Bottas celebrates SQ2 progress, while Zhou’s qualifying effort is marred by a critical team error.
Valtteri Bottas delivered a solid performance for Stake F1 in the Sprint Qualifying at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The Finnish driver, who felt comfortable on the Brazilian circuit, advanced to SQ2 despite the challenges posed by Interlagos’ notably bumpy track.
“It was good to reach SQ2 today, especially after a tough start to the weekend. The track was extremely bumpy, which required us to adjust our setup for qualifying,” Bottas remarked.
“I’m pleased with the progress, as it’s given us valuable insights into the setup direction for the rest of the weekend. The car feels easier to handle now, though the balance still needs refining. We have a lot of work ahead for the main qualifying and race, but for now, the focus is on starting the Sprint from 15th.”
“We’ll aim to maximise everything while honing the setup for the weekend’s main events. Entering SQ2 is a positive step, particularly as reaching this stage hasn’t been typical for us recently.”
Meanwhile, Guanyu Zhou was knocked out in 20th place, finishing two seconds behind his teammate and three seconds adrift of Lando Norris’s fastest time. A misjudgement by the team denied the Chinese driver a chance for a second flying lap, which proved costly.
“Today just wasn’t our day. From the first session, it was clear the track is very bumpy, and we’ll need to work hard to dial in the right setup. The sprint qualifying session was disappointing for me because, unfortunately, the timing of our final run was mishandled,” Zhou lamented.
“When I finally got started, the chequered flag had already dropped. It’s frustrating as it ruined our starting position for tomorrow’s Sprint, but overtaking is possible here, so we’ll see what can be done. For now, we need to understand what went wrong today—tomorrow is a new chance to improve.”
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Positive Progress for Bottas – Zhou Held Back by Team Misstep Positive Progress for Bottas – Zhou Held Back by Team Misstep
