Saturday: The shadow of Jules Bianchi looms over Chilton and Marussia F1
For the Marussia team, the qualifying session was not easy: preceded by the two Caterhams, Max Chilton acknowledges that the gloomy atmosphere and the absence of Jules Bianchi weigh on him.
Max Chilton (n°4) – 20th and 21st
For the young Briton, the context and atmosphere are not easing up: « A difficult weekend and one that is not getting any easier as we approach the race. I am grateful that the whole team is around me because I think it helps us all to focus. »
« In terms of performance, we do not have the qualifying position we wanted today, but there are reasons for that. This morning, we had a transmission problem and missed the last part of FP3, so a stint on soft tires. As it’s a new circuit for us, it’s quite a significant disadvantage for qualifying. I was quite happy with the balance and looking at the three practice sessions as a whole, I think we’ve done a good job and there’s more to come in the race, » he explains.
His last sentence nevertheless sums up his thinking: « We will continue to push this afternoon and do our best to get ahead of the Caterhams tomorrow, but the fact is it’s not the same without my teammate. »
