Formula 1
CHECO TAKES POLE POSITION IN JEDDAH MAX OUT OF Q2 WITH REAR AXLE ISSUES FERNANDO ON THE FRONT ROW WITH LECLERC’ PENALTY AND GEORGE P3 FOR MERCEDES.
CHECO: “I certainly enjoy the track here in Jeddah. The car came alive at high speeds and I was able to push right to the limit to secure pole position. That said, it has been tricky today. You can lose two tenths through the early section of corners if you’re not careful, especially with the low downforce that we’re running, so I’m very happy to come away with pole.
It will be very interesting to see what happens in the race tomorrow, especially with some of the other cars running high downforce. As we saw last year, anything can happen. We have a good race car and showed strong race pace on Friday, so let’s hope Max can also push up the grid and together, we can aim for maximum points for the Team.”
BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – FEBRUARY 24: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing prepares to drive in the garage during day two of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on February 24, 2023 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.
MAX: “The driveshaft broke out of turn 10 on the right rear so that was it for qualifying. It happened really out of the blue, we hadn’t had any issues before that. It was annoying because the car was good up until then, I was comfortable in every session and every time I was on the track, I was quick, so for sure we could have fought for pole. Instead, we now have a bit more work ahead of us tomorrow but it is what it is, it is a long Championship and we will stay positive.
I think a win is tricky from that position but I will try to score as many points as possible. It will be hard to get to the front, but we won’t give up. Anything is possible at this track, we have seen some crazy things here, but we have to be realistic. It will be tough but we have good pace so, for sure, we will move forward.”
Portrait, Helmets, Jeddah Corniche Circuit, GP2302a, F1, GP, Saudi Arabia
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team
FERNANDO: “All in all we have to be very happy with starting on the first row of the grid tomorrow. It is a very different circuit compared to Bahrain and to see us fighting in Q3 again is a positive sign. The track did evolve during the session, but maybe not as much as we anticipated, especially from Q2 to Q3.
Our strength in this package has been on the long runs, so hopefully we can optimize this as much as possible tomorrow. It is very tight between a number of teams so tomorrow will be an interesting battle for sure. But with both cars starting inside the top five positions, our main goal is to come away from this race with as many points as possible.”