FIA post-Qualifying press conference – Belgium

1. Lando Norris (McLaren), 2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

PARC FERMÉ INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Nico Rosberg)

Q: Wow. Charles Leclerc P3. Did you see that coming? I mean, I think you absolutely maximised it at the end there.

Charles LECLERC: Not really [I did not see it coming]. I mean, I'm very happy today. It's strange to say that because it's still three tenths and it's only a third place, but I did not expect it. We thought we were quite a lot more back. We knew that we had something more in the car obviously with the upgrade this weekend, but we still struggled yesterday. But that was a really, really good lap. I'm very happy with the lap, very happy how the car felt. So, it's good that we put everything together for quali.

Q: What'd you put it down to? Did you make some big changes or just found a better rhythm?

CL: No. I mean, obviously it takes a little bit of time to maximise those upgrades that we put on the car. So, there were a few things that we've changed, but nothing major. It was all about putting everything together and I felt comfortable with the car since FP1. So, it's good to have a qualifying where you look back and you know you haven't left anything on the table.

Q: I'm sure a podium then is your objective also for tomorrow, but you have Max Verstappen right behind you in fourth. Do you think you're going to be able to hold him behind?

CL: I don't know yet. For sure the race pace looked very strong this morning. I couldn't keep up with them. But again, with the small changes we've done, I hope that this gives us the upper hand tomorrow in the main race.

Q: Oscar, after yesterday's dominant qualifying, P1 yesterday in Sprint qualifying, today you can only manage second. Are you okay with that, or is that disappointing?

Oscar PIASTRI: A bit disappointing, yes. The second lap was coming together really well and just made a little mistake into 14 and lost a lot of time. So yeah, disappointed. Felt like the car was very good again, but it's fine margins out there. Obviously not a bad place to be starting, but I think there was more in it which is always disappointing.

Q: You're surprised also by how Lando was actually able to improve now throughout the weekend? Was he maybe learning stuff from you and looking at the data there?

OP: I don't know. I mean, I think we're a good team-mate pairing and we learn a lot from each other every weekend. That's what makes us such a good team but it also makes it difficult when you're trying to fight each other. So, I don't know. I feel like I did an okay job today, just didn't quite execute when it mattered and yeah, a bit of a shame.

Q: Being P2 on the grid then, are you actually happy that tomorrow it's looking very mixed on the weather? That could open things up and increase your chances to get one back on Lando tomorrow in the race?

OP: Yeah. I mean after the Sprint I was aiming for P2. I don't know what the weather's going to hold tomorrow. I think it's going to be quite different. So, we'll wait and see what we get. But yeah, try and have a good race.

Q: Lando, what an amazing job you did there. Great recovery also and great progress from earlier in the weekend. And that middle sector, how insane was that?

Lando NORRIS: Which one?

Q: The middle sector you put in.

LN: Oh, I don't know. Can't remember. I mean it was a decent lap, of course. So yeah, happy. I don't know. Everyone was pretty worried after yesterday. I wasn't even that far off. It was just a couple little issues that we had. So, I was confident after yesterday and confident coming into today. It's nice to see that I could get back to the top.

Q: Is there one thing you can point towards? Like yesterday you were almost five tenths off and now you're like one and a half tenths up. Where'd the improvement come from?

LN: Three tenths is just slipstream and not being first out the pit lane. So yeah, it was nothing to worry about. People like to make a lot of things up but no, I felt good. The car has been flying all weekend. Oscar's been doing a good job all weekend. So, we're pushing each other a lot like you said. It's tough because you kind of see where your strengths and weaknesses are easily and you learn from each other quickly. So, it's a good but tough battle that we have at the minute.

Q: You're the rain master from Silverstone. It's looking wet again tomorrow. You're confident though for the rain, even if it rains tomorrow?

LN: I mean I prefer it to stay dry honestly. Even for the fans. I think it's rained here for like the last ten years or something. So, it'd be nice to have a dry Sunday. But I don't mind whether it's dry or rain or whatever it is or somewhere in the middle. It's normal here and I look forward to a fun race.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Many congratulations, Lando. A wonderful lap in Q3 gave you that pole. Just talk us through it. How good was it?

