU: I think things were clear already by the end of Spa to be honest, so here in the wet we’re not going to gain that much more this morning, so we’re taking it as a given that things are behaving as we saw by the end of Spa on one car.

Tell us too about the relationship you have with Ferrari. Big upgrades to the power unit this year and you really seem to have benefited in many ways from Ferrari?

BA: Obviously it’s an enormous strength to have Ferrari as a partner and we benefit clearly from the engine. The engine has made a huge step this year and I think we have been able to use it, maybe not so much so in the past. We’ve done a fair amount of our own development, the company is growing, so we’ve managed to extract from all parts of the budget.

Q: Thank you Ben. Mattia, moving on to you: great victory for you and the team at Spa last weekend. Where do you think your advantage over Mercedes lay?

Mattia BINOTTO: Difficult to answer. I’m always more keen to look at the whole package and not try to split it into different factors. I think the difference to Mercedes overall was very small at the end. They have been on pole in quali, so they have been the fastest car, as a matter of fact, and I think that in the race our pace was very similar. So to try to distinguish if there is a little difference, where it’s coming from, is a very difficult exercise. Our package is working well as a whole, from the aero, from the chassis, mechanicals and the power unit and I think that as well in terms of development we are all focused on all the areas.

Q: Now it was this stage last year that Mercedes started to stretch its legs in the championship fight. Is Ferrari in a better position now than it was 12 months ago?

MB: Certainly we are in a better position compared to ourselves, to start with, and if I consider Spa last year, for example, we were not as competitive as we have been this year. I think that since the very start of this season, since the launch of the car, we mentioned and we said that we focused our development in terms of efficiency and to make sure that our car could compete on medium-fast circuit types and I think that somehow we have achieved it. On circuits where efficiency is important, like Silverstone, like Spa, we got good results and I think that is a good base for the rest of the season. So again, compared to last year, I think we can count on a car, which is certainly better in efficiency today. There are still eight races to go, so it’s still long and it will be a long and difficult battle.

Q: Thank you Mattia and good luck this weekend. Aldo, we’ve heard about the Ferrari challenge, how do you and Mercedes assess what Ferrari have done this year? Do you feel they are much closer to you than in the past?

Aldo COSTA: As Mattia was saying, the two cars are very, very close. Yeah, we would say closer than in the past. You mentioned about the last part of the season last year, where we stretched our legs; obviously we hope to stretch our legs again. But we have to see if Ferrari will allow us to do that. It’s a very close fight. Development on development, each race, and we will carry on introducing new performance elements and we will carry on developing the performance of the car as much as we can up to the last race really.

Q: You have announced that you are stepping down as engineering director from the team at the end of this season, but you are going to remain as an advisor. What does that role entail, and how involved will you be with the racing team going forward?

AC: It was, as you can imagine, something that was discussed a long time ago. After having enjoyed an unbelievable amount the experience in Mercedes in the current role – seven years in the UK, really, really fantastic – I did ask the team to start being not in the same position, having a bit more time for myself, for the family, back to Italy and we found together, discussing together, again an opportunity for other people to grow up, to develop the team, so this is what I’m doing, as well as the current role – developing the organisation, developing people, team, mentoring, and by the end of the year my main new function will be, as you said, technical advisor of the team. I will work for James, I will work for my current direct report that will grow up in terms of responsibility and I will carry on mentoring and I will carry on collaborating with the team, developing capability, developing process, but a bit less involved from the timing point of view. In my opinion after 31 years of Formula 1 it is the best compromise for me to carry on being very fully engaged but as well, on the personal, finding better equilibrium.

And more time, as well, to indulge in your passion for driving Formula 1 cars?

AC: Yeah, yeah! That’s a growing passion. I’m part of the Mercedes senior driver programme! It’s important to have a group of driver for the third age of the future, because of the world population, the average age is growing. Joking apart, I’m enjoying a lot driving cars. Mercedes gave me a big opportunity and a friend of mine, who you know very well, Paolo Barilla, gave me another opportunity to test a lot of cars, so yeah, it’s a very nice moment, a nice experience.

Q: You are never too old, Aldo, so good luck with all of that. Simone, so, technical director of Sauber since the beginning of July. How’s it going? How’s life in Hinwil?

Simone RESTA: Well, how’s it going? I think it’s going pretty well. I’m happy with this new journey that just started at the beginning of July. I apologise if I show a lot of emotion, but new job, technical director here in Monza, in our country, is just a lot! With a lot of friends, with Aldo, who was my first boss at Ferrari, with Mattia, who has been a great colleague and a boss recently and also with Ben. It’s a lot, but I feel very happy with that and I think my experience in the Sauber-Alfa Romeo team that started at the beginning of July, I find it very interesting, a new challenge in a different role, there is a lot to learn but it is a good step for me, for my career.

