Sunday: A 13th place that delights Bianchi and Marussia
Authors of poor starts, the Marussia drivers saw their race begin to complicate. But while Jules Bianchi managed to turn the situation around, even finishing in 13th place in the Grand Prix, Max Chilton did not succeed. The British driver failed to pass the two Caterhams and ultimately finished in 16th place.
Jules Bianchi – 13th:
« Obviously, I am delighted to finish 13th today, after being 15th in my first race last weekend. I hope this momentum continues! It wasn’t an easy day because we made life complicated by not having a good start and not completing a good first lap, which really impacted the first part of my race. The lap times were really good at the end of the first stint, but I was stuck behind the Caterham and unable to do more. After 18 laps and a bit, I was able to position myself to overtake, and from there, I was very happy with my progress. It was nice to keep Maldonado behind and maintain a gap for so long. This shows that we have a car to compete against them in the future. There are several things to learn and improve after today and this weekend as a whole, but we have made progress since Melbourne and we need to keep going. A big thanks to the team for all their efforts and those that will come between now and China. »
Max Chilton – 16th:
« I’m slightly disappointed today because it seems the elements were against us. First, the start didn’t go very well, and I lost a lot of time on the first lap. This issue and being stuck behind the Caterhams really defined my race, which is difficult because you know the blue flag period will arrive much earlier in the race. The car’s performance is there, as is my pace, but there’s work to be done to put everything together and maximize every part of the race, especially managing the blue flags. I’m sure by focusing on this, we can come back even stronger in China. The team did a good job this weekend because it hasn’t always been easy. »
