PART ONE \u2013 Pierre GASLY (Alpine) Charles LECLERC (Ferrari), Lance STROLL (Aston Martin)<\/p>\n
Q: Charles, please, can we start with you and start with a message of congratulations? Congratulations on your engagement. And judging by the reaction of the Formula 1 paddock, it is a very popular development in your life.<\/p>\n
Charles LECLERC: Yeah. I\u2019m very, very happy, obviously. It was a special week, full of emotions. It\u2019s obviously a very special moment for anyone to do that step. And, yeah, Alex and I are incredibly happy.<\/p>\n
Q: Which driver do you think will be next?<\/p>\n
CL: Ha, ha! Easy.<\/p>\n
PG: Yeah, Charles gave me his ring already.<\/p>\n
CL: Yeah, Pierre. Yeah. I think Pierre. I need to put him under a bit of pressure. We grew up together, so you\u2019re next.<\/p>\n
PG: I already put enough pressure!<\/p>\n
Q: Alright. Let\u2019s bring it on track this weekend. Just how hopeful are you and Ferrari coming to Interlagos?<\/p>\n
CL: Let\u2019s say we come here neutral, just like we have approached the last few races. I think it\u2019s important for us to not get carried away by the positive results we\u2019ve had in Mexico and Austin. We know that it was thanks to perfect execution from the Friday to the Sunday, and that\u2019s extremely difficult to do\u2014probably even more so when conditions are so difficult to predict, like it\u2019s always the case here in Brazil. So, yeah, we\u2019ll just focus on the job just like we\u2019ve done. It paid off in the last two weekends. I really hope it does this weekend, but we have no guarantee, and we know that we don\u2019t have the pace of McLaren or Red Bull. Mercedes can be very strong in some weekends, some others less, but that doesn\u2019t depend on us. So we just have to focus on what we do best, and then we\u2019ll see how it goes.<\/p>\n
Q: Charles, can you give us your thoughts on the track? Because it hasn\u2019t been an especially happy hunting ground for you. It\u2019s one of the few circuits on the calendar where you\u2019ve yet to get a podium. Do you enjoy driving here?<\/p>\n
CL: I love it. Actually, it\u2019s not been such a poor track for me in terms of performance, so I wouldn\u2019t say the same thing I said in Budapest earlier this year. But for one reason or another, on the Sunday, it never really went our way. But, yeah, again, what happened in the past\u2014I don\u2019t really think about it. And I\u2019m sure that if we do everything perfect, we can be on the podium for the first time. And seeing how crazy of a weekend it can be sometimes\u2014why not even better? So, yeah, we\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n
Q: You touched on the pace of Mercedes there. Can we just get your thoughts on the Constructors\u2019 Championship? Ferrari one point ahead of Mercedes in P2. How do you see that battle both this weekend and for the remaining tracks this season?<\/p>\n
CL: I think it\u2019s going to be very close. I think where I expect Mercedes to be very, very strong is probably Las Vegas. They were very strong last year, and I\u2019m sure they will be this year. For the other tracks, I think it\u2019s going to be close. So, yeah. We are basically equal on points. There\u2019s also Red Bull in the fight, with Max especially, that picked up quite a bit of pace since the upgrades\u2014I think it was in Monza. So it\u2019s going to be a tough last part of the season. But, again, we have momentum on our side, and I hope it can continue as long as possible.<\/p>\n
Q: Pierre, let\u2019s come to you now. Interlagos must bring back some pretty special memories for you.<\/p>\n
Pierre GASLY: Yeah, definitely. I think it\u2019s been the most successful track for me since I started in F1. So, yeah, my first podium in 2019, which was very special. And obviously, that double podium last year with Esteban, which came as a very nice surprise. A very particular day\u2014quite chaotic\u2014but we managed to get on top of it.<\/p>\n
Q: Which of those two podiums meant the most to you?<\/p>\n
PG: The first podium in F1 is always unique because it\u2019s the first time you actually experience this emotion. So, yeah, that was a pretty fun way to end the race\u2014the drag race with Lewis to the line. That was very special. But definitely, last year\u2014two Alpines, two French drivers on the podium, and the way we did it\u2014it was definitely unique and very emotional.<\/p>\n
Q: You haven\u2019t had the best of luck, let\u2019s say, in the last few races. Do you think the car is going to be more competitive here at Interlagos?<\/p>\n
