Saturday: Cold shower for Ferrari, on the brink of Q3
While Canada had reignited the hopes of the tifosi, this Saturday brought the entire Scuderia back to Earth. Both drivers were trapped by an extremely tight Q2, where conceding more than two-tenths meant not advancing. However, Ferrari hopes to take advantage in the race with two sets of Soft tires saved on each car.
Fernando Alonso – 12th and 11th:
« When you don’t qualify for Q3, it’s obviously very sad and there’s no need to hide it. This result is a cold shower because our expectations were high and the car’s potential has also increased, to the point that in Q2, we were only three-tenths away from the best. It’s easy to say now that with two runs on Softs in Q2, we would have made it, but maybe then we would be lamenting the fact that we wouldn’t have two sets for Q3: it’s always easy to judge after the facts. However, we weren’t fast enough to be in the top 10 in the second part of qualifying, and now the race will naturally be tougher. The podium is out of reach, and clearly, with Hamilton on the front row, it’s easy to expect to concede ground to him. However, the race will be very long and we will be driving in even higher temperatures than today, which means everyone will have to be very careful with tire management. Hopefully, starting from the clean side of the track, I can quickly gain a few positions and then try to make the most of the two sets of Soft tires we have left: it’s at least a small consolation after an afternoon far from positive. »
Felipe Massa – 9th and 13th:
It is really frustrating to finish outside of Q3 by less than a tenth. It was a very tight qualifying session, with many drivers very close to each other in performance: in Q2, we were three-tenths off the best time and we were eliminated… It’s a shame because my feeling with the car was very good and I always felt comfortable and capable of fighting with the best. Our position doesn’t tell the whole truth: today, we deserved a spot on the first three rows. In hindsight, it’s easy to say that if we had used two sets of Soft tires in Q2, we would have made it, but we wanted to be in the best possible shape for Q3, and Q1 showed us that we were fast even with the Medium tires. Tomorrow, strategy will play a very important role, and we’ve seen on many occasions — Canada being the latest — how even those who started from the back had a chance to fight for high positions. Obviously, we’re not happy today, but we know we have a good car, and we still have every chance to bring home a good result.
