F1 – 2025 Chinese Grand Prix – Thursday Press Conference Transcript

PART ONE – Gabriel BORTOLETO (Kick Sauber), Fernando ALONSO (Aston Martin), Oliver BEARMAN (Haas)
 
Q: Fernando, let’s start with you. Race one done. What can you tell us about the car’s potential after what we saw in Melbourne?
Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, difficult to know exactly. I think qualifying was OK for us. I think until the damage in Q2, we were competitive. But then in the race, I think it was difficult to judge the performance of the cars. I think we just followed the car in front more or less, took care of the tyre, waiting for the dry track to come. And yeah, it was a game, if we could say that. So yeah, I think we have to wait a few races, different track layouts – Suzuka as well, Bahrain with the slow-speed corners. So I think after four or five races, we will have a better idea.
 
Q: You say you were looking after the tyres on Sunday, but did you learn anything about the tyre degradation? I mean, at the front, for example, we saw that McLaren were very strong, whereas Red Bull, perhaps a little weaker. Did you learn about your car?
FA: I don’t know. That we had a little bit more pace than the cars in front, probably, but it was very difficult to overtake. It was only one very narrow racing line to be able to overtake. And yeah, the tyre deg was big, but when you follow cars, it’s always big. As I said, I think we have to wait and see. It was an interesting first race. Pace in qualifying was maybe better than expected – better than what we saw in Bahrain. The race was tricky, it was difficult for everyone, but the outcome was eight points for the team thanks to a very good race from Lance. All in all, it was a good first race for us.
 
Q: So what about here? You were mighty in qualifying at this race last year. Can you hope for anything close to that if it’s dry?
FA: I don’t know. I think we started a little bit stronger last year, especially in quali, so it’s definiteky going to be a bit more difficult. We were P3 in wet and P3 in dry with the two qualifyings here. I think it’s going to be a challenge to repeat that kind of result, but we will try our best and try to score the first points for me of the year. Looking forward to it – this is one of the best layouts of the year, one of the best race tracks for us as drivers in the championship. So yeah, looking forward.
 
Q: Final one from me. You manage Gabriel on your right – a word from you on the job you thought he did in Melbourne?
FA: Very impressive, very good, but no surprises. He’s the best of the new generation – together with Ollie! And yeah, I mean, he’s well prepared. He worked really hard all winter long, and I think Melbourne is not the easiest track to make your debut. The race especially was super tricky for everybody, so it was a hard test, but it was very impressive – the first of many.
 
Q: Thank you, Fernando. Gabriel, we might come to you. Nice to hear some words like that from Fernando.
Gabriel BORTOLETO: Yeah, he’s being nice because there’s cameras, you know! No, I’m grateful for everything A14 has done for me. Not only him, but Alberto and Albert through these last two years already that we have been working – F3 and F2 – and they have been very cool and supportive in the junior series. Fernando obviously with all the advice, helping me to step up to Formula 1. So yeah, thanks for the words, and I will keep working very hard and trying to do my best. It’s just the beginning. I’m happy about the way we started, but there is a lot of work still to be done and a lot of development from my side as well.
 
Q: You say you’re happy with how the race weekend in Melbourne went. What is the biggest thing you learned?
GB: I mean, through the whole weekend, I think it was very solid. Quali was good, FPs were very solid as well. I improved a lot through the sessions. Quali – I managed to do a decent lap in Q1 and then tried a bit too hard in Q2. But yeah, in the race, it was very tricky. I’ve heard from some drivers that there won’t be many races more difficult than this one in your career – slicks to wet, then wet to slicks again, dry, then wet again. So a lot of things happened, and we take learnings from that – how to behave in a race like this, when to push, when to not push, when to take risks. And obviously, through the race as well, we had some fights around, and it was just good to understand a bit how racing in Formula 1 is.
 
Q: And you’ve got your first Sprint weekend coming up here in China. How challenging do you think that will be?
GB: Well, I think we are back a bit to F2, with just one practice, so nothing much I can do about it—just less practice, less time to understand. But we will give our best and try to make as many laps as possible in FP1, understand the track, and try to make a decent lap in Sprint quali. But yeah, I’m excited. It’s nice to race and feel again the racing of Formula 1 because like this I can be more prepared for Sunday as well.
 
