Belgian Grand Prix 2018: Qualifying team radio
23 radio messages were recorded during qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix 2018, across 11 drivers. Lewis HAMILTON had the most, with 9.
These are transcripts of real team radio audio, produced by speech recognition and presented as an archive rather than as edited prose. Radio is clipped and noisy, so wording can be imperfect. Each message is attributed to the driver or their engineer, and the original audio is playable in the archive.
Who was on the radio
- Lewis HAMILTON · Mercedes · 9 messages
- Kimi RAIKKONEN · Ferrari · 2 messages
- Valtteri BOTTAS · Mercedes · 2 messages
- Kevin MAGNUSSEN · Haas · 2 messages
- Sergio PEREZ · Force India · 2 messages
- Carlos SAINZ · Renault · 1 message
- Romain GROSJEAN · Haas · 1 message
- Daniel RICCIARDO · Red Bull · 1 message
- Max VERSTAPPEN · Red Bull · 1 message
- Esteban OCON · Force India · 1 message
- Sebastian VETTEL · Ferrari · 1 message
Every message, in the order it happened
Kimi RAIKKONEN: Cut-off time? Cut
Engineer: -off time is 44 and on your dash we have 42.7.
Engineer: OK Luce, that time is safe, but we'll take another lap for learning.
Engineer: Gellis, so we'll box, box, box, box, so now P2, just under four tenths to Reichenen, you are purple in the middle sector.
Engineer: And all TAR TAPs are reading correct.
Carlos SAINZ: Yeah, I have no grip. It's incredible. No rear grip. Even worse than before.
Engineer: Okay, understood Carlos.
Engineer: it's a
Lewis HAMILTON: subtle vibration on these tires okay
Engineer: copy
Engineer: So you were purple middle sector two tenths faster just under two tenths in sectors one and three
Engineer: P-10 is 43.84, you're 43.31. Do
Romain GROSJEAN: you think we need to re-engain then?
Engineer: Yeah, we're studying that now.
Romain GROSJEAN: Okay, if we do, I'll like 0.2 more even. Understood, we'll get that on the car.
Engineer: So there is a bit of a threat of rain. So basically we will get ready with the car and then follow the instructions. It's not imminent, it's more for Q3, for the second part of Q3. So just let's get ready anytime.
Engineer: Need good braking, we need good braking
Engineer: It is raining here at least in the pit lane.
Engineer: Possible drops in turn 8.
Engineer: Okay Max, just focus on your dash at this stage.
Max VERSTAPPEN: Right, I need to warm the tyres, it's raining.
Engineer: If
Lewis HAMILTON: it's too wet you make the call we are ready
Engineer: So Valtteri, we're going to fuel for the session and we can run in it. We'll go down our normal flap adjust for the inter-tires.
Engineer: OK Lewis, so we've had a few cars falling off track into turn 18, into turn 1 and turn 5, so just be careful on the braking. Just need a nice clean lap.
Engineer: How is the dark, Kimi?
Kimi RAIKKONEN: Yeah, it's wet. It's raining more and more all the time.
Engineer: It
Kimi RAIKKONEN: was pretty slippery.
Engineer: OK Lewis, we are just on the cusp of getting two more laps.
Engineer: So it'll be one more lap and go for strap mode 2, plenty of space behind.
Engineer: So, Esteban, that is P3. P3. You're joking. You're joking. Well
Esteban OCON: done.
Engineer: Yes! Well done mate! Oh that was excruciating. Fantastic job sir, that's P1. Awesome lap there mate, really nailed it on that final sector. That
Lewis HAMILTON: was close.
Engineer: That
Lewis HAMILTON: was one tougher lap to do. Great job guys, getting us out on time.
Sergio PEREZ: Where we end up?
Engineer: Check out your P4, P4 Did you not hear me? So Hamilton, Vettel, Esteban, then yourself, Grosjean, Raikkonen, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Magnussen, Bottas
Sergio PEREZ: I thought there were many others to complete the drive, we were so unlucky man, how far we were from pole?
Engineer: 3 and a bit seconds, so yeah, it's pretty tight to P3, it's less than a tenth
Sergio PEREZ: Yeah, unlucky but could have been worse, so well done for the team Yeah,
Engineer: we
Sergio PEREZ: were lucky not to get another lap
Engineer: in
Sergio PEREZ: Good job guys
Engineer: P2, Sebastian P2 Good effort, I'm at 158.1 Ok,
Sebastian VETTEL: that was far from ideal I had, well you saw everything so Yeah, I did
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