Scuderia Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will start today’s Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from second and third on the grid respectively, behind the Red Bull of Sergio Perez and ahead of the Mexican’s teammate max Verstappen. The result came at the end of a very closely contested qualifying session at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Saturday, which lasted more than usual, with a stoppage due to a big crash which befell Mick Schumacher. Thankfully, the Ferrari driver, racing for Haas this season, was able to escape without any serious injuries. Apart from some regrets at missing out on pole position by a whisker, with Charles just 25 thousandths slower than Sergio Perez, for Ferrari the most important this is that the team confirmed once again that the F1-75 car can be fast and adapted to the track characteristics of the Jeddah Corniche circuit.
Mattia Binotto, Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal & Managing Director, shares his thoughts on the outcome of the qualifying session for the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix:
“The most important thing today is that Mick is okay after his terrible accident. As for qualifying, our gap to pole is really small, a few thousandths, so I think being fastest was within reach today, but never mind, because starting second and third is still a great result and even more important is the fact we are competitive. We proved to be quick on a track with different characteristics to the previous ones, which is what we wanted to see. Everything could happen in tomorrow’s race – safety cars, red flags – therefore it will be important not to make any mistakes on the pit wall and to try and make the most of every opportunity and react quickly to whatever situations arise. To sum up, we need to be quick to react, keep on our toes and concentrate.” – Mattia Binotto explained, as reported by the Maranello team’s official website after the qualifying session in Jeddah.
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