FIA Wednesday press conference – Las Vegas

PART ONE – Kevin MAGNUSSEN (Haas), George RUSSELL (Mercedes), Esteban OCON (Alpine)

Q: Esteban, let's start with you, and good to see you. Let's reflect back just a few weeks, first of all. Sensational result, both for you and the team at Interlagos. Would you say that is one of your best races in Formula 1?

Esteban OCON: Thank you. Yeah, it's been a fun race, definitely. An unexpected one, that's for sure. Looking at our dry pace, that's not where we were at all. But when the rain came, it definitely opened up opportunities. Yeah, I mean, I felt good in those conditions. It reminded me a little bit of 2016, you know, at the time where I was fighting for a point with the Manor. And yeah, we were leading the race for a while, which felt good, definitely. And yeah, I think it's been a very nice one because it spiced things up for our end of season. Now that we can be, you know, fighting near the other teams. teams, you know, in the Constructors’ Championship. So it's going to be a big fight, which is a lot more entertaining for us. And yeah, it brings up, you know, fun and joy for all the people around the factory.

Q: It probably won't be wet here in Las Vegas this weekend, but it will be cold. Does the performance in Brazil give you some hope coming into the weekend?

EO: Well, I think we need to keep the foot to the ground. That's going to be very important. I don't think we are going to be able to fight for podiums and almost wins like in Brazil. But last year here, we finished fourth, which was also a very strong race. But yeah, this year would be much more difficult with the car pace we have in the dry. So, yeah, we need to do the best we can, take all the opportunities that there is, and hopefully it will be a positive one for us.

Q: Now, you alluded to the battle in the Constructors' Championship. You're sitting in sixth at the moment. The battle for the rest of the season is partly with the team you're moving to next year. What's the mood in the camp? How confident is the team of retaining sixth?

EO: I can only talk for myself here. I'm not very confident, to be fair, at the moment. Looking at you know our dry pace, we've improved recently, getting some updates to the car. It's been getting better, but as I said it can flip completely from one side to another, having a decent result and these races are usually when the opportunities arrive. So we need to be on top of that if something happens to be able to score some points and close the season that way.

Q: Esteban, thank you very much. Kevin, can I come to you now and start by talking about that battle in the Constructors' Championship? What's the mood at Haas? How confident are you guys?

Kevin MAGNUSSEN: Well, you can't be confident at all. You know, we were not even thinking about Alpine, really, in that battle, and then suddenly they're ahead of us. So I think we feel like we're in a good place with the car. And recently we've kind of consistently been in the run for points. Now that Aston Martin are struggling, there's actually some points available at each race. So, it's exciting. I mean, we're now three teams for that P6, which, for the teams mean a lot. You know, whether you finish eighth or sixth, it's a big thing. And yeah, for a driver, of course, it's not like something you put on your CV, but it just means so much for everyone that it's worth fighting for.

Q: Can we talk about the performance of the car? Because the upgrade that the team brought to Austin seems to have transformed your season. What's changed?

KM: I just think the upgrades that we've had this year have been good in all areas. It's just made the car slightly faster over one lap, a little bit easier to drive, and better on the tyres. It's just kind of given the car a bit of a broader window every time we put something on. So that's been a really good job from the team. It's been kind of the headline for this year, I think. If you look at what we've improved the most it’s how we've been able to develop the car through the season, whereas most other years or basically all other years, we've not been able to do that. We've, I think, had a good car to begin with because when the whole team is kind of available over the winter. They've been doing a good job, but over the season, not so much. So that's really a big step forward to see the improvements we've been able to make.

Q: You say the car is easier to drive, but where has it come alive for you specifically?

KM: I think it's… Obviously you put more downforce, you go quicker, but also I think when you make the car more predictable, that gives a lot of lap time too, and especially on the tyres, it helps a lot when, you know, you're not, it's not as easy to overdrive the car when the window and, you know, the balance is more consistent. So that's just been a help and something that’s been nice to see.

Q: And Kevin, how hungry are you to get back in the car this weekend after missing Interlagos, your second miss in only five races?

KM: You make it sound like that's not a lot! It's a lot. I mean, yeah, it's been strange to... I've watched Formula 1 on television too much recently, and yeah, it's going to be nice to be back, hopefully, in the race.

Q: Well, good luck this weekend. Thank you, Kevin. George, let's come to you now. Brazil last time out seemed like a missed opportunity for you and Mercedes. What lessons were learned?

George RUSSELL: Yeah, it definitely felt like a missed opportunity. I think having reviewed the race, you recognise how quickly things can change. We made the pit stop, which with the perfect benefit of hindsight, that was incorrect. But had that Virtual Safety Car stayed for 10 seconds longer or 15 seconds longer, it would have been absolutely the right thing to do. So it just shows how quickly an external decision can change your race and how you need to be very quick to adapt to that. And we kind of were a little bit too focused on that pit stop and not actually seeing that a car that was beached on the road was being pushed off and the VSC was ending.

