FIA Thursday press conference – United States

PART ONE – Fernando ALONSO (Aston Martin), Franco COLAPINTO (Alpine), Oliver BEARMAN (Haas)

Q: Ollie, why don't we start with you? You've got some upgrades on the Haas this weekend. In what areas of performance are you hoping to see a little bit of an upgrade?

Ollie BEARMAN: Yeah. Happy to be here in Austin. It’s a home race for the team. I was here last year as a reserve driver and just watching and being around the circuit is pretty special. So I'm excited to drive here this year. And, yeah, we have an upgrade as well on the car, which hopefully will bring us a bit more performance everywhere.

Q: You had a great race in Zandvoort a few races back as well. Just looking at the bigger picture, can you give us your thoughts on how your season has gone from a driving point of view this year?

OB: Yeah. I think it's been a bit up and down. But since the summer break, I've found a good level of consistency, and I've also changed the way I've been approaching things a little bit and found a bit more consistent performance in that. Also within the team, some things are changing as well, so I'm in a really good place at the moment. I'm really happy with how things are going. That's nice. What I was aiming for at the start of the season was to see a big improvement in myself and my level of driving and capabilities and I've seen that. So that's good.

Q: Fernando, can I bring you in on this? Just your season as a whole — you are 11th in the championship. You've outqualified your team-mate 18-0. Just how do you view your performance this year?

Fernando ALONSO: I don't know. I mean, it's difficult to always measure your performance, as we have ups and downs, as everybody does, depending on the circuit and the characteristics… the weekend, the layout, the car performs a little bit better or worse. It seems that you are performing better or worse because of the car. But, yeah. I mean, it will not be a season to be remembered.

Q: What about this weekend? Given the recent run of races, how hopeful are you of getting more points here at COTA?

FA: Let's see. I think we had some challenges in the last two years here. Even in 2023, when the car was performing well, we struggled here. So yeah, we need to do something different than the last two events here to really score points. At the same time, we come from Singapore being on the fast pace there. So, it's a Sprint weekend, which I think normally is an advantage for us — knowing the circuit and having the first qualifying already the second time we go in the car on Friday night. So, yeah, I'm ready to take an opportunity if it comes.

Q: You say do something different — you mean from a set-up point of view? Can you give any insight into what you might change?

FA: Yes. I think the level of complexity of the set-up will not be understood. So, yeah, I don't think we need to explain it here.

Q: Franco, let's come to you now. It feels like you're finding your groove at Alpine, having outqualified Pierre in four of the last five races. What performance have you been able to unleash since the summer break?

Franco COLAPINTO: Yeah. It's been better. I found just a bit more consistency in the car. It's been tricky to drive for me — just really struggling to find the consistency of the car, I think, from track to track, session to session, it was starting to be really unpredictable. I think I'm just starting to find my feet in the last few races after the summer break. Just before, I could start to feel that the pace was improving. I think we are working really well with my engineers. We also know that the car — we need to find more pace out of the package that we've got. It's not at the moment where want or where we expect to be at this point of the year. So we are trying to work hard, trying to understand our issues, trying to come to the races that we know are a bit more beneficial for our car — trying to be spot on with the set-up and trying to be ready from P1, where we think is best. But, yeah, we are struggling to kind of bring that pace from track to track. On my side, of course, learning and understanding the car better session after session. But, yeah, it's been tough. Clearly an improvement though. That’s why the races have been positive on the personal side. But, of course, not happy with the results as a team at the moment.

Q: Franco, what about next year? As you say, the direction of travel is positive for you. What have Flavio and Steve said to you about what you need to do in these last six races to retain your seat at Alpine next year?

FC: Nothing, just I think keep doing what I'm doing. I'm working very well with the team, so very happy about that. And I think especially looking at these last five rounds, we really struggled for pace and to see that we are not giving up. Everyone in the team is staying motivated — the engineers, the mechanics — they keep pushing us as if we were scoring points, but we are not at the moment. But it's good to see the motivation that they all have to keep pushing, keep finding more performance out of the car. And I think it's something that we are all doing, and something that, when the car is good next year, it will be very important to have. So I think it's a good preparation for when our moment comes. The moment is not there yet, but I trust that the car next year will be quick.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Fernando, let's go back to the end of the race in Singapore. There was a lot of “I do not believe it” coming out. Lewis was struggling to get home with brakes that had failed. Would you prefer the FIA to take a more serious view in an instance like that? You were clearly quite irked on the team radio. Was the five-second penalty enough for a driver driving with no brakes for the last three laps of the race? Ollie, you can answer this one as well.

