FIA post-race press conference – Great Britain

1. Lando Norris (McLaren), 2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 3. Nico Hulkenberg (Kick Sauber)

TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Jenson Button)

Q: Nico Hülkenberg, you’re going to be standing on that podium. How does that feel?

Nico HÜLKENBERG: Yeah, good! It's been a long time coming, hasn't it? But, yeah, I always knew we have it in us, I had it in me somewhere. So what a race, coming from virtually last, doing it all over again from last weekend. It's pretty surreal, to be honest. Not sure how it all happened, but obviously crazy conditions, mixed conditions. It was a survival fight for a lot of the race. I think we just were really on it. The right calls, the right tyres, at the right moment. Made no mistakes and, yeah, quite incredible.

Q: It's been over 200 Grands Prix – quite a few over 200 Grands Prix, but we won't dwell on that. But it must be mentally so difficult going through all those times when it's almost there and then it's taken away from you. Just give us a little bit of emotion of how this feels right now?

NH: I mean, today, I think I was in denial until probably the last pit stop, you know, and then when I heard we gapped Lewis quite a bit with the one extra lap, I was like, ‘okay, this is good, this is some breathing space’, but then he was catching quite quickly. So yeah, the pressure was there. It was an intense race, but like I said, we didn't crack. No mistakes. And obviously really, really happy with that.

Q: Fantastic. And obviously you had the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton chasing you down at the end. So, it was like the biggest pressure situation you could possibly have had at the British Grand Prix.

NH: Yeah, I was thinking that, you know, obviously he's going to give it all here in front of his home crowd. And I was like, sorry guys, but it's also my day, I’ve got to stick my neck out and, yeah, super happy. Thank you very much for the great energy and support here every year.

Q: Congratulations.

NH: Thank you.

Q: Oscar, I can imagine the emotions very high, and we always say that you're very level-headed, but I've never seen you quite so upset about the situation you find yourself in.

Oscar PIASTRI: Yeah, I'm not going say much. I'll get myself in trouble. So well done to Nico. I think that's the highlight of the day. So yeah, I'll leave it there.

Q: You obviously had a reasonably good start against Max, made a lovely move, and it looked like you had good pace throughout the race. And it was the one incident that you're not going to want to talk about, but we need to mention it here on the back straight. Obviously, getting the gap to the Safety Car.

OP: Yeah, I mean, apparently you can't brake behind the safety car anymore. I mean, I did it for five laps before that. Again, I'm not going say too much till I get myself in trouble. But thanks to the crowd for a great event. Thanks for sticking through the weather. I still like Silverstone even if I don't like it today. So, thanks for coming out, everyone.

Q: Lando, wow! You just won your home Grand Prix.

Lando NORRIS: Oh, wow. It's beautiful. Everything I dreamed of, I guess. Everything I've ever wanted to achieve. Apart from a championship, I think this is as good as it gets in terms of feelings, in terms of achievement, being proud – all of it. You know, this is where it all started for me, was watching actually, was watching you on TV many years ago. And now, thankfully, I've been able to have my go. So yeah, incredible race. Stressful as always, but the support from the fans made the difference today. So I’ve got to thank them for it all.

Q: What's going through your mind in those last couple of laps of the race? What is the feeling? What is the emotion? And are you thinking what am I going to do when I cross that finish line? Or who am I going to wave at? What is it like?

LN: Yeah, I mean, your mind just goes pretty blank. So everything you might think before the race, you forget. I mean, the main thing is always just don't ****** it up. That's rule number one. But the last few laps, I was just looking into the crowd. I was just trying to take it all in, enjoy the moment because it might never happen again. Hope it does, but these are memories that I'll bring with me forever. So incredible achievement.

Q: Great. I'll apologise for you.

LN: Thank you. Sorry. I'm also sorry. But yeah, amazing.

Q: And not the easiest way to win your home Grand Prix, with the weather conditions throwing everything at you possible, safety cars. It was a tough one.

LN: Yeah, I think in terms of being a stressful race, this is as stressful as you can get. But I mean, it was a good race for Oscar as well. I’ve got to give my credits to Oscar. He was fast the whole way. So yeah, a round of applause for Oscar because he put up a good fight, and I enjoy those moments together when we're on track. Not as much as when he's ahead of me as when he's behind, but that's life. And yeah, so credit to him and of course McLaren. To win at home in front of all the friends and family we have here is pretty amazing. So, a big thanks to them.

Q: Yeah, the championship's obviously heating up. It's exciting. You're getting so close to Oscar. I want to leave the last word with you for the fans that come out here to watch you race, and you've won the British Grand Prix for all these fantastic fans out there.

