The Spanish Grand Prix and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya are certainly not unfamiliar to experienced campaigner Kimi Räikkönen but sadly for Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen the Finnish driver was unable to make the most of this and was out-qualified by team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi and didn’t make it out of Qualifying-1.
Kimi Räikkönen was disappointed not to make it into Qualifying-2 especially after showing some good signs in Free Practice 3 where he finished the session in ninth despite a puncture towards the end of the final session of practice. However, the car still felt good and the lap was good until the final sector of the lap where the Fin was too close to one of the cars in front and the dirty air ruined his lap.
“It was disappointing to go out in Q1, especially after looking good in the morning. The car still felt good and the lap was not bad, but I lost it in the final sector. I got a bit too close to the car in front at the end of the lap and that was it – it’s so close out there, if you don’t get it right you pay the price.”
In Formula 1 there is always a chance of chaos and Kimi Räikkönen will be hoping to capitalise on any mistakes made by other drivers further up the field and bring the car home in a good position.
“We’ll see what we can do to get back in the fight tomorrow. It’s not an easy place to overtake but we will give everything.”
Antonio Giovinazzi Feels That He Has Maximised The Car Performance Starting In Fourteenth On The Grid
Antonio Giovinazzi will have come away from Qualifying content with his performance, starting in fourteenth on the grid is definitely a place from where the Italian can finish in the points position if he gets a good start and manages his tyres.
Giovinazzi feels that it was a good session and that progressing into Qualifying-2 was the maximum he could do, however once he was in the second session of Qualifying the Italian feels that he still left some time out on the track but the final session of Qualifying was still out of reach.
“It was a good session and I think we got the maximum we could out of the car. My Q2 lap was good, maybe I could have improved a little more but Q3 was still a bit too far. However, we keep improving, and to be in Q2 again is good for the team. I am happy with my performance, we’re still not where we would like to be – in the top ten – but we are making progress”
The first lap and the run down into Turn 1 will be crucial to get a good result as overtaking is very difficult around this circuit but Giovinazzi will be hoping to capitalise on any good luck that is thrown his way.
“Let’s see how our race pace is tomorrow: the first lap will be important, as overtaking can be difficult here, but we’re ready to make the most of every opportunity.”
