Part 1: Franco Colapinto, Kimi Antonelli and Fernando Alonso.
Fernando, welcome to Monza. It's a place, of course, that you know very well. How hopeful are you coming into this race? Because the last two races in Hungary and Zandvoort, the car has been performing very well. Do you think it'll translate to the long straights here at the Autodromo?
Fernando Alonso: Let's see. I think we come to Monza a little bit more cautious about our performance. Last efficiency circuit was Spa, and we were not that fast in Spa. So yeah, we'll see. We made some changes after Spa on the set-up of the car and how we approach the weekends. So hopefully we can be a little bit better. But I think, you know, on paper, it's not the same track, Monza, as the last two races.
We're two-thirds of the way through this championship now. You talk about changes to the set-up, but can we focus on the positives? How much better is the car now compared to where it was at the start of the season, and in what areas?
FA: I think it is a lot better than at the start of the season. I think my first point in the championship came in race eight or race nine. So yeah, at the beginning we didn't have a car to be in the top 10 on Sundays. And now it seems that we are able to fight in the midfield and to score points regularly. In the last nine races, I think I've been seven times in Q3, in the top 10. So definitely there is a very different car now. It is better on the aero platform. We didn't change much mechanically on the set-up. Yes, we are working a little bit weekend to weekend, but I think aerodynamically the car is a lot more stable, a lot easier to drive, and we can put the laps together.
And when you look at the remaining nine races of this championship, where do you see your best opportunities?
FA: I think we have a couple of places that we think are more similar to Budapest and Zandvoort. Maybe Singapore can be one of those, maybe Brazil. But, you know, we've been surprised a little bit - sometimes negatively surprised, sometimes positively - so we are not really putting all the hopes in one or two races. We will go every weekend to give our maximum, like this one in Monza, even if it seems difficult. And yeah, we'll see in Abu Dhabi how many points and which constructor position we have at the end.
Alright. Fernando, best of luck this weekend. Thank you for that. Kimi, let's come to you now. Back at Monza, scene of the announcement last year when you were confirmed as a Mercedes Formula 1 driver. It's been quite a 12 months since then. Can we start just by reflecting on everything that's happened since Monza last year?
Kimi Antonelli: Yeah, it happened a lot of things. I have good memories, but also really bad memories here. But yeah, I mean, it's a really special place, and I think it's going to be a special weekend because it's not just my second home race, but obviously, as you said, this is where it all started with the announcement. So that's why it's going to be a very special one. But, you know, it's been very intense ever since. And yeah, so far, it's gone quite okay.
And when you look at car performance, where do you expect to be coming out this weekend?
KA: It's always tough to say because the cars now are getting closer and closer. But last year, looking at the result, especially in qualifying, they were up there. So this year, it's been a bit of the trend that the car where it's been good last year was also quite good this year. So hopefully it's going to be the same, but we never know.
And when you're on the simulator, are there similarities between here and Montreal? Of course, Montreal was a great race for the team.
KA: Well, I mean, first of all, it's a lot lower downforce here, but the first two chicanes are really high braking and then going into a slow corner, similar to Melbourne. But also here you've got some quick corners such as the Lesmos, Ascari and Parabolica. So in some way, it's similar to Montreal in terms of characteristics, but the second half of the lap is a bit different. But hopefully - obviously we're back on the old suspension, which has given us more confidence - so hopefully we'll be able to have good pace.
One thing - you talked about this being your second home race. You were quite open after Imola saying that maybe if you'd had that race weekend again, you might have done things differently. There were a lot of demands on your time there. Are you approaching Monza a little differently?
KA: For sure. I will be much more prepared, and I definitely know much better what to expect. I know much better how I need to move around, how I need to behave during the race week in order to be able to be 100% every time I go in the car.
Alright. Kimi, best of luck. Thank you very much for that. Franco, welcome to the press conference. So back at the scene of your Grand Prix debut last year - just how different does it feel coming back to a racetrack for the second time as a Formula 1 driver?
Franco Colapinto: Yeah, it's the first track I actually raced in last year. So from now on, we've got another nine races that I know - races that I've already been in - which is always very helpful. But just very nice memories. Being back here in Monza after a year of my debut, it does bring a lot of flashbacks and memories back, which is always very nice. To win that surprise call last year, that I was jumping in this weekend, was a dream coming true, and a lot of things happened from there. So yeah, it's really nice to be back here in Monza. It's a track that I always like and I really enjoy driving in. It's full of Tifosi, very passionate people and fans that support us, and it's a great track to race. So yeah, can't wait for it.
And do you come here with a lot of confidence? Because last weekend, you finished very close to the points. Do you feel you're making progress with this car now?
FC: Yeah. I feel much more in control, starting to be just more confident with the car, and I'm gaining that feeling that I had last year very quickly. I didn't have it this year so early on, and I think now the team, my engineers, really helped me to win that back a little bit. We are still working on it really hard because it's not where we want to be. We are doing a lot of progress with the car, but I think generally it's been much better. The last two races have been more competitive. We showed that we're very close to the points. So still a lot of work to be done. This track, it can be quite hard for us with the long straights, but I think if we do well and we take all the opportunities available, we can have a good weekend.
Questions From The Floor
(Tom Slafer - DAZN Spain) Question for Fernando. You were mentioning how much better the car is now compared to the beginning of the season. Besides the good results that the team is getting lately, it feels like the team has found its way in the development race with the new floors in Imola and Silverstone, and maybe particularly with the new front wing. Does this make you feel even more optimistic going towards 2026?
FA: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I think to trust the tools that we have in the factory and bring things to the track that actually deliver what was expected from them is obviously a very good thing. We didn't have that in 2023 and in 2024. So yeah, it's good to go back to a more normal factory-track kind of correlation and develop the 2026 car next winter knowing that the tools are correct.
(Mara Sangiorgio - Sky Italia) A question to Kimi. Kimi, you told us last week how much you needed a fresh weekend. How do you get rid of bad thoughts like Zandvoort or Monza last year? What's the way?
KA: Just focusing on myself, just focusing on what I have to do. It's really easy to get lost and focus too much on the final result. Instead, I think it's much better - and this I haven't been doing super well - but just focusing on the things I have to do: driving well, putting things together, and helping the team the best way to find the best balance as well. So I think that's the main thing - just trying to focus on myself and trying to get every detail right.
(Moritz Steidl - Servus TV) Question to Fernando. It's a 22nd time in Monza driving. Take us maybe through the years - how much did it change to drive a car in this Temple of Speed?
FA: Yeah, definitely, it did change a lot. I think I drove even different configurations of Monza, not only the current one. But yeah, the way the cars changed makes Monza a little bit different than in the past. The way the downforce behaves now is a little bit safer. I remember the first couple of years in Monza, driving with no rear wing basically, made the car feel like it was floating on the straights, and it seemed like you were not totally in control of it. Now I would not say that it's easy, but the cars are in control all the time. Obviously, now we have different devices that are making this place safer. That's for me the biggest difference. In the past, when we used to come to Monza, you felt the danger, you felt the speed, you felt the adrenaline. Now it's a little bit more difficult to feel that thing. We have the Halo, we have the HANS device, we have different things that I didn't have the first time I drove here. Everyone is doing tests before coming to F1 in Monza, or at least with very low downforce. Back in the 2000s, there were not these kinds of privileges.
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