The Red Bulletin F1 Daily EN 22/01

FRIDAY, 8 JULY, 2022

AN ALMOST INDEPENDENT F1 NEWSPAPER

M U M I X A M

K C A T AT E H EIGHTS G H T S IT H 1 F D BULL RIN AT TH E RE

You won’t be driver of the day anyway. So …

S ST YRIAS’T OLDE

G HEALINR WATE G SPRIN

… sit back. relax. have a beer.

Thalheim‘s medicinal waters have always been shrouded by an aura of mystery and uniqueness. It is known that the Celts, Romans and knights revered the healing properties of the medicinal waters and used them to great effect. This reverence reached its peak in the 16th century with the construction of Sauerbrunn Castle above the seven mystical springs. For the first time, this unique healing water is now being used to create distinctive beers of premium quality with hops and malt, which, combined with natural lithium and it´s attributes, are extra uplifting.

www.thalheimerheilwasser.at

Styria’s oldest healing water spring

The Red Bulletin 8 July, 2022

redbulletin.com/f1special

F1 Red Bull Ring Start line 03

SUPERMAX

A picture-perfect weekend: Max Verstappen wants to repeat his triumph from last year in front of the packed orange stands.

Dear Formula 1 fans,

GETTY IMAGES/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

WERNER JESSNER

To paraphrase the title of a popular Netflix series, we say, “Orange is the new green”. Ever since Max Verstappen has been racing for victories (i. e. since 2016), the Red Bull Ring in the green heart of Austria has been occupied by the fabulous Orange Army of Dutch fans. They celebrate Max’s successes and the wider world of motorsport in a way that many sports can only dream of. They are peaceful, cheerful, fanatical and fantastic. We at The Red Bulletin are very happy to share their enthusiasm and use the race weekend as an opportunity to get a little carried away ourselves.

ACTION-PACKED Watch every Formula 1 practice session, qualifying and the Austrian Grand Prix live on ServusTV servustv.com

Every day of the Austrian Grand Prix, we’ll be producing a special magazine in English and German to be distributed around the Ring.

In its pages, we’ll celebrate the colourful world of F1 with a tonguein-cheek look at the pinnacle of motorsport. Given that the paddock crowd read us as well, there’s a good chance the principals of some other teams might wonder whether we can really get away with saying this? We think we can. It’s all in fun and we believe the world is a much brighter place when we don’t take things too seriously.

We’ve learnt that from the cheerful Orange Army.

Have a great weekend at the Red Bull Ring!

Your editorial team.

04 Bullhorn F1 Red Bull Ring

redbulletin.com/f1special

8 July, 2022 The Red Bulletin

RACING LINES: ALEXANDER WURZ

Over four decades, I’ve had successes, I’ve had huge crashes and I’ve honed my skills as a driver and track designer in this wonderful corner of Austria...

M

y first memory of the Austrian Grand Prix? It’s 1981.

I’m seven years old and I’m on the home straight with my father. The turbo-charged cars hiss past us within touching distance. I’m seriously impressed! My second memory? Now it’s 1983 and I’m standing in the tower next to the pit building and the Frecce Tricolori, the Italian aerobatic team, are soaring through the sky above our heads. The Renaults of René Arnoux and Alain Prost won the race that day.

My first Formula Ford test took place at the old Österreichring in 1990 at the invitation of Walter Penker, God rest his soul. After that, I drove Formula Ford for two seasons in the team of the much missed Walter Lechner, who sadly passed away in 2020, and I flipped over for the first time in 1991: I really went for it at the fast curve ahead of the Schönberg straight and suddenly I learned what in my DTM Opel Calibra for a test. Unfortunately, it’s like to be weightless. This may sound odd but due to a fault with the ABS, I smashed right into the I almost enjoyed it. I put my hands on my chest and guard rail on the uphill straight. Sitting next to me waited for it to be over. The car had no wheels left on was the chief prosecutor of Austria. A metal strut had it, but I was OK. My second spin there was less amusing: thrust its way into the car, my helmet bent the steering the floor panel was torn off my car. It was liking pulling wheel and the prosecutor ended up in intensive care. When the lid off a sardine tin and I had to lift my backside off the floor, I visited him at the hospital, all he said was he would have liked to otherwise it would have got very uncomfortable. have finished the lap. Phew!

