2017 Belgian Grand Prix team radio transcript

2017 Belgian Grand Prix

Posted on

| Written by

The escalating civil war between Force India’s drivers was a major talking point during the Belgian Grand Prix.

Belgian Grand Prix in pictures
At the end of the race a furious Esteban Ocon demanded his team mate Sergio Perez receive not one but two race bans, one for each of the incidents between them. The pair tangled on lap one approaching Eau Rouge and again after their second pit stops at the exit of La Source.

It was the second incident which ruined their races. Ocon was frustrated by the fact Perez, who had been running behind him, was allowed to pit two laps earlier. The performance advantage of new tyres helped him jump ahead of Ocon despite the fact he had to serve a five-second penalty during his pit stop.

The animosity between the two can be traced back to Canada where Perez refused a request from the team to let Ocon through. Ironically Perez requested exactly the same kind of help from the team when stuck behind Ocon in Belgium.

No other team had anything like this much friction between their drivers during the race, though Kevin Magnussen did grass up his team mate Romain Grosjean early on in proceedings. At the end of the race a chastened Magnussen apologised for spoiling his tyres at the restart.

Another driver with some apologising to do was Lance Stroll, who damaged his car when he failed to notice how quickly the pack was slowing in front of him at the restart. But if the Force India drivers felt the need to say sorry, they didn’t do it on the radio.

Go ad-free for just £1 per month

>> Find out more and sign up

2017 Belgian Grand Prix team radio transcript

Lap*DriverMessage
FLTo Nico Hulkenberg

Nico all cars behind Palmer are on super-softs apart from Wehrlein who’s on the soft. Everyone else is on ultra-softs.
FLFrom Lewis Hamilton

Seat was a little bit warm when I got in.
FLTo Lewis Hamilton

Yeah I think one of the telemetry boxes got a bit hot. We put a fan on it.
FLTo Romain Grosjean

The track temp is three degrees hotter than we planned for but I can see some clouds coming in so we’ll go back a little bit. I think we’re OK where we are.
FLFrom Nico Hulkenberg

Some oscillations there on the hold revs there from the engine.
2From Romain Grosjean

Check everything is OK on the car. Something does not feel quite right. I don’t know if I hit I think the front wing damaged. They really need to calm down at the front they hit each other in the wall and I think I got some debris mate. But I don’t know, check again aero.
2To Romain Grosjean

Understood we’ll continue checking everything.
3To Sebastian Vettel

For the moment we can go with him, no problem.
3From Pascal Wehrlein

Something is broken on my car. Feels like the rear bar is not in. My front tyres are in the air all the time. I touched no one.
3To Pascal Wehrlein

Understood Pascal we’re checking data.
3From Pascal Wehrlein

I box?
3To Pascal Wehrlein

Confirm, box this lap.
3To Pascal Wehrlein

We bring you back in the garage. Stay in the car, we try and fix the problem and go out again.
4From Nico Hulkenberg

Front-left looks like it’s getting a very hard time. Picking up understeer.
4To Nico Hulkenberg

OK Nico understood. Pace is very good at the moment Nico we’re in good shape.
4To Nico Hulkenberg

No overtake, we need to build up our SOC [state of charge].
4From Nico Hulkenberg

There’s nothing to overtake anyway.
4To Nico Hulkenberg

OK good job, time to get on with it.
5From Fernando Alonso

Embarrassing, really embarrassing.
5To Fernando Alonso

Yep Fernando we see that. Let’s just do our best today. Be careful, we have two warnings for turn four.
5From Lewis Hamilton

Pace is quite good.
5From Kevin Magnussen

Romain cut the track.
5To Kevin Magnussen

OK copy.
5From Kevin Magnussen

We need to do something different guys.
5To Kevin Magnussen

OK…
5From Kevin Magnussen

I’ve got no pace. Box now guys.
5To Kevin Magnussen

No, no.
5From Kevin Magnussen

I’m serious guys, we need to get out of this tyre.
6From Jolyon Palmer

Losing rear grip a lot.
6To Jolyon Palmer

OK understood.
6To Fernando Alonso

Magnussen is 1.4 behind Grojean.
6From Fernando Alonso

I really don’t care too much all the gaps. This is just a test.
7From Stoffel Vandoorne

