WEC / Portimão - They said... after qualifying

Pascal Vasselon (Toyota Gazoo Racing Technical Director): "We are very surprised, because this is not what the analysis of our free practice sessions suggested. The anomaly comes mainly from Ferrari, because the gap with the others is consistent with Sebring. Including Cadillac, who were expected to be in a delicate situation here because they have no experience here (and only one car). Cadillac is a little more unstuck. Ferrari seems to have underperformed, which I can't explain."

Brendon Hartley (Toyota GR010 Hybrid #8): “That felt good. We put a bit more effort into qualifying this time and the car felt amazing over one lap. My lap was very clean and when I crossed the line, I knew it was good, which it had to be with Kamui so close behind. Our crew has done an amazing job so thanks to everyone. We made some good steps since first practice. It hasn‘t been straightforward because we haven‘t been to this track for a while, so we had to work hard to get the set-up right and I didn’t expect to have such a gap today. Now we are focusing on the race, and I am expecting a big fight, particularly with Ferrari but Cadillac and Porsche as well. Their race pace looks strong so I am sure it will be close, but we are starting from the front.”

James Calado (Ferrari 499P #51) : "We could have shown more potential than we did in qualifying. After the third free practice session there was a change in the overall balance of the car, which was especially noticeable in the first corner and in the main braking sections, phases in which I missed the chance to set a good lap on the first attempt while the tyres were still fresh."

Antonello Coletta (Ferrari - Head of Attività Sportive GT) : "We are satisfied with the third and fourth fastest times, which is the best result we could have hoped for today. We worked hard ahead of the race, although not for the qualifying, something that is clear from the gap from Toyota, which is a significant one."

Ferdinando Cannizzo (Ferrari - Head of GT & Sports Race Cars) : "We are satisfied with the result of qualifying. Compared to Sebring, we didn’t want to check the performance limits of the 499P on a dry lap, but rather we worked throughout the sessions to try to optimise the car performance for the actual race. We therefore knew that it would be tough to be in the fight for pole position. Starting from the second row is therefore a good result and gives us high hopes for tomorrow’s race."

Urs Kuratle (Director Factory Motorsport LMDh) : "Our Porsche 963 was the fastest LMDh racing car in today’s qualifying. The systematic work in the practice sessions paid off in the lap times. We were able to make the best of the opportunities here in Portimão and did a great job overall. We’ve made progress but we’re definitely still too far off the LMH vehicles. Our solid performance makes us optimistic for tomorrow’s race, even though the nice weather and warmer racetrack don’t particularly play into our hands. Right now, we wish our guys the best of luck for round three of the IMSA season."

Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6) : "Not a bad session. We’re certainly still too far off pole position, but we managed to further improve our qualifying package. At the moment we’re behind Toyota and Ferrari. But unlike in Sebring, we’re now ahead of Cadillac, and that’s an improvement. Our race preparations are going well and that’s definitely different from the qualifying. Peugeot and Cadillac are currently our closest rivals. Let’s see if we can do better than Ferrari over the race distance."

Nico Müller (Peugeot 9X8 #94): "We came to this week-en with a different starting point (as at Sebring. Ed.) having tested here and knowing the challenges of this track, so  we had tested here, so we were prepared for the challenges of this track. Honestly, it feels like decent. I'm a bit surprised by the gap to the front, it's a bit frustrating. But compared to the most ouf of our competitors, we caught up quite a lot. But we focus on our job, and so far - apart some loss of track time in FP2 - we have a pretty smooth week-end. It can always be a little bit better, but I think we've made some progress on all fronts. We are better in a slightly better place in termes of pure qualifying performance, but also in terms of race pace. So I am a bit more confident. You always want more and make even bigger steps forward, but I think the work that's been done in such a short ambit of time seems to be paying off and shows that we're going in the right direction."

Richard Westbrook (Cadillac V-Series.R n°2) : "We’re not quite pleased with the starting position but the lap time is an improvement. Every time out we’re learning and, of course, it is the first time at this track for the car and us in the car. We have a reliable car and like we showed at Sebring we’ll have good race pace. It’s a work in progress."