F1 / Bahrain: Räikkönen could go to Q3

Romain Grosjean once again completes qualifying by placing in the top ten. The Frenchman set the seventh fastest time of the last session by putting on a final set of soft tires. If he hoped to do even better without a slight error, the Lotus driver is satisfied to see himself consistent in any conditions. “I have entered Q3 in every race since the start of the season and I am satisfied with my car. I could have done even better if I had not made a slight error on my flying lap. This is a big difference from China and I think we can be proud of the way we are adapting to the changes with the set-up. We are perhaps a little further behind than we would have liked but our pace in the race is good. »

If Kimi Räikkönen's 11th place is more disappointing, the Finn preferred to focus on conserving his tires rather than his position on the grid. ?I had the speed today to easily get into the last session by doing another flying lap but we thought it was better to do just one lap in Q2 to preserve the tires. Tire management will be an essential parameter tomorrow and, even if it was a gamble not to take part in the last session, I hope it will be a strategy that will pay off in the race. We knew it was going to be close but we had two options and we think we went with the best one. There are no points distributed on Saturday so let's wait for tomorrow. »