Saturday: Williams counts on a good race pace
Williams was aiming for Q3 and the top 10 this afternoon. Unfortunately, both of the English team's cars remain stuck in Q2. Pastor Maldonado qualifies 12th and could have aimed a bit higher if not for KERS problems during his fastest lap. Rubens Barrichello had brake issues, relegating him to the 16th position. Both drivers remain optimistic and are counting on a good race pace to score points tomorrow.
Pastor Maldonado – 11th and 12th:
« I extracted the maximum from the car this afternoon so I am happy with my performance in qualifying. Obviously, it’s better to be in the top 10 but there are a lot of variables expected for the race. Our pace is good and the field is very tight. We are not far from the points and with the overtaking opportunities here, there are chances for us to have a good day tomorrow. I think it will be an exciting race. »
Rubens Barrichello – 16th and 16th:
Unfortunately, we had problems with the front discs in Q2. It wasn’t due to the temperature, and the car was pulling to one side, which caused us to go off track. In the end, it cost us a lot of time and forced us to change our strategy. We have a good car capable of better things, but there are overtaking opportunities here, and we have a good pace, so there’s every reason to be optimistic about having a solid race.
Sam Michael – Technical Director:
« We weren’t fast enough for the top 10 today, but Pastor got the most out of the car. He could probably have been quicker, but he didn’t have KERS in his best lap because we couldn’t recharge it quickly enough.
« Rubens had some problems with the brakes on his car and therefore was not able to put everything together for a good lap. This race always presents opportunities, and the team is going to push hard to score points. »