Q: And how much encouragement do you take from the pace of the car in Brazil, the front-row start? I mean, you've had a stack of points finishes since the summer break, but how close are you to having a race-winning car again?

GR: Brazil was definitely a bit of a one-off, I think. When it rains, it presents opportunities. And for ourself, it was an opportunity. For everyone at Alpine, it was a huge opportunity, which they capitalised. And I think we need to look back to the Sprint qualifying and the Sprint race for a bit of a fairer picture of where we are. And that was behind the front four teams.

Q: George, final one. When you look at this season as a whole, look at the races you've won, but look at also the frustrations as well. How will you review the season?

GR: I think now we've done almost a full season, we totally understand why the car is so up and down. It has just such a narrow window and when we can set the car up in a way that we exploit that window, we have a race-winning car. But when you go to different circuits and you have to change where you position the set-up, we totally fall outside of our working window. So It's obviously frustrating when you know the car has that potential. But I think for everyone, you have these fluctuations in performance. We've done a good job to capitalise on races that we did, had the pole positions when the car was capable of pole positions. And ultimately, we just need to make a more consistent car over the course of 24 races.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) George, to you and with your GPDA hat on, please. In between the last race and this, the FIA have dispensed with the services of Niels Wittich, the Race Director. Is this something that the GPDA were aware of before it happened? Are you concerned that there are three races to go and we now have a new Race Director, especially coming in to a street race like Las Vegas, which we saw last year, can have a whole load of unforeseen problems?

GR: Yeah, we definitely weren't aware. It was a bit of a surprise, I think, for everybody. And, you know, it's a hell of a lot of pressure now onto the new race director. Just three races left. So I think for us... Often as drivers, we probably feel like we're the last to find out this sort of information. And when it involves us kind of directly, it would be nice to be kept in the loop and just have an understanding of what decisions are being made. So, yeah, time will tell. I'm sure the new guy will handle the position just fine, but definitely not an easy race for a new race director.

Q: (Nelson Valkenburg – Viaplay) Also for George, but I'd love for you both to chime in as well. Last week, a pointed statement from the GPDA towards the FIA and especially towards the President. The tone seemed stronger than I expected. Does that reflect the mood in the field of drivers as well?

GR: I mean, talking as a fellow driver as opposed to sort of my role with the GPDA, I think everybody felt with certain things that have happened over the course of this year that we wanted to sort of stand united. At the end of the day, we just want to be transparent with the FIA and have this dialogue that is happening, and I think the departure of Niels is also a prime example of not being a part of these conversations. And ultimately, we only we want to work with the FIA to make the best for the sport that we all love. So, I think it's kind of us now putting the pressure back on them to work with us and work with everyone, including F1 as well, just to maximise this opportunity, which Formula 1 is in at the moment, which is, you know, an amazing time to be a part of.

Q: (Roldán Rodríguez – DAZN Spain) A question to Kevin. This year is arriving to the end and most probably you're not going to be next season in Formula 1. Are you having special feelings at this moment of the year?

KM: No, I don't think so. I mean, for myself, I've been in this situation twice before, so it's kind of the third time that I feel like this is going to be the last race. So I just know that you never know. So, it's kind of fine in a way. I don't really think about it. Next year I'm not going to be in Formula 1, that's pretty clear, but I've learned over the years and with my experiences from one that every race you do, you just have to enjoy it. And, you know, yeah, well, as long as it lasts, enjoy it. So that's my plan.

Q: Kevin, you and the team have been quoted as saying, you know what you want to happen for 2025. Can you shed any light on what you might be doing with regards to Haas?

KM: I don't know. I can't remember saying exactly that, but I think we have been clear that we want to work together in some capacity and I think that's... We are talking about how we could do that, of course. A little bit it's come from Ayao and I'm open to hear what he is thinking and see if I can be helpful in any way.

Q: (Nelson Valkenburg – Viaplay) The Formula 1 launch party for next year has been announced. Max has been quite vocal about his feelings of having another event he has to attend to. Is anybody else calling in sick for next year in the O2?

EO: To be fair, as a fan of the sport, honestly, it’s a pain to be watching every day a new livery, and sometimes you are missing it because you are doing something else and you see it in different times. I think at least we have one day where we see all the cars, which as a fan of the sport, I'm excited for that. Of course, it's one more event for us, which is not ideal in that period because it's going to be very busy. We need to prepare. We need to be fully trained before we get into the season, etc. But I think it's much better organised than how it was before, especially when, you know, two teams were having the launch at the same day and it wasn't properly organised. So, yeah, I'm actually looking forward to it.

