FIA post-race press conference – 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2. Esteban Ocon (Alpine), 3. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Rubens Barrichello)

Q: Max, what an incredible race. Yesterday, did you have any thoughts that you might win today, with the weather, or it was tough? It was a tough weekend.

Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, I mean, my emotions today have been a roller coaster, you know, with qualifying being really unlucky with that red flag. You know, starting P17, I knew that it was going to be a very tough race, but we stayed out of trouble. We made the right calls. We stayed calm. And we were flying. So all of these things together, of course, made that result possible. But I mean, unbelievable to win here from so far back on the grid!

Q: Man, I need to ask you. The first corner, when you went to the inside, you saw there was a lot of grip. And then you started to use that a lot. The overtaking looked fantastic from the outside. Did you know there was a little bit more grip in the inside because you kept on doing fastest laps and using that line?

MV: Yeah, I mean, it’s very hard to pass around here with the new tarmac. There’s only one line that you can take. But, yeah, I just knew that I had to go for it. It’s, of course, always easy to front lock, just trying to balance that out. And I had confidence on the brakes as well. That helps. And, yeah, Turn 1 is always a great corner to pass.

Q: It was 17 fastest laps, so well done, Max. Thank you. You made the crowd stand up all the way.

MV: I hope they enjoyed it!

Q: They did! Thank you. [Esteban], it’s good to see you, my friend. It was nice to see you before the race. Did you look like it could have been on the podium since that moment?

Esteban OCON: I mean, what a day that was, you know, after the difficult season. You know, it’s really nice to be driving around here and having the performance a bit levelled out, you know, on the rain. Someone very important to all of us said a long time ago that in the rain, the cars are almost equal. And that phrase didn’t age at all. Yeah, I’m very happy to be today on the podium. I think it’s been awesome. And the support I received here from all the Brazilian fans is incredible. And yeah, I can’t thank everyone enough.

Q: By any chance, you guys work on a setup because you knew it was going to be wet. Did you work a little bit on that because you knew the car was going to be faster in the wet?

EO: No. The car was extremely difficult, you know, on the dry. And really, you know, I felt at ease, you know, when it started to rain this morning and last night. I really wanted to get some lap on the rain. I love it here when it rains. And yeah, today has brought a special race for us.

Q: Enjoy the party with Alpine. It was great to see. Pierre, what a great race. How tough was it to make that decision to stay on track just before the red flag?

Pierre GASLY: It’s incredible. It’s incredible for the whole team. We had such a tough season. We struggled to score points. In these conditions, everything was possible. We believed it until the end. Two cars on the podium. I don’t think anyone would have got that on that bingo card, you know, ahead of the season. So it’s just fantastic.

Q: So from the car that you had yesterday to the car of today, it’s just the wet that made it possible?

PG: Yeah, I mean yesterday, the pace on the dry was good. I finished seventh. This morning we had a very poor quali, a couple of incidents, we didn’t get a lap in Q2, so we started far, 13th, and we managed to make 10 positions, so now I’m absolutely buzzing right now and I’m just so proud of the team. To overcome such a tough season… It would have been too easy to give up, but we never gave up. And, yeah, here we are, both cars, P2 and P3, a lot of points for the team. And, yeah, everybody should be very proud today.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Very well done, Max. What a victory. Surely that was one of your best?

MV: Yeah, I don’t even know where to start, because my emotions today have been from almost trying to destroy the garage to winning the race. I mean, starting P17… I knew that we could have a good race, but in qualifying, I think it was quite clear that there was only one line that you could take. So I knew that overtaking was going to be quite tough. But yeah, in the race, we had a good start. That helped already. We had a good first lap. From there, we just picked off a few drivers here and there. Then I got a little bit stuck behind the train of Yuki, I think. Then we just stayed calm. It was still a very long race, naturally. We made the right calls. When some pitted, the rain was coming, we stayed out. which was very sketchy. And then I saw Esteban in front of me flying, like four seconds a lap faster and I was like, ‘I’m just happy to keep the car on the track’. I mean, at one point it was just red, like we needed a red flag. It was just undriveable, even on extreme tydes, it would have not been possible because of the banking of the track here, you know, it’s filling up very quickly and it almost felt like I was driving a boat.

EO: A jet ski.

MV: Yeah, a jet ski. I think we could have had a jet ski. Definitely, yeah.

EO: If you go on throttle, you can turn.

MV: Definitely have more cornering speed on a jet ski, I think.

Q: Look, Max, you mentioned your frustrations after qualifying. So what did you think was possible before the start from P17?

MV: I was just very motivated to get a good race and just let the race pan out and see what happens. Because in a wet race, always some crazy things can happen. But soon, I was passing a few cars, and I had always one lap or two laps of free air. I was always the fastest on the track. So, I knew that, ‘OK, we are quick’. I just need to try and pass the guys to try and have a run to the front. I felt comfortable in the car. I feel comfortable in the wet anyway, but then when the car is also performing, it just doubles up and you can really pick up the pace.

Q: Max, you did five fastest laps in a row, 17 fastest laps in total. At what point did you think, I can win this?

