Hungarian Grand Prix: FIA Drivers Press Conference

In the present day’s press convention with Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Oscar Piastri and Fernando Alonso.

Q: Nico, nice to see you. And you might be having fun with an awesome run in the intervening time. Two consecutive P6s. Simply how assured are you on this automobile and what you are able to do with it going ahead?
Nico Hulkenberg: Yeah, it is positively been good. It has been very constructive. Austria was excellent. Then we introduced the replace to Silverstone, which added extra efficiency and was a great step ahead. I feel thus far this season, clearly we’re on the midway level after Silverstone, that we’re positively one of many constructive surprises this season, recovering a variety of efficiency from final yr. So it has been good. It’s totally gratifying, clearly, racing for factors. We have had, I do not know what number of level scorings now, but additionally a number of instances very near the highest 10. And clearly our ambition and goal is to try to hold that up for the remainder of the season.

Q: Nico, after the troubles of final yr, have you ever been stunned by the speed of progress that the workforce has made this yr?
NH: I feel, sure, we stunned ourselves a little bit bit already in winter testing in Bahrain and from the get-go we discovered ourselves in higher form than what we may anticipate. I feel all of it goes right down to some reshuffling of the technical constructions we had inside our workforce and the organisation. And yeah, it is simply been good and, like I mentioned, very gratifying and constructive.

Q: So what about right here? It is a very completely different racetrack to Silverstone. Do you suppose you might be aggressive?
NH: I feel so. And it goes again to my level from earlier. We have been, you understand, across the prime 10 and aggressive throughout the midfield and within the race for fifth quickest on many events. And I do not see a purpose why it ought to be very completely different right here.

Q: Closing one from me. Your team-mate introduced this morning that he isn’t going to be persevering with with Haas in 2025. Can we simply get a number of phrases from you on Kevin Magnussen? How fast is he? Does he deserve a seat in Formulation 1 subsequent yr?
NH: Yeah, I loved working with him these two years. It has been positively gratifying. And we get on very well. After our little romance right here a few years in the past, it was really fairly the turnaround of a relationship and sort of changed into a friendship. And I feel we work effectively as a workforce. We’re sort of pushing in the identical path more often than not. And yeah, it has been good and a pleasure. And I want him effectively and all the very best for his future.

Q: Thanks, Nico. Pierre, let’s come to you now. So, Taylor Swift. Are you a Swiftie?
Pierre Gasly: Properly, I assume I’m now. We’re, with Charles right here. I have to admit, it was an unbelievable expertise. I’ve by no means seen and heard such an vitality in a stadium. Really, we did not even speak with Charles earlier than the live performance. And it turned out we ended up in the identical place, in the identical space, with out letting one another know. So it was fairly cool. And yeah, a great evening. A great evening.

Q: Alright, let’s deliver it on to Formulation 1. Now, after 4 consecutive factors finishes for you, it appears that evidently the workforce misplaced a little bit of momentum at Silverstone. Do you perceive the problems with the automobile there? Why it did not carry out so effectively?
PG: Properly, I feel we did not even get an actual image of the efficiency there. Clearly, the qualifying was in blended situations. I did not participate in it, and I did not even participate within the race. So on paper, from the free apply, I did 15 laps the entire weekend. Yeah, it appeared to be barely tougher. We all know the observe, with all these lengthy straights and the effectivity you want on the ability and the aero facet, perhaps did not favour our bundle, however I nonetheless suppose there would have been an opportunity to do one thing and it was only a disgrace not to have the ability to race.

Q: What do you want from the automobile to recreate that candy spot that you simply each had in Barcelona?
PG: Properly, first to take the beginning and truly race. However then I feel the automobile itself, we all know the place we’re. We’ve not actually developed over the previous couple of races. So we all know tips on how to maximise it. Clearly, others, like Haas for instance, are making fairly massive steps ahead and it is so tight in that midfield that it sort of reshuffles the order each time a workforce brings a brand new half. So I feel we all know we have to attempt. Not simple to attain factors till we get new upgrades on the automobile, which hopefully will put us a bit extra within the battle.

Q: Closing one from me: team-mate for 2025, who would you like?
PG: I mentioned it already. I imply, you understand, I feel Alpine, the workforce has good choices on the desk. On the finish of the day, it is less than me. I welcome the quickest man on the market. Everyone knows who it’s. However then, yeah, I imply, in the intervening time, we received to attend. However yeah, the workforce has three good choices.

Q: Have you ever spoken to Carlos?
PG: I did my justifiable share of the job, however in the end I imagine within the initiatives we’re constructing with Alpine and I all the time again the workforce up. Now it is as much as him to make his personal determination.

