There were top ten grid slots in Canada for both Renault drivers, Vitaly Petrov and Nick Heidfeld, while Paul di Resta just missed out...
Renault:
Nick Heidfeld: "I am extremely happy because I think I achieved the maximum I could have done today. We actually drove with more downforce than normal, as we were gambling a bit and hoping for wet conditions tomorrow. We made some minor adjustments with the car today and certainly got what we could have done from it. I'm also happier with how I'm driving on the supersoft tyres; yesterday I was not satisfied but today I really got used to them, and I think that showed through my lap times. Obviously you always want to be higher up than P9 but being in the top ten is satisfying and we will try to improve on this tomorrow by securing a good pace and gaining some places."
Vitaly Petrov: "The track temperatures were much lower than yesterday and it was very difficult to warm-up the tyres properly throughout qualifying. As a result, I was lacking grip out there and I lost a bit of time during my quickest lap. This said, Nick and I got to Q3 and this is a good thing considering the problems we had in Monaco. Looking ahead to tomorrow, it is really difficult to make any prediction. Montreal is almost always a crazy race and the safety car is often a part of it. Also, the weather forecast is looking unsettled so we can expect anything. As a result, tomorrow will be a case of adapting ourselves to the conditions and taking every single opportunity."
Force India:
Paul di Resta: "We were very close to making it through to Q3 today, but in the end we had to settle for P11. Maybe the tyre strategy we opted for was not optimal for qualifying, but I've managed to save a set of new options for the race so hopefully that will help us tomorrow. I also lost a couple of tenths at the second chicane on my final lap and without this I could maybe have squeezed into Q3. But to be honest there wasn't much more to come. P11 is a good place to start from and it's probably better to be on the clean side of the track. We've been competitive here since the start of the weekend and I'm sure we can have a good race tomorrow and hopefully score some points."
Adrian Sutil: "It hasn't been the easiest of weekends so far, but I was still hoping for a bit more from the qualifying session. Unfortunately I made a mistake in the hairpin on my last lap. I hit a bump under braking which caused the rear tyres to lock and I slid wide. The race tomorrow will be a little bit of a step into the unknown for me because I didn't manage to do any long runs on high fuel during practice and it's difficult to judge race pace. We also don't know what the weather will do, but there is a high risk of rain. I will be pushing hard whatever the weather."
Williams:
Pastor Maldonado: "I got 100% out of the car this afternoon so I'm happy with my qualifying performance. For sure it's better to be in the top ten, but there are plenty of variables expected in this race. Our pace is good and the field is very close. We are not too far from the points and, with overtaking possible here, there's every chance we can have a good day tomorrow. I think it's going to be an exciting race."
Rubens Barrichello: "Unfortunately, we had with a problem with the front disc in Q2. It wasn't coming up to temperature so the car was pulling to one side and eventually caused me to go off the track. In the end, it cost us a lot of time and forced us to change our strategy. We actually have a very good car that is capable of better things but there are overtaking opportunities here, and we have the pace, so there is every reason to be positive for a strong race."
Sauber:
Kamui Kobayashi: "It is a difficult weekend for us. After I crashed yesterday the team had to build up the spare chassis for me. My biggest problem here is driving over the kerbs. I have an overall lack of grip and find it really tricky to get to the limit with the car. Nevertheless today the balance of the car improved a bit. I could have gone a few tenths quicker on my last flying lap. I was attacking quite hard and it was good until the middle of the second sector, as I then had a problem with using the rear wing and almost lost the car before the chicane. Our race pace should be good and I'm focusing on getting points tomorrow."
Pedro de la Rosa: "It is obviously a very eventful time for me. Yesterday morning I didn't expect to sit in a racing car, and this morning I actually didn't expect a lot from qualifying. It is not easy to familiarise yourself with the car and all the new buttons in such a short space of time. Of course, the crash I had this morning didn't help either. I lost the car and then also a bit of confidence goes. I am very happy the team managed to repair the car and I want to thank them. Anyway, every time I jump into the car it goes better. I'm quite pleased with the outcome of qualifying and I'm optimistic for the race. The Sauber C30 is always stronger in the race than in qualifying. I want to get points for the team as that is what I'm here for."
