DRIVERS

1 – Oscar PIASTRI (McLaren)

2 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing) 

3 – Isack HADJAR (Racing Bulls)

TRACK INTERVIEWS

(Conducted by Giedo van der Garde) 

Q: Max Verstappen, second today. I think that was probably the thing that you could do, not more.

Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, it wasn't easy. I gave it everything at the start to move forward. Little moment in Turn 2. But yeah, after that, we just had to do our own race. Unfortunately, we didn't have the pace of the McLarens. We got a bit lucky, of course, with one retiring, but in general, to be on the podium here is a great result. So to be in second, I think is a really, really good achievement for us.

Q: Tell me about the moment, because it looked like quite a bit oversteer. In Turn 2, you tried also with Oscar on the outside in Turn 1, but then you went also outside of Lando in Turn 2, but you had a huge moment there.

MV: Yeah, I tried to send it into Turn 3, but unfortunately there was too much sand in Turn 2 from the middle of the track to the outside. I knew that we had the softer compound, so I tried to make it work on that first lap.

Q: Isack Hadjar, your first ever Formula 1 podium here in Zandvoort. You must be over the moon.

Isack HADJAR: Yeah, it feels a bit unreal. What was most surprising to me is keeping that fourth place for the whole race. Unfortunately for Lando, we took advantage of his [sic] puncture, but yeah, we did no mistake. The car was on rails the whole weekend, and I'm really happy about myself because I really maximised what I had. Made no mistakes and brought home the podium. So yeah, I'm so happy for my guys.

Q: Could you have ever dreamed this before when you were a young kid, to stand here, to have your first podium?

IH: Yeah. That was always the target since I was a kid. So, this is a first step, my first podium, and hopefully many more to come.

Q: Oscar, you are a Heineken Dutch Grand Prix winner. How does that feel?

Oscar PIASTRI: Yeah, it feels good, obviously. I feel like it's a pretty hard act to follow Isack standing up here, so I'll try my best. But yeah, I controlled the race when I needed to and obviously it was incredibly unfortunate for Lando at the end, but I felt like I was in control of that one and just used the pace when I needed to. It was a bit of a different race to 12 months ago. So very happy with all the work we've done to try and improve around here and very satisfied to come out on top.

Q: Last year, you struggled a little bit here. What did you change to have the success and the win here?

OP: Nothing special. Just trying to improve everywhere we can. The start of this weekend was looking like a difficult one and managed to get it together in qualifying. I was happy with the pace I had today. Very, very happy. Obviously, a couple of safety cars spiced it up a little bit, and we weathered it all. So, I'm very proud of the whole team. It wasn't just myself that improved to get here. It was the whole team around me and without them, none of this is possible. So, it's a big team effort.

Q: I think it's a perfect start for the second part of the season, no?

OP: Yep. Starting out on top is a good way to go. If we can keep it running then that’d be great. But there's a long way to go yet and we’ll keep doing it one race at a time.

Q: You looking forward to next week already?

OP: Yes, I am.

PRESS CONFERENCE 

Q: Oscar, very well done. You were never headed in what was a tricky race, and you got a huge haul of points to boot over your teammate as well. Can you start just by summing it all up for us?

OP: Yep. I’ve got lollie stuck in my teeth now, so… It’s already the best press conference ever, we’ve got food! It was a really good race. Felt like I was in control the whole time. Obviously, the restarts are always tough moments to get right, but I felt in control. Obviously, the ending was unfortunate for Lando and the team to not have a one-two when I think we really deserved it. But from my side, very proud of the week we put together, being quick when it mattered. So very happy.

Q: You say you're proud of the week that you’ve put together. Think back twelve months to this race last year when you were half a second off Lando in qualifying, you came home P4. Just how satisfying, considering where you were then, is this weekend?

OP: Very. I think qualifying was the key this weekend. Through the free practice sessions, it was looking like a difficult Zandvoort again, but we chipped away, tried to find time, tweak the car here and there, but just tried to really improve how I was driving because, let’s be honest, it’s pretty hard to complain about the car we’ve got. So just tried to chip away with that and it came good when it mattered. And through the race today, I felt like I had good pace as well and used that when I needed to. So massively proud of firstly myself, but also the whole team around me in turning it around from 12 months ago.

Q: The closest anyone got to you today was at the start. Can you just talk us through those opening few corners?

OP: Yeah. I mean, it wasn’t the best start I’ve ever had and had to cover the inside. Obviously, I knew Max was on softs and was keeping an eye on him. And then going through Turn 2 and into Turn 3 I saw Max very sideways in my mirrors. I was just hoping that he wasn’t going to run into the side of me, but it worked out fine. From then on, I could bring the tyres in and control it. And then I was pretty happy.

Q: Can you tell us about the Safety Car restarts? You went early all three times, nailed it each time. But did you consider leaving it until later down the pit straight?

