ROUNDS 1 & 2 - QUALIFYING QUOTES
Andy Priaulx – BMW Team UK, pole position
“I’m delighted to get pole, for the team and BMW
who have come up with a great package. We have a new car and
from its very first laps it felt good. However, it is the
beginning of the year and I don’t want to get too excited
because the season doesn’t finish until November. We
have to keep developing the car because if you stand still
in motorsport you move backwards at 100 mph. I have to admit
I was concerned I wouldn’t make it to qualifying due
to the fire caused by a short circuit during the second practice.
However it was confined to a small area and my team replaced
the parts. There are some extremely strong drivers out there
and I have too much respect for my opposition to expect anything
more that to do the best job I can.”
Yvan Muller- SEAT Sport France, 2nd fastest
“Am I disappointed to have lost pole position? Yes and
no. Yes because I only managed to complete one lap. I had
to come to the pits with a problem and it was impossible to
fix by the end of the session. No because I didn’t expect
such a good position here. Monza is not the best track for
the SEAT cars with its long straight but I have to thank James
Thompson for his tow because it helped greatly. On the test
days I was three of four seconds slower but at that stage
it was a brand new car. The target for tomorrow is to do the
best job I can, we will see what the results are.”
Augusto Farfus – N.technology, 3rd fastest
“We came from the old car and have improved a lot for
the start of the season and here we are. This is proven by
my position on the grid. The car feels good, it is a pretty
good track for the car and I will fight for the podium and
win tomorrow. I think it’s going to be a tough season
but we have a good package and a good team, we can do it.
I know it was close between me and Yvan and who knows what
will happen for tomorrow. I think it is great for the championship
that there is a BMW, a SEAT and an Alfa at the front of the
grid, I hope the fans enjoy it.”
Alessandro Zanardi – BMW Team Italy-Spain,
5 th fastest
“This is the best result I have had since
I joined the championship, so of course I am extremely happy.
It is tough to know what to expect tomorrow and you can never
make predictions. However, it would be fantastic to make the
podium. History shows the BMW cars are strong and consistent
in races and so my good qualifying puts be in a great position.
I hope the rain will not make an appearance tomorrow - I’m
an Italian, I don’t like the rain!”
Emanuele Naspetti – GDL Racing, 14th fastest
“I am happy to be the fastest independent
driver but I have to say I would be happier if I were in a
better position overall. I may be in the independents category
but for me I am competing with the entire field and at the
end we will see. The first drivers are very close but I think
it looks good for the race because we have consistently put
in a good performance.”
Tom Coronel – GR Asia, 15th fastest
“I would have liked to qualify as the fastest
independent driver but I am still pleased. In qualifying I
had some problems with my brakes so I lost some concentration
and speed at the corners. Despite this the car feels good
so it will be interesting in the race tomorrow.”
Rober Huff – Chevrolet, 16th fastest
“It’s always good to be the fastest in the team
because your team-mates are the guys you compare yourself
with seeing as we have exactly the same machinery. I hope
it’s wet tomorrow. When we were at the test days last
week it was raining and we set some competitive times. It
would be nice to score some points but we have to be realistic,
this is our weakest track and anything can happen. I’m
looking forward to the green lights tomorrow.”
Pierre-Yves Corthals – JAS Motorsport, 21st
fastest
“The Honda is a really good car but I need to get to
know it better. At the moment every time I go out I am getting
faster and faster so it is just a case of familiarisation
and practice. Tomorrow my aim is to finish both the races
but I would love to be in the top three independents. I am
the only Belgian driver here and it feels great to be in this
world championship.”
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