24/08/2013
NEWS STORY
Romain Grosjean qualified seventh with Kimi Raikkonen eighth after a rain tempered qualifying session for tomorrow's Belgian Grand Prix. Both drivers looked particularly potent in the dry Q2 session - with Kimi setting the fastest time - before rain returned for the top ten decider.
Kimi Raikkonen: "When it was dry in the second qualifying session we were fastest, so if it's dry tomorrow we should be okay for the race; even though we will not start from a great position. The last qualifying session was wet and our car does not give its best in these types of conditions. Any lap which came right at the end of the session would have helped, but if it stayed dry it would have helped more. Tomorrow is another day so we'll just have to wait and see what happens."
Romain Grosjean: "It wasn't an easy session today with the changing weather and while it's good to be in the top ten, it wasn't exactly what we were hoping for. It was a big challenge to know what condition the track was in, to make the right decisions at the right time and to adjust the speed according to the weather. At the end of qualifying you needed to be on the on track at the right time. I'll work with the engineers later to assess why Kimi was a bit quicker in the dry, where we can improve in the wet, and options in terms of strategy. I'll give my best in the race tomorrow."
How was qualifying for the team?
Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: It was a frustrating session for the team. The weather conditions were difficult, but the same for everyone. We displayed great pace in the dry with Kimi fastest in Q2, but unfortunately the rain returned for the final phase. We tried to get a lap in right at the start on dry tyres, but the rain beat the start of the session so we had to change to intermediates. Seventh and eighth on the grid isn't where we want to be, but at least we're in the top ten.
What are the strategic permutations tomorrow?
AP: As we qualified on intermediate tyres we can start a dry race on either dry compound. A dry race would be better for us, but we can't influence the weather. If it's a wet race, there are many different permutations and conditions possible so we'll be fighting for the very best result we can achieve.
Check out our Saturday gallery, here.