What the teams said – Qualifying in Malaysia

Red Bull

Max Verstappen looked strong on Friday, and he continued that form throughout Saturday to grab his first pole of the season. The second Qualifying began, it never really looked in doubt – the Dutchman fast from the off, as he eventually beat the field by nearly three tenths of a second. It was a dominant performance from Verstappen, but his Red Bull team mate also impressed and backed him up with third. That was Isack Hadjar's joint-best Qualifying result of the season, but he has that five-place grid drop to serve and thus will start eighth tomorrow.

Max Verstappen, 1st, 1:35.130

“It was an incredible result for us and it was a very proud moment. This weekend was positive from FP1 and we have just been trying to improve the car further and keep tweaking it. The Team have been working really hard and made some big steps forward and I think this particular track layout suited our car even more. Tomorrow will be all about tyres, tyres, tyres and how we manage the degradation.

"It’s been quite a long road to this point since we started the year. Everyone has been working so hard to get the car where it was today, so to really be able to put all this hard work into Pole is fantastic. This really means a lot to the Team and I hope everyone is very proud. We have been quite clear that we want to win a race this year, so we’ll try to do that tomorrow."

Isack Hadjar, 3rd, 1:35.558

“Mixed feelings for me today. Obviously, we can be very happy with P1 and P3 and the overall performance of the car, which is now so much better than where I left it before my injury. I feel I got stronger with every lap I drove since FP1, but we were very limited here with the number of laps we could get in each session. If I had managed to get a few more in, even P2 could have been possible today because my last lap was not perfect. Max, though, was simply untouchable in Qualifying.

"On the other hand, it is a shame that I have to take the penalty and start from P8. Otherwise, I would have had the chance to compare myself to two multiple World Champions right from the start at the front, and that would have been fun.

"Now I have to fight the Mercedes, the McLarens and Charles first, which will not be easy, and try to climb through the field. But anything is possible, so I am still aiming for the podium tomorrow."

Laurent Mekies, Team Principal

"A fantastic result for the whole Team today and a special moment as it’s the first Pole position for us as a complete manufacturer with the Red Bull Ford Powertrains. From the start, this has been a project that embodies Red Bull’s disruptive spirit. To take the design and construction of a power unit in-house and deliver a competitive package in just five years was crazy, but Red Bull have made it happen. For a PU manufacturer to come into the sport with its first new design and take a Pole position in its 16th grand prix is a remarkable achievement.

"We’ve had good pace since the start of the weekend, but in Qualifying Max found another level: quickest in every session and almost three tenths clear with his final flying lap. So, congratulations to him for his first Pole position of the season and congratulations to the whole Team. We have been making strong steps since the summer break, getting closer and closer on absolute pace and scoring podiums on a regular basis. This Pole is a testimony to all of the hard work that everyone at track and at the factory is doing to close the gap. It was a fantastic performance from Isack too. Fast all weekend, P3 in the session and missing out the first row by just a little more than a tenth. Of course, it’s a shame that he has to take a grid penalty tomorrow, but it’s also clear that he has the pace to fight his way forward.

"The race is going to be a whole new challenge. It will undoubtedly be dominated by tyre management and the punishing conditions here in Sepang. So we reset tonight and concentrate on getting the most of our car for the brutal conditions expected tomorrow. Isack and Max have been working hard with the Team to understand the tyres here and I am sure they will put on a strong fight in the middle of a very tight field at the front."

Ferrari

Ferrari looked to be the third-fastest team in final practice, but their car came alive in Qualifying. For starters, they made it through Q1 on the mediums, putting them on a different tyre strategy for tomorrow compared to their rivals. With both easily making Q3, the two Scuderia drivers looked evenly matched, but it was Lewis Hamilton whose superior knowledge of this place paid dividends. With five previous poles here, he came the closest to grabbing a sixth, but just did not have the pace to fight with Verstappen.

Charles Leclerc inherits a place thanks to grid drops, and is the only driver in the entire field to have run the hard tyre in Sepang, so has valuable knowledge for tomorrow’s Grand Prix with regards the C2 compound.

