Sauber qualifying: good pace overshadowed by bad luck
Sauber showed promising pace in Singapore qualifying, but both drivers were kept out of the top ten by a combination of misfortune and mere thousandths of a second. Nico Hulkenberg qualified 11th, just 0.087 seconds behind Fernando Alonso, while Gabriel Bortoleto was unable to advance to Q2 after a yellow flag compromised his lap.
Bortoleto disappointed, Hulkenberg satisfied
Bortoleto commented, “It’s really a shame we couldn’t make it to Q2 when we had the potential to do so easily. I was putting together a great lap, good enough to qualify, when I had to slow down for a yellow flag. Obviously, safety comes first, but it immediately costs you a few tenths. Unfortunately, that ruined the lap, and we missed out by the smallest margin.”
He added, “It’s frustrating, especially because today we felt much better than yesterday. FP3 was very positive, and I truly believed we could have done a good job in qualifying. But that’s racing: sometimes you’re just the unlucky one who hits the flag.”
Bortoleto had shown improvement throughout practice and was on a promising final lap in qualifying, but he didn’t get the chance to attempt another lap and remained out of Q2.
By contrast, his teammate Hulkenberg was happy with his result: “I’m fairly satisfied with today’s qualifying. My laps were clean and showed good progression. Starting 11th isn’t bad, and we have an extra set of soft tires for tomorrow. Since everyone will approach the race slightly less prepared after yesterday’s red flags, when no one could complete proper long runs, there could be some surprises. As always, strategy will depend on how the race unfolds, but we’ll do our best to get the best possible result.”
Positive takeaways according to Wheatley
Sauber Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley also shared his thoughts on the session: “After a very hot and humid qualifying here in Singapore, there are some positives to take away. For Gabi, finishing 16th in his first outing on this challenging circuit, without having had a completely clean run on new tires until qualifying, is certainly encouraging. On the other side of the garage, Nico delivered a strong and composed session with clean laps, starting 11th, and has an extra set of new soft tires. He’s in a good position to fight for points tomorrow.”
Some luck for Bortoleto in race positioning
Due to the Williams drivers’ disqualifications, Bortoleto will start the race with a small advantage: moving from 16th to 14th on the grid. A bit of luck in a weekend otherwise marked by misfortune.
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