Turkish Grand Prix 2020: What the teams said – Friday practice in Turkey

Purple Bull

Verstappen was left dissatisfied final day trip in Imola when he thought he’d closed the hole to his rivals solely to fall again in qualifying. Quick ahead two weeks, and he’ll be rather more happy with at present’s efforts. Fastest in both sessions despite one spin, he appears to be like to have the tempo to actually compete right here. The bonus piece of excellent information for the group is Albon instantly took to this observe too, operating in P1 for a lot of the afternoon session after setting his lap instances sooner than his group mate. There shall be smiles all spherical if the Thai driver can take that type into qualifying tomorrow.

Max Verstappen – FP1: 1:35.077, P1; FP2: 1:28.330, P1

“I believe total for us it was fairly a constructive day and the automobile is working nicely so I’m fairly completely satisfied about that. I believe the prep we did earlier than we received right here was good, however then after all we additionally did nicely to react to the situations out on observe. It is vitally slippery on the market however on the finish of the day it’s the identical for everybody so we simply should adapt to it however I believe we’re all nonetheless about 5 seconds off the place we ought to be on this observe. I hope it’s not going to rain as a result of then we may very well want spikes! I don’t assume softer tyres would have made a distinction, we did go sooner when going from a tough to a comfortable but it surely’s simply the grip on the tarmac. For certain Mercedes will get it collectively tomorrow so now I simply hope we are able to have a aggressive qualifying and within the race we are going to see what occurs.”

Alex Albon – FP1: 1:35.318, P2; FP2: 1:29.363, P5

“It was a constructive day and it’s at all times enjoyable to check out a brand new observe. In FP1 and FP2, it was like an ice rink on the market and a bit bizarre as a result of it’s not a standard feeling driving what appears like a drift automobile. You’re simply sliding round which after all is a bit enjoyable in a manner but it surely’s additionally not what an F1 automobile likes! With the intention to swap the tyres on and get them to work you’re having to push manner out of your consolation zone so it’s tough however it’s what it’s. We anticipated the softer compounds to possibly make issues a bit simpler when it comes to grip however they didn’t assist as a lot as we thought so I don’t know what groups are going to do in qualifying. It appears like we would all should put softs on and gas the automobile up for a race run and simply preserve doing laps! We’ll take a look at every thing tonight after which with the situations tomorrow, let’s see what occurs however all in all it was a very good day.”

Mercedes

Mercedes had an uncustomary off day in Turkey, failing to prime both apply session. Bottas seemed probably the most assured of all of the drivers within the early levels of FP1, however couldn’t lay down the right lap when others later improved. As for Hamilton, he sat out half the session as set-up adjustments had been made earlier than repeated complaints in regards to the lack of grip noticed him limp residence in fifteenth. Roll on second apply and the scenario did enhance, however not sufficient to problem Purple Bull for P1. Will that change tomorrow?

Lewis Hamilton – FP1: 1:40.225, P15; FP2: 1:29.180, P4

“It was very troublesome day at present. This observe is such a unbelievable circuit, however the brand new floor made it very tough. Not one of the tyres had been actually working for us and it felt like driving on an ice rink on the market. So, you do not actually get the enjoyment of the lap that you’d usually get round right here in Istanbul. If you’re manner under the temperature window, the tyres simply do not work. You possibly can go from one lap to a different and discover a second simply because the tyres work slightly bit higher in one of many corners. We have lots of work to do to try to determine what we are able to change in a single day to place us in a greater place for tomorrow. There are some elementary issues that you may’t change on the automobile, however we’ll simply should do one of the best we are able to. I believe will probably be an actual struggle for us this weekend, however that makes it very thrilling!”

Valtteri Bottas – FP1: 1:37.629, P9; FP2: 1:28.905, P3

“After I first went out on observe this morning it felt extra like rallying, it was fairly far-off from the traditional driving requirements that we’re used to in Components One. However I had enjoyable enjoying round on observe, experimenting with the automobile, it was truly fairly fulfilling. The tarmac is new and really easy, making it significantly troublesome to warmth up the tyre. It is essential in these situations to construct up the temperatures to provide the higher hand. We have skilled this in winter testing earlier than, however by no means fairly to this excessive. We have additionally seen lots of observe ramp at present, bringing the lap instances down, which is able to proceed over the weekend. The Delicate tyre felt finest total, offering one of the best grip, regardless that we had a little bit of graining on the entrance. Heaps to study from at present, tough to make the best selections, not simply when it comes to set-up but in addition for the technique of the race. We have now some work to do when it comes to the aggressive image too.”

