07/12/2024
NEWS STORY
KICK Sauber F1 Team recorded its best qualifying result of the year as Valtteri Bottas claimed a spot in the top ten for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, eventually setting the ninth fastest time of the session.
It was a great effort from the Finn, who qualified to Q3 for the second time this season and delivered flawless laps in each of the segments to climb to the fifth row on tomorrow's grid. On the other side of the garage, Zhou Guanyu did not face favourable conditions to reap the benefits of the improved C44, bowing out of qualifying in the first segment: he will start tomorrow's race in 15th place, hoping to use the car's pace to make up ground in the final event of the year.
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: "A very solid qualifying session today, and I believe it's the best way for Valtteri to demonstrate the significant progress we've made over the last three races. After navigating a challenging period, the team has worked hard to improve our package, and Valtteri was outstanding, consistently improving his lap times with each stint. Reaching Q3 reflects the potential we've shown today, and every bit of it was earned through effort and determination. That said, there are mixed feelings, as we believe Zhou also had the pace to secure a good position in Q2. Unfortunately, we weren't able to maximise his performance today. Yesterday was a challenging day for him, and we didn't fully extract the car's potential on his side. Nonetheless, we're confident Zhou can fight for a solid result in the race, and with Valtteri starting P9, we aim to replicate the strong performance we delivered in Qatar. We understand the challenges ahead, as our competitors are incredibly strong, particularly in race conditions, but we're fully committed to giving it our all until the very last lap to maintain and confirm our positive momentum."
Valtteri Bottas: "Obviously, I'm really happy with this result: getting into Q3 and qualifying P9, our best performance of the year, is great. It is almost unexpected, it kind of came out of nowhere: I knew we might have a chance, but after a tough FP3, I had somewhat tempered my expectations. Still, in qualifying, I managed to pull it together: honestly, it was one of the best laps of my life. I'm really satisfied, and I have to give huge thanks to the team for making this possible. Tomorrow's race will be interesting: we know it's going to be tough, but starting up here is the best possible way to give us a chance to be competitive."
Zhou Guanyu: "Today's qualifying session was disappointing as I think we had a chance to reach Q2 quite comfortably. Unfortunately, I ended up at the front of the pack when leaving the garage, which meant I couldn't benefit from any slip or tows. That cost us some time we would have needed for Q2 as I didn't quite gain as much compared to my previous lap on all straights in sector two. I reckon we have shown some good pace here, and while it's frustrating to start in P15, I am positive I can make up a few positions and fight for points once more."
Check out our Saturday gallery from the Yas Marina here.