[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Because it was another year on. It was a car that had learned from the car before. The designer had learned from the subtleties of the other car's inabilities.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, you know, when you're dyslexic, you're sometimes quite good at painting pictures because you can't use the words that most people use. The same applies when you're talking about a car's behaviour.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, where does it get the bump rubbers? When does it come off the bump rubbers? And do the bump rubbers come off and push it over its bump rubber to the next bump rubber?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, things like that, I couldn't have done as a puppy.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But as a mature racing driver, I, I, I felt the car more completely and my mechanics and Ken and Derek Gardner, the designer, listened very well.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] As you would like to have seen it driven. So it was a quiet relationship. It wasn't a passionate relationship of having to give him a cuddle every time the car went well. That wasn't necessary.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was just, oh well that was good, that worked and we won the race. There wasn't any jumping around on the podium in those days, you must remember. If you look back there, you wave to the crowd. The crowd were just as excitable as they are today at Monza and places like that. But there wasn't the same activities going on.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, Emerson is a very good driver and he was, by the way, a very good friend and still is a very good friend. Lotus always had the edge in utter speed, I think, but it was very fragile. It was a very, very fragile car.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I had a car that was robust. Sometimes that robustness took away the edge.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] of that little extra you need to get something done.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] On the other hand, it gives you the comfort and the confidence that you can certainly do some things with high G-forces that you might not have been able to do in another branch, another car.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I don't think I ever felt it. I think it was just a question of driving to win. I mean, that's what I wanted to do all of the time. I never drove to get championship points. They didn't really matter. Winning is the only thing that matters.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, but for example, I don't think, I know, in fact I know, I don't know how many times I've finished second. I have no idea how many times I've finished on a podium. I don't, that doesn't count. I know how many times I've won.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, I don't think so. It was just another race for me. It wasn't a nice race. That was the one, wasn't it, where the young driver had died. And we all saw that. Can you believe in those days compared with what you're doing as a journalist today?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] When Pierce Courage died, or any of the other people that died, Jocelyne Slyther, etc., the cars destroyed themselves, first laps or early laps, fire all over the racetrack, driving through the flames.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It wasn't. It was just you kept going. You know, it's a, it's a heartless thing to say. But if they had put a red flag out, we would have stopped. But the organizers didn't know any better.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They really didn't have any knowledge of what they should be doing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And the same thing's happened to Pierce Courage and the same thing happened to Joe Schlesser. The race should always have had stock.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But we were told that the race continued, so you continued. I mean, I knew Piers had died because I saw his helmet off the track. And it was still on fire.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And Roger Williamson, exactly the same. We knew he had died. You know, you just, for some reason you block that off. I was totally unaffected.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] By that accident, or those accidents, you could say that's a terrible thing. They're being overly unfair to the families and so forth, and it's true.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But, you know, the wives were at the other end, so Helen was looking after Piers's wife and having to go and


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Take their clothing from the hotel so that she didn't have to go back to the same room. The girls went through hell.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] On that. But the racing driver, for whatever reason, and I think if anybody was here talking about it right now, they would say the same as me. You just kept on driving.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We saw them waving us down. We saw them getting into the centre of the track sometimes and trying to wave us down. But the officials weren't telling us that. So we continued.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It really wasn't a big thing. It was just another race. I mean, to be doing the same as Jimmy had done was pretty impressive for me because he was the best racing driver that I ever raced against or with.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Probably the night before a race. As the night drew on, it got less in existence, the concern of the race.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] When I got into the car, I had no, no emotion at all.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And when I was racing, I didn't have any emotion at all. And when I finished the race, I didn't have any emotion at all. And when I won my first ever Grand Prix, there wasn't much emotion either. It wasn't until I was walking down the steps of the Villadesde hotel.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's the day after and I was walking down and suddenly I heard the concierge saying, oh, you've got to get this air ticket that I needed to have because he's the world champion was at that time.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And I thought, wow. And that was the first time that anything hit me. See, I think emotion's a very dangerous thing. You say things and do things, if you're emotional, that you wish later you had never said or done. If you can remove emotion, you're a much clearer mind.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I was just Jackie Stewart. Daddy of two and husband of one. And we have always had an enormously close family and we still love each other enormously. Mark came up to see me this morning to see if I was okay. But was there emotion when


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And that's tension and probably guilt, therefore playing a little bit more in the garden than I might have done if it were another person. If you see the film that Mark made on me, I don't know if you've seen it or not, you'll see me on several occasions just a normal daddy.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And I think I was a normal daddy, really. The only thing was I was a racing driver daddy.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] During the time of my racing, I don't think so. Towards the end of it, I was beginning to feel those things. But that was after I had...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I had my conversation with the priest in Indianapolis. I started to realize some of that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] During the end of the race, it was told that Jackie Stewart had been killed.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And Paul heard it all. And he had to tell the people that were in the next room that they said that daddy had been killed. And then of course it was clarified later that it was a mistake. But those are the things that you only heard about later.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You were a racing driver, you got into the cockpit, and the lights went out. Emotionally, that's what happened.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The Nurburgring was the finest racetrack in the world, the most difficult racetrack in the world, but the most dangerous racetrack in the world. 187 corners per lap. You couldn't have enough marshals. It would take two armies to have enough marshals to properly protect drivers who might have had accidents.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And beyond that, they wouldn't have enough firefighting equipment or anything else. There was no...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I went well at the Nurburgring. I got ringmeisters, a ring you get. I didn't get it from my win in the Formula One car, I got it from my win the year before in a Formula Two car, because I had a big win there as well.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But the big win with over four minutes ahead of everybody else. 1968. That's the one that everybody remembers. But then we were talking about not wanting to drive there again. I mean, it had been going on for some time.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But in those days, the generation of the people who were governing the track were people of the past.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And if Nuvalara and Caracciola could put up with it and so could Sterling Moss and Mike Hawthorne and Mr. Fangio go round there quickly. Why are you boys complaining? But it had gone wrong. It was wrong. It was so dangerous.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You just did in a little bit too late or whatever. Never anything serious, but it was the greatest challenge of any racetrack that's ever been built in the world.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And to drive in a Formula One car, which is such a machine of excellence, it's a very sensitive piece of machinery.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And to be able to allow it to live without breaking it or putting too much energy into certain areas of it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was a great balance of a driver, man and machine I mean. That was a relationship, a proper relationship. And that was one of the most attractive things I think you would get from any top line racing driver. I think they would say the same.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No different than any other day. I had no emotions about things like that. It just wasn't part of my life. Uhm, it wasn't a question of this is the last time I'm going to drive at Monza. Nothing like that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I knew I was, that was different because Monza wasn't that difficult. It was a lot of slipstreaming, but it wasn't a difficult racetrack. The Nurburgring was a challenge. I mean, that was the challenge of all challenges. And to do that and know it was going to be my last Grand Prix, that would have been a different feeling altogether, but not at Monza.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yes, well they loved it. I mean, but they loved it for every driver. I mean, they still love it for every driver. They showed more passion than any other racetrack in the world. Now you go to Brazil or you go to Mexico, you get that same fashion.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Italy's always had it because they're aficionados.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They're great enthusiasts of the sport, and they're pure about it. They exuberated everybody. It was a different life altogether.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was a lonely one, because there was nobody in sight. Every now and again I would see one and we'd have to go and pass it. But, uh, Ken Tyrrell was trying to keep me interested, thinking I would get bored. At one point he put a signal, bored out, saying, uh, minus ten fangio.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] To waken me up, so to speak. Obviously that day I was able to...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was a clear view in most cases, so I did the lap record regularly almost, not every lap, but nearly every lap, because I wasn't getting pushed and shoved by any other driver.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I wasn't convinced I had won the world championship. Are you absolutely sure? I would say to him several times because you're finishing fourth for God's sake. And you know, no, no, you've got the world championship and he was very excited by it. I don't know whether.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But I think removing emotion was one of the things that gave me the edge on a lot of other people.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Whether it was an up or a down, it was the same for me. It was to winning or somebody losing their life. It was very similar. There was no high and no low. It was still a neutral piece of territory.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeaah, probably. Knowing that I was going to retire. Because Ken didn't know what I knew.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So to win my world championship and make it three. For me, it was nice that I was going to retire as world champion. I knew that it had been the right time to retire. There was not once since I retired did I ever feel it would be nice to go back and do it again. I attempted to be convinced to come back once or twice.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Asked me to come back. But I think it was a, I think it was playing games with me. Because he offered me six million. At that time that was a lot, a lot of money. No comparison to today, but then it was six million to come drive just Formula One cars.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So I was very relaxed about it, there was no, uhm, do you think it should, maybe I'll have a go.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Five years after I retired, I drove all of the Formula One cars with the exception of Ferrari, who wouldn't let me drive the car because I hadn't agreed to drive for him.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, when I won in Monza to secure the world championship, I would never have let Ken Tittle down.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] By saying like, Ken, I'm out of it now. And there would have been nobody to drive the car because everybody else would have been at that time committed. But Ken and I had decided that Francois was going to be


