'My main focus is World RX because it's just so good' - Andrew Coley.

Andrew Coley talking to Timur Timerzyanov
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media.

MEEGGGAA…. A word that can have a variety of meanings, but it is also a word that is often used by the voice of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, and it is also a word that describes the man himself – Andrew Coley.

Andrew Coley is a motorsport commentator and presenter hailing from East Sussex in England. He joined the FIA World Rallycross Championship in 2014, as the official presenter and lead commentator.

Coley is arguably one of the great motorsport commentators of the 21st century. While Martin Brundle, David Coulthard, Ben Edwards or even Jack Nicholls, etc. are great commentators, but none of them can truly match Andrew Coley’s passion and enthusiasm for the sport. Most lead commentators live the sport through media reports and come along as book smart individuals, with experts to support them in the commentary box. 

World Rallycross Commentary team: Andrew Coley (left) and Dan Rooke (right)
PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Coley.

Coming from a motorsport/rally background, Coley’s knowledge about rallycross is reflected in his commentary. But it’s important to never forget that behind every commentator there is a hard-working team. This is no different in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. They say: ‘Dynamite comes in small packages’. Well, that statement is 100% true. The team behind the scenes is relatively small compared to other motorsport series, but they produce an incredible product for the fans.

In addition to the production team, Neil Cole and Laura Winter are on the ground with live interviews minutes before and after a race. While Dan Rooke, an experience rallycross driver joins Coley in the commentary box. 

Rooke and Coley…. Are a match made in heaven! Coley has a high-intensity style of commentary, while Rooke has a calmer approach which works remarkably well. 

Rooke is a great addition to the commentary team and is able to notice anything that Coley might have missed, which adds to the broadcast. He also has great technical knowledge that can provide better insight for the viewer.  

ANTI-LAG on… Ready to Race lights are on… and it’s go, go, go…. Let’s get to know Andrew Coley a bit more. 

Junaid Samodien: Where did it begin for you? How did you get involved in motorsport?

Andrew Coley: I used to watch the Formula 1 with my dad when I was a kid, and then my mom and dad took me to watch rallycross at Brands Hatch when Will Gollop was the European champion. Then we started watching some rallies. I used to race radio-controlled cars, as a kid – I loved it!

Then finally I went to rally school for my nineteenth birthday and drove a Mk2 Ford Escort. I have never driven a rear-wheel-drive car before and I just loved it. I fell in love with driving a car on loose surfaces and I wanted to compete, I said to the instructors: ‘I am really serious, I don’t want the you did really well. I want to know if I am any good or not.’ They said: You are and you need to practice, but you have good natural talent behind the wheel. So, I bought a Vauxhall Nova rally car and went to regional rallies. This is where it all started.

Just competing in the airfield rallies or rallies on military landing and other events in the South East of England - I did that for two or three years trying to move up the ranks which we did. We got up to National Level. 

Andrew Coley piloting his Vauxhall Nova 1.6 rally car.
PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Coley.

JS: Having made the transition to commentary. Would you ever consider returning to competitive racing?

AC: I’d love to, but its money. It’s so expensive and I think if someone else wants to pay for it, I am more than happy to have another go. I am very lucky; I very occasionally get to do a rallycross race and I am very grateful for that. It’s an expensive sport at all levels. Yes, I’d love to be back behind the wheel. If I won the lottery, I’d quit commentating immediately and join the World Rallycross Championship.

JS: Is there any series you’ve ever considered commentating on?

AC: Prior to World Rallycross, I commentated on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) with Kris Meeke and Guy Wilkes. I commentated on Porsche Carrera Cup Asia – I did that for many years. I did the Goodwood Festival of Speed, but at the moment I am focused mostly on Rallycross. I try to fill my calendar with rallycross first of all. You know then after that the little jobs come in and you can slot those in, but my main focus is the World Rallycross Championship because it’s just so good. 

JS: If you could have anyone as your co-commentator. Who would it be and why?

AC: First of all, Dan (Rooke) has done a brilliant job. 

As a guest, I would love to have Kenneth Hansen [14-time European Rallycross Champion]. I think he would be great – to be fair Andreas Bakkerud would be a brilliant co-commentator, I think Timmy Hansen, Kevin Hansen as well. To be honest with you, you know who the good talkers are from watching the TV and who doesn’t enjoy talking quite so much. So, you take the best drivers in World Rallycross Championship and if they are not competing I’d love to have them as a co-commentator. I would also like to try a spotter as a co-commentator because I think it would bring a different dimension to the sport.

JS: Would you rather consider a rallycross driver, spotter etc. as a commentator rather than someone outside the sport?

AC: Absolutely, it should be someone in the sport. It’s my job to be the hype man and it’s their job to be the expert. You know.. I am the guy that should get excited and they should be the guy that tells me why I am excited. A lot of the time I know the answer to the question, but the point is that the viewers and fans like to hear it from the expert driver and that is the way it should be. 

[Coley's voice] “look at that everyone smashed in the first corner my goodness me.. Dan, why have they smashed into each other at the first corner?” And, he tells you why. I tell you what and he tells you why. 

I think if you have two lead commentators then you have two people desperate for the air time and crashing into each other, and if you have two drivers it goes too analytical and you don’t get the passion. You have your hype man and your expert. Kenneth would be great because obviously, he’s the most successful rallycross driver. He’s super calm as well he’d be the total opposite to me. 

JS: What are your thoughts on Projekt E having climbed onboard the Ford Fiesta launched in Latvia. Do you think fans will embrace the change?

AC: Projekt E will be the support category for the World Rallycross Championship. So, the main category will be even faster, and at the moment the Projekt E cars are as fast as the Supercars now. 

