Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2020: Qualifying team radio
60 radio messages were recorded during qualifying at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2020, across 19 drivers. Max VERSTAPPEN had the most, with 10.
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
- Max VERSTAPPEN · Red Bull · 10 messages
- Pierre GASLY · AlphaTauri · 6 messages
- Carlos SAINZ · McLaren · 6 messages
- Pietro FITTIPALDI · Haas · 4 messages
- Sergio PEREZ · Racing Point · 4 messages
- Kevin MAGNUSSEN · Haas · 3 messages
- Lewis HAMILTON · Mercedes · 3 messages
- Lance STROLL · Racing Point · 3 messages
- Daniil KVYAT · AlphaTauri · 3 messages
- George RUSSELL · Williams · 2 messages
- Sebastian VETTEL · Ferrari · 2 messages
- Kimi RAIKKONEN · Alfa Romeo · 2 messages
- Antonio GIOVINAZZI · Alfa Romeo · 2 messages
- Lando NORRIS · McLaren · 2 messages
- Esteban OCON · Renault · 2 messages
- Charles LECLERC · Ferrari · 2 messages
- Valtteri BOTTAS · Mercedes · 2 messages
- Nicholas LATIFI · Williams · 1 message
- Alexander ALBON · Red Bull · 1 message
Every message, in the order it happened
Engineer: Okay Kev, no one went so we'll just get a good time on the border baseline and then we'll improve from there.
Pietro FITTIPALDI: Radio check.
Engineer: Yep, loud and clear, loud and clear. So you're the only cars on track, you and Kevin in the minutes, no traffic threat from behind.
Pietro FITTIPALDI: Kevin's gone quite a bit slow
Engineer: Okay, remember, mode push, mode push.
Max VERSTAPPEN: I already have a flat one because of the Williams guy sending the car out. Unbelievable. What an idiot.
Engineer: So happy for a bit more speed on this straight just to keep those rears where they are and a medium break Okay, so we want to keep these temperatures where they are now
Lewis HAMILTON: Just check the floor, might have some damage.
Engineer: Okay, copy, will do.
Engineer: Strat 2, DRS up please Strat 2, DRS up Your radio is really cracking up
George RUSSELL: Tires are nowhere, way too hot, way too hot, no rear either, need to take some fluff out, ten and a half out
Engineer: No glue, so currently a P7 with that time, just under a second off, so definitely getting lap 1 out of the tyre now.
Engineer: This is a less full throttle in the outlap between 10 or 11 and 14, 15, 16, that section, less full throttle in the outlap.
Max VERSTAPPEN: I got stuck with my hand in the cockpit out of turn 6, that's why that happens bad.
Engineer: Pierre, we were very marginal, track limit 121, very marginal
Pierre GASLY: I know, yeah I know Copy
Engineer: that, we had a warning
Engineer: A lot of cars behind you, be careful in the last couple of corners, they don't try to do anything clever.
Engineer: OK, your brakes are good. Everyone is in phase around you.
Nicholas LATIFI: I spun on the last surface temps were nowhere. Sorry guys
George RUSSELL: Yeah, sorry guys, those tyres were just nowhere. Really, really struggled.
Engineer: F***,
Pietro FITTIPALDI: I can't believe I couldn't improve that last lap.
Engineer: F***, it
Pietro FITTIPALDI: was too much traffic.
Engineer: I have f***ed
Kimi RAIKKONEN: it up.
Engineer: Yeah, we're out. 16.
Engineer: Good job, Kev. Good last qualifying. You made some big gains in there. It was a tricky lap with that toe, but you did really good, man. Thanks a lot.
Engineer: I can do a box at the end of this lap, box at the end of this lap, that's the checker, we can use the in button please, in button, and stay negative to the delta.
Pietro FITTIPALDI: Hi, I couldn't, the f***ing teeth you spun in front of me. Yeah,
Engineer: we saw mate, we saw. That's a solid effort from you with P19, P19. About three tenths off Kevin, good effort man, really good effort, nice job.
