18/05/2024
NEWS STORY
Sven Smeets, Sporting Director: After FP3 both drivers were happy with the balance and the setup of the car, but we knew it was going to be very tight in the midfield to get out of Q1.
The wind and track conditions changed a bit between FP3 and Qualifying and seemingly not in our favour. Alex just managed to get into Q2 and had a good last lap, but not good enough for Q3. It will be a difficult race tomorrow but there is still a slight chance for a local shower in the later part of the race, so there are still opportunities ahead.
Alex Albon: All weekend, the car has felt great with the balance being where we want it, however going into Qualifying, the track changed for me massively. Ahead of FP3, we tried some slight positive differences with the setup, but in Qualifying the wind picked up and the tyres heated up, so I just lost a lot of lap time on those last two corners. It's not ideal but I'm generally happy with my lap as I thought I would've been out in Q1 with how much the car changed for me in between sessions. The race will be tricky if I'm still struggling in those last corners, so hopefully, the weather will work in our favour tomorrow.
Logan Sargeant: It's been a tricky weekend so far. The wind has been changing over the course of the two days and there was a track reset before Qualifying as there was quite a bit less grip than FP3, which was catching people out, including myself. Not every weekend is going to be easy; this track in particular poses a lot of challenges - it's an old school track so there's bumps, it's tight, and it's fine margins out there. Nonetheless, we've stuck with it well and I've been improving session after session. I'm focusing on doing my best and we'll maximise what we can tomorrow.
Check out our Saturday gallery from Imola here.