GR: Yeah, I agree with Esteban, to be fair.

Q: (Diego Mejia – Fox Sports) Question to George. I think that the GPDA created an Instagram account to publish this letter. Is there going to be a different way of… Was there a need to make things more public now from the GPDA side when creating this more public forum?

GR: Yeah, well, I think times are changing and the fans are a huge part of this sport. And I think if we're talking about openness and transparency and including everybody in this for the greater good, then having it on a social media platform makes perfect sense.

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports) Sorry, George, GPDA public forum, this one. Did you and the GPDA think that the Race Director needed replacing?

GR: I mean, I can only talk on behalf of myself here as opposed to any of the other drivers, but I think there's no secret that some were not happy with what was going on in terms of the decisions that were being made, but at the end of the day, I think if you worked together with us, that we could have helped improve the matter. And I think sometimes just hiring and firing is not the solution. You kind of need to work together to improve the problem. So, let's see what this new era is going to bring, but every time there is a change, you have to take one step back before you make the two steps forwards.

Q: (Jenna Fryer – Associated Press) George, were you guys blindsided by this or have any idea that it was coming or under consideration, that a change in Race Director was coming?

GR: No, no idea whatsoever. So, yeah, as I said, it was a bit of a bit of surprise.

Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) George, has there been any response from the FIA or the FIA president to what the GPDA put out?

GR: No. Not at the moment, which I'm a little bit surprised about, to be fair. But maybe there'll be something to come. Who knows?

Q: (Ben Hunt – Autosport) It's obviously very disappointing to learn from you that there's no transparency at all from the FIA. Was there any response about where the money's going from for all these fines and all that sort of stuff? Because that's another key element which we would quite like to know as well.

GR: No, I think ultimately for us, when we were hearing from the FIA a couple of years ago, when it came to the Presidential elections, they were talking about transparency, talking about where the money is going to be reinvested into grassroots racing, which we're all in favour for. And of course, when it comes to some of these large fines, there's a number of drivers on the grid who can comfortably afford these fines. There's maybe some rookies on the grid that if they're handed a $1 million fine, you know, they can't afford this. But if we know where that's being sort of reinvested and if it's going into grassroots or into some training programs, then we get it. As I said, I think we just want the transparency and understanding of what was promised from the beginning.

Q: (Kevin Scheuren – Motorsport-total.com) A question to George as well on that topic. Isn't it a bad sign that you need to open up a social media account to make your voices heard as a collective? Because it sometimes seems, looking from the outside, that the individual, if the individual has an opinion on stuff, he faces repercussions. Now you have to work as a collective. Are you more or less a pawn in this game? Do you drivers feel sometimes more or less as a pawn in this game, not taken serious?

GR: I think we've probably learned from the past that whenever we have spoken up, let's say internally, it hasn't gone anywhere. And as I said, as drivers, we only want the best for the sport. We want to improve it, especially on safety grounds, but whenever it comes to, you know, decisions in the race, we only want to help. And it's been a couple of years now that not much has changed when we have sort of given some views forward. And I guess we all wanted to show that we are collectively united. And maybe that will show how seriously we feel as a whole on the subject.

Q: (Dan Lawrence – Motorsport Monday) Question for Esteban. Alpine Academy driver Abbi Pulling next week, she's on the verge of winning the F1 Academy title. How impressed have you been with her season overall, her consistency and her performances?

EO: Yeah, super impressed about Abbi's season. You know, especially how she's improved over the time she's been driving in single-seaters. She's really been working super well. You know, she's one of those drivers that trains super hard, stays with the team. She's really involved into listening to us in Formula 1. We get feedback as well from their driving, when they drive before us at times. And it's always very valid, the information we get. And, yeah, I mean, she's been super impressive in what she's done. And I hope that she can, you know, wrap up the title this year.

Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC Sport) George, it's been seven years since the GPDA had put out a public statement of this kind about something they were concerned about. What level of confidence do the drivers have in the leadership of the FIA at the moment?

GR: I mean, I'm not too sure to be honest. We recognise everybody's working as hard as they can to do the best job possible. There is obviously a huge amount of change within the FIA quite regularly, so it's clearly not the most stable of places. And maybe that's why it's been a bit challenging to get some of the changes that we've wanted implemented. Of course, everyone has their own side to their own story. But as I said, I think if we feel that we're being listened to and some of the changes that we are experiencing, requesting, are implemented, because ultimately we're only doing it for the benefit of the sport, then maybe our confidence will increase. But yeah, I think there's a number of drivers who feel probably a bit fed up with the whole situation. And it only seems to be going in, to a degree, the wrong direction.

