In the round-up: Esteban Ocon says he could have qualified higher than fifth for the Styrian Grand Prix.
What they say
Unlike team mate Daniel Ricciardo, Ocon took an extra set of wet weather tyres in Q1, which meant he didn’t have fresh rubber at the end of Q3 when the rain worsened:It’s been definitely a great qualifying. I’m very happy with the result, how it went in the end. Straight away from the go I felt quite comfortable in the car. I felt confident at the wheel and the performance was there each lap that I was putting on was decent.
We didn’t do a wrong move. We could have improved a few things for the Q3 run as I have a new set of tyres there. Maybe we could have pushed a little bit higher up the order if we had a set there.
But overall I’m very happy, it’s a very positive session, very happy to be in the top five for my new team after such a long period of inactivity. Hopefully we can complete a great weekend with some great points tomorrow.
Quotes: Dieter Rencken
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
After all that nonsense about changing the rules to have a reverse-grid sprint race to decide the grid, the weather has delivered one rules change F1 should experiment with: Letting drivers have free tyre choice for the grand prix. #F1 #StyrianGP #AustrianGP
— Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) July 11, 2020
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Links
More motor racing links of interest:
Team’s reaction after qualifying (AlphaTauri)
Pierre Gasly: "It’s just a shame for the yellow flag in the last lap, as I think I was going two or three tenths faster, so there could probably have been a fifth on the table."
"Grosjean’s car not going out is not what you want to see. We had an issue with the cooling of the energy storage unit."
Styrian GP qualifying (Williams)
"My pace on the first set of tyres was in the top fifteen but I just didn’t get a clear lap on the second set. Every lap was either traffic or a yellow flag and then the red flag. I think there was much more in there, so I am just a bit frustrated."
"Esteban was unlucky to be pipped at the end, finishing in fifth place while running in the top three throughout."
Pole position for Lewis in Styria, Valtteri fourth (Mercedes)
Toto Wolff: "Congratulations to our juniors Esteban and George (Russell) for two brilliant Qualifying performances today, proving wet sessions are where the drivers really come to the fore."
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Comment of the day
LB picks out three stars from yesterday’s qualifying session:
So glad to see Williams getting better, George Russell is a future superstar, a tenth off the Ferraris!
Incredible lap from Hamilton, one of the greatest (if not the best) of all time in the wet. No surprise him and Verstappen are one and two. Tomorrow should be great fun!
LB (@Burden93)
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@HoHum (@hohum)
12th July 2020, 3:54
@keithcollantine, I’ll second that ! and add ; drop the 2 compound for race rule (gimmick) as well as the mandatory pit-stop rule (also a gimmick).
Further observation, it will be interesting to see which drivers chose a “best wet setup for grid position” strategy versus those that compromised for best race setup under the conditions.
I thought Finns were at their best in slippery conditions due to gravel and icy roads at home, maybe technology has reduced the need to feel the grip.
Jere (@jerejj)
12th July 2020, 7:24
I agree with dropping the rule of the top-ten qualifiers having to start the races with the set they used for setting their PB Q2-time. Having this rule might’ve had its reasons following the end of the refuelling era, but over time it’s become obsolete, so I don’t really understand why it’s still in place. The rule of having to use at least two different compounds in a dry-race I don’t care as much, either way, but the rule about race starting compound/set, yes.
Maisch (@maisch)
12th July 2020, 7:47
I think Ric will have a hard time this season due to his new team mate, with alot of frustration since he thinks he is the best driver on the grid. Might end up an interesting fight this year :)
Ross
12th July 2020, 8:49
From one wet quali session? After limited running on Friday… good chat
Duncan Idaho (@didaho)
12th July 2020, 10:52
I think binning the car already once this weekend took a chunk of time out of his best effort, understandable and probably good policy with Alonso in the wings.
Will be interested in everybody’s race-pace today to see who was running a wet setup.
TrickyMario7654
12th July 2020, 11:46
Yeah, I imagine that FP2 accident hindered Ricciardo’s qualifying preparations. Plus the cancellation of FP3 didn’t help either.
Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
12th July 2020, 11:08
@maisch Every driver thinks they’re the best driver on the grid. If they don’t, they’re in the wrong game.
TrickyMario7654
12th July 2020, 10:51
I’m pretty sure every driver on the grid thinks they’re the best. What’s wrong with Ricciardo doing just that?
Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
12th July 2020, 11:09
Exactly!