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The number one driver, and Ken wanted to have Jodie Schechter as the number two driver. And we discussed that endlessly.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So all of that had already been worked out and I had at no time thought that well maybe I'll have a little extra thought about it. And I enjoyed the idea of Ken already wanting Francois.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Because I knew he was good, and I knew better than Ken even that he was good. So I, I was a very comfortable, eh, sense of the emotion again, not being affecting my life in any way.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, it's completely as clear as can be now. And when Helen and I see


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Mark's film today or films that have come from other people in these days, Helen and I still have tears on our, you know, still there. It was such a terrible thing to happen.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] To happen in my last Grand Prix was just the worst thing that could have happened at that time. It was just a sad, sad time.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, only that we were talking chassis, talking setups, talking everythings. Because he wanted to know everything. It was, it was like a sponge.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And I never once didn't give him everything he wanted in the way of knowledge. The relationship we had was fantastic. A really, really deep relationship.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And emotionally, he was, you know, he never went to a funeral, so I refused to go to a funeral. He had, you know, he had total confidence in himself.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But he didn't know he was going to be the number one driver because he had come with Helen and I to Bermuda.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The end of the race, the end of the last race. Wait until you finish the race and tell Mr Ferrari that you don't want to discuss it until the end of the season.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And for me, it was just the loss of Francois. It wasn't the loss of motor racing. Because here I am still to this day. I still love the sport enormously and continued to do so, you know, thereafter, if you know, from the accident point of view. It's still as glamorous, colourful, it's exciting.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, I was driving at the best of my abilities when I retired. And the other guys hadn't quite, in most cases, got to that level.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And it takes a wee while to get to that level. Unless you've got a very demanding car of success.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I mean, the lotuses were faster than everybody else's cars. And the reason


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Most everybody else drove the car too hard. They didn't need to. And he could be smooth and gentle with the car and seldom did he have a Formula One car that broke down or had a mechanical failure. We all had mechanical failures from time to time in those days.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The Lotus had far more than anybody else. So from my point of view, you know, the Ken Tyrrell relationship was the perfect one because he was a man of considerable integrity and he had a designer that was very conservative.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And it wasn't an easy car to drive. The short wheelbase car was a very difficult car to drive. 006 was a better car to drive. 003 was fast but very difficult to drive. And not many people could have driven that car in my opinion.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] When in our day we were racing, we were driving every sort of car you can think of, a Can-Am car.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Or a Ford Escort, or a Cortina for God's sake, the worst of all. And you had to challenge the car all the time just to keep it going quick enough.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You learn a lot more in those days, I think, about the subtleties of driving.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, and that was a terrific way of building talent.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Now the Grand Prix driver generally only drives one car. Apart from the simulator.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I don't think it changed my life at all. It was nice to have it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But it was nice because I was being used by the Fords and the Elfs and the Goodyears. And so I've gone round the world with these companies.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And that gave me great experiences. I mean, every time I went, I'd go to India or Argentina, I'd be meeting the president or the head of state or whatever. I was learning so much about life outside of just behind the steering wheel.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was very tiring when you did it. I mean, it was right around the world. And if you went to the White House, you had dinner with the President. So all of these things happened at that time that was


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, meeting immensely successful people.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We'll be given the privileges of meeting up with some fantastic people. And it's a very great privilege to have.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Hello everyone and welcome to Beyond the Grid with me, Tom Clarkson. My guest this week is a man who held one of the most influential jobs in motorsport for more than 20 years. As the boss of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, he oversaw all of the company's racing activities, the pinnacle of which was Formula One.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yes, that was Norbert. Then there was the move to McLaren for 1995 and all of the success that followed with the likes of Hakenon, Hamilton, Coulthard and Raikkonen.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Norbert, it's lovely to see you. You don't look a day older from when I last saw you. First of all, we're talking via Zoom. Where are you? How are you?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The decision to have your own team has been vindicated many, many times over.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Back in 2009, because remember we just had the financial crisis, uh, Honda had pulled out at the end of 2008, BMW, Toyota pulling out at the end of 2009. And at exactly that time, you thought, no, no, we're going to do the opposite. We are going to invest and have our own team.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Back in 2012, SumUp was founded with one goal in mind. To create a world where small businesses can be successful doing what they love.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Receiving a card reader is often a major milestone for new businesses as they are able to step away from cash only payments.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Norbert, the works team eventually comes in 2010, but let's wind the clock back now because when you joined Mercedes in 1990, they were dominating sports cars and everybody back then


