Friday’s F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix featured several new players as red flags prevented the second session and teams had limited data.
Friday’s first session of the Abu Dhabi F1 GP featured 10 rookies and apart from a few moments it went very smoothly. The second session was interrupted by a warning signal, which prevented driving and limited the area of data collection.
There was only one chance to complete a qualifying lap in suitable conditions for the Grand Prix. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc set the pace, but McLaren’s Lando Norris was close behind and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen struggled a bit with his balance.
Mercedes did not lead in FP2, but with a limited number of races Leclerc is cautious about his race speed. Qualifying is crucial for the overall standings and after Carlos Sainz’s crash he is on the verge of a penalty.
If there is more serious damage, he may have to step back and help Mercedes. Their battle will also be determined by how Sergio Perez and the McLaren pair of Norris and Oscar Piastri, who looked decent, fare. In the top four, the pack appears to be close.
Leclerc: “Yes, I just did one lap on the medium tire and then one lap on the soft tire and it felt pretty good, because it’s a good sign when things like this start. , I hope we have a great weekend ahead. Certainly Mercedes looked very strong as well. I don’t know exactly what happened in FP2. They looked a little less powerful compared to FP1. So we still have a lot of work to do because we’ll be competing against them this weekend. I’ll wait before saying this is a strong track for us. We need to prove that in qualifying tomorrow, but tire management will be most important this weekend. I know I have to be ready for Sunday, so I’ll do my best. 4th place for driver is completely meaningless, but 2nd place for designer is nice. Honestly, I want the team to be in second place at the end of this weekend. We had a tough season, but everyone deserved it. They worked like crazy to speed up the upgrade, so we deserve to be in second place at the end of the year, so we will do everything we can to achieve that. And to be honest, I don’t have high expectations for fourth place among drivers. If that’s the case, that’s fine; if not, that’s fine. We want to win this championship as soon as possible. ”
Sainz: “I’m feeling good, thank you. It was a pretty serious accident, but with these safe cars, even if you take a pretty big impact, you’ll be able to recover in the end. You can come out unscathed. That’s it. “Why?” It hurts a little, but it’s not something to worry about. Yes, for some reason the track has changed compared to other years. In this new generation car, he has two bumps on the exit of turn 2 and on the entrance of turn 3, which seriously unbalance the car. I almost got stuck in the first free practice, so I made a few changes to my setup and lines to get rid of it, but this lap I was surprised again. There must have been an angle or exact way for me to get over the step. From then on, I was just a passenger. We have seen in this generation of cars that even a small collision can cause a skid, which can lead to a serious accident. That is the current situation and it is not ideal, but we will try to improve tomorrow. The change from FP1 to FP2 could definitely have had an impact, but of course I won’t go into detail. But unfortunately I couldn’t control the car. I’m fascinated by this and feel as if I’m a full passenger, moments when I wish I had done something different. ”
Verstappen: “I think from our side the balance was very bad. There was a lot of understeer, there were a lot of jumps, so that’s what we need to understand for tomorrow. There are certainly a few things.” There are still a lot of things that need to be clarified to have a good result in qualifying for FP3, but we’ll see. I didn’t expect it to be this far away, so I had some doubts. It’s not bad since we’re still at P3, but I think it could be better in terms of balance, so I’d like to see what happened there. I have to move. They are all driving slowly and I want to go out because I don’t have time. It was kind of silly because they just kept running down the middle and when I tried to pass them they tried to push me into the wall. ”
Hamilton: “Not really. It wasn’t a very good day. I think I only actually did four timed laps. So to get some knowledge about the car and the circuit. , not that much in one day. But the car feels good. I don’t think we were in a bad situation. I just hope we can do more tomorrow. No at this time. I will think about whether there is a way to advance to Q3. We had a difficult qualifying session and it was always a tough battle from the first to the second quarter. It’s difficult to even get to the third quarter. Tomorrow morning’s work has to make sure we’re in the third quarter. I think it’s close. I think George is doing well and his position could be better, but he didn’t miss FP1. However, I won’t make any excuses and will just move on from tomorrow. ”
NORRIS: “It was okay. Of course it was chaotic and there weren’t that many laps today, I think a total of five push laps. So especially from an FP2 point of view, And in terms of trying to keep up with everyone, it wasn’t the Friday I wanted and I felt like I lost even more. But I quickly felt comfortable and confident. It’s always important on days when we missed FP1, but I quickly gained confidence and was able to continue. The car ran pretty well and there were a few things I had to be careful of, but other than that It was a decent day. I was happy with just one session today. The car was obviously quite fast and definitely a little hard to find. I think it’s very close and it will be very close tomorrow in qualifying. Tomorrow afternoon a tenth or two could easily be fifth or sixth. I don’t think it’s really about whether today is your first or last day, it’s about finding the little things tonight that can make a big difference tomorrow. We are definitely in a good position. I felt more confident and comfortable compared to Las Vegas and other races, but today I burned a lot of fuel and couldn’t do long laps. Actually, it’s zero. In the long run, we are a little behind, but we may be able to make up for it tomorrow. ”
A variety of cars made up the top 10, with AlphaTauri, Alfa Romeo and Alpine also showing pace. Valtteri Bottas in particular did well, finishing 4th in both FP1 and FP2, while Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda also showed decent pace.
