TEAM REPRESENTATIVES - Ayao KOMATSU (Haas), Laurent MEKIES (Red Bull), James VOWLES (Williams)
 
Q: James, why don't we start with you and kick things off by talking about FP1, if we could, and the job that Luke Browning did for you first?
James VOWLES: Yeah, Luke did a great job. You have to remember that, for a lot of these rookies, they haven't been in the car for months. To jump straight in and do sensible laps within a few tenths of the main drivers, and then complete the programme we needed, is fantastic. Well done to him in that regard.
 
Q: What does next year look like for Luke? Do you have a plan for him yet?
JV: Multiple plans that we're etching out. Nothing that we can announce at this point, but racing in other categories all over the world, and then here, still maintaining FP1s and our reserve status.
 
Q: Okay, now while we're talking drivers, can we reference some comments made by Fernando Alonso after the Grand Prix in Austin, in which he lambasted Alex Albon and the bottom third of the grid? What's your reaction when you read or heard about those?
JV: First of all, Fernando is one of the greats and he's entitled to his opinion, but I disagree with it. There was a racing incident. The stewards looked at it. It's Lap 1. Both were going for the same piece of tarmac. There was actually, I think, one of the Haas cars also, not that it was their fault, but just the gaps were all closing. Simple as that. The grid today is filled with race winners and podium contenders, and that includes Fernando himself at that point. I don't think his comments really stand in that regard.
 
Q: You've been in Formula 1 a long time. Do you think this is the highest-quality grid we've had in your career?
JV: Yes, I would say so. I was just trying to think back if there's another year. Probably I'll be picked up by some statistician out there, but in my opinion, yes, I think what you're really seeing out there is that we all know there's a pretty close fight between all of us at the back, with only a few milliseconds separating us. Your position on Lap 1 can tend to dominate that, which just means there's a lot more scrapping than there was before.
 
Q: And just bigger-picture stuff, James. This is proving to be a tough end to the season for Williams. What objectives have you set the team?
JV: Yeah, it's obviously undoubtedly tough. First of all, well done to Carlos and Alex. They are brilliant leaders in this time of difficulty in bringing the team forward. Also, if you were to walk around Williams, you'll see everyone's heads are held high. It's a tough year. We made mistakes 12 months ago that we're paying for even today. But, long story short, I think in part we probably had to go through that in order to make the correction for our future. The main focus to the end of the year is just on getting it right in 2027. That's fixing everything in the background for that to happen.
 
Q: James, thank you for that. I'm sure there'll be more questions for you in a minute. Laurent, if we could come to you, and let's start with FP1 and the job done by Ayumu Iwasa. It's not often that an FP1 driver outpaces one of the regular guys. 
Laurent MEKIES: Look, Ayumu did really, really an outstanding job. James described how difficult it is for anyone to jump in, but he has really impressed us from the first lap out there. It's easy to forget that I'm sure we all apply a reasonable amount of pressure on these young drivers to make sure they do not take unnecessary risks and to find that balance and to produce the sort of lap times that Ayumu has produced this morning is very impressive, so very happy. We actually had a proper working session with him in terms of testing a few things, so it was very, very useful.
 
Q: Quite a lot during the build-up to this race has been made of running these power units at extreme altitude for the first time. Were there any unforeseen issues with your PU?
LM: I think there have been no unforeseen issues so far related to the altitude. In fairness, we did have a PU issue with Isack this morning and lost a bit of track time. The guys did a very good job and managed to send him back on track, but nothing linked with altitude. I think we all expect somewhat the pecking order, both in terms of PU for the altitudes and perhaps also in terms of cars, with all the compromises we all have to make on the cooling side, we expect that this race could be a one-off in terms of pecking order. We don't really have an idea whether we will have an advantage or a deficit this weekend. Only time will tell. But what is sure is that there is a fair amount of lap time, PU side plus chassis side, that is unusually in the game this weekend. So, let's see how it pans out.
 
Q: In the context of competitiveness, can we throw it back to Austin, where Max described his race as average? What lessons were learned there that you can apply this weekend?
LM: Max is correct. We felt we had a fairly untidy Sunday. In fairness, Kimi and Mercedes were a touch too fast for us, certainly on Sunday in Austin. But we were not at the same sort of performance level as we were in Malaysia and Singapore. Some of that was expected. Some of that was something we feel we can fight back with. So, there are certainly a few things that we will tackle differently this weekend.
 