Q: The team is making a lot of progress this season. How competitive do you think you are going to be in the upcoming races?

SR: If I was able to read the future probably I would do something different. Joking apart, the trend so far has been good. I think it’s fair to say that we are slowing down our development rate for the time being, and we are concentrating mostly on next year’s car, which is a big challenge but also a big opportunity for us to close even further the gap to the big ones. I hope we will be progressing a little bit in the next races and that we will be closer and closer to Q3 with both cars.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Mattia, earlier this year we had the FIA’s side of things when they were going through the Ferrari engine checks, just to make sure everything was OK. They had all their understanding of the energy recovery system, that sort of thing. Could you just give us your explanation of how complicated it was to satisfy everything the FIA wanted – and are you happy that you have now ticked every box you need to and you’re OK for the rest of the season?

MB: Obviously, the power unit is a complex element and it has been since 2014. FIA is fully aware of our components and it is our duty as well each time FIA is not fully, let me say, convinced that there is something right or wrong for them to inspect, to understand better. I think it’s simply what happens at the time there is some questions: we answer; we explain and I think that’s what happens. That’s it. FIA certainly is happy, declaring our car legal at every single race, and on our side, honestly, fully happy at seeing the point is completely closed by them.

Q: (Edd Straw – Autosport) Another question for Mattia. When you took over your current role, Ferrari was having a difficult season in 2016 – but we’ve seen huge progress since then. Can you just explain, in brief, how Ferrari has managed to turn around from that difficult position into its current position. This upward trajectory. And just explain a bit of your philosophy of how you issue technical leadership to the team to get that result.

MB: Initially, I think it’s fair to say that our team, in terms of individuals, is very strong. We’ve got very high skills; it’s a fantastic team in that respect, whatever are the areas. And from the power unit to the chassis and to the aero. I think what we’re benefitting the last seasons is certainly stability in terms of the organisation, which in F1 is very important, because through the stability somehow you may start to set down a way of working, improve your procedures, your internal process. I think, relative to myself, I’m certainly not an expert in all the areas. 25 years of experience in F1; great time with Ferrari at the race track in the time of Michael Schumacher but always as a power unit man. When I grew up in that final role I think what for me what was important for me was to set the objectives but to make sure that the people were comfortable in their role, understood the internal process and work better not only as individuals but as a team. And where we’ve focussed all the effort is, I think, to make sure that the team was working properly as a team, and forgetting about the individuals. And that’s why, again, I think we are thinking about the car as a fully package, and not try to split down in terms of different components or units because we are a team and what is running is not a power unit or a wing but a full car. So, again, all the effort was to build the team as a team and set the right objectives, deal with them, try to be ambitious. I think that’s somehow what happened in the last two years.

Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, Racefans.net) Gentleman, this morning Michelin confirmed that they will not be tendering for the tyre supplier contract, and they gave as one of the reasons the fact that targeted deterioration goes against their objectives for a sustainable and well-engineers tyre. As engineers, how do you feel about that comment. All of you.

BA: OK. I think we can see that the nature of the tyre that we currently run, everyone can see the nature in which racing is governed by the characteristics that we inherit. Obviously, it’s been a massive evolution in the sport over the last four or five years with respect to understanding and managing how we make use, and strategic use of the tyre behaviours that we find. I think ultimately I can’t speak for Michelin’s motivations: they’re a great company, I’ve certainly worked with them in the past and they were more than capable of delivering what their set objectives were – more than that I can’t speak on their behalf. Certainly, we’re just in the business of making best use of what we’re given.

MB: Very difficult to judge and to comment. I know that the FIA is dealing with the tender; they are doing it by themselves and have started the process and are setting the targets. We have not been involved in the matter. So, without being involved, difficult to really to give a judgement, but I think as Ben meant. So, it was just mentioned that if Michelin does, somehow, make their choice, certainly they have gone, for them, what is the best choice.

AC: My thought is that we are in front of this usual discussion between what is the best for the show and what is the best for the performance. Of course, for the performance, specifically of tyres, and the current situation is not the best, but for the show, according to the work that has been done, the discussions that we have done for many many years, this was the trend that the strategy group and the F1 community wanted to go. So then I think we need to define the objectives, the objectives need to be defined by the government or at the end by the people that are part of the strategy group and if for the good of the show, the good of the sport, we have to take a certain direction, the single tyre manufacturer has to follow. There are no other chances, really.

