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Team radio transcript

Japanese Grand Prix 2018: Qualifying team radio

30 radio messages were recorded during qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix 2018, across 16 drivers. Lewis HAMILTON had the most, with 4.

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

Every message, in the order it happened

  1. Stoffel VANDOORNEMcLaren

    Engineer: and just check the light in the pit exit should go green now okay okay so good warm-up lap warm up on brakes and focus on the fronts okay

  2. Stoffel VANDOORNEMcLaren

    Engineer: Okay, so good warm-up lap, warm-up on brakes and focus on the fronts

  3. Kevin MAGNUSSENHaas

    Engineer: So let's just put the temperature on front tires and then we will drop the rear especially in the last sector

  4. Charles LECLERCSauber

    Engineer: Quali push, quali push.

  5. Romain GROSJEANHaas

    Engineer: You were 0.24 quicker than Kevin. I don't know if you want to try something different at 11 since you had so much understeer in the difficult exit. If you want to try the more shape on the funk. Which one is it? Funk 4 will give you more shape in 11.

  6. Fernando ALONSOMcLaren

    Engineer: The clouds are getting darker

  7. Charles LECLERCSauber

    Engineer: Red flag, red flag.

  8. Sergio PEREZForce India

    Engineer: You're just coming up to it now, Checo. It's Ericsson, turn 7 to 8. It's Ericsson, turn 7 to 8.

  9. Nico HULKENBERGRenault

    Nico HULKENBERG: Where was that? What corner?

    Engineer: Ah, sorry, I didn't see. Looks like 8.

  10. Sergio PEREZForce India

    Sergio PEREZ: Copy, it's all ok with the engine, it's just the lack of deployment on

    Engineer: the back straight and main straight. Checo, we're happy with it, we're happy with it.

  11. Nico HULKENBERGRenault

    Engineer: Nico, there was a shower earlier across turn 13-14, so just be careful of those corners on your outlap.

  12. Romain GROSJEANHaas

    Engineer: Rahman, Kevin has a battery problem. He needs to recharge. He needs to push on the slap. If you can let him pass He's just gonna push and pull away. No problem. Go now. Go now. Thank you very much Rahman. Thank you

  13. Carlos SAINZRenault

    Engineer: OK, recharge on, and can we have a quick in-lap please, good lap.

  14. Carlos SAINZRenault

    Carlos SAINZ: Yeah, one step up on the flap.

    Engineer: Understood.

  15. Sergio PEREZForce India

    Engineer: In cool, in cool, work on full throttle, work on full throttle, cool lap and one more timed, cool lap and one more timed.

  16. Stoffel VANDOORNEMcLaren

    Engineer: Stoffel, it looks like you pulled an accidental upshift, then downshift, exit of turn 7, can you confirm that was you, or do we need to exchange the steering wheel?

    Stoffel VANDOORNE: No, that was me, that was me.

    Engineer: Okay, copy.

    Stoffel VANDOORNE: Yeah, also this outlap was not great, tyres were cold to start.

    Engineer: Confirmed.

  17. Nico HULKENBERGRenault

    Engineer: We don't have anything serious down here at the moment. Could work in our favour anyway.

  18. Lance STROLLWilliams

    Engineer: Nice, okay currently P11, subcar still to run, stand by.

  19. Pierre GASLYToro Rosso

    Pierre GASLY: Check again, out of 11, some holes on power. We

    Engineer: saw them, we saw, we are checking. And we are P10, P10. Ok. What about flap?

    Pierre GASLY: The car was good, the car was good, just turned 11, still a bit the same, washout at the apex. Obviously overall I was happy with the car. Still a bit under steer 10-14, but I will do the normal step from now on.

    Engineer: Copy.

  20. Lewis HAMILTONMercedes

    Engineer: So nothing really on the radar to speak of.

  21. Pierre GASLYToro Rosso

    Pierre GASLY: There is a truck and there are few drops of rain.

  22. Pierre GASLYToro Rosso

    Engineer: What about FLAP Pierre? What about FLAP?

    Pierre GASLY: I think it was ok, just some understeer. Turned forward in quite a lot, but I'll use the tools to do something there.

    Engineer: Copy.

  23. Lewis HAMILTONMercedes

    Engineer: And Nathan, if you can have a look left-hand side of the floor, we run a bit wide on a kerb.

    Lewis HAMILTON: I didn't really run wide anywhere.

    Engineer: OK, we just saw a bit of oscillation just on the rear wheel speed, so we just have to check it. OK, left side.

  24. Valtteri BOTTASMercedes

    Engineer: So we're seeing more rain here, Valtteri says it's up to you, but don't risk the car. It's slippery, box. Copy that, box, box, box.

  25. Kimi RAIKKONENFerrari

    Engineer: And we will wait for 30 seconds in front of the pit lane.

  26. Lewis HAMILTONMercedes

    Engineer: Okay, so maybe some rain around Spoon.

  27. Brendon HARTLEYToro Rosso

    Engineer: We need a high speed weaving high speed weaving and we need to synchronize all the gears position is good

  28. Max VERSTAPPENRed Bull

    Max VERSTAPPEN: We have to take some fuel out

    Engineer: Yep

  29. Lewis HAMILTONMercedes

    Engineer: It'll be hitting turn one first.

  30. Sebastian VETTELFerrari

    Sebastian VETTEL: Heavy rain, heavy rain. Copy that. Let me know if this is getting worse.

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