F1 Italian GP Post Qualifying Press Conference | FORMULA 1 2024 Italian Grand Prix

gr Prix in third place George Russell in second place Oscar pastri and taking the fifth pole position of his Formula 1 career and his fourth of this 2024 campaign our pul sitter Lando Norris many congratulations Lando it was another brilliant qualifying session for you how satisfying was this fourth poll of the Season uh very because I think it's probably been um like everyone seen the closest buildup fp1 fp2 fp3 um I think we've just looked as good as the others nothing nothing more nothing less honestly um so yeah just expected a tough qualifying and it was for sure um but I think for us to come away with a onew uh to Come Away with another poll was probably not quite what we were expecting but in a good way of course so um yeah a good qualifying I wouldn't say the cleanest um just difficult to put together around here and um when the margins are so small you try and go for everything but you can also pay a price you know so um risk award in a lot of Corners um but I think the risk that we had through it and and the setup changes and things we made into qualifying seem to made a good amount of progress and we seem very quick tell us a little bit more about those setup changes CU as you say there was nothing to separate you and the pack in practice so what made the difference um it's tough to say I think we just continue to progress not not a lot you know like my first lap in qual was already 198 um which was a great first lap out the box and um it wasn't like I went out and found big chunks you know it wasn't like Zan vort where I went 3 410 quicker and that kind of uh Evolution but um there's a lot less Corners around here and it's trickier to kind of put it together I think and um just small things with the car like you don't get to fp3 and then quality and change the whole thing you know or turn it upside down it's you're nudging it in different directions and just trying to make a a car which you're comfortable to execute good Laps on and um I feel like we made a bit of progress with that uh but also maybe with fuel and things like that when you bring it down the car just seem to come a little bit more Alive come qualifying and um definitely seem to to progress ahead of some of the others you got quicker and quicker in Q3 yet you said a minute ago that your second lap wasn't the best what was the issue with that um it just didn't feel like a a nailed lap um you know I think all of us as drivers when we go out in quality you just want to put together a perfect lap you know you want everything to flow and um I tried pushing the braking a bit more for one and uh I actually got one so much better I then smashed the inside curb of two CU I turned in too early so um I was about 10th and a half down just after turn one so I was kind of like it's over already before it even starts and I didn't really expect to gain it um but then I nailed the second chicane and and gained one and a half T back straight away um and then just made a couple hundreds of a gain in every corner from from that point on so um it just didn't feel like a a nailed lap it didn't feel as good as my my lap last weekend but um clearly still going enough for pole which is a nice feeling let's throw it forward to the race itself do you think you and McLaren will hold an advantage over the field honestly I think um when we look back to zanard you you could say Yes um like there's enough evidence that led us to believe we could have a very very strong race here Leto just just cuz it's been so close but we're still first and second which means we have a good car and um that normally translates well into a good race car but I think tomorrow there's more question marks with you know graining and gradation and things like that um you know everyone's 412 re tires and um probably a little bit more nervous of what what can happen and what might happen but we're in the best position for it so excited to see what we can do Lando final one from me what about the start um it's a long run to turn one here what have you learned since anvol that might help you away from the grid tomorrow what we learned um um I mean a couple things um for sure we we we of course reviewed things like we always do and uh I feel like we've made progress so far with our practice launches and stuff like that so um yeah just uh crack on and do our best all right very well done thank you Lando Oscar let's come to you now another great qualifying session for you and for the team uh talk us through Q3 how good were your laps how good was the car uh I think the car was was very strong um the the first lap I did in Q3 was was solid um a couple of little things to work on but yeah the the second lap just wasn't as good as it uh needed to be really um a similar story in in turn one really and um yeah they kind of set the tone for for the rest of my lap had a a big wheel spin out of turn one and um it was a bit of a yeah a mess from there so um yeah just need to tidy it up a little bit at the end uh but the car was was performing well I don't think um you know after after practice it certainly wasn't guaranteed to to have this result I think we very easily felt like we could have ended up uh you know until seventh or eighth if we didn't get it quite right so to come away on the on the front row is a very good result for the team o tell us a little bit about the conditions track temperature of almost 50° was it difficult to keep the tires alive uh not so much to keep them alive um just the the tarmac here has been been quite difficult to to judge um it's it's had a lot of rain or or dirt on it um you know when you you watch the TV shots in