I think I have a lot more pace but I’m just stuck.
8To Max Verstappen

Fuel six position eight.
8From Max Verstappen

Uh-oh, lose power.
8To Max Verstappen

OK stand by Max. Fail one fail.
8From Max Verstappen

Nope.
8To Max Verstappen

Fail one fail. One more time Max please. Just watch the cars coming through turn three. Fail one fail.
8From Max Verstappen

Nope, no.
8To Max Verstappen

OK switch it off. Pull over to the right-hand side, switch it off.
8To Max Verstappen

Just stay in P1 for the momemt. Pull over, stop the car and put the car in ignition P1 for the moment. Just stay in ignition P1. Try and put yourself in a gap between the barriers. There you go, right there.
9From Max Verstappen

OK let me know.
9To Max Verstappen

OK Max ignition P0. That’s it for us, I’m sorry. Ignition P0, jump out.
9From Max Verstappen

Unbelievable. I can’t believe this. No words.
10From Kevin Magnussen

We need to get off this tyre as soon as possible guys. Listen to me, we need to get off.
10To Kevin Magnussen

OK we are having a look.
10From Kevin Magnussen

Guys listen to me now, we need to get off this tyre. We can get both cars in the points if we get off this tyre.
10To Kevin Magnussen

OK, OK understood.
11From Valtteri Bottas

Quite visible blistering in front-left.
11To Sebastian Vettel

We saw blister for Hamilton and Ricciardo on TV.
11From Sebastian Vettel

I’m still safe by the looks of it in here.
11To Sebastian Vettel

Copy that.
12To Lewis Hamilton

OK Lewis, it’s hammer time.
13From Stoffel Vandoorne

Quite a lot of blistering on the front-left, inside.
15To Daniel Ricciardo

OK Daniel because degradation looks low, we’re going to go supers at the pit stop. We are happy to go super-soft at the next pit stop.
15From Daniel Ricciardo

OK but we are losing performance because of blistering. If we think that’s going to blister I would suggest not.
15To Daniel Ricciardo

OK Daniel we are going to be more aggressive with the front wing, for info, as well. We’re going to go aggressive on the front wing at the next stop to help the tyres. We are going to go supers. Box Daniel, box this lap.
15From Sergio Perez

Grosjean pushed me wide.
16To Romain Grosjean

Confirm Perez has been reported. Both Force Indias are two-stopping.
16From Romain Grosjean

He has to give me the position back, mate.
16To Romain Grosjean

Yep understood totally, they are looking at it.
18To Fernando Alonso

Fernando suggest shape four to protect the rears. Just be careful of front locking.
18From Fernando Alonso

No more radio the rest of the race.
17To Kimi Raikkonen

OK Kimi unfortunately we have a ten-second stop-go for ignoring the yellow for Verstappen. I’ll let you know when.
17From Kimi Raikkonen

What do you mean? He was on the side of the road.
18From Lewis Hamilton

Showing hot?
18To Lewis Hamilton

All temps are under control so ignore the dash.
19From Kimi Raikkonen

Can we do the stop-and-go… is it drive-through or stop and go?
19To Kimi Raikkonen

Stop and go.
19From Kimi Raikkonen

Can we do it whenever we want?
19To Kimi Raikkonen

No we need to do it this lap Kimi.
19From Kimi Raikkonen

And my car is actually really nice…
19From Romain Grosjean

Mate, Sainz cut the corner, gained quite a big advantage. I would have had DRS.
19To Romain Grosjean

OK undestood, we will report it.
19From Romain Grosjean

It’s just I would have had DRS and I don’t have it.
19To Romain Grosjean

Understood, we’re reporting it now.
20To Fernando Alonso

Fernando, Stoffel is pitting this lap.
20From Fernando Alonso

Why? The only [censored by FOM] car that I will overtake.
20To Fernando Alonso

Fernando ee didn’t want to be pushed back into Hulkenberg and Stroll. Sorry, Palmer and Stoll.
20From Fernando Alonso

They will pass me in the next lap. I have no protection now. But anyway it doesn’t change my life.
22To Daniel Ricciardo

