FIA Thursday press conference – Belgium

DRIVERS – Lance STROLL (Aston Martin), Kevin MAGNUSSEN (Haas), Carlos SAINZ (Ferrari), Daniel RICCIARDO (RB), Valtteri BOTTAS (Kick Sauber)

Q: It's been a busy news cycle since we were last gathered in Hungary. And Valtteri, can we start with you, please? And the news that Andreas Seidel has been replaced by Mattia Bonotto in the team. What's your reaction, first of all?

Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, quite sudden news. I believe everything happened pretty quickly, but obviously those high-level decisions, we as drivers and many of the team members don't know really what's going on behind the scenes. But yeah, quite unexpected, but obviously welcoming Mattia to the team. And at the same time, I want to thank Mr Seidl and Mr Hoffman for their contribution to the team.

Q: How do you expect this change to affect the day-to-day running of the team?

VB: It's a bit of a reset again. It's not a secret that when there's a new leadership, it will always take a bit of time, first of all. Mattia needs to know what are the weaknesses, what are the strengths, what are the priorities for short- and long-term improvements, and that's going to take a bit of time. Again, it's the third time now in three years, within three years, that we've had change at the top, so not a new situation, and the team shouldn't be too affected at this point. I think it's more the stuff for the future, and obviously time will show what will happen.

Q: In case Mattia is watching this, put a little bit more flesh on the bone. What do you think are the priorities, both short-term and long-term, for the team?

VB: I don't want to go too much into details. Obviously, some things are internal, but we know that compared to, let's say, at the moment, to the big teams, we're still lacking a bit of human power. We could do with more people, but at the same time, the team has been hiring and growing recently quite a bit. There are certain areas that we definitely need to focus on, at the factory but also with the car performance. We're at the moment not where we need to be and that's basically we needed some new upgrades and into the right direction.

Q: Just a quick word on the upgrades that you've been running recently and how you think the car will perform here at Spa?

VB: It's going to be, even though it's a long lap, I think it's going to be still close where we are. We did make a step in Budapest. Again, it's a very different type of track. So I wouldn't say too detailed predictions, but hopefully we're going to be in the mix and fighting close to top 10 like we did on Saturday in Budapest.

Q: Alright. Valtteri, thank you. I'm sure there'll be some more questions for you in a minute. Daniel, let's come to you next. So management changes at Sauber. Are you expecting any driver changes at Red Bull?

Daniel RICCIARDO: So predictable, Thomas, so predictable. I don't know. Yeah, honestly, I don't know. But like always, just focus on myself and what I can do. Every race or few races, the narrative changes and that's the sport we're in. Things are happening quickly and you’ve just got to try and, I think in these situations, focus on yourself and get the most out of that and then see where the wind takes me. No changes from the approach. Coming into Budapest, I knew it was going to be two important weekends coming up before the break and obviously hit the break with a bit of momentum. So yeah, that's where my head's at. So try and do well.

Q: Daniel, you want to focus on yourself. So let's focus on you.

DR: Sounds selfish, doesn't it?

Q: Well, it's just a lot of people talk about your results. I'm not sure too many people ask you about how you're feeling about the situation and how you feel you are driving at the moment. Is this the best we've seen from Daniel Ricciardo for a wee while?

DR: I mean, I'm definitely happier where I am now than the first few races this season. You know, I think I was... I felt good all season, but it wasn't quite clicking, for lack of a better word, you know, the first few races. And I think then I've been able to get more out of myself, certainly the last few races. And I think it's trending in the right direction. And I think that's obviously important. Of course you want to be awesome every race, but I knew obviously after the first few that I still had to find a little bit, but I'm definitely happier. I'm more comfortable with where I'm at and yeah, just showing those signs of speed that I know I have. And that's obviously… All of us are trying to extract that out of ourselves every weekend and some weekends come easier than others. But I think, yeah, I'm certainly sitting here now, much happier than probably, I don't know, two or three months ago.

Q: And in Hungary, it looked like the team had got its Barcelona upgrades working. Was that circuit specific or do you feel you'd actually made a step forward with setup and genuine car performance?