Q: Well, good luck this weekend. Ollie, let’s come to you now. A roller coaster of a weekend in Melbourne for you. Just how important was it to get those 57 laps of the race under your belt on Sunday?
Ollie BEARMAN: Yeah, it was a difficult weekend for sure. I didn’t make my life easy with the mistakes, the clumsy mistakes I made over the weekend. But I’m glad that we finished the race – maybe not as competitive as we would have liked, but lots of data gathered and collected. Now, hopefully, we have a dry weekend to see what we’ve learned and put it into practice.
 
Q: Lots of data. Just how are you approaching the weekend here?
OB: Yeah, I mean, Sprint weekend, new track for me. It will be an interesting one. The track looks awesome from the simulator and from the onboards I’ve seen, so I’m really excited to drive here. It will just be important to get up to speed quickly and already be there for Sprint qualifying.
 
Q: Ollie, what about the pace of the car? What can you tell us after testing and race one?
OB: Yeah, I think race one was a bit of a surprise for all of us within the team, about how uncompetitive we were. We have a few pointers now as to why that was, particularly in the race. We were a bit out of the window of performance, so we have a few ideas now heading into Shanghai. Unfortunately, not enough free practice sessions – not the best time for us to have a Sprint weekend, but we’ll see what we can do. I’m sure it will be a much better one.
 
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
 
Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) A question to all three of you. It was quite the intriguing, interesting afternoon in Melbourne, but one thing that surprised me was the sight of cars behind the Safety Car still going around the track while lorries were recovering other cars and marshals were stood on it. Do you all feel that a red flag might have been a better option, rather than seeing lorries on the track when cars are moving, especially on a day when people were spinning off on the white lines in such tricky conditions?
FA: I don’t know the exact details, so difficult to comment, but I think Melbourne is not an easy track to recover cars. At some point, they need to go onto the track. I think we have a different system now than what we had in the past. Even behind the Safety Car, in a yellow flag zone, you have to respect a slower lap time. So, if you respect that time, you should not be too fast in that zone. I understand the sense of the question, but I don’t think there was anything crazy. I think it was under control.
GB: Same, to be honest. I agree, the double yellow area, that you need to follow the delta, and you go very, very slow there. If the stewards decided like this, for sure, they were keeping an eye on it, after what happened in the past. They wouldn’t try to make a mistake like that again.
OB: Yeah, I agree with everything they said. At the speed we were going, it was OK. But yeah, I understand the sense of the question.
 
Q: (Mariana Becker – TV Bandeirantes) Gabriel, after your first race, you’ve learned a lot, and there were also some technical issues. Have you had any answers from your team on the brake issues you mentioned? Did you have any brake problems at the end? What about the suspension – did you touch anything that could have caused the suspension to break? Do you understand what happened, and do you feel confident that it won’t happen again?
GB: Well, regarding the brake problems, I stand by what I said during the whole race. Whoever was [listening to] my radio or watching the race knows I was complaining about the brakes from lap one. I had a problem – it was clear. I’m not going to go into detail about what exactly it was, but we had an issue. As for the suspension, that’s a question we are still struggling to fully understand what happened there. What is clear for us is that there was contact, I think with Nico. It was a racing incident – it was a very small contact in Turn 3. We were side by side, and he had a small snap and touched my rear tyre. I didn’t even feel it at the moment, but when we rewatched the race, we saw it. So maybe that’s one of the possibilities, but there’s nothing conclusive. The team is still studying and analysing it back at the factory to try to understand the real reason why it broke. We also need to determine if it influenced my spin the corner before or if that was purely my mistake from hitting the kerb.
 
Q: (Alessa-Luisa Naijoks – RTL TV) A question for Ollie. As you already mentioned, you had a difficult start to the weekend in Melbourne. How difficult was it for you to move on from those incidents, stay focused, and stay positive for the race?
OB: Yeah, not enough laps for me heading into the race. Disappointing that the weekend turned out that way. I was quite glad to have the rain on race day – it kind of levelled the playing field a little bit because I hadn’t done any dry laps. That completely shifted my mindset, and it became all about surviving on Sunday. There were so many DNFs that day, super difficult conditions, going through the track drying and with all the white lines, it was a bit of a minefield out there. So, it was really about surviving and quite different mindset from the rest of the weekend.
 
Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) A question for Fernando. There are seven drivers on the grid now who weren’t born when you made your Formula 1 debut, and you’re racing against them. How does that feel, old or grateful?
FA: Both probably! I mean, it’s a privilege to keep racing and doing what I love, which is racing cars. I’ve been lucky enough to race and experience many different eras of the sport, and I’m still here. I still feel competitive, motivated, and fresh enough to travel around the world and race these cars. Most importantly, I still feel competitive. If one day I feel that I’m not fast enough or that I’m struggling on the pace, I will be the first one to say I’m not enjoying it anymore. I’m an ultra-competitive person. That’s the most important thing for me. I made my debut in 2001. I raced the first-ever Chinese Grand Prix here in 2004, and now, in 2025, I’m still here, and I’m as fast as 2004. This is what I feel. Or faster now. Maybe it’s because we have better tools now and more possibilities for drivers to improve ourselves and tweak some on the weaknesses we have in our career. But yeah, I feel privileged to still be here.
 
Q: (Mariana Becker – TV Bandeirantes) Just one more for Gabriel. What are your expectations for this track? Do you think you will enjoy it?
GB: Yeah, I think the amazing five, six seconds Turn 1, the long one! I’ve driven the track a bit in the simulator. It’s a cool track, high-speed, medium-speed corners. It’s a bit of a mix,. They’ve resurfaced it as well, so hopefully it’s better in terms of bumps because that was an issue for some drivers last year. Excited to drive here. Looks a very nice ambience, atmosphere. A nice track. 
 
Q: (Alex Kalinauckas – Autosport) A question for both Fernando and Gabriel. Just going back to what Tom mentioned at the start, you two have a unique relationship—driver, manager, rivals, competitors. How much have you spoken about that? Have you discussed what happens if the two of you are fighting side by side on track? What’s that dynamic like?
FA: I think there are clear rules that I stay in front! That’s my understanding! No, jokes aside, it’s great to see Gabriel’s career so far. For us at A14, we feel extremely proud of the relationship. This year is going to be the first year he’s not winning, so we have to maybe accept that. But it’s part of his learning curve. For me, it’s a bit different. All the advice and insights I’ve given him over the past two years – it’s a bit strange now because I’m giving him the same, trying to help him as much as I can with experience of circuits , preparation, how to approach race weekends, marketing activities, the way to spend energy, save energy – all those kinds of things. I don’t think this is affecting any the performance. At the end of the day we rely a lot on our teams, our cars, and our packages. I don’t feel like I’m giving away something magic and someone will benefit. I’m just trying to apply common sense and help him perform when he puts the helmet on, which is the most important part of Formula 1. I think it’s working fine and will continue to do so.
GB: Regarding the rules, I have in my contract that I need to give him a slipstream every time I see him in quali! No, but as Fernando said, he’s been very good. He’s been able to teach me a lot of these things – how to maximise my performance on track by managing my efforts outside of it. Things like how to handle the days here, Thursdays and Fridays, to be focused on what really matters during the weekend. It’s been very nice so far. In Australia, we didn’t really get to fight each other properly, but hopefully, in China, we can have some side-by-side battles. That would be nice for me. I’ve watched him my whole life racing, and now racing against him in Formula 1, with him also being my manager, it’s going to be very nice. A good opportunity. 
 
Q: (Julianne Cerasoli – UOL.com) Gabriel, I saw that when you arrived at the airport, you had a very big fan waiting for you with pictures of you as a cartoon driver and all that. Were you surprised to have such a big fan here in China? And are you keeping the panda he gave you?
GB: Yeah, I’m keeping the panda—it’s very cute! Honestly, I didn’t expect that many fans to be waiting. First of all, because I’ve never been to China before, so I didn’t know what to expect or how many fans of racing there are here. Obviously, when Zhou is here, it’s one thing, but for a Brazilian guy who’s never raced in Formula 1 before, I wasn’t expecting such a warm welcome. It was super nice to see. Even in the hotel lobby, you can see there are a lot of fans. It’s great to be racing in a country where people are so passionate and respectful.
 
Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Ollie, you referred to some of the mistakes in Melbourne. Is it easy for you to move on from them, or do they affect your confidence a little? Obviously, you’re probably quite keen to have a solid weekend here.
OB: Yeah, it’s quite easy to move on. They were small mistakes with big consequences, which is just a feature of that track – it’s a bit of a sketchy one on the calendar. I should have approached the sessions differently for a track like that, where there’s no margin for error. Now, I’m just excited to get onto a new track. That’s always fun in these amazing cars. And actually get into a full weekend without any of those issues.
 