So, the issue that all-electric motorsport has at the moment is noise. Up until now, all motorsport fans are passionate about noise and they are not going to be that passionate about something that is quiet because that is human nature. People don’t like change, but it is the future of transportation and if you look back at it in 50 or 60 years from now, you would have kids who are saying: ‘God, weren’t old cars noisy.’ It’s the same way that when we look at a steam engine and say that it’s too slow. At that time it was cutting edge, and at the minute these are the fastest two-litre turbocharged engines in the world and they make incredible noise and I love anti-lag and I will miss it. But if you want the best drivers in the world and the best manufacturers in the world and you want them all competing at the highest level. 

The manufacturers are not interested in petrol and diesel engines they are only interested in electric at the moment, so that is the way the championship is looking to go. Time will tell! I say it to all the fans who ask me: “If you made all motorsport electric right now and everyone went electric for 2020. What would be the best one to watch?” And, the universal answer is Rallycross. It’s short and sharp. We are still going to start with five in a line, we are still going to have contact into turn one, we are still going to be sideways in the dirt, and we are still going to do the jumps. If you take the noise away from any of the others, then I think you take away 50% of the spectacle. I think the noise actually is only 20% of that [in Rallycross].  

JS: You have visited a number of Rallycross tracks globally. Would you draw/design your ideal Rallycross track?

The Andrew Coley rallycross track has a 60%/40% split between asphalt and gravel. It's a fast-flowing track with three jumps, including the iconic Nitro RX jump (concept), with a tight loop section that heads under the jump followed by a fast curved section before reaching the third jump and ending off the lap with a Spa-Francorchamps styled gravel/joker section. A true driver's track!  

Liam Doran offered his opinion on Andrew Coley’s Rallycross track design: “This is sick!”

A very special 'Thank You' to Andrew Coley for taking some time out of his very busy schedule to chat with us.

Written By - Junaid Samodien
Co-Editor - Franco Theron [PedalFest SA]
Circuit drawn by - Andrew Coley
Pictures By - Andrew Coley/FIA World RX Media

Late deal secures World RX of Riga in 2020.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media. 

The FIA World Rallycross Championship will remain in Latvia for the 2020 season after a late deal was struck with World RX promoters IMG. 

Latvia joined the World RX calendar in 2016 and has since become a clear fan and driver favorite. 

The future of World RX in Latvia seemed bleak after organizers of the event could not provide IMG with any guarantees (including financial) due to the Latvian national government only preparing their budget at the end of each year.

Official Press Conference.
PHOTO CREDIT: Biķernieku trase

A late deal was struck after the Mayor of Riga confirmed his interest in retaining the event for 2020. As a result of the City of Riga saving the Latvian round, the name for the 2020 event will change from the NESTE World RX of Latvia to the NESTE World RX of Riga.

“The work towards securing the 2020 event has started way back and although it seemed barely possible, we did not lose hope to fill a spot on the 2020 World RX calendar,” said Raimonds Strokšs, RA Events and Neste World RX of Riga director.

“I am extremely grateful to Riga City Council and IMG for their support, and decisiveness to reach an agreement and secure the necessary funding, that allow us to once again welcome you back to the Bikernieki circuit for a round of the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship.”

In addition to hosting round nine of the World Rallycross Championship, Latvia will also stage the fifth and final round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship for Euro Supercars and the sixth and final round of Euro Super1600. 

The Latvian round was one of two events marked as ‘to be confirmed’ when the 2020 World RX calendar was officially announced at the end of last month. The one remaining destination for World RX – on July 18-19 – will be revealed in the coming weeks. 

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Raymond disappointed with Cape Town result but looks to future after "great experience" with GCK.

Frenchman Cyril Raymond had a disappointing end to his maiden World Rallycross season after being disqualified for a trackmarker infringement at the season finale in Cape Town. 

Raymond had the worst start to a weekend ending Q1 in 12th overall after being handed a 5-second penalty for hitting the trackmarkers. Q2 saw the Frenchman hit the trackmarkers for the second time in a day, leading to disqualification from the race and pushing him down to the tail end of the field overnight.  

On day two, he fought back and claimed a ninth-place finish overall, after overtaking Oliver Bennett and Matvey Furazhkin in his qualifying race. Raymond's 2019 season came to an end following Q4 with a fifteenth place finish overall. 

"My first FIA World Rallycross Championship is now done and of course I’m a little disappointed with my result in Cape Town because we had the pace for the semi-final and final but my mistakes around the trackmarkers cost me that - I think I’m the king of the track markers now," Raymond said.

The Frenchman claimed his best result of the season at the World RX of Barcelona earlier this year. A fifth-place finish. 

Raymond concluded his maiden FIA World Rallycross campaign in thirteenth overall. 

"I had such a great experience this year with GCK and want to thank Guerlain [Chicherit] and the team for the amazing job on the Clio - we improved a lot every race and for next year, the Clio is well prepared, so it’s good for the future," he adds. "Now, we prepare for the off-season and let’s see what the future holds."

Written By - Junaid Samodien

A world-class karting track has opened in Johannesburg.

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY: Formula K.

A state of the art high-end short circuit racing track has opened in Benoni, Johannesburg.

The Formula K circuit has been designed and constructed to the exact specifications required by the CIK/FIA governing body to enable classification as a “Grade A” short circuit. This makes it the only circuit in South Africa currently eligible to host world championship go-karting events.

Where it all began.

The circuit is the culmination of a vision by two brothers in 2008, Phillip and Marius Swanepoel of Formula K SA, who’ve been involved in the karting world since the 1990s. 

“We can say without prejudice that this is the best track in South Africa, and is certainly one of the best 'Arrive and Drive' tracks in the world,” Philip Swanepoel said.

