Feature
What the teams said – Race day in Sao Paulo
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Red Bull
Verstappen qualified 12th after being unable to finish his Q2 lap due to red flags. That left him starting in 17th after his grid drop was applied, and seemingly up against it. But he had a brilliant getaway, picking up a handful of places on the first lap alone. From there he had pace no one else could match, climbing through the field and then crucially didn’t pit under the VSC. When the red flags followed soon after, he was second and able to get a free change of tyres in the pit lane.
Lady Luck might have helped him, but he then overtook Ocon on track and disappeared up the road for a famous win, and his first Grand prix victory since June. As for Perez, he spun early on which dropped him back. He recovered to the fringes of the points, but lost out battling Lawson and wound up dropping behind Hamilton to add insult to injury.
Max Verstappen, 1st
“Today was honestly incredible. I am super proud to win here in Brazil as it is a special place for me, but also because we started from P17. I firstly want to say a big thank you to the Team: they did an amazing job, made all the right calls and were incredibly calm. We had a really good start and made some good overtakes and made the right decision to stay out before the red flag. I always feel confident in the wet and driving in these kind of conditions, but today the car gave me confidence to go for it. It felt really good to drive and was fast so I felt unstoppable today. It was definitely an emotional win; I was really motivated and put everything into this race and I surprised myself today as I wasn’t expecting to finish in P1. This was a really strong result for us today and I'm really proud. Simply Lovely."
Sergio Perez, 11th
“It was a mixed weekend and we missed out on some luck today. Our tyres were very cold at the start which limited us and then we pitted just before the red flag, we were on the wrong side of things from the start. We had some good battles out there but it was quite difficult to pass. The conditions were mixed all day with the rain coming and going throughout the session and it was also strange to do qualifying and the race in the same day. I’m glad we were able to race today and for the fans to be able to see track action as it is a very passionate crowd here. A big congrats to Max, he was strong all weekend and really charged through the field today, it is a great result for the Team. It is the end of a triple header and was probably our most competitive weekend as a Team in a while. Hopefully the final three races will be positive for our Championship fight."
Christian Horner, Team Principal
"Max put on a masterclass today, he was just brilliant. In these conditions the driver skill really comes out and he was in a league of his own. As a Team we got all of the strategy calls right and the car had great pace. What a transformation from this morning when we thought that the top five would have been an incredible drive. To come from 17th on the grid, and through nearly the entire field, it was an incredible performance and one of Max’s very best. Checo had a stronger weekend as well, and had some unlucky moments during the race. The Team demonstrated today that we are never going to give up, that was evident both at the track and with the whole Team back in Milton Keynes. What a great result for the Team, and we are going to carry this momentum with us for the final triple header of the season."
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Alpine
The two Alpine drivers had contrasting qualifying sessions, Ocon over the moon with P4, Gasly left gutted after being undone by red flags in Q2 and lining up 13th. But come the race, they delivered a result for the ages.
Ocon opted not to pit when running fourth under the VSC, and therefore took the race lead into the red flag period. Gasly also gambled and stayed out, and he climbed up to third – helped by a very good opening lap. They held onto those positions at the restart, and might have finished there but for another Safety Car. Verstappen sorted himself out for that one, and picked off Ocon but from there both Alpine drivers were faultless to the flag, and picked up such a haul of points they have jumped from ninth to sixth in the constructors’.
Esteban Ocon, 2nd
“I'm very happy this afternoon and I really do not know if I'm in a dream or if it's a reality! I’m so proud of the entire team. We scored an amazing number of points in one race weekend. Clearly after yesterday such a performance seemed impossible but when the conditions are difficult, we have seen that we can fight. We had a very good qualifying session earlier this morning, which set us up well for the race. When I was at the front of the race, I believed in it for a little while but Max [Verstappen] was faster than us on the last stint so we can have no regrets in the end result because that was definitely the most we could achieve. It proves again that we can do it and we just have to keep working hard for the final three races. I'm also super happy to share this podium with Pierre. I thought about it on the last lap of the race that it was going to be incredible to share a podium together, like in the good old days when we started karting in similar conditions. This podium will remain in my memory forever and I’m just so pleased for the entire team.”
