Find the reactions at the end of the qualifying session of the Miami Grand Prix, dominated by Sergio Pérez ahead of Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz Jr. Charles Leclerc, author of an error at the end of the session, is terribly angry.
Sergio Pérez (MEX/Red Bull Racing) – Pole position
“I think it was my worst weekend until qualifying, really! I couldn’t figure out how to find all those tenths that I was constantly missing compared to Max Verstappen and the Ferraris. I reset everything. We made a small change for qualifying which really brought the whole car to life. On this asphalt, we played with our tools a bit and went around when it counted. It didn’t want to. There are weekends like this where I just lack balance, confidence. This asphalt is very sensitive to temperature. I just tell myself that race after race, I’m going to take to the track and cheer for my team, because they did a wonderful job. We’ll see what happens tomorrow (Sunday), it’s a new opportunity starting from pole. It is we who have to lose. »
Fernando Alonso (ESP/Aston Martin) – 2eme
“The third free practice session was a bit messy for us. We tried different settings and they didn’t work, but the team obviously got the car back on a more familiar track after the first four Grands Prix. The car came back to life in qualifying. I’m happy with second place. I enjoyed every lap, it was so much fun to drive. Low-speed turns are particularly tricky. We’re getting closer to the walls between turns 11 and 16, so you need to have that confidence in the car to really push in qualifying, and I had that today (Saturday), so I’m happy. The ideal trajectory is very narrow, you clean it and it becomes quite grippy, but off the trajectory it’s quite slippery. You also have to watch the weather. Some forecasts indicate that it could rain tomorrow (Sunday). If so, that will obviously be another story. »
Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP/Ferrari) – 3em
“It was very tricky, it’s hard to find the right feeling with the tires on this tarmac, it’s very easy to make a mistake. There has been more and more wind, which makes our cars difficult to drive. Third place is what we were hoping for but it could have been even better. I was doing a very good first sector when the red flag came out, but that’s how it is. I’m third and that was our goal. It’s the big unknown before tomorrow, how the car will behave in the heat. Race pace is normally our weakness, but I have to try to do better and finish on the podium. »
Kevin Magnussen (DAN/Haas) – 4eme
“In the United States, in front of the team’s public, in front of our title sponsor, it’s great to sign such a result. Obviously, it doesn’t bring in any points for qualifying well, but we know what it’s like to sign a good result. It was fun and I hope it will motivate everyone for tomorrow (Sunday). I’m hopeful for the race, we did some good long runs, I don’t know if we can go far, but the car was good with lots of fuel, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow (Sunday ). »
Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpine) – 5eme
“First of all, it’s nice to have both cars in the Top 10, it shows that we have worked well since last weekend, we have managed to understand things. Since the start of the weekend, we’ve been a little better, so overall I’m satisfied. Afterwards, it is certain that Charles Leclerc helps us a little in Q3, unfortunately for him, these are things that happen, and we manage to benefit from them. We start in a very good position. Tomorrow I think we have to attack from the start, we will have to pass Kevin Magnussen. We know that this is a track that is not easy to overtake. We’ll have to try, get the points we haven’t managed to get since the start of the year. We are both in the Top 10, the McLarens are quite far, I think things will happen, there is Max Verstappen who is behind and who will come back. We will seize our opportunities, but very clearly there is a big deal to do tomorrow (Sunday) and we will be present. It feels good for everyone, we needed it after last weekend, but it’s not over, we shouldn’t get excited either, we haven’t scored any points yet. We start in a good position and we will try everything tomorrow (Sunday). »
Charles Leclerc (MCO/Ferrari) – 7eme
“There is no explanation to give, there is no excuse, it is just not acceptable. I am the first to be difficult with myself. This is not the level I should have. In Q3, you can say yes, the first lap was extremely good until the last corner, but then I block, so there’s no point in having a very good lap if then it’s not to finish it. And the second lap in Q3, I put it in the wall… I know that the qualifying session is one of my strong points, that I manage to extract the maximum from the car most of the time. But this weekend, clearly, I simply didn’t do the job: two mistakes, twice at the same corner, yesterday (Friday) and today (Saturday). Now I’ll try to focus on tomorrow (Sunday), try to finish the weekend in the best way, but I’m very disappointed in myself. »
Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine) – 8th
“It’s great that we came back into the game like that, and we had the speed. In Q2 we were sixth so it was really good on paper. Unfortunately, I can’t do my lap on new tires at the end, I can only do my lap on used tyres, which doesn’t count. We had more speed to make a Top 5, and today (Saturday) we still don’t do it, for a trifle, and honestly it’s frustrating. It goes on a bit, the black cat of the season. We will try to go up tomorrow (Sunday), get back to where we need to be in pure speed, because until Q2 we were really maximizing everything. It’s not our fault today (Saturday) that we’re not where we should be. Physically I’m super good, the others will have trouble I think. »
Max Verstappen (PBS/Red Bull Racing) – 9eme
“Yes, this red flag is frustrating, it’s bad luck but there is also an error on my part during the first attempt, so I don’t blame Charles Leclerc too much. It’s the qualification, it can happen, he lost big too. The car was a bit more unstable with the wind picking up in Q3, it was hard to do better than in Q2 I think. I was trying to put her on the limit, then I made a mistake and had to stop the round. Then you rely on a bit of luck that there is no red flag, but that can happen on a street circuit. I’m just a little upset with myself. I made it difficult for myself, so I have to accept it. Already off to a good start to try to gain a few places. Then, for sure, we have fast F1 and we can overtake here. So I answer as little as possible obviously. »
Sources: official Formula 1 interviews, Canal+, Sky Sports F1, Autosport
