It warned Fernando Alonso after FP2 and not lied. The times and positions achieved by drivers of McLaren-Honda during Friday’s session in Baku did not correspond with the actual performance of the MP4-31, and during the day of Saturday has been confirmed. Without any possibility of coming closer to the Q3 in a disappointing classification, the two McLaren will be in place delayed. Despite their efforts, Fernando Alonso will start fourteenth in the GP of Europe, while his team-mate Jenson Button will start nineteenth in Baku after failing to pass or even Q1.
Fernando Alonso has been severely hampered by the traffic during Q2, where it has marked a time of 1:45.270, improving only three tenths off his record of the previous meeting: “Has been a qualifying session quite complicated. The Q1 has been stressful, because it has not been easy to complete a clean lap by the large number of incidents, yellow flags and traffic. While we didn’t have the pace to get into Q3 today, because the other teams can get one more gear, we have not released our full potential, because I think we could have qualified in a better position”.
“On my last lap of the Q2, there has been a yellow flag for 15 seconds in the curve is three, which I have not been able to open the DRS. I also believe that we have not successful with all, but we have found with traffic and we were not going at the same pace as the cars around us. is Not an ideal position but we have seen many incidents, so that is all for the fight tomorrow. A Safety Car or an incident we could get into a position to score. Estaremos focused and prepared to take advantage of any opportunity” has explained the pilot asturian.
Jenson Button has had a Saturday even more complicated, after you damage your tire after going over braking at the entrance of the curve 15. The result is that the british have not managed to find a gap to make a clean lap and has been left out in the first session. The british will come out of the nineteenth: “In Q1 I blocked the tires entering the curve 15. It’s a shame because I had been the seventh or eighth throughout the weekend and even though I am sure that we will be so rapid, nor are the decimonovenos”.
In this aspect, Button has not ceased to regret his error and the management of the session: “it is Not easy here because of the traffic, but after the flat-spot, I had to make a top to go back to the track, and that is not what is best for these tyres, so perhaps we should have mounted the game fresh tires for the rest of Q1. we Thought that we would have more margin, but has not been the case. We have to have a good time tomorrow and secure so we can trace”.
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