Q: (Jordan Bianchi – The Athletic) For all three drivers: you returned to Vegas this year. A year ago, there was a lot of hype and excitement about this race. I'm curious, now that you come back here for a second time, what's the atmosphere like that you guys have kind of experienced so far? Kevin, let's start with you.

KM: Well, it's Wednesday, so you know, usually the kind of atmosphere builds up over the weekend. But, yeah, it's been obviously just a normal Thursday, but on a Wednesday.

GR: Yeah, I mean, it definitely feels strange, this Grand Prix, just living in the night. And like Kevin says, the atmosphere builds up during the course of the weekend. So, yeah, let's see how it goes.

EO: Yeah, it's a weekend that I've discovered, obviously, last year, like all of us, but I didn't really know what to expect. But as a racing track, being able to race, overtake, I think it provides really interesting challenges and you have to race on it. I think it's really fun. The atmosphere is a different part. We had some build up last year. to it. But yeah, I do enjoy the venue and I do enjoy racing around the street.

Q: (Anna Cordera – Momentum Racing) George, I'd like to ask you, you've been racing with Lewis for almost three years. What do you think is going to be different now you being the veteran of the team racing with Kimi, regarding the development of the car?

GR: Yeah, I mean, ultimately, for most F1 teams, you have near on 1,000 people who are working towards building these two cars, yet you only have two drivers driving it. So, I think, let's say, in Lewis, in my case, it was never that Lewis had a stronger voice. The team listened to us both equally because both of our opinions were extremely important. And the same going into next year. You know, Kimi's new. He's fresh. And I'm sure he's going to have a lot of great ideas to bring to the table. So, you know, I am the more experienced of the two, but we will both get equal voices the same way, and we will both equally contribute towards the development the same way as it was with Lewis and I.

Q: (Ian Parkes – New York Times) Sorry, another question to you, George. George, is it that difficult to try and get a sit-down face-to-face meeting with the President of the FIA to discuss all these issues, that you have to go down the route that you did with that message?

GR: It's definitely not difficult to get a sit down, but I think getting things to change or getting promises upheld seems slightly more challenging. So, it's maybe the FIA or the president didn't recognise how seriously we all felt. So I think that's why over the course of 20 races this year and also even last year we spoke about a number of topics, all of the drivers, we all feel pretty similar. We all know what we want from the sport and the direction it's been heading and we probably feel that we want to do a small U-turn on a number of topics and just want to work together with the FIA on this. And that's just what we've felt has not been happening at all, at least directly from the President.

Q: (Filip Cleeren – Motorsport.com) If I can give George a break and ask Kevin and Esteban about Niels leaving. How concerned are you guys that you get a new race director with three races left to run? And as you all said, not everybody's always happy with the decisions, but it is a difficult job. So how happy were you guys with how Neil's got on with the job?

KM: I think it's… I don't know if it's a big concern as such. I think it’s a tough job and you know it's something… It's a job that requires experience and to be honest I don't know how experienced the new guy is. I know he's come from F2 and F3, so he must have some experience. Hopefully he's going to be fine. I think we all, certainly I do, tend to compare to the Charlie Whiting days that certainly for us drivers, he was someone that we felt really connected to and always felt like we were being listened to, whereas now it sort of seems like it's a lot of us against them almost and it should definitely be more of a cooperation and a closer connection between us and them because we can help each other a lot. So hopefully the new guy will sort of help go in that direction.

EO: Yeah, I mean, as George said before, I think it's definitely not an easy race to start in, around here, you know, as a street circuit. But I think Rui, he came from Macau just now, so it's probably a tougher circuit than here, definitely. And yeah, looking forward to meet him and have good chats at the drivers meeting with him and seeing how he works. I'm sure we are going to be talking a lot on how he does things, what ideas he has on, very important topics to us like track limits, kerbs, etc. Everybody has his way of doing things. And yeah, we need to obviously communicate well in terms of what we feel is very important going forward.

PART TWO – Valtteri BOTTAS (Kick Sauber), Liam LAWSON (RB), Lando NORRIS (McLaren)

Q: Valtteri, let's start with you. And can we start by talking about the news that broke soon after the last race, that you won't be staying with Sauber in 2025? Did it come as a surprise to you?

Valtteri BOTTAS: I think, you know, the closer we're getting to that date, I did definitely figure out that there was other drivers as candidates as well. And of course, you start to hear rumours. So then in the end, I still thought it's maybe 50-50 chance. And yeah, I got the call on Monday. But yeah, at least I know now. I just need to figure out what's next.

Q: Have you come to terms with the decision?