The official circuit layout and business park.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY: Formula K.

The Formula K circuit is a breath of fresh air in South Africa because circuits of this caliber are typically reserved for racing drivers and their own machines, but that is the difference. The circuit will be furnished with a fleet of rental karts for the public in the search of an adrenaline boost.  

In addition to this, the track will also have a full-service centre. 

"It's not just rental karts. It's everything. We sell, we service, we tune, we race, we have a driving academy. We'll have a rotation. Mornings will be open to members and those who own karts, and afternoons (noon onwards) will be geared towards group rentals, birthday parties, corporate events, and of course drop-in rentals."

Circuit Talk.

In its standard karting configuration, the track is 1.51 km's in length, but can easily be modified to extend to 2.1 kilometers, with the addition of two back straights and a chicane. The layout can also be configured into a baby karting circuit that shrinks to less than a kilometer in length. 

"Drivers will experience many aspects of the track: There are fast sections, technical sections, a great variety of corner types, elevation changes, and several turns which are noticeably banked – a real test of driving acumen were simply figuring out your ideal racing line will take time, patience and skill," the Formula K press release said. 

That's not all folks.

The Formula K circuit forms part of a first-of-its-kind business and lifestyle park.  

The Formula K Business Park will overlook the circuit, featuring a pit building with a clubhouse containing conference facilities, a restaurant, gym, restrooms, retail stores and more.

In an explanation plan, the Formula K circuit will feature a number of new additions in the near future, including a skidpan for advanced driver training, a K53 training ground, and facilities for supercar enthusiasts.

Also available soon will be a mountain bike track and BMX track for those more inclined to a fossil fuel-free, recreational activity. Furthermore, 4x4 tracks and a Warrior obstacle course for those looking for a dose of adventure without having to venture into the wilderness will be developed.

FOR MORE INFORMATION HEAD TO https://www.formula-k.co.za/

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Team Hansen MJP rise to the top after overcoming major setback in 2018.

PHOTO CREDIT: Slipstream SA/Junaid Samodien.

A fairytale rarely happens in motorsport but in the case of Team Hansen MJP, it's a true fairytale. In 2018, Peugeot Sport announced their withdrawal from the FIA World Rallycross Championship leaving the Hansen family without a team or program for the upcoming season. 

Countless hours of work through the winter break saw the Hansen family pushing to secure the necessary budget and cars to compete in the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship. And, after partnering with Max J. Pucher, the Hansen's finally secured a place on the grid.

The 2019 season got off to a bang in Abu Dhabi when Timmy Hansen's Peugeot 208 WRX Supercar sustained chassis damage after an incident with Andreas Bakkerud in Qualifying, but after hours of hard work, the team were able to repair the car ready for the second round of the season. While there was much sadness on one side of the Hansen camp, Kevin Hansen went on to win the season opener in Abu Dhabi. 

"To come from where we were at the end of last season to the end of this season is hard to believe. We overcame each hurdle one at a time: first, finding a way to get to the first race with two cars – one of which needed a total rebuild almost straight after! – then making sure we did all the races, all while developing the car to try and make it faster," said Kenneth Hansen, Team Principal. 

"Everyone in our team had two or three jobs: Timmy and Kevin were doing more than just driving the cars! We constantly worked to be better, to make the car better, and we could see the progress as the year went on."

“I’m so proud of Timmy and Kevin, of course not just as team principal but as a dad," he adds. "They were brilliant, very focused on the task they needed to do, very respectful and mindful of what the team as a whole needed in how they raced each other."

The FIA World Rallycross Championship finale in Cape Town went down to the wire where Timmy Hansen and Andreas Bakkerud ended the championship level on points. A countback of wins was required and after winning four events this season. Timmy Hansen was crowned the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Champion.

"The first title is always very special, it’s a memory Timmy will keep forever, and someday I’m sure it will be Kevin’s turn to have that too," Hansen said.

In addition to Timmy's World RX success, younger brother Kevin Hansen claimed the TitansRX and Nitro RX titles, which means that Team Hansen MJP won every title in every championship entered in 2019.  

After the most successful year in the history of Team Hansen MJP, Kenneth Hansen believes that the team should have some rest, but he also acknowledges that there is plenty of work to be done ahead of next year's title defense. 

"After crossing all over the world for World RX, TitansRX and Nitro RX we can finally have some rest! Not too much rest, of course, because we want to be back next year to defend our titles and that will require plenty of work in the off-season."

Written By - Junaid Samodien. 

FIA Post-Race Press Conference: 2019 Brazilian GP.

DRIVERS
1 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)
2 – Pierre GASLY (Toro Rosso)
3 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

TRACK INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by Rubens Barrichello)

Q: What a great race Max. You looked unbeatable today. Did it feel like, driving, that if you had been on any tyres you would have been unbeatable?

Max VERSTAPPEN: Well, Lewis was very quick, so I had to keep pushing. All the time with the strategy he pitted one lap earlier so we had to be really on top of our pit stops. But yeah, two times we had a good move with him, so all the time that brought us back into first and yeah, from there onwards I could control the race with the tyres I had. Unbelievable. It was a lot of fun out there and of course great to win the race.

Q: With the speed, whenever you overtook the Ferrari onto the last corner, did you think you had that speed to overtake Lewis at the same time?

MV: Well, I was behind so I was pushing flat out on my our lap to try to be close to him and it was my only shot. Because of that I was close into the DRS. We knew that we had great top speed the whole weekend already, so yeah, then still of course it’s a guess but very happy to get past.

