Cloudy skies and temperatures in the teens met Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow on this Thursday of the first Sao Paulo Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend at Interlagos, the circuit that has previously hosted 37 Brazilian Grands Prix. Today was rather different to the usual Thursday routine, as teams were having to deal with the delayed arrival of the freight from Mexico City, although the Scuderia was the worst affected. Work which usually starts on Tuesday afternoon did not get underway until lunchtime today. It means extra work to have the cars ready for tomorrow morning’s only free practice session, prior to the afternoon qualifying, as this is the third and final time this year that the Sprint Qualifying format is in operation. To help the teams, the FIA decreed that tonight they will not have to comply with a curfew, thus being able to work as late as necessary. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz took part in their usual technical briefings as well as walking the track.
Head to head. As always, they also met the media. “I am happy to be back in Brazil,” began Charles. “I like the track and the Sprint Qualifying intrigues me, because it means Friday is less boring, as teams have to be prepared for qualifying after just one hour of free practice and it gives the more aggressive drivers a chance of improving their starting positions for Sunday.” The most popular topic with the media was the Scuderia’s battle with McLaren for third place in the championship. “In Mexico, we picked up a good points haul, but our data suggests that our rivals could be slightly quicker than us here. We will have to do everything perfectly, us drivers and the team, as was the case in Mexico.” Scuderia Ferrari is now 13.5 points ahead of its nearest rival in the Constructors’ standings. “For a third time, we have overtaken McLaren,” pointed out Carlos. “Now we have to make sure we stay in this position. I think that recently, we have made progress in every area and so I am confident we can be in the fight all the way to the end. It’s a very interesting battle.”
Sweet memories. It was here in Interlagos that Sainz finished in the top three for the first time in Formula 1. “It seems like ages ago, especially as we have not been here for two years. I have nice memories, even if I was not able to go up on the podium with the two other drivers because the Stewards only took the decision to penalise Hamilton after the ceremony. But I was allowed up there later with the whole team for a photo and in some ways that was even better.”
Valentino. Carlos was also asked about Valentino Rossi who is retiring from MotoGP after this Sunday’s race. “We’re talking about a legend, in motorcycling but also in motorsport as a whole. He made MotoGP so popular all over the world and his retirement marks the end of an era,” said the Spaniard. “But from what I hear, he will still be involved in racing. He came close to racing in Formula 1 with the Scuderia, doing several tests and he even had a go at rallying and now he’s going to do some GT races. I hope he continues to enjoy himself because the world of motorsport needs personalities like him.”