OK Daniel so feedback: This tyre looks good at the moment relative to the leaders. We are looking good now relative to the first stint.
23To Felipe Massa

Use overtake exit turn one, and again exit Eau Rouge. Use overtake.
23From Felipe Massa

I am not quick enough. Those are quite quick on the straight, actually.
23To Felipe Massa

Can we use overtake exit turn one to get closer up the hil?
23From Felipe Massa

Doesn’t help.
23To Felipe Massa

OK.
23From Felipe Massa

I will try.
25From Sergio Perez

What do you think if Esteban lets me by and then I give him the position back? Don’t lose a position to Grosjean. Because I have quite a lot of pace.
25To Sergio Perez

Understood Checo, yep, that’s understood.
27From Fernando Alonso

Any rain expecting.
27To Fernando Alonso

No, no rain on the radar Fernando.
27From Fernando Alonso

There was a gap between the previous message and this one.
Engine problem. Engine problem.
27To Fernando Alonso

OK let’s box this lap.
27To Esteban Ocon

Everything this lap, we need everything this lap.
28From Jolyon Palmer

Oh come on Alonso just forced me straight off the track.
28To Jolyon Palmer

Understood, we will report it.
29From Esteban Ocon

Guys why did you pit him before?
29To Esteban Ocon

He had a five-second penalty so he shouldn’t have got you.
29From Esteban Ocon

No but honestly.
29To Esteban Ocon

So stick with him, you’ve got fresher tyres, get him on the straight.
31To Lewis Hamilton

Box, box. Just continue to keep the delta positive.
31From Sebastian Vettel

Hamilton is not following the pace.
31From Esteban Ocon

Guys what the [censored by FOM]. Honestly. What the [censored by FOM] is this guy doing. What the hell. Front wing broken now.
31To Esteban Ocon

So what is it Esteban, is it suspension or front wing?
31From Esteban Ocon

Front wing.
31To Esteban Ocon

Front wing, OK.
31From Esteban Ocon

Two times.
31To Esteban Ocon

The other car has a rear tyre go so you want to go pass the other car.
31From Esteban Ocon

I’m past since a long time.
31To Esteban Ocon

Copy that.
31From Esteban Ocon

[Censored by FOM] idiot.
31From Sergio Perez

Puncture, puncture.
32From Lewis Hamilton

Why have they got the Safety Car out? This is ridiculous.
32To Lewis Hamilton

I think it’s the amount of debris out there at the moment. But we’ll…
32From Lewis Hamilton

There’s literally no debris.
32To Lewis Hamilton

OK, copy.
32From Lewis Hamilton

That’s a BS call from the stewards, man.
32From Lewis Hamilton

Vettel’s weaving behind me. Why is the Safety Car going so slow? I can’t keep temperatures.
33To Daniel Ricciardo

We believe the Safety Car is going to stay out again.
33To Lewis Hamilton

Lewis expect one more lap of Safety Car.
33From Lewis Hamilton

Got glazed brakes.
33To Lewis Hamilton

OK copy Lewis just do what you can do. Looks like that disc has woken up.
33To Daniel Ricciardo

OK mate a reminder you can overtake from Safety Car line one, that is halfway between turn 18 and 19.
33To Stoffel Vandoorne

Stoffel your pace is a good match for the three or four cars ahead, let’s see what we can do.
34To Romain Grosjean

I’ve been badly hit by Massa on the right-rear.
34From Romain Grosjean

Right-rear, OK, we’re watching it.
34To Romain Grosjean

I’ve no idea what he was thinking. The Safety Car line was nowhere near where he tried.
34From Romain Grosjean

Tyre pressure OK, we’re monitoring it.
35From Lance Stroll

I lost a piece of my front wing. Magnussen braked in the middle of the straight.
35To Valtteri Bottas

So still plenty of laps to recover this.
35To Kimi Raikkonen

Nice work Kimi, nice work. Engine five and K2 off at the end of the lap, please.
37To Sebastian Vettel

Can go back to SOC [state of charge] 6 and you can push tyre-wise, no problem.
37To Daniel Ricciardo