PG: I don\u2019t think so. But we\u2019re well aware of the situation we are in. Nonetheless, we still give it our best every single weekend. And as Charles touched on earlier, this is the type of track where the weather can come into play. We\u2019ve seen pretty wild races around here. We definitely seem to have taken a step back in terms of performance. We\u2019ve seen cars like Haas, for example, bringing upgrades, even in Austin, when we stopped developing the car months ago\u2014but it\u2019s OK. We know we have another four race weekends where we\u2019ll try, and then after that we\u2019ll be onto a different project.<\/p>\n
Q: You\u2019ve stopped developing the car months ago, you\u2019ve just said. Have you been at Enstone recently and just give us your impressions of what you\u2019re seeing for 2026?<\/p>\n
PG: I\u2019m very excited. I\u2019m kind of in between two chairs at the minute because obviously this year is extremely hard for everyone in the team, and we are not competitive at all\u2014for reasons we know and decisions we\u2019ve taken tactically. But at the same time, we still have four races to go and hopefully all these decisions can be proven to be definitely worth it in 2026\u2014and that\u2019s what I believe. I\u2019m seeing a lot of good stuff for next year\u2019s car\u2014a lot of work, a lot of motivation. But, yeah, it\u2019s definitely been a long season.<\/p>\n
Q: Thank you very much for that. Lance, let\u2019s come to you now. That really strong midpoint of the season\u2014I\u2019m thinking of those seventh places in Hungary, in Zandvoort \u2013 nd remind me, where was the other one \u2013 Belgium! Anyway, since then the performance has dropped away a little bit. Do you and the team understand where the pace has gone?<\/p>\n
Lance STROLL: Yeah. I mean, I think there\u2019s just some tracks where the car comes alive. The last few events, it\u2019s been more challenging for us\u2014we just haven\u2019t been as competitive. No one stands still in this sport. I think other teams have brought upgrades and improved throughout the course of the year. So I think it\u2019s probably a combination of all that.<\/p>\n
Q: Can I ask you about something you said recently, which was you\u2019ve never really been that comfortable in this year\u2019s car? Tell us about your driving style. What do you need from a racing car to feel comfortable?<\/p>\n
LS: I think there are just some seasons there are cars you have a better harmony, a better chemistry with and it just feels more natural to drive. Some years, there\u2019s cars that don\u2019t suit you quite as well, and it\u2019s just more of a battle. Ultimately though, I think this year we just haven\u2019t been as competitive as we want to be as a team. Like I said, there\u2019s some events where the car\u2019s come alive and we\u2019ve picked up points\u2014P6, P7\u2014when the opportunities have presented themselves. I think we\u2019ve managed to do a good job on some of the weekends where the car has been competitive, but there\u2019s also been a lot of weekends where we just haven\u2019t been as competitive as we want to be as a team. So, yeah, four more races to go, and then next year is a new opportunity for everyone.<\/p>\n
Q: Are you hopeful this weekend at Interlagos?<\/p>\n
LS: Yeah, we\u2019ll see. Like Pierre said, the weather here is always a factor. You never really know what\u2019s going to happen. If it starts raining, anything is possible. But, yeah, we\u2019ll see. I love coming back here. It\u2019s a great track.<\/p>\n
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR<\/p>\n
Q: (David Croft \u2013 Sky Sports F1) Question for Charles. Congratulations on the engagement, great to see. This season, it’s going to be really tight in that battle for second place. But if you do, as a team, leave Abu Dhabi as runners-up once again, is that good enough for Ferrari? Will you sit down at the end of the season and say, \u201cYeah, that was a job well done\u201d?<\/p>\n
CL: It\u2019s not good enough, no. I think when you drive for such a team, the only thing that is good enough is to win. But it\u2019s also true to say that we are against a very, very strong competition and also teams that have a lot of history in the sport and that are very special in their own way. So, it\u2019s not easy. But I think as Ferrari, when you work for such an incredible brand, it\u2019s not good enough and you\u2019ve got to target winning. Having said all that, considering where we started the season and where we are now, it\u2019s a good season. It\u2019s a very good improvement throughout the season, as it\u2019s been very difficult at the beginning of the year to understand exactly what we had to tackle with this new car. But, yeah, to now be fighting still for second in the Constructors\u2019 should be our target. And for next year, we\u2019ll target higher for sure.<\/p>\n
