ROUNDS 7 & 8 QUALIFYING QUOTES
Andy PRIAULX – BMW Team UK, pole position
“Today everybody had one go on new tyres so it was
fair but totally hectic. It was a tough session and the hardest
thing was the traffic. The circuit was busy with a lot of
shuffling going on. I was lucky to build a bit of a gap in
the traffic and I was very happy with the lap. When you go
out you don’t really know what to expect from the car
or the circuit so you have to rely a little bit on your instinct
so it’s a great feeling when you perform it that situation.
In the free practice sessions I was aquaplaning as I did in
Brands Hatch. When that happens there really isn’t much
you can do so we have to find out why the car aquaplanes so
readily. In the dry and in the damp the car is fine. Perhaps
I asked a little bit too much of myself in the last race by
trying to win when maybe it wasn’t possible. I lost
a lot of points and now I need to focus on driving to the
potential of what I have and keep chipping away at the points.”
James THOMPSON - SEAT Sport UK, 2nd fastest
“It was a very tricky session. After the chequered
flag there was quiet on the radio and I couldn’t work
out whether that was because the result was good or bad. I
didn’t dare ask so it wasn’t until I got to parc
ferme that I heard I’d qualified 2nd. In that session
it was about having good track position, a clear lap and a
good car under you. In the busy conditions you have to drive
the car as best you can without making a mistake. The question
is, ‘do you push to the maximum and risk throwing it
off and losing everything?’ It is a matter of measuring
you approach. Most of us probably gave it our best shot and
worried about the consequences later which was an approach
that paid off for me. I’m looking forward to a strong
race here. I feel comfortable in the car and it’s working
fantastically well at this track. This is the sort of circuit
where we should have a strong pace and definitely fight for
the victory.”
Rickard RYDELL - SEAT Sport Sverige, 3rd fastest
“The BMWs were situated at the end of the pit lane
and as a result they were able to sit with their tyre warmers
on until the last minute before heading straight out with
hotter tyres than us. Still, sitting 2nd, 3rd and 4th on the
grid is good for SEAT. I would like to have points in both
races tomorrow and it is certainly possible for us to win
as we did in 2004 because the car is fast and goes well on
this circuit.”
Augusto FARFUS – N.technonogy, 5th fastest
“During the practice sessions it was raining and we
had some problems with our wet tyres, which we changed. Qualifying
was a little bit strange because it was wet at the beginning
and became dry. I was a little bit lucky because after the
last red flag I did a not-perfect but good lap and being one
of the last to go out I had a completely clear track ahead
of me which helped greatly. Whatever the weather tomorrow
I hope it is constant. I would prefer to race in the sun;
that way it is better for the spectators too.”
Luca RANGONI – Proteam Motorsport, 10th fastest
“We arrived here with great expectations after we had
progressed a lot over the first three meetings of season.
We are getting used to the new car and have managed to improve
the set-up greatly from Monza. I was expecting a good performance
here, and I achieved it. Unfortunately a trivial technical
problem forced the team to change the engine, which resulted
in a penalty on the grid. It was just an unfortunate situation,
nobody is to be blamed for it. Now it’s up to me to
stay cool and try to recover positions in the first race to
aim for a good result in the second one.”
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