Pietro FITTIPALDI: Thanks man, f***, I can't believe I couldn't improve that last lap. That's too much traffic. Yeah,
Engineer: Kevin got a bit better on the last push, I'm sure you would have had it without that weird start to the lap.
Pietro FITTIPALDI: Yeah, I had no, I had no, I locked up into turn one, no temps.
Engineer: Copy that dude.
Pietro FITTIPALDI: That's alright, we executed it the best we could.
Engineer: Yeah man. Good job. Weybridge didn't help a cent. You
Pietro FITTIPALDI: always gotta get that you guy right, it's ridiculous.
Carlos SAINZ: I shouldn't catch them at the end of my push lap.
Engineer: No, I'm happy, just focus on the tyre preparation.
Engineer: More push, more push.
Engineer: So waiting for other cars to complete their laps, but to Valtteri, your P1, Valtteri P2, just under half a tenth, sorry, just over half a tenth.
Engineer: Okay, what do you think about the flap for the next run? Shall we go halfway?
Pierre GASLY: Yeah
Engineer: Okay, we do that
Max VERSTAPPEN: Oh, the tire has completely dropped off at the end.
Engineer: What
Max VERSTAPPEN: the hell?
Lando NORRIS: Spin one was terrible. I did it because of the tires, but I felt like I lose a lot there.
Engineer: The lap was looking good until then.
Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, it needs to be good to hold that.
Engineer: The lap was looking good until then.
Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, it needs to be good to hold that.
Engineer: The checker will have some rear temp, so you can do some good speed down to turn 11, but just a medium brake.
Sergio PEREZ: How's
Engineer: the
Sergio PEREZ: track cool down at all?
Engineer: Track temp is one degree down, one degree cooler track.
Engineer: Ok, go go go I
Antonio GIOVINAZZI: can't read his swot
Engineer: Copy Antonio
Sergio PEREZ: That's
Engineer: our
Sergio PEREZ: final qualifying together guys. One more tomorrow. Let's give it all.
Lance STROLL: Science is pushing me on. Forget about science, don't worry about science.
Engineer: Leave him to go, leave him to go.
Engineer: Ok, so ahead both Mercedes, they are on soft tyres so their outlaps might be slower than yours, just manage that as you need to. The gap ahead of the Mercs is to Ricciardo, he's already through turn 9.
Engineer: Okay, so Norris has dropped off. So just think about waking up your fronts. Temperatures are looking good.
Esteban OCON: Yeah, the grip is poor for some reason guys, at the moment.
Engineer: Copy that Esteban.
Sebastian VETTEL: Gave it everything I had.
Engineer: I
Sebastian VETTEL: was copy-paste Q1. No better, no worse.
Engineer: Copy that, thank you.
Esteban OCON: We have a trans tomorrow, don't worry, it's not over.
Engineer: Ok Pierre, that's P10 Ok,
Pierre GASLY: let's go up with the flap
Engineer: Ok, understood And think about the next run, what you want to do for the next session If you want to use tyre or we go straight out on you, think about it
Pierre GASLY: Let's do use, let's hope we have a bank current case or something happens Ok understood, box, box, YJBL Yeah, let's have a look 18-19 for front grip, maybe I should not use the third toggle Yeah,
Engineer: we are checking, stay negative on box
Engineer: Lance you're 10 seconds before the end so don't go through the red light
Carlos SAINZ: So we see the ball shape or engine braking that we should try.
Engineer: Think
Carlos SAINZ: about it in the autobahn and let me know.
Engineer: Copy.
Engineer: And we weave again this straight until the end.
Daniil KVYAT: Question, should I do the offset for third sector also, like before?
Engineer: Affirmative, affirmative.
Engineer: Okay, target a good gap to Gasly. Last time your gap was 8 seconds.
Carlos SAINZ: This is what we cannot accept, guys. Come on. Refocus, but it's
Engineer: a
Carlos SAINZ: pain.
