Singapore Grand Prix 2018: Qualifying team radio
32 radio messages were recorded during qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix 2018, across 12 drivers. 31 of them have a transcript; the rest are audio only. Sebastian VETTEL had the most, with 7.
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
- Sebastian VETTEL · Ferrari · 7 messages
- Max VERSTAPPEN · Red Bull · 7 messages
- Lewis HAMILTON · Mercedes · 5 messages
- Kimi RAIKKONEN · Ferrari · 3 messages
- Daniel RICCIARDO · Red Bull · 2 messages
- Romain GROSJEAN · Haas · 2 messages
- Sergey SIROTKIN · Williams · 1 message
- Sergio PEREZ · Force India · 1 message
- Stoffel VANDOORNE · McLaren · 1 message
- Charles LECLERC · Sauber · 1 message
- Fernando ALONSO · McLaren · 1 message
- Carlos SAINZ · Renault · 1 message
Every message, in the order it happened
Sergey SIROTKIN: Check the brake bias, please. It's been very strange lap.
Engineer: OK, couple that. We'll take a look.
Engineer: We go again for another attempt, 38.5, he's going again now.
Engineer: We are happy with the time. You can box.
Engineer: Okay, happy with that. We can come in.
Engineer: We think that lap is safe. Let us know if you want to go again.
Daniel RICCIARDO: I'm okay.
Engineer: Alright, so we'll box this lap. Just top up the battery on the way in please.
Engineer: Oh
Max VERSTAPPEN: mate, I short shifted and the engine stuck a handbrake, it's not working, it's not working.
Sergio PEREZ: Tires are on the hot side, Checo. Tires are on the hot side. Can I do everything?
Engineer: Understood, Checo. Understood. We do need a bit more full throttle time.
Lewis HAMILTON: Rears are done, man!
Engineer: OK, NISO, watch for the right bridge. You
Lewis HAMILTON: guys need to listen a little bit more, I told you I can go faster.
Engineer: That is p16 p16. I
Stoffel VANDOORNE: was such a messy laugh
Engineer: OK, box, please Max, box.
Max VERSTAPPEN: I'm almost, yeah, I'm almost stopping on track.
Engineer: Yep, box and confirm please. Box, pick confirm. It's not running, it's not running.
Engineer: And if you can back off a bit Kimi for a better traffic.
Engineer: Vettel is on an Ultra, Turn 14 is locking the front right.
Kimi RAIKKONEN: Yeah, it's just not fast enough.
Engineer: Understood.
Kimi RAIKKONEN: Yeah, it's way too slow, and it's pointless to keep going.
Engineer: OK, Kimi, box, Kimi, box.
Charles LECLERC: Check the car. I touched the wall.
Engineer: Copy, we're checking.
Charles LECLERC: Everything feels fine.
Engineer: Copy, Charlie.
Engineer: If you believe there is strong merit to start on the option, I can do it. No, we go on QALY. Decision is to go on QALY, it's too risky. OK, I follow you. I tell you I have more than half a second. Understood. And target to T2.
Engineer: Not in
Lewis HAMILTON: a good gap here, I've got tons of cars around me, can
Engineer: I back up? You can back off if you drop behind Perez, you then go about a 10 second gap to Sainz.
Sebastian VETTEL: That was a nasty spot
Engineer: OK, Fernando, we are P11, P11.
Fernando ALONSO: Nice.
Engineer: Free choice of tyre tomorrow, so not a bad place to start. Yeah, that's
Fernando ALONSO: good, guys.
Engineer: Well done. Good
Fernando ALONSO: weekend so far. It's completed tomorrow.
Carlos SAINZ: Yeah, no grip. Absolutely no grip.
Engineer: Ok, understood Carlos. This ****
Carlos SAINZ: me off. Yeah, how is it possible that we are not able to repeat the thing we did on the first run? With carcass, pressures and everything. We were not able.
Engineer: Still the engine is a little bit better, but the same characteristics Yeah, we can see some issues potentially in 14 and 15. We'll go through them may have been related to pitching There yet, you know, so 16 17 19
Engineer: Okay, currently rear right is minus 4, that's not a bad place to be, front right is minus 2, so eyes on dash.
Engineer: Track is clear, you can push.
Engineer: That's a pretty epic lap, Lewis, pretty epic lap.
Engineer: It's
Daniel RICCIARDO: pretty disconnected, so I think the outlap and that helped, but first few corners was losing the rear, then losing the front middle sector.
Engineer: OK Munster, we'll set things back to how they were on the previous run.
Sebastian VETTEL: Try next time to get me a good outlap, and notice that the Mercedes are a lot slower than us.
Engineer: Understood.
Audio only, no transcript available for this message.
Romain GROSJEAN: God damn it!
Lewis HAMILTON: Sorry guys, I didn't get any direction.
Engineer: You've done it mate! That was an epic first lap, jeez.
Lewis HAMILTON: Luis this is Toto, this was the most epic lap I've ever seen around here.
Engineer: Thank you man, great
Lewis HAMILTON: job guys. Really great job.
Engineer: So in the last run basically nobody improved, first up and also went three tenths slower. The track was faster. OK, Bottas basically same lap time, Hamilton went slower, probably did a mistake. Kimi improved, stay negative, stay negative.
Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, I'm on top of it.
Engineer: Ah, man, that engine again. See you there, Max. Turn 16. You won half ten seconds before then, and nobody improved. Nobody improved.
Engineer: Hard luck. That was an immense job. Absolutely immense. That made me smile a bit.
Engineer: Okay, dude, so you can box, go to the bridge, and we'll see you in a bit. You were going for it, man.
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