Lewis Hamilton, 2nd, 1:35.428

"First of all, a huge thank you to everyone in the team. The conditions have been incredibly demanding all weekend, not just for the drivers but also for the mechanics and engineers, and they’ve done a fantastic job. We worked hard session after session to understand the car and find the right balance in these temperatures, and the adjustments we made ahead of qualifying definitely helped us take a step forward. We managed to put it all together when it mattered most. Tomorrow will be a very different challenge, with tyre management likely to play a big part, but it’s great to be starting on the front row. Now we just need to focus on executing a clean race, maximising every opportunity and seeing what we can achieve."

Charles Leclerc, 5th, 1:35.666

"P4 is not a bad place to start from. At the same time, it wasn't a great qualifying, particularly in Q3. I tried my best, but from sector two onwards, I was sliding around with the rear, probably being a bit too aggressive with the setup. That’s the way it goes sometimes. Tyre management and strategy will both be key in the race. Let’s see what we can bring home for the team."

Fred Vasseur, Team Principal

"Today’s qualifying went well for us and I am happy to have both cars starting on the first and second rows with Lewis and Charles. I want to thank everyone both at the track and in Maranello for the great work they have done.

"Lewis produced a really strong lap and it’s a shame for Charles that he wasn't able to put everything together on his final attempt, because he had the pace to set a time very close to Lewis’. But it’s tomorrow that counts. We know that the main factors in the race will be degradation, pace and tyre management in general. These elements will be more important than our grid positions. It will be a long race tomorrow and there is everything to play for."

Mercedes

Mercedes made a step forward in FP3, so much so they looked right in the mix for pole. But when Qualifying began, George Russell was off the pace from word go. Kimi Antonelli looked quicker, but he ran wide on his first lap in Q2 and lost the time to track limits, forcing him into using a second set of tyres. That cost the Italian, who only had one set for Q3. He came out midway through the segment by himself and managed to grab fourth, which becomes P3 when Hadjar’s penalty is applied.

But Russell could only manage eighth, and while he also gains a place thanks to Hadjar’s drop, seventh is hardly what he needed as he tries to keep the momentum from Baku going.

Kimi Antonelli, 4th, 1:35.631

"We were strong in FP3, so it was a shame that we dropped back in terms of competitiveness come qualifying. It is a unique circuit here with a very aggressive tarmac and in incredibly hot conditions; that makes it difficult to deliver the same performance consistently. We will go around the loop tonight to see what we could have done differently and to make sure we understand exactly where we went wrong.

"I put myself under quite a lot of pressure with only one new set of Soft tyres in Q3 but I did what I could. If we had a second set, I think we could have fought for the front-row, but I don't think we could have challenged Max (Verstappen) for pole. He has looked like the quickest car all weekend and so it proved today.

"P3 is not a bad place to be starting from all things considered. The tyre degradation is likely to be very high and, in all probability, it will be a multi-stop race. That will hopefully open up opportunities for us if we have good race pace. There is still the possibility of rain too which could make things even more exciting so I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

George Russell, 8th, 1:35.871

"We've struggled today and that is reflected by what was our toughest Saturday of the year. It is so hot here and the tarmac is very aggressive, with the low grip making lap times several seconds slower than when we last raced here in 2017. That may have impacted our performance comparatively to what we have seen at other circuits, but it is true to say that we have clearly suffered more than our closest competitors this weekend. We didn't expect to struggle this much here in Malaysia, and we will work hard to understand why.

"Whilst we are frustrated by our performance today, tomorrow will be a very different challenge. The race is likely to be dominated by high tyre degradation and keeping the tyres in good shape across a full stint will be the key to a good Grand Prix. Whilst we have ground to make up, we know it should be possible to overtake if you have the speed so we will be giving it our all to make up ground."

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

"That was our toughest Saturday of the season, and we need to dig deep to understand exactly why that was. We have plenty to analyse from the two days of running here in Sepang to get to the heart of why we have struggled so much. There are many factors we will need to take into consideration, and we can't rule anything out at this stage.

