George Russell

That was an intense race and there’s lots for us to debrief and learn from. I got a good start and I was surprised at the pace in the opening stint – we didn’t have the right tyre pressures on the set, and we were expecting them to drop off, so that was encouraging. When the VSC came with the heavy rain, I was in favour of staying out as I thought there would be a red flag – it was like driving a point at points, with the aquaplaning on the straights. I pitted and so did Lando, and we ended up P4 and P6 at the finish, while the cars that stayed out finished ahead. But it’s easy to make the call after the race, and we’re in this together, trying to make the best calls with the information we have available. I think we would have taken P4 at the start of the weekend; but of course, after qualifying P2 and running in the lead for the first half of the race, it’s hard not to feel some regret for the opportunity we missed today.
Lewis Hamilton

That was such a tough race for us today – and probably one of the most difficult race weekends of the season, to be honest. The car has been very difficult to drive all weekend, and it didn’t hook up at any point during the race either. But even with the results today, it’s hard to come away upset because the fans here are incredible. It was such an unusual day with the early qualifying session, and they were queuing up from 04:00 this morning – and you just cannot beat that commitment and positivity, no matter what the result on track. It was so emotional to drive Senna’s car in front of them all this morning, and to connect with the five-year-old child inside of me. That was a very special moment for me, and I’m very grateful we could make it happen today in spite of the conditions.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

It has been a tough triple header for the team – and the final day of competition continued in very much the same way. Qualifying and the race itself were bittersweet: Lewis struggled for confidence in the car, and did not progress past Q1 in a session that saw several cars finish out of position; George was able to build greater confidence in the rear end in particular and took a strong P2 on the grid. The aborted start led to some unusual circumstances but when the race proper began, George ran strongly at the head of the field until the VSC came out at the same time as a heavy rain shower. We wanted to use that opportunity to change his worn intermediate tyres and were followed into the pits by Norris from second place – while Verstappen and the Alpine drivers stayed out and took the gamble on a Safety Car or red flag, which subsequently came. When racing resumed, with everybody on new tyres, George was able to get past Leclerc into P4 but then – as we saw up and down the field today – got stuck behind an ultimately slower car and was unable to overtake, without DRS available. It was the same story for Lewis a little further back, who climbed into the points but was unable to pass Lawson despite several close attempts. P4 and P10 feel like a meagre reward after leading the first part of the race, but there’s plenty for us to pick through and learn from across this weekend, and from the last three races. We will be focusing on that work in the coming days, to give ourselves the strongest foundation for the final triple header of the season.

Toto Talks São Paulo

The past two races in Austin and Mexico City have not been our cleanest so we are aiming for a smoother weekend at Interlagos. Despite the challenges in the US and Mexico, we have furthered our learning with the W15. Given our position in the championship, we have been able to test things out with little penalty. Whilst we are still focused on maximising our result each and every weekend, that testing and learning will be valuable in setting us up strongly for 2025. We will continue that approach this weekend in Brazil.

Interlagos is a proper driver's circuit with plenty of undulation and a challenge mix of low, medium, and high-speed corners. Given that it is the penultimate Sprint format of the year, we will have to execute effectively from the first session to get the car in a good window. We know it will be difficult to challenge the Ferraris and the McLarens who have looked strong in recent races. We will still be working hard to do so though and will see where our relative performance is over the weekend.
Fact File: São Paulo Grand Prix

    The Autódromo José Carlos Pace is the fourth-shortest track on the 2024 F1 calendar at just 4.309 km long, only behind Monaco, Zandvoort and Mexico.
    The São Paulo Grand Prix venue is situated 800 metres above sea level, the second-highest altitude on the F1 calendar behind Mexico City (which sits at 2,300m above sea level).
    Interlagos is a track of two extremes. The first and third sectors require a low-drag car for the long straights, but the middle sector is twisty, requiring high downforce. The second DRS zone means more focus is typically on higher downforce for the ultimate fastest lap, but a balance still needs to be found with being competitive on the straights during the race.
    There is 1.2 kilometres of driving at full throttle between the exit of Turn 12 and the braking zone for Turn One, with an elevation change of 33 metres.
    The biggest difference in elevation is from the start/finish straight to Turn 4 where there is a 40-metre drop in elevation.
    The long straight before the lap begins also requires some clever deployment of energy from the ERS to maximise performance towards the end of the out lap, as the drivers start their flying lap.
    Turn 1 is banked heavily towards the inside, unloading the front-left wheel and causing frequent lockups. However, because the tyre is unloaded, flat spots are less likely and time loss isn't as high as you'd expect, due to the steep banking and variety of corner lines drivers can take. The variety of lines is also what makes this corner well suited to overtaking.
    The uphill grid requires the drivers to find the balance between holding the car on the brakes as gently as possible, without rolling backwards.
    From Turn 10 to Turn 6 (around 3.5 km of distance) the left-hand front tyre does very little work and therefore cools down quickly, providing a tricky engineering challenge to keep the tyre in its temperature window.
    With long straights and a second DRS zone, Interlagos is one of the best tracks of the season for overtaking. However, it can be difficult for the defending car to manage its battery, as there aren't many big braking zones to recover energy.
    The São Paulo Grand Prix is the fifth F1 Sprint of the 2024 season, with just Qatar left on the Sprint calendar this season.
    This will be the fourth consecutive year that the circuit has hosted a Sprint weekend.
    Interlagos is a very flowing circuit with a lot of combined corner entries (where you are cornering and braking at the same time), meaning good stability is important. However, you also need a good front end for the low-speed middle sector.
    Track temperatures can reach some of the hottest of the season in Brazil, up to 60°C. And thunderstorms are common around this time of year, which can potentially spice up the weekend.
    Since 2021, the race around the circuit has been known as the São Paulo Grand Prix.
    Valtteri Bottas won the inaugural F1 Sprint race at Interlagos in 2021. A year later, George Russell won his first F1 Sprint race at the venue.
    A day later in 2022, George won his first F1 Grand Prix, leading home at W13 1-2 with Lewis behind.
    Lewis has three wins at the circuit (2016, 2018 & 2021) and in 2022 the seven-time world champion was made an honorary citizen of Brazil in an official ceremony.
    The team has six wins overall at Interlagos. In addition to the four from Lewis and George, Nico Rosberg also won in São Paulo (2014 & 2015).