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

“We have not had a simple day right here, the observe is clearly very low grip with the brand new floor and others are coping higher with that than we’re. We seem equally offset on each low gas and the lengthy runs. It appears that evidently we discover it tougher than some to generate tyre temperature and while we might tried a couple of issues throughout the classes to enhance this, the efficiency hole to Purple Bull nonetheless stays and Ferrari additionally seemed like they had been usually forward of us. It is clearly very uncommon situations and there is lots of attention-grabbing studying that we are able to take from the info at present. However we even have qualifying tomorrow and a race on Sunday and in the intervening time, we’re not in nice form and are in for a tricky time if we do not make important progress in a single day.”

Ferrari

Ferrari had a quietly environment friendly day, and regardless of complaints from their drivers in regards to the lack of grip, the automobile itself truly appears to be like in excellent form on the Istanbul Park observe. Leclerc outshone his group mate to complete within the prime three in each classes, whereas Vettel was solidly within the prime 10. Trigger for optimism heading into tomorrow then for the Scuderia, who haven’t had each vehicles in Q3 for the reason that first race at Silverstone again at the start of August.

Sebastian Vettel – FP1: 1:35.620, P5; FP2: 1:30.022, P8

“As we speak was fairly uncommon, because the asphalt could be very new, so it was very slippery. In fact it did get higher in the direction of the top of the day and I suppose the development will proceed over the weekend. We had been fairly constant at present, but it surely’s clearly too quickly to have a complete image of the place we’re. It was primarily a query of discovering a rhythm, and doing as many laps as attainable to get confidence within the automobile in addition to with the observe.

“Within the remaining a part of FP2 we had been getting sooner and sooner. We have now not seen the actual ranges on the market at present as most individuals struggled to get their tyres to work. Tomorrow’s third free apply session shall be crucial because the observe will nonetheless be evolving. The rain could possibly be an element additionally, so I count on will probably be fairly a busy day.”

Charles Leclerc – FP1: 1:35.507, P3; FP2: 1:28.731, P2

“At first I used to be not very satisfied by the grip stage of the observe and thought this was going to be a really unhealthy day, however after a couple of laps I truly actually loved it, because it was lots of enjoyable to have such low grip. It felt like driving on ice! Significantly although, it’s not nice to have a Friday like this as you don’t study a lot, however when it comes to driving it was good enjoyable and we had been aggressive too. I don’t know the way a lot observe situations will enhance all through the weekend so it’s good that we’ve carried out numerous mileage at present to know the situations and hopefully we are able to maximize the end result tomorrow.

“The climate forecast doesn’t look nice for tomorrow so I don’t know the way issues could possibly be within the rain, it could possibly be a really tough day, but when we do every thing completely, this could possibly be a very good alternative for us.”

AlphaTauri

Curiously, the AT01 looked particularly skittish here but each drivers had been solidly fast throughout the 2 apply classes. After a powerful weekend in Imola, have they managed to hold that type into this race regardless of the vastly totally different situations? Gasly has been the choose of the 2 drivers all season however Kvyat seemed helpful right here regardless of spinning greater than as soon as, so they may positively be a group to look at come qualifying tomorrow as they search to get each vehicles into Q3…

Pierre Gasly – FP1: 1:35.543, P4; FP2: 1:29.944, P7

“It was a little bit of a shock this morning after we discovered how slippery the observe was, however total it was a fairly enjoyable day to drive in these situations. It was very uncommon having to drive an F1 automobile with the grip being so low. I believe we now have to revise and re-analyse a bit what we wish to do when it comes to the automobile arrange and technique for the weekend and attempt to work from there. The efficiency up to now appears to be fairly good, but it surely’s very tough, so we have to actually nail every thing if we wish to be aggressive tomorrow.”