Q: (Ronald Vording – Motorsport.com) A question to Fernando, but the others can add if they want. Stories keep popping up about Formula 1 potentially looking into the return of V10 engines one day with sustainable fuel. Fans obviously love them, but do you think it’s something worth considering for the future, or do you feel that with manufacturers like Honda and Audi and their sustainability goals, it’s something from the past?
FA: I’m not sure. It’s difficult to comment. Obviously, I love the V10 era and the V8 and the sound of those cars that we all miss. At the same time, we’re in a different world now. Technology has evolved, and we now have incredibly efficient engines that use about one-third of the fuel we used to. That’s more a decision for the top management will take – FOM, the FIA, and the manufacturers. As drivers, we just want to race the fastest cars possible, regardless of the engine. Maybe the fans have something to say as well. But we also can’t just go against our time and our hybrid era. We cannot forget how efficient the cars are now compared to the past. This is something very positive that we have. It’s like saying we could run without the Halo and make the cars more dangerous and more adrenaline for the fans. It doesn’t make sense. We move on from certain things, and what we have now is a very good Formula 1 and a very good moment for the sport so difficult to invent something that we could go into the unknown. Difficult to know. 
 
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Fernando, another one for you. I just wanted to ask about your first few weeks working with Adrian Newey at Aston Martin. How much have you guys been talking so far? I know you’ve been traveling a lot, but are you already getting an idea of what he’s thinking?
FA: We haven’t spoken in detail yet. Obviously, we’ve all been very busy – from the Bahrain test to Australia, then straight to here in China. When we go back to the factory, hopefully, we’ll have more time to sit down properly. But I know he’s really motivated, and he’s fully involved in everything that’s coming for 2026. He’s also looking at what we’re doing every weekend. I’m definitely looking forward to working with him. I know his thinking , I know his approach for the last years, we’ve be talking for many years, we’ve been together last year at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix, we had lunch together. So I know what he’s capable of, and I’m excited for the future.
 
Q: (Zixuan Xiong – China Grand Motorsport) Gabriel, did Fernando share any tips for wet racing with you before the Australian Grand Prix?
GB: Well, we spoke briefly, I think, just on the drivers’ parade.
FA: Do you remember what I told you?
GB: Yeah, you told me,  “horrible race”. 
FA: There will be no grip, you will be surprised to… 
GB: He told me “just survive”. And then both of us died! Yeah, exactly! Fernando mentioned the lines on the track,. I think a lot of the drivers talked about it in the briefing as well. It was very slippery. We tried to keep it on track but it was very tricky conditions there. Leave it there, it’s all good!

Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) A question for Ollie and Gabriel. We’ve spoken about the five rookies stepping up to Formula One at the same time—it’s quite a unique situation. Do you feel that you’re able to offer support to each other in the tougher moments? Jack mentioned that he texted Isack after his crash in Australia. Are you guys able to lean on each other when things don’t go so well?
OB: I think it’s nice to have other drivers going through the same situation. Myself, Kimi, and Gabriel—we’re quite close, having raced against each other last year. It’s good to know that we’re not alone in this. We have a good relationship, which helps.
GB: Yeah, as Ollie said, we have a good relationship, but when we’re racing, we’re racing. We’ve all been very clear about that. I’m not as close to the other rookies, to be honest – I’m probably closest to Ollie.
But I do want to see the rookies doing well because it shows that our generation is strong and capable of delivering in Formula 1. Australia was a tricky weekend for all of us, but we have much more to show than just that weekend.

PART TWO – Alex ALBON (Williams), Lando NORRIS (McLaren), Isack HADJAR (Racing Bulls)
 
Q: Lando, the perfect start last weekend in Melbourne—did you get a chance to have a bit of a celebration Sunday night, or was it straight on to Shanghai?
Lando NORRIS: No, no. I actually went to Taiwan for a few days. Just relaxing and recovering, getting ready. Nothing to celebrate about. So yeah, just a few days to get ready for Round 2.
 
