Lance Stroll was happy to make it to Q3 for the second time this season, but felt he could have achieved more than eighth.
After looking to be still slightly off the pace compared to Felipe Massa, Stroll pulled a quick lap out of the bag and out-qualified his vastly experienced team-mate for the first time.
“It was a good day, and it has been a good weekend,” he said. “I am comfortable and confident in the car. I like the circuit and today everything fell into place.
“I missed a bit in Q3, and I think there was some more that was possible there, as we were four tenths off compared to my lap in Q2.”
Stroll was one of the many drivers caught out by the red flag in Q3, caused by Daniel Ricciardo. With only three and a half minutes on the clock when the session resumed, only one run was possible.
“In Q3, because the track temperatures had dropped, it was hard to get the tyres ready in one lap and also because of the red flag, we only had time to do one push lap,” he said.
“Sometimes around here it is better when you do one push lap, then another prep lap and then another push lap. But it is still a great result and I am just happy for the team.”
Chief technical officer Paddy Lowe praised the young Canadian for showing considerable improvements from his early season form.
He said: “We’re happy to get both cars into Q3. We saw great driving today by both Felipe and Lance to be able to do that.
“Lance had one set of tyres, which he chose to run at the end. With the way track conditions had changed we really wanted the time to do a warm-up lap, but there wasn’t enough time remaining, so eighth was the best Lance was able to do.
“Overall, it’s good to have both drivers towards the front, and we look forward to the race tomorrow.”
