What the teams said – practice in Austria

Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes-AMG F1 W09 EQ Power + at the Formula One World Championship, Rd9, Austrian Grand Prix, Practice, Spielberg, Austria, Friday, June 29, 2018. © Mark Sutton / Images Sutton [19659010] Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Mercedes-AMG F1 W09 EQ Power + at the Formula 1 World Championship, Rd9, Austria Grand Prix, Practice, Spielberg, Austria, Friday 29 June 2018 © Mark Sutton / Sutton Images [19659011] Red Bull

A mixed day for Red Bull Verstappen was quick in the first practice session, but struggled against setting up his RB14 in FP2 after spending a lot of FP2 in the garage, Ricciardo was not synchronized on his qualifying simulation session but still seemed solid

Daniel Ricciardo – FP1: 1: 05.483, P5; FP2: 1: 05.031, P4

"That was very fun, it's a quick ride here, but enjoyab it for the minute and a few seconds it lasts. The short ride also makes the weather very close. I think this morning we may have been a bit stronger this afternoon and we still have some time to find. We changed a few things between sessions but I think we can find a middle ground between the two settings. This morning I felt better on the soft tire than on the ultra and this afternoon I made a better time on the supersoft than on the ultra – soft. I understand that Lewis was the fastest on the app. It's surprising but the tires are all very close, so it's going to be very interesting to see what strategy people will follow tomorrow in Qualifying. I continue to be questioned about the borders; In fact, I've damaged a little the front wing this morning on a sidewalk, but I think that's a good thing. It is our job to stay away from them and at least that is a track limit. Some of these modern circuits that do not have walls do not really have a limit, I do not think it's a bad alternative and at least it has an impact. It will be really interesting to see what strategy people will adopt tomorrow in qualifying.

Max Verstappen – FP1: 1: 05.072, P3; FP2: 1: 05.125, P5

"Today was a bit mean.I suffered some ground damage in the FP2, most of the time, it was not the same. # 39; s ideal, I think it was supported by the vibration of the inner curbs, not by the big sausages.This compromised the feel of the car, which resulted in a day a little flat.We have to work on the set-up because I think we missed a bit of cornering speed, we know we are in straight lines, so we have to catch up where we can. 39, balance not feeling quite right, let's look into the data tonight because I'm not too happy at the moment.The addition of a third DRS zone should help us to come the day of the race, so if I can get the car where I want it, we should have fun if the feeling is there with the car I think the tires will work and everything should be easier. The borders are pretty aggressive but they are like that for a few years so it's not a surprise, they are the same for everyone so we must avoid them. Of course, they can damage the front wing, but if a wall was there, you would be in it, so you must stay away from them.

Ferrari

Neither Vettel nor Raikkonen did not have a worry-free day, with wide races and risky damage on the high curbs, but no harm was done and both drivers were competitive if they did not have any trouble. were not spectacular, many will depend on the extent to which the Scuderia has lowered the engine speed and if its drivers can record a perfectly clean lap at the time of qualifying.

Sebastian Vettel – FP1: 1: 05.180, P4; FP2: 1: 04.815, P3

"One can always be sure improve, but today I am happy. The car was pretty good, so we'll see what we can do tomorrow. On this track, it is true that the curbs can be "aggressive" in one way or another, but today we had no problem and I hope that we will not have any problems tomorrow and in the race. We did a lot of tricks, which is good, and usually on Saturday we can take a good step forward, so we should be well prepared for tomorrow and Sunday. "

Kimi Raikkonen – FP1: 1: 05.776, P6; FP2: 1: 05.265, P6

" It was a normal session Friday, obviously, we have work to do to find the right set- up for tomorrow, as for any other race. from other teams, because we do not know what others were doing, but in general it was not too bad, tomorrow we will see where we are.

Force India [19659002ForceIndiaseemedtolackpacearoundthecircuitwithPerezinparticularstrugglingTheMexicanwasalsoalmostpickedupbyVerstappenastheyfoughtforspaceWiththemidfieldbattleverycloseheseemstobeadifficultissueforcarsinpinkbothmaketheQ3comeinqualifying

Sergio Perez – FP1: 1: 06.455, P14; FP2: 1: 06.354, P18

"I do not think so that we really showed our true speed today, especially in the x practice when our race was affected by the red flag. The sessions went as planned, but I'm still not comfortable with the balance of the car. It's there that we have to work tonight to see if we can find something in the data to improve things before qualifying. If we can find some of the tenths, it will make a huge difference on this short track. Of course, we think it's going to be a lot warmer tomorrow and the higher temperatures will still have an impact on the car's balance. We will have a lot of work to do in final practice to be aware of things.

