First Q3 for Guanyu Zhou in Canada: “I knew anything could happen”

On the radio, he was perhaps the happiest person on set. Guanyu-Zhou managed to get into Q3 for the first time in his career by Formula 1, in Canada.

The pilot Alfa Romeo was able to enter the top 10 despite the rain and his inexperience on the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit. “I'm very happy to be in Q3, especially since it was the first time I did a qualifying session in the wet. As soon as I woke up this morning and saw the conditions, I knew anything could happen. We have often been close to Q3 in the past, but I didn't expect to reach it here in Montreal, which is a completely new circuit for me. »

Despite a slightly more disappointing Q3 with the 10th fastest time, Zhou remained very satisfied with his performance in tricky conditions. “It was really difficult today, the track was slippery and it was almost impossible to see the other drivers ahead. I'm happy I was able to give everything I have, my laps in Q3 were a bit messy but I'm happy to have extracted the full potential from the car,” declared the rookie, optimistic about the race on Sunday. “In terms of race pace, we have always been quite strong in the past in dry conditions, so we will try to give our best tomorrow and fight for a place in the top 10.”

Zhou still ahead of Bottas, Vasseur reassured by his driving

The Chinese is also in front of his teammate Valtteri Bottas in qualifying for the second consecutive time, after Baku. According to his team director Frédéric Vasseur, Guanyu Zhou's progress is finally being valued after a period of bad luck. “I was a little worried about the Monaco – Baku – Montreal sequence because they are 3 difficult races for a rookie, at the start of the season. But in Baku he did well. He had been a bit unlucky during qualifying, he didn't have a clean lap because of the yellow flag. But the performance was there during the race. He always managed to handle the car well. (…) I am more than happy with the work he has accomplished so far. »

The Frenchman, very satisfied with his young driver's result during qualifying, hopes that he will finish with a few points in the race. “Zhou won his first Q3 thanks to very good driving, which is even more impressive given the track conditions. He showed maturity and we hope he will have a good race tomorrow (Sunday). »

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