FA: No. I mean, I was happy with the penalty. I gained the position. So even one second was enough. Not needed, the extra four.

OB: I needed a few more so I could overtake him as well.

FC: I need more than a few.

Q: (Mara Sangiorgio –Sky Sport F1 Italy) Question for all three of you: with six races to go, who do you think will win the title, and why? What’s your feeling?

FA: Difficult to guess. I mean, that will be the question that we all want to know in advance. I would say that the two McLarens have a little bit of an advantage, just because of the points advantage. So, yeah, I would say it's between the two of them. But, yeah, Max is an incredible driver, and if there is anyone that can overcome the deficit of the car, it's him. So, yeah, let's see.

Q: Fernando, you’ve been involved in many title fights. Just give us some insight into how the business end of the season changes the approach of a driver if you're in the running for the championship.

FA: Yeah. It does a little bit. You approach the weekend taking care of every single detail. It's not that you don't do that at the beginning of the year, but you understand that it's a long championship and you can afford some ups and downs. Now there is no room for mistakes anymore if you are chasing the leaders. So, yeah, there is a little bit of pressure on that. On the same way, if you are leading the championship, even if you have a little bit of margin, you don't want to lose that point advantage. So there is a different atmosphere for sure on the weekends, but it's a lovely place to be.

Q: Franco, your thoughts, please?

FC: I don't know. I guess it's between the three of them.

Q: Are we going to get a name from you?

FC: No. Not from me.

Q: Fernando, we didn’t get a name from you?

FA: No.

Q: Ollie, your thoughts?

OB: I don't know, but I think it will be fun to watch. But, yeah, I think it's cool what Max is doing at the moment — getting back some points. I hope it goes down to the wire for all three of them and may the best win.

Q: (Nelson Valkenburg – Viaplay) Question for all three of you. We're talking about onboard radios. In the current climate with social media, everything is being aired. How do you feel about the fact that everything you say can be broadcast and may haunt you forever?

OB: Yeah. I don't think it's ideal. It’s that age-old thing: I think if a footballer or another sportsman had a mic on and was able to broadcast, the views would be very different. It's tough. We cannot open the microphone and say it in our head, but with the amount of adrenaline and pressure we're under in this sport, when you open the radio and want to share your frustration or feelings with your engineer, you're not thinking about the other people, the whole population of the world that could potentially hear it. So it's a shame that it's broadcasted, and for me, it should be cracked down a little bit. Yeah, that's my view.

FC: Yeah. It's tricky. It's tricky to measure as well sometimes what we say. I think it's a sport that has very different things compared to other sports. Two minutes before we jump in the car, we are with fans, with people. We are not fully focused on what we have to do. Any other sportsmen — tennis, football — they are fully focused before, they don't see anyone, they are with their team, and they are just focused on what they have to do next. We have many external things we have to deal with. The radio is one of them, and to get the chance for it to be open for all the world and everyone being able to listen to what we say — it's sometimes tough. We never think about it being broadcast to the whole world. It's tricky, but I think we have to measure some of what we say a bit too much. Should we also measure what the TV puts out or not? Sometimes it will sound a bit too wild, what we say. So, yeah.

FA: Yeah. I agree with both of them. Unnecessary sometimes, poorly broadcasted and chosen by the one choosing which radios to broadcast. Misunderstood 99.9% of the time because they are private conversations with your engineer or your team that maybe you went through on Sunday morning in the strategy meeting. You know? "What happens if we come out of the pit stop in this scenario?" or "What happens if on lap one we overtake two cars or we miss two positions?" So you have alternative plans on the strategy that, obviously, when you only broadcast one sentence, it's impossible to understand at home and the repercussion that it has. But, yeah, sometimes when the radio broadcast is the protagonist of the race, that also is very sad, that the race was so poor in terms of entertainment. So, yeah, that's something we need to improve all as a group in the sport.

Q: (Tom Slafer – DAZN Spain) Question for Fernando. Fernando, it's six races to go this season. In basically four months you will be trying the new car with a promising 2026 regulation shift coming. So for these last races of 2025, what are the boxes you would like to tick to build good momentum for next year?