Daniil Kvyat – FP1: 1:36.738, P6; FP2: 1:29.689, P6

“I believe we had a productive Friday, we accomplished our programme and every thing we wished to do, we managed to have an honest day on a brand new observe for us. It’s very specific and grip situations had been very poor at present, however we’ve been studying and attempting to know what to do to make the automobile sooner in these situations. It’s my first time racing right here and the observe is kind of cool, it’s only a disgrace in regards to the grip ranges. We shall be working in a single day to maximise the automobile’s efficiency for tomorrow.”

Jonathan Eddolls, Chief Race Engineer

“The situations all the groups confronted at present made it fairly an attention-grabbing and difficult day – very totally different to what we’re used to! We knew it was going to be troublesome coming right here with the brand new tarmac, the excessive working vary tyres and the exhausting and conservative compound alternative, however we didn’t count on it to be fairly as low grip because it was. The observe was damp at the beginning of FP1 because the circuit had been cleaned, and even when it dried the lap instances for everybody had been slower than we might have anticipated on an intermediate tyre. The stability was a mix of every thing, which made it exhausting to study a lot in regards to the automobile in that session. What we did know was that the primary precedence was getting the tyres to work. We made some adjustments to the automobile in FP2 to try to handle the grip ranges and what we felt had been the big-ticket objects – simply the basics of getting the automobile to work correctly somewhat than high quality tuning the set-up. It wasn’t simple for our drivers with the primary runs on the Base tyre, however on Choice we made a very good step in efficiency which confirmed the adjustments we made to the automobile have been a step in the best course. The automobile efficiency is dominated by tyres with this new tarmac and observe temperatures, and we’re anticipating comparable situations on Sunday to what we had at present. Tomorrow there’s the potential for showers, which might make for an thrilling FP3 and quali, however we now have made good progress with the automobile already via the Friday and we are going to work exhausting tonight on the evaluation to proceed pushing the setup in the best course.”

McLaren

Sainz didn’t have the luckiest starts to a weekend – he was known as in to the pits with an electronics challenge – however as soon as that was resolved, he later needed to cease out on observe with an influence steering drawback, which ended his session early. The Spaniard did handle a very good haul of laps in FP2, although, to get on phrases with this observe. As for birthday boy Norris, he was in and across the prime 10 and stored his nostril clear, which was an honest sufficient exhibiting in tough situations.

Carlos Sainz – FP1: 1:46.462, P19; FP2: 1:31.498, P14

“Not the perfect Friday. It was irritating to lose operating time, in what was clearly an necessary FP1 because of the very difficult observe situations that we’ll face this weekend at this new and resurfaced circuit. So, we had numerous catch-up to do throughout FP2. I didn’t have the cleanest of runs with the Delicate tyre and the lap-times then improved rapidly with observe evolution. The tarmac feels unusual in the intervening time, however that solely provides pleasure to see who can get it proper. I’m actually trying ahead to tomorrow!”

Lando Norris – FP1: 1:37.216, P7; FP2: 1:30.735, P10

“A tough day, however fairly enjoyable as a result of it was totally different to regular. The observe was very slippery, and it’s been troublesome to get a very good studying on the stability as we had been doing consecutive laps. It’s good enjoyable, as a result of it’s exhausting to drive and also you’re consistently oversteering and understeering, but it surely’s very tough to place it collectively and actually nail a lap. So, it’s going to make for an attention-grabbing weekend. I really feel like I’ve some issues to work on, some progress to make, in order that’s our focus and we’ll see what we are able to do tomorrow.”

Andrea Stella, Racing Director

“We’re excited to be again in Turkey at this attention-grabbing circuit. The situations we’ve discovered at present had been sudden, with the brand new tarmac creating very low grip and the tyres consequently taking a very long time to start out working. Nonetheless, it’s the identical for everybody, and everybody appears to be experiencing the identical type of issues. I see it as a chance: the automobile and the group that adapt higher to those situations will get the profit. As well as, we’re anticipating some unstable climate over the weekend – particularly tomorrow – and we’re going to should be at our best to get probably the most out of it.”

