FIA Team Principals press conference – Las Vegas

TEAM REPRESENTATIVES: Oliver OAKES (Alpine), Frédéric VASSEUR (Ferrari), Toto WOLFF (Mercedes)
Q: Ollie, we’ll start with you. First time on track since that tremendous result in Brazil last time out. How has that changed your expectations for the remainder of the season?
Oliver OAKES: I think the expectations are the same. We want to keep progressing. But I think obviously now we’re in a nice tight battle to keep P6.
Q: And it is a tight battle. Three teams battling just five points between you. How confident are you of staying there?
OO: As confident as you can be. I think, as we know, Haas have been very fast all year long. And I think RB are also very close. There’s only a few points in it, so we’ll have to see.
Q: And since the Austin upgrade, is it now a genuine top 10 car that you’ve got with you?
OO: Yes, I think you can see that. We’ve been in Q3 the last three weekends. I think, yeah, it is a genuine car.
Q: And here, with the cold temperatures, the low grip, do you think that’ll play to your strengths?
OO: I think so. I think you’re going to see probably tomorrow afternoon, but we’ll have to see.
Q: Let’s talk further ahead now. For 2026 you’ve announced since Brazil that you’re going to be working with Mercedes on a power unit and a gearbox. Tell us about that decision. And was it only Mercedes or did you consider maybe a Ferrari power unit?
OO: Now I see why we’re all together in here. Well, I have to say thanks to Toto first. He’s giving me an engine, isn’t he? Pardon? Oh, sell, sorry. Yeah, sell. We could renegotiate it, no?
Q: Ollie, why were you so convinced that Mercedes was the way to go?
OO: I think it’s quite obvious. I think, first, this era of regulations, they’ve been the benchmark. Also, it’s quite clear to see customer teams using that power unit are competitive at the front of the field. And I think also for us as a team, it’s an obvious chance for us to benchmark ourselves as well.
Q: OK, thank you. Toto, can I come to you now? Just tell us about progress with the 2026 power unit. Are you meeting all your expectations so far?
Toto WOLFF: Certain expectations we’re meeting, that’s good. Others, we’re still pushing to achieve our targets. It’s not trivial. But then the question is, have you set your expectations in the right way? So the answer is, we don’t know where we are.
Q: Talking of expectations, can we talk about this weekend in Las Vegas? You’ve started very strongly – first and second. But we’ve seen you do that before at Grand Prix in FP1 and then drop back. Does this feel any different this weekend?
TW: I think we are dirty track champions. FP1 is always great and then the moment the grip kicks in, we’ve seen that the performances deteriorate. Having said that, I think the gap was pretty big. It’s the biggest that we’ve seen so far in FP1, so we’ve got to spray some dust for all the sessions tomorrow, in qualifying or something. But I don’t believe this kind of advantage to the other teams is going to last. I would very much hope that we’re not falling behind like we did in the past on some of the tracks, but remain competitive, fight in the front.
Q: George said yesterday that you now understand the problems with the car. Is this a first indication that you’re making progress and that you’re getting back closer to those heady days of summer when you won three races out of four?
TW: Yeah, but before the summer we also understood and it was clear that this is the route we need to embark [upon]. We’re putting updates on the car and again, it seemed that we’re taking the wrong junction and it’s super difficult to dial yourself out of it again and we’re not the only team that has happened to. But on the other side, you can’t go back to a Silverstone upgrade and put it on the car and expect to be in the front because since then everybody else has improved by a couple of tenths. So, yeah, the more you drive, the more you fail, the more you learn. But the competition doesn’t sleep.
Q: Now, Lewis is clearly driving very well so far this weekend, but after his comments on the slowdown lap in Brazil, when he said words to the effect of, if this is the last time, I’m sorry, it wasn’t better. Did you ever doubt that he’d finish the season?
TW: Well, Lewis, as we all know for so many years, wears his heart on the sleeve. And I think it was such a bad experience for him that whole race weekend and particularly the Sunday that that’s something that wasn’t, in a way, unusual. Now, this time was maybe… I’ll correct myself here, this time was probably particularly bad, but I think he and us as a team, we’ve been really… doing well and holding on to working together because obviously it’s three more races to go, he’s announced that he’s going to Ferrari at the beginning of the year, and I’m quite proud of how we have achieved to maintain the professional relationships like they are. But we knew it’s never going to be easy. And then if the car is bad on such a day and we have not given him a tool that is good enough to what he should have.
