F1 - 2026 Canadian Grand Prix Post-Sprint Press Conference Transcript
DRIVERS
1 – George RUSSELL (Mercedes)
2 – Lando NORRIS (McLaren)
3 – Kimi ANTONELLI (Mercedes)
TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Jolyon Palmer)
Q: F1’s first ever Sprint race in Montreal, Canada. What a race, guys. I’m joined here by the top three: George Russell, your winner. What battles all the way through. I mean, we’ve got all of you to talk to, but I want to pick out Kimi and George first because that was an amazing fight between you. I know Kimi spoke on the radio a little bit, wasn’t too happy, but I want to get both of your points of view on that.
Kimi ANTONELLI: Yeah, it was a tough battle, to be fair. We were all there in terms of pace. It was not easy. Yeah, I tried to make my move… I need to review on that because I was quite well alongside and I got pushed off, but it’s what it is. Then obviously I made a mistake into Turn 8 because I took a big bump and then locked up and then I kind of compromised my race there. But it was a good battle.
Q: OK, well done. You gave us a great bit of entertainment. If I can flip it over to you then, George. I mean, a race looking in your mirrors, you had to absorb so much the whole way through, but your thoughts on this guy attacking you in those early laps?
George RUSSELL: Yeah, it was a cool race. I was just talking with Lando, it was definitely very difficult to get a gap around here. It felt quite easy to follow. The slipstream was quite powerful with the overtake mode. And then yeah, it was a good battle with Kimi and glad we both are standing here after the race.
Q: Yeah, you managed to do the grounds staff a few favours, mowing the grass around here, Kimi. Lando, second place. You managed to be the interloper at this Mercedes party. You must be pretty pleased with that because the pace looked really good.
Lando NORRIS: Yeah, thanks. It was a good race. I mean, it was good just to watch them go at it for a little while. But of course, we were there to pick up the pieces when things happened. And they were quick. I mean, Kimi caught me back up pretty quickly and then I was pretty worried from behind, but also I wanted to try and attack George ahead. It was fun, always a tough track to kind of push on and easy to make mistakes. But today was a good result for us.
Q: George, you really needed this, I feel like. It’s been a difficult time in Miami. You’ve been great around this circuit and so, to stand here as a race winner again, do you feel like you’re back in your happy place?
GR: I was never really concerned, to be honest. It was just, I know Miami’s a bit of a bogey for me and, of course, there’s been this huge break in the calendar, so lots of people with a lot of things to say. But ultimately, just wanted to get back racing and it kind of feels like the season’s going to restart now with, I think, six races in eight weeks. So just looking forward to getting in that groove. Glad to be back in Montreal and amazing fans, as always, so thank you so much.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Very well done, George. A great result for you. Quite a lot to unpick from that one. Can we start with the battle with your team-mate? Talk us through lap six from your point of view.
GR: Yeah, it was just a good, hard battle and obviously I defended into Turn 1 and you never get overtaken around the outside of that corner, and so I knew it was, kind of, pretty safe. But kudos to Kimi for giving it a go and I respect that and obviously came out unscathed. And then went into Turn 8. This track is very dirty as well offline. We’ve seen it all weekend, so I was quite nervous to defend too tightly into Turn 8 because I knew that there was a chance of locking up if I went there. And that was about it really. So glad that we’re both sat here now. It could have been something different, but it wasn’t, and that’s how racing should be.
Q: Kimi said on the radio that you were very naughty. What’s your reply to that?
GR: I mean, I need to see it. I’ve not seen it. I don’t know if it was under investigation or not. I don’t think it was. So yeah, from my side… It’s as kids in karting we know overtaking on the outside, there’s a certain element of risk that comes with that. And there are amazing overtakes when they come off, but the chances are quite slim. So, there’s only one direction I was going and I was going to close the line because it’s my right to do so. So, as I said, respect to him for giving it a go. Emotions are always high for all of us in the cockpit, but I’m sure we’ll both talk about it after.
Q: OK, thanks for that. Lando, we’ll come to you in a minute, if you don’t mind. Kimi, can I bring you in on this? Just hard racing? Do you agree with George?
KA: Yeah, I need to check it as well, to be fair. I was quite well alongside and there was definitely contact, so I need to recheck that. But yeah, it was hard racing. And then in Turn 8, to be fair, I was definitely too optimistic. I also took a massive bump and I almost spun in a straight line, so also that induced the lock-up. But yeah, just need to recheck it and then we’ll talk about it later.
Q: You don’t overtake around the outside of Turn 1, according to George. Would you agree with him?