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So how would you sum up those 15 years with McLaren? What was it? 78 wins, three drivers titles, the constructors title in 98.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] While we're talking about drivers then, who was the fastest driver?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] To race for McLaren Mercedes in your time.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Dealing with Micah for a bit longer. How did his accident in Adelaide 95 change him as a driver, do you think?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] How much of a risk was it for you to take Kimi Raikkonen in 2002? Who else were you talking to? Did Hakkonen have any role in Kimi coming to the team?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Was Kimi difficult to manage in any way? I mean, he's notorious for having a quick sleep before, before qualifying or before race.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Particularly, yeaah. You won ten races that year, yet no world championship.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I wanted to ask you about his early career because everybody credits Ron Dennis for picking up Lewis when he was 13 and Lewis is always very quick to credit Mercedes saying, I've always had a Mercedes engine all of my career. How involved were you way back when Lewis was still karting?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And I hope Norbert keeps that list very safe and away from prying eyes, which is something we can help you do when it comes to your private data.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Don't get caught out using incognito mode, thinking that will help keep your data and online activity hidden. Because if you're anything like me and find yourself needing to log on to use wifi at a coffee shop or shared workspace,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You might not be aware that your activity could still be logged by the admin of that network.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It encrypts all of your network data and reroutes it through a network of secure servers so that your private online activity stays private. With literally the click of one button. It's that simple and it works on all devices. So why haven't you done it yet?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Stop letting strangers invade your online privacy. Protect yourself at expressvpn.com slash grid. Use my link at expressvpn.com slash grid to get three extra months free. That's expressvpn.com slash grid to learn more.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Norbert, can we look at 2007? You've made a few references already to the Chinese Grand Prix and did you expect Lewis to be as competitive as he was from the get-go in 2007?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And so he's paired that season with double world champion Fernando Alonso, who I don't think did expect him to get up to speed as fast as, as he did.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] How do you reflect on that driver pairing first of all? Do you think that Alonzo Hamilton was the fastest pairing you guys ever had?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Was it very stressful being around those two guys from, particularly from mid-season onwards?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I remember that press conference in Hungary vividly and even now I look back and think, you must have been a team under siege. Is that what it felt like? That you were under siege and the media was relentless in their questioning.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] How did you, you personally find Fernando Alonso? Did you have a good relationship with him? A ferociously intelligent man?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Seasons don't get much tougher than 2007 because obviously throw it forward from Hungary, Spygate happens and...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Was there any danger of Mercedes pulling out a Formula 1 as a result of Spygate?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Talking of racers, you most certainly were a racer in the truest sense in terms of being a racing driver. Am I right in thinking, Norbert, second place in the, what was it, 1985 Nurburgring 24 hours?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It is great. Now, what was your proudest moment in a race car?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, Norbert, can I tell you something? So back in the day, prior to what was normally the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, as you know only too well, Mercedes used to take journalists on rides around the Nordschleife.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And I was very privileged to be a passenger on several occasions and we were all tripping over ourselves to get in alongside you because we thought that you were the guy who knew the Nürburgring better than anyone else and, uh, we were going to have the most fun with.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] F1 TV Pro subscribers can stream every track session live and on demand. They can enjoy exclusive features such as the pit lane channel, onboard cameras and the pre-race show, taking you behind the scenes of the Grand Prix weekend.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That multi-camera angles, in-depth analysis and real-time data for every session means it really is the best view for fans. And with F1 TV Access, the live leaderboards and trackside data allows you to compare driver lap times, making you feel like you've got your very own pit wall.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The F1 TV library now boasts more than 1800 hours of race archives and shows. So if you're feeling nostalgic, they've got you covered.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] There's one man who we haven't talked about at great length yet and I would just love to discuss him now and that's Michael Schumacher.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Was racing for Mercedes when you joined the company in 1990, raced for Mercedes, of course, towards the end of your career when you bought Braun Grand Prix. Can you just sum up?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Your relationship with Michael, I know, I know you were very close to him. What sort of a man was he? How competitive was he? Did you ever talk to him about Mika Hakunen, that kind of thing?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I'm salivating at the thought of a Micahacken and Michael Schumacher pairing in a McLaren Mercedes for 1999. My goodness. That would have been something. Did you get close? You said they were secret negotiations.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yep, they did. And of course he came to Mercedes, you got him in the end for 2010, 11 and 12. Didn't win a race, but how much did Michael contribute, do you think, back then to the success that Mercedes is having now? Did he help lay the foundations?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] How excited are you to see what Mick Schumacher can do?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And do you think, Mick, is the key to improving the popularity of Formula One in Germany? Because it seems ridiculous somehow that we've got the biggest ever calendar this year, 23 races, and there's no German Grand Prix. And it seems that the popularity of the sport, tell me if I'm wrong,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's very well put, Norbert. And of course the new regulations in 2025 are going to be upon us before we know it. So it's, it's all decisions now. Well, what a fabulous chat. I hope you've enjoyed.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The way he described his return from the accident in 1995 and the fact that he deserved more wins and titles was a take home message.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And I still can't get the image of Norbert driving a Williams Honda at Suzuka out of my head. That must have been a great crack. Journalists have all the fun, eh? Norbert, it was great to chat. Many thanks for your time and I hope to see you at a racetrack again soon when the world finally opens up again.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Newton Nascimento got in touch with this. Great interview with Christian Horner as usual. I bumped into him back in 2012 in Austin when Red Bull were celebrating the Constructor's title.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I'm a marshal and was right next to Christian during the podium celebrations and he was very nice and attentive to me.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Now Newton, that's just the insight I'm after when I ask people for their stories about some of our guests. And I can imagine you and Christian stood next to each other for the National Anthems at the end of the pit lane in Austin. Just fabulous. Thank you for that. And WH400 had this to say.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Everything and anything to win. You're spot on there. I really felt that too during the interview, especially the bit when Christian said it's our job to win this year and next year, even with the rule changes that are coming up.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well Christian, if you're listening, I think Elliot, who has clearly been a Red Bull fan for a long time, needs to visit the team in Milton Keynes. There you are Elliot, I've tried.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] For some mad reason, several of you reckon I should recreate the photograph of Christian sat naked on the side of a Formula 3000 car. Really? Guys, you don't want to see that. Thus far, the following from Fred Daniel has my vote.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well we'll leave it there and I'm sorry if I haven't read out your message. Thank you to everyone who sent them in. I've read them all and I love them.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, that's it for another week. I hope you enjoyed hearing from Norbert and remember to send in your thoughts and stories on him. As ever, I'll be back next week with another great guest from the world of Formula One. So see you then. Beyond the Grid is produced by F1 in association with Audio Boom. Until next time, keep it flat out.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] On the 14th of August, 1988, Enzo Ferrari passed away at the age of 90. Formula One had lost its most iconic team principal, but his legendary team would live on.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I'm Tom Clarkson and welcome to Beyond the Grid for the second of our special episodes chronicling what it's like to drive for Scuderia Ferrari, that most emotive of teams.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Last week, Mario Andretti, Jodie Schecter, Tony Brooks and Gerhard Berger talked us through what it was like to race for the Prancing Horse under Enzo's watchful eye.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] This week we're looking at the modern era, the second phase of Ferrari if you like, what it was like to drive for Ferrari immediately after Enzo had died, and what it's like today.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We'll be sharing brand new insight from three world champions, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Sebastian Vettel, as well as the thoughts of beloved Ferrari race winner Rubens Barrichello and current idol Charles Leclerc.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Sadly, we won't be hearing from the man who defined Ferrari in the modern era, Michael Schumacher, but be under no illusions as to what racing for the Maranello team meant to him.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Shumi arrived in 1996 to a team with just two race wins in the previous five years. A team that had not won the driver's title since 1979.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He'd emphatically change all that, of course, winning three races in his maiden season in red, including an emotional triumph on Ferrari's home soil at Monza.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] When Schumacher burst onto the F1 scene in 1991, the big dogs of the day were Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Mansell was racing for Williams at the time, but he'd spent the previous two seasons at Ferrari where, nicknamed Il Lione, the lion, his full-blooded approach to racing had made him a hero of the Tifosi and that love was mutual.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Although it didn't end in a championship, do you look back on your two years at Ferrari as one of the highlights of your career?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Mansell joined Ferrari in 1989, the season that they introduced their revolutionary semi-automatic paddle shift gearbox. But while that technology would go on to great success, ahead of its debut season, its unreliability caused Ferrari and Mansell plenty of headaches.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] There would be other great performances for Mansell in Ferrari Red. Drives that cemented his legacy at the team and in the hearts and minds of the fans.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I was looking at that and I was looking at, when you look at Silverstone 87, I know you went down the inside of PK at Silverstone at Stowe, but were there, are there parallels between those two manoeuvres in terms of the impetuousness of you behind the wheel?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Tell me if I'm wrong, but I wanted to ask you about your poll lap at Silverstone in 1990. I remember James Hunt saying he thought it was your greatest poll. It was a stunning poll. How do you reflect on that one lap?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We'll dive back into our celebration of all things Ferrari after this short message. If you listened to last week's episode, you will have heard Gerhard Berger expresses regret at not learning Italian while racing for Ferrari. Well, don't be like Gerhard. If mastering a language has long been on your to-do list, help is on hand.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] There are 14 different languages to choose from, including French, Spanish and Italian. It's available as an app or online, so no matter where or when you log on to a lesson, your progress will be synced across all your devices and can be completed at your own pace at a time that suits you.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Babbel is created by 100 language experts, so you're not reliant on translation machines, and the speech recognition technology really helps you focus on your accent and pronunciation.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Before test driving your skills in the real world. Right now Babbel is offering our listeners six months free with a purchase of a six month subscription with the promo code GRID. Go to babbel.co.uk forward slash play and use the promo code GRID on your six month subscription.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's Babbel, B-A-B-B-E-L.co.uk slash play promo code grid. Right, let's get back to those Ferrari legends.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Mansell's teammate in his second year at Ferrari was none other than Alain Prost, then a three-time world champion. As the Frenchman established himself in the team, Mansell's relationship with the Scuderia soured as internal politics took hold.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was perhaps inevitable that Ferrari would throw their weight behind Prost, the reigning champion, a fluent Italian speaker, and a driver that had long been a thorn in their side. But he was now wearing Ferrari red.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] What impression did Maranello make on you the first time you went there?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Prost joined Ferrari from great rivals McLaren with whom he'd won three world titles. However, that final crown had come amid a bitter battle with teammate Ayrton Senna, which had hastened Prost's exit from the team. And from 1990, they'd fight in opposing teams.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You won five races in 1990, including that hat trick of Mexico, France, Silverstone.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] What's it like to ride the winning wave with Ferrari?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Just as had been the case in 1989, the battle for the 1990 Driver's Crown came down to Suzuka. Prost vs Senna. And as before, there were fireworks.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] With the prancing horse no match for Williams or McLaren, things came to a head before the season closing Australian Grand Prix, when Prost's contract was abruptly terminated, allegedly for comparing his Ferrari 643 to a truck.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And so it was that Prost's time at Ferrari, like so many before him, ended in rancour and bad blood, despite all of the high points.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And although you didn't win the championship, do you feel it completed your career, having those two years with the team?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But better times were on the horizon. The arrival of Jean Todd at Maranello in 1993 would transform the team's fortunes. Over several years, Todd totally rebuilt and reorganized the team, bringing in chief designer Rory Byrne and technical director Ross Braun to lead the development of the car.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Ferrari returned to the top step of the podium with the returning Gerhard Berger and Jean Olesi. Then Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine, who drove Todd's team to their first Constructors Championship in 16 years.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Ferrari were challenged for both world titles in 2000 with Michael and his new teammate Rubens Barrichello. As a child growing up in Brazil, Rubens had become obsessed with the red cars and the heroes who drove them.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] When I asked Rubens to sum up Ferrari in a few words, he said love and work. The relentless hours he put in on the test track to make the car as good as it could be was a huge part of the team's success.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Rubens gave Ferrari far more than just reliable testing data. He could produce spellbinding race-winning drives as well. At the German Grand Prix in 2000, Schumacher was taken out at the first corner and in a chaotic race which was interrupted by a track invader.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Ruben stormed through the field from 18th on the grid, and when it started to rain, he convinced the team that he could stay out on dry rubber.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was a brilliant day, gosh I remember it like it was yesterday, but what about Silverstone 2003 as well?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Rubens had done a lot of the development work on the 2003 Ferrari, but it was Schumacher who ended up on top.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In fact, Rubens had to watch his teammate win five titles for Ferrari. And on more than one occasion, he had to make sacrifices to help Michael's title challenges. And despite that, he still counts his years with Ferrari as his best in Formula One.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Can you describe the Monza podium when you've got that sea of people underneath you?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Rubens likens being a Ferrari driver at Monza to being a rock star hearing a huge crowd singing along with you. It makes anything worth it, he said.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The adulation and emotions experienced by those who wear the prancing horse are so special that any sacrifices and hardships simply melt away.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Sebastian is staying in the sport because he believes in Aston Martin, but also because he loves Formula One. And that love affair began with Michael Schumacher and Ferrari.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Sebastian will hope to recapture that same special winning feeling after he says farewell to Ferrari. And what of the team's future? Charles Leclerc is the man chosen to lead the Scuderia forward. And it seems in his case, the lure of the red cars is as strong as ever.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] A few years later, Charles found himself at the gates of the hallowed Maranello factory for the very first time.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Charle clearly has the same deep passion for Ferrari that all of the drivers we've heard from feel. I hope you've enjoyed hearing from all of these superstars about Ferrari and a huge thanks to everyone who's contributed. And if you want to see a short film about what it's like to race for Ferrari, head over to F1 TV now.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well that's almost it for this week, but before we go, let's delve into the Virtual Mailbag to hear your thoughts on part one of our Ferrari special from last week. And I'm delighted to say that I think you enjoyed it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The tales of the great old man Ferrari gave me goosebumps, literally. Looking forward to the second part. Great stuff Akshay, thank you. And I'm often asked who, dead or alive, I'd most like to have on Beyond the Grid. Well Enzo Ferrari is definitely one of those people.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I see the current pairing a bit like Schechter and Villeneuve back in 1979. I think Enzo would have respected Sebastian, but loved Charles.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And Nicholas Lesion sent this in. If only Nicky Lauda were here and he could talk about his time at Ferrari. Too true, Nicholas. Nicky would have given fabulous insight and what I'd have given to interview him about Ferrari and so many other topics as well.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, that's it for this week, folks. Thank you as ever for getting in touch and please continue to do so. I'm at Tom Clarkson F1 on Twitter and you can use the hashtag F1 Beyond the Grid. Beyond the Grid is produced by F1 in association with Audio Boon. Until next week, stay safe and keep it flat out.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was my dream to lead a Formula One team. I was not afraid to go there and I was looking forward, I was optimistic and it was a hell of a fun to do this. I met so many people, some of them will think


