George Russell and McLaren Outlook

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V series, the definition of luxury performance, discover more at cadillac. com Five live, Formula one Qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix has just ended and as you might be able to hear, the music is blaring out around the harbour as the Saturday night parties get underway. We've had a brilliant qualifying session here to set the grid for the Grand Prix, and it was Kimmy Antonelli, your championship leader, the nineteen year old Italian who took poll around the streets of the principality. He described it as a magic lap. I'm joined by our lead commentator at the BBC, Harry Benjamin and Fireplays lead commentator Nelson Valkenberg. A magic lap, Harry, then, how would you describe that one? Well it was that. It was magic, it was remarkable. It was incredible. It kept us on ten to hooks right into the end of Q three. I think it just what amplified things more was the fact we came into this weekend thinking actually it was it was almost Ferrar' to lose and then suddenly at the end of final practice ahead of qualifying Kimmy Antonlli starts to lay the marker down the gap to his teammate George Russell as well and Max Verstappen getting into the frame Right at the close of qualifying two, that all just elevates what our championship leader, Kimmy Antonlli, the youngest ever man to leader for a W worldorld Championship is doing right now. It is remarkable. It is magic. Now so we all got it wrong, didn't we? Because as Harry said, we were really billing Ferrari as the favorites. They have seven time worldorld Champion, Sirouz Hamilton driving one of their cars. and on the other side of the garage, they've got the monogas hero Charl Lecler, who is fantastic around this circuit took the victory here two years ago. so they had the favourite label on their back But it wasn't to be, Kimy Antonlli, we always say don't write Max Veraapanoff. I'm starting to think I need to say that about Kimy Antonlli now never write the Italian driver off. I can't believe the jump he's made in level from one year on to the next. It's like he's done twenty seven races or something. It's insane what he showed us today the level and the ability to deal with pressure The Ferrari was great yesterday and something changed and we heard from the team that It didn't make a lot of changes and still the balance was completely off for qualifying. Lewis was great as well, but Charlecler may have had a shot until the final lap when he actually hit the ball. It's double or nothing for Charlecler here always in Monaco and today it was absolutely nothing. But it was exhilarating as Harry says this is the day that you are so grateful. you're an F one commentator. Oh I love that. What a lovely way to put it. So it was Kimmy Aadadi taking poll and alongside him on the front row it will be the four time champion, Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. Second row is occupied by both Ferrari drivers, but Lewis Hamilton getting the better of his Monagas teammate Charlles Leclerc. and then behind them it's Isac Hajar, the second Red buull alongside George Russell, who was unable to do what his teammate Antonelli did, describing his year as torid, which really paints a picture on how the British driver is feeling at the moment. So let's hear from Kimmy Antonlli then. P won for him, a magic lap, as we've said Let's hear how he's feeling after that one. It was incredible The Russian of adrenaline is just It's really hard to describe and I'm very happy the team did a great job to such a turnaround with a car setup and I'm very happy and looking forward to tomorrow. How do you play tomorrow then? Because most people think if you get poull here, the win is almost guaranteed, but you've got some very hungry, very good drivers around you. Yeah, of course and know you can ever write off max or youis and they're going to put pressure My goal is to get a good start like I did in Canada and then trying to set the pace from there. Kimmy Antinelli, your poll sitter for the Monacoa Grand Prix, he's got eleven world championships around him tomorrow on the grid, four from Max, seven from Lewis. He's going to be feeling the pressure, but in fact, it feels like he's now just absorbing that pressure. And as you said, Nelson, such a step on from last year. He went on to talk to another journalist along the line from me, saying that his experience is obviously counting for something, but his mindset is different to last year. You can really see that. and I suppose that is going to stand him in such good stead come tomorrow afternoon Absolutely. and looking back now the writing was on the wall at the end of FP three, the third free practice session because there was a short red flag for Ollie Bhermmann's issue. and Mercedes elected not to send Antonlli out again on a fresh set of tyres to go for another qualifying simulation. They knew he was fine. They didn't want to overpress the issue. Just some fuel in for a free practice start at the end of the session But no qualification Sim. They knew seven minutes before the end of FP three that he was ready for this session Looking back at that now that moment from Peter Bonington, his race engineer, it's just the level of trust they have in him right now is through the room. and how can you blame them for this? And this is what Tota Wf and Mercedes promised us. This is what they saw in Kimmy Aoni to bring in and fast track him into forormula W Now. there were so many questions weren't there last year this's too soon. he's not ready. He's crashing his roraw around the edges But my word, it is that step up from the end of last year to this year to be alongside George Russell who I way I feel for a bit because he's no slouch either, but right now he's being made to look like he just cannot hack it. And for Kimmy Aonelli to have that level of step up and the feedback to the likes of Bono to work with that