Pepé Oriola targets podium after encouraging Suzuka qualifying

Tuenti Racing’s Pepé Oriola is targeting the podium after a strong qualifying at Suzuka. The Spaniard will start tomorrow’s first race from seventh, and the second reverse grid rule race from fourth behind the wheel of his Chevrolet Cruze.

Despite having just one clean lap in Q2 on which he made a mistake, Oriola feels his car’s behaviour will allow him to fight for the podium in tomorrow’s race.

“I’m happy because the car is behaving perfectly,” he said. “We managed to complete our work program and are pleased with the results achieved.

“I only had one clean lap in Q2 in which I made a small mistake, but our ideal lap put us in third place, so we are pleased because we are very competitive. Tomorrow I start from seventh in the first race, so our goal is to pull forward. In the second race, we depart from fourth, so I’m looking to finishing on the podium.”