"Tomorrow is another day. With the levels of degradation we saw in practice, we are heading a little bit into the unknown in terms of both race pace and strategy. It will likely be a Grand Prix where we see multiple stops for each car and that could provide opportunities. Equally, we know that our race pace on Friday wasn't the strongest, so we hope the changes we have made to the car since then have helped with that, even if they didn't benefit us on our single laps today."

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

"Today was clearly a disappointing result relative to our expectations coming into the weekend. We showed encouraging pace in FP3, but couldn't extract the same performance when we needed come qualifying. We will spend time this evening, and in the coming days, analysing the data to understand why we fell away compared to our competitors and what lessons we can take forward.

"The focus now turns to tomorrow. This circuit is placing huge demands on the tyres and degradation is expected to be very high, which means strategy, tyre management and operational execution will all be critical. Whilst we would have preferred to be starting further forward, both drivers are in positions where they can fight for solid results. With a race that looks likely to feature multiple pit stops and plenty of strategic variation, there will be opportunities to make progress if we have decent pace."

McLaren

McLaren’s form remained a little unknown heading into Qualifying, with Lando Norris looking fast at times and Oscar Piastri a shade behind, but the duo throwing in a few mistakes along the way. But over one-lap when it mattered, both impressed and made Q3 comfortably. Piastri had the edge in Q1, Q2 and their first runs in Q3, but when it mattered, Norris dived ahead to the tune of just 0.005s. In the end, they did not have the pace to fight with the cars ahead, but they at least will start in front of Russell and Hadjar as the team targets a decent haul of points to try and fight Ferrari for P2 in the Championship.

Lando Norris, 6th, 1:35.757

“I'm pretty satisfied with my final lap. I feel I put it all together and did a good job with what we had. However, it's clear we are a long way off the pace. My car is struggling with speed on the straights, and we've lacked general pace all weekend, so starting fifth is not a surprise. We don't expect any miracles, and it’s obvious the Red Bulls are in a class of their own here.

“Tomorrow will be a very different and challenging race for everyone. The tyre degradation is higher than we've seen all year, which will likely force a two or three-stop strategy. This could create opportunities with Safety Cars and varying strategies. It’s going to be a tough, physical race where managing the car lap after lap will be crucial. While we're not where we want to be in terms of performance, the unpredictable nature of this race could be a good thing for us, and we'll be ready to seize any chances that come our way.”

Oscar Piastri, 7th, 1:35.762

“That’s Qualifying done. A P7 result, but starting P6 tomorrow due to a penalty ahead. Overall, it was a decent session, but we’re still struggling for pace. I just didn’t get the best final lap, and had no grip at Turn Two, meaning we weren’t able to get the last bit of performance out of the car.

“Looking ahead, it is going to be a long and tough one tomorrow. Our long-run pace looked pretty good yesterday, but the competitors around us didn’t look bad either, so it may be tricky to move forward, but we will do what we can to maximise strategy and any overtaking potential here. Let’s see what’s possible.”

Andrea Stella, Team Principal

“It wasn’t an easy Qualifying session on a track that presents so many technical and physical challenges, given the very high temperatures and the highest tarmac roughness of the season, both for the drivers and the teams. Today’s result comes as no surprise. We’d already seen last week that Red Bull had taken a significant step forward, and today that was even more evident. For our part, we know there’s work to be done to maximise the car’s potential, but, in any case, we’ve achieved a result that means we’ll be in contention in tomorrow’s race, which is important in its own right.

“Both Lando and Oscar did a good job on a circuit they’d never driven before. As was the case in Baku, Lando’s car continued to suffer from a speed deficit on the straights, and we need to keep analysing the causes of this together with our partners at HPP.

“Whether the track is wet or dry, we’re expecting a race full of twists and turns. Tyre degradation will be a key factor for everyone and, based on what we saw in free practice, we believe we’re in a good position. It’ll be a tight race, and our aim is clear: to capitalise on every opportunity that arises and fight for a place on the podium.”

Alpine

With Franco Colapinto’s grid penalties looming, the team opted to use the Argentine to help Pierre Gasly out. It seemed to work well, with the Frenchman making Q3 with relative ease. Once there, Gasly only had one fresh set of soft tyres but put those to good effect to beat midfield rival Gabriel Bortoleto to ninth. On a day where the big four teams looked solid, P9 is a strong result for Gasly who is chasing points with Alpine still locked in a tight fight for P5 in the Teams’ Championship.

