Saturday: Main Reactions from the Drivers

Here are the main reactions from the headliners of this Saturday regarding both the last free practice sessions and the qualifying session. On the schedule are the Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes GP drivers, and also Fernando Alonso for Scuderia Ferrari.

Jenson Button – 4th and 5th: I was struggling a bit with the car in the first two qualifying sessions. In Q3, however, it was a lot better, but it was a little too late. The car was very different, the balance unstable, and I had to work with the variations. So it wasn’t a bad lap; it’s just a bit frustrating that it took us that long to find the right balance in qualifying. But fifth is about right, and I think we’ll have a good car for tomorrow’s race. It’s likely going to rain tomorrow anyway, and the setup we have might be very good in wet conditions.

Nico Rosberg – 6th and 4th: « The fourth place is a nice surprise and I’m very happy because we seem to have made a step forward this weekend. We really got the most out of the car in qualifying and I worked well with my engineer and the team to improve the car and the setup. We thought we would be further back on the grid. It’s a good step for us and we are well positioned to have a good race. »

Michael Schumacher – 7th and 9th: I’m obviously disappointed with my qualifying. In some areas, I wasn’t fast enough, like coming out of certain corners. I was struggling a bit with the rear. I never really found the balance of the car all weekend. It will be difficult to be too optimistic for the race given my position on the grid, but I’ve made some good starts in the past. A lot always happens during Formula 1 races. We can continue to score good points.

**Lewis Hamilton – 2nd and 6th:** « I’m a bit disappointed, we wanted to clinch pole position today, and I thought we could. The tires behaved pretty much the same as in Q1 and Q2. The car was also behaving very well, but in Q3, the car was drifting much more. We had been fast all weekend, but sixth was the best I could do in Q3. I’m sure it will be a good race. »

Sebastian Vettel – 3rd and 1st: « It was difficult today. I wasn’t happy yesterday and this morning Mark was a bit faster than me. We made some changes to the car, but it was still extremely difficult. I struggled in the first sector, but then I think we made a good step forward! I found a better line by remembering some things from last year. I lost time in free practice this morning, but I delivered two very good runs in Q3. We are making a fourth consecutive pole position for Red Bull. We are proving that we have a very good car, whatever the circuit. I am very happy today. Thanks to the mechanical department.

Mark Webber – 1st and 2nd: « Sebastian did a good job in Q3. I’m on the front row, which is not a bad starting position. It’s a great team performance to lock out the front row again, after doing the same in Melbourne. It’s very positive. »

Fernando Alonso – 5th and 3rd: « For now, I would say that this result is the exact reflection of our qualifying potential. The Red Bulls seem unbeatable, but that’s certainly no surprise because they’re always strong on Saturday. I’m happy with the way things are going: Third place is a good position to start such a long race. We can aim for a podium. Today, I was more comfortable on the hard tires, and the soft ones were more difficult to use. I feel the advantages of the new aerodynamic package in terms of performance. The team is working well, but it’s in the race where points are given, not in qualifying. If it rains, much will depend on when the tires need to be changed: Making the right choices, as well as choosing the best tires, could bring us victory, but you could lose everything. It’s hard to say where we are in terms of wet competitiveness because during winter testing, we were never in the same conditions. However, in Australia, things went pretty well. »