DR: I mean, the circuit helped us, because I think we were pretty strong already from Friday. And we hit the ground running, and we didn't really have to chase it. It just came, and that was that. So some circuits certainly help. But it's still so unpredictable. Did we know we would be really strong in Budapest? Not necessarily, but yeah, I think we've a bit more time now, we've understood everything and we, yeah, you just, I guess it helps getting to the weekend with a better understanding of the package and then knowing, okay, we pretty much know the window of what this car likes, the set-up. Okay, it's a big downforce circuit, so let's see what that does, but... We had a bit more confidence, I guess. I feel like I just repeated myself a lot. But yeah, we'll see. I don't know. It's the midfield, the midfield mystery. It's always pretty unpredictable where we are.

Q: Alright. Well, best of luck this weekend. Thanks for that. Carlos, let's come to you now. The last time you and Kevin were in a press conference together, Kevin said you were the cork in the bottle. of the driver market. And I did want to start by asking for your thoughts on the news that Mattia Binotto is going to Sauber Audi. You've worked with him before at Ferrari. Does that complicate your decision further?

Carlos SAINZ: So predictable, Thomas. I think, first of all, I'm not up to date with everything that is going on at every team but of course I think the arrival of Mattia to any team is positive, mainly because he has the experience of what it takes to build a team that is a top team nowadays, like it is at Ferrari. And he has that experience from Ferrari that he can bring into Audi. And I'm sure it's a great asset for them. And that's why they hired him. And yeah, of course, I wish him all the best there.

Q: The offer from Audi has been on the table for a while. You haven't signed it. Does this open them up as a real opportunity for you again?

CS: Not really. I think my future is still being discussed and obviously analysed very carefully. And there's changes to a lot of teams that I'm looking at for next year pretty much every week. So there's changes, evolution on the team market as much as there is on the driver market. And I'm just going to keep giving myself time to take the decision to analyse all these things that keep changing. without giving you too many clues here.

Q: Okay, just a quick one on car performance here at Spa. It seemed that the car was performing better in Hungary. Do you think that will translate to this circuit as well?

CS: Completely different circuit to Hungary. I think Hungary is somewhere closer to, for example, Barcelona in terms of the downforce and the corner speeds. But yeah, I think now Spa is going back a bit more towards Silverstone kind of track. And last time we were in Silverstone, we struggled as a team. So yeah, encouraged to see the progress in Hungary, or we were a little bit quicker in Hungary, especially in the race. But let's see how we are in Spa and if we can keep trying to get closer to the, I would call them now top two teams, because it's clear that McLaren and Red Bull, when they switch it on, they have three or four tenths advantage over us.

Q: OK, best of luck this weekend. Thank you for that. Kevin, let's move to you. You have a pretty efficient car. So are you confident coming to Spa?

Kevin MAGNUSSEN: I don't know about confident, but I'm looking forward to this track, given the nature of the car and the strengths that we've had this year. I think this track looks, on paper, pretty good for us. But as Daniel said, the midfield is so tight these days that it's super unpredictable where you're going to be. We've had races where we didn't think we were going to be good, and then we ended up being pretty good. Yeah, I think you can't take anything for granted right now. So just going in with an open mind again and try to do a good weekend.

Q: Kevin, when you look back on the opening half of this season, how do you sum it up? Because the car does seem to be good one weekend, not so good the next. Why do you feel it's been so unpredictable from race to race?

KM: Well, I think we're still not consistent enough, but from last year, we improved consistency. Last year, especially in qualifying, we were able to be good, but every time on Sunday, we'd just fall to pieces. And I think we've changed that situation so that it's actually almost the opposite now. we look better in the race than we do in qualifying often. And certainly on Sunday, we're a lot more consistent. But again, with the field so tight together, it only takes a small little mishap and you're qualifying far off your optimal position. And that's been a big driver to the inconsistency this year, I think.

Q: Kevin, final one from me. 2025: you've made it very clear that you want to stay in Formula 1. There are, of course, still lots of opportunities in Formula 1 next year. But if that doesn't happen for you, where else are you looking? Are we looking at the FIA World Endurance Championship? Are you looking at IndyCar or all of the above?

