Drivers Reflect on Qualifying Performance at the 2023 American Grand Prix
Yuki Tsunoda Narrowly Misses Top 10 Finish
In a heart-wrenching turn of events, Yuki Tsunoda of Scuderia AlphaTauri fell short of securing a top 10 finish in the qualifying round of the American Grand Prix by a mere 0.018 seconds. Despite the disappointment, Tsunoda showcased a commendable performance, with his time being hindered by track restrictions and the evolving nature of the circuit. The timing of his entry onto the track also proved to be a significant factor in the final results.
Hiroki Tsunoda Expresses Promise in Performance
Hiroki Tsunoda, also representing AlphaTauri, expressed positivity in the team’s performance despite missing out on advancing to C3 due to a narrow margin. With two cars ahead qualifying for the prestigious top 10, Tsunoda recognized the potential to extract the best out of the machinery. Starting from the 11th position on Sunday, Tsunoda eagerly looks forward to a race that brings him just one step away from earning valuable points. Confident in the team’s progress during free practice, Tsunoda believes there is significant potential to be unearthed for the race week.
Zhou Guanyu Reflects on Missed Opportunity
Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu believes he made an error during Sunday’s qualifying session, which cost him a higher position on the grid. Despite the setback, Zhou remains optimistic about their chances of securing points, mentioning the team’s improvement during free practice. The session allowed them to enhance the car’s balance and find a rhythm during qualifying, albeit narrowly missing out on Q3 by a minuscule three-thousandths of a second. Zhou is determined to challenge their rivals and secure a top 10 finish on race day.
Valtteri Bottas Eyes Points Finish
Valtteri Bottas from Alfa Romeo expressed contentment with his result, considering it a favorable position to launch his potential bid for points in the race on Sunday. He acknowledged the challenging task of finding the right balance during the limited hour of practice. Bottas also noted the struggle faced in the final sector due to overheating tires, making it arduous to string together a perfect lap. Nevertheless, he remains optimistic that a strong start will pave the way for a fruitful performance.
Kevin Magnussen Anticipates Improvements
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen remarked upon positive signs from the upgraded car during qualifying. Acknowledging that there is still more to come, he eagerly awaits Saturday’s sprint race where the team can further assess their performance and consistency, particularly in managing tire wear during the main event. Magnussen sees potential for improvement and aims to exploit it to the fullest.
Daniel Ricciardo Reflects on Comeback
Returning to the circuit after a hiatus, AlphaTauri’s Daniel Ricciardo expressed his happiness at being back behind the wheel. Although he faced limited time to find the optimal feeling and car setup, Ricciardo remained optimistic and recognized the opportunity for improvement in subsequent sessions. Analyzing the change in wind direction, he aims to decode its influence and extract something valuable for his performance on race day.
Nico Hulkenberg Disappointed with Interference
Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg lamented an unfortunate qualifying lap, plagued by interference from other cars on the track. As it was his first time testing the new update, Hulkenberg felt the need for more time to fully comprehend its capabilities. While dissatisfied with the morning’s car setup, adjustments made prior to qualifying brought about a better experience. Despite the setbacks, Hulkenberg believes he could have achieved a higher position with a smoother run.
Fernando Alonso Faces Traffic Woes
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso expressed his frustration with heavy traffic impeding his qualifying lap. With cars closely spaced and mere tenths of a second separating competitors, Alonso attributes his struggles to driving too close to the car ahead. He further mentioned the team’s difficulties in optimizing their new package, initially hindered by issues during the morning practice session. Alonso looks ahead to cleaner conditions on race day with hopes of making significant progress.
Alexander Albon Frustrated by Inconsistent Car
Williams’ Alexander Albon voiced his frustration with the inconsistency of his car, particularly as it faced challenges when the wind picked up. Struggling to find a clean lap, Albon felt disappointed in his qualifying performance. However, he acknowledged the car’s improvement compared to the earlier practice session and remains determined to overcome the obstacles for a stronger performance.
Lance Stroll Disheartened by Lack of Speed
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll expressed disappointment in his qualifying result. Despite showing promise during the limited laps in FP1, Stroll faced difficulties due to a lack of speed. Nonetheless, he remains hopeful given the track’s potential for overtaking and believes there is still a chance to make a meaningful impact on race day.
Comments from drivers who finished 11th or higher in qualifying for the 2023 American Grand Prix Round 19. In qualifying for the American Grand Prix, Yuki Tsunoda (Scuderia AlphaTauri) once again missed out on a top 10 finish by 0.018 seconds , there were many drivers whose time was eliminated due to track restrictions. Also, track evolution was a big factor, and the timing of entering the track affected the results.