FA: I think on the weekends we still need to perform at our best level. We need to keep the motivation high. We need to improve in some things that we need, operational-wise, to get better for next year. So we need to use these six races as a test in a way. And, yeah, obviously we need to have an eye on next year’s calendar and save a little bit of energy. Even if we are racing hard and we’re travelling for these next two months, we need to also think about having some rest as well now in the last part of the year, to start in January with the batteries fully charged.

Q: (Tim Hauraney – TSN) Question for Fernando. Just want to circle back on Max for a second. In your opinion, what makes Max such an incredible talent?

FA: Well, I think he's a four-time world champion, first of all. That’s not a casual thing. He’s one of the best drivers in the history of the sport. I think he’s able to extract the maximum from the car. When the car is a dominant car, he can win the championship and break some records along the season. And when the car is not that good or not the fastest, he still provides the good lap in qualifying, or the good race, the good fight. He’s at a very good level, very high level. And, yeah, this year he's obviously fighting against a superior car, which is the McLaren. But, yeah, if it comes to the last race or whatever and they are tight on points, maybe in that moment he becomes the man to follow. As I said before, I think the two McLarens have enough advantage on the car to fight between them. But, yeah, with Max, that can happen, as we saw in 2021 when the car was a little bit less performing than the Mercedes. He still won the championship in Abu Dhabi.

Q: (Miguel Angel Motta – La Voz del Interior) Franco, you have a good feeling here this year. Is this a special weekend for you here?

FC: Yeah. I think all the America races — starting from this one — are very special. I've been waiting for these three races all year: Austin, Mexico, and Brazil. They are the races that I’m closer to home, and they feel very warm, you know, with the amount of people, all the fans coming from Argentina. Also, my family living very close — some coming to these races. And especially last year, this race was also very good. Personally, I scored points, got into Q3 for the Sprint, so it was quite a good weekend. I love driving here as well. Austin is a track I really enjoy driving. It was one of my favorites last year. And, yeah, I think especially for the fans and for how close I am to home, these rounds in America are the ones I weigh the most in the season.

Q: (Sahil Kapur – NBC) A question for Fernando. Following up on Tom’s earlier question — you’ve been the hunter and the hunted down the stretch in close championship battles. Which one do you prefer to be, and what’s the mindset difference between one and the other?

FA: I prefer to be leading the championship. If I'm leading the championship with the best car, I will not lose it.

Q: Is there more pressure on the person leading?

FA: No. I don’t think so. If you are not leading the championship by now, it’s because you didn’t have the best car. So you need to wait for something unexpected, or a small miracle, because you've been chasing the leader with not the best car by race 18 — or whatever it is now. So in the remaining six races, there is hope, but you need to have some help from the leaders.

Q: (Ian Parkes – RacingNews365) Fernando, just following up on that last question and your answer. You talked about not having the best car. Lando has had the best car — he’s in the best car this season alongside Oscar. So what's the different approach between the two drivers when they’re team-mates — when they’re the hunter and the hunted?

FA: Well, I think you need to perform at your best in the remaining races. You depend a little bit on yourself. If Lando wins the six races, he will be champion. And probably the DNF in Zandvoort was very costly. That can happen to either of the two in the remaining races. That’s something you also need to take into account — in some of the starts, in some of the crucial moments of the race — the battles that you need to choose, which ones to fight hard and so on. Because maybe Oscar can afford a DNF and still be in contention. Lando, a little bit less, because of the Zandvoort DNF. So it's a bit of a luck factor as well that’s on the table now for both of them. Hopefully we see a very exciting end of the season between Lando and Oscar.

Q: (Léonard Kliuev – Grande Premio Magazine) Question for Franco. Are you talking with any other teams about next year? And maybe some early considerations about some other categories — I mean, you already talked about racing in the States. Would you consider driving in IndyCar, for instance?

FC: No. IndyCar is a championship I love watching. I don't think I’ll be racing here [in the US] in the close future, but yeah, it's a thing for in a few years, when I'm older, I would love to try IndyCar. I don't know. I haven’t been speaking to anyone.

PART TWO – Gabriel BORTOLETO (Kick Sauber), Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing), Lewis HAMILTON (Ferrari)

Q: Lewis, can we start with you? I can see the headlines now: Ferrari driver on a prancing horse. Tell us what you've been up to during the build-up. I believe he was called Jack?

