Part One: George Russell, Oliver Bearman and Pierre Gasly.

George, we will start with you. Why don't we throw it back, first of all, to last weekend in Austin, just to get some reflections? Toto said after the race that the upgrade package has a very narrow performance window. Just how tricky are you finding it to get it into that window, and why?
George Russell: Yes, it's been a little bit strange for us since we brought this package to the car. Obviously, we first brought it in Malaysia, and it was a pretty tough weekend for the two of us. Then Kimi had it on in Singapore. Again, not a straightforward weekend. I had it back on in Austin and struggled a lot on my side, and he obviously had a very, very strong race. We are seeing some things in the characteristics that just show that it performed in a very narrow window. So we need to try and widen that. Obviously, from my side, I need to try and focus on getting into that window.

What about here, though? Because it's the first time that we've run these power units at extreme altitude. Do you think that's going to make it a difficult one to navigate?
GR: I think it's going to be very interesting. I think turbo lag is going to be a big factor for a lot of teams this weekend. There's obviously no secret that the likes of Ferrari have a smaller turbo than most, so they probably have quite an advantage in this regard. We're not sure as yet how challenging it will be, but I can definitely foresee it being not straightforward.

And George, looking ahead, how do you view the end of this season? Does 2027 start now for you, in the way that, if we throw it back to 2015, Nico Rosberg won the last three races of that season and went on to win the title the following year? Do you think it's as important for you to have a winning end to this season?
GR: Well, I think it's definitely important for me to try and gain some consistency. A couple of races ago, we were on pole by eight tenths and won the race. Then, last week, I finished in P8, and I've never had a season like this in my career where the performance has fluctuated so much. I know it's in there because you can't deliver performances like that in Baku if you've so-called lost it. It's just that we're struggling to have a high hit rate. We don't know why that is, and as I said, we've never had it. I've never had it personally before in my career. I guess that's probably the priority for me in these last few races.

George, thank you very much for that. Ollie, let's come to you now. Back in Mexico, the scene of that tremendous P4 for you last year. When you reflect on that result, was it your best performance in Formula 1? It was your best result, but was it your best performance?
Oliver Bearman: Yeah, it was definitely my best result, but I wouldn't say it was my best performance. I've had a few races this year where I feel like I've been doing well, but obviously not with the results to back it up. This race here was very strong. Obviously, I benefited from a bit of carnage in the early laps, but I also managed to hold on to the position. We had really good pace, so it was a great weekend, a really fun weekend. The car was also so fun to drive. I remember I kind of jogged my memory by looking back at a few of the onboards over the past few days. It's always fun when the car has good characteristics and you can push it. Racing against the top guys was a lot of fun, too. So, it was a memorable weekend for me, definitely my best result, but definitely my best performance as well in my first season. It's a shame that we're not quite as competitive, but it shows that if you keep at it, anything can happen and these opportunities can show up. I'm not sure I would have held on to P4 on a normal track, but with the altitude here, I was able to, where you struggle to follow the other cars. That definitely benefited me, but you still have to be there. So, it was definitely a good weekend.

Let's talk about opportunities this weekend, then. George has just talked about turbo lag. Do you think you've got at least the right PU in the back of your car this weekend? How hopeful are you?
OB: Yeah, I'm not really sure how that's going to affect us, the altitude, what that's going to do to our PU versus others. I don't know if that's going to make us more competitive or less competitive. I think the only way is to find out tomorrow. I hope that we can be on the good side of that with the high altitude and the lack of airflow. Let's see. Our car is also quite competitive in low speed, so at least in terms of the things that we can control, the car looks to be in a better window for a weekend like this.

And Ollie, let's throw it forward now to 2027. We're still waiting for news on your plans for next year. Just where are you at with all that?
OB: No, I think it's very clear. I want to continue with Haas. That's definitely my goal. There are a few things in the background that we're working on, but it's been very clear that continuing with Haas will be my target, and we're just finalising a few things on that front.

