Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021: Qualifying team radio
73 radio messages were recorded during qualifying at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021, across 18 drivers. 72 of them have a transcript; the rest are audio only. Charles LECLERC 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
- Charles LECLERC · Ferrari · 10 messages
- Max VERSTAPPEN · Red Bull · 8 messages
- Carlos SAINZ · Ferrari · 8 messages
- Sergio PEREZ · Red Bull · 7 messages
- Yuki TSUNODA · AlphaTauri · 7 messages
- Sebastian VETTEL · Aston Martin · 6 messages
- Pierre GASLY · AlphaTauri · 6 messages
- Lando NORRIS · McLaren · 4 messages
- Kimi RAIKKONEN · Alfa Romeo · 3 messages
- Fernando ALONSO · Alpine · 3 messages
- Valtteri BOTTAS · Mercedes · 2 messages
- Lance STROLL · Aston Martin · 2 messages
- Esteban OCON · Alpine · 2 messages
- Nikita MAZEPIN · Haas · 1 message
- George RUSSELL · Williams · 1 message
- Mick SCHUMACHER · Haas · 1 message
- Lewis HAMILTON · Mercedes · 1 message
- Daniel RICCIARDO · McLaren · 1 message
Every message, in the order it happened
Audio only, no transcript available for this message.
Engineer: 10 seconds to green light
Engineer: OK, you know the drill for this outlap. Nice and positive, turn 5, turn 9, the rest of the outlap. Tyre 6 for now. Tyre 6 for now, we'll get gear sync to turn 5.
Engineer: Please repeat Seven cars ahead now six cars ahead
Engineer: Good warm-up on the brakes, Perez starting time-lapse, he's 35 behind you And behind him is Sebastian, he's 15 seconds behind Perez
Sergio PEREZ: Yeah, like some front end there towards the end it is getting more stable
Engineer: Actually, probably the best will be to do another charge, so you will have everybody in phase. If not, you will have a car slow during your push laps. Signs, 9 seconds behind. Keep me updated. 8 seconds. 7.
Engineer: Tukas preparing the lap in front
Yuki TSUNODA: Code down please
Engineer: Any tools adjust required Matt, for the next lap?
Max VERSTAPPEN: No, I'll just try it again, just normal offsets.
Engineer: Yeah, copy. Just remember that VVAL 3 if you need it, after turn 9.
Engineer: Okay, how was warm-up on this set, Fernando? It was okay. Okay, copy that. So we've got Vettel four seconds behind.
Fernando ALONSO: And
Engineer: watch your delta, please. So at the moment we're thinking about boxing now, and then do another run on this set. We're currently still P5. And we've got Perez coming up on the time-lapse. I feel I can improve, no? Perez coming up with time-lapse just behind you. Okay, you tell me. You tell me what to do. Speed up, please. Speed up on boxing this lap.
Engineer: Box, box, box, box, you can push in the in-lap. So 23.85, you kill the 23.75 and they had a little bit of a help from a little toe in the back straight. And this was very good, that was very good turn 12, 13, 14, good job. You can push in the in-lap, no need to drop.
Engineer: and no one pushing behind you and red flag, red flag, stay positive
Engineer: So we think it should be quick
Engineer: Okay, we stay on plan, Camille, we stay on plan, we can do the same sequence.
Engineer: Okay, you can vibe the engine
Engineer: We are tight for timing for the second push, depending on the cool down we are doing.
Carlos SAINZ: I'm trying to get the dials back up.
Engineer: Okay, that's good.
Sebastian VETTEL: What was he doing?
Engineer: So timing is tight for the second push, so let's try to nail the first one
Charles LECLERC: OK, I'm OK, but just let him know that we are tight and he defends.
Engineer: OK, we stay where we are. Positions?
Charles LECLERC: Yeah, will be good for him to not slow down too much in the last sector. Copy.
Engineer: And we have 25 seconds margin to start the next lap. 25 seconds margin at the moment. Yes 25 seconds margin to start the lap. Yeah 25
Charles LECLERC: seconds margin to the cooldown lap we had.
Engineer: Yes to the normal cooldown lap. And signed lap time 23.8.