OK make doing a good job let’s keep it going.
37From Marcus Ericsson

Have we picked up damage? Why is the rear so loose?
37To Marcus Ericsson

OK we can’t see anything at the moment. You’re much faster in sector two than the car ahead so keep pushing.
38From Lewis Hamilton

Rear temps are coming up.
38To Lewis Hamilton

OK, copy.
38To Stoffel Vandoorne

Suggest blue B6. Keep putting him under pressure, Stoffel, that’s good.
39From Lewis Hamilton

As soon as I drop a little bit of pace he catches.
39From Marcus Ericsson

The rear of the car is terrible. Much worse than the two previous stints.
39To Marcus Ericsson

OK.
40From Lewis Hamilton

What sectors is he fast? Feels like he catches me right at the end of the lap.
40To Lewis Hamilton

This lap Lewis it looks like about even on sectors.
40From Daniil Kvyat

Oh what the [censored by FOM] he’s too fast on the straight, this guy.
40To Daniil Kvyat

He’s slow in the corners, keep pushing Danny.
41To Sergio Perez

Checo we know the balance and load is very low but P13, there are people racing ahead. There’s a chance.
41From Sergio Perez

Grip is really, really poor. But OK. I’ll give my best, man.
41To Lewis Hamilton

Temps have stabilised so just manage the tyres to your feeling.
41From Lewis Hamilton

Leave me to it, Bono.
42From Marcus Ericsson

For me the car is really bad now.
42To Marcus Ericsson

OK we can see now on the data, it is quite clear.
43To Sergio Perez

Box, box. Checo we’re going to retire the car. Run switch ‘race’.
43To Romain Grosjean

Two to go, good job.
43To Nico Hulkenberg

OK Nico we must not use overtake now. SOC [tsate of charge] level is too low, you’ll get a de-rate.
44To Marcus Ericsson

OK Marcus it’s the final lap. Try to keep Magnussen behind, make his life difficult.
VLTo Nico Hulkenberg

Excellent job, Nico, excellent job. Absolutely superb Nico, well done mate.
VLFrom Nico Hulkenberg

Thank you buddy. Car was a bit tricky at the end, there.
VLTo Nico Hulkenberg

Sure was.
VLFrom Romain Grosjean

Good job everyone. P7 in the race. Proud of you.
VLTo Romain Grosjean

That’s chequered flag and yeah good job to you, P7, great work.
VLFrom Romain Grosjean

Oh mate I gave it all but couldn’t do the pcae of the Renault.
VLTo Romain Grosjean

No, no, you did great, P7.
VLTo Kevin Magnussen

We finish P15. Unfortunate race. We have a few days to recover.
VLFrom Kevin Magnussen

I’m really sorry about that.
VLTo Kevin Magnussen

We have a few days and we will recover soon in Monza.
VLTo Felipe Massa

OK Felipe fantastic job.
VLFrom Felipe Massa

Thank you, guys.
VLTo Felipe Massa

Well done. So you know the drill, into the pit exit. Great job, great race.
VLFrom Felipe Massa

Thank you guys.
VLTo Felipe Massa

Nice overtaking at the start and fantastic defence there at the end. Really good job.
VLTo Felipe Massa

Great job Felipe, great defence. Well done.
VLFrom Felipe Massa

Thank you. Great race.
VLTo Felipe Massa

Well done mate. Very, very good race. Good points. Really, really strongly needed points for the team.
VLTo Esteban Ocon

P9.
VLFrom Esteban Ocon

Yeah. Well guys he deserved a race ban for that. Unbelievable.
VLTo Esteban Ocon

Esteban the first incident, the penalty for Perez was for something else, not for that.
VLFrom Esteban Ocon

Well he deserved the first one as well. And the second one too.
VLTo Kimi Raikkonen

Good recovery Kimi. So we didn’t quite make the podium.
VLTo Daniel Ricciardo

OK mate that’s it, nice job. Very good. Nice move on Bottas. Very good.
VLFrom Daniel Ricciardo

Cheers boys. That’s good stuff, thank you.
VLTo Daniel Ricciardo

Yeah great job Daniel, really strong pass down the outside at the restart of Bottas and Kimi up the inside. So really good job, you deserve that.
VLFrom Daniel Ricciardo

