01/05/2025
NEWS STORY
Part 1: Yuki Tsunoda, Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris.
Lando, great to see you again. Back to the scene of your first win in Formula 1. Does it give you a little spring in your step returning to the Hard Rock Stadium again?
Lando Norris: No, but it's good memories, right? It's stuff I dreamed of as a kid - winning and standing on the top step - and I managed to do it here, which was a cool place to do it. So just good memories, good times. Thinking back to the race, chequered flag, seeing the team celebrations - a lot of things that always bring a smile to my face. So hopefully the plan is to try and do it again.
What are the biggest challenges facing you and McLaren this weekend?
LN: Same as normal, I guess - other competition. We feel good and confident we're the best, but the others are certainly not far behind and are consistently putting pressure on us. One little mistake and we're behind and not where we want to be. Otherwise, it's just another weekend where we're trying to improve. I'm sure others are trying to improve and try and get ahead of us, but yeah, just making sure I have a good, clean weekend.
We haven't seen the best of you in qualifying at the last couple of events. Are we going to see a change in approach from you?
LN: I'm working on my things, what to improve, and trying to figure out all the things behind the scenes on what I need to do better on. It's certainly not because of a lack of speed or ability to do so. I've often led the way in Q1 and Q2, but always when I've got to Q3, then it's not gone to plan. So yeah, there's stuff from the driving side and from the car side, where things haven't clicked. But I'm working on it and hopefully this weekend I can put it into practice.
Pierre, how's your throwing arm? You're likely to see Alpine investor Patrick Mahomes this weekend.
Pierre Gasly: Yeah, we've got some big names coming. We have a lot of American support and investors in the team, so coming here is always a special moment. Patrick is going to be around this weekend. I must say I admire his work, his success in his sport, and it's always a special time to be able to chat with him.
It's been an up and down season for Alpine - just that seventh place in Bahrain so far. What trends are you seeing from the car in terms of performance?
PG: I think it's extremely tight in the field, especially from the sort of position we're fighting in. Within three tenths you could be in Q3 or knocked out in Q1. So it's just difficult. I think we've been able to really put things together the last two events. We've not been very fortunate in the first three races. But I do feel we've got the speed to fight the Williams, AlphaTauri (sic) are very competitive at time, also Haas. So we've just got to be on top of our game and extract every hundredth and millisecond of our package, and I'm sure we'll be able to fight for those.
Yuki, let's start with the Silverstone test last week. You did a day in a two-year-old car. How did it go?
Yuki Tsunoda: Yeah, I experienced the classic British weather - started damp and we didn't bring any wet tyres, just because we didn't want to waste any mileage for the driver TPC test. So we waited quite a long time for it to dry up. Unfortunately, we got a bit of an issue at the end of the day as well. So in the end, we didn't drive much, but still a cool experience. To be honest, it's hard to feel the difference, right? It was completely different conditions and completely different corner characteristics compared to previous races that I've raced. Also, I didn't want to give stupid feedback to make confusion, so I told them what I felt clearly, but otherwise, still a good test for me to get some mileage.
You've now done three races in the RB21. How confident are you feeling in this year's car?
YT: It just needs more time, I guess, to get used to it fully. I'm happy with the progress so far. The confidence is quite there, but just when you push 100% on the limit in qualifying, that's where you kind of face it for the first time, right? Because you don't push 100% until then. The starting point is always slightly below where I want to be or where I used to start with in FP1, so it takes a bit more time to build up on new tracks. In qualifying, most of the time so far I experience new behaviour from the car and I'm not always able to cope with it. I wouldn't say the car is super difficult - it just needs more time to define where the limit is.
Questions From The Floor
(Craig Slater - Sky Sports) Question for Lando - Andrea Stella talked about an upgrade targeted to make the car easier for you to drive. How far down the road is that in terms of being deployed and do you really need that to get on top of this year's car?
LN: I certainly think it will help. I honestly don't know the exact timeline of things. There's also a mixture of things that will slowly come and be implemented over time. But I also don't want to rely on that myself. There are things I'm working on separately, and hopefully that's a better fix than waiting for other bits to come. But it's good we're working as a team and trying to understand these things. It's been clear that there have been differences from last year in how the car works, how it acts, and how I'm able to get lap time out of it and perform. So, a mixture of things. I have to be a little patient with some things - some are bigger than others - but it takes time. So I just keep my head down and keep pushing myself.