Q: (Mara Sangiorgio \u2013 Sky Italia) Question for Charles. Continuing the discussion about second place in the Constructors\u2019 standings, from now until the end of the season, what would you choose between a victory or second place with your team, if you had to choose?<\/p>\n
CL: I don\u2019t know. I mean, I\u2019ll take both. I think if you win, then it\u2019s obviously more likely that you get second in the Constructors\u2019. So, yeah, it\u2019s a very difficult question to answer. I would love to win. I think it\u2019s really important to at least be winning once in a season where everything has been so tough for everybody. The second place is not what\u2019s going to\u2026 we\u2019ll probably be happier as a team after a victory, but the second place needs to be our target. And we need to target both of the two things. So, yeah, I won\u2019t choose between the two.<\/p>\n
Q: (Craig Slater \u2013 Sky Sports F1) Again, a question for Charles. I hope it\u2019s not too personal, but I just wonder about Alex\u2014and congratulations\u2014and how much of a support is she in your professional life? How engaged is she in your life in Formula 1?<\/p>\n
CL: Incredibly engaged. Not technically, of course, but as all of us, I think we are all human and I think we are all supported by the people that are closest to us. Alex is the closest person that I have, with my family obviously. And they live the career just like we do, basically\u2014the ups and the downs\u2014and they support us in the best possible way. And Alex has done that since the very first day I met her. So, yeah, she\u2019s definitely a very important part of my life, obviously, but also of my career and the way you manage the ups and downs.<\/p>\n
Q: And Leo, of course.<\/p>\n
CL: Yeah, he doesn\u2019t really understand about the ups and downs, but he\u2019s always happy and that\u2019s good enough.<\/p>\n
Q: (Alex Jacques \u2013 F1 TV) Question for Pierre. You\u2019ve scored all the team\u2019s points this year. When it\u2019s not going entirely to plan, how do you see the role of team leader, and how does it differ to a season when it\u2019s all going right?<\/p>\n
PG: That\u2019s a very good question. The way I see it is, I think the most important thing, on my side, is to keep the motivation up inside the team for all the troops. Because at the end of the day, as much frustration as I can build from not being able to bring points back to the guys on a season like we have, they are as disappointed because everybody puts their heart out there\u2014work crazy hours, travel the world\u2014to give us the possibility to race with the best possible equipment that we can have. And at the end of the day, I need to really see more globally\u2014about the 1,500 people that we are, working at the track but also back at the factory\u2014and especially knowing that we\u2019re onto something much bigger for 2026. So it doesn\u2019t take anything away from me trying to put my best in the car every single time I\u2019m in. Do I enjoy it as much? No. But I\u2019m also aware of the project that I\u2019m working for and also what\u2019s coming in the coming years. So I\u2019m not losing sight of the big picture. And that\u2019s why for me, it\u2019s important to be the main factor in motivation for every single individual we have in the team.<\/p>\n
Q: Pierre, you talk about motivation. Do you wish the team carried on with the development of this year\u2019s car longer than they did?<\/p>\n
PG: If it gives me better results next year, I literally do not care about this season\u2014and it will be all worth it. Because the reality is what we could have fought for this year is still not good enough for us. And these couple of weeks or months can potentially give us a head start on some other teams and bring much better success, which is what we are seeking, ultimately. So, yeah, fully backing the team in what we did. It\u2019s a bit drastic, but sometimes to achieve greatness, you\u2019ve got to make tough choices.<\/p>\n
Q: (Jake Boxall-Legge \u2013 Autosport) Question for all three, if I may, please. We\u2019ve got a month left with this current era of cars. We\u2019ve had them for four years now. What would be your kind of eulogy to this generation of car? Have they been a fun car to drive versus other eras, or has the suspension been a little bit too stiff to make it fun? What would be your general assessment of these current cars? Thank you.<\/p>\n