VB: Yeah, absolutely. You know, life goes on. There's lots of exciting things ahead. And yeah, I'm fine with it. It's a tricky sport. You know, I think I got into a bit unlucky situation, in terms of hanging on to the last seat on the grid. And when that doesn't happen, then obviously you're out for now.

Q: Just out of interest, were there options earlier this year that you could have taken?

VB: I was talking to lots of people earlier because obviously by the end of your contract year you want to figure out but nothing went further and I still always showed my interest for the Audi project. but it just wasn't meant to be and like I said, a bit unlucky.

Q: Okay well let's discuss what's next. First of all is the tattoo real?

VB: What is next? That's the big question in life. But yeah, of course it is real. I wouldn't take fake tattoos.

Q: Alright. Well, on the topic of what's next, how much do you want to stay involved in Formula 1?

VB: The way my active F1 driving career ended for now, it wasn't the best way that you can't really decide yourself. I feel like still I have lots to give for the sport and I still love it. I love the racing against the best drivers in the world, in the best cars in the world. That's what I love. So I'm just trying to figure out now what is the next move. So yeah, I don't really have that much more. I'm taking it day by day. There's some interesting stuff on the table and then we'll see.

Q: Would you look at another series to race in, be it WEC or IndyCar?

VB: For me, at the moment, I feel like jumping into a new category comes quite quick. You know, we're almost in December. So yeah, I think that would be more realistic that if I didn't find a seat in F1 during ‘25 or for ‘26, then probably would be from ‘26. But it's all these things that I need to kind of try and plan. But the picture is starting to form in my head what is the ideal situation.

Q: And looking shorter term, we've got three races left this year. What do you want to achieve in those three races?

VB: Do my best, as always. I always give it my all. We still haven't scored as a team this year, so of course scoring would be good. I think here we, probably Vegas on paper, we have the best chance in the remaining three races. But yeah, I'll do my thing, give it all I have. That's all.

Q: Valtteri, good luck these last three races. Good luck in the future as well. Liam, let's come to you now. Can we throw it back to Brazil first of all? More points for you. How tricky were those conditions for a guy who was only in his eighth Grand Prix?

Liam LAWSON: Yeah, they were definitely tricky. And obviously in hindsight, you know, the decision we made to box was also partly my decision and that probably came with the inexperience. I thought I was going to crash, so I think probably a lot of us thought we were going to crash. It was pretty wet, and obviously that ended up costing us a little bit, but it was still good to finish in the points.

Q: You've never raced here in Las Vegas, just bringing it on to this weekend. What experiences have you had of the circuit in the simulator?

LL: We do the normal simulator prep. Outside of that, I drove a Mustang here last year for a couple laps in Hot Laps. So that's my experience of the track in real life. But, yeah, we do the normal preparations. Obviously, the temperature this weekend is going to be probably the biggest factor. It's very, very cold. So, yeah, I'm sure it's going to be challenging. But I'm excited, you know, to be racing, to be in Vegas. It looks quite cool. I'd like to think that when I go down the Strip that I notice everything, but at the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if I don't. I don't know what it's like for you guys, but yeah, it's exciting.

Q: And what about the pace of the car? Because you're in a fierce battle for P6 in the Constructors' Championship. Valtteri says that it might suit Sauber this weekend? What about VCARB?

LL: Well, honestly, we struggled here last year a lot. So that's obviously not a great start, but at the same time, we've made a lot of changes since then, and we hopefully think we understand a lot more about how to improve the car this weekend. So we're optimistic. I think this sort of temperature changes things up. It makes a lot of differences. So, yeah, I think we're optimistic. Obviously, as you say, we're in a very close fight for P6, and our target is to just try and score some more points this weekend with both cars.

Q: You've had three excellent, brilliant races for the team. Have they given you any steer yet about 2025?

LL: I mean, I have a steer, let's say, but, yeah, obviously the expectation on us is high and the season's not done yet. So as much as there's indication of what they're wanting me to do and what the future holds, I don't have anything confirmed right now. So for me, it's just focusing on these races ahead. This weekend's the most important right now, and then that'll shift to next weekend. So I'll have a clearer picture after the season.

Q: Okay, Liam, best of luck this weekend. Thank you for that. Lando, let's bring it to you. So Liam says it might be a difficult race for VCARB. It wasn't a good race for McLaren last year. How confident are you coming into it this season?

Lando NORRIS: Reasonably, I think. I mean, last year, a lot has changed since last year. So, yeah, not my finest race, that's for sure. But Oscar had a good pace. The car was actually pretty reasonable in the race. Same as what we've been seeing: a good fight between Red Bull, Ferrari, ourselves, Mercedes. That's all I expect.

Q: Now, Brazil ended in disappointment. You took pole position, obviously. What is your mindset, Lando, coming into this Las Vegas Grand Prix?

