11/09/2021
NEWS STORY
Daniel Ricciardo: "It's really nice to be up there. We had a good start, that was important, but I knew we could. Our starts have been great all year, so we had the potential. I tried to get Max [Verstappen] in Turn One. I had a really good run - I was able to brake quite late, but he also had a decent run into the turn, so I tried to hang on the outside and then I could see that I was running out of room, so I had to come out of it. I think that's where I got hit from behind. That's just one of those situations but obviously I'm sorry for Pierre [Gasly]. It was nice to gain a couple of positions, and then we settled into a rhythm. I didn't have the pace to keep Valtteri [Bottas] and Max in sight, but at least I was pulling away from the others. It was a lonely but happy third and a front row tomorrow. It's not done yet, but it will be."
Lando Norris: "Good sprint quali from us as a team. First of all, I think it was a good decision to start on the Soft tyre - it worked well for both Daniel and myself. We both gain a position tomorrow, and Daniel got a point today too, so that's great for the team. I think it sets us up even better than we were expecting for the race. So, a positive day. I think the race pace is good as well, and we can look forward to hopefully some more points tomorrow."
Andreas Seidl, Team Principal: "Sprint qualifying today went to plan. Both drivers were able to use the Soft tyres to their advantage off the start-line and move up a place on the run to the first corner. After that they both drove a very controlled stint, to present us with excellent starting positions of P2 and P3 for tomorrow's race, our best position on the grid since 2012. Daniel scored a point today, which is a nice addition, but the big points are distributed tomorrow. Maximum focus is now on preparing for the race, where we should have a strong car. My thanks to the whole team and our colleagues at HPP. They have all worked very hard this week and put the car in a very competitive window. We're looking forward to an exciting Italian Grand Prix."