LS: I\u2019m not going to miss it. No. I mean, I think the cars\u2014they\u2019ve been very stiff these last few years. The idea behind this regulation change was to make racing better. I don\u2019t know if we really achieved that. They\u2019ve gotten heavier. They\u2019ve just been too heavy and too stiff. Even just throughout the last few years, battling injuries and stuff has become more of a thing. So, yeah, I\u2019m probably not the biggest fan of this set of regulations. But we\u2019ll see what next year brings. And, yeah, hopefully\u2014I mean, whoever\u2019s going to be competitive I\u2019m sure is going to love the regulations. That\u2019s how it works in this sport.<\/p>\n
CL: I didn\u2019t really enjoy the first year, especially. Obviously, there was quite a bit of bouncing, and that wasn\u2019t the best thing I\u2019ve had in racing. So, the first year wasn\u2019t enjoyable. After that, actually, it got a little bit better on our side. Sure, it\u2019s still stiff. I mean, I\u2019d love to have a lighter car, but, yeah, I actually kind of enjoyed the last three years. The car got better, faster, and it\u2019s still extremely fast in high-speed corners. Probably not as enjoyable as the previous generation of cars, but still\u2014I enjoyed it a lot.<\/p>\n
PG: Yeah, very similar comments. I\u2019ll just touch on Lance\u2019s comments. It\u2019s definitely been rougher for us inside the car\u2014especially with all that bouncing and porpoising. Our backs have taken much more of a toll than what people could imagine, and what it looks like from the outside. So I\u2019m pretty happy that we\u2019re kind of going away from that. Driving-wise, we beat a couple of track records on some tracks. So in terms of actual driving and speed we carry through the corner\u2014it\u2019s pretty incredible on some occasions. Pretty amazing feeling inside the cockpit. But I\u2019m sure there are different ways of achieving it. And I\u2019m sure we can do better\u2014on the weight and the way we achieve the performance.<\/p>\n
Q: (Carlos Costa \u2013 Motorsport.com) Question for Lance. Lance, I think a couple of months ago there was a controversy about an article published by an F1 journalist from Brazil that said that you\u2019d leave the team. Recently, Felipe Drugovich said he heard rumours about that. What do you have to say about this subject?<\/p>\n
LS: Fake news.<\/p>\n
Q: (Gustavo Faldon \u2013 Estado de S\u00e3o Paulo) My question goes out to the three drivers. What\u2019s the thing you guys enjoy the most about the Interlagos track? And what do you think about the track not having a Sprint race next year? Let\u2019s start with you this time, Pierre.<\/p>\n
PG: The view from the podium is what I enjoy the most around here. Apart from that, I\u2019m not going to lie\u2014the energy on race day, when we do the parade, is pretty unique. Still hearing people chanting Senna\u2019s name and all this type of thing is very unique to Brazil. I appreciate it a lot. It makes us all drivers feel pretty special around here. Most enjoyable corner? I quite like this track\u2014I mean, they\u2019re all pretty cool. Turn 1 is unique, so I\u2019ll go with Turns 1\u20132.<\/p>\n
CL: I cannot comment about the podium view, unfortunately, but I\u2019m sure it\u2019s great! Probably the coolest thing is the legacy that you can still feel from Ayrton, that has been left. And whenever you come here, you can really feel how much he meant for people all over the world, obviously, but in Brazil it\u2019s to another level. He\u2019s always been my idol, so it\u2019s always very special to witness that here. And the whole track\u2014the flow is amazing. Just the way the corners are designed. I particularly like the kerbs. The kerbs are just very specific to Interlagos and the way you take them. There\u2019s just a feeling about this track and the fact that it\u2019s also historic\u2014it\u2019s just a very, very good feeling driving here.<\/p>\n
LS: Like the guys said, the passion from the fans is amazing here. They just love the sport. They love Formula 1. The energy around the whole weekend every year we come\u2014it\u2019s amazing. Good memories coming here\u20142023, we had a good weekend here. Both cars were\u2014I finished fifth. The car was feeling good all weekend. And just every year I come here, I love the track. I love the rhythm of the track. It\u2019s just kind of one of those old-school tracks where, yeah, like Pierre said, there\u2019s a nice flow to it. Each corner goes into the next one very nicely. And, yeah, it\u2019s a lot of fun to drive. It\u2019s nice coming back.<\/p>\n
Q: (Isamara Fernandes \u2013 Motorsport.com) Question for the three drivers, please. Guys, who do you think will win the championship this year?<\/p>\n