Q: What about your quotes about cognitive sharpness, people having a shelf life in Formula 1? You’ve said they were taken out of context. What did you mean?
TW: Well, I’ve said it very often about this world particularly, it’s taking a toll on all of us. We’re doing more than 20 races a year. We fly around. And what I said is that everybody has a shelf life and you don’t want to become from great to good. And that doesn’t exclude the drivers. And it’s still something that I stand by. I’m asking myself this question all the time. And so I do it for the organisation and for everybody around.
Q: Did you feel the need to clear the air with Lewis when you arrived here?
TW: Lewis and I speak, and we’ve always done so, and a sentence that correlates or a sentence that then happens is being made public on the weekend, particularly where he hasn’t been satisfied about his driving and about the car, then one plus one then makes it look bad. But one rule that we’ve established very early in our relationship is that we talk immediately and say ‘why did you say that?’ or ‘what did you mean?’ and that is what we have done. You know, that was one sentence in a book and there were 99 sentences in you know around the Brazil weekend and quotes in some interviews that I’ve given about Lewis where I clearly remark that he’s the greatest driver of all time and that if we are able to give him a quick car he’s going to be able to win, he’s able to fight for a championship but we have failed in doing so.
Q: Fréd. while we’re talking about Lewis Hamilton let’s start with him. How are your plans coming along with regards to next year? Can you confirm when he’s going to get a first run in a Ferrari Formula 1 car?
Frédéric VASSEUR: I think in 2025?
Q: Were you disappointed that he wasn’t available in the post-Abu Dhabi test? You’ve made Carlos Sainz available to Williams. Were you disappointed that Mercedes didn’t make him available?
FV: This you have to ask to Toto. The story with Carlos is that I want to thank Carlos for the collaboration. And I don’t want to block him or whatever. I think he did a very good job with us this season and a very professional one because it would have been easy to… not to give up, but not to have a so professional attitude. And for me, the best way to thank Carlos was also to give him the opportunity to do the test with Williams.
Q: And are you disappointed that you can’t run Lewis?
FV: No, no. They have a contract. They have a contract so I’ve not even asked Toto to do something.
TW: Fred didn’t ask. I think it’s a difference also if you’re maybe going to Williams, but we have contractual agreements with sponsors. We’re having a farewell for Lewis. We’re having lots of activities that are planned. And him and I, we spoke about it shortly, and he said, I guess that’s not going to work. And I said, yeah, I don’t think it’s going to work. And that was the whole thing. So I don’t think Fred is particularly sad.
Q: Are you sad? Are you sad, Fred?
FV: No, but there is a contract. There is a contract. We have to respect this. And it’s not because we are doing something for Carlos that everybody has to do the same. And as Toto said, I didn’t ask Toto.
Q: OK, look, just a quick question about this weekend. Ferrari were extremely quick in Las Vegas last year. You seem to have hit the ground running this year. How confident are you coming into the weekend now?
FV: I think it’s not a matter of confidence. It’s a matter to start from scratch every single weekend. We know that the fight is mega tight this season and for nothing you can move from P1 to P5. We know also that the track is improving a lot and that if you compare, we were quick last year but at the end it was Verstappen who won the race and what I want to do is to win on Sunday not to be the fastest In FP1.
Q: In the Constructors’ Championship, you’re 36 points behind McLaren. Who do you feel has the momentum, has the advantage?
FV: It’s not a matter of momentum this season. If you have a look, I think Red Bull was dominating the first three or four races at the beginning of the season. Then we had a good sequence and then it was Mercedes during the summertime and then it was McLaren again and us again. It’s so tight that it’s moving from one weekend to another one. It’s not the momentum or whatever that now we have the last three events in front of us with completely different characteristics for the track, for the temperature and so. And it’s not a matter of one car dominating. I keep in mind the weekend of Spa when you had Verstappen FP1, and then the McLaren FP2, and then it was probably Mercedes FP3. Then we started from the pole, and then Mercedes won the race. And the four teams were dominating one session during the weekend. And I think it will be like this until the end of the season. It means that you have to be at the right moment at the right place. But it’s not a matter that someone will dominate the next four or five events.
