Q: Ayao, why do not we begin with you? It’s kind of of a milestone second for the Haas System 1 staff. 200 races this weekend. You have been there all through. Inform us in regards to the journey the staff has been on to get to 200.
Ayao Komatsu: I do not assume we have sufficient time to speak about our journey. However yeah, I nonetheless keep in mind ten years in the past like yesterday – automotive construct, pre-season testing, happening to Melbourne. Yeah. After which, a lot of ups and downs occurred since, however now actually proud that we’re right here. 200 races, and enhancing the staff, preventing within the midfield. So yeah, one thing I feel all of us within the staff needs to be pleased with.
Q: You speak about ups and downs. Give us a spotlight and a lowlight, should you might.AK: Yeah, the primary excessive was actually the primary race in 2016, Melbourne. By the point we left automotive construct, we felt like we might carried out a season already. Then we realized that we hadn’t carried out something. Then pre-season testing – we do not keep in mind a lot as a result of we hadn’t slept a lot. After which going to Melbourne, we had been actually virtually useless. After which could not do the pit cease apply, then to attain the P6 with Romain was superb. After which following that with Bahrain, race two, with a P5 with Romain on the aggressive technique. So these are the clear highs. 2018 was a very good season, and Austria, P4 and P5, was an incredible outcome. It actually was like a win for us. After which the low was after we began going within the flawed course in 2019, and we could not repair the automotive. We had a half-decent qualifying automotive, however we simply could not race, they usually could not clear up it for your entire season. That was a low. After which COVID hit, and we actually could not do a lot. In order that was a low. However now, we’re enhancing once more. So, it is good.
Q: Bettering once more now. Let’s simply speak about this weekend in Canada. What are your hopes? What are your expectations for this one?AK: Truthfully, expectations are all the time very tough. Each single circuit we go, particularly with the C6 tyre, which could be very delicate, I discover it a bit tough to foretell precisely the place we’ll be. After which for me, simply right here in Montreal, we deal with having a clear weekend, construct as much as it, after which attempt to get one of the best out of the automotive and drivers. After which hopefully we are able to struggle for the factors, however an extended method to go. Yeah, we have to enhance the automotive fairly a bit.
Q: Okay. Good luck with that. Thanks very a lot. Fred, if we come to you now. Can we simply begin with Charles’ automotive in FP1? How a lot injury is there? Are there any ramifications for FP2?Frederic Vasseur: Once I left the storage, we predict we broken the chassis. And by the best way, we can’t be capable to do FP2, by regulation. We have to do some checks, however I feel it is over for at the moment for Charles.
Q: Now can we discuss in regards to the Italian media? Lewis Hamilton was in right here yesterday, and he dismissed latest criticism of you within the Italian media. What’s your tackle it?FV: I’ve to remain calm as a result of I must end to the stewards. It is some Italian media, it isn’t all of the Italian media. It is not about myself, I feel, as a result of this I can handle. It is extra in regards to the folks of the staff. To throw their title like this, I feel it is simply disrespectful – for them, for his or her household. And we had the case final yr with the chief of aero already. We had another names this season. I do not know the goal. I do not perceive the goal. Maybe it is to present s**t to the staff, however on this case, I do not see the purpose. Maybe it is for them the one method to exist. That is most likely extra the explanation. Nevertheless it’s actually hurting the staff. It is, at one stage, an absence of focus. And if you end up preventing for the championship, each single element makes the distinction. And from the start of the weekend, we’re simply talking about this. And if it is their goal to place the staff on this state of affairs, they reached their purpose. However I feel it is actually – it isn’t like this that we’ll be capable to win a championship. And no less than not with this sort of journalist round us. I will not go to the stewards for this – thus far!
Q: Fred, Does it go together with the territory of being staff principal of Ferrari that it’s a must to take care of this sort of factor?FV: No however to be the staff principal – I knew once I took the place that you’re uncovered, and this I feel is sort of simple to handle. It is extra for the folks of the staff. They’re working very exhausting and to determine someday that “this one can be changed, this one is ineffective” – actually, it’s extremely harsh. These journalists, and I am not placing all people in the identical basket, however they’ve to contemplate that these folks, they’ve households, they’ve wives, they’ve youngsters. And that is fully disrespectful. However I do not wish to communicate anymore about this stupidity.