(David Croft - Sky Sports UK) Question for Yuki - if it's not a super complicated car to drive, where are the bits that you need to work on to feel way more at home in the Red Bull versus your previous car?
YT: I'll say it's not complicated in the sense of trying to drive around, but it's still not easy, for sure. In VCARB the car was a bit more lenient and forgiving with any directions. The Red Bull has a sharper, narrower window where it performs. It's not easier than VCARB, but better than I thought initially when I jump into Red Bull. This is the first time after joining Formula 1 [that I'm in a different car]. For four years I drove the same car and knew how to set it up and where the limit was. Now, I just naturally didn't have to think about it before, but now, in terms of set-ups... The set-up I tried a couple of time in Suzuka that I thought would be good, just didn't work out - even when in the car, the balance felt good, the lap time didn't reflect it. So that needs to come from experience, and sometimes you just have to accept the difficulties of the car. Like, if it feels like a lot of understeer or oversteer, but lap time is good, probably stick to that direction. It's a different approach. I'm learning as much as possible. The team is helping a lot with those direction. I just have to get used to it. But the limit, I just still don't know yet exactly. Like in Q3 in Saudi, I pushed a bit more and had a massive snap, which I didn't expect. It will get there. I just try to keep my head down and slowly build up. Even with the general environment [within the team], me and my engineer - he's Scottish, so a mix of Scottish English and my Japanese English - it's a bit interesting. Those things just need more time to blend in.
(Mara Sangiorgio - Sky Sports Italy) Lando, I now we are just in Miami, but speaking with your opponents they are all convinced that a lot will change from Barcelona. Are you too as a team?
LN: No, no. This is the nice thing. You see a lot of what people say and what they speculate, but no, I'm confident not much at all has to change for us and we can keep doing what we're doing. So like Oscar said before, I think we'll be strong through the whole season. I'm confident of that. We have plenty of things we want to improve and do even better on, but others can say what they want and think what they want. I don't mind.
(Diego Mejia - Fox Sports Mexico) Maybe for Pierre. And if anyone wants to come in as well, once again, we have a softer step in the tyres. We didn't see two stops in Jeddah. Do you expect that to be more of an effect here?
PG: Well, I think, yeah, for sure it brings a bit more unknown coming this year also with a Sprint weekend. It doesn't make things very easy in terms of tyre allocation and what way you want to go, so there are probably going to be compromises to be taken at some stage throughout the weekend. But yeah, I think we might see slightly more differences across strategy, definitely for Sunday. But I'm sure we'll learn more about it also Saturday, once we've done the sprint race.
Lando, you agree?
LN: Yep.
(Albert Fabrega - ESPN Latam) Question for Lando. Do you think this year's DNA of the car is better suited to Oscar driving style rather than yours?
LN: It's a difficult one to answer. Yeah, it's very difficult to answer. I think there are just certain things which don't allow me to feel what I need to feel and those things are what allow me to drive to the level that I can drive at—to get pole positions and to drive at the highest level in racing. We're talking about small things. It's not like it's impossible to drive all of a sudden. It's just when we're talking about qualifying split by hundredths of a second, thousandths of a second, that's what I'm complaining of and nothing more than that. Yeah, it's not one I can probably just give you a yes or no answer to. I think he's maybe more naturally able to adapt. And I also think it's a driver's job to adapt to whatever car they get given, but there are compromises, and the team are also there to try and help you get the most out of the car. But it's clear there have been some changes and whether it's just suited Oscar or Oscar's way, or him doing a better job at adapting, that's not for me to kind of know or try and figure out or waste my time on. But yeah, for me, it's also hurt me a little bit more and I've not been able to perform at the level that I was at the end of last season, which I think is the best level that I've been.
(Mervi Kallio - Viaplay) This is for Lando. Did you expect at the beginning of the season that the car was going to be trickier for you than last year's car, as you said?
