São Paulo, November 7: Nico Hulkenberg gave Audi Revolut F1 Team its best qualifying result so far, taking sixth place in a wet Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying session at Interlagos and moving up to fourth on the grid after penalties for other drivers.
Hulkenberg shines in the wet
Hulkenberg set 1:28.668 in Q3 to take sixth. He had made it through Q1 (1:31.693) and Q2 (1:28.361) on both the full wet and intermediate tyres. He had missed Friday’s running and was 13th in final practice earlier on Saturday.
“Going into qualifying, I just wanted to give it my best shot. I’ve raced here quite a few times, so I know the circuit well, although missing yesterday’s running was obviously not ideal. The key was to keep it clean in very tricky conditions,” Hulkenberg said. “There is still a big job ahead of us: it’s not going to be easy, especially with a wet race expected tomorrow.”
Audi Racing Director Allan McNish said: “Nico delivered another fantastic performance. His team gave him a great car, and he once again demonstrated his pace in the wet, showing why he is the Regenmeister, the rain master. Overall, it is our best qualifying performance to date.”
Bortoleto out in Q1 after crash
Teammate Gabriel Bortoleto, who had been among the quickest in final practice (10th), was classified 22nd after Q1 with a best of 1:41.564. He locked up at turn 12, ran across the grass and hit the wall, damaging his rear wing.
“Unfortunately, that resulted in rear wing damage and, eventually, an end to my session,” Bortoleto said. “Tomorrow is another day, so I want to clear my head and focus on making the most of the race.” McNish added that he was sure Bortoleto “will be fighting back tomorrow”.
Hadjar starts fifth for Red Bull; Verstappen at the back
At Red Bull, Isack Hadjar qualified seventh but will start fifth once the grid penalties are applied. He was third fastest in Q2, but said the rain grew heavier as he went out late in Q3, leaving little grip and more aquaplaning than expected.
“It feels like a missed opportunity because the pace was there, but the car is still competitive and P5 gives us a solid starting position for tomorrow,” Hadjar said.
Max Verstappen qualified 16th but will start 20th because of a grid penalty for a power unit change. “With the amount of standing water on track and knowing we would be starting from the back, there was no reason to take unnecessary risks,” he said. “I’ll do everything I can to move forward and score as many points as possible.”
Red Bull’s chief executive and team principal said the team had made a number of changes overnight and that the race would be “particularly” challenging for Verstappen, “but we know how unpredictable racing in Brazil can be”.
What next
A wet race is expected at Interlagos on Sunday, 8 November. Catch up on more Formula One news on Indian Sports News.
