Friday: Marussia drivers see encouraging signs
After experiencing a turbulent Friday in Belgium, the Marussia team can smile today at Monza. Not only did they outperform the Caterham drivers, but Jules Bianchi also outpaced the two Lotus drivers and his teammate.
Jules Bianchi – 20th and 17th
Being a driver of the Ferrari Driver Academy, Jules Bianchi feels at home in Monza. « It’s great to be back in Monza, for what seems to be the start of a fantastic weekend. » Despite a few issues during the day, the Frenchman is satisfied with the balance of his car by the end of the day: « It took us some time to find the right balance, but it’s better now. »
Far from being satisfied with outpacing the two Lotuses, the Marussia driver is looking ahead: “We are quite close to Sutil and ahead of the two Lotuses, but we still have work to do.” And the driver from Nice is thinking of the Ferrari supporters who will be present this weekend: “I think we can enjoy a good race in front of the crowd of Ferrari supporters.”
Max Chilton – 19th and 19th
During the morning, the Englishman managed to get ahead of Jules Bianchi with a car that had to be adjusted little by little: « The car was good in free practice 1. So it was more a matter of fine-tuning the settings to try to make progress. »
While his teammate overtakes the first Lotus of Pastor Maldonado in the afternoon, Max Chilton positioned himself between the Venezuelan and his teammate Romain Grosjean. Jules and I are quite close on the time sheet, and I’m sandwiched between the two Lotus cars, and ahead of the Caterhams: these are positive signs for the rest of the weekend.