LN: No, I don't think so. I mean, it's very hard to know. Of course we have the simulator and things, and there was nothing that really spoke out that much about it. So the answer is no. We knew it would be a step forward, we knew it would be quicker, but until you really put it on the track and you drive at different circuits... You know, it's not just that one. There are some circuits I felt better and some circuits I've liked the feeling a lot. But not enough of an indication for me to kind of prepare—probably what I needed to prepare for.
(Ian Parkes - Racing News 365) Question for Lando. After the burst of five Grands Prix in six weekends, how much of a reset were you able to take during the recent gap? And assuming you visited the factory, were you able to discover any answers at all as to the discrepancies you're experiencing with this year's car compared to last year?
LN: Yeah, I mean the break was very well needed for everyone, but definitely myself. It was nice to get away from things and have a bit of a reset. But it was a productive, I would say, couple of weeks. That doesn't mean a lot of stuff has changed for this weekend. It's not like things are going to magically work as I would love, but I think there's been a lot more understanding over the last couple of weeks of certain things, certain feelings, what could have affected things and what maybe didn't. So, you know, the majority of my sim work was based upon that and trying to understand some of these things, which is good. But then it's about understanding them further, knowing what measures you can take to stop changing things on the car and what you want to put resource into. So it's a bigger thing than just saying this or that. But yeah, there's been a lot more understanding and I think that's the main thing. So as a team then we need to work on how we can bring that to the car.
(Jenna Fryer - Associated Press) My question is for all three of you about this race. What do you like about it, what does it do well, and if anything, what would you like to see changed or improved?
YT: Well, is it the track or just... The food is good! I'm happy in general, I guess. There's not much. I mean, traffic is a bit of a topic.
PG: You get a police escort, what are you complaining about!
YT: Luckily this year—until last year it was a bit different! So far no complaints, I guess. Yeah, it's good.
PG: On my side, I must say I love everything about it. Miami is a cool city. It's always got great energy in town and I love the fact that it's one of those races with the time difference, you kind of get to come slightly earlier. So you get to spend some time—Tuesday, Wednesday gets quite busy—but I still find myself having a night out and going to some nice restaurants. You kind of feel the vibe of Miami, which is quite different to what we're used to back in Europe. So yeah, it's one of these very, very cool places. And you know, I kind of envy Lando for getting his first race win here, because I'm sure Sunday night was definitely a cool one and one he's going to remember. So yeah, it's one of those races—you want the Sunday to go well so you get a good reason to party on Sunday night.
LN: I don't remember. I mean, Miami is a great place. Of course, it's a lot of fun. I think for me personally, I just have a lot of friends who are here. So I came out on Sunday and spent a few days here. But it's not only a good event, it's busy. Like we've said, with Patrick and those guys coming, we have a lot of stars and other athletes and celebrities, which is always cool. I always like that kind of thing. The one thing is just the traffic. The traffic's terrible. Is it worse than Mexico? It might be, because in Mexico there's kind of no roads. Here I've never seen so many roads, yet there's still so much traffic. So that's the only thing I would probably change. But otherwise, it's a nice place. There's a lot of lovely people and I enjoy it a lot.
(Jon Noble - The Race) Yuki, obviously the TPC test day didn't sound like the best day of testing you've had and you said you don't want to confuse the team with feedback, but did it help you at all understand the Red Bull car concept and characteristics, and help bring on your understanding? In Saudi, you said you didn't even understand half of the current car. Has it changed that percentage a little bit?
YT: Maybe like just naturally. Maybe in terms of limits - those things just naturally come into my brain and muscle memory. So once I hit the track in Miami, probably it will feels maybe different. But so far in terms of understanding about the set-up - because it was just really, really limited time - we wanted to do lots of changes to the set-up but just couldn't manage to finish those. It finished more towards the engineering side - what they wanted to try. So to be honest, maybe in terms of car set-up, not really. But hopefully I have a lot of movements going on with the car and I'm not always there - I'm just there. Hopefully that gives us slightly better confidence into this Miami Grand Prix.
(Phil Duncan - PA) Lando, question for you - obviously in sport, momentum is a big thing. Oscar's won three times since you won in Melbourne. Are you worried at all that championship momentum is starting to gather pace with him? Does that increase the importance for you to win here this weekend?
