Toro Rosso surprised by their own pace
Carlos Sainz did not expect to be in Q3. However, he managed to finish 10th in the qualifying session. Max Verstappen, on the other hand, did not run in Q2 due to his penalty.
For Carlos Sainz, the qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps was a highlight in his career because it was there that he could fully feel the potential of his car on such a demanding circuit: “I love this track so much. I waited all weekend for the qualifying session because in free practice, you always have to use more fuel and the car doesn’t feel that fast… But I knew that in qualifying, I’d really have the speed and that’s what happened today.”
The young Spanish driver was therefore delighted to have made it into Q3, even if he didn’t manage to make the most of it in his last lap: « I’m thrilled to make it to Q3. Even if my last lap could have been a bit better, it’s a good result for us today. It’s a surprise because, on paper, it seemed like something difficult to achieve. It’s not the track that suits us best. I think I have to say it’s one of my best qualifying sessions of the year, even though now we have to forget it and think about tomorrow because that’s where we earn the points.
For Max Verstappen, on the contrary, it was certain he would not go beyond Q2 due to his ten-place penalty inherited from the engine change on his car: « This wasn’t my best qualifying session because I had a power issue in Q1, which prevented me from focusing on my lap. I still managed to get into Q2. But to be honest, we had planned a qualifying session like this, stopping in Q2. It was pointless to fight for Q3 because of my ten-place grid penalty. So we were able to save the tires and maybe we can fight for points. »
From our special correspondent at Spa-Francorchamps
