Saturday report: Virgin – Both cars are qualified

We must have felt relieved in the Virgin camp at the end of the qualifying session. Both home drivers managed to get the MRV02 within the 107% and will be able to take part in tomorrow’s race.

However, we are not hiding from the truth. The team is well aware that there is still a lot of work to do to reach the goals set at the beginning of the season.

Timo Glock – 20th and 21st:

« The first weekend of the season was a tough test for us and today we had the chance to see where we stand and what we need to do to move forward. I have a new engineer since this winter, and with the team around my car, they have done a fantastic job in testing and this weekend.»

« Fighting for a time within 107% is not what we’re here for and we can now see where we are and what we need to do to improve. We are a good team and we need to bring the car to where it needs to be. »

«For tomorrow’s race, we will try to be reliable and bring both cars to the finish line as a reward for everyone’s hard work.»

Jérôme D’Ambrosio – 22nd and 22nd:

I’m very happy with the progress made this weekend, which allows us to take part in tomorrow’s race. On a personal note, it was my first qualifying session, and I was able to see what needed to be done and where I could improve.

I’m going to use all the information, both the good and the bad, to see what I need to work on and continue to progress. But for now, I’m happy that things went well today and I hope I can have a positive experience tomorrow for my first F1 race.

John Booth – Team Principal

«It is fair to say that there was a certain level of stress within the team before the qualifications. This is not the position we want to be in, and fighting to be within the 107% is not our goal, it should be a given. »

« As last year, we expected the first race to be a challenge after a winter where the rules changed. The qualifiers are a confirmation of what we already knew; we have a lot of work ahead of us to get the car where it needs to be. »

«That said, Timo drove very well to achieve the best possible result today, and Jérôme did an admirable job for his debut. So all the credit goes to the drivers and the team for a respectable start to the season operationally, which is an improvement compared to twelve months ago. »