Q: Thanks, Pierre. Alex, let’s come to you. Again within the factors at Silverstone, after what had been some troublesome races for you and the workforce, simply how necessary was that ninth place?
Alex Albon: It was good. It was good to sort of get one other factors end for us. It was a type of races the place all of it simply got here collectively a bit extra on a observe that additionally suited us, which has suited us traditionally. So, yeah, you understand, it was good. Clearly, we’re attempting to catch up and overtake the man to my proper and on the identical time try to create some house to Sauber. So we’re doing the appropriate factor and we’re getting in the appropriate path. However just like Pierre, we’re not placing issues on the automobile. It is simply getting the automobile in a great place for the one weekend that suited our automobile.

Q: So a second of reflection, simply the 2 factors finishes for you within the opening half of this season. How do you sum it up?
AA: It has been tough. I feel clearly we needed extra. That is additionally only a little bit of a testomony in direction of the midfield groups doing an awesome job. I feel Haas, particularly, sort of got here into this yr and have been a little bit of a shock and their updates are working they usually appear to be persevering with ahead. The hole to the entrance has all the time been shrinking, it is simply comparatively talking we have not been as performant as a number of the different midfield groups. So it is nonetheless a race and it is nonetheless very shut on the market. One improve may put you again into the combo to battle for the factors however in the intervening time that is not going to be on our automobile this weekend and we have to give attention to simply maximising every little thing.

Q: So what are the targets for right here in Hungary?
AA: We’ve got low expectations. I do not suppose it is a circuit that ought to swimsuit us. Sort of a little bit bit like Barcelona, scorching, a bit extra about pure downforce. I feel it is a good take a look at for us. We have provide you with some new choices and new concepts coming from Barcelona and fascinated with how we wish to tackle a few of our points. We’ll simply go on the market in FP1, attempt a number of issues and see if it really works.

Q: Better of luck with that. Thanks. Oscar, let’s come to you now. You’ve got spoken about missed alternatives at Silverstone final trip the place you completed fourth. Do you suppose you would have gained that race had you not finished that further lap within the rain?
Oscar Piastri: I imply, I feel it might have been robust. I feel at that time of the race, my choices being the second automobile on observe had been all the time barely unfavourable. I feel in sure eventualities, sure, I most likely may have gained the race, however I feel for lots of people in that race, there are a variety of issues they might have finished loads higher, and I feel lots of people have a variety of what-ifs in conditions like that. So, sure, I feel we have analysed that and labored out the place we may have gone higher. And I feel on each side of the storage we have labored very effectively collectively to determine the place we went incorrect. However, yeah, I feel the truth that we had been within the hunt for that. I do not suppose we had been… You realize, earlier than the rain got here, we weren’t the quickest automobile on observe. We had been fourth and fifth. And, you understand, by means of the climate situations and whatnot we had been in a position to get into a great place and sadly we made some errors from there. However I feel the alternatives are all the time very, very robust to come back by. And I feel we’re creating a few of our personal.

Q: What classes have been discovered from Silverstone?
OP: I imply, a number of. Clearly, a number of particular to that race specifically. I feel a number of typically. I feel as we’re now preventing again on the entrance, we’re competing towards groups which were on this place for an extremely very long time. In some circumstances, over a decade. It has been some time since, as a workforce, we have been frequently preventing in these positions. It isn’t an excuse for us to have the ability to get it incorrect, however we’re inexperienced in comparison with a few of our opponents. We’re studying loads as we go alongside. I feel we have had a number of races the place we have actually taken benefit of our alternatives and perhaps they have not been commented on as a lot, however I feel that is a part of the sport. Once you’re proper on the entrance, these missed alternatives might be the distinction between successful a race or ending second, which, in fact, has a bit extra weight than for those who’re having the distinction between a P6 and a P7.

Q: Oscar, Imola was a close to miss. You may argue that Austria was a close to miss. Silverstone was a close to miss. How do you cease frustration creeping in?
OP: I imply, a number of methods. I feel the truth that we’re even having these alternatives within the first place is, you understand, we have been having alternatives for the final couple of months now, for instance, however our reminiscence will not be that quick. And, you understand, it was solely 12 months in the past that we had been ending P3 and P4 and that was an unbelievable consequence for us. So I feel we nonetheless have that. In fact, we will not stay off that without end and we have to recognize that we’re in a a lot completely different place now. But in addition the alternatives have all the time been very completely different. And a number of the circumstances have been in our management and I feel we have been excellent at analysing that. I feel a justifiable share of the circumstances have been out of our management as a workforce. So I feel you understand simply specializing in what we have to enhance for ourselves and never being caught up on the issues which might be out of our management, that is a large a part of it.