Fourth row start for Redding in Japan
Motegi, Japan – 10 October 2015: Scott Redding made it through to Q2 for the fourth time this year and will start 12th on the grid for tomorrow's Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi. The Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider had to navigate Q1 once again but setting the second fastest time of the session saw him safely through into the final qualifying shootout.
Having had to come through Q1 Redding had no fresh tyres to use in final qualifying and as a result 12th on the grid was the best that he could hope for. However, being able to almost match his pace from the opening session showed the potential of the package during the session.
Having been forced to use the same front tyre for each run in qualifying and not having a fresh rear tyre in Q2 it is clear that the 22-year-old Briton is well placed for a strong result in tomorrow's race. The target for Redding will be to finish in the top ten and his pace in FP4 also gave an indication of what to expect in tomorrow's 24-lap race with fast and consistent times.
Scott Redding: 12th – 1’45.333
“To be honest I was surprised to get through to Q2 because even yesterday I said that it would be difficult in Q1 because of the softer tyre this weekend. We pushed as hard as we could and made it through but we had no tyres left for Q2. In the final session I had to use tyres from the previous session so, in the end, to match my lap time was quite good. The front tyre had done four attacking runs and it was starting to lose performance but I'm happy with the job that we've done because we went faster and then stayed at that pace. I think that will help tomorrow for our normal lap times in the race, where I think I’ll be able to go a bit faster and be a bit more consistent. I know that we've got a bit more potential for the race and the top ten or top eight tomorrow is our target. It could be interesting if it rains but we'll prepare for everything and we'll see what the weather brings tomorrow.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“Q1 was good and it's always nice to get through to Q2. The problem for us is always that you are missing tyres compared to the other riders, but our tyre choice on Friday and Saturday morning cost us a little bit too because we were running out of tyres. But, at the end of the session, Scott was able to improve his time so I think that while we still need to improve in T4 a little, we can have a good race tomorrow.”