Friday: Marussia is better than its ranking suggests
If Jules Bianchi's seat was shared between reserve driver Rodolfo Gonzalez and the Frenchman who was ill, Max Chilton's seat was occupied all day by the Englishman, and the latter believes that the car's performances are better than the FP2 standings suggest.
Max Chilton – 19th and 22nd
« The timesheet doesn’t reflect the true potential on a day where I was actually quite comfortable with the car. This morning, I was happy to be ahead of the Caterhams and this afternoon, we focused more on long runs in preparation for Sunday. Tomorrow, in qualifying, we’ll have a better idea of our true pace here compared to the competition, but for now, I’m pleased with the overall direction. »
Jules Bianchi – 21st (FP2)
« The day was short for me, which is unfortunate. It had been planned for a while that Rodolfo would drive in FP1, and as things turned out, it allowed me to rest and feel better. This afternoon, I did two stints in FP2 – 10 laps in total – but I wasn’t feeling well, so it was better to stop and recover better. I hope that after a good night’s sleep, I’ll be back in shape tomorrow. »
Rodolfo Gonzalez – 21st (FP1)
« I am happy to have had a good FP1 session this morning and to have completed 21 laps. It took me some time to regain speed, but I had to be realistic because up until now, I have only completed six laps. I think the Young Driver Tests will be my best opportunity to make progress and get on track a bit more before Hungary. For now, the team has supported me a lot and given me a lot of work on the suspension and aero, and the priority was to achieve that and not to focus too much on lap times. I am happy to have provided useful information that should help us for the rest of the weekend. »