Q: Well done to you and Honda, it’s a great achievement. Lewis and Pierre, how was this final move. Lewis, when you went to the inside, did you think that you had the gap to go, that you had the speed to get past him on the straight?

Lewis HAMILTON: Honestly, I didn’t, but he did a great job, he was very fair with where he positioned the car. I massively apologise to Albon. I went for a move… the gap was kind of there, but obviously it closed right at the end and completely my fault. But still, a great race. Max did a fantastic job today. They just outclassed us in terms of overall performance. We couldn’t keep up with them on the straights. Honestly, I raced my heart out,. I gave it everything. I left nothing on the table and I took a lot of risks today, as you saw.

Q: As you always do. The Brazilians love you. When you are here it’s always pure racing, so we saw pure racing today. [With] Max, do you think any strategy would have done the case with him today. He looked unbeatable today?

LH: We threw everything and the sink at it. Honestly, we could keep up with them in the corners but they were outshining us on the straights, therefore I don’t think there was anything we could do.

Q: Well done. Hey, Pierre! After a tough season, is it good to be back on that podium, the podium that you deserve since a long time ago?

Pierre GASLY: It’s my first podium in Formula 1 and yeah for sure I will never forget it. It’s such a special moment, I don’t know what to say. It’s so emotional and also to get it with these guys, with Toro Rosso; they gave me a fantastic car since I came back and I’m just so happy for Honda, for Toro Rosso, it’s amazing day.

Q: I know it’s your first [F1] podium but I meant that because you’ve been on the podium for so long in your career that it’s good to be on the podium in Formula 1 isn’t it?

PG: I’ve been many times on the podium and you kind of forget it and that’s what I love about motor sport – these emotions, the fight. I just kept believing until the end. I saw they were battling and I tried to push as much as I could and the opportunity came to us. A great finish with Lewis as well. I was like trying to get low in the car, trying to get each Kp/h I could, but no, to these guys just a big congrats and a big thanks.

Q: Well done to you and to Honda. To hold on to that last straight, that corner alongside Lewis must be…

PG: I was strained. I told me engine to give me everything it had and I think without the progress have made it would have never been possible. I am just so happy; I don’t know what to say.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Max, can you just explain to us what happened there. It was an inch-perfect race from you. How do you sum it all up?

MV: Err, long summary! A lot of things happened. I think the start was good enough. I was happy about that. Then, the first stint everything looked quite good. Towards the end of that stint, yeah, just the tyres started to wear off a bit and then I had the traffic with the Williams cars and Lewis of course pitted that lap. It was not very nice. Actually, I did my pit stop and I came out also Robert came out and he almost took me out, I went into the wall. I had to brake there…

Q: Did you lose any time there?

MV: yeah, I almost caught the anti-stall, so yeah, it was very close. Then my out lap: luckily for me Lewis got stuck in the middle sector with Charles, so I pushed up to them and luckily I could get by Charles into Turn 12 and then I still had the tow and the DRS of Lewis and yeah, I was on full power and DRS open and I could get Lewis into Turn 1. From there onwards in that stint we managed the tyres quite well. I was waiting for Mercedes to react again but luckily we had enough of a gap to go one lap longer, so we did that. Good pit stop from the guys as well. I think it was 1.9 seconds, so that was incredible. And then on the medium tyre Lewis was pushing hard and I think we were quite closely matched and I think if there wouldn’t be a safety car it would have been a good fight towards the end of the race. But of course then the safety car came out and I think there the team did a really good job calling me in again for soft tyres. At the time I was a bit like, ‘is there going to work, I’m not sure’. But immediately in the re-start I had a good tow off Lewis and went around the outside. We had a good battle in Turn 1 and again in Turn 4. And then you could see that the tyre advantage really helped me of course and we could stay in first and control the race.

Q: How much did you enjoy your battling with Lewis today?

MV: Yeah, it was good. If you can battle against the world champion it’s always better than battling someone for P10 or whatever. I think it was a good battle and we gave each other enough room, just enough but I think it was cool.

Q: Can you just talk us through that last re-start as well, because you got on the power very late?

MV: Yeah, it was just the way I wanted to do it, so it worked out well. I immediately had a gap so it was good.

Q: Is that something you learn in karting?

MV: Yeah, I guess so. You do many re-starts in go-karting. Many things happen all the time. F3 as well, I guess. In F1, you know, we have done so many, not even you being the guy in the lead, but you are in the group. There are always things you can do better, things you can learn.

Q: Pierre, first podium, just give us your emotions.

PG: It’s just the best day of my life. As a kid you dream about being in Formula One, and then when it happens it becomes the best day of your life and then after you dream about your first podium. To be fair, I didn’t think this would happen, coming back with Toro Rosso during the second part of the season. I just kept working on myself, tried to push the team as much as I could, telling them, OK, we need to make the best out of all the opportunities we have until the end of the year. And today it just came to us. We had a really strong race before that in P7, behind the top teams, and then, when they started to battle. First the Ferrari, and then I was like: ‘OK, this looks quite similar to Bahrain 2018, in P4’, and then after I knew Lewis would try something. And then yeah, we just managed to get past the two and yeah, quite intense finish and just incredible to get my first podium in Formula 1.

Q: What were your expectations coming into the race?

PG: Starting in P6, I felt good in the car the whole weekend. I think we managed to get the car exactly where I wanted. I said OK, if we finish best of the rest again in the race, this will be amazing for us. So, that’s what we were doing. The whole race we had good pace. I was controlling the gap with the guys behind but we always had quite a safe margin. I could push quite nice. Even at the beginning of the race I could see that Albon and Charles weren’t pulling away so much, so I think the car was working really well. With all the safety cars it was like: ‘OK, let’s see what happens,’ and just tried to stay there and get the best out of what happens.

