DRIVERS
1 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing) 
2 – Lando NORRIS (McLaren) 
3 – Oscar PIASTRI (McLaren)
 
TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Naomi Schiff)
 
Q: Wow, Max. A huge turnaround, congratulations. You've put the car on pole, but you've been complaining a lot in the car. So are you as surprised as we all are to see yourself on pole position here?
Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, I am. I mean, we tried the best we could, I think, to get the best possible balance with the car, but it wasn't easy, even in qualifying. But every session we just kept on making little improvements. I think that's where we made the difference. And then, yeah, the last lap was just flat out. I mean, around here being on the limit—or maybe even a bit over in places—is incredibly rewarding.
 
Q: Just so you know, you've got the new lap record around here. We know that it's a track that you love so much. Just talk to us about how special the circuit is.
MV: It's insane. In a Formula 1 car around here—Sector 1 especially—is unbelievable. And now with the new tarmac as well, it just gives you even more grip around there. So to commit is even harder.
 
Q: Tomorrow’s another day. We know you've not been 100% comfortable in the car. Do you think that that will make it a challenge to keep the McLarens behind you, who are just right behind you?
MV: For sure. I mean, this is a proper highlight for us to be back on pole here. But, you know, we will look to it tomorrow. There might be some rain around, but we'll do our very best.
 
Q: Well, huge congratulations. Good luck tomorrow.
MV: Thank you.
 
Q: Lando, huge congratulations. A lot of support from the fans out here as well. Fantastic performance out there. Maybe not just what you wanted, but are you happy with the fine margins out there?
Lando NORRIS: Yeah, I'm happy. Congrats to Max, he did a good job. So hats off—you’ve got to credit something when it's a lap that good, which he must have done, you know. But I mean, I'm happy because I feel like I got everything out of the car today. So, just, it’s tiny. Was there probably that much in it? Yes. But Max did an amazing lap, so we're happy. I mean, for both of us to be up there, for us to be fighting for pole is good. But it's not enough.
 
Q: Looking at things on screen, there was nothing wrong with your first lap that we could see, but you were half a second behind. Did that affect you a little bit in putting together your second lap or do you think that didn't play a role at all?
LN: No. I mean, I dipped a wheel in the exit of 7 and, like, 7 is the last place you want to make a mistake. No, it was just a couple of little mistakes, and it shows how easy it is to lose lap time at the same time, you know. My lap was very good. I'm very happy. If I was to go again, I probably wouldn't go as quick as I did. So I feel like we were on the limit of what we had. We just didn’t have enough today.
 
Q: Well, you've got your teammate right behind you tomorrow. So do you think you two will be pushing to get another McLaren victory this season?
LN: That's the goal, but no one knows what the weather's going to do tomorrow. So it could be another race like Australia. But it's going to be an exciting race, you know. Of course, we want to try to get past Max, but he's going to put up a good fight. But I've been there before, so I'm excited for it.
 
Q: Fantastic. Thank you very much and good luck tomorrow.
LN: Thank you so much. 
 
Q: Oscar, congratulations. We know you're a tough competitor and you probably won't be satisfied with that result, but it was looking like it was going to be you on pole up until that last run. Just how did you feel in the car?
Oscar PIASTRI: Yeah, it felt good through much of qualifying, especially at the start of Q3. There was a good lap, and then just the last lap, yeah, it just didn’t quite come together as I wanted. But incredibly tight margins. So yeah, I think it's still all to fight for tomorrow. I think we've got a great car and, yeah, just a little bit more left on the table out there today. So try again tomorrow.
 
Q: Up until this moment the McLarens have really looked a cut above the rest. So are you confident that you and Lando tomorrow will be able to take that challenge to Max?
OP: Yeah, I think so. I think we've got good pace. You know, I think the others have not been as far away as people think. You never quite know with engine modes and stuff like that. And, you know, this morning was pretty tight. So yeah, I think it's not a massive surprise. I think Max has obviously done a great job getting up on pole. But yeah, we've also got a great car for tomorrow and still in the fight for the win.
 
Q: Just lastly, there is a little bit of a threat of rain on the forecast at the moment during the race. Are you looking forward to that or would you rather it be a dry race tomorrow?
OP: I don't really mind. I think our pace has been good in all conditions so far this year, and I welcome whatever comes. But yeah, let's see what we get.
 
