Q. (Chris Lines ? AP) Robert, you made some comments last week about Lewis's driving at Monza, said that some of his overtaking was dangerous. Can I ask you to comment further on that and whether you have discussed this directly with Lewis?
RK: I think there is nothing more to comment on. When one driver is overtaking another one and crossing his line just in front of his wheel, it's quite dangerous, especially if someone behind has to lift off. I have been involved in an accident in a similar situation in Canada and I know what it means when a front wheel hits a rear wheel and from my point of view it's quite dangerous. I just say this: while nothing happens everything is fine but if something happens then I think everyone will realise. That's all. We haven't spoken. I didn't make a comment about Lewis, I just said overall that these kinds of moves are pretty dangerous, especially in wet conditions. That's all.
Q. (Ian Parkes ? The Press Association) Lewis, do you feel your driving is at all dangerous in any way?
LH: Not really. Q. (Ian Parkes ? The Press Association) Do Fernando or Kimi feel anything about Lewis's driving this season, that perhaps it's been a bit over the edge?
KR: No comment.
FA: No comment.
Q. (Ian Parkes ? The Press Association) Lewis, could I just ask you about your mood coming into this race because following what happened in Fuji you've received quite a lot of criticism from both drivers old and new, past and present...
LH: Have I? Well, I haven't seen that. I was in Tokyo for a couple of days and then I came here and I've not really paid any attention to it. When you have not such a good race there's always going to be criticism which doesn't matter whether it's positive or negative, you move forward, you put it in the past but coming here, I feel just as strong as I always do. We've still got two races, we're still five points ahead, I still have a great opportunity to make the next step. My team and myself have really collected ourselves and are kind of moving forward.
Q. (Ian Parkes ? The Press Association) Do you think you can take that step compared to last year?
LH: We'll see. Who knows what's going to happen but we will give it our best shot. Q. (Ian Parkes ? The Press Association) Do you feel confident though?
LH: We'll give it our best shot. I feel good.
Q. (Will Buxton ? Australasian Motorsport News) Question to all four drivers: the whole notion of what makes a safe or an unsafe overtaking move ? obviously you guys are out there racing, you are not going for a Sunday afternoon drive over to your grandma's house. What, in your mind, constitutes an unsafe move and what constitutes a safe move?
KR: First of all, it is a dangerous sport, so when you race against somebody, you try to make sure that first of all you want to get round him and not crash into him because it's not going to help you or him. But sometimes you get it wrong, when you push on the limit and both guys try to go as fast as possible in a corner and not try to let the other guy past. Sometimes you end up hitting each other and that's racing. The rules are quite tight.
Sometimes you get penalised, sometimes not but as I said, there are always many different views of the same incidents or the same situations. There is always going to be talk about penalties and stuff but that's unfortunately going to be a big part of Formula One. It's not always best for the sport but we're here to race and try to get past people and sometimes you get penalties out of it, even when you don't think it's right. But that's how it goes.
FA: Nothing to add.
Q. (Livio Oricchio ? O Estado de Sao Paulo) Lewis, last year in Interlagos you made a mistake in the last race. When Alonso overtook you, you tried to overtake him and then you made a mistake. In this last race, the nature of the mistake was very similar: Kimi overtook you, you tried to recover the place and you made a mistake. How are you emotionally at this race which could result in the World Championship?
LH: Firstly, in Brazil I didn't try to overtake him and make a mistake. Fernando was on the outside and he braked a little bit earlier than I anticipated and so I had to try to avoid him, so I went wide and that forced me to go off, so that wasn't a manoeuvre trying to overtake. In the last race, it was a racing manoeuvre and it didn't come off but that's motor racing, what can you do? I don't plan on changing my approach, it's not necessary.
Q. (Chinese Media) To all of you: this year, seven drivers have already won races. Moreover, neither a McLaren nor a Ferrari driver was able to once in the last three races. Do you think there will be even more uncertainties in the final two races this year than last year?
LH: I think McLaren and Ferrari will both be competitive in the last two races, as will BMW and Renault but who knows who's going to win? For sure whoever does the best job will finish at the top. We all have a chance of doing that.
KR: There's a lot of? you win a lot or you can lose a lot in the last two races. For me or Heikki it's more for the team, to get the points in the first place and Lewis and Felipe are racing against themselves. At some point, when the points are close, the other guy needs to try to keep the other bloke behind and vice versa, so a lot of things can easily go well for one guy and go badly for another. Then you see different results sometimes, it can be because of the weather but I wouldn't put money one anybody, anybody can win really. It gets more exciting in the last couple of races, especially for the guys who are fighting for the championship.
FA: I think Ferrari and McLaren are clear favourites to win the last races, one of the four guys. But I think the last few races were a little bit special. In Monza it rained a lot, the favourites started behind. Singapore was (affected by) the safety car, if not the Ferrari and McLaren were leading the race until the safety cars. With normal conditions, I think you will have more normal results.
RK: Same.
Q. (Jon McEvoy ? The Daily Mail) To all drivers other than Lewis: do you think there's a feeling among the drivers that you are jealous or envious of the fact that Lewis at the moment is leading the drivers' standings and also that wherever you go he seems to be the biggest star?
RK: I'm pretty happy with what I'm doing, so I'm fine.
FA: I'm very happy.
KR: I'm happy with my life, I wouldn't change it.
Q. (Will Buxton ? Australasian Motorsport News) To all drivers: going back to the point of safe driving and punishments handed out by stewards. As you say, you guys know in your own minds when you've pulled off a safe move or a fair move. How much do you think it would help having a permanent steward and more particularly a permanent steward who was a former racing driver to be able to understand exactly what racing is all about?
FA: I think it's a good idea to have an ex-driver with the stewards just to help them, just because the decisions they take are difficult to know from the outside if you never drove a Formula One car. As Kimi said before, I think it's difficult to get the same feeling and the same comment from all the drivers on the same accident.
Some of them will think that it's fair, some of them not because I think that's normal. For the drivers, what will help is to have consistency in the penalties. If one time you do something and you get penalised, it's not possible that the next time you do the same thing and you don't get penalised. I think we ask for a little bit more consistency, even if they are very harsh.
KR: Yeah, for sure that would help. It would keep people happier also, that every time you get the same decision. Maybe if there would be an older driver there would be more respect and people wouldn't complain as much. It's only that people want to have the same thing happening every time, the same penalties and same rules.
LH: I've not really given it much thought to be honest.
RK: I agree with them.
Q. (Paolo Ianieri ? La Gazzetta dello Sport) Robert, everybody is basically talking about Lewis against Felipe but you are also in the championship. How do you live this moment, how much confidence do you have that you can make it? How are you approaching these last two races?
RK: My approach is pretty much the same as usual, as it has been all season, why I had zero points after the first race or after seven races I was leader of the championship. I'm always trying to do my best and trying to score as many points as possible. We are of course trying to maximise the potential of this car which we have seen lately is maybe not the fastest one but it is the most reliable one.
For sure, that's a key point but still, for the last two races, with twelve points behind, I think the two drivers in front of me have much more to lose than I have to win. Of course it will be good to have the fastest car, to be able to fight for poles and to be able to win races and at that point I would say I have some chance because in normal conditions I would be able to fight.
There is no secret that lately we have dropped off pace-wise. Additionally, Renault and Toyota were quicker than us in Fuji, so that makes my life and the team's much more difficult to compete against Ferrari and McLaren. But the last few races have shown up that everything is possible, due to the weather, due to the safety car, due to the first corner accident in Fuji, that racing is unpredictable, so that's why we should try to do our best.