LN: It's a tough one. Not a lot has changed, honestly. I kind of know the position I'm in now, and probably I have less to lose now. You know, the gap to Max is for the first time, probably when I've looked at the gap myself, and had the realisation of where things stand and I think post-Brazil was a tough one for me because it was the first moment realistically when I'm like it's tough to achieve first position now. We were on such a good run of form, little by little, you know, it's hard to get any big points on Max, because he didn't have any bad races, but I had a tough week, because things just didn't go our way, and my kind of real fight for the championship was slimmed by the biggest margin of almost of the whole year, you know, so a tricky one. But it doesn't change my approach. My approach has been correct. My approach has been the right approach for the last few weekends. I've been performing well. I've been doing a good job. So from my side, I need to not change anything, but I think I can probably just go out and enjoy a little bit more.

Q: And in the Constructors' Championship, McLaren still have a 36-point lead. Where does the momentum lie, do you think? Do you think it's still with you, or do you think Ferrari have now got the momentum?

LN: It's close. I mean, Ferrari have been strong for a long time. They have two very good drivers. They're a very good team. They've clearly improved their car a good amount and found a better direction to head down. And they've become, probably with us, and some races a bit better, some races a little bit behind, some races the same, as a competitor. I think maybe a little bit with them, but we're close. Red Bull are close at the same time. So it's more who can just do a better performance on the weekend. But we do know that Vegas is probably a track that will suit the Ferraris a bit more. It suited them well last year. But Qatar, we know maybe will be more favourable to us again.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Do you need an extra coat, Lando? You look cold.

LN: Yeah, I mean, I always wear coats normally, so...

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Yeah, but you're shivering on there.

LN: Yeah, they didn't pack our normal coat. Yeah, shocking.

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) So, it's that attention to detail that you need to carry forward into next year then. Let's talk about next year. What have you learned this year that will stand you in good stead for the next campaign? We're always looking forward in Formula 1. So what do you take from this year's battles?

LN: That I have what it takes. I think it's the first time in the last six years of Formula 1 when we've had a chance to fight at the front, we've not been able to do that for the last six years. So this is our and my first opportunity to do so, and my first opportunity to see where I stand. And I definitely was not at the level I needed to be at the beginning of the year, and even Miami point of the season. Since the summer break, I feel like I've done a very good job and performed very, very well, by far some of my best performances that I've done. So I've been very happy, actually, with how the last few months have gone, honestly. I wouldn't change many things that have happened. But I still need to make tweaks. I still need to improve on things. That's clear. You know, I'm not completely satisfied with how I've done. I definitely know I need to make improvements. But for the first time, I'm confident to say that I have what I think I need to fight for a championship. Doesn't mean I'm complete, doesn't mean I'm perfect, that's for sure. And when you're competing against drivers who are close to that, like Max, you have to be close to perfect if you want to challenge him, you know, and challenge the teams we're around. So I'm confident and I think the main thing I can take away is I have faith that I have got what it takes to fight for a championship.

Q: (Mara Sangiorgio – Sky, Italia) Lando, you were saying that you had a tough week after Brazil. Are you feeling a bit under attack from outside in this year that you had the chance to fight for the championship for the first time?

LN: Under attack as in from who?

Q: (Mara Sangiorgio – Sky Italia) From outside, from fans, from social media, from...

LN: There are more eyes on you, of course. When you're fighting at the front there's more people watching and you're going to have more supporters. In some ways you're going to have more people who are against you and supporting other drivers. There's definitely been more controversial moments and things. I've definitely voiced my opinion probably more clearly than I have in the past and sometimes people who agree with it sometimes they won't and I'm fine with that. I think things still clearly get taken out of context. That was one of the things in Brazil was stuff got quite easily taken out of context from what I said and created definitely the wrong perception of what I meant and what I said. I don't feel like I'm under attack. You know, I don't mind these things. That's social media. You know, I do my best to just be honest, be myself and you always want people to be on your side. But at the same time, I realise you can't have everyone on your side. And that's probably one of the things I've realised this year. So, yeah, I probably have more enemies, but I've also got more supporters. And I'm obviously happier and more thankful for the supporters that I’ve got.

Q: (Laurent Dupin – Canal+) Lando, you've probably been a bit unlucky in Brazil. It was also the case in Canada. You've been lucky in Miami. I would like to know your relationship. to luck, to this factor. Do you think it's something you have to think about, or it just happened and you have to accept it?

