Isaac Hajjar: Fifth place at the start was possible

      Isaac Hajjar qualified well at Imola and reached the qualifying finals for the third time this season, where he clocked ninth time. For his Racing Bulls teammate Liam Lawson, the fight for grid positions ended in the first session, as he was unable to start the final attempt due to red flags.

      Isaac Hajjar (9th): "The day was going well until the last lap of qualifying, when I lost control of the car in turn three, although I didn't feel like I was hitting the curb too hard. It was a pity that I couldn't do the last fastest lap, because I still had a new set of soft tires, and I felt like I could get more out of the car. I'm comfortable on this track, and I think fifth place was possible today.

      I'm sure we'll have to fight in the race, but the goal is to earn points. Our race pace looks good, but it's difficult to overtake on this track, so it's important to get a good start and make the right strategic decisions.

      I am really pleased with the team's progress and would like to achieve a better result today. We will continue to work in the evening to find out the final details before the race."

      Liam Lawson (16th): "It's a pity that I couldn't complete the last lap because of the red flags that ruined my qualifying. The first attempt was not very good due to an unsuccessful exit circle from the pits, and the opportunity to fix the situation did not appear, but it sometimes happens.

      It was one of the most difficult qualifiers, as we had to get the most out of the car on a track that does not forgive mistakes. If you overdo it, you will have to pay a high price for it, as we saw with the example of Yuki Tsunoda. I'm glad he's okay.

      It is difficult to overtake on this track, so it will be difficult to implement the most obvious strategy. We'll try to come up with something, but it's going to be a difficult race."