Track Interviews - Conducted by Timo Glock
George, we see that big smile back on your face. That tells it all. I mean, it looked like an easy Saturday drive through Baku, but it got really spicy at the end. Talk us through those last laps.
George Russell: Yeah, I mean, it was amazing to be back on the top step of the podium. So, I do want to say a big thanks to my team because, you know, they've continued to believe in me through a tough moment, helped me come through it. I'm really proud to have had this weekend. And then, yeah, the first half of the race felt pretty plain sailing, getting a gap. Safety Car restart, especially when I saw Max behind, I thought, you know, it's not going to be easy. And he drove incredibly at the end of the race. And then when the yellow flag came out, I lifted off the power and when I went back, I had no turbo, so then I had no power. Max almost got me at the line. So, yeah, that would have been a real shame. But all in all, incredible weekend.
But what is it? I mean, it looked like you came in this weekend, from lap one on, you had this confidence back. What changed in getting that performance out of the car?
GR: I think it's just having more experience with this sort of new driving style I've adopted. And every race since the break, I feel like I've gone from strength to strength and I feel like more myself again. So that's really great.
Well, Max, what a drive again, from P8 to P2, you came less than two tenths short, but how satisfying is that, to be back on the podium and having the chance of putting George under pressure?
Max Verstappen: Yeah, we had a good race. I mean, the first stint was probably a little bit difficult with the Medium tyre, but we still worked our way into P3 and then we had a good restart, into P2. Then it was just like, 1 second, 1.1s. Then on the final lap, with the yellow flag, I think, George lost a bit of boost out of one corner and that's why I caught up quite a bit and then to the line, I got close, but it was not enough.
But Max, you threw everything at it. I mean, you brushed the walls a couple of times. I mean, that last wall, was that a sketchy one or was it sort of still under control?
MV: It was okay. I just tried to open the corner probably a little bit too much, but the tyres were fine.
Isack, I mean, what a comeback. Six weeks off, being on the podium. I mean, how happy are you coming back with a podium and a double podium for Red Bull?
Isack Hadjar: Yeah, I'm happy. You know, it's been very long, six weeks. You know, it's been like six weeks since I enjoyed myself and now, I think it was the right time to come back. I felt strong and, you know, this weekend I really took it step by step. It's a track you can end up in the wall really quickly. I didn't need that to gain the confidence, so it was a very slow build-up, but it brought me here. So, I'm very, very happy for an actual first proper podium on pure pace. So I'm very, very delighted.
And that tells you as well, like, the wrist is okay after doing a whole race distance. This is something different. Must be happy now to continue the rest of the season?
IH: Yeah, now I'm completely satisfied. Even though it's a bit numb, I'm happy. So, yeah, I'm really looking forward to get racing. It's going to be a very packed schedule, so, yeah, I can't wait to be in Sepang.
Good. Thanks, Isack. George, coming back quickly again, you closed the gap by 15 points here. It's going to be intense weeks ahead. What is the game plan of George Russell now in that championship?
GR: Win every race. I mean, that's the game plan. You know, my team-mate's had an incredible season. He's been pretty flawless throughout, but now we're getting to crunch time. But I'm just going to focus on myself. You know, if I continue delivering performances like I've done this weekend, no matter what happens towards the end of the season, I'll be happy because it's been a real tough period for me but I feel like I've come through the other side.
Press Conference
George, what a weekend for you. Pole position yesterday by eight tenths, then victory today by one tenth. But just tell us what it all means to you.
GR: Yeah, it feels great, to be honest. I'm very proud of the resilience that I and my close group of engineers have shown during the tough periods this year because there's been a lot of hard work to overcome some of the challenges, to adapt my driving style to suit this new car better. And F1 is so tough, you don't get opportunities to practice this, and finally it's coming to me a bit more intuitively than it once did, and I'm gaining confidence. And especially on circuits like this, it just allows you to eke out that little bit more on the brakes, get that little bit closer to the walls, and it's been a flawless weekend.
You're gaining confidence. Do you feel rejuvenated?
GR: I think I never lost that faith in myself, even through a tough moments I knew there was a reason why I was off the pace. It wasn't like I just suddenly forgot how to drive, and I knew I would be able to find it again. I just had to be patient. So, I feel confident. You know, it's been four races since the break. I've been on the front row in three of them, three podiums from the four races. I feel I can fight for victory week-in, week-out now.
Let's break down the race. It was definitely one of two halves. You looked serene out front in the first stint. Were you happier on the Medium tyre?
GR: Well, I think Max and myself were probably the two quickest drivers out there, and the soft tyre looked the best tyre, so I think that was maybe not allowing Max to get past Piastri. But, yeah, clearly that final stint, the two of us were exceptionally fast and, you know, we were pulling a second a lap almost to the rest of the field, which was really good fun, to be honest. It felt like qualifying laps, one after another, and I knew I couldn't make a single mistake. But certainly, the last 10 laps were a bit more tense than the first 40.
Talk us through the Safety Car restarts. Did they play out as you'd hoped?
GR: Yeah, I mean, it's the first restart I've done this season from the lead. These power units are very challenging at restarts, getting the battery in the right place for turbo spinning at the right speed, and I always do good preparation on what I want to do at a restart. It needs a lot more thought into it than ever before. But, you know, I was keeping an eye on my mirrors where Max was, and I had waited for that moment when the gap was just slightly larger and managed to break him because I knew if he saw half a chance, he would have been sending it down the inside. So, I was pleased with it.
You're happy with the car here, you're happy with your performance. Are you confident that it'll be the same next weekend at a permanent racetrack like Sepang?
GR: I'm really excited. We've got the upgrades coming soon. That's going to be a good step forward. Our car has been working exceptionally well on the low-drag circuits. We've got a really efficient car, so here at Monza we've been exceptionally fast. But I think from next week onwards, we're hoping to make a bigger step to the rest of the field. But nothing's sure until we see how it pans out in reality.
Alright, very well done. Thank you very much for that, George. Max, let's come to you. Great race by you, very well done. Given how close you were at the line, does today feel like a "what if" race for you? What if you'd started a little bit higher up the grid?
MV: Yeah, I mean, we should have done that, right? I mean, that's what happened yesterday. You know, you have a problem and then that means that you have to start P8. But I think even if I started second, I think the pace of George, it would have been very hard to pass. So maybe I could have followed him a bit better, of course, then in that first stint. Then you box, you're second, behind, and then probably we would have done the same race, just pushing each other along. It would have for sure made my first stint a bit easier instead of overtaking all the cars that I had to. But, yeah, for sure the Soft tyre was much better than the Medium because I just had the first few laps in the first stint were very strong, but then, yeah, the tyres were just not working and it was quite a bit of, like, just surviving in the first stint, trying to go as long as possible. And then the Safety Car actually came at the right time to swap to the Soft tyres. And then I have to say that, yeah, those last laps were very enjoyable because there was barely any deg, really. We were just pushing to the end and the gap was always, like, one second, 1.1, so that was nice. And, of course, it looked close on the line, but I think that was more because I think George suffered from a little bit of boost lag in 15 with the yellow flag. So if you look at the last stint, it was always one second, so that's probably also where we would have finished.
How much of a boost is the performance of the car here with the upgrades, both for you and the whole team?
MV: Yeah, it was good. I mean, the car was feeling very good all weekend. Okay, then we had the issue in qualifying with the engine. We still, of course, have some limitations with the car that I've mentioned many times that probably are not fixable for this year. So we know that for next year that needs a lot of work. But the balance in the car was strong. But like George said, for Malaysia, if they're bringing an upgrade, it's going to look a little bit more difficult for us.
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