2023 Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying

Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance: Inevitably in Spa, the day was dominated by the weather and conditions were quite different in FP1 and Q1. In FP1 the track remained very wet and the car was behaving well in those conditions on the intermediate tyre. Both drivers lost front grip when braking for T5 in the wettest conditions and this unfortunately led to some damage on Logan’s car, which delayed his appearance in Q1.

In qualifying, the track dried incredibly quickly and although we were right to stop for a 2nd set of tyres with Alex, the run plan and tyre state didn’t quite suit the improving track. Logan drove well especially considering that he only had time for a single run and had to adapt to the conditions very quickly.

It is frustrating not to have qualified for Q2 as we could have done well as the track became ready for the slicks. Nonetheless, there is still a lot of the weekend yet to come and there are opportunities, both tomorrow and on Sunday, to improve our position.

Alex Albon: It was a tough one today. I don’t think we have the downforce for this kind of weather and were just sliding a lot, which overheats the tyres quickly and makes finishing a lap without the tyres going off a struggle. It wasn’t our day today; we’d prefer it to be fully wet or fully dry, as these mixed conditions make it tricky for us. We know our issues, it’s just not obvious how to fix them. We should be okay if the conditions are dry or fully wet but today was tricky and I normally like these conditions.

Logan Sargeant: A disappointing day for sure, knowing our potential coming here. I think in this condition we always struggle a bit when the track is drying. Being delayed compromised my session but still a big thank you to the team for putting in a great effort to get us out there. It’s a tough one, having a second set of tyres would’ve put us in a much better position. Having to do my best lap on the third lap of the tyre in drying conditions is never good. Confidence was there it was simply lack of grip. We had good potential, but it’s not been the cleanest day. We’ll turn it around and see what we can do tomorrow.