LN: No, not worried at all. He's doing a good job and he deserves it. Nothing more than that. I don't believe so much in the momentum stuff - that's just my opinion. I'm doing what I can. I've clearly made some mistakes and not at the level I need to be, but I believe I can be at that level soon enough. So no reason to be worried. It's round six of 24. I'm not going to say that forever, but I know I need to get a move on and get into gear a little bit. I'm doing the best I can every weekend at the minute, trying to improve. But the speed is there, the pace is there, the race pace is definitely there. It's just one thing I need to tidy up. It's a difficult thing, but I'm confident I'll get it.
(Luke Smith - The Athletic) Lando, another one for you - when you won here 12 months ago, it felt like a bit of an underdog victory. McLaren was in a very different position then. Now you guys have gone from being the hunters to the hunted. Have you felt any shift in terms of the way the team's going about its business or the scrutiny you face, or has it been a natural evolution going from that to being the pacesetters?
LN: I think for the majority it's been a natural evolution. The team has still improved a lot, even since last year, in terms of how we work - the car has improved, the obvious things have improved - but the way the team performs has improved quite a good amount and that has to continue. That's the main thing - when you get to the top, there's no time to relax. And that's all because of the scrutiny of other people talking and claiming things and coming up with bizarre stuff at times. So it's more about dealing with the scrutiny. The team has to be even more precise with things, not make mistakes or do any silly little things. For the majority, it's the same guys and girls all doing their job and trying to get the most out of the car. It's more the external stuff that changes, but that's out of your control. They're doing a very good job of dealing with that and carrying on with what they've got.
(Graham Harris - Motorsport Monday). Question for Yuki - your previous boss Franz Tost moved you to Faenza because he felt you'd settle down better with the team. Have you moved back to Milton Keynes now, and how are you enjoying British food and weather?
YT: No, I haven't, and so far I'm not planning to. I think I've been enough in the UK. I don't think there's much benefit. I have more benefits living in Italy rather than... yeah. I mean, healthy, living next to him. Yeah. I just feel, you know, like... unfortunately, when I was living in Milton Keynes, it was during quarantine, so I didn't have the best time in the UK. That didn't help for sure. But with this kind of Formula 1 schedule, when you have downtime, it's very important that you have a house where you can be comfortable with in order to reset your mind. So far, Italy is allowing me to reset and I feel very comfortable. I'm happy with Italy. I'm happy to go to Milton Keynes for simulator sessions or whatever.
(Ronald Vording - Motorsport.com) Another one for Yuki - after the race in Jeddah, Dr Marko said he's happy with how you've settled into the team so far, but he mentioned making another step once you get into Q3 as a potential improvement. Is that something you agree with and are working on, or is it just linked to feeling more comfortable in the car?
YT: Yeah, definitely. To be completely honest, the last few races, I wasn't able to put it all together in Q3. I built up more through Q1 and Q2, and Q3 is certainly more of a push. But if you push slightly more than the car can handle - even 2% more than what the car wants - it just reacts super differently to what I used to be used to. So far, I can't really predict it yet. That will come with experience in the Red Bull. Hopefully it'll naturally come. I definitely haven't been able to extract the performance in Q3. It's something I need to work on. If I can qualify higher, there's a better chance to score points. You can be more flexible with the team on strategy. So yeah, definitely a priority area to work on.
(Holly Cain - Palm Beach Post) Lando, can you talk about the vibe in the team? You guys are first and second in points, have won four of five races. What's the relationship with Oscar like, and how do you feel about the strong start?
LN: It's great. Obviously, there's a good atmosphere because it's the best start to a season McLaren have had for many, many years. For a lot of people back at MTC, it's a dream start - we're winning races. That's what we're here to do and to achieve. To lead both championships is our goal. It's a great atmosphere, but the main thing is everyone's still working together very well. There's determination for this year but also a lot of focus on next year and making sure we don't relax or get complacent. But also that we know why we are doing well. Which I think is very important. It's not like we've lucked into the position we are in now. We understand our strengths, weaknesses, where our threats come from - all of those things. The team is very competent at the minute and that's a very good position to be in. With some leaders, like Zak and Andrea, who keep the team on their toes, with working hard, looking ahead to the future, and reminding us of our competition and how close they can be. And the fact that we didn't win all the races so far - we're not happy about that. It's a very good spirit in the team. Same with Oscar - we're both getting along, enjoy working together. I push him, he pushes me, and that's good for the team. So yeah, all positive things.