George RUSSELL: Yep, I went tired from nowhere, absolutely nowhere So guys, we didn't need to risk up, we could have gone three Fast, slow, fast, we had the pace, we had the pace
Engineer: Copy that sorry about that. That's right. We'll make them make the car good for tomorrow
Carlos SAINZ: Yeah, the balance on the first tooth was strange, like, less weird than in this. My surface was higher because of the outlap.
Engineer: Yeah, a bit compromised with the tyre condition, I would say. And Charles, 023.46.
Sebastian VETTEL: Again traffic, I
Engineer: mean come on guys
Kimi RAIKKONEN: Yeah, I'm OK, yes.
Engineer: Copy, copy. OK, box please, box.
Kimi RAIKKONEN: I think I got ****
Engineer: on
Kimi RAIKKONEN: my wheels on the right, on the wheels from the kerb, actually, that night.
Engineer: Because it was very slippery on the next lap. OK, copy that. We'll have a look. It was a good lap until then.
Engineer: There's the green light nice and positive on this tire
Engineer: So this compound's just going to need a bit more work.
Engineer: Okay, so Hamilton Bottas leading the field, Gasly, Sunoda ahead of Checo. Whatever you need to do for the tyres.
Engineer: Ok Lando, that didn't quite go to plan, but this is where we are. So our message from Jose is to maximise track usage, entry to turn 16.
Engineer: Yeah, getting on with it. Hamilton looks to have bolted. Bottas just waiting X at 14. Hamilton's gone, you can see Bottas. B-Bell 3, B-Bell 3, handbrake to open the lap. Retarge off. Bottas is gone.
Pierre GASLY: I don't know what's happened, I had a big snap in turn 9 and I lost everything from there.
Engineer: I
Pierre GASLY: know, I was improving, did you see the big snap? I had no grip after that, I couldn't brake.
Engineer: Yoki, we need full throttle as much as possible. Focus on it, please. OK, OK, OK, OK, shot! Multi B14, position 4. Multi B14, position 4.
Pierre GASLY: Have I lost the car in turn 9? I almost spun. I know it's turn 9.
Engineer: But
Pierre GASLY: after that I had no grip.
Charles LECLERC: If we can send the cars with a bit more distance would be good, because then I need to be slow in the last part of the lap. Thank you.
Engineer: Copy, we will do it.
Max VERSTAPPEN: Flat spot. Passive.
Pierre GASLY: I let him pass before the last corner, why does he need to do that?
Engineer: Yeah, copy that, we're reviewing it, box, box.
Engineer: I'm currently P1, it was a very good lap, apart from that turn 9 perhaps.
Carlos SAINZ: Yeah, a bit more understeer in the new tyre.
Yuki TSUNODA: Check fail, fail, fail something, something turn on, fail something number.
Engineer: So Valtteri, let us know, it'll be a QALY turnaround, let us know if you need any more flap, and we're gonna go again on medium. Plus one, on the flap. Copy that.
Engineer: OK, so Lance confirmed we will build. We will do a build lap. Sebastian is eight seconds behind you on out lap. Keep doing the scrubbing, same procedure as before.
Engineer: Ok, push on now Lance, push on, they're all coming out of the pit, so push on now, out two, out two and build, out two and build, Lance.
Engineer: It's like a race out there. Yeah, they are pushing crazy, yeah.
Engineer: How are we doing for time? Loads of time, loads and loads of time. Just don't let anybody else behind. You've got Bottas Outlap behind. How many? Lots of cars behind. Six behind and seven ahead. The group of seven ahead are close together.
Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, McLaren.
Engineer: Recharge on, recharge on. Copy that.
Fernando ALONSO: I was improving the lap time, so, you know, this guy stopped us to improve it, basically. So, yeah,
Engineer: copy that. We're on it.
Pierre GASLY: The brakes were f***ing cold, I could not brake, turn 1, turn 5 was disaster.
Sebastian VETTEL: Every f***ing time is
Engineer: a
Sebastian VETTEL: s***. Sorry guys.
Sebastian VETTEL: It's Carnage again.
Engineer: The
Pierre GASLY: brakes were f***ing cold, I could not brake.
Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, man, I cannot believe it, you know, I mean we will start in his position it's
Engineer: a
Fernando ALONSO: clear impeding, but I cannot believe it
Engineer: Ok, Yuki, we are P8, good job
Yuki TSUNODA: Let's f***ing go, man! Oh, that was a f***ing good lap in first place I'm so happy for this one
Engineer: Box, box, stop in front of the garage Stop in front of the garage Now we do a good Q3
Engineer: It's all OK and green light. All OK on switches.
Engineer: Make sure we're not holding max up just get on with things, get on with things, don't hold max up
Engineer: See Floor, let Max do his thing and let him catch us up in Sector 3.
Charles LECLERC: Keep me updated with that gap.
Engineer: Bottas in front at 24 seconds and track is clear behind.
Engineer: And we have same wind as before, we'll need a good warm up on the brakes, try to stay in front of Ricciardo, he has a scrap soft, or open the gap to him if he needs to be quicker than you on the outlap.
Engineer: OK, trapper now turn 5, let's go, let's go, tow him up to 6, tow him up to 6 and let him through.
Engineer: How's the balance?
Esteban OCON: Balance is alright, but Cardi is doing strange things entry, turn 9 and sideways entering basically
Engineer: Copy that
Engineer: So, unfortunately, the lap was deleted. Turn 16 track limit. Don't worry, we do the same lap and we'll be fine. We have another tyre, we'll be good. Just watch the track limit there.
Lando NORRIS: The red bull screwed me over Yep, okay, I understood It got way too close to me Yeah, it just easily got in my way in the slowest part of the circuit
Engineer: Doesn't seem fair to me
Engineer: Even with our snowmobiles up on the traffic in the left corner. It's 5-0, second margin, 5-0, so should be plenty safe, only four cars in front.
Engineer: Your bias is currently plus one, so you can reset that.
Engineer: Oh
Max VERSTAPPEN: yes!
Engineer: I
Max VERSTAPPEN: didn't expect that one, but amazing job guys! Well
Engineer: done mate, great teamwork, great teamwork, well done, good job.
Engineer: Uh, P3, P3. Great job. Yeah, baby!
Engineer: Yeah, even then, Max, I think your first two sectors were good. It was actually looking almost a tenth up by turn 13, and just lost it there at 14, but excellent job in that final session. So Hamilton just picked you for purple by 100 in sector one. You were purple in sector two both laps, with or without tow, and purple in sector three by almost two tenths.
Daniel RICCIARDO: OK, understood.
Engineer: I'll corner 20 milliseconds.
Daniel RICCIARDO: OK. Alright, no worries, I'll debrief once I get back. Sure. Well done for Lando guys. Thank you.
Lando NORRIS: Randy, you owe me. Again.
Engineer: Yes, you won that bet.
Lando NORRIS: Good job.
Engineer: Yep, great job mate. Well done.
Esteban OCON: Yeah, there was not much left guys, sorry.
Engineer: Yeah, don't think you need to apologise for that, that's P9, nice job.
Esteban OCON: Copy that, good job. Yeah, I thought I could have improved a bit more, but no, there was no way.
Engineer: I think we were there or thereabouts, well done. OK, let's keep following that delta please on the way in.
Esteban OCON: Copy that.
Engineer: No, it's just picky there. But Max got pole. Definition of a team player. Good job guys. Good job from them. Thank you for that. That's great teamwork. Great teamwork. Good job team. We will get them tomorrow.
Carlos SAINZ: Very solid, very solid. Almost. Yeah, Lando must have done a good one because mine was pretty good.
Engineer: I
Valtteri BOTTAS: don't know, there was nothing more in it, so I'm not sure why.
Engineer: F**k
Yuki TSUNODA: man!
Engineer: So, lift off, fast in the corners, lift off and go straight. Fast in the corners, lift off and go straight. I'm so f**king
Yuki TSUNODA: regret about the track limit, man. There was so much on this stair, I heard.
Engineer: Yeah, Yuki, I share the view. Lift and go straight. It's P8, P8, Yuki. F**k
Yuki TSUNODA: man.
Engineer: It shouldn't be too hard on you, it was still a good quality. So, it was a good quality. Shame for that. But still a good position for tomorrow.
Charles LECLERC: We're degrading too much towards, you know, the lab.
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