some of the corners it's basically two black lines from where we've been uh driving and and the rest is kind of brown um so it's made like a little bit difficult and it's quite a um yeah just a difficult Tac for whatever reason to to drive on and also for the tires you know we've seen a lot of graining uh throughout practice so um it's been difficult I don't think it's necessarily been the temperature but it's uh yeah been very very tough I think for everybody to to nail a lap this weekend um even with all these attempts and qualifying I don't think anyone uh or I certainly don't feel like I have and the last time you two were on the front row together in Hungary it wasn't the smoothest race for the team although you did win it Oscar just what do you see as the key moment tomorrow where where are your best opportunities to beat Lando um I mean I think you know the start is always a good opportunity it's a long run to turn one here um yeah obviously we as a team we need to do a bit of a better job than last week um unless we plan on getting bad starts and just creating a a road block block but uh no I think um that is an opportunity but there will be more opportunities tomorrow I think um you know it the strategy is still a bit of a question mark um you know no one's done really more than 10 laps on a set of tires um so it'll be interesting to see what happens so um I think it'll be a pretty interesting one um even after the first lap Oscar final one from me can I just ask you about an incident in the pit Lane with Max ven when you pulled out just in front just talk us through it from your point of view uh I I've actually not seen it yet to be honest so I I need to go check it with the team and uh yeah see see what happened all right we'll leave it there thank you very much now George coming to you you said a moment ago that P3 was better than you were expecting well what were you expecting how's the car been performing this weekend yeah it was a very up and down weekend obviously um missed a lot yesterday which put me uh really on the back foot and had to make a lot of changes from fp3 into qualifying because that was really my first proper session out on track and um q1 and Q2 was was really really messy I wasn't confident didn't feel good in the car um just sort of scraped through the session and then suddenly managed to get in the sweet spot for for Q3 both my laps I think I was third or fourth and obviously ended up third so uh pretty pleased with that that result and it's kind of exciting to see how close it is with everyone now the car is much better here at Monza than it was at zanol last weekend were you expecting that or just talk us through how much better it feels inside the cockpit yeah it feels good around here last last week I think we recognized where we went wrong with the setup and you know this sport it runs away from you really really quickly if you're just on the wrong side of that sweet spot and that's absolutely what we found in in zamort so it's as painful as it is it's important sometimes to have those disappointing weekends um there's no guarantees for tomorrow you know we weren't A Million Miles Away in qualifying in zvol but I I am confident we'll be more in the mix tomorrow and try and keep up with the these guys you've just said that you've been chasing it all weekend as a result of a lack of mileage yesterday but without that long run practice yesterday how much are you on the back foot going into this Grand Prix I mean I don't really know what what to expect because I've just not really done done the laps to be honest so I'll just have to trust my instincts and and go from there really and and adapt on on the fly so um as I'm really really pleased to be lining up [Music] P3 after um after the day we've had and theard definitely seems to have have potential do your instincts does your gut tell you that you can beat these guys tomorrow if they make a start like last week then we got a chance I think but if if they have a good start then I think it'll be very difficult um you know McLaren have done an incredible job these recent Races they are the team to be um seemingly everywhere we go they're being the quickest and that's probably been the case since as long as I can remember really I've got a short memory but it seems like a long time George many thanks all right let's open this to the floor name and publication please who's first Alex Kus Auto Sports uh same question to the two McLaren drivers please um how much do you think that the upgrade works that the team has done in the last few weeks has really contributed to this uh result today given that previously monzo was quite Firm Red Bull territory in land you sat here the other day and recalled how tough things were for McLaren here last year thanks um not much simple way of putting it um for sure every little counts and um we've definitely been taking some smaller steps forward but uh some of the upgrades we had have been track specific you know the rear the rear wing that we had which was the main part of the upgrade last weekend uh we don't have it again here so it's not like the what worked perfectly well there works here you know so we had that but we also had the front the rear wing again this weekend so um specific things but it's not like uh revolutionized the car or made the car feel like it's a lot better it's just a bit more efficient and smaller things but those smaller things really you know they they make big differences in the end and um you know if you have one or two smaller snaps over over a single lap you can gain half a tenth one/ tenth quite quickly because the tires are in a better condition the temperatur is less and things like that so