I spent a year as a trainee racing driver at the Österreichring. We After I won Le Mans, team manager Peter Sauber (of Red Bull were a cool group and we settled scores in slipstream battles among Sauber) gave me my first F1 test. It was back at the Ring, and I was ourselves. Oliver Tichy, Michi [Michael] Fiedler, Jochen Bauer and first on track again. The second driver that day was regular driver a few others came and went.

Johnny Herbert. Clever guy… he wanted My first F3 test in a Dr Helmut Marko me to go first so I’d drive the dust off the Reynard also happened on the old ’Ring. track and he’d have better conditions and After that, the Österreichring was shortened be faster after me. That gave me a first taste and converted into the A1 Ring. I was of Formula 1. directly involved. My father’s company Test When I come to my home Grand Prix & Training, which now belongs to me and now, 41 years after my first, there are three through which I design circuits all over the things I look forward to: my morning jog world, came up with the new layout. The round the Mur, dinner at one of the cosy first sketches were by my father, Franz, inns and, third, the atmosphere that sets and me, and then architect Hermann Tilke the Austrian Grand Prix apart from all the incorporated our designs. others, from the organisation, the many I also had the honour of being the very fringe events and, above all, the mood in A 22-year-old Alex Wurz tests the Red Bull Sauber first racing driver allowed onto the track at the Österreichring in August 1996. the stands.

SUBSCRIBE NOW: GETREDBULLETIN.COM

CHRIS RATHBONE (COVER), YANN LEGENDRE

Editor-in-Chief Alexander Müller-Macheck Deputy Editor-in-Chief Justin Hynes, Werner Jessner, Paul Keith Creative Directors Erik Turek (manager), Kasimir Reimann Art Directors Marion Bernert-Thomann, Miles English Head of Photography Eva Kerschbaum Digital Editors Christian Eberle-Abasolo (manager), Lou Boyd, Lisa Hechenberger Chief of Department Marion Lukas-Wildmann Managing Editor Ulrich Corazza Designers Martina de Carvalho-Hutter, Kevin Faustmann-Goll Editor & Managing Director Red Bull Media House Publishing Andreas Kornhofer Managing Director Stefan Ebner Head of Media Sales & Partnerships Lukas Scharmbacher Publishing Management Bernhard Schmied (manager), Sara Varming Executive Creative Director Markus Kietreiber Production Veronika Felder (manager), Martin Brandhofer, Walter O. Sádaba, Sabine Wessig Repro Clemens Ragotzky (manager), Josef Mühlbacher Proofreaders Hans Fleissner (manager), Petra Hannert Printed by 1a Druck Judenburg, Aichfelder Druck, 8750 Judenburg, Austria Editorial office Am Grünen Prater 3, A-1020 Vienna, Austria Phone +43 1 90221-0 Fax +43 1 90221-28809 Web redbulletin.com Global Editorial Office Red Bull Media House GmbH, Oberst-Lepperdinger-Straße 11-15, 5071 Wals bei Salzburg, Austria, FN 297115i, Salzburg Regional Court, ATU63611700 Executive Directors Dietrich Mateschitz, Dietmar Otti, Christopher Reindl, Marcus Weber

ALEXANDER WURZ

IMPRINT

PICTUREDESK.COM

‘I spent my entire racing youth at the Österreichring’

The Red Bulletin 8 July, 2022

redbulletin.com/f1special

F1 Red Bull Ring Full House 05

AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX

BINGO

Set in the magnificent mountains of Styria, the Red Bull Ring offers the most thrilling racing in the most photogenic setting and it’s accompanied by the best side shows and attractions. How many can you enjoy in one weekend? Marker pens at the ready, eyes down for a full house, let’s play Austrian Grand Prix bingo!

Drivers in lederhosen.

Fined for speeding in a tunnel.

RED BULL CONTENT POOL, GETTY IMAGES, ADOBE STOCK, KTM

PAUL KEITH

Staying in a hotel owned

by Helmut Marko.

