LIVE: Chinese Grand Prix Build-Up

Nia Shanghai it's race day and your poit max ven here on the grid Max a phenomenal weekend so far for you here how much you loving this circuit yeah just you know really uh great to uh to be back here it's it's an amazing track a lot of fun to drive and uh yeah definitely um yesterday was a great day so hopefully of course uh we can do uh something similar today your pace yesterday over the rest of the field was ominous I imagine you have significantly improved the car in the gap between the Sprint and qualify and how worried should your opponents be today well I think everyone learned a lot I think from from yesterday so I don't I don't expect it to be like yesterday uh from my side yeah uh the wind of course is a bit different today so I just need to understand that and then of course just try to do my uh my own race a few words in your own language please stuff thank you and czecho um I think one of the biggest cheers for you of the Year here outside of Mexico a huge fan base how amazing is it to have these incredible fans here supporting you this weekend so far from home yeah it's been incredible it's been amazing um really happy to be back here after so many years that we didn't race so um yeah looking forward to put a good show for the for the fans which they deserve a lot and I think it's going to be an entertainment race you know with the degradation that we saw yesterday I think it's going to be a a good race for the fans can anyone touch you guys this weekend hopefully not but you never know it's a race day and a lot of people will learn from what they've done yesterday so I I assume that they will be able to to improve and have a stronger Pace today just a few words in your own language please see fore yes [Applause] [Applause] sh sh Carlos great to see you today I know qualifying was a bit of a challenge yesterday how are you feeling the head of the race we'll start with you sharpen P6 yeah P6 uh we have been struggling a bit uh in qualifying this weekend however we are quite confident with our race pace so uh today the race today the most important day and uh I hope we can have a great uh first few laps and then use our Pace to come back uh Podium I think is a realistic Target uh so we'll try and uh get that Carlos a great save in qualifying yesterday Char's talking about maybe a podiums a realistic Target do you think you can push up with him as well and challenge for that yeah obviously I think third and fourth is the the target for the team today I think it's going to be tough because we have some fast cars in front of us and more than that it's three of them so it's going to be tricky to to find a way pass but uh we're going to do everything we can and uh yeah hopefully we can put together a strong race when you kind of what was going through your mind yesterday and qualifying when the car was going towards the barrier cuz a pretty neat trick to kind of control the crash yeah I you know I was uh see I was trying obviously to to hit the wall in the best possible less possible damaging manner uh it's still not ideal to hit the wall obviously it was a mistake from my side but um yeah it allowed us to continue on to put together some strong laps later unfortunately we are we're just not strong enough in qual yesterday but I think today we can we can get back but yeah my hardw was quite quite high after that Shan I bet it was I bet it was just one final question to you sha feels like you really stepped on in qualifying it feels like you're comfortable with the car and race conditions as well just how excited are you to race this kind of track it's quite cool to be here in China isn't it ice really cool to uh to be back here well first of all I'm very positively surprised by how many Monas Flags there are in the grandson I think is the most I have ever seen uh in uh in my career so it's a great to see so many Manas flag and we'll try to have the the best race possible of course in the last two races in qualifying I have struggled a bit more I have worked a lot on it the feeling was a bit more positive this weekend not yet at the level where I want to be but better uh however in the race I'm not uh I'm not worried we have been strong in the last few races and I'm sure we will be uh also today great stuff best of luck sh Lo good luck [Applause] today Oscar I'll I'll I'll hand them M to you Lando so you don't have to hold anything you're good you're good Lando Oscar great performance from the McLaren team as a whole in qualifying I'll start with you L you're one spot higher up than Oscar great performance in qualifying what can you do today um we can we can try a lot uh I think we'll give it a good shot I think the pace has been good all all weekend so um long race ahead many things can happen uh cool temperatures for the time being but uh we can have a fun race how about you Oscar from P5 on the grid the cleaner side you think that's going to make a bit of a difference um not massively I don't think um yeah we'll see what we can do I think yeah starting a bit further up than I was yesterday which is nice but um yeah we've got some pretty quick cars around so going to be a a tough race I think probably an interesting one with different strategies and different tires for everyone so um yeah see what we can do Lando who do you think your main Rivals are going to be today I know you've really told me Ferrari are a bit too far ahead and Red Bull as well no it's Max Max will be our main competition today um we're going for the win so uh yeah looking forward to it it's going to be hilarious if you actually go and do with it w you you never know askar what about you it feels like you really built through the weekend feeling getting a bit more comfortable with the card you feel he can push a little bit harder in race conditions yeah I think definitely had some some things to work on from the the Sprint so um yeah see if I can work on that for tomorrow uh tomorrow this afternoon I'm lost um but yeah qualifying was was pretty good um I have a feeling there's some Lewis fans but uh no we'll see what we can do I think feeling pretty comfortable with the car and um going to be a long race so good luck today L osar thank you very much [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] George George last time you were here you were a Formula 1 rookie now you return as a grand prix winner