Tanabe expecting a very tight battle at the front

It was a day of mixed feelings for the Honda men. Max Verstappen still managed to fight for the second starting spot, Pierre Gasly took a nice fourth place, Yuki Tsunoda finished in P8, but Sergio Perez surprisingly didn't even make it to Q3. Toyoharu Tanabe hopes to score good points on Sunday.

"For tomorrow, we can expect a very close battle between Max and his closest rival in the Drivers’ championship, while the teams are both still fighting for the Constructors’ title and Scuderia AlphaTauri is also fighting its own championship battle for fifth," Tanabe said on the current situation.

As usual, long runs were held in the second free practice on Friday. Honda has come to the conclusion that tyre management and thus engine settings will be crucial. "From practice, we have seen that this track is tough on tyres and that is an additional factor to consider in terms of our PU settings which can play a part in tyre management."

Important GP

Anyway, it won't be easy on the Losail International Circuit for Verstappen and the other three Honda drivers: they all fight their own battle on the asphalt. "It’s going to be an important race for both teams and all four drivers and we will now prepare to give them all the best possible chance of getting  a good result."