Good day for Williams

Williams enjoyed a successful Saturday, qualifying both cars in the top ten for the first time this season.

While Pastor Maldonado (eighth) had already been in Q3 at half the races in 2012, including a pole position in Spain, for Bruno Senna (ninth) it was the first time this year he has qualified higher than 13th.

“It’s been a good weekend so far and I’m really happy to be in the top ten for the first time this season,” said Senna. “Q2 was extremely close but we were able to get through. I could have done a better lap in Q3 but I’m pleased with the result and having both cars in Q3 is great for the team. The car has felt consistent and our long run pace is looking good. We’re in a strong position for the start of the race, so from here I’ll be pushing to bring home some good points.”

Maldonado was less happy with his qualifying position, claiming to have been troubled by traffic. “My qualifying performance was quite good, especially in Q2, but then in Q3 I came across traffic twice,” said the Venezuelan. “I am happy for the team as we both did a good job to put the team near the front so it’s looking positive.”

“Both drivers did very well today in qualifying in what is an extremely tight and competitive grid,” added chief operations engineer Mark Gillan. “We are very pleased to get both cars into the final session of qualifying for the first time this season and look forward to the race tomorrow. The forecast indicates that the race is likely to be wet and the rain could be heavy, especially towards the later stages of the race.”