Part 2: Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Nico Hulkenberg
Let's start with the man closest to me, Nico. Good to see you. Now, since the high of Melbourne, the P7, it's been a little tougher going for you and Sauber. Just tell us about the performance of the car. Have you found the limit of it yet?
Nico Hulkenberg: Well, I hope not and I hope that we can shift the limit up as the season goes on. Yes, it's true, the last couple of races, it's been difficult. On some tracks we were a bit more competitive than others. I think Jeddah in particular, I feel in quali we didn't maximise the potential and in the race we simply weren't competitive enough. So like I said, I feel it's a little track dependent and anyway, in the midfield it's so tight that you have to be perfect on the execution every time to get something meaningful. So yeah, that's where we are. I think we are aware that we still have a lot of work ahead of us, but we're not that far away either.
Track dependent - what kind of track suits the C45? Faster tracks?
NH: Not necessarily. I wouldn't say that. Maybe from what we've seen so far, actually a bit more the low and medium speed, which obviously here has a little bit more content of that. But yeah, we'll find out, and you know, temperatures and conditions always play a role.
The team is building up to the arrival of Audi next year. What do you want to see Sauber do over the remainder of this year? Would you like to see them switch everything and focus on 2026, or do you think you need to build some momentum this year as well?
NH: I think it's very important still to build momentum this year. Everything we do now somewhat matters next year. Of course, different set of regulations, but we have to push on parallel. I'm sure that's what everyone is doing, especially the big teams. But I still want to see some progress this year and we want to score more points. Long year, we're still pretty early in the season, so still a lot to play for.
George, let's bring you in now. Three podiums from the opening five races. Is that a tally that matches with your pre-season expectation?
George Russell: No, I think it's probably better than our pre-season expectations, to be honest. The pace has fallen out where we thought - that step behind McLaren and then a close fight with Red Bull and Ferrari. We've been doing really well to get those podiums, but I don't think it necessarily means we are the second fastest team. I think sort of on average we're the third fastest team. We saw Charles had a great race last week and obviously Max the last couple of races, but we've just been nicely consistent and picking up points.
Consistent, yes, but it looked like Saudi was the most difficult of the races so far. Having had a chance to debrief with the team, what conclusions have you reached?
GR: Tyres were too hot, really. That was a big problem. I think just pushing a bit too hard to try and keep up with the front two. Charles put in a really strong race. I was probably driving too quick for what the tyres and the car were capable of, and then we dropped off a cliff. Not too sure how this weekend's going to pan out because in terms of temperatures and tyres, it'll be relatively similar to Jeddah. We'll have to wait and see and see if any of the learnings we've taken from last week translate into a bit of performance. I'm confident the quali pace will be there or thereabouts, but the race pace - there's a bit more of a question mark.
Lewis, good to see you. It feels like this is a big weekend - your first race for Ferrari in the USA, you've got the Met Gala on Monday. We know what you're wearing in the car, can you tell us what you're wearing on Monday?
Lewis Hamilton: I don't even know. I've not really put much thought into it.
Look, you're co-chair of the Met this year. Just how much have you enjoyed that experience?
LH: Yeah, it's amazing working with Anna [Wintour] and her team. It's been a privilege. To be able to continue to do stuff in fashion is fun. Anna's been really understanding - I haven't had a lot of time to do a huge amount with it, but the work has been in drips over the past two years already with Anna. So yeah, excited for people to see it.
Well, Lewis, let's bring it on track now. It's been a little bit frustrating these last few races for you, but we've seen stints in races where the car - and you - have been really competitive. What is stopping you repeating that performance - those quick stints?
LH: Many things. Lots of different things. There's not one particular.
Is there anything we can talk about here having been back to the factory?
