Part One: Rafael Camara, Gabriel Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto.
Q: Could we start with Formula 1's newest driver, please? Congratulations, Rafa. You're the 34th driver from Brazil to race in Formula 1. What a moment for you and for your family. Just describe what this means.
Rafael Camara: Yeah, obviously very happy. I think it was a very special... Great start, sorry! But yeah, it's been very nice to be here and just really trying to enjoy the moment. There will be a lot of things going on this weekend, but I think I'm just really looking forward to driving and getting in the car, just to enjoy. I think I would never expect to do a first race here in Brazil in Formula 1. We know that it's almost at the end of the season, so you would not really expect to be doing your first race here. So just really excited to start this weekend and to see how it'll be.
Q: Tell us a little bit more about racing in Brazil for the first time. Have you even done any racing here at Interlagos?
RC: No, it'll be the first time driving here, so that will be nice, especially in a Formula 1 car. But yeah, it's been quite a long time since I've been racing here. I think last time was in karting in São Paulo. I think it was a Brazilian championship, but yeah, just very nice to be back with a Formula 1 car at Interlagos and just doing my debut. It will be very, very nice. It will be very fun.
Q: And Rafa, tell us a little bit more about your preparation for this. You've obviously been on the simulator, am I right?
RC: Yeah, I mean, preparation was not the normal one, let's say. Not because I was already here in Brazil when I got the news. I did a bit with Ferrari to prepare for FP1 and to know a bit of the track, as it's a track that I've never really been here before. But yeah, it's been okay. You have three sessions, FP1, FP2 and FP3, so there's a good time to understand things, to adapt and learn, and to make sure that you are in a comfortable place for quali.
Q: And what goals have you set yourself for the weekend?
RC: Yeah, I think in the end, just really trying to learn as much as I can this weekend. Obviously, it will be the first time at the circuit. There's a lot of things to just understand and go through the post-process, so I think really just trying to enjoy and make the most of the situation.
Q: Thank you, Rafa, and best of luck. Well done, Gabi. If we could come to you, this is the first time we've had two Brazilian drivers on the grid since 2016. Can we start by getting your reaction to the news that Rafa's on the grid with you this weekend?
Gabriel Bortoleto: I just... The thing is, I knew this was going to happen, so when I heard the news, I was obviously happy for him because, you know, I said it many times already this week, but he fully deserves it. You know, Rafa and I, we know each other since we are probably eight, something like this, and he's a great guy. He's very talented. He won F3. He's now probably going to win F2. He's leading the championship, so, you know, it's fully deserved to be in Formula 1. And there's no better way to enter F1 when you have this curriculum. And yeah, I mean, I just wish for him that he has a good weekend at home. He's obviously jumping straight away into the São Paulo Grand Prix. It's not an easy task, you know. It's a lot of attention, a lot of expectations on your shoulders. But from his side, you know, he's never been in the car, so he just needs to enjoy and have the best time. But I'm sure he's going to do this well. He was always very good at doing that, so yeah, I'm happy and hopefully we have more press conferences as three together because it's going to be fun.
Q: And tell us a little bit about what it means to be racing at home for you for the second time.
GB: Yeah, it means a lot, especially after last year. For me, it was obviously not the ideal year, you know. Sorry, race, because obviously my crash was very big here. And yeah, first time at home, you have a crash like that, it's never good, also in front of my whole country. But this year, you know, it's different. I'm coming with a new project, obviously same team but different names and power unit, car, and, you know, it's been a very good year so far. We have been delivering very good results and I just want to enjoy home, you know, enjoy a new weekend in Brazil and hopefully be able to drive in front of my country a little bit more than I did last year.
Q: And in terms of performance, what do you think you and Audi can deliver this weekend?
GB: Well, actually, right now we are in the chase for Haas in the championship. We managed to reduce the points gap between us and them after Mexico points, and, you know, our goal is obviously to score points. But, you know, Interlagos, everything can happen. The weather can be crazy, so we are going to be chasing for that goal. The goal is clear, so let's see what we can achieve.
