Today's team representatives press conference with Toto Wolff, Christian Horner and Oliver Oakes.
Q: Toto, why don't we start with you? George Russell said yesterday that three podiums from five races is more than the team was expecting. Do you agree?
Toto Wolff: Yeah, probably. Because when you... you know, we had a little bit of swings of performance and then maybe one or the other race the Ferraris came back at us and he was great in defending. So it is pretty close, but still, it's not really satisfying because you have McLaren out there that are able to manage their tyres so well. And then it's the three teams that are fighting with each other - one race you get it right, the other one not. And yeah, certainly trying to figure out what it is and playing catch up.
Q: How much potential does the W16 have? Can you join this championship fight?
TW: The car is much easier to set up. At least you put more flap in and the car does what you expect it to do, which in previous years wasn't the case. And it's more predictable, but the underlying issue obviously is keeping the tyre temperatures in the window, and that's something we just haven't found a way of doing really well.
Q: Have you seen enough from this car to develop it quite deep into the season, or are you switching to 2026 already?
TW: I think every team will have their little secrets. And it's also a bit of a moving target. All of us have transitioned certain groups within the aero department or larger groups in the design office that are only looking at next year's car, obviously. And the performance slope is very steep. You're adding lots of downforce in because it's the early days, and that's going to flatten. But if a team has started doing it one and a half months earlier in terms of transitioning resource, that can be a big advantage next year.
Q: The most successful driver in the history of Formula 1 left you last winter. Can we talk about the team dynamic now - how George and Kimi are filling the void of Lewis?
TW: First of all, I want to avoid some headlines. We're still great friends with Lewis. I spent a lot of time with him, traveling, and I'm still seeing him. It came to a point last year where, you know, it's like spending 12 years in a row on holiday with your best friend. At a certain stage you say, well, maybe do something else this time around. And for Lewis, he needed a refresher, a reinvention. Ferrari is iconic, no doubt about that. Certainly he also got terms that were interesting for him. And with us, Kimi was in the starting blocks - eventually it was this year or it would have been next year to bring him in. Bringing him in this year means we have a learning year before new regulations kick in. He's going to know all the tracks, which for example, this one he's never been to, and that felt like the right decision.
Q: Is the atmosphere very different inside the garage this year?
TW: No, I wouldn't say so. Lewis was part of the family. As a racing driver, he knew exactly what he wanted and the engineers and mechanics knew him. He knew them. We got along. You have good days, bad days, strengths and weaknesses. But when you know someone that well, it's easy to manage that. Now the dynamic is different. George has massively stepped up as a senior driver in the team. Kimi is almost like the young brother that's come in. They work well together, which is very pleasing to see. Kimi doesn't stress too much, he's just building up constantly. And on George, you can rely on him when it comes to lap times and racing. So spirits are high.
Q: Final one for me. You say George has massively stepped up - in what areas?
TW: I think it becomes so obvious, when a seven-time World Champion leaves the team which he was with for 12 years, George, who like everyone has always been a little bit in the shadow of Lewis, is now the one giving direction. He's the one you can rely on when it's "George, where's the pace of the car?" And that is important. That is what we do.
Q: If he continues on that trajectory, will you re-sign him?
TW: I knew that question was going to come? George is part of the Mercedes family and has always been. As I see things today, why break a team that is on a trajectory I see as positive?
Q: Ollie, a slightly frustrating start for the team with just that one points finish to show for it. How much potential do you think this car has?
Oliver Oakes: Yeah, frustrating is the right word. I think Australia we felt a little bit short-changed. It was nice in Bahrain to show where we really think we can be. We've definitely got some performance in the car. As Toto said, it does swing track to track. What's a bit annoying is you've got to take those opportunities when they come and this year we haven't quite managed to have that come together. But we are looking at it with a positive mind-set.
Q: Why hasn't it come together?
OO: If it was easy... No, a couple of those races, I think Australia, a bit of rain, bit of the Safety Car, China was a tricky weekend, didn't suit us particularly well. It's just a very tight midfield at the moment. Everybody is very close. That's how it'll be the rest of the year. We've definitely got performance in the car and we've just got to execute good weekends.
Q: One of your mission statements when you joined Alpine midway through last year was to bring the racing spirit back to the team. Do you feel you've done that?
OO: I think we've made good progress. I think I applied that word at the time because there was a lot said in the press about the team and some of the turmoil. You can see a very united team now. We had some big results at the end of last year and good execution at the track. But it never stops. We haven't fulfilled that fully yet, of course not. You want to be fighting further up the grid week in, week out.
Q: Toto was talking about how George has stepped up this year. Have you seen something similar from Pierre?
OO: Yeah, I think he's obviously the de facto team leader with his experience. He was already driving superbly last year and at the beginning of this year he has continued that. With any new car, you try to make him happy as well. Some weekends he's happier with the balance, some we've got a bit of work to do. But he's bringing a lot to the team and it's good to see him helping us push forward.
Q: Quick word on Jack Doohan. A story came out of Argentina last week that Franco Colapinto will be replacing him in Imola. Can we get your reaction?
OO: I knew that was coming. I saw it, like everyone else. I think it was a sponsor from Argentina off-camera giving his view on Franco, when he's going to be in the car. I'm sure there's a lot of people in Argentina who'd like him in the car this Sunday. We've been pretty open as a team that that's just noise. Jack needs to continue doing a good job. But it's natural that there's always speculation there.
Q: Can you confirm Jack will be in the car at Imola?
OO: Yeah, as it is today, Jack is our driver along with Pierre. We've been pretty clear on that. We always evaluate, but yeah - today, that is the case.
Q: Christian, can we start by talking about Yuki's TPC test at Silverstone? He said the British weather played havoc with it. What did he and the team learn about him?
Christian Horner: It was just an opportunity for Yuki to spend a bit more time with the engineering staff. His mileage had been very limited with Red Bull Racing. So doing a TPC with a couple-of-years-old car gave him the opportunity to get more familiar with the engineering team and procedures at Red Bull. The British weather intervened - there was rain in the morning - but he managed to get a few laps in. So it was useful.
Q: When you look at the data, where is he lacking compared to Max Verstappen?
CH: It's difficult to pinpoint any one particular area. Like all these things, it's always little bits across a lap. But he's finding his feet, he's brought a decent amount of experience, and he's giving good feedback. I have to say, he's brought a really positive energy into the team - he's quite a character - and he's certainly rapid. I think as he finds confidence, we'll see him move further up the grid.
Q: George Russell has stepped up, Pierre Gasly has stepped up; has Max Verstappen raised the bar yet further this year? Describe the job you think he's doing.
CH: Max has been operating at such a high level for a long time now, even back to 2020 and 2021. He continues to surprise us with the levels he can hit. Saudi was unfortunate with the first corner for us, but most the encouraging thing about that race was the pace - both on the Medium and Hard tyres - we had the pace over McLaren, probably for the first time in race conditions this year.
Q: Where does he still surprise you after a decade?
CH: His ability to wring every ounce of performance out of the car. When you're really back to the wall - that last set of tyres in Q3 - that's the pressure point where the greats step up. And that's what we see time and time again. He's just comfortable in that zone and delivers at an unbelievable level.
Q: Fantastic news for him about his daughter, Lily, being born. Do you think that will affect his performance in the car?
CH: I don't think so. He's a pretty measured guy. He's got a stepdaughter as well. He's just very measured. He enjoys family life and for him it's business as usual. He's proud, of course. It's a great thing for him and Kelly to welcome a baby girl - a different achievement and perspective in life - but it's great for him and for his family.
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