LH: Not particularly - I mean, when I joined Mercedes, the first six months were tough getting attuned to working with new people. Obviously, the engineers I'm working with now are used to setting up a car for a different driver and a different driving style, and I'm used to driving a car with a different driving style. So it's a combination of a bunch of different things.
Are you able to drive this car instinctively, or are you having to think consciously while you're in it?
LH: You're generally always a mixture of the two, but I'm definitely working hard to adjust to this one for sure.
Alright. What about this weekend in Miami? What can we expect from you and Ferrari?
LH: No clue. We'll do the best we can. We've not got upgrades or anything this weekend, but we continue to try and optimise the car. Obviously, Charles in the last race did a fantastic job and showed what the car can do in a race. So the goal is to try to replicate that.
Questions From The Floor
(Craig Slater - Sky Sports) Question for George. With your GPDA hat on, President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has said that after constructive feedback from drivers, he's looking at making improvements to the rules that govern driver conduct. Do you think that's a very positive step?
GR: Yeah. Conceptually, yes. But obviously we want to see these things put into action rather than saying "we're considering things" - you know, we all consider a lot of things. We're clear we want changes and once they are implemented then we'll comment. But for the time being, it's being considered. So those words don't mean anything until the change has been made.
(David Croft - Sky Sports) Question to Lewis. Carlos Sainz has said today that you can't just show up at a team and be two or three tenths quicker - it's just not possible - than your teammate who is already established in the team. Is that true? Or did we see in China, with the Sprint, that you can do that? Is your car more suited to the Sprint at the moment than the Grand Prix? And is this weekend a plus for you, given it's a Sprint weekend?
LH: I can't really explain it too much. In the Sprint race there's not a huge amount of changes you make. I think the one thing to take from it is that we didn't make a lot of changes - if any - going from P1 to quali, whereas on all the other weekends we've been tinkering with the car and making it worse.
And on the subject of not turning up and being two or three tenths quicker than your teammate - is that true, or do you think that is possible?
LH: I mean, there are elements of that that are true. But it's different for everyone.
(Albert Fabrega - ESPN Latam) A question for all three. I'm sure you've reviewed the last Grand Prix - corner one, lap one, the incident between Oscar and Max. Do you feel the five-second penalty was correct? Should it have been ten seconds, or no further action? What's your opinion?
NH: Well, I think these guys are fighting for the championship, you know, that's what it looks like right now, and probably that will continue like this. So there are no gifts when you fight for a championship, and in racing in general. It's lap one action, Turn 1 - you come in with quite high speed even though it's not the longest of runs. So for me personally, I think it's part of racing and these kind of things just happen.
George, Lewis? Same, same?
GR: Yep.
(Mervi Kallio - Viaplay) Nico, you are no more the only racing father in the paddock. Do you have some advice for Max? Maybe some diaper advice?
NH: You know that for a fact?
(Mervi Kallio - Viaplay) At least in the near future - in coming days. He's not here for this weekend, today.
NH: I don't know. Yeah, it's true - it was a fun fact that I was the only one since Checo and K-Mag left at the end of last year, I was the only dad. So yeah, he's joining that club. I hope it's a good sleeper. We've been quite fortunate and lucky. But yeah, I think there's lots to discover - many beautiful, nice things that come with that. So yeah, I'm sure he'll enjoy it.
(Graham Harris - Motorsport Monday) Question for Lewis. Off-track, how are you settling into Italy? Enjoying life around the factory? Maranello treating you well?
LH: Yeah, I love it. Trying to stay off the pizzas and the pasta, which I'm not doing very well with if I'm honest. I was there last week and had like three pizzas in two days. I have my hookup - he keeps bringing me a pizza. I text him late after the day and I'm like, "Hey, can I get a pizza?" He keeps bringing me one. But yeah, I really am enjoying it. Not living in Italy currently, but or spending more time is still something I really want to try and figure out how to do through the year. My Italian is not really progressing, so I've probably got to throw myself more into the thick of it. But the team's been well. Lots of changes, a huge amount of work has been going on from my first days there to adjust certain things, for example in the sim, and everyone's been really responsive and massively supportive. So I've really appreciated it.