Pierre Gasly, 3rd
“What an incredible day for the entire team. None of us could have imagined a double podium but we did it and I could not be prouder of everyone. We have had such a year. We have struggled at times, been at the back, and it’s been tough for everyone involved. No one has given up, though, and everyone has stayed focused and motivated and now we have two trophies in second and third place in São Paulo, which is just amazing. We knew anything would be possible on a day like this with the mixed conditions. It was about being ready for anything and executing everything to the maximum. I’m very pleased for Esteban too, he did a great race today. We have our story. It’s a unique and beautiful story. Growing up together in the same area and karted since we were kids. Not only did we both get to Formula 1, but amazingly, became team-mates and now we share a podium together at the same team. Just unbelievable and I’m happy for the both of us. It’s been a busy triple-header where we’ve certainly made improvements. We have to keep going and stay hungry for the final three races as the Championship battle remains so close.”
Oliver Oakes, Team Principal
“What a way to end the triple-header with a double podium for the team. Even more so after the early alarm call this morning after the rain delay yesterday! Both drivers were faultless today in difficult conditions, not putting a wheel wrong all day. On top of the points in the Sprint race yesterday, it’s been a great weekend for the whole team in all conditions and a real credit to everyone across Enstone and Viry for their hard work these past two months to bring performance to the track. This gives us some momentum that we must use to finish the season strongly.”
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Mercedes
Russell got a great start, finding himself leading into Turn 1. He didn’t put a foot wrong in the first stint, but as the rain fell, he came in for fresh inters under the VSC. Unfortunately for him, three other cars stayed out – and got a free pit stop under the red flag that came soon after. Russell sounded frustrated on the radio and did everything he could to recover back to the podium, finishing less than a second away from P3 at the flag.
Hamilton had a disastrous qualifying and started down the order. A great first lap jumped him ahead of much of the midfield, but he couldn’t follow Verstappen into the top 10. He got bogged down fighting the likes of Colapinto, Bearman and Lawson for much of the afternoon, but did put a move on Perez late on to grab the final point on offer.
Lewis Hamilton, 10th
"That was such a tough race for us today – and probably one of the most difficult race weekends of the season, to be honest. The car has been very difficult to drive all weekend, and it didn’t hook up at any point during the race either. But even with the results today, it’s hard to come away upset because the fans here are incredible. It was such an unusual day with the early qualifying session, and they were queuing up from 04:00 this morning – and you just cannot beat that commitment and positivity, no matter what the result on track. It was so emotional to drive Senna’s car in front of them all this morning, and to connect with the five-year-old child inside of me. That was a very special moment for me, and I’m very grateful we could make it happen today in spite of the conditions."
George Russell, 4th
"That was an intense race and there’s lots for us to debrief and learn from. I got a good start and I was surprised at the pace in the opening stint – we didn’t have the right tyre pressures on the set, and we were expecting them to drop off, so that was encouraging. When the VSC came with the heavy rain, I was in favour of staying out as I thought there would be a red flag – it was like driving a point at points, with the aquaplaning on the straights. I pitted and so did Lando, and we ended up P4 and P6 at the finish, while the cars that stayed out finished ahead. But it’s easy to make the call after the race, and we’re in this together, trying to make the best calls with the information we have available. I think we would have taken P4 at the start of the weekend; but of course, after qualifying P2 and running in the lead for the first half of the race, it’s hard not to feel some regret for the opportunity we missed today."