Q: Okay, thank you very much, Laurent. Ayao, if we come to you now, can we start with FP1? You were another team running another driver, Ryo Hirakawa in your case, just half a second off Ollie. Tell us about the job he did.
Ayao KOMATSU: No, again, he did a very good job, and he's been doing a good job through the TPC programme. It was really good to get him in the car now because the last time he drove the car was our, let's say, previous spec, before the Monza upgrade. Again, it just confirmed the car is night and day better, much more consistent and predictable, echoing what both race drivers are saying. It was really good for him to experience that as well. We had a different programme, brake programme, and he completed that very well. His feedback was good. We don't know exactly what we're going to do with him next year, but we'd like to continue our programme with him this year, regardless of what's happening for next year. So, he's done a good job.
 
Q: Let's stay with drivers for a minute, because Ollie was in here yesterday talking about 2027. He made it clear that he wants to continue with Haas, and he even said, "If it was up to me, it would already have been announced." So, what's the hold-up?
AK: Yeah, I don't think I can go into the details of what's the hold-up. I'm sorry, I can't answer that question. But look, it's very, very clear from both parties, from Ollie's side and our side, TGR, Haas from the team side, they want to continue working together. We work really well together, push each other, enjoy, really, most importantly, really enjoy working together. He brings a lot to the team, and then we are growing together. So our intentions from both parties are fully aligned. We're trying to find a solution to work together next year, and I'm sure we will.
 
Q: And we're talking about Ollie at the scene of his great fourth place last year, his best result in Formula 1. In what areas have you seen him evolve and develop since then? 
AK: For instance compared to last year… Beginning of this year was good. We came off the block very well, but mid-season we were really struggling. I think this is the first time he experienced that he was driving so well, but he's nowhere near scoring in the top 10. So, you have to almost readjust yourself and refocus yourself to say, "Okay, I'm not fighting where I want to be fighting, in the top 10, for point, even though I'm driving better than ever, I'm finishing P13, P14." But he had to do that. He got to keep that motivation, keep motivating the team, pushing the team forward. At the most frustrating point in his time over the weekend, he sometimes had to think about the team, and he's doing that without actually us saying, "This is how you need to behave." So, I just see a huge maturity and growth in his leadership capability in him, and he's only 21 years old. That is really impressive. I still remember one of the most frustrating races he had. Ten seconds after the chequered flag dropped, he wasn't complaining. He was really trying to motivate the team, whereas somebody else could have just talked about how bad the car was, right? So, that's really huge growth. I think speed, I would say, hasn't changed because he had amazing speed from day one. That hasn't gone. Certainly, he hasn't gone slower, but I'm not sure if he's gone quicker. But he's there. In terms of consistency of delivery, understanding how he gets that speed out of himself all the time and motivating the team, I see huge growth potential.
 
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
 
Q: (Craig Slater – Sky Sports UK) A question for Ayao. Just picking up on what you've been saying about Ollie, clearly you expect the deal to be done soon. Can you clear up some of the things people are reading, that it's excessive wage demands from Ollie's side that are holding things up, that he's asking for six million euros a year or something like that? Has it been a difficult negotiation in that sense? And just further to that, in any sense, do you appreciate he might be thinking about his next move after Haas, and how do you factor that into any deal?
AK: On the first question, can you clarify? Do you understand where that comes from? 
 
Q: (Craig Slater – Sky Sports UK) No, it's just things people are reading. But you can look it up.
AK: Exactly. I have no idea where that comes from. Honestly. I've experienced this sometimes this season as well. Some people say there's no smoke without fire, but really, some people invent the story. You know, what happened in Miami, about apparently I had an argument with Esteban Ocon? That's just absolutely zero truth in there. Even those people claiming that they had some insider information, etcetera, absolute total nonsense. And this one, again, I don't know who smoked up this six million euro number. That's the first time I saw it on Instagram or something that Stuart forwarded to me. I was just like, "Oh, another great somebody came up with this, a good thing to stir whatever up." And I have no comment to make because it's just not even close to the truth. Why do we engage in such absolute nonsense? What's the point of it? Those people are clearly not trying to help anything, right? They're just trying to... And then it's amazing these days that people don't check the source. So, okay, I want to get some more clicks, I want to get some more likes, so they cut and paste those stories and keep running with it. Before you know it, there are 20 people running the stories, so they think it's the truth. It's absolute nonsense. And the second question? Sorry. 
 