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Unfortunately, this idiot is away. Maybe some of them will think he was good. I don't know. To be honest, I even don't care.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] These 18 years were quite interesting. I think it was one of the most important and interesting time in my life.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Two years ago I said to Dietrich Mateschitz and also to Dr. Marco that, uh, I will not be anymore the B12 with 70.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And they said to me, ah, you have to continue a couple of years. I said, no, no, we will find something and we will find some person who will take over because, um, once you have to say to yourself,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Time is over. And when I was younger, I always said to myself, if I should be


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In a responsible position, I will not glue on the seat.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And now I am in the responsible position and now I do not want to do the seat. And therefore I said to myself a couple of years ago, two or three years, I want to stop.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And next year in January, I'm 68 years old and I think this is the correct time to hand over the team to younger people, to very well experienced people.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, when the season is then complete over at the end of the year.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, but of course, I've been now 18 years in Faenza. It's a fantastic, uh, city. I like Italy and, uh, but what is more important, uh, the people over there. They are very clever. They are very motivated. They have a motorsport passion and this is something which I like very much. The Italian people.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Like especially Formula 1, also MotoGP and other categories of motorsport. And they have put in a lot of effort in the last years.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] To build up the team and uh, I will miss these people because we have worked so long together. We have also worked successful together. We had ups and downs as it's usually in business.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I sit together with the people, we discuss a topic.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We make a decision, but then we must go through this. What I do not like is to decide something and then afterwards to change it, to go another direction, you must do it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But, uh, people then got used to me and, uh, we then had the fantastic cooperation.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The engineers whom I meant, they understood it. I must tell you the background story. Our car last year was not competitive. And then I said to them, James, we have to do something because I cannot accept.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That we are rolling around in the back of the field. I want to be at least in the front part of the midfield. Yeah, yeah, we are working very hard and we have solutions. We know exactly what we have to do.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I visited them in the aero department in Pista and they told me figures and they said the car will be fantastic. Real good performance, very good figures in CFD as well as in the wind tunnel and blah blah blah. And then we came to Bahrain.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, uh, I didn't, uh, need to wait for the race. I knew already after the test that we are nowhere. And then I got upset and I said that I didn't have a chance. This has nothing to do with a racing car. What's, what's going on?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, you know, there's coming an upgrade. I said, I don't care about an upgrade. Now this car must perform well, yeah.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And then in your press conference, I was asked about this and I said, I don't trust them anymore. If I don't trust anymore, the people, then they are out. And this was the case. We changed them and brought in some new people. Fortunately.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We started this process already last year, because as you know, senior, uh, engineers and aerodynamicists, yeaah.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They have a garden holiday time, or however you call it, yeaah, uh, one year. And, uh, we started already last year in March, April, because I was not so sure whether it worked, fortunately. And then we got these new people in.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] April, May, July also, uh, we have now a good, hopefully a good team.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In the area department and I must say all the upgrades they brought this year so far worked acceptable and the rest I will


