AMAZING WEEKEND
“I took it really easy, just
to understand the tyres and
understand the car. This was the
target for me, just to understand the
car more and have the experience
from the tyres and the car.”
“[In qualifying I was just two
tenths from Q2, and just two
positions to the points. To be on
top of the rookie drivers, with the
preparation I had before – nothing –
I think was a pretty good weekend.”
A day earlier the Italian, who is
the Ferrari reserve driver explained
how he got to know he would be
replacing Wehrlein, “Well, I received
a text message [Saturday] morning
from Ferrari and my manager.
Actually they informed me [Friday]
night, but it was too late for me - I
was already in bed - so I found out
only this morning when I woke up.”
“First thought was: somebody
is making a joke with me. And then
finally it dawned on me that this
was all true. I made my way to the
track immediately to speak with the
engineers. It is something that I
still can hardly believe. A childhood
dream suddenly became reality!”
Sauber team principal
Monisha Kaltenborn said it was an
impressive performance from the
young Italian driver in his first F1
race, “He showed his potential as
well as what the car is capable of.
The lap times were quite satisfying.”