Q: Fred, irrespective of the final championship position, how pleased are you with the progress that Ferrari have made this year?
FV: I think last year we won one race. This year we are at five, that we score perhaps 50% more points than one year ago. For sure, we are on the right way. But at the end, the evening of Abu Dhabi, we will be just focused on the classification, not on the numbers and the figures. And for sure, the more close you are to the end, the more the championship is important. But the best way for us is just to be focused race by race, to be focused on this one, on the FP2 and then the FP3, and not to think about the championship, because it’s the best way to be disconnected.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Ben Hunt – Autosport) Gentlemen, we heard from your respective drivers by way of the GPDA statement about the FIA President. I wanted to get your take on how you thought that he was running his organisation. Are you satisfied with what he’s doing, his decisions that he’s making? I obviously refer to the Race Steward (sic) change coming at this crucial time in the year. Are you confident in him? Do you have full faith in him? And yeah, are you satisfied?
TW: I need to be careful what I say here because Fred and I last year were summoned to the Stewards. Can we pull the joker here so not respond because last year was so bad? No joker? We’re in such a privileged position with the sport and that we attract fans in the best demographic, if you say so, younger people. We race in front of full grandstands and there’s a lot of sponsorship interest. And what we need to achieve is that we’re all pulling on the same string and handle our joint product carefully bearing in mind… it’s a good answer, no?
FV: I don’t know where you want to go.
OO: Do you want to know the question again?
FV: The same for me.
TW: I think all stakeholders that are in decision-making positions need to remind ourselves that we carry responsibility for this sport and we need stability. So this is how I see it.
FV: Nothing to add. The reply was perfect.
Q: Fred, just give us a little more if you could?
FV: I don’t know if the question was about the Race Director or whatever, that for sure the momentum of this decision is a bit of an odd topic for me because now we are at the end of the championship, it’s probably the three most difficult races to manage. Vegas, if you remember last year, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, the last one of the championship. The momentum is strange for this, for me. But I’m not behind the scene on the discussion into the FIA, and so that means I don’t want to make any position on this, but the momentum is strange.
TW: You know, it’s critical enough that I think it’s important that also we here that have a voice that will come out, that we handle it with the same carefulness that all of us need to do. Because we’ve had a fight over the media in the last few years. One word was said, another word came as a reply. And I don’t think we should be throwing stuff at each other that way. But being in a room and saying, this is what we think, would be best for the sport? What is that beyond a personality or a team? And I think this is probably where the drivers came from.
Q: Ollie, please, can I bring you in?
OO: I was enjoying watching that one. I think, obviously, the question was about what are they looking for with their statement? And I think it’s probably they just want to have a bit of a conversation at the end of the day. I think they feel a little bit unlistened to, which is natural at the end of the day. The only thing I’d say is it’s not easy for someone like Rui to be in the situation with three races to go. I think as these guys alluded to, it’s a big job at hand with the championship battle that’s going on.
Q: (Ian Parkes – New York Times) Question for you, Toto. Toto, this season you often expressed your frustration and disappointment, and you’ve just done it now, actually, that you’ve not given Lewis the car with which to, are worthy of his talents, basically. When you sit down over the winter, you look back on Lewis’s career, how much will these last three seasons overshadow, if at all, all the success and enjoyment that you had when the team was dominating and he was winning those Grands Prix and all his world titles?
