Today's post-qualifying press conference with George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris.
Track Interviews - Conducted by David Coulthard.
Lando Norris, third on the grid for tomorrow's race. I saw you talking to Sir Jackie Stewart there. Still smiling, but I suspect a little bit of frustration because it looked like you were the man laying down the lap times.
Lando Norris: I was until the end, but no, I'm happy with the P3. Three Brits lock out of the top three, so pretty cool here. No, good laps by George and Lewis both. They did an excellent job. They put in some nice laps and a little mistake on my part at the end, but P3 is still good.
Well, it's great to hear you're happy with that. You'll be aiming to make the sort of start you did last year, so it's still all to play for.
LN: No, 100%. And it's going to rain again tomorrow, so I'm excited. It's going to be a good race. We're quick. I can bring the fight to George and I can bring the fight to Lewis, so excited to put on a good show tomorrow.
you have a knowing smile. so this battle for McLaren is not over.
LN: No I'm excited. We're going to have some... I hope we're going to have some good battles, so I look forward to it.
OK, Lando congratulations. On to the forever young Lewis Hamilton. Congratulations on your second place The crowd showing their appreciation, Lewis. Did you really think you could pull that lap at the end? It's an incredible 1-2 for Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton: Yeah, well, first off, a big, big thanks to this incredible crowd. We're so proud to be here. Three Brits in the top three is incredible. And a huge congratulations to George. He did such a great job. We definitely didn't expect to be front row this weekend, but this is huge for us, for our team. The car felt fantastic out there. And so everyone in the garage here, all our team that have come here really deserve this.
It was a hugely challenging qualifying session. You had the wet, with the Intermediates at the start. There were people going off. any particular standout moment apart from that beautiful lap for you was there a point where you were thinking 'oh, I'm up against it'.
LH: No, no, no., As I said, the car felt great. It was just about getting the tyre temperatures at the right place and you know sealing the deal when you had the time on track. So I think I was able to do that. I think ultimately there was still time left on the table, which George was able to find. But I feel really confident about the car tomorrow and I think with the conditions we have we can work together to keep Lando behind.
OK, well, Lewis, congratulations on getting in the top three and second place here at Silverstone. And finally... George Russell, you're in pole position at the British Grand Prix.
George Russell: Come on! What a feeling, what a feeling. At the start of this year, I don't think we could have even dreamt of being on pole here. And, you know, a one-two, for Lewis and I, Lando in P3. This is just mega. It's down to all these fans as well. They give us so much energy. So, yeah, thank you so much for that.
Six days ago, you took the victory. Here you are taking the pole. Lewis was saying the car's been feeling great, so he's not surprised that it's a 1-2. But I didn't realise, looking through the free practice, that you guys could really take it to the McLaren.
GR: The car at the moment is feeling so, so good. It really came alive in quali, and honestly, what a joy to drive around this circuit. And, you know, we're riding this wave at the moment, absolutely buzzing, but eyes on tomorrow. We've got a race to win, and it's going to be tight with Lando. Max is going to be fast as well, but I'm so excited right now.
Lewis has spoken in the past about the power of the crowd driving him forwards. Are you picking up that mantle and taking some of that energy?
GR: The crowd give us all so much energy, the three of us. I don't think Silverstone could have dreamt of the three Brits in the top three. So, honestly, the support, we just absolutely love it and we can't wait for the race tomorrow.
Press Conference
Many congratulations, George. What a performance by you and Mercedes. You won in Austria last weekend. You're on pole here at home. Just how good does this feel?
GR: Yeah, this is definitely one of the best feelings I've ever had on a Saturday afternoon. The car was just insane. When we went out in Q3, it just really came alive and without doubt, one of the best feelings I've ever had driving this circuit and crossing the line, seeing my name in P1, and then seeing we're both on the front row. We couldn't have even dreamt of that after the first three or four races. Yeah, it feels good.