LN: Yeah, I mean, it's always hard, right? Because before the race, I'm like, I want to give them something to cheer about. But it's a long 52 laps and you never know what's going to happen, especially when it was raining earlier. So, it's always hard to imagine what it's going to be like. But now I'm feeling it, and it's unbelievable. So yeah, thanks to all the fans, all the British fans, all the McLaren fans. And shout out to my grandstand in the corner because I gave all my credits to them. They were amazing. They cheered me on every lap and it was really a beautiful thing.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Lando, very well done. You've won your home race. Just describe what this moment means to you.

LN: Where do I start? I mean, eventful race. Yeah. Eventful race. I mean, it means a huge amount. You know, at the end of the day, being on top in your home race is very, very special. And I said in some of the other interviews, you know, this is where it all started for me. I was watching on TV. I was watching, all those many years ago, Lewis, Jenson, Fernando. I think it was, you know, that extremely wet race here, in 2007 or 2008. That's when I really started watching Formula 1. And I think Lewis won, and I got that picture of him going around and seeing all the fans standing up, and that picture of what an atmosphere in Silverstone is like, and dreamed of that for many, many years. And today I got to live that feeling myself and see it through my own eyes. So pretty amazing, pretty special. A lot of people, from my friends and family, my brother, my sisters, my mom, my dad, my dad's parents. Every person that I could have here is here. So, yeah, more special than ever, 100%. And, yeah, tough race to do it in as well.

Q: You've been ticking off the big races this year, Monaco, now Silverstone. Do you feel you're enjoying a bit of a purple patch at the moment?

LN: I mean, it's tough to say it. Look, you can always class it as momentum or whatever, but I don't think that… yeah. I don't know. It’s whatever you want to believe in the end of the day. I think it's still just one race at a time. Obviously, I had a good race last weekend and we had a good battle, and we got close, and I was looking forward to another good battle. So, you know, I give my credit to Oscar at the same time because he drove an extremely good race. But, you know, it’s two wins, but they've not come easy by any means. We've had good fights, but they're pretty strenuous, exhausting weekends because you're fighting for hundredths and thousandths, and you're fighting for perfection every session and I’m against some pretty good drivers. So, it takes a lot out of you, especially when you have a race like today. So, I've had two good weekends and, of course, I would love to continue that momentum, but it still requires more consistency. Two weekends doesn't mean anything otherwise. And I just need to keep it up and keep working hard.

Q: It was a very unpredictable race this one. How difficult was it to make the right calls at the right time?

LN: I think as a team, we did a very good job. I was pretty happy with everything. I think we made the right calls at the right time. Probably could have boxed for slicks a couple of laps before we did. But, you know, the first part of the race, Oscar and Max were fighting quite a lot, and I was pretty patient. I didn't push too much. I tried to look after my tyres a little bit more for some of the later stages when it started to rain again, but it was probably the wrong thing to do. I probably should've just pushed because we went onto another set of Inters. It's just tough to not crash in these conditions. It sounds so obvious and easy, but the amount of moments you have, at Turn 1, the aquaplaning in 2 , the aquaplaning into 9, where Hadjar crashed – you don't realise how close sometimes we are to crashing and it all being in the bin in a matter of tenths. They are scary moments inside, but then they excite you in a way, and then you open your eyes, you concentrate again. It's scary and thrilling at the same time. But they're also fun races, but they take a lot out of you in one single race. So, a lot of decisions, but I think as a team, we talked through things perfectly well and we kept calm through the whole thing, and that paid dividends at the end.

Q: Oscar, let's come to you now. Great job by you. You showed great pace throughout, but the ten-second penalty cost you. Can you talk us through what happened on the rundown to Stowe behind the Safety Car?

OP: I hit the brakes. At the same time I did that, the lights on the Safety Car went out, which was also extremely late. And then obviously, I didn't accelerate because I can control the pace from there. And, yeah, you saw the result. I didn't do anything differently to my first restart. I didn't go any slower. I didn't do anything differently. So, a shame.

Q: Are you going to talk to the stewards? Are you going to seek clarification about the penalty?

OP: I don't know. I don't think it's worth doing at the moment. I'm not sure it's going to be very constructive in all honesty. I don't know. But I don't really care at the moment.

Q: You've had frustrations before in your career. How long will it take you to move on from this one?

OP: I don't know. It obviously hurts at the moment. It's a different hurt though because I know I deserved a lot more than what I got today. I felt like I drove a really strong race. Ultimately, when you don't get the result you think you deserve, it hurts, especially when it's not in your control.