OP: Not really. I mean, the first one worked very well, but then the next two, you don’t have many options left to you. I think the longer you leave it, especially once you get into the pit straight, everyone knows you’re going to go sooner or later. So, I was just trying to change it up as much as I could. Didn’t work that well on the last two, but it was just enough. That was probably the hardest part, but I think we managed it well.

Q: Finally, can we just get your thoughts on the 34-point lead you’ve got over your team-mate in the championship now. It’s still a long way to go, but is that a gap that you can now play with and play the percentage game at the Grands Prix?

OP: No, I don’t think so. There’s still a long way to go. I need to keep pushing and trying to win races still. I wouldn’t say it’s a very comfortable margin. As we saw today, it can change with one DNF very, very quickly. So this far out from the end of the year, it’s not a comfortable gap.

Q: Max, if we can come to you now. Another podium in front of the Orange Army at home. And given where you were on Friday with the car, just how satisfying is this P2?

MV: Yeah. I mean, we take it. Qualifying was good. I hoped for a little bit more today, but quite quickly I realized the pace was not there. It always seems like in the race we just struggle more than over one lap with the tyre behaviour, with the car, and that was very obvious again today. So, I just tried to manage my pace, but that basically meant it was more of a fight with the cars behind me than whatever was happening in front of me.

Q: Tell us about the strategy. You went for the soft tyre twice.

MV: Yeah, that for me felt the best after Friday. So that was planned. And of course, with the Safety Cars everyone has to box again to take fresh tyres. But yeah, it was all according to plan.

Q: Oscar referred to the opening lap. You made a brilliant start and then you had the huge moment going into Turn 3. Just talk us through the opening lap from your point of view.

MV: The start was alright, to be honest. Then I tried to go around the outside in Turn 1. Then into Turn 2, but there’s always a lot of sand in that corner from the middle of the track to the edge. With the soft compound I just still pushed the entry and then went a bit sideways heading into Turn 3, but it was all okay.

Q: Once ahead of Lando, how confident were you of staying ahead?

MV: Not at all. But I still wanted to have a bit of fun out there. When I got ahead, I just followed my pace and that meant at one point Lando got ahead again. You could see, I mean, it’s a different league. There’s no point trying to ruin your own race defending really hard or losing two, three laps defending for your life. Unfortunately, there’s no point in that.

Q: Finally, before we go to Isack, who’s just had his first podium in Formula 1. He’s part of the Red Bull family. Can you just give us a few thoughts on the job he’s done today and this year so far?

MV: Yeah, it’s fantastic. Honestly, coming in as a rookie is not easy with these cars. For him to be on the podium here is fully deserved. I think he had a great weekend, but also drove a great race. And of course, also for the team, I think the whole season already they have been on it. And Isack is then finishing the job and that’s just fantastic to see.

Q: Isack, many congratulations on the first podium in Formula One. Can you start by giving us your emotions and what is a huge day in your career?

IH: Yep. I mean, outstanding day. I did not expect that waking up this morning. I was being very realistic. I knew there was George behind me and both Ferraris. Also didn’t run on Friday, any long run, so I didn’t have a clue. So, to cross the line third is just unreal.

Q: How difficult was it to deal with the pressure of George Russell, as you say, both Ferraris breathing down your neck all race?

IH: Yeah, it was very tricky. Thankfully I had an okay start to keep fourth and from there, on the opening laps, I knew Charles would be trying to go for the move, which he did. I was really comfortable on the brakes, made sure I defended the right way and that’s what we did. Once I was holding him for a while, I realised that we had the car pace to fight for big points. Towards the end of the race I thought if anything happens at the front, actually I’m on a podium finish position, and that’s what happened.

Q: Let’s go big picture now. As I say, it’s your first podium. When you look at your career to this point, is there one person you can think of without whom it wouldn’t have been possible for you to be sitting here today?

IH: There’s more than one person, obviously. First of all, my parents, my mum and my dad. And more sporting wise, Helmut who gave me this shot. I remember four years ago he signed me back in FRECA it was and he gave me a path, a trajectory, and I’m actually following it pretty well right now.

Q: Final one from me. You go to the team’s home race at Monza now. You’ve been consistent all season saying the car is fast. Just how much can you achieve at Monza?

IH: It’s going to be tricky considering the very long straight line. But we can always be a bit surprised, and let’s hope for a good result. Historically they had good car pace around here. Pierre won a few years ago, so they always bring back good memories.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Oscar, we just spoke to Andrea, and he said it was a very characteristic weekend of yours, called it an ‘Oscar-like weekend’ in the way that you built things up, peaked in Q3, got the pole position, then controlled the race. How are you approaching the weekends this year? Has it been an adjustment compared to last year? Because I remember, for example, this race 12 months ago was much more of a struggle.

