“I think this cost me about two tenths of a second, which would have meant being third instead of seventh. I just couldn’t drive on the line I wanted and, even more importantly, could not brake were I wanted. However, I was very happy with my car in qualifying.”
Mark Webber:
“Today went better than expected to be honest. We worked hard on the car yesterday and the guys did a great job to make the improvements that they did, so we’ve laid the foundations ahead of tomorrow’s race. Q3 was quite tricky for a lot of people, as the grip level was lower than in Q2, but we’re in a sensible position for the start of the race. If it’s half as wild as Melbourne, it will be interesting to see.”
Fernando Alonso:
“We achieved our first objective today, which was to get into Q3. We can now concentrate on our second objective, which is to improve our pace in the race and finish in the points. I could have done better in Q3 this afternoon as I was with Heidfeld on a fast lap while the others were going slowly; that affected me a bit, which is a shame.
“I am sure the race will be interesting and I hope we can find our way into the points, just like in Melbourne. We must now concentrate on our preparation for tomorrow.”
Heikki Kovalainen:
“I am pleased to have qualified third for the second consecutive time. Of course, we would have preferred a position on the front row, but Felipe and Kimi have been strong here all weekend and as a result third place is the maximum we could achieve.
“I have improved step-by-step throughout all the sessions, and my lap in the third qualifying was really good. Now we have to wait and see how the strategies will unfold in the race. With rain expected tomorrow, anything could be possible.”
Lewis Hamilton:
“There didn’t seem to be as much grip in the tyres during the final session, and I just struggled a bit. Also it was tough finding a gap in the traffic, which had an effect on my ability to warm up the brakes and manage the tyres.
