Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix

Driver Quotes - Sunday 11 October

Oscar Piastri "P5. That was a hot and tough one. Overall, it felt like a reasonable race. The puncture was a shame, but I think fifth place was the maximum we could have done today. We didn't quite have the pace to challenge the Red Bull and the Ferraris, although being able to get that final position from Lewis made it worthwhile, and it was a fun way to finish the race. It was a reasonable chunk of points for the team, so thank you for their hard work.

"Across this triple header, I've definitely felt much more comfortable in the car, which has been a real positive, but we need to be honest — we clearly aren't quick enough at the moment. If we want to be fighting for podiums and wins, we need a decent step forward to close the gap to Red Bull and Mercedes. We have work to do, but I am confident we can do it. I'm looking forward to a short break, before we head into the final swing of the season."

Lando Norris "Today's P4 was the best we could achieve, and I'm pleased we maximised the result. It was a demanding, hot race, and the car was tough to drive - every corner was a fight. Our pace was reasonable and the team did what was possible, but we're clearly the fourth fastest at the moment. Red Bull have taken a big step, Mercedes and Ferrari were strong, and without upgrades we can't close that gap.

"So overall, I'm pleased with the result, but a little disappointed in how we got there. I was a bit impatient in my fight with Lewis and I think I'd have passed him eventually without the mistake, and while Kimi was always likely to get by given his pace and fresher tyres, I should have given him a better fight. We need to make the car faster and more forgiving to drive; strategy couldn't create more today. We'll keep pushing for upgrades so we can fight for podiums and, ultimately, wins.

"Finally, I also need to apologise to the team for letting them down yesterday. I've apologised to all those that I represent and who work so hard to put everything together and allow me to go racing. I'll work hard for the rest of the season to make up for it, and we will keep working hard and pushing together."

George Russell: I managed to make good progress in my first stint and get myself onto the fringes of the top 10. We took the opportunity to stop when the Virtual Safety Car came out but sadly, we didn't get the full benefit of that as it ended as I entered the pit lane. That type of luck sums up my season unfortunately! We fought hard on the Soft tyre but Nico (Hülkenberg) did a good job defending P8 from me.

We knew tonight was going to be a difficult race given where we were starting and how challenging overtaking is here. To get ourselves back in the points was a decent result but of course it has been a disappointing weekend here in Singapore for me. We will regroup now ahead of Austin and the final six races of the year. We've gathered a lot of useful data on the update package and hopefully we can build on that into the closing stages of the season.

Kimi Antonelli: That was a tough race out there today and I am very happy to have ended it by finishing on the podium. We knew overtaking was going to be difficult, so we were trying to do some things a little bit differently on strategy. Whilst we gave up track position to the McLaren of Lando Norris, we knew we were going to be on the better Soft tyre and trying to chase both him and Lewis (Hamilton) down. I managed to capitalise on the battle between the two of them, passed them both, and take P3. It is a fantastic result for the team after a difficult couple of weekends.

We have made some really good progress with our update package this weekend. It has proved to be a very useful experiment and one that has provided us with a really good direction to get the best out of it. Obviously, this was a Sprint weekend and after a tough Friday, there was only so much we could do so it wasn't like we had the car in the perfect window today. That gives us confidence that we can make more improvements in Austin and start to see what it can truly deliver.

Max Verstappen: "It's an amazing feeling to finally win here in Singapore. We've raced here many times and there have been a few missed opportunities, so to finally stand on the top step is really special. The car has been working well all weekend and I've felt really comfortable. We had strong pace throughout the race and although I had to push at times to maintain the gap, once I was in clean air I could really get into a rhythm. We had a few issues to manage, including the radio not working, but GP did a great job and seemed to know what I wanted to ask him most of the time! It's been an incredible weekend and really nice to share another win with him and the Team. Now, we're just taking it race by race and trying to maximise every opportunity. The most important thing is that we keep having fun, and hopefully we can carry this momentum as a Team into the next few races. Austin is a very different circuit, and a very bumpy one, so we'll see how we get on when we arrive there."