SR: We just learn it now. All I can say is that we’ve got a lot of respect for Michelin history, for their story, for their technology and also for their decision. And if their strategy is not (inaudible) with the F1 business model, with the direction we’re trying to develop, I feel sorry for that but it’s one of the times that two roads cannot meet each other at some point.

Q: (Sam Collins – RaceCar Engineering) There’s been talk in the media about the 2019 technical regulations having an even higher rear wing than was originally proposed in the draft regulations which have been amongst all of you so far. Is it a bit late to make changes like that and how would it affect the balance of your car?

SR: I think it doesn’t look to be a dramatic change. Of course, having the rules defined as early as possible helps all of us to just lay down the (inaudible)  of the car and work developing it but ultimately I think everyone has got a big engineering group behind us and we can adapt to it and follow it. And especially in a case like that where it’s done for the purpose of safety, so to improve the safety of the driver.

AC: Yeah, the changes that we are seeing for 2019, I think they were quite last minute changes but we are capable to develop a car in such a time frame so it’s not a big problem per se but the issue may come from the fact that if they will be effectively helping what is the aim, which means improving overtaking and improving the capability of the car to follow, we will have to see if the direction that we wanted to take is exactly what we will reach.

MB: Relative to your question, is it too late or not for such a change, first we need to be honest: you cannot change the regulations if there is not unanimity from all the teams. Indeed the team have accepted it means that somehow we are able to manage and to (inaudible) the change so it’s not something that is imposed, it’s something that we are discussing through the technical working groups and we are all agreeing through our vote, so it has been accepted so whatever change, accepted or not, means we are accepting, we are able to (inaudible).

BA: I think that particular example is just one of many in the way that exchanges happen between the teams and the FIA and actually, with respect to the rear wing in particular, although it was quite late, there was a fair amount of discussion that preceded it that indeed investigated alternative ways of increasing visibility, like reducing the rear wing box height. There was a general consensus that because development had been under way, we were dealing with a wing that fit a particular box and the fact that it shoots up by 50mm isn’t a game-changer, so the maturity, if you like, that precedes a decision is fair and we’re all familiar with that, we’re all party to that.

Q: (Dominik Sharaf – Motorsport-Total.com) Mattia and Aldo: Liberty Media said that the 2021 engine regulations could be delayed because there is not enough interest by new manufacturers but we know that Porsche, for example, is waiting for a final decision and a final version of the regulations, to decide on their Formula One project. So who do you think should commit first: is it Formula One or new engine manufacturers?

MB: Obviously having new manufacturers is always a good thing so if we are many and more manufacturers there’s more fighting in the championship which is something which is good. By 2020 the Concorde Agreement is finished and by 2021 we have the opportunity to have a new set of regulations on which we are working, together with the FIA and F1 Management. I think that obviously it’s not a matter of delaying or not, it’s a matter of setting something for 2021 which is necessary. Discussions are on-going, we’ve got regular meetings and I think that at the moment we are somehow close to define what we believe is the best compromise or the best solution for 2021.

AC: So my thought: what we have got at the moment I think is a great power unit, it’s a very very efficient system, very modern in terms of layout, quite innovative. So really making something better, ruling something better is not that easy. There has been quite a lot of conversation about it and going in a direction and then coming back. It will take time to define something better for the sport and unfortunately if new manufacturers want to come, they are very very welcome but there is nothing else than competing with the current rules if the rules will stay the same or still waiting for more time for the new formula. There’s no other possibility.

Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-Magazin.com) Aldo, it looked like Mercedes started with the stronger car at the beginning of the season but I think it’s fair to say that the last races, even for the results didn’t always show it, Ferrari had the better car. In which areas do you think Mercedes was out-developed by Ferrari?

AC: Yeah, between race to race, there is always a variability of performance that is related to many many aspects: type of circuit, tyre management, key performance element of the car itself. So there is for sure… when two cars are very very close in terms of overall package, you will see anyway a variability. So we think we are very very close. We do not think we were particularly faster and we do not think we are particularly slower. As I said, it’s just a matter of variability of races. We see that Ferrari has done big progress in the power unit and we see that we have got two cars that are quite similar, both very competitive and as I said before, it will be a matter of introducing more development, solving more issues and being at the end the best car, not making mistakes, having good reliability will be key because not many results can we lose without impacting the final result, really.

Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, Racefans.net) Aldo, talking about your decision about becoming an advisor to the team, I know that you’re wearing a white shirt but when you wore a red shirt, Rory Byrne did something very very similar where he moved out, became an advisor. Is that your blueprint for this, where you will effectively take on a Rory Byrne-type role for Mercedes?

