BWT Racing Point Formula One Team had a positive day in Qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend, locking out the second row of the grid.
Canadian Lance Stroll will start in third position, while his team-mate Sergio Pérez starts just behind him in fourth. Both men ran six laps during the final stage of Qualifying, Stroll setting a 1:14.377 personal best; Pérez’s best lap was a 1:14.545.
“I’m very happy with today’s result” – Stroll
“I’m very happy with today’s result: the car was strong all the way through Qualifying and we’ve been performing well all weekend,” said the Canadian.
“We’ve had the pace so today was about piecing it all together in Qualifying and it was a great job by the whole team to ensure that we did.
It was definitely a gamble to try to make it into Qualifying 3 on the medium tyres, but it proved to be the right call. We’re in a good position tomorrow to try and score some big points for the team.”
“We’ve kept the momentum going” – Pérez
Pérez seemed happy with starting in fourth position, although feels he could have performed better, and potentially put together a tidier lap. Nonetheless, he is pleased they have been able to show consistent pace throughout the weekend so far, and hopes they will have race pace to match.
“Locking out the second row is a great result for everyone in the team. I’m happy with P4, but I felt my Qualifying could have been slightly better and that I could have had a tidier lap [in Qualifying 3],” he said.
“The important thing is that we’ve kept the momentum going this weekend and we’ve shown strong pace in every session. If we can show the same pace tomorrow, then we can target a big result. Being able to start the race on the medium tyre is what we wanted, so it’s great that we had the speed to make that happen. I hope it pays us back tomorrow.”
“A tremendous team effort” – Szafnauer
Team principal Otmar Szafnauer is delighted with what the team have been able to achieve, having no doubt they could put in such a strong performance over one lap.
“Today’s Qualifying result is a tremendous team effort and it feels great to see our cars lockout the second row of the grid. We knew we had the pace in the car, but it’s satisfying to deliver that speed when it mattered during qualifying.”
He added: “I’m proud of the way we approached the session and that we progressed to Q3 on the medium tyres – a decision that should open up more strategic opportunities tomorrow.
“Of course, it’s only Saturday, and tomorrow is what really counts, but we’ve put ourselves in a great position to have a strong race too.”