Sausages with cheese inside.

Obscure band playing their global hit from the 80s.

Startling pornographic image on a small bottle of schnapps.

Fined for having a German licence plate.

Discovering yet another use for pine resin.

All orange grandstand.

The only motorbikes are KTMs.

Walking to the track through a field of pumpkins.

Drivers cycling to the circuit.

Pork knuckles for dinner.

Constantly wanting to sing songs from the Sound of Music.

10 breathtaking views before breakfast.

Dirndls.

Gratuitous product placement.

After a spectacular aerial display, you realise Red Bull has its own air force.

Fans nursing bruises from hailstones.

The Mercedes Team saying ‘Spielberg’ when they mean ‘Red Bull Ring’.

Gerhard Berger.

Fans cooling their sunburn in the rain.

Ordering schnitzel in the first restaurant you visit.

All red and white grandstand.

Someone greets you by saying ‘Servus’.

06 Grid Gourmet F1 Red Bull Ring

redbulletin.com/f1special

8 July, 2022 The Red Bulletin

FAST FOODIE YUKI TSUNODA’s passion for speed is more than matched by his appreciation of fine dining. Here, F1’s galloping gourmet reveals his top dishes from everywhere his racing career has taken him. He even managed to choose something from Britain…

Interview JUSTIN HYNES

SWITZERLAND FONDUE

After a junior career in karts and success in Formula 4 with Honda’s junior programme, Yuki’s performances led to a test in Europe, with the Motopark team, at the Hungaroring. Keeping a keen eye on the timesheets was Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Dr Helmut Marko. Tsunoda impressed and was offered a spot in the Red Bull Junior Programme. Yuki leapt at the chance and was soon on his way to central Europe, signing for Formula 3 team Jenzer for the 2019 season and figuring out how to navigate Swiss menus and supermarket shelves.

“I lived in Switzerland three years ago when I was racing in F3. It was my first time living in Europe and I didn’t know how to cook at all. But because I didn’t speak French and was afraid to go to restaurants by myself, I had to learn how to cook. Usually I just grabbed whatever ingredients I could find in the supermarket and figured it out by myself – breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was cooking every day, 365 days of the year. Naturally, you become a better cook, especially of Japanese food. But I would definitely like to learn more about cooking if I have time.

When I did go out to restaurants I’d order cheese fondue. That’s absolutely delicious and I still really miss it. So that would be my pick for Swiss food.”

UNITED KINGDOM FISH AND CHIPS

Yuki moved to the UK for 2020 and made his debut in Formula 2. As a Red Bull Junior Team driver, he naturally gravitated to Milton Keynes, close to Red Bull Racing’s factory and a drive away from the Surrey base of his Carlin F2 team. And in the UK he developed a taste for a British staple…

“The UK is an easy choice – it’s fish and chips, of course. To my surprise, I developed a liking for fish and chips when I moved to England and, even now, every time I’m in the simulator (at Red Bull Racing) I order it.

Although, because of the movement of the simulator, it can make me feel sick!”

BEN TALLON

“I don’t know why I have this passion for food. I think a big part of it is that I’m Japanese and when first I came to Europe, I came across lots of food culture from around the world, but I soon realised that Japanese food is really good and I missed it.

So I tried to find tasty, good quality food in Europe and I think that was the start.

“I’ve always loved food ever since I was a kid and my motivation depended on the quality of the food I’d have that day.

It’s strange because I don’t think it came from my parents, it was just an interest I developed.

“It’s been really interesting in Formula 1 to discover new things. I still think Japanese food is my favourite but I do enjoy other cuisines, Italian and Mexican food, especially tacos. This year I’m looking forward to going to Singapore and sampling the street food there.