Q: Tell us about Melbourne. I mean, it was amazing last weekend. Just how confident are you of maintaining that level of performance here in Shanghai?
LN: I mean, I’m hoping we can do better, and I’m hoping it can be a bit easier. I think we had a great race. Our gap to our competitors half way through the race was, you know, 15 seconds or something. More likely, there were some Safety Cars that kind of brought them back into the race. But we’re hopeful. It’s a different weekend, so I wouldn’t say we’re confident that things are going to be exactly like they were. I expect a bit more competition from Ferrari this weekend. And we saw how quick Red Bull have been, so clearly, they’re not out of it. They’re just as fast. I think when things are perfect, like they were in qualifying, we have an advantage, but they’re certainly not far behind.
 
Q: Can you tell us more about where you think you can go better? Because you got the Grand Slam last weekend – it was pole, race win, fastest lap. Where do you think you can improve?
LN: I mean, I think as a driver, you’re always at the limit of your car and what your car can do, so you’re always trying to look at places to improve I guess I’m trying to look at things I can do better. My start was good—it wasn’t perfect, no—but it was clear where I lost some of my performance in the launch. And then, just from a car point of view, the car is performing well, but it’s still extremely difficult to drive. We know in certain conditions, like in the wettest conditions, Max was just as quick as us. In dry conditions, we were a bit better. So just making the car a little bit more predictable and a little bit more comfortable. But it’s at a good point—I can’t complain about the whole thing. It’s at a good level, but between Oscar and myself, there are things that we both comment on, which gives the guys and girls back in the factory a clear direction on what we want to improve. The car’s great, but we always want more.
 
Q: Lando, good luck this weekend. Thank you for that. Alex, let’s come to you now. Great weekend for you and Williams in Melbourne. Were you surprised by the result?
Alex ALBON: No, not really. I think getting ahead of the Ferraris in qualifying, yes, but I think we always considered ourselves to be the best of the midfield. I’d actually say, on the other side, the RBs and Alpines were maybe a bit closer to us than we would have liked. But that’s a great issue to have. I think we’ve been a bit more comfortable generally with the car this year. The feeling of the car is much better, and even though there is a bit more downforce, I think it’s just a bit more usable, and that’s where we’re getting a bit more confident with it.
 
Q: Where is the car stronger? You mentioned there’s more downforce—has that translated across both qualifying and the race, or is there one particular area where you think you’re going to be stronger this year?
AA: Truthfully, I think the race car is better than the qualifying car. We’ve put more attention into the race car this year. Our long-run pace in FP2 was very strong in Melbourne relative to the midfield. We still have a clear gap to the top teams, but it’s always the case when the midfield teams seem to be a bit slower comparatively to the top teams in the race and in qualifying. It was a shame we couldn’t use that, especially because of how Sunday’s mixed conditions played a part. Maybe we’ll see it here in China with a bit more consistent weather, because that’s actually where I think our car has improved the most.
 
Q: And Alex, in terms of your own development, how useful is it for you to have a fast, experienced driver alongside you for the first time in many seasons?
AA: Yeah, I mean, firstly, Carlos is pushing me both on and off the track. In terms of his expectations of the team and where he wants the team to go, it’s definitely something I’m very interested in. He’s obviously got a lot of experience from Ferrari, and he knows where the team needs to improve. So for me, there’s definitely a feeling that I’m also learning from Carlos. In terms of pure pace and driving, yes, it’s a different atmosphere within the team. We’re pushing each other, but I’m really enjoying it. I feel like when you can look at things and study things in detail, it’s more about just putting laps together rather than anything else.
 
Q: How does he push you off the track?
AA: I think it’s more his approach to perfection and wanting the team to improve. I’ve been in the team for over three years now, and there are moments where you kind of settle and accept as time goes on, and you focus on some areas where you know there are weaknesses in the team, but you kind of lose that constant ‘naggingness’ you get when you’re fresh into a team. I remember my time at Red Bull and when I came into Williams, it was immediately, “This and this and this need to improve.” Whereas now, it’s kind of like, “Well, I know this is how it is, and I need to focus on these areas.” I think in that sense, Carlos is pushing us. He’s kind of brought me back to focusing on areas that I shouldn’t settle on and should push the team forward. Our goal, at the end of the day, the end of the year, is to become a top team heading into 2026. To do that, we need to make big changes.
 
