Australian GP: Qualifying notes - Sauber

16/03/2013

Heavy rain influenced qualifying massively. After Q1 had been delayed by 30 minutes, Q2 and Q3 were cancelled and will be taking place tomorrow at 11.00 hours. While the Sauber F1 Team driver Nico Hulkenberg finished 13th in Q1, Esteban Gutierrez spun on a kerb, hit the barrier and couldn't continue. He finished 18th and so did not progress further than Q1.

Nico Hulkenberg: "We had an unusual qualifying session, which reminds me of the qualifying in Suzuka 2010 where the session was also postponed because of the rain. Usually Formula One works like clockwork, but you can't influence the weather. The performance in general was good and now we have to focus on getting the best out of the situation tomorrow."

Esteban Gutierrez: "Unfortunately I made a mistake and feel sorry for the whole team. I feel very comfortable with the car and this is something that is a step forward for me. Now, of course, I need to avoid this kind of mistake and try to make the most of my potential."

Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal: "It was a qualifying in very difficult conditions and a shame Esteban went out, particularly because he had proven before that he was quick on full wet tyres as well as on intermediates. He definitely had the potential to make it into Q2, but was unlucky. However, there is still a race tomorrow in which he can make up positions."

Tom McCullough, Head of Track Engineering: "The forecast was right about poor conditions. The car performed well on both the full wet and the intermediate tyres. Unfortunately Esteban was caught out by one of the kerbs in the wet. However, he had a very good pace prior to that. We need to regroup now and make the best out of qualifying tomorrow. Nico showed a solid performance and will participate in Q2 tomorrow."

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