Featuring the winner of the pole position, Max Verstappen from Red Bull Racing, the second-place finisher Charles Leclerc from Ferrari, and the third-place finisher George Russell from Mercedes. The interviews were conducted by Jolyon Palmer in the Parc Ferme.
Q: Max Verstappen, starting the 2024 season with a pole position, just like you finished in ’23. It seemed like a relatively smooth session for you. How was it?
Max Verstappen: It was actually a lot of fun. The track had good grip, but the wind made it tricky to put together a perfect lap. Overall, I’m happy to be on pole. It was a bit unexpected, but the car felt better during qualifying.
Q: You mentioned that it was unexpected. In practice, you weren’t at the front. Did you expect the Red Bull to perform differently this year?
MV: We knew we needed to fine-tune a few things on the car to find the right balance. The wind made it challenging, but we made improvements and felt more comfortable during qualifying.
Q: You’re used to starting from the front now. How do you feel about tomorrow’s race?
MV: The race is going to be close. We have good race pace, so I’m confident.
Q: Congratulations, Charles Leclerc, on your second-place finish. It was a good qualifying session, but not enough for pole. How do you feel?
Charles Leclerc: I’m a bit disappointed, but overall it was a good qualifying session. We made progress compared to last year, so that’s positive.
Q: The gap between you and Max was less than three tenths of a second. Can you explain how that happened?
CL: In Q2, I did a lap time close to what Max did in Q3. We lost a bit of rhythm in Q3, but it was still a positive qualifying session.
Q: Ferrari struggled in races last year. Do you think you can challenge Max in tomorrow’s race?
CL: We’ve made progress, but Red Bull is still ahead. We’ll see how it goes, but I’ll go for any opportunity that comes my way.
Q: Well done, George Russell, on your third-place finish. It’s a big step forward for Mercedes compared to previous seasons. How do you feel?
George Russell: I’m really pleased. The team has done a great job with the car, and starting in third place is a great position for the start of the season.
Q: It seems like Mercedes has improved its qualifying pace. Has there been a lot of work done since testing?
GR: We’ve made improvements since testing, and it’s great to see our qualifying pace improve. We hope it hasn’t affected our race pace.
Q: What’s your goal for tomorrow’s race?
GR: Red Bull is strong, so the goal is to fight for second place. But anything can happen in the first race of the season.
Q: Max, the wind has been a challenge this weekend. How did it affect your performance?
MV: The wind made it difficult to find the right balance of the car. It was a continuous process of trying to improve and find the right setup.
Q: Max, you made a big improvement in your second run in Q3. Can you explain what happened?
MV: I had more grip on the second run. The first run didn’t feel great, but the second run was better from the start.
Q: Charles, the gap between you and Max was less than three tenths of a second. Can you explain how that happened?
CL: In Q2, I did a lap time similar to Max’s in Q3. We lost a bit of rhythm in Q3, but overall it was a positive qualifying session.
Q: George, starting from third place is a big improvement for Mercedes. Were you expecting this result?
GR: After testing, we didn’t expect to qualify in third place. It’s a pleasant surprise, and it shows the progress we’ve made.
Q: Max, there has been a lot of attention on Red Bull this week. How do you and the team handle it?
MV: We are fully focused on our performance and the car. We leave the other matters to the team management.
Q: Max, do you still have confidence in Christian Horner’s leadership of Red Bull Racing?
MV: Christian has been an incredible team boss, and I have full faith in his leadership. We are focused on our performance.
Q: Max, do your engineers provide input on how to improve your performance?
MV: It depends on the weekend, but we always discuss with the engineers and analyze the competitors’ performance to find areas of improvement.
Q: Max, do you think the close competition in qualifying is a sign of things to come in the 2024 season?
MV: It’s hard to say, but stable regulations have historically closed the field and made the competition closer.
Q: George, Charles, and Max, how much of a factor will the wind be in tomorrow’s race?
CL: The wind can make a difference, but it’s the same for everyone. I don’t think it will have a significant impact on the race.
GR: I agree with Charles. The wind can affect the cars, but it won’t be a game-changer.
MV: I think the wind will be less of a factor tomorrow, but it’s always exciting to race in Bahrain.