KA: I think if you are well alongside, you can overtake pretty much anywhere. I mean, obviously there are corners that are more difficult, but I don’t think there’s never been an overtake around the outside in Turn 1. But I agree that obviously he was defending his position, so it was hard racing. Of course, we’re both lucky not to crash. But yeah, at the end of the day, it was a very fun race.
Q: OK, Kimi, thank you. And Lando, just coming to you, you got the popcorn out. You were in a good seat.
LN: Yeah, I now know kind of how it felt for some of the others last year. So, it’s obviously a nicer position to be in. I think for us, even though the pace was actually pretty good, the guys both pulled away a good amount, to be honest, in the beginning, and I just couldn’t go with them. So, I think we’re clearly lacking a little bit of speed compared to them, but the pace was still decent, especially when I was a bit more behind George for the rest of the race. But yeah, I just wanted to get to the chequered flag, honestly. So, it was obviously helped out by the fact that they were racing each other hard, and it was good to watch, honestly. Sometimes it is good to watch the racing part of it. So that was a good watch and, of course, we capitalised on it, and that’s what we’re there to do.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Jon Noble – The Race) To Kimi, on the radio afterwards you said, “If we need to race like this, good to know.” Has today changed perceptions on how you go racing with George? And George, are you surprised? Is there anything unusual in how you battled today?
KA: We do meetings before races and that’s what we say in the room. Then, of course, we race to win and we try to do our best to defend our position. So of course, probably, I understood the significance of that meeting a bit differently. But just obviously I need to recheck. Emotions were very high in the moment and obviously I was very annoyed, but I just need to recheck and for sure we’re going to talk about it and we’re going to clarify on that.
GR: The truth is I need to check it as well from my side. I didn’t think I did anything wrong and I wasn’t investigated, so I guess the Race Director and Stewards thought the same. But I need to check it. It is clear that between team-mates we race hard and fair and no contact, and that’s always the objective. I wasn’t racing Kimi any harder than I would have raced Lando in the same position. We’re both here fighting to win and always in the past, even last year when we battled, I always gave Kimi a bit more room compared to anyone else. So, as I said, I need to review it. There was nothing untoward with the driving and, as I said, I don’t think it was even investigated. I think that says enough.
Q: (Filip Cleeren – Motorsport.com) To George, please. Just in general, obviously Kimi won three races in a row and this is a circuit that you’ve always gone really well at. So, in a bigger picture, did you feel that, despite it being very early in the season, this is an important weekend just to reassert yourself?
GR: I think it was more important for you guys and for the overall perception. For me, it was never in doubt. The fact that there was a big break after Japan and then another two-week break after Miami, and Miami has always been a tough race for me. I know my weaknesses and they’ve been pretty consistent over the course of my whole F1 career. It’s just you guys have never really noticed it because I’ve never been fighting at the front. Now it’s a big talking point. I didn’t have any doubts that I could come here and just be back fighting at the front as I was in the first three races of the season. Miami was a blip, tough track for me. There’s one or two later in the season as well which I’m going to put a huge amount of focus on. But it wasn’t a big surprise to me seeing Kimi’s exceptional performance in Miami, the same as last year, and for me to be back in the fight again this weekend.
Q: (Adam Cooper – Adam Cooper F1) We didn’t get the rain in Miami, but it looks like there’s a good chance we’ll get it tomorrow. What are your thoughts about a wet race here, given most people have had no running or just a little bit of testing?
GR: I mean, from the drivers who have spoken, who have driven in the wet, they sound pretty concerned about it. Not because of the power or the downforce of the cars, because they don’t feel the tyres are good enough. The three of us here haven’t experienced the wet this year. Kimi and I both drove this wet tyre last year and it wasn’t a very good feeling, to be honest. Ended up a few times through the gravel and with damage to the car. Time will tell. I really hope that’s not the case. It shouldn’t be the case. We want to fight hard and fair, but the wet tyres haven’t been great at the best of times and unfortunately it sounds like it’s going to be a step worse.
LN: Tough. I mean, looking forward to it as an opportunity, not looking forward to it because the comments from the others, as George said, are not great. When you have a thousand horsepower and you have a street circuit, then you need good tyres to go with it. From what we’ve heard, that’s not exactly what we have going into tomorrow. We’ll wait and see. I’ve never driven in the rain with these tyres yet, so it’ll be a new situation for me. And I think it’s made even tougher by the fact that it is a street circuit and you’ve not got a lot of margin for error, and it’s a low-grip track. Excited, could be a lot of chaos, but honestly, at the same time, we don’t sign up to do the chaos. We want the best of everything and I know Pirelli are working on better at the time being, but let’s wait and see how it goes.
