Tanabe praises 'strong qualifying' of Verstappen and Albon

Many say Pierre Gasly is 'on fire' this season, but that was taken very literally during yesterday's second free practice session. The Frenchman's AlphaTauri stopped, and while the driver was still in the car, the engine suddenly caught fire.

Thankfully, Gasly got away safely, but the condition of his car was a lot worse. The guys at AlphaTauri had to work hard to get a car back for qualifying. "I have to say that the AlphaTauri team did a very good job working through the night with their colleagues from Honda to rebuild Gasly's car," said Toyoharu Tanabe on the Honda Twitter channel.

Strong result for Red Bull Racing

"Their work allowed Pierre to be quick in the morning and also in Q2, in which he ranked seventh. Unfortunately, he was unlucky with the windy conditions in Q3," continues the engine manufacturer's top man.

There was a better result for the Red Bull Racing drivers. "It was a strong result in qualifying, with the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing duo in third and sixth place. Although Kvyat couldn't make it to Q3, I expect a strong race from all four drivers tomorrow and finish in the points," concluded Tanabe.