Saturday: Bianchi and Chilton expected better at Marussia
Despite a step forward compared to FP3, Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton expected to be a bit higher on the grid. A Q2 appearance for the Frenchman was even conceivable.
Jules Bianchi (No. 17) – 17th and 19th
The French driver did not make any mistakes during this qualifying session but he can’t help being a little disappointed with his result. It was very close to advancing to Q2, but I think it was still possible. My first run was good, but on the second, I was hindered by traffic and a yellow flag and lost about 5 tenths of improvement.
Despite this, Bianchi remains positive and looks forward to the race with anticipation: « We are only 6 tenths off the Saubers, which is quite good. Now we have to work for tomorrow’s race, I think we will have some great battles with nice rewards for the team. »
Max Chilton (#4) – 21st and 19th
The Englishman is quite satisfied with the progress made since this Saturday morning’s session: Compared to this morning’s session, the car has improved a lot, and I’m quite happy with my qualifying, to be honest. I think we have a good car for tomorrow and we can be optimistic.
However, Chilton is aware of the inherent risks at the Monaco circuit and expects a long and difficult race tomorrow: « We saw a few incidents this afternoon which remind us that it is a very narrow circuit and there could be a safety car intervention tomorrow, which could provide us with good opportunities. »