TW: It’s the most competitive motorsport in the world and we were lucky and blessed with winning eight consecutive World Championship titles. That wasn’t done before in any other sport. And Lewis won seven Drivers’ championships. You cannot extrapolate from that that you’re going to win forever or that you’re in the hunt for every single championship. That doesn’t happen. And the regs were changed twice and we maintained the level of performance and won championships. And then we’ve just been caught out by these new regulations in 2022. Until today, we’re just not able to put steady performance on the car and provide the drivers with something that is predictable, that has enough downforce, that doesn’t bounce or hop, that rides where the ride is acceptable, where the tyre degradation can be managed in the right way and not be too cold or too hot. And that is how sport goes. That’s very easy. You know… I don’t know where I read that or where I heard that, but a basketballer was asked whether he felt, doesn’t anybody know this specific quote, whether he felt that his season was a failure. And he said, Michael Jordan played how many seasons? 10 seasons, I’m making this up now, 10 seasons in the NBA or 12 seasons in the NBA and he won four. Does that mean that the whole thing was a failure? Did anybody read that? Yeah, and what did he say exactly? Michael Jordan played 12 seasons or whatever, he won six championships… Were the other six a failure? And I think we’ve been together 12 years now in this championship and we won eight. Are the other ones a failure? We finished third two years ago, we finished second last year, bearing in mind we haven’t won a race, and we won three this year. So that is not all a failure. That was a pretty good spell for Mercedes and for Lewis. And we will be trying to do it better. We are trying to do it better every single day, every single weekend. And the same will be next season and then the big one in ‘26.
Q: (Ben Anderson – The Race) A question to all three of you, please. Can you confirm your teams have each had to make changes to the skid blocks following the issuance of the new FIA technical directive? And can you explain the rationale for running those skid blocks in a different way before the technical directive was issued?
OO: Thanks. Yeah, we’ve had to make a little change. But I’ll be really honest, I don’t know the rest of it. So I’ll let Toto or Fréd give a real background of it.
FV: Yes, we had to make the change. But we had also the confirmation before this that the plank was legal, that from the FIA. I think it was the right attitude for us not to fight because that I want to stay focused on the on the championship and not on this kind of discussion. But the approach was strange.
TW: Yeah, we had to change the way we run the floor as well.
Q: (Adam Cooper – Adam Cooper F1)…
TW: You need to be more diverse and give the ladies the microphone also. Sorry. Not only white men.
Q: (Adam Cooper – Adam Cooper F1) Question for Ollie. You mentioned Rui. Obviously, you know him quite well. What kind of guy is he? What are his strengths? How is he going to do in this job, do you think?
OO: Yeah, I mean, I know him from the, obviously, the junior stuff. I guess it’s a bit different when you’re in the spotlight of F1, but I think he’s obviously been well prepared. I guess he’s got to deal with these two giving a bit of criticism as well, but I think he’ll be fine. I think at the end of the day, if they’ve given him the chance, it’s because everybody thinks he’s ready to step up and take that position.
Q: (Ruben Zimmermann – Motorsport-total.com) A question for all three of you. I would like to get your opinions on the launch event next February in London, because some say it’s revolutionary and others say, like Max, for example, they don’t want to go. And some people even call it a fake event because you are not going to see any real cars, just liveries.
TW: I think it’s great. It is almost like a race weekend, we’re all coming together after the season, all teams will present, the drivers will present, there will be lots of media buzz around it, new liveries will be seen, and maybe for some of us hardcore fans you will be a little bit disappointed at not seeing the end product, but the truth is you will not see the end product until the end of the test anyway. Regulations stay stable and it’s a little bit like the NFL draft, but maybe a little bit with less consequences than the NFL draft. And I think we should be promoting that. We should be promoting testing much more than that. And I think Stefano and Liberty are doing a really good job in doing that.
FV: Yeah, I’m completely aligned with Toto. It will be a great event. And it’s not the first time that the teams will launch a car with the car of the previous year. I mean, this happened a couple of times in the past. And at the end of the day, it’s more an event for… I’m not sure that you will look about the details of the car, the floor edge and so on in this kind of event, even when we are launching the car. And I think we all did it in the past to launch a car with fake parts. And it won’t be a fake part. It will be the car of last year. But the livery will be the good one. And I think it’s more for the fans, more for the drivers. And I think it’s a good event. We don’t have to criticise everything.
TW: I think also you need to bear in mind that event was sold out in 40 minutes. And then you couldn’t get the tickets anymore. And…
FV: At least the fans are pleased.
TW: At least the fans are pleased. You know, I’d rather also not have Sprint races, but the data says that fans like Sprint races. Fans like these events. We’re in a data-driven sport, and if the data says that it’s really good, then let’s give it a try.
OO: I echo all of that. I think, actually, there might be a little competition as well. We’ve each got a seven-minute slot to do our launch, so maybe there’s a trophy for the best slot. We’ll see.
