Lance Stroll: I could have gone up a few places

In Melbourne, Lance Stroll was ahead of his teammate in qualifying for the first time this season…

Lance walk (9th): “The first two sessions went well, I found the optimal rhythm. In the final I made a mistake in turn nine and lost three or four tenths. Before that the lap was going well, so if it hadn’t been for this mistake I could have climbed a few more places higher.

Tomorrow in the race a lot depends on tire wear, it is important to make the most of their resources. We have a good car, it is interesting to drive here – I will try to earn points tomorrow.”

Fernando Alonso (10th): “We expected to reach the qualifying final with two cars, and that’s what happened.

My first lap in the final was not very successful – I made a mistake in turn six and flew into the gravel, and on the second lap I had no confidence in the car.

In Melbourne we are slightly less competitive than in Jeddah. The car skidded and there was a lack of stability due to the wind. But everyone is on equal footing. More speed must be achieved.

There may be surprises during the race. A lot depends on the tires – they will all granulate, I hope we can deal with this better than our rivals. We want to earn points in the race with two cars.”

Mike Krak, team leader: “We achieved our goal: we reached the qualifying final with two cars, although we could have achieved more than 9th and 10th place. In difficult windy conditions, Lance made a mistake at turn nine on his best lap, and Fernando’s attempt was affected by underbody damage. We will do everything we can to convert these positions into points at the finish on Sunday.”