LN: You have to learn to accept it. I think what made it Brazil tough was two things. One was for something like this to happen so late in the season. I think, you know, when it's earlier in the season, you know, it's like it's more so be it and you just see what happens later on. But this was almost a defining moment for the championship. It was a defining moment for the championship. The doors are almost shut. For a week I was pretty down after Brazil because I had that realisation that things are pretty much out of my control now, not within reach necessarily. That's a tough realisation when your hopes and your belief is so high for it to get knocked down so much all of a sudden was pretty demoralising and not the best of feelings. You learn to accept that. that's life. I admitted, and I admitted even in Miami, that I was lucky in Miami to get the win with the Safety Car, and that's the strategy you play. I think Brazil was still a bit more luck of the trade, but that is Formula 1. That's racing. I've not complained about it. Luck can be on your side. It can be on other people's side. That's life. So I don't mind. One day it will go your way. The next it won't.

Q: (Nelson Valkenberg – Viaplay) For Liam and for Lando, we've got a launch event next year at the beginning of the year. Max was quite vocal about it, of having to attend another event. What are your feelings about it? And are you going to be sick, or are you going to be there?

LN: I mean, if I get told to be there, I guess I'll be there, you know? I might see where Max is going on holiday and join him. We might end up having the same illness or something. But I don't know, I think it will still be, it's a cool event. I'm happy for F1, you know. I think it sold out extremely quickly. It's cool for a lot of fans. It's a big thing for Formula 1. So I don't know, I don't know how it's going to be done. I don't know the layout of events, but I'd rather be at home and relaxing and preparing for the season, that's my side, you know. I don't like these types of things. I'm not a public person. I like to relax and do my things, but it's also our job. So in the end of the day, we can't complain.

LL: Yeah, I mean, I think Lando said it pretty well. To be honest, it could be quite cool for Formula 1 to have everybody together. From the fans' perspective, it should be quite cool. So, yeah, honestly, I haven't really given it too much thought. So I think it should be a cool event.

Q: (Mara Sangiorgio – Sky Italia) A question to Valtteri. You completely literally an Ironman at home last week. Could Ironman or this kind of competition be in your future or your priority is to stay in motorsport?

VB: Yeah, I've raced all my life, you know, since I was six, five, six years old and I still love it. So I'll be always driving something. I just sometimes like to challenge myself. I just decided on the evening before that tomorrow I want to be an Ironman. And I just did it in a small pool and indoor bike and treadmill. I'd actually never done a marathon before, so now that's done as well. So, yeah, things sometimes just happen.

Q: (Roldan Rodriguez – DAZN Spain) Lando, if this Formula 1 will be a chess game, can we say that you are in check? And what's going to be your next move here in Las Vegas?

LN: Yeah, it's a tough one. I don't know chess that well, honestly, but it's probably check. I can survive. I can put up a fight. That's what I do, but at some point you kind of know it's not going to be your way and it's not going to go your way. But you never know, so I'm not saying it is over and I won't say it's over until it is, but you know it's very far out of reach at the minute and we've been performing well, but I need a lot of luck if anything, if I can and It's pretty much like I've got to win three races and Max has to not finish three races in a way. So, yeah, it's check. And I'm all alone. And Max has all his pawns ready to attack me. But that's probably all I know.

Q: (Ben Waterworth – The Roar) Question for Liam. Just wondering if you managed to get any feedback from McLaren about them changing the national anthem to a Kiwi national anthem to honour the heritage there of the New Zealand heritage of McLaren.

LL: I mean, I think this is stuff that I'm learning in Formula 1. As Lando said, stuff gets taken out of context. And it's ironic, I was laughing when I mentioned this comment in a podcast. And it was more of a joke, but obviously it got taken very literally. So, yeah, I don't really have anything to add on that. Obviously, I'm very proud to be from New Zealand and our motorsport history. Bruce McLaren is somebody who is an absolute icon in New Zealand in motorsport. So somebody I looked up to and learned a lot about, let's say, when I was younger. So, yeah, obviously proud to be a New Zealander, but I don't have anything to add on the national anthem.

Q: (Fliip Cleeren – Motorsport.com) For Valtteri and Lando, please. Since Brazil, we had the news that Niels Wittich has stepped down as Race Director. Just how concerning is it that with three races left to run in the season, you're getting a new race director? And how do you feel Nils got on with what is a difficult job?

LN: Yeah. Their job is tough. I don't think people realise how tough it is. You know, as drivers we always give… I mean, we give everyone a lot of abuse, you know, half the time! So it's probably one of the hardest sports to police in the world, I think. I don't know of every other sport, but I think it's a sport where there's so many things can happen. You want rules, but you also don't want rules. And that makes it very tough. And you're always going to have people that disagree and people that agree. So I think it's just a very tough position to be in. I don't know what's going on there. Obviously things are not running as smoothly as what we would want. But as such a big sport, like the majority and pretty much every other sports, you have permanent stewards, you have permanent people, you have a permanent team that run everything for consistency and many other reasons. That's all I know. Yeah, that's what we want as drivers. That's what we request. But we also acknowledge it's a very tough position to be in and to put yourself up for that role in the first place, I think, takes a bit of guts because you know you're going to get crap from every side at some point, and you've got to accept that. You've got to be willing to accept that. I don't think that's easy for anyone to do. We'll see, but I don't know anything more, honestly.

