Alfa Romeo
Kimi Raikkonen: “Scoring a point last time out was obviously positive but there is still more that we want from ourselves and the car. It’s not going to be much different when we get to France: the midfield is going to be very close and it’s going to be a matter of getting everything right from Friday to Sunday. The gaps are so small and so is the difference between finishing in the top ten and just outside of it.”
Antonio Giovinazzi: “I can’t wait to be on track in France. We know we have made some big improvements and all we need is a regular weekend to be able to display just what we can do: the track at Paul Ricard should allow us to have just one of those. It’s the first race of three in a row, which means we will go through an intense month of racing: scoring points will be a matter of being the sharpest of all in the midfield, not just the quickest. I am confident we can bring home a good result.”
McLaren
Lando Norris: “Looking back on Baku, we made a good recovery to score some important points for the Constructors’ Championship. At the same time there’s a lot we can learn from the weekend that we can take into the triple-header. Three races back-to-back can be intense, but everyone at the track and the factory is prepared and is continuing to give everything to give us the best chance to compete for points. We need to keep pushing as a team to extract the most out of the car to stay in this tight battle with our competitors.”
Daniel Ricciardo: “We head to France this week to start the first triple-header of the season and I can’t wait to get started. Three back-to-back races can be seen as a challenge, but it’s also a great opportunity to get continuous time in the car and really build on the progress we’ve made so far. Being able to consecutively put more miles in over the next three weekends combined with the work we’ve done in the simulator will hopefully get us to a good place and continue to build my confidence in the car.”
AlphaTauri
Pierre Gasly: “To be honest, I’ve not done anything special at Paul Ricard in the past. In my first F1 race here I collided with Ocon and had to retire on the opening lap and in 2019 it wasn’t a fantastic weekend and I ended up tenth. Actually, Baku was another track that had never gone well for me until this year and so I’m hoping we can follow the trend and change that this weekend also.”
Yuki Tsunoda: “I have raced in Paul Ricard twice before in Formula 3, which means it is a different situation after Portugal, Monaco and Baku which were all completely new to me, and that will be a positive factor. Ricard will be different in a Formula 1 car and Sector 3 will be key to the lap, with tyre degradation maybe being an important factor. It’s quite a flat track and, unlike the last two races, there are no walls! There are very big run-off areas, so I don’t have to be as cautious in my approach as I find the limit. Set-up wise it will also be very different to Azerbaijan where our car worked really well, as there are no low speed right-angle corners. It is a completely different track in every way. I am looking forward to it and hope I can finish in the points again.”
Williams
George Russell: “I’m looking forward to going back racing again. Paul Ricard is a very tricky circuit with numerous different types of corner. Turn 11 is one of the most challenging physically, both on the driver and on the car, on the entire calendar and is a joy to drive. I’m also looking forward to three races in a row, as we move onward to Austria after France, and the season really starting to hot up.”
Nicholas Latifi: “I’m extremely excited to get back racing again, especially after what I felt were some strong performances in Monaco and Baku. I’ll definitely be looking to keep that momentum as we move on to Paul Ricard. It’s quite a different track to those we have just been at, so I’m curious to see how the car performs around a more conventional circuit. It’s also the first round of a triple-header, so I am hoping for a good result to set the bar for the races ahead.”
Haas
Mick Schumacher: “The last time I was at Paul Ricard in France was in F2, but I’ve also been there before in a Formula 3 test. It’s always been very interesting. The track is very open, there’s a lot of run-off to say the least. It’s still very flowing, there are possibilities to try different lines and stuff without having big consequences. It’s a track where everybody I think can find the right margins at every corner because they’re able to go over the margins sometimes and experience that. It’s going to be key to stay within the track limits and get the most out of the car – hopefully we’ll be able to do so.”
Nikita Mazepin: “Paul Ricard is a very special track. It’s the complete opposite from our last races in Monte Carlo and Baku. It has huge run-offs, therefore it’s a track that’s able to provide you with opportunities to test the limits. I had a good experience there in 2019. Hopefully with our car we’ll be able to achieve more of those things.”