Pierre Gasly, 9th, 1:37.210

“The car has been competitive again today and we reached our target of being in Q3, so I am happy we achieved that. We knew P9 was probably the best we could realistically do, so we decided to use two used sets of Softs in Q3 and save a set of new Softs for tomorrow in case they are needed. With Gabriel [Bortoleto] in Q3, we just needed to be ahead of him, which we managed. I am pleased with the car at the moment, it's in a comfortable place, quick enough for Q3 regularly as we have seen at the last couple of races, and we just have to keep working hard as the gap to those ahead is still just too far. It's a very fun track to drive, fast and flowing and I am sure it will bring some big challenges tomorrow. We know the target tomorrow is to translate this performance into points, and I am sure we will see different strategies up and down the field so we will need to stay focused and ready to adapt to anything which might spring up in the race.”

Franco Colapinto, 15th, No time set in Q2

“It's been an unconventional Qualifying day and weekend for us, knowing the grid penalties we'll have applied tomorrow. We did not really have a proper go at it, but we knew that would be the case and the focus has been on high fuel running and getting the most from the car and the tyres during the race. Free Practice 3 was really the first time we ran with low fuel and the car has felt strong in all conditions, which is positive and again shows we've made progress with recent upgrades we've brought to the car. We've saved some new tyres for tomorrow's Grand Prix, giving us some more flexibility and strategy options, which we hope to benefit from. Hopefully the work we've put in on set-up can help with that and hopefully we can have some fun during the race and make some moves. Overall, it was a well-managed Qualifying by the team with Pierre also in Q3, so hopefully we can score some strong points for the team.”

Steve Nielsen, Managing Director

“That was probably as good as it was going to get for us today and Qualifying very much played out to our expectations. Pierre did another solid job to put the car in Q3 where, given the pace we had, he did not need to take any risks but just needed clean, fast laps to be comfortably ahead of some of our midfield rivals. We ran two used sets of Softs in Q3 as we knew P9 was probably the best we could have achieved with the top four teams clearly ahead this weekend. That means we have some flexibility and options on strategy for tomorrow where we all head into the unknown on what to expect with the tyres and the varying conditions. On Franco's side, he has driven well today and we had some flexibility on how his Qualifying progressed, knowing he has the grid penalty for tomorrow. We had the option for him to give Pierre a tow but we realised the performance gain was fairly low and too much of a risk. We also wanted to save a new set of Softs for him so we ran a used set in Q2 with an attempt to beat some cars ahead but that came to no avail given the performance difference between a new and a used set. We head into tomorrow's race with some decent options and a clear objective: to score as many points as possible and finish ahead of our rivals in the Championship.”

Audi

It was a mixed bag for Audi in Sepang, with the team operating a different strategy to their rivals. They went out on the mediums for their first run in Q1 to save softs, but both needed to run again. Gabriel Bortoleto’s soft-shod lap was good enough to progress, but Nico Hulkenberg’s was not after a lock-up put him wide over the kerbs. The Brazilian then went one better and made it to Q3 for the first time since Zandvoort, and is right in the mix for points tomorrow.

Nico Hulkenberg, 17th, 1:37.970

"It was a disappointing end to Qualifying because the lap was coming together well until the lock-up in the final sector. The margins are so tight these days that you need to get every corner right, and unfortunately that cost us a significant amount of lap time.

"Tomorrow will be a demanding race with high tyre degradation, and the weather could add another element. Starting further back is never ideal, but there are plenty of variables here, so we'll give it our best shot and try to make our way forward."

Gabriel Bortoleto, 10th, 1:37.673

“I’m very happy, I think it was a mega lap – overall, all the laps in Qualifying were very good and I felt really at ease with the car.

“After a tough weekend in Baku, I think this is a very strong response, and it shows the quality of the upgrades package we brought. The whole midfield has closed the gap now, so hats off to the team for the incredible job they’ve done, putting the car in the right window and giving us the confidence to push. If I was able to deliver this today, it’s thanks to them, and I really appreciate that.