Racing Level

It was a quiet day for Racing Level, who like all the sphere struggled with the low grip ranges. Stroll is trying to work himself again into some type after failing to attain since his podium in Monza – and solely seeing the chequered flag as soon as since then. As for Perez, he’s operating out of time to safe a drive for subsequent season and wishes an attention-grabbing end result right here to assist his trigger. He didn’t present a lot at present, however will probably be attention-grabbing to see the place the RP20 leads to the midfield pecking order tomorrow.

Sergio Perez – FP1: 1:38.612, P12; FP2: 1:31.104, P11

“It was very tough on the market at present and it’s not simply due to the colder temperatures – the dearth of grip is an actual issue too. After I did the observe stroll yesterday it was like strolling on a marble ground, virtually like your kitchen floor at residence! It’s very slippery and I believe will probably be like that every one weekend. It’s a disgrace we weren’t in a position to actually expertise the total affect of a lap round Istanbul Park, as a result of it’s such a problem and a fantastic observe, however I’m assured we’ll have a extremely thrilling weekend right here and that there shall be loads of alternatives for us. From what we’ve discovered at present, the technique goes to be key and getting it proper could possibly be a giant benefit. We’ve positively discovered lots at present and I’m assured we’re getting into the best course. The midfield battle is trying very shut this weekend and hopefully we are able to get in the direction of the entrance of it beginning tomorrow.”

Lance Stroll – FP1: 1:39.484, P13; FP2: 1:30.297, P9

“It was nice to expertise Istanbul Park for the primary time, but it surely was very difficult on the market. It’s a brand new asphalt and it’s very contemporary, which makes it tough as a result of the grip stage could be very low. I wouldn’t count on it to enhance considerably over the weekend, in order that problem goes to stay all through the occasion. All of the drivers and groups are in the identical boat, so it’s about who can familiarize yourself with the circuit finest and I’m trying ahead to seeing the way it performs out tomorrow. Qualifying shall be about determining one of the best technique and contemplating how finest to make use of the tougher compound right here in Turkey – it’s positively not a one-lap tyre. We’ll go away and look over every thing we discovered at present and are available again tomorrow stronger.”

Renault

Renault confirmed little of their true hand on Friday, opting to run the tougher compounds in FP1. They couldn’t make a lot of an impression on the leaderboard in second apply both – however with gas masses an unknown, don’t low cost the in-form midfield group from springing a shock tomorrow. Ocon had the beating of his group mate at present, which ought to give him some confidence after Ricciardo somewhat stole the headlines of late with two podiums within the final three races.

Esteban Ocon – FP1: 1:38.428, P10; FP2: 1:31.380, P12

“It was a difficult day, however we ended on a constructive observe. We improved the efficiency considerably, which is sweet and that’s not a simple factor to do. It was in all probability the trickiest situations I’ve ever pushed in because it was actually slippery on the market. I’d in all probability evaluate it to what it appears like driving on Intermediates, solely that we had been on slick tyres. It was new territory, and for this reason we nonetheless have stuff to study. Our lengthy runs appear robust, so let’s see tomorrow. The observe is superior, and hopefully with a bit extra grip we are able to push a bit extra!”

Daniel Ricciardo – FP1: 1:45.156, P18; FP2: 1:31.660, P15

“Total, I might say it was a difficult day for us. There was simply no grip within the session this morning and even because the observe rubbered in barely in the direction of the afternoon, we weren’t as fast as we’d hoped. I used to be not in a position to really feel the grip on such a very good circuit, which is a bit irritating. We discovered one thing in the direction of the top of FP2, so we did finish at present on a constructive observe and hopefully that units issues up for higher tempo tomorrow.”

Ciaron Pilbeam, Chief Race Engineer

“It was a really troublesome day to start out with as there was low grip on observe, significantly with the Arduous tyres. The low temperatures, the brand new observe floor and the tougher tyres all mixed to make it a difficult first session for everyone, much more so for us. We did make a step over the break, nevertheless, and it was a bit higher within the afternoon with the observe rubbering in slightly bit. We additionally made some adjustments to the automobile, which helped. We had been nonetheless fairly far off the tempo proper till the top of the session, after we made some additional adjustments. We spent many of the day fairly annoyed however what we did to enhance the automobile all through each classes has given us a very good course forward of tomorrow’s qualifying.”