Q: Okay. Let’s speak about efficiency. This was a tricky race for Ferrari final yr. Do you come into it feeling extra assured?FV: Effectively, no less than we can’t do worse than final yr – it was a double DNF. However the tempo this morning was okay for Charles earlier than the crash. And with Lewis it was okay additionally. We made a step, I feel, should you examine to the primary races – now we got here again to P2, we had the final three or 4 weekends with robust tempo. It was already the case in the beginning, however extra on the race tempo than the quali tempo. Now I feel we’re in a position to put just a little bit extra of the whole lot collectively and do a superb weekend. Nevertheless it’s nonetheless a great distance in comparison with McLaren as a result of they’re nonetheless one step forward. We have now to maintain McLaren as a goal and never look behind us. However we’re on the fitting manner.
Q: Okay. Fred, thanks for that. James, let’s come to you now. Can we simply begin speaking about one thing off observe? The Williams FW14B – you drove it lately. Simply inform us what that was like and what the overriding emotion was for you once you had been behind the wheel.James Vowles: Yeah. It is distinctive. I imply, genuinely, after we stopped, they left me within the automotive and mentioned, “do you want a minute,” and I stayed in there for ten minutes simply having fun with the second. We had been getting it principally prepared, ensuring it was okay earlier than we take it to Goodwood, and it is a possibility of a lifetime. I can not actually describe it every other manner. It is one thing I noticed on TV thirty years in the past that I by no means would have dreamt of even being near, not to mention being able to drive it. It is a very mild automotive. It is precisely Nigel’s automotive as he received the championship in Budapest in ’92. And it is an distinctive second for me to simply have the flexibility to be part of it.
Q: Not too tall?JV: No. Thanks! I believed you had been going say too large! Genuinely, once more – I went on a weight-reduction plan just a little bit final yr to get myself just a little bit thinner to ensure I might get inside it. The most important downside is my ft are just a little bit massive. I feel Nigel’s ft are smaller than mine. So, it is fairly tough to get the whole lot becoming into the nostril field.
Q: Alright. And what in regards to the right here and now? Spain regarded just a little tough for the staff. On the proof of FP1, are you going to go higher right here? How do you clarify that? Is it the return of brief radius corners?JV: Yeah. So I am solely laughing as a result of Fred mentioned… Effectively, principally, he mentioned there is not any corners right here and that is why we’re fast. Spain’s fairly a novel circuit. Flip 3 and Flip 9 now are flat-out corners that you simply’re in for an extended time frame in comparison with different corners on the circuit, and that is not the case for many different tracks now. Unbelievably, that is really extra an outlier than the rest. And with out query, we nonetheless have an issue baked into our automotive that if we’re loaded for an extended time frame at excessive velocity, we battle. And Barcelona proved that. The one level I might make is we’ve got improved, although. We had been in a state of affairs – no less than, we had each entrance wings lacking after lap one – however we had been in a state of affairs the place the automotive might have scored a degree there, which is completely different to how we have been many different years. However with out query, Montreal, conversely, is the whole polar reverse for us. It’s totally a lot a circuit that fits the attribute of our automotive – the brief corners. And I do not assume it will be fairly as rosy as we noticed this morning. McLaren weren’t up there, and Charles wasn’t there both, and I am positive he can be. However the level is we needs to be aggressive sufficient to nonetheless be preventing for factors this weekend.
Questions From The Flooring
Q: (John Noble – The Race) To Fred, I do not know if Ferrari can be glad with the season you have had thus far, however what’s been the type of dialogue with John Elkann thus far this yr? And what is the type of battle plan agreed going ahead to get well the remainder of this season into ’26?FV: The preliminary purpose was to struggle for the championship, however I feel it is true for us, it is true for McLaren, for Crimson Bull, for Mercedes. We’re all on this temper to struggle for the championship in the beginning of the season. I feel should you examine with expectations, most likely McLaren is one step forward in comparison with all people. And we did not do a superb job on our facet.Simply talking about us – Ferrari – we did not do a superb job, the couple of races, we had the disqualification in China. We had been 60 factors behind Crimson Bull and Mercedes at this stage of the season. And general, I feel we had an honest restoration, no less than in comparison with Crimson Bull, Mercedes. In comparison with McLaren, they’re nonetheless one step forward. It means we’ve got to proceed to attempt to do a greater job every day and enhance. I had the sensation that on some events this yr, we missed alternatives, and we did not do the identical stage of job as we did final yr, as an example. And this, clearly, we have to enhance. Nevertheless it’s true that if you wish to win the championship – and I feel it is a good lesson of 2024 – you’ll be able to’t depart factors on the best way. Final yr, we had a double DNF in Canada. We had a few occasions with DNFs and points, and it is the place we’ve got to enhance, clearly. However I feel it is tough to say as a result of we’re nonetheless behind McLaren. The goal is to be P1. However I feel we’re enhancing from the start of the season to at the moment.
