Quebecer Lance Stroll handed the 12e best qualifying time for the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Qatar on Saturday, a disappointing result after some promising free practice.
• Read also: A day in two stages for Lance Stroll
Stroll had finished sixth in the second practice session on Friday, which gave him a boost of confidence for the next day. The Aston Martin team driver came very close to reaching Q3, but his lap of 1 min 22.460 was not enough.
“The car was behaving really well today [samedi]. Despite everything, after missing Q3 by only a tenth of a second, I come out of qualifying with the feeling that I could have gotten more out of this session, ”admitted Stroll after qualifying, his words being echoed by the website of his team.
On the Lusail International Circuit, the 23-year-old will be able to start at least from 12e rank, behind his teammate Sebastian Vettel (10th), who was hampered by traffic and yellow flags in Q3. The surprise of the day came with the disappointing performance of Sergio Perez (Red Bull), who will separate the two Aston Martins on the starting grid.
“The advantage of starting 12th is that it gives us the freedom to choose our range of tires for the race,” the Quebecer consoled himself. We will see how we can benefit from this because it gives us more options. ”
A fast and smooth run
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) will start from pole position, he who was the only one able to complete a lap under 1 min 20 s. He will be followed by drivers’ championship leader Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Silver Arrows teammate Valtteri Bottas.
For this first Grand Prix of Qatar, Sunday, Stroll hopes to be able to move up the peloton. The Montrealer will try to register points again, he who has been blanked in his last three outings.
“I have a lot of fun driving on this track: it’s similar to Mugello (Italy) and Suzuka (Japan), very fast and smooth, so it should give an interesting race,” he said.