Saturday: Williams drinks the cup to the dregs
Sentenced to a feat to avoid starting from the last position after fitting a ninth engine equivalent to a 10-place penalty on the starting grid, Pastor Maldonado will eventually start ahead of his teammate, Rubens Barrichello, once again a victim of engine problems.
Pastor Maldonado – 17th and 17th:
The race is long here, and we need to establish a solid strategy to achieve a positive result starting from the 23rd position. We have been thinking about our strategy all weekend because we’ve known about the grid penalty for a long time now. We haven’t decided anything 100% yet, and we will keep working on it tonight to ensure we give ourselves the best possible chances. I will do my best, and I know the team will too. We must be confident.
Rubens Barrichello – 19th and 24th:
The team tried everything to fix the problem we had this morning. Unfortunately, they weren’t successful, and I couldn’t go out in qualifying. I fully support the team and I know we will get through this.
Mark Gillan, Chief Operations Engineer:
« It was clearly a very disappointing day for Rubens after an engine problem interrupted him in free practice 3 and prevented him from completing a lap in qualifying. Pastor got through Q1 but will take a penalty for fitting a ninth engine this season. Therefore, both our drivers will start at the back of the grid but we hope to see them attack in the race. »