CL: Whoever\u2019s got the most points after Abu Dhabi. I think it\u2019s an open fight, and I usually lose my money betting, so I\u2019m not going to say. But I don\u2019t think you can discard Max. I would prefer to bet after S\u00e3o Paulo and see how this weekend goes. Then we\u2019ll know a bit more with three races to go.<\/p>\n
LS: I have no idea. I don\u2019t know. I said two races ago, obviously Oscar had the points advantage, but now they are basically equal on points\u2014or nearly. So, no idea.<\/p>\n
PG: I think it\u2019ll be between the McLaren drivers. It\u2019s going to be tough for Max to turn it around. But between Oscar and Lando\u2014I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n
Q: Charles, you\u2019ve won championships in the past. Hunter or hunted? Just looking at the dynamic between the two McLaren guys\u2014what\u2019s easier?<\/p>\n
CL: How many points are there between them? One? I\u2019m not sure there\u2019s a hunter or hunted in that case. It\u2019s whoever finishes in front, basically ends up in front in the championship. I don\u2019t think\u2014in a way, I won the championships in the past in the junior categories. I don\u2019t think I ended up being so close in the very last few races. So obviously the tension needs to be extremely high. And it\u2019s all about trying to manage that pressure and perform under that pressure in the best possible way. Only time will tell who manages to do that better. But, again, I still believe that it\u2019s in between the two McLaren drivers.<\/p>\n
PG: Not much more to add.<\/p>\n
LS: Are you mathematically still in it? I was going to say, definitely not me or Pierre\u2014we\u2019re not going to win it.<\/p>\n
CL: Not anymore.<\/p>\n
LS: No, finished for all three of us, so there you go. It\u2019s not going to be any of us. Probably one of the McLaren drivers by the looks of it.<\/p>\n
Q: (Isabella Ayami \u2013 TV Band) Charles, for you. The highest spot for you [Ferrari] here was in 2022 with Sainz. Can you repeat what you did in the Mexican GP and finally get on the podium here?<\/p>\n
CL: I hope so. Again, the momentum is with us. We\u2019ve had good last two races, which is a good thing, but we cannot really rely on the past for future good results. It\u2019s all about starting from zero again this weekend, focusing step by step on what we can control, and try and make our processes the most perfect possible. Then we\u2019ll see where we end up. But I have no idea. I don\u2019t know how competitive we\u2019ll be compared to the guys in front. I don\u2019t know if the others will struggle more than expected. There are obviously lots of things that I cannot control and that I don\u2019t really want to waste my energy on, trying to think and anticipate. We\u2019ll just focus on what we have to do. We\u2019ve done our homework back at home in order to be as ready as possible for this weekend. And I hope that it\u2019s finally the weekend where I get on the podium here in Brazil.<\/p>\n
Q: (Carlos Costa \u2013 Motorsport.com) Charles, you have a huge fan base here in Brazil\u2014Ferrari as well. I\u2019d like to ask you about this particular Grand Prix here at Interlagos. Do you feel any change now that Lewis has arrived in the team? Is it the same for you and the team as a whole, or has the fact that Lewis got to the team changed a bit the reception from the public here in Brazil?<\/p>\n
CL: For now, it\u2019s been the same. But, of course, I expect that tomorrow, once the track action starts, to see many, many Brazilian flags in the grandstands\u2014and probably more Ferrari flags, even more Ferrari flags than in the past\u2014mostly thanks to the arrival of Lewis in the team. He has a huge amount of following here in Brazil. So it\u2019s going to be special to see. But the people that used to support me still support me, so it\u2019s great to see. And that always motivates us\u2014to see the amount of support we get everywhere. And, yeah, we\u2019ll try and do the best possible we can for the fans here in Brazil.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PART ONE \u2013 Pierre GASLY (Alpine) Charles LECLERC (Ferrari), Lance STROLL (Aston Martin) Q: Charles, please, can we…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":267407,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[64,63,806,805,803,804,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-267406","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-motosport","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-motor","11":"tag-motor-sports","12":"tag-motosport","13":"tag-motosports","14":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}