Mexican Grand Prix 2018: Race team radio
65 radio messages were recorded during race at the Mexican Grand Prix 2018, across 13 drivers. 64 of them have a transcript; the rest are audio only. Lewis HAMILTON had the most, with 15.
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 · 15 messages
- Daniel RICCIARDO · Red Bull · 13 messages
- Max VERSTAPPEN · Red Bull · 9 messages
- Sebastian VETTEL · Ferrari · 6 messages
- Brendon HARTLEY · Toro Rosso · 4 messages
- Romain GROSJEAN · Haas · 4 messages
- Pierre GASLY · Toro Rosso · 3 messages
- Nico HULKENBERG · Renault · 3 messages
- Valtteri BOTTAS · Mercedes · 2 messages
- Esteban OCON · Force India · 2 messages
- Stoffel VANDOORNE · McLaren · 2 messages
- Fernando ALONSO · McLaren · 1 message
- Sergio PEREZ · Force India · 1 message
Every message, in the order it happened
Audio only, no transcript available for this message.
Engineer: And the wind direction appears to be headwind turn 4, headwind turn 4.
Engineer: I just locked the front, it's all good. Yeah, understood.
Engineer: The car
Lewis HAMILTON: is sliding around a lot with these rear tyres, I don't feel like they're either working or just the car felt like it's flexing quite a lot through the first turn 3 and just a lot of sliding in the rear OK copy Lewis, yeah looks like the track's in a fairly dirty condition, we'll have a chat how it's going
Engineer: Okay, so track temp's kind of mid-30s still. Still a lot of cloud over, but get occasional sunny spells, but looks at the moment like the start of the race is going to be pretty cloudy.
Brendon HARTLEY: I got a big platform guys. I'm gonna have to box
Esteban OCON: i have damaged front wing keep
Engineer: going and we'll see what it's like so you will be pitting esteban you will be pitting you have half the front wing missing you will be pitting
Romain GROSJEAN: Williams just drove into me, in the straight. I think he clipped my front wing.
Engineer: OK, understood. We'll check the data. From what we have right now, front wing looks OK. How's the balance?
Romain GROSJEAN: I don't know. There's traffic everywhere. But that was very dangerous. He just drove into me.
Engineer: Understood. We have reported it.
Lewis HAMILTON: Bounce is okay, little bit sliding in
Engineer: the
Lewis HAMILTON: rear
Romain GROSJEAN: Man, they're f***ing driving everywhere. It's
Engineer: a
Romain GROSJEAN: mess. Copy that, copy. The Torozo just pushed me wide and then changed direction on the braking.
Engineer: I hit a frogweed from a cone in 10-4, maybe it's OK. Understood, we have checked the data, everything looks OK. OK, Fernando, we need to stop the car, we need to stop the car, pull over to one side in a safe place, please. OK, stop. Sure? Standby. Yes, we're definitely sure. Pull over to one side. And once you stop, P1, pause, P0. Sorry, mate, I'll explain in a minute. OK, P0.
Engineer: The tyres are quite fragile.
Engineer: How was the CarMax?
Max VERSTAPPEN: All manageable, sir.
Engineer: Understood. Just make sure we keep active on the tools.
Engineer: And suggest coming down on diff high speed.
Lewis HAMILTON: Just leave it to it, leave it to it for now, I've got it. OK.
Engineer: Hamilton may be struggling a little bit with front graining, bit of front graining for Hamilton
Romain GROSJEAN: If he could stop moving back to the right and turn forward, that would help me a lot
Engineer: because
Romain GROSJEAN: I can't attack because he's just moving back on the racing line. I know my front wing is next to him, but if I'm going for it, I'm just going to crash into him.
Engineer: Understood, understood.
Max VERSTAPPEN: Wait, we are really struggling.
Engineer: Yeah, I know Right everything you got this lap, please max everything you've got
Sebastian VETTEL: Tires are going off a bit, but we try to hang in there.
Engineer: Understood. Copy that.
Engineer: Very good lap, very good lap. Okay, push the ladder.
Sebastian VETTEL: Happy to stay as long as we can. Okay,
Engineer: copy.
Sebastian VETTEL: It's
Engineer: a
Sebastian VETTEL: long way to go.
Engineer: I
Valtteri BOTTAS: don't know if I lost something in the contact, I found that the carpet is terrible, sliding a lot.
Engineer: So at the time we checked because we thought there was maybe slight contact but couldn't see any damage on the aero sensors.
Engineer: We just need to sit tight. We're in great shape.
Stoffel VANDOORNE: This space here is ridiculous. We can't get past.
Sebastian VETTEL: What did he do with the front wing?
Engineer: As discussed, as discussed. Come back with the tail switch as well. We believe everybody is going to the end.
Engineer: This
Lewis HAMILTON: tire doesn't feel great.
Engineer: You can use Scenario 3 if it'll give you an opportunity. Switch to Scenario 3 before Turn 12 if it will give you an opportunity. Tyres look good.
Engineer: OK, so Hamilton not very happy on his tyres, so let's just keep a watching distance and have a look.
Daniel RICCIARDO: Understood.
Lewis HAMILTON: The front is opening a little bit.
Engineer: Okay, copy.
Engineer: Chugging it.
Daniel RICCIARDO: Yeah, I can feel a bit of front left again.