(Marijn Abbenhuis - AD Sportwereld) Question to Nico, following up on the father subject. There's a myth that Formula 1 drivers become a couple of tenths slower after they become a father. Is that true? Is that the case with you? And are you scared for Max that he is having that problem as well?
NH: I mean, judge for yourself - look at the stats and what happens. Everyone is obviously different, but personally, I don't feel that's the case. I feel once we step in the car - visor down, go out - even for me, I tend to forget what goes on outside because we're just so focused and so driven to perform and maximise. I just personally feel it's added benefit because it's giving me so much outside of work and outside of being in Formula 1. So I would even say it's kind of been helpful for me, if anything.
(Luke Smith - The Athletic) A question for Lewis - it's non-F1. David Beckham's 50th birthday is tomorrow and the two of you probably stand as two of the biggest British sporting icons in the last 20 or 30 years. I know you guys have spoken in the past - what kind of chats have you had, and what sort of inspiration has he made on a sporting level for you?
LH: That's a curveball! Yeah, well, I mean David's a friend - someone I have a huge amount of respect for. Obviously growing up watching him - particularly as I was massively into soccer, football - so seeing his story, watching his career, watching his documentary that came out - which I thought was amazing. And just what he's been able to do, particularly after his active career, is something I've always kept an eye on. I joined his old management team many, many years ago with the goal of trying to do something similar - inspired by what he was able to do. So yeah.
(Tom Cary - The Telegraph) One for Lewis and George. Just to put to you the question about fatherhood - I know you're not dads, but do you feel it could change Max as a person and as a driver? Do you have any hope that it might distract him?
LH: I just wish him all the best. It's such an amazing, special thing. I spoke to him briefly in Saudi and saw how excited he was. Big congrats to him.
GR: Yeah, I think we're all professionals, but this is a personal part of your life. I guess for anyone who's had a kid, it's a pretty special moment. So yeah, all the best to him. As Nico says, I think for many people it probably brings things to your life. I know what it's like when I see my nieces and nephews - they're not my kids, but they bring me so much joy when I spend time with them. And you've seen drivers in the past win championships and races who've got kids, so I don't see it changing anything on his professional level.
(Ian Parkes - Racing News 365) Lewis, given the break we've just had between the last race and here, how much of a deep dive were you able to conduct back at Maranello with Ferrari? And what, if any, answers were you able to come up with that will stand you in good stead going forward?
LH: Yep, spent some good time in Italy. We went through a lot, did some good sim running. There are things that we've made adjustments to. We'll see how they work this weekend.
(Molly Hudson - The Times) A question for George. Just following up on Craig's question from earlier. The President's Instagram post mentioned constructive dialogue. Have you actually had any dialogue with the President? Because I think after the open letter you said there hadn't been a response. So did it come as new news to you reading it on Instagram?
GR: I mean, in short, yes. I mean, collectively we've not spoken any further since the open letter that was sent out. So whether that is the response - I'm not too sure. As I said, it'll be great if changes were made and the drivers were at least heard. I think it's just in the best interest for the sport and ensuring that some common sense is applied to these situations. As I said, I think all of us, we can comment on it when we see the action being taken rather than just the consideration.
(Jon Noble - The Race) George, another one. You're one of the few drivers who've raced with the cooling vest this year. But some drivers want to race with it but can't because it adds too much weight onto their car. If it's not declared from the GPDA's perspective, does something need to be done to ensure everyone's operating on the same playing field on this? Because obviously not all cars weigh the same without ballast.
GR: Yeah. I mean, I feel fortunate that I've had the chance to run with the cooling vest. It's not perfect yet, but it's definitely an improvement, I feel. Every car is also different - I think every cockpit runs at different temperatures. I know we've seen our cockpit getting up to 60 degrees before, and I think the heat hazard is at 31 degrees, I believe, or 30. But when you compound that with the sunlight and the temperature of the cockpit, it is like a sauna in the race car. So yeah, I don't know. We've not collectively spoken about it, and not everybody's in favour to run it - which is also fine. Somebody made the point recently - like football players on a cold day, some people are wearing gloves, some people have got short sleeve shirts on - and that should be the driver's choice. Maybe the heat hazard should be reduced slightly because we've not yet gone over it. Saudi was hot, Bahrain was hot, here - maybe it could be adjusted by a few degrees.