Lewis HAMILTON: Good afternoon, everyone. I was at the factory and then headed out here, had some work in LA, and then I came here. Yesterday, I rode a horse for the first time, so it was an unbelievable experience. When I was younger, there used to be a horse in a field nearby—just a shire horse. It was this beautiful horse. It was always on its own every day, so I'd go and stop, and it would come over to me, and I'd spend time with it. But then I'd start walking home and notice my allergies start kicking off, and I'd struggle to breathe. I’d really struggle, and I didn’t know I had asthma. It wasn’t until I was around another horse another time and had an asthma attack—it was a really scary experience because I didn’t have an inhaler or anything. So, I stayed away from horses since that day, when I was probably 14 or something. I went through a desensitisation program because my allergies were crazy, particularly for hay fever in the UK, were crazy. I hadn’t thought about it much since. Then I did a shoot at the beginning of this year with a horse for the Time 100 magazine. I took medication, antihistamines, and I was able to be around the horse—no problems. So yesterday, I did the shoot with a horse for Plus 44, and I was like, “Can I ride it?” I got on, and it was just… wow. It was an amazing experience. Then the horse started moving, started to gallop, and I was like ‘God!’ I didn’t know what to do. So I panicked a little bit, but it was beautiful. I’m really excited about this next kind of phase of my life, where I’m going to be around horses more and really get into riding. That’s my next thing.

Q: What about on track then? Ferrari had a great race here last year. You have a great record here with five wins. What are the expectations coming into the weekend?

LH: Expectations—naturally, I never have expectations except that we give it our all and we continue to improve. There are lots of positives to take from every weekend, and lots of areas we can improve on. We spent time after the last race going through areas we can improve on, and I really think this weekend we can take a step forward in extracting more from the car that we have. We've not moved the car forwards in terms of performance, but there is more performance in the car. If we execute a little better, I think we can extract more. So that’s the goal.

Q: Max, if we can come to you now. Good to see you. You've taken 41 points out of Oscar Piastri since the summer break. The RB21 looks like it's competitive everywhere. Just give us your thoughts coming into this weekend. You're going for the win, clearly.

Max VERSTAPPEN: We'll try, yeah, for sure. The last three weekends have been very nice—some better than others. I still think in Singapore we didn't maximise the potential of the car, but again, you analyse everything and try to do better. That’s what we’ll try to do again here. It’s a great track to drive. Sprint weekend—always a bit hectic—but I’m curious to see what we can do.

Q: You mentioned Singapore. It reminds me of something Lando Norris was asked in the press conference how he rated your chances of winning the world championship this year, and he said 10%. George Russell said 100%. What's the reality? I guess it’s somewhere between that. What are your thoughts? Give us a percentage chance.

MV: Fifty-fifty. You either win it or you don’t.

Q: But do you think the car will be quick everywhere in these last six races?

MV: Not sure. This car is a bit different to the previous one, so it’s not a guarantee that it works everywhere. I prefer to just look at it race by race. We’ll try to do our best here and then move on and see what we get.

Q: Gabby, belated happy birthday to you. First time you've raced here in Austin. What are your expectations for how the car’s going to feel as you drive around this racetrack?

Gabriel BORTOLETO: Well, thank you. Yeah, it’s my first time here. I went for a track walk this morning just to have a look. It looks very fun and enjoyable, especially Sector one—full of high speed. It’s a very bumpy track, so let’s see how our car behaves. We know that’s not normally the best for us, but we’ve been trying different things recently, and hopefully it can be a good weekend.

Q: You say you've been trying different things. Where is the competitiveness of the car at the moment? You haven’t been in the points for a few races—has it dropped off a bit or is it just about maximising from race to race?

GB: I think the races where we were in the points, we had very good laps that put us in Q3 and in a good starting position, and then we maintained more or less where we were. In Singapore, I think I was a little unlucky with the yellow flag there and I was out in Q1, but I think the car had good potential to maybe put it in Q3 with a very good lap. When you start at the back, it’s tough to overtake. Maybe I could have kept it in there. It was a tough weekend. We didn’t have much race pace. Other teams have also stepped up—not only us doing a good job. A lot of teams are still bringing developments to the car. It’s a bit more difficult than a few races ago, but I still think we’re on it to score points in this last stretch of the season.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Mara Sangiorgio – Sky Sports Italy) A question to Max. Looking at the drivers' standings, I was thinking about your work in Japan. You said with the McLaren car, you’d arrive in Tokyo. My question is: with the McLaren car, where would you be in the drivers' standings?