KA: Yeah, I mean, as George said, we tried the tyre last year and it was not the nicest. There were a few aquaplaning moments. So, it’s tricky. And then of course, this is already a track where it’s hard to put temperature on the tyres in the dry, so I think tomorrow is going to be cold and wet and it’s going to be hard to build temperature, which is the main thing for us, because once you get a temperature, it’s actually not too bad. But it’s those first few laps where you’re just sliding around and the tyre is not really working. So yes, it’s not easy, it’s going to be tricky, but let’s see first what the weather is going to be like, because also Miami was meant to rain and it didn’t. So, let’s see tomorrow.
Q: (Nicole Mulder – GPblog) Question to Lando. Last year, you and Oscar were battling each other quite hard at times and then Max almost managed to take it away from you almost at the end. Do you see a similar scenario developing at Mercedes, with now you maybe being the one able to take it away from them?
LN: I mean, we’re still just very early on in the season. At the minute, I’m just trying to maximise every result that we can. Today was certainly one of those days where, in a way, we didn’t deserve to be P2 but we were. Well, we deserved to be P2, we shouldn’t have been P2 but we were. Anyway, so we’ll see. I think it’s just what you get when you have two good drivers fighting for a championship with a good team. That’s kind of what you expect. Each individual has to fight for their own career. You don’t kind of just go out to prove your point every time, but you go because we signed up for it as an individual. You grow up alone wanting to be the best in the world and every driver wants to do it. So, they both have their own point to prove, they both want to go out and race, and at the minute they’re fighting more than anyone for the World Championship. So yeah, that’s what they need to do. So, we’ll be there. I think we’re still lacking a bit at the minute, probably similar to last year from Max’s position. So, we’ll see how much we can hang on for the time being. But yes, obviously a day like today, we maximised everything we could.
Q: (Ronald Vording – Motorsport.com) It’s another one for Kimi. You just mentioned the pre-race meetings and that, in your opinion, it was maybe different from what we’ve seen on track. If the evaluation of this Sprint race shows that this is within the boundaries, will you then change your approach going forward in terms of the safety margin you leave when fighting your team-mate?
KA: For sure, I think probably we just need a bit of clarity and then once it’s clear, then it’s all going to be fine. I think definitely I need to probably ask again. But the main thing for the team is that there’s no contact, that we don’t crash into each other, which today at the end was very close. But yeah, I think that’s the most important for the team. Also, as a driver, you don’t want to crash into your own team-mate. We all want the best for, first of all, each other, but also for the team. So, for sure we will clarify and everything is going to be fine.
F1 - 2026 Canadian Grand Prix Post-Qualifying Press Conference Transcript
DRIVERS
1 – George RUSSELL (Mercedes)
2 – Kimi ANTONELLI (Mercedes)
3 – Lando NORRIS (McLaren)
PARC FERMÉ INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Jamie Chadwick)
Q: George, a very close qualifying session in the end. Not the easiest session for you. Talk us through it.
George RUSSELL: Italifying format. We made some changes as a team. We need to review after that if that was the right direction. And then obviously that last lap just sort of came from nowhere and it was such a great feeling when it was such a challenging session, and then just to put it all together, that last lap, to sort of throw yourself up a leaderboard was epic.
Q: What were the challenges, because you ended up out of sync. You said you had an issue with the rear or something, came in, and then obviously did the lap on the very last lap, but it was looking tough until then.
GR: Yeah, I mean, we made some changes based on the forecast for tomorrow. May have hurt us a little bit for now. It just took the car out of sync a little bit and both of us, you know, Kimi was definitely more competitive than I in that session, but we weren’t as clear ahead of everybody else as we were yesterday. So, it was definitely a challenge, but as I said, just managed to redial my driving in for that last lap and got it together.
Q: Nice. Kimi, you looked in control for most of the qualifying session, just missing out at the very end. How was that last lap? Do you think there was a bit more on the table?
Kimi ANTONELLI: Yeah, I mean, it’s always a bit hard to commit for lap one. It’s been very difficult this weekend with the tyres, putting them in the right window. But yeah, I was pretty happy. Of course, there was still a bit left on the table, but George did a great lap and yeah, now eyes on to tomorrow.
Q: And tomorrow’s looking, I think, quite different conditions. Any thoughts on that?