um they've definitely helped I think less than maybe what people expected like um a lot of parts but nothing which was like now we're going to be 310 quick all of a sudden you know so um steps forward but uh we need we need more still uh as well as we're doing we we need more we we believe we can do more and um I think uh you know when we go to our debriefs and stuff there's plenty of stuff that Oscar and I complain of and and still want to and we like to be improved and uh we're working hard to continue to try and do that yeah not much to add really I think um you know the the Baseline of the car was was really kind of set earlier in the in the year and we've just been been able to gradually improve it a bit um and uh yeah you know it certainly wasn't um the same the same kind of upgrade that voled us up the order last year or or earlier this year it's um really small thing so I think just the underlying performance of the car is very strong but when the field is so tight like like it is uh at the moment every every little bit counts like Lando said all right thanks both who's next please Luke Smith from the athletic at Lando I appreciate your taking things Race by race at the moment but with Max down in p7 were you surprised to see him that far back and how much is tomorrow an opportunity to inflict some damage on him in the championship fight um yeah for sure it's a good opportunity um I mean I expect him to come through and and probably be behind us quite quickly their race Bas like very strong uh on Friday um they were on the better side of the the graining and the degradation so uh I expect them to probably be a bit more hopeful tomorrow um for some reason they just didn't seem to take those steps forward through qualifying um he still seemed quick like even Q2 he you know was right there and ended up quicker than me even on a used tire um but clearly uh and even his Gap to Perez wasn't as big as what it normally is so I don't know if he just more with something or just didn't put good enough laps in but um yeah uh it'll be for a reason I'm I'm sure and um uh yeah we need to try make the most of that okay thank you next please pleas y hello aof Focus Magazine uh we are all on red territory and I have question for all of three of you are you ready for some negative emotional Outburst from the fans it's quite tough some sometimes to see or people against you and uh do can we expect some fairness you're not in red but you still maybe can win the heart thank you no um I mean I'm sure Ferrari fans want Ferrari to win but uh yeah I don't know um I don't know who their second favorites are but um I think there's there's a lot of supporters I feel like uh I have a lot of support from the Italians and from the Ferrari fans so um I've always loved that I've always appreciated it and uh yeah sometimes um it's good to disappoint but uh yeah um I think they're always they're always uh a lot of fun and passionate no matter what um and I think they're they're great fans probably some of the best in the world most passionate in the world so um I I don't think any of us would would think like that yeah I mean I think in Emil there was a few stories of some of us getting a little bit of stick but it's it's I mean it's uh it's fun it's not not a uh you know serious hate like what we see sometimes um I think for myself you know I always love coming to race in Italy um you know as Lando said I think they're probably the most passionate fans we have all all year um I mean my last name is Italian so I think some of them uh consider me one of their own a little bit um so it's always fun coming back here and uh and for me monzer is one of uh one of the best races of the of the Year George nothing want all right okay next one please uh Ed spensive from Auto Evolution question to both Lando and osar Mercedes today have confirmed that Kimmy anelli will be one of their drivers what do you make of him as a as a potential rival do you see him as a potential race winner in gu to come um I mean he seemed very quick um yesterday in fp1 obviously his session didn't last that long but um the the laps he did um seemed very competitive you know he's been uh very competitive in the in the junior categories as well I know it's been a bit of a tougher year for him in F2 but I think I think it's been a a tough year for premise standards so um yeah I think he'll will definitely be competitive obviously he's he's very young um but uh you know Mercedes have clearly put him into you know a race winning car for a reason um and you know I'm sure he'll be a yeah a a great competitor next year um a lot of the same honestly I mean he's going to be in Formula One cuz he's probably good enough to be there and Toto sees a lot a lot in him so um he's proven himself I think a lot in the junior categories and coming up through um I think it's a big jump to go from F4 to F uh yes it's a big jump so it's not probably been easy on him but to to go from F2 and then straight to F1 um yeah it's uh it's a lot so um I'm sure it'll be a steep learning curve for him steeper than probably what most of us have ever had um which always comes with pressure and things like that so as long as he copes with that well I'm sure um you know learning from one of the best here as his teammate then um I'm sure he'll be up to speed in no time thanks both all right yep another one thank you Alejandra Alonso Lopez d.com a question to land following on Tom's question on slow Stars this year with such a long run to turn one How concerned are you that this could be repeated and I'm not okay all right next one uh hi there Theo Baker from airil this is a question for any of you who who wants to answer it uh today is the