“There’s going to be a lot of degradation tomorrow, but that’s the same for everyone. Hopefully we can put together a good race, keep the tyres alive and go for the points.”

Allan McNish, Racing Director

“I think it is fair to say it has been quite a challenging weekend for everybody: coming to a new circuit, getting up to speed and finding the right car balance and feeling has not been easy in these conditions. For us, it all came together in qualifying, where I think we extracted the best performance from the car. The new package was working very well, and Gabi delivered some absolutely fantastic laps throughout the session to get into Q3 and secure a good starting position for tomorrow.

“Nico was on exactly the same pace but unfortunately locked up into Turn 14 on his final lap: he will start 15th after the penalties to Colapinto and Lindblad are applied. Knowing the race pace he has shown, and how well he can fight his way through, I think we have two cars very much in the game tomorrow.”

Racing Bulls

Arvid Lindblad had that grid drop coming into Qualifying, and thus ran a different programme to his Racing Bulls team mate. His aim was to make Q2 and then offer Liam Lawson a tow, with the margins in the midfield looking incredibly tight. He did just that, but even with the tow Lawson fell just short of Q3. He was pipped by Bortoleto, but at least stayed ahead of the lead Aston Martin. From P11, Lawson can fight for points – which he needs to, as rival Gasly starts from ninth.

Arvid Lindblad, 16th, No time set in Q2

"I’m reasonably happy with today’s Qualifying. We can see the pace is definitely there, which is a positive. Starting from the back in tomorrow’s race is going to be exciting, there are likely to be plenty of surprises and opportunities, which I’m looking forward to. Most of my running this weekend has been focused on the long runs, so I feel pretty well prepared. There’s likely to be a mixture of two- and three-stop strategies, which should make for an interesting race.”

Liam Lawson, 11th, 1:37.023

"After a comfortable FP3 this morning, it felt like quite a frustrating Qualifying. The car had been competitive so far this weekend, so we'll be reviewing where we lost so much pace. We struggled more with tyres during this session, so management tomorrow is going to be key with the high track temperatures. That being said, there's opportunity for overtaking here, so we'll take our learnings and focus on pulling everything together for the race."

Mattia Spini, Head of Trackside Engineering

“We were missing some pace in Qualifying today after a promising FP3. Given Arvid’s Power Unit penalty, we opted for an unconventional run plan, with the objective to get him into Q2, where he could help Liam with a tow. Despite having to abort his lap in Q1, he was showing good pace, which was encouraging.

“Liam struggled slightly with overall grip and confidence, and unfortunately his fastest lap was not quite enough to reach Q3 today. We appeared to lose some competitiveness relative to FP3, which we now need to take a look at and understand.

“Liam will start tomorrow’s race from P11, just outside the points. Overtaking is possible here, so whoever can manage tyre degradation, while maintaining the strongest pace will finish ahead. With Arvid starting from the back of the grid, we will explore every strategic opportunity to help him gain positions and achieve the result his pace deserves.”

Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso has a strong record here, with five podiums at this track. He seems to really gel with the circuit and it was no different in Qualifying, with the Spaniard making it to Q2 for just the second time this season. Lance Stroll followed him through, the first time Aston Martin have managed to get both cars out of Q1 this year. Given that stat, it is no surprise both recorded their best starting slots of the year, in 12th and 14th.

Fernando Alonso, 12th, 1:37.220

“It was our best Qualifying so far this season and we were about 1.5 seconds from the front in Q2 which is the closest we've been all year. The car is the same as previous races and it's clear we lack performance on the straights, but we do seem to be better suited to this track. Tyre management will be a big factor tomorrow, so let's try have some fun and see what we can do in the race.”

Lance Stroll, 14th, 1:37.566

“We made it through to Q2 and qualified in P14. That’s our most competitive result of this year so far. It clicked for me during the second push lap in Q1 and came together much better. I felt more comfortable in the car during Qualifying than in the practice sessions, although there were some mistakes in Q2 and I think we could’ve gotten slightly more out of it. But we will see what tomorrow brings. I didn’t do many long runs on Friday and it will be tricky conditions with the hot temperatures, the track surface and the tyre degradation.”