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was not so much a surprise for me because...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Dietrich wanted me, uh, one year earlier to go to England.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But I had a contract with BMW and I said to him, look, Dietrich, I go to Milton Keynes because this was when he bought the Jaguar team. No problem. But I will not break a contract. If Tyson lets me go, no problem.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Then he called Dyson and Dyson said, no way, Franz, you stay with us. And then I said to Dietrich, sorry, Dietrich, I can't go there, uh, because, uh, I don't break a contract. This is one of my life philosophies and I stay with BMW.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, you go now to Italy. And I said, of course, no problem. Then I go to Italy. And this was then the case. I was really looking forward.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think it was at the 8th of November 2005 and I remember back


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In BMW, the engineers, they couldn't understand that I go to the Minardi team, yeaah. And I think it was in Suzuka, there was a race, there was a pit stop, and the Minardi car caught fire, and they just turned around to me and said,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Good luck over there, yeaah. And, uh, I was just smiling by myself, but...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, I was looking forward to go there and it started everything in a normal way. You know, at the beginning I was a little bit shocked because I expected more. There were just two older buildings.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And that was it. There was hardly a machine shop or anything what you need to do a successful Formula One. But Matasic said quite clear to me, the


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The philosophy of the theme is, first of all, to use the synergies with Red Bull technology and then to educate young drivers from Red Bull driver pool.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The reason why Mateschitz bought this team was coming from Bernie and from Max Mosley because they said


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But I don't want to build up the infrastructure in Milton Keynes and in Faenza, uh, that they compete against each other.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They must use, uh, the cars from Red Bull Racing. This is how we started in 2006.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We used the cars which Red Bull Racing was running in 2005. And I remember back, uh, this was not so easy at the beginning because it was the 10th cylinder.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And the other teams all had the V8. Then we had to put in the air restrictor and, uh, comments from all the others said, ah, they will win races because with the V10 is much easier. They have a much better torque and so the big blah, blah, blah is in politics as usual in Formula One.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, it was fantastic. It was, uh, let me say my dream to lead a Formula One team. But how much of a step up was it from what you'd done before?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was a big step up, you know, when I was at BMW.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I was responsible for the complete operational side between BMW and Williams in those days, but, uh, uh, to take over a team to become team principal.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I like working and from this point of view, I was not shocked or I was not afraid to go there and to do this. I was looking forward, I was optimistic and, uh, it was a hell of a fun to do this. Tell us a little bit more about Dietrich.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] One of the most exciting, uh, people I've ever met. Because if you talk to him, uh, he was levels ahead of, uh, the way of thinking and his visions and, uh, how he explained everything so logical.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And he said to me, uh, fans, you go now to Faenza, you build up the team and then you have to educate the drivers. And then they come to Red Bull racing, they will win races and championships. I was sitting there thinking by myself, yeah, okay.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Good, uh, I know what I have to do, yeah. But at the end it worked. He was so far ahead.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In his way of thinking that at the end everything worked how he


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I thought it will be. And uhm, I never had a meeting with Matasic where I left the room.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Nearly every year when he came to a Grand Prix or he called me, wanted to know what's going on and so, yeaah. And uhm, we had always contact.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was a new car. And as you know, we always had another engine than, uh, Red Bull Racing because when you came to the team, he didn't want to have.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I would say started already on, uh, Friday because it was wet on Friday and many other teams didn't go out. And I remember Gerhard was sitting on the side of him and he said, Hey, why they don't go out? Because we knew it could rain on Sunday and it could rain on Saturday in the qualifying as well.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And he said to me, I don't understand. Maybe they want to save tires or whatever. Because Monza is a very special track. If it's wet.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, we have, it's a very low downforce. You have to go out, you have to find out where is the water standing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] This was the basis for the ball position on Saturday because on Saturday during the qualifying, I remember I saw other cars going out and with the intermediates.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But as you know, every medal has two sides. The one side was we won this race. The other side was that


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] As you know, in Formula 1, as it's usual, all the teams said, this is not the way Formula 1 can go in future. They have to...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Do this job in future by themselves, no synergies anymore. And then FIA changed the regulation and came up with the listed parts, as you remember, which meant we had to design the monocoque by ourselves, the nose, the front wing, the diffuser,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The floor, the side pots, the engine cover, the rear wing, as the complete aerodynamic.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And we were there with two old buildings, uh, and this was a tough time and from 2009 then onwards to build up the infrastructure.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Especially, uh, when, uh, we were struggling with the engines, with the new power units, for example, he was sometimes very frustrated and was not anymore coming to Formula One races and this was a tough period.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But at the end, uhm, he was such a Formula One enthusiast and fan, and he also saw that the business grew up.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Both events were very emotional, yeaah, because first of all, we are an Italian team and we won in Monza. This is something special for the Italian employees. The first victory with Sebastian, yeaah, was a completely surprise, yeaah, that we could do this.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Was in 2020, you know, we came up with the new team name, Biscuderia Alpha Tauri.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Special circumstances with the red flag, uh, with, uh, when, uh, PR could, uh, take over the lead.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, I think it was against Roy to the first chicane. Uh, then, uh, yeah, he drove a real good race. We had, if I remember right, a little bit more wing than, uh, Carlos Sainz, who was in those days in the McLaren. He caught up.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But, between Lesmo 1, Lesmo 2, and also in the Askare Shikken, Pierre could always go a little bit away from, uh,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The team celebrated it of course, yeaah. It was a big success for the complete operation.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] This was also quite important, yeaah, because in those days you got only points until the 8th position, yeaah. And, uh, was also quite emotional.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, every success is important for the team and especially, you know, if you score the first points with a new team, it's important for the morale, for the motivation of the complete team for the employees that they see it's going forward.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And then we had to build up a new infrastructure from 2010 to 2016-17 with court points, yeaah, but we were not in the position to be real successful.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] 2018 was then a very important year for us because we signed the works contract with Honda.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And this was also a big step because I remember back, uh, there was a show run at the Falca square in London and there were some McLean people there and they said, Franz, you are totally crazy. You, you work together with Honda next year.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And as a chance, let's talk about this in five years. Yeah, but it was not possible anymore to talk with them in five years because they were not there anymore at McLaren. For me, it was clear that Honda will come back and for me, or for the team, it was a,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, step forward and, uh, we had a very, very good and close relationship. Fantastic cooperation with Honda and, uh, then 2019, uh, Red Bull was also out with the Honda engine.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] 2014 and, uh, they showed me, uh, because they were working on the new engine. Uh, Raisan was in those days, uhm, the motorsport boss over there. And I asked him how many test miles they did with, uh, McLaren.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He looked to me and said, nothing. I said, hey.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In half a year the season starts. No, no, next week they start with the Dino.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And then I said, this is a joke, because I couldn't see anywhere an engine on the line. I said, no, no, no, that's okay. I said, arise and postpone it by one year. You have no chance. Then he was a little bit upset with me.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I knew some people from over there. I was convinced that they get it together, but they just miss the time. They underestimated this project as others here in Europe as well, other manufacturers. What happened with McLaren was clear for me. It will not work. There's no way.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And then arriving, we talked every year and I just said to myself, no, no, we wait another year because they will learn something. And once we think that they are on a certain level, then we will work together with them. And this was done, uh, 2018.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, uh, people are very motivated. People are Formula One enthusiasts. And you can see this. And you can feel this when you are there. That's the reason why at the end, uh, they are so successful.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, we were 85 people when we started and now it depends. Normally we have around 520 people during the peak time. We have additional contractors where we come up to 580 to 600 people as this is January, February, March.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But nevertheless, we are still a smaller team, because the top teams have nearly 1,000 people, yeaah.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It depends on the other teams, on the level of performance from the other teams. In those days, I must say, fifth, sixth position should have been possible. But, uhm, we couldn't achieve it because of various reasons. Nowadays, the teams are much closer together.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The level of performance has reached a real very high level. Look to the qualifying results.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The midfield, I've never seen a field so close together as it's currently the case. It's good. This is the first result from the cross cap.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, uh, just hope then a few, uh, years that, uh, also the top teams lose a little bit of their advantage and that the complete field will come closer together, that we have even better races as we have nowadays. Yeah.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Alpine. These are more or less work teams.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And uhm, then you have to find a way to beat the others. Also the other teams, like Haas, like Williams, or Alpha, or Aston Martin, you know, they do a really good job. You must get it together. And with the philosophy to educate young drivers,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's not so easy to achieve such a goal, because the driver...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Was always a performance differentiator, but at this stage is even more a performance differentiator because from the technical side, the cars are coming closer and closer together.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They do Formula 4, Formula 3, Formula 2. I know all the names. I look to the races. And then you get already a picture. And, uh, of course there were sometimes discussions. I wanted the driver. I wanted the driver.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Unfortunately, sometimes this was the case, but this is how it is. And then Helmut was upset with me, of course. And then there was one, two months, we didn't talk so much together.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Our relationship is like a sinus curve, up and down, it's okay.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, at the beginning of course, uh, Sebastian, he really, really took everything serious and he was very disciplined. He took care for every small detail.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Not only from the driving side, but also from the nutrition side, from the training side. He called me many times and we discussed different topics.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You could see, ah, sometimes in Formula 3, I remember back this wet race at the Norris Ring.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I thought Max is driving on a dry line because he was.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I don't remember now the times, I think it's 52, 53 seconds per lap and he was two seconds faster than the rest. This remembered me also when Michael Schumacher won a Formula Four race at the Salzburg Ring, similar conditions. And he was also every lap two, three seconds faster than the rest. And then this is important for me, I want to see


