John Booth, Team Principal
“A very difficult day, at the end of a very difficult week, for our team and the entire F1 community. The build-up to this weekend has been incredibly emotional, but we had one job to do today to honour Jules, and that was to achieve the best possible placings. That’s exactly what we did, and I am so proud of the whole team for their tremendous courage and fortitude. It has been both difficult and comforting for them to see Jules’ family here at the track today. Difficult, because they too are a part of this team and we have shared so many happy occasions together. And comforting, because if they could find the strength to contend with the incredible outpouring of love and affection for Jules today, then we certainly could. It was not easy for any of the drivers, but well done to Roberto and Will for their focus and composure.
“So we reach the summer break, after what has been a very long first stint of the season, from which we take away many positives from the ten rounds so far. The next few weeks will provide everyone with a much-needed opportunity to reboot in preparation for the nine remaining races.”
Roberto Merhi
“Today was very tough and it was not easy to go racing, but it’s what Jules would have done and what he would have wanted us to do. The team did a great job as the race was not the easiest. I got a good start and was ahead of both Saubers and I was also fighting with Grosjean. Soon after that, my headrest came loose, so we had to pit early to deal with that, which put us off-strategy, but the safety car situation changed the shape of the race. It was a good result to finish 15th and 16th, so I think we did the best job possible for Jules today.”
Will Stevens
“It’s been a pretty tough weekend for everyone in the team, but I think we can feel very proud of the job we did today. Roberto and I have had a good battle here and this continued into the race. After he pitted early on, we were chopping and changing positions and racing on different tyres at many points in the race. It was disappointing to have to stop at the end, but I felt a vibration on the right rear and the safest thing to do from our position was to stop and investigate that, given that we were still classified. Now, I hope the team have a good chance to rest over the summer break so we can come back fighting again in Spa and beyond.”