“So far in my racing career I’ve lived in four countries. Japan, obviously, and then Switzerland, the UK and Italy. I definitely have favourite dishes from each of those places, so here they are…”

The Red Bulletin 8 July, 2022

redbulletin.com/f1special

F1 Red Bull Ring Grid Gourmet 07

JAPAN

SUKIYAKI, MOTSUNABE, VARIOUS TYPES OF RAMEN, GOOD SUSHI

ITALY

PENNE ARRABBIATA A steady diet of fish and chips and marathon sessions of the PES football game on the PS4 with racing driver friends Tadasuke Makino and Nirei Fukuzumi was just about acceptable while Yuki was in junior series, but once he stepped up to F1 in 2021 it became clear he needed to change his routine and get into shape.

Tsunoda was shipped to Faenza in Italy to be close to AlphaTauri’s factory and team boss Franz Tost personally supervised the Japanese driver’s fitness regime.

It worked, although Yuki’s head is still likely to be turned by a perfectly prepared bowl of pasta…

“I love Italian food. My favourite restaurant at the moment is the place I go to when I’m in Italy. In fact, I go there pretty much every day when I’m at the factory. It’s really chilled and I go for lunch and dinner. I’m on good terms with the owner of the restaurant as well, so it’s nice and it’s also really close to where I live. In terms of the dishes I enjoy, well, I like pasta, but I have to be more specific, right? Ragù is nice. But I like arrabbiata as well. It’s simple and really delicious when it’s done well. So, yeah, it’s Arrabbiata for me.”

Despite Tsunoda’s itinerant lifestyle and restless questing for international culinary delights, it’s only when he starts talking about the comforts of home food that he gets really animated. If there’s such a thing as soul food, Yuki reckons it’s to be found in a bowl of good Japanese soup…

“Ah, Japan. This is where it gets difficult.

I’ll start by saying I love Sukiyaki, which is like meat which you cook at the table in hot soy sauce and water. Does that make sense?

It’s like shabu-shabu but with soy sauce. And also motsunabe, which again, is a similar kind of soup, but with a lot of vegetables and also beef fat in it.

“I do like ramen as well. There’s seafood ramen… well, the dashi (the stock) is made from seafood and it’s delicious. I’m getting excited about it now! So I like that one and, of course, also Tonkotsu, which is made from pork bones. Ramen is something you can eat everywhere. A lot of those are places you go after a party, you know, you want something to eat after all the alcohol and that’s when you eat ramen! “ If money is no object then I’d urge anyone going to Tokyo to seek out a really good sushi place. Not a casual sushi bar, but a proper specialist restaurant that only has six or eight seats and is nice and private.

That would be best.

“But even if you were went to a normal, casual place in Tokyo, the food is going to be so much better than your California rolls!

And if you don’t fancy good sushi, then I definitely recommend Sukiyaki.”

08 Mentor F1 Red Bull Ring

redbulletin.com/f1special

8 July, 2022 The Red Bulletin

THE

DOCTOR’S SCHOOL

More than a third of the drivers at the Austrian Grand Prix have come under his wing. DR HELMUT MARKO turns young racers into Formula 1 drivers. This is his report on the Marko Academy graduates...

Words WERNER JESSNER

The Red Bulletin 8 July, 2022

redbulletin.com/f1special

F1 Red Bull Ring Mentor 09

SEBASTIAN VETTEL

World Champion in waiting: Sebastian Vettel and Helmut Marko at the 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix.

‘To a certain extent, Sebastian reminds me of Niki Lauda, but Niki was already much older when he joined F1’

“Sebastian came to us at a very young age. He was a very, very analytical worker.

Very industrious. He made optimal use of all technical possibilities. This was also why he ultimately had the upper hand over a talented Mark Webber, and by quite some distance. Mark was absolutekly unbeatable on certain tracks, such as the Nürburgring or the third section at Barcelona, but Sebastian was clearly ahead over the course of the season. Whenever there were technical innovations – the blown diffuser, a new tyre manufacturer – he made optimal use of his technical expertise. That ability is what made him a four-time world champion.”

SERVUSTV/NEUMAYR/LEO, GETTY IMAGES

DANIEL RICCIARDO “A cheerful, natural talent with outstanding car control.

