Saturday: Hopes Dashed for Maldonado and Williams
Revitalized in the rain, the Williams drivers gradually faded as the track dried. Thus, after setting the best time in the first phase of qualifying, Pastor Maldonado settled for a final sixteenth place on the grid, two positions behind his teammate, Valtteri Bottas.
Valtteri Bottas – 18th and 14th:
« The conditions were not good today as they were constantly changing. We made the most of what we had and, although the car is not where we want it to be, we feel we are in a good position in terms of understanding the direction to take in development.
The race will be difficult with some fast cars starting behind us, but I am confident that we will still be able to push forward and gain some positions in tomorrow’s race.
Pastor Maldonado – 9th and 16th:
« We were fast in Q1 as I know this circuit very well and know where to take risks in these conditions. As it dried, the car didn’t perform as well and the front end was locking up a lot. I think a top 10 was possible while there was room to do better, especially if the track had stayed wet. It seems promising for the future given the data we were able to collect this weekend so far.
