Saturday: Williams returns to Q3
After a start to the season unworthy of its status, Williams returns to Q3 after narrowly missing it in Turkey. Pastor Maldonado will indeed start from the 9th place tomorrow, while his teammate, Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, will have a more difficult task after experiencing gearbox problems that prevented him from making it past Q1.
Pastor Maldonado – 9th
« I am really happy for the team and all the guys. We worked hard to find the right balance throughout the weekend. Yesterday’s practice, especially the first session, was very difficult for me. The car wasn’t very good so we took risks and decided to use the new rear wing in qualifying. The car seems more competitive but we need to keep pushing and improving. »
Rubens Barrichello – 19th
« I knew we had a gearbox problem as soon as I went out in Q1. I think there’s a positive; we saved a set of tires, […] but seeing where Pastor qualified, we could have had a chance to be in the Top 10. I would do anything to be there tomorrow. »
Sam Michael, Technical Director
« It is a great performance for Pastor today to have brought Williams into the Top 10 in qualifying. The next step will be to score some points. We encountered a gearbox problem on Rubens’ car and we are currently looking for the cause. He is far behind, but given our pace and the fact that he will have fresh tires, he should be able to make good progress. Thanks to everyone at the factory for their efforts to bring the new rear wing here. We still have a lot of work to do to keep progressing. »
