26/08/2023
NEWS STORY
Lando Norris: "P2 was a good result in these conditions. Every now and again you hope Max makes a mistake and he doesn't. Frustrating in a little way but I'm very happy! The team's done a good job. It was a chaotic qualifying but another P2, so a good start to being back in the car.
"The first half of the lap was mega, the second half was probably one of the worst second halves of a lap that I've done! I've always enjoyed these conditions, it's when we do well. So, I'll take P2.
"I think there's quite a bit of tyre degradation here and not our forte when it comes into play: we start to struggle quite a bit in certain corners. But we've improved the car quite a bit since Friday, so I want to be a little bit more hopeful. There are opportunities, but it's going to be tough.
"We had a tricky Spa, but still finished P7, and we come to a track which we know suits us a bit more and we proved it today again. So, the team has done an excellent job, they've really made a massive step forward from where we were to where we are now. And days like this, when you reward them, is always a good thing. So, we'll keep pushing. I keep saying we're not far away, but at the same time, we're still quite far. So yeah, we'll keep our heads down."
Oscar Piastri: "Eighth in qualifying, a bit of a disappointing end to what was otherwise a good session. It's a shame to be a bit further back than I'd like, I just think I paid a little bit for not getting the laps in yesterday's practice sessions, especially when it dried-up today. The car had good pace and felt good which is pleasing so we'll see what we can do tomorrow and hopefully score some decent points to start the second half of the year."
Andrea Stella, Team Principal: "It was a busy qualifying with conditions that kept changing all the way through the session. The team and the drivers made good decisions, being out on track with the right tyre at the right time, which allowed us to make it with two cars in Q3 and fight for the front positions of the grid.
"In Q3, Lando put together a clean lap on dry tyres, even if he wasn't completely happy, but this is normal without having many references. On Oscar's side, after a strong first run on dry tyres, he struggled to find the rhythm going onto the second set. We can't forget that not only is Oscar a rookie at this track in a Formula 1 car but also yesterday he had limited running in dry due to the incident. Overall, we start the race from strong positions. We're now going to analyse and prepare for tomorrow, to try and score good points."