16/09/2023
NEWS STORY
Fernando Alonso: "I'm glad to see that Lance is okay. My Q3 lap was good. I told the team on the radio that it would have been difficult to improve that lap time even if I'd driven round all night!
"We seemed to struggle a little in FP3: we didn't look very competitive, so we changed a couple of things on the car and improved it for qualifying - but probably not quite enough. It will be a long, interesting race for everybody tomorrow. We need to maximise every opportunity, but we must be realistic: there are plenty of fast cars in front of us, and we aren't starting out of position. I will try and gain some places tomorrow, but it will be a tough race."
Lance Stroll: "I'm okay. I'm frustrated as we have a big job - in the garage and on the race track - ahead of us. I was struggling for grip throughout the qualifying session. We had a bad out-lap with traffic ahead of my final push and we got stopped for the weighbridge. I started a couple of seconds behind Pierre [Gasly], so it didn't play out the way we'd planned. When I saw my lap wasn't improving, I pushed really hard in the last corner to try and make up that extra time, and that's when it went wrong. Let's see what we can salvage tomorrow in the race."
Mike Krack, Team Principal: "The only thing that matters today is that Lance is okay after the accident in qualifying. To see him step out of the car unaided is a testament to the FIA's constant work to improve safety. After some precautionary checks in the medical centre, he was cleared and released. Fernando progressed smoothly to Q3 to maintain his record of qualifying in the top 10 at every race in 2023. The margins between all the teams are very tight. Fernando drove a clean and tidy lap in Q3 and will line up in seventh place for tomorrow's race. We will work hard to progress forward in the race and bring home some points."
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