Saturday: Alonso saves the day for Ferrari F1, Räikkönen falters

Fernando Alonso (No. 14) – 3rd and 7th

For the Spaniard, the result of these qualifications was expected. We knew that, as usual in qualifications, it would be difficult and that the encouraging signs we had seen in free practice should not create false expectations. Unfortunately, today we couldn’t do better, because even though I tried as much as possible, we posted very similar times with all four sets of tires.

« Now, we need to look towards the race, which will be difficult and, given the small gaps, it could also be interesting. Usually here, at the first chicane, there’s a lot of commotion and you have to be very careful if you want to stay in the game. Additionally, it will be very important to manage tire degradation, as the best strategy seems to be a one-stop. That means many laps with both sets of tires, » he concluded.

Kimi Räikkönen (n°7) – 7th and 12th [11th on the grid]

Blocked in Q2, the Finn explains that he struggled with his F14-T: « I had some issues in the afternoon because the car was more difficult to drive, I struggled to find the right level of grip and was locking the front tires. That’s why, on my last stint on medium tires, I made a few small mistakes that prevented me from going beyond Q2. »

He believes that the pace on long stints is an asset: « Starting 11th is not ideal but […] I’ll do my best tomorrow. We are now at the level of some very strong competitors, but the long stints went well and even though the race is another matter, this factor means we can be confident. It will be important to choose the right strategy. »