Q: All right, good luck with that. Thank you very much, Gabi. And Franco, let's come to you now. This is the closest thing to a home race for you. Just how much support are you expecting this weekend?
Franco Colapinto: Well, expecting a lot. I think generally São Paulo is a track and a place that I enjoy driving. It's a track that is amazing. The history of the sport in Brazil and the history of this track, it's something else. So I always enjoy coming here. It's, you know, one of the races that I'm waiting for the most since the year starts. So generally, I'm very happy to be here. I know the effort that the fans are putting in, you know, to come and ride, to race, to enjoy and support me. I'm always going to be very grateful for it. And hopefully we can give them something nice to cheer for and we can have some good result for them.
Q: Well, in terms of pace, you were very quick in the race in Mexico on Sunday. What do you think you and Alpine can deliver here at Interlagos?
FC: I think we can have a good race, a good weekend. We are going to target to score points as well. Hopefully we can do one position better than 2024. That will be enough. That will be tricky, but we'll try. And yeah, everything that happens here in Brazil, you know, with the rain, always brings, I think, new opportunities for us, and we are going to try to deliver a good result for every fan coming from Argentina and for the team that is doing a big effort to keep scoring points.
Q: Okay, thanks, Franco. Look, final one from me to you, Franco. The FIA has just revised its online abuse guidelines and, given the recent increase in online abuse, can you give us your reaction to the work done by the FIA in this area?
FC: It's great. I think, you know, I've been fighting really hard against it this year and I don't want to talk a lot more about it. I talked enough, I think. But generally, it's an area that we have to keep improving as a community, as a sport, in every area, you know, in the world. We need to keep an eye on it and keep, of course, understanding how we can improve it and, yeah, just not let it rest. We have to be very proactive in the things that we are doing. Me, with the team, with Alpine and everyone in the paddock, we've been fighting really hard against it. Everyone should do so. Yeah, let's hope we can keep improving the situation.
Q: Thanks. Gabi, can I just bring you in on this and the FIA's revision to its online abuse guidelines?
GB: Yeah, I think the FIA has been doing a very good job on that. And again, I think Franco has been a little bit more openly vocal about it, and I think it's important to be open to constructive criticism because that's okay. We are in a free world. We can listen to opinions, but they need to be constructive. They cannot be threatening. They cannot be judging in a negative way because I'm sure these people wouldn't have the balls to do that looking into my eyes or looking into his eyes or anyone's eyes, you know. They do this because they are behind the screen. So, you know, I'm happy if someone wants to come to my face and say something, you know, then it's a different topic. But online abuse, it's for cowards, and I'm sure that the FIA has been taking care of this in a very good way. They have been proactive. We have been talking a lot also between the drivers, and I see a lot of progress on that. So hopefully we can keep improving in that sense.
Questions From The Floor
Q: (David Croft - Sky Sports F1) Franco, Gabi, well said. Congratulations, Rafael. Welcome to Formula One. Gabi says you're going to win the F2 championship this year. Is he right? Are you going to be competing for the rest of the season in F2? Is this just a one-off, or will you be seeing out the season in Formula 1?
RC: I think that's something that we'll be discussing, I think, after the weekend, to prepare how the future will be. But yeah, I think I don't really discuss that at the moment, so just make sure that I'm doing a great job this weekend, and then after that we see what will happen. But yeah, I don't predict the future. Let's see what will happen.
FC: It would be really fun to do F2 and F1 at the same time, no? You can do the same weekend, both? Do F2 quali, you jump in F1.
RC: Maybe we can put them on the same grid.
FC: Jim Clark won both in the same year. That was in... When? But it's the same, a little bit?
RC: Yeah, it's fine.
Q: (David Croft - Sky Sports F1) Okay, in which case, we've got to ask: would you be up for F2 and F1 in the same weekend? Can you do that?
RC: We can put them in at the same time, no? Both cars?
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