Isack Hadjar: "It was a fun race tonight. Coming from the back and passing cars is always enjoyable. I wanted to get into the points, of course, but around a track like this, where a train can form, I wasn't so sure. The car had strong pace from the off, especially once I got into clean air, and I could gradually make my way through. It was similar to Baku, where the Soft was much better than the Medium, so going onto it for the second stint helped a lot. It took a lot of hard work from everyone on my side of the garage to get that one point, but a point is a point for the Team - so I'm thankful to them for the big turnaround. We clearly have the pace. Max showed that, and a big congrats to him, as I know he wanted that one. I'm looking forward to Austin already."

Charles Leclerc: We gave it our all today and extracted the maximum, so I'm happy with our result. Red Bull and Max (Verstappen) were very strong all weekend, and even though I pushed throughout it wasn't quite enough to catch him in the end.

We had a good pace and made the right calls today, with a different strategy that worked out well for us today.

Next up we head to Austin. We will see what we can do there, and what all our competitors will bring in terms of upgrades which might reshuffle things again for the final set of races this season.

Lewis Hamilton: Today wasn't the result we were looking for and it was on me. At a track that's difficult to overtake, you need to try something different and I chose to start on a new Medium tyre, to go long and try to make a one-stop work. Unfortunately the Medium didn't perform as well as the Soft.

I had a good second stint and the pace was back, but I couldn't make the progress I needed. Under the VSC, the team called me in but I missed the entry. After that, I decided to stay out and try to hold track position to the end but in the closing laps, I was struggling massively with tyre degradation and lost three places, finishing P6, which doesn't reflect the pace we had in the car today.

A painful lesson today, but I take full responsibility for the decisions I made. Not every call will work out, and I can accept getting it wrong but I'm sorry to the team for the points we lost today. They put so much into every weekend, and I wanted to deliver more for them.

I'll continue to put the work in and come back fighting at the next race.

Alex Albon: "A frustrating end to my home race, especially as our pace was quite good today and we were able to fight the RBs and Astons. Physically I feel pretty good given how tough the conditions make this race, and that's a testament to how well we've developed our cooling vest. The tyres were great today, with very little deg and the soft being very durable. We were managing a fuel issue and a brake issue throughout the race, and every time we got close to the cars in front, our brakes started overheating, so we had to back off. In the end we retired early to save the car after managing for 50+ laps. We have some time before the next triple header to debrief, rebuild some of our spare parts, and go racing again."

Carlos Sainz: "Tough race and disappointed we couldn't hold on to the points. I had a very strong start off the line jumping several cars and making it to P10, but after experiencing issues with the battery in the first few laps we lost two positions quickly and then we just didn't have the pace overall. I feel like I've had a strong triple header and got the most out of the car since the new package came in Baku, but we knew it was going to be difficult to get into the points regularly. We'll reset these days and come back recharged for the next triple header."

Arvid Lindblad: "I'm not particularly happy with my weekend here in Singapore. I had a poor start, which set the tone for the rest of the race. I got pinched at Turn 1 and had to brake heavily, costing me even more positions at a circuit where track position is crucial. We'll go away, review the weekend and identify where we need to improve so we can come back stronger for the remaining races. It's been a tiring few weeks, so I'm going to use the break before Austin to fully switch off, reset and come back ready to perform at my best."

Liam Lawson: "I'm very happy with today's result. I had a strong start on the Soft tyres, making it possible to overtake. This was then followed by good pace throughout the race, so it felt great to come away with six points. I feel very proud of the team and, overall, it's been a positive few weeks as we continue our fight for P5 in the Championship. Next week, I'll be focusing on training in the simulator before we head to Austin for the first race of the upcoming triple header. I'm really excited to continue this form into the rest of the season."

Lance Stroll: "We made some setup changes overnight so started from the pit lane today. We had driveability issues during the race and then the clutch overheated so we had to retire on Lap 39. We will need to look into it and try to make things better for the next one."

Fernando Alonso: "It was a difficult weekend overall, not just the race. We knew starting from the pit lane would make things difficult, especially at a circuit where overtaking is not easy. I did what I could, but we didn't have the pace to fight for much more. We struggled with driveability throughout the weekend, hopefully we can get on top of these issues before the next triple-header."

Esteban Ocon: "It was a really good start, and we took advantage of what we usually do - a good start, and a good first couple of laps. After that, we just lacked pace, and that was the maximum of what we could've done, so we have a lot to review. It's been difficult all weekend, I have no grip and I'm sliding, when you don't have the grip to push on a track like this, it's difficult to have a decent result. There's been some positives though, and we need to take them forward to the next triple."