I remember at the very first selection, he came out of the final bend with the back of the car way out, but he managed to get it back under control and even ended up making up some time. Daniel gets into the car and is fast straight from the off. Even before he came to Red Bull Racing, his career was on an upward trajectory the whole time. In his first year at Red Bull Racing, he beat Vettel by three wins to nil. Max coming on the scene was a crunch point in his career. Rather than taking up the fight, he wanted to keep his distance.

And you know what happened next. That’s too bad! He was always nice to work with. His speed is comparable to that of Max, but he’s just lacking that ultimate consistency.”

Daniel Ricciardo was promoted to Toro Rosso in 2012 after making his debut on loan to the HRT team in 2011.

‘When he was younger, Daniel was like any of those fun-loving drivers but he does have a serious side’

10 Mentor F1 Red Bull Ring

redbulletin.com/f1special

8 July, 2022 The Red Bulletin

CARLOS SAINZ

Marko introduces a young Carlos Sainz to the Toro Rosso at the Red Bull Ring in 2014.

‘Carlos is undoubtedly a top driver. He was almost on a par with Max at Toro Rosso’

“He was damn fast in the smaller categories. In his first F1 test in Silverstone, right from the off, he was slightly quicker on the fast turns than Sebastian Vettel who, at that time, was our benchmark. For a long time, he lived in the shadow of his father, the twotime World Rally Champion.

He was unfairly saddled with the image of being the spoiled son of a racing driver whereas on the contrary, Carlos had to fight consistently to get ahead. It was his bad luck to get Max as a team-mate. The atmosphere between the two at Toro Rosso was quite toxic.

In the set-up we had at the time, I couldn’t see a way of keeping him with us and so he moved to Renault, McLaren and then on to Ferrari.”

On the move: Alex Albon has raced for Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing, Ferrari in DTM and now Williams.

“Yuki is very un-Japanese. The Japanese are usually credited with being courteous and disciplined. Yuki is neither! His English was poor at first. Then he learnt English swear words very quickly and very thoroughly.

He’s also prone to outbursts of anger, but he is bloody fast, whatever you say. Silly crashes in his first season in F1 chipped away at his self-confidence. He’s on a par with his team-mate Gasly in terms of speed, even if we don’t see that in the results from the start of the season. We believe in him and his huge potential. When he isn’t under stress, he’s incredibly funny and likeable.

Everyone likes Yuki, even if no one can blow their top quite like he does.”

ALEX ALBON “Alex had a lot of shunts in the junior categories, so we parted ways. After that turbulent phase, we brought him back and he hadn’t lost any of his speed. Lewis Hamilton didn’t destroy his career, but he did put a dampener on it.

He was in second place in Brazil in 2019 when Hamilton drove him off the track. Then Alex wanted to pass Hamilton on the outside at the Red Bull Ring in 2020 but got pushed onto the gravel. He would have won that race, but he came away empty-handed. He took a long time to get over that. Alex is very fast, but I wonder if he’s too nice. He’s a bit like David Coulthard, who everyone likes, but wasn’t tough enough in the end.”

Everyone likes Yuki. Even the stern Doctor.

SAMO VIDIC/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, MOTORSPORT IMAGES, GETTY IMAGES/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

YUKI TSUNODA

The Red Bulletin 8 July, 2022

redbulletin.com/f1special

F1 Red Bull Ring Mentor 11

PIERRE GASLY “It took Pierre two years to win in almost every junior category. He needed to learn from his mistakes. The turning point came when we sent him to Japan to race in their Super Formula Championship in 2017. Pierre only lost the title because Typhoon Lan forced the cancellation of the final race of the season. At Red Bull Racing, he lost out to Max. He looked for excuses instead of tackling his own mistakes. Since he has been back at AlphaTauri, he has driven his way into top form again. He is the team leader and doing incredible things. Like his compatriot François Cevert, he is fast, cheeky and devoted to the beautiful things in life.”

Late match: the Doctor and Monaco-winner Checo, 2022.

CHECO PÉREZ

In 2019, Pierre Gasly switched from Red Bull Racing (photo) to Toro Rosso.

“We had him on our books when he was a teenager and we were particularly impressed by his speed over full race distance. However, his partners at the time had a different career path in mind. So it took a while for him to end up at Red Bull Racing. He arrived with a win under his belt and he was in a positive mood. Then he met Max. This led to a certain amount of uncertainty, especially in qualifying.

