Stoffel Vandoorne:
“I’m pretty happy to be honest. Our race pace was a lot better than yesterday. I think we were actually very competitive and had a lot more energy than some of our opponents midway through the race. However, I was quite unlucky with the timing of both safety cars. The first one came out when I had just activated Attack Mode, so I couldn’t use any of that when it was time to punch through the field and potentially work my way into a podium position. The second one came just when I was alongside André, which meant I had to give the position back because I was a fraction behind when the safety car came out. Two unlucky moments that were outside my control, but all in all, it was a much better day today.”
Nyck de Vries:
“Obviously, that was a very disappointing weekend, but unfortunately, we can’t turn it back. I felt we were competitive today, which wasn’t really the case yesterday. So that’s at least encouraging, because obviously everything starts from the pace you have in the car. Next, we’re off to Monaco where we’ll hopefully have a smoother weekend without any issues and get back in the points. We don’t let anything get us down – we will always pull ourselves together and resume the fight. It’s still early in the championship, and there’s a long way to go. We weren’t competitive enough yesterday and maybe also in some of the previous races, so, going forward, that’s what we need to try and avoid, because if we want to put ourselves in a position to score good points, then obviously we need a good qualifying. But if you don’t have the race pace, then you find yourself going backwards and you’re not able to capitalise on your good starting position.”
Ian James, Team Principal:
“A tough day today for the team. The morning’s practice session focussed on push laps, but was especially compromised for Stoffel with a brake issue. We managed to resolve this for qualifying, but it wasn't enough to get the either of the drivers further up the field than P8 (with Stoffel). Nyck qualified for a top ten starting position - which became P13 after applying the grid penalty he had received after yesterday's race incident.
The race started well for the team. Both drivers got away without too much hassle and kept onto their positions. The improvements made to the car’s set-up since yesterday allowed Stoffel to climb up through the field slowly but surely, putting him into a position to fight for a podium towards the end of the race. The Safety Car periods, however, came at an unfortunate moment for Stoffel - especially the final one. He needed that time in order to capitalise - but that's how it is sometimes. Finishing fifth was a solid result, considering the circumstances. Nyck on the other hand had other challenges. He got stuck early on in the race, but quickly found a way through, putting him on track for a good points finish. With some of the competitors around him getting caught up in fights, he found himself in a good position. He crossed the line in P7, but a 10 second time penalty meant he fell back to P15 in the race results.
Our next challenge will be in just under three weeks' time, in Monaco. A lot to prove and we are hungry for a great result for both drivers again after this weekend.”