MV: Wait—I would arrive in Tokyo?

Q: (Mara Sangiorgio – Sky Sports Italy) Yes, you said that.

MV: I said that, really? Okay. I like Tokyo. It’s a good place. I know I was joking. I don’t know—it’s impossible to know. I think it’s not really worth going into that too much.

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) A question for Lewis. There are stories about Christian Horner and Ferrari having exploratory talks. I’m not asking if it’s a good idea or a bad idea, but does it indicate something fundamentally not right behind the scenes at Ferrari, and what are you doing with the team to help put things right?

LH: I don’t know where the rumours have come from, so I can’t really shed much light on that. It’s a little distracting for us as a team. The team have made it clear where they stand in terms of re-signing Fred. Fred, I, and the whole team are working really hard on the future. These things aren’t helpful. Everyone back in the factory is working incredibly hard, focused, and these sorts of rumours can sometimes be distracting. So for me, it’s about keeping the focus on the goal in front of us and building on next year’s car—continuing to build a foundation so we can have better execution and better performance next year. As I said back in Spa—just having lots of meetings, making sure we’re sailing in the right direction.

Q: (Thiago Fagnani – TV Bandeirantes Brazil) A question for Gabriel. First of all, happy birthday. How important is the simulator for a driver at a new track, and how many hours did you spend in the sim for this race in Austin?

GB: Thank you for the birthday wishes. For me, sim is an important thing. I’ve always done it. Preparing for these events—new track, very technical—I spent a lot of hours with the team and at home on my new sim. I don’t know exactly how many hours, but it was a lot. A lot of laps—maybe more than I wanted to—but it was enough. I feel prepared, I’ve done my homework, and now it’s about hitting the track tomorrow, getting used to it in only one FP session, and going for the Sprint Quali.

Q: (Margot Lafitte – Canal+) Question for Lewis. Talking about the last six races of the year, still three sprints—can you talk us through your approach, maybe the questions you still have, answers you want to have, and the needs in the team to best prepare for 2026?

LH: Yeah. I’m really looking at the next six races as, ultimately, test weekends in terms of continuing to learn and improve on our processes. As I said in the last races, there’s been a couple of gems through the weekend that we didn’t capitalise on. So it’s about taking those good bits and continuing to take what works and change what doesn’t. That’s what we’re trying to do moving forward—continuing to build on the relationships, continue to build on communication. Everyone back at the factory really deserves a good result, and that’s the sole focus—to get good results, try to maximise, squeeze absolutely every point we can out of our performances on the weekends. And I really believe we can do that. So we just stay focused.

Q: (Léonid Kliuev – Grand Premio Brazil) Question for Gabby. On one hand, you obviously want to be world champion. On the other, like we saw with Lewis and Max in 2021, you might have fierce competition with someone. Are you ready for something like 2021 in your career?

GB: Yes. I mean, I don’t know for sure, but whatever happens, happens. You need to be ready. I think everyone needs to think the same in Formula 1. If you don’t think like that, I don’t know why you’re here. That season was very long for both of them. It was actually enjoyable to watch from the outside when I was watching it—very tense. Hopefully, at some point, I can get a season like that: very competitive and enjoyable right into the last race of the year.

Q: (Nigel Chiu – Sky Sports) Question for Max. Just how different does the car feel in terms of driving in the last few races compared to before the summer break, when the car looked like it was third or fourth fastest? And is this the most you’ve believed in the title, even though there are only six rounds left, compared to earlier in the season when you won races in Japan and Milan but had a gap after?

MV: The car is just a bit more balanced now. It doesn’t oversteer dramatically or understeer dramatically. But every weekend, you’re fine-tuning things because it’s never perfect. Luckily, lately, the car, it’s been a bit more together. And then at the same time, it’s not about believing in the championship or not—you just need to be realistic. We’ve had some good results lately, and I know when the car is capable of being quick and fighting for top places, I can be there. It’s as simple as that.

Q: (Ian Parkes – Racing News 365) Question for Max. Given your ‘50-50’ shot at the title, how different is it being in the role of hunter this year compared to being hunted over the past three years when you dominated? And in that hunter role, what are you still seeking from the car that could help you chase down Oscar and Lando?