KA: Yeah, I mean, we’ll see what the weather is going to be like, but of course we’ll try to be ready for anything.
Q: Lando, P3, similar to yesterday. Is that the best you could have hoped for, or do you think there was a bit more?
Lando NORRIS: It’s always impossible to know. I feel like we did a good job out there today, honestly. You can always say it, but I’m sure everyone can say around here it’s a difficult track to kind of put everything together perfectly. But I think we did another good job. It’s clear that these guys are just a little bit quicker. It’s nice to be closer than we were yesterday. I mean, I had fun this morning. Of course, the weather’s going to be different tomorrow, so we’ll wait and see. But we’re in a good place and we’re in the place we knew we needed to be.
Q: Good luck tomorrow. And just back to you, George. Obviously, we saw some great racing earlier today. Do you think this is going to be the same again tomorrow? Are the gloves going to be off, or have you been told something different?
GR: No, I mean, we’ve had a good chat since this morning and we’re both racing drivers. We both know what to do. We both respect one another, so we’ll go racing. I think, you know, we hope it’s just passing between the two of us, but we saw today how competitive everybody else is. Tomorrow looks to be wet. That’s going to be a whole new challenge as well. So, to be honest, it’s not really what we’re thinking about now. We just want to ensure that we can be standing on the top step.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: George, very well done. You saved your best until last there. What a final lap. Just how good was it?
GR: Yeah, it was incredibly strong. Obviously the best of the weekend and it was even sweeter because it was so challenging before then. It’s never the easiest, to be honest, coming from a Sprint race into qualifying and all the references are different. As a team we made some changes, and you saw when we got it in the window we were really quick and Kimi was really strong at points and then we were both off the pace at points. I never had it hooked up until that last lap in Q3. So, it’s just such a special feeling because there are times when you expect to be on pole and every lap you do is the quickest, but the times when you are fighting for it and you’re never up there and then it comes together on that final lap to be the one, it’s the best feeling in the world.
Q: What happened on run one in Q3? Why did you abandon?
GR: I just had no grip at the beginning of the lap. I think we were all struggling a bit for tyre temperature. Everybody was doing the preparation lap, which is quite unusual. It’s the first time of the whole season. We made some changes to try and improve that but the car was just out of sync, out of balance. I didn’t have the confidence and, as I said, it was quite a yo-yo session. You saw, you know, Isack was really quick in Q2. I think he was at the top and then I wasn’t sure where he ended up in Q3 but his lap time was incredible in Q2. So, it just goes to show how challenging it was for all of us and especially on a circuit like this where you’re dancing with the walls, it’s really difficult to get that flow. You need a huge amount of commitment to find that last couple of tenths.
Q: Yeah, it really came together. And you went out early for that final run. Just how confident were you starting the lap?
GR: Not massively, to be honest. Yeah, not massively. I knew I needed a big lap and on my preparation lap I saw Kimi on the TV screen going purple, so I was like, “Right, I need to bring something big here.” I never know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing when you see the person you’re fighting against on a really strong lap. But yeah, as I said, just brought it home and strong lap.
Q: Looks like it’s going to be the first wet race of the year tomorrow. Just how do you approach that? What does this evening look like? How do you prepare in the morning?
GR: To be honest, there’s not a lot we can do. We had this conversation last week in Miami as well. The truth is, the three of us haven’t driven in the rain. I do really enjoy the rain. It does offer some opportunities and the pace of the guys around us looked really strong in the dry this morning. So yeah, I’m definitely intrigued to see how it’s going to pan out in the rain. It’s not going to be easy. Wet races at the best of times aren’t easy, but the two of us are in the best place to start it. So yeah, looking forward to seeing what comes.
Q: Alright. Good luck with that. Thank you. Kimi, let’s continue. Very, very good job by you as well. So close. Just talk us through that final lap.
KA: Yeah, it was again 68 milliseconds. I’m going to remember that number for a very long time. Yeah, I mean, it was a difficult session. It started off very strong on used tyres and then it kind of faded away a little bit throughout the session. I had a really bad lap in Q3, really bad first lap, and then second lap I just tried to put things a bit more together. It was very difficult to get the tyres in the right window, especially for lap one. So of course, it was a pity to miss out by this close, but I think it was still a decent session and George did a great lap.
Q: You said the performance slipped away mid-session. Do you understand why?
KA: I think it was just really struggling to get the tyres in the right window, working them properly. I think that was the main issue for us. And then I had a little missed downshift on the last lap, into Turn 6, which threw me off a little bit. But the rest I think was pretty OK.