Esteban Ocon – FP1: 1: 06.055, P8; FP2: 1: 06.133, P13

"We were expecting rain today, so it's a relief to have two dry sessions.We have accomplished a lot of tricks and have just worked through the program, it was perfectly normal, trying out the test items, improving the configuration and understanding the tires, the morning rhythm was solid with the P8, but the second practice was a bit more difficult. We have not yet found the best balance for the car, so we must improve tomorrow. "

Otmar Szafnauer, Director of Operations

" This Friday was occupied by cool temperatures and overcast, which is not the case, what we expect for the rest of the weekend.In spite of a red flag in the afternoon, we had a lot track time which allowed us to gather information on all available tire compounds and roll on both the fuel up and down. The tires behave as we expected, but we will have to adapt what we have learned to the temperatures we expect for the rest of the weekend. Finding a good balance will be a challenge as it is not an easy way to optimize the installation of the car. We have a lot of work in front of us tonight as the focus is on the latest changes for FP3 and qualifications. As always, the margins here are very tight [because it’s such a short lap] and we will have to maximize our full potential to be ahead of the pack.

Renault

Sainz crossed the gravel of turn 6 in FP2, taking the emergency route to join the track, while Hulkenberg struggled to find an optimal set for his RS18, complaining of torque and braking difficulties. Renault bounced back from a tough Friday last time and will be confident to do the same in Austria.

Nico Hulkenberg – FP1: 1: 06.479, P15; FP2: 1: 06.273, P15

"It's been a pretty typical Friday, the balance is not quite there with the car, so we've tackled this in priority. We have not made as much progress as we wanted between 1st and 2nd FP2, and understeer has been our enemy here until now, fortunately, it is an enemy we know well and we so we have good solutions to apply before qualifying for the qualifications of tomorrow. "

Carlos Sainz – FP1: 1: 06.427, P13; FP2: 1: 05.999, P11

"We worked hard today to get the right configuration with the car and we could see that we are not there yet, but we have a decent number of laps to chart and we know what we need to improve to get a car faster and more balanced.I think we have the potential and I look forward to it tomorrow. "

Bob Bell, Technical Director

" Today We did not really find a good balance on the car.No of the two drivers was particularly happy because we had a lot more understeer than we would like, which harms us. at the front, which is not good for the tires, we can make a big improvement for the rest of the weekend, especially if the track temperatures rise a bit. reliably and the new MGU-K system works well. s the information we need, now it is a question of finding a better balance.

McLaren

Vandoorne damaged his front wing on the vibrators of the FP1, had to dig for a new nose and then suffered from overheating. Alonso had an unusual day of rest, posing several dilapidated towers and also having to make a pit after running on the big curbs. He also lost time when McLaren made midrange tweaks.

Fernando Alonso – FP1: 1: 06.612, P17; FP2: 1: 06.429, P19

"It was a pretty intense day because we had a lot to test on the car, especially the aerodynamic parts.We finished the program, now we just need to Analyze the data and make sure to put the best parts tomorrow to find a little more performance.

"Having an extra DRS zone is a good step: it will be difficult To get closer to the car ahead, especially in the middle sector, three DRS zones will help keep the group together. Fortunately, this should provide more overtaking in the race.

"We were expecting rain today, but no one has come in; it is now on the forecast for tomorrow, so we must be ready to maximize every opportunity that presents itself if the weather turns around. # 39; proves unpredictable. "

Stoffel Vandoorne – FP1: 1: 06.698, P18; FP2: 1: 05.930, P10

"It was a rather busy day today.The morning was devoted to the evaluation of a number of new parties and ideas, which means that the real goal was to get consistent turns and good data.

"In the afternoon, I was able to get into a more rhythm with the car, and, although we did not really manage to find the balance, the times were not too bad. We still need to work hard, as we have seen previously, we can have reasonably competitive air on a Friday only to get the order on Saturday.

"The most important thing is that we did a good learning during the sessions., But it is still too early to say where we are in the competitive order …"

Eric Boullier, Racing Director

"It was one of the most intense and demanding days we have ever undertaken all year, bringing a series of test components to the circuit. this morning to evaluate a number of potential future directions for our aerodynamics team to study.That's why Fernando's car was equipped with aerodynamic rakes this morning, and why it has made a number of shorter runs at the beginning of FP1, refining the MCL33 for future races.Although these components are not treatable, they provide an extremely useful dataset for our engineers to study at MTC. 19659051] "Stoffel has made good progress c and afternoon, but Fernando struggled to take a quick turn. His task was made more difficult by some component breaks, caused by his run on the yellow "sausage borders" that line some of the corner outlets here.

