Part 1: Yuki Tsunoda, Oscar Piastri and Liam Lawson.

Oscar, good to see you. Now, you're leading, but it is getting closer. The three of you now within 40 points. Just how is the looming presence of Lando and Max changing your approach?
Oscar Piastri: It's not, to be honest. I think, obviously, the gap has shrunk a little bit in the last few races, but for me, the focus has always been on just trying to go as fast as I can and get the most out of every weekend - which in some of the weekends we have, some of them we definitely haven't. So that's really all I'm focused on. And I think if I do a good enough job of getting on top of that every weekend, then it doesn't really matter what the picture looks like.

Hunter or hunted? What do you prefer?
OP: I mean, both have their positives and negatives. I think everyone likes a good underdog story or, you know, trying to come back is sometimes a bit easier. But I'd rather have the championship lead than be in any other spot. So, yeah, I've always kind of said I enjoy that because it normally means you're doing something right. And I think through the course of the season we have done a lot of things right, and there are some things that we can still do even better.

Scoring points in every race is obviously crucial. So, no more Sprints like in Austin. Have you reviewed what happened on the Saturday in Austin and are there any repercussions for either you or Lando this weekend?
OP: Yeah, we've gone through it again - and we go through every weekend regardless of what's happened. And I think there is a degree of responsibility from my side in the sprint. We're starting this weekend with a clean slate for both of us. So, yeah, just going out and racing and see who can come out on top.

So no repercussions for either of you. In terms of performance, do you think it's going to be very close between you and Red Bull, or do you think McLaren does have the legs of Red Bull at this high altitude?
OP: Difficult to know. I think the form card and where we think we will be strong, and where we thought others would be strong, has not always lined up perfectly, which has often been the case in this generation of cars. But I think clearly over the last few race weekends, Red Bull and Max have certainly found consistency. I think more than anything, there were flashes of that kind of performance earlier in the season, but the last few weekends it's been very consistent. So I'm sure they're going to be a threat again this weekend, and we'll try our best to get the most out of our car and see where we end up.

Thanks for that, Oscar. I'm sure there'll be more questions for you in a minute. Now, Liam, why don't we come to you now? Frustrating one for you in Austin, so close to the points in both races. Just what positives do you take from Austin?
Liam Lawson: I think we had quite a fast quali car. We struggled a little bit in the race, but it's just close. It's been close all year. It feels like it's getting even closer now. So yeah, just important to extract everything, try and put everything together on each weekend, and I think we just didn't quite do that in Austin. That's probably why we came very, very close but missed out on points in both races. But I don't think we need to drastically change. I think the car has been quick, so we just need to basically do our procedure and learn from the one or two things we probably made mistakes on in Austin and try not to do them here.

What about the altitude here in Mexico? Do you think that will play to your advantage?
LL: I have no idea, honestly. I think last year we thought that, and we had quite a competitive car, but it's just hard. Like Oscar said, quite often we go on past years and experience, and there are certain tracks we think might suit us. To be honest, we felt very good about Austin, and it was a tougher weekend for us. So I think that's out the window. We just come here with the strongest package we think we have, and then we'll try and go from there.

Now it's an important period ahead for you and the team, isn't it? Because your future in Formula 1 is going to be decided, and of course, the team's constructors' championship position as well. Just how are you personally approaching the next few weeks?
LL: I mean, for sure, obviously, we know in the back of our minds that it is an important part of the year. But to be honest, it's not really any different to the start. At least the approach doesn't really change. Obviously, every weekend I'm going into it trying to do the best job I can, and I'll do the same thing this weekend. We've done all the preparations, and it's actually a track that I quite enjoy driving. So in terms of the approach, nothing really changes, and then we'll see.

Do you believe you've done enough to stay at Racing Bulls next year?
LL: I think hindsight's amazing. You always look back on stuff that you've done and you always learn from things. We're not perfect - I'm definitely not perfect - and for sure there's things over a season that I'll look back on and learn from mainly. But I think that's the main thing - as long as I look back on those mistakes and I learn from them and try not to do them again, that's the most important thing. So I think from that side, yes, I feel like I've done everything that I can, and I'll continue doing that.

Liam, thank you for that. And, Yuki, can I bring you in on this topic now - of your future and the team's battle in the Constructors' Championship as well? How are you going to play the next few weeks?
Yuki Tsunoda: Yes. Hi, everyone. It's the same. I think Austin was a mixed race weekend, but good races in both races and I scored points. And yeah, I think definitely I'm on the right trajectory, improving lots of stuff. So I'm confident in what I'm doing now and just keep pushing to score points. I think there is still potential to be in P2 in the Teams' Championship, and there's still potential for Max to win the World Championship. So I try to be in front of these guys and help as much as possible.

Yuki, as you say, the improvement is definitely there. Do you think you've done enough to stay at Red Bull next year?
YT: Yeah. Like I said, I'm confident in what I've done and the situation I'm in. Obviously, I try to give the best as much as possible to improve myself as soon as possible and score points. So yeah, I just keep doing what I'm doing. It's up to them, really. It's what kind of team line-up they want. But I think I've improved a lot of things, and I also keep improving myself to deserve... that I can be in the same team next year.

You're using the word 'improvement' a lot - and so you should because it is getting better and better. Can we just investigate where the improvements are coming from? How have you managed to unleash this new level of performance? Is it something to do with the set-up?
YT: A lot of things, I would say. I've been in this environment five years, and, you know, it's just how the pressure is, things going on - and each team is different. And it's not just set-up. Especially I was struggling quite a lot in the long run, I would say, in the beginning of the season, and now I've improved that, I've made quite a big step. Now, a little bit struggling to put it all together the whole weekend in terms of performance in the long run, so that's what I'm focusing on. But the most important thing is I got support a lot from the team. And Laurent - yeah, the engineers. Without that, I wouldn't be here and able to improve. The tools are there, and that's why I started to be in the right direction, I guess.

Questions From The Floor

(Nelson Valkenburg - Viaplay) Oscar, given that you are the one being hunted and given the fact that this is such a long run to the first corner, it seems that it doesn't matter where you qualify - there is going to be some chaos. How do you deal with it beforehand, and do you have a plan? How do you stay out of trouble and keep it clean going through the first and second corners?
OP: It is a tough place to start a race. You know, with such a long run, I'd still rather be starting from first and trying to get the best run you can and give yourself the best chance of still leading the race. But yeah, ultimately you have to try and make what you think is the right decision and trust your instincts. Sometimes the outside will work, sometimes the inside will work, sometimes the middle works. So you just have to deal with the situation you've got and try and deal with it as best you can because there's no magic formula.

(David Croft - Sky Sports F1) Another question to you, Oscar. How much of what you're going through at the moment has any resemblance or similarity to your F3 championship-winning year where your points lead was whittled down to nothing by the final round? And are you using that as a reference point to help you race to race?
OP: There are some similarities, yes. I think ultimately in this championship, I feel stronger than I did in that year, and some things are a bit different. I think it's also similar to the Formula Renault championship I had - in some ways, scarily similar. But the good thing I have is the evidence that I can pull it off - I won both of those championships. So those are nice things to look back on, definitely. But I also know that just because I've done it before doesn't mean it's automatically going to happen this time. But it is nice to look back on how I've handled those kinds of situations in the past, the experience I have now from that, and how I can apply that to this year. Ultimately, it's about trying to go as fast as possible and try and qualify as best as you can and finish as high as you can. It's obviously not simple to execute that, but the plan at least is pretty straightforward.