KM: Yeah, all of the above. I think everything is on the table in that case. So, yeah, it's hard to... I'll see what's available out there and make my mind when I get there. Right now, I'm in Formula 1 and there's still a couple of seats open for next year that I'd like to see where all that ends up and then look at things afterwards.

Q: Okay, best of luck with that. Thank you. Lance, coming to you now. We were talking about consistency with the Haas and you've scored points in the last two races. So does that point to you finding some consistency with the Aston now?

Lance STROLL: Yeah, I mean, I think we improved the car a little bit the last few races for sure. Hungary wasn't our most competitive event. I think we were a bit better in Silverstone. I think we're better on the longer straights. So I'm hoping we can be good this weekend.

Q: I was going to say, does that translate to Spa? Are you as confident as you can be coming into a Grand Prix weekend?

LS: Yeah, for sure. I'm looking forward to it. It's a great track. It's a place I always enjoy coming back to. And yeah, we've been quick on the straights this year, so hoping we can have a strong weekend.

Q: And Lance, both you and Fernando have spoken about unpredictability with the car. What are your goals for the second half of this year? What do you want to see happen in the team?

LS: I just think we, you know, we’ve got to keep working on the car, making it better, putting on downforce, you know, working on the balance, just the usual things. So, yeah, just keep chipping away every week.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Nelson Valkenburg – Viaplay) A questions for all. Given Lando's race last week, if you would have been in his position, what would you have done at the end of the race?

LS: Difficult one.

Q: That means...

LS: Difficult one.

Q: Kevin?

KM: I mean, it depends on the situation, but it would have certainly been tempting to hold on to it. But, you know, it totally depends on where you are with the team and what sort of history there is behind as well, I guess.

Q: Carlos, you've got some history with Lando?

CS: Not that kind of history, for sure. We were not fighting for easy one-twos at my time in McLaren. A team order is a team order. And I think the team always comes first. It's been that way, the way I've approached my Formula 1 career over these last 19 years. And yeah, a team order, as much as it hurts, and it must have hurt to have let Oscar by, it's a team order. And yeah, analysing the situation, if they give you an undercut for free on your team-mate, most likely than not, you need to let your team-mate by. Because if not, you wouldn't be in front of him if it wasn't for that undercut.

DR: Thank you. Daniel?

DR: Yeah. I mean, I agree. I think these things come around. I think the advice he was given was also good. Because in the heat of the moment, you don't kind of see it all, so to speak. It's like you see a win in front of you, and that's it. You know, they're talking about the championship and we win as a team and you might need Oscar's help and this and that. And I think that's kind of the perspective sometimes you need, I guess, in the heat of the moment. And yeah, that's a thing. Also, as Carlos said, it's a team game and you do need the team to help you. And there'll be times where, again, it comes around and it'll work in his favour. As much as you don't want to hear it, of course, at times, and yeah, we're all here to win. I think long-term play, it's definitely the smartest one.

Q: Valtteri, you've been in this exact situation.

VB: I've been there, mate. Yeah, it's...

DR: Russia, 2018?

VB: There were a few. You know, I think everything's been pretty much mentioned already and agreed that there's certain rules, depends on the team, depends on the situation, but normally it comes back to you. So obviously I would give the place back because I'm an amazing team player.

Q: Any regrets?

VB: No. In my whole life, no regrets.

Q: (Craig Slater – Sky Sports) I just want to pick up on that with the two ex-McLaren drivers, Carlos and Daniel. I mean, if they end up losing the championship by seven points, the driver's championship, won't that be seen as a mistake? And they are facing accusations of not being ruthless enough to win? Is that a kind of naive viewpoint, do you think, based on the way things are?

DR: It's hard because I think, you know, if in that case, obviously we're talking about Lando and Oscar here. So in the case of Lando staying in front and then it fractures the relationship, not only with the team, but then with your team-mate and Oscar, you know, there's not three races to go. There is still half a season to go. Yeah, I just think with that and looking ahead at the rest of the season, yeah, there will be times where Lando might need to lean on Oscar. And if you fracture that still with a half a season to go, I think that's where it becomes difficult. So, yeah, look, maybe me as a young kid in Formula 1 would have thought very different about this. But I think with age and a little bit of experience and wisdom, I think this is the way you have to look at it.