OP: Yeah. It’s happened a few times this year where it started a bit slow and then gotten better as the weekend’s gone on. The difference from this year to last year is last year, those weekends that started slow, the middle was slow, and the end was slow. I think it’s just been good to actually find the time as the weekend’s gone on. Is it an ideal way? Am I doing it on purpose? Not always. I’m trying to build up to things, of course, but was hoping to build up a bit quicker than I did this weekend. I got there just in the end in Q3, but I didn’t go into qualifying the most optimistic. So maybe a little bit slow to get there, but I felt very happy with where I was going into qualifying, not expecting the world, just trying to do my best and see what happened. And in the end that was enough, and a similar thing today. Very happy from that side of things, and I think that part is probably the ‘Oscar-like weekend’.

Q: (Jack Smith – Motorsport Monday / Motorsportweek.com) Isack, many congratulations on your first podium. Just a two-part question. Firstly, did you ever imagine something like this would happen so early on in your career, particularly after what happened in the first race in Australia? And the second question is, can I have one of your sweets?

IH: Yeah. Everyone can have one. I’m being generous today. And yeah, after what happened in Australia, in the car, obviously, I thought my life was over, but then you realise it can happen and you bounce back very quickly from that. Then to have a podium without too much miracles and not much going on ahead—no, I didn’t expect it, especially that fast in the season. Already finishing fourth on pure pace would have been a mighty result. But finishing third, I’m just over the moon.

Q: (Rodrigo França – Car Magazine) Question to Oscar. Oscar, congratulations. You now have nine wins in Formula 1, the same number as Mark Webber, your manager. Can you tell us how much he has helped you? He also had a lot of fights for the title with his team-mates. So can you explain how he can help?

OP: Yeah. He’s been very helpful through my whole career, certainly the last five years. I think once I got into Formula 1, that’s where his help has really been a lot greater and more clear. Before I got to F1 it was more in the background, helping with making the right decisions and bits of advice here and there. When I got to F1, he knew how it works and thinking of or asking questions that hadn’t even come into my head. Helping me set expectations and prepare me for how tough it’s going to be and how big of a step it is. That side of things he has been very helpful with, and that hasn’t changed in the last three years. There’s still been progress to make, things to improve, and I’m still gaining experience even now. Still not perfect, always thinking of new things, things I wasn’t thinking of last year or the year before. So, it’s important having him by my side.

Q: (Leonid Kliuev – Grande Prémio) Question for Max and Isack. If, as a result of today’s podium, Isack ends up at Red Bull at some point, how is this dynamic going to work with you two in the team?

MV: Terrible. I’m joking.

IH: I don’t want to be next to Max. I don’t like him. That’s it.

Q: (Shanna Lutgert – F1Maximaal.nl) Isack, you’ve been saying the last couple of months that Max is a reference point for you and that you sometimes come to him for advice. How does it feel to share a podium with him here today?

IH: Yeah, it feels great. Max is someone I’ve been looking up to since my junior days. The last five years have been outstanding. To share the track, spend most of the race behind him, being within two or three seconds the whole time, and share my first podium with him on his home soil as well, I think it’s pretty cool.

Q: (Vladimir Rogovets – SB Belarus) My question to Isack Hajar. Isack, did you see this podium in your dream last night? And the second question, when exactly during the race did this idea first come to you?

IH: No. As I said, I was being realistic and was honestly aiming for big points. That was the target. I knew it would be very hard to fight Ferrari and Mercedes. But it was more like towards the last 20 laps I thought if anything happens at the front, then I’m on a podium position. And when Lando had the issue, I knew I was going to finish there.

Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Max, you’ve been involved in a tight fight with very fine margins with Lewis in 2021. When you have setbacks like, for example that year, Silverstone, Baku, Monza that year, how quickly can you pick yourself back up and put it out of your mind? Because these weekends where there is a big swing can obviously make such a big difference.

MV: I mean, it’s out of your control. So, you just need to keep working hard, keep trying to win. As simple as that. Especially when you are team-mates, you have the same car, same opportunities. It’s probably a little bit more complicated than when it’s two different teams, but still a lot of races and you can see things can swing. Like Oscar said, you don’t know if you get a mechanical failure or not, it’s out of your control. So yes, it’s not ideal, but there are enough races to either turn it around or not, and time will tell.

Q: (Oliver Jensen – GMX Net) Oscar, is your personal relationship with Lando different to last year because you’re now world championship rivals? And some people are comparing you to Michael Schumacher because you make no mistakes and are very cool. What do you think about this comparison?

OP: The relationship between Lando and I has not changed. If anything, we know each other better now and actually probably get on better than before. Anytime you get mentioned in the same sentence as Michael Schumacher, that’s a good thing. I’ve got a hell of a long way to go to be talked about in the same air as someone like him, but I’ll take it.

ENDS