Alfa Romeo

Raikkonen has expertise of racing right here and profitable as well when he got here residence first within the inaugural Turkish Grand Prix again in 2005. That have didn’t rely for an excessive amount of at present when he spun although, caught out by the slippery observe and windy situations. His group mate, in contrast, stored issues cleaner and wound up within the prime 10 in FP1. Might Alfa problem for Q2 and even Q3 this weekend, as the ‘Sauber’ squad celebrate their 500th race in Components 1?

Kimi Raikkonen – FP1: 1:41.035, P16; FP2: 1:31.932, P16

“Observe situations had been the largest problem this morning, regardless that we managed to do all we had been planning to attain. The day wasn’t very heat, the tyres had been exhausting and the tarmac new, and this mix made every thing actually slippery. It’s nonetheless very troublesome to get a correct really feel for the automobile, though it was promising to see how higher all of it received with each lap, however ultimately it’s the identical for everyone. In fact, tomorrow it might rain and we now have seen how much more slippery the tarmac will get when it’s moist, so we’ll simply want to attend and see in what situations we are going to run in qualifying.”

Antonio Giovinazzi – FP1: 1:37.503, P8; FP2: 1:31.493, P13

“The observe appears to be like very nice however the situations had been so, so slippery. It was very troublesome to place all of it collectively, it was in all probability the worst I felt in a Components One automobile at present – however at the very least it was the identical for everybody. Tomorrow could possibly be even worse, if it rains or it will get even colder, so we are going to see what occurs. The primary few laps in FP1 had been actually troublesome, FP2 was a bit higher because the observe improved slightly. These situations may be a chance for us, every thing can occur: we are going to should be sharp and put a very good lap collectively in qualifying.”

Haas

Grosjean was one in all many drivers to spin, flat-spotting his tyres earlier than joking that he’d had sufficient of his exhausting compound tyres anyway. The C1 rubber proved probably the most troublesome to maintain as much as temperature at present, with Grosjean operating that compound throughout each classes. Magnussen had a smoother day however neither driver appears in a position to extract a lot tempo from the VF-20 right here up to now.

Romain Grosjean – FP1: 1:40.025, P14; FP2: 1:32.570, P18

“It was slippery, that’s in regards to the least we are able to say. It’s to be anticipated with the brand new tarmac. We’ve been battling the tyres. I ran the exhausting tyres this afternoon – I used to be about 5 seconds off the tempo of Kevin (Magnussen) on the mediums. So, I’m undecided we’re going to the touch them for the remainder of the weekend. The observe received higher, however there’s just one racing line. That’s going to make overtaking and so forth fairly tough. In the event you’re off-line, the grip stage is again to what it was this morning. Possibly the rain cleans it, I believe there’s an opportunity of rain tomorrow. It might additionally make it worse getting the oil out of the brand new tarmac. I suppose we’ll discover out tomorrow. The trickier it’s although, the extra there could possibly be alternatives for a group like Haas. We’ll attempt our greatest and use all of our expertise.”

Kevin Magnussen – FP1: 1:41.854, P17; FP2: 1:32.807, P19

“It was very excessive situations this morning. There have been some moist patches to start out, however even on the dry patches – it was simply the bottom grip I’ve ever felt in dry situations. It was actually loopy, however type of cool as nicely to have that have. It was the identical for everybody. It was only a new problem, I suppose. The grip received higher all through the day. There was some rubber being put down on the racing line and it cleaned up a bit. It received higher however nowhere close to the extent of grips we’d have usually. It’s in all probability going to be a really slippery race this weekend, particularly with no assist sequence right here – it could possibly be chaotic, particularly once you go off-line to overhaul. Some corners, like Flip 12, for those who lock up slightly bit and also you miss the apex by a couple of meters – you’re simply driving on ice. You need to be very exact.”

Guenther Steiner, Group Principal

“It was an odd day for everyone at present, I’d say. It was very slippery, very uncommon for a free apply session – however comprehensible. We haven’t raced right here in a very long time, the observe was chilly and damp, we actually had all of it. The tyres, as Pirelli have mentioned, they weren’t deliberate for such a chilly occasion. We simply must get a grip of it, we have to use tomorrow what we’ve discovered at present. The prediction is rain for tomorrow – that may make it much more difficult. As we are saying although, challenges are alternatives. I hope we are able to take them.”