CS: Yeah, I personally think you guys are being very tough on McLaren. I think if you see where McLaren were a year and a half ago and where they are right now, it's something to admire and something that only them have achieved with the way that they've developed the car, developed the team and put themselves in a position to even be considering fighting for the championship. Whether they will win it or not by seven points, those seven points might be somewhere else, not only in the event of Hungary, might be because they started the season further behind maybe than what they wanted and not in that exact race from Hungary. Personally, I admire a lot Andrea Stella, the way that he's handling the team, the way he's handling every situation, how calm everything looks in McLaren, even if you guys are pushing them to fight for bigger things. But I think they are in the right trend and right now they are the strongest team in Formula 1, so hats off to them.

Q: (Rachel Brookes – Sky Sports) This is for all of you, except Daniel, because you've already answered it. So not predictable. I want to hear from you all how you assess your first half of this season and what you're looking to improve on, whether it's you or the car in the second half of the season, please.

LS: Yeah, the usual stuff, you know, some good races, some disappointing ones. And yeah, you know, for the second half of the season, just trying to build on the first half, get more competitive as a team, try and score points week in, week out. So just keep pushing to the last race.

KM: I think coming into this year we thought we were going to be the last team on the grid and we haven't been. so I think it's been a positive surprise. There's always, when you look back at this stuff, things you could have done better but I think everyone can say that, so I feel like we've had a good first half of the season. The second half I think with the couple of upgrades we've had this year, they've actually worked. And it's the first time in Haas' history that we brought upgrades to the car that made it faster. So that's a real step forward there already. So hopefully we can keep that going. I don't know. We're on a good trend, I think. So hopefully we can just keep that going.

CS: Yeah, I guess on a personal level, it's been a season full of ups and downs, as I think anyone here can say, but some very good ups at the beginning with a competitive car that was allowing me to fight for a lot of podiums, a race win, and I truly enjoyed that. And I wish we can get ourselves back in that position as soon as possible. On the personal side, it hasn't been easy having to deal with, first of all, having to miss a race, but mainly with all the discussions about my future going on in the background. I've said many times it's not ideal for any athlete sitting here right now to perform at the highest level of their life without knowing where you're going to be next year. Yeah, I do believe there's still potential inside me, whether… If I take this out of my head, but given the circumstances, I think I've been performing at a good level with everything that's been going on. And I'm still enjoying myself every weekend and trying to be grateful and appreciative of the position that I'm in and just trying to nail every weekend and go into each race like it's the last and in the meantime having to handle everything behind the scenes about my future. VB: it's been challenging year for us it's. we still haven't scored a single point which wasn't the target going into the season. So we wanted to see an upwards trajectory, what's the word? Yeah, trend in the performance from last year. And it hasn't happened. And we started the season with not that easy car to set up. And even by the pure pace, we were not quite there. We've made some improvement since, but more like baby steps instead of big jumps, unlike some other teams around us. So we definitely have a clear direction. for the second half where we need to improve the car, but that's just now what we need to do. We need to make it faster. And a lot of that obviously comes from nowadays from the wind tunnel and the design office, et cetera. But yeah, about my performance, I've been happy and my job for the remaining of the season remains to extract everything I can off the package every single weekend. That's my job.

Q: (Moritz Steidl – Servus TV) Daniel, you've been linked to Red Bull Racing last year as a reserve driver, and you did a lot of marketing stuff. How strong is this bond, and how much of communication flow is still going on? that might help you also to drive for them sooner or later?

