Saturday Team Quotes

Oracle Red Bull Racing

Max Verstappen (3rd): "We were in the fight which was good as this hasn't been the case in previous races. It is a shame we weren't able to get out on track this afternoon and get the qualifying session done. Today in the Sprint our pace was quite strong but it was just a shame as we got stuck in the DRS train so we had to be patient and couldn't really do much. We had a good run out of turn three so I could overtake and I felt like I could fight the cars in front of me and unfortunately we ran out of laps and had the yellow flags. It was a shame we got the penalty, however, for me it was a very positive race and we had the pace. We were in the fight which was good as this hasn't been the case in previous races. The weather is pretty unpredictable at the moment and we don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. It will be very tight, but hopefully we will have another positive day."

Sergio Perez (8th): "We want to push for more in qualifying and the race and finish a strong weekend, as we've been pretty competitive so far. We still have some things to work on, specifically with the braking, but overall we had good pace today. It was a shame in the end with the VSC, as we think we could've caught the Alpine in front. It's been a while since I've felt this happy with the car. We want to push for more in qualifying and the race and finish a strong weekend, as we've been pretty competitive so far. The McLarens are looking really strong but I think we are in the mix for the podium tomorrow. It was a real shame that we weren't able to run in qualifying due to the rain and conditions, but hopefully everything clears up tomorrow and we're able to get out there for the Brazilian fans."

Christian Horner, Sporting Director: "We had a good Sprint too, showed good performance and strong race pace. How quickly the weather can turn here. We had a good Sprint, showed good performance and strong race pace. Unfortunately, the penalty for Max cost him a place and points but that's how it goes sometimes. Checo performed well in the Sprint, moving up through the field well. We were hopeful of similar moving into qualifying but unfortunately, the weather had other ideas. It was the right call to cancel qualifying for this evening and so we look to tomorrow and an early start in the morning to pick up where we left off. Hopefully the weather will hold out tomorrow and we can get back to some racing."

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

George Russell (6th):

Lewis Hamilton (11th):

Scuderia Ferrari

Charles Leclerc (4th): "It's unfortunate that we couldn't go ahead with qualifying today, with the track being too wet and the visibility too compromised to carry out a session on track. Most of all, it's a shame for the fans who waited for the rain to stop, so hopefully tomorrow we will be able to go ahead and put on an exciting show for them. In the Sprint Race, I pushed a lot at the start to put pressure on Lando (Norris) in front, but it didn't work out. It was tricky managing the tyres towards the end of it as I had very little rear grip, but we will take what we have learned in that respect and apply it tomorrow, in case the conditions are dry again."

Carlos Sainz (5th): "Unfortunately, it was impossible to run qualifying as the track was too wet and visibility really poor. I'm sorry for the fans, who cheered relentlessly all afternoon even though we were unable to put on a show for them. Let's hope we can have quali tomorrow morning and make up for it! Regarding this morning's Sprint race, it was very challenging. The car wasn't easy to drive and losing the DRS train ahead made it difficult to close the gap. The final laps were better and after the race we made some changes to the car and hopefully they will have a positive effect and we can enjoy a good quali and race tomorrow!"

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal: "It's a shame that qualifying could not take place, especially so for all the fans around the track, but after waiting a long time for the rain to ease off, it reached a point where the visibility would not be good enough to let the cars out on track. At least the Sprint race was run, in which we struggled a bit, but nevertheless managed to bring home ten important points. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, when the weather could once again play its part. It will be important to stay focussed and prepare everything right down to the smallest detail to get the maximum out of our package."

McLaren Formula 1 Team

Lando Norris (1st): "A positive job as a team today. The car has great pace this weekend and I felt good out there. I think we were strong but it's difficult to judge in a Sprint when everyone is looking at how much to manage and how much to push. Oscar deserved it today, but we've done what we had to do with our pursuit of the two Championships. We executed it very well and I'm thankful for his support. It's a disappointing afternoon for the fans with Qualifying not going ahead but I'm looking forward to a strong performance tomorrow."

