With just one week away from Singapore GP, things looked up for Ferrari again on Friday in F1 Russian GP along with Red Bull Racing as Mercedes seemed off.
Ferrari‘s Charles Leclerc was particularly thrilled with their long-run pace for F1 Russian GP, hailing it as the ‘best of season’ after finishing FP1 on top and FP2 in second, instilling renewed confidence in the Maranello team.
“It was quite a good day,” he said. “Although we have some work to do when it comes to our qualifying pace, our race pace was very positive. There is quite a difference in balance from the beginning to the end of the lap.
“You have to find a good compromise in the set-up, which will allow you to post the best lap time without sacrificing your race pace. We tested a bit in both directions in practice and I think we found our way.
“Our competitors are strong, and we have to keep working as hard as we possibly can to keep our momentum from the past few race weekends.” On the other side, Sebastian Vettel had a rough outing.
“My day was not perfect, as in the afternoon I struggled a bit to find the right balance and therefore I never got into a rhythm,” he said. “I think we can do better on Saturday as we tried different things and now we need to decide what to keep and what to get rid of.”
Meanwhile, Mercedes used up mostly the hard and medium compounds in FP1 due to their choice, but they switched gears in FP2 with more soft usage. The stickier rubber, though, didn’t bring pace that many expected.
Lewis Hamilton was only fifth and fourth, while Valtteri Bottas was fourth and third respectively. The mood was different in the camp considering the better showing by not just Ferrari but also Red Bull.
“It’s always good fun to drive on this track, but unfortunately the others were a bit too quick for us,” said Bottas. “The balance of the car felt good, I was just struggling with the overall grip.
“Everything else seemed ok, but obviously we need to find some gains if we want to be in the fight for pole.” Hamilton felt better in FP2 but concurred Bottas in stating that they do need find a bit more pace.
As mentioned, the Red Bulls looked good with Max Verstappen in his stride, and for most of the sessions, he found himself among Ferrari and Mercedes as he finished second in FP1 and topped FP2.
Teammate Alexander Albon faced a slightly tougher session, finishing sixth and 10th, with floor damage in FP2 lost him some run time. Unfortunately, both have five place grid penalties due to new ICE.
The Dutchman reckoned that the day was better than Singapore, while Albon thought the troubles were a shame but still a valuable lesson. He also cleared that he didn’t see Hamilton behind Bottas for the scary moment in FP2.
In the midfield F1 battle, Renault looked in a better shape but it was a divided half. On one side, Nico Hulkenberg finished inside the Top 10 in both the sessions but Daniel Ricciardo suffered after his FP1 shunt.
He spun in the very last moment, taking a chunk out of the rear of the car, which limited his run time in FP2. The Aussie F1 racer, however, remains hopeful for the rest of the weekend, with ‘best of the rest’, the aim.
“Ideally, I want to be in Q3 and then we’ll see,” said Ricciardo. “I know a few of the cars have penalties, Max was very quick but I think he has a penalty, so we’ll get a few places, I think three positions.
“Hopefully that puts us well inside the Top 10.” Their direct rivals McLaren did not have a sound day as well with Lando Norris in a slightly better place than Carlos Sainz, who tried various set-ups.
Sainz termed the day as ‘challenging’, while Norris was more in the ‘not a bad day’ zone as they aimed for a double Q3. Toro Rosso, meanwhile, had a similar kind of run with Daniil Kvyat facing troubles in FP1.
He had a fuel system issue which forced him in the pits and it was catch up from then on, but Pierre Gasly was more happier despite a near hit with his teammate. At the same time, Haas had an expected performance.
With the hybrid F1 car for Russian GP, they floated around the Top 10 with both the drivers. Romain Grosjean, however, couldn’t manage to get the set-up right in FP2, and failed to put in a lap on the soft tyres.
On the other hand, Racing Point continued their push in Russian GP after an upgrade in Singapore. Sergio Perez was particularly happy. “A promising day,” he said. “I think it’s been our best Friday of the season in terms of understanding and progress.
“We did a lot of aero work and I’m very pleased with the day.” Teammate Lance Stroll felt on similar level. Alfa Romeo, meanwhile, went through their regular programme even though they were outside the Top 10.
The story was written by Duncan Leahy and edited by Darshan Chokhani