high caliber in the engineering department at just nineteen years of age, that is the on track stuff is enough The off track stub makes it even more remarkable I have a feeling that last year was almost too cautious. He was afraid of making mistakes. So we would all say lookook, he's too young, he's too inexperienced. Now the brakes are off. He's really going for it. He did so in Montreal take Pul here, you need to have supreme confidence, but also that mindset that just going to go for it and his relationship with Peter Bonnington is defining for his success. I love tearing Pete Bonington on the radio after that lab. It's such a sort of father son relationship I feel. Obviously Kimmy' so young. feel like he's really guiding him and helping him achieve this. Kimmy told me on Thursday, I think now everyone knows what I'm about. know I don't back down. I won't back down and my goodness me we are seeing that. So he's beaten a four time world champion in Max Verstappen to poll in Monaco. It sounds huge, but actually the red buull hasn't been there, so maybe we should have expected that. but Max Verstappen wasn't really invited to the party. He should have just barged his way in. Well as Max Verstappen likes to do shows up it's fashionable to do so. Well I think we didn't write them off at the start this weekend because you never write Max Verstappen off. Even if the car's not of his liking, he will get every single tenth of a second that is possible out of the car he is given. I think what we've been chatking about in the buildup to this weekend, Nelson and you'll know more about this, I think, but this sort of characteristic within the Red Bull car, not riding over curbs that well, not liking bumps, started to rear its head again in Canada and we heard the complaints there This is a very bumpy track, so we're expecting more of the same and the disappointment from Verstappen that this kind of characteristic is carried over into this new generation car. But then he goes and puts it on the front row. What's that about? Well, it's all about Montreal in effect because I think he really tried to make a point and they really started to listen to him. They went into the wrong direction this morning and they had to revert to their setup from yesterday He didn't expect to fight foot ball position. and youd think forty three thousand it was that he was slower. you'd be very disappointed. None of that. He was beaming just like in Montreal, the same three characters with Lewis Hamilton there as well, they are just really feeding off each other and their own energy. and he was proud to be in that fight and happy to be there. It was an awesome session for him as well. all I love about Max Verappen is his tenacity. We know full well that he's even been questioning whether he wants to continue in the sport because of the way the sport's gone with the new rules and regulations. He could easily just be like, well, whatever, I don't really want to do well because I want to in effect change the way the sport iss going to come back next year and kind of shape it in the way that he wants But he's so hungry to do well. Results like this surely mean that the sporting be like, well, we'll just keep them like this. And if Max Mis Stappen's do all right, we'll keep it going like this. Well I must say look, I mean, it's always fine margins an informal one as you say, less than half a tenth of a second at the end splitting Max Mis Stappen starting on poll, got his first podum of the year last time out in Canada, which let's face it was a bit lucked into because we had the two McLarens out and George Russell going out as well. But here in Monaco, you got to do the business on a Saturday and that will j him up. but Max I don't know I just feel like Max, as you say was very happy after today. but he knows the car is still not quite where he wants it to be and he won't be completely happy until he is able to mount a championship charge, which right now Well, he's quite a way back in the standings. I think true champions and we've got a bunch in the first few rows here will never be happy with the car. They always find a way to complain about something, but here you can outperform the car. And I think Antonlli did it as well because the entire Pedroock was convinced it wouldn't be Mercedes and it wouldn't be Red Bull at the front row Both of them outperformed their cars and their teammates today. and I think that's where the satisfaction is. I think drivers made the difference today actually. This is, as you say, a dri a driver can make a difference around a circuit. And I think Kimy Anntony, Max Stathin, they made the difference today. Just look at there where their teammates were. It was the Max factactor. Well let's hear from him then P two for the Dutch driver This is what he had to say straight after the session Lately we have not been really good here And coming off the last two races where Our ride was a big problem I didn't expect this to be our best track so far, but it has been so far because it's been the closest been to fall Yeah, we take that. I think throughout the weekend I felt quite okay with the car onlynly this morning, maybe not so much, but we made a few changes and that made it better stillill a little bit surprised to be fighting football, but I take it. Absolutely. And tomorrow obviously seventy eight labs. It's a long long old race. Has the car got enough performance to keep you in the fight all the way to the Czeers Flag? It's difficult to know, normally in the race no one goes flat out. You want to keep it all under control and steady because you know that you cannot pass around here So it can be a long afternoon and hopefully maybe there is some strategy that can come into play and every know. What if a marginal gain unlocked greater performance What if an insight in data could change everything At ArAMco, our focus on detail helps us deliver reliable energy to millions across the world Because margins