DR: Yeah, I mean, I still speak with Christian and Helmut on that side still quite a lot. And yeah, I mean, a lot still goes through them, honestly. So that's that. I mean, other parts of the team? Not really, because obviously I'm here and I focus on this stuff here with my team and my engineers and everything. Obviously, last year I was exposed t,… I was inside the driver's meetings, like the post-session debriefs, and asking all the engineers some questions and whatever, but clearly that's not the case now. But yeah, the Christian and Helmut side still, and It's good to see them after a good result. Helmut still is, he’ll let you know when the result's not good, but yeah, I definitely feel happy being back in that and under that kind of microscope, if you will, and in that environment with a little bit of that pressure, it's fun. But yeah, that's probably the best way I can answer it.

Q: (Roldan Rodriguez – DAZN Spain) A question to Carlos. Some people miss the old days with the lighter car. Nowadays, the last days, we know that the FIA increased the overall weight of the car by two kilos for the next year. I would like to know, how do you evaluate that?

CS: Obviously, two kilos is not a big change. The problem is when you start adding two kilos on top of another two, another two, another two, which I think is where the trend has been in Formula 1 over the last 10 years to keep adding two kilos here, three there, five there, and then the cars have become 800 kilos heavy. In the past, they were around 600. Work is going on, I guess, for ‘26. At the same time, I think this weight has made the cars also safer because there's a lot of impact structure and a lot of work being done on the driver safety, which I'm never going to deny that I want that safety to be as high as possible. But anything that we can do to bring the weight back down, I think every driver here will appreciate it. We hope that the FIA and the teams are taking that into consideration when deciding future rules, not only the ‘26 ones.

Q: And Roldan, it's worth mentioning that those two kilos are for driver health in 2025. Alright, any more questions?

Q: (Albert Fabrega – ESPN Latam) Following this matter, have you been in difficulties to accomplish the weight target that the team said to you on the last year? So with these two kilos extras, it's going to be easier for you to reach the targets. Anyone?

CS: Me personally, no. But I did have to be careful with the amount of muscle you put on and the food that you take. But I've always been on the limit of that weight. But I can imagine being a Nico, an Esteban, or who else is tall?

DR: Russell.

CS: Russell. I wouldn't be very happy if I was 180 something centimetres. So yeah, I understand it's been done probably for the heavier drivers because they were, or the taller drivers, because they were always struggling a bit more than medium size like me.

DR: Yeah, on that as well, it's definitely, they can't help being tall. So it is unfair if they have to kind of dehydrate themselves just to make the weight, so to speak. But even us, if we're not, even reaching that weight it is nice that we have the freedom to yeah be the athletes that we need to be and it's not like ‘oh, we have to watc out, we can't do too much strength training or…’ So, having a little bit of freedom now around our training and uh that's I think that's a big benefit for a lot of us.

Q: (Felix Goerner – RTL Television) Carlos, what will be your best option, your wish for next year's cockpit? Is it Red Bull? Is it Audi? What is your favourite one? And to Daniel, very short: in three words, what do you like in Spa, the track? Three words.

CS: My best option for next year would be a championship-winning car, which has been my number one priority since these talks about my future have happened. And the likelihood of that, we all know that is small, but that's always been my target. And if that doesn't happen, I'll choose what's best for my near future, for sure.

Q: Who's going to win the championship next year?

CS: I need to go and check, see what's out there!

Q: Daniel, three words.

DR: First word, waffles. Second word, Pouhon. And third… Eau Rouge is two, so I have to just...

CS: Raidillon.

DR: Ah, he helped me. Raidillon. Oui.

Q: (Diego Mejia – Fox Sports Mexico) Question to Daniel. You've been working with Max in the past. I think you had a brief chat during the Drivers’ Parade in Hungary. Were you surprised to see him come so publicly against or strong against the team during the race on the radio?

