Fahrerstimmen – Tag 2

I'm incredibly proud of that lap. It was one of those moments where everything clicks and you're able to extract exactly what you set out to achieve. The car felt strong, I felt confident, and that final lap was as close to perfect as I've managed around this circuit. To secure Pole position for the first Formula 1 race at the Madring makes it even more special. A big thank you to the team for all their hard work. We've put ourselves in the best possible position for tomorrow and now the focus is on converting that into a strong result on race day.

I put together a strong lap on my final effort, and I thought it might have been good enough for pole position. Credit to Lando (Norris) though. He and McLaren did a great job and managed to snatch it away right at the last.

It was a very intense qualifying session where it was difficult to get the balance right with the tyres with the track being so hot. It was difficult to get the out-lap preparation right but then to also make sure you had it in the right window for all of your push lap. Overall, I think we did a good job and can be pleased with our efforts.

Tomorrow will be a big challenge for everyone with lots of unknowns. Whilst overtaking will be tough, I hope we can put Lando under pressure and see what we can do to fight for victory. Managing the tyres will be key so let’s see what we can do.

It was a very strong Qualifying from our side, and a top-three result is something we can be quite happy with. We made some nice improvements to the setup and got the car into a good window. From Q1 through to Q3, we were able to build with each run and stay competitive at the front throughout. 

We ended up pretty close to Pole and only really lost out in the final sector, but we'll see what we can do from the second row tomorrow. From the practice sessions, we know that tyre life is going to be crucial and something we need to stay on top of if we want to fight with our rivals. 

Overtaking opportunities are hard to come by here and passing won't be easy, so getting the strategy right will be important. If we do that, I think we have a good car for the race.” 

Although the session didn’t quite end with the result we wanted, it was a solid performance overall. 

The car felt good throughout. My first lap in Q3 was strong, but it didn’t quite come together on the final run, which cost us a few positions. 

P4 isn’t where I think we could have been, but there are positives to take from the session.

It’s a great circuit to drive, and tomorrow will be about consistency and tyre management. Degradation could be a key factor, so the focus will be on executing well and making the most of every opportunity in the race

It’s an interesting track to drive on. There may have been a bit of margin for extracting more, but all in all, it was quite a good lap.

There aren’t many spots where overtaking is possible here, so we will see how the race unfolds and try to take any opportunity we have to get ahead

It was a tough qualifying session for me today. The main factor we were managing throughout all the sessions was ensuring we had the tyres in the right window. I had a really good lap in Q1 and hoped that I had the same potential in my last lap of Q3. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a scrappy lap; I had a lot of understeer from turn 11 onwards and lost a couple of tenths from there. The tyres really struggle here with the heat and the long corners, so you can find yourself sliding around, losing more time, and being pushed further down the order.

Understanding the tyres more ahead of tomorrow will be crucial as while it didn’t all come together for me today, I hope tomorrow I’ll be able to make my way through the pack. We saw high tyre degradation on Friday and if that repeats itself tomorrow, then there will definitely be opportunities for us to make good progress.

P7. I’m a bit disappointed with that one. Overall, it was a bit of a messy session and the car felt nicer in FP3 than it did in Qualifying. We improved it a bit through the three Qualifying sessions, but I didn’t have that last bit we needed in the last run. The first lap of Q3 on used tyres was okay, but my final run on new tyres wasn’t good enough. Around this track, once you’re out of rhythm it’s very hard to get it back, and needing two sets in Q1 put on the back foot a bit.

The positives are that the car is fast and Lando’s Pole shows what’s possible when you hook it up. For tomorrow, tyre degradation is a bit of a question mark after the graining we saw in practice, and overtaking won’t be straightforward, so it’ll come down to strategy and staying out of trouble. We’ll review everything as a team tonight, keep it clean, and try to make the most of our pace in the race.

We looked competitive at the start of Qualifying, so it would have been nice to be fighting a little further up the order, but unfortunately Q3 did not quite come together for us. As the session progressed, everyone around us seemed to find a bit more lap time, whereas we were not able to make the same step. 

I am happy with the progress we have made compared to where we were earlier in the week, and I am feeling more comfortable in the car every time I get behind the wheel. There are still a few things for us to learn and take into tomorrow, but overall it has been a positive step forward. 

It is a difficult track to overtake on and a place where pushing the limits is always a challenge, so making up positions will not be easy unless opportunities come our way. The car has looked quick all weekend, though, and I am excited for the race. Hopefully we can put ourselves in the mix and move forward tomorrow.

I am very proud to be in Q3 today. Yesterday was tricky, I did not feel 100% in the car and we have had to work hard as a team to find improvements and build up our confidence all the way up to Qualifying. In the end, I did some of my best laps and that is good enough for P9 on the grid for tomorrow's race. It's definitely a difficult track and we know it does not suit our package too well, so we have really had to take things step by step. I was still learning a lot during Qualifying and we performed very well and I think we maximised everything. I did have a moment at Turn 12, it was very fast and I had to correct it. Tomorrow might be tricky for overtaking and we really do not know what might happen at this track. It might be quite limited on chances so our focus will be on maximising everything we can control and, of course, aiming for points at the end of the race.

It wasn't an easy day today as I lost some confidence after yesterday's crash. That being said, I'm happy with how we bounced back. Reaching Q3 for the tenth time this season is a testament to the great work we're doing together as a team. It wasn't ideal to miss the start of FP3 ahead of Qualifying, but I'm really grateful to all the mechanics for their incredible work to get me back out on track for those final few laps, which proved really important. As for tomorrow's race, I think it's difficult to kn ow what to expect. It's a challenging track with interesting tarmac and not many opportunities for overtaking. The top teams have a step on us, but points are on the table, so we'll focus on taking every opportunity that comes our way to achieve the best possible result.