Have you been surprised by the pace of the car today?
GR: It's been feeling great since Canada when we brought these upgrades. You know, the two of us have been qualifying in the top three consistently, but it really came into its own today. We were really quick in FP1 yesterday. We struggled in FP2 a little bit, but these conditions just really got the car into a perfect window, and the lap was just really, really nice, and there's no guarantees for tomorrow, for sure but we feel like we're riding this wave at the moment. And, I mean, obviously, for us as a team, I don't know when the last time was. we were on a front row. But, you know, 2021? Maybe before.
George, you say that last lap in Q3 was really, really nice. Just where did you find the time over that first run in Q3?
GR: From Turn 6 to Turn 9, I gained a lot. Turn 6 and 7 were mega. There's a big headwind through there so I braked really, really late and I just could carry the speed through the corners. But it was just on rails, the car. I just felt so confident in it. Q3, we really turned it up because Q1 and Q2 were very, very challenging. I felt like I was about to get knocked out at various points. The track improved in every single lap. And probably going into Q3 was the most pressure I've ever felt in a qualifying session because the whole Q1 and Q2 runs, it was like on the verge of getting knocked out every single occasion. And I wasn't feeling that confident with myself. But as soon as I went through Turn 1 and 2 in Q3, I felt good and managed to do the laps.
Well, George, let's throw it forward to the race. With practice being so affected by the weather, just how much confidence do you have in the long-run pace of the car?
GR: Yeah, I think. realistically we know we're probably a tenth or two behind Lando and Max, but I think we've got a good fight on our hands. But the weather's going to play a huge part in that. You know, it's been raining and drying up throughout the last couple of days. There's a bit of rain on the forecast tomorrow. We're probably on course for another Montreal-style race where it's going to be very changeable. So it's going to be a long race. As I said, we're riding this wave right now, but it doesn't mean anything because tomorrow is where the points are scored. But we're obviously in a great position to fight for victory.
Alright, look, best of luck. Well done today. Lewis, let's come to you now. An 11th front-row start at Silverstone for you. Just tell us about the session from your point of view.
LH: It was a great session. Naturally, the best session that we've had as a team to just have the real pace and be able to actually compete with the McLarens and the Red Bulls, I think is incredibly satisfying, just really a huge boost for the team. And the car felt great, as George was saying, a huge congratulations to George for getting the pole. But to be on the front row, I think, is massive for our team. So many of them are here this weekend with their families. And it's been a long time since we've had it. So this is a great feeling.
How was the build-up of the session through Q1 and Q2 from your point of view?
LH: It's pretty straightforward for me, to be honest. I mean, when it's wet, that's when I'm probably the happiest. So I'm super confident in those first conditions. That was the easiest part for me, I would say. And then it got a little bit harder once we got to Q3, just a bit with balance. But nonetheless, as I said, I'm super grateful to be here.
Alright. And Lewis, just throwing it forward to the race, do you have belief in the long-run pace of the car?
LH: Well, I think I was cautious with my set-up, more thinking to have a nice balance in the race rather than all for one particular lap. So I do think that the car will be good tomorrow, yeah.
Alright. Best of luck. Thank you very much. Lando, coming to you now. You said a little earlier that you're happy with the car. Just tell us, first of all, what happened on that final lap of Q3.
LN: I just ran wide out of Turn 14 and that was it.
Without that, do you think pole was in the offing for you today?
LN: No, I was already a tenth-and-a-half down, so it's tough. I think, you know, George and Lewis have done a great job for the two cars to be up there. Shows that the team are also doing an amazing job. It was super close. I think if I put in a good enough lap, it was close and within a bit of a fight. But, no, they've seemed very quick all weekend since FP1, like George said, so there or thereabouts, but I just didn't deliver it today.
Lando, are you surprised by the pace of Mercedes here?
LN: No.
Okay. Well, look, throwing it forward to the race then...
LN: It's a simple question!
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