Gianni Morbidelli rues missed Q3 chance

Gianni Morbidelli had a strong performance in qualifying at Suzuka, emerging seventh fastest after suffering from problems earlier in the weekend.

The Italian driver made progress this morning and ran as high as second in Free Practice 2, before missing out on Q3 due to an unassessed problem out of the hairpin in his final attempt.

“It’s a shame, because we could have done even more,” said Morbidelli to TouringCarTimes. “We had a very good car and the performance was there, but unfortunately I had a problem out of the hairpin going from second gear up to third, and I lost three vital tenths which prevented me from gaining access to Q3.”

With the strong pace showed by the Münnich Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze, the Italian believes he will have to look after his tyres as the circuit is very demanding, especially on the front:”There are several corners which put the tyres under a lot of stress, so managing them will be crucial to have a good result. I will also start from fourth in Race 2, so there is a chance to have a good result.”

When asked about the possibility of rain for tomorrow, the Italian said he hopes for a dry race:”We have a good car in these conditions, I wouldn’t like to race on a wet track to be honest. Having said that, the conditions will be the same for everyone and it will be up to me to make the most out of the situations that will come up during the races.”

Morbidelli has been the first non-Citroën winner this year by claiming Chevrolet’s first win of the year at Hungaroring.