VB: Not so much, much more to add, actually. It's a difficult job and for sure for the new person it will be a challenge. And especially with both titles still in play and everything. So I just hope things go smoothly. But yeah, we really don't, as drivers, we don't really have much background information why this happened, what was the decision to do this. So I guess we will get more details in the drivers’ meeting.

Q: (Ian Parkes – New York Times) Lando, for the sake of McLaren's Constructors' Championship chances and winning its first title for 26 years, do you go back now to playing the team game and there'll be no more giving up of race wins as we saw Oscar do with a Sprint in Brazil?

LN: But that didn't change the championship points, so... I feel like a lot of people try to come up with something here. I'm not saying you are, but we've never done something that harmed the team. I feel like people think we do. Everything we've done, we've just swapped a position. It's not hurt us, so it's not benefited us. It benefited me because I was in the fight for the championship and that's the game we also have to play, just as I've helped Oscar in a few occasions and helped him win in Baku, you know. I did my job there. But I think Andrea made it very clear from the beginning that we would never do something that would make the team result worse. So no, nothing is going to change.

Q: (Kevin Scheuren – Motorsport-total.com) Lando, do you believe in the phrase ‘everything happens for a reason’? Because if you look over the course of the year, there were smaller mistakes, bigger mistakes. But I think you will learn from all of them in a way. You say you have what it takes, and that's what you take out of it. But is the timing just not right now? And can you, as a team, go for the championship next year then with a bigger and better mindset?

LN: Yeah, I think going into a season with a mindset of let's try and win it, it's a very different mindset to what we had this year. It's been a different story throughout the season. We started miles off the pace. We started third, fourth, best team at the beginning of the year. We were for a long time. Red Bull were extremely dominant, more dominant than any other team has been for the rest of the year. We've been extremely quick and probably one of the quickest for the most part. But when we have been, it's been by a much smaller margin. So to create the differences that they were able to create in the beginning of the year, it's pretty much impossible. I feel like I've still done a very good job, but it's clear… One thing you'll always get from me is the honesty of whether I've done a good job, a bad job, or whether we as a team have done a good job or a bad job and I'll be honest with what I say. I think there's been plenty of races, there's been a good few where we didn't perform to the level we needed to do, as a team. Silverstone, for example, is one where we should have had probably a 1-2. And we couldn’t have finished further from a 1-2. There are sides where as a team we didn't perform at the level we needed to do as a world championship winning team but there's also been plenty of times when I've not performed at the level I need to perform at to win a championship. I probably wasn't outright ready to go up against Red Bull and Max. I think I am now, and it's probably too late to do that. Maybe there are other drivers in the past that were ready for such an occasion. But no one has gone up against Max so early on in kind of their career, halfway through the season, and put up, I think, a pretty reasonable fight. I mean, I'm there, but there's no one else doing it, you know? So I've done my best. I've not done well enough. And I've always admitted that. And I think Max is probably one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1 and I don't think you'll probably get a much better driver than Max ever in Formula 1 ever again. That's my opinion but that's what I believe in and for me to go up against that belief, to fight against that person that I know is so good, Takes a bit more than what I probably achieved this season, but I think what I've done since the summer break is closer to what I need to be, and I think that is close to being good enough to fighting for it next year.

Q: (Jenna Fryer – Associated Press) Valtteri, what would make you decide to do in Ironman the night before? And how does one pace himself against no competition?

VB: It's a good question. I did regret it at times. I think it's just sometimes I just decide to do something and kind of prove to myself that I can do it and really challenge myself. And also the friend who I was hanging with that week, he had done an Ironman... No, I've not heard of anyone actually who's done it by himself in a small room. And just to give some details, there was like no preparation. I only had water and Coca-Cola, a bit of rice…

Q: How long did it take?

VB: Eleven hours. Just under 11 hours, yeah. And the pacing… Pacing is easy because you can control yourself, but obviously I've never done that long of a distance or I kind of did it as a zone two, let's say, Ironman, so managed to keep the heart rate pretty consistent and it was tough, especially the run in the end, lots of pain management, but I'm glad I did it. It's pretty cool experience and Just you realise how much is just mental. If you don't give up in your head, then you can do almost anything.

Q: How long was the recovery?

VB: I was a little bit stiff the next day. I did manage to get up and play some pickleball the next morning. But I would say in a week or so, I felt strong again. So, yeah.