Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team endured a difficult qualifying ahead of the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll narrowly missed out on Q2 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Sebastian
Sebastian ran solely on the Soft tyres in Q1 and posted a 1.30.389 benchmark in the opening qualifying segment.
By lapping over four-tenths faster on his second run, the German continued to refine his lap time, dipping into the 1.29s with a 1.29.846 effort.
After boxing for fresh Softs, Sebastian took to the track with six minutes to go and beat his previous personal best with a 1.29.620 lap.
In his final hot lap of the session, he improved his time by a further four-tenths but unfortunately fell short of Q2, placing 17th with a 1.29.198 run.
"I was a little surprised that we were unable to make Q2 because I felt my last lap was good – even though I was held up at the end of the second sector, which cost me a few tenths and a chance to progress.
"There was a lot of traffic out there, especially at the end of laps, which complicated it further. I think it is clear that this track does not suit our car in qualifying trim, but the positive is that our race pace has traditionally been stronger this season, so we will see what we can do tomorrow.
"It hurts to qualify in P17 but if we have an eventful race tomorrow, we can try to make our way up the field."
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Saudi Arabia's first-ever Grand Prix circuit is a step into the unknown for everyone – so gathering data and seamlessly applying it will be critical for a successful weekend. Set against the backdrop of the Red Sea, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit features 27 quickfire corners and promises to be the fastest street circuit on the calendar.
Lance
Lance took to the track at the start of Q1 on Soft tyres and edged ahead of Sebastian’s initial benchmark with a 1.30.247 lap.
In his second run of the session, he improved his lap time further with a 1.29.923 run before entering the pitlane to fit a new set of the fastest compound.
The Canadian returned to the track with six minutes remaining to complete a 1.29.368 run but significant traffic prevented him from making the most of optimum track and tyre conditions, forcing him out in Q1.
Lapping a handful of tenths slower than Sebastian, Lance will start the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from 18th.
"I am really disappointed to have qualified in P18 because traffic at the end of the session ruined my qualifying. It was like a parking lot and there was nothing I could do.
"As a result, I was not able to put in a flying lap when the track and tyres were at their optimum and it proved to be very costly. I think we would have had enough to make it into Q2 otherwise.
"We will go away and review to see if there is anything we could have done differently. We have never raced here before, so we will have to see how the Grand Prix plays out tomorrow and try to make up some places."
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