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
"It has been a tough triple header for the team – and the final day of competition continued in very much the same way. Qualifying and the race itself were bittersweet: Lewis struggled for confidence in the car, and did not progress past Q1 in a session that saw several cars finish out of position; George was able to build greater confidence in the rear end in particular and took a strong P2 on the grid. The aborted start led to some unusual circumstances but when the race proper began, George ran strongly at the head of the field until the VSC came out at the same time as a heavy rain shower. We wanted to use that opportunity to change his worn intermediate tyres and were followed into the pits by Norris from second place – while Verstappen and the Alpine drivers stayed out and took the gamble on a Safety Car or red flag, which subsequently came. When racing resumed, with everybody on new tyres, George was able to get past Leclerc into P4 but then – as we saw up and down the field today – got stuck behind an ultimately slower car and was unable to overtake, without DRS available. It was the same story for Lewis a little further back, who climbed into the points but was unable to pass Lawson despite several close attempts. P4 and P10 feel like a meagre reward after leading the first part of the race, but there’s plenty for us to pick through and learn from across this weekend, and from the last three races. We will be focusing on that work in the coming days, to give ourselves the strongest foundation for the final triple header of the season."
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Ferrari
Sainz was one of five drivers to spin off and crash out in the wet qualifying session. Ferrari managed to rebuild his car, but he was forced into a pit lane start after taking a new PU and gearbox. From there he climbed back through the field via a couple of offs, but his last moment proved the biggest as he found the barriers for the second time of the day. That ended his race, and meant he needed to visit the stewards after being cited for dangerous driving for trying to get back to the track with a broken front wing.
As for Leclerc, he started sixth but was defending well and managed to even keep Verstappen at bay at one stage – pretty much the only driver to do so. He pitted the earliest for more inters, ran wide at the last restart and also had an off later on when battling Russell. Fifth is a decent result on a treacherous day.
Charles Leclerc, 5th
"It was a very long and tricky race and the drivers on the podium today are those who did not put a foot wrong, so they really deserve it.
"I have mixed feelings about our race. On the one hand, it was a bit disappointing because we struggled to keep the car on track in these conditions, especially towards the end of the race, due to the way that we decided to set up our car for today. On the other hand, we finished ahead of both McLarens, which was a positive surprise and helps in our battle in the Constructors’ championship. We are heading home now to recharge for the final triple-header of this season where we will give it our all to try and secure the team championship title."
Carlos Sainz, DNF
"Definitely a Sunday to forget for me. I’m sorry to have given the team extra work on a day that was already super long. I’ve struggled with this car in the wet this year, and today I just didn’t have the right feeling either. I tried to push and take some risks to gain positions and it obviously didn’t pay off. It’s a hard Sunday to digest but we will turn the page and reset everything ahead of Las Vegas."
Fred Vasseur, Team Principal
"We have mixed feelings today as we were able to limit the damage in our fight with McLaren, but on the other hand, we should have also scored points with Carlos, not just with Charles. With both drivers the timing of pit stops was not the best but in general we struggled a lot with the pace and in getting the tyres to the right temperatures after every restart. At the final restart, Charles did very well to get ahead of Lando (Norris) and George (Russell) but the Mercedes was able to get past again and Charles had to defend from Lando. As the stint progressed his tyres were performing better and he was able to bring home a P5.
"This weekend was a difficult one but looking at this triple-header as a whole, we are still the team that has scored the most points which is a good way to go into the final three races of the season. We will do our best to keep the fight open all the way to Abu Dhabi."
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McLaren
Norris was the pick of the drivers in qualifying, grabbing pole in wet conditions. But his day started to unravel before the race even begun, when he seemed to lead the pack off for a second, unscheduled Formation Lap after an aborted start. He then lost the lead before the first corner, Russell getting a better start. He was stuck in second for much of the first stint, pitting along with Russell under the VSC. But the VSC ended at the exact wrong moment and those two lost out. Norris managed to get past Russell as the rain intensified, but lost that place at the restart after skating off at Turn 1. He couldn’t climb back up the field from there, coming home a disappointing sixth to see his championship hopes firmly dashed.
Piastri had a very eventful race, handed a 10-second penalty for hitting Lawson in a moment he took full responsibility for. He wound up ahead of his team mate at one stage, ceding the position when asked to do so by the team and crossed the line seventh, but dropped to P8 once the penalty was applied.
Lando Norris, 6th
"A tough afternoon. Pitting under the VSC was pivotal but it was the right time to box, and we were unlucky that the Red Flag followed soon after, so I have no regrets about stopping when I did. With the Red Flag rule regarding tyre changes, some days you gain, and some days you lose, it just is what it is. These things happen in racing. The main thing now is that we keep our heads down and prepare for the next one as a team.”