Engineer: Okay, so there are three cars that started on supers that went through a bit of graining but it looks like they recovered a little bit after 20, 25 laps.
Lewis HAMILTON: My left front is opening up.
Engineer: So tyre appearance looks similar to others around us. So we'll update you in about 10 laps time if the plan changes.
Engineer: This is not going to be straightforward to the end of this race Max either one two stops
Engineer: OK Max, so again, settle down, look after the tyres, there's a lot of troubles behind.
Engineer: Verstappen two seconds behind It
Nico HULKENBERG: is
Engineer: indeed
Nico HULKENBERG: What's happening with Carlos?
Engineer: Don't know Nicko, let's keep focused.
Engineer: We're coming in. Negative, staying out, staying out.
Engineer: In all of this negativity, you are doing a stellar job.
Max VERSTAPPEN: Thank you, son.
Engineer: Green, green, green. Press overtake before turn 12. Green, green, green.
Daniel RICCIARDO: What a joke these guys.
Engineer: Yeah, I understood. Let's just cut through it
Engineer: Ok mate, I know we've got **** over there, just remember you need to keep looking after that left front, that is the main aim.
Engineer: Come on Brendan, let's catch him!
Engineer: Okay, so about six seconds ahead of you Vettel has just passed Hamilton. Hamilton isn't very happy.
Sergio PEREZ: Well, I have no brake. It's very long, very very long.
Romain GROSJEAN: Not fair, where does he want me to go? I leave the door open so there's no crash and he just f***ing pushes me off.
Engineer: Understood, we'll pass it on.
Engineer: And Ricciardo at 21.7, and the gap is at 4.4.
Lewis HAMILTON: How's
Engineer: it
Lewis HAMILTON: gone from 6 seconds to 4.4?
Engineer: Now Ricciardo's pace is picking up, so the fronts may have cleaned on his car. We have reports of debris between turns 3 and 4. And Ricciardo at 20.7, gap at 3.2.
Lewis HAMILTON: You're either giving me the wrong times, man. I just did a 21.8, how can you gain a second in that lap?
Engineer: Ricciardo at 20.8.
Engineer: Hamilton struggling with vibrations, his left front is angry
Engineer: Big Vibraker Copy that Lewis, we're monitoring the vibrations Is
Lewis HAMILTON: anyone else struggling like this?
Engineer: I think it's just you and Valtteri Lewis that are struggling
Engineer: Let us know for tail status, we are... Yes, mostly vibrations. OK, understood.
Engineer: Nothing left guys. These tyres are dead. Copy Lewis, we're looking at the options. Box, box, box, box.
Engineer: Oh f**k,
Esteban OCON: nothing is going well in this race. Copy that.
Engineer: So we've just got Raikkonen just on our safety car window.
Lewis HAMILTON: Is that really important right now?
Pierre GASLY: You pushed me off the track.
Engineer: Copy, Pierre. Quick, focus. We will report it to Charlie, Pierre.
Pierre GASLY: Didn't leave me any space.
Engineer: OK mate, nice job. Let's open that gap in this high speed, you can do it.
Engineer: It's good stuff this mate, just keep it up.
Daniel RICCIARDO: Thank you, keep me posted.
Engineer: OK, Vettel does not have DRS.
Daniel RICCIARDO: What's
Engineer: the
Daniel RICCIARDO: gap across the line? Gap
Engineer: 1.4, 1.4. Isla Slappers, just a couple of tenths quickly, maybe one tenth.
Max VERSTAPPEN: Um, yeah, check my engine if we need to turn it on, turn it on.
Engineer: Understood.
Engineer: Ok mate, we may have a bit of a problem, we're looking into it You'll have very heavy steering, stop the car please, stop the car, stop the car Sorry mate, I don't know what to say You're doing a brilliant job
Daniel RICCIARDO: Me too, alright
Engineer: Yeah, P1 please and then P2 So sorry mate
Daniel RICCIARDO: I'll save it
Engineer: Yep, understood
Sebastian VETTEL: Smoke coming from his car
Engineer: Copy that, copy that Yeah, big time, so watch out for delivery truck Yeah, that's his engine
Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, massive brake pulling, I need to warm them up.
Engineer: Understood.
Max VERSTAPPEN: Again, if you need to turn it down, just do it.
Engineer: Understood.
Pierre GASLY: I'm super fast in the straights.
Engineer: That was Purple, sector 2 and 3, we don't need it mate.
Max VERSTAPPEN: I know we don't need it, but it's nice.
Engineer: Yeah, OK Max, that's Purple, please slow it down. There you go, BOTAS on the pressure set, it's out of reach, don't worry about it, bring it home.
Max VERSTAPPEN: OK.
Engineer: Thank you.
Engineer: It just depends on the progress you make through back marker traffic.
Engineer: And two laps to go, the gap behind is Kimi, 28.6, Kimi going to the end, one stop, 21.6 is last time lap.
Sebastian VETTEL: Well done.
Engineer: That's it Lewis, that's P4 and the 2018 World Championship, five times mate, five times. Championship wasn't won today mate, but it was won through a season of solid work and some f***ing great driving.
Lewis HAMILTON: Thank you guys so much for all your hard work, I know it was a tough weekend, but as you said, it's a whole year of great work.
Engineer: Yeah well done Lewis, stop there in the stadium and take the applause from the crowd.
More from this weekend
Every session of the Mexican Grand Prix 2018Search the full archive