aren't marginal, they're where we can truly push the limits of what's possible. A RAMcoove, an integrated energy and chemicals company Learn more at arramco. com If your best finance people are doing expense reports, chasing receipts, or spending time on monthnd clothes, it's time to get BEX AF, a gentic finance that eliminates that work before it starts. Learn more at breEX d. com slash AF. processor that gives you long battery les Work on the go between back to back calls, stay locked in from brewing morning coffee to burning the midnight oils. maximum performance, even when unplugged Finally The freedom to move across the room or across the world is here Snap Dragon That's how We never know. You never know in Monaco, Monaco Madness, Monaco magic, it's all to play for. So Max Vappen will be on the front row alongside your poll sitter Kimmy Antonlli and behind him it's two Ferraris, which at the beginning of this season, you would be fearful of because they were absolute rocket ships. Can we expect the same from the Ferraris off the start here in Monaco I doubt there's going to be room for Lewis or Sal to muscle their way past the full front row, but let's not forget both Max and Antonlli have had Rotten starts at some races this year. so they'll be Especially Lewis will be very keen to capitalize if that the opportunity is there, but to find the space to overtake both of them. That is going to be very difficult. You have to breathe in. Wh coming through. Yeah Well let's see if it works. I think I think the front row will be interesting to watch tomorrow for sure. But the characteristics for Ferrari so far this year have been there. They're really quick starts. but it's actually not that the starts have tapered off, but others are starting to catch up. You know, George Russell and actually last time in Canada, Kimy Anneg didn't get as bad a start as he has been having So they are starting to lose out on that advantage that Ferrari had from the start of the year with that slow turbo, small turbo, sorry, swirling up the engine quicker and able to get going, making them quicker and slow speed quarterers that we have so many in Monaco. So I think actually Ferrari will be disappointed at the outcome because they now find themselves behind a red Bull and a Mercedes. It is going to be tricky to overtake the best chances if there's any kind of carnage going down into turn one and then may be strategy, but what often you have here is teeammates may have to resign to work together begrudgingly for the one behind. Last year we saw the lead car or the one behind I should say, slowing right down, managing the pace and creating a massive gap in the field so the lead car would have enough of a gap to come into the pit lane and then come out again and get a free stop. So we might see a bit of that kind of play going out tomorrow. The strategists always need to be on their A game here in Monaco, don't they So let's talk about Ferrari then. as we've mentioned, they had the favourites tag coming into this weekend. So Lewis Hamilton out qualifying Charles Leclerc. and I think he was really chuffed with that whilst obviously always striving for pole position. To out qualify your teammate is always a number one priority, but also to do it on a track where your teammate is so strong And actually Lewis made the point everyone goes on about Sarl being the fastest driver over one lap. I've kind of proved I can do it too. And I thought I quite like that from him after the session. P three for him. that's surely a little shot in the arm for him, even though he didn't manage to get pole position, but something is happening with him and Ferrari, it's slowly clicking Nelson. It's been a slow burn last year was difficult for him This season it has started to click. and you see The difference in dynamics suddenly between Lewis and Chaal, to Lewis' advantage, it was a strong qualifying because he was struggling with the balance of the car. It just wasn't working for him and he was tweaking it throughout the session And that's when Lewis is at his best because he's so good at getting the car where he needs it to be. and now I feel like Ferrari started to listen to him And that's exactly what he needs. And I believe this is the start of a big season for him. I can't predict anything for him But I think he's going to have a lot more smiles on his face compared to last year I agree there's a lot of good stuff going on for Lewis Hamilson right now. his engineering team, he finally feels happy and content. even though his main engineer is actually still technically temporary and we're expecting maybe announcement of a more permanent one, but you now question, well, actually, if he's happy with his current team, should he just stick with that now? He's sort of found his bono that he had in Mercedes, now he's found the new new team that listen to him as Nelson was saying in Ferrari. but I also think off the track as well. Look at in Canada. hisis mother came to the race and he's feeling you know really happy to have her there. He's enjoying life outside of it. Who did we have here today for the first time this season? Kim Kardashian rocked up watchatching at the top of the Ferrari treehouse in the pit lane. S sureurely that's got to be worth a few tents, Nelson think so However you think so. It prerecise s. Yeah it's difficult to measure in this one, but that's not and I think we need to mention this. Fred Fsur is in here today. We started today with a weird statement, an unexpected statement that Vasur has had some medical issues yesterday night and that he's in a hospital. No details. I know we're all not going to ask because it's very private. But has. Exactly. Fred Vaser, Ferrari team Pincipple, this must have an effect on the team. way shape or form and how you look at it. But a weird day for Ferrari. I think they expected more. but ye Lewis Hamilton must be jff. Well let's hear from him. It was a challenging day, but I think