Today's post-qualifying press conference with George Russell, Kimi Antonelli and Isack Hadjar.
Parc Ferme Interviews - Conducted by Jolyon Palmer
Q: What a way to start the season, George, living up to the pre-season favourites tag. It's been a great day and a great lap at the end. How was it?
George Russell: Yeah, it was a great day. We knew there's a lot of potential in the car but until we get to this first Saturday of the season, you never know. But it really came alive this afternoon, especially as the track temps cooled. We know we sort of tend to favour those conditions. And also, really happy to have Kimi here next to me as well, because it's been such hard work from all the team to deliver this car, and they did an amazing job in the garage as well today. So, all in all, mate, really good day.
Q: Let's talk about the car, all new for this year. What does that mean for the driver? It's a very different driving style, it looks like.
GR: Yeah, it's not easy. It's not easy to drive. It's not easy, I think, for some of the fans to understand. However, I'm excited for the race tomorrow and I think it can bring some quite exciting racing. And also, for you guys in the crowd, it's always amazing every time we come to Melbourne, so thank you so much for all of that support for all of us, and hopefully we can deliver a good race.
Q: Alright, hold that thought because I'm going to come back to you on that. But Kimi, what a day for you as well. There's only one place to start: the start of that session. That must have been pretty sweaty.
Kimi Antonelli: Yeah, it's been a very, very stressful day. Unfortunately, in FP3, I went into the wall. But the guys, the mechanics today, were the heroes, you know, to put the car back on track. We couldn't even set up the car, we just went out and managed to put it on the front row. So really happy with that.
Q: I have to say that last lap from you was pretty incredible as well, because you had the lock-up, you had no time on the board in Q3, and suddenly you went to provisional pole. So how do you manage to do that with the day that you've had so far?
KA: Yeah, it was not easy. I had to dig deep. But yeah, need to have a clean weekend next time because it definitely compromised qualifying a little bit. But we have a race tomorrow to look ahead to and a good result is possible.
Q: Yeah, well done Kimi, amazing result for you today. In the end, Isack Hadjar, top three for your first qualifying with Red Bull. What a cheer, what a feeling. How was that for you?
Isack Hadjar: Yeah, I didn't... I mean, thank you very much to all the fans cheering. Yeah, it was a very smooth qualifying. The run-up to qualifying, the whole weekend, was a bit difficult. We are not really in a position to fight for a top three. I felt like the Ferrari, the McLaren were a bit clear of myself, but we kind of built up to it the whole qualifying session and that was a very good last lap.
Q: Very tight margins between you and those behind, but you're in the third spot behind these two Mercedes. Can you do anything about them? Can you maybe get them at the race start? What does it look like tomorrow?
IH: Yeah, take a better start, but then it's going to be... they're just too fast at the moment. So, I want to keep my position. A second podium could be good.
Q: Alright, well done today, Isack and good luck for tomorrow. Alright then George, let's talk about tomorrow. Pole position, but a whole new set of circumstances with these cars in race trim. We saw the starts in testing look difficult. How are you feeling for those?
GR: Yeah, I think a lot of the simple things that were in the past, like race starts, pit stops, are a hell of a lot more challenging with these new cars. So, I said it to the team in the garage at the beginning of Q3: "Now let's just have a clean session because who knows what's going to happen tomorrow." Obviously, we'll try and work hard tonight, but obviously a really great day where together we're the best place possible.
Press Conference
Q: George, tremendous lap, very well done. Let's start with that final lap of Q3. Just how good was it?
GR: Yeah, it felt very good, to be honest. The whole session felt very clean, very tidy, no mistakes, and yeah, just how I wanted to start this weekend really. These new cars are very challenging to drive, they're very difficult to understand, the energy management and all of the other features we're dealing with. But I think we knew as a team, or we thought as a team, we had a really good package beneath us, and it's been so much hard work from everyone in Brixworth and Brackley to deliver this. But I don't think we quite thought it was that good. And also, to have Kimi next to me here as well is really great.