But he put that behind him. Checo is a great team-player.

Max wouldn’t have won the World Championship without him. In private, he knows how to enjoy life. He chooses his own hotels, and lives within the team with his own advisors. I don’t know exactly what they all do, but they are very nice people.”

GETTY IMAGES/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, GETTY IMAGES

MAX VERSTAPPEN “Max is the fastest driver we’ve ever had. He’s also gradually becoming the most complete racing driver. He is the type of generational talent you see once in a decade.

That perfect combination of speed, performance and self-confidence is unique.

He doesn’t compromise, and doesn’t mince his words in interviews. He stands by what he says and does; he is a really tough character. In terms of driving, there’s currently no one quicker than him over a single lap. His race intelligence was there from the off. It was evident at his first Grand Prix victory in Barcelona when he was new to Red Bull Racing and held off the experienced Kimi Räikkönen in the Ferrari for 40 laps, spared his tyres where he couldn’t be overtaken and always had a head start where he was vulnerable.”

Unbridled joy: Max Verstappen is the second F1 World Champion to come through the Marko school.

‘Max is a champion who received the perfect tools for his career from his father and who is more relaxed than ever thanks to that World Championship’

12 On The Record F1 Red Bull Ring

redbulletin.com/f1special

8 July, 2022 The Red Bulletin

GUENTHER STEINER

The plain-spoken Haas team principal is an F1 fan favourite.

the red bulletin: You monitored Mick closely in Formula 2. What were you expecting when he joined Haas? guenther steiner: You expect him to do well. But how do you define well? It was difficult to tell last season because we didn’t have a reference.

In the place we were in last year, we were just surviving and without him, it would have been difficult. That’s what he brought to the team last season.

He carried the team a lot and his personality and dedication helped us through a very difficult time.

THE MAKING

OF MICK

The traditional thinking in motorsport is it takes ‘a season to learn and a season to deliver’.

But Haas team boss GUENTHER STEINER explains that while MICK SCHUMACHER’s second campaign in F1 is like ‘a whole new ball game’, the German is rising to the challenge...

Interview JUSTIN HYNES

Has that different ball game been a shock?

It is a shock. It’s not like in F2, where you keep on going and you eventually get there. Suddenly you’ve got a good car, a good team-mate and you’re fighting with the big boys. But that’s normal. The further you go up, the thinner the air gets.

It hasn’t been easy for Mick at times this season. There were big crashes in Saudi Arabia and in Monaco and they resulted in some criticism. Was that criticism fair?

Who am I to judge what’s fair and what’s not when it comes from outside?

I think it’s been hyped up a lot and

FORMULA 1, GETTY IMAGES, PICTUREDESK.COM

MICK SCHUMACHER

After a tough 2021, the young driver gets real in 2022.

You’ve now had more than 30 races to watch him develop, what are his strengths and his weaknesses?

He’s still learning. You say it’s 30 races, but I would divide those into different chapters. This season is a completely new game for him: the intensity and pressure has risen so much. People outside don’t realise how different it is.

We all knew last year was transitional and he just needed to do the best he could, but this year is a completely different ball game. The car is competitive, he’s got a very good teammate in Kevin [Magnussen]. I think he’s now eight or nine races into the second stage of his development.

The Red Bulletin 8 July, 2022

redbulletin.com/f1special

people are quick to criticise. I wouldn’t say it’s good to crash cars but it’s part of F1 and you have to live with it. When you get into F1, you can’t imagine that everybody is going to love you. There are a lot of people after everyone’s job here, because it’s a good environment.

It’s Formula 1, the pinnacle of motorsport, so fair or not fair? It doesn’t matter, it’s part of the game.

Some of that criticism came from you. As a team principal, is there a point where you put your arm around a driver’s shoulder and console him and is there a point at which you say: ‘Enough is enough.

You need to change your approach’?