DR: So I heard the in-race radio stuff. I didn't hear any TV pen or post-race stuff, so I don't know if that continued. But yeah, I heard, let's say, the little conversations between him and GP. Look, sometimes it's hard to explain why we… Okay, I’ll put myself in this position. Some races I'm super calm and other races I'm agitated and everything frustrates me and annoys me. So sometimes our actions or the way we feel is not always predictable. Yeah, I mean, I don't probably have enough… I mean, the context is, you know… I think there was one where GP said something about bringing the tyres in. Obviously, Max didn't. He just probably pushed straight away. And that's, you know, I would say that's coming from a place of frustration. So something leading up to that has probably made him just be like, I don't care anymore. I'm just going to push and see what happens. So obviously, it's probably built up frustration through the race. But yeah, it happens. I don't know. I don't really know how to answer it. Yeah, going back and forth, having conversations through the race, yeah, it's probably not ideal, but yeah, I guess we've all been there at times where you, you know… For me, the race was frustrating on Sunday. For whatever reason, I chose silence to let that do the talking. And, okay, on the in-lap, then I said a bit more, but in a way I just couldn't be bothered chatting about it through the race because for me, like what was done was done. So any talk I had kind of felt a bit hopeless or helpless. So that was my way of handling my frustration in that race. So it can vary. It's race-to-race dependent, I guess. It's a hot and sometimes very flustered environment in the cockpit.

Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) Question for Carlos. You've said publicly that you're frustrated by people asking you where you're going and when you're going, and the whole thing was caused by Lewis saying before the beginning of the season that he was leaving. You will obviously take your time in deciding where the right team is, but if you don't get the right offer, is there any chance that you would consider a year out and a sabbatical?

CS: Absolutely no, sabbatical is not even in my head. I'm happy in Formula 1, I love Formula 1 and I would rather go down to a midfield team and use my skill, in the peak of my career, to try and help a midfield team to find the right way than taking a year off or being third driver for anyone, you know. I’m competitive and I know I can still bring to a midfield team that side of me.

Q: (Jake Boxall-Legge – Autosport) A question for Valtteri, please. We've spoken a lot about your team's kind of future movements, Andreas and Oliver leaving, Mattia coming in. We put this to your team-mate earlier, and he suggested that perhaps all of the discussion over the future, all of the investment into the future was kind of detracting from the here and now, and this is where the team is having problems. Is that a sentiment you agree with, or is it a little bit reductive from that standpoint?

VB: Well, definitely the last year or two, it's not been really stable. We've not being really super stable as a team because there's been lots of people leaving, lots of people joining. Now another change in the leadership. So for sure that doesn't help the here and now moment. And even the previous shake-up, it was made for the future and more like for long term. But with the change again, yeah, I think if we've had the same, let's say, leadership and so on for the last few years and that stability, then maybe there's more time to focus on the issues and solving them. But yeah, this team, to me, it's been pretty clear that all the decisions in the last year or two has been made to be competitive from ‘26. I know it's not ideal in some cases, and like for me, unfortunately, many times fighting towards the back end, but like I said earlier, my job is still to do the very best I can and at the same time push the team and contribute the best I can. That's all I can do at the moment.

Q: (Christoffer Linden – Vasabladet) Valtteri, to follow up on that, has it ever felt like it's like two separate teams within the team or is it still a unified team?

VB: I wouldn't say that it feels like two separate teams. Obviously, yeah, there has been a change again and now everyone needs to get to know Mattia better. And yeah, looking forward to actually start working with him. But no, it still feels like one team. But yeah, for sure, like I said, it's not been super stable lately. But hopefully from now on, things will be a bit more stable and there's a clear direction.

Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Daniel, a question for you. Talking to Christian and Helmut, what impression have you got from them about the possibility of you returning to Red Bull Racing in the near future? And for you and your hunger, when you rejoined the grid about 12 months ago, that was the ultimate target, to get back to that team. How much has it spurred you on that? it now looks like that door might be open for you again?

DR: Yeah. I mean, I know that it's… I don't want to say you're as good as your last race, but there is, like, when it comes to these moments, these races are more critical than any other. So as I said, coming into Budapest, and this wasn't anything I'd heard from them, but even just myself, just telling myself, ‘look, these could be two very, very important races in my career and just leave it all out there and do everything I can’. Because look, obviously going up, that's, as I said last year, that's like my goal. I'd love to return, but you know, there's also talks that will I even be here? So it's like, there is so much to kind of fight for. And yeah, I think for that, I just really made a point to every race you prepare. And of course, you do what you can. But I just made a point for these two coming up that, yeah, leave it all out there. And that's that. So yeah. We'll see.

