Liam Lawson says F1 drivers are still learning how to manage the “extremely complicated” energy-deployment algorithms in this year’s cars, with battery power deployed by the on-board systems rather than directly by the driver. Lawson said: "There are things that you can do to trigger a bug that happens, and it starts making something else worse, so yeah, it is obviously extremely complicated. At this point, we're still learning even now how it all works, but it is as you get faster through a weekend, you start using more energy. You almost have to try and pre-plan how quick you're going to be in qualifying to know how much throttle you're going to use, how much energy you're going to use and where you are going to need to harvest."

Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies said the team faced a “hard reality” when it arrived in Melbourne for the season-opener and found itself 1.2 seconds off the pace. Mekies said: "You get to Melbourne, and you get these massive positives: the dark cloud is not there anymore, and actually, we are going to fight this season, one way or another; we are going to fight. But then the hard reality is that you are 1.2 seconds off the pace, which in fairness is probably quite logical if you think how late we pushed last year."

Audi boss Mattia Binotto says Audi’s Hinwil operation is comparable to Ferrari’s in 1995 and insists 2030 is a “concrete objective” for the team to fight for the world championship. Binotto said: "When I joined, it was for like what I saw of the Ferrari of 1995, and for me, the comparison is to the Ferrari of 1995. It is an old and small factory, little people and processes implemented... I can confirm 2030 is certainly achievable [to fight for the world championship], and 2030 is a concrete objective."






Audi Formula 1 Racing Director Allan McNish said working with Ayrton Senna at his first McLaren test made him realise that talent “only gets you so far” without a work ethic and focus on detail. McNish said: "Ayrton was talking about engine friction and various other things, and that was a benchmark. It made me realise very, very quickly, that if you want to be successful in the game, you've got to step up at every level. Talent only gets you so far. There is a work ethic and a focus on detail that you have to put in. And that was as a driver, but I don't think it is different in any other way of life."

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said leading the team comes with a “significant responsibility” to protect its legacy, after it marked 60 years since its Formula 1 debut and its 1,000th grand prix at this season’s Monaco Grand Prix. Stella said: "It is certainly a significant responsibility, coupled with a sense of pride, which I'm sure is shared by all my colleagues in the team. It is a privilege to lead this team because of what it represents in the history and present of Formula 1, but above all because of the way the team continues to look ahead and tackle challenges: striving every day to be better than yesterday. There's a desire to write new chapters that live up to the tradition we carry on our shoulders, and to do so in true McLaren style."

Mercedes technical director James Allison says Formula 1’s new regulations are still “immature”, which is driving an unusually rapid development race as teams continue to find big performance gains. Allison said: "One of the defining characteristics of this regulation cycle is just how immature the regulations still are. Development rates are enormous compared to previous years. On the aerodynamic side, the gain rate we're seeing in the wind tunnel is roughly six or seven times greater than it was last season. It's roughly half a second every couple of months, which is a very significant rate of progress."


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