All you need to know about what Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Lando Norris and the other top Formula 1 drivers said on Media Day at the Monaco Grand Prix…
- George Russell produced perhaps the strongest news line of the day as he claimed the title is Kimi Antonelli’s to lose now, which will be perceived by some as being mind games from the Brit. He said: “If I look at it from my competitor’s position, you’re kind of in a position now that you’ve got such a buffer, it feels like you can only keep it or you can only lose it. It’s his to lose.”
- Kimi Antonelli responded by claiming the title race is far from the front of his mind as he targets a fifth consecutive Grand Prix. He told reporters: “I’m not thinking about the championship, I’m just thinking about enjoying the driving as much as I can. I’ll just try to do my best, to improve, to raise the bar and then we’ll see where we end up. I want to leave the weekend saying I did everything I could, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
- Ferrari have been tipped by many for glory in Monaco but home hero Charles Leclerc was keen to play down expectations. He said: “If there’s one track where I will bet on us, it’s probably Monaco. However, Mercedes have had a significant advantage since the beginning of the year, and I think McLaren and Red Bull will be very strong. Mercedes, I think, will still remain the team to beat.”
- Lewis Hamilton concurred, adding: “This track should be better for us than some of the others. Our car is good at low speeds. I don’t necessarily think we will be the quickest, especially with Mercedes’ upgrade at the last race, but I think we will be competitive.” After news of Leclerc’s contract extension earlier this week, the Brit also said securing new terms of his own is “not a conversation that I’m engaging in”.
- McLaren are celebrating their 1,000th Grand Prix this weekend and Lando Norris, who already boasts more starts than any other driver in the team’s history, shared his pride in having played “a small part” in their success. He said: “I don’t think at any point I ever thought I’d be the driver in McLaren with the most race starts for them – that’s a pretty awesome stat… I’m a lucky boy, and I’ll be here for many more years at the same time, trying to keep McLaren in the position that they are now.”
- Max Verstappen got his first podium of the year last time out in Montreal, but hinted on media day that he feels Red Bull will be up against it in their bid to repeat the trick. He said: “Monaco can always give you some surprises but, realistically from my side, we’ve been okay in the low speed but here you need to be good on the bumps and the kerbs, which is where we’re not that great. We’ll have to see how it will evolve throughout the weekend.”