2021 FIA Formula One Qatar Grand Prix – Qualifying – Saturday

Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN endured a challenging Saturday in Losail as Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi classified 16th and 18th in qualifying for tomorrow’s Grand Prix. Under the lights of the Qatari circuit, the Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN duo ended their run in Q1, and will aim to make up lost ground in the race.


Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN: “Tonight’s was a disappointing result, especially on the back of some really promising performances in the last few outings. We did not have the pace to make it out of Q1, unfortunately, and this is going to make our life difficult for tomorrow’s race. Still, it’s a new track and there is a lot that can happen with the strategy, especially as the track continues evolving. It’s going to be a long race and we won’t give up before the end of the fight.”

 
Kimi Räikkönen (car number 7):
Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN C41 (Chassis 05/Ferrari)
FP3: 16th / 1:24.246 (19 laps)
Q1: 16th / 1:23.156 (9 laps)

“We did the best we could out there: it was not a bad lap and surely there wasn’t anything specific we could point our finger at. The car wasn’t bad in terms of balance, we were just not fast enough and the laptime reflected that. The track was the best it has been all weekend, and it is going to be interesting to see how the racing shapes up tomorrow. Starting that far back is not ideal, but it’s what we got and we’ll try to improve. Overtaking won’t be easy, but that’s pretty much the same everywhere we go so let’s see what we get out of this.”


Antonio Giovinazzi (car number 99):
Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN C41 (Chassis 03/Ferrari)
FP3: 17th / 1:24.288 (17 laps)
Q1: 18th / 1:23.262 (8 laps)

“The feeling with the car in qualifying was the best it has been all weekend, but that was not enough for a place in Q2. It’s not been the easiest experience out there, we seemed to be struggling in practice as well, but I still hoped in a better result. We’re starting at the back instead, on a track where following and overtaking are not the easiest. It’s not going to be an easy race, but never say never: we will give our best and see if we can get a good result tomorrow. The track evolved a lot today and, if it makes another step, it could mean different strategies come into play. Lap one on a new track could also spring some surprises, so let’s see if we can make progress there too.”

Media contact:

Alfa Romeo Brand

Alessandro Nardizzi      
Alfa Romeo Communication
+39 338 623 9046         
alessandro.nardizzi@alfaromeo.com

Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN
press@sauber-group.com

Will Ponissi
+41 79 591 57 85
william.ponissi@sauber-group.com

Katharina Rees
+41 79 757 52 85
katharina.rees@sauber-group.com