Nico Hulkenberg: We have maximized our potential

      Nico Hulkenberg clocked the eleventh time in qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix sprint. The Sauber driver expects to confirm his high speed in Saturday's sprint.

      Gabriel Bortoleto showed only the nineteenth time and called this result a consequence of his own mistake.

      Nico Hulkenberg (11th): "I am pleased that we have maximized our potential in qualifying for the sprint. Considering the difficulties we faced in training, the eleventh place seems even more deserved.

      In practice, on the first set of laps on Medium tires, I blocked the wheels, which led to the formation of a bald spot. As a result, I only have soft tires for the remaining four series. Obviously, these are not the best conditions for preparing for qualification.

      Nevertheless, the team started the weekend in Miami positively. The goal now is to maintain the pace shown in the sprint."

      Gabriel Bortoleto (19th): "I was happy with my final lap in the first part of qualifying, as I had gained quite a lot of time compared to the previous attempt, and I thought it would be enough to reach the second part. However, I locked the wheels in turn 17 and lost everything I had gained. It's a pity, because now I'm going to have a very difficult sprint.

      It's not easy to overtake on this track, especially when the race is held in a shortened format, like on Saturday. Nevertheless, I will do my best to win back the positions and try to gather as much information as possible about the behavior of the car in race conditions.

      The most important thing is that we have the speed that allows us to fight in the middle group. So I'm waiting for the main qualification, where I hope I can perform better."