Q: Can you just describe the view from up on the podium?

PG: It’s crazy. These guys are used to it. You get used to being on the podium in the lower series, and then after coming into Formula One, it’s a feeling you miss. I was really missing it. My last podium was in Formula 2 when I was champion in 2016. And then, it’s something you want to experience, especially in Formula 1 and yeah, today, to be in the middle, in second place between Max and Lewis, my first podium in F1 is just… yeah, just insane, and amazing and really emotional for me.

Q: Lewis, coming to you. Such an eventful race for you. Talking about your pace specific to Max, is there anything you could have done differently, strategically or otherwise, that you think could have led to you being faster than him today.

LH: No, I don't think so. Firstly congratulations to Max and Pierre, it’s really awesome to see, especially through the experience and journey he’s gone through from being in one team then to the next. To come through is really awesome. We had a close battle right to towards the end. Ultimately, it was a very tough weekend for us, a really tough race, trying to keep up with Max. The Red Bulls have had great race pace, particularly the second half of the season, which is often the case each year. So, fighting him, staying consistent, trying to stay on his tail through the race was… I was giving it absolutely everything. And then obviously we got him through the pitstop and then I got caught up behind a Ferrari and then he just blitzed past me on the straight and there was nothing I could do. Then we had another scenario. But at the end it was kind of… it was impossible at the end with the tyre deficit that we had. I made the call to pit, as they said, I’d only lose one position and it ended up being two. So, I gave it everything. I took a lot of risk at the end and I apologise to Alex. Obviously had no intention of coming together. It’s probably the first time I’ve come together with someone for a long, long time but I saw a door open and I kind of went for it, and it closed very, very quickly. I went straight to him after the race to apologise. Nonetheless, I think it was a great race and it’s great again to see the youngsters coming and driving so well. I’m battling as hard as I can to stay in the mix.

Q: And Lewis, if you had, for example, put the Medium tyre on instead of a second set of Softs at that first pit stop, do you think it could have been any different?

LH: I don't know. I’d have to think about it. Strategy-wise, I think the team did a really, really good job with the strategy and, again, it wasn't their decision at the end, they offered it as an opportunity for me, and I didn’t think losing one place, it would be so bad considering I’d only come out having lost one place and give me a chance to quickly get past Albon – but it wasn’t the case obviously. I think, when I came out of that first stop, I thought to myself I should have been on the Medium because it generally was a relatively easy overlap – but again, he would have just overtaken me on his out-lap anyway, so I would have still got stuck up by the Ferrari. And it probably would have been hard to have kept up with him with the pace of the Soft. We gave it everything, we threw everything we could at it, and we live to fight another day and I hope we have more great races like that.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Question to Max. As you drove earlier the Toro Rosso and Pierre was your team-mate at the beginning of the season, how did you rate this podium. And question to Lewis and Pierre: how was the battle between the two of you?

MV: How I rate Pierre’s podium? Incredible. Of course, he anyway already had a great race. I think you were best of the rest, right? That’s already a good result and then yeah, you just stay out of trouble and other people, of course, make mistakes and you profit from that. I think it’s great to see Pierre up here. Now it’s also the second podium for Toro Rosso already this year, so I think they are very happy with this, and yeah, like I said, I’m very happy to see Pierre up on the podium. I always knew he was a very quick driver. I think this year in the beginning maybe didn’t work out the way it should but, as you can see, I think Pierre is very strong and, at Toro Rosso again, he regrouped and he had already before this race a lot of good results. So, this is even, I think, a bigger motivation.

Q: Pierre, your battle with Lewis.

PG: Intense. You see your first podium coming together and then you’ve got the World Champion behind you pushing you to the limit. I tried to defend the best way I could, and coming out of the last corner, just flat out and hoping that the engine can give you every single horsepower it can get. I was pressing the overtake button, trying to get low inside the cockpit and I could see his front wing and I was like: ‘please don’t pass me on the light’ ‘cos I’m going to be so pissed off if it happens. I really wanted to keep that second place. And yeah, I must say Honda have been improving so much over the last few months. And then yeah, without this progress it would never have been possible to hold that second place to a Mercedes. Just insane. I think the only thing we have to say is a big congrats and a big thank you to Honda today.

Q: And Lewis?

LH: I was very much the same. I was ‘snucking’ down, trying… he did a fantastic job. He put the car in the right place in every section of the track, was very fair and didn’t make any mistakes. So, hat off to him. He did a fantastic job. The Honda’s obviously made some big steps and it’s great to see another manufacturer as strong as they are now. It means that hopefully next year we’re going to have a serious three-way, four-way battle and that’s great for Formula 1.

How was your car handling after the contact with Alex Albon?

LH: I’ve had worse! It was OK. I didn’t really seem to lose anything. I never like to see damage on my car, I never like colliding with other drivers and so, naturally for a youngster like Alex, who’s been driving fantastically well, it’s not easy to be a team-mate for sure, of a well-experienced driver like Max but he’s been doing great and I can assure you I know exactly how he feels right now. And I can assure you, it’s not intentional, that’s why I went to apologise to him – and I’m sure I’ll see him shortly after this.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) To Lewis and Max, I don’t know if you’ve seen the incident between Charles and Seb but the two Ferraris colliding was obviously another big story from the race. You two have both got experience of what it’s like when you’ve got an intense fight with your team-mate but one which is usually respectful – but sometimes goes over the line. With what’s going on with Seb and Charles this year, have you seen that as a weakness within that team and are you surprised that it has eventually come to blows like it has today?

MV: I think it’s always difficult to comment on that when you’re not inside the team. You don't know what happened because you don’t know all the details. I think it’s very difficult to comment on that. I also haven’t seen the footage so I can’t comment on the incident itself.