Q: (Craig Slater – Sky Sports UK) It was just whether you factor into discussions that he might be thinking about what his next move is after Haas, in terms of how long the deal is and so on? 
AK: Yeah, again, I don't like to go into the details of our contract. But again, Ollie is showing amazing potential. He contributed a lot and he's contributing a lot to the team's success. We want to grow together. We want to move up the grid as a team. So again, first and foremost, we need a competitive car in 2027. It's not going to be an easy challenge because, again, in 2026 we made a mistake, so we're paying the price for 2027 as well. But our focus is really to maximise everything under control, really trying to roll out a competitive 2027 car, and then hopefully we'll have Ollie on board as well and then take it from there.

Q: (Tim Hauraney – TSN) A question for Laurent. Max has been experiencing some issues with the radio. Obviously, you had the big one in Singapore and then some again in Texas. Do you guys know exactly what's going on with the radio issues, and can you tell us what the fixes may be?
LM: Hopefully, we have a fix for this race. The guys have been doing a very big deep dive to make sure it's not only going away for a race or two, but to make sure we will also make a step in the quality of our communications. There have been a lot of changes for this weekend. Max hasn't been driving yet, but this morning it was certainly at a much better level on both cars. So, I hope it is definitely fixed now.
 
Q: (Jan Olejniczak– Eleven Poland) A question to Ayao. We'll see Rafael Câmara in your car next season. You will have two Ferrari drivers inside your team. Aren't you afraid that Haas will start doing a pretty similar job for Ferrari as Racing Bulls is doing for Red Bull? And aren't you afraid that two such strong youngsters will fight really strongly inside your team, and how will you cope with that?
Ayao KOMATSU: Yeah, first question. I think the way Racing Bulls and Red Bull Racing are set up is very, very different to how we collaborate with Ferrari. You know, we don't have the same owner, so we are two completely independent teams. And then, we don't have a global programme in terms of how we bring the drivers together, whereas Racing Bulls and Red Bull clearly work together, right? So that is a very different dynamic. At no point… Our collaboration with Ferrari what it gives us is access and opportunities, right? You know, with Ollie Bearman for the first time here. That opportunity was available via our collaboration with Ferrari. But at no point did Ferrari say, "Oh, can you take Ollie as your race driver?" Same as Rafael Câmara. Of course, looking at the junior series, he's shown incredible speed and exciting talent. And then, because of our collaboration, we had access. We developed talks and we said, "Okay, can we test Rafa in a TPC?" We all agreed, we tested, and he was very, very fast. So, we chose him. Again, I have no concern. It's just a benefit of our collaboration with Ferrari that we have access to those youngsters. Then the second part of your question, I think you are saying, is there any concern about the dynamics? I don't think so. Ollie is an amazing guy, an amazing driver, and I think he will really welcome somebody like Rafa Câmara to push each other on. And then it's also up to us as a team to provide the correct environment, right? So, we're always trying to provide an environment that is secure and safe. Yes, we need to push each other. That's what we want. Both drivers need to push each other, but as teammates, we work for the team. That's very, very clear from day one. Again, I remember when I signed Esteban Ocon, so many guys questioned Esteban's behaviour against a teammate. I said, "Look, if we build up the trust, transparency and respect, I don't see any issues." I don't think you've seen any issues. We had one contact in Silverstone last year or somewhere. We clarified it. We had one contact in Spa this year, but then again, both drivers respect each other. They race for the team. Team orders, whatever they do, they do it. So, I think it's all about the environment you create and the trust and respect you build up together. Provided we can do that, I really don't see any issues between Ollie and Rafa. I think they'll be great teammates, pushing each other along.
 