Oliver Bearman : "I got a bit boxed in at the start, on lap one, but after that I managed a couple of overtakes and made up a little. The issue is that ultimately it's hard to overtake, and although we had pace, we were a bit behind in terms of the point-scoring positions. I was happy with the car and execution of the race, I think I drove really well. We need a couple more tenths per lap, so let's see what we can do over the next triple."

Nico Hulkenberg: "What a way to finish the weekend. I think we maximised the opportunities we had, starting with a strong first lap that put us in a good position for the race. From there, it was all about managing the tyres and staying focused, especially in the closing laps with George piling on the pressure. It wasn't easy, but we managed to hold on and bring home some important points.

"Scoring six points over the Sprint and the Race is a great reward for everyone's hard work. The team has kept pushing and really deserves this result. The midfield is still incredibly close, so every weekend you have to start again and deliver. But it's a great way to finish the triple-header, and it's nice to be able to give something back to everyone at the track and back at the factory. We'll enjoy this one, recharge and get ready for Austin."

Gabriel Borteleto: "Overall, a weekend to forget for me. I guess everyone has ups and downs throughout the year, and this weekend was just one of those for me. Things were going okay until what looked like a potential gearbox issue. It was still the early stages of the race, with everyone closely bunched together, so it's difficult to say how things would have played out. Unfortunately, we'll never know as the issue brought my race to an end before it really got going.

"I'm happy for Nico, he's had a very strong weekend. Being able to hold off George and bring home points for the team shows the potential of the car and what we can achieve. It's great for the team, even if it's hard luck for me, but we look ahead to Austin."

Pierre Gasly: "It's a disappointing outcome today and really not a good race for us again. I had a difficult start, lacked power off the line and then Liam [Lawson] and Nico [Hülkenberg) were able to pass and stay in front. On circuits which stress the rear axle, like this one, it is clear we struggle with traction and it is becoming a real limitation for us. We just ran out of rear tyres and could not stay with our competitors and that meant we fell back and finished outside of the points. This issue is something we really need to spend time on to fully understand and try to quickly improve. We have to be frustrated as a team after this triple header. I have had three Q3 appearances, four including this weekend's Sprint Qualifying, and we have scored zero points from that. We seem to struggle over a race distance and we are going to need to change that trend if we are to take the fight to our rivals ahead. Given our performance over one lap, I am confident going into the next triple header if we can get on top of a few things and continue to improve the car."

Franco Colapinto: "It was frustrating not to finish the race again today after a suspected driveline issue on the car. But that's racing sometimes, and reliability has been one of our strong points this year, and I know the team will assess what caused it and look to put fixes in place. I made a good start and overtook a couple of cars and after that we were just following the car ahead as it's difficult to overtake here. Just as we were thinking about a stop and our next move, I felt an issue and it was clear we had to stop the car. Generally, it has been a tough few weekends and we have come away without any points. We know we have lost ground in the championship, and it makes our job harder, but with the pace we have in the car, we remain hopeful of being able to compete and fight for points in the remaining races. The next triple header is a part of the year I look forward to the most where we race in the Americas, closer to home, and I can really feel the energy of the fans. We will keep pushing and won't give up on our objective as a team."

Sergio Perez: "I think we are in a strong position with the foundations we have today. We are solid operationally, and the team has done a really good job. We can be pleased with that.

"We are still lacking around one to one-and-a-half seconds to be able to compete with the cars ahead, and I think what we really need now is a stronger car underneath us. Everything else has been progressing as expected, and I'm confident we will get there as a team. I'm really looking forward to Austin and Mexico, our two home races. Austin for the team, and Mexico will be particularly special for me, racing in front of my home crowd and reaching 300 Grands Prix. It's going to be a very special weekend."

Valtteri Bottas: "It's a good thing that we finished with both cars, it's not really been guaranteed recently so I'll take that as a positive. We started on the Medium tire which didn't perform as we expected in the first stint and pushed us back. We are lacking pace generally, especially in the race - that's the weakness we have and we are investigating what's behind that. We know we haven't brought any big upgrades so there's no magic solution. We just need to keep focusing on the future, especially for next year's car."