21/09/2019
NEWS STORY
Renault F1 Team's Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg will line up inside the top ten for tomorrow's Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix after a solid qualifying performance at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Daniel's second lap in the final part of qualifying proved good enough for eighth with Nico slightly behind in ninth.
It's the third race in a row where both cars have reached Q3, following on from strong outings in Belgium and Italy.
Both drivers eased through Q1, before the field closed up in Q2. Nico made the cut for Q3 by 0.040secs after others failed to improve on their second runs with Daniel marginally ahead in ninth.
The team opted for used Soft tyres on the first Q3 outing with Daniel ninth and Nico tenth. Both drivers found improvements on their second runs on new Soft tyres with Daniel taking eighth and Nico ninth, 0.169secs adrift of his team-mate.
Nico Hulkenberg: "Qualifying was very intense today and we gave it everything. We probably achieved our maximum, I was happy with my laps, so we'll take that. It's always tough here with the close walls and frequent corners, it's very intense but that's why we all like racing here. It's going to be tight and overtaking is difficult here. There's the strategy question, safety car possibilities and I'm sure there will be plenty thrown at us."
Daniel Ricciardo: "Our intention was to get into Q3, so to achieve that with both cars is good. I'm not disappointed, it was a good effort and we've recovered well throughout the weekend. I'm content with eighth and there's plenty to play for there. We have to focus on the race now. We'll see what happens and get along with our business. The race is the toughest of the year, but I enjoy the challenge."
Alan Permane, Sporting Director: "We're always happy to have both cars in Q3 and, today, we got the most from it. We're more comfortable here than other high downforce tracks this season, having learnt some lessons at previous races. The cars are working well and we're pleased to be eighth and ninth on the grid. Tomorrow, we're expecting a long and hard race. It's challenging on the car, the drivers, the crew and the tyres. Tyre management will play a key part in the race and we will be ready to react to the many different scenarios that could be thrown at us."
Check out our Saturday gallery from Marina Bay, here.