Q: (Ted Kravitz – Sky Sports UK) Laurent, since you were in your last Team Principals' Press Conference, your predecessor Christian Horner has had a book published and, as part of the publicity for it, he's come out with some things, including saying about Red Bull Racing that, quote, "It's lost its mojo, its presence and its vibe." I just thought it's fair to ask you for your observations about that, your response, and whether you feel the team has changed since Christian and Helmut Marko departed.
LM: Look, first, Christian is entitled to his opinion. He obviously spent a lot of time in this team. I respect his point of view. We certainly feel extremely differently about the vibe in the team. I think one of the strong points we've been drawing on, certainly in the last few months, is the incredible team spirit that has allowed us to come back from an objectively very difficult moment. You know, it's always one thing to have a positive spirit when you are winning races. It's something else to have that same fighting spirit and unity between the team members when you are put under pressure.
We certainly had a challenging first part of the year, chassis side and PU side, and the way the team stuck together, the way the team set the Milton Keynes department on fire to try to come back, and the way they have done that, it's such a constructively challenging matter from any of our team members to the brutally honest comments of our drivers. I think that's the Red Bull spirit. That's certainly how we feel we need to go racing. The guys got the rewards they deserved with the turnaround that they have produced, which is, I think, very remarkable. But, ultimately, we are well aware that we live and die with our results. The target is not to win one race or two races. The target is to be back to two world titles, and until we are there, nobody will feel we have achieved anything.
 
Q: (Josh Suttill – The Race) A question for James. You've spoken a lot about reforming the cost cap in recent rounds. On paper, it looks like you don't have the support for that for next year. Is that how you see it, and are you a bit disappointed not to have that from your rivals?
JV: I'd say refining rather than reforming. Some minor modifications. What I can say at the moment is what's more important to me, perhaps, is I have the support of the FIA and Formula 1 behind it, but I don't think we have an accurate enough direction that we need to take it in that is right for the sport, which is still being discussed behind the scenes. What I can say is the support is there. I don't think it's going to happen overnight. As I previously mentioned, what I want to make sure is that we get it right by the next regulation change, which is a little way off, so we have some time. But my suspicion on it is you'll see more and more being discussed over the next few months in that regard.
 
Q: (David Schneider – Hersay Shiga Global) A question for Komatsu-san. There were reports that after Singapore you flew back to Japan to meet with Toyota, including Akio Toyoda, and apparently, it's very public, that the agreement you had with Toyota is very clear and within the partnership agreement. But how has the driver decision impacted your relationship with Toyota, and how do you see ways to improve this partnership going forward?
AK: Again, if you look at those articles you're referring to, I think I just wanted to be 100% clear from day one, before we sign anything, before Akio-san commits to anything – because he was passionate, obviously, about one of his drivers being in the seat – but then I just said to Akio-san, "Look, this guy has to be the quickest guy, otherwise it just doesn't work for anyone." Toyota doesn't want to be branded as the company that just pours money in to get their driver into Formula 1. And whoever the driver is, he doesn't want to be labelled as a paid driver. And the Haas F1 team is not going to work if the driver is not fast, right? So, there was no misunderstanding on that one. But again, we have an amazing relationship. He's an amazing guy. Then, during the shootout process and TPC process, I've informed him what's going on and how we are assessing the drivers. So he knew the decision already. He knew how we came to that decision. But I just wanted to go and see him face to face, and then I also thanked him for all the opportunities. I told him about the process and outcome, and he's absolutely fine. He's a great guy with great vision. He's a very, very inspiring person, and we are really committed to providing the environment where we can develop people, not just drivers, not just engineers or mechanics, but all the people involved in Formula 1 race team operations, putting performance on the car. Because ultimately, every one of us is here to put performance on the car out on the track. So we're committed to that. The relationship is getting stronger and stronger. I think this respect and transparency are the foundation, and I really feel that we have huge respect for each other. So now this relationship is amazing. I'm very, very grateful that I had the opportunity to meet him and then ended up working together.
 
Q: (Christian Menath – MotorsportMagazin.com) Laurent, you touched on it earlier, the engine issues on Isack's car. I know you're not willing to give that many details away usually, but was that in any way connected to the high altitude here?
LM: Look, we didn't think it was. What matters is that the guys managed to send the car back. It's still a long weekend. I hope it's definitely fixed, but we don't think it was related to altitude.
 