George Russell

Firstly, a big thank you to everyone in the garage for working so hard to get the car ready for today. There was extensive damage, and we had to change the chassis overnight. I am therefore happy with our recovery from yesterday. We are still running the previous specification package which we’ve had for the last 12 races, so to be less than two tenths off the front-row is a solid effort.

My final lap felt good, and I was happy with it as I crossed the line. P5 was likely the most we could have hoped for today given the speed of those in front. I don’t think we quite have the race pace of the four cars ahead but let’s see tomorrow. I also expect that they will be scrapping quite hard so maybe the race will come towards us.
Lewis Hamilton       

The car felt good in FP3, but I didn’t have that same feeling in Qualifying. We made a few small set-up adjustments after that final practice session as we tried to find a little more speed. Unfortunately, they didn’t bring that extra lap time, and we had to settle for P6.

It’s going to be difficult to challenge the guys ahead tomorrow. They’ve looked quick, particularly the Ferraris and the McLaren of Norris. Whilst we may not be able to fight them on pure pace, we will be looking to take advantage of any chances that come our way. It is also a long run down to the first corner so making positions off the start could be the key to our race.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO

P5 and P6 was a fair result today. We didn’t have the pace of the front three teams so the third row was likely the best we could have managed. We still needed to execute well though; Qualifying was not straightforward with both Red Bull and McLaren losing a car in Q1. Ultimately, we were within two tenths of the front row with George, who is running the previous specification this weekend. Whilst that is a little frustrating, it can give us encouragement heading into tomorrow’s race that we may be able to pick up the pieces if those ahead don’t execute well.

It was a tougher session for Lewis. He only made small set-up changes after FP3, but he didn’t feel as comfortable with the car as he had done earlier in the day. It was a solid job to take P6 and he will be looking forward tomorrow.

Finally, it is important to recognise the great work of the team in the garage. They have not had an easy time of it in the past couple of races. After George’s accident yesterday, they worked through much of the night to get the car ready and did a superb job. To consistently operate at that level, particularly during an intense triple-header, is testament to the team spirit and professionalism that keep driving us forward.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

The team worked hard through the night to repair George’s car following yesterday’s accident in FP2. It was a heavy shunt and there was extensive damage, including to the chassis. That forced us into a switch of chassis, but we were able to complete the work and have both cars on track for FP3. That is a major credit to the team in the garage, who have had dealt with the challenges that have come our way both here and in Austin effectively and efficiently.

Heading into Qualifying, we knew we would have a tall task to get ourselves into the fight for the top-three. The Ferraris have looked quick all weekend and McLaren popped up in FP3 with some competitive times. It is therefore frustrating that we fell just a couple of tenths shy of getting on the front-row. We know that P5 and P6 is likely a fair result though given our pace so far this weekend. With the speed of those ahead, we know it won’t be easy to make progress from the third row. Nevertheless, will be looking to take every opportunity that comes our way tomorrow to do so.

Toto Talks Mexico City

After a difficult weekend in Austin, we have the opportunity to bounce back immediately in Mexico. Our performance in Texas showed that there is inherent performance in the car. Our challenge is extracting this consistently. That is not the result of one specific challenge, but the interaction of the car across both aero and mechanical factors. We have five more races to work on this before the end of the season. It is important that we do so, not only for our immediate performance but to also set ourselves up well for 2025.

