Friday: Progress at Ferrari
After securing their first podium of the season in Turkey, the prancing horse team wants to continue their momentum. However, the gap still seems significant on a flying lap.
Fernando Alonso – 4th, then 5th
« We tried a lot of new things today, and now we need to make the most of this information to select the best parts to put on the car tomorrow. My first impression is good, I think we’ve made a step forward. It’s always difficult to judge the gap during free practice because there are always differences between one car and the next. I’m clearly not surprised that the Red Bulls remain ahead of everyone: they are the fastest at the moment, and tracks like this one or Budapest are particularly well-suited to their characteristics. After that, it will surely be tough to beat them in qualifying, but maybe we’ll be closer in the race, like the McLarens, and put them under pressure. We’re continuing to work on the settings: today we had too many things to test and didn’t have time to make many changes.
I think our chances of fighting for the podium are greater than they were in Turkey. The tires? Pirelli has brought a new type of hard tires, and it’s hard to imagine that we can get through Q1 without having to use soft tires. One thing we already saw during winter testing and that was confirmed today is the significant tire degradation, and we must expect a race like Istanbul in terms of the number of stops.
Felipe Massa – 16th, then 8th
« It wasn’t an easy day for me. I had some issues getting the tires to work well, especially the hard tires, and I couldn’t set a good time. It’s a shame because the new parts we brought improved our performance, even though the other teams remain very strong: there is still a crucial gap with our main rivals. Now, we need to make the right choices to prepare the car as best as we can for the race and the qualifiers.
As with the tires, I would rather not go into details. We still have a lot of work to do in this area. When I went off the track, I lost the rear and ended up in the gravel, I came very close to the barriers but luckily I didn’t hit them. So I was able to get back on the track without damage.
Pat Fry
« A lot on the menu today, this Friday, and our first reaction to our impressions is positive. We had many things to test: as always when this happens, some work well, others less so, so now we need to solve the puzzle with the best possible pieces. We also tested new aerodynamic concepts to see how useful they would be. In a word, I think we made progress in terms of performance, even though it’s difficult to know if, and by how much, we’ve gotten closer to the fastest. The goal is to improve in qualifying and also progress in race pace, working on the same base we have taken in past races. It’s not easy to succeed, but we are confident. Compared to what we saw during winter testing, even with higher temperatures, tire degradation seems very significant; in fact, I think the pit lane guys are going to have a lot of work on Sunday afternoon. »
Currently, the Ferrari rear wing is being examined by the FIA and a discussion is ongoing regarding its legality.