Mike Krack, Chief Trackside Officer

“A positive result today, with Fernando in P12 and Lance in P14. Both cars made it into Q2, giving us our best qualifying performance of the year. We’ve enjoyed coming to Sepang, and the low-grip conditions seem to have slightly changed the pecking order, allowing us to be more competitive from the start of practice yesterday. Tomorrow will be a tough challenge, with the hot conditions and a high possibility of rain showers late in the afternoon. We need to stay focused, execute well and maximise every opportunity that comes our way.”

Williams

Williams looked to be struggling for pace in Malaysia despite their new upgrades, but Carlos Sainz put in a storming last lap in Q1 to progress onwards. His team mate could not follow, Alex Albon qualifying a lowly 20th – although that becomes P18 when Colapinto and Lindblad drop down. Sainz then repeated the trick in Q2 to grab 13th, arguably out-qualifying where the car should have been. But of concern for the team is the fact that the upgrades do not seem to have leapt them as far up the order as perhaps was hoped.

Carlos Sainz, 13th, 1:37.527

“It was a good Qualifying today, doing some of the best laps I’ve done this season, given the limitations of our car. I was able to find a baseline that worked well, allowing me to be precise and consistent out there, and improving every lap. We’ve done a good job today although tomorrow will be tough given our lack of downforce, making it difficult to take care of the tyres. We’ll do our best to take any opportunities that come our way."

Alex Albon, 20th, 1:38.600

“That was a tough Qualifying and not the result we wanted. We made some changes to the car for the session and they didn't give us the performance we were hoping for, so we'll look at the data tonight and work out what we can take from it. We knew this was going to be a challenging track, and tomorrow is a learning day for us. We'll look at strategy and see what options we have. With the way tyre degradation is likely to play out, hopefully it's an eventful race, and we'll be able to make the most of whatever comes our way."

James Vowles, Team Principal

“It was a well-executed Qualifying for Carlos and great to see him knocking on the door of Q3, but not quite there at what, for us, is a track that we know does not suit the car. It’s another indication that we have moved forward, but not enough to the level we need to be to fight for points.

"On the other hand, it’s been a difficult weekend for Alex. He was offset in FP3, so we tried a slightly different direction in qualifying, which I’m not sure whether it helped or not at this stage. The good news tomorrow is it looks like weather may come into play, so we need to be as prepared as possible and take advantage of any circumstance that comes our way."

Haas

Haas never looked to have the pace here to progress, and so it proved in Qualifying. Haas came out first, and wound up using three sets of soft tyres. But neither Ollie Bearman nor Esteban Ocon could scrape into Q2, with Aston Martin’s improvements knocking both Haas drivers out. Ocon had looked the better of the duo all the way up to Q1, but in the end Bearman just pipped his team mate to the tune of two and a half tenths. Both will move up the order when grid penalties are applied.

Oliver Bearman, 18th, 1:37.980

“It’s been a really tough weekend so far. On my second run, I locked my front left, the outside front, into Turn 1, which was super unusual and weird and normally tells you something’s up with the brakes, so we need to look into that. I went into my final run with a lack of confidence, and left some time on the table, definitely. On top of that, to be honest, we’ve been slow all weekend, on my side. Going into FP3 with only two push laps, you don’t have enough time to fix mistakes, so I went into Qualifying guessing what to do with the car and my driving. I don’t think we’re better than P15, but I definitely think if I had a clean weekend, I would’ve gotten into Q2.”

Esteban Ocon, 19th, 1:38.233

“It’s slightly disappointing. I’m not saying we would’ve blasted through to Q2, but I think we performed better in the other sessions when we were on track with everyone at the same time, pushing to do the laps right there. It’s a shame that we couldn’t repeat that. The car was working well, the team did a good job the whole weekend, and I’m happy with the job we’ve done. We just need to get more in the race tomorrow, it’s going to be a long one with a lot of strategies. We’ll try to use all the opportunities that come our way."

