Saturday: Maldonado and Barrichello aimed for Q3
After encouraging performances in Q1, Williams was envisioning the possibility of reaching the third and final part of the qualifying session. But traffic dashed the hopes of the Grove team.

Rubens Barrichello – 16th and 14th
« Today, it was one of the qualifying sessions where I had the most fun. We have a new package for this race, but the car is still not as fast as we would have liked. Unfortunately, I had traffic all the time, which is a shame because I’m really certain that we could have reached Q3 ».
Pastor Maldonado – 13th and 16th*
« It was a difficult qualifying session due to the changing conditions, and I had some balance issues because of that, especially during Q1. I was hoping for a bit better in Q2 and thought we could reach Q3, but I encountered traffic in my last lap, which cost me time. This race is long, and I think our pace is better here, so we’ll see. About what happened with Lewis: he slowed down a lot at the end of the session, so I tried to pass him. I then felt contact at the back of my car. I really don’t know what happened. It was a tough moment ».
Sam Michael
« Both drivers easily got through Q1. We were in a good position to be in the top 10 in Q2, but the red flag completely compromised our program. With so much traffic upon resumption, we didn’t have a clear lap. It was the same for everyone and we will now focus on the race ».
*Following the stewards’ decision, Pastor Maldonado has been penalized five grid places for tomorrow’s Grand Prix. He will therefore start from the 21st position.*