Williams

Russell is set for grid penalties for the race and thus may need been focussed extra on longer runs and race simulations, however that didn’t cease the teenager pushing and spinning in FP2. His team mate slid off simultaneously as each discovered it exhausting work on the market. The automobile appears to be like to have some instability within the rear, so will probably be attention-grabbing to see what they’ll handle via set-up adjustments in FP3.

George Russell – FP1: 1:49.256, P20; FP2: 1:32.302, P17

“It was unbelievable, I’ve by no means ever skilled something like this in a race automobile. I hope the observe rubbers in a bit tomorrow, will get sooner and extra grippy as a result of it was not enjoyable on the market. It’s going to be a large window of alternative for everyone this weekend for those who get it proper although. We struggled to get the tyres switched on in FP1, however we received them working in FP2, and from then the automobile was feeling nice and our lengthy excessive gas tempo was actually robust.

“It’s a disgrace we shall be beginning on the again, however there’s optimism as a result of there’ll doubtlessly be huge gaps between vehicles. Due to our robust Saturday performances, we’ve then been battling with sooner vehicles behind us on Sundays, so I’m excited to be the one attacking now and see what we are able to do within the race.”

Nicholas Latifi – FP1: 1:38.508, P11; FP2: 1:33.488, P20

“It was very tough on the market with very distinctive observe situations. I’ve at all times puzzled what it’s wish to drive a Components One automobile on ice, and I didn’t should go to Finland to seek out that out! Total, it was a fairly enjoyable day, there was not a lap that didn’t really feel such as you needed to consistently work.

“By way of automobile set-up and the course, you must take every thing with a pinch of salt because the observe goes to maintain enhancing. We have now already seen the enhancements that we now have made between FP1 and FP2 and that’s going to proceed because the observe goes to maintain rubbering in. We have now our work reduce out to see how we handle and stability that and the way a lot we react to what we felt at present versus what we anticipate.

“We presumably could get some rain tomorrow which might combine issues up a bit. I don’t know if that shall be a very good or unhealthy factor as it might clear the rubber off, but it surely additionally could assist extract the oil from the tarmac. Nonetheless I believe will probably be a really thrilling Saturday and Sunday.”

Dave Robson, Head of Automobile Efficiency

“As we speak was a troublesome day all through, with the tyres actually struggling to generate temperature on the brand new observe floor. This induced a couple of points this morning and prevented us from doing any helpful testing. The programme was tailored to permit us to study what we might, but it surely was nonetheless a really troublesome session.

“We made some adjustments to the automobile for FP2 to try to enhance the tyre efficiency and this, together with the pure observe enchancment, was a very good step forwards from the morning. Nonetheless, it remained very troublesome with each drivers spinning on excessive gas as they seemed for the restrict at this tough circuit.

“Precisely how the observe and the climate will behave tomorrow continues to be a bit unsure and so we might want to stay agile tomorrow. We are going to research the info collected at present to present us a menu of choices to attempt tomorrow. With George prone to begin from the again of the grid on Sunday then his priorities for tomorrow are slightly totally different to Nicholas, however total, we are going to in all probability nonetheless be concentrating on maximising tyre efficiency.”

Pirelli

Mario Isola, Head of F1 and Automobile Racing

“The brand new asphalt at Istanbul Park, which is lower than two weeks previous, proved to be extraordinarily slippery. In reality, we anticipated one thing extra much like Portugal, however in actual fact it was fairly totally different with little or no grip. There was a excessive quantity of observe evolution regardless of having no assist races right here. On prime of that, the observe floor was washed in a single day, resulting in some areas that had been barely damp this morning. We noticed a little bit of graining on the comfortable as anticipated in these excessive situations because of the vehicles sliding; this example ought to enhance throughout the weekend as extra rubber will get laid down, drivers get extra warmth into their tyres, and the observe continues to evolve. Nonetheless, we have to regulate the climate too; there’s a chance of rain in some unspecified time in the future throughout the weekend that might reset the observe situations and add to what’s already a really huge problem.”