PREMA denied in Qualifying
The team started well in practice with both drivers quick. However, the pace didn’t materialise in qualifying, and both drivers will start the feature race outside of the top five.
Both Mick Schumacher and Robert Shwartzman were denied one last flying lap because of yellow flags bought pout by a spinning car.
Mick Schumacher, who topped the first practice session, will start in eighth place. He will hope to avoid any drama and take another podium at the track the German seems to go well at.
Schumacher said: “P8 does not reflect the true potential of the car. However, last week has shown that the starting position is not that crucial for the outcome of the race if the pace is right. We worked on this very carefully this morning in free practice and hopefully, it will pay off tomorrow so that we can work our way forward.”
Shwartzman, who wants to find the excellent form he had at the beginning of the season, starts in 11th. The Russian will hope that he can climb up the field to help defend his championship lead.
Shwartzman said: “Qualifying was not as I expected it to be and I feel we could have done a better job in terms of the results. The team was great in changing the car quickly to solve the issues from the first stint. Unfortunately, we did not go in the right direction, which happens. But even with some balance issues though, I felt that the car was going quick. P11 is a frustrating result to me because I was hoping to be at least in the top-5 with our pace. We need to keep learning and trying, and I hope for a really interesting race tomorrow. I will try my best to recover as many positions as possible.”
PREMA is now preparing for a recovery drive in the Feature Race on a racetrack that has offered good chances for a comeback in the past.
*Image Credit: (c) Formula Motorsport Limited
