Qatar Grand Prix 2021: Practice 1 team radio
56 radio messages were recorded during practice 1 at the Qatar Grand Prix 2021, across 18 drivers. Charles LECLERC 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
- Charles LECLERC · Ferrari · 7 messages
- Lewis HAMILTON · Mercedes · 6 messages
- Sebastian VETTEL · Aston Martin · 6 messages
- Pierre GASLY · AlphaTauri · 6 messages
- Sergio PEREZ · Red Bull · 5 messages
- Max VERSTAPPEN · Red Bull · 3 messages
- George RUSSELL · Williams · 3 messages
- Fernando ALONSO · Alpine · 3 messages
- Yuki TSUNODA · AlphaTauri · 3 messages
- Mick SCHUMACHER · Haas · 2 messages
- Daniel RICCIARDO · McLaren · 2 messages
- Lando NORRIS · McLaren · 2 messages
- Esteban OCON · Alpine · 2 messages
- Kimi RAIKKONEN · Alfa Romeo · 2 messages
- Lance STROLL · Aston Martin · 1 message
- Carlos SAINZ · Ferrari · 1 message
- Nikita MAZEPIN · Haas · 1 message
- Valtteri BOTTAS · Mercedes · 1 message
Every message, in the order it happened
Engineer: Mick when you pull out of the garage just don't wheelspin because there's this awkward drain that you saw the other day We just want to go across it smoothly
Engineer: Clients in gears to 4, click every take if you need.
Engineer: and we have headwind into turn 1, 15 kph
Mick SCHUMACHER: The rays are getting really hot here. Yep, understood.
Lewis HAMILTON: Strat
Engineer: So we can start with the strat light 7
Charles LECLERC: Can we go can we do a classroom? Yes, we can plus please copy
Engineer: Okay, obviously there's quite a lot of evolution at the moment, very early days, but that first lap put you P1.
Engineer: B-Bell 6, B-Bell 6, how's the balance?
Sergio PEREZ: Yeah, a bit of chattering on the front, the rest not too bad.
Engineer: Ok, copy that.
Engineer: So we are okay for a call, if you agree? Copy. Okay, so Vistap and Starping are behind. Vistap and Fast behind. So that pic confirmed was not... You didn't mean that, did you? No. No, copy that. More like it confirmed the message. Yeah, copy that.
Sergio PEREZ: Handbrake looked far too aggressive into turn 1.
Engineer: Copy that, we saw that.
George RUSSELL: But Ray is seeing pretty cold.
Engineer: Yeah, it will build. Front's about 10 low as well for now.
Engineer: clutch drop was target minus two, still clear from traffic behind, so let's pick your gap and then we'll be recharged off.
Engineer: You can call the left hand tyres through this high speed section, call the left hand tyres. Where's Tsunoda? Tsunoda's still 12 seconds back, he's not looking very fast.
Engineer: We can call and do one more push, Lance. How's the car?
Lance STROLL: Yeah, it feels okay.
Engineer: So a slow lap may have been a bit too slow
Engineer: Alonso time-lapse behind 10 seconds, that's closing quickly though, 6 seconds.
Engineer: Ok, ok, so Gasly 25.4, we did 26.3, is turn 2, 5, 9, NDI speed. Gear usage is all aligned, turn 9 is using one gear more, 7th.
Engineer: OK, cool the tyres and we'll go for one more lap.
Engineer: Box, now practice pet entry.
Daniel RICCIARDO: Yep, box, come on.
Engineer: Okay Yuki, we can cool down and push again. This cool down and then we push will be the last one.
Engineer: Okay, so this will be the last time that so when you finish strat 14 over the start finish line
Lando NORRIS: Yeah
Engineer: Pit entry test and pit stop, watch out for Alonso, and clear from behind
Carlos SAINZ: Ok,
Engineer: I think I'm gonna just try, you see, and then I come in in front of it Clear from behind, clear from behind
Lando NORRIS: Biggest issue still, I would say rear entries, more to the slightly more medium and higher speed corners. High speed rear just in general, but then medium speed entry.
Engineer: OK, understood. Confirming we are boxes that.
Charles LECLERC: I've got dirty, I'll follow him to the front What do I do? Do I need to box or can I go again?
Engineer: Box now, box and we do a start at the end of the pit lane
Engineer: OK, happy to push straight away if you want to.
Engineer: Okay all clear behind so we will be using this set for high fuel but have a look at the pit entry on the way in and we're boxing this lap.
Fernando ALONSO: Box, box.
Engineer: Cop it up.
Pierre GASLY: What is the Gaia doing?
