Alan Permain,: A day full of mixed emotions

In Melbourne, Yuki Tsunoda reached the qualifying final. Daniel Ricciardo was also close, but his best lap was disallowed because he went off track.

Alan Permain, race director: “Today is a day of mixed emotions. We are happy for Yuki – eighth place in qualifying was the result of the team’s hard work last winter. It’s a shame for Daniel – their results in the first session were close, but the rules are the rules. There is no reason to believe that without that mistake he would not have reached the final with Yuki.”

Yuki Tsunoda (8th): “I am very satisfied with the team’s work and my result. I got a very stable car, I adapted quickly and improved with every session. In qualifying I drove a flawless lap, gaining a few tenths in every corner.

I didn’t expect to make it to the final when I saw how much Williams and the other teams were able to pull away in the first part of qualifying, but in the end we achieved our best result this season. Daniel was also fast, so it’s a bit of a shame that this happened, but we’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”

Daniel Ricciardo (18th): “I knew the car was sliding in Turn 4, but I tried to go through on the limit. At the exit I widened the curb, but I wasn’t sure if I had gone off the road or not. I had already forgotten about it in turns 5 and 6 until I got to the pits and Pierre told me the lap had been cancelled.

After the race in Jeddah, the team prepared new items and improved the car. When it all came full circle, I felt like I had given it my all. I’m happy with the lap, but the car still doesn’t have enough speed. We’ve had some problems all weekend, but it’s nothing specific. I feel the car, I feel comfortable in it, in terms of balance and braking, so 18th place at the start is very disappointing.

Tomorrow we have a long race ahead of us, maybe with two pit stops, maybe this will increase our chances a little. I feel like I’m a little angry, maybe I’ll break something in my camper and then I’ll feel better.”