Adrian Sutil has said he is disappointed not to have reached Q3 during qualifying for the 2011 Japanese Grand Prix.
“Overall I think today’s qualifying session went pretty well,” Sutil said. “I was a little bit disappointed to miss Q3 because we were not too far away from it, but everybody knows P11 is a very good place to start, especially because of the free choice of tyres for tomorrow.
“I was happy with my laps and I don’t think I could have found much more. Also, we opted to do just one run on the soft tyres in Q2, which means I have a fresh set available for the race. So I think we can make the strategy work tomorrow and have a good race.”
Menawhile, Sutil’s Force India team-mate Paul di Resta is happy to be starting just one place behind in P12.
“Given the weekend we’ve had I’m pretty happy to be starting P12 just a place behind Adrian,” di Resta said. “I’ve struggled to get fully up to speed here and find the ideal balance, which is why we’ve opted for a set-up more suited to the race.
“Hopefully that will pay off tomorrow because I think tyre wear is going to be a major factor in this race. Also, I’m feeling a bit under the weather today with a sore throat, so I’m pleased to come away with a starting position that should allow us to fight for points. I’ll get some rest tonight because this is one of the more physical tracks of the year and will give it my all tomorrow.”