11th place: Hiroki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) “I think we showed a good performance today, but it’s disappointing that we couldn’t progress to C3 because of the small difference. However, two cars ahead of us were able to make it into the top 10. I think I have been able to bring out the performance of the machine because there are many teams that do that. I started Sunday’s final from 11th position. I am looking forward to starting from a position that is just one stage away from the points. This morning’s race My pace in free practice (FP) 1 wasn’t bad, so I feel this race week has a lot of potential. I’m happy to have Ricciardo back .Qualifying will be fine after FP1, so he will get used to the speed. The time was short, but thanks to his feedback, I think I managed to get 11th place.” 12th place: Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) “Looking at today’s results, I think I made a mistake on Sunday.” I think we will be able to finish in the points without any problems. We struggled a bit in free practice, but as a team we were able to improve. improved the balance of the car during the session, so we were able to build some rhythm in qualifying and move on to Q3. We were able to stay in contention, but in the end we missed out on Q3 by less than three-thousandths of a second It was a positive result, but it was a mixed bag as we could have made further progress. But again, I’m happy with the work we did today and I’m sure it will allow us to have a cleaner race on Saturday. Obviously the best teams have an advantage in terms of speed, but I definitely think we can challenge our rivals and break into the top 10 on Sunday.” 13th: Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) “Not today’s result was ‘not bad and I think it promises to be as close to the top 10.” If we get a good start we should be able to build something from there and fight for points in the race Sunday. It’s hot outside but the humidity is low compared to recent events like Singapore and Qatar It’s comfortable to drive It’s not easy to find the right balance in just an hour’s practice It’s obviously there are areas to improve, but there are probably others too. The biggest struggle today was the final sector I think the tires are overheating, which makes it harder to put a lap up to each other, especially when a hundredth of a second can make a difference. That’s the main positive today. Tomorrow will be a day on its own, with its own qualifying and racing. Our main focus remains on Sunday’s main event, but we will still be looking for an opportunity to pick up a few points.” Kevin Magnussen (Haas), 14th: “There were a few things on the upgraded car today. .”There were positive signs but I don’t think we made the most of it, I think there’s more to come and I’m looking forward to seeing how he performs in tomorrow’s sprint. .Of course the big question for Sunday’s race is if we can take care of the tires a little better. We didn’t expect it to be so competitive in one lap, but we have fixed some consistency issues, especially race performance. I want to do that.” 15th place. : Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri) “I’m happy to be back at last. Physically, there’s nothing wrong with me. The challenge was to find the feeling and the settings of the car. It’s’ n very difficult to think what I was able to do in qualifying because I only rode the car for an hour, but I didn’t feel like I had a good reaction on the last attack lap of qualifying. Only one I had a free practice to set up the car. It’s very difficult to decide. We managed to compete for time in the early stages, but as the track surface improved, we couldn’t improve, which was a shame. We could have done more, but we have another chance tomorrow. The direction of the wind has changed. So I think that will be a positive influence. I will try to analyze it tonight and find something that I can use tomorrow 15th place was not an ideal result, but I managed to get back on the car and drive again, so I’m very happy. It’s a happy day.” 16th place: Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) “The second qualifying lap was unlucky. In the evolution of a track like today, the second lap is important, but it was chaotic. 2 The car interfered with my lap in some awkward places so I lost a lot of time and that made a difference because today was the first time I ran the new update and I only practiced and qualified for an hour, I need for me to do that. understand more. I wasn’t happy with the car at all this morning, but after making some changes to the set-up I felt better. I think I could have gone a lot better today.” 17th: Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin: “Both cars were written off in Q1, so it wasn’t ideal qualifying. There was a lot of traffic today, and I finished my lap with only a second left before the checkered flag. I drove too close to the car in front of me. I don’t think this helped. A lot of cars were close together, with only a few tenths of A second separated them. We had some problems in FP1 which prevented us from optimizing the new package that came to Austin. We’re in Parc fermé now so we’ll see what we can do tomorrow in cleaner conditions.” 18th: Alexander Albon (Williams) “The car is very different to FP1 and when the wind picks up it falls apart a bit. bit.”I felt it. It was very difficult to get a clean lap and I wasn’t lap not that good. The car was better than Q1 today so it’s a bit frustrating.” 19th: Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) “In FP1 I knew it was going to be a challenge to qualify with nothing only five laps under my belt, but I felt as if I was getting a hold of the AMR23 straight away. The problem today was that I didn’t have the speed. a disappointing result as I was looking forward to it, but this is a good track to race on and it is possible to overtake, so we will have a chance on Sunday…
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