Mark Webber (1st, Red Bull Racing):
“This is a very special day for me. I ve been close to getting pole a few times in the past. Today we re here and the team has done a great job. We ve been quick all weekend and all the teams and drivers got really tested in that session. It was very, very chaotic and to deliver the lap time when it absolutely counted was very important to me. Getting the best time is fantastic. The car is working very well here and I was talking to my engineer Ciaran all the time, asking him what we were doing, because the track conditions were so hard; it looked quite dry, but the slicks just wouldn t take it at all. In Q2, it was really hard to read what we needed for the last ten minutes. In the end, the key for me was three clean sectors and that s what got me pole. I called on my experience and I have a great team of people, the guys on the pit wall making the right calls for me. They can see what the other drivers are doing. We re the best drivers in the world and we know when people are making mistakes that it s down to the wrong tyres. So we stick to the decisions we make and believe in them and go out and do the best we can, because we know everyone s in a bit of trouble in those conditions. A huge thanks to all the team, both here and in the factory and I hope that it can be my first win tomorrow. We re in a fantastic position to do it. Obviously these guys (Barrichello and Button) have had a very strong season and will push us, but we re looking forward to a fight. I m up for trying to take my first race win tomorrow if I can.â€
Rubens Barrichello (2nd, Brawn GP):
“I really enjoyed the excitement of qualifying today and am very happy to have come away with second and be starting from the front row tomorrow. I felt the track was just about good enough for slicks in Q2 so I radioed the team that I was coming in but didn’t hear their response so thankfully the tyres were waiting for me when I arrived in the pits! It was a great decision and gave me a much more relaxed end to Q2 than some of the others. It’s going to be a tricky race tomorrow so we’ll have to be on our toes and take advantage of whatever the weather throws at us. I’m looking forward to it.”
Jenson Button (3rd, Brawn GP):
“Just getting into the final qualifying session was an achievement today so I’m really pleased to have qualified in third. It was a pretty eventful hour and Q2 in particular was madness but it was good fun. I thought it was too wet for slicks but Rubens made it work and we were able to switch tyres with just enough time to make my timed lap count. The race is going to be interesting as the forecast looks like it’s going to be a mix of wet and dry conditions. We’ve improved the car since practice yesterday but it’s still going to be tough to keep the tyres warm and you’ll need a bit of luck with the weather. Congratulations to Mark on his first pole position today. We’ll be doing everything possible to ensure that it doesn’t become his first win tomorrow!”
Sebastian Vettel (4th, Red Bull Racing):
“Today s qualifying was a bit of a lottery – especially in Q2, as you never knew which tyres to put on. In Q3, it was back to dry tyres, but it was very tight. The circuit was getting better through the session, but my last lap wasn t magnificent, which is why I m not on the front row. The car was good enough to have been up there today, but I didn t do it. Who knows what is happening tomorrow in the race, the weather is quite unpredictable around here, so we will see.â€
Lewis Hamilton (5th, Mclaren):
“The car behaves really well. It feels great to have a car that you can really push into the corners. I m really happy to be in Q3. It s a big difference for us this year, and the team has done a fantastic job. The conditions were up and down and they did brilliantly to make sure we were on the track with the right tyres at the right time. Also, the guys back at the factory have all worked extremely hard to get the parts to the track and they have made a big difference. Unfortunately, the track got a bit better after I set my fastest lap, when it was a bit greasy, but for Heikki (Kovalainen) and me to line up sixth and fifth tomorrow is a great result for us. We re definitely in a position to fight for a podium, but trying to beat the Brawns and the Red Bulls will be difficult. The car is still a work-in-progress and there s a way to go – but this is really encouraging. I don t mind if it rains tomorrow but I d just like a nice, smooth race!â€
Heikki Kovalainen (6th, Mclaren):
“Today worked out better for me than expected: we can be very pleased with that. My tyre strategy worked really well this afternoon and I had the right tyres in Q2 when the conditions were at their trickiest. Thanks to the team for a superb job in a very tight situation. This result is very promising for everyone in the team and my car worked much better here than at previous races. The team has been working incredibly hard to make improvements to our car and, although I didn t have the same upgrades as Lewis today, it s really encouraging to see the step forward we ve taken – we re making excellent progress. Finally, it s great to be able to produce our strongest qualifying result of the year at the home race of Mercedes-Benz – I think they ve produced the best engine in Formula One, and I hope they re proud of their results today.â€
Adrian Sutil (7th, Force India):
“I’m really happy, for sure one of F1’s happiest guys today! It’s my home race and my best qualifying position so far in F1, so it was a great qualifying for us. It was very tricky with the weather but our decisions were very good and on time, particularly in Q2 with the rain. We took a risk on the dry tyres and we did it a lap earlier than all the others and got the third fastest time. Finally, even with the fuel on board Q3 went really well and we got into seventh. I am very happy for everyone on the team. We’ve worked really hard in the last months. Now we just have to score some points!â€
Felipe Massa (8th, Ferrari):
“This qualifying was a bit of a lottery: first dry, then rain then dry again. It could have gone better, but it could also have gone much worse. I m not jumping for joy over eighth place, but it s not so bad. We have a good strategy aimed at getting us into the points, although a podium seems hard to reach to be honest.â€
Kimi Raikkonen (9th, Ferrari):
“It was a pretty complicated session, with track conditions changing all the time. Therefore, it s difficult to say if this result reflects the real standings down the order. Clearly, we were penalized by not having a single set of new tyres for Q3. I believe that in normal conditions we could have got a better grid position. Having said that, we are not in bad shape for the race: we have a good strategy and we will try and make the most of it.â€
Nelson Piquet (10th, Renault):
“The conditions were difficult today, but I managed to deal with them well and had the right tyres at the right moments. It’s a shame that I couldn’t get any more out of Q3, but it’s good to be in the top ten and hopefully we will be in a position to score points tomorrow.”
