Oscar Piastri: “My first Pole position! I’m very, very happy with that Qualifying.
“I found a lot of pace in Q3 after genuinely struggling in Q1 and Q2. The car just came alive, I came alive, and I’m pumped to be on Pole. It was a lot of fun out there, the new surface is extremely grippy, but when you lose grip, it bites pretty hard. It was pretty tricky today, but when you hook it up, it’s mega.
“Looking back to the Sprint, I was pretty happy with how the car performed – I’d have been happier to finish one place higher, but I couldn’t have asked for much more and we learned a lot to take forward, and hopefully can put that to good use tomorrow.”
Lando Norris: “It’s always disappointing not to be on P1 but congratulations to Oscar on his first Grand Prix Pole, he deserved it today. I can’t be too disappointed though because P3 is a step in the right direction after this morning’s frustrating Sprint. The car feels much better, and I’ve got a lot more confidence with the setup changes. We worked hard to make those improvements for Quali, and I’ll continue to work hard with the team overnight in preparation for tomorrow’s race.”
Andrea Stella: “A strong effort by the team and both drivers in Qualifying to deliver the pace we knew we had in the car, but first of all I want to congratulate Oscar on his first Grand Prix Pole. He put together a beautiful lap in Q3 after two strong sessions in Q1 and Q2, and delivered his best when it mattered most.
“As we expected, we have seen a very high level of competition from other teams once again. After a strong result by Ferrari this morning, Mercedes were extremely close this afternoon. Oscar and Lando have put us in a great position for the race tomorrow, which will no doubt be close and we’re focused now on extracting the maximum from the car when it counts.”