AlphaTauri are chasing Williams and if they can get some good points they could close the gap by seven points. Alexander Albon and Logan both have his 50:50 speed ratio and their big goal is to stop AlphaTauri from scoring points.
Aston Martin and Alpine were among them, and both seemed equally suited. Haas looked a bit off and a mistake from Nico Hulkenberg meant they fell further behind. Nico Hulkenberg brought out his second flag of the day, further narrowing everyone’s chances.
Bottas: “It’s definitely great to finish both sessions in fourth place, but it’s very difficult to say the actual position after today. ” We had some unusual sessions today. Not everyone was able to set a good lap as several new drivers took part and the second car was ruined by two red flags in a row. Still, we played a full day and the car feels pretty good, so we’re looking forward to the next few days. Of course, we still have a long way to go and we have to do our best in qualifying and Sunday’s race. Saturday’s goal remains the third quarter, and if you do your homework properly overnight, there’s a good chance you’ll reach it tomorrow. ”
Alonso: “I didn’t learn much from FP2. Unfortunately we had two red flags and there wasn’t much action. It’s important to practice and FP2 It’s the only practice session with conditions representative of qualifying and racing. So we still have some work to do, but it’s the same for everyone. We’re going to do our best to finish the season in good shape. .As we’ve seen in the past two events, anything can happen. We will fight until the final round and see what we can achieve. ”
Ricardo: “I think it was a fulfilling day. In FP1 we could immediately feel the positive effects of the upgrade and see the benefits. We made some changes towards it and tried to take advantage of them to get the best overall package.We compromised the program a bit as it was a slightly interrupted session, but I think it was the same for the others, and looking at us, I’m confident that we can achieve a better performance, so I’m not too worried about our place in FP2. It seems like we had a decent pace on the medium tires, so if we do everything right, I think it will be a top-10 car. ”
Gathly: “The Abu Dhabi weekend started with an interesting training day here at Yas Marina. Two red flags in free practice 2 reduced our track time. First of all, I’m glad Carlos is ok because it looked like he had a big impact.From our perspective, we had a pretty normal day, doing as much as we could in the car. I think we’re in a good position and now it’s important to take our time and find some areas of improvement overnight before qualifying. I feel good and let’s see how tomorrow goes.”< /p>
Hülkenberg: “It was my mistake. It was the driver’s mistake. I was hoping a little too fast.” I lost the car, but there were no major consequences. . , but since the session was over, I didn’t even do the first free practice, so overall it was a very short day with just one lap around the board. FP3 will be held during the day, so the track temperature will be even higher. So this is not very typical and not suitable for learning in the car, but it will help you feel comfortable in the car. ”
Albon: “I feel a little behind this weekend, but obviously it’s not just me because after winning the first FP, the group of riders are all in the same situation. Please sit down,” interrupted the FP2 session. Actually, the long distance pace is fine and I feel like I’m used to the speed, but the direction of the setup is also not easy, so I decided to check out how what I learned today works for me. You have to look at Logan’s side of Pitt. I’m confident in seventh place, so I’ll focus on our race and see what happens. ”
As mentioned in the F1 Rookie section, Aston Martin’s Felipe Durgovic was on pace for the second time, alongside him Ferrari’s Robert Schwartzman, Mercedes’ Frederic Vesti, Haas’s Oliver Bearman and Alpine’s Jack Doohan and Alfa Romeo Theo Pulchaire lined up. >
The Frenchman was in Mexico, but problems there prevented him from running. It was also the second time for Isaac Hajjar, but unlike his last time at AlphaTauri, he was in a Red Bull, while it was Jake Dennis’ first time, as were Zac O’Sullivan and Pato O’Ward McLaren of Williams. p>
Dolgović: “It feels good to be second in my second FP1 session of the year!” It was a lot of fun. The start of the session focused primarily on aerodynamic testing, so we installed a rake on the car. This meant I needed to do a few steady, consistent laps to ensure I collected the data I needed to optimize my setup for future sessions. After that we were given soft tires and could push, which was always the best. The car felt fast, we’ve improved since Monza and I think it’s a good start to the weekend. I look forward to supporting the team this weekend and getting back on track on Tuesday for the final test of the season for our young drivers. It’s always beneficial to ride all day to get into a good rhythm and learn the limits of your car. ”
