Lance Stroll ahead of Felipe Massa in Baku qualifying
The two Williams drivers return to the final round of qualifying in Baku. For his first outing on the track, Lance Stroll made his mark with his second Q3 start of the season in 8th place. For the first time, he will start ahead of Felipe Massa.
After several challenging Grand Prix qualifying sessions, the team from Grove found their way back to Q3 with 8th and 9th places respectively for Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa. Buoyed by his first points scored at home two weeks ago and an impressive climb during the race, the Canadian outperformed his teammate for the first time this season. Like their competitors, they were not immune to tire issues, which might have cost them time in Q3 (slower times than in Q2).
Lance Stroll => 8th (1:42.753)
For the second time this year, Lance Stroll managed to get his car into Q3, following a 10th place in China. The Montreal native is having a relatively trouble-free weekend. He feels relatively comfortable at the wheel of his car and on this urban track.
I had a good day and a good weekend so far. I feel confident at the wheel of the car. I enjoy the circuit and today everything seemed to fall into place.
Despite this dose of optimism, a hint of disappointment is to be noted about his lap in Q3: « I missed my Q3 a little. I think it was possible to do better because we were four-tenths faster in Q2 (1:42.284). »
Temperatures and the operating window of the tires as well as random circumstances are to blame: « During Q3 the track temperature dropped. It was difficult to prepare the tires in just one lap. Additionally, there was the red flag. So we only had one lap to set a time. Ideally here, it’s better to immediately do a fast lap then a preparation lap to try a timed lap again. »
Nevertheless, he concludes on a positive note: « It’s still a good result. I’m just happy for the team. »
Felipe Massa => 9th (1:42.798)
The Brazilian experienced mixed fortunes, being much less comfortable with the tires than his teammate. He comes away from this day rather disappointed, despite his 9th position on the grid.
« It wasn’t a great qualifying session for me. We struggled to get the tires working. (…) I do better with worn tires than new ones on the car. Also, the red flag didn’t help us. »
But Felipe Massa was happy to see his young teammate put in a good performance: « I am very happy for Lance (Stroll). He managed a good lap and managed to make the tires work better than me (…).»