PRESS CONFERENCE 

Q: Max, you seemed very happy as you crossed the line, as was the team. Just how good was that final lap of Q3?
Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, a lot of happiness when I crossed the line. The whole qualifying, we just kept on trying to improve the situation a bit. And the final lap, honestly, it was very good. I had a lot of fun out there, being fully committed everywhere. Some places, not sure if I was actually going to keep it or not, but yeah, it was really nice. And also great for the team as well.
 
Q: Max, this is pole #41 for you. You've had a lot of special ones. Is this the best pole of your Formula 1 career?
MV: It's difficult. I mean, I've had some really nice ones also in other places. But I think if you look at how our season started, even during this weekend... yeah, it's very unexpected, I would say. And I think that makes it probably a very special one.
 
Q: And this is a real drivers' track as well. Does that make it even more satisfying?
MV: I mean, when I enjoy the track, it's anyway more fun to drive, right? So you have to be super committed. Sector 1 around here is crazy fast, but yeah, it's amazing in qualifying.
 
Q: You just said this pole was unexpected. Just tell us a little bit about how you've chipped away at the car, how you've improved it over the weekend.
MV: Yeah, just throwing a lot of different things to try and make it more balanced, which is a bit of a difficulty for us at the moment. And even in qualifying that is still the same. I mean, I could be more committed, but... I mean, I'm on pole, but I'm still not happy with the balance of the car. But we are working on it. And yeah, for us this is a great little surprise.
 
Q: And practice yesterday was a little messy due to all of the red flags. Have you done enough homework? Are you confident going into the race tomorrow?
MV: I mean, we did what we could. Now I don't know. First, we also have to wait and see what weather we'll get. And from then onwards, I think it's very important to just focus on ourselves, do the best we can, execute the race of course in the best way possible. But I don't know how fast we will be.
 
Q: Lando, let's come to you. You made a big step on that second lap of Q3. Where did you find the time?
LN: I didn't go that much. I mean, I went two tenths quicker than the Q2 lap, so not enough, but just a little bit. It's a track where you just kind of chip away in different areas. And like Max says, commit a bit more in those high-speed corners. But I was pretty happy with my lap, honestly. I tried pushing on a good amount more in Q3 Run 1 and it didn’t work out clearly, so I just had to kind of peg it back a lot. I was happy with the balance and happy with the car at the end. The margin is so small – I think it was a hundredth in it – and you’d probably say yes, but yeah, just not enough for pole.
 
Q: Today and generally, are you happy with the car here at Suzuka so far?
LN: Much happier than China. Yeah, the car's a lot more back to my liking. I've got some front end in the car and I'm much, much happier with that. I've been feeling confident all weekend. If quali was in FP1 and it was a Sprint race, I feel like I’d be much further ahead, but everyone's good enough that by the time you get to quali, they kind of catch up a bit. I've been feeling good, the car's been feeling good from the off as well. We've been chipping away. I think between both of us we've been quickest in every session bar this one, so it's the little frustrating one. The corners I still struggle with, the corners I'm still not happy with, are the corners I still just don't have the front end and I don't have the grip in the car when I need it from the front. It's clear what suits me and what doesn't, or just what allows me to be quick and what doesn't. China was one of those weaker tracks, and we come here and the car’s a lot more how I want it. Much better again.
 
Q: We've got an exciting race in prospect tomorrow. You and Max on the front row, Oscar just behind. How confident are you going into the start of the Grand Prix?
LN: No one knows what the weather is going to be like tomorrow, so no point trying to think of too many things. We’ll do our homework tonight. It's probably going to be a bit of a race like Melbourne, and that was an exciting race for everyone. Now I've got to try and do some overtakes, you know? So we'll see. It's exciting. I think the unknown of the weather is going to make it exciting and nerve-racking for everyone. And I've got to try to get past the guy on my left, so yeah, excited. 
 
Q: Thank you, Lando. Oscar, great job by you as well. On that final lap of Q3, you were fastest in the middle and the final sector. Can you talk us through sector 1?
OP: Yeah, it wasn't my best, Sector 1. I think I lost a little bit of time compared to the first lap of Q3. And yeah, when the gap’s four hundredths from 1st to 3rd, you think about it quite a bit. I've been pretty comfortable through qualifying. I think the first lap of Q3 was a good one, the second one just a little bit off the mark in a couple of places. But yeah, I’ve had to dial myself in a bit more this weekend than I did last race and it’s taken a bit longer to get there. But looking at the margins and how it performed, I've been pretty happy. Just those little margins – when it’s so tight – make all the difference, clearly.
 