Q: Lewis?

LH: I’ve not seen it. Naturally it’s never a great one between team-mates. I’ve experienced it first hand. It’s never a great thing for a team. I’m sure it wasn't’ intentional but naturally you’ve got to… the burden is that there’s so many people behind you, it’s not just about you. When all those people are relying on you to do your job, and something like that happens. It’s not a great feeling. As I said, I haven’t seen it.

Q: (Gianfranco Papini – MomentoGP) Lewis, you’re surrounded by promising drivers, two young stars. You were young 12 years ago…

LH: Hey man, I’m still young.

Q: (Gianfranco Papini – MomentoGP) You had intense battles with other fellow colleagues like them. What is your opinion about this new generation of F1 drivers?

LH: Well, naturally when you get older you look down on the younger drivers and you think… you point the finger at the… no, I’m kidding. No, it’s inevitable that the youngsters are going to come through. There’s often a wave of young talent that manages to make its way through to Formula One and as I said, I think Formula One’s got a lot of new young blood with a lot of potential and they really are the future of the sport. And as I said, I think fortunately I feel that whilst the number shows a little bit higher, I feel like I’m able to still kick it with these guys and so I’m excited for the future racing with these guys and as I’ve said, if we can get these teams to be closer then we’re going to see more awesome battles like today and I think that would be great.

Q: (Lars Van Soest – De Telegraaf) Max, how would you rate this weekend comparing it to all your other wins and other good weekends?

MV: You can never compare weekends but it’s been very positive and I’m just very happy with the progress we have been making I think in the last few races. Just having a whole clean weekend I think is what we are always after and I think that’s what happened this weekend. Of course it’s great at the end of day to also win the race and yeah, it’s promising also for next year. I think we’ve learned a lot of stuff in the last few races so hopefully it’s a good sign to have put a start to next year.

Q: (Marcelo Teixeira – Reuters) Lewis, how do you see your move on Albon late in the race? Did you think it was not the right time to try it or just a racing incident?

LH: It’s always a big question, when is the right time to try it. We only had a lap and a half, I think it was, to go. An opportunity came, I was quicker through turn nine and I was within shooting distance so I gave it a shot. Ultimately, in my mind, I’m trying to catch Max… it was highly unlikely but that was the goal. I think I’ve got a penalty so I totally accept the blame as I was coming from behind, and as I said before, it’s not naturally an intention, you don’t hardly ever see me do that, collisions with anyone so… In hindsight, I could have waited, to come across the line but hindsight’s always a great thing. I will live to fight another day. That won’t be the last time that he’s in the position for a podium and he’ll have many more great races so I hope that as hard as it is a pill to swallow, I hope that he can learn from the experience also.

Q: (Velimer Veljko Jukik – Avtofocus) Max, we have seen quite an advantage in this race, beside your driving skill. Can you attribute this to management of tyres, tactics or was it just pure power?

MV: It’s a team effort today, I think. The car was working well, I was trying to be as consistent as I could be and the guys did a great job in the pit stops and strategy so I think all that together gave us the victory today. Power was very good, like I said it was a team effort and Honda is part of the team.

Q: Lewis, can we please just get your reaction to the five second-penalty?

LH: I just answered it. I fully accept the responsibility. I fully accept I was coming from behind so I’m the one that touched him, not the other way round. I’ve not seen the incident so I don’t know how bad it was but as I said, it looked like there was an opportunity so I went for it and it didn’t quite work out and I apologise to Alex and put my hand up and move forwards.

Q: (Dario Coronel – Granpremioweb.com) For Max and Pierre;  it’s the first one-two for the Honda engine in 28 years. How do you feel?

MV: Yeah, I always get reminded with the stats. The pole was the last time in 1991 here in Brazil and then… I think it’s a good time to start doing these things again. We keep relying on the results from the nineties. I think Honda is definitely on a very good way like Pierre said before. Throughout the season they have been improving massively so just very pleased with it.

PG: Yeah, a similar comment. I think all the work, not only this season but since they came back into Formula One, they have had some tough times and they just kept developing, kept working hard and bringing the upgrades, some things worked, some other things didn’t work but at the end of the day, they are the ones who have improved the most. The attitude and the work they are putting in is just unbelievable and they have been supporting me since quite a few years now, since I was in Super Formula and to be part of the journey with them is just fantastic so today I think I am really happy to be P1 and P2 with Max and really happy we can give them this result.

Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Pierre, when did you begin to start thinking you could be on the podium? Before the Ferrari accident, before the Albon?

PG: No, no, I’m not a crazy guy you know. I’m objective. At that time I was like… after Valtteri (retired) we were P6, I knew that we had the pace to stay there so I was like OK, I’m going to see if I could try something at the re-start but in terms of pace I knew that that’s where we were at the time and of course the Ferraris came together so we were in P4. I thought OK, I might have a chance to try something again at the re-start. Actually Lewis, I think… yeah, you pitted so I think I was third. I must say at that time I was hoping the safety car could last slightly longer, I was like I would not mind if we cross the line behind the safety car. And then after we went again and of course I knew Lewis with fresher tyres would try to go for the win and would try to pass quickly so I just thought OK, if I try to stay close, if an opportunity comes I’ll take it. Sometimes things work out the way you want and you need to be… so yeah, we were second and yeah, during that last lap, I saw Lewis was behind whereas we had a gap behind so I knew there was a podium on the cards. I was happy with that but I really wanted to hold on to that second place.

FIA Post-Qualifying Press Conference: 2019 Brazilian GP.

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

TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Paul Di Resta)

Q: Max, congratulations – pole position. It looked like the perfect driver/car combination today; nothing was going to stop you?

Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, our car was really good. I think throughout qualifying the track temperature was changing a bit so we had to adjust for that, but yeah, straight away from Q1 the car was flying and it was really enjoyable to drive, so very happy with this pole position.

Q: How nerve-racking was it? We saw you make a small mistake in the middle sector on your first run. It still put you quickest but you had to put the final touches on that to try to improve.

MV: Yeah, I tried a different line, but also the track was a bit warmer and that gave me a bit more oversteer and then of course I went a bit wide. The second lap, luckily, was a bit better, so yeah, all; good.

Q: And this track owes you something from last year.

MV: I will of course try to finish to the plan.

Q: Sebastian, second again, narrowly missing out on pole, but I guess you’ve got to be satisfied that you’re on the front row?

Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, I had a bit of a wobble in the exit of the last corner on the first run but I think Max improved his time, so fair play and I think it’s his pole position. Yeah, happy with the front row. Now we will see what we can do tomorrow. The car has been good. I think it got better throughout qualifying, which was the target. I think we improved it and I hope that we can keep that momentum for the race.

Q: How do you see the race panning out? Do you think you are in the mix to race Red Bull, or do you think they’re too quick?

SV: It will be difficult. Both Red Bull and Mercedes look a bit stronger managing tyres, but we are there for a reason: we’ve got the speed and we’ve got the power, so let’s see what the race brings. I am carefully optimistic. I think it should be a good race.

Q: Great, have fun. Lewis, it was a great battle at the top between three of the big teams. You must be happy where you are, at the same time that you’re in the mix for tomorrow?

Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, definitely. Congrats to Max, a great lap by him. We seemed quite competitive in P3 and then we seemed to lose going into qualifying, or they gained. But no, nonetheless, I’m very happy that I was able to divide the Ferraris, that’s always a tough challenge. We’ve been down on power, I guess, compared to the others particularly, that’s where we lose most of our time. But nonetheless, I guess it absolutely everything that I had and I’m glad at the end, my best lap of the session was my last run – awesome.

Q: On the back of your sixth world title, Lewis, I know this is a pretty special place for you to come. You embrace Ayrton Senna and see the Brazilian fans. What’s it going to mean tomorrow?

LH: Yeah, I mean, this is such a tough race to win. The track is very, very challenging and there’s so much history here, so every time we come, of course for me… I’m often putting Senna’s helmet design on my helmet, just reminiscent… I remember watching him winning here and how crazy the crowd went. But I seem to have a lot of support here, so obrigado to everyone here.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Taking the second pole position of his Formula 1 career, Max Verstappen. Max you couldn’t…

MV: You said two; I have three. I consider myself this is my third.

SV: Mexico?

MV: Yeah.

SV: Ah, yeah.

MV: And then Hungary. So this is my third. He said second. This is my third.

Q: We can discuss this afterwards, Max! You couldn’t have been more dominant throughout qualifying. Just how good was that final lap of Q3 and how surprised have you been at the dominance of the Red Bull car around this Interlagos track?

MV: I think the last few races have already been quite strong. I think from today we changed the car a but from yesterday and it seemed to work really well and especially in qualifying it really came alive. It had really good balance. Already in Q2 it felt really good.

LH: You turned more power up?

MV: You don’t do that through qualifying? And then Q3 I think also the track got a bit warmer, so it was a bit more tricky to get the lap time out of it…

SV: Go ahead…

MV: Why are you laughing?

SV: I’m in a world of my own. You go ahead.

Q: How good was that last lap though?

MV: The last lap was pretty decent. It was alright. There are always things you can do better, but it was good enough.

Q: And you’ve already touched on the track temperature. Is that how you explain how you were a tiny bit quicker in Q2 than in Q3?

MV: Like I just explained to them, I didn’t tuck in on my last run, but I did that in Q2, which gave me two tenths or a one tenth advantage. That’s why we had such good top speed.

Q: And Max, are you confident for tomorrow? Do you feel that you have a good race car under you?

MV: Yeah, I guess so. The car already yesterday was not bad. I think today it improved, so normally it should also be better in the race but I guess we have to find out.

Q: Sebastian, just a tiny bit off pole today. Were you pleased with the balance of your car?

SV: Yeah, I was actually. It was getting better. I think we were a bit shy yesterday, more aggressive this morning, which was a step forward, and in quali it seemed to go up and get better – but I think also the track ramped-up, so yeah, obviously it’s good to, y’know, get in the front row. I was having a very good first attempt in Q3, went a little bit wide in the final turn – I don’t think I was the only one – but yeah, I think Max’s second time was a bit far away so I think we have to admit that we got beaten fair and square today. It was a bit of a surprise… not to see them that quick but to see them that quick on the straights. So, a little bit suspicious…

MV: For once it’s you then!

Q: And Sebastian, looking ahead to tomorrow, do you think you’ve got a competitive race car under you?

SV: Yeah, I think so. Obviously we know the race for us is maybe not as strong as quali but I was quite pleased with the balance and we therefore did another long run this morning in practice and it felt much better than yesterday. So that gives me hope for tomorrow.

Q: Lewis, coming on to you, didn’t look like an easy session for you – only time in the top three was right at the end of Q3. Could you just give us your thoughts on your car and how the session went?

LH: It’s not too often it always goes particularly easy but it was definitely a challenging session. I think P3 was really strong for us and obviously once we got to qualifying, these guys had great pace and we were losing out to Max on the straights by quite a chunk, which is where the majority of the time was coming from but just kept chipping away at it. The last lap was as really as good as it could get really for us. The car actually felt really good, we were just lacking a little bit of pace on the straights but hopefully tomorrow that’ll put us in a good position in terms of longevity on the stints. Maybe. Who knows? But otherwise I’m happy to be able to split the Ferraris. It always puts a smile on my face.

