1812 km from Qatar – Bourdais, Milesi, Baud… The reactions of the French in Hyperpole

Hypercar

Sébastien Bourdais (Cadillac n°38), 5th in the Hyperpole :
“It wasn’t easy overall. The car has performance, but it’s not easy to drive. It changes balance a lot. It’s still a good group result for the team (with Alex Lynn 4th, ed). I am a little surprised and disappointed to be so far from the BMW. Concerning Ferrari, it's not a surprise: we saw that they were well ahead. We had more difficulties than I'm used to with the car. It won't be easy for the podium. BMW is good, we can expect that Toyota either in front on long relays, and Alpine is also very good on this point. The departure will be decisive.

Charles Milesi (Alpine No. 35), 9th in the Hyperpole :
“The first lap of qualifying started off pretty well, but I messed up at Turn 15. I had a good second lap to go into Hyperpole. We thought we could put the tyres in a better window with the hot brakes, but it wasn’t obvious. We’re lacking pace compared to the top 7, especially against Ferrari. We managed to maximise what we could do in qualifying. That allows us to start in the top ten, so in a good group for the first stints. The main thing will be not to make any mistakes, to stay on track and to seize the opportunities if they arise. We should be a little better in race pace.”

Jean-Éric Vergne (Peugeot No. 93), 10th in the Hyperpole :
“It was already tight to qualify in Hyperpole. Honestly, I couldn’t have done a better lap in the car. I’m very happy with what I did and with our preparation in qualifying. We maximized the whole thing. We can be happy with that, less with the performance. It’s up to us, drivers and engineers, to get the most out of the car, which is what we did today and what we’ll try to do tomorrow in the race. Our performance in qualifying is probably worse than in the race. The goal will be to score points with both cars.”

LMGT3

Sébastien Baud (McLaren No. 59), 2th in the Hyperpole :
“Very happy to put both cars on the front row. My goal was to be on the front row in Qatar after a big preparation this winter. Physically and mentally, I felt very good. There is a great feeling with McLaren and the United Autosports team. Everything came together. I went step by step, because it had been a while since I had driven in a qualifying session. It was a rediscovery. It allows us to start the season well. Sean (Gelael) did a great job during the Hyperpole. It is a ten-hour race, so a lot can happen, but it is a great pride to have both cars tomorrow. The goal is to continue on this momentum, to have a reliable car and to validate all that. We hope to get a podium, we have the capabilities.”

ALSO READ > Ferrari on pole for the 1812 km of Qatar, Porsche behind