Find the main reactions to the outcome of the British Grand Prix, which saw Carlos Sainz Jr sign his first victory in Formula 1 ahead of Sergio Pérez and Lewis Hamilton.
Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP/Ferrari) – Winner
“I don’t know what to say, it’s amazing. The first win, after 150 races, with Ferrari at Silverstone, I can’t ask for more. It is a very special day, a day that I will never forget. It’s a very special weekend overall. I thank everyone for the support. Lewis Hamilton was on fire today (Sunday) from what I heard, but we managed to hold on and I’m very happy. It was not easy. I had a lot of trouble with the balance, especially on the first stint with the medium tyres. Max Verstappen forced us to push a lot in the fast corners. I damaged the front left tire but even with all that I still believed I could win. I needed to stay in the race, which is what I was trying to do, and suddenly the safety car gave me the chance to get back into the race. You can imagine the tension at the raise, knowing this was my chance to win. Silverstone is a bit special circuit for me, I won my very first Formula BMW victory there and my first pole position in 2010. Suddenly, twelve years later, I did the same thing but in Formula 1 with Ferrari . So it’s a special place. »
Sergio Pérez (MEX/Red Bull Racing) – 2nd
“It was a great day for us and the team after a fairly complicated weekend. I wasn’t 100% physically this weekend and after the first lap I found myself last. So taking second place is a good result. At the start, I was unlucky with a contact with Charles Leclerc, I broke my front wing and I had to start at the back of the pack. So I had to fight and it’s positive to get such a result. I am also happy for Carlos Sainz Jr and sharing his first victory with him is a nice moment for him and his whole family. I had fun racing today (Sunday), we fought a lot but it was clean and it reminded me of my karting years. Everyone gave their all and fought wheel to wheel, my heart rate was really high on those laps. During this race, the key was to never give up. »
Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) – 3rd
“I gave everything today (Sunday), I tried to attack the Ferraris but I congratulate Carlos Sainz Jr. At the end, I am also involved in a big battle with Sergio Pérez and Charles Leclerc but they had all too much straight line speed for me. We had new things here and we will continue to attack. We lost a bit of time during the pit stop and afterwards I tried to chase them away but it was complicated with the hard tyres. They were going so fast! But being on the podium is a huge bonus for us. I’m also happy that there was no drama at the start with the big crash. »
Charles Leclerc (MCO/Ferrari) – 4th
“We could stop to change tires under the safety car. The team asked me to stay on track. That’s what I did. Honestly, I’m very, very disappointed. This is especially for the first part of the race. I feel like I wasted a lot of time but we’ll look at it with the team. I am very disappointed. »
Fernando Alonso (ESP/Alpine) – 5th
“It was a fun race, which we are happy to finish in fifth place. I was hoping for a few more race facts at the end, which would have allowed us to fight our way to the podium, but this battle between the Top 5 cars was really fun. I do think, however, that we should have finished fourth because I saw Charles Leclerc zigzag several times past Lewis Hamilton and, compared to what happened to me in Canada, I think that is not allowed and it should have been penalized. Looking at the weekend as a whole, I think the car was very good and I felt better than any other race I’ve had so far this season. We managed our race very well and showed consistent pace. We need to continue this momentum and maintain the same level of performance in the next races. I must also congratulate Carlos Sainz Jr for his first victory and am also happy that Guanyu Zhou is well after the incident he suffered at the start. It shows how much safety has improved recently in Formula 1.”
Max Verstappen (PBS/Red Bull Racing) – 7th
“It was a great battle with Mick Schumacher. I was driving with a damaged car and it was very difficult. I had a lot of problems with the balance of the car. When Carlos Sainz Jr came off the track I took the lead and coming out of turn 5 there was a big piece of carbon and with the angle of the turn I thought I was avoiding it but I almost lost the car. I tried to avoid it but I think the part went under the car and damaged my floor. With these single-seaters, we know that the floors are so powerful in generating downforce. That’s why I lost a lot of lap time. »
Esteban Ocon (FRA / Alpine) – Withdrawal
“The most important thing to take away from this race is that Guanyu Zhou is doing well after his big run-out. It happened right in front of me. I was lucky to avoid it, but still suffered damage to the front right after contact with Alex Albon. The guys did an amazing job fixing the car and getting it ready when racing resumed, so thanks and well done to them. We managed the relaunch well and the pace of the car was good. A fuel pump problem on lap 38 unfortunately ended our race, leaving us with no choice but to abandon the car. Overall it was not an easy weekend, with some issues in qualifying and today in the race. We will have to analyze all this closely. On the other hand, it was rich in lessons and I am happy with the big points brought by Fernando Alonso to the team. Now let’s look at the next race, scheduled in a few days. »
Pierre Gasly (FRA/AlphaTauri) – Withdrawal
” It was impressive. I tried to follow Nicholas Latifi to pass between Guanyu Zhou and George Russell. I think it was George who got a little tight on the left and there was a big accident. I’m glad to know that Zhou is fine. It could have been more serious than that. It is extremely disappointing. It’s true that we got off to a great start, we were both in the points. This clash, we will have to talk about it internally because we lose a lot of points. Us, it breaks our rear wing. Once the incident took place, it was already too late. I don’t think it was necessary. We will have to discuss it within the team. »
Sources: official Formula 1 interviews, Canal+, official Alpine F1 Team website, official Red Bull Racing website