LN: Yeah. Obviously, good enough for pole. I felt like my second one, I improved, just the lap time didn't. So maybe a little bit more out there, but I think nice improvement from yesterday. Just nice to be in a better position in the pack and be out there again. So, a good day. The car's been feeling great all weekend, so it's nice to have a one-two.

Q: You say the second lap in Q3 felt better. Why do you think it wasn't faster? Is it down to track temperatures?

LN: No. I just think there were a couple of corners that I must have gone slower, I guess. I don't know why. I don't see if I'm going quicker or not on my lap. Maybe Turn 1, I hit the kerb a little bit, and it's a long run after Turn 1, so probably cost myself a little bit there. And the last corner, a bit too much kerb in both of them, and I probably lost, I mean, we're talking half a tenth, touch more, and I go slower. We're talking small margins, but yeah, that's it.

Q: Lando, it's your first time in the top three on the grid here at Spa. You've just averaged 156 miles an hour. Can you describe a pole lap around here? How does it feel? Is the rhythm different to other racetracks?

LN: I think what feels nice here quite often is just when you put a new set of tyres on, it's a good step of grip. There’s not more pressure it just feels like you can push that 1-2% more, and that's always a good feeling. You have Turn 9, 5-6-7, you have Pouhon, 12-13, all corners which are pretty damn quick. You try to get that balance perfect with the car, getting the lifts right. A lot of it's about timings and just getting things nailed in terms of timing. It's a fun track. No matter how good you do, you always go into the last chicane and think, ‘Okay, just get this bit right’. It's a fun track in any car. I've driven here since Formula 4, quite a bit slower in that, but in Formula 1, it's good fun. It always puts a smile on your face during qualifying, especially when you can be on top.

Q: Thank you for that. Let's throw it ahead to tomorrow, Lando. How do you think it's going to play out?

LN: It's probably going to rain. I don't know much more than that. We'll wait and see. It's Spa, so high chance of rain, but that can also mean it just sometimes hits half the track and the other half stays dry. Could be in for a Silverstone-esque chaotic race, similar to Australia or Silverstone, the ones that are sometimes a bit in the middle. Most likely some rain and drizzle. Hard to know. We're going off the front, so hopefully, I can make an advantage of that and clean air and go from there.

Q: Do you think you've got a setup on the car that will help you rain or shine?

LN: I think we have the best car, so that's the most important thing.

Q: Very well done. Thank you for that, Lando. Oscar, very well done to you as well. You said a moment ago that you lost some time at Turn 14 on that second run. What did that cost you, do you think?

OP: A lot. Enough.

Q: Enough for pole?

OP: I think so, yeah. The lap until that point was strong, but it doesn't really matter if you could have done it. I didn't. A bit disappointing. I think both laps in Q3 were a little bit like that, but that's how it goes sometimes. A bit of a shame, but the car was great again. I felt like I was in a reasonably good flow. Just didn't quite happen on the second lap.

Q: Did the car feel different to Sprint Quali yesterday?

OP: Not really, no. In all honesty, it felt very similar. You get a few more laps on softs, you explore the limits a bit more, you push the limit a bit more maybe, and today that probably bit. But it still felt very good. I had just as much confidence as yesterday, so it definitely wasn't that.

Q: What about the race then? Hoping that Lando will cut a nice hole in the air for you on the run up to Turn 5 on that opening lap?

OP: Let's see. If it's dry, then yes. If it's wet, then it obviously adds in some other challenges, but we'll have to wait and see what the weather does first. I know what I'm hoping for.

Q: Alright, Oscar. Thank you very much. Very well done to you. Charles, great job by you as well. Just how much of a surprise is it to be in the top three for quali here?

CL: Quite big. I think we expected to be P4, but with a significant gap in front. At the end, the gap is still significant, but a little bit less than what we initially expected, so that's positive. We brought upgrades this weekend which have been working since the beginning, but we had to do some fine tunings from yesterday to today. It's going in the right direction, so I'm very happy. I think it was also a really good lap. I don't think I left much on the table with the potential we had today, so for that, I'm happy as well. However, it's only P3, so now we'll see what we can do tomorrow.

Q: You say the upgrades are going in the right direction. How different does the car feel with them?

CL: A little bit. But then I think as always, especially for our team, everything is hyped up a lot. Yes, it's an upgrade and it's a step in the right direction, but we are still speaking about very fine differences over a whole lap. So, it feels a little bit different, and it's going in the right direction. Again, that's thanks to the hard work that the whole team has done back at the factory. Unfortunately for us, McLaren has also brought a few things this weekend and seem to have done a small step in the right direction as well. So, it's very difficult to close the gap. But I think we are doing a good job as a team and we just need to keep working.