Engineer: Latifi, new tire soft, low fuel.
Pierre GASLY: Okay.
Engineer: How's the balance with the changes?
Esteban OCON: Yeah, better, more stable, but used tyres, so we need to be careful for the next one obviously.
Engineer: Yeah, copy that. Okay, let's go for a couple more sighting laps.
Engineer: Happy to let the front right cool a bit.
Esteban OCON: Copy that, we're boxing or?
Engineer: You've got the choice of doing a cool and one more push if you'd like What
Esteban OCON: time for that? I think we can box
Engineer: Ok understood, let's box now, you've got Stroll 5 seconds behind
Esteban OCON: Copy He's pushing Was that ok with 6th gear? We've got a high speed
Engineer: It's better in 7th gear, better in 7th, watch for Stroll 2 seconds back, clear track behind him
Esteban OCON: No, well again, again the tenth and a half in 6, so
Engineer: Copy that, we'll have a closer look when you're back in
Engineer: Sebastian, just give us your feedback on balance. You were all clear behind for that first lap.
Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, it felt okay. Bit of understeer
Engineer: in
Sebastian VETTEL: 7, the rest a bit more on the nose. High speed a little on the nose.
Engineer: Copy that.
Engineer: We're happy where we are, we're happy where we are, no need for more management. Mode 10 test, mode 10. Copy, try it.
Engineer: So we think using the left toggle for the high speed is worth doing. I'll remind you at the end of this call-up
Engineer: Where can we help you mate? How's the balance?
Nikita MAZEPIN: Crazy on this steer. Also the tyres didn't start working, I think we started too low on temps.
Engineer: Okay, copy.
Engineer: We'll pass through the pit lane to make a flap adjust.
Engineer: So, main losses to Verstappen, as I said, 2 tenths to 1, a bit in 15, 14, 15 with the traffic, and last corner looks 2 tenths.
Engineer: Okay, track is clear behind
Charles LECLERC: Tires went to the roof, but they stay in the middle in turn 7 or whatever it was
Engineer: Okay looks like it'll be good. As soon as we close the lap we need max PU cooling so high speed low revs to turn 12 and we'll try and do this double in lap.
Engineer: Ok, traffic still good, no one pushing.
Engineer: 25.5 has got you P10 and Max has done it 23.7. Car any better?
Sergio PEREZ: At the start of the lap there was a bit too much understeer.
Engineer: Starting on the lap. So Hamilton pushing, car behind. Hamilton at 3 seconds. Leclerc also pushing on the run to turn 4. Checking the front tyres, looked a bit on the cool side. Minus 5, minus 9 compared to targets.
Lewis HAMILTON: Are we slow on the straight or something?
Engineer: No, not particularly.
Lewis HAMILTON: How's the final sector looking until the last corner?
Engineer: It's looking better, it's still a little bit obviously a bit too much speed into turn 14 though.
Engineer: So yeah, you're 9 temps off max in sector 1 alone, and then it's 3 temps in sector 2, and 5 temps in sector 3. The big gains to be had in sector 1, up to term 4. Also, term 15 stands out in sector 3. Term 15 is the main deficit in sector 3.
Sergio PEREZ: OK mate, I've
Engineer: got
Sergio PEREZ: it.
Engineer: So to start this run, the fronts will be on the cooler side, the rears are pretty close. So you're good on switch and you're clear ahead and behind.
Charles LECLERC: Can I do again?
Engineer: Yes, you can go again Track is clear behind And if we do a double cool down, box for a start at the end of the pit lane
Charles LECLERC: Copy
Engineer: Do
Charles LECLERC: you think there's more value to the one more push or do you need that height to run?
Engineer: Come back to you
Engineer: If you want to do the push let's focus on the push lap
Engineer: And we are strong in high speed, strong in high speed, and losing a little bit on 16 apex compared to UK. But ISO in that sector. So biggest loss was sector 1, 4 tenths, and then ISO sector 2, sector 3.
Pierre GASLY: Yeah, that's better.
Engineer: OK, charge on. And we'd like to test something on the next stop, please.
Engineer: How much time we have? And we have a bit more than 2 minutes, so you can do another charge lap.
Engineer: yellow flag turn seven single yellow turn seven
Engineer: Next lap is last push
Engineer: So stay to the left of the track on the racing line.
Engineer: We have slippery track reported, end of the pit straight, not sure why.
Engineer: Okay, that debris could still be near the exit. You'll take the checkered flag this time keep pushing on the in lap
Engineer: So that gap's now good, so we can practice pit entry, and practice pit stop. This is on the backup radio.
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