Sebastian Vettel was left angry with himself and a poorly timed yellow flag after qualifying 18th for his Formula One debut with Aston Martin.
Vettel was a big-money signing for the British manufacturer, which has returned to the grid for the first time since 1960.
However, he will start at the rear end of the grid for his first appearance with the team at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Vettel needed a quick lap to advance past the opening qualifying session but encountered yellow flags on his lap, requiring drivers to slow down. That proved costly and ultimately denied him the chance to improve on his time and advance to the next segment of qualifying.
When asked why he looked so relaxed about it in the TV pen after qualifying, Vettel replied: “If I panicked now would it help? If I was really upset?
“For sure I am upset and angry that it wasn’t our fault in a way not to make it through, but yeah, we have to take it and do what we can, preparing tomorrow.”
Vettel said he still has to get to grips with his new car.
“I’m learning. I think the quali was good and it felt positive,” he said. “Obviously I only got like a lap and a half, but I think we still have a lot of work ahead of us and I think you know we would have hoped for a better start, but it is what it is.
“Hopefully tomorrow we have a good race. I think we can come up quite a bit and see what today brings.”
Vettel’s teammate Lance Stroll qualified 10th. The Bahrain Grand Prix is live this Sunday on ESPN2 at 11am ET.