Q: (Jenna Fryer – Associated Press) Finally, the woman. A little bit of an American question. There’s been a significant restructuring at Andretti Global that has sparked conversation that potentially there could be an 11th team announcement coming. Has any of your positions changed on expanding the grid?
TW: We have an obligation, a statutory obligation as directors to present the standpoint that is the best for our company and for our employees, and we’ve done that so in the past. I think if a team can add to the championship, particularly if GM decides to come in as a team owner, that is a different story. And as long as it is creative, that means we’re growing the popularity of the sport, we’re growing the revenue of the sport, then no team will be ever against it. So I’m putting my hope in there. No one from Andretti or Andretti global or whatever the name will be has ever spoken to me a single sentence in presentation of what the accretive part is. But they don’t need to because the teams don’t decide. It is the commercial rights holder, with the FIA, we have no say. We can have an opinion, like I’m having here now, it’s just if i want to be invited to a party and going to the party, I’m sitting down on the table and telling who I am and why I’m really good fun and sitting here and everybody will enjoy my presence. That hasn’t happened, but you know, that’s now my personal point of view, not a professional, because there’s nothing we can do, nothing we can say. And I don’t know the people. I’ve obviously spoken to Mario. Yeah, I’ve spoken to Mario once. I didn’t speak to his son. I didn’t speak to any other people that are behind that. I don’t know who they are. So I know GM. GM is great.
FV: At the end of the day, I’m not sure that we have our word into the discussion. The discussion is between FIA, the team, and FOM. It’s not our choice. For sure, as Toto said, that if it’s good for the sport, good for the show, good for the business, and add value on the sporting side, that we are all okay. But again, the decision is with FOM and not with Toto, myself or Ollie.
OO: I think they’ve covered it all. I think FOM was also pretty transparent in their decision and the value they’d need to bring.
Q: (Dan Lawrence – Motorsport Monday) A question for Ollie. I asked Esteban yesterday about the Alpine Academy driver, Abbi Pulling. She’s on the verge of winning the F1 Academy Championship. You’re obviously well-versed in the junior scene. What is your impression of her, how she’s built her campaign, and how she can build her career moving forward?
OO: Thank you. Yeah, I mean, obviously, even before I took this role, I’d seen her in the British racing scene. And obviously then with F1 Academy supporting a few weekends this far in F1, it’s been great to see her success. And I think she’s definitely on the right path to keep progressing through the ladder. I think obviously it was one of the first questions in an Enstone debrief, actually, is what are the plans for her for the future? I’m trying to think how many races are left. Toto will know. Is it one race left? You’re going to be in trouble with Susie if you don’t know this answer. Sorry. I’ll take that one on me.
TW: You put me in this one. Yeah, it’s one. One. Two! Qatar and Abu Dhabi. It’s getting worse and worse!
OO: Yeah, exactly. They’re both in the doghouse. Now, I think if I’m right, she’s pretty close to wrapping that up. So I think in due course, you’ll see what she’s going to be racing in. But it’s definitely exciting to see her with the success she’s having there.
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Just about the final stages of Lewis’s career with Mercedes. How have the emotions been for you guys in this period? Obviously, there’s a natural phasing out of certain meetings and things like that. But is it starting to hit you more that you’re kind of going into maybe the lasts with Lewis, last meetings here and there and things like that? And how are those emotions?
TW: I think we’re still running the season. So the weekends feel like they felt before. You know, these meetings where long-term development is being discussed, they don’t happen so regularly and we didn’t have them for the last few months. So it’s pretty much standard as it is. There is no overwhelming emotion now that this is ending, but I’m sure the closer it’s going to come to Abu Dhabi and the last sessions, the last race together will be quite a thing because we had this wonderful partnership for such a long time. But having said that, Lewis is not going to disappear. Lewis is going to be on the grid next year with a Ferrari. We are not losing the person, we are just losing the driver. But we embark on a new future. We have an 18-year-old and a 27-year-old that are going to be our drivers. And that is super exciting. And at the same time, personally, we wish Lewis all the best and happiness. And maybe a car that’s not so fast. But nevertheless, it is a decision he took. And we’re OK with that.