"We have learned today that it is better to avoid them if you want"

Haas

Grosjean seemed to have put last The disappointing race of the weekend behind him, having a trouble-free day to finish "the best from the rest "in both sessions. Magnussen's Friday was more hectic – he missed the end of the 1st program after suffering ground damage and a slow puncture, before being forced to stop in the pit lane in the FP2 after a bad fixation.

Romain Grosjean – FP1: 1: 06.028, P7; FP2: 1: 05.429, P7

"It's been a good day.It's a pretty cool track.I always love to come here.I love the layout in the middle of the mountains, and it's a great atmosphere.The rain has stopped, which is fine.We prefer the dry days where we can get a good mileage, and it's good for the fans, and for us Same, for everyone.The car worked very well, so we are happy with our situation.The balance has been pretty good.We still have work to do, but in general it is good and I'm happy with it, but we can make some changes to make it even faster.I can not wait to qualify tomorrow. "

Kevin Magnussen – FP1: 1: 06.404, P12 ; FP2: 1: 05.559, P8

"It looks like we're fine, it's been a good day in terms of testing and realizing things we planned to do." The car behaved as well as Until now, everything is fine – we just need to do it tomorrow, as well.The track is the same as last year.The car is a little different, obviously, but it has has been good on a lot of races and it looks like it's good here too, we have to do everything tomorrow and then have a good qualifying session to get a good position for the race and, hopefully, score points on Sunday. "[19659005] Guenther Steiner, Team Principal

"It was a good FP1 and FP2 – I think our best this season.The two drivers did their whole program.There was only a small problem in FP1. a tire that was falling on Kevin's car because one end of the floor had it If not, I am very happy and can not wait until tomorrow. "

Sauber [19659002] Leclerc and Ericsson both slump in difficult corner 4, the Swede being forced to use the escape route.But when they stayed on track they seemed competitive and could certainly knock on the door of Q2 if not Q3 again …

Marcus Ericsson – FP1: 1: 06.400, P11 FP2: 1: 06.199, P14

"We completed a good number of laps and ran on the three tires for the weekend. We relied on what we learned in France last weekend, with a configuration adapted to my driving style. We were in midfield today, which is positive. Tonight, we will work to optimize everything, so that we can have a good performance tomorrow.

Charles Leclerc – FP1: 1: 06.215, P9; FP2: 1: 06.096, P12

"In general, it was a positive day for us, our pace was quite good and we finished the program we had planned, it was productive for us to test the different tires that we have for the weekend.I like driving a lot on this circuit, and it's a good experience to complete my first rounds in Formula 1 here.We look at our data and make sure that we May we have a good performance in tomorrow's sessions Let's see what will be possible. "

Toro Rosso [19659002] Gasly broke his left front suspension that ran on the yellow edges, bringing out the red flags in FP2. Fast work from the team allowed him to get back on track. But the hobby horse was Hartley who has meanwhile completed the rounds to put together crucial data for the team.

Pierre Gasly – FP1: 1: 06.394, P10; FP2: 1: 05.758, P9

"It was a good first day in Spielberg.I was in the top 10 for both test sessions and I feel very good with the car. I hope we can keep the momentum for tomorrow! We have to be careful because we were pretty fast at Paul Ricard on Friday, and things have changed so I have to make sure that we continue to improve this time, also because it is a short track and that the gap with the others is really tight.I had a moment in the FP2 where the car was damaged but the guys did a fantastic job to fix and roll me back before the end of the session.It's a positive start and i'm going to work hard with the team tonight to find more performance for tomorrow "

Brendon Hartley – FP1: 1: 06.871, P19; FP2: 1: 06.332, P17

"There were no problems on my side during the first day in Austria.We missed a little bit of rhythm in the test sessions. today, on which we are going to work tonight.I have not been particularly happy with the balance, so there is a lot of work to be done to get the car where I want it to be I am confident that we will find a solution and that we will come back stronger tomorrow. "

Jonathan Eddolls, Chief Race Engineer

" The Austrian weekend is a big event on the F1 calendar and the Red Bull House There had been a lot of discussion about the weather over the past few days, because we initially thought the FP2 would be a wash and a chance of rain in both sessions, but eventually we had an FP1 and a FP2 dry.Being such a short ride, the sessions are very busy With little room to breathe between laps and runs – this is also a rather technical track, so it is advantageous to give as many laps as possible to the drivers.