Yes, that’s all part of my job, but people read too much into it. Look, I can’t just

‘If you do something wrong, nobody’s going to tell you ‘It’s OK’. No, somebody will always say it was f***ing wrong. Unfortunately, sometimes it needs to be me, but hey, I can live with that’

Mick is teamed with the experienced Kevin Magnussen.

Mick was criticised for his crash in Monaco but Guenther stands by his driver, saying it’s all part of the sport.

F1 Red Bull Ring On The Record 13

‘I’ve been known to say things to the drivers and about the drivers.

For me, Mick is not sacrosanct’ say: ‘Oh, it was great that he crashed into the wall’. Why? Because we didn’t score any points and he didn’t progress as a driver. It’s no good. I’m a little bit more outspoken than most people, a little bit more direct, but who cares?

If you have a problem with that, then just don’t speak to me. There’s so much interest in what Mick is doing because of who he is, but to me he’s just like any other driver. It has to be that way.

I’ve been known to say things to the drivers and about the drivers and it’s no different for Mick. But, again, I’ll say something and the next day I’ll just get up and go to work on making everything better. And if you don’t like that style? Well, I don’t really care.

Are those things you would have said to him in private beforehand?

Absolutely! I mean, if I’m upset, I probably shouldn’t talk to somebody because it’s probably better for them!

We spoke before, we spoke afterwards and spoke before Baku, mostly simply to say: ‘Hey, just ignore all the noise outside’. You know, some journalists asked me: ‘What did you talk about in private?’ And I told them it was private – that’s the point. If I blab about it behind Mick’s back, do you think he could ever trust me again?

Nobody likes criticism but often it’s a thing drivers are not used to because on their way to F1, they’ve always been at the top of their level. How is Mick dealing with it?

He’s getting used to it. As I said, if you want to be part of Formula 1, you need to get used to it. It’s not only the driving, there’s so much other stuff that you need to learn. If you do something wrong, nobody’s going to say, ‘It’s OK’. No, somebody will always say it was f***ing wrong, you know.

Unfortunately, sometimes it comes down to me to be the bad guy but, hey, I can live with that.

Last year he had an often difficult relationship with his team-mate. This year, the dynamic is very different.

Kevin is very experienced and very quick, so how good is it for Mick to have that as a reference?

It’s the best thing that could have

happened to him. He was very happy when I told him that we had signed Kevin, because Kevin is very collaborative. He looks after him, he tries to help him when he can, and he’s not trying to fight him. Mick is very lucky to have a team-mate like Kevin.

He can learn from him as a person, as a driver and by looking at his data.

Mick is in a much better spot than last year. Having Kevin here, there is no negative… except having Kevin here!

(Guenther laughs).

Incidents and the backlash that sometimes result can have a negative impact on a driver. He might be more risk averse, his pace drops, the negative comments grow and it becomes a vicious circle. How do you manage that with Mick, in terms of psychology?

Mick knows exactly what he needs to do, you know. I cannot manage it because I’m not sitting in the car. I cannot say push harder, that’s for him.

And in the end, they have trained all their life to do this. How would I know better than him where the limit is?

Sitting on the pit wall, if I could tell them from how fast to go in a corner, I’d be a genius!

He didn’t need telling last weekend in Silverstone, scoring his first points in F1 and enjoying a fierce battle with Max Verstappen as they raced to the finish line. How happy were you with the result?

I’m very happy for the whole team to have scored double points [Magnussen finished 10th in Britain]. We deserved it – it wasn’t by luck – starting from P17 and P19 and ending 8th and 10th, we couldn’t have wished for more.

The cars were fast, the guys did a good job, the pit-stops were good, so what we need to do [from now on] is a very good qualifying and a very good race and then we’re back in the game.

So, given that breakthrough, how satisfied are you overall with Mick’s progress?

We’ve made good progress. What he can achieve, I don’t know yet, because we haven’t got there. But I don’t think this is the end, I don’t think we’ve seen everything from him yet. Even if you score points every weekend, you’re not completely there and I’m not totally happy. There’s no way I’ll leave it like this. Because who would I be if I didn’t push a driver until he’s world champion!