Q: Can we have a quick word on the updates that the team has brought here to Montréal. How are they performing? Did you make many changes to the car between the Sprint and qualifying?
KA: Not much, to be fair. I think the package has been working, but it has been changing the balance a little bit. I think also this weekend is a bit unique because tyres are so important to get them in the right window. So, I think we’re not seeing the full benefit of this new package. I think when we go back to Monaco and Barcelona, we will see much better the benefits of this package because here it’s just such a weird condition that I think just by having the tyres in the right window, it makes a big difference.
Q: So tyres in the right window in the dry is a challenge. What does it look like in the wet?
KA: Yeah, it’s going to be, let’s see how much rain, but it’s going to be even colder than these two days. So obviously when it rains and it’s cold, the grip is already very low and then, of course, this track is not an easy track to put temperature into the tyres. So yeah, it’s going to be all new for everyone tomorrow and whoever can get the most out of tyres in terms of temperature in the first few laps can make a difference. But it’s going to be very challenging.
Q: Very well done to you, Kimi. Thank you for that. And Lando, if we could come to you. It was looking good, Lando. It was looking good for you after that first run of Q3. Did you think you’d done enough?
LN: Well, it was looking good because the Mercedes didn’t do a lap yet! That’s the only reason I looked good. Until then, I was pretty happy, actually until that point. My lap, the 12.7, I was reasonably happy with. I thought there was a little bit more in it, which I tried to get out on my second lap, but didn’t really seem to be able to extract. So, I was happy. I think to be as close as we were to the Mercedes is a good thing. To be ahead, I think, would be an amazing surprise and would be over the moon. But to be this close I think still makes us pretty happy. So yeah, it was close. Obviously, like they said, the Red Bull and the Ferraris were up there at different points, so it was always going to be tight. But yeah, just, I guess, a shame to miss out by such small margins. But that’s how it is around here sometimes. Even last year, I think the pole was insanely close. So still a good qualifying, happy with it and better than it was yesterday, for sure.
Q: McLaren have brought upgrades to this race. Mercedes have as well. Coming into the weekend, did you think you’d be this close to them?
LN: Probably not, mainly because Mercedes always performed very well here, as a standalone event. Even last year when we were here, we probably quite easily had the best car and Mercedes were still on pole. So, they’ve always just done very well on this type of track. With them bringing upgrades, of course, we thought it would be tough to beat them. And the fact we’re not using some of our upgrades, I think we’re very surprised to be even this close. A lot of good signs. It’s nothing bad. It’s a lot of positives considering we’ve not been able to extract everything out of our upgrades just yet. It shows that there are still good things to come once we figure them out. So yeah, plenty of positives. But I think to beat the Mercedes around here, considering how strong they’ve been so far this season, is probably a little bit optimistic.
Q: So, does the wet weather give you more of an opportunity?
LN: I have no idea. Like you said, we’ve never driven in the rain. I don’t think anyone knows how difficult it’s going to be tomorrow to drive these cars around. Not bad, just how difficult it’s going to be. I mean, it is our job, so I think the expectation obviously should be there, but I think it could be an insanely tricky race. I mean, it’s difficult enough to get temperature into a Soft tyre, let alone when it’s 10 degrees colder tomorrow and we’re going to have Inters and Wets on the car. So yeah, excited. Very, very excited to see how it’s going to pan out tomorrow.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Laurence Edmondson – ESPN) A question to Kimi and George. You both said earlier that you want to have another look at the incident from the sprint to kind of see what it looked like from the outside. I assume you’ve had a chance to do that. Did it change your opinion on it? And are there any lessons taken to the race about what is and isn’t allowed between you guys while racing wheel to wheel?
KA: Well, no. We had a discussion and we clarified and now it’s all good. So we’ve reviewed and we had a chat with Toto and it’s all good now.
GR: Yeah, as Kimi said, all good. Had a good discussion and we know what we need to do and how we’re going to race each other. And nothing’s going to change because we’ve always had that respect for one another. We’re not going to wave anybody by, doesn’t matter if he’s a competitor or a team-mate. Of course, we know the number one rule is never to crash with your team-mate. That isn’t what happened this morning and we finished first and third and that’s what we’ll continue to try and do.
Q: (Simon Cremer - Ici-radio-canada.ca) Question for George. Is there an added challenge to driving in the wet with the hybrid cars of this year’s regulation? I’m thinking about the torque distribution coming maybe quicker than a classic engine.