MV: I don’t really think about it too much—simple as that. I come to the race weekend, try to do everything I can in the car. It doesn’t matter if I’m behind or in front. Naturally, of course, it’s nicer to be in front because it means you’re leading the championship. But I see every race weekend as an opportunity to try and win. If we don’t, we don’t. Life goes on—it’s not dramatic. It doesn’t put any pressure. I guess it helps that I’ve already won. As a team, we’re still trying to understand the car a bit more, learn more for next year as well. It’s not like you completely start over next year.

Q: (Jack Smith – Motorsport Monday) A question for Max. Laurent Mekies recently said that a lot of Red Bull’s recent resurgence is down to how you've been pushing the team. You've also talked about a slightly different philosophy there now. Have factors like that reaffirmed your decision to commit to the team long-term?

MV: Yeah, but at the end of the day, it’s a whole team effort. I enjoy working with everyone—it’s a good atmosphere. We're on a good way, right? We’ve had some nice results, and I think that helps everyone. Confidence is high, and that makes it really nice to come to a race weekend. It seems like we’re understanding much more what the car can do and how it needs to be driven.

Q: (Sahil Kapur – NBC) A question for Max. You’ve spent many races this season behind the McLarens, and others ahead. After the recent improvements you've made to the Red Bull, which areas do you think your car is stronger, and which areas are McLaren still ahead?

MV: I think, in general, they are still quite strong in the medium-speed corners. That’s definitely a strength of their car. The rest depends a bit on the track layout and conditions—it’s a bit difficult to say. But medium-speed corners, probably still where they’re very good.

Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC Sport) Lewis, do you know if there’s any truth in the report that Ferrari are talking to Christian Horner? And do you think it’s a good idea if he became team principal?

LH: I don’t, and I’m not going to entertain rumours.

Q: (Adam Cooper – Adam Cooper F1) A question for Lewis. Can you talk us through the last few laps in Singapore? How hard was it to bring the car home safely, and was the penalty inevitable? Did you know you’d get one?

LH: Yeah, the last few laps were definitely nerve-wracking. I’ve finished races before with three tyres, and now I’ve finished one with three brakes. Not something I want to experience again. I could stop the car, but in those scenarios, the pedal just went straight to the floor. So I had no choice but to go onto those exit roads—I wouldn’t have made the corner otherwise. The FIA penalty was fine. Doesn’t really make a big difference to me anyway.

Q: (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) Lewis, changing the subject slightly—after Singapore, your Instagram had a video of Victor Meldrew saying, “I don’t believe it.” Have you had a chat with Fernando about that, and had a laugh, as ex-teammates?

LH: I don’t believe it! No, I haven’t seen Fernando—I haven’t seen him since then. But yeah, it was just a bit of fun. It reminded me of that show—I hadn’t seen it in 20-plus years. I thought it was funny, so I posted it. What is life if you can’t have a little fun?

Q: (Rodrigo França – Car Magazine Brazil) Question to all three of you. You all have strong support from your fathers since the beginning. What are your best memories with your father on the path to Formula 1?

GB: I think my championships in F3 and F2. My father unfortunately was working a lot, he has not been at so many races during my career but in the main ones, fighting for the titles, the first person I went to hug after my title was him. It was such a special moment with him. These two years, ‘23 and ’24, were very special for me to see him when I was standing in the car celebrating and to walk straight to him was very special. And when I was younger, obviously, when he brought me to the track for the first time.

MV: For me, what is the most impressive is how he was as a racing driver. Naturally, I think with a bit more luck, he would have had a much better career in Formula 1. But the most impressive thing is just his knowledge of racing, tuning, setting up cars, go-karts. What he taught me from a very young age—that kind of knowledge—you can't really describe it. It definitely made me the person I am today, but also not only just driving fast in a car, it’s just, again, the knowledge of the car. He would be, I think, a really, really good team boss, even though I don’t think he wants to be, but he would definitely be a very good team boss or a leader in a team. His technical understanding of the car, the parts on the car, and how you can make things go faster. I still discuss so many things with him—about these things for him in his rally car, for me in the F1 car as well, and at the same time also for my GT3 team, what we can do. So yeah, it is very impressive to have someone like that—as my dad—explaining it all and giving you all that knowledge. That, for me, is the most impressive. And at the same time, the years that he sacrificed when I started racing all the way to Formula 1, basically kind of pausing his career in whatever he wanted to do or could do outside of Formula 1, and basically giving 100—no, I would say 110%—because I’ve never seen someone that committed to giving the best opportunities to his son. Not only in providing the best material but actually tuning the material himself.

