Thursday: Kobayashi and Ericsson completed laps for Caterham

Kamui Kobayashi (No. 10) – 21st and 17th

The Japanese driver expressed satisfaction with the interesting number of laps he was able to complete today: 38 laps in FP1, which means we were able to finish a good part of the program and made decent progress throughout the session. We started with a handling issue similar to what we experienced in Spain, but we made some mechanical changes and it really improved, especially in the fast sections.

The rain in FP2 did not disrupt the Japanese driver, who was still able to take to the track at the end of the session to improve his knowledge of the available Pirelli tires: « Like many other teams, we waited before heading out on track during FP2. Our program was shortened but it’s much better than going out on Intermediate tires and risking damage to the car. At the end of the session, we still had enough time to do a few laps on Super Softs, which gives us some information for Saturday and Sunday. »

Marcus Ericsson (No. 9) – 20th and 21st

The Swedish driver discovered the Monaco track at the wheel of a Formula 1 car, and his learning experience went quite well according to him: « Even though I’ve raced in Monaco in other categories, it was obviously a first at the wheel of an F1, and I must say that I really enjoyed today’s sessions. We completed 40 laps in FP1 which means we were able to do what we wanted, improving the balance of the car. »

The FP2 session, on a damp track, showed little interest for Ericsson, who was guilty of a slight off-track moment at the entrance of the tunnel at the end of the session: « We wouldn’t have learned much by going out on Intermediates and we didn’t want to take risks. Especially since rain is not expected on Saturday or Sunday. We were still able to fit the Super Softs to get a bit of insight into their behavior. »