Oscar Piastri, 8th
"A tricky afternoon but we got points with both cars, and we’ve stayed ahead in the Championship. We just lacked pace and the weather caused havoc, so there wasn’t much more we could have done. We’ll review it all this evening but I’m looking forward to a bit of a reset and we can then go again in Vegas. We’ve still got a lot of work to do in the final three races.”
Andrea Stella, Team Principal
“It’s been an eventful day in São Paulo, which is not surprising given the variable conditions. Congratulations to Max, who made an impressive recovery from the back of the grid, and also to Alpine for a double-podium finish.
“Circumstances didn’t play-out in our favour today. The timing of the Red Flag in particular, after we’d changed tyres, was unfortunate. It was difficult to make progress today, for both Lando and Oscar. We didn’t give them a car that had enough pace to overtake in a race without the DRS being activated. Unfortunately, we also picked up a penalty when Oscar made contact with Liam Lawson, which cost us a position at the end of the race.
“Overall, however, we come out of this weekend having increased our margin in the Constructors’ Championship. It’s an incredibly tough competition this year, so I really want to praise the work of Lando and Oscar today, for staying on track, finishing the race, and allowing us to outscore our nearest rivals. Also, to everyone back in Woking for delivering the upgrades and updates over the last three races, and a big thank you to all the team for their efforts and the great work in this busy triple header.
“There’s learning to take onboard for today, and we’ll do that in the days ahead. Our focus now shifts to the final three races of the season.”
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RB
Tsunoda and Lawson put in superb qualifying laps to grab third and fifth on the grid. Starting there, both looked competitive in the early stages. But Tsunoda made an unlucky mistake in pitting for the full wets when the rain got heavier. While he looked set to climb back through the order and was supremely quick, the Safety Car and red flag prevented him from climbing back up the field, and he didn’t have the same sort of pace after the restart.
As for Lawson, he was in the thick of the action. He was sent spinning by Piastri, was punted in the rear wing by Bearman, and then went side by side, almost banging wheels with Perez. He took home two very hard-earned points.
Liam Lawson, 9th
“It was such a crazy race, with crazy conditions today. I’m very happy for the team, we scored some really good points, which is important for us. I do feel like we missed out a bit, from where we started, we just got a bit unlucky. Our race got unwound a little bit when we got turned around at the start by the McLaren, which cost us a lot of time; from there it was a bit of a battle and then we boxed for Extremes where we also lost time. We had good speed, especially at the start of the stint, but we struggled a bit more towards the end. Alpine made the most of getting a double podium which is amazing for them. They’re only ahead now by five points. It’s totally doable for us, so we’ll obviously focus on scoring some points in the last triple header.”
Yuki Tsunoda, 7th
"I got my best-ever qualifying result this morning and I was extremely happy to start the race in P3. Overall, the team did a fantastic job and we had a good turnaround from yesterday where we made a lot of changes to the car after the Sprint, even if it was difficult to make a real comparison as the conditions were different.
"Coming to this afternoon's race, I had a good start and first stint, and I’m generally very happy with my driving, but unfortunately, some things came against us. During the race the Red Flag came out at the wrong time for us and the Alpines scored a lot of points which is a shame for our place in the Constructors’ Championship. Overall, the rewards don’t really show our results on paper, so it’s definitely a mixed-feeling day, but it’s nice to score points again. There are a lot of positives to take from this weekend and we’ll keep pushing in the last three race weekends.”
Laurent Mekies, Team Principal
“We had an amazing qualifying this morning. It was an incredible job from the drivers and Team where we were consistently topping the timesheets throughout qualifying. The strong performance is a testament to the hard work that everyone is doing.