Oscar Piastri (2nd): "A good result for the team taking maximum points in today's Sprint. We've learned a lot for the race, and we're optimistic going into tomorrow. We want to improve a few things which we'll work on tonight, but I think we're in decent shape. Let's see what we can do tomorrow and give the fans the exciting race they deserve after unfortunately missing today's Qualifying session because of the rain."

Andrea Stella, Team Principal: "The first part of this Sprint event in Brazil has been positive for us. The car performed very well yesterday, and that pace was confirmed in the Sprint today, where we scored maximum points with a 1-2 finish. We were planning to swap positions between Oscar and Lando, so that we could pursue our quest in both Championships in the most effective way. Our competitors were putting on quite a lot of pressure behind the two McLarens and we didn't reach the gap that we thought was enough to safely execute the position swap. This confirms how very competitive this championship is. When there was the Yellow Flag and the risk of a Safety Car, we accelerated the process of swapping, and this was well-executed by the team, and supported by the drivers. They're both number ones, both extremely fast, and we're in a very lucky position to have great team players. The second part of today, unfortunately, has been heavily affected by the weather. Our thoughts are with the spectators, who spent a long time in the rain hoping to see more track action. We hope tomorrow brings exciting racing, and that we can continue the positive weekend."

Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team

Fernando Alonso (18th):

Lance Stroll (19th):

BWT Alpine F1 Team

Pierre Gasly (7th): "It was a very tough Sprint Race earlier today, more so than we expected with the high tyre degradation. In the end, we started seventh, finished seventh, which is our best result of the season and two very important points. Checo [Perez] was closing in at the end and we managed to hang on and be top of the midfield. We need a few more of these races, and end results, in our Championship battle and I'm pleased we're back in the mix. We must give a shoutout to the fans today who waited in the rain for Qualifying. Certainly not nice conditions and now we will refocus ahead of a busy Sunday where we aim to maximise any opportunities."

Esteban Ocon (13th): "It was a pity this afternoon that Qualifying was postponed due to the weather conditions. We are all very grateful to the fans who came today and stayed this afternoon. It was sunny and hot this morning for the Sprint Race, where we were able to make some overtakes and gain some places. It was not enough for points but it was always going to be a tough ask starting so far back. It seems like we are lacking some pace at the moment, which we will continue to work on and hopefully tomorrow we can see some improvement. It could be a busy day so let's see how it goes."

Oliver Oakes, Team Principal: "Firstly, special mention must go to the Brazilian fans today for their patience in the grandstands. It's a pity Qualifying could not go ahead but the fans should hopefully have a double helping of track action tomorrow. Other than the weather, today was a positive day for the team with Pierre picking up two valuable points in the Sprint. He drove well and scoring points in seventh place is a strong result, which is again testament to the hard work and effort of the whole team in recent weeks. Esteban also made up a few places in the race moving up to thirteenth. There's rain forecast tomorrow, so we need to be prepared to take any opportunities that present themselves."

Williams Racing

Alexander Albon (10th):

Franco Colapinto (12th):

Visa Cash App RB Formula One

Liam Lawson (9th): "It's frustrating but it was still a good race for us with decent pace and we'll obviously push forward tomorrow. I think we had the speed today but not enough to overtake Pierre, even with DRS we weren't really close enough. I was stuck behind him for most of the race, and when Checo came up behind, we just didn't have the speed to keep him there today. We were super unlucky with the VSC at the end; the timing of everything in this race felt really awkward for us, it's frustrating but it was still a good race for us with decent pace and we'll obviously push forward tomorrow."

Yuki Tsunoda (15th): "After the Sprint, we checked the data and I think we've found something, so hopefully, we'll be able to improve for tomorrow. In the Sprint this morning I had a good start, but unfortunately, after that, I didn't have much pace and struggled to make some positions up. After the Sprint, we checked the data and I think we've found something, so hopefully, we'll be able to improve for tomorrow. It's a shame that we were not able to do the qualifying this afternoon, especially for fans who waited for a long time in wet and cold conditions. We'll now get ready for tomorrow, with both qualifying and race ahead of us."