Q: Lewis, looking ahead to the race, now that the Championship’s in the bag, can we expect any different approach from you or anything different from you?

LH: My approach is pretty much the same all year long but maybe we can try to be a bit more aggressive tomorrow, we can have some fun with these guys – but yeah, I don’t particularly see that there’s any reason to make any changes. That’s ultimately what’s got me to where I am today, so I’ll just continue with that.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Livio Oricchio – liviooricchioF1.com) The question is to Max and I ask also Sebastian and Lewis to comment. Max, you were really fast in the last sector, which is 1,200m full throttle. Can you make a comment about the development of the Honda engine? Also, Lewis, Mercedes power unit and Sebastian, Ferrari, comment about development of Honda please.

MV: Well, I was not the fastest in the last sector but we were the fastest in the second sector, which is where the most corners are. I think throughout the whole year, both from the chassis side and the engine side, we’ve made good gains and yeah, we just continue to work like that. And also experiment for next year. So yeah, very happy of course with the progress throughout the season.

SV: Well, obviously there’s no progress from one race to another because it’s the same engine I support. I don’t know, I haven’t checked but I don’t think they have introduced a new spec. I think it was a bit of a surprise, usually we’ve seen a lot of qualifying sessions and we were always a bit faster than everyone on the straights, losing a bit in the corners but today we were as quick, or Max and Alex were as fast on the straights as us, so… that’s about it. I don’t know why. I don’t think, I mean I know we didn’t do anything different, so…

Q: Lewis, Honda’s progress this year?

LH: It’s obviously great for the sport that we have another manufacturer that’s starting to produce good engines and helping the third team get up there. I don’t fully understand it because we’ve only had the few engines that we’ve had. I don’t know if you can bring upgrades to the engine, I don’t know. Anyway, they’re very, very quick and we’ve got work to do, that’s for sure but my boys back home are working as hard as they can for next year.

Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) Lewis, there seems to be a growing support for you to be knighted back at home, given your achievements. Just your thoughts please? Obviously a massive privilege. Motorsport is often overlooked in the Queen’s Honours List but obviously you’ve done something which only two people have done, winning the title six times, so your thoughts on that?

LH: Honestly, I don’t really like to think too much about it. Just the fact that people have mentioned it, it’s already an honour, but it’s not been something that I’ve been chasing in my life. If, at any point, that was to happen, I don’t particularly know how I would handle it. I have stood in front of Her Majesty The Queen before and it was pretty incredible and I think she’s just awesome. Again, I don’t think it’s going to happen, and again, it doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t. It doesn’t mean I’m not British. It doesn’t mean I’m not continuing to try and raise the flag as well as I can but I do appreciate all the support I’ve had from my fans and also from the British media.

Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) Why don’t you think you’ll get it?

LH: I don’t know, I just don’t think about it. I don’t know.

SV: Do you get a sword? That would be cool if you get to keep the sword.

LH: It’s just not something that you grow up thinking of. I’m really grateful just to be… I’ve got the MBE next Monday. It’s cool.

MV: Is it going to be MBE, OBE, what else?

Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) He will be Sir Lewis. You’ll have to call him Sir Lewis.

MV: You don’t have to, do you?

SV: We are so much older than Max, he has to call us mister, at least, and then you’ve got to call Lewis Sir.

Q: (Gianfranco Papini – Momento GP) Sebastian, what do you think is going to be the key to defeat Max in the race tomorrow?

SV: Well, we know that they are very quick in the race as well so I think… yeah, we did improve our car. The key will be to have a good start, I think, ideally get ahead and then I think we manage the tyres, we make the right call on strategy so we will see what happens tomorrow. I think in the end, we are racing here in Interlagos and for some reason there is always something crazy happening, so it might rain tomorrow, even though they say it’s sunshine but here you never know.

Q: (Scott Mitchell – Autosport) Max, including the pole in Mexico, this is the first time that Red Bull have had three poles in the V6 turbo hybrid era so how significant is it for the team and for Honda to have a milestone like that in the first year? And to Lewis, Seb mentioned that he’s a bit surprised to see their performance here, especially in a straight line. Are you surprised as well?

MV: Yeah, of course it’s good. Like I said before, we’ve been continuously improving throughout the season. Of course some tracks have been a bit better for us than others. Already last year I think here we were quite good but yeah, I think again we made a step forward this year, we learned from our mistakes in some recent races and we came back stronger and everything is working well so yeah, of course very happy with three poles but at the end of the day there are more races than that and we want more pole positions.

LH: I don’t really know what to say. Yeah, of course, didn’t expect to come here and see… because I don’t think in the last race they had a speed deficit to us so... On top of that, they were quickest in the middle sector so they’ve obviously still got the same amount of downforce but obviously more power this weekend and considering we are at higher altitude, I have no idea where that stuff comes from.

Q: (Livio Oricchio – liviooricchiof1.com) Lewis, yesterday with the asphalt at 23 degrees, you and Valtteri were a little faster in the simulation of the race with the medium tyres and also hard. Do you think now, with the new conditions and the asphalt more hot you can keep this small advantage you have from both these guys in race conditions?

LH: I really have no idea. I think in general our race trim has often been quite good. I think the cars… these guys seem to continue to step it up a little bit more in terms of their performances have been improving, improving through the year. I think it’s definitely going to be a close race tomorrow, it’s not an easy track to overtake on but tyre durability has been a strength of ours or at least, I’ve found for me, so if that’s the same tomorrow then hopefully yeah, I can utilise that.