Friday: Bianchi quite fast and Chilton behind for Marussia
Despite some mechanical issues encountered, the Anglo-Russian team worked well. Both drivers are quite satisfied and hope for a good weekend.
Jules Bianchi (No. 17) – 19th and 19th
Bad luck seems to follow the Nice native: « I continue to assert that my goal is to have more luck, but this morning I had just finished my installation lap when we encountered a fuel system problem, and I spent most of the session in the pits. »
After good work from his team, the Frenchman nevertheless completed 7 laps late in the morning: « I was happy with the balance of the car at this stage. The afternoon session was better for me and I was pleased to finish ahead of my closest competitors. »
Max Chilton (n°4) – 20th and 20th
The young English driver made some adjustments before finding a minimum level of grip: « The conditions here are very different from Bahrain, so despite all the preparatory work done for this race in Bahrain, we had to make some adjustments that better suit the specifics of this circuit. »
But his work was slowed down afterwards: « We made good progress but our efforts were hampered by some DRS issues, which prevented us from having a good pace. However, in general, I am quite happy with how the long stints went and I feel positive for the weekend ahead. »
