Sunday: Marussia and Chilton, in pain, drive for Bianchi
Having decided to race despite everything, the Marussia team presented themselves with heavy hearts on the starting grid, surrounded by the affection of the other drivers who wanted to gather before the race in support of Jules Bianchi. Unfortunately, Max Chilton's race ended on the tenth lap due to a problem detected with his Marussia. However, the team's focus today wasn't really on the race as they continued to await reassuring news about their French driver.
Max Chilton (No. 4) – Retirement
In inevitably particular circumstances, the Briton could not drive more than ten laps at the wheel of his MR03, a problem stopping his race: « We made a good start, then switched from medium to soft tires quite early, because we knew we would not be strong enough with the former. On the 9th lap, I started to feel a problem with the front left, and it got worse and worse. So I asked the team to investigate this issue, but in the end, it was not something we could fix quickly, so it was better to come to a swift conclusion in this generally difficult weekend. »
Of course, Jules Bianchi was in the thoughts of all the Marussia team members this weekend, making the race even more difficult, as confirmed by Chilton, who was deeply affected by the situation but proud of his men: « After a very difficult week for everyone in the team, we all deserved much more from today’s race. It wasn’t an easy day, far from it, and all the guys had to dig deep within themselves to get to the grid. When we arrived, of course, it was very emotional with all the support for Jules. I think the team, the sport, and all the fans really made him proud. »
Even though it is difficult to talk about what’s next, the Briton wants to take advantage of the two weeks separating the next Grand Prix to regain strength and focus on the end of the season: « In a way, we must find the strength to pull ourselves together and move forward, which is hard to envision at the moment. »
