Driver quotes from qualifying

Gabriele Tarquini is the man who will line up on pole for Race 1 at Brno. He set the best lap of 2:12.286 twenty minutes into the session at the wheel of his SEAT León. This was the Italian’s second pole of the season, after the one he claimed in Magny-Cours.

Gabriele Tarquini – pole position:
“I know this track very well, I was here for its official inauguration 19 years ago. The track is exactly the same; it hasn’t had to be improved over the years because it was excellent to start with. I was surprised with my great performance in qualifying today, because we only found a good set-up in the second free practice and then the car was really good. I only used 2 sets of tyres so I could save a fresh front set for tomorrow which I hope will help. It will be totally different tomorrow because after a few laps the front-wheel drive cars usually have some trouble – I don’t know how much though. It will be difficult to keep up with the rear-wheel drives, especially if the weather stays fine. Sometimes it’s good not to win because it gives you ballast, but I hope to win here. After the first free practice session this morning, I’d have been happy with starting in the top five, so to be on pole is really good. The car was fantastic and I found a really good set-up for the qualifying. Unfortunately, I think it will be very different tomorrow because racing against BMW is always tough here and, if the weather stays hot, the tyres will suffer even more. Brno is one of the most abrasive tracks in Europe and tyre wear is a big issue, but it will definitely be better for us if it cools down. To be honest, my plan is to score as many points as possible and not think about winning, but for sure I’d rather not have two BMWs behind me!”

Jörg Müller – 2nd fastest:
“The team and I showed in the free practices that the car was competitive and so I really expected to be somewhere on the front row. It was extremely close in qualifying and is it especially difficult to get a good clear lap here because there are so many corners. The first time I drove here was in 1988 with Formula Ford so I know this track well. The asphalt is very smooth and clean so it’s good to be here again.”

Alessandro Zanardi – 3rd fastest:
“I am certainly not disappointed to be third despite leading qualifying at one stage. To be honest I expected more SEATs in front of me and I was certain Jörg would be ahead of me because he was so quick in practice. I blame myself for making a small mistake on my last lap, which was a fast one but I am very happy to be where I am. I am going to try to have a good start counting in the fact that after three or four laps the endurance of the car and tyre wear really counts and the BMWs are strong in this element.”

Jordi Gené – 4th fastest:
“If I’m being realistic, pole would have been very difficult for me but I knew I had a good chance to be on the first few rows. I was aiming to maybe start alongside Gabriele, but when the engine sensor broke, I missed out on the strategy we’d agreed and so the second row is not brilliant, but it’s good enough. The temperature today meant that the tyres suffered a lot, especially on the front wheel drive cars, so tomorrow the races will be very hard for all of us. Still, we have to use the reverse grid and see what happens. I feel sorry for James, but we still have Rickard and Gabriele and we could still do well in the constructors’ championship”

Andy Priaulx – 5th fastest:
“I am pretty happy but I still feel there is some potential for the car and myself which hopefully we can pull together for tomorrow. We have seen this year that the SEATs are very consistent so I am not taking anything for granted. I am hoping that we can maintain a good consistent balance for the whole race but it’s not easy to drive with 60 kg around this big circuit.”

Rickard Rydell – 6th fastest:
“Before coming to Brno, I was hoping for a top three position after qualifying, but we struggled in both the practice sessions because we had very little grip from the old set of tyres we brought here. There must have been something wrong with them, because I was 20th in the second free practice and yet I’m P7 in qualifying without changing much. I’m quite pleased now and if I can finish in the points in the first race, I’ll have a great chance in the second. I’d like to be in the points in both races and, more than that, I’ll need some luck I think.”

Yvan Muller – 7th fastest:
“That was very disappointing for me, because I was expecting a lot better from qualifying. This is the third weekend that I’ve not really been on the pace and I’m struggling a bit. I’m also not sure I can recover tomorrow and get a good result; my confidence is really suffering at the moment. I was quick in practice this morning and I was quick in the race simulation we did, but I was not as quick in qualifying. Still, the races could be very different, who knows?”

Tom Coronel – 8th fastest:
“It is always my aim to be the first privateer and this has happened here in qualifying. I was here two years ago with the ETCC and in Race 1 I finished 8th and in Race 2 I finished 6th. The car feels very good and I like this track. Starting from this position it is my goal to finish 8th in the first race which equates to pole in the second.”

Augusto Farfus – 10th fastest:
“I am very happy that I did a good lap but our problem for tomorrow will be trying to follow the BMW and SEAT cars. All I can do is try to score some points to remain in the fight for the championship.”

Peter Terting 14th fastest:
“I didn’t really find a good balance with the car, so I’m not very happy. I had understeer at the start of a lap and oversteer at the end – the car changed a lot in one lap. For sure, the weight is affecting something, but that’s not the only reason for my problem. A race is always different to qualifying, because you need to find a set-up for a long distance and not just one lap, so I’m quite confident we can find a solution before the races tomorrow.”

Robert Huff – 15th fastest:
“In testing I ran well and in the first free practice I was again top 10. In the second session we tried something new and it didn’t work at all so we went back to what we knew for qualifying. During qualifying my first set of tyres got dirty very quickly and on the second set I was caught in traffic. Finally on my third set I got a really clear lap in and the car worked well. It is encouraging for the team that we qualified 4th but disappointing because of the engine change penalty.”

NB – after posting the 4th fastest time, Huff had his best lap disallowed because it was clocked under yellow flag.

James Thompson – 20th fastest:
“We have been at the front of the grid for a while so we thought we’d have a go at the back! To be honest there is nothing really wrong with the car; this was just the best we could do on the day.”