Max Verstappen: "FP3 was quite a positive session and everything was very decent for us.

"I didn't think I was fighting for Pole, but it was quite a comfortable car to drive and that was really nice. Qualifying was a bit more difficult and the car was jumping around quite a bit. I think we just had an issue on the car that affected our Qualifying and limited the performance, which cost us time in the low speed. This was a shame as we thought there was a lot more in it today. It was also a shame for Liam as he got blocked in Q2, which affected his lap. We couldn't optimise everything that we could and we need look at our limitations within the car. Then we can try to be a bit more competitive in the race, but we will see what we can do for tomorrow."

Liam Lawson: "We knew coming into this weekend that we'd be taking an engine penalty, so the focus in Qualifying was to try to support Max by getting into Q3 and helping with a tow, but unfortunately we never made it. I'd spent the whole session in clean air until that last lap, so getting blocked by Oscar probably hurt more than anything. The tyres were also super hot, so it wasn't an ideal situation. It was a difficult day in general, but I was always going to start last, so for my race it doesn't really make a difference. Hopefully we can make up some good places tomorrow."

Laurent Mekies: "We have some mixed feelings after today's Qualifying: of course we cannot be happy with a P5 start, but I think the pace today was an improvement compared to where we were on Friday. Max had a much better feeling with the car in FP3 this morning and, overall, we have been closer to Pole position than what we have shown in the last few races. The pack was really tight between the top six or seven cars and we finished at the back of it today, which is a bit frustrating, but it's part of the game when the gaps are so small.

"We have a few things we need to fix and improve for tomorrow so that we can be in the fight with the guys ahead. On Liam's side, we knew we were going to have to take a grid penalty for a PU change and it's a shame we missed the cut for Q3 because of the traffic he got on his final lap.

"Overall, Liam is doing a good job again with us this weekend, and I am sure he is going to give it a strong fight to make his way through the field tomorrow."