Q: What about this weekend, then?
AA: Very different circuit. It’ll be interesting to see where the car falls out this weekend. Melbourne and Shanghai, very different layouts – lots of long corners around here. The tyres take a punishing around this track as well. Not much chance for the tyres to reset, to cool down. There are not long straights, well there are but they’re not as evenly spread out as in Australia. So yeah, I think it’ll be a good test for us to see where the car is at.
 
Q: All right, good. Thank you for that. Isaac, let’s come to you now. A tough moment for you on Sunday, but you’ve endured many tough moments in your career en route to Formula 1. How quickly were you able to turn the page?
Isack HADJAR: I would say by Monday, I already felt quite a lot better, especially knowing that it’s a back-to-back weekend. So I get to run it back quite early, not having a month to dwell on it. So, quite quickly, I’d say.
 
Q: Let’s look at the positives from Melbourne, because there were many. What do you take out of that weekend?
IH: I would say that we were surprisingly faster than we thought. Looking at Bahrain, of course, it’s hard to really understand where you are because you don’t know how much everyone is hiding or not. But going into Melbourne, the car was really good, and straight from FP1, I had a really nice feeling with it. I was quite comfortable, and I was as close as I wanted to be. So I think there were a lot of positives in terms of pure performance.
 
Q: And what are you expecting this weekend? First of all, from the racetrack—the Shanghai International Circuit.
IH: I mean, I know the track really well from the sim. It’s one of those tracks I’ve been playing on since I was a kid – on PS3, PS4, with a controller. So I know the track well, even though I’ve never driven here. I’m quite excited about it. Yeah, let’s see.
 
Q: And what about the Sprint? How much does that complicate things for you?
IH: I would say, in terms of the approach, I’m quite used to it. The last three years, that’s what I’ve been doing – straight from FP to qualifying with only a few push laps. So the approach, I know how to get it right. But of course, I’d rather have three free practice sessions, for sure.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

 
Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Good to see you all. Isack, a question for you. Melbourne was a really solid weekend until the formation lap, and I think everyone around the world could see how distraught you were. Our hearts went out to you—except for one person, who said that your reaction was “embarrassing.” What did you think about Dr. Marko’s comment? After all, shouldn’t he have a bit of compassion for someone who’s just arrived in Formula 1?
IH: I mean, I found it embarrassing myself. And, you know, Helmut—I had him on the phone a day later, and it’s all good. I mean, I’ve known him for a few years now. I know how he works. Also, I think he said that in German and it was reinterpreted differently. You don’t always get the body language. I didn’t see the footage, so I can’t say much. But apart from that, yeah, I have to say the love from the fans and people, I did not expect that at all when I binned it in the wall. That was nice, yeah.
 
Q: (Laurent Dupin – Canal+) A question for Alex. As someone who’s been part of the Red Bull Junior Team, you know it’s a great opportunity, but it can also be tough. Dr. Marko can be very hard as well. Do you have any tips for Isaac on bouncing back after this first difficult race and, more generally, for the season?
AA: I mean, I don’t see it as much of a setback. I think Isack had a fantastic start to his Formula 1 career. The pace was surprisingly strong, actually, from all the rookies in Australia, considering how difficult that track is. I was surprised by how quickly they adapted. It’s been a good start for him, and I think he’s going to be someone we’re looking out for the rest of the year, for sure.
 
Q: Alex, any advice on how to navigate Dr. Marko?
AA: Enjoy the process!
 
Q: (Albert Fabrega – ESPN Latam) Question for Lando. Lando, first time leading the championship. It’s still very early in the season, but does this add any extra pressure for you? How are you feeling before starting the second Grand Prix?
LN: Nope. Yeah, I said it in an interview already—it makes no difference to me at the minute. I’m not thinking about it. I don’t really care about it. It shouldn’t change anything I do. It shouldn’t change what the team does. I had one good weekend—people need to calm down a little bit. I’m focused on trying to do the same here. I probably won’t even think about the championship until at least halfway through the year.
 
Q: (Mariana Becker – TV Bandeirantes) Hi, Lando. Do you think this new technical directive on the wings is going to change much in terms of car balance and speed?
LN: Nope. We don’t have to change anything. Ours is fine. In fact, ours was probably too good, and we probably weren’t pushing the limits enough, honestly. If this technical directive had been applied last weekend, we would’ve been fine. It’s not directed at us—it seems to be directed other teams. Yeah, which probably means we should push it a little bit more.
 