With its high altitude, Mexico presents a unique challenge. The power unit has to work harder and, to counteract the thin air, we run at maximum downforce. It will provide another opportunity to evaluate our recent update package. Kimi will also be in the car for his second FP1 session and we look forward to him continuing his development on track.
Fact File: Mexico City Grand Prix

    The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is the third-shortest circuit on the 2024 F1 calendar, at just 4.304 km (behind only Zandvoort and Monaco).
    The track has the longest run from pole position to the first braking zone of any on the 2024 F1 calendar (767m) and almost 10 seconds of the 1.2-kilometre-long straight are taken at full throttle.
    Because of the high altitude and the low air density in Mexico City, the air is incredibly thin (meaning there are less molecules around) and transports less energy away from hot systems like the Power Unit and brakes.
    The nature of the circuit means drivers make only 35 gear changes per lap, the lowest number of the season.
    The ambient pressure is the lowest of the season by far. At 780mb, the oxygen levels are 78% of what they are at sea level, and this has a big impact on different areas of a Formula One car, such as Power Unit performance and downforce.
    Because you can run a Monaco wing level but experience Monza levels of downforce, top speeds in Mexico are some of the highest of the season, where the cars can achieve 346 km/h (or more with a tow). Only Vegas is higher.
    The Power Unit is one of the most affected systems on the car by the high altitude, with a decent drop in engine power due to the thin air. The turbocharger makes up for some of the power loss, but has to work much harder than it would in normal conditions.
    The team has three wins at the track – two with Lewis (2016 & 2019) and 2015 with Nico. The latter’s win came on F1’s return to the track for the first time since 1992.
    Lewis clinched his fourth (2017) and fifth (2018) World Drivers’ Championship at the circuit.
    Junior driver and 2025 Mercedes F1 racer Kimi Antonelli will take part in his second FP1 session of the season, as part of F1’s rules around rookie drivers competing in FP1. The Italian will drive Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes W15.

George Russell

Yesterday we were in the fight for P1 in Sprint Qualifying but today we were really struggling. It is confusing how our fortunes have changed so drastically from one day to another. It is clear that when we find the sweet spot of this car, we are capable of fighting for pole positions and race wins. When we don’t, we are at the back of the front pack.

In the Sprint, I lost a position off the start and was pushing hard early on to regain that. Unfortunately, we then started to struggle with the tyres, and I went backwards. It was difficult to understand as our pace on Friday, particularly on the long run, was strong. We continued to struggle in Qualifying, although my final lap was looking strong before I locked up into turn 12. I was perhaps over-pushing into turn 19 to make up for that time and I lost the rear of the car. I am disappointed in the damage I caused to the car and the work that will have to go on overnight now to repair it.
Lewis Hamilton       

That was a tough day. The Sprint was a difficult session for us with the car not feeling as strong as it did yesterday. The temperature was warmer than on Friday and that didn’t seem to suit us. We made some changes ahead of Qualifying to counteract that and try to push us in a direction that could get the car closer to how it felt on Friday, but we continued to struggle.

Tomorrow will be difficult for us starting P19. It will be hard to come across opportunities, but I will be giving it my all to move forward. The car today suffered from an inconsistent balance and a lack of grip so hopefully it will be in a better place on Sunday.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO

A disappointing and frustrating day. After a strong Friday, we were hopeful of a good showing and it quickly became clear in the Sprint that we didn’t have the pace of our nearest competitors, falling back to finish a distant P5 and P6. Added to that, the handling balance both drivers had enjoyed the day before was missing and they were struggling with tyre overheating - Lewis on the rear axle, George on the front. We made some set-up changes to tackle this ahead of Qualifying, but we continued to struggle and couldn’t unlock the same level of performance we had seen on Friday, with Lewis finishing P19 and George P6 but unable to complete his final flying lap.

Tomorrow’s race will therefore be an uphill battle: there is a major repair job ahead for George after the Q3 crash. With Lewis starting P19, it will be a case of damage limitation in the race: fighting for meaningful points will be tough and we need things to fall in our favour to do so.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

After a promising Friday, this was a tough Saturday. It became apparent early in the Sprint that we didn't have the speed of our competitors. We were pushing hard to keep up with those ahead and that put extra energy through the tyres. That overheating bit us hard in the second half of the race and we could only manage P5 and P6. We also found a broken part on Lewis' front suspension post Sprint and that definitely impacted the overall balance.

In an effort to get the car back to the sweet spot we had on Friday, we made some set-up adjustments ahead of Qualifying. Sadly these didn't have the desired effect. A consistent balance continued to elude Lewis although he was unfortunate to be knocked out in Q1 having been impacted by traffic in sector one. George fared slightly better and was on a strong lap in Q3 but came unstuck at turn 12 with a lock up and then finally turn 19 with his off.

We have a lot of work to do to get George's car ready for the race. The team will be working hard through the evening in order to do that. We know tomorrow will likely be a tough fight but we will continue to work diligently and hard, looking to take advantage of any opportunities that come our way.