AC: In terms of formal arrangement, maybe yes, yeah, such a type of arrangement but myself and Rory have two different experiences, we’ve got different areas of influence so we are different but more or less something like that.

PART TWO: 2018 Italian GP - FIA Drivers' Press Conference.

PART TWO: DRIVERS - Nico HULKENBERG (Renault) , Charles LECLERC (Alfa Romeo Sauber), Esteban OCON (Racing Point Force India), Sergey SIROTKIN (Williams)

Q: Nico, can we start with you please and take a look back at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix and what happened at the start, specifically talking about the halo because opinion was divided about that prior to the start of the season, even among the drivers? Has your accident with Charles Leclerc changed your mind about the halo?

Nico HULKENBERG: For sure. I think it’s proven pretty useful and a good device. Obviously we can only speculate what would have happened without it but it looked pretty clear from the point that the tyre marks were obviously all over the halo and from that point of view it’s done a very good job, to keep the head safe.

Q: And looking ahead to this weekend, Nico, you’re carrying a ten place grid penalty but what do you think you can do in the Renault?

NH: Yeah, it’s obviously not going to be an easy weekend, carrying that penalty. Monza, perhaps a difficult track for us but it is what it is. We approach this weekend open-minded and want to deliver a good weekend and specially have a good race on Sunday, regardless of where we start or how difficult it seems. It’s always fun to race around here so just look forward to getting back in the car tomorrow and start this weekend.

Q: Charles, what was your over-riding emotion after the race on Sunday?

Charles LECLERC: The frustration to have not finished the race, to be honest. I was just very frustrated because obviously in the last few races we have been quite unlucky. Then looking back at the images (of the accident) we can’t know what will have happened without it (the halo) but obviously I was quite happy to have it over my head and as Nico said, I think it deserves to be in Formula One now, whether it looks good or bad, I don’t think that matters any more.

Q: And we’re at Monza, last European race of the year. There’s quite a lot of talk about next season. Just wondering if there’s any movement on what you’ll be doing in 2019?

CL: For now, not really. For now, I didn’t have any information so I’m just waiting and hopefully I’ll be able to say soon.

Q: Esteban, a lot of chat about 2019 this afternoon, so Spa last weekend was a spectacular result for you. Just talk us through your emotions after the race and how you feel it’s going to impact on your job prospects going forward?

Esteban OCON: Well, thank you very much, first of all. Of course it was a fantastic weekend and a fantastic qualifying, obviously. After tough time, we are back in a great way. It brings joy to everyone in the team, the mechanics, the engineers, everybody was pushing hard and had tough times but that’s totally behind, everyone’s happy now and of course then the cherry on the cake, the fifth and sixth in the race. A good start from me as well and a good result in the end with 18 points and we couldn’t come back in a better way and start in a better way.

Q: Sergey, if there are changes at Force India in 2019, there’s a chance they might affect Williams as well so what can you tell us about your job prospects going forward?

Sergey SIROTKIN: Obviously I can follow on the changes that could probably happen. I’m afraid I don’t know much more than what I can read on the websites but in terms of myself, I think – I’ve said this a couple of times already – I think I quite clearly really know my position in the team. I think I’m quite happy with the job I’m doing for them. They know my position, they know what they can get from me so if you want a concrete answer I’m afraid not right now,  right here, but if I have any worries, I’m afraid (inaudible)

Q: But it felt good to run in the points for the first time last weekend though?

SS: It’s been good to run in the points but the best thing is that finally we have the pace to be fighting, not just me running there because of whatever happened, but because we had the pace for it. It has been a very good weekend. I think we can take a lot of positives from there.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines, RaceFans.net) Nico, if we go back to Spa last year you are quoted as saying that you are totally anti the halo, not only because it looks stupid but the likelihood is minimal that an accident will happen in which a halo is actually helpful. Do you still agree with that statement?

NH: I think… whilst I am still not a big fan of halo and the device, I have to see the facts and admit that it does bring something to Formula One, especially the safety that we appreciate in the car. Yeah, divided, mixed feelings about it still but it’s not down to me anyway. It is what it is.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Esteban, the result last weekend, the performance in qualifying and the race, did that do anything for you in terms of settling you down for your short term future or are you now more confident about what’s going to happen to you between now and the end of this season, let alone 2019?

EO: Well, I hope it does definitely help. As a driver, the only talk you can do is on the track anyway, so that’s what I’m trying to do at the moment but yeah, still no news, only rumours and talk so as soon as I know more, I will let you know.