Q: (Stuart Bell – AP) This one’s for Alex. Stefano Domenicali was in Thailand this week, in Bangkok, for talks about a potential Thai Grand Prix. What would it mean to you to race in Thailand? What do you know of the plans so far, and what are some of the challenges in getting it off the ground?
AA: Firstly, I’m trying to keep up with Stefano and asking him… I think we’re going to meet up later. But it’s very exciting, clearly—for myself and for all of Formula 1, not just me. Thailand is an amazing country, and I’m sure people who have been to Thailand will vouch for that. I’d be excited to hopefully one day show my colleagues the culture of Thailand, the food… It will be interesting with the heat—that’s one area that might make it a Singapore 2.0. But all the more for it. On my side, I’m doing everything I can to make that happen. But let’s see.
 
Q: (Lawrence Edmondson – ESPN) Question for Lando. You mentioned the car is difficult to drive. Is it significantly more difficult than last year’s, or does it have a lot of the same traits, just amplified slightly?
LN: I think, in general, some of the traits are the same. It still doesn’t suit my driving style at all. I think I’ve almost gotten to a point where I’ve just accepted that you can’t have a perfect car that suits your style. Maybe it suits some people, but I’ve kind of stopped asking for exactly what I want and more just focused on whatever makes the car quicker. It’s probably a tricky car to drive and to put together a lap, but clearly, it’s taken a step forward from last year. At the end of the day, my job is to drive whatever car I get given. That’s why I’m here. That’s why McLaren wanted me. They believe I can drive it better than others can. Half and half. It’s similar characteristics and some of those characteristics I don’t like and don’t suit the way I want to drive, in an attacking way. It doesn’t suit me in terms of me wanting to push the entries and push the braking. It’s very weak, I would say, from that point of view. Not what I like but at the same time some of it is down to the adaptation, needing to change my driving style every year, because the car I drive is very different to what McLaren was a few years ago, clearly, because then we were at the back and now we’re at the front. But some things carry on. Some things are like ‘ this is a McLaren’ for those reasons and I’ve only ever driven McLarens, so that’s all I know. I think it’s unique in certain aspects. Obviously we have our strengths and weakness and whenever someone has been at McLaren and gone to another team they have often said how hard or odd the McLaren has been to drive, whether that’s Daniel or with Carlos. It’s also like all I’ve got used to, so I’ve got to the point where I’ll just drive whatever car I have to drive as long as it’s fighting for a win and quick enough to fit for a win, I’m happy enough to drive what I’m given. 
 
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Isack, another one for you. You mentioned the support you’ve received from everyone in the paddock, and a lot of people have spoken about how supportive they’ve been toward you. Anthony Hamilton obviously came straight to you in the paddock. How much did that mean to you? And have you heard from Lewis at all in the past few days since what happened?
IH: Yeah, he said it reminded him of Lewis parking the car at pit entry in Shanghai. It was a nice moment, sharing time with someone like Anthony as well—obviously, the dad of my idol. So that was quite a special moment. And indeed, Lewis sent me a message later that day. Really classy guys.
 
Q: (Ronald Vording – Motorsport.com) A question to Lando—just picking up on what you said about maybe stopping asking for what you like in the car and adapting your driving style. Is that because you feel that, with McLaren’s car philosophy, what you prefer would actually make the car slower than it is now? And secondly, do you feel that you’ve made another step in that adaptation compared to the beginning of last year?
LN: I think the thing is, the aero guys and girls back in the factory they just try to find lap time. You’ve got to balance how you work the car. Like certain other teams have said, at times you can try to find a more peaky aero balance. If it works at the peak, it’s better, but it might be trickier to drive and worse in windy conditions. Or do you try to get rid of some of that peak grip and make it a slightly more all-rounded car? You have to play with this balance, because it’s difficult to get both. You have to choose what direction you want to go in. And definitely, I think some of what I want from a car is first of all just very hard to get. That’s probably the best answer. For me, a good front at apex, that’s kind of all I feel like I want. But I very rarely have what I need from that perspective. But the car can still win races. It’s not like if I don’t have what I want, the car is bad. I can still get the most out of the car, if I don’t have what I want. There are just compromises. It’s so complicated when the guys and thew girls try to take you through… If I do want more front end at mid-corner, at the minute we can only get that if we compromise low-speed or high-speed performance, or making the car more sensitive to windy conditions. There are so many compromises you have to make and at the end of the day, you just want the best all-rounded car. I think that’s the main answer to it all. I think I’ve got a better understanding of that over the past couple of years on driving styles, how I need to drive the car.  Maybe making a bit of that switch from “I want this from the car, and I want to keep driving my way until you make it more suited me.” I guess  I’ve kind of thrown that away and just said, “alright, give me the best car, and I need to adapt a lot more to the car I get given.” It’s not the most comfortable, it’s not what I like the most, it’s now what I can get the most out of but over the last year and a half, I’ve probably learned more about my driving than I did in the previous five years, just because the car has changed, and I’ve fallen into this philosophy of give me the best car and I’ll adapt to that rather than give me the car I want.
 
