Kvyat hails 'great teamwork' after third successive Q3

©ToroRosso

40

Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat made the Q3 cut for the third time in succession this season on Saturday, qualifying 8th for Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.

The Russian driver improved his car's set-up from the opening day of practice and praised his team for the efforts that yielded the progress and the subsequent good result.

"I’m very satisfied with qualifying today," said Kvyat.

"I think it was great teamwork between my engineers and myself.

"We did a good job analysing where I felt uncomfortable on Thursday and they gave me exactly what I asked for, as soon as I get the setup I want I know I can deliver a good performance.

"That’s three Q3s in a row now, so I’m happy with how I’m performing - I hope we can do a good job tomorrow and score some points to capitalise on a good qualifying."

Verstappen: Red Bull closer to Mercedes than it looks

Alex Albon complimented his team mate's result with a good performance of his own that also put the Toro Rosso rookie into Q3, and for the first time this season.

It was a bit of a more laborious affair however for the British-Thai driver.

"I’m happy to make it to my first Q3, although it wasn’t easy out there as I couldn’t find a good rhythm - it wasn’t as good as Thursday.

"I was on the back foot for most of the session trying to get the tyres to work.

"It was also a matter of getting confidence: you arrive at Turn 1, the tyres are really cold as you’ve spent Sector 3 going at pedestrian pace, and you get to the first corner not knowing exactly what’s going to happen!

"However, we can be happy with P10 in Monaco as it can always lead to something good."

Another man who had a big smile on his face after qualifying was Honda F1 tech boss Toyoharu Tanabe who hailed the performance of all four Honda-powered drivers.

"Today’s qualifying performance puts us in a strong position for tomorrow’s race," said Tanabe-san.

"It was the first time this year that we have had all four of our cars in the top ten.

"Well done to all the drivers and to the teams for producing competitive cars.

"On the PU side, we found the right settings in terms of driveability, which is one of the most important requirements for this track.

"It will be a long race tomorrow and anything can happen over the 78 laps of this tight street circuit, therefore we must make sure we are ready to deal with any situation that might arise."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.