Jody Egginton, Technical Director: "With qualifying being a wash out there are still a few questions to answer, however we should have the opportunity to do this tomorrow before moving onto the normal race preparations. Liam's strong Sprint Qualifying result provided him with a good base going into today's Sprint race. He lost out for the last point but drove well, getting clear of both Haas' and putting up a good defensive drive, challenging Perez. He also managed to keep the pressure on Gasly for most of the race. Yuki's starting position meant his race was going to be less straight forward, but he got ahead of Bottas into some free air and focused on delivering consistent lap times. He was unhappy with some aspects of his car's handling, so ahead of qualifying we took the opportunity to make some changes. With qualifying being a wash out there are still a few questions to answer, however we should have the opportunity to do this tomorrow before moving onto the normal race preparations. It's going to be a busy day, but we are looking forward to it."

Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber

Valtteri Bottas (16th): "As much as we were eager to go through with qualifying, I reckon the right decision was made in order to ensure the safety of everyone at the circuit. I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge the fans on the grandstands, whose passion and energy remained undefeated despite the rain and the ultimate postponement of the session. Hopefully, we'll be able to make up for it tomorrow. Looking back at this morning's Sprint, unfortunately, we knew gaining positions on track was going to be a tough job, as we didn't have enough pace and struggled with tyre overheating. Still, we managed to keep both Aston Martins behind us, which was a bit of a surprise. The extra time we gained will hopefully help us trying to extract something more from our car ahead of tomorrow, as we get ready to tackle a busy Sunday with both Qualifying and the main Race."

Guanyu Zhou (17th): "It's obviously disappointing that we couldn't start today's qualifying due to the weather, but the fans here in São Paulo are simply incredible. Their commitment, staying through the rain and delays, is amazing. We started the Sprint race from the pitlane after making some setup changes, and while the car felt better than in yesterday's practice, we were still lacking pace. Still, we were able to make some progress, overtaking both Aston Martins on track and improving on our starting position. As a team we'll make the most of the time we have to prepare for tomorrow, with both qualifying and the race packed into one day. The weather here is always full of surprises, so we need to be ready to take any opportunity that comes our way. Let's hope the fans get to enjoy some great racing tomorrow!"

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: "We regret not being able to reward all the fantastic fans who were attending this Saturday session with a proper qualifying run, but the safety conditions were really dangerous, and it was not possible to run the car in these conditions. We acknowledge and agree with the decision of the promoter and the FIA, because safety must always be our priority. Of course, we must not forget our fans: the fact that there was a sprint race earlier today proved to be good in this kind of conditions, because at least they had the chance to see a very exciting Sprint race. Our effort this morning was positive, with Zhou gaining two positions to finish in 17th despite starting from the pitlane, showing good race pace and tyre management that confirmed the setup changes were effective. Valtteri was able to control both Aston Martins, though tyre overheating was still a weakness, and finished one position ahead of Zhou in 16th. Tomorrow will be a very intense day, with a qualifying session before the Grand Prix, and we are ready and prepared to give everything to reach Q2, hopefully with both cars, and reward the Brazilian fans with a strong race performance."

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team

Oliver Bearman (14th): "I had quite a bad start in the Sprint but managed to make up a few spots on lap one. After that, things were feeling quite good but I gradually started to struggle with the tires more and more, and at the end we were just lacking pace, so we've got a lot of work to do. It's frustrating that qualifying didn't go ahead as I was looking forward to jumping back in the car after a tough Sprint, but thanks to the fans for hanging out with us. Hopefully, we get another good session tomorrow morning and it'll be a good one."

Nico Hulkenberg (DNF): "Firstly, thanks to everyone who stayed out in the rain – you really are some amazing fans. Regarding the Sprint, there was a lot of smoke coming from the car, and the team asked me to stop the car on the track. Up until then, it was going better than expected after yesterday, but I think we were struggling as a team with the tires – the high-deg nature and heat was making life hard for us. I'm ready for a spicy day tomorrow!"

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal: "It's been a bit of a disappointing day because we didn't perform in the Sprint how we would've hoped, so we have a lot of things to improve on tomorrow. Everyone's on board with that and Nico wasn't happy with the car on Friday, so we changed the car for qualifying but unfortunately, with the rain and the diminishing daylight we couldn't get to see what the set-up change did. We're ready for tomorrow morning's qualifying and looking forward to having a better race pace tomorrow afternoon."