Saturday: Sutil reaches Q3, di Resta stops in Q1
If Adrian Sutil managed to get into Q3 despite struggling to properly handle the intermediate tires, Paul di Resta had to stop in Q1 due to a software issue with his Force India, which prevented him from taking advantage of the track when it was at its best to set a good lap time.
Adrian Sutil – 2nd and 8th:
« I’m pretty happy with 8th place. It was a tough qualifying session and it was complicated to judge the conditions. Some parts of the track were wet and others dry, so it was difficult to know how much to push. I also struggled to get my tires up to temperature, so it wasn’t easy to get everything right in one lap. The most important lap for me was just after the red flag: we were all at the end of the pit lane – a bit like a race start – and I knew I had a chance to get into Q3. Fortunately, everything went well for me. »
Paul Di Resta – 7th and 17th:
« It’s very frustrating to start from 17th place, so we need to get together and analyze what happened. Something went wrong with the gear shift software during my first run in Q1, and when I came back in, the team tried to fix it. It was just a small issue, but we lost significant time trying to find a solution. Meanwhile, the track was getting faster and faster. When I went back out, the rain reappeared, so we missed the best track conditions. There’s not much you can do in this kind of situation, but it’s a huge disappointment considering the car’s competitiveness yesterday. I’m going to try to focus only on the positives because it’s possible to overtake on this circuit, and our car is good. We need to find a roadmap tonight, and I’ll push hard tomorrow. »