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] What is a driver doing in our car? We had done the test in Italy. Adria, wasn't it? In Adria, yea. And he got immediately clear with the car. He adopted immediately the speed, the brakes, everything.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And that's very important. And then, uh, we said, okay, he should do the free practice in Suzuka, I think was his first free practice. And then once more, your colleague came, you're totally case, one of the most difficult racetracks. He just went out and did his job without any problem. Then the second one was, I think in Sao Paulo.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I don't remember now exactly the number of the corner, 5 or 6, where he had the oversteering, he lost it a little bit. But he caught the car without any problem, yeaah. He was not surprised by the speed, he had it under control.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And that's decisive. This was really impressive with so few number of laps, how he immediately got the speed.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Doesn't matter, this is just a figure on the birth calendar or whatever. He was raising already


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] 10 years or 11 years. And that's decisive.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Because nowadays the young drivers start cutting with six, seven years. And then, and that's the next important factor at MAX, he had Joss, his father, on his side.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And you know, yours was a successful Formula One driver, yeaah. And he taught him everything.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Of course, there were also some highlights and some maybe difficult periods, yeah, when, uh, Max didn't win, yeah. But he got through a fantastic school, as you could see. If you told him something, he understood immediately what you meant. And he immediately,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, he won, uh, because, you know, there was the Hamilton-Rosberg crash, if I remember right, the end.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We had the same engine than, uh, Raikon. He was fighting against Raikon. He knew exactly how to use the NGOK and how to use the battery, the energy. This was the typical sign for a driver.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He can read the race. He knows what the opponents are doing. And he knew where Raikkonen can become dangerous for him. And he drove exactly the way to defend and to win this race. Of course, I was surprised. It's a fantastic success, but we all were happy with him.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Carlos is a very hard worker. Carlos is a very clever driver with his effort.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You could see this in those days, you know, he is not a driver who sits in and is immediately fast. He needs some laps, but he analyzes everything.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, of course. But this is good. I like detention. I don't like if the drivers do.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Was really a kind of a rookie because he did just Formula 3.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Carlos did formula BMW, if I remember right, then formula Renault, two litters, then the formula Renault World.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He was from this point of view, he was much much better prepared. But they fought against each other and there you could see the absolutely natural speed from Max.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, this after, after the season with us, this was Max. Yeah, Max was simply faster and the decision.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] From, uh, Red Bull Racing was absolutely right.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Daniel is also a skilled driver. Uhm, his great qualities are going more on the technical side.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And uhm, why Daniel made the steps forward? Because uhm, he was also working very hard.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] On the technical side, how to set up the car. I remember back George Ascanelli was working those days with us. He really asked him many, many questions. And Daniel has a very good feeling for the car. He gives you a really good feedback what the car is doing. He still has.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Therefore he won also eight races, because, you know, in those days sometimes he was quite close with Max also.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Daniel changed in the decade out from the team, if you like.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] From the person, of course, he is much more matured now.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We will see now because after now he did only a few races with us, unfortunately.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He was injured in, uh, Zandvoort with this, uh, heavy accident. And, uh, Austin, you can forget, uh, also said to him, it will not be easy here. He needs.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeaah, he blew Vettel away, uh, because this was the first year, if I remember right, with the new power unit.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Until he got this under control, it took a little bit, yeaah, because there were also many power unit failures. They couldn't do so many tests as he should have done to build up the trust.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He also developed himself really good, I must say. And uhm, unfortunately, they took him away after the first year from us. Too soon? Too soon. I said immediately it will not work. Why did you?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He was not, he was not mature enough to go there. We are a team to educate young drivers. You can't just say, yeaah, he drove now.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, a year with, uh, Toro Rosso, he must come now to us to be successful against the Max and, uh, to score points, to finish second or whatever. This is, you know, on a piece of paper on the computer, maybe it sounds everything good and looks good. It does not work in the practice. Why does it not work?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] If a young driver comes to us, he has to run through different periods. The first one is, he's a passenger in the car.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Drivers hate to hear this because they think they have it under control. They have nothing under control. Now you will say or ask, yeah, but how can they drive then? They can drive because they did 16 years of racing beforehand. Karting, Formula 4, Formula 3, Formula 2. That means from the driving side everything is okay. The mechanical side.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The third period is to understand the aerodynamic side. How does the car feel with less right high, higher right high, more front wing, less front wing, more rear wing, and so on and so on. The fourth period are the tires. And this is not an easy one. You have three different compounds.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] For example, in Austin, with the medium tires, you had to push in the fast corners to heat up the front tires, because otherwise you had problems also with the rear.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, because the first year is just flying away. The second year, he gets more understanding on this technical side, as I explained it just before, yeah. And the third year, he gets a better overview what's going on also regarding the races and so on, uh, because at Red Bull,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Racing, you have to fight for victories. And with our car, or with our team, and with your own experience, you fight for midfield positions. That's a completely different story, also from the pressure and from everything.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He had enough time, he was three years with us, but I think he may from the natural speed was not on the level to become successful Formula One driver, yeaah.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Boemi, for example, he is successful in the World Endurance Championship and he won, I don't know how many times now, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He won also the Formula E World Championship. He was quite successful there as well as Jean-Ric.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yes, I take satisfaction. I am happy with them that they won because I have good connections or relationships with the drivers. And, uh, when they win the 24 hours of Le Mans, then I'm happy with them as well. Yes. What about the here and now?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know him well, what can he go on to achieve in this sport?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yuki is from the natural speed, really a top driver, I must say, but he has to become even more disciplined.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And must work a little bit harder. He takes it a little bit too easy. In what areas? Uhm, in all the areas. On the technical side, uh, nutrition a little bit, physical training a little bit. Although he is getting better and better everywhere, but to become a top driver,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Liam Lawson deserves a receipt in Formula One. He was put into the car in Zandvoort under very difficult circumstances, wet conditions, dry conditions.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He, uh, was out the first time, uh, with, uh, a Formula One car and with full wet tires. Then he had to change to the intermediates and he managed everything without doing any mistake. Very, very good job.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And for a second, the passion. Both of them are very passionate. Look to Max. He is driving, uh, these e-car series or all this kind of stuff, yeaah. Isn't this fantastic? He is, uh, three times world champ and at home he is racing against the others on the computer.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, the same for, for fetal, not either, but, uh, cutting and all this kind of stuff, yeaah. And then there are disciplines.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They know exactly when, what they have to do. And that's so important. Discipline is a very, very important factor.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And then to study the rivals to find out where are their deficiencies and to work on this to beat them. And, uh, these are the factors, both of these drivers have to 100%.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I have never thought about this to be honest. If they think that I did a good job, that they have me positive in mind. I met so many people, some of them will think, fortunately this idiot is away. Others will think, oh, he was okay.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Maybe some of them will think, well, he was good. I don't know. To be honest, I even don't care.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I am not worried that I don't know what to do because I have really a big to-do list.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We're going to see you in the Porsche Super Cup, aren't we? What will you miss about this team? The people of course, because they are so fantastic people in this team and I work together with them so many years and there's a trust on each side and I will miss them of course. This is 100%.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I will watch all the Formula One races, of course. This is clear. But to be at the race track, a little bit the pressure to have a good race.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, to think about the strategy, to think about what to tell to the drivers, uh, to study the results of FP1, FP2, FP3. I take all these lists with me and then maybe in the evening before I sleep, I go once more through this.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Who is faster, why and, uh, the speeds and all this kind of stuff. I will for sure miss this because I like this.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So enthusiastic for Formula One. And what's even more important, so many young fans and female fans as well. And, uh, that's really good. Thank you.