George RUSSELL: Well, because there have been no wet races as yet, with the FIA it was decided that they would reduce the power from 350 kilowatts to 250 kilowatts of battery. So, it’s still hundreds and hundreds of horsepower under our right foot. But I think what everybody is alluding to is just the tyres. That’s going to be the biggest challenge. These tyres only seem to work when they have temperature within them and with only 12, 13 degrees ambient tomorrow, it’s going to be really challenging to get that rubber softened to give us the grip. But the truth is, it’s the same for everyone. It’s going to be risky. It’s going to be challenging. Probably isn’t going to be very pleasant, but it’s part of the game and excited for that challenge.
Q: (Luca Scott – TSN 690) George and Kimi, what is it about Montreal that brings out the best in you guys? Obviously George, your third consecutive pole, Kimi your first podium here. What in particular about this track brings out the best in your ability?
GR: Well, I think the team has to take the credit because clearly our car historically takes a step at this circuit. As for the last two years, we struggled with the tyres getting too hot. So, when we came to Montreal and it was quite cold, we were in a much nicer window and probably our competitors’ tyres were too cold. As for this year, I think we’re doing a really good job with the tyres and I think the situation is potentially reversed. Hence why the gap was maybe so close today. Of course, McLaren had brought upgrades. They look really competitive. So yeah, it probably was more plain sailing to get the pole position last year than it has been for Kimi and I today.
KA: Yeah, I mean, not a lot to add. I think because our car this year is much better on tyres, on cooling as well, I think probably it hasn’t been as good this weekend because being cold and just getting the tyre in the right window, we’ve been struggling a bit more to get the tyres in the right window. So I think of course the team this year has been doing an incredible job on giving us such a strong car, such a strong package. So I think today was very close for many reasons. But yeah, I think this year we don’t feel as strong, at least that’s the feeling me and George have. Last year we felt a bit stronger. But as I said earlier in this interview, it’s just so difficult this weekend to get tyres in the right window.
Q: (Radek Mazal – TV Nova) George, was it maybe the most important pole position for you in your career? Because when we heard the reaction on the team radio, you were celebrating like it felt like if you won the race.
GR: I had a really good conversation with Toto, talking about success and the feeling of victories and pole positions, and the feeling in Melbourne when we were quickest in FP3, quickest in Q1, quickest in Q2, quickest in Q3 and going on to pole, and how that felt compared with, for example, Canada last year when we weren’t quite in the mix and I gained seven tenths in my last lap to get that pole. And straight away I knew I was there. And that adrenaline is like nothing else. I can imagine it’s like scoring a goal in football, where you’re building up to it and then you achieve it, and all that adrenaline comes out. Whereas in Melbourne, as an example, or when you do have the most competitive car, sometimes I wouldn’t say… The expectation is if you’re not on pole, it’s a failure, if that makes sense sometimes. So that was the case today. It didn’t feel like pole was on the cards and it’s not important for a championship or anything. It was just such a great feeling because I did a really great lap. It all was hooked up together. I crossed the line. I see my name’s gone to the top of the leaderboard and I knew that was pole. And that rush of adrenaline within the space of 10 seconds is what we all live for.
Q: (Francois-David Rouleau – Journal de Montréal) A question for George and Kimi. Earlier this afternoon, who initiated the discussion after the Sprint race?
GR: It was together. We’re both team-mates and we have a good bond. It was obvious that we needed to have a chat. But when the helmet’s on, that’s one thing. Out the car, we’re both professionals and it was no real big deal afterwards. Of course, there’s always emotions in the cockpit. Nothing is personal when it’s on track. And for us now, it’s history and we just look forward.
Q: (Francois-David Rouleau – Journal de Montréal) And if I may, as a follow-up, George, as the 28-year-old, were you able to understand Kimi’s frustration after reviewing the sequence?
GR: No, for sure. Even being 28 years old, if I was in his position and he was in my position, I probably would have reacted the same. Because if something doesn’t pay off in the moment and you feel like you’ve been hard done by, you think the other guy is in the wrong. And that’s just natural. We’re racers, we’re fighters and we wear our heart on our sleeve. It’s just part of racing. As we always say as F1 drivers, you put a microphone on the 22 footballers on the field and they get a bad tackle or whatever, they’re not going to say, “Thank you very much.” So, we’re just in this tough position that everything we think and feel is broadcast to the world. We don’t regret anything we say. Of course, maybe you wish you said something different, but we’re here to fight. And as Sebastian Vettel says, “We’re not in kindergarten.” Is that what he says? I don’t know. Is that what he said? Yeah.