08/08/2020
NEWS STORY
It was a hard day in the office for Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN, with Antonio Giovinazzi and Kimi Raikkonen qualifying in 19th and 20th position for tomorrow's 70th Anniversary Grand Prix in Silverstone. The results puts us in a very difficult situation for the race, with a lot being asked from team and drivers to produce a positive outcome by the time we cross the chequered flag.
We'll line up at the wrong end of the grid, but we'll still go out there giving everything. There's more than 50 laps to make up ground, more than 50 laps in a venue that can produce spectacular races. There will be opportunities at the start, opportunities through strategy, opportunity to fight on track. It's up to us to make them count.
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal: "Needless to say, the bottom row on the grid is not where we want to be. We knew the circuit layout wouldn't be the best fit for our car and we are aware that qualifying highlights our shortcomings on the short runs, but this only means we have to keep working hard to find a way forward. We have a strong team back in Hinwil and this result must be something to spur the whole team on to improve."
Kimi Raikkonen: "It's disappointing to be so far back when we gave everything we had, but it is what it is right now. We struggle in qualifying and getting a better or worse lap means the difference between P16 and P20, which is not that much of a change. I don't think there's a simple solution to our issues, nor there is much you can do in a week or two, or else we would have done it already: all we can do is go out tomorrow, try our best and see where we end up."
Antonio Giovinazzi: "It was a difficult day for us as we just missed something compared to our rivals. The conditions were tricky because of the wind, during my last lap I lost grip a couple of times and went a bit wide, but in the end it wouldn't have made a difference in terms of making it to Q2. Tomorrow is another day and we will go out to try and make the best of this situation: we need a good strategy and we will push with all we have."
Check out our Saturday gallery from Silverstone, here.