14 Racing Resumé F1 Red Bull Ring

redbulletin.com/f1special

8 July, 2022 The Red Bulletin

DRIVING AMBITION Junior series, academies, budget. It’s not easy climbing your way to the top of the motorsport ladder. To get there you’ll need the perfect CV. Here’s how to assemble yours…

AGE

A bit like an avaricious superpower, Formula 1 has shifting spheres of influence, with most of that influence coming from just how much money it can extract from a particular region at any given time. A decade ago that meant your only hope of landing an F1 drive was if you were called Ugyen and came with a guarantee that a thrilling Bhutan Grand Prix was something the Dragon King was really sold on. These days, you’ll have to go west, young man.

F1 has rekindled its on-off love affair with the US of A, so our advice is to find yourself a trailer park, get that John Deere cap, change your name to ‘Bubba’ and yee-haw your way to the very top.

EDUCATION

The key thing in any motorsport career is victory and a good CV must feature a litany of series wins that prove your godlike ability to ruthlessly crush the hopes and dreams of other eight-yearolds on a global scale. The good thing

about motorsport is that you don’t even need those qualities to assemble such a list of honours. A bit like the clergy, the racing world is happy to provide refuge for the terminally slow and otherwise unemployable, so given enough budget, you should have no problem plotting a winning path from the Space Cadet Karting Championship to Formula Cautious and beyond, thus proving you are indeed a champion for the future.

SUPPORT

Speaking of budget, you’ll need one.

The difficulty is that a few years ago, you could forge a credible grand prix career if had enough cash to buy a backmarking team and a Cosworth DFV, these days you’re going to need half the GDP of Tuvalu (about $20m according to UN data) to get you through a single season. You could spend your life creating PowerPoints to try to convince investors that you’re a project worthy of their money or, alternatively, you could take the easy way out and find yourself a billionaire parent with a strong need to live vicariously through your racing career while simultaneously robbing you of your individuality and autonomy. A small price to pay for grand prix glory!

WORK EXPERIENCE

It seems like the only way to truly make the leap from the junior racing categories and into Formula 1 is to join the academy of an F1 team. But how do you stand out from the other spotty, teenage nerds who are desperately hanging around at the back of the garage like wallflowers at the prom?

Simple: instead of telling reporters that you’re the lightning-fast future of motorsport and the team’s ageing and scarily paranoid #1 driver is slower than a wet Wednesday in the sim, explain that you’re happy to learn at the feet of a master and that one day, far in the distant future, you might be blessed to follow in his footsteps. Stir repeatedly and you’ll have that #2 seat in no time.

REFERENCES

A ringing endorsement from a known and trusted source can work wonders for your reputation, so be sure to include at least one positive comparison to a former grand prix winner on your resumé – although it is preferable for that reference to be ‘as quick as Ayrton Senna’ or ‘as tigerish as Fernando Alonso’ and not ‘as complete a driver as Pastor Maldonado’.

JUSTIN HYNES

NAME AND ADDRESS

The compete package: The young Ayrton Senna was so gifted that he’d built his first car before his fourth birthday. For everyone else, follow our useful resumé builder.

PICTUREDESK.COM

The saying in F1 tuns that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough. Max Verstappen made his F1 debut at 17.

Lando Norris was only one metre tall in his first grand prix (this isn’t exactly true, but he was quite little) and Sebastian Vettel won his first championship at 23. Yes, Formula 1 is a young man’s game and the starting point of your CV should be to highlight just how youthful you really are. Be sure to point out that your karting career began by listening to Rotax engines while in the womb and that you think anyone who doesn’t have a 4×4 Rubik’s Cube, a Roblox subscription and Super Licence by the age of nine is a loser. Likewise, if your progress has taken slightly more time than you’d like, you might want to change your favourite bands from Shed Seven and Ocean Colour Scene to something a little bit more contemporary.

n e p p a t s r Max Ve Out Now! e Bull Ring Fan Shop, th d Re e th om fr e bl la ai Av e se stands located in th Verstappen merchandi e. mping areas and onlin pink, yellow and blue ca

s e o r e h / m o .c in t e ll getredbu

Naturally refreshing.

Unique in taste thanks to ingredients with 100% natural origin.