“The race was a rollercoaster. We knew it was going to be tricky and dependent on the weather conditions. We were in a very strong position in the first half of the race, with Yuki holding onto P3 with incredible pace alongside Liam defending amazingly. Our race was affected when the red flag came out however; it diminished both drivers’ advantage, but that’s part of racing in these conditions. We came away with eight points, which is a great result. Congratulations to Max on a brilliant drive and well done to Alpine, even if the points they scored today will make for an even closer fight for us over the final three races. It’s still very close, and we had a fast car this weekend. We now have 19 days before the final triple-header of the season, and we will be working flat out at home to build on the upturn in performance we have seen in the past two races and extract every second from the car. We’ll be fighting hard in Las Vegas."
Jody Egginton, Technical Director
“The day started well with both drivers qualifying in the top five, demonstrating strong performances on both the wet and inter tyres. We were set up for a strong race. The first phase of the race was going well, with Yuki running strongly in P3, and Liam also delivering a solid opening stint running in P7. With the rain increasing and track conditions worsening, both cars moved to the wet tyre. The two Alpines stayed out, taking track position, which they maintained with the red flag. Our pace at the restart wasn’t as strong as we needed to keep up with the cars ahead. Yuki came home P7, and Liam finished P9, spending many laps defending from Hamilton and Perez. It’s good to score points with both cars, however, seeing what Alpine achieved from the race, we’re left frustrated as there was potential for more points. We’ll go away and review the race and drivers’ feedback to determine what we could’ve done differently so we’re ready for Las Vegas."
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Haas
Haas lost both cars in Q1 in qualifying in a disappointing display, especially given their championship rivals RB were way up the order. But come the race, both drivers seemed to be making inroads until a slew of incidents. First Bearman got a 10-second penalty for hitting the back of Lawson, then Hulkenberg slid off and beached himself in the run off area, bringing out the VSC. He had a push from the marshals to get him going again, and as a result was handed a black flag and disqualified.
That left Bearman to fly the flag for the team in in worsening conditions. He slithered off with Zhou on his way to the restart, and then lost it again by himself, but after that manged to keep his car on track to the finish.
Nico Hulkenberg, DNF
“Unfortunately, I needed help from the marshals as I was beached, which was really unfortunate after a low-speed spin. It was my mistake but it was quite unlucky to be beached like that, normally you spin but can continue after, so a small mistake with a huge consequence there. It’s been a very tough and disappointing weekend.”
Oliver Bearman, 12th
“It was a tough race and there were too many mistakes from my side. On one hand, we finished P12 – close to the points – despite the mistakes I made, but on the other hand there were too many mistakes and lost time. It was a really tough day, and I learned a lot for sure. I’ll take the positives that I’ve learned the track, something I wasn’t going to be doing before next year, and of course racing in these conditions, it’s rare, so that was really valuable.”
Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal
“It’s been a very tough day for the team, we didn’t perform today, and others scored heavily. Operationally, we didn’t maximize everything here so that’s something we need to take home and review. A slight positive was that Ollie’s pace on inters – and part of the race with Nico – was actually better than what we thought we could achieve, so that’s a small positive that we can improve the performance of the intermediates. We have to look ahead for the last three races; we have decent pace in the dry, so we need to reset and refocus. We need to get the best out of the car and everyone for the next three.”
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Kick Sauber
Bottas was left frustrated in qualifying, after feeling he had a genuine shot at Q3 in the wet. Starting 11th though wasn’t a bad position and he kept out of trouble early on. He did run wide battling for position and lost out to some faster cars, but had a fairly solid race. As for Zhou, he went off over the grass behind the Safety Car on the way to the rolling restart after the red flags, and that cost him plenty of time.
Valtteri Bottas, 13th
“It was great to reach Q2, and I reckon Q3 could have been possible if it weren’t for the red flags. We tried everything we could in what was a very unique race with tough, changeable conditions and lots of restarts, including a red flag. Our biggest issue was tyre warm-up, which meant we fell back during the first few laps after each restart. Once the tyres were up to temperature, we were better, but still not enough to fight with the cars ahead. Overall, it was a weaker performance than I expected, but we gave it our all. Now we have time to regroup, as the team will work hard to bring updates as soon as possible for the remaining races.”