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Sir Stirling Moss, the quintessential racing driver. Undoubtedly the greatest never to win the Formula One World Championship.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I'm Tom Clarkson and welcome to a very special episode of Beyond the Grid.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] On the 12th of April 2020, after a long illness, Sir Stirling Moss passed away.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] To say the world of motor racing lost a giant would be an understatement. In his long and decorated career, Stirling raced and won in everything. In hill climbs, sports car races, touring cars, and of course, Formula 1.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He was revered by fans and his peers. He was quite simply one of the greatest drivers of his or any other era, whose name became synonymous with speed. He was Mr. Motor Racing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In 1955, he became the first Briton to win his home Grand Prix. It was one of 16 fabulous Formula One victories.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But the way he lost the title in 1958, after speaking up for his rival and eventual champion Mike Hawthorne, and saving him from a penalty, perhaps says more about the man than Silverware ever could.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No wonder the likes of Sir Jackie Stewart, Lewis Hamilton and Damon Hill called him an icon, an inspiration and an impeccable sportsman.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In the final few years of his life, Sterling stopped doing public appearances and interviews because of his health. But he did sit down for a chat with a close family friend who grew up with Sterling, his wife, Susie, and their son, Elliot, for what is believed to be his final in-depth interview.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Mia has shared this intimate and extremely poignant interview with Beyond the Grid. This is Sir Stirling Moss, in his own words, looking back at a life lived at full speed.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Sterling Crawford Moss was born in 1929 to Eileen and Alfred, both of whom took part in motor races.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In the years ahead, he raced all over Europe before making his Formula One World Championship debut in Switzerland in 1951.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] During his career, he raced in motorsports most dangerous era, on the fearsome Grand Prix tracks of the 50s and 60s.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They were bumpy and unforgiving, often lined with trees, with no barriers to stop the cars leaving the track. On several occasions, Stirling scored Formula One podiums in races which claimed the lives of fellow drivers.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In the spring of 1955, he made his fifth attempt to win the Mille Miglia, a 1000 mile road race for sports cars racing from the northern Italian city of Brescia to Rome and back.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] To have a chance of victory, Sterling would need to master every breaking point, clip every apex, ride every bump, and keep it flat out over blind crests.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He used to say the race was the only one he was truly scared of. Because as he put it, he didn't know where the road went. He wouldn't be able to learn every corner by heart like he could a Grand Prix circuit. So he'd have to take a different approach.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Alongside Moss in the cockpit for those practice runs on the 1000 mile course was his co-driver, the motorsport journalist Dennis Jenkinson. Moss called him Jenks.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Together they made meticulous notes on every detail of the circuit, just like the pace notes used today in the World Rally Championship.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But in 1955, things were a little different.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The toilet roll might have been primitive, but their car was anything but. Moss and Jenkinson would be using a Mercedes 300 SLR, based on the W196 Grand Prix car that Moss raced in Formula One. Silver, sleek and fast, it could reach speeds of up to 180 miles per hour.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Rather than racing wheel to wheel, the 600 plus cars in the race were set off one at a time, trying to set the fastest time over the course.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And he was up against some of the day's greatest Formula One and sports car drivers. But Moss's biggest challenge would come from his friend and mentor, Mercedes' teammate, the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio, who'd already won two of his five Formula One World Championships.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Fangio had chosen to drive alone, also in a superfast Mercedes 300 SLR.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Moss hoped having Jenks with him would give him the advantage he'd need to win.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] On that day, on those winding Italian roads that so frightened him, Moss was imperious. He averaged 99 miles per hour over the 1000 mile course and crossed the line in 10 hours, 7 minutes and 47 seconds. Then he and Jenks had to wait to see if anyone could beat that time.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Moss had set a pace that no one else could match, and set a record which stands to this day. Moss and Jenkinson celebrated their historic victory at the finish line, their smiles shining out against their faces that had been blackened by dirt from the race.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They'd finished 32 minutes ahead of the next fastest driver, the great Juan Manuel Fangio. Moss said later that Dennis Jenkinson's meticulous pace notes and precise hand signals had gained them that extra half hour. Their teamwork was the difference between winning and finishing second.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] At that point, it seemed only a matter of time that he'd become Formula One World Champion. Though famously, that never happened. Of all the near misses, he'd never come closer than he did in 1958.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] His rival that year was fellow Briton Mike Hawthorne, a bowtie wearing Bon Vivere.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] At the Portuguese Grand Prix late in the season, Hawthorne faced a penalty for how he got back on track after a spin.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But in front of the stewards, Moss stood up for Hawthorne, saying he'd done nothing wrong. And Mike was able to keep his points for the race. In a season that went down to the final race, Hawthorne took the world championship by a single point.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Sterling finished runner-up in the World Championship on three other occasions, 1955, 56 and 57.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] On each occasion, he was beaten by Juan Manuel Fangio, the man he partnered at Mercedes for much of his career under the leadership of team manager Alfred Neubauer.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] After Mercedes pulled out of motorsport in 1955, Moss raced in Formula One for the Maserati and VanWool factory teams, before campaigning a variety of British cars such as Coopers and Lotuses for privateer Rob Walker.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The wins kept coming, including back-to-back, giant-killing Monaco Grand Prix victories. In 1960, he finished almost one minute clear of the great Bruce McLaren.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And in 61, he brilliantly held off the more powerful Ferraris of Richie Ginther, Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Tripps. After that race, he said he'd been driving at 10 tenths within a hair's breadth of the limit for 92 of 100 laps. It was undoubtedly one of Moss's greatest ever wins.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Moss finished third in the World Championship three times. Then in 1962, while at the peak of his powers, he suffered a life-changing crash.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He was driving a Lotus at the famous Goodwood Circuit in England and was trying to pass Graham Hill when his car left the road at the fastest section of the circuit. Newspaper reports from the day say it took half an hour to free him from the wreckage.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Moss was in a coma for a month and partially paralysed for far longer. He did return to the cockpit after the crash, but felt he'd lost his edge, his instinct, his natural speed.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And he retired from professional racing. Looking back decades later, it's one of the few things he seems to regret.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But they're also happy ones because Sterling clearly loved his life and he lived a long and very fulfilled one.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's hard for me to pick a highlight from Mir's conversation, although Sterling's line about beating Jackie Stewart to a knighthood did make me smile. Competitive to the end, and his insights into life inside the 1950s Mercedes team alongside Fangio and those spine-chilling descriptions about the Mille Miglia were fascinating.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He was, of course, magic, but nothing like as thoughtful as he was here. A big thanks again to Mir Forbes Piri for sharing the interview with us. It really was very special indeed. I think I speak for all F1 fans when I say he'll be in all of our minds when we eventually return to the thing he lived and breathed for. Racing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well that's it for another week, but we'll be back in just seven sleeps with another Formula One guest. Before we go, a quick shout out to all of you who got in touch about last week's 70th anniversary episode with Martin Brundle. Martin is always excellent, but when he's talking about racing cars he's driven, he's especially priceless.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Luca got in touch to say the latest F1 Beyond the Grid episode with Martin Brandl must be one of my all time favourites.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] This absolutely fascinating talk and guide through the history of our beautiful sport kept me listening for the whole podcast and I was sad when it ended. Really nice. Well, thank you, Luca. Martin was indeed excellent and like you, I could have listened to him all day.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And here's another one. There are some real bangers in the existing backlog, but nothing compares to hearing Martin Brandl's iconic voice talking about driving all the cars from the past and present. Absolute magic.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well thanks for that Jeff, great stuff, glad you enjoyed it, and the bangers in the back catalogue.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well that's it for this show, many thanks for listening. As ever, Beyond the Grid is produced by F1 in association with Audio Boom. Until next time, keep it flat out.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Imprinted in my memory for a long time. It was very challenging out there. The conditions were, were really difficult. Uhm, you know, at the end of, of, uh, qualifying there in, in Q3, I, uh,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, when I got the radio call, the radio message from my engineer that, uhm, that I was on poll, it was, uh,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Moments such as an amazing highlight in my career and, you know, something that I've been dreaming about for, you know, for a long time and moments like that, you know,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Our, our, our moments that, uh, that last with you forever, so.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was definitely, uh, you know, an amazing accomplishment and, uh.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] For sure, of course. Uhm, you know, there's always imperfection and there's always things