Q: So you're surprised by the eight-tenths of a second gap to the nearest non-Mercedes?
GR: Yeah, definitely. I think the conditions also came into our favour. We know we're better in these cooler conditions and as the track temp dropped, we always seemed to find more lap time. But, you know, I think we've got a really great engine beneath us. However, I think we've also got a really amazing car beneath us, and I think that probably hasn't been highlighted enough in the press these past few weeks. I think the car, from the off, Kimi and I both said it felt great to drive. We're enjoying the smaller cars, the lighter cars, and yeah, perfect way to start Melbourne.
Q: George, you're enjoying the cars. Just how different does a qualifying lap feel in these all-new cars?
GR: Well, the cars are more agile and you're sort of sliding them around a bit more. It's easier to lock up and run wide, lose the rear. It wasn't easy conditions out there today, it was quite windy, quite gusty, but I'm enjoying that. It feels more like a go-kart compared to last year. It felt like a bouncing bus, to be honest. It wasn't as fun to drive. So, I think there are lots of mixed views on the new regs as a whole, but I do think the car regulations for everyone are definitely a step forward compared to what we've had for the past, what, eight years now.
Q: Well, let's throw it forward to the race tomorrow. It feels like there are a lot of unknowns, even with your pace advantage. Just how do you see it playing out? Are you expecting a dramatic race?
GR: I think the goal for us right now is to just try and make the finish line because we honestly don't know what's going to happen. The most simple things that we've been dealing with over the past years, such as pit stops, are now really challenging with all the procedures, getting the engine in the right window, the turbo speed spinning enough, the battery not too low but not too high, race starts, we've seen our challenge. So, I think the goal for us was just to have a clean weekend. Of course we want to win, we want to be on board, we want to dominate the weekend, but it's a really long season and we need to get through tomorrow and just have a clean race because at any point you can stumble and that could be the end of your day.
Q: Very well done. Thank you for that, George. Kimi, let's come to you. You said it yourself a moment ago, it was a stressful afternoon for you. Just how difficult was it to navigate from inside the cockpit?
KA: Yeah, it was a very intense day. But the mechanics were the heroes today. Massive thanks to them because they allowed me to be back on track. It was very intense, I was very nervous, very stressed going into the session because at one point it looked like I couldn't make it. But then obviously we were lucky with the red flag as well, that it allowed us to buy a bit more time. But yeah, it was tricky. We couldn't even set up the car, we just went out of the garage and yeah, at the end obviously we were still able to be on the front row. But yeah, this is thanks to the mechanics, of course.
Q: You say you weren't able to set up the car. You found a massive chunk of time between Q2 and Q3. Tell us where that came from, if you could.
KA: Well, I had a bad lap one in Q3. Obviously, I locked up into Turn 3 and went off, so just put myself a bit more under pressure. And yeah, just tried to have a clean lap. Of course, luckily, we have a really good car. The team has done an incredible job to give us such a good car. I just did a clean lap, and it was still good enough for P2. Of course, George did an amazing job, but yeah, now looking forward to tomorrow.
Q: You talk about the performance of the car. Just tell us how it feels to have this car and this performance advantage underneath you in only your second season of Formula 1.
KA: Of course, it's the best I could have asked for. We have a really good car and we look very, very competitive. That is because the team has done an incredible job on the engine side, but as well on the chassis side. I think the car, as George said, many people just talk about the engine, but the car itself is really, really strong. So I think we're in a very good position and yeah, looking forward to tomorrow. But the car, to be fair, especially in these conditions when they're lighter, is super fun to drive. It's much more agile, the car is much better through the low speed, the ride is much better. Obviously, you're lacking a little bit of high-speed downforce, but that's going to come. I mean, we're only at the first race of the new regulations. Then of course on the PU side, there's a lot to learn. It's very tricky on a track like this, but it's part of the game.
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