Q: And Charles, where's your battle tomorrow? Do you think you can do anything about the guys sat next to you if it's wet? Or are you going to be looking in your mirrors?

CL: Wet weather, we were speaking about it in the last race weekend. I don't think it's a strength for our car at the moment. We are really struggling. But having said that, every weekend is different. We'll learn from the past and see what's possible tomorrow. I will only be able to tell after the first few laps to see where we are. But I'll try to look forward before looking in mirrors.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-magazin.com) Question to all three of you. It was quite obvious that Red Bull changed the setup quite a lot because of the weather forecast for tomorrow. They put on a much bigger wing. How about you three? Did you change the car setup quite a lot for tomorrow?

LN: No.

OP: Didn't change it either.

Q: (Edd Straw – The Race) One for you, Charles. As you said, the upgrade was a step in the right direction, but I'm not trying to hype it too much. Does it at least give you confidence that the second half of the year can be a little bit better than the first and perhaps that some of the limitations you've been stuck with are at least being chipped away at so that things should continue to improve?

CL: Yes and no. I think it's definitely going in the right direction once again as I was saying. However, compared to the McLaren, I think we are probably on average three or four tenths behind in qualifying. We’ll do a step forward. I don't think though that we'll find those three or four tenths in that upgrade. But it will help us to get closer. The more we use it, the more we'll be able to maximize this and there'll be some more potential to gain. But no, I don't think it's enough to be able to challenge the McLaren consistently from now on.

Q: (Ian Parkes – Racing News 365) Lando, primarily, but if either of the other two, Charles or Oscar, wish to chip in, please do. After the two Turn 5 overtakes in the Sprint race, there was one overtake for the remainder of the 15 laps, and that was yours on Charles. If the race is dry, if the forecast is wrong, can we expect something similar tomorrow – just a real struggle to make a pass? Because that's the way it looked. Obviously, today the DRS just wasn't working.

LN: No. I think as soon as you start to bring in some strategy and tyre differences, especially with the C1 to the C3, C4 jump, I definitely expect more racing if it was to be dry tomorrow. The tricky thing is you're talking about the field being more compact than ever, which puts on a good show in qualifying and things are tight and thrilling and great to watch. But that often just makes it trickier at times for the racing. The gaps are smaller, you can make smaller differences from car to car and driver to driver. So, there are pros and cons in everything. The more we develop these cars, generally the trickier it becomes to overtake and to follow as well. It's never an easy one to get right. But I'm sure if it was a dry race tomorrow, I'd expect more racing. I don't expect it to be dry, so I expect just more racing and more chaos anyway. But I think sometimes there are some Sprints every now and then that are like that because everyone's pushing a bit more flat out through the race. You're thinking less of strategy. You're not thinking of doing a one or two-stop. So, we'll wait and find out.

Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Charles, another one for you on the upgrade. You've talked earlier this year about needing to do quite extreme things with the setup to get into a good window. Has this helped at all with that? Are you still having to go to those lengths? And what kind of comfort has this update given you?

CL: It's a little bit better. I think that's what helped me also a little bit this weekend to be a bit more consistent. The lap times in qualifying, both yesterday in Sprint Qualifying and today, came together a bit easier. That's been my strength normally, but this year I've been struggling a little bit more to put everything together in qualifying. This weekend seems to be better, but we just need to prove that over multiple race weekends because it's also… I mean, the grip this weekend here is incredible. There's so much grip – but that's not only for us, but I also think for everybody. Generally, this makes it easier. So, we'll have to prove that on a track that is a bit trickier.

Q: (Rodrigo França – Car Magazine Brazil). Question to Oscar. Considering what we saw today in the Sprint race, can we say that Spa-Francorchamps has kind of two pole positions because in the front row you have a very strong chance to attack in Turn 3?

OP: In the dry, potentially. But there have also been times where pole has maintained the lead – unfortunately, not this morning. It's probably the hardest track to maintain the lead on the calendar from the start. If the weather is wet though, I think pole position is an advantage, but it also depends on how wet it is. Whether Eau Rouge is flat or not makes a big difference.