Zhou Guanyu, 15th
"This weekend was quite challenging: with the schedule reshuffled and qualifying taking place on Sunday morning before the race in the afternoon, all teams had to adapt. The morning session felt a bit more solid, but when the red flag came out, conditions worsened just when it mattered most. I had to start my final two laps in heavy spray with limited visibility, but I believe Q2 could have been within reach. Today’s race was not easy: in each stint and after every Safety Car, it took 10-15 laps to get the tyres into the right window, but by then, the race had already slipped away from us. The lack of grip and the tough conditions made it a real challenge. Still, it’s good to close out the triple header, and now we need to use this time before Vegas to understand what we need to do to be back in the mix."
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative
"Yesterday's heavy rain – which forced Formula One to revise the timetable, changed our Sunday routine and eventually delivered a day that left us with mixed feelings. We had a very positive qualifying session, with Valtteri just 0.008 seconds away from Q3 and showing strong competitiveness in the midfield. However, the race was extremely disappointing for all of us. Valtteri lost a few positions at the start and struggled to maintain the pace for points. Zhou’s day was challenging from the start, finishing last in qualifying and concluding the race in P15. Despite the disappointment and bitter taste left by the race results, we saw some positive signs in qualifying, which we believe are due to small improvements in our package. The next two weeks will be therefore crucial for us to bring further upgrades for the last triple-header and to regroup. We do need to analyse every detail and return to the track with the right mindset to conclude the season with strong determination, a mindset to fight for points.”
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Aston Martin
Both Aston Martin cars crashed in qualifying, Stroll in Q2 and Alonso in Q3. The team did a good job to rebuild both cars and get them onto the grid, but then Stroll ran into the barriers again on the Formation Lap. To make matters worse, he then beached his car in the gravel trying to recover to the track, and didn’t take the start.
Alonso kept out of trouble early on and looked set for some points. But at the final restart, he skated wide and dropped to last. The Spaniard put in a superhuman effort to regain nearly 20 seconds and get back to the back of the pack, overtaking Zhou for good measure but sadly for him, it was only for P14.
Fernando Alonso, 14th
"All in all it was a tough day today. We had to change some components after the crash in Qualifying which meant the car was a little bit slower. We also had a brake issue after the restart. The car was really bouncing in the second half of the race - in other circumstances I would have stopped - but the mechanics did such a good job to get the car ready after the crash, so I finished the race for them. The triple-header has not been easy for us, with another one coming. We need to regroup and find some more performance."
Lance Stroll, DNS
"It was a really strange one. It felt like a brake failure because as soon as I touched the brakes it locked the rear axle and I was a passenger. I was stuck in the gravel and my race was done. It is such a shame because in a wet race like today anything can be possible, but we were not able to take those opportunities."
Mike Krack, Team Principal
"A trip to a special motorsport venue but a weekend to forget for our team. A point-less and brutal triple-header which takes its toll on the team working trackside and back at the AMRTC.
"Looking for the positives it was a Herculean effort by both car crews, with a reduced schedule, to get both cars onto the grid just in time today. Also a special mention for the FIA and F1 for being pragmatic and flexible with the schedule to allow the drivers and teams to put on a show for the passionate South American fans.
"On the formation lap, there seemed to be an issue with Lance's car under braking, he managed to get going but the AMR24 got beached in the heavy gravel bringing his day to a premature end. We will need to fully investigate what happened but it was unexpected.
"Fernando was in the points for most of the race but also locked the rears and was shuffled down to the back of the pack. He was in a lot of discomfort at the end of the race with the bumpy track so our priority is to make sure he is OK.
"Following our recent run of form, we have to take responsibility for not giving Lance and Fernando the car they deserve. They are being very patient but we are asking too much from them at the moment."
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Williams
Williams had a day to forget in Sao Paulo. First, both drivers crashed out in separate qualifying incidents. The team couldn’t repair both cars in time for the race, with Albon’s damaged more heavily and so the Thai driver was forced to sit out the Grand Prix.
But Colapinto then crashed again in the race after starting very brightly, the Argentine spinning off into the barriers behind the Safety Car – which had come out due to the rapidly worsening conditions. His crash brought out the influential red flags, that may well have gone some way to deciding this year’s world championship. And to rub even more salt into the wounds down at Williams, Alpine’s stellar result means Williams drop to ninth in the constructors’.