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In hindsight, you look back on and, uhm, think to yourself, I could have done that better, I could have done that better, so for sure, uhm, I know it's impossible, uhm, to be perfect.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, that is what we strive for. Uh, so, yeah, there's definitely, you know, a couple things. Like turn five, I went a little bit deep. Uhm, and I thought to myself afterwards I could have done that a bit better.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] All in all, I, you know, I felt like it was a pretty good lap and, uh, it was pretty tidy and to be honest, when I crossed the line, I knew that on that, on that tire, uhm, on the intermediate tire which we were on and the lap that I just did, it would have been, it would have been pretty hard for someone to, to beat that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Half the time we're running around in wet conditions.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But I think it's just my, my joy for, for those conditions. You know, I really enjoy the, the challenge and the, um,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, I think like the dance that you have with the car in those conditions, I mean, every corner is kind of unexpected in terms of how wet it's going to be and, uhm, and how the car is going to react, so.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think there's constant adaptation, uhm.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That comes with those conditions and that's what I enjoy about it. I've always enjoyed that challenge and I've just had a good feel for, you know, the car and what conditions and where the limit is. Uhm, I don't know what that comes down to but,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's just a challenge that I've always enjoyed and uhm, I'm comfortable in those conditions.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I mean, in the wet, I guess the best way of describing it is I think everything just slows down. Uhm, and it's as if you're driving in slow motion. You know, finding the limit in the wet is, uh,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's risk reward, uhm, a lot of the time, you know, I think it's understanding, it's calculating the risks that you're taking, uhm, each corner, uhm, and recognizing that, you know, if you, if you push a little bit too hard, you could spin off or, you know, crash and, uhm, it's recognizing where that limit is and, and uhm, and deciding how far you want to push it, uhm,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, and uh, yeaah, that was really what my pole came down to in Istanbul. You know, I think I really built up to that lap very well throughout qualifying, just kind of studying each corner and where.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Where the limit of grip was, and then when I got to the end of Q3, uh, and it was time to put in that lap, I executed it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Like, you know, sports like that with, uhm, or like, balances required and, uhm, I guess there's a lot of feel to those sports.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And I think the wet is really like a feel. Craft, I guess you could say.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, yeaah, I, I, I for sure maybe it does contribute to it, I don't know, but uhm.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think it comes down to feel, you know, and in the wet I have a good feel, like I said.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeaah, uhm, I've, I've, I've kinda got surfing bugged, uhm, over the last couple of years and uhm,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] When I can during my downtime, I try and I'm trying to get better at it, so.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I mean those are the moments that I think as an athlete you have to embrace more than anything else.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, I feel like, you know, I, I, I feel, I feel so alive and, you know, it, it's, it's almost, uhm, surreal, so.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, I was just very focused and I, you know, I embraced the whole thing and, uh,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, there's always, there's always nerves, there's always butterflies, but uhm, I think that's, that's probably the biggest reason why I compete in the first place is because it's a, an emotion, a, you know, a feeling that uhm,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I live for, for, for that moment on the grid where my, you know, my palms are a bit sweaty, my heart's pumping and I look forward to that every, every race.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, at times I was probably like, you know, as much as it was my biggest strength, it was probably my biggest enemy at the same time. Uhm, but, yeaah, I mean, it's a combination of the two. It's the...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The element of competition I enjoy very much. I've always enjoyed, uhm, whether it be in this sport or other sports, I've always been, been...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, uh, the craft of driving, for sure, the, uhm, you know, the, uh, just the...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The sport itself, uhm, that's, you know, it's a combination of those two things. I share the love for both driving and competition.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, no, I think we learn every day in everything we do, uhm, when it comes to driving or whatever it may be.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, that, that I look back on, you know, I'm sure Lewis does as well, even though he's a seven time world champion and, you know, he's, he's, his career is, uh,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, could have done that better, could have done, but I guess that's why, that's, that's the joy as well. That's, that's the reason why uhm, we come back every year, come back every race is, is, is to, you know, I do anyways, is to challenge myself. I love challenging myself and, and, and, and I guess seeing how far my potential can go. Uhm, I have an idea of


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] My strengths and, and building my weaknesses, you know, in two years time when I get to that place. So it's a constant evolution for sure.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The race wasn't over. Uhm, no, pole on Saturday was pretty awesome. That one was, uh, that one touched the soul for sure.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, uh, yeaah, that's, it's unlike anything else, but at the same time, for sure, when, uhm, when things don't go to plan and, uhm,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, and it's disappointing. It's, it's extremely frustrating. You know, that's, that's probably the worst feeling in the world. So uhm, I think it's...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, it's definitely an emotional roller coaster, but all in all, um, you know, Formula One, it's my fourth season now and it's been an incredible experience and it's, it's taught me so much as, um,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] As a driver, but more as a person, I think, you know, it's, it's, uh,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's really, it's really helped me grow, uh, grow as a, as a person and I learned, I've learned a lot about myself, uhm, throughout this journey, so.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It has been an incredible experience up to now, uhm, all in all, you know, it is, uh, a very, uh,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeaah, interesting world to live in.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And you know, I've learned, I've learned a lot about that. I think, you know, at the beginning, it was definitely very overwhelming coming into Formula One, hundreds of thousands of people, uhm, at every race, millions watching from back home, uhm, you know, 500 people or more in some teams, uhm, that, you know, dedicate their time, uhm, and, you know,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And work a tremendous amount of hours to help the team and to make the car as quick as possible and...