Q: As you say, you drove a very strong race, had really good pace, very aggressive with Max on lap eight to take the lead. Just how much confidence does the drive you put in today give you going forward?

OP: A lot. I think it was a really, really good day. A similar race to here 12 months ago and a very different outcome for the whole team. The whole team did a really good job. The car was obviously mega, and giving myself credit, I feel like I did a good job today. So, it just makes it more painful when you don't win.

Q: Nico, let's come to you. Very well done. Your first podium. What a moment for you. Just describe how you feel.

NH: Happy, but, you know, it's a lot to take in, to process. It's been a very intense race. I think Lando has put it pretty well. It's so intense for us in the car in these changeable conditions on a damp track. You always feel like with one foot you're in the wall when you're exploring and on the limit and then trying to push. So, yeah, very intense. Obviously, it was a kind of a distance battle with Lewis at the end who was making up some ground, but not enough, luckily for us at the end. So, yeah, everything coming together, big relief, very happy, very positive day. From a massive low yesterday being almost last, literally on the grid, to this result is kind of surreal. It's going to take a few days to process everything and take it all in. Good news is we have two weeks now to enjoy it and to celebrate it properly over the next week before we go again.

Q: At what point in the race did you realize the podium was on?

NH: Before we pitted back onto slicks. I passed Lance, then Lewis passed Lance pretty quickly, and then I was able to keep him at bay and even pull away when the Inters started to wear more and more. So I was like, that was looking pretty positive and encouraging. Then I think we made a really good call by stopping one lap later than he did for the slicks, and we gained I think around ten seconds. That gap was crucial. From there onwards, felt like a pretty long ten, 11, 12 laps, whatever it was. But from there onwards, I knew we have every chance to get this result. We just needed to keep it on the road while pushing.

Q: How much more is possible with this car? You've scored points in the last four races. The team has outscored Red Bull at the last four races. Just how much more can you do?

NH: You want even more? Jesus! I think that's pretty good for starters today. If we had a dry race, it would have been a very different day and outcome for us. Whilst we've made some really good improvements since Barcelona, today is obviously circumstantial, and the conditions made this race and this result possible. But I feel in the midfield fight we've definitely gained some momentum, and we are a serious competitor there. That's where our fight is, but it's always about maximizing every race, every weekend, and just trying to do well.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Nico, congratulations. It's been ten years since you last stood on a podium, back at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Obviously, this one very different. But just the sort of feelings and emotions you've had even the past half an hour, an hour or so, spraying the champagne, celebrating with these guys, how has that felt doing that again after so long?

NH: Felt good. I still remembered how to do it. Used to do it a lot in the junior stuff and then had to wait for it quite a bit. But it just happened so quick, the race, and you're still processing that. Then so many emotions, so many people coming at you, a lot of positivity, a lot of congratulations. At the moment just happy, relieved. But like I said, it's going to sink in more over the next few hours and the next few days, and I think I'll feel the enjoyment even more in the week to come.

Q: (Leonid Kliuev – Grande Premio Brazil) Question for Oscar. Does it feel a bit inconsistent, the penalty in comparison to Canada?

OP: I don't know how different it was. I can only comment on what I felt I did, which I felt was well within the rules, and I did it once already in that race. So, yeah. I don't really get it. I'll go have a look back.

OP: I also have a question for Nico. How does it feel after fifteen years of F1 to get a podium [trophy] that's made out of Lego that you can just pull apart?

NH: What? Sorry.

OP: It's just made out of Lego that you can pull apart and probably buy next week.

NH: Yeah. I love Lego! It's good. My daughter can play with it too. You’ve always got to see the bright side. But, you know, a bit of silver or gold would have been nice too, but I won't complain.

Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-magazin.com) Congratulations, Nico. Two questions for you. At the beginning of the race, you pitted quite early for intermediates. Was that some kind of undercut? And later on, you were behind Lance for quite a bit of time. Did you feel you were losing the podium chance there?

NH: It's true. We pitted from inters to inters. Obviously, it was drying out. The inter was wearing down, the first set from the start, but the team said there’s some rain about. It actually changed within one or two laps from a pretty bright sky to dark clouds and I was just dropping back. I was really struggling with that first set. They said the rain is coming, so I just dived into the pits, to be honest, without thinking too much at the time and then went out and the rain started. It was really good timing. All the stops we made today, they could not have been better. We pitted at the perfect time every single time, which is very rare and difficult to do. But it's just how it happened today, and we really hit that one on the head. Behind Lance, he was quick. We had very similar pace, but then on that set of Intermediates, he eventually was just degging off a bit more than me when the track dried out. So, it just took a while to find a way through. But I wasn't even really thinking about the podium there. We were running P5, I think P4 at the time, so it was already pretty good. I was just about keeping it going and making no mistakes.

Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) A question for you, Lando. You sounded very emotional in the cockpit when you crossed the line. Was it fair to say there might have been a few tears perhaps when you finished? What emotions were going through your mind in the last lap and when you crossed the line?

LN: No. No tears. I tried, but no. I don't know. When I get emotional, I don't cry, I just smile. It's pure happiness. It's pure enjoyment of the moment that you're in. I wish I could cry because I think it looks better for pictures sometimes. But no, I just smile instead. Like I said before, this is where it all started for me, seeing this, having all my grandstands here, and even before the race just thinking like, someone's got to win today. I probably have a better chance than most. There's no reason why it can't be me. I always find it at times hard to picture and be too positive prior to races and never say today is going to be my day. But I was actually surprisingly hopeful this morning that today I could do well, and I had the pace when I needed it. I've joined a long list of pretty incredible winners who have won here in the past. Most of them are Lewis! But to join him and, from a British side, to continue the reign of the British here is pretty amazing. And just for the fans. The last two laps, looking up at the fans and seeing them on their feet and cheering – these are moments that no one really gets, none of you guys get to witness. This is something that I and very few others, especially Brits, get to witness. It's a very selfish moment, but it's one of the most special, the most incredible, because it's such a rare thing that someone gets to feel and to see and to witness. For me, the best win. Maybe not the best way to win, I'm not going say it's my best win, that's not true. But in terms of what it means to win here at home, the want, the desire to do it in front of my own grandstand, my family, my friends, McLaren, His Royal Highness is here, to win in front of all of them and to make amends for last year makes it all even more special. So, yep, very memorable.

Q: (Jack Smith – motorsportweek.com) Lando, congratulations. I just wanted to ask you a little bit about the new front suspension on the car. How much confidence does that give you now, given that you've taken two wins with it and there's still half a season to go? It must be a good feeling.

LN: You sound more positive than I still am. Yeah. It could be worse. It could have made it… people talk about it probably too much. That's just my honest opinion. It could be that it's helping me, and when I say helping, it’s helping me by hundredths, thousandths, I don't know. It's impossible to numerically put a number on it. Like I said in previous interviews, it's something the team believed might give me more feeling, and I just roll with that. I believe. My faith in the team and my belief in them thinking this might help. Not a guarantee, but it might. And that's it. Yes, I won two races since. I was real quick in Canada. I'm not going to say it's down to that, obviously. I want to put more of it down to my hard work, my work I've been doing away from the track, with my team, with many people that I have around me. I put it way more down to that than some alterations on the suspension. At the same time, I could just say I think I could have achieved the same thing without it and just going back to our previous spec. So, I don't know. Hopefully, one day we get to back-to-back test it and I might get a feeling, I might not. My feelings have been good over the last few races, but I think more of that's come from just my working on trying to get better feelings and maximizing lack of feelings in certain areas more than it has been by so many improvements from a car point of view. But we've improved the car. We've had upgrades last weekend, things like that, and that helps. We won by what, 30 seconds here. We won by 20 seconds last weekend, so the car's pretty damn good. I want to put it more down to my hard work rather than that, but it's a combination of both.

Q: (Fred Ferret – l’Equipe) Question to Oscar. After serving the penalty, what did you ask to the team? Was it to reverse position? And to Nico have you thought of the German Grand Prix in the rain, when the podium was possible?

OP: Yeah. I thought I would ask the question. I knew what the answer was going to be before I asked. But I just wanted a small glimmer of hope that maybe I could get it back. But no, I knew it wasn't going to happen.

NH: Yeah. I mean, it's… I thought about it. But today is better.

Q: (Emily Selleck – Motorsport.com) Question for Oscar. Are you happy with how the team handled that request? And considering this is maybe the most dejected we've ever seen you, does this feel at all like a turning point in how you're approaching this championship fight?

OP: I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Lando didn't do anything wrong. I don't think it would have been particularly fair to have swapped, but I thought I'd at least ask. It doesn't change much for the championship. I feel like I did a good job today. I did what I needed to. That's all I need, and I will use the frustration to make sure I win some more races later.

Q: (Edd Straw – The Race) Oscar, the stewards' decision mentioned that Max had to take evasive action to avoid a collision. Obviously, you've got lots of experience of Safety Car restarts. Do you recognise that fact, or do you think it was just within the bounds of what you have to be ready to do to react when you're in that queue?

OP: I don't think he had to evade me. I think he managed the first time. Going back to Canada, I think you had to evade more there than you did today. So, yeah, I'm a bit confused to say the least.