A new aerodynamic package, which we adapted to Brendon's car today, the FP1 has pbaded several aerodynamic configuration tests with it, to confirm the results of the wind tunnel and the CFD. As expected, we will see the gains, so the plan will be to adapt to both cars from the 3rd PC Pierre spent the first session today to perform mechanical adjustments and start to understand the behavior of the tires, so we had a good direction for the FP2 This track is difficult on cars, especially considering the number of exit edges, the edges of yellow sausages are quite hard, so with both drivers pushing hard and using every part of the track, we suffered more significant bodywork damage was the failure of the trackrod in the FP2 at the end of the long-term Pierre. He closed the turn and arrived on the two Force Indians – who were just starting their laps – when he had a big wash before they looked dirty and hit the yellow curbs. "The mechanics did a great job repairing the car and putting it back on track at the end of the session, so Pierre was not too much compromised." Because Pierre did not buck a ride on the Ultrasofts, his pace is competitive and we are optimistic for tomorrow, we have work to do to give Brendon the balance of the car he needs. "Toyoharu Tanabe, Technical Director Honda F1

" This track has a mix of high speed sections and slow turns and we have focused today on setting up the CPU to meet these features, while we lost a little bit of Time on the track with Gasly's car in the afternoon, but other than that, it was a simple day because the rain we were waiting for in FP2 did not materialize. "Friday" PU, so we will change it "

Williams [19659002] Kubica took part in FP1 instead of Sirotkin, returning crucial data to the team. In the FP2, the Russian was back and seemed to have a solid day, while Stroll struggled with the car 's settings and ran more than once.

Sergey Sirotkin – FP2: 1: 06.326, P16

"It was a good session, we had a busy schedule with a lot of things to try, I think we did very well, we finished all our races planned, we tried all things and we still had a reasonable pace in the long run.I do not say that the qualifications of tomorrow will be equal today, but we covered a lot and we are satisfied the work and results we are getting, it's good to be back in the car after missing the FP1. "

Robert Kubica – FP1: 1.07.424, P20

" C & Was good to be back in the car after almost two months, and the feeling was good since I have not driven here for nearly 15 years.In short, the track is rather complicated, but I immediately found a reasonable pace – just solutions to collect more data. t mettre la voiture dans une fenêtre extrême pour vraiment mettre en évidence les zones où nous pourrions avoir du mal. C'était badez étrange de conduire mais je pense que ça valait la peine et dans l'ensemble une bonne séance. "

Lance Stroll – FP1: 1: 06.567, P16; FP2: 1: 06.626, P20

" C'était une autre journée d'entraînement comprendre tout et nous mettre dans la meilleure forme pour aller demain. Je pense que c'était une bonne journée où nous avons beaucoup appris en qualifications. Les bordures ont toujours été quelque chose pour nous que les pilotes doivent surveiller car il y a de gros pneus jaunes sur toutes les sorties, donc nous devons connaître nos limites. Ce matin, j'ai eu un problème de rétrogradage en troisième, puis nous avons perdu la communication radio, donc j'ai boxé au cas où c'était quelque chose, mais c'était parfait car l'équipe était au top. "

Paddy Lowe, Chef Technique Officier

"Ce fut une journée productive. Le temps semblait un peu menaçant mais nous avons réussi à éviter la pluie dans les collines et à compléter notre programme complet. C'était bien d'avoir Robert dans la voiture comme c'était la première fois depuis le test de Barcelone. Comme toujours, ses retours sont inestimables surtout après quelques semaines de sortie de la voiture. Pbadant cet après-midi, Sergey était de retour dans sa voiture de course et a fait du bon travail en reprenant la vitesse après avoir raté l'heure ce matin. Lance a continué à faire du bon travail dans les deux sessions en travaillant dans le cadre du programme. Nous avons eu un certain nombre de tests aérodynamiques sur les deux voitures, sur la base de quelques résultats que nous avons appris la semaine dernière en France. Nous avons testé de nouvelles pièces sur la voiture que les gars de l'usine ont réussi à inverser très rapidement ces derniers jours, ce qui est très impressionnant étant donné que nous sommes au milieu d'une triple tête. Comme d'habitude, nous avons beaucoup à faire ce soir et j'espère que nous pourrons avancer la voiture pour demain. "

Pirelli

Mario Isola, Directeur de Car Racing

"Les écarts de performance entre les trois composants sont badez faibles, comme on peut s'y attendre sur une piste aussi courte, où les voitures sont très proches les unes des autres, ce qui signifie que le moindre détail compte , et les équipes ont travaillé dur pour obtenir le set-up Bien droit. Les conditions fraîches et les pluies d'hier ont également contribué à l'évolution de la piste, avec quelques pilotes qui ont quitté la ligne.

"Comme c'est souvent le cas ici, certains conducteurs ont également été touchés par les vibreurs, l'adaptation des voitures à la température de la piste a été un élément clé du travail aujourd'hui, en conjonction avec l'évaluation habituelle des pneus à la fois Avec un équilibre si finement équilibré, la stratégie pourrait faire une différence importante, de sorte que les équipes étudieront avec attention les données de ce soir. "