Q: (Lawrence Edmondson – ESPN). Another question for Lando—midway through the Australian Grand Prix, Oscar was told to hold position. Was that all in line with your expectations of what the team would ask during the race? And were there any conversations afterward about why it happened and whether it was the right call?
LN: Yeah, so I didn’t really know about it because they said it to Oscar, not to me. And it was literally just for two or three laps as we went through the backmarkers. It was risky conditions, and we’d look like complete idiots if we attempted to race and both ended up off the track—or worse, out of the race—when we had a great result in hand. It was just for a couple of laps that they asked us to hold position, and then he was free to race again. We were free to race all the way up until that point, and then there was just a holding period for a few laps. After that, it was back to normal. I think that’s all I really knew about it. I’m sure we’ll talk about it more—we even had a little chat about it this morning. But yeah, from the team’s perspective, it wasn’t about me or Oscar, it was about McLaren – we’re first and second, let’s not do anything silly when we don’t need to. There’s still a lot of opportunity left for Oscar to race me, and it would have been stupid to try and force a situation when we’re behind backmarkers, blue flags. If you go offline at that part of the race, you’re in the wall. At that stage of the race, I was still trying to think I need get these tyres to last until Lap 54 or whatever. I think Oscar was just pushing a bit more and trying to get past me. But yeah, it was all comfortable from my side.
 
Q: (Ronald Vording – Motorsport.com) Lando, in Bahrain testing, you said, “We’re not as far ahead as people think we are.” Were you surprised to see both the gap in qualifying in Melbourne and the fact that your race pace, especially in terms of tyre degradation, seemed to be better than what Red Bull had?
LN: Definitely. The gap in qualifying surprised us a bit. Our goal was to be on pole, and we expected to be quickest, but we also expected Ferrari to be a good chunk quicker than they were. In the end, they were what—seven, eight tenths off? They’re not that far off by any means. If you looked at FP1, FP2, FP3, their pace never looked that far behind. All of Ferrari’s race runs on Friday were a lot closer to us than anyone else. In fact, I think Ferrari’s race pace on Friday was maybe even better than ours. So we were surprised. I’m sure they seemed a bit shocked as well by why they were so far off in the race. But it just shows how difficult it is to predict. One weekend, everything is going well, and the next, it can turn upside down. You saw how quick Max was at the end of the race. Even at the start, in the first five to seven laps, and then again in the last five to seven laps, Max was just as quick as us. But in that middle period of the race, when you have to understand the tyres and know how much to push, we seemed very strong. That’s when you need a well-balanced car in drying conditions so the tyre degradation happens evenly, rather than the front wearing out more than the rear or vice versa. Also, there’s a good amount that Oscar and I have learned from each other about how to drive the car efficiently. That’s an advantage—not every team has two teammates who can really rely on each other and push each other forward. It’s something we’ve worked on at McLaren, and I think it’s paying off.
 
Q: ( Zixuan Xiong Zion – China Grand Motorsport) I’d like to ask Alex—having been there and done that, what’s your take on Lawson’s debut at RB Racing?
Alex ALBON: I think it’s very early to say how he’s going to do. I think, for everyone out there, the conditions and the general format of qualifying now make things very tight. Firstly, let’s start with the fact that qualifying is closer than ever, which is great for everyone. But it also means that if you’re just a little bit off, you’re likely going to be out in Q1. Then in the race, there’s not much to say. Everyone was struggling out there. I think, especially for the rookies and the ones with a little bit less experience, they were on the back foot for most of Sunday. So yeah, I think we need to give him a bit of time to get up to speed.
 
ENDS

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