F1 – 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix Post-Race Press Conference Transcript

DRIVERS 1 – Oscar PIASTRI (McLaren) 2 – Lando NORRIS (McLaren) 3 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes) TRACK INTERVIEWS (Conducted by Nico Rosberg) Q: Wow, this is really Formula 1 at its best at the moment! It’s unbelievably exciting out there to watch from outside. Lewis, P3 today. You beat the Red Bulls fair and square as well. Good feeling? Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah. Big thanks to this amazing crowd this weekend. And a huge congratulations to McLaren on the 1-2. That’s my old, original family, so I’m really, really happy to see you, all the boys, the whole team, back up front. And then for us today, yeah, the team has done a great job to continue on with pushing this car. Ultimately, we didn’t have the pace of the McLarens, nor did we have the pace of the Red Bulls, but we just were able to hold on at the beginning of the race. It was very, very tough to hold on, to make those tyres last. And obviously, the close battle we had at the end was a bit hair-raising, but that’s motor racing. So I’m really happy. I’m grateful for the points. Big thank you to the team. Q: Take us through that battle a little bit, with Max. I mean, it was just unbelievable to watch from the outside. How nerve-wracking was it from inside the car? LH: It’s not nerve-wracking. I think when you see the pace at which they close the gap in certain corners, you just laugh to yourself, because it’s not something I can do. Particularly in the last sector, they were very, very strong, same as the McLarens. So, I mean, I saw him coming from a long way back, and he was able to brake a lot later than me. But he sent it up the inside. I stayed still, and he clipped the wheel and went over. So I think a racing incident, but, you know, yeah. Q: Let’s have a word for Oscar, who just had his first win on a Sunday in his career. You have more than 100, many more, so let’s have a word for Oscar. LH: Yeah, amazing. Congratulations to Oscar. He’s been doing a fantastic job ever since he got here, to be honest, but he’s been so consistent, and it was only a matter of time before he got a win, so this is a great day for him. He had an amazing pace from the get-go, so really, really happy for him and his family. Q: Thank you very much, Lewis. Let’s hope for more progress from you guys in the next couple of races. Lando, let’s start with a fantastic team effort this weekend. I mean the car has been phenomenal, one-two that’s a super result of the team isn’t it? LN: Yeah, an amazing day for us as a team. I think that’s the main thing, honestly. I’m so happy. It’s been a long journey to get to achieving this on merit and that’s exactly what we did today, and I think a long way clear of the rest, so we did it in style as well. So a good run by the team, and of course to Oscar. He had a good start, he got me off the line, and he controlled the race well. So yeah, it was coming at some point, and he deserved it today. Q: Sorry, but I have to obviously ask: we were thinking, is he maybe not going to let him through, or what’s going to happen there? We got the impression you thought it was not quite fair for the team to ask you to let him back through. Can you take us through your thinking there? LN: The team asked me to do it, so I did it, and yeah, that’s it. Q: OK, I’m not going to dig further on that one then. How excited are you for the rest of the season? I mean, it really seems that you guys have the fastest car out there at the moment. You still believe in the championship as well then? LN: For sure. I mean, definitely as a constructor, two good drivers and an amazing team. So absolutely, I think it’s still difficult, still a long way to go. And today was our day. Spa, it can change completely, you know. So we’ll keep pushing and we’ll try to do more of the same. Q: OK, thank you very much, Lando. Congrats on the second place in team effort. Oscar, it is your first Formula 1 win on a Sunday. How awesome is that feeling? It’s your first win. How special is it? Oscar PIASTRI: Very, very special. This is really the day I dreamed of as a kid, standing on the top step of an F1 podium. Yeah, obviously a bit complicated at the end, but I put myself in the right position at the start. And yeah, thank you to the team for an amazing effort, an amazing car. Yeah, it’s a hell of a lot of fun racing with McLaren, so I can’t thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to be in F1. And yeah, to now be winning together 18 months in is an incredible feeling. Q: And how impressed are you with the car that McLaren’s giving you at the moment? I mean, it just