13/07/2019
NEWS STORY
Max Verstappen: "I am quite happy with the second row of the grid. Before qualifying I wasn't comfortable and still searching for a good balance. Around here with all the fast corners you have to feel fully confident in the car to get a good laptime. We made improvements for qualifying, the car was great and we really found a good set-up. Unfortunately, I had a problem with lag and out of the low speed corners I was losing time. When you look at how close we are to pole position then the result is bittersweet as I think we could have fought for pole if everything had been perfect. We seem to have found a good wing level for the straights, we usually have even better performance in the race and with the good balance we had in qualifying I'm quite confident. The strategy will be very important because of the high energy levels put through the tyres on this track but I will be flat out and hopefully we can put up a good fight."
Pierre Gasly: "I think we've made a big step forward this weekend and it was important to get a good qualifying position. Free Practice was really good, we've been working well all weekend and I was in a happy place with the car coming into qualifying. My lap in Q3 wasn't perfect but we can still be pleased that we're P5 and starting on the medium tyre. The whole weekend has been really positive and things are a lot better, so now we need to focus on tomorrow. Our race pace on Friday was good and I think we have a strong car so now I'm just excited to race."
Christian Horner: "This has been a strong qualifying for both drivers, lining up fourth and fifth and splitting the Ferraris with both cars. For Max, to qualify under two tenths off pole position at a power circuit like Silverstone is very satisfying and it is good to see things coming together for Pierre who got his joint best qualifying position of the year. Pierre has turned a page since Austria and you can see from his first session today that his approach is different. He is much more confident in himself and the car, and this track is all about confidence to get a strong result. Strategically it is interesting that Ferrari are on the soft tyre tomorrow. It could spice things up as it puts them in the two stop region. All in all, it is set to be an exciting race for tomorrow."
Check out our Saturday gallery from Silverstone, here.