Q: (Daniel Majer – Origo.hu) Obviously Monza is all about speed and you were not racing under the V10 regulations but at that time, speed records were broken here. If you would chose just for this particular Grand Prix to switch to cars that are much faster in a straightline, would you do that or are the current ones OK?

SS: Honestly, I didn’t know the cars and how they’ve been in those times but I think this year’s cars are quite quick in a straightline. Obviously they’re missing a lot of engine sound but from the pure speed-wise I don’t think they’re any slower than what they’ve been in whatever year you say with the V10s. So yeah, I wish I could try them a couple of times, but if I would swap them for the weekend I’m not sure.

EO: For sure, the sound was amazing back in the days of the V10s, V12s, also V8s were very nice but the cars we are running now, they are breaking all the track records so I think they’re quick enough, 1000 horsepower, amazing speed, so yeah, it’s quite enough.

CL: I think in the same way as Esteban. I think a bit more sound would be nice but again, I’m extremely happy about driving these cars. As you said, we’ve broken quite a lot of records this year; I think it’s one of the fastest cars – probably the fastest car – in F1’s history so very happy to be in this.

NH: Yeah, nothing more to add. Mid-2000s, V10s?

Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Charles, as an Alfa Romeo driver and member of the Ferrari Academy, what is your feeling driving in Monza this weekend?

CL: It’s absolutely amazing. Also in the past few years, Monza has always been a track where I’ve always had a lot of support, first being part of the Ferrari Academy  of course and yeah, also this year arriving at the track this morning, you can really see that with the return of Alfa Romeo, an Italian brand, that there’s a lot of interest in us and a lot of people are here for us which is great to see. I actually had more support this morning here than I had the Thursday in Monaco so it feels a little bit like a home race and it definitely gives a big boost to the whole team.

Q: (Fulvio Solms – Corriera dello Sport) Charles, you have a strong Italian side and spent so much time in this country. So which are your best and your worst memories of your Italian period?

CL: My best memory, it’s probably my first ever car win that I’ve had in Italy, in Monza actually, here, in 2014. I can remember I had quite tough first races in car racing and finally I could manage to win my first race here in Monza, so that’s probably my best memory. My worst memory? I don’t have much, to be honest. Probably when my tyre went flat on the motorway next to Maranello, that wasn’t a great memory.

Q: (Joe van Burik – Autocar NL) Charles, following the halo debate that’s gone on after Spa, I was wondering to get your thoughts if you’re more aware of driver safety in F1 following the accident of your friend Jules Bianchi?

CL: Obviously it has been a big shock when I… when we all lost Jules. It was very sudden. I don’t really get the question. Can you repeat it? What do you want me to…?

Q: (Joe van Burik – Autocar NL) Just wondering if you’re more aware of safety maybe added by the halo device, following that accident?

CL: Speaking for Jules, it wouldn’t have helped anything because the cause was not… it was just a shock and the shock was too big. Then I believe that in certain circumstances it can help. If it helped or not at Spa I have no idea but in some circumstances it can help so I think it’s a good thing to have.

Q: (Daniel Horvath - Racingline.hu) Charles, what about your future, when can we expect some news?

CL: I have no news for now. As I said earlier I’m just waiting for some information and as soon as I know, I will let you know but for now I don’t know.

Q: (Alex Roos – L’Equipe) Esteban, can you explain why Monza is a special GP and how it’s different from the other ones?

EO: I think for a few reasons it’s the temple of speed so the speeds we are achieving are massive. Racing is good because of the long straight, the slipstream. We run low downforce and yeah, it makes great racing overall so that’s the technical part. And then the atmosphere is just very much different to anywhere and the tifosi are amazing fans and they give us a lot of support and they are here, then they are massively here, waiting for us when we arrive at the entrance. It’s such a happy and joyous… everyone’s happy to be here and you don’t live those moments at a Grand Prix everywhere like that and it’s very special.

Q: (Barbara Premoli – Motorinolimits.com) Charles, can you explain to normal people like us how your body and mind reacts to a big shunt like the one we saw in Spa last week?

CL: To be honest, I think it looked a lot bigger on TV than it actually was. I felt, obviously, Fernando going over me but it was not like it was a big big shock. So yeah, the only thing I had in my mind is that I was just hoping for some miracle that the car was not damaged enough to go back to the pits but obviously when I looked in the mirrors again I saw that everything was gone so I couldn’t… I just found a way to stop the car and that’s it. But yeah, the images look very spectacular but from inside the car it was not such a big shunt.