FORMULA 1

“I’m pretty delighted, but I will be even more delighted if I’m on the top step tomorrow. I’m trying to keep things pretty chilled now but I’ve done everything I need to do up until this point, so I’m pleased with that and everything the team have done. At the moment I feel like I have done half the job I came here to do, so we will try and finish it tomorrow and I’ve made life easier by putting myself on pole. I just kept building up and putting the laps together and then in Q3 it was very important to maximise everything at the right time and I was able to do that.

I had confidence in the car which started on Thursday and then it was about finding the rhythm, which is very important around here. I knew the car would be strong and it’s great to get the best out of it. Everyone came into the weekend saying that we were favourites and I thought they were trying to take some pressure off themselves but I thought, let’s prove them right! It’s one extreme to the other for the team today, with Max not making the session, but that’s Monaco and it pushes you. Finding the balance even with a good car, still isn’t easy. I think if we are smart and do the race we know we can do tomorrow, then we are in with a good chance for the win.”

“I got a little bit caught off guard passing the slow car, which isn’t an excuse, and clipped the inside barrier before hitting the wall. It happened so quick after getting a bit distracted and perhaps I turned in a bit too early. Like in China, this was my mistake. It is of course not what you like but unfortunately sometimes it happens. Before Qualifying I was ready to get in the car but it turned into a bit of a rollercoaster. They fired up the engine and only then could we see the leak, at this stage it is too late to make it out. It makes it a bit more painful knowing this is a track that we genuinely had a shot at pole and the win. It was a small mistake that resulted in us paying a big price. That is usually the way in Monaco. I saw Daniel back on the Energy Station after quali and congratulated him on a great performance. We know we have pace here but it is so hard to pass and when you get held up there is little you can do.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “A fantastic performance by Daniel today. He’s been quickest in every session so far this weekend, including the three segments of Qualifying to achieve his second pole position at our 250th grand prix. Unfortunately Max found the unforgiving nature of this circuit in P3 hitting the barrier in Turn 15 resulting in significant damage. The mechanics did an unbelievable job getting the car turned around only to then discover a gearbox leak which necessitated a change and in the time available it just wasn’t possible to get him out on track for Qualifying. So, it is bittersweet in some respects but today belonged to Daniel.”