Thank you, cheers boys.
VLTo Carlos Sainz Jnr

P10 Carlos.
VLFrom Carlos Sainz Jnr

I think we recovered well guys, very good job.
VLTo Carlos Sainz Jnr

Good job Carlos. One point in the bag.
VLTo Lance Stroll

I think you did well at the end with managing the problem we had.
VLFrom Lance Stroll

Sorry it cost our race, we could’ve got Sainz so I apologise. Was a bit surprised with how close I got all of a sudden. Thanks guys.
VLTo Lance Stroll

Managed it well to stay ahead of Kvyat so good job.
VLTo Stoffel Vandoorne

You were P14, Stoff. Very tough starting from where we did, I think you drove well.
VLFrom Stoffel Vandoorne

Yeah I didn’t think there was much more possible. Especially in a straight line it was very, very tough.
VLTo Sebastian Vettel

P2 Sebastian, strong race, nearly there, well done.
VLFrom Sebastian Vettel

OK grazie ragazzi. The last restart I should have held back.
VLTo Sebastian Vettel

Grazie Seb una bella gara.

Note: Only includes messages which were broadcast in the race coverage.
Lap: Refers to lap message was broadcast on. There may be a delay between messages being said and being broadcast. PR = pre-race; FL = formation lap; VL = victory lap.
Message: Repetitive or irrelevant messages omitted. Notes in italics. Highlights in bold.

Follow F1 Fanatic Live on Twitter for team radio highlights during all live F1 sessions.

Belgian Grand Prix data

    Author information

    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

    Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

    29 comments on “2017 Belgian Grand Prix team radio transcript”

    1. “Lap 15 Perez:Grosjean pushed me wide”.Perez must be kidding…Thats the lamest excuse he could find to justify his illegal overtake…

      Besides that,im surprised to see how many congratulations Massa got at the end of the race.He drove really well(including a great move on Sainz) after a difficult week,but it seemed to me like Williams didnt expect that driving!

      1. @miltosgreekfan Massa didn’t drive in Hungary, lost two practice sessions on Friday and picked up a penalty. Williams probably did not expect points.

        1. @matthijs I know,but i was a bit surprised!

      2. Maybe Williams singed another driver for 2018 ( alonso ) and thus were thanking him again and again for his work over the years and not just for this race. Just a nice gesture I guess.
        Also explains why alonso sounded like he’s done with mclaren.

        1. Based on the latest rumors & Claire saying that he hasnt even talked to Alonso,i dont think the deal has been done.

          1. Another driver then, if not alonso.

    2. Have to say that the relationship between the Force India team mates seems overly toxic. A shame for us as viewers that they aren’t dominating this year as it would be pretty fiery!

      If I was in charge of the team I’d be threatening an internally issued race ban to the next driver to cause an accident, they really are piling up. Perez in particular seems to be putting himself before the team at every possible opportunity.

    3. 34 From Romain Grosjean: I’ve been badly hit by Massa on the right-rear.

      35 From Lance Stroll: I lost a piece of my front wing. Magnussen braked in the middle of the straight.

      It seems both drivers had no idea who they were dealing with :)

      1. No time to look at the shark fin 😂

      2. There definitely was contact between Massa and Grosjean at the bus stop right after the restart.

        Quite the coincidence, really.

    4. tgu (@thegrapeunwashed)
      31st August 2017, 11:43

      @keithcollantine

      L3/”For the moment we can go with him, no problem.”

      Keith, that was from Vettel.

      1. tgu (@thegrapeunwashed)
        31st August 2017, 11:55

        Also (sorry to be a pain), Guardian live coverage matches what I remember –

        Lap 12/44: Hamilton and Bottas have reported some blistering on their tyres, but Vettel, smugly, says he is feeling dandy out there on track at the moment.

        I seem to remember that Ricciardo’s tyres were OK at that point.

    5. The cheek of Perez to ask to be eased by Ocon, when he refused the same thing in Canada. No wonder there’s tension in the team, he seems to be a bit of a snake.

      1. Agreed. And Ocon was in a much better position to capitalise on more points in Canada too.

      2. You two act as if Ocon is a podium finisher or better yet a race winner and Perez is the unproven rookie. Ocon crying like a baby on the radio is appalling to say the least.

