Guanyu Zhou did not have time to start the final attempt

Sauber’s best result in qualifying for the Sao Paulo sprint was fifteenth place for Valtteri Bottas. The Finn is satisfied with his performance and the fact that he managed to find the right car settings for the bumpy Brazilian circuit.

His partner Guanyu Zhou concluded the protocol, stating that he did not have time to start the final attempt due to a team error.

Valtteri Bottas (15th): “It is good that we managed to reach the second part of the sprint qualification, especially after a difficult start to the weekend. We found that there were a lot of bumps on the track, so we had to make some adjustments before qualifying. I’m glad we did this because we learned a lot about where to go with the lineup for the rest of the weekend.

Now the car seems more controllable, although the balance still needs work. We still have a lot to do before qualifying and the race, but first we have to do the sprint, where I will start fifteenth. We will try to maximize the result, but at the same time we will focus on finding more suitable settings for the remaining days.

Reaching the second part of sprint qualifying is a positive step, especially considering we haven’t been there that often lately.”

Guanyu Zhou (20th): “Definitely not our day. In practice it turned out that the track is very bumpy and that we have to work hard to find the right settings.

Qualifying for the sprint was disappointing for me. Unfortunately we got the timing wrong for the final run, so by the time I was ready to start the fast lap, the checkered flag was already on the track. It’s disappointing because it ruined my starting position in the sprint, but it’s a track where you can overtake, so we’ll see what results we can get.

Now we need to understand what went wrong. There will be an opportunity to put everything in order on Saturday.”