No miracles for Aston Martin F1 in qualifying for the French Grand Prix, it stalled in Q2 for Sebastian Vettel and from Q1 for Lance Stroll. But the pure rhythm is better than the one shown yesterday during Free 1 and 2.
“On the one hand, I’m happy because I got the most out of the car today,” commented Vettel, 14th in time but 12th on the grid after the ‘engine’ penalties of Sainz and Magnussen.
« On the other hand, we are not yet where we want to be. We still lack grip, but that’s how it is. I think the little improvements we made over the weekend have played their part. he afternoon is going to be difficult tomorrow, but I’m sure we can manage the tires in the race. They will be the biggest problem for everyone – including ourselves – but we can deal with them. It would be nice to bring home points on Sunday. »
For Lance Stroll, 17th time (15th on the grid), « It was a shame to catch traffic in the last sector on my last run. »
« It definitely cost me a place in Q2 today. My exit lap was also slightly compromised, so there was more on the table in the first sector as well. Our pace over the long stints looked promising on Friday and it’s possible to overtake here, so there are still opportunities that we can take tomorrow. We’ll see in the night to see what we can do in the race. »