MV: Well, when I got past Esteban in Turn 1. I mean, before that, the pace was there, I was just trying to build it up slowly. Because after the red flag, the restart was very fast. And then just when the Safety Car actually came out, I was starting to catch him a bit. But then the tires were, again, very cold. And then, yeah, in the restart, I got by. And from there onwards, I just tried to look after the tyres, because you never know what was going to happen to the end. The wear is always very high around here. But yeah, I felt good. The car was having a nice balance. Just had to be concentrated to not make any mistakes, because the surface was still slippery.

Q: Max, no doubt it was a brilliant victory. Just looking at the bigger picture now, you’ve extended your lead over Lando Norris in the World Championship to 62 points with just three races and one Sprint to go. Do you feel this is a pivotal moment?

MV: I mean, this was now, of course, looking at it, it was incredibly important because in a way I was expecting to lose points today. So from now, I just want clean races to the end. I’m not thinking about clinching the championship in Vegas or whatever. I just want clean races.

Q: Very well done. Thank you very much, Max. Esteban, let’s come to you now. This has been a spectacular day for Alpine and you have been extremely fast all day. What does this P2 mean to you, first of all?

EO: Well, I was saying before, I’m not sure that is a reality or still a dream. But I smell champagne, so I think it is reality. But yeah, it’s been an incredible day. Who would have thought, first of all, that we were going to qualify fourth, where we qualified. We were very, very quick as soon as these conditions pulled out today. It really levels out the field in here. And it feels great to be just able to fight with other cars, to fight with the guys that are at the front as well. And it shows that we’ve still got it. And when there’s an opportunity, we are always there to be able to take it. Yeah, we were leading the race at some point. That was a special moment. I was pulling away from Max in that first restart. It was going super well. Unfortunately, at the end, a reality check came back and Max was still better than us. But, yeah, it feels extremely great and even greater now because we’ve had a difficult couple of races lately where things don’t really work the way we want for us. But it clearly shows, you know, that we’ve still got it when it’s not all about the car and it’s also about driving.

Q: Have you had confidence in the car in the wet all season, or is it specific to the Interlagos race track?

EO: No, not necessarily. I think we are normally better on the rain. It’s difficult to be worse at times than where we are on the dry, especially lately. Don’t laugh, please. But it’s definitely great to be able to execute such a race. The team have been spot on on strategy calls, tyres, And when everyone is on a level playing field, we can play and here we were.

Q: And Esteban, you’re getting towards the end of your final season with Alpine. What does it mean to you to sign off with a result like this?

EO: Well, it’s not signed off yet. There are more races to go, three more. But yeah, if that’s the reward, then I’m very happy to call it that this is the reward. It’s been five years of good moments, more difficult moments, of course. But, yeah, extremely happy and proud, you know, of me and Pierre, to be honest. We’ve had our stories at times, but it’s been incredible to do that last formation lap. A lot of flashbacks came back to my memories, when we were racing on the wet in go-karts, when we were young, even in the snow with the slick tyres, we were both racing together and waiting for the podium or the win to come. And today, yeah, it tastes a bit like that. So, yeah, beautiful story from where we come from. And, yeah, that one will for sure forever stay engraved.

Q: Esteban, very well done. Thank you for that. Pierre, let’s come to you now. You were nodding at the end there. Did you get those same flashbacks on the slowdown lap?

PG: Yeah, of course. I don’t think anyone can understand. You know, it’s a very personal relationship between Esteban and myself. But we’ve been going through so much. And as he mentioned, all these times we’ve had, like over winter, minus 5 degrees outside, we were the only ones showing up at the go-kart track, going out in the rain, in the snow, slick tyres, 9, 10, 11 years old. And we’ve really practiced these conditions. And on a day like today, I can tell you this actually made the difference, all that practice. I remember us getting back in the truck trying to get warm after a few laps because we were absolutely freezing. And it’s just that we’ve had our ups and downs. But as you said, this two years chapter as team-mates, I think we can be very proud of the way we’ve pushed the team forward. It’s been tough, obviously, this season, but we’ve always tried to push the team in the right direction to never give up. And on a day like today, even when the car has misbehaved for the majority of the season, everyone tried to put the A game, and it was just an historical day for the team. So very proud for everyone working in the team to achieve such a performance.

Q: As you say, a great day for the team. A lot of pressure from George Russell at the end. How hard was it to keep him behind?

PG: Yeah, he was quite big in the mirrors. I must say it wasn’t easy. It was difficult conditions. I wasn’t at ease with the car balance. So I was kind of like fighting it a bit. But I always had him at bay. I don’t think he ever had the idea of trying anything. So I knew as long as I keep him within one second, it’ll be good enough. He damaged a bit his tyres. So it was a long end of the race, but we managed to hold him off. There was Lando at the restart and Charles as well. So we’ve had our fair battles during the entire race, which felt like an eternity, to be fair, with the red flag and in these conditions. But yeah, we managed to make the right calls, faultless drive and strategy and excellent day for the team.