Daniil KVYAT: Curie Balance was pretty good for a used tyre, so we should target something like that, what do you think?
Engineer: Agreed, agreed.
Engineer: Box, box, box, box. You can reset your switches. Offset 0.
Pierre GASLY: Yeah, I need some help for the traction. Yeah, we have to deal
Engineer: with it at the moment. There is nothing coming. We'll be good with the new tyre and we follow the plan for the flap. Multi B9, diff, position 6. Multi B9, diff, position 6.
Max VERSTAPPEN: I called to start it up, just because of the traffic.
Carlos SAINZ: Better out loud. We we have it
Engineer: Reference will be Stroll P7, 36.19 and we are losing one tenth.
Charles LECLERC: Why is the reference Stroll? We are fighting McLaren too. Tell me the time of McLaren. Copy,
Engineer: so signs as a reference, new soft, 35.8 and in terms of sectors... We are losing two tenth sector one, one tenth sector two and three. Losing two tenth sector one and one tenth sector two and three. Track is clear behind.
Engineer: So Carlos the plan for Toys will be as the previous lap So Bluebell 4 to open the lap and changing to Bluebell 5 before turn 8 You could also consider Torque 3 for turn 1 only but it would only be for turn 1
Engineer: All you have, Valtteri.
Engineer: Pole position. That's the statement right there. Excellent job. Yes! Come on, boys, come! Yes! Well done, Max. Well done, Max. Mega, mega lap. Fantastic middle sector. So it's the first non-Mercedes pole of the year. Well done. Oh, this feels good. Well done, boys. Amazing. Amazing.
Engineer: Ah, bad luck. P2, Verstappen, P1.
Valtteri BOTTAS: Oh, damn.
Engineer: P4! P4! Get in! F*** yeah! Haha! Nice! One of my better laps. I'm happy with that one. Nice one mate. Well done. Well done. Good job mate. Very good lap. Well done. First target accomplished. More tomorrow. I think it's the first time all year I feel like I've actually done an alright lap. Feel the same? Talk about saving it to the last moment, hey?
Pierre GASLY: Multibit 2. Difficult. Yeah,
Engineer: that was not good. Multibit 2, safety car 2, stay negative. I
Pierre GASLY: don't understand why I struggle so much, 7, or even more on the STI Fx, I'm struggling with the snaps on exit.
Engineer: Yeah, we still think we're pushing too hard on 7. On 7 in turn 11. I
Pierre GASLY: can't turn the car, like turn 12, I try to carry more speed, but I just go straight.
Engineer: Yeah, that's the limit, we found the limit there, there's no more we could have done. Ok, so Danny is P7 and we are P10.
Engineer: Okay, everyone's done you are p6 Carlos you are p6
Carlos SAINZ: Yeah, sorry for that. I've got this thing Turn eight nine on the foot there. It was noble.
Engineer: Yeah
Engineer: And slow button on, slow button on, target zero on the dash, yep, yep
Charles LECLERC: F***
Engineer: Stroll still needs to complete the lap I don't mind, it's P8 or P9 anyway, we were slow, we've lost view quality And P9, P9 Yeah I know, we were slow, we've lost so much Copy, and target zero on the dash
Engineer: Cracking job. Really, really good. We
Max VERSTAPPEN: just had to send it.
Engineer: Amazing. That was less than a tenth. There's eight hundredths between you and Hamilton in third.
Max VERSTAPPEN: Wow, that makes it even better.
Engineer: So that's P8, Lance, P8. Good job, mate. Well driven.
Daniil KVYAT: Danny P7 fantastic. Yes, boy. Yes
Engineer: Good
Daniil KVYAT: lap. That was good Good lap. I enjoyed this so much. Thank you. Thank you Do you was no nice quality great quality Danny great quality. You can do a very good race from there tomorrow Good one, mate. Thanks, Jonathan it was Very good a good car from you guys. Good car really well done improved so much
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