LH: Yeah. For me, I think best memories would be sitting watching F1 together when I was like five. Along the journey would be, you know, the extra jobs that he had—putting ‘for sale’ signs up. I’d go around and help him put these "for sale" signs up when I was younger. Sitting, watching him work on my go-kart when he came home from work. And the moment that I would start the race in the early days in go-karts, we had a handshake. And knowing that I had him by my side, I knew that I would be safe when I came back from being on track. And then, along the way, seeing him at the bottom of the podium when I won my first race in F1—just knowing all the background of all the hard work and real sacrifice and blood, sweat, and tears that our family put into it. I think that was the real highlight at the end.

Q: (Julianne Cerasoli – UOL.com.br) Max, we had the confirmation of the Mercedes line-up for next year. Do you have any curiosity about knowing the details of these deals or any other deals for next year, or do you think you are in a position in which they don’t really matter?

MV: Yeah. I don’t need to know. It’s all okay.

Q: (Ian Parkes – RacingNews365) Max, just following up on those wonderful comments from you about your dad back then—you talked about him being a potential team boss. Have you had discussions around that subject, and what has stopped him from doing so? And at what level were you talking about him potentially being a team boss?

MV: I think at the end of the day it has to do with family as well. You know, doing so many races if you had to be a team boss... First of all, I’m very happy with the team boss that I have. But he definitely could be a good one on any level, from go-karting all the way to the top. But it’s fine. Like I said, we discuss a lot of things, and he’s there in the background. He advises me. He helps me with certain things if I need to figure stuff out—for F1 or GTs. And that’s just super helpful to have. He has so many contacts as well around the world. I think it’s just super cool. We’re both just super passionate about racing in any kind of form.

Q: Does he still give you driving advice?

MV: Probably if I would go in a rally car. But besides that, no. We just discuss things. It’s not like he tells me where to brake or where to turn in. But we still talk about everything throughout a race weekend and what I do with the car or not.

Q: (John Massengale – Speed City) This question is for Lewis. Lewis, welcome back to my hometown. You’ve been here since the beginning. I saw you and other F1 drivers in Downtown Austin back in 2012 walking unapproached. What do you think of what’s happened to the sport, to our city, to our Circuit of The Americas—everything that’s happened around since then?

LH: I think it’s been amazing to see the growth and the interest from people here in the States. And I think this track is, for me, the best track here in the States. It’s one of my favourite tracks on the whole calendar. But I love that we’ve been able to tap into the sporting community here. I know you have a big college football team here, and they’re massively passionate about sports. So it’s great that we were able to kind of tap into that finally. I think the first time we came here, it was all kind of like, “F1? What is F1?” But the progress—the journey that we’ve been on—from Netflix being out, to then the biggest sports movie of all time, the F1 movie that we did this year, has been amazing. And not only that—bringing people from all ages to the race. There’s a huge turnout every time we come here, and this is one of my favourite weekends of the year because you get to head into town, get some great food, and it’s just a really great atmosphere. So I’m really thankful to the people of Austin and to Bobby for hosting us every time. The circuit’s improving every time we come. Still a little bit bumpy, but I think that’s because the underground is moving a little bit. They’ve just added a theme park, so it’s becoming a really incredible event.

Q: (Julian Linden – Herald Sun) Max, from where you’re sitting, do you think McLaren are favouring Lando over Oscar? And if so, does that help you?

MV: Absolutely! Someone… I don’t know, I heard something... Does it help me? I don’t know. I mean, I honestly don’t know. I don’t care also, because it has nothing to do with me—what they decide, of course, within the team—how they operate as a team. I mean, they do whatever they think is right, and they’re doing a very good job at it—being this quick and what they’ve done over the last few years. For me, what’s important is that when we get to the racetrack, we just maximise our potential. And as long as we can do that, then it’s in our control. Of course, if you look at the whole season, we didn’t have a great start to it. But I just approach every race weekend trying to maximize everything we can, try to win races, and that’s the only thing we can do until the end.