(Jenna Fryer - Associated Press) For all three of you - year four of Miami. I'm curious, what do you think this race does well and are there any things that could be improved upon? The previous three drivers said the traffic, so you can't say the traffic.
LH: Things to improve on... can't really think.
(Jenna Fryer - Associated Press) Some of the drivers have talked about some of the turns.
LH: Oh, they mean the track? Track-wise - I can't really think of anything off the top of my mind that needs to improve here. I think each year we come back, there's adjustments being made. I really haven't got - no, sorry.
GR: Yeah. I mean, I enjoy coming to Miami. It's a crazy race. The circuit is quirky. That tight section - we don't love it, but it's different. You know, the same like in Baku - we don't love the castle section, it's so tight and very challenging, but you don't want every circuit to be the same either. It's an amazing race. It's improving every year. Things are looking better as well - driving to the paddock, it looks pretty cool. And where all of the team garages are set up inside the stadium - they're the experts, we just drive the cars. It should stay like that.
NH: Yeah, I like it here personally too. Like George said, it's a bit different. And you personally raised that time - 4 PM - I think it's more an FIA a subject but it's a little late for me personally. And traffic is definitely a topic here. And unfortunately this year, apparently the Grand Prix cut the police escort budget. So that's going to be a bit of a - it would be nice to have that back for next year, please.
(Phil Duncan - PA) Question for Lewis. Earlier when you spoke about joining Mercedes, you said the first six months were tough to get in tune with the people and the engineers and the environment. Are you expecting that sort of timeline at Ferrari? Or do you hope to be on top of it earlier? Or do you think it could be longer? What's your read on that, really?
LH: I really don't know. I generally don't. We're working as hard as we can to shorten that, but it could be longer. Who knows?
(Adam Cooper - AdamcooperF1) Question for Lewis. You've talked a lot about adjusting to the car and the team adjusting the car to you. Has that process been made more difficult by the fact that you had three years of a sort of unpredictable 'diva' at Mercedes and you don't have the best reference perhaps for the ground effect era?
LH: I don't think it's anything to do with the past. No, I don't think it's anything to do with my past experiences.
(Mark Mann-Bryans - Autosport) Another one, Lewis. When you have people maybe questioning you or what's happening at the moment, do you use that as motivation, or is it something you just forget about straight away?
LH: I just don't really think about it. I try not to really focus on opinions of people that have no insight into actually what is going on - insights from individuals that have never been in my position. So yeah, I just keep my head down and try to continue to enjoy the work that I do with the people I work with.
(Graham Harris (Motorsport Monday) Question for all three of you - but George mainly. The GPDA is a formal body of the drivers, but you don't seem to have a formal relationship with the FIA, with structured meetings where you can actually sit down and come out and say, "we talked about this face to face." You're resorting to open letters and that type of thing. Do you think that position should change?
GR: I mean, it's... I feel it's like unprecedented times we've been in over the last 18 months with what's been changed and what's happening. I think when the GPDA was founded years ago, it wasn't really to talk about politics - it was to talk about safety, improvements of the sport, improvements of the racing. Especially myself - I find myself talking about topics that I didn't really have any intention of talking about. But we find ourselves in a time where we're not focused on the things why we're all here. We're here to go racing, we're here to create the best show for the fans, to have the fastest cars, the safest cars, the best technology, the best engineering - and yet we talk about fines and punishments and swearing. So yeah, maybe something should change. We're open to it, but we just ultimately want the best for the sport.
LH: I think ultimately the GPDA is very unified. I think we are working to... ultimately we want to be able to work closely with the FIA. I think everyone - all of us - want to work together and make the sport better. Of course, we've faced a bit of an uphill challenge in that communication over time. Ultimately, we don't hold a power seat at the table, and that needs to change, in my opinion. If you look at other sports that have unions, that may be something that comes into play at some stage. As I said, we don't want to control things - we just want to collaborate more and have our voices heard. Ultimately, if people are making decisions for others who have never been in that position, it's good to have the point of view from the driver's perspective, and that's all we try to give.