When can we expect news?
OB: I don't know, to be honest. It's not really in my hands, I can tell you that. If it was up to me, it would have already been announced a long time ago. But there are a few bigger-picture things that we're working on.

Ollie, thank you for that. Pierre, let's come to you now. The last time we were at a track with a really long straight, you were on pole. Does that give you some confidence coming into this weekend?
Pierre Gasly: Well, it's a nice comment to hear. I mean, yeah, to some extent, you will see Mexico has some similarities to Monza, but it's also very different, with a lot more low-speed corners and a lot more rides in that first section in the chicane. So, we'll see. Hopefully, we can repeat a very strong performance here.

What about your own relationship with this racetrack? You have a good record here, including that P4 back in, I think it was 2021. Is it a track you excel at?
PG: I don't know. I'm not sure. I mean, honestly, I have no idea. I like the track. Yeah, it's fun. It's challenging from a driving point of view. Low grip. In this low-speed section, you need to find your rhythm. You need to have a good line, good precision. That's it. I think at the moment, I just want to look at one session at a time and try to deliver the best performance I can for the guys and see where it takes us here.

What are your goals for the remainder of this year, both personally and for the team? The P5, I think, what are you, 33 points behind Racing Bulls?
PG: Yeah, it's in the back of our head, obviously. I think objectively, it's a big gap. Looking at the number of points we've scored in the last few weekends, it's definitely going to be a big ask. But that's why I say I don't want to be too focused on the championship. I just want to look at my own performance, keep delivering Q3s whenever we have the pace to do it and translate it into points on Sunday. So personally, I'll try to be in the points every Sunday. Whether it's going to be enough or not, we'll find out at the end of the year. But, yeah, just try to take one session at a time.

Pierre, one final question from me. Ollie and George, this is to you as well, a question to all. Next week is the 70th anniversary of FIA karting. How did karting shape you all as drivers? Can we get some memories from each of you about your karting careers?
PG: Honestly, one of the best times of my life. I mean, when you're a kid, you're just thinking of passion, of feelings, striving. There are no sort of responsibilities to it. You're just trying to get better, and you have this big dream of achieving Formula 1. Funny enough, most of the guys we raced back then are other guys that I see on the racetrack today. At the time, we didn't know it, but it's just pure driving. There's no electronics or anything to focus on except your left pedal, your right pedal, the wheel, your lines, and the challenging days racing on slick tyres in the wet because, well, in Normandy it rains pretty much 300 days a year so there were a lot of these days, the adrenaline it provided me was incredible. I could name many races, European or World Cups, where you have that extra pressure and the sort of adrenaline, the excitement, the fear of delivering because potentially it buys you another year in karting. Just amazing times.

OB: I echo Pierre's comments. I remember just waking up in the dark on those winter mornings, knowing it's going to be freezing cold out there, but you don't care because you're going karting and you're going to really enjoy yourself. It's just pure elation, pure joy. Still sometimes now, I have a few days in a kart every year just to remind myself of why I fell in love with this sport, because it's the closest thing you can get to the ground, first of all. You're just so open. It's incredible. Even the smell. When I come back and do some karting days now, that smell just plays back all those memories in my mind. Even if it's definitely very unhealthy to smell that, I absolutely love it. It's what I grew up on.

GR: That's definitely going to be a meme with those final comments you just said. For sure, karting is the purest form of racing. I remember waking up and the first thing I'd get changed into would be my race suit, and I'd even put my rib protector on at breakfast. I was just so excited to go racing. I think a dream of mine for the future of karting is to see it become even more accessible to so many more people, because it's no secret that the cost of karting is, I think for all of us, something we were very lucky with. We grew up in a time where it was still expensive, but it was more affordable. Now things are getting slightly out of control. With how big Formula 1 is, I would love to see karting become as accessible as going to your local park to kick a football around, just giving everybody that opportunity to feel the thrill of speed, the air brushing through your race suit and helmet. Yes, there's nothing like it.