04/03/2023
NEWS STORY
Yuki Tsunoda: "We didn't expect to get into Q2, but getting through was very positive for myself and the team. Of course, I was frustrated we didn't have new tyres for Q2, but we knew that was the plan from the beginning. We haven't tested the long-runs in these conditions, but we'll dig through the data extensively tonight to be able to build the strongest possible car going into tomorrow, especially in terms of finding grip. At the same time, I am happy with my performance today, but ultimately tomorrow is when it counts. We are aiming for points, and we know it won't be the easiest race from what we have learnt from testing last week, but anything can happen."
Nyck de Vries: "We would've liked to qualify higher today, but I didn't have the tyres in the correct window. The final lap in Q1 was crucial, but unfortunately, I lost the rear. Our long-run performance has been looking more promising than our short-run pace, so that should provide for more performance tomorrow. The midfield is tight and competitive, so we need to make sure we gain some positions. It will be challenge, but we have tonight to evaluate our data."
Jody Egginton (Technical Director): "We had a clear picture of what the primary limitations of the car were on Friday night, and it's fair to say that the changes made overnight improved the balance of the car in FP3 & qualifying. This is promising, but there is still much to do to get the car to where we want it. Yuki has delivered a good performance, extracting pretty much everything from the car, whilst Nyck has also put on a solid first qualifying. He's made good progress, and more importantly, provided excellent feedback on what the car is doing and what he needs from it. As you would expect, we are not satisfied with the performance shown by the AT04 so far, but tomorrow's race is another key milestone, and aero developments will be coming through in the next events."
Check out our Saturday gallery from Manama here.