how much you enjoy this weekend in This Magnificent circuit yeah it's amazing to be back in Shanghai so many amazing fans here supporting a lot of people especially this guy to my right but um yeah we're just excited for the race this afternoon stting PA hoping we can move forward and go from there you ran soft yesterday the only driver to do so how much knowledge how much confidence does that give you for the Grand Prix today yeah the soft was working well I recommend the other drivers to try it out and give it a go and and go from there so no it was it was not a bad tire but today is going to be a very different day I think there's going to be a good fight on our hands with McLaren with Fernando and hopefully we can be up there with Ferrari as well that be tough thank you George uh Lewis maybe only silverston maybe not even silverston salutes you in this way the crowd go wild for you man what is this crowd like for you oh it's the best it's honestly it's they've been so supportive for so many years um Team LH China they've just they've just been incredible all these years it's so great to be back uh of course the British G Prix is uh special and unique as well but this is just just always brings such great energy and um yeah and I love this track I I really enjoyed being out here uh yesterday I know you're not where you wanted to be it could have been at least Q2 without that lock up down at turn 14 you had such a great day yesterday in the Sprint are you going to at least have some fun today as you say you love this track yeah it definitely was easily should have been Q2 and it was entire my fault um the team were doing a great job uh George did a great job yesterday with what we have yeah made my life difficult I mean in general my life that's how I've always done things it's not uh there's there are no excuses I've got to do a better job and I'll try and recover somehow today best of luck today I know you've got a few people cheering you on [Applause] Lance great to see you looks like the Aston Martin on low fuel around here looks very very strong Fernando you must have a lot of fun out there qualified yesterday yeah it was amazing I think uh yeah both in wet and dry we had a very good pace and now uh let's confirm that on the race what can you do today Fernando youve got that smile on your face that cheeky glint in your eye can you take take get to the to the F race to the Red Bulls uh don't think so you know I think we we keep the feet in the ground we know that um maybe p s p8 P9 that's our natural position but uh let's see I mean uh we will give it all on track and um and hopefully good points for the team in terms of the pace of the car overall this weekend we got a little bit of a learning in the Sprint yesterday what can you take into today I think we learned few things yesterday the the setup was not optimal let's say on on the Sprint race uh we made some setup changes but uh we will only know the answer in in 3 hours time so I will let you know later I look forward to talking to you later best luck today Fernando Lance thank you for waiting just outside the top 10 today plenty of opportunities around here how you feeling about your chances yeah for sure it's going to be a long race um a lot of degradation I think it's it's a track that's hard on tires so uh yeah hopefully we can uh pick up some points is it a pretty fun challenge out there cuz it looks like a really good mix of corners the cars working nicely I imagine it's extra fun to drrive yeah I mean uh for sure it's been uh tricky this weekend with track conditions and um the uh the the tac's been very slippery um so conditions have been tricky but um I think it's going to be a fun race an interesting one and what would constitute a good day for you today L uh hopefully some good points maybe some stuff in front of us happens and uh yeah we can uh capitalize see great so best of that Lance thank you Fernando too [Applause] I know qualifying for the Sprint all the Grand Prix didn't go the way that you wanted it to go how you feeling coming in to race day yeah still excited uh lots of people here you know uh first time in this uh truck so always uh lot of motivation to the to the race and uh you know just nothing to lose so hopefully I can do a lot of overtaking love you stuff some words in your own language please uh [Music] Daniel new chassis this weekend it seems a massive turnaround in performance for you is it all down to the chassis or a little bit because you just love this track I don't know may maybe a bit of both but I I definitely do have a a pretty good record here so it's a track I have enjoyed a lot in the past but um yeah it's it's definitely the weekend's gone a lot more kind of seamlessly and it's been yeah certainly a little easier to to get up to speed with a car so yeah maybe uh maybe there's a little bit in those changes we made so we'll see I think today's chance for points hopefully get get some on the board uh for the start of the year and get this thing rolling so we'll see got a got a nice race ahead of us what is it about this circuit in particular not just that suits you but that you love and seems to make it so great for racing it's yeah it's I don't know some some circuits sometimes just you know click and it is fun like turn one turn two it's when you get it wrong it's like oh but when you get it right there's so much lap time there and it's it's quite Technical and it's a bit of a front limited circuit as well so a bit different to a lot of the other circuits we go to so yeah some characteristics last corner is a lot of fun obviously yesterday you see a lot of us pushing it on the edge there so yeah it provides uh I think good quality kind of feeling but also in the race some overtaking opportunities go well thanks [Applause] man Kevin Nico great to see you I'd say pretty good form all weekend long Kevin I know didn't turn out the best for you in qualifying yesterday might say Confidence from the way the car felt in Sprint qualifying and the Sprint yesterday yeah the Sprint um looked pretty positive and I think we've even improved the car a little bit from the Sprint so uh hopefully we'll have a better race uh today I'm obviously starting a little bit far back but it is a track that you can overtake on so if we have the pace then I'm confident we can make it make our way back isn't it brilliant though this year you