anniversary of antoan Uber's death um I was wondering how often you find yourselves thinking about the danger inherent in this SP Sport and whether your approach to risk has developed over the course of your career um I mean I think I mean in my you know personal experience we think of it very very little um you know I think if you're consciously thinking about the the dangers um of the sport then um yeah you're not giving your your full attention to trying to drive fast and and you know trying to to win so I think as as soon as that starts to creep in it's obviously not a great sign um you know I think when when events like that happen where you know tragic accidents happen in the moment it's um you know very very difficult to not think about it um and unfortunately we have had a few um you know major accidents in the last uh 5 years or so and um yeah certainly going racing the next day um is is a bit different than than it is most other days but um I think once the helmet goes on and we're out on track um you know we're always concentrated on trying to get the most out of the race in front of us um and the the fear very quickly goes away okay anyone else want to add okay next one please a question for Lando how important is this Poll for you to keep the momentum going mentally after zand word um it it helps uh it's a great thing um you're always trying to do your best and the higher you are normally the better you're doing so it's it's always rewarding but it's um you know if if I was poll today um you know when Mercedes were first or Red Bull were first like it's also not the end of the world um and you can only the best you can on every day and uh today again to to show that we could be first and second was a great thing but um it's it's everything's important at the minute for me uh every point every uh position is uh is crucial and that's the way we have to work till the end of the season but um I kind of like we we covered last weekend it's not uh like I have to do this and I have to do that and I need to do like um there's no desperation there's no need for for things but um uh it's always going to help and make my life easier the higher up I am so of course it's it's rewarding it's a great thing U makes me happy in the end of the day knowing that uh we're on poll and we have this kind kind of momentum and it's not just a good thing for for me honestly because I don't think I think of it too much but more for for my team and um for mechanics the engineers everyone back in the factory uh it's just constant uh motivation and boosts for them to know we've come a long way we've done a lot of work and um we still have plenty more to go thank you Lando right another one uh n on is espb apologies if I missed this early on inevitable question about team orders for the two of you and McLaren are you two racing tomorrow or is it a situation where as soon as you guys get out in front if Lando you've dropped behind Oscar for example you know you're switching the positions what have the discussions been around around that just given where Max is and given where we're at with the with the championship thanks uh that's our Sunday morning meeting so um it's a a little bit been discussed already but at the minute it's a free to race like it uh it always is yeah we we've discussed it a bit already and we will discuss it again tomorrow I'm sure um uh yeah don't really have any more to add all right another one Alexus Auto Sport another question to the Tim McLaren drivers please I just wondered were you using any toe tactics throughout qualifying particularly in Q3 uh and if not why not thanks uh no I mean I think you always want to try and keep um some kind of of toe um in the end didn't really you know there wasn't any tactics between us two we kind of ended up in the middle of the pack um so I think I was was behind Lando but um yeah you know we're kind of all getting a toe off each other so just free to try and get our own space and get our own Gap nothing more more to add um but also yeah is it depends what you're comfortable on some people are a bit closer some people further away um also you know with even at Q3 I had two cars ahead uh albor and the H I think um so just uh avoiding yellow flags and things like that not cuz I think they would have caused them but um some people have higher chance of causing yellow flags than others and uh just thinking of even of those things to to kind of a bigger Gap just to give that a little bit more time in case someone locks up in war or there's a yellow flag for some silly reason so um a little bit of that and uh we quick on our own like even when we compare us this year to last year like 20K or something quicker in The Straits so um it's a it's a lot yeah last year we were pretty shocking in the straight um which came as a bit of a surprise but it shows the difference of when you're not prepared so when you're prepared for a race um where we were last year to where we are now okay any more yes one very difficult question for for George uh kimy damaged your car pretty heavy how difficult is to repair it and how difficult is to put it back on line to your taste for disqualifying thank you with SP um yeah I mean yeah obviously we've we we've lost quite a quite a few parts so um you know fingers crossed leis and I don't don't do any further damage otherwise we'll have to revert back to some of the old Parts um unless we can get some new pieces made in the in the interim so it's not the end of the world as long as you know we both don't do any further damage so um as it stands we don't have any spares of our upgraded stuff thanks George anym no more we'll leave it there very well done today good luck in the but