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal

“It was obviously a very tough Qualifying. I feel like Sepang’s circuit characteristics, with all the conditions, really exposed our weakness. If you look at the field, we’re the only cars doing three runs in Q1, with a run profile that looks different from others, showing that we have a very specific issue others don’t have. It’s not as simple enough to say we don’t have enough grip, there is that of course, but certain areas of the car are not very strong, in today’s qualifying session, were really exposed by it.

“Operationally, we made a mistake on Ollie’s car in FP2, so that meant in the session he couldn’t get any information, and he couldn’t recover in FP3 with him because the tyres only last one lap. Unlike Baku, where you could keep running and recovering, it wasn’t the case here, so it goes to show that everything counts. As a team, even though it’s tough, there are lots of specific things we need to look into. I’m confident that when we look into it and understand it, we can put a solution in place, like we have done every other time. It’s very tough, but that’s what we’ve got to focus on.”

Cadillac

Cadillac have looked off the pace in the hot conditions in Sepang, although it remains to be seen whether their overheating brake issues might return. Valtteri Bottas was the pick of the two all day long and that form continued in Qualifying, with the Finn three tenths ahead of Sergo Perez in Q1. They inherit a couple of places for the race, so will start on the penultimate row tomorrow.

Sergio Perez, 22nd, 1:38.933

“I’m looking forward to the challenge, although we knew coming here that this would be a difficult circuit for us and that we would struggle for pace.

“That’s also why we felt it was better to save the new engine for another race where we can potentially benefit more from it. The focus now is on tomorrow. It will be a demanding race, particularly managing the tyres and limiting the sliding while maintaining good pace. Degradation looked quite low today, but conditions will be different tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see how the race develops.”

Valtteri Bottas, 21st, 1:38.611

“It's been a smooth weekend for us so far. Obviously if you look at the result, we're at the back which is not great, but it feels like we've been able to maximise everything this weekend. It's been smooth sailing and we’ve not faced any issues so far, so we’re clearly making progress with each weekend that comes. Yesterday in the long runs we were pretty much on par with the Williams, so hopefully that's the case tomorrow and we can have a bit of a race with them.”

Marcin Budkowski, Team Principal

“We came to Sepang knowing it would be a challenging weekend for us compared to the steps forward we made in Baku. High temperatures and heavy tyre degradation on a rough track surface have confirmed that, but overall we are lacking in pace on this high-speed track. Both drivers have worked hard on set-up and balance across the sessions so far and are feeling more comfortable in the car. We look forward to tomorrow’s race, which has historically been a tough race of attrition. We will see what tomorrow brings - uncertain weather conditions as well as the challenge of preserving tyres could present opportunities for us.”

Pirelli

Dario Marrafuschi, Pirelli Motorsport Director

“Track conditions improved progressively throughout the day, allowing the Soft compound to deliver a very competitive level of performance in Qualifying. Despite this, lap times remained significantly slower than those predicted by the simulations, indicating that the track evolution was not sufficient to close the gap.

"In the attempt to extract the maximum potential from the C4 immediately, the degradation generated on the compound meant that no genuinely competitive laps could be completed after the first flying lap today. At the same time, in yesterday’s running it demonstrated that it can maintain an acceptable level of consistency over race distances when it is brought gradually into its correct operating window over the opening laps. This characteristic could prove particularly important tomorrow, given the number of Soft sets retained by several teams.

"Tomorrow’s Grand Prix looks especially interesting from a strategic perspective. Most drivers have two sets of Hard tyres available, which should provide a solid option for the longer stints thanks to their greater thermal resistance and lower degradation compared to the softer compounds. On paper, the Medium-Hard-Hard and Soft-Hard-Hard combinations appear to be among the most competitive.

"There are, however, some particular situations, such as those of Verstappen and Leclerc, who each have only one set of C2 tyres available and may therefore consider different approaches, making greater use of the Soft and Medium compounds or even evaluating three-stop strategies. In this scenario, the range of possibilities becomes much broader, with shorter stints and increased flexibility.

"By contrast, we are unlikely to see one-stop strategies, which on paper offer no advantage in terms of total race time at a circuit where overtaking remains possible at several points around the track. Finally, there remains an element of uncertainty related to the weather, with a chance of rain that could influence the teams’ strategic choices.”