It was incredibly tight today, and we missed out on Q3 by just 0.019s. We knew qualifying around a brand-new circuit would be close, and that's exactly how it turned out. Tomorrow is still a bit of an unknown. It's the first race here, so nobody really knows how things will unfold. We have to be ready for whatever comes our way. The priority will be to stay out of trouble early on, and then see what we can make of the race.

I actually think today was not too bad, but it was difficult to put the perfect lap together. In all fairness, it's been a bit of an odd weekend so far: we have changed the car quite a lot from yesterday, and I did find more confidence in Qualifying, but I think there was definitely more on the table for us today.

Looking at tomorrow, I think there is a chance for us to move forward, but it will depend a lot on our pace and how much tyre degradation will impact us. As always, we’ll give our best and see where it takes us.

I’m firstly happy that Ollie is okay, that was a big one. After that, we went into quali with a much better feeling this weekend. We easily got into Q2 for a fourth time in a row, which is very positive, and that last lap was pretty well maximised, I’m pretty happy with it. We were still quite far from the Audis, so we need to look into that, but so far it’s a much better weekend than Monza, where the car is healthy, working how it should, and we need to keep pushing to see if we can get more out of tomorrow. We weren’t in Q3, so we have a set of new tires over those in front, and I have a feeling it could be quite an entertaining race.

We have a lot to work on and understand after today's result. I was optimistic going into Qualifying as the car felt good all the way through Practice and the pace felt like it was definitely there for the top ten. I just seemed to struggle with grip and the car was sliding around quite a lot and really a handful to drive. It feels like something is not right and I am sure the team and I will sit down and really try to understand why we were too slow in Qualifying. It is not over yet, though, and our aim is always to come away from races with points. We know it will be a challenging race starting from P14 but our pace in Free Practice 2 on high fuel was promising so we have every reason to be confident for tomorrow. We are not sure what the racing will be like at this circuit, it will likely be very tough, but I will give it my all to recover back up into the top ten.

It was pretty tough out there in Qualifying today. We were lacking quite a bit of pace, so we’ll need to understand why ahead of tomorrow. I was really struggling to feel the grip from the car, and the used tyre felt much better than the new one. Tomorrow will be challenging from our starting position, especially with the limited overtaking opportunities around here, but I’ll give it everything I have to make up some places and fight for points.

I’m happy to be through to Q2 today after what’s been a tough weekend so far. I was on the back foot going into this session, having only done a handful of laps, especially at a track like Madrid where you need a lot of laps to get up to speed. We changed some parts on the car, which thankfully paid off and got us out of Q1, which is an achievement given all the issues we’ve faced. Tomorrow will be a challenge as it’s not an overtaking track, but we’ll do what we can to get a good result.

The circuit was challenging and it’s a high adrenaline lap at high speeds. I think it was probably the maximum we could achieve today in Qualifying and we’ll have to see what we can do in the race. It looks like overtaking might be difficult, so we’ll have to try to maximise everything to gain positions. The fans were very enthusiastic today and it is great to see so much green and energy from the grandstands.

It's an amazing track and I’m really happy to be here. The atmosphere is incredible and I'm very happy with my qualifying lap. We were very aggressive with our program. I have to say a well done to the team. We maximized our package and further closed the gap to the Williams and Aston Martin teams ahead. Although it was not enough to progress into Q2, it was a really strong lap. The team has also been strong operationally, so I’m very satisfied with that. Tomorrow should present some opportunities to us, so we need to make sure we continue executing as we have been so far this weekend and I’m sure we can have a good race.

It’s been a tricky weekend for us. You always want to get the most out of the car and today we couldn’t quite get there. We know that we’re lacking in the high speed corners, and it’s a tough track as there are so many blind spots. I was the first car out in the beginning, but after that was compromised by traffic which was unlucky but sometimes that’s how it goes. We’ll go again tomorrow in the race and hopefully there will be some opportunities.

It was a good lap but a scrappy qualifying overall, with several issues that cost us precious tenths in the end. We knew we would struggle at this track but we also went out very early for the last push, losing out on track evolution, and had some deployment losses that prevented us from getting into Q2. Apologies to Valtteri for impeding his lap, I wasn’t aware he was pushing and had no time to get out of his way. On a positive note, this track has been a lot of fun to drive at qualifying pace, and I’m enjoying being so close to the walls and always driving at the limit. It’s been incredible to feel the support of the fans throughout the weekend so far, and it’s a dream come true to be here racing in front of my home crowd. Tomorrow, overtaking will be difficult, but we will try our best to come back and give everyone something to cheer for!

We had a water pressure issue in Qualifying. We knew we’d be starting at the back of the grid anyway with the components we replaced overnight, but I was looking forward to getting some more laps in around here. It’s clear we still have a lot to work on. There could be some opportunities tomorrow though, so we’ll just run our own race and see how it goes.

It’s a shame as the car was quick. It was a tough day yesterday, but we made some changes overnight, and the car was feeling really good in FP3. Unfortunately, I got caught out in Turn 10 on the final lap, and it was a combination of the tires being a bit old and I had a gust of wind not in my favor. I shouldn’t have made that mistake – it hurts a lot as the car was strong, but I’m sure there can be some opportunities tomorrow. We have to dust ourselves off and look at the positives, which is that the car was fast and we’ll be giving it everything to do the best we can tomorrow.