Saturday: Williams is disappointed

After the third free practice session where Nico Rosberg ranked third, the Williams team is disappointed with its qualifying session. Kazuki Nakajima was eliminated in Q1 and will start his home Grand Prix in 17th position on the grid. The Japanese driver needs results and has no choice but to have a very aggressive race and show everything he is capable of. He can count on the support of his many fans for this home race.

Nico Rosberg missed out on a Q1 spot by 0.4 seconds and will start from 11th position. The son of the world champion first saw his first two Q2 runs halted by red flags and then strictly adhered to the yellow flags at the end of Q2. The German driver saw Button, Barrichello, and Sutil take his place in Q3. Those three drivers set their best times under yellow flag conditions. Points are still possible for the young German and his Williams, and he will have the freedom to choose his fuel load for the start.

Kazuki Nakajima – 15th and 15th (17th time):

« We didn’t really succeed in finding grip in the dry conditions and we didn’t get the best out of the car. I’m really disappointed. Yesterday was quite positive in the wet conditions, but I just didn’t do what was needed in the dry. It’s really nice to perform at home in front of so many supporters, I just hope to be able to do better for them tomorrow. »

Nico Rosberg – 3rd and 7th (11th time):

This was a dramatic qualifying session with several accidents. Many drivers went off track, which shows how unforgiving this circuit is. I am not satisfied with my performance today and I didn’t feel completely comfortable in the car. The first part of qualifying went well, but I was never able to regain the same level of grip afterward. Obviously, I wanted to do better than 11th place, but at least it gives me the opportunity to choose my fuel load for tomorrow.

Sam Michael – Technical Director

This was a strange session punctuated by many red flags. Kazuki narrowly missed Q2, and then Nico missed Q3 after two false relay starts stopped by red flags, leaving him with no time at that moment. With the remaining time available, we decided to go out earlier than usual using another set of soft tires, but it was not enough. Both our drivers have the choice of their strategy for tomorrow. We will therefore put all our efforts into this and aim for the best possible result.