Q: (Ronald Vording – Motorsport.com) Another one for Laurent. Max said that one of the more hidden factors that's giving him confidence for next year is that the new wind tunnel will come online at some point. Could you share the latest on that in terms of the timeline, and also how much potential you see in it, given that now you're basically working with the oldest facility in F1?
LM: Yes, I think you're right. As much as the wind tunnel we are using has ultimately been producing extraordinary results over the last few years, I think you are right in your assessment that it is most likely the oldest one on the grid. As a result, if you jump to a state-of-the-art facility, and the team have really tried to design and now produce something that will put us back at the very first place in that area, of course you expect a competitive advantage from there. So, it's not going to come up as soon as we switch on everything, but it's certainly going to unlock potential and give the talented people we have in the aero department another way to express their ideas. In terms of the timeline, it is not ready yet. It's something that will come online sometime during next season. Is it first quarter, second quarter or third quarter? We will see. It will be based on how much time we need to complete the calibration work and to get it online first, and then to complete the calibration work. So, most likely for the second part of the 2027 car and hopefully for most of the 2028 car.
 
Q: (Gabriel Martínez – TV Azteca) This is a question for Laurent. When you took over Red Bull, you inherited a team that was used to winning but was going through a very difficult time. Now that you're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, what was harder: making the car competitive again or convincing the people inside the team that they were still capable of winning?
LM: You know, the team really has not stopped winning. Yes, the first part of the 2025 season was a very difficult one, but as we said many, many times, certainly from what I could see when I joined in the middle of the summer last year, nobody wanted to give up. Nobody wanted to turn the page.
The amount of spirit they have thrown into it to turn things around has produced the remarkable turnaround of last year. Pierre's team on the chassis side, Ben's team on the power unit side, there are so many talents, so much motivation, so much spirit in these groups that actually most of what we do all day is try to slow that down and give them an environment where they can have the right serenity to express their ideas. And again, it showed particularly this year when faced with proper difficulties, when faced with a proper stress test. The team has kept a very, very strong line and been able to react. Again, the next steps are always the most difficult ones, but certainly in terms of fighting spirit, there is nothing more I could have dreamed of.
 
Q: (Christoffer Linden – F1 Maximaal.nl) Another one for Laurent. After FP1, what have you learned about the power unit performing at this altitude? Any surprises so far?
Laurent MEKIES: No real surprises so far. It's very difficult. You know, I think in many respects everybody will be operating somehow not at the optimum this weekend: PU side for the altitude, chassis side for the temperature. We are all ready to make some compromises to make sure our car can survive and our PU can survive in these conditions. Then where does that compromise put us in terms of relative competitiveness? It's not something we can assess in FP1, but it's something that will become apparent as the other sessions develop in terms of car running. So far, we've been with the difficulties we were expecting to have.
 
Q: (Adam Cooper – Adam Cooper F1) For all three of you, what are your thoughts on the end-of-season races and the calendar? I know you're kind of obliged to say that you trust the FIA and F1 to make the right decision, but do you genuinely think it's still realistic to go to the Middle East? Given the clock is ticking, when do you need to know if those races are happening or if we're going to Imola?
LM: As much as you may not believe me, Adam, but we actually do trust the FIA and F1. But that's the reality. In all seriousness, it is a serious topic, and as we try to do in most of the things we are doing, if it is a serious topic, you try to approach it in the most serious way. It is typically the FIA and F1's task to approach it in the most complete way, with a full set of information, and to give us the direction on that. This is why, us not doing the same effort as them in terms of assessing the situations, we fully rely on them to make the right call. I have to say that history has shown that they have made most of these calls very right in the past. In terms of deadlines, I think all the teams are on the same board and have... So logistics are very much channelled through F1 and the FIA anyway, so we all know very well where that is.
JV: Laurent, I think, answered it very well. What I would say is F1 and the FIA have been very good at providing us updates, and they have a Plan B and Plan C. This is not a decision they're taking lightly, as you would imagine as a result of it. But Laurent's correct, we do trust their process because they are displaying to us a very large depth of analysis behind what they're doing.
 
ENDS