WATCH: Colapinto slams into the wall to bring out the red flags during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix
Alex Albon, DNS
"It’s obviously a really frustrating day. I can only feel sorry for the team, as I know the damage over the last few weeks has been tremendous and it’s put us in a challenging position for the next three races. It’s no surprise that the last few weeks have been really tough, but I finally felt we’d found our rhythm again and were in a good place; the pace in Qualifying was strong and I felt comfortable with the car.
"I really didn’t expect the incident in Turn 1 to happen, so we need to take a proper look to figure out what happened. It’s disappointing as it would’ve been a great opportunity to score points, as we knew coming to Brazil there is always a chance for crazy races, however it’s our competitors who’ve been able to capitalise on this. I know it hasn’t been easy for the team, but it’s times like this where we must show resilience and try to find the silver lining. The positives are that the car was quick, and I’ve started to get the right rhythm back, so let’s fight for the last three races and see what happens in the Constructors’ Championship."
Franco Colapinto, DNF
"I’m very sad for the team after what happened today; it was very tough on everyone, and things didn’t go our way. The team did an amazing job to put my car back on track for the Race after the accident in Qualifying, and so I’m very sorry for them to end the day this way. We had a quick car and were looking to take advantage of any opportunities in the Race. We boxed for Inters, I was pushing to get the tyre temps up, and I just lost the car on one of the big rivers of water on the track. We can and will recover as a team. We still have three races to go, and we’ll come back from this."
James Vowles, Team Principal
"The nature of Formula 1 is that you can have some of the most incredible feelings and results, as well as some of the lowest moments that you can feel within a sport. I think it's fair to say this weekend is the second of those two. We've had three incredibly large crashes in just a few hours from one another and have a tremendous amount of work to get ourselves back on top of our spares situation before we go to Las Vegas in just a few weeks’ time.
"Our rivals, Alpine, were quick in the race. No doubt about it. They deserved those positions, but they scored a huge bag of points putting them back up into a very high Championship position and demoting us back down to 9th. I never give up until it's time to give up and that won't be until we're in Abu Dhabi and the checkered flag has dropped. We have two fast drivers, and we have a fast car underneath us.
"We must go to every single one of these weekends now and deliver everything possible, whilst making sure we are still looking ahead towards 2025 and 2026 because that, as I've said all along, is where our goal is truly set. It's all about getting the foundations right as we go towards that 26’ region. That doesn't make today any less painful. Far from it, I'm hurting right now. But actually, I wanted to watch that race to the finish to make sure I remember today because this isn't what I want us to be feeling in the future."
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Pirelli
Mario Isola, Motorsport Director
“What can I say, that was a really busy Sunday! It’s true it has happened before that we have had qualifying and the race on the same day, even in this period since Pirelli has been the Global Tyre Supplier to Formula 1. But never before has it taken place so early in the day and in such a compressed time format, with many of the Formula 1 family hearing their alarm clocks going off well before dawn! I feel we should applaud all those who made it possible to ensure that the entire weekend programme was completed, despite the weather complicating matters since yesterday afternoon.
"There was an extraordinary crowd of almost three hundred thousand spectators at Interlagos and I’m sure that they and all those watching on television and on the various social platforms were rewarded with a very exciting show, both in qualifying and the race. They would have experienced a whole range of emotions, which is often the case when rain come along to lower adhesion while highlighting the skills of the drivers. From a technical point of view, we leave Interlagos having picked up plenty of useful information. In today’s qualifying we saw both the extreme wet and intermediate tyres at work and could therefore clearly verify their operating windows.
"In the race, there was a point when one could have made a direct comparison between the two types of tyre over a long stint, but in fact the neutralisation caused when visibility was deemed too poor, meant we only saw this for a handful of laps. One should also bear in mind that the rain varied in intensity several times and on a brand-new track surface, the grip levels in the wet were very limited, partly due to the oily layer that it created. All things considered, I believe both tyres proved to be up to the job in hand.”
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