looks phenomenal out there. OP: Yeah, it’s a beast at the moment. Yeah, it’s fast in every condition. I think today, you know, we had it under control completely. And yeah, an amazing feeling to just be able to manage the race like that with both cars and secure a one-two. I don’t know when our last one-two was, but I think it’s a long time ago. So incredibly happy for the whole team and nice to get my first one on the board. Q: You said it’s all under control, but the team order situation didn’t seem very much under control from the outside. How worried were you towards the end there that Lando might actually not let you pass? OP: The longer you leave it, of course, the more you get a bit nervous. But, no, it was well executed by the team. Yeah, I think it was the right thing. I put myself in the right position at the start. And yeah, with the different strategy we had, yes, my pace probably wasn’t as quick as I would have liked in the last stint, but I was still in the right position to make it happen. So yeah, well executed from the team. Q: So I suppose then the first of many wins, right, Oscar? I mean, you’re proving to be such a special talent out there. OP: I hope so. Yeah, I mean, I think I’ve still got some things to work on, but, no, I’ll enjoy the win when I can. And, yeah, the team’s given me a great car, and I really can’t thank them enough for that. And, yeah, I’m trying to do the best job I can, and I’m learning every race I do. So, yeah, I hope there’s many more to come. Q: Next up is Spa. Very different track, very different downforce level in the car. Do you expect yourselves to be right at the front there as well? OP: I think yes. I think we’ve proven this year that we can be quick in any circuit, any condition. We’re always there at the front. And I mean, Spa’s not been the happiest of hunting grounds for us recently, but I’m confident we’ll be strong. You know, we’ve got a car that’s become a real all-rounder, so I’m super confident, and I think the rest of the team should be as well. PRESS CONFERENCE Q: Lando, many congratulations. It’s been a very impressive weekend by you and McLaren. First of all, how do you sum up the last two days? LN: I’m trying to think of a cool word. I don’t know. Just great. Like, it’s been amazing. I don’t know. A very good weekend, all in all, from all of us as a team. Mistake-free. Great pace in the car. Probably this weekend, I think, we can say confidently I think we were the quickest and I think that’s the first time this year I can confidently say that, so amazing. Our first one-two since Monza with Daniel and yeah, an up and down journey. But, you know, since one year ago we were struggling and the turnaround to Miami and from Miami to here. It’s been incredible. So as a weekend, fantastic. And I’m very happy for us as a team and everyone that’s part of it to reward them with something like this. Q: And how difficult was it for you to give up the race win? LN: I mean, I didn’t give up the win there. I lost the win off the line. so I know everyone is going to want to say that as a story that I gave up the race when I didn’t. I boxed first and naturally you’re always going to undercut. So the team gave me this position and I gave it back. Nothing more than that. Q: There was a lot of discussion between you and your race engineer over the radio. How seriously did you consider not giving it back? LN: I mean, things are always going to go through your mind because, you know… You’ve got to be selfish in this sport at times. You’ve got to think of yourself. That’s priority number one, is think of yourself. I’m also a team player, so my mind was going pretty crazy at the time. I know what we’ve done in the past between Oscar and myself. He’s helped me plenty of times… I think this is a different situation. This is not someone helping one another. I was put into a position, and we were undoing that position change. But I mean, I’m also, and I get it, and I know a lot of people are going to say, like, the gap between me and Max is pretty big, 60, 70, 80 points or something. You know, if Red Bull and Max make the mistakes like they did today and continue to do that, and as a team we continue to improve and have weekends like we’ve had this weekend, we can turn it around. And it’s still optimistic. It’s still a big goal to say, yeah, we can close 70 points and as a driver, I can close 70 points in half a season. And then when you’re thinking of the seven or six points that I give away, then… It crosses your mind for sure. So it was not easy, but I also understood the situation I was in and I was quite confident always by the last lap I would have done it. Q: Do you think we’ll see you be more selfish in …