Formula 1

“To have two cars in a battle for a place in Q3 is a positive step” – Frédéric Vasseur

1 Mins read
Credit: Antonin Vincent / DPPI

Frédéric Vasseur says getting both cars into Q2 for the Portuguese Grand Prix had been the minimum target for Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN on Saturday, and they achieved that objective.

Antonio Giovinazzi was not far away from getting into Q3 in twelfth, while a few errors by Kimi Räikkönen left the veteran Finn down in fifteenth position.

Vasseur, the Team Principal of Alfa Romeo and the CEO of Sauber Motorsport AG, was full of praise for the team after they improved the car significantly between Friday and Saturday, which enabled both drivers to be able to get into Q2.

“Putting both cars in Q2 was the minimum objective for today, and we achieved it: to fight for a place in Q3 with Antonio shows how much of an improvement we made overnight, so big credit to the team for turning our single-lap performance around after a difficult Friday,” said Vasseur.

“Antonio felt really good and delivered two strong laps in Q2 to finish only a little more than a tenth away from the top ten; Kimi was on course to have a similarly good time on both his runs, but unfortunately couldn’t get the lap together.

“Still, to have two cars in a battle for a place in Q3 is a positive step.”

Vasseur says the team go into Sunday’s race at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve confident of moving forward and fighting for their first points of the season.

“We start tomorrow with free choice of tyres and aiming to be in the battle for the points from lights to flag: our race pace looked promising yesterday and we need to translate it into a good result,” said Vasseur.

13769 posts

About author
Long time motorsport fanatic, covering Formula 1 and the occassional other series. Feel free to give him a follow on Twitter at @Paul11MSport.
Articles
Related posts
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix - TCF Driver of the Weekend

2 Mins read
TheCheckeredFlag Driver of the Weekend is revealed for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix – What the Team Principals are Saying after the Race

7 Mins read
The ten Team Principals reflect on drivers performances at Albert Park during Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, a race that saw Ferrari claim their first win of 2024.
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix – What the Drivers are Saying after the Race – Part 2

7 Mins read
Those who missed out on points in Australia reflect on their races, including Max Verstappen, who retired from a Grand Prix for the first time since the same event in 2022.