Q: And the game plan tomorrow – have you had a chance to think about that yet?
OP: No, just see what the weather does. Obviously the game plan is to try and finish two spots ahead of where I'm starting. But apart from that, we'll see what we get.
 
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
 
Q: (Scott Mitchell-Malm – The Race) Max, one of the bits of feedback you had yesterday was when you described the car like it was flexing. Obviously, you've managed to improve so much that you're now on pole. How different was the feeling in the car for that Q3 lap versus when it was at its worst on Friday?
MV: Yeah, I mean actually it was a bit better. I think that issue was a lot better today. But at the same time, the through corner balance is still what we need to work on. But yeah, I think on low fuel over one lap, some bits you can mask a little bit. But it’s still not like I go into the lap fully confident and comfortable. So the last lap I was like, well, I'm just going to not try and feel uncomfortable – just send it in and see what we get. It’s very rare, of course, that a lap like that then can stick, but this time it worked well. We know that we have some issues that we want to solve, but it's clearly not easy to solve them at the moment.
 
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Max, another one for you. Where were some of the points around the lap that you were really pushing and maybe felt like you went a little bit too far over the limit? And when you crossed the line, how long did it take to realise it was a special lap before getting the message you were on pole?
MV: I think exit 1 into 2, 6, 7, 8 and then Spoon. Yeah, those places I was like, well, I hope it's going to stick. But yeah, it did. And of course when I crossed the line, I could see my name pop up. But I knew Oscar was still behind me, but I was already just very happy with what I did there because I didn't even expect to be close to that. So yeah, that was a nice moment.
 
Q: (Mark Mann-Bryans – Autosport) A question for the three of you. We've seen five red flags because of grass fires. That's got to be a concern, especially maybe going into the race tomorrow.
MV: It will rain overnight soon – that will help wet the ground a little bit. The grass has been very dry and with the sparks coming off the car, it can ignite with the grass, with a bit of wind.
OP: Yeah, I think with the rain overnight, I don't think it will be as big of a problem tomorrow.
 
Q: (Laurence Edmondson – ESPN) A question for Max. Can you describe what it feels like at this track when you have a car that’s where you want it? The sensation in the cockpit?
MV: Where you want it? The sensation? Well, I'm happy that I'm first. I mean, maybe if you want to drive the car, I can give it a go. I think you're going to poop your pants – is that allowed to say that in the press conference? It’s not easy, but we clearly found a drivable balance. I tried to do the best I could, but around here you need to be very committed, especially in Sector 1.
 
Q: (Scott Mitchell-Malm – The Race) Max, when you say you're still not entirely happy with the car, is the difference then at least getting it into a window where you can live with those limitations even if it is on the edge? Because Yuki was just telling us that he felt quite decent in the car at times this weekend and in Q2 he feels he just got the tyre prep wrong and the car is out of the window and the lap is not there. 
MV: Yeah, honestly, I don't think it has to do with the tyres – for me, at least. It’s just the through corner balance that is very difficult to manage. But we clearly got it in a window where at least it was drivable to push. Luckily, it was enough for first, but it's still not... I don't say, “Oh, I'm first, now everything is perfect.” We still have clear issues that we need to solve and that's what we're continuing to work on. This is a very tough track for the car in general. It's really high speed, so any little balance limitation you have can be multiplied in some places around the lap. Some tracks might work out a bit better for us, some might be worse. But it was clear that up until now this whole weekend we have been really experimenting a lot to find that drivable balance. At least it allowed me to push a bit more.
 
Q: (Mark Mann-Bryans – Autosport) Another one for Max. You just said about the clear issues you've still got – what does that mean in terms of the challenge of keeping two very quick guys behind you?
MV: It will be very hard, but that's fine. I'll try to do my best. So far this season we have not been able to fight them. But it's not like we just sit there and accept it. We try to do the very best and we’ll give it a good fight tomorrow if we can. But at the end of the day, it's a very long championship and you need to keep on scoring points whenever you can in the best way possible. At least we're starting from the front – then we’ll see where we go.
 
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Max, just a word on Yuki and how he’s performed this weekend, how you’ve been working with him. I know qualifying didn’t go to plan for him, but he has seemed a step closer to you.
MV: Yeah, I mean, honestly, I’ve known Yuki for a long time. He’s been in the Red Bull family. He settled in nicely. He’s a good guy, very chilled. So that all went really well. And I think that’s it for me to comment on.
 
ENDS