Schwartzman: “It was a pretty positive day for me because everything went smoothly and I’m overall very happy.” We followed the planned program. It was completed and I was close to Carlos in terms of lap time, but it was helpful for today. Feel-wise, it was a good challenge because we had to work with the rear tire quite a bit and the car was stiff all over. I would like to sincerely thank the team and everyone for giving me the opportunity to drive today. It’s always great to drive a Formula 1 car, especially a Ferrari. I’m planning to get back in the car on Tuesday for a full day of testing, so I’m really looking forward to it. ”
Bearman: “I’m really happy to finish FP1 again and get more miles in the F1 car. I’m definitely not complaining about that.” On a positive session I did. I completed the program with gradual improvements and the car felt better. That’s what I’m here for. I think the team is happy, but I couldn’t do a debrief because I had to go back to F2 after that, so I’ll do it tonight. ”
Vesti: “It was a great experience to participate in FP1 for the second time. I was looking forward to it, especially as it was a route I knew well. I was very impressed with how the session went. I am satisfied and saw good progress during the lessons. Considering the knowledge I gained in FP1 this time, I was able to operate the car much more safely than in Mexico. There are always things that can be improved and more possibilities. There was sex. I’m looking forward to getting back on the car for testing on Tuesday and continuing this development. I would like to once again thank Toto and the team for giving me the opportunity and supporting me. ”
Pourchere: “It’s always a great feeling to drive this car. I appreciate the trust the team has placed in me and the opportunity it has given me to contribute to our work. Thank you for that.” Today. I was really looking forward to driving, especially after missing out in Mexico, and I’m happy to have had a productive session. The track was quite green and didn’t have a lot of grip, but it felt better with each lap and I felt like I had a good transition from hard to soft compound. I’m happy to be able to help the team in the sessions and I’m looking forward to getting back on the car for post-season testing and especially experiencing the difference in grip levels after a full race weekend. ”p>
Oward: “After FP1, I wish I could be in the car for FP2. It was a smooth session. I executed my running plan and completed all the laps I had planned. I was able to finish the race, and I think I still have a lot of lap time to go, so I’m really looking forward to getting back in the car for testing on Tuesday, where I hope to get to know the car better and continue to improve. Until then, I look forward to helping the team have a successful Grand Prix weekend in Abu Dhabi.”
O’Sullivan: “First and foremost, I really enjoyed today. It was my first time in Abu Dhabi and my first time driving a Williams Racing F1 car. The whole session , I’ve made pretty good progress in terms of getting used to the car and learning different routines. I’d like to thank Williams Racing for the opportunity. I hope to hone some of the things I learned in FP1 and make further progress. I can’t wait for the young driver test on Tuesday to complete my goal.”
Dennis: “It’s been an amazing experience. I can only thank Red Bull Racing for giving me the opportunity to drive this car. The driving was perfect and I’ve never had a moment like this in my career. It doesn’t happen very often. Finally, to have a run in FP1 ticked off my wish list is something very special. It’s very different to what I’m used to. The first run was amazing, how fast these cars are, I was blown away by the amount of downforce and braking power.Even though it was a cold day at the office, I got out of the car with a big smile on my face. I work a lot with the simulator for my team, so it’s good to compare it to the factory simulator as much as possible. It’s very impressive how close it is. For me, it had an element of fear that Simulation and G-Force definitely don’t have. It was a little difficult, but we returned the car to Max safely! ”
Hajjar: “Today was a really good day! Driving in F1 and F2 on the same day was really hectic but it was a really good experience. Big change from F2 to F1 It’s a step up. It was amazing to drive the fastest car in the world, it was beyond this situation in the world, especially in conditions like this on the track.”
FP1 at Abu Dhabi F1 GP
Second training session at F1 Abu Dhabi GP
