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Verstappen: More was not possible
In FT3, the Red Bull driver was still ahead, but Verstappen doesn’t think there will be more than P3 in qualifying. Four tenths were left at the end in Hamilton. “It was pretty good,” he says of his return to Q3. In the slow corners it lacked some grip at the rear, but it was a “decent qualification”.
He thinks it will be “tough” to challenge the two Mercedes tomorrow. However, he hopes to have an advantage on the tires. “I hope we find the right compromise,” said the Dutchman. He wants to keep the Mercedes cars and then see what works.
Vettel predicts a “tire fight” in the race
Regarding the race, the German predicts a “tire fight” and explains: “The track here has a very rough surface, which is hard on the tires. So in the race it is important to be careful with the tires. So yes. we are smart as a fox, then we have a good chance. If not, it will be a long race. I think we still have a good chance of getting some points. “
Leclerc: Where did you lose Q3?
“There was definitely a bit more there,” believes the second Ferrari driver and explains to ‘Sky’: “I think I lost quite a bit at Turn 4, but that’s the way it is now. We will start the race from P11 and P12. the first to have a free choice of tires. I have no idea how much that can be an advantage for us. Because I’m pretty sure it’s not so bad that the top 10 start with Medium. “
Vettel for the second time in a row against Leclerc
Between Silverstone and Imola, Leclerc was ten times faster than his teammate in qualifying. Now Vettel was up front twice in a row. A little change in trend at Ferrari? Meanwhile, Verstappen and Russell still have a clean slate. There is now the 15: 0 in the respective duel against the partner. Albon got the maximum possible for him today with P4. But in Verstappen again six tenths were missing.
The full description of all ranked duels can be found here!
Vettel: “A little more” would have been possible
The German explains in ‘Sky’ that Q3 would have been possible. “In general, the midsection on the last shot was not ideal. I had some trouble getting the front tires warming up, finding a gap with the exit lap, where everyone drove slowly in the last few meters,” he said . the Ferrari driver.
“I think at the end of the first sector and at the beginning of the second sector, the momentum was taken away a little bit, the momentum. Maybe there was a bit more there, but otherwise it was okay. It was difficult to get to the point. In the end, we only had one chance for the red flag, “he recalls.
Post for Hamilton!
The world champion improved again on his second attempt and took pole 1: 27.2 ahead of Bottas and Verstappen. Albon is pushing himself towards P4. They are followed by Pérez and the two Renault. Here in the ticker the votes for the classification continue!
The first round is for Hamilton
After the first few attempts, the world champion leads 1: 27.6 ahead of Verstappen and Bottas. Behind them are Pérez, Gasly and Ocon, Albon is only in P7. But everyone has a chance to finish it off again.
What was happening at Stroll?
The Canadian was almost a second slower than in the first quarter, so there must have been a problem. He himself speaks of a “misunderstanding” on the radio. Meanwhile, McLaren suspects that there was a problem with the braking system at Sainz. We will of course try to figure that out later in the day. But first of all, let’s get into Q3!
Both Ferraris out
Last year still in front, today in Q2 with both cars … Vettel, Leclerc, Stroll, Russell and of course Sainz were eliminated. After all: Vettel has beaten his teammate for the second time in a row in the standings. In addition, tomorrow you can freely choose tires with P11 and P12. Better than nothing, but of course too little for the Scuderia.
Hamilton front
The world champion leads 1: 27.5 ahead of Verstappen, Bottas and Albon. Exciting – Only six drivers have set a time, everyone else is now making a single attempt. The last three minutes are running.
Follow!
The session plays out over and over again, we mainly see yellow medium tires. Hardly anyone wants to start here with the soft ones.
Red flag
The session is interrupted because Sainz is on shift 1. Something broke in the car. There are 9:10 minutes left on the clock and no one has set a time yet. So this will be a disaster again when I reboot. By the way, only the two AlphaTauris were in soft, everyone else in between. But that doesn’t matter anyway, the cards will be completely shuffled in no time. Who will then dare to use the medium?
Focus on the tires
In Q2, the focus is on the tires. The top 10 have to start tomorrow on the tires they are using now. That is why some drivers are trying to pass in the middle so that they cannot start on a soft start tomorrow. Does this plan work? It will be exciting!
Russell arrives
The Williams driver improved on his last attempt and made the jump to Q2. Outside are Giovinazzi, Räikkönen, Magnussen, Grosjean and Latifi. The usual suspects. The best time is for Hamilton before, surprise, Stroll and Albon. In the end, they both improved a lot.
Outside would currently be …
… Russell, Raikkonen, Grosjean, Magnussen and Latifi. Leclerc also has to step up, staggering to P15 and complaining about the traffic. Who would have thought … By the way, Hamilton is now ahead at 1: 28.3 ahead of Bottas and Verstappen. They should be safe.
First time
Verstappen now puts a 1: 28.8 and thus provides initial guidance. Russell had stopped his round. Now the track is filling up. It’s about time, because the last ten minutes of the first quarter are already running, and 19 drivers have yet to set a time.