        1. Nonsence Nigel. Perez is the one driving like a rookie. Perez’s first incident with Ocon was a driving incident, but the second one definitely deserved a big penalty, maybe even a race ban. That’s the kind of driving that gets people killed. Or maybe you like watching that kind of thing?

          1. Ocon did not follow instructions from the team or did you not read above. They told Ocon while he was crying to overtake Perez on the straight. Clearly he did not follow instructions and Perez is wrong.

            Looks to me your dislike for Perez is affecting your judgement.

            1. You are absolutely right, Ocon cry all the time since Canada and he tried in every possible way to pass Checo except on the track.

              He tried to pass Checo in a way no other driver tried, and because of that both drivers crash, and after that he cried and blame Checo for everything, really this Kid had some attitude problems, I hope the team put some rules to not allowed him to tried to pass Checo again with those stupid movements, that cost 24 points to the team, 18 points to Checo and 6 to him.

      3. You clearly don’t understand it properly, it’s because Perez had a five second penalty and needed to build up a gap on Grosjean so he asked if he could get the place for that reason and hand it back it after his pit stop

    6. Ok, not the most appropriate thread, anyway: given what’s happening at Force India, given that Alonso is struggling with McLaren, is there any chance that he can sign with Force India? Top spots are almost locked up but I really believe that a strong driver in that car can manage to do brilliant things. Of course, it’s not championship ready, but the engine is great (look at the top speeds at Spa). I think it’s the best bet for Fernando to see the podium again.

      I have to admit I don’t know anything about contracts and so on, so please forgive me if the question/hypothesis is dumb.

      1. In short, they can’t afford him and his sponsors would desert him. It would be absolute career suicide and despite them being best of the rest, he would never ever win a WDC there. So no, never in a million years.

      2. The biggest stumbling block to this would be Alonso’s high salary demands. I am yet to read anywhere that Alonso is ok to reduce his asking price.
        The only people with the ability to pay 20+ mn in salary are Ferrari, Mercedes, Mclaren (Honda) and Red Bull. 3 of these 4 have said no to Alonso and he is already at the 4th one. So, realistically, unless Fernando drops his asking price, he is either staying with Mclaren or leaving F1 altogether.

        1. What do you mean 3 teams said no to Alonso? What did his management suggest to those teams and what length contracts? I imagine it’s very complex.
          I doubt he has an actual asking price. World champions tend to have a ‘worth’ that top teams wont haggle over and other special drivers such as Verstappen will command a high salary as he will be need to be lured away.
          Also Alonso has the capablity of dragging second rate cars higher up the grid which can be worth tens of millions more when the FOM payments are shared out. Alonso could be worth 30 million to Force India in exposure/sponsorship, prize money and FOM pot share. I remember when Williams dropped Damon Hill who then had limited options yet Arrows were able to pay him a decent salary. 4 million iirc roughly what he was on at Williams maybe more.

    7. ILuvSoundtracks (@)
      31st August 2017, 14:18

      That “Honestly” from Ocon though

      1. Horrible acts like an arrogant Diva already.

        1. The very worst part of you is me.

    8. Ocon is a bit delusional nobody trying to kill him and the stewards disagree with bans and even any penalties, probably loosing the battle with Perez is getting into him and hurting Force India with silly mistakes and crashes.

      Perez has done a lot for Force India, sponsor wise to grow and results including multiple podiums, why took so long for team to give the rookie number two status ?

      1. GtisBetter (@)
        1st September 2017, 8:46

        I don’t know if you have followed Ocon, but he is a great racer and very fast. He will be faster then Perez soon. This is his rookie year, so some learning and mistakes are to be expected. I think these scraps with Perez are actually making him feel better, cause he is going toe to toe with a guy who is in f1 for years and has grabbed podiums. Ocon will fight for WC in the future, together with Max and Leclerc


    9. Guys what the [censored by FOM]. Honestly. What the [censored by FOM] is this guy doing. What the hell. Front wing broken now.

      Ocon: “THE VERY WORST PART OF SERGIO PEREZ IS ME”

    Comments are closed.