PART ONE – Esteban OCON (Alpine), Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing), Zhou GUANYU (Kick Sauber)
Q: Can we start with the hometown hero? Max, how was the break?
Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, it was very good. Spent a good time with friends and family. It was a lot of fun, honestly. I think it passed way too fast. If I could, I would have added another week, but that’s how it goes. But it was good to refresh a bit, not really think about Formula 1, and just have a good time with funny people.
Q: And what a place to kickstart the season again. Your home Grand Prix at Zandvoort, clearly it’s a busy one for you. How difficult is it to treat it like any other race?
MV: To be honest, it’s OK. I mean, just coming after the break as well, I always know, of course, that it’s maybe a little bit more busy for me. But at the other hand, you just focus on performance. And yeah, just happy to be here. Also looking forward to the weekend itself. It looks like there’s a bit of rain around as well, typically. But that’s OK. I’m just excited to get started again.
Q: And it’s race number 200 for you in Formula 1. And you’re still only 26! Do you see yourself here in another 200 races?
MV: No.
Q: Really?
MV: Nice and easy, yeah. So we passed halfway for sure, but it’s been already, of course, an incredible ride. 200, yeah, I mean, it doesn’t feel like 200, but of course we’re doing a lot of races now in a year, so you add them quite quickly.
Q: Can you pick one highlight from the 200 or the 199 so far?
MV: Honestly, I think winning your very first race, that is always very emotional, because you dream of that when you’re a little kid, to be on the podium in F1. And then being on the top step, I think, is always very special. Winning your first championship, these kind of things, yeah, they will always be something incredible that I will look back at after my career. Two highlights, yeah.
Q: Alright, and what about this weekend? You’re unbeaten at Zandvoort, three wins from pole. Do you think this is going to be the toughest one yet?
MV: Looking at how the season is at the moment, for sure. It looks like also there are many more teams involved that can actually win a race. So for sure, I’m not coming into this weekend saying that we’re going to win the race. I just want to have a clean weekend, understand the car a bit more, learn from it. Of course, we analyse a lot over the break and try to do things maybe a bit different or better. And we’ll find out, of course, over the weekend how that will go.
Q: Alright. Best of luck. Thank you, Max. Esteban, let’s come to you next. First up, how was the break?
Esteban OCON: Yeah, very good. Similar to Max, I think. Spent some good time with family and friends. Had a good week off and then went straight back to training. And yeah, it went very quick, I would say, because we also tested after the race in Spa, so the whole week was a little bit more of a working week, more than a race week. But yeah, all recharged, ready to go, ready to go back racing. And yeah, can’t wait to put some laps in the car.
Q: You got your best result of the season so far at Spa. How much confidence does that give you coming into the second half?
EO: Yeah, we knew that, you know, Spa is a place where, you know, historically the car has been performing quite well and better than other places. So I knew that there was going to be an opportunity that we had to take. Obviously, it’s only a top 10 finish. It’s P9. But, yeah, it’s going to be harder, I think, for the rest of the year. So we are going to try and do our best see where we can be in this race. But yeah, for sure the car performed well in Spa. The upgrades worked as expected and yeah I look forward to see if of course we can repeat some of those but I expect that it’s going to be a little bit more difficult for us.
Q: Why do you think it’s going to be more difficult? Because when you think where you started with this car, you’ve improved it a lot. How much more is there to come?
EO: Yeah, we’ve improved a lot. Clearly, we were on the last row in Bahrain, and now we are navigating close to top 10 finishes. But if we look at a race, for example, like Budapest, it was a race where we struggled a lot, and we were very far from the points. Spa typically works well for us, and some races have worked well, like Canada as well. But, you know, this type of tracks, you know, could be more difficult. So, you know, we need to just make sure that everything is perfect, that we get the maximum out of the car. And hopefully that will be a successful one for us.
Q: And Esteban, this is the first race weekend with Oliver Oakes as team principal of Alpine. First up, what are your impressions of him so far?
EO: Yeah, quite sudden news. I believe everything happened pretty quickly, but obviously those high-level decisions, we as drivers and many of the team members don’t know really what’s going on behind the scenes. But yeah Oliver has been somebody that I’ve met some time ago now. He was looking after a kid that I was looking after as well. So we’re talking about that quite a lot. He’s someone that knows the drivers very well. He’s been a driver himself. And he has a lot of experience, obviously, in motor sport. So, yeah, he’s going to be here tomorrow. So, yeah, I wish him the best of luck. And obviously, yeah, we’re going to be working for the rest of the year together.
Q: What is job number one for him as he joins Alpine?
EO: Well, he’s going to have a lot, for sure, a lot of work. A head joining mid-season is not an easy task, but he’s somebody of such a calibre that I’m sure he will find his way very quickly.