he'll take P three and especially P three ahead of his teammate in P four came in today and seemed to lost some performance overnight We made tiny tweaks back in the direction we were and then we got into qualifying and the power was like it was horrible for some reason to start off with. And I had to make so many I took so much wing out of myont front of the car and we didn't put any in like a lot and just to calm the car down and ultimately I think just taking performance off the car because if you take downfce off, you take downforce off the car. So I think ultimly today we lost front row he won through that and through confidence that you end up losing England. but I'm still grateful to be third Yeah. And one part of me like I really, really want to Ple to fight for the win, but I'm gonna try and fight for the win. As a driver, you always want to beat your teammate, even if Poul's not there. So is that almost a little win for you that you were able to be ahead of Charlot on a circuit that he is so good at Yeah. I mean in every one ays Charles is the fastest a single epsode too I think So I've kind of proven I have I've done pretty good laughs in my lifetime, so And obviously hopefully you can see I still have the pace. I still have what it takes to win and compete. So yeah, to be his on track here, to be S, I think is positive, but ultimately we as a team want to be first seconds. So Louis Hamilton P three for him in the qualifying session for the Monacu Grand Prix, and I loved how tentative he was at trying to sort of maybe blow his own trumpet there about how good he might might or might not be as a seven time worldld champion. Yeah, I think he's still got it. is the underlying point to take away from that isn't he good oldist, but you know what? it's great because if he's happy on track, you get better answers to questions, that' your resentance? Yeah he had a spring in his step. It was really nice to see a smile on his face, I have to say. And conversely, his teammate Charlac Cler, really not happy. I think he's hoping they're going to have a fix next time out in Barcelona. So hopefully that will give him a bit more performance. but he's really struggling, as we know, off the back of a weekend in Montreal that he described as his worst weekend in Formula one Behind him, the second red bull of Isaac Hajar, but I want to talk about George Russell. A horrid year is how he's described the season so far. and I actually pulled him up on that I said, But George willP two in the standings. It's so weird to hear a driver say Torrid year and yet beP two. But of course, he came into this year thinking I think this championship was his and as de facto number one of that team He surely thought this was the year for him. Well we all did. I hold my hands up and say I thought absolutely. I think Kimmy will fight, but George Russell is the experienced hand. He knows the team really well. So I was on that train that I thought this was Russells to lose and now he's forty three points back. Okay, There's been a bit of bad luck on his side, but that is formula one that happens Now it sounds like he's not comfortable with the car and these are just all alarm bells that we've heard before when other teammates start to fall behind and this is this was not what he needed. He didn't need to outright win this you know, being in po position for the Monaco Grand Prix and go out and win it. But he needs to be right there with Kimmy. and he's not what was about four just over four tenths ad drift from Kimmy at the end of Q three And that is that is a nightmare as a teammate. I think it's difficult to really estimate how difficult the challenge is mentally when you've been waiting for your chance to have a championship winning car. And at that point, you suddenly have to contend with Kimi Antonelli in this case. And then things don't go your way And the mental aspect of any elite sport and most sports is no different countounts for fifty percent. And suddenly you're not comfortable. suuddenly you're not that confident in your own ability or that of your team, and it starts to stack up. and you see the mental baggage stacking up with George Russell Come have that at the streets of Monaco You can't. And also struggling right behind him are the two McLarens. Oscar Piastri, out qualifying Lando Norris. Piastri had been a little bit MIA I think over the course of the weekend, to out qualify his teammate, potentially a positive. but they're both struggling with the car, saying how difficult it is to drive onn a circuit like that. this is so difficult, isn't it, of course? So can we expect anything from them in the coming races, do you think? the McLarens to turn around this performance They've had reliability issues this weekend, but the performance also seems to be lacking Yeah, I think this is not, you know, McLaren down and out just yet. You're right about Piastri being a bit MIA.th there's a case to say he's been a bit MIA kind of from the season so far. L didn't I don't think Lano finished his final lap. I think he must have made a mistake and decided to bail out of it at some point, Nelson. I belie if he was hampered potentially by the yellow flag cast by Charle Leclerc, that could have had an impact But he did bill. The problem is that this car doesn't like short corners and next up in Barcelona it would potentially be easier. Let's not forget how quick McLaren was the last two races. Srint race in Montreal, they were right there in Miami, they were right there. So I think it might be circuits specific for McLaren. But also interestingly just on McLaren bit Messy. we talk about the choice to go on the wet tre ahead of the start for the Canadian Grand Prix. There's been a bit some operational things going on. They got fined thirty thousand euros for land ownoris cononking out after his battery suspectedly failed and they stuck a bit of tape over a button that shouldn't have had it for it some sort of advantage.' not