Q: (Dan Lawrence – Motorsport Monday) Question for Daniel. You've been back at Team Fienza for about 12 months or so now. Obviously, you were there a long time before that, as Toro Rosso, where it was very much a junior team. But we're now over half a year into the sort of rebrand as Visa Cash App RB, where it's trying to form its own identity, be more than just a junior team. So how have you really seen that develop? And how would you compare the leadership? from Franz Tost to now Peter and Laurent?

DR: Yeah, it does feel different, you know, and I think it's easy to kind of rebrand it and say we’ve got a new look and with this and that, but your actions have to follow. And I think, you know, Laurent, Peter, Alan, a lot of guys that have come in have done that, you know. It's not that what was happening in the past with Franz, in that example, wasn't the right thing, but a change sometimes is good. You bring in new ideas. They've all spent time in other teams, organisations. And yeah, it's just a new way of looking at things. And I think that in itself and their intentions and the way they go about it has made people kind of stand up and say, alright, this isn't a junior team anymore. We're making, kind of, big boy decisions and we're taking risks and we're setting targets and high targets and ones that we realistically think that we can attain. So, it's cool. It's cool to see it. I'm probably too, in a way, like honest in myself that if it felt like a junior team still, I wouldn't feel comfortable here. I'm 35 now. So, I think I would feel a bit out of place. And I certainly don't. So I think that's also a good way to probably comprehend it.

Q: (Ivo Pakvis – Panorama) Question to Carlos and Daniel. Are you both surprised at the level of success McLaren is currently having? Or were those factors contributing to that success already visible when you were driving there?

DR: I mean, I won a race there, so I don't know what you're talking about! I had heaps of success there. Oh, it's hard. Obviously, most of my time there was a bit more of a struggle or a challenge. So, look, did I predict this? I'm not going to say yes, because I don't think I did. So I guess from that point of view, it is a bit of a surprise that in two years, less than two years, they are probably currently the quickest package on the grid. But I also don't look at that like, ‘oh man, like if only I could have had that’. That's the sport, that's how it is. And I think as Carlos said before, you take your hat off to them. Anyone in this sport that's doing well and developing and making such a big step in a short amount of time, you have to compliment that.

CS: Yeah, I wouldn't say I would have ever predicted it. I think when I left McLaren four years ago, I did have the feeling the team was going in the right way and it was a very good place to be and I enjoyed my time there. So, when I left, I left with a feeling that it was more maybe a matter of time – it was going to take them two years, four years, six years to be McLaren again, which we all know how much success they've had in history. But I do feel they were the right people at the time to lead that team towards the front of the field again. And yeah, it took three to four years since I left. And especially this last year, I think, is when they've shown the real strength and the big steps, which have come in a very short amount of time, but very, very big. And as Daniel said, hats off to them.

Q: (Ian Parkes – New York Times) Question for you, Valtteri. Speaking with Zhou earlier, he stated that Mattia's arrival offered him a reset with regard to his discussions over his future, bearing in mind he'd been previously having those talks with Oliver and Andreas. Is it the same position for you? And additionally, how much are you still waiting for Carlos to your right to still uncork that bottle?

VB: I've got a bottle opener in my back pocket, so... No, joking aside, it is going to reset a bit the talks, because we have previously been in communication with Andreas and Oliver, and now it's Mattia, who just will officially start next week, I believe. So yeah, for sure that will change some things, so we need to… We need to speak. And yeah, I think the big part of the remaining driver market is waiting for Carlos' move. That's no lie. But also not completely relying on that. It's a bit of a complicated situation, but let's see. I'm sure the cork will pop at some point.

Q: (Carlos Miguel – Marca) A question for Carlos. It's service information. Can we go on holidays calm and quiet without surprises about your future? Or we can stay with the telephone in the middle of August?

CS: Do you honestly think I'm going to answer that question? After all this time, I'm now going to tell you if I'm going to decide tomorrow or in five days or before the summer break? I cannot honestly give you the answer, and I cannot answer that question. It's as simple as that. I don't know. I don't know if it's going to be before or after the summer break. I don't know.