Q: Alright. Thank you. Best of luck to you this weekend. Zhou, coming to you, first up, the break. How was it?
Zhou GUANYU: Yeah, it was good. I mean, same as the others. I had a good time. I went back home because obviously I love spending time at home and that’s what we miss during the season. So just had some great time with family and friends and had a fun, let’s say, two weeks back in Shanghai.
Q: And how do you view these last 10 races? Sauber is the only team yet to score a point this season. Is the car, is the C44 more competitive than the results have shown so far?
ZG: I would say, in terms of the results, I feel like that’s kind of where we are. But we did miss quite a lot of opportunities, especially at the beginning of the season. I think there’s a few occasions we could have had a chance, maybe finishing just around the P10 position. With, you know, the issues we had, I wouldn’t go into too much detail, in the pit lane, you know, getting slow stops that that was like kind of resolve a lot of the opportunity, the potential to score the points. So I would say definitely the beginning of the season, we had a lot more opportunities to be fighting closer to the points. But then for the last four or five races, before the summer shutdown, definitely I felt like that’s kind of where we were, and unfortunately not competitive enough and not where we hoped for. But looking forward to the remaining ten races, that’s for sure, because for myself, finally having the same package and also having some new development coming for not just this race, but for other races as a team, I think gives us higher hopes to be back in format.
Q: And a new team principal, or new boss, I should say. He’s not team principal. But how much contact have you had with Mattia Binotto so far?
ZG: Yeah, I mean, Mattia is a kind of a person that I knew from before, just because, you know, back in the days when I was with Ferrari Academy, he was there together in the race team. And then he officially only started in Hinwil this week, on Monday. So there’s plenty of stuff, works that he have to extract and also to be going through behind the scenes. So I think he’s having a quite busy couple of months ahead, but I’m looking forward to working with him. I already had a few chats about him. I think he can really bring his knowledge from the other team to us. I think it’s going to be very beneficial.
Q: Have you spoken to him about 2025?
ZG: We’re talking about it. And of course, we spoke about that. That’s, of course, one of the topics that’s going forward for the next few weeks and to see where I belong for the remaining [races], next season and onwards.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Max, I’ll start with you, and I’m intrigued by your answer to Tom’s first question and I know you’ve touched on the fact that you’re not going to stay in this sport way into your 40s before, but are you saying now that 2028, when your contract at Red Bull runs out, that’s it, you’re not going to stay on in Formula 1? You’re beyond halfway, you say, in your career, or is there anything that could persuade you to stay on for a bit longer beyond the end of this current contract?
MV: I mean, of course, ‘28 is still very far away but in my mind at the moment, I’m not thinking about a new contract at the moment. I just want to see how it goes. Also see the new regulations first, you know, if it’s fun or not. And then even in ‘26, ‘27, there’s a lot of time to decide what happens. So I just keep everything open. But yeah, I’m quite easygoing about it.
Q: (Felix Gerner – RTL) Question to Max. What do you think, who is your main rival for this season championship? Is it Lando? Is it Oscar? Is it Charles? Who is the main contender?
MV: If you look at the championship, Lando is closest. But lately, you can see there are a lot of cars actually winning races and drivers, of course, of the team. So it’s just very unknown. I mean, it’s very close. And yeah, attention to detail and getting the car in the right operating window can really make a difference with so many teams and cars that close. So yeah, we’ll see what happens. I mean, it’s very difficult to comment on that right now.
Q: (Moritz Steidl – Servus TV) Max, my question to you, your sign on your helmet and also of your marketing is the lion. Which attitudes and attributes do you need the most from a lion on the racetrack?
MV: Kill your prey? I don’t know. I mean, it’s associated with the country as well, the lion. So I like that already. And I implemented that into my design with my logo as well on the top. And it worked out really well. And yeah, it just stayed on the helmet. And it’s something that you grow into as well.
Q: (Roldan Rodriguez – DAZN, Spain) Hi, from Spain, a question to Max as well. We have seen a small change of regulation regarding the braking system. I would like to know if you think this will affect the performance on the Red Bull car?
MV: Not at all, no.
Q: (Laurent Dupin – Canal+) A question to Max. Very often, we say here it’s a music festival. What’s your opinion about having songs to your name? And do you prefer Max, Max, Supermax, or boom, boom, boom, boom, Max Verstappen?
MV: Can you do that again? Well, let’s say like that. I never thought that that would happen when I started racing. But here we are. Honestly, I’m just happy to be here. It’s always very special to have a home Grand Prix. Also, the track layout itself is really cool to drive, so I’m just enjoying the moment. It’s of course also very enjoyable to see people happy and having a great time and just enjoying the weekend, so then it doesn’t really matter about the songs or whatever.
Q: (Mara Sangiorgio – Sky Sports Italy) A question to Max. So far you have always won here. You are totally a hero for your country. Will be a defeat here be harder to accept for you?
MV: Not really. I mean, you just have to be realistic. If you can win the race, of course you go for it. If you don’t have a chance, then it’s very simple. You don’t deserve to win. You move on and you try to do better. So for me, yeah, we just have to wait and see where we are throughout the weekend. I also don’t know. Of course… Let’s say last year coming here, I was a lot more confident that we had a big chance of winning the race. But that’s how the season is already. It’s a lot more competitive. And from our side, I think we’re still trying to improve, trying to find a better car balance. And hopefully, yeah, we can start here to find a better balance.
Q: Max, would you prefer the race to be wet or dry?
MV: It doesn’t matter.
Q: (Diego Mejia – Fox Sports Mexico) Question for Max. Starting the summer break, we had the news that Jonathan Wheatley is leaving Red Bull to join Audi. I just wanted to know if it was a surprise for you, and what do you think about the team maybe losing one of its main guys?
MV: I mean, of course, you hear about it even before, of course, things get announced. But at the end of the day, I have a great relationship with Jonathan and it always will be like that anyway, even if, of course, he’s moving to a different team. But it’s a different opportunity for him and also a different role and, yeah, sometimes of course it’s also a bit of a new challenge right. So there are no hard feelings or whatever. I’m happy for him, you know, that he gets that opportunity. Of course he will be missed within the team but of course as a team we also have to look at the future and move on from that and Of course, we still have to see how we’re going to fill in all the roles that Jonathan currently has. But I’m also happy for him. It goes both ways. And the team is, of course, also very thankful for what he has delivered for the team. So, yeah, there are no hard feelings at all.
Q: (Hakki Mutlu – Digiturk) Hello, Max. This question is for you. This is our first presence in a Grand Prix. There are strong rumours saying that Dutch GP will not be on calendar from next year onwards. Would you be upset on this decision? For example, if it doesn’t stay on the calendar, how would you evaluate it?
MV: Yeah, I mean, I like the track. I like, of course, having my home Grand Prix, but there are a lot of factors involved that decide why a Grand Prix is hosted here, right? So at the end of the day, that’s not up to me. I enjoy coming here, and I will always enjoy that as long as it’s on the calendar.
Q: (Fréd Ferret – l’Equipe) Question to Max. You said that there is so many people capable of winning. Are you worried for the title and the championship because of all that contenders?
MV: I’m not really worried. I’m also not thinking about Abu Dhabi yet. I just want to improve as a team. I want to improve the car. I know that if we improve our car, then it makes our lives a bit easier. Because the last few races, of course, have been a bit tough, even though I do believe that if we started on pole in Spa, in our normal starting position, without a penalty, we could have still won the race. But it’s just very tight margins. And that’s why also qualifying is always very important. But yeah, the better performance we have from the car, the easier it becomes. That’s what I think what we showed last year. I don’t expect it to be like last year, but we always want to try and be better. And especially, you know, the situation that we have been in the last few races, we want to come out of that and learn maybe a bit more from the car and be more competitive.
Q: (Sönke Sievers – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) Max, with Adrian and also Jonathan leaving the team, we might expect them to try to make other valued personnel to follow them to their new employers. Are you afraid this could lead to a brain drain situation at Red Bull Racing and how does it affect the team regarding on-track performance?
MV: We just focus on the performance on track. Of course, some people have been leaving. Some people have been joining. Some get announced. Some don’t. That, I think, is life in Formula 1, especially when you have been very successful. It’s normal that other teams try to steal people away. And it’s not new to Formula 1 anyway. So I’m not too worried about it. We just need to stay focused and make sure that we have the right people at the right place.
Q: (Erwin Jaeggi – Motorsport.com) A question for Esteban. What do you think of the way how France organised the Olympics, how the people in France responded to it? And karting was being considered for Los Angeles 2028, but rejected, but could be considered again in the future. What do you think of that? Would it be beneficial for motorsport if it will be part of the Olympics?
EO: I think we had a crazy successful Paris Olympics. I mean, what we’ve seen, how many French athletes had gold medals as well. I think we had the record of France being successful as well. and just how the world overall just welcomed it and saw it. I think it was awesome advertising for France in general. I’m really pleased with how it went and proud with the result we got. Yeah, in terms of motor sport, I know we had the virtual racing with Gran Turismo at the time. There isn’t enough, obviously, of motor sport categories represented in Olympics. It would be good to make something work. But, yeah, I mean, I don’t know how at the moment we could make it work. It seems, you know, difficult. I know in the past we’ve tried it as a single-seater series, but I don’t think it worked well. Yeah, we would need to make something work for sure. But yeah, how to make it, that’s more the question.
Q: Esteban, did you have a favourite Olympic event this year?
EO: I think many were cool to watch, to be fair, to all the athletes that were there, because they work so hard to show what they are capable of. And some of them, it’s only every four years. So yeah, it was cool to watch, and hats off to them.
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Max, I don’t know if you saw Kyle Larson’s comments over the summer break, but the NASCAR driver said he thinks that he’s a better all-around driver than you. Could I get your response to that? I know comparing drivers across disciplines is something you’ve previously said you’re not too keen on, but what did you make of his comments?
MV: That’s fine. I mean, everyone thinks their own way, right?
Q: (Ben Hunt – Autosport) Max, sorry, another question for you. Feels like forever ago, but Sergio Pérez is confirmed as staying to the end of the season. How important is it to have that stability on the other side of the garage, or does it not matter? Would you have minded either way whether he’d have stayed in the team or there would have been another driver alongside you?
MV: I mean, naturally, of course, I get on really well with Checo, right? So I’m happy for him also that maybe these kind of doubts are gone. For me, what I’m very focused on is just improving the car, having more performance. That’s what I’ve been thinking about. You know, talking to the team as well, how to move forward from that. So that has been my worry. as well at the same time. Well, people are, of course, talking about other things. So yeah, just happy to be here again and focus on driving.
Q: (Stijn Keuris – Panorama) After almost 200 Grands Prix, do you still think you are able to improve as a driver? And if so, in what areas did you improve the most lately or in the last two seasons, for instance?
MV: I think every year you gain more and more experience. I think that naturally helps. I think, of course, as a driver, to fully show your potential also depends a lot on the car, to show how good you are or whatever, but… Naturally, yes, you try every year, when you come back, you want to try and be a little bit better than the year before. It’s not any more big steps, I think, in Formula 1 but just fine-tuning little bits here and there. You always have moments in a season where you think, maybe I could have done a bit better or could have approached it a bit different. And that’s what you analyse at the end of the year every single time.
Q: (Diletta Colombo – Auto Moto) A question for Max. Would you consider racing in other categories outside Formula 1 in the future?
MV: Yeah. I mean, of course, it’s quite difficult to combine with F1 at the moment, having so many races. But for sure, once I stop in Formula 1, I would like to do other stuff, a bit more relaxed, less races in general. With relaxed, I mean that you are also a bit more home, because I know that once I compete in something, of course, I want to be good. I want to win. But let’s see what opportunities will come by.
Q: (Joost Nederpelt – NU.nl) A question to all three, by the way. Today it’s already very windy, and tomorrow it gets even worse. Can it become undriveable at one point or unsafe to drive?
ZG: I forgot how to talk. But no, yeah, I did a track walk today. Actually, it’s not like the whole track, but it is quite true, like the mean straight and also the back straight, where the both DRS detections are. It’s super windy, and the thing tomorrow is another, I don’t know, 15, 20 kph more. So I don’t think it’s undriveable, but it just makes the car, the track condition a bit more unpredictable and especially hopefully stay dry tomorrow and then that will make things quite settle down. And I don’t think it’s the first time that we have such a windy condition. So I think all the drivers should be fine. You know, I don’t think it’s too unsafe to drive.
Q: (Ronald Vording – Motorsport.com) A question to all three. This weekend kicks off the second half of the season. But the schedule for it seems a bit atypical, because after Singapore, we have another gap, basically another summer break. And then towards the end, we get two triple headers. So what’s your point of view as drivers? And do you feel, in terms of workload, it’s something that needs to be evaluated for the future?
EO: Yeah, it’s actually something I was discussing with some members of the team earlier. I didn’t realise we had such a gap later in the year. And it’s actually, I think, well thought from FOM and FIA, because they are a very hard working load the triple headers. And there’s a big jetlag topic as well there. So it’s difficult for everyone, for every member in the paddock. So to try and get us there with the battery recharged and get us ready to attack this triple header can be a good thing. It just makes the season very long. So there’s always a downside in it. But yeah, happy to try it, happy to see how everyone feels. I know that last year a lot of people were sick and tired, especially after Vegas. That was a very hard one, you know, working at night all the time. And I think, you know, we are trying as a whole to just get that better, looking at the feedback from everyone from last year. So we’ll see how it goes.
Q: (Niamh Lewis – ESPN) Question for all drivers. How do you manage your fitness and your training and your nutrition with so many races and so much travel? Is there anything different you do this year?
ZG: OK, I’ll do it. Yeah, for me, I think, actually, it’s quite an easy one to manage with so many races, because you obviously try to prepare yourself as much as you can before the season starts, just because you know you’re going to be fighting through jetlag and also so many races together. But physical side, I think you get into a point that you’re racing fit. So you’re doing so many races every single weekend and you’re constantly in your seat. that really actually makes life a lot easier because the moment you step in the car, start the season, everything just gets very consistent through into the summer break. So, yeah, quite straightforward, to be honest.