have got a car that you can really fight for and you can say things like that today you've got obviously a load of immediate arrivals very closely matched in terms of pace is it too much to ask to try and fight back into the points today no I think that's you know that mentally that's what what I'm going into to to do and you know uh we're all focused on on that and I think it's not unrealistic it's uh it's not easy of course everyone's quick it's all very tight but with uh you know our car at this you know at this point uh it's it's not unrealistic so best of luck today Kevin ni I just bring you in I don't if I can start calling you Mr qualifying because generally speaking you're delivering on a on a Saturday afternoon you must feel really good in the car when there's no no much fuel in it thank you uh yeah it's been it's been good especially yesterday um and generally last year obviously that was a strong point and then so far this year also not bad but uh obviously Sunday is where the points are and then you know that's where where matters most we had a little bit of a glimpse into what race Pace might look like from the Sprint and the race pace of the house generally has been better this year what are you expecting from today expecting a tough fight with the other Midfield teams um so that that's definitely going to be interesting to see I think uh strategy and you know time management will be big factor like always on Sunday but I feel uh we're ready for the fight best of luck today n thank you very much Logan starting today's race from the pit Lane as we understand it how much have you had to change on the car and what do you hoping to learn from the Grand Prix today uh yeah I think it was just a good opportunity to uh to try some different things see what we can um do to get the car working a little bit better um it hasn't been this smooth this weekend so far so still trying to understand some things but um hopefully we can do that today lovely stuff good luck for the race Alex a lot of support here from the grand stands this weekend how much you enjoying the track loving it it's uh it's actually a really fun track it's um very challenging I think everyone's been struggling with the wind here but also just these long Corners um it's been hard to hook up our laps so glad qualifying went reasonably well hopefully we can start from a good position and get in the mix I know the Sprint was a bit of a struggle for both of you guys how much have you been able to change on the car how much did you learn in the Sprint put into today's race we've only had 3 hours you and you can't do so much in 3 hours to the car but we we definitely made some steps forward we also ran pretty used tires in in that Sprint race to save ties for this race so hopefully that will come good to us now good [Music] [Applause] luck Pierre esan great to see you guys I feel like Alpine are getting stronger with every session that's happening so far this year Pierre we'll start with you qualify it felt like it was a bit of a step forward after a lot of aggressive changes I think you said on the car how you feeling about the race today yeah I mean it's uh it's going in the right direction you know we managed to uh to bring some upgrades um this weekend with on bcar which seems to bring a bit more performance so we we're heading in the right direction obviously there's still a lot of work but uh we'll try to uh you know capitalize on any opportunities today uh get a clean race and uh hopefully get closer to the points and uh yeah that's the target I like your China spec top that you've got on on cap as well is there a RAC trck in the country that you've enjoyed racing up yeah we try to blend in as much as we can and no I must say I really like the top so uh but I keep it short I know the guys wants to see Joe so I I I'll give him more time up today Pier you're not going anywhere we've got a we got a banner for you there if you sped it got some great support here feels like you're making a good focus with the team at the minute you made some changes too like Pierre how you feeling about the G pre today yeah I mean it's best starting position of of the Season at the moment so obviously you know happy to to make little progress you know it was a small step but not a negligible one and uh yeah we're going to look forward to try and do the maximum we can in the race and uh yeah see how we get on from there but uh yeah happy to see the support that we got and happy to see the support that Jo got in his R Race So best of luck today thank you [Applause] F tree an absolute star of qualifying yesterday how much have you got in the car do you think for the race today based on that that brilliant performance yesterday and of course the brilliant performance in the Sprint and Sprint quality I think we we have the car this weekend to squeeze squeeze it into the points that needs to be the goal but for that we need uh Perfection from every team member and myself as well but looking forward it's been it's been good what's made the difference um I think the track is uh kind of good for us but also just managed to find a good Rhythm early on in the weekend and with only one practice session it can really make a difference so uh we'll keep pushing today have St some words in your own language please uh uh and last but by no means least from the grand stand to the grid uh your Boyhood dreams come true today how are your emotions how you keep it all in check uh firstly [Music] sh it's amazing to see the crowd it's amazing to be here of course the after a few years been missing home Grand Prix I'm just really glad I'm still here and try to give it everything I have on the on track and yeah I dve my hearts out so far this weekend obviously starting a bit further back now I wanted but uh I'm going to ice forward and move up could you ever have believed the first time you came here and stood in those stands that you be here about to take part in the Grand Prix of China yeah 2004 I was here uh before turn one also just watching the race dream to be F1 Drive in the future and 20 years later we are here so it's been a long journey with a mix of emotions but uh I'm just really happy that finally can start my first very